My realm of coaching comes from an athlete’s place of focus, creativity and discipline and is matched with compassion learned from years as a coach of athletes, a successful manager, and as a student of Eastern spiritual practices.  To have started this coaching and consulting business during the Olympics in Bejing is symbolic in that it integrates so much of what my life’s work has been – good people pursuing   excellence in their work and creating teams who work  within a framework of compassion and goodwill.

My sisters and friends call me "Tuti the Tiger" because I push and growl to protect and prod them. Of course, my Mom and I were both born in the Chinese Year of the Tiger so the origin is appropriate.   Donna Lopiano and Julie Foudy called me “Tuti the Tooth”, tenaciously pursuing a successful strategy to raise funds for the Title IX work we were doing at the Women’s Sports Foundation.  Really at heart, I am a basketball point guard, the player that is responsible for reading the defense, setting up the right play and passing the ball to my teammates to enable them to score – accomplishing the team’s goals on both ends of the court.  The point guard is the on floor “Coach” of a basketball team.  Seeing a basketball player as President-elect who understands the roles everyone plays for true 'team' craftfully pick his cabinet has been very gratifying for this coach to watch.

I took to the role of point guard coach effortlessly when I was 12 years old and was invited to try out for the junior high school basketball team by my gym teacher, Miss Hickey.  I had never played or seen organized basketball yet I immediately understood that the game’s tempo, energy and flavor were often directly related to the person dribbling the ball up the floor.  I spent hours every day over the summer between my 7^th and 8^th grade years repeatedly practicing a list of ball handling drills.  I had learned these from the coaches at the Dave Cowen’s Basketball School. 

Having picked enough strawberries to pay for the camp tuition, my Mom drove me to Massachusetts where after a week I was awarded the “Most Desire to Play” award – still the brand position statement for my life!  As a “gym rat” I did fingertip push-ups, walked around while squeezing tennis balls, lifted free weights (mind you this was 1974 so weights were not ‘normal’ for girls to do) and dribbled “crossovers” for hours on end.  This was  my summer fun.  I loved the way I could see and measure my improvement – how one day I could run and perform 10 dribbles with my left hand and the next day 13.  I loved seeing how if I did a drill faster, the quickness would come through in my game.  I also enjoyed pushing my teammates on the court to achieve their best.  Getting to know their strengths and getting them the ball where and when they could succeed and score was a very rewarding experience. 

Fast forward 30+ years and I still enjoy pushing myself and urging others to be extraordinary (and yes, I still play hoops in a weekly pick up game!).  I love  seeing others grow and excel in their lives and careers.  Coaching, strategizing and discerning effective practices for an Executive Director, a Board member or a Development Officer excites me when we figure out together what style, pitch, or framework works for them.  Spending time together on questions and situations where the tempo might not sit right with them and finding the alternative pace and practices that can allow them to succeed brings us both joy, and hopefully, victories that are meaningful and purpose driven.