I didn't start as a business person. I trained as a lawyer, left to become a monk, and spent years trying to understand what it means to be real with yourself and others.

When I had a family to support, I found my sweet spot: coaching people at work. As a first-time CEO at a coaching company, I became obsessed with one truth: leadership development is broken. Coaching is too expensive. Training becomes checkbox exercises. Even when leaders know people-first is right, companies retreat when it matters. We inspire people in workshops, then they're back to old patterns by Monday.

So I wrote Good Authority and spent nearly a decade helping people have hard conversations. But we couldn't scale it. People left educated, maybe inspired, then faced too many moments where it felt too hard to put into practice.

Adults don't just need training. They need someone by their side in those moments.

When AI arrived, I saw a possibility: what if real coaching could be there right when you need it? Not to replace human connection, but to prepare you for that tough 1:1, nudge you toward curiosity, or help you draft that difficult email while asking: Is this honest? Is this kind?

That's why we created Ren.

What We Believe

Most of us spend more time with colleagues than family. Those relationships matter. The quality of our communication shapes culture, and culture determines whether people dread Mondays or feel alive at work.

People want to grow. Managers want to develop their teams but lack support in the moments that matter. And when work becomes a place to be real, to grow, to have honest conversations—everything else in life changes too.

That's what we're building. Not another performance tool, but a genuine partner in becoming the kind of leader you always wished you worked for.