I help professionals navigate career crossroads with clarity, and partner with leaders to create environments where their teams can thrive.

Adrian J. Hopkins headshot
About

I started my career in media and branding, taking roles that let me pitch big creative ideas to drive dollars. But in my off-hours, I kept making time to help people navigate their careers and found myself in conversation with leaders about ways to shape company culture.

When an opportunity at The New York Times shifted me from the advertising department to HR, what first looked like a lateral move turned out to be more of a launchpad. Each subsequent role gave me additional responsibility to support employees at scale and helped me rediscover something that had always been true––helping others is core to what I believe and who I am.

Today, I combine insights earned from leadership at global companies (NYT, Weber Shandwick, Grey, General Assembly) with perspective from being a widely published career advice author (TIME, Forbes, The Muse) and coach to 200+ professionals to help others find clarity at their crossroads.

My approach centers on four elements:

  • Values: What matters to you?
  • Motivation: What do you think the world needs more of?
  • Impact: What are you known for?
  • Ambition: What do you see in your future?
Coaching

1:1 Partnerships

Sessions, workshops, and 90-day action plans to support:

  • Answering "tell me about yourself" with confidence
  • Strategizing a career pivot
  • Exploring new opportunities
  • Adjusting to new leadership responsibilities
Free Intro Call
Consulting

Strengthening Employee Experience

Partnering with leaders who want their teams to know that they are essential to business success:

  • Embedded employee coaching to expand HR/Learning & Development capacity
  • Professional development programs: mentorship, companywide coaching, AI adoption
  • Employee communications strategy: town halls, pulse surveys
Free Intro Call
Intro video cover

4 MINS · HOW MY CAREER CROSSROADS TURNED INTO A LAUNCHPAD

Excerpt from Stride's “No Wrong Turns” podcast. Watch the full interview here.

QUIZ

What motivates you?

Through hundreds of client conversations, I've found that noting our instincts in different life situations can reveal insights about what motivates us. Explore that for yourself in 8 quick questions. There are no right or wrong answers; just go with your gut.

Take the quiz
Testimonials
My coaching session with Adrian felt like time well spent getting the specific support that I needed. I've been navigating the career space on my own for a while, sometimes relying on AI or general advice. My session with Adrian felt like a much-needed reset. He listened, he asked sharp questions, and I ended our time together feeling supported by his bespoke advice.
AWARD-WINNING PODCAST PRODUCERMEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
Adrian took my vague sense of direction and turned it into strategy. I came to our session anxious and uncertain about transitioning from higher education to corporate. Adrian listened deeply and provided me a 90-day roadmap and framework for networking.
PROGRAM MANAGERHIGHER EDUCATION
The session I had with Adrian was exceptional. What makes him exceptional is that he truly cares for his clients; he's kind, wise, knowledgeable, and very skilled in this area. His advice and feedback were highly effective; he noticed and caught the real issues, provided effective solutions and examples, and had me practice multiple times. I highly recommend him.
DATA SCIENTISTPUBLIC HEALTH
My sessions with Adrian were really helpful! We discussed various aspects of my career path, crafted several versions of the “Tell Me About Yourself” statement, and took part in a mock interview practice. Every discussion brought forth fresh insights and perspectives, making the process engaging and informative.
DATA ANALYSTPUBLIC HEALTH
Adrian helped me to identify a communication strength I was unaware that I had--the ability to speak with expertise about technical solutions while also offering thought leadership that is relevant at the executive level. Learning to think from a marketing lens helped me fill a critical blind spot and he helped me identify the questions I need to be prepared to answer. Having his approval (as a former executive at large companies), carried a lot of weight and gave me more confidence about the ideas and plans that I am developing.
ENTREPRENEURDATA SCIENCE
Adrian was really helpful and responsive when it came to reviewing my resume. His feedback allowed me to shape my experience in a way that made it relate to the jobs and companies that interest me. He also gave me some great tips on networking and preparing for an interview. I would definitely recommend Adrian to anyone in need of career advice.
SENIOR MANAGERMARKETING
Adrian is a highly intelligent, professional, and personal guy. Hit on all cylinders as far as what I was hoping for. He was thoughtful, thorough, and committed. He made me feel like he genuinely cared about my success in finding a new career. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
CONSULTANTFINANCIAL SERVICES
Adrian approached my job search strategy with all the confidence, empathy and strategic thinking befitting a career coach. His advice is more borne from experience and practice than that of a typical, industry-agnostic career coach, but I think that's one of his best strengths. You should always seek advice from people who've had experiences similar to yours, so if Adrian's work sounds like the kind of work you'd like, don't hesitate to contact him.
POLICY DIRECTORTECH
Adrian was extremely helpful in helping me overcome a few major roadblocks I had encountered in my job search. If anything I wish I had gotten in touch with him earlier as he helped me to see past a few things that had been holding me back and would have saved me considerable time! I would definitely recommend him as a great resource to anyone else looking for help as they contemplate a job search.
PRODUCT MANAGERTECH
Adrian was prompt, prepared, and I felt he was genuinely interested in my success as much as I am. He provided great insight into the career area I am transitioning towards as well as the strategic thought process and tools needed to get there.
ENTERPRISE ACCOUNT DIRECTORSAAS
Adrian was able to find common themes in my work history and skill set that I could leverage as I was looking to expand my career, something I was struggling to do on my own. I had just moved to a new city, and Adrian directed me to some great resources there I could use to meet other people in my field.
OPERATIONSHOSPITALITY
It was super helpful to speak with Adrian to gain some perspective on the best way that I could present myself and my experience as I look toward transitioning into a new role. He was able to help me take a step back to look at the big picture, and answer questions from the perspective of a hiring manager. He was friendly, yet professional and very easy to talk to.
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONSNON-PROFIT
Adrian was very informative and answered all of my many questions thoroughly. He gave a very practical plan of action for when we were done with the call and followed up with specifics to help me get started with the process. I felt he even went above and beyond by giving real life personal examples of what he did in various scenarios that related to mine. I came out of this session feeling like it was money and time extremely well spent.
VP OF CUSTOMER SUCCESSTECH
Adrian was just the coach I needed. He took the time to understand my background and situation before offering focused coaching. Offered a lot of actionable feedback and pointed out subtleties I wouldn't have noticed before.
PRODUCT MARKETINGTECH
I've really enjoyed having Adrian as my coach. He really knows how to coach and have you thinking about your career. I would really and I MEAN REALLY RECOMMEND Adrian if you have a change of career and want a career that will suit your background and skill set.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVETECH

© 2026 Adrian J. Hopkins