About Nicole
Nicole Cruz is a leadership coach, trainer, and speaker based in San Diego whose work centers on first and second-generation immigrants navigating the gap between cultural expectations and personal ambition. As the daughter of Filipino immigrants, she brings lived experience to every session—she spent over a decade climbing the corporate ladder before quitting her six-figure job, packing her life into a carry-on suitcase, and traveling the world to discover who she actually wanted to be.
Her coaching is built on a culturally-informed framework that goes beyond standard professional development. She understands the particular weight of immigrant household expectations—the unspoken belief that your success justifies your parents' sacrifice—and creates space for clients to unlearn what no longer serves them without abandoning their heritage. She works primarily with high-achieving women of color who are accomplished on paper but feel disconnected from their real wants and values.
Nicole trained through the Co-active Training Institute, Applied Depths Institute, and the School of Radical Healing. She combines leadership development with deeper identity work, helping clients move from survival-mode leadership to something more integrated and whole.
Background & Training
Co-active Training Institute / Certified
Applied Depths Institute / Trained
School of Radical Healing / Trained
Certified Life Coach in Sustainable Management / Certified
Offerings
Private 1:1 Coaching
Virtual
A 1:1 coaching experience for high-achieving women ready to stop compartmentalizing and start leading from their full identities—culture, creativity, softness, power, and all. Designed for WOC navigating leadership in spaces not built for them.
Leadership Confidence Coaching
6 sessions / In person & virtual
A comprehensive six-session program for individuals, teams, and organizations. Culturally-informed leadership development that goes beyond cookie-cutter practices, integrating cultural perspectives and unique backgrounds. Includes a Leadership Visibility Project as real-world application.
Speaking & Workshop Facilitation
In person
Workshops and keynotes focused on empowering diverse communities, fostering resilience, and celebrating cultural strengths. Available for corporate settings and community events, with DEI-focused programming.
I Can Help If You're Navigating
Leadership & Influence
Finding Purpose & Direction
Self-Worth & Confidence
Limiting Beliefs & Self-Sabotage
Feeling Stuck or Lost
Career Change & Reinvention
Burnout & Exhaustion
Perfectionism & People-Pleasing
Ancestral & Intergenerational Trauma
Family Dynamics & Boundaries
Anxiety & Overwhelm
Creativity & Expression
Entrepreneurship & Business
Communication & Conflict
What Clients Say
★★★★★
"I was stuck in a creative block for over a year and tried various methods to get "unblocked," but nothing worked. Nicole's coaching helped me gain incredible clarity. The progress I've made in my journey is so transformative that my thoughts and perspectives from two months ago feel almost unrecognizable."
Client
★★★★★
"Nicole, your work with 1st gen and BIPOC leaders is powerful and deeply needed. I'm so grateful to be one of the people you've supported and to carry forward the tools, wisdom, and encouragement you've shared so generously. Thank you!"
Client
★★★★★
"I know with certainty that I wouldn't have been able to do this before working with you. I wouldn't have been able to express my power with these words and I wouldn't have been able to say no to the traditional ideals of success (more $, C-suite title, etc.) Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Client
★★★★★
"Nicole recently spoke to DE&I leaders at FleishmanHillard's inaugural DE&I Summit this month and inspired our teams to live a more balanced, fulfilled life. DE&I work can be extremely challenging and you can feel like you lose yourself in the process, but Nicole reminded us to get back to what brings us joy so we can continue on the marathon ahead. Witty, insightful, fun and charismatic — Nicole is someone I recommend working with for inspirational speaking and coaching. People at our firm are still buzzing over her session."
Francesca W.
★★★★★
"It really was an absolute privilege to have had Nicole as a coach. She enabled me to open up about my strengths and weaknesses and provided tools to beat my fears and really grow into the role of leading my marketing agency. Nicole truly is one of a kind gentle soul; her positive energy is infectious and it makes you get up and take on the challenges head on and be assured that you will succeed in work and much more importantly in life too."
T.
★★★★★
"Nicole's leadership coaching was pivotal for me and my career. My sessions with her helped me identify and develop my leadership identity and she gave me the tools I needed to empower myself as a leader. Nicole is incredibly gifted at helping her clients (especially POC clients) navigate their internal complexities to surface the best parts of themselves, all in a very psychologically safe dynamic. I can't recommend her enough!"
Syed H.
Reach Out to Nicole
Send Nicole a message
Tell them a bit about what you're going through. No commitment, no pressure.
