Meet Our Coaches

If you are interested in talking with a coach, we would love to hear from you.

Patrick Ewers

Founder & CEO

Hey, I’m Patrick, founder of Mindmaven. I started this company to make the world a better place by helping people live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. I believe the key to get there is to focus on relationships. Why? Because you’ve never met a single person who has reached the top without help from others - whether personally or professionally. I dug into that to create a coaching model that is unlike any other and have since helped professionals generate more opportunities by introducing experience-based relationship management.

I’m deeply proud and passionate about the work my team and I are doing. I attribute many of my teachings to the habits I learned from being dyslexic and the experience I had as one of the early guys at LinkedIn where I was under the leadership of Reid Hoffman.

When not acting as a frontiersman battling the epidemic of isolation, I enjoy mountain biking throughout the Marin headlands with my two sons (if you haven’t ridden the coastal view trail, you can ask me about it!) and fiddling around with the newest tech gadgets and software to optimize my home office productivity.

Forbes has named Patrick one of Silicon Valley’s top relationship management experts. For more than 15 years now, Patrick has coached hundreds of leaders, including unicorns like Reddit, Thumbtack, and Roblox, as well as heavy hitters such as Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and First Round Capital.

Chalyse Elsasser

Senior Coach & Head of EA Recruitment

Hi there, I’m Chalyse and I’ve been with Mindmaven for over 10 years. My primary focus is elevating the partnership between an executive and their EA, allowing the executive to get more lift out of their time.

I spearheaded the launch of our EA recruiting service to help our clients find a support resource who will be successful in the role long-term, as well as setting up the systems we need in place to effectively work with our clients.

In my time here at Mindmaven, I’ve taken on many roles but truly enjoy working with our clients through coaching and recruiting. I believe in Patrick’s vision and love being a part of growing our company.

When I’m not working, you can find me playing and spending time with my 3 kids and husband, my high school sweetheart. I like to recharge through self-care practices, such as meditation, exercise, and reading.

One of my favorite ways to relax and engage my mind is by playing solitaire and doing word searches. As simple as it may sound, I find these activities to be the perfect balance between relaxation and mental stimulation.

I also dedicate time to mentoring the youth in my community as a way of investing into the next generation. My hope is to make a positive impact in my city and inspire others to do the same.

Chalyse has coached top executives at Meta, Daily Harvest, Shipt, First Republic Bank, and Sequoia Capital to name a few.

Connor Drake

Senior Coach & Head of Content

Connor here - I’ve been helping leaders master the superpowers of Leverage, Intent, and Fellowship for several years. I enjoy giving time back to my clients so they can invest more into things that move the needle most, and better leverage relationships.

At home, I am an avid audiobook fanatic, rabid gamer (both video and board), and obsessive writer. I believe in crafting and experiencing exceptional stories in all formats and am always on the hunt for another great adventure to lose myself in.

When I’m not coaching, reading, writing, or gaming, I’ll be relaxing with my wife Amber, playing with my godson Leo, or thinking about doing one of the above.

Connor has had the privilege of working with change-makers across various industries, including the Global Chairman of YPO and a top Medtronic executive who manages a division of 5,000 people, in addition to a number of C-level executives, founders, CEOs, and VCs.

“Thanks to tactics like voice dictations, meeting debriefs, and inbox shadowing, I’ve freed up at least 10 hours in my week.”

Noah GlassFounder and CEO, Olo

“I thought I was proactive and very productive before, but Mindmaven helped me raise my game to a whole new level. It’s incredibly liberating to start every day knowing exactly what I need to focus on, rather than allowing my inbox to draw too much attention.”

Scott MordellFormer CEO, YPO

“Mindmaven brought me more predictable days, less stress, and stronger relationships. The depth they operate at when teaching how to connect more deeply with others is simply profound.”

Steve HuffmanCo-Founder and CEO, Reddit

Ethan McClelland

Executive Coach &
EM Trainer

Hey everyone, my name’s Ethan! Since working with Mindmaven, I’ve dedicated my professional life to helping founders, execs, and VCs leverage their EAs in a unique way.

What I like most is freeing up massive amounts of time and allowing my clients to truly invest in and nurture their relationships in order to create a deeply fulfilling and overall happier life.

I also work directly with EAs and Chiefs of Staff in order to develop and sharpen the skills they will need to support the office of the CEO - driving major initiatives, thinking strategically, and proactively working to hold accountability across the org.

Outside of coaching, I am an avid fisherman, wild mushroom hunter, herbalist, backpacker, camper, road tripper, writer, gardener, tennis player, reader, wedding officiant, cat lover, yoga practician, and person of far, far too many hobbies to keep track of.

Ethan has coached executives and trained EAs/CoS from companies such as Olo, The Raine Group, Fiume Capital, as well as scaling tech startups.

Amanda Presson

VP of Operations & Executive Coach

Hello! I’m Amanda. For the past 12+ years, I’ve gained experience as a mission-driven strategy and operations leader helping startups scale.

At Mindmaven, I lead operations and strategic planning, while also coaching startup executives to become more efficient and effective leaders.

I’m a proud graduate of Western Michigan University’s Music Performance program, and a classically trained flutist.

When I’m not working, you can find me coaching youth soccer, tending to my vegetable garden, or restoring my 1924 Craftsman bungalow.

Prior to Mindmaven, Amanda was a founding employee and VP of Operations at Sofar Sounds, a music events startup and Fast Company's 2019 #2 most innovative music company in the world wherein she led core business operations in 30 markets and 4 countries during the growth period from pre-revenue to $12M ARR (series A to series C).

Lauren Weggeman

Senior Executive Coach

Hi there, I'm Lauren - I've been at Mindmaven for about 3 years. While I'm now a coach, I spent over 7 years as an executive assistant so when I first started here, I was drawn to Mindmaven's view of EAs.

My ultimate goal is to help as many people as possible. I want my clients to tell me that our work together changed the way they show up in their lives. I'm inspired by the work I do with my clients. When I'm on walks with my dogs or doing yoga, new ideas come to me that get me smiling and excited.

While I'm not working, I spend extra time with my family, cook, bask in the sun...and the list goes on. Every single twist and turn of my life has always led me exactly where I've needed to go at the exact right time. I couldn't be more grateful to be able to do the work that I do at Mindmaven.

If you're a leader and you're feeling a bit underwater and are telling yourself this is what you signed up for...yes and no. I promise there's a better way - one that won't force you to sacrifice so much.

Lauren has coached executives and trained EAs/CoS from companies such as Raine, Maven, Bessemer, and Linksys USA, Inc.