Our coaches
The success of our practice comes from the expertise, dedication and commitment our coaches have to the craft of mentorship, giving back to the design community and sincerely investing in growing our client’s careers.
Maria Pentkovski
Founder & Head Coach
Maria has over 20 years of experience in design industry, having worked in companies like Turo, Upwork and Evernote; whatever your situation is, she has likely either been through something similar herself or supported a client in a similar position. Maria is a good listener, and has a unique gift of understanding exactly where you are in your career, where you are heading, and is able to develop a strategy to get you there in the most expedited and profitable way. Whether you know exactly what you want to achieve in your career or completely lost, Maria will work with you to define your journey and support you through it the whole way.
Lee Floyd
Career Coach
Lee has over 15 years of experience working as a craft and people leader across brand and product design. He’s helped rebrand and launch innovative SaaS products like Campaign Monitor, helped evolve top entertainment brands like Taylor Swift, and created and led a design system team that supported over 15 business units. Above all, mentoring designers and creatives has remained his passion. Lee will help you define your career goals and how to communicate them. With strengths in empathy, humor, and discernment, Lee is an authentic and fun coach who will get you excited about where you want to go and show you how to get there.
Missy Yarbrough
Career Coach
Designing since 2003, Missy embarked on a 0 to 1 journey into the world of design, accumulating 10 years of professional experience at IBM, RapidDeploy, Pathrise, and Virtuix. From eager teenage beginnings to navigating corporate landscapes, she understands the unique challenges of translating diverse backgrounds into compelling candidates. Whether guiding college graduates or career shifters, Missy provides tailored guidance for optimal outcomes. No matter where you are in your career journey, rest assured she'll help illuminate your next steps for a brighter professional future.
Jarell Alvarez
Career Coach
Since embarking on his design journey in 2017, Jarell has evolved from a solo growth designer at dynamic startups to an enterprise-level leader, managing and mentoring teams in complex design environments. His career coaching and mentoring have empowered over 100 individuals to secure roles in leading companies, backed by his foundation as the creator of Vancouver's most significant design community. He specializes in elevating unconventional designers, crafting unique strategies for industry entry and personal brand development. Jarell's mentoring sessions unfold like in-depth therapy: breaking down walls, revealing core challenges, and charting a course for individuals to emerge as the most confident versions of themselves.