Helping founders foster mentally healthy start-up culture with executive functioning coaching 

executive functioning coach nyc

Every aspect of building a start-up is challenging. Starting from a place of disorganization and stress can be a one way ticket to destruction and disappointment. It's not easy to build a successful business and a thriving workplace culture, having the correct support is vital. Finding an executive function coach who can support your vision and partner with you to optimize your cognitive function will lead to sustainable success. The ability to focus on organization, prioritization, time management, and stress tolerance are not always intuitive. At Strengths Squared, we guide founders in cultivating these skills, enhancing their ability to lead and manage with confidence and resilience. Executive functioning strategies not only boost individual productivity but also model emotionally intelligent, balanced leadership. When our clients are able to lead by example they influence the wider team, setting a foundation for an open, supportive workplace culture. By integrating self-regulation and task-management techniques explored during sessions, founders can optimize their workplace performance, better negotiate pressures, and foster a thriving, mentally healthy startup environment that values well-being and sustainable success.

  • Data-Driven Strategies: Evidence-backed, tech-informed methods to handle stress and boost productivity.

  • Inclusive, Trauma-Informed Approach: Our culturally competent methods support diverse leaders meaningfully.

  • Team Workshops and Group Sessions: Addressing real-world issues like burnout, conflict resolution, and stress management with practical tools for teams.

  • Customized Mental Health Support: Tailored for the tech and startup world, helping leaders and teams navigate high-stakes environments with resilience.

  • Integrated Therapy and Development: We address personal and professional challenges, promoting growth aligned with strengths and team dynamics.

  • Founders’ Mental Health Advocacy: Empowering founders to prioritize mental health, fostering healthier company cultures.

  • Executive Functioning Development: Enhances organization, adaptability under pressure, and cognitive function for sustainable leadership.

2 of the Best NYC Executive Functioning Coaches 

Takeaway: Strengths Squared’s executive functioning coaching in New York empowers startup founders to build sustainable, mentally healthy work cultures through skills in accountability, productivity, and intentional work-life integration. With a strengths-based approach, founders can foster resilience and prioritize well-being for both themselves and their teams. Contact us today to get started.

About Strengths Squared

Strengths Squared focuses on equipping startup founders and their teams with the skills they need to foster mentally healthy and sustainable work cultures, collective accountability, and intentional work-life integration. We believe any startup founder can learn to foster a sustainable, mentally healthy work culture of collective care, collective accountability, & intentional, work-life integration, by starting to implement the skills that most closely align with their way of learning.

We tailor our work together based on your needs, one of our most sought after programs is our executive function coaching/training. It targets crucial skills like time management, strategic focus, and decision-making, helping leaders complete tasks efficiently while avoiding burnout. By working on these core areas, we empower founders to lead with clarity and resilience, fostering cultures where mental health is prioritized and high performance is sustainable. Our approach is strengths-based and trauma-informed, focusing on each leader’s unique needs and challenges.

Strengths Squared partners with founders and executives who want to find success not only in their roles but in creating workplaces where resilience, focus, and mental health are integral to the team’s well-being. With our coaching, startup founders are able to achieve sustainable growth while leading their teams with empathy and precision.

Meet our top-rated NYC executive function coaches

executive functioning coach nyc

1. Lisa Birnbaum, LCSW, Executive Function Coach NYC

Driven by her unique ability to bridge ideas and bring people to together Lisa Birnbaum co-founded Strengths Squared. She prides herself on her unique capacity to hold multiple, non-binary, nuanced truths at once; and her dialectical worldview. Lisa earned MSW from Simmons College and holds clinical license in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She is clinically trained in a variety of modalities including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (DBT-PTSD). Lisa is especially drawn to opportunities that elevate others who are of marginalized identities.

executive function coach nyc

2. Marisa Birnbaum, PCC, Executive Functioning Coach NYC

Marisa Birnbaum co-founded Strengths Squared with a passion for partnering with humans on their path to successful life integration. Residing in New York City, Marisa Birnbaum is a serial entrepreneur with experience leading and managing many different people and aspects of business. In 2023 she earned her Professional Coaching Certification (PCC) from International Coaching Federation (ICF). The modalities she utilizes while coaching are Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Positive Psychology.

How to start with an executive function coach in NYC

Step 1: Visit StrengthsSquared.com

Explore StrengthsSquared.com to learn more about our services as a trusted executive function coach in NYC, New York State, and surrounding areas like Westchester County. Our expertise includes helping founders, tech leaders, and teams optimize performance while fostering mental well-being.

Step 2: Schedule a Consultation

Book a complimentary 30-minute consultation through our website. Whether you’re based in New York City, Westchester County, or really anywhere in the world let's set up a session to discus your goals and explore how our coaching can optimize your growth.

Step 3: Collaborate on a Personalized Plan

Utilizing the information we gather during your consultation our team will develop a personalized plan for you and your team.

Step 4: Begin Your Coaching Journey

Once the plan is finalized, we’ll schedule your first coaching session. Whether you’re in NYC, New York State, or beyond, our sessions—offered in person or virtually—help you lead effectively and create sustainable success.

Step 5: Experience Continued Partnership and Growth

As your executive function coach in NYC and beyond, we are committed to being your partner as you maintain and grow your sustainable workplace culture.

Why work with us

Strengths Squared offers whole-life coaching and mental health services for leaders, especially tech founders and startup executives, who face intense demands. We specialize in:

Tech & Startup Expertise

We understand the pressures of rapid growth, high-stakes environments, and scaling. We know that not every strategy works for all of our clients. We tailor every engagement to meet your needs.

Whole-Life Planning

Our coaching helps leaders balance career, family, personal well-being, adaptability in all areas of life. Harmonizing all the facets of your life ensures your continued fulfillment.

Executive Function Training

We emphasize essential skills like time management, prioritization, enabling peak performance without burnout. These techniques allow you to teach yourself how to maintain focus and direct your energy towards growth.

Integrated Therapy and Coaching

By blending therapeutic insights with coaching, we address both personal and professional growth. Your core beliefs and values show up in your leadership and understanding how they influence gives leaders the confidence to lead with intrepidity.

Trauma-Informed, Inclusive Approach

Our practices champions diverse leaders and equips them with strategies that are both respectful and adaptable.

With decades of experience, we provide our clients with the tools to build resilience and foster a mentally healthy workplace culture. Reach out to learn how we can create a tailored plan to begin your journey toward balance.

Common reasons why people work with an executive function coach

Struggling with Time Management and Organization

Adults with busy schedules or a history of missing deadlines benefit from executive functioning skills that aim to streamline their tasks and prioritize effectively. Many young adults, especially those in college or early in their careers, seek an executive function coach to improve their ability to prioritize tasks and stay organized.

Coping with Anxiety and Overwhelm

Anxiety can make tasks, like problem-solving or decision-making, feel daunting. Skill building helps individuals develop tools to mitigate anxiety, reduce overwhelm, and regain confidence in their ability to tackle life's predicaments.

Navigating Learning Disabilities or ADHD

Adults and young adults with learning disabilities or ADHD often face unique challenges in executive functioning. Executive function training provides a tailored approach to overcome barriers, enhancing skills such as focus, task initiation, and self-regulation.

Personal Transformation

The shift from early-stage employee to executive team to start-up founder can be overwhelming. Executive function coaching equips our clients with the tools to adapt to these changes, manage responsibilities, and thrive in their new roles.

Supporting Stakeholders

Venture Capitalist have invested in more then money into their leaders. Setting your founders and their teams up for success leads to your success. Stakeholders need to guide their teams, especially those with learning disabilities, disorganization, anxiety, and time management will benefit from executive functioning skills. This approach helps VC stakeholders model effective skills and foster a problem-solving mindset in their portfolio.

When another organization might be a better fit for your needs

Seeking Crisis or Emergency Mental Health

At Strengths Squared, we specialize in working with founders and future founders, not crisis or emergency mental health care. If you or one of your children are experiencing a crisis, contact NYC Well at 1-888-NYC-WELL or seek help from a school counselor, teacher, or college mental health center.

Requiring Specialized Clinical Interventions

We specialize in executive function coaching and leadership development, not specialized mental health treatments like PTSD or substance use care. We do not work with teenagers and children. If you believe need such services, resources like NAMI or SAMHSA can provide clinical guidance tailored to your needs.

Looking for Academic or Child Development Assistance

While we help founders develop executive functioning expertise that lead to academic success, we do not provide direct academic tutoring for teens and children or child development services. For students who are seeking help with academic skills and school readiness consult resources at your school or organizations like Understood.org. Colleges like Hunter College and Columbia University have offices on campus devoted to academic counseling.

Working Outside the Founder or Startup Space

Our coaching services are specifically designed for founders and future founders. For teachers, students, or parents seeking broader support for your children outside this scope, an organization with expertise in child development, academic success, or school-related services may better suit your needs.

FAQs about working with an executive function coach in New York City

  • An executive function coach in New York helps founders and future founders develop skills to take control of their productivity, problem-solve effectively, and enhance leadership. Key areas include organization, time management, prioritization, and stress tolerance—critical for thriving in high-pressure environments. Unlike therapists, who address emotional health, or business advisors, who provide strategic planning, an executive functioning skills coach in New York City concentrates on building personal effectiveness to meet leadership demands.

    At Strengths Squared, we offer one-on-one coaching and group programs designed for founders navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship. Our tailored approach equips clients with actionable strategies to stay focused, and mitigate stress, fostering sustainable growth and mentally healthy startup cultures. Whether you’re aiming to improve your decision-making or take control of your time, we provide the tools to help you lead with confidence and clarity.

  • Executive function coaching offers major benefits for those aiming to boost focus, manage time, and reduce stress. By working with a coach, you’ll gain personalized strategies to tackle daily blocks like task prioritization and organization. These skills enhance productivity, career success, and prevent burnout for professionals, while students and those with learning differences often see improved academic performance and self-assurance. Beyond productivity, coaching fosters self-awareness, emotional regulation, and life balance.

    If you're curious about how executive function coaching can help, reach out! We're here to answer questions and discuss how our services can assist you in achieving your goals.

  • There are a plethora of option and narrowing the list down can be daunting. When beginning your exploration to find and executive function coach it's important to clarify your pain points. Finding someone who specializes in your industry will allow you to get started with less framing. A great place to start would be asking your network for referrals. Ultimately the best way to really understand a coach's approach and point of view is to schedule a consultation call.

    Contact Strengths Squared for tailored coaching!

Start NYC executive functioning coaching today

Start your journey to better executive functioning with Strengths Squared. We empower founders, executives, and professionals to build focus, organization, and resilience to thrive in high-stakes environments. Our strengths-based, trauma-informed approach targets essential skills like time management, prioritization, and emotional regulation. We work with you to tailor practical strategies that improve productivity and reduce overwhelm, helping you balance professional demands with personal well-being. Whether you're looking to boost focus, manage stress, or foster a healthier work culture, we are here to assist you in reaching your goals. Reach out for a consultation to see how we can help you succeed.