Work with Doug

For MBAs and ambitious professionals who want to identify and advance careers that are engaging, satisfying, and meaningful. 

Programs start at over $3,000. Individual Career Strategy Sessions are available upon request.

Schedule a complimentary introductory session

For MBAs and ambitious professionals who want to identify and advance careers that are engaging, satisfying, and meaningful. Coaching programs and packages range from approximately $1,000 to $6,000. Custom coaching programs are available by request and start at $8,000.

Schedule a complimentary introductory session

Sample Programs

New offers coming in early 2024

Gain Clarity

Guided Self-Assessment over 3 to 6 weeks

When the next step in your career isn't clear or you just feel stuck.

Take a deep dive with an experienced coach who has helped hundreds of people find meaning, tell their story, and advance their careers.

  • Develop a better understanding of what engages you at work and constitutes a satisfying career
  • Generate insights through the CareerLeader assessment and a custom career analysis 
  • Develop collaboratively written Life & Career Criteria that serve as a guide for consequential career and life decisions for years to come
  • Find the right words to confidently answer the question: “So, what do you want to do next?”
  • Write a LinkedIn Headline and About that point toward a desired future rather than your past or a current situation that doesn't fit you very well
  • Explore the implications of your self-assessment so you can recognize the right job opportunities and say 'no' to the wrong ones with confidence
  • Develop a networking strategy that will enable you to validate your desired career path and develop the connections you'll need to pursue your goals

This program includes 5 coaching sessions scheduled over approximately 3 to 6 weeks. The first session is 2 hours. The remaining sessions are 1 hour each. All sessions are conducted using Zoom. The program also includes one 30-minute follow-up and sufficient email in-between sessions to answer questions and help you progress in the self-assessment process.

Craft Your Story

Intensive Interview Prep over 1 to 2 weeks

When you're preparing for an interview that really matters.

Get focused, save time, and build confidence. Work with a former executive recruiter and Fortune 500 hiring manager who has successfully prepared senior executives and aspiring leaders for some of the most important interviews of their careers.

  • Shift your perspective so that you can anticipate the priorities and the concerns of the people who will be evaluating you
  • Identify relevant and compelling themes that will resonate with your interviewers based on your motivations, skills, and experience
  • Develop a focused messaging strategy that will enable your interviewer to serve as your advocate in the recruiting process 
  • Choose and shape stories that will help a potential employer understand that you are the solution to the problems they are facing
  • Practice and polish your delivery with in-the-moment feedback from a former senior recruiter at a top 20 executive search firm

This program includes 2 coaching sessions, ideally scheduled within a 2 week period. Each session is 1 hour. The first session is to assess a job opportunity and its decision makers and then develop a targeted messaging strategy. The second session is for practice with in-the-moment feedback. Both sessions are conducted using Zoom. This program also includes one 30-minute follow-up and sufficient email between and after the sessions to help ensure that you present yourself in the best light possible. 

If you have an interview coming up soon and don't have time for an introductory session, contact us directly.

Schedule a complimentary introductory session
Schedule a complimentary introductory session

Sample Packages

New offers coming in early 2024

3 Coaching Sessions

Over 1 to 3 months

When you have a time-sensitive career-related challenge that would benefit from an outside perspective.

Potential discussions might include:

  • Fine-tuning your career strategy to maximize meaning and long-term satisfaction
  • Adapting your positioning for a particular role, company, or industry
  • Developing a networking strategy to kick-start a job search or get on the radar screens of executive recruiters
  • Evaluating job offers and choosing the best one for you

This package includes:

  • Three 60-minute sessions conducted using Zoom or phone on a weekly to monthly cadence
  • Up to 1 hour of email correspondence in between sessions
  • Light review of materials in between sessions to help you achieve your goals*

6 Coaching Sessions

Over 2 to 6 months

When you need to manage a career challenge or effect change and want to make rapid progress toward your goals.

Potential discussions might include:

  • Getting unstuck when you feel like your career isn't advancing
  • Updating your personal brand and applying it to your LinkedIn profile, resume and bio
  • Navigating a high-stakes recruiting process or course-correcting while in one
  • Managing a difficult relationship or situation at work with a supervisor, peer or direct report

This package includes:

  • Six 60-minute sessions conducted using Zoom or phone on a weekly to monthly cadence
  • Up to 2 hours of email correspondence in between sessions
  • Light review of materials in between sessions to help you achieve your goals*

12 Coaching Sessions

Over 3 to 12 months

When you're pursuing professional development and advancement over time and want to be held accountable to your goals.

Potential discussions might include:

  • Managing effectively in a new role or at a higher level of responsibility
  • Adapting your leadership or communication style to change perceptions and achieve better results
  • Building relationships in your company or industry to position yourself for future opportunities
  • Developing new habits to make better use of your time, energy and attention

This package includes:

  • Twelve 60-minute sessions conducted using Zoom or phone on a weekly to monthly cadence
  • Up to 4 hours of email correspondence in between sessions
  • Light review of materials in between sessions to help you achieve your goals*

*Review of LinkedIn profiles, resumes and bios in between sessions that requires new content, extensive reordering of content, or heavy editing for grammar and style is not included and can be purchased as an add-on to any of these Coaching Packages

Schedule a complimentary introductory session
Schedule a complimentary introductory session

Experience and perspective

I'm Doug Lester, Founder and Principal of Career Narratives. I'll work with you to overcome challenges and advance a meaningful, satisfying career. In every coaching session, I draw on over 30 years of experience and education.

  • Coaching at the Harvard Business School for more than 10 years, working with over 1,000 alumni and students from their entry to the MBA program to the capstone roles of their careers
  • Designing and leading an executive coaching program for the corporate strategy group of a Fortune 100 company
  • Coaching marketers, general managers, and former consultants pursuing careers in consumer products and services, healthcare, health and wellness, tech, and other industries
  • Serving as a manager, leader and recruiter in Fortune 500 companies, including Estée Lauder, Coty, Avon, and Johnson & Johnson, focused on brand, product and digital marketing, retail operations, and DTC marketing for Rx drugs
  • Leading searches for cabinet-level roles at Isaacson, Miller, a top 20 retained executive search firm serving mission-driven organizations
  • Helping hundreds of clients successfully target and interview for a variety of roles, including Manager, Director, Vice President, President, CEO, Product Manager, and Head of Product
  • Earning a BA from Yale, an MBA from Wharton, and an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies at the University of Pennsylvania

Experience and perspective

I'm Doug Lester, Founder and Principal of Career Narratives. I'll work with you to overcome challenges and advance a meaningful, satisfying career. In every coaching session, I draw on over 30 years of experience and education.

  • Coaching at the Harvard Business School for more than 10 years, working with over 1,000 alumni and students from their entry to the MBA program to the capstone roles of their careers
  • Designing and leading an executive coaching program for the corporate strategy group of a Fortune 100 company
  • Coaching marketers, general managers, and former consultants pursuing careers in consumer products and services, healthcare, health and wellness, tech, and other industries
  • Serving as a manager, leader and recruiter in Fortune 500 companies, including Estée Lauder, Coty, Avon, and Johnson & Johnson, focused on brand, product and digital marketing, retail operations, and DTC marketing for Rx drugs
  • Leading searches for cabinet-level roles at Isaacson, Miller, a top 20 retained executive search firm serving mission-driven organizations
  • Helping hundreds of clients successfully target and interview for a variety of roles, including Manager, Director, Vice President, President, CEO, Product Manager, and Head of Product
  • Earning a BA from Yale, an MBA from Wharton, and an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies at the University of Pennsylvania
Schedule a complimentary introductory session