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I’m Ramy Ballout, an executive leadership coach based in the Bay Area. I work with VPs of Engineering, Directors of Product and Data, and CTOs on career transitions and executive growth. Below, you’ll find my podcast, my YouTube channel, and how to work with me.

I am @CoachRamy on YouTube!

I share insights that have created successful careers, increased likability and influence, and how to pursue your passion to yield the kind of profitability you aspire for.

In uncertain times and under exceptional circumstances, leadership is strained and stressful. In "peacetime," where work is quite clear and career aspirations appear realistic and achievable, all this becomes thrown out the window when one has to operate in an environment that is equivalent to a battleground for relevancy, power, and survival. One must then ask themselves, how they can keep people inspired and motivated when everything in arm's distance from the island they operate on says "run for the hills!" And so one must ask, "Are you one with the people?" And if not, how do you even get there, or get back there after a prolonged passage of time? That's in this episode of the Working Ant.
Are you one with the people?
There’s an old stoic saying that saying what is unnecessary, often leads to saying more than it is necessary. And so one must act as though he/she is the moderator of what they choose to say over what may be a natural byproduct of their personality. Context is everything. And so when you find yourself sharing something that may be an off the cuff remark, ask yourself if what you’re about to share is relevant, and more importantly, if it will lead to a better outcome – a more immersive and intimate relationship, an action that is ready to be made, a coaching opportunity for someone who may not be aware of his/her audience and is ready to deliver an important presentation. Keep your tongue warm means that you can control what is said knowing full well of the consequences and influence it may have on others. If you don’t have something nice to say, not saying it may also be detrimental to the person you’re trying to help or make a point to.  Instead think about the words you choose carefully and deliberately. Keeping your tongue warm and being aware of its placement in your mouth can regulate your language, word choice, tone, and delivery in a way that is more impactful and deliberate. And so, the next time you choose to let your tongue out “into the cold” or “out for a walk,” think through how you can bring it back safely indoors!
Keep Your Tongue Warm.
We often forgo the closest things to us, but we don't lose character, we simply lose sight of it. The quality of one’s character is what gives birth to one’s personality. It’s the bedrock to the base and the beacon in the light of careers and contributions.  Character channels charisma and character powers craft. Through it all, character at its core is what enables our ability to count on ourselves – the person in the mirror, the one staring at his/herself in the rearview pondering life’s givings and misgivings. If you feel you've lost the way, let character center you. Call on it and count on it with the conviction that it gives you.
The joy of character and the bounty that it brings your career.
Our expectations stick to us like a shadow to the body - always following us as a reminder of the presence and power they hold over our life satisfaction. Little do we reflect on why they are there nor do we contemplate reassessing their content and quality. Since we're almost at the half year mark, it's important to revisit the origins of where they've come from and the power they yield over us in how we conduct our day to day. Understand that these expectations are reflections of who you believe your potential to become. While this can cause a great amount of unnecessary stress, it can also deliver much needed joy in the journey. My hope is that you achieve the latter. Here's my approach to it.
Transform your expectations.
It's a common theme to strive to have a voice in the workplace. Everyone wants a voice (well most people). With that voice carries a feeling of being heard and acknowledged as a focus vs. that of having influence of opinion and sway. I ask you to consider aiming for the latter which yields much greater power. This subtle difference is a game changer. Rather than ensure the decibels of your tone carry to the ears of empty space and time, ensure that it lands with gravity and substance. Aim to have a say - this is true power. When you can change culture, sway opinion, and feel the presence of your persona even when speaking few words, this is the essence of influence. Have say. This is the way.
Instead of striving to have a voice, aim to have a say.
There's something about the allure of the person who can see light in the midst of darkness. These days, optics of optimism are a rarity but a necessity. Without clarity on our motivations, we're spinning and spitting out work with little to speak for and celebrate. As a working professional you must go beyond your fellow peers and understand that if you are to get out this funk ahead, seeing opportunity when there is none is what will be your key differentiator. Look at your world not from the lens of its inhabitants, but from from its colonizers. See the efforts and painstaking demands of today as a small cost to your greater goals. Doing so elevates the primary reason for your success - motivation - which in turn produces unlimited will power to capitalize opportunity in the darkness. Like the lynx, you will see things others cannot. And like the lynx, your target will be clear when there is no light.
Like the Lynx, hone in your ability to see clearly through the darkness.
Do I want your life? This is more than a fair question to ask, but rather a necessary one, not to compare yourself to others, but rather to anchor on the possibilities for yourself based on theirs. For the sake of the conversation, let me double down on the latter half of the statement above and say that to compare yourself with others is often a theft of happiness when you look at your current circumstances from a perspective of deficiency rather than one of opportunity. Understand: You shouldn’t be ignorant and oblivious to the direction you are heading in your career. Often this anchor comes from the power of proximity of those around us and the limited but influencing and impactful visibility we have in their lives. Someone’s life may seem ideal for you and their style of influence and leadership can inspire you – this is wonderful. Other times, it’s the opposite. And that’s OK. Consider: Building an ability to audit personal satisfaction through conversation and interaction. Rather than focus on what a person in power is saying, focus on what they are feeling beyond the subject matter itself. If this person was on mute and you were disengaged from the subject; would they appear content with their lives? Would they be pleased with the accomplishments they have made in their careers? How would you perceive their character if you did not know them? Acting like a stranger to what you interact with, gives you new perspective and can often be the most objective. Do I want your life? This is a subjective question but asking it can be quite telling. I’m personally one that believes that the quality of our lives is dependent on the quality of relationships we have. When I look at people I aspire towards, I look it from the lens of the relationships they have with their peers, teams, friends, and family. What is one primary quality you value in people? What individual do you interact with today that lives out this quality? Do you aspire to have more of those qualities yourself? Remember: Achievement and Failure are based on the goals you set out for yourself. No one has more control over this than you. And so when you see someone who has appeared to “achieve,” ask what this really means to you – you may be surprised to see this person’s life (and your own) very differently after doing so.
Do I Want Your Life?
You need not a reminder that if you want to get the lift back into your feet and the lightness in your walk, you must have a goal that is focused and enlivening - something that excites you, brings you closure or comfort in the present and injects confidence in the uncertainty around you. You also must accept the reality of resources in that you may not have the space or time to think through how to turn the influx of work, tasks, projects, and processes into something profitable. What is profitability anyways other than what you define it? It can be about money, title, scope, learning, impact, relationships, and personal growth - this is for you to define. However, you must make what you do profitable. Make this a must. Return on your own investment to the services you rendered through a paycheck by taking what you do and turning it into what you always wanted it to be. You may think this is an impossible task - but it's no more impossible than the tasks you are working on day in and out with turning in projects on time and with the quality indicative of the greatness that you are. And yet do not rely on anyone to take your possible and make it profitable. I urge you to make your possible, profitable. Here are few ideas how. Keep believing in yourself. You know your value and worth. There is still time. Thank you for investing your time with me.
Make your Possible, Profitable. Here's how.
In a time where competition is at its fiercest. A time where Generative AI has so many use cases that it feels like the “boogey-man” is coming to find a way to do what we do better, there more frequent moments where we can’t help but wonder, “How is this all going to play out in the next few years and where am I going to land after this recession and contraction in the market sorts itself out?” An alternative to consider? Activate your inner stupid and primitivity. If you didn’t know it already, your curiosity carries you. Ask for context before a vote of confidence in group-think. Give confidence only when you’ve been shown care for craft. Appeal to people’s incessant yearning to dominate their fields by resetting your expectations to that of student vs. a teacher or competitor. If you were competing for smarts, this approach sets you far ahead of the curve - away from the field, and in a league of your own, and best of all, on your own terms!
Win the Competition at Work with this Alternative Approach.
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You’ve built an impressive career. Now the stakes are higher.

You lead large teams, you own outcomes the business depends on, and from the outside everything looks like it’s working. Yet something has shifted. Maybe it’s the next seat, a VP or CTO role, or a different company entirely. Maybe it’s a bigger scope that asks more of you than the playbook that got you here. Or maybe it’s a plateau you can’t quite name, let alone self-coach your way out of.

The higher you go, the fewer people you can truly think out loud with. That’s where I come in.

A coach who has lived the transition, more than once.

Hi! I’m Ramy, an executive leadership and career transition coach working with senior technical leaders across the Bay Area and beyond.

I’ve reinvented my own career several times, from technology to hotel management, to founding a startup, and now to coaching. Each move taught me that the hardest part of change is rarely the skill gap. It’s the identity shift. And it taught me that it’s absolutely possible to design a path that’s both meaningful and rewarding, no matter how unconventional it looks.

Today I work with VPs of Engineering, Directors of Product and Data, and CTOs at companies like Meta, Databricks, Shopify, Cribl and Udemy. They come to me at the moments that matter most: stepping into a bigger seat, navigating a transition, or finding their footing in a role that suddenly asks for something new.

Alongside my practice, I serve as Chief of Staff to a CIO at a major tech company and lead a leadership program that trains leaders across the organization, so the challenges you’re facing aren’t theoretical to me. I live them every week.

Passion and Profession MUST yield Profitability.

My clients are dedicated, high-performing leaders who are hyper-focused on their growth. This isn’t passive coaching. Together, we’ll get clear on what you actually want (and create those goals when they don’t yet exist), then build the positioning, relationships and strategy to make it real.

Everything I teach has been tested in the corporate world, in my own business, and with the hundreds of leaders I’ve proudly coached over the years. No fluff, just hard-earned wisdom and a sincere desire to see you win.

Change is never easy, but you don’t have to navigate it alone, especially with me in your corner.

MY OPTICS are focused on YOUR OPPORTUNITY!

Where my clients work.

See what my clients have to say

Ramy Ballout is an executive leadership coach in the Bay Area, working with VPs of Engineering, Directors of Product and Data, and CTOs at companies including Meta, Amazon, Databricks, Shopify, Cribl, and Udemy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you coach VPs of Engineering and other technical executives?

Yes. Most of my clients are senior technical leaders, including VPs of Engineering, Directors of Product, Data, and Engineering, and CTOs, who are navigating a career transition, a step up into higher-stakes leadership, or a plateau they can’t self-coach their way out of.

What does executive coaching with you actually involve?

Engagements typically start with a Real Talk session, a 45-minute, confidential conversation about where you are today. From there, I build a custom coaching program, like my 12-week Breakaway Executive Coaching, tailored to your specific goals, whether that’s a career transition, leveling up as a leader, or preparing for your next role.

How do I know if this is the right fit for me?

My clients are dedicated professionals who are hyper-focused on their own growth. This isn’t passive coaching. If you’re a technical leader who knows something needs to change but isn’t sure where to start, a free 15-minute interest call is the easiest way to find out.

How do I get started?

Book a free 15-minute interest call or a 45-minute Real Talk Session ($750). From there, I’ll craft a tailored coaching program based on your goals, and we begin working together.

How can I help?

Career Transition Coaching

Are you applying for a new job within the same industry, or planning to pursue a professional path radically different from where you started?

Each requires different levels of preparation, but both will begin with me helping you define your North Star – the goals and values that make up who you are and drive us towards your successful transition.

As your coach, I want to help you start fresh with a career that not only reflects your passion but your sense of purpose as well.

An a-la-carte version of my program is also available if you want to zoom in on becoming the top candidate for a job. 

Alignment is the secret, and I can help you get there.

Make me your personal coach

Breakaway Executive Coaching

There’s a significant difference between happiness and satisfaction in our lives. For me personally it was a beat in my head constantly operating in the background year after year. This beat would remind me that I could do more, that I should do more, that I MUST do more.

Do you have your beat or background noise reminding you of the same thing? Do feel something is holding you back from reaching your full potential?

I promise you’re not alone. We were all born unique, yet somehow, years of social conditioning has taught us to conform, until we seem to have become copycat versions of other people and lose sight of who we truly are ourselves – our essential self. To succeed, it’s not enough to think out of the box, you must literally get out of the box! 

Based on my experience of breaking that mold, I have prepared a 12-week program I call my Breakaway Executive Coaching to unlock the “rebel” in you, freeing you to make your own mark.

Break free from the status quo

Group Coaching

Aside from one-on-one coaching, I can also be a speaker and facilitator for your next company or teambuilding event.

Not only will I customize an entire program for you, you’ll be amazed at how much I’ve taken the time to immerse myself in your people and your business before the event itself!

Alignment is everything and I ensure that I immerse myself as deeply as possible in understanding where the biggest opportunities are and breakthroughs can be through personal conversations I’ll have with you and your team prior to the event taking place.

I’m not a believer in the “appear, present, and leave” approach – I design customized pre- and post-event materials to ensure my involvement in your success doesn’t end the moment my speaking engagement does either.

This is my commitment to you!

Bringing me briefly into your world means you won’t be hiring yet another “been there done that” motivational speaker (there are plenty of those types already).  

Instead you can expect that I’ll bring insights and activities grounded on real-life experiences that can put to immediate action once the event is complete.

As a coach, I’ve worked with dozens of leaders at top companies, so I’ve seen what works and know what doesn’t. You’re in experienced hands here!

Your team won’t just feel GREAT during the event, but they’ll feel CONFIDENT when they get back to work. 

Measurable results. How about that for a change?

Bring me to your next event

Interview Coaching

Transform your impressionability and articulation of your best self during your next round of interviews

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Real Talk

Let’s have an open, frank, and confidential conversation about where you are today. Expect me to listen intently and provide suggestions and alternatives to your current status-quo.

Learn More

Online courses, at your own pace.

How to Transition to your Dream Career: The 5E Process

A step-by-step process to define where you want to go next, position yourself for it, and land the role, at your own pace.

View Course Curriculum

Interview Par Excellence

Transform your impressionability and articulation of your best self during your next round of interviews and negotiate up to an 85% higher salary!

View Course Curriculum

How to Start?

Step

1

Book a consultation

Choose either a free 15-min interest call or a more in-depth 45-min Real Talk Session ($750).

STEP

2

Ramy tailors a custom program

Based on our discussion, I will craft a coaching program tailored to your goals and objectives.

Step

3

Coaching begins!

My most favorite part – working together as a team and being a part of your journey!

Schedule a Consultation