What is your current profession/job? What did you study at Yale? When did you graduate?

I am currently the founder and CEO of Amotions, a startup to help individuals and teams improve relationships, effectiveness, empathetic leadership, soft skills, and retain talent. We offer assessments, interactive practices, workshops, coaching, content, community, and AI insights developed by world class experts and coaches.
I studied Sociology at Yale, earning my M.Phil. (’13), and M.A. (’12).

What do you like most about your current role? What do you find most challenging and/or rewarding?

I have the chance to work with a team of experts, coaches, engineers, designers, customers, and potential customers who are passionate about helping people improve and achieve goals, and have the chance to solve the problems of building relationships, leading teams, and managing emotions for millions of people.

The most challenging is figuring out the best products and experience to build to solve the above challenges, and to acquire customers and users. Whereas the most rewarding is when customers told me that by utilizing what my startup offers, they learned and took actions that it significantly improved outcomes for them.

How did your time at Yale shape your career trajectory?

I am grateful that I made a few good friends at Yale that I am still in touch with. One of them provided emotional support during the tough times during the graduate program, and encouraged me that academia is not the only path. The exposure and access to Yale faculty and alumni not only helped me develop critical thinking, but also provided me access to early job opportunities at internet companies as a product manager at TicketNetwork and Priceline, and set the foundation for my career in tech. My research on social mobility and psychological well-being, as well as my general statistical and qualitative methods helped me gain the knowledge and skills needed to gather and analyze information related to understand social patterns, users, and human behaviors.

What are the main skills that you acquired as a PhD student which help make you successful in your current career?

The principle skills were in the realm of quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as interpersonal communicative skills.

Did you acquire any professional experience related to your line of work while in graduate school (either through part-time work, volunteering, networking, or other forms of training)?

No.

What advice would you offer PhDs who are interested in your line of work?

Reach out to alumni and people in the industry to learn about different functions and opportunities. You can gain experience working at a startup or in tech if you would prefer to gain experience before starting a company. Or you can start right out of Yale and learn by doing. You can use Amotions as a resource to learn the interpersonal and leadership skills that are important for your career.

Please feel free to reach out to me regarding our open positions.