Meet Chris | Leadership & Careeer Coach

I’m an executive coach for senior leaders at regenerative businesses.

I spent nearly two decades counseling senior executives, overseeing global storytelling initiatives, and building teams at Apple, Google, and the Los Angeles Times. That includes directing strategy and engagement for Apple’s Environment, Policy and Initiatives team. I reported to Lisa Jackson, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and led global initiatives like Apple’s annual Earth Day and World AIDS Day campaigns.

I didn’t take a career break for almost 20 years. I burned out.

My well of ideas dried up. I constantly felt I was failing. My body was wracked with pain as it tried to tell me I was on the wrong path. I ignored it all, until I couldn’t anymore. So, in late 2017, I quit the corporate sustainability job I’d loved at Apple. I leaped off the corporate treadmill.

I did a mid-career reboot.

I reconnected with my family; meditated; read hundreds of books; got back into shape; took naps and creative writing classes; and volunteered at my local food bank and underserved school. This, I learned, is what truly matters to me: family, community, health, creativity, human connection, and lifelong learning. An executive coach I’d worked with at Apple expertly guided me through this journey of reinvention, and she helped me discover something important:

My purpose is to help others discover and unleash the best versions of themselves, too.

Now I’m a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), an ACE Certified Coach, and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation.

I specialize in helping senior sustainability executives and their teams thrive. My clients have done brilliant work at prestigious organizations such as Google, Apple, Levi Strauss, Daily Harvest, Airbnb, and the Nature Conservancy. I'm also an executive coach and consultant at X, Alphabet's moonshot factory.

At GreenBiz, I write a regular column for sustainability professionals on how to avoid burnout and maintain their energy for this important work.

I strongly believe that you can’t be a leader if you’re not also a learner. I’ve studied a wide range of methods and modalities in executive and team coaching. Some of the world-class organizations I’ve trained with include the Co-Active Coaching Institute, the World Business and Executive Coach Summit, Coaches Rising, Positive Intelligence, the Conscious Leadership Group, Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching, Team Coaching International, and the Team Coaching Studio.

You’re caring for the planet. Who’s caring for you?

I’m the owner and president of Lantern Leadership, an executive coaching and consulting firm devoted to creating a more healthy, compassionate, and sustainable world. Lantern Leadership helps environmental and social impact leaders make the impact they dream of without sacrificing their own sustainability along the way. We work with senior leaders and senior leadership teams.

I hold a Master’s in Journalism from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor’s of Arts from Wesleyan University.

I’m a member of the Climate Coaching Alliance and the Forbes Coaches Council, and I provide pro bono coaching through the Humanitarian Coaching Network.

I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 20 years but still root hard for my hometown Boston Red Sox and Celtics. When I’m not coaching clients, you can usually find me walking among redwoods, swimming, reading a book, watching my son skateboard, or sitting with a men’s group. I proudly serve on the board of the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

I’d love to help you grow your environmental leadership.