Design your Life for Your personal optimum.
I'll help you get really honeSt with yourself about your goAls.
I have a personal obsession with optimizing my productivity and happiness; I love strategizing about life direction and moving from “that couldn’t be me” to “I just did that”. After 9 years at Google, I followed this passion all the way into a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience with a thesis topic in motivation.
But even perfect productivity, when followed to an unexamined goal, is inefficient. I help my clients look at an audacious, overwhelming goal and drill down into the heart of what they're hoping to get out of achieving it. Once we've identified your deeper values and motivations we can tailor a strategy that plots the shortest path to what you really care about.
"Absolute tip tier recommendation. With her help I was able to follow through on a goal I've had for over a decade (resign and move out of state from AK to NY)."- Stephen Long
I whole-heartedly recommend Ida and often tell people they should book a call with her if I get a sense they're serious about personal growth. Her open-minded, non-judgmental, targeted inquiry quickly gets me either to the edge of my understanding or face-to-face with some scary thing I need to address in order to grow.- Rai Sur, Cofounder at Sentinel
see more...What does a session look like?
I want to help you articulate your goals and then talk through some of the emotional and situational layers that underly them so we can debug what's impeding your progress.
What that looks like during a session is a lot of talking and trying to find your avoidance patterns, miscalibrated goals, or emotional blindspots; creating an action plan with homework for the week; and then starting out the next session with both accountability and identifying where this homework wasn't a good strategy for you so that we can iterate.
Ready to get serious about your goals?
1:1 personal coaching over video chat. For the first session I offer an introductory rate of $40/session. If you choose to book weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly sessions at a consistent time, I also offer a discounted rate.
Weekly 1:1 coaching sessions on a flexible (rather than a predefined, recurring) schedule that can change week to week depending on your needs, plus two email check-ins per week to keep you on track between sessions.
About my process
What’s the format?
We’ll talk for an hour (55 minutes) once a week over Zoom.
Typically a session involves talking through a clarification of your goals and any avoidance patterns, miscalibrated goals, or emotional blindspots that are impeding your goals. Then we'll create an action plan with homework for the week, and start out the next session with both accountability and identifying where this homework wasn't a good strategy for you so that we can iterate.
What can you help me with?
I’m best suited to talk to you about goal setting and personal development. I want to help you look at an audacious, overwhelming goal and drill down into what value you’d really get out of that goal and help you tailor a strategy that more efficiently optimizes for those positive outcomes.
If you're looking for my help I think that means there's some roadblock that is making it hard to achieve your goals on your own, either an emotional one or a matter of functional planning, and I consider it my job to break down what that roadblock is and to help you build the skills to surmount it.
What that means in a functional sense is a lot of talking and trying to select goals that are a true reflection of what you value, and then repeatedly break down what concrete actions you need to take in order to make real progress on those goals in a way that is going to work for you.
What experience and credentials do you have?
I have a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience with a research topic in human motivation. I've been a professional coach since 2022, with over a thousand session-hours, and dozens of CE hours certified by the American Psychological Association. Beyond institutional education, I have spent a great deal of personal time and research in finding ways to optimize my own productivity and happiness and have developed an intuitive sense for identifying emotional roadblocks and ill-fitting goals that I bring to my sessions.
How does payment for recurring sessions work?
I bill monthly through Stripe at the end of the month for all sessions attended plus any cancelation fees. See my cancelation policy here. Please note, you must have a payment method on file which will be charged directly. If you do not already have a payment method on file, I will send an invoice with payment instructions after your first month where you can save a default payment method. Please reach out to me if you need any special accommodations with billing.
Why wouldn’t I just talk to my friend/therapist/mom/priest/bartender?
Those are all great options! For many people, those options may not be the right audience to discuss certain topics. I can offer you advice as an unbiased third party, will protect your confidentiality, and am non-judgemental to sensitive topics you may not be ready to discuss with your loved ones. Additionally, I have a specific focus on helping people achieve their goals, and you may find it helpful to have a dedicated time and person to work on that area of your life.
Do you have a guarantee?
If after our first session you feel I’ve wasted your time I will gladly immediately refund you your session fee.
Unfortunately, I can't offer guarantees about your outcomes from my coaching services.
What is your fee schedule?
My ongoing rate is $150/session, or $120/session for recurring clients (weekly or biweekly). For your first session I offer an introductory rate of $40/session. The first session is offered at zero risk: please ask me for a refund if you felt my coaching was unhelpful or not what you expected.
Can I book half an hour or two hours? What about times outside your listed schedule?
Absolutely — I'm happy to work with whatever your schedule needs. Just drop me a message.
What is your cancelation policy?
Same-day cancellations or rescheduling notice will incur a $40 fee, and unfortunately less than 30 minutes from the session start time sessions can no longer be cancelled and will be charged the full amount. A booking will also be considered a no-show if you have not arrived within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time and have not contacted me to let me know you're still planning to attend.
I understand that unforeseen circumstances sometimes require a change in schedule; it is my hope that this policy will accurately reflect the opportunity cost of calendar instability without reducing the flexibility in your schedule should you need it.
Do you offer referrals?
Yes! If you refer a new client who sees me for at least 2 sessions I will give you a $40 credit towards your next session. Please let me know whom you referred or ask them to give me your name.
Where can I see your terms and conditions?
By booking a session with me you agree to the terms and conditions laid out in this document.
How can I contact you or schedule a session?
You can book with me directly at cal.com/idamayer. If you'd like to contact me first or have any special requests, please fill out this form and I'll get back to you promptly.