Managing a team has always been hard. The last few years raised the bar.

Coaching for engineering managers doing the hardest version of the job: the reorgs, the “do more with less,” and the late-night question of whether you even want this anymore. I’ve been there. Let’s get you back to steady.

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Katie Leonard, engineering leadership coach

You became a manager to make a difference.

Then came the reorg, mass layoffs, and the vanishing middle layer. Managing 10 direct reports means you stopped doing actual leadership and started reacting, or focusing on damage control.

Your days go to absorbing everyone else’s stress. Your nights go to wondering when you last did anything that felt like progress. And underneath it all: do I even want this anymore?

Here’s what I want you to know: You are navigating one of the hardest jobs in tech, at the hardest possible time, with little support. That’s not a you problem, and the good thing is that it’s fixable.

Steady Leader

A 3-month reset for engineering managers in the thick of it.

I don't believe in shortcuts. I believe in good company and steady steps. Steady Leader is three months of building your footing, together.

Biweekly 1:1 sessions: a steady place to set down the chaos, think clearly, and make the calls you keep putting off.
”Text me when it’s on fire” support between sessions: the hard moments never wait politely for your next appointment.
A simple structure so progress sticks instead of evaporating the second work gets loud again.

Three months is enough to go from drowning to steady, and to finally answer that late-night question with something other than dread.

Book a free discovery call

What clients say

“There’s something about Katie — both as a coach and as a person — that makes you feel welcomed, respected, and accepted. She helped me gain clarity, confidence, and a deeper understanding of myself.”
— Darja Nikolic Randelovic

“Katie helped me weigh not just the pros and cons, but how my decisions could impact me 5–20 years down the road. Through her coaching, I was finally feeling excited about working again.”
— Reed Grudin

”She guided me through moments of imposter syndrome with empathy and intentionality, creating a supportive space to explore challenges and grow with confidence.”
— Corlinda Wooden

”Katie’s coaching has continually helped me clarify my thoughts, manage fears, and get better organized. She’s a supportive, empathetic coach who will partner with you to achieve measurable results.”
— Loella Springmann

How we get you steady

We talk (free).

A no-pressure 30 minutes on what’s actually going on. You’ll leave with at least one useful thing, whether or not we work together.

We map the chaos.

In the first sessions we separate the noise from the signal and name what actually needs to change.

We build the path.

Over three months, you rebuild your footing: clarity, boundaries, a backbone, and an honest answer about the road ahead.

I’ve sat in your chair

I’m Katie, and I’m an engineering manager. I’ve lived through the reorgs, the layoffs, and the closure of growth windows.

I read all the leadership books before I became a manager, and learned fast that they don’t tell you what to do when your team doubles overnight and your skip-level starts asking why we aren't shipping faster. There are no shortcuts. Only good company and steady steps. That’s what I offer: a coach who speaks engineer, gets the specific weirdness of technical leadership, and won’t make you translate your world before we get to work.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need a place to start.

Not ready for coaching? Start here.

Grab my free ”I Choose” reframing worksheet, a simple tool for the moments when the noise in your head is louder than the work in front of you.

Open the worksheet