The Embrace Change Coaching Team

We’re proud to be an all-BIPOC team of expert coaches with different specialities to best meet each client’s needs.

Coaches

  • A man with an afro hairstyle smiling, wearing a dark blazer and turtleneck, standing outdoors near water. There is a certification badge on the lower right corner that reads 'Certified Professional Career Coach.'

    Brandon Johnson, M.Ed., CPCC

    Brandon Johnson is a certified job and career transition coach who is passionate about helping BIPOC job seekers and leaders get the tools, skills, and confidence they need to succeed in their careers. Read more →

  • A smiling Asian man in a beige embroidered shirt. The image includes badges indicating he is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and an ICF Associate Certified Coach.

    Vince Zabala, M.Ed., PCC

    Vince Zabala is a Gallup-certified leadership coach and educator with over 15 years of experience empowering diverse individuals to thrive. As a queer, Filipino American and neurodivergent person, Vince brings a unique, open, and rooted perspective to his transformational, strengths-based coaching practice. Read more →

  • Portrait of a woman wearing a beige hijab, smiling outdoors with blurred green foliage and wooden background, with an Embrace Change Coaching Certification badge in the bottom right corner.

    Naseem Kapdi, MA, ECCC

    Naseem Kapdi is a reflective career coach specializing in immigrants, first- and second-gen BIPOC, introverts, and creatives navigating career transitions and burnout. Her gift is coaching clients to move from overthinking and self-doubt to clarity, confidence, and forward momentum. Read more →

  • A smiling man in a suit and glasses standing in a bookstore, with magazines behind him.

    Steve Branch, MPAc

    Steven Namar Branch is a career development professional dedicated to creating fruitful pathways for other BIPOC professionals across gender. Steve coaches both women of color and men of color, and is passionate about creating relationships and networks for the benefit of Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive workspaces.

Interested in joining the coaching team at Embrace Change?

Operations

  • Black woman with longer than shoulder length hair smiling, light grey blazer

    Thea Charles, PCC

    Director of Education & ECCC Director
    Thea Charles, PCC, is a life and leadership coach, DEI consultant, and Hogan 360 certified practitioner. As an ICF Professional Certified Coach and former VP of DEI for ICF New England, Thea leads the Embrace Change Coaching Certification (ECCC) program with a structured yet flexible approach that fosters reflection, awareness, and lasting growth.

  • Portrait of a young Asian man with black hair, wearing a black dress shirt, smiling in front of a black background.

    Vince Zabala, PCC, M. Ed.

    ECCC Curriculum Designer
    Vince Zabala, PCC, is a transformational leadership coach and educator with over 15 years of experience empowering diverse individuals to thrive. As a queer, Filipino American and neurodivergent person, Vince brings a unique, open, and rooted perspective to his curriculum development work for Embrace Change and ECCC and coaching practice.