Dr. Saadat Bagherigaleh — Executive & Leadership Coach
Doctor of MedicineHarvard Adaptive LeadershipBetterUp Certified CoachHolistic Coach Certified

Transform Your Leadership. Achieve Extraordinary Results.

Most leaders know what to do. Few have the support to live it. Coaching grounded in medicine and the seven areas of a full life.

See If We're a FitGet the Free Playbook

1,661 coaching sessions · 93.53/100 impact score · BetterUp Certified

Trusted by leaders and teams at

Salesforce
Amazon
Pernod Ricard
City of Santa Monica
Huntress
Accenture

+ 4 more organizations across 9 industries

About

A leadership coach with the mind of a doctor.

I'm Dr. Saadat Bagherigaleh. I coach managers and leaders who want to lead well and live well at the same time. My clients come to me for confidence, clarity, mental fitness, and a way out of burnout. They leave with all four, and a steadier sense of who they are.

Most of my work happens in the quiet questions. What kind of leader do I want to be? What is my body trying to tell me? What would it look like to succeed without paying for it with my health or my family? These are the questions I sit with, and the ones I help my clients answer.

Since 2022, I've worked as a BetterUp coach, delivering more than 1,000 hours of sessions to leaders at Salesforce, Amazon, OpenAI, Accenture, and many others. My clients range from first-time managers to senior directors. What they share is a desire to grow without sacrificing the rest of their lives to get there.

Doctor of Medicine (MD)

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran · 2011

M.Sc. Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine

MCPHS University, Massachusetts · 2017

Adaptive Leadership

Harvard University (edX) · 2025

Certified Holistic Coach

Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy · 2025

Why a doctor as your coach?

Most coaching works on behavior. My training lets me work on the layer underneath it. Stress, sleep, decision fatigue, and burnout all show up first in the body. When I help a client regulate their nervous system, the leadership skills land faster. Diagnosis is half of treatment. That is as true for a leader feeling stuck as it is for a patient in a clinic.

  • ✓Grounded in the neuroscience of decision-making, stress, and resilience
  • ✓Integrates evidence-based wellness practices with leadership development
  • ✓Works with the whole person, not just the professional one
  • ✓Published researcher with work presented at Harvard Medical School and SAR conferences

Professional Experience

Leadership Coach

BetterUp, Inc.

Mar 2022 – Present

Over 1,000 hours of 1:1 coaching with managers, directors, and senior leaders across a wide range of industries.

Founder & Coach

Fate Wonder LLC

Jan 2023 – Present

Private 1:1 coaching practice for leaders and founders who want confidence, clarity, and sustainable performance.

Apprentice Faculty, Mentor & Strategic Advisor

Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy

Feb 2025 – Present

Trains new coaches in neuroscience-informed and holistic practice; advises on positioning and client care.

Department Chair, Advisor & Faculty

Emperor's College, Santa Monica

Jan 2020 – June 2025

Directed curriculum and mentored master's and doctoral students in clinical leadership and practice management.

Faculty & Postdoctoral Research Fellow

MCPHS University, Massachusetts

Sep 2017 – Apr 2022

Designed courses, taught pharmacology, and led funded research including work with the Osher Center at Harvard Medical School.

Approach

How I coach

I draw from three places. Medical science. Holistic and integrative practice. Evidence-based leadership work. Every engagement starts with your goals and the seven areas of your life. We measure what matters so we both know it's working.

Neuroscience-informed

Your brain and body shape how you lead. When we understand how you process stress and make decisions, the changes you want actually stick in the moments that matter.

Evidence-based

Every tool I use is grounded in research. Cognitive behavioral techniques, positive psychology, mindfulness, nervous system regulation. Nothing is guesswork.

Whole-person

Leadership doesn't live on a spreadsheet. I work across the seven areas of life: work, relationships, health, body, rest, learning, and contribution. Results that stay require a life that can hold them.

Measurable progress

We set clear goals from day one and check in on them. My BetterUp Member Progress Index of 93.53/100 reflects this kind of concrete, client-rated outcome.

The Process

1

Discovery call

A free 30-minute conversation. You share what's on your mind. I listen for the real question underneath. We both decide if we want to keep going.

2

Assessment and goals

A deeper session to map where you are across the seven areas of life, name what you want, and turn it into a roadmap we can actually follow.

3

The coaching itself

Regular 1:1 sessions, weekly or bi-weekly depending on your program. Between sessions, you get tools, practices, and light-touch support so the work keeps moving.

4

Review and adjust

We look at progress against the original goals. New ones appear. We adapt the plan as you grow.

Services

Coaching built around you.

Every engagement starts with a free discovery call. We use it to understand your goals and find the right fit.

Senior leaders and founders

Senior Leadership Partnership

6-month engagement

For leaders carrying a lot. You're making decisions that affect many people, and you want a coach who can hold that with you.

  • Weekly 60-minute 1:1 sessions
  • Between-session voice and text support
  • A personalized leadership roadmap
  • 360-degree feedback woven into the work
  • + 2 more included
Get Started
Most Popular

Managers, directors, and business owners

Confidence & Direction

3-month engagement

For leaders stepping into bigger roles or owners scaling their teams. We build the inner confidence first, so the direction you choose holds.

  • Bi-weekly 60-minute sessions
  • Between-session email support
  • Communication and team-alignment tools
  • Decision-making frameworks you can actually use
  • + 2 more included
Get Started

Founders and startup leaders

Founder Intensive

90-day sprint

A focused 90 days for founders at a crossroads. Growth, hiring, partnership, or a hard decision you've been avoiding.

  • 8 deep sessions over 90 days
  • Strategic clarity on what comes next
  • Team-scaling and culture tools
  • Planning for what's ahead, including exits
  • + 2 more included
Get Started

Leaders whose career is working but other parts have gone quiet

The Whole Leader

9-month engagement

For leaders who want their work, body, relationships, and inner life moving in the same direction. Built around the seven areas of a full life — work, relationships, health, movement, creativity, rest, purpose. Nine months is on purpose. Integration takes time.

  • Weekly 60-minute 1:1 sessions
  • Seven-wheels assessment at start, midpoint, and close
  • Quarterly half-day deep-work intensive
  • Between-session voice and text support
  • + 2 more included
Get Started
Results

Real outcomes. Client-rated.

These numbers come from BetterUp's Member Progress Index. After every session, clients rate five dimensions of the work. The scores below are the aggregate, on a 100-point scale.

0+

1:1 Coaching Sessions

Total sessions delivered across the BetterUp platform

0+

Hours of Coaching

Direct coaching hours invested in client development

0+

Days on Platform

Active on BetterUp since 2021

0/100

Member Progress Index

Aggregate of all coaching outcomes across five dimensions

Impact Score Breakdown

Equipped for Change95.22/100

"I am more equipped to make changes that are important to me."

Goal Progress95.41/100

"Working with my Coach is helping me make progress towards my goals."

Impact on Development88.97/100

"How impactful has working with your Coach been for your development?"

Overcome Obstacles93.57/100

Ability to navigate and overcome professional and personal challenges

Self Awareness94.49/100

Growth in self-awareness and emotional intelligence

Over the last 12 months, I've helped 8 people live with more purpose, passion, and clarity.

Testimonials

In their words

Reflections from leaders I've coached on BetterUp and in private practice.

“In our time working together, Saadat has helped shape me into a better leader, partner, and person. Her empathy, encouragement, simultaneously direct and kind communication has been so so so appreciated. I also was able to earn a promotion under Saadat's guidance! Her advice absolutely played a crucial part in my career growth.”
MC
Matt Caudill

Senior Manager, Revenue Strategy & Operations

Turquoise

1 / 2

“...a better leader, partner, and person...”

In our time working together, Saadat has helped shape me into a better leader, partner, and person. Her empathy, encouragement, simultaneously direct and kind communication has been so so so appreciat...

MC
Matt Caudill

Turquoise

“...an invaluable coach for me...”

Saadat has been and continues to be an invaluable coach for me. I started working with Saadat almost four years ago (May 2022). In that time, she's helped me think through and given me valuable guida...

AL
Adam Lurie

Salesforce

FAQ

Questions I hear a lot

Get Started

Let's start a conversation.

Apply for a free discovery call, or download the free playbook if you'd rather explore on your own first.

Apply for a Discovery Call

Answer 5 quick questions to see if you're a fit, then book your free 30-minute call.

Get started

Get the Executive Performance Playbook

5 neuroscience-backed strategies used by Fortune 500 leaders. Free PDF, no obligation.

Download free
or reach out directly

Or send a message

I'll respond within 24 hours.

Or email directly: saadatbg@gmail.com