Executive & career coaching · Des Moines, Iowa
How you reflect is how you grow.
A confidential thinking partner for directors and executives who need to grow their influence, pressure-test big decisions, and say the hard thing out loud to someone with nothing to gain from the answer.
Find your unlock!
20+ yrs
Experienced Leader
MBA + MS UXD
Board experience
Two ways to work together
Pick the room you're in.
Featured
Executive advisory
You're the one who's supposed to have the answer. I'm the person you take the question to first: influence, politics, strategy, the next seat, and the life around the job.
1:1
Career & brand coaching
Changing roles, changing fields, or ready to be known for something. Clear next steps and a story people remember.
Executive advisory · Director & above
A trusted outside voice for the questions you can't ask inside.
No agenda, no org chart, no stake in the outcome. Just a seasoned operator who has sat in the meetings, carried the number, and will tell you what he actually thinks.
Sound familiar?
“Everyone expects me to have the answer. I need someone to argue with first.”
“My title elevated. My influence didn't.”
“I'm good at the work. I'm not sure I'm good at the politics.”
“I can't talk this through with my team, my boss, or my family.”
“I'm winning at work and losing everywhere else.”
What we work on
01
Influence & politics
Cross-functional buy-in, managing up, reading the room, and winning the argument before the meeting.
Seth's angle: 15 years moving through seven roles inside a national insurer.
02
Digital, CX & marketing strategy
Pressure-test the roadmap, the martech or AI bet, the agency pitch, the CX program, before it goes to the board.
Seth's angle: runs digital marketing & technology at Vermeer; MBA + MS in UX Design.
03
Moving up
Director to VP, the first 90 days, executive presence, and deciding whether the next seat is the right one.
Seth's angle: started as a sales agent, climbed one role at a time.
04
Communication & story
Board decks, all-hands, the hard email, the reorg announcement. Make the message land the first time.
Seth's angle: speaker, voice talent, video producer.
05
Career–life balance
What the job is costing you, what you're willing to trade, and how to lead without losing the rest of your life.
Seth's angle: [career + two grad degrees + board + side work, in your words].
Bring your own question
Not on the list? That's usually the one worth talking about.
Three ways to engage
Company paying? I can invoice your organization directly. Goals are shared with your sponsor; conversations are not.
One decision
Pressure test
Bring one hard question: a hire, a reorg, a pitch, an offer. Leave with a decision and a plan to say it out loud.
→ Pre-read of your materials
→ Written summary within [48 hours]
$150/hr
Most popular · a defined goal
Coaching engagement
A structured run at a specific change: a promotion, a new seat, a stalled team, a reputation to rebuild.
→ Intake + personality profile debrief
→ Goals agreed up front, reviewed at the end
→ Email/text access between sessions
$125/hr
Ongoing · on call
Advisor on retainer
The person you call before the board meeting, after the bad one-on-one, or when the offer comes in.
→ Same-week calls for hard questions
→ Review of decks, emails, org plans
→ Cancel any month
$75/hr + on-call
What's said here stays here.
Our conversations are confidential. If your company sponsors the work, they see the goals we set and whether we hit them, never what you said to get there. I don't coach people that may present a conflict of interest.
Career & brand coaching
Your next move, and the story that gets you there.
For managers and professionals changing roles, changing fields, or ready to be known for something.
Ask about career coachingTransitions
Agent to designer to marketing leader. I've made the jump more than once; we'll plan yours.
Personal brand
LinkedIn, résumé, portfolio, a talk, a channel. Be findable for the right thing.
Breaking into UX / CX
Portfolios, case studies, and interview prep from someone with the MS and the hiring-side view.
Format & investment
[Single session or 3-session pack] · starting at [$ AMOUNT]
Why me
I've been the one in the room without the answer.
I grew up in a small town and went to a small college. I took an entry-level job at a giant business, studied my tail off, and worked my way up the ladder. There, I watched great people fail and average people succeed based on their ability to reflect on their skills and behaviors. If your desire to grow is unshakeable, you just need a partner to help you get to the next level.
Been on both sides of the table
Business + human behavior
Trusted with the unglamorous work
Straight talk, no framework theater
Tools I use with clients
DISC
Big Five
CliftonStrengths
MBTI
Trust Quotient
Journey mapping
My own results are on the About page, so you know I take my own medicine. See my profiles →
How it works
Four steps. No long sales pitch.
1
Discovery call
2
Intake & profile
3
Sessions
4
Review
Local to central Iowa
Based in Ankeny. Meeting across the metro.
I'm an executive and career coach who lives and works in Ankeny, with 20+ years in the industries that anchor central Iowa: insurance and financial services, marketing, and manufacturing. When you want to talk in person, I'll come to you: your office, a coffee shop near it, or a co-working space downtown. When you don't, video works just as well.
Where I meet clients in person
Des Moines
West Des Moines
Ankeny
Urbandale
Johnston
Clive
Waukee
Grimes
Altoona
Pleasant Hill
Norwalk
Indianola
Windsor Heights
Bondurant
Polk City
Adel
TESTIMONIALS
"Seth helped me make adjustments to my leadership style that increased my presence in leadership meetings after just one session."
"I felt like I was talking to Seth Godin."
"I wasn't comfortable bringing development needs or bad news to my direct reports. Seth provided both clarity and techniques that made it much easier."
FAQ
Fair questions about coaching.
How is this different from mentoring or therapy?
A mentor gives advice from inside your path. Coaching sharpens your own thinking with better questions, plus a straight opinion when you want one. It isn't therapy, and I'll say so if that's what you need.
Do I have to be a director to work with you?
No. Executive advisory is built for directors and up; career & brand coaching is for anyone navigating a move. [Confirm.]
Will my employer know what we talk about?
No. If your company pays, they see the goals and progress we agree to share, never the conversations.
What does executive coaching cost?
A single pressure-test session starts at [$ AMOUNT], a 3- or 6-month engagement at [$ AMOUNT], and an ongoing advisor retainer at [$ AMOUNT] a month. Many central Iowa employers cover coaching from a leadership or L&D budget, and I can invoice your company directly.
Can my company pay for it?
Yes. I can invoice your organization directly, and I'm happy to help you make the case to your manager or L&D team.
Are you certified?
[Your answer: certification, or the experience and assessment training you bring instead.]
Do you coach in person in the Des Moines area?
Yes. I'm based in Ankeny and meet clients in person across the Des Moines metro, including West Des Moines, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Waukee and Altoona, usually at your office or a quiet spot near it. Video sessions work from anywhere.
What if it's not a fit?
That's what the discovery call is for. If I'm not the right person, I'll tell you who might be. [Refund / cancellation terms.]
Book a discovery call
Bring the question you haven't said out loud yet.
20 minutes by phone or video, no charge, no pitch. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you who might be.