ABOUT US
Our mission to make work more meaningful for all is powered by our small yet mighty team. We partner with additional highly-qualified coaches, facilitators, and specialists on a project-by-project basis, as well as independent contractors who help us run things behind the scenes.
NICK DUGGAN
Leadership Coach + Facilitator
Founder, Deeper Work
I've been developing people and organizations for more than 25 years, and I'm passionate about making work more meaningful for all. I combine my background as an ICF-certified coach and my extensive experience in leadership development to help leaders grow their careers and make a more meaningful impact.
NICOLE DE LA LOZA RIVERA
Leadership Coach + Facilitator
Strategic Partner + Consultant to Deeper Work
I am a results-driven coach, facilitator, and strategist. I am wildly passionate about helping people and organizations grow and transform in order to achieve their most important goals. Growth is one my core values, and developing leaders and high-trust, collaborative workplaces has been my most rewarding work throughout my career.
About Nick
COACHING BACKGROUND
I've coached and advised senior executives, midlevel leaders, new managers, recent grads, small business owners, and people going through significant personal or career transitions. My coaching style is client-centered, holistic, practical, and adaptable. My primary goal is always to listen deeply to my clients and empower them to identify what they want to work on, then partner with them to make their vision a reality. I take a deep-growth, whole person approach, helping clients consider goals, challenges, and options from multiple perspectives such as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I naturally tend toward what I'd call a soul-centered coaching style, incorporating deep questions about meaning, guided visioning practices when appropriate, and openness to imagination, intuition, and inner guidance. But first and foremost I'm adaptable and responsive to my clients' needs, so if they prefer a more straightforward, practical approach then I lean into that style. I have a strong analytical, results-focused side, as well as solid business and leadership experience, and I bring these to my coaching relationships as well. I hold an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), I completed my ICF-accredited coach training through Coach U, and I have pledged to adhere to the ICF Code of Ethics.
FINDING THE RIGHT COACH
I believe strongly in finding the right coach/client match, so I actively encourage potential clients to interview multiple coaches, and I make sure my own clients know that if our partnership is not working for them, to let me know. If we can work it out, that's great—but I also fully support my clients in finding a different coach who is a better match if that's what they need.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
For 20 years, I served in corporate leadership roles while also offering leadership coaching part-time. Prior to my transition to running Deeper Work full-time in 2023, I led Learning & Development and DEI for AppFolio. I grew the L&D function from its infancy into a full-fledged team focused on leadership development, manager training, team development, and new hire onboarding. I also led the development of the company's first DEI strategy and built out a DEI team to bring that strategy to fruition. Before joining AppFolio, I led global employee and executive communications for the GoTo division of Citrix. While there, I completed a master's degree in Organizational Psychology from William James College. I began my career with roles in event planning and corporate training in healthcare-related companies such as DaVita, Prometheus Labs, The Zitter Group, and the American Heart Association, after graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in Communication.
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
During my time at Citrix I was a member of the senior leadership team for the global $680M, 1700-employee GoTo business unit. I supported the development of the division's business strategy, organizational changes, executive communications, and M&A activity including the eventual spin-off and merger of the business. At AppFolio I served on the companywide HR Leadership Team reporting directly to the Chief People Officer of a $470M, 1800-employee public company. Besides leading the company's L&D and DEI functions, I supported projects across HR and drove the development of the company's annual People Strategy. At both companies, I coached and consulted for executives and senior leaders across all functions and business units.
IDENTITY, INCLUSION, & ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I am an out gay man and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. I am also a white cisgender man born in the U.S. to middle-class, college-educated parents, and recognize that I benefit from significant unearned power and privilege from these identities. I care deeply about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I'm committed to being an active ally and advocate for people from all marginalized and underrepresented communities. I am a member of the Gay Coaches Alliance, ACTO, BIPOC Coaches Collective, and Coaching for Everyone. I hold a DEIB Certificate from The Kapor Center and am certified in Bold, Inclusive Conversations® through The Winters Group.
I live and work as an uninvited guest on the traditional lands of the Chumash people, specifically the Barbareño Chumash. I encourage you to learn about Native peoples in your own area, to explore Indigenous issues and challenges in the U.S. and around the world, and to support organizations working to improve life for Indigenous people, such as IllumiNative, a Native woman-led racial and social justice organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of—and challenging the narrative about—Native peoples.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
I'm a huge sci-fi/fantasy and especially Star Trek fan—I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, so that will always be my favorite. I'm an avid reader, also mostly of sci-fi/fantasy books. I can be a bit of a homebody, but I love nature and I love to drive, so road trips tend to be my preferred mode of travel, though I love exploring new places or relaxing on a tropical beach as well! I enjoy simple things like dinner or board games (or D&D!) with close friends, or spending time with my nieces and nephew when I get the chance. My music tastes are eclectic, but my favorites are dance pop, 90s alternative, folk acoustic, and classic rock, along with the occasional new age, jazz and classical. I also love to sing, and I'm a baritone in the Santa Barbara Gay Men's Chorus.
Spirituality is really important to me—my personal spiritual practice is a blend of many different elements I've pulled together over the years. I believe there is value and truth in all spiritual paths, and I love learning from all the world's different traditions. I'm especially interested in meditation, mysticism, and metaphysics, and I've attended Unity/New Thought spiritual centers throughout much of my life. I'm also interested in Jungian and contemporary cross-cultural depth psychology, which explores human experience through the lens of the unconscious and the soul.
I'm eternally grateful (and admittedly very privileged) to live near the ocean in sunny Santa Barbara, on California's Central Coast. I grew up in the beautiful but very rural foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Northern California, so being able to walk on the beach with my feet in the surf every weekend is the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
About Nicole
I am a results-driven coach, facilitator, and strategist. I am wildly passionate about helping people and organizations grow and transform in order to achieve their most important goals. Growth is one my core values, and developing leaders and high-trust, collaborative workplaces has been my most rewarding work throughout my career.
I serve as a strategic partner and outside consultant to Deeper Work, and I provide coaching and and facilitation for workshops and other programs. I also offer leadership development services independently through my company, De La Loza Leadership.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Professional experience I bring:
I have over 18 years of experience in coaching, leadership development, and strengthening organizational health and effectiveness. This includes:
-
Leading the People and Equity, Finance, and Operations functions for a national progressive start-up.
-
Serving as leadership development manager for AppFolio, a SaaS company of 1600 employees. I founded the organization’s first manager development program, facilitated leadership development experiences for senior leaders, and led the organization’s DEI strategy.
-
Over 300 hours of coaching.
-
Diversified experience working across cultures and industries. This includes working in the U.S., Tanzania, and Ecuador; working for both international and local organizations; working with remote and in-person workplaces; working across a vast array of industries, including education, entertainment, to tech, nonprofits and NGOs.
MY WHOLE SELF
My whole self that I bring to our work together:
I am a cisgender, non-disabled Latina mama and sister with core values of love, health, and growth. I am a 3rd generation Angeleno, and I currently reside in Santa Barbara, CA, with my partner and our 4-year-old daughter.
I am a curious and open collaborator and my top 5 CliftonStrengths (IYKYK) are strategic, maximizer, relator, arranger, and empathy.
GET IN TOUCH
+1 805 718 8640