
Cissy C.
Leadership Coach | Former consumer product leader
Studied at Princeton University
Works at Cissy Chen Coaching & Advising
Available Tuesday at 2:00 PM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Cissy’s Leadership Development Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Vice President
50+ people coached for Leadership Development
Hi there! I'm Cissy, a professionally trained leadership coach with over 1000 hours of coaching experience. I work with leaders, executives, PMs, and high-achievers who want a better way to lead, work and live - that's driven by purpose, not pressure. I also advise early stage startups on product management and coach small teams to work better together, especially while building zero to one products. With a robust background in product management at top tech companies like LinkedIn and Sequoia-backed startup Citizen, I bring a wealth of experience in driving product innovation, revenue, and leading teams, but the special thing my clients enjoy about working with me is not just the tactical leadership training...it's the transformation from inside out that makes reaching your leadership potential inevitable. I particularly like to work with people who are trying to find a way to find their groove in corporate leadership that feels authentic but still impactful. My style is to blend training of classical leadership skills (mostly around influence, presence, and team dynamics), but also shift your mindset and thought patterns, leading to more lasting, impactful, and holistic change. I know that there are PLENTY of leadership skill frameworks out there that you can pick up and read. The difference my coaching makes is really honing in on what's holding you back from applying it, and what is unique about your context that needs some exploring. Some words my clients use to describe my style: deep listener, business + emotions, intuitive, perceptive, firm but gentle, sharp, open, and action-oriented. Also, I am a professionally trained coach (with the credential of Professional Certified Coach) with formal coach training from the industry's leading school, Co-Active Training Institute. This means I'm trained in up-to-date, science-backed coaching methodologies to create transformation and lasting behavior change.
Cissy can help with:
Conflict Resolution
Change Management
Ethical Leadership
Diversity and Inclusion
Problem Solving
Emotional Intelligence
Coaching and Mentoring
Time Management
Innovation and Creativity
About Cissy
Hi! I'm Cissy. I'm an experienced consumer product leader turned professional leadership & career coach for PMs. MY COACHING: I coach product managers & other tech leaders on building successful products, teams, and careers in ambiguous, chaotic environments. I especially focus on leadership, influence, communication, and building 0 to 1 products. I use an empathetic, action-oriented approach that mixes traditional coaching techniques with tactical PM advice. I'm also a startup product advisor, so I can help you improve in your day-to-day product deliverable work. MY BACKGROUND: I'm an experienced product management leader with large & small company experience (ex-LinkedIn and ex-Citizen). At LinkedIn, I led subscriber retention for LinkedIn Premium, built ML-powered insights products for job seekers, and scaled community products for 100Ms of users. At Citizen (Sequoia-backed personal safety startup), I created the new consumer subscription product, business line, and team that generated the startup's first sustained revenue. I've developed a style and frameworks that work consistently on various types of product teams and companies. I build products with deep user empathy, first principles, and servant leadership. My teammates have appreciated my skill for building teams, consensus-building, communicating, and influencing. If any of this resonates with you, we might be a great fit. Before my product career, I was a software engineer and physics researcher. I studied Computer Science at Princeton University.
Why do I coach?
A bit more about my story here: https://cissychencoaching.substack.com/p/from-sleepwalking-the-golden-path
Work Experience
Founder & Leadership Coach
Cissy Chen Coaching & Advising
2021 - Present
Lead Product Manager
Citizen
2020 - 2021

Senior Product Manager
2016 - 2020
Software Engineer
Nextdoor
2015 - 2015
Education
Princeton University
Bachelor of Science & Engineering, Computer Science
Graduated Summa Cum Laude and in the honor societies of: Phi Beta Kappa (top 10% of graduating class), Tau Beta Pi (top 15% of engineering), and Sigma Xi (awarded for research)
Cissy was also personally admitted to
Stanford University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology