Active Voice

What Active Voice does

Active Voice is a privately-held coaching and training services company founded in 2020 by Sara Wachter-Boettcher, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operating as Active Voice, LLC. The company delivers leadership development, coaching, and team-learning programs aimed at designers, UX researchers, content strategists, product managers, and other tech and product professionals. Its core offerings include private 1:1 coaching (3-month packages and one-time strategy sessions at $500–800/month and $500/session, respectively), the Power Shift 9-week cohort-based leadership accelerator ($849 self-pay / $949 company-paid), on-demand courses (Team Up for management skills and Storytelling for Public Speaking), time-limited workshops (e.g., Protect Yourself from ADHD Burnout at $229), and custom enterprise Team Learning engagements spanning workshops, team coaching, keynotes, and longer-form cohorts. The firm also operates the Throughline annual conference and a monthly Loose Threads event series.

The company has no proprietary technology platform, no software product, and no API; all offerings are human-delivered. Its go-to-market is dual-track: direct-to-consumer sales via the website for individuals (coaching, courses, group programs) and enterprise field sales for custom team programs, with named clients including Gusto, Mastercard, and Mozilla. The team is small (1–10 employees, with two primary ICF-certified coaches), and the company is bootstrapped with no external funding disclosed. Marketing relies on content (newsletter, podcast, blog resources), community (private Slack, events), and testimonials/referrals within the design and UX professional community.

Name

Active Voice

Legal name

Active Voice, LLC

Website

https://activevoicehq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Active Voice is a Philadelphia-based coaching and training services company that delivers leadership development for tech and design professionals through 1:1 coaching, cohort programs, on-demand courses, and enterprise team learning engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Coaching and Professional Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

akta.pro primary industry

Training Delivery Providers (In-Person, Virtual, Train-the-Trainer) (BPACANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coaching, Feedback & Mentoring Skills (EDABAMAM), Mentorship, Coaching & Office-Hours Platforms (MPACALAG), ADHD/Executive Function & Organization Coaching (Academic) (EDANAFAC)

Keywords

• Leadership coaching services
• Executive training programs
• Team learning programs
• Professional development courses
• Design leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. 1:1 Coaching: Private coaching sessions with certified coaches. Includes 3-month packages (6 sessions) with email/DM access, community access, and resources. Also offers one-time strategy sessions (90 minutes). Sliding scale pricing with partial scholarships available.
2. Group Programs (Power Shift): 9-week cohort-based leadership accelerator program with live masterclasses, group coaching sessions, self-guided modules, and community access. Priced differently for self-pay vs company-paid.
3. Workshops: Time-limited workshops on specific topics like ADHD Burnout. 2.5-hour hands-on workshops with expert facilitation.
4. Team Learning Programs: Custom-designed corporate training engagements for enterprise clients including workshops, team coaching, keynotes, facilitation, and leadership cohorts. Ranges from one-hour sessions to year-long programs.
5. On-demand Courses: Self-paced online courses including Team Up (manager skills) and Storytelling for Public Speaking. Digital products with video lessons, activities, and certificates.
6. Events (Throughline Conference & Loose Threads): Conference and event series including annual Throughline conference and monthly free Loose Threads events. Some events free, others ticketed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Active Voice provides human-delivered leadership coaching, group programs, on-demand courses, and custom team learning engagements targeted at tech and design professionals and the organizations that employ them. Core offerings include private 1:1 coaching packages and single strategy sessions, the 9-week Power Shift group accelerator, on-demand courses such as Team Up and Storytelling for Public Speaking, topic-specific workshops (e.g., ADHD Burnout), and bespoke enterprise team programs ranging from one-hour keynotes to year-long cohorts. All delivery is people-driven (live coaching, live workshops, pre-recorded video modules) rather than software-based.

Product overview

Active Voice is a coaching and training services company offering a portfolio of human-delivered programs for tech and design leaders. Its core offerings include private 1:1 coaching and single strategy sessions (for individual career and leadership development), the Power Shift 9-week group accelerator (its flagship cohort-based program combining live masterclasses, group coaching, and self-paced modules), and on-demand courses (Team Up for management skills, Storytelling for Public Speaking). It also runs time-limited workshops (e.g., Protect Yourself from ADHD Burnout). For organizations, it provides custom Team Learning programs spanning workshops, team coaching, keynotes, and facilitation. The company also organizes the Throughline conference and monthly Loose Threads events. All programs are delivered synchronously (live sessions) or asynchronously via video/content modules, with no software-as-a-product component.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1:1 Coaching Private coaching sessions with Sara Wachter-Boettcher or Jen Dionisio for career, leadership, and manager development, delivered as 3-month packages (six 50-minute sessions with email/DM access, community access, and resources) or single strategy sessions. Targeted at individual tech and design professionals seeking leadership development and support navigating career transitions.
• Power Shift A 9-week group leadership accelerator combining live masterclasses, group coaching sessions, self-guided video modules, a digital workbook, and a private Slack community. Designed to build self-trust, confidence, and leadership presence for tech and design professionals.
• Team Up An on-demand course teaching coaching-based management skills for building high-performing teams. Includes 7 modules, 27 video lessons (3+ hours), hands-on activities, quizzes, and a digital workbook with certificate of completion.
• Storytelling for Public Speaking An on-demand course covering how to concept, pitch, create, and deliver talks that connect with audiences. Includes 9 video lessons (1.5+ hours), practical examples, and hands-on activities.
• Protect Yourself from ADHD Burnout A 2.5-hour live Zoom workshop co-facilitated by Jen Dionisio and Melissa Rogel (licensed therapist and coach), both with ADHD. Designed to help participants understand their brain strengths and vulnerabilities, identify burnout tipping points, and build flexible systems and rituals.
• Strategy Sessions Single 90-minute coaching sessions focused on specific challenges: career redesign, intentional job transitions, confidence for interviews/presentations, or problem-solving. Includes a pre-session workbook.
• Team Learning / Team Programs Custom-designed group learning programs for organizations, including workshops, team coaching, keynotes, offsites, leadership cohorts, and access to on-demand courses for entire teams. Engagements range from one-hour sessions to year-long retainers.
• Throughline Conference & Events A flagship annual conference and free monthly Loose Threads event series focused on the future of design. Throughline events feature talks, workshops, and community gatherings for design and tech professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants report increased confidence, reduced burnout, and more authentic leadership styles
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mind Gym: Mind Gym delivers human-centered, behavior-change learning programs to global enterprises through workshops and digital content. It overlaps with Active Voice's enterprise team learning engagements and workshop offerings, but at much larger scale and across many industries.
• BetterUp: BetterUp is the largest enterprise coaching platform, offering 1:1 coaching, team coaching, and leadership development to Fortune 500 clients. It competes with Active Voice for enterprise L&D budgets but at a much broader scale and via a tech-enabled platform rather than founder-led delivery.
• CoachHub: CoachHub is a global digital coaching platform providing 1:1 coaching and leadership development programs to enterprises. It overlaps directly with Active Voice's enterprise team learning and coaching offerings but serves a wider range of industries and geographies.

Direct peers

• IDEO U: IDEO U is the learning and development arm of design firm IDEO, offering online courses, cohort programs, and workshops for design and innovation leaders. It is the most direct design-industry-specific peer, sharing Active Voice's target audience of UX and design professionals.
• Sounding Board: Sounding Board provides executive and leadership coaching to tech and tech-adjacent companies, with a focus on matching leaders with certified coaches. Its enterprise coaching model and tech-industry client base make it one of the closest direct comparables to Active Voice's enterprise team learning program.
• Interaction Design Foundation: Interaction Design Foundation is the world's largest UX design learning community, providing online courses, certifications, and content for UX professionals. It is a strong peer for Active Voice's design-professional training and on-demand course offerings, though it lacks a coaching component.
• Torch: Torch offers leadership coaching, manager development, and team programs for tech-forward companies. Its blend of 1:1 coaching, manager training, and team workshops directly mirrors Active Voice's product ladder from individual coaching to enterprise team learning.

Others

• Management Leadership For Tomorrow (MLT): MLT runs leadership development programs and coaching for underrepresented talent in business and tech. While focused on pipeline programs rather than individual coaching, it shares Active Voice's intersectional, identity-aware approach to leadership development for tech professionals.

Emerging players

• ADPList: ADPList is a global mentorship platform connecting design and tech professionals with mentors. It competes indirectly with Active Voice's coaching and Power Shift group program by offering free or low-cost mentorship at scale, particularly to early-career designers.
• Springboard: Springboard offers online courses, mentorship, and career coaching in tech-adjacent fields like UX design, data, and product management. It overlaps with Active Voice's on-demand courses and coaching for tech/design professionals, though it is more course-led and less coaching-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/active-voice-hq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Active Voice