From C-Suite to Therapy: Why I Left Biotech to Help High-Achieving Professionals in Newport Beach

“Could you sound more enthusiastic about our [fourth‑in‑class] product?”—Marketing VP during an ad‑board rehearsal. That kind of pressure to ‘perform enthusiasm,’ even when your gut says otherwise, is exactly what many of my professional clients face at work.

Present day: blending evidence-based therapy with executive know-how in my Newport Beach office

A 30‑Second Backstory

I became a clinical psychologist because I love helping people solve real human problems. Twenty years of leading medical‑affairs teams inside global biotechs taught me what high pressure-environments demand. And the same skills that helped me thrive in corporate life are what my clients appreciate in therapy.

2011: mid career headshot during my pharma era.

When Values & KPIs Collide

• Patient‑First—But Not Always. Public messaging says “patients first,” yet hallway conversations often prioritize budgets.

• Slow‑Walking Data. Regulatory studies sometimes sit idle to keep quarterly spend low.

• Expert Inflation. Six advisory boards instead of two because keeping key opinion leaders happy can eclipse fiscal discipline.

Living with that tension strained my own sense of integrity—and I see the same pressures mirrored in the lawyers, physicians, founders, and product managers who come to therapy.

Trade-show life: 2019, surviving 12-hour exhibit halls with equal parts caffeine and curiosity.

What Still Energizes Me

• Un‑burying Potential. Designing trials that helped ipatients improve taught me to look for hidden leverage in people.

• Radical Candor with Experts. Decades of briefing C‑suite leaders mean I’m comfortable naming the elephant in the room.

• Global Collaboration. Working across cultures sharpened my respect for diverse work styles and identities.

Proof that even pharma conferences have a dark side … and a sense of humor.

My Pivot Back to Purpose

The pandemic brought me home to California, and a 2022 corporate implosion reminded me why I entered psychology in the first place. Direct reports kept saying, “I’ve never had a manager who cared so much about my well‑being.” So I reactivated my license. I built a practice for high achievers with the same balance of performance and humanity.

Three Self‑Checks for Stressed Professionals

It can be hard to know when you are in a toxic culture or culturally mismatched with where you work. When you see that this is happening to you, consider these approaches:

1. Integrity Ledger. Write down where values clash with work demands.

2. Protected Deep‑Work Blocks. Block time that no one can override.

3. External Reality Check. Find perspective beyond your immediate circle.

   
   

Bringing Career Success into Balance

High achievers don’t need another generic therapist. If you want a psychologist who understands boardrooms and burnout, Book a free 15‑minute consult today.