Ryan Hoffmann
Sr. Product Designer, Riot Games
"Larry is a man who puts his heart where his work is. He deeply understands how to transform dreams into reality no matter how bumpy the terrain.
I came to him when I was at a fork in the road with my career and my aspirations.
The left path was muddy. Covered in wet leaves. It had a sign in front of it that read "What my life can be."
The right path was crystal clear. No mud on the right side. Soil was bone dry. The sign read "What my life's supposed to be."
Through structured exercises and empathy-fueled free-form conversations, Larry helped me plan, forge, and walk a new path that cut through both sides of the fork I faced before I met him. I learned so much from our sessions, always left feeling a sense of pointed-calmness, and most of all, a warmth knowing that people like Larry exist in this world."
Anish Bharadwaj
Director of Product, Swayable
"Larry is a fantastic career coach and brings a wealth of experience in the technology industry and understands the hiring landscape well. His coaching style is very much thoughtful and calming, and he is not really prescriptive (except in cases where you want him to be). He is also very responsive and genuinely wants to help people succeed, so if you are looking for a great career coach, then Larry is a great person to add to your support squad."
Kavita Jiandani
VP, Head of Product and Engineering
"I was introduced to Larry through a product leader friend who I hold in high regard. I had taken a short break during the pandemic to care for family needs, and wanted to ensure I was going back into the workforce on my terms (harder than it sounds). Larry worked with me on many fronts - helping me articulate my own voice on what I wanted in my next adventure (and out of life!), helping me tailor my message as I spoke to prospective employers, being deliberate in how I assessed the opportunities in front of me, and providing me the emotional support that is needed in the roller coaster of interviewing. Larry's own corporate background as a product and design leader served me really well, and he provided sound advice drawn from his own experiences, that proved really valuable. Larry is well connected in the product and design world, and can provide an accurate pulse of the current needs (and quirks) of employers. His questions forced me to be deliberate and intentional in my choices- I ended up with three great offers to choose from! If you're looking for a coach to help introspect, be a voice of reason, kindness and calm, bring out the best in you, and ensure you balance your work life with your personal life, Larry is your person!"
Seema Swamy, Ph.D.
Head of Customer Research
"Larry Cornett is a phenomenal team leader. He engenders strong loyalty from his team members and inspires them to create innovative products and outcomes. I have personally seen many of his team members follow him when he moved from one company to another. Larry brings the same sagacity and wisdom in his advice to other leaders. Larry brings his corporate leadership experience to his coaching. His governing principle in coaching is to lead with compassion and purpose. Listening, absorbing, processing, and then acting with empathy engenders team cohesiveness that can more effectively support the organization."
Cristina Rutgers-Astolfi
Global Head of Analytics, IKEA Customer Support
"Larry was a powerful element in taking my career to a new and exciting height. Just after our first coaching session, Larry was able to articulate the essence of my career situation, and express in simple words what I wanted to get out of my professional journey. These words have become my career mantra. Larry brings deep expertise in career development and management, as well as the corporate business arena. He is perceptive, insightful, and focused on making a difference in his client’s careers. Larry is one of the most sincere and genuine career coach's anyone could be so fortunate to have. I highly recommend Larry as a strategic partner to anyone who wants to enhance their career."
Rebecca Bar
Lead UX Designer
"I transitioned from tangible product & experience design to digital & tech around seven years ago and have invested a lot of time and money learning from and talking to various experts - mentors, coaches, and peers. Working with Larry has brought about game-changing ROI for my career. Larry is an expert in the tech world and understands the nuances and complications of how tech companies of all sizes work. He's also a highly-skilled storyteller and guided me through contextualizing and valuing my experience to what I do now and where I want to be in the future. I cannot recommend Larry highly enough to anyone looking for executive leadership and career coaching. The confidence, courage, and self-awareness that I've gained from working with Larry have been invaluable. The best leaders lead by example, and Larry has been a beacon of professionalism and generosity in one throughout our 1:1 calls and his community, Invincible Career. I'm looking forward to continuing working with him!"
Shantanu Garud
UX Design Leader
"Larry and I have known each other since 2008, back when I was part of Yahoo! Search UED and Larry was leading the product and design team. I was in awe of Larry's leadership skills. He provided much needed clarity and direction to the team. In the past few years I have worked with Larry as my career coach and mentor as I navigated through management changes at previous jobs and more recently finding/selecting the right opportunity. Larry has created a structure for various aspects of career progression. Oftentimes I have relied on Larry's deep experience in product design and leadership to bounce ideas on complex issues and he has brought tremendous clarity to the decision making process. I highly recommend Larry to anyone seeking career coaching! Larry, looking forward to our continued collaboration. Thank you!"
Christopher Schutt
Product Designer, Pearson
"I joined Larry's Career Accelerator Program because I struggled to break into the UX Design Industry from my previous career. After a year of receiving poor advice from recruiters and design professionals, it wasn't until I joined Larry's group where my career started to head in the right direction. Larry is a career changer and has several years of experience in multiple design roles throughout his career. He uses this experience to mentor professionals at various stages in their careers. The advice I received from Larry and other professionals in his community was instrumental in improving my resume, portfolio, increased my results in interviews, and even got me into writing. I have been very fortunate to have Larry as a mentor, and I can't recommend joining his Invincible Career community enough."
Ari Akerstein
Product Manager, Facebook
"I found Larry through several recommendations from folks I trust. I was looking not only for an executive coach, but someone that had the domain knowledge to help me navigate my career within technology. We've worked together for over 6 months. In that time I've thought of him as my co-pilot, helping navigate major career decisions. I credit Larry with supporting me on multiple levels: from big strategic questions to day-to-day tactics, to emotional support (more important than it sounds). My time with Larry as an investment that set the stage for securing offers from Facebook and others - even as the COVID pandemic tore through the economy! As with the best coaches, he pulls out the best in others and that's certainly been true in my case. If you're looking for a coach/mentor/guide I can't recommend him more highly."
Joshua Vaughn
User Experience Design Leader, IBM
"After ten years in the same role at the same company, I was feeling stuck and undervalued. I was disappointed by my recent failures and unable to see my long-term successes, let alone sell them to other companies at job interviews. I wanted to quit my job, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get another one. It was a classic case of impostor syndrome! I had worked with Larry fifteen years ago on the Design Labs team at eBay, so I reached out to him for career advice. Larry's Brilliant Forge Career Accelerator program helped me recognize and challenge the fears and barriers that had been holding me back. I started journaling, setting goals for myself, and developing a more positive attitude towards my past achievements and current projects. I also met some great new friends through our weekly conference calls who helped me realize that my struggles were not unique. This month I accepted an exciting new job offer, and I was able to leave my job on a positive note. I feel far more confident about myself and my abilities, and I owe a lot of that to my participation in the Brilliant Forge program. I would highly recommend Larry to anyone in a similar situation!"
Shannyn Timrott
Design Leader, Meta (Facebook)
"I reached out to Larry for leadership and executive coaching and he has been such a great partner to work with. He has provided solid and insightful guidance ranging from providing various resources for areas I had questions on to coming up with insights or feedback leveraging his industry experience. His many years of professional experience in design leadership at some of the big-name tech companies, as well as his startup founder experience, have been super helpful during our discussions in our coaching sessions. He has also been immensely helpful when I needed guidance on how to think about my career path, vetting potential leadership roles, as well as their considerations, pros and cons. Most importantly, he helped me re-focus on what I truly wanted in both career and life by providing helpful exercises that made me think and prioritize what I wanted. Some of the great qualities Larry possesses as a coach is being a great listener, being calm, approachable, supportive, as well as being punctual with his guidance as he provided me guidance at times when I need it the most. All of these areas are what makes Larry and his coaching standout from others. I look forward to continuing to work with him!"
Anne Jude Hunt
VP, Head of Product, Medici
“I had the pleasure of having Larry as my career coach for almost a year. Working with Larry was incredibly valuable. He doesn't so much offer advice as he guides you in creating your own goals and your own path to achieve them. At the same time, he gives pragmatic feedback to help in achieving specific goals. I would certainly work with Larry again in the future."
Paresh Vakhariya
Product Management Leader
“Larry and I have known each other from our eBay days since 2003. Larry was a super strong Product and UX leader at that time and I was always impressed by his leadership skills. More recently I worked with Larry as a career coach and mentor to find my next career opportunity. Larry is extremely knowledgeable about the various aspects of job hunting and guided me through the complex steps of deciding what I want, finding/choosing the right opportunities, interviewing and offers! He is also well connected in the industry and makes appropriate introductions as needed. His weekly coaching calls and Slack channel have been helpful in connecting with other leaders in the industry and his tips are helpful in positioning the career. I highly recommend Larry's coaching to anyone who is looking to transform their career. Looking forward to our continued collaboration, Larry. You are wonderful!"
Beth Goldman
Head of UX, Punchh
“I write this recommendation as I sit outside a cafe in Lisbon, soaking in the sights and sounds of the lovely Gulbenlkian gardens. I'm on a work trip to Portugal where over half of my team works, and I couldn't be happier. I met Larry years ago while working at Yahoo! and respected that as a VP of UX, he was often the voice of reason among a group of wildly enthusiastic, opinionated, smart designers from various product groups. As I was looking for my next full-time leadership opportunity I decided to work with him to make the most of my efforts to ensure I was representing myself in the best way possible, and to find the right role to support my career goals. Larry is calm, clear, thoughtful, and a great listener. He helped me clarify what I wanted, focus on solidifying my personal brand, and identifying strategies to make the most of any situation. He is a great connector, and just "gets it"; his extensive leadership experience was extremely helpful throughout my job search. He is clearly driven by the success of others, which is a true gift. He might be more excited that I'm here than me. 😉 Thanks, Larry!"
David Jesse
Head of Product Management, DoorDash
"I worked with Larry years ago at eBay but then reconnected as I was getting ready to change roles. He was extremely helpful in asking the right questions to help me throughout the process, from clarifying what I was seeking in order to target my search up through going through the offer negotiation process. Larry combines excellent judgment and relevant experience with a high integrity style. He helps you get to the answers which are right for you, leading to finding higher career fulfillment."
Jade Gemma
Sales Coach & Strategist
“Larry is the what I used to call in my recruiting days 'top drawer' - a true professional; credible, ethical and with a track record of expertise to boot. Larry ticks all the boxes! If you are looking to change or develop your career then Larry should be your first point of call. As well as being experienced, Larry is a good listener and great fun to work with. Larry comes highly recommended and I look forward to collaborating with him again."
Trip O'Dell
Senior Director, Product Design at Pearson
“Many of us find ourselves at a point in our lives where they ask, 'Is this all there is? Why can’t I move forward?', I was fortunate enough to know Larry Cornett. Larry and I met while speaking at the same conference back in 2013. We hit it off almost immediately. He was a seasoned executive from the Valley, who like me, came from design, and I was interested in following a similar path in my career. Over drinks one evening, Larry gave me some great advice, and we had a great conversation about work/ life balance, as well as finding and maintaining a sense of vocation in your work. At the end of the evening, Larry gave me his card and said, 'If you ever feel stuck, give me a call.' Years later, that day came. Despite the success in my career, I wasn’t doing the kind of work that makes me happy, and more importantly, I wasn’t growing. I called Larry. In our first meeting, he got right to the heart of the matter. 'I’ve known you for years, I know what you’re passionate about, what drives you, why the hell are you doing what you’re doing now?' It was exactly the right question for him to ask. What followed was the most extraordinary mentorship of my career. Larry became the kind of professional coach and mentor that seemed like the game-changing teacher, or college professor who pushed you to exceed your own expectations, and could identify exactly where you're getting in your own way. Larry helped me to learn how to navigate the complexities of transitioning to senior and executive-level leadership (and yes there are secrets). He coached me on finding the right opportunities, and making the most of the tools you have available to you, but you aren’t using correctly. What followed was one of the fastest and most counter-intuitive successful job searches of my life. After working with Larry, I’m in a job where I’m being mentored and challenged every day, and I have more freedom and flexibility in my life. I love what I do. I can see where my contribution matters, and I feel like I’m making a difference in my work. Engaging Larry Cornett was an incredible gift to myself."
Andrew Sandler
Director of Innovation and Experience Strategy, Adobe
“I can't say enough good things about working with Larry, both as a colleague and in a mentoring relationship. Larry has been the person that I've routinely turned to throughout the past decade, for frank, forthright, and illuminating conversations about where to take my career. He's been an insightful resource that's been through it all before me, with no other agenda than to help me get to the best place I can for myself. His compassion and candor help him point out when I'm being less-than-honest with myself - and in a way that makes it palatable to hear. Having Larry available as a trusted resource - and as a friend - has been a crucial part of my continued professional development."
Chetana Deorah
Head of Design, Scribd
“I have known Larry for close to 10 years now starting as a UI Designer on his team at Yahoo! Search. From those early days of my career I have been fortunate to have him as my manager and one who gave being "boss" a fresh perspective! Of the many 1:1s I had with him listening to our woes, expectations, aspirations, he was able to provide feedback that was real, honest and eventually I learnt over time actionable! In all these years he has consistently been bold, yet polite, accessible for advice or even just a conversation on topics of mutual interest. In the competitiveness of the Silicon Valley world, Larry has continued to be his own person while being there for others as a leader, a mentor, a guide. And now after all these years I couldn't be happier to see Larry take on the next adventure as a career and business coach, bringing together the best of all he has to offer and more. I often find myself quoting anecdotes from my 1:1s with him to my design team members for the timeless, valuable sharing they have been."
Polly Ng
Director of User Experience, Shutterstock
“Larry is a source of calm when you need it the most. I’ve been lucky to have been managed by Larry at eBay and Yahoo, and he has given me unfiltered career advice, trends to look out for and even easy yet effective professional tips that has helped shape my professional life. I trust his guidance because he understands people's motivations and strengths and will go out of his way to help them achieve success."