Iris is the best career coach anyone could ask for. I've looked around everywhere and nobody comes close. I was sitting in a quarter-life crisis, really unhappy with my current place in life yet too scared to look for change. Iris is magical; she is a great listener, pushes back at the right times, is extremely efficient, and keeps you accountable. Each session I made large strides and was able to dig through and reframe a lot of the rationalizations and mindsets that were holding me back. I really love working with her because she is super good at exposing and focusing on the core problems that I'm facing. Her pointed questions make me surprise myself with my own answers. In addition, I feel like I always have a strong support with Iris's ability to both reframe inner feelings and make effective professional plans. Whenever I feel stuck on anything in life, I'll definitely go back to Iris. read more

If you are looking for a coach who TRULY understands people, really cares about you and your situation, and is BEYOND professional, Iris is absolutely your go to! Always positive, so resourceful and energetic, very action oriented, and knows to ask the right questions and get you to achieve your goals! I'm so thankful I got to know and work with her, she really is one of a kind, you would not regret working with her! read more

Iris is absolutely amazing to work with. She helped me get clarity about my career path after coming back into the professional arena after years away. It was incredibly helpful to have her guidance. What I love is her attention to detail and the actionable summaries I received after our sessions. Incredibly helpful. I highly recommend working with Iris if you want to see real results fast. read more

I've had the pleasure of working with Iris on some fuzzy existential questions: What should I do with my career? What should I do with my life? She helped me explore my path with compassion, challenging questions, and a commitment to creating good homework. Iris is both open-hearted and quite rigorous in her approach -- a rare and awesome combination. Iris is very generous with her time. She always takes the extra step to give impromptu feedback, share an inspirational video, or accommodate a changing schedule. Her enthusiasm for her work is inspiring and contagious, and I'd highly recommend her as a coach! read more

I have really loved working with Iris as a coach. With her guidance, I have identified many areas for my own growth and it's had a huge impact on me as a person and a leader. She has taught me how to be more empathetic and compassionate so that I can work more effectively with others and have powerful but difficult conversations. She pushes me to think from other perspectives and to re-frame challenging situations. Now, when I am facing a problem or find myself wanting to jump in to "fix it all", I think about what Iris would say and I talk myself through a plan forward. I'm grateful that I can take the lessons from our sessions into both my personal and professional life. Iris is a fantastic coach and I would recommend her to anyone looking for an executive or life coach. read more

My time working with Iris accelerated my growth in career and life in numerous ways. I was unemployed due to COVID and looking to find my path forward, but I felt very overwhelmed. Iris helped me discern new opportunities and to interpret the different phases of my career thus far. With grace, empathy, and humor, Iris helped me challenge limiting beliefs I held about myself and gave practical solutions to tackle the immediate problems I faced. I understand myself and what I want in new and profound ways as a result. Thanks to Iris' thoughtful guidance and powerful questions, I am more flexible and daring in my career ventures. I can't recommend her enough and definitely look forward to working with her in the future! read more

My experience working with Iris has been energizing and eye-opening. We've tackled everything from career and salary negotiations to how to create a more expansive, fulfilling life. She's reframed my thinking and widened my perspectives in ways I needed more than I even realized. Every session I've walked away with renewed self-awareness, confidence, and clarity. read more

Iris is one of my favorite people! Not only do I appreciate and value her content and process, I love her ethos and style, & how real she is as a coach. Iris understands people as individuals and how they fit in the world, and she understands the way world works. Coaching with Iris has had a significant impact on me personally because of these things. I didn't know you could possibly feel so validated and seen within a professional and very focused process. I have refined areas of my work practice as a result of our sessions, been pushed & challenged, & risen to the occasion! I think back to my piano lessons as a child, when my teacher would help me arrive at places I didn't know were possible & a world to explore within that! Iris is my grown up experience of that! :) I have grown in creative resourcing and development & refined my messaging in ways that I look at with pride and joy. The times I had 'brain fog', Iris would meet me and call me forward. She inspires me to be my best self in all areas of my life & consider what new concepts may be inviting me in to. Iris cares about the whole person & understands that we really do bring all of who we are to each moment. read more

As a coach, Iris has opened up a new way of rewiring my thought processes and methods for communicating and prioritizing. She offers useful tools in her calming and focused way that I use in my everyday life to help keep me on track and remind myself of where I am and where I want to be.  Iris is a fanciful force that provides tools to implement a deeper commitment to yourself. read more

Iris is not only good at her job, but is just a wonderful, strong and empathetic person. She exudes lightness, gratitude, and happiness. I found Iris on yelp, and I reached out to her. I almost didn't follow through with coaching because of the $$ but, because I was at such a low point and not following through would be following old patterns - I did. I had the initial phone call with Iris, which is free by the way. She went over the amount of time that was actually allotted and took the time to really understand what kind of transition I was going through. Iris has a way of pinpointing and putting into words the kind of things your struggling with, she also calls you out and forces you to be honest with yourself, her and others around you. I'm still working with Iris, and she truly has been an integral part of my healing and moving forward and pulling me out of a really terrible head space. She provides you TONS of material that's specific to what you want to work on. So I encourage you to take the plunge, but come prepared with ideas and be ready to make real decisions and make real change. read more

Iris is caring, generous and has an energizing presence! As a result of working with her, I gained clarity regarding my goals, values, and career. I can count on Iris to hold me accountable and encourage me to get out of my comfort zone. I would highly recommend her as a coach! read more

Iris is an excellent coach. The career search can be difficult, and Iris gracefully blends accountability and the occasional challenge to one's existing patterns with warmth and humor. She's an excellent listener, but is also super-efficient with your time - each session brings specific deliverables and actions that move you forward. Highly recommend! read more

They say surround yourself with greatness and soon you will become as well! For everyone who has the can-do attitude or not, Iris will always help strategize and help you through issues and challenges you may face. From business to personal, she's helped a first time founder, like myself, navigate through many of the waves of a startup. Highly recommend Iris! read more

Iris is truly destined to be a career & life coach! She is thoughtful, sharp and hands-on! Her positivity is contagious and she is a ray of light that has uplifted me during the dark times of my career switch. I couldn't recommend her enough. Iris has all the right solutions you need and her fresh perspective on life really gives you the knowledge and confidence you need to move forward in this uncharted journey. I am currently working with Iris, and I am so lucky to have met such an incredible individual- she is simply a superstar! read more

Iris helped me navigate successfully one of the most challenging times in my career. I found her direct, practical, and positive approach to be invaluable. Moreover, I appreciate how she asks for (and handle) feedback to tailor our sessions to my style and desired outcomes. I've worked with several executive coaches - the partnership I've built with Iris tops any other, and I feel very confident in vouching for her. read more

Iris has helped me change how I think about my work -- and to plant new seeds in my mind that shape how I think about myself. Iris is tender but firm, creative yet concrete, and always energized about life's possibilities. Iris has played numerous roles for me: sometimes a coach, who challenges me and holds me accountable; sometimes a supporter, who provides the right resource at the right time; sometimes a fellow learner, who gets as excited as I do to synthesize ideas and make new connections. But more than anything, Iris has shared her fantastic skills in helping me reframe how I approach myself. It isn't always easy, but I know the work we've done helps me to take the shapes I want to take in this life. read more

Iris and I have been working together almost a year now, and she has had a profound effect on my well being as well as a hugely helpful/tactical positive impact on my career trajectory. I went to her with a terrifying question - "I'm not sure what I want to do with my career... but I know it's not what I'm currently doing." Iris understood immediately - she guided me through hugely helpful exercises, provided me with endless resources, and was a fundamentally helpful thought partner as I figured out how I wanted to shape my career. Now I'm about to start an incredible new job, with a mind-blowing pay raise, and I couldn't be happier. She is truly amazing at this! read more

Iris is absolutely incredible in what she does. Over the past 7 months since we have worked together, Iris has continuously challenged me to reframe mindsets and take meaningful actions to become a better leader, husband, and father. I gain new insights about myself every single time we meet, and I can't imagine not having her in my corner. read more

I went to Iris facing a number of personal and career challenges. In the first meeting, Iris gave me feedback that was a significant and positive shift in terms of how I was mentally approaching some of these challenges, I'll even call it a paradigm shift. This reframe to think of challenges and problems as opportunities over which I have agency and can learn was present throughout our meetings. Iris not only is a great listener, but she'll have no hesitation to challenge your assumptions, or push you to clarify--which was immensely helpful. I always left Iris' sessions more energized than when I walked in. If you want to be challenged, get a fresh perspective, and put some structure around your ambitions, go to Iris! read more

Feeling so grateful for having the opportunity to meet Iris and going through a process of seeding positivity, inspiration & focus to what I do. Iris's guidance and tools are a unique goldmine for creative Y'rs souls like us. Iris compassionate yet fearless approach thought me ways to connect the dots by asking the essential questions, filtering down to what really matters to me in my professional behaviour and goals. Unfortunately I'm leaving the country and will miss Iris's coaching - but surly taking with me the meaningful gifts and fundamental I got from this process. read more

I fully endorse Iris as a wonderful and talented coach! She is kind, clear-eyed and direct. She helped me through a big life change, a job loss and other challenges. Iris is authentic and smart and I would recommend her to any and all of my friends and acquaintances who need help in times of transition. Thank you Iris! read more

I found Iris by recommendation at a very critical time in my life. I was not working, trying to find myself, and trying to discover my road in the world. I had significant life challenges facing me, and I did not know how to find my way out and back to work. Iris helped me first by listening to me. I felt like she really heard me. This was not psychotherapy -- you can find a therapist for that. Based on what she heard, she helped me develop a plan based on my strengths. I had never seen myself that way before -- I had always thought I had to struggle with aspects of myself that needed work. She showed me that I, all on my own, could excel at life with my given personality and true nature. She helped me identify what those strengths are and how I can apply them to excel in life. I was able to find a career and life path that I truly wanted -- then Iris helped me make it happen. I found a temporary position in government in a field I really cared about, which I built into a permanent position, which I built into a management career. It was hard work, but all worth it to have the career and life I truly wanted. That was many years ago. But I still go back and see Iris periodically if I feel like I'm struggling with my direction. I walk out of there every time ready to take on the world. read more

Iris is an excellent coach. She is great at listening and at helping reframe difficult situations. In only a few sessions she has helped me to re prioritize important things in my personal life and to make changes in my career as well. She is warm, positive and an amazing source of wisdom and support. Thank you Iris! read more

I worked with Iris for an extended period of time in 2014 and can only highly and warmly recommend her. Iris is smart, knowledgeable, educated and just friendly and fun to work with. Above all, she is a very wise person. She provided lots of good insights, guidance, and ideas. I will return to her in the future. read more

Iris is a wonderful career coach! I worked with Iris for six months in 2018, when I was searching for something new in my career and needed a change. Iris has a wealth of knowledge-- we worked on managing current obstacles that seemed big and difficult and we also looked to the future, which led me to a position at a new organization. Iris was incredibly patient with me as I changed my mind almost weekly on what steps forward I wanted to make in my career. She encouraged me to design a life that felt good for me. She has amazing positive energy and was both a coach and a cheerleader read more

Iris has been more than just a fantastic coach for me. She is more like an inspiration to me. Her demeanor, outlook in life and positivity are infectious. Her ability to read between the lines and think outside the box is unparalleled. She has been instrumental in giving me confidence as well as valuable perspectives in seemingly hopeless situations. One of her biggest assets is that she can quickly get to the bottom of a really charged situation and help unravel the real issues from the emotions. She has excellent intuition, empathy and emotional intelligence which she brings to bear in every exchange. As many others have said, Iris has many times reframed situations so much for me that I would feel like a completely different and enlightened person coming out of a meeting with her. I cannot recommend Iris highly enough. read more

Iris was helpful. She was generous with her time and passionate about what she does. I liked that she was ready to call me out thoughtfully on my excuses and really tried to help keep us focus on my goals. I think it takes longer term work for the relationship to bear fruit and you have to go in ready to make changes on one aspect..otherwise it's difficult to stay focus..i haven't figured out how best to make such arrangement work and nor can I quite afford to keep this going long term. Ultimately I decided I had to work on another aspects of my life before continuing on this but i did get some helpful tips from her. If you can afford to and you find yourself really stuck I highly recommend giving it a shot and see what she can do for you. read more

I was fortunate to meet Iris through a friend. When we first initially met, I felt very comfortable speaking to her and knew that she would be a great life coach. My sessions with her helped me to go about things differently and have a new perspective on life and circumstances. I even shared a personal project I want to launch soon. She had genuine interest in this and pushed me to make this more of a reality than just an idea. I really recommend meeting with Iris if you're looking for someone who will push you out of your comfort zone and make you see things in a new light. Not to mention, some tough love that we all need! read more

I came to Iris after talking to several other life and career coaches. I was drawn to her mixture of warmth and pragmatism. When I started with Iris, it felt like my career had stalled. Iris worked through some root causes of this discontent. She pushed me to be specific about what bothered me, politely challenged illogical conclusions I'd made, and gave helpful tools to sustain the behavioral change. In just over a month, I feel much more empowered, in no small part because of Iris. If you're feeling stuck, give her a call. It's more than worth your time. read more

One of the things I love most about Iris is that she really holds me accountable. Through working with her, I was able to manifest some big changes in my life. The things that I had dreamed of doing but didn't have the gumption for are now within reach. She really listens to what you want and maps out how you can get there. Even if you don't know what you want, she will draw it out of you. If you've been thinking of seeing a coach, look no further! As with anything, the more you put into the work with Iris, the more you will take away! read more

I highly recommend Iris as a world class career and leadership coach. As C-Suit executive working in the tech world, I have never managed my career, networks, and communication in a very deliberate way. Since working with Iris, I've become intentional strategic, and aware of my decisions. Iris uses a pragmatic, conversational approach to help me see myself in a new light, identify areas of improvement, and seize new opportunities. She shares unique and relevant materials that aid me in expanding my perspectives. Her productive process enables me to be more pro-active and directional in my career and leadership endeavors. Sessions with her are dynamic and her energy is contagious - I just wish I had met her earlier. read more

I am honored to write this review for Iris. She has been such an amazing and positive influence for the companies we work with at both Founder Institute and Gateway Incubator, and admittedly, for me personally as well. She understands the demands and challenges of being an entrepreneur and deftly navigates the founder psyche to help you find solid ground. After helping establish your foundation and find your confidence, the discussion is quickly transitioned to focus on the future and getting you where you need to go, both personally and professionally. I can't recommend Iris enough and I look forward to working with her long into the future. read more

I wish I could give Iris ten stars, five is not enough. I came to Iris with career counseling needs. She has exceeded that. She always meets me where I'm at, uncovering hidden issues that could keep me from the success I desire. Even when it seems I am not meeting my career goals, she shows me that progress is not measured in accomplishments but in the myriad of ways one is working toward wholeness. She is a gifted visionary--full of strategies and insights. She has the ability to speak the truth which empowers one to full potential, and she does all this with a deep loving-kindness that is so beautiful. Thank you Iris. read more

I am a Danish filmmaker of Iraqi descent. This year I've traveled to the United States to participate in a film workshop in California, but after I arrived I found out that the workshop was cancelled. I spent a few days trying to find a technical-related film workshop, but then I realized that I didn't need another film course. I was curious about coaching, since I wanted to focus my attention on restructuring my life and career. So I looked for a San Francisco based coach on Yelp. During my short visit to SF, I've met with Iris 3 times and I continued the coaching via Skype ever since. And now 5 months later, I am so happy that the film workshop was cancelled and I got the opportunity to discover the process of coaching and Iris Charabi-Berggren. Iris is very professional, kind, and a lovely person. She is resourceful and she always comes up with something that pushes me closer to my goals. As a coach she focuses on who you are and what you need. I felt that her customized process provided me with the right advice and strengthened my core. If you want a creative, open minded, fun, and trustful coach I highly recommend her for the job. read more

Iris is an amazing career coach and advisor in general. She has helped me during a critical promotion in my career. She is very understanding and diligent to review everything in detail. All her work is very personal and customize and really makes you feel like her only priority! She is very flexible and open. Her feedback is direct and constructive which is exactly what I needed. I have recommended her to all my colleagues and friends. read more

I met Iris about 6 months ago when I was struggling to raise a round for my early-stage startup. As a first time founder, raising money has its own challenges and it can be hard to keep momentum going. Iris helped me continue to move forward and change my perspective about fundraising altogether. We finished raising that round successfully and have achieved amazing traction with my business. I continue to work with Iris because she knows me well and knows how to coach me to be better. She helps me have direct conversations with others and my team. I am much more level-headed and less stressed since I have been working with Iris. She had been crucial to our success and I highly recommend her to anyone interested in improving their leadership at a startup. read more

I've been a people manager for many years, and always tried to give the best advice I could to my team. I thought that was coaching, because I had never experienced anything else with my managers or mentors. After working with Iris, I now better understand what real coaching is! I started looking for a coach when I realized I had hit a plateau in my career and my overall happiness. There was nothing wrong, I just didn't feel like I was making forward progress. When I started working with Iris I didn't have any specific goals. She asked me insightful questions and through our discussions we identified areas I needed to think about and research more to help me better identify what I wanted to achieve and where I wanted to improve. We came up with practical homework assignments to help me better understand who I am, what I value, and my future goals. Through these discussions, homework assignments, and Iris' suggested readings and podcasts, I now understand why I react in certain situations, and have taken proactive steps to stop my bad habits. I also now understand what growth means to me, and how to take action to grow where I want to in work and in my personal life. Iris' is super knowledgable, very well-read, and asks insightful questions to help you find what questions you really want to answer, and how to answer them yourself. I've been working with Iris for several months, and plan to continue to do so. I highly recommend reaching out to Iris if you want to break out of your plateau, better understand yourself, and figure out how to further unlock your potential! read more

In my professional collaborations with Iris, I know her as a wise and courageous woman whose spirit and smile light up any room she walks into. She's truly a joy to be around, and these qualities make her stand out as an agent of awakening in a sea of "cookie cutter coaches." Iris takes every opportunity wakes her clients up. And she does so with an exquisite balance of curiosity, caring, and no-nonsense accountability. If it wasn't patently obvious, I can't recommend Iris highly enough! read more

I took Iris' recent workshop on worries. She has an excellent understanding of human mind and how it works, and is able to help the participants with practical tools and tips . She has a very engaging style of conducting the workshop, is very positive and articulate and very focused. I definitely recommend taking her workshop ! read more

Iris helped me tremendously to figure out how to change career path and go into teaching when I wanted to work again after a long family leave. She helped me recognize what I'm good at, do research on the things I wanted, and gave me confidence and the little push I needed. Iris combines empathy with countability in a very positive way. Thank you Iris. read more