Kathy Hadizadeh, MSc
Kathy Hadizadeh, MSc, ICF PCC, CPCC, EQAC, BPC, UCLA TMF, is the CEO and Founder of Heart Mind Tuning Corporation and Executive Coach specializing in technology and engineering leadership with over 15 years of corporate experience in Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies. She is also a Senior Consultant and Leadership Coach at Right Management and Group Facilitator for C-Suite and VP Level Leaders at Chief.
Kathy has transformed the careers of over 1,500 leaders across 30+ industries through her trademarked Pause to Rise™ methodology, helping executives achieve 50–70% increases in executive presence while preventing burnout. Read Meet Kathy Hadizadeh of Heart Mind Tuning Corporation.
As a former global IT executive who held senior positions at DIRECTV, AT&T, Omnicom, and Yellow Pages, Kathy brings deep technical expertise combined with human-centered leadership principles. During her tenure at DIRECTV from 2013 to 2015, she served as IT Senior Manager for Sales CRM Application Analysis & Development Management Services, where she led the $15 million integration program for LifeShield security products into CRM within 9 months.
She was instrumental in establishing the Fearless Leadership (F12) cultural transformation within IT, implementing processes that led to 33% improvement in strategic reviews between development, business, and architecture teams. Read DIRECTV creates 12-step program to foster a focused and fearless culture within IT. Listen to HeartMind Tuning: An Authentic Approach to Fearless Leadership.
Kathy founded Heart Mind Tuning Corporation in December 2016 following a life-altering concussion that forced her to pause from her high-pressure corporate career. This experience became the catalyst for developing her signature Pause to Rise™ methodology, which she has trademarked with the US Patent Office.
The methodology integrates neuroscience-based mindfulness practices with executive coaching to help leaders navigate high-pressure environments while maintaining well-being. Through Heart Mind Tuning, she delivers one-on-one executive coaching, group facilitation, organizational workshops on emotional intelligence and mindful leadership, and customized leadership development programs using assessments including Korn Ferry 360, DiSC, Clifton StrengthsFinder, and Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence tools.
Currently, Kathy serves in multiple senior advisory and facilitation roles across prestigious organizations. As Senior Consultant and Leadership Coach at Right Management since May 2023, she contributes to powering careers and helping organizations thrive through assessment solutions, coaching programs, and leadership development initiatives. At Chief since December 2021, she facilitates hyper-curated peer groups for female C-Suite and VP level executives, supporting women who collectively manage $220 billion of the U.S. economy. She also serves as Group Facilitator and Trainer at Transcend, The Fearless Company since February 2022, delivering the Fearless Leaders MasterClass® program to increase employee retention and reduce manager overwhelm.
Her extensive coaching portfolio includes roles as Senior Executive Coach at Coaching Right Now® since October 2020, working with companies like Apple, Infinera, InVision, and Tricon; Executive Coach and Leadership Development Coach at Sounding Board since November 2019, serving clients from Netflix, Intel, Cloudflare, and Bill.com; and Certified Executive Mentor at Collective Brains since September 2020. She also provides pro-bono executive coaching to female executives through The Women’s Impact Alliance since January 2021.
Kathy earned her Master’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a focus on Information and Operations Management from the University of Southern California in 2001 and her Master’s degree in Socioeconomic Systems Engineering (Operations Research) from Amirkabir University of Technology – Tehran Polytechnic in 1997.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Shahid Beheshti University in 1994. Her professional development includes Training in Mindfulness Science, Research, and Facilitation from UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior from 2020 to 2021, where she studied under Diana Winston and Mitra Manesh, and Professional Coaching Certification in Integral Leadership and Executive Development Coaching from New Ventures West from 2017 to 2018, studying under Steve March.
She holds numerous professional certifications including ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessor Certification (EQAC), Board Certified Coach (BPC), UCLA Trained Mindfulness Facilitator (TMF), Hogan Advanced Feedback Certification issued in March 2025, Korn Ferry Leadership Architect and KF 360 assessor, and certification from the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) in neuroscience-based mindfulness and emotional intelligence coaching.
She is also certified in various assessment tools including DiSC, Clifton Strengths, and Center for Creative Leadership instruments.
As a thought leader and keynote speaker, Kathy has presented at prestigious venues and conferences on topics including human-centered leadership, emotional intelligence, and mindful leadership. She is featured on Innovation Women as a speaker on leadership, empowerment, and wisdom, and has been profiled by Thinkers360 as an expert in mindfulness and emotional intelligence. Her speaking topics include The Leadership Edge: Transforming Data into Impact with Unstoppable Self-Awareness and The Productive Pause: A Tech Leader’s Guide to Getting Off the Hamster Wheel. Watch Kathy Hadizadeh – Leadership & Legacy Conversations with Coaches.
Kathy has contributed to the field through various publications and media appearances. She authored articles including Dream Exploration: Lucid Dreams and Creative Problem Solving published on Medium in February 2018 and Silent Thief published on Iranian.com in November 2015. Her screenplay Unfaithfully Yours was recognized as a TOP 100 Script by the American Gem Literary Festival. In 2003, she received recognition from New California Media for her work on La Prensa Persa, which built bridges between Hispanic and Persian immigrant cultures.
Her leadership roles in professional organizations include serving as Associate Director of ICF Los Angeles since January 2019, where she leads Special Interest Groups on neuroscience, building coaching businesses, executive coaching, and ICF credentials. She previously served as Coaching Cafe Lead and Facilitator for ICF Los Angeles from June 2018 to present, creating safe spaces for coaches to develop their skills and practice.
Throughout her corporate career before founding Heart Mind Tuning, Kathy held significant positions including Director of Database Marketing at YP from 2015 to 2016, where she managed a $2 million P&L and built a marketing database supporting digital product offerings for small businesses across the United States. As Senior Toyota Database Marketing Strategist and Data Science Lead at RAPP from 2011 to 2013, she headed data analysis, predictive modeling, and analytics efforts for Toyota CRM campaigns. At Westfield Corporation from 2008 to 2011, she served as Senior Business Intelligence Analyst, managing BI reporting requirements for property management and financial reporting at the enterprise level.
Kathy’s earlier career at International Rectifier spanned six years and eight months, where she progressed through roles including E-commerce Business Systems Manager, E-commerce Systems Analyst, and Worldwide Rotation Engineer, managing the design and implementation of award-winning platforms including the Opportunity Tracking System and New Product Introduction system.
Born in Tehran, Iran, Kathy immigrated to the United States and now resides in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Her personal journey from a high-achieving tech executive to a mindful leadership coach was catalyzed by a traumatic brain injury sustained in 2016, which forced her to discover the power of pausing and mindfulness in healing and transformation. This experience became the foundation for her life’s mission to help other high-achieving leaders find balance, purpose, and joy without sacrificing their well-being.
Watch her appearances on YouTube.
Visit her LinkedIn profile, Heart Mind Tuning Homepage, Innovation Women Speaker Profile, and Thinkers360 Profile. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.