Influential Woman · Coaching, Leadership Development & Organizational Development
Rachel Karu
Executive Coach | Speaker | Facilitator | Author, Stepping into More
Oxnard, CA
Her Story
About Rachel
Rachel Karu, MS, PCC, is an accomplished Executive Coach, speaker, facilitator, and author with more than two decades of experience in leadership development, organizational development, coaching, and professional growth. As the founder of Stepping into More, she works with high achievers, executives, and leaders who are navigating significant change, professional pressure, or burnout. Through executive coaching, speaking, facilitation, and Positive Intelligence® practices, Rachel helps individuals strengthen mental resilience, gain greater clarity, reconnect with their energy, and create a stronger sense of purpose and authenticity in both their professional and personal lives.
Before establishing Stepping into More, Rachel built a distinguished career in Human Resources and Organization Development, holding leadership positions with organizations including EMI Music Distribution and Easton Sports. During her tenure at Easton, she designed and implemented a global corporate university and a competency-based performance management system that supported more than 1,500 employees. Her extensive organizational experience provides a strong foundation for her coaching work, allowing her to understand the challenges leaders face within complex organizations. She has since coached, facilitated, and developed leaders and teams for prominent organizations including Disney, Meta, Paramount+, Intel, and the U.S. Navy.
Rachel is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation, a Positive Intelligence® Coach, and a Certified Strengths Coach. She has also served as President of ICF Los Angeles and spent seven years on the chapter’s board, contributing to the advancement of professional coaching. In addition to her coaching and leadership work, Rachel is the author of Stepping into More: Lessons from a Recovering Perfectionist, an autobiographical self-help book exploring achievement, perfectionism, creativity, and personal transformation. Her work is particularly focused on helping people move beyond perfectionism, prevent burnout, embrace authentic leadership, navigate reinvention and change, and reclaim meaningful parts of themselves that may have been set aside in the pursuit of success.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rachel
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to curiosity, self-awareness, resilience, and a willingness to continually grow. Throughout my career, I have learned that success is not simply about achievement or getting everything right. It is about having the courage to recognize what truly matters, learn from mistakes, and make choices that are aligned with who I am. My experiences with perfectionism, burnout, leadership, and reclaiming my creativity have taught me to value authenticity and personal fulfillment alongside professional accomplishment. Most importantly, I continue to stay curious about myself and others, knowing that there is always more to discover and learn.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is to build a career that is aligned with who you are, rather than simply pursuing what looks successful from the outside. Titles, accomplishments, and recognition can be meaningful, but they do not necessarily create fulfillment. I have learned to pay attention to my own values, strengths, curiosity, and the parts of myself that bring me energy and joy.
I would also encourage others not to let perfectionism or the need to prove themselves dictate their career choices. You do not have to have everything figured out or be perfect to move forward. Sometimes the interests and creative impulses that seem impractical can point toward something deeply meaningful. The goal is not necessarily to achieve more, but to become more fully yourself along the way.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering coaching, leadership development, and organizational development is to trust their own voice and recognize that they do not have to be perfect to be successful. I encourage women to build their careers around their strengths, values, curiosity, and authentic interests rather than feeling pressured to meet someone else’s definition of achievement. Stay open to learning, seek mentors and supportive relationships, and do not be afraid to take thoughtful risks or change direction when something no longer feels aligned. Most importantly, remember that your worth is not determined by your title, accomplishments, or ability to prove yourself; meaningful success comes from building a career and life that genuinely reflect who you are.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges and opportunities in my field is helping leaders and organizations navigate rapid change while maintaining mental resilience, engagement, and connection. Leaders are facing increasing uncertainty, workplace demands, technology disruption, and the growing impact of burnout. At the same time, I see a significant opportunity to help organizations recognize mental resilience as an essential leadership capability, not simply a personal wellness issue. As AI continues to transform the workplace, uniquely human qualities such as self-awareness, empathy, creativity, discernment, meaningful connection, and the ability to navigate ambiguity will become increasingly valuable.
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