COACHING APPROACH
My approach to coaching is built on three foundations:
1. Extensive executive experience
During my 15+ years in the corporate world, I launched several businesses and managed big teams (>200 people), in functions as diverse as product management, marketing, sales or software development. I’ve also sat on boards as a director, engaging with C-level executives from the board side. This first-hand experience allows me to understand deeply the challenges that my clients face and help them find solutions that actually work.
2. Academic frameworks and insights
In my work at Stanford University and at Sacred Heart University, I regularly use evidence-based frameworks in Strategy, Organizational Dynamics or Negotiations. I also work with talented executives in different industries and geographies, learning best practices from different companies. This knowledge allows me to analyze my clients’ problems in a structured way and help them in defining the path to their goals.
3. Professional coaching training
I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), widely recognized as the most rigorous professional coach training and certification program in the industry. I continue to learn by reading extensively and undertaking trainings like the “Designing Your Life” coaching certification. Thanks to this education, I’ve developed professional coaching skills that allow me to support my clients’ long-term growth and success.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOU?
Since I started coaching professionally in 2019, I’ve worked with dozens of executives for more than one thousand hours. Each client is unique and my coaching support is tailored to the client’s circumstances, so I don’t have a standard playbook. According to my clients, these are some of the areas where my coaching has been valuable:
Clarifying long-term goals and shorter-term objectives
Designing ambitious growth plans and making them happen
Expanding the universe of potential paths forward
Being a thoughtful sounding board for difficult problems and new ideas
Challenging self-limiting beliefs and building self-confidence
Planning and executing complex negotiations and communication plans
Providing support when things get rough, and celebrating the small and big wins
My coaching mostly focuses on professional challenges, but these are usually inseparable from the client’s personal circumstances and agenda. My approach is integrative – coach the whole person, not only the professional – as I believe that professional success should be sustainable and lead to a better overall life.
I usually meet with clients every two weeks, for 55 minutes – higher or lower frequencies can be agreed upon depending on the clients’ circumstances. The minimum length of engagement is 6 sessions, which cover initial ramp up and usually deliver the first results.
If you think you could benefit from support on any of the areas above, get in touch and we’ll set up a call to discuss further.
TESTIMONIALS
D.R.L.
SENIOR MANAGER
Raquel has been a key piece in my development as well as given me the tools to help accomplish my goals. She is a wonderful listener and extremely good professional. I am very happy to work with her.
A. R.
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Raquel has been a professional game-changer for me. I wish I would have found her earlier in my career. I needed an outside person to help me map all the various paths and have a fully transparent conversation. Raquel has helped me negotiate multiple job offers, better compensation packages, and navigate tough job situations. If you are contemplating having Pomera Services, do it.
E. P.
STARTUP CO-FOUNDER
Raquel has been an invaluable mentor/coach for me over the last few years. From leaving my job and gaining the confidence to found a company, to more recently, where I am faced with new challenges with a growing business. Her range of expertise means she has been able to cover a wide variety of topics with me.
ABOUT ME
My journey into executive coaching is an unusual one but I believe that the breadth of my experience makes me a much better coach today. I was born and raised in Barcelona and trained as a Civil Engineer in undergrad (including a couple of years in Paris). I worked as a consultant for a couple of years after graduation, but quickly realized that business and leadership problems were much more interesting to me.
I moved to California to do my MBA at Stanford University and the Silicon Valley experience made me a more confident and ambitious leader. Stanford also allowed me to go deeper on one of my passions, earning a Master’s degree in Education. In 2005, I joined Amazon, first in Seattle and then in London. As my corporate career advanced fast, I moved to the European headquarters in Luxembourg, where I launched multiple businesses (Digital Music in Europe, Marketplace in Italy and Spain, WW Localization …) and managed big teams in sales, technical onboarding or software development. After 10 years at Amazon, I decided to change and joined the European Investment Bank, the bank of the European Union. I really enjoyed public service and building a new team – the Digital Communications Division – but after a couple of years, I decided to focus full-time on executive education and coaching.
In 2015, I joined the teaching team of LEAD, the new executive education program of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. What started as a small part-time contract became an important role, as I expanded from the Finance course to Power, Negotiations, Strategy, Communications, Motivating Employees and other courses. Since 2017, I also teach Marketing and Supply Chain to MBA students at Sacred Heart University in Luxembourg. These teaching roles led to my first experiences as a coach, which I loved. As more and more executives asked me to continue coaching them when the course ended, I decided to get fully trained and become a professional executive coach.
My personal experience also influences who I am as a coach: having lived in 5 countries and speaking 4.5 languages, I have an intimate understanding of cultural differences and the global nomads’ challenges. Parenting three neurodivergent kids has taught me enormously about coaching, learning idiosyncrasies (giftedness, dyslexia, ADHD, ASD) and the struggles of working parents. Long-distance running keeps me healthy and provides many metaphors that are relevant in coaching. Finally, I love to read, both fiction and non-fiction, and I tend to recommend too many books both to clients and friends.
