ZO TOBI • LEADERSHIP COACH
Work for justice.
Go to bed happy.
Hi! I'm Zo. I offer coaching to help progressive movement leaders who want to be happy, healthy, fulfilling their calling, loving life, and in it for the long haul.
Coaching topics
Empower yourself
How can we stay in it for the long haul AND live of life of joy & well-being?
- Resilience: "Lower the volume" on stress and thought distortions.
- Wellness: Center self-care, build in support, & master time management.
- Work-life harmony: See what matters most, act on it, go to bed happy.
Empower others
How can we bring out the best in others, especially when we're all under stress?
- Communication: Have tough conversations with courage and compassion.
- Leadership: Lead from your vision and values in the face of uncertainty.
- Management: Use coaching skills to empower your colleagues.
Who I work with
I've worked with leaders at every level and stage, from organizers to managers, directors, executives, founders, funders, fundraisers, and board chairs. My clients include:
- Progressive candidates, elected officials, and their staff
- Progressive campaign consultant groups
- Progressive funders, philanthropists, and their grantees
- Election reform & voting rights organizations
- Social & environmental justice organizations
- Businesses with a social/environmental mission
Identity + Equity
I'm a white-passing, half-MENA (Middle Eastern / North African) Jew with an Ashkenazi-American mom and a Sefardi / Middle Eastern darker-skinned dad (with ancestry in Turkey, Egypt, & Iraq). I am a cis-hetero, middle-class dude.
I grew up in suburban New Hampshire as one of a few "brown kids," with a funny name ("Zohar") and a big nose, different from my mostly white peers. Now as an adult, some see me as white while some see me as... not white.
I strive to leverage my privilege by supporting others' leadership. As a coach, my "backstage" role allows me to support:
- BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color)
- Women and LGBTQ+ folks (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirit, queer, nonbinary, intersex, asexual, etc)
- People from immigrant and refugee communities
- People from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities
- Justice-involved people
- People with disabilities
- Neurodivergent people
What is coaching?
Support to play your best game.
Coaching is "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential." (International Coaching Federation)
When you're doing something new or important, your brain is primed to find danger and seek safety. This was evolutionarily adaptive when we lived in caves, but it's not always optimal in today's world.
Coaching helps you learn, grow, and develop, so you can follow your voice of wisdom and act on what matters to you.
How is coaching different from other support?
- Therapy is for healing the past; coaching is for taking action in the present.
- Consulting offers expert advice; coaching draws out your own expertise.
- Mentoring offers the mentor's wisdom; coaching uncovers your wisdom.
- Training fulfills learning objectives; coaching clarifies your own objectives.
- Managing is "how you get things done through other people." Great managers use coaching to empower and develop the people they manage.
None are "better" than another — just different tools for different jobs.
Approach
My approach is rooted in ontology, the study of being. The focus is on the values we cherish, the difference we want to make for others, and the legacy we want to be known for. My viewing point as a coach stems from these premises:
- Each of us is a hero. We are here to embark on a "hero's journey" in which we fulfill a calling, triumph over obstacles, and contribute to our community. A coach’s role is to bring this larger context to the forefront.
- Each of us is here to contribute. We all want to know our life matters — that the world is brighter, safer, and more joyous because we were here. A coach’s role is to help others discover and give their unique gifts.
- Each of us has a voice of wisdom. We all have a wellspring of creativity and the ability to imagine new possibilities. A coach helps clear away the “mental muck” so people can hear their voice of wisdom and act from it.
- Each of us is here to bring our greatness to life. We are here to discover and express our true values and intentions — to know the joy of being “used up” at the end. A coach’s role is to help you live with this “long view” in mind.
My approach centers compassionate presence, reflective listening, humor, and occasional "call-you-on-your-BS" (as needed or by request! LOL) to help you:
- Acknowledge your strengths, values, intentions, goals, and good heart.
- Observe any ways of thinking or acting that might be getting in the way.
- Discern the truth vs. interpretation, and clarify your voice of wisdom.
- Take action that's simple, doable, and grounded in who you are.
How it works
Step 1: Making sure we're a fit
Coaching is an investment. That's why we'll have a free Discovery Session, to discuss your objectives, answer your questions, and make sure we're a fit.
My take on what to look for in a coach:
- Training: Is theirs accredited by International Coaching Federation?
- Ethics: Is there a clear contract? Are they clear what coaching is & is not?
- Alignment: Are we values-aligned? Do they "get" me and my context?
- Authenticity: Can I tell that they love their work and want me to flourish?
- Gut check: Do I like them? Trust them? Do I want them on my team?
If you want a well-qualified coach who is straight-talking but compassionate, politically progressive, and spiritually-oriented but action-focused, I’m for you.
Step 2: Working together
- Onboarding: You'll get a welcome email with our contract, invoice, scheduling link, and an optional "Coaching Roadmap" template to clarify your coaching objectives.
- Before each session: Think about what you want to achieve.
- Optional: Use this Prep Form to gather your thoughts.
- We can focus solely on one topic, or a different topic each session.
- We can talk about any topic, personal or professional.
- Everything is connected, so there's no "wrong choice."
- Session flow: Each session is an organic conversation, in which I'll support you to clarify your intentions, vision, and goals; address challenges; gain new perspectives; and make a simple, doable action plan.
- Post-session: You have unlimited support by text & email, and you can use this optional Recap Form to capture takeaways and next steps.
All sessions by phone
I started out in 2010 coaching by video, but switched to phone in 2013. Why? Here's what I've learned through research and my own lived experience:
- I love to walk & talk (+ research suggests it fosters creative thinking).
- It's as effective, if not more (why? The coach brings less unconscious bias).
- Video subtly but significantly fatigues our brains (read this + this).
Packages & pricing
All packages include:
- Sessions: 45-minute sessions by phone
- Unlimited "laser support" between sessions (text, email, & 5-minute calls)
- Tools & practices for your daily life and work
- No-risk guarantee: Cancel anytime, I'll even refund your last session.
- View our simple 1-page contract »
Packages
Choose the sliding scale tier that is a stretch but not a hardship.
Scholarship rates also possible — get in touch and we'll see what we can do.
OPTION 1 • 2 sessions / month retainer, unlimited "laser support," 3-6 months
- $1,000/month if you’re financially flourishing (for-profit / foundation rate)
- $800/month if you’re financially comfortable
- $600/month if you're financially sustaining
- $500/month if you're financially stretching
OPTION 2 • 1 session / week retainer, unlimited "laser support," 2-6 months
- $400/week if you’re financially flourishing (for-profit / foundation rate)
- $320/week if you're financially comfortable
- $240/week if you're financially sustaining
- $200/week if you're financially stretching
OPTION 3 • Unlimited retainer + unlimited "laser support," 3-6 months
- $2,400/month for unlimited 45-minute & 15-minute sessions + texts/emails
OPTION 4: On-demand 45-minute sessions
- $500/session if you’re financially flourishing (for-profit / foundation rate)
- $400/session if you're financially comfortable
- $300/session if you're financially sustaining
- $250/session if you're financially stretching
Scheduling
- Days: Monday - Thursday (+ Fridays if needed)
- Hours: 9am-6pm Eastern // 6am-3pm Pacific
- Booking: Booked upfront online, reschedulable with 24 hours' notice
(Can't find a time? I often have "secret spots" open. Email + we'll find one.)
Qualifications
- Coach certification: Academy for Coaching Excellence, a rigorous school accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
- Coach credential: Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through ICF
- Coaching experience:
- 2,000+ professional coaching hours since 2010
- Coached 200+ leaders (including 64% women + non-binary folks)
- Worked with leaders at every level & stage, from organizers to managers, directors, executives, founders, funders, & board chairs
- Experienced in & sensitive to the unique challenges of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, & other marginalized groups
- Trainer & mentor experience
- 2013-2019: On faculty with the Academy for Coaching Excellence as a Course Leader, Licensed Trainer, and Mentor Coach
- Have led or co-led 45+ in-person 4-day leadership & coaching skills trainings (1,200+ training hours total) since 2013
- Mentored 30+ professional coaches through a rigorous 1-2 year training & certification process
- Have developed and delivered dozens of grassroots organizing and campaign strategy trainings since 2007
Bio
Zo Tobi is a progressive movement organizer, leadership coach, and trainer, currently serving as Director of Donor Organizing at Movement Voter Project.
As a coach, Zo's mission is help build a progressive movement in which people are happy, healthy, fulfilling their calling, loving life, and in it for the long haul.
Zo started in the progressive political world as a volunteer, staff organizer, and then manager of organizers in the youth climate movement. He helped envision and execute a campaign across a coalition of 50+ organizations to turn out hundreds of thousands of new youth climate voters in the 2008 election.
In helping lead the failed push for climate legislation in 2009, he saw how urgently the progressive movement needed concrete skills for staying in it for the long haul. In 2010 he became a professional certified leadership coach, and since then has coached and trained leaders in groups such as the Movement Voter Project, Sunrise Movement, ACLU, 350.org, Avaaz, & Brand New Congress.
He is a Certified Professional Coach through the International Coaching Federation, and trained and mentored progressive movement coaches from 2013 - 2020, as a core faculty member with the Academy for Coaching Excellence.
His coaching philosophy is rooted in ontology, the study of being. Ontology looks at what it is to be human: The values we live by, the heroic journey we are each here to take, and, ultimately, the gift to others we want to be known for.
Fun facts about me
I love dark, apocalyptic sci-fi, ideally with some mind-bending time-travel.
I go from serious discussion of spirituality, death, politics, and metaphysics one minute to poop jokes, bad puns, and irreverent dark humor the next minute.
I love jamming hard to Gospel & Christian Rock, although I am a pantheistic Jew.
I am a raging extrovert who also loves solo time in the woods.
I love coaching by phone so I can pace in circles and figure-8's for hours.
I can play songs by ear, transcribe dialogue in real-time, and mentally calculate 2-digit square roots, but when I exit a public bathroom I don't remember which way to turn to get back where I was. I probably don't know where I am right now.
Backstory
Love and family are the center of my life. I’ve been in love with my wife Kelly since we met in 2010, and my heart grows bigger every day since we had our sweet little Ayla in August 2019.
I’m a lifelong radical. I come from a family of left-leaning, working-class and middle-class Jews. I became "radicalized" in my youth, absorbing the principles of love, social justice, ecological reverence, and dignity for all from watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood; from listening to Raffi (the children’s musician & eco-activist); from taking in the story of Exodus at countless family Passover Seders, and from watching my mom organize a successful campaign for citywide curbside recycling from the kitchen table.
My background is social movement organizing. I’ve volunteered and worked as an organizer, manager, and leader with Greenpeace, FairVote, and the Sierra Student Coalition; I’ve studied with the renowned organizer Marshall Ganz; and am now Director of Donor Organizing at Movement Voter Project. Through all this, I’ve learned that social change leaders need to develop the spiritual fortitude — and practical success skills — to sustain for the long haul.
Coaching is one of my core contributions to social change. I believe that, when social change leaders thrive, we all go further, faster, toward the world we want to see. We each have our part to play in creating a world built on love and justice, and I am so grateful that this is mine.
I’m also a “purpose-driven rock” musician. My purpose is to help people find their place and play their part, and music is one way that I do it. Enjoy my songs below and find more of my music here.
^ that's me on the left, my wife Kelly on the right, and our sweet little Ayla in the middle 🥰
New clients by referral only
At this time, I am taking on new clients by referral only. If that is you, please contact me and I will follow up with you for next steps.
For others, here are some coaches I know, love, and wholeheartedly endorse:
Tell them Zo sent you.
All my best,
Zo