Our Founder & Team

Claire Steichen

Founder

I hear the same frustrating issues all the time. Managers lose key team members and don’t know why. They recruit high performers hoping that a track record of achievement will mean the person knows how to self-manage, but instead get fragile employees or lack of engagement. Those same employees are distracted because even though they’re working hard, they don’t always know how to communicate their needs.

My approach to supporting managers and their reports was born of my own experience. In my 20’s I was a high performer. I went to a top business school, then got a job at a Fortune 100 multi-national and was promoted within a year. Yet I was vulnerable. After a re-org that left me full of self doubt and feeling that I’d gotten the short end of the stick, I started looking for another job.

And that new job wasn’t a great fit.

You see, I hadn’t wanted to leave the first job; I just didn’t know how to speak up without sounding like a complainer. I wish my manager had taken the time to see that I was struggling on the inside. And I wish that I’d had the tools to communicate about what I wanted. I would have stayed, and continued to be engaged and motivated.

That manager-employee connection is why I do the work I do today. Because once I learned how to communicate effectively, and once I had a boss who knew how to talk with me, we hit it out of the park and delivered extraordinary results for our company.
I understand my clients and their needs because I’ve been in
their shoes.

Farida Khan

Coach/Trainer, and VP of Sales

Farida Khan is the Founder and President of Bespoke Coaching NYC. She has coached mid-level and senior professionals in discovering their inherent talents, tempering their inner critic, and honing their skills to realize their full potential as leaders. Farida works with individuals across industries, with a focus on financial and management consulting firms.

Farida is a Certified Professional Coach accredited by the Coach Training Institute, and a graduate of CTI’s Leadership Program. In addition, she is a Certified Professional Coach with the International Coach Federation, and an accredited American Confidence Institute Coach. Farida received her MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

In addition to her private practice, Farida has coached pro bono Promise Fellows at AmeriCorps and YoPro (Young Professionals) at Ellevate.

Prior to founding Bespoke Coaching NYC, Farida spent 10 years working on Wall Street. Farida began her career at Kidder, Peabody while completing her MBA.

Gayathri brings 15+ years of marketing experience building and growing beauty brands such as Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Kate Spade and more. During her corporate career, Gayathri was recognized as an emerging leader in the fragrance industry with The Fragrance Foundation’s 2016 Notable Award.

At Kidder, Peabody, she completed the Fixed Income Sales and Trading Program and earned her Series 7, 3, and 63. Farida was a Vice President in the Fixed-Income Sales and Trading Group advising large institutions, such as Nationwide, MacKay Shields, Teachers Insurance and Alliance Bernstein trading corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and derivatives. After Kidder, Peabody was sold to GE, Farida continued her career at JPMorgan.

Gayathri Balasundar

Coach/Trainer and VP of Marketing

Gayathri Balasundar is a leadership coach and founder of her coaching practice, On Her Mark™. She brings a unique blend of fragrance, sports and cross-cultural experiences to empower professionals with the tools to do well at work without sacrificing their well-being. Gayathri received her coach training and certification through New York University. With 5 years and 500+ hours of coaching experience, Gayathri is in process towards becoming a Certified Professional Coach with the International Coach Federation. She currently works with individuals one-on-one as well as small to mid-size companies across the beauty, tech and entertainment industries.

Through years of marketing to a diverse customer base, Gayathri understands the importance of capturing an audience through meaningful connection. Just as she finds the hidden insights behind scent, Gayathri seamlessly connects the dots to discover the purpose and potential that can shape a person’s sense of well-being and fulfillment at work.

I understand my clients and their needs because I’ve been in
their shoes.

Kim Wanamaker

VP of Operations

Kim brings a wealth of operations experience from Fortune 500 companies, legal, architecture, and design firms, and start-ups.