Faranak Firozan spends much of her time working with individuals who appear to have everything figured out. Her clients are engineers, coders, and product leads working in some of the most competitive corners of the tech industry. They are the professionals who relocated to the United States for opportunity, secured positions at respected companies, and executed every step of the roadmap they were taught would lead to a fulfilling life.
But many of them are quietly unfulfilled.
“They followed the script perfectly,” Faranak Firozan explains. “But when they got there, it didn’t feel the way they expected it to. They were productive, but not present. They were successful, but disconnected.”
Her coaching practice in Santa Clara focuses on executive life coaching for high-achieving tech professionals, with a special emphasis on those who’ve moved to Silicon Valley from overseas. While her clients are diverse in background and experience, they often face a unique combination of pressure, isolation, and uncertainty that is rarely acknowledged in the workplace.
“A lot of my clients are working under multiple layers of stress. There’s job performance, of course. But there’s also immigration status, cultural navigation, and the challenge of trying to build a real life in a place where you didn’t grow up,” she says.
Faranak Firozan helps her clients slow down and realign. Her coaching supports both career development and personal growth, offering structured, one-on-one support that helps people reconnect with what truly matters. The work isn’t limited to what happens at the office. Much of it involves relationships, confidence, communication, and personal direction.
A common theme among her clients is the desire for deeper connection—at work, in friendships, and in dating. Many are on H-1B visas, working in demanding technical environments with little time or space to process life outside their careers.
“They’ve done everything right, but still feel like something’s missing,” Faranak says. “That’s usually the entry point. From there, we begin to unpack what fulfillment means for them—and how to make room for it.”
Her clients include software engineers from Bangalore, project managers from Nairobi, developers from São Paulo, and product designers from Seoul. Some have been in the U.S. for a decade. Others just arrived last year. What they share is a sense that the fast pace of Silicon Valley has left little room to breathe, reflect, or connect on a deeper level.
One former client, a machine learning engineer, reached out after three years of constant career acceleration. “He had the job title, the salary, the promotions. But he hadn’t made a single meaningful friendship outside of work,” Faranak recalls. “We talked about what he actually wanted his life to look like. Coaching gave him space to start building that life intentionally.”
Faranak Firozan is careful to clarify that her work isn’t therapy. It’s forward-facing, results-oriented, and deeply personal. Her clients aren’t broken—they’re highly capable people who simply need a space to re-center, away from performance metrics and cultural expectations.
Her coaching approach includes values alignment exercises, communication strategy, mindset work, and goal mapping. Sessions are tailored to each client’s needs and typically held weekly or biweekly, depending on the pace and scope of their work and personal lives.
“I don’t use a one-size-fits-all method. Every client is in a different phase. Some need clarity about career direction. Some need to process a difficult breakup. Others want to show up more confidently in team meetings,” she says.
Faranak works with her clients on both their internal landscape and external actions. For one client, the priority was preparing to lead a global team for the first time. For another, it was navigating the anxiety of a pending visa renewal while feeling socially disconnected. In both cases, her coaching helped them stabilize, plan, and show up more fully in their day-to-day lives.
Clarity is a word Faranak Firozan returns to often. “Most of my clients are mentally overloaded. They’re operating at a high level, but without clarity, it’s exhausting,” she says. “Clarity changes everything. It allows you to make better decisions, form better relationships, and actually enjoy the life you’ve worked so hard to build.”
Much of the emotional complexity her clients carry stems from competing identities. They are proud of their work ethic but tired of being seen only as high performers. They are grateful for opportunity but unsure how to speak up when something feels off. They want connection, but often feel invisible outside of their job title.
Faranak helps them reconnect with themselves. She supports the process of asking better questions. What does a successful life look like for you? What does a meaningful relationship feel like? What kind of community do you want to be part of?
“There’s no universal blueprint,” she says. “My job is to help them create their own.”
Faranak Firozan’s business has grown steadily through word-of-mouth, referrals, and repeat clients. She does not market herself aggressively. Her focus is on building long-term trust and helping each client achieve sustainable growth—internally and externally.
Her work is increasingly resonating with international professionals who are navigating life in the Bay Area. Many have tried traditional career coaching and found it too transactional. Others have avoided asking for help altogether, assuming that struggle was part of the price of opportunity.
“Coaching doesn’t mean you’re failing,” Faranak says. “It means you’re ready to stop surviving and start designing a life that fits.”
The impact of her work is visible in subtle but powerful shifts. Clients begin to speak more openly in meetings. They say yes more thoughtfully. They say no with more confidence. They begin to date again or reconnect with friends. They build lives that are not only successful, but fulfilling.