"I want to help you escape
daily fire-fighting and status meetings, to get back to the meaningful work you love to do."
– Ariel Simpson
I’m Ariel Simpson, an executive coach based in Austin, Texas, who helps leaders stay effective — and human — in times of change.
I became a coach because I kept seeing the same pattern: smart, capable leaders quietly drowning. They had all the technical skills, but no one had ever taught them how to navigate the human side of leadership: the politics, the boundaries, the emotional labor of keeping a team afloat.
In my years working alongside executives and teams, I saw how much potential gets lost when leaders take on too much or try to protect everyone else from the weight of change. I wanted to help them approach leadership in a way that’s both strategic and sustainable, so I built my career around the intersection of business strategy and human behavior.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Edward’s University here in Austin and my master’s in Clinical Psychology from Abilene Christian University. I also hold a certificate in Digital Transformation from UC Berkeley. Over more than a decade in corporate strategy and organizational development, I’ve learned that the technical side of change is usually the easy part — it’s the people side that makes or breaks everything.
Now, through my coaching practice, I help leaders get clear on what’s actually theirs to own, stop taking on everyone else’s problems, and lead in a way that doesn’t burn them out.
When I’m not coaching, I’m reading fantasy novels or professional development books (sometimes both at once), watching old movies, listening to Stevie Nicks on repeat, and serving as an exhausted butler to my over-indulged poodles, Jujubee and Jinx. I’m back in Austin now after some time away, happily rediscovering all the city’s quirky corners.