Consultant Bio
Together, we create unique application strategies that leverage your demonstrated strengths. My coaching brings forth your most compelling, authentic content. 98% of my clients have obtained admission to one or more top 10 MBA programs; 80% to a top 5 program. Most attend their first-choice school – and receive sizeable scholarships (that far exceed my fees!)
More than a consultant, I consider myself to be your friend and trusted advocate who is passionately invested in your success. Each client partnership is an exciting and fulfilling journey to me. I am known for my candor and high standards but always work with my clients in a spirit of humor, warmth, and kindness.
I received the Global Scholar award as the first Iowa MBA to study abroad. In 1999, I completed research and coursework on Brand Strategy and Consumer Behavior at a French-speaking business school, Ecole Superieure de Commerce-Amiens.
Upon my return in 2000, I taught GMAT Verbal at Kaplan while completing the second year of my MBA. At that time, I was approached by a top 5 admissions consulting firm, asked to develop a remote GMAT program and later, to edit essays. From 2000 to 2008, I held marketing management positions in companies such as Gannett, Dow Jones and Wells Fargo while coaching MBA and EMBA aspirants in the evenings. As the corporate newsletter editor for Wells Fargo, I interviewed executives throughout the organization and helped them tell their stories.
In 2008, I left the world of corporate marketing management to obtain my coach certification. From 2008 to 2014, I was a business coach to new startup founders while continuing my side work with MBA applicants. In addition, I taught marketing, advertising and strategic management at California State University.
In 2014, I decided to combine my work with MBA applicants with my coaching practice, by creating a unique coaching-based admissions consultancy. The goal of coaching is transformation; in my practice, the client’s desire for a top MBA is the catalyst for their transformation.
In addition to being a coach, I am a trained marketing strategist and a professional editor. All of this combined allows me to dig out good content, that I edit succinctly. The goal is to create a clear identity in the mind of your reader. I enjoy leveraging my coaching, marketing and editing skills to help my clients gain admission to their ideal MBA programs.
My hobbies include meditation, swimming, Feng Shui, watching French films, and attending live jazz.
I am known for…
- Guiding and supporting clients in self-discovery and career transformation
- Fluency in many different cultures and industries
- Identifying my clients’ strengths and areas of competitive advantage
- Masterful storytelling and editing in a very succinct, powerful style
My aim is to help you create your best applications – get into your dream b-school – and pursue a career that excites you.
Fill out my prospective client form on my website and send me your CV; I will review both and reply to set up a time to chat.
Company Information

Is this you?
When clients first come to me, they are generally looking to make a big career transformation but not sure what that looks like or how to go about it. They just know a bit about what they like – and even more about what they are trying to get rid of.
Also, when I first speak with clients, they usually do not have a clear understanding of what I call their “professional identity.” Their strengths, weaknesses, areas of competitive advantage. What they are known for in the eyes of others. The adcom wants to get to know you. But if you do not know yourself, you cannot really help the adcom get to know you.
And, they are unclear about, as they say, “what to put.” They don’t know what the admissions committees are looking for – or what motivates adcom to root for you. Because of this, they have trouble identifying what aspects of their background should be put to the foreground in their applications.
When it comes to discussing their work, they are unable to convey it in universal language the admissions committee could easily follow and absorb. This limits the impact of your application, and subsequently your chances.
What I deliver
Knowing “what to put,” – Often clients have a treasure trove of impressive anecdotes but are unable to recognize them as “exceptional”. We mine through your stories together so I can identify examples of what the adcom is seeking – leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, innovation, positive impact, etc.
Identifying the “brilliance factor” – I help you identify the breakthrough thinking you applied to solve the problem, to get the result. With tight word limits, it’s important we go down the right road with these stories.
Discerning all the ways you added value/had impact – I often spot ways my clients make a positive impact that they had not considered. I can see ways your actions benefitted the company that you may not. We work together to articulate the value derived from your actions.
Achieve greater self-awareness – Our most important task is to help adcom get to know you. I help you get in touch with your authentic self, so can better express who you are to the adcom. The better they know you, as a person, the more they will “root” for you.
Tell your story – By outlining your anecdotes with me, you learn an effective framework for telling stories. You will take this framework into interviews and carry it with you for the rest of your life. Also: because I outline all your essay stories with you, the drafts you write are on track, which saves time.
Set you apart – I focus on the attributes that separate you from other competitors in your profile group, to give you a strategic advantage. Beyond b-school, you need to communicate your USP cleanly and concisely. This is what sparks interest in you when it comes to interviews, networking and speaking with investors.
Remove barriers – In your line of work, you have learned a secret language replete with acronyms and industry terms. I help you translate industry jargon that into plain language adcom readily understands. Consider the expression, “A fish doesn’t know what water looks like.”
Establish your critical path – My key to success: research yourself, research your goals and research the schools. I guide you in doing the right things in the right sequence to get you closer to your goal of an admit.
Get a clear command of your professional identity for adcom – By getting to know you, I identify your brand promise. What you deliver in every setting. From this we come up with an “angle” unique to you, and weave that positioning through all elements of the application. By doing this work, adcom can then summarize who you are, making you memorable.
Polished final product – I edit all your work, so it accentuates the key communication objective of each piece. I cut away what distracts from the main message. By focusing on our communication objective and cutting the rest, you develop a more well-defined identity in the minds of your readers.
Leveraging your b-school investment – Having your goals ironed out allows you to spend time in b-school learning, instead of recruiting for a bunch of different industries. Why spend $200K only to get a job – classes, extracurriculars, and building a network hold a great deal of long-term value.
Be ahead of the game – In sum, you hit the ground running. I put my clients through the same exercises they do in zero week in business school, in terms of personal branding, and informational interviewing. You will have already completed some of your outreach in finding an internship or post-MBA job.
Reasons for my success
✦ MARKETING EXPERT – Skilled at anecdotally conveying your leadership and problem-solving skills
✦ CERTIFIED CAREER COACH – Eliciting concrete post-MBA goals and steps to achieve them
✦ CORPORATE & STARTUP LEADERSHIP – 20 years of post-MBA experience informing your apps
✦ FORMER MBA PROFESSOR – Academic perspective will help enrich your essays
✦ COMMUNICATION COACH – Guiding your prep for video essays and interviews
Also
✔ I KNOW WHAT’S OUT THERE
I have read and edited several hundred essays, by having worked for five large admissions consulting firms. I know what has been “done to death” by applicants, and where the opportunities lie.
✔ I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES
Contact me at the email below to set up a time to chat and see if we would make a good team. I want to help you create your best applications – get into your dream b-school – and pursue a career that excites you.
Menu of Services and Associated Costs
I take the time to get to know my clients inside and out. This allows us to create truly customized applications that are consequently very authentic, compelling and successful.
You will be working with me directly – a full-time experienced proven professional – on all elements of the application.
For best results, it is important that we partner on every aspect of your application. NOT just your essays. The application is akin to a “campaign” and each element needs to be consistent in message and quality. Also, statistically, each application element is weighted equally. Essays are weighed the same as your letters of recommendation, CV, and application boxes. Adcom looks at your LinkedIn as well.
For this reason, the first application generally requires 40 hours. My hourly rate is $100/hour. Subsequent applications are sequentially less, between 25-30 hours, depending upon how much additional work there is to be done. The 3rd and 4th applications land between 10-15. I strive to maximize your chances by repurposing your content in other applications. This allows us to improve your odds by applying to more schools.
Just looking for some answers or strategic direction with this whole thing? Contact me to book a 60 or 90-minute strategy session.
Don’t roll the dice on your future when the payoff is potentially massive: starting salary, scholarships, and being prepared to succeed in MBA internship interviews.
Location: United States
Phone: 888-380-4180
Email: info@mbaprepcoach.com
Website: http://MBAPrepCoach.com