Faranak Firozan did not set out to become an executive coach for the global tech community, but it quickly became clear that the people who sought her out shared a common experience. Many were engineers, developers, or product managers who had relocated from outside the United States to work in Silicon Valley. They were smart, capable, and driven. They had landed competitive roles at top-tier tech companies. But something was off.
“They were doing everything they were told would lead to success,” Faranak Firozan explains. “They had the job, the visa, the paycheck. But they didn’t feel like they belonged. They didn’t feel fulfilled. And in many cases, they didn’t know who to talk to about it.”
Faranak Firozan began working with this group of professionals in a way that went far beyond career planning. Her coaching practice, based in Santa Clara, offers one-on-one executive life coaching for high-performing individuals who are navigating both the external demands of the tech world and the internal challenges of starting over in a new country. Her clients come from India, Brazil, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, and beyond. Most are on H-1B visas, working in roles that require constant adaptation, performance, and cross-cultural communication.
“They’re building careers while also trying to build lives,” she says. “That’s a huge amount of pressure.”
A client might be an engineer at a top cloud computing firm who’s burned out after three years of back-to-back launches, while also struggling to form lasting friendships outside work. Another might be a technical project manager whose leadership skills are strong but who constantly second-guesses herself in meetings with U.S.-born colleagues. Others are early-career coders who find themselves stuck between two worlds—committed to professional growth, but unsure how to make room for personal connection.
This is where Faranak Firozan steps in. Her coaching creates a structured space for clients to reflect, reset, and take action. It is not therapy, but it is deeply personal. Her approach blends emotional intelligence, cultural understanding, and actionable planning. The result is a tailored coaching experience that helps her clients thrive in their roles while also feeling more grounded, confident, and connected in their daily lives.
“Tech professionals who relocate for work are not just dealing with job stress,” she says. “They’re navigating loneliness, cultural expectations, relationship challenges, and often an internalized pressure to never slow down. Coaching helps them reorient around what really matters.”
Her clients are not seeking generic productivity hacks. They are often asking questions like: Why don’t I feel satisfied even though I’m meeting my goals? How do I make space for dating or family while keeping up with work demands? Why do I still feel like an outsider in meetings, even after being promoted?
For engineers and coders trained to solve problems through logic, these questions can be disorienting. That is why Faranak Firozan tailors her sessions to include both analytical tools and emotional reflection. She helps clients break down their internal dialogue and identify patterns that may be holding them back in subtle ways.
One client, a senior developer originally from Hyderabad, had been promoted twice in four years but still felt excluded from the core team. “He thought it was a language barrier or cultural difference,” Faranak recalls. “But when we really looked at it, he had been downplaying his ideas because he didn’t want to seem arrogant. Once we named that and built new strategies for how he wanted to show up, his confidence and visibility improved almost immediately.”
For another client, a machine learning engineer from São Paulo, the challenge was personal. “He was thriving at work but struggling with dating and building a personal life,” she says. “We spent time identifying what he believed about himself and his worth outside of his job title. Over time, he built stronger relationships—not just romantic, but with friends and community as well.”
Faranak Firozan structures her coaching in ways that align with the pace and mindset of Silicon Valley professionals. Sessions are typically held weekly or biweekly and may include exercises on values alignment, role-playing conversations, career vision mapping, or simply creating space for honest reflection.
The work is confidential, tailored, and focused. “We’re not talking about high-level theory,” she says. “We’re talking about how you want to feel in your life, and what you’re doing that helps or hinders that.”
Her practice is not exclusive to H-1B workers or international clients, but over the years this group has become a core part of her coaching base. She understands how difficult it is to ask for help when you’ve worked so hard to get where you are.
“There’s a strong belief among many of my clients that if they stop and admit they’re struggling, they’ll lose ground. But coaching is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you’re willing to grow with intention.”
When asked what success looks like in her coaching work, Faranak Firozan doesn’t mention salary increases or title changes—though those often happen. Instead, she talks about her clients learning to speak more freely in meetings, setting healthier boundaries, reconnecting with friends and family, or going on a second date and actually enjoying it.
“Success is when they start to feel like their life fits,” she says. “Not just their résumé.”
She also sees coaching as a bridge between cultures, between roles, and between the version of success people inherit and the version they define for themselves.
“I want my clients to stop feeling like they’re performing someone else’s life,” she says. “I want them to feel at home in who they are, wherever they are.”
Faranak Firozan’s coaching business continues to grow through referrals and word of mouth. She does not rely on advertising. Instead, her reputation is built on results, trust, and a deep respect for the challenges her clients are facing.
“Every client I work with is doing something brave,” she says. “They’ve already taken a leap to be here. Coaching gives them the tools to make that leap sustainable.”
The success of Faranak Firozan’s practice is not measured in scale but in depth. She works with a limited number of clients to ensure each engagement is meaningful and personalized. Her business model is grounded in long-term impact, not quick fixes.
