Hello 👋🏻 I’m Ben. Right now, I’m using AI to build things that make the world a little bit less bewildering and a touch more humane.
I’m currently building Offtrail, an AI platform that helps senior operators network their way into a new job. Before this, I founded Hear Me Out, a consulting firm that ran confidential listening tours on behalf of leaders; led the mobile team that launched Vice on linear cable; and built the New York Times iOS app.
Origin story: I started coding on an Apple IIe my grandfather handed down in the early ’90s. As a college freshman, I learned to draw (which is to say, how to see), and switched from computer science to a brand new major called digital media design.
Since then, my career has hinged on understanding computers and the people who use them. On top of building consumer products, I’ve designed internal processes for companies like Peloton and Atlassian, produced podcasts and live events, and coached senior operators through complex leadership challenges.
I work with a small number of consulting and coaching clients at a time. Reach out for details and availability.
Ben really pushed our team at Peloton to drive results. We closed 40% more hires per recruiter, and our team had low turnover for many months after our engagement.
Ben’s coaching and 360º review were game-changers. The self-awareness, it’s almost like a superpower. Honestly, I got more out of it than my MBA. I also moved up to bigger leadership roles, even jumping from a startup to managing a large team at a mid-sized company.
Ben had this very fierce belief that we could be doing better. And that gave all of us the space to imagine how we can improve even the smallest details. Since then, I’ve noticed that all of us, especially managers, feel equipped with the language to dive into a problem and feel a sense of ownership.
I was struggling to connect with folks or translate my experiences to them in a way that made sense. I got more out of our first coaching session than out of 4-5 months of my last coach. One of the breakthroughs was when you used the phrase “communication is what the listener does.” I was so focused on trying to refine the way that I share my ideas, that I was less focused on how it was landing. By reframing things in terms of medium and long-term goals, it’s helped me develop a little more patience.
Ben is a fantastic manager who goes the extra mile to get results, and a patient mentor who really took the time to invest in me. I learned a ton from Ben just by watching him code. Seriously, try it.
In my new role, I just wanted to have someone help me be successful, understanding a new culture, a new team dynamic. Ben helped make my strategy more concrete, make my meetings more impactful. It’s the voice in the back of my head. Where I was day one and where I am now is light years away. What I was craving was the trust and I think I got it.
I have a new hire who started four weeks ago. Within the first week or two, I noticed them leveraging some of the things in the culture manual. And what could have been moments where things could have easily gone wrong, or led to a bad experience, actually ended up being really good experiences. They knew exactly what to do, and things were resolved immediately.
I’m going into conversations better prepared, identifying the audience, and understanding what needs to be delivered. I was confident in my ability to facilitate conversations, but in retrospect, I could have done it more efficiently. It’s not just the language, but delivering the content so that it makes sense to the listener.
Ben has a way of distilling critical industry insights into clear guidance that isn’t overwhelming. He listened to my concerns, helped me focus my needs, and offered actionable advice that allowed me to make decisions confidently.
More and more ideas that stemmed from our coaching calls are being taken onboard by leadership! My latest direct report told me, ‘You’re 1,000x better than managers I’ve worked with before who supposedly have years of management experience.’
