Instinct for Impact | Executive Coaching for the Next Chapter
Lunch and Learn for Therapists
Mike Lee and Jocelyn Fitzgerald invite you to a Lunch and Learn on April 3, 2026 at the Grant House from 12 to 1 pm. We will discuss how therapists and coaching can work together to provide wholistic partnership to people navigating change - and how to recognize clients who are ready for this kind of support.
Mike Lee is an Executive Coach with 25 years' experience working with high-impact teams and professionals. Mike partners with therapists whose clients who may need help navigating high-stakes career and leadership transitions, and need a practical, action-oriented partner alongside their therapeutic work.
Space for is limited. We are excited to "lunch and learn" with you!
Many of your clients are high-performing professionals — senior ICs, managers, directors, VPs, founders — who are emotionally processing a major shift and need someone in their corner on the practical, strategic side. They may be dealing with a layoff, burnout, a role that no longer fits, an identity shift after a life change, or the quiet realization: I can't do this for another 5–10 years.
At an Inflection Point
Layoff, pivot desire, empty-nest identity shift, or the moment they realize the current chapter has run its course.
Misaligned or Overextended
High performers who feel out of sync with their work, their environment, or what they want next — but don't yet have a plan.
Ready to Rebuild
They've done the inner work (often with you). Now they need direction, structure, and momentum to actually move.
How I Work — And How I Don't
Coaching Is Not Therapy. It's the Partner to It.
My work is practical, forward-focused, and action-oriented. I help clients build a clear line from where they are to where they want to be — then execute against it. I don't do deep emotional processing. I don't diagnose. I don't treat.
What I do: I help your clients take the clarity and self-awareness they've built in therapy and turn it into a concrete plan they can act on — with accountability, structure, and a coach who's been in the arena.
When a client brings emotional material that belongs in a clinical conversation, I say so clearly and direct them back to you. The relationship between coaching and therapy here is complementary, not a substitute.
"I'm not here to be their therapist. I'm here to be their strategist, thinking partner, and accountability coach — so their inner work turns into outer momentum."
A client ready to act on their inner work. Your referral bridges the gap between insight and impact.
The Method
Head, Heart & Hands — Built Backwards from the End State
Most coaching starts where the client is and tries to push forward. My model is different: I help clients design the end state first, then plot the path back to today. I call it the Written-Backwards Method — a university business lesson I first learned (from my drama professor!) and have applied across three career pivots of my own and 25+ years advising leaders.
Head — What's your unfair advantage?
Cut through the noise. What wisdom already lives inside them? What unique advantage is ready for daylight? Every session ends with sharper perspective on what's true, what matters, and what their real options are.
Heart — Why do they show up every day?
Values, identity, passion. What's their heart-set? Emotion is the signal — it helps us ask the right questions so their next move feels right, not merely logical.
Hands — How do their instincts drive them?
What's their 'How?' Instinct is the secret ingredient. It's often also at the heart of why they need a change. We surface it, name it, and build it into the plan using the Kolbe Index instinct assessment.
Tooling includes the Head, Heart & Hands foundation, 5 questions to pressure-test a career opportunity, the STORY interview answer system, the Kolbe Index instinct assessment, and the Enneagram — all woven into a written-backwards plan built for how the client actually operates.
Do Your Clients Need a Coach?
A Great Coach helps your Clients Discover Their Own Wisdom
When your clients are facing a real career change — not just a new job, but a new chapter — they may want help, but struggle to know what kind. There are five types of people who can influence their path. Understanding the difference is a helpful step.
They may need a coach if...
🎯 They're ready to take action, but aren't sure what kind
🔄 They're already taking action and not getting the results you need
Not every kind of help is the same. Here's how a coach compares to the other four types of support - so they can find the right fit.
1 - 🩺 Therapist
Heals what's blocking them from taking action. Addresses mental health, clinical diagnoses, and the deep roots of why they can't take the actions they need to take.
2 - 🤝 Mentor
Challenges who your clients are. Someone they deeply trust - personally or professionally - who asks hard questions and helps confront the weaknesses that may be holding them back.
3 - 🧭 Coach
Helps your clients empower themselves to take action. Asks the deep questions that help your clients surface their own wisdom, but specifically so they can take action with clarity and intention. This is the sweet spot for career transitions.
4 - 📚 Teacher
Shows your clients how to use tools. Guides them in developing specific skills: "I know how to use this. Let me show you how."
5 - 🔧 Consultant
Builds the tools on behalf of someone else. Does the actual work, delivering the frameworks, systems, or outputs needed.
A coach isn't here to tell your clients what to do. They're here to help them hear what they already know - and turn it into a plan they will execute.
About Mike Lee
Coaching Informed by 25+ Years in the Arena
I've spent over two decades building teams, advising leaders, and helping organizations navigate high-stakes transitions — as a 3x entrepreneur/founder and as a leader at Menlo Ventures and The Home Depot. I've worked with 1-person pre-seed startups, scale-ups, and built a 250-person $2.5B Fortune 25 business. I've seen what happens when talented people get ground down by toxic environments, misaligned roles, and systems that don't leverage their innate instincts, passions, and abilities.
Instinct for Impact is focused specifically on experienced professionals who are ready to choose their next chapter with intention. My approach is calm, practical, and direct. I won't give concepts without application. I'll help your clients think clearly, move deliberately, and (re)discover what they're meant for next.
25+
Years advising leaders
through high-stakes transitions
3x
Founder
with real-world pivots and career changes of his own
Kolbe Certified
Certified instinct assessment practitioner
& Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)
April Lunch and Learn
Join Us for the Lunch and Learn
April 3, 2026 · 12–1 PM · Grant House at Fort Vancouver, Vancouver, WA
Join Mike Lee and Jocelyn Fitzgerald for a relaxed conversation about how executive coaching and therapy can work together - and how to recognize clients who are ready for this kind of support. We look forward to seeing you!
No. This is coaching focused on decisions, direction, and execution. It doesn't replace mental health care. If deeper clinical support is needed, I'll say so clearly and direct them back to you.
Is it confidential?
Yes. Everything discussed in sessions stays between us. Coaching conversations are held in strict confidence — this is foundational, not optional.
How long does this take?
The Reset takes 2–3 weeks. The Blueprint runs 6–10 weeks. Most clients feel meaningful traction within the first two sessions.
Who is this NOT for?
This isn't the right fit for clients looking for me to help them with an acute mental health crisis, or who want someone to tell them what to do. This is for people ready to think, decide, and act — on their own terms. However, I complement a therapist as a sounding board and strategist for active decision-making.
Ready to Connect?
Let's Talk - For You and For Your Clients
Whether you'd like to refer a client, ask questions about fit, or simply get a feel for how I work, I'd love a conversation. A 20-minute call costs nothing and tells us both whether this is the right match.
Refer a Client
Reach out directly via email or have your client book a free 20-min fit call. I'll take it from there and keep you in the loop as appropriate.
Schedule a Peer Chat
Want to understand the approach more before referring? I'm happy to talk with you one-on-one — no agenda, just clarity.
Share This Overview
Feel free to pass this 1-pager directly to clients who might be a fit. The fit call is free, low-pressure, and designed to be honest on both sides.