Build the leadership skills that make your team deliver, your peers listen, and your career accelerate — with Femgineer's

Technical Leader's
Playbook

What is it?

A 3-month, 1:1 coaching program for mid-career engineers who are stepping into project or team leadership for the first time or want to step into these roles. You want to lead with clarity, communicate under pressure, and deliver results without burning out.

You were great at owning the work. Now you're responsible for helping others do the work.

This program gives you a private space to practice the conversations, decisions, and leadership rhythms that make that transition easier—from managing up and setting priorities to handling missed deadlines, cross-functional tension, and team visibility.

When is it?

Program begins the first week of June 2026.

Only 5 spots available.

Registration ends Friday, May 29, 2026.

Book a call to secure your spot →

Want to get sample lessons? Sign up below.

Did your role just change?
And you're excited but maybe also a bit nervous?

As an IC — software engineer, hardware engineer, or similar technical role — you built a reputation on delivering on time, owning your work end-to-end, and being the person who just gets it done.

Now you're transitioning into a role where success is no longer about what you produce — it's about what your team produces with your leadership behind it. Scope, coordinate, communicate. Enable, motivate, unblock.

You realize that while your technical skills are still a valuable asset they aren't quite getting the job done.

You keep asking yourself:

Maybe the guidance you’re getting is falling short? Are you wondering what “Leading by Influence” even means?

I'm not a born leader...

This is all too much.

Can I just go back to being an IC and building?

Everything that made you great as an IC — deep focus, technical certainty, heads-down execution — can quietly work against you in this role. The game has changed. The instincts haven't caught up yet.

It's not your lack of talent. It's lacking a safe space to rehearse and get feedback instantly. Somewhere to practice the uncomfortable conversations, the upward updates, the cross-functional coordination — before the stakes are real.

Part of being a good senior engineer and leader is about figuring out where to practice, when to do it, and who can help you.

The Technical Leader's Playbook is the program to practice leading:
one-on-one, in teams, cross-functionally, and in the midst of constant change or uncertainty.

The program will give you the skills to:

Why should I sign up?

You realize your current methods
aren't working.

You're tired of worrying about what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and who to say it to — you want to be heard and deliver results you and your team can be proud of!

The Technical Leader's Playbook will walk you through a number of contexts, you'll receive live feedback, and be held accountable for your success.


This course is built on the foundation of our Confident Communicator Course which has taught 100+ technical professionals how to speak confidently in a number of contexts and level-up in their careers.

The complete program

12 sessions.
One clear arc.

◎ 12 sessions, once a week via Zoom
◎ 45 minutes per session, 1:1 via Zoom at a time that works for both of us
◎ Bi-monthly group coaching call to practice with peers in a safe space along with access to a Slack channel where folks can discuss and motivate one another
Module 1 Orientation & foundation — Sessions 1–4

Understand who you are coming in, what you're carrying with you, and what needs to change. Build the personal blueprint that guides the rest of the program.

S1 — The honest inventory: Transition origin, identity map, 12-month fast-forward, first blind spot pass.

S2 — The day-to-day reality: Week narrative, four-bucket audit, avoidance patterns, guide group review.

S3 — Goal-setting and blind spot plan: Sharpened program goals, "when X I will do Y" commitments, concerns logged.

S4 — Communication baseline: Recorded review, three-lens self-assessment, foundation document, Month 2 preview.

Module 2 The hard stuff — Sessions 5–8

The operational skills of technical leadership — scoping, deadlines, misses, wins, escalation, feedback, cadence, and managing up. Real situations, real reps.

S5 — Scoping, requirements, and the "no" muscle: Requirements gathering, prioritisation conversations, saying no without burning capital.

S6 — Deadlines, misses, and ambiguity: Realistic timelines, communicating slippage, handling uncertainty out loud, and when you can't say no — scope creep that's beyond your control.

S7 — Escalating, winning, and managing up: Escalation framing, communicating wins, proactive boss relationship.

S8 — Cadence, feedback, and the rhythm: Communication cadence design, giving team feedback, identifying gaps in your team's abilities and how to up-skill them, Month 3 areas selected.

Module 3 Expansion & close — Sessions 9–12

Cross-functional communication, senior leadership presence, team visibility, and process improvement. Closes with a before/after review.

S9 — Reinforcement and unfinished business: Deeper reps on 1–2 Month 2 areas, standing concerns cleared.

S10 — Cross-functional and peer disagreement: Influence without authority, coordination, navigating conflict with peers.

S11 — Senior leadership and team visibility: BLUF framing, recommendation posture, recovery, visibility mechanism design.

S12 — Process improvement and close: Change communication, before/after review, readiness assessment, post-program plan.

Who will be your coaches

Meet Poornima & Seetha.

Poornima Vijayashanker

Tech industry veteran · Coach · Author

Poornima has spent 22+ years at the intersection of engineering and leadership — building products, starting companies, and coaching technical professionals through the transitions that matter most.

She was a founding engineer at Mint.com, growing the company from a garage startup to its acquisition by Intuit for $170M in 2009. She then founded two companies of her own — BizeeBee and Femgineer — before joining Apple, where she spent 2019 to 2026 working across three lines of business: Watches, Macs, and iPhones, first as a Senior Software Engineer and then transitioning to Senior Engineering Program Manager.

She's coached hundreds of tech professionals through her Confident Communicator Course and brings the same clarity, directness, and deep technical empathy to every 1:1 coaching relationship.

"I help strong ICs become effective first-time technical leaders."

She lives in San Jose, CA with her husband, three kids, two cats, and a soon-to-be 90-year-old grandma.

Books

—How to Transform Your Ideas into Software Products
—Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking
Duke University · Pratt School of Engineering B.S. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Founding Engineer · Mint.com Senior EPM · Apple
Seetha Annamraju

Seetha Annamraju

Engineering Leader · Speaker · Coach

Seetha Annamraju is an engineering leader with deep expertise in mobile engineering, execution, and building high-performing teams. She brings a voice to leadership and technology that is practical, honest, and deeply human.

What gives her joy is helping people grow, and building spaces that energize and motivate people.

Seetha has spoken at droidcon San Francisco, droidcon Berlin, 360|AnDev, Mills College, and more, and has designed and led custom workshops for companies including Scale 2025 and Velos Weekend of Kotlin. Her experience spans both startups and large organizations, including Amazon Lab126 and Cash App at Block. She holds a Master's degree in Information Technology (Mobility) from Carnegie Mellon University.

She lives in Tennessee with her husband and two kids, and is currently learning how to grow a food forest.

Carnegie Mellon University · M.S. Information Technology Amazon Lab126 Cash App at Block droidcon SF · droidcon Berlin · 360|AnDev

Still on the fence?

We've heard it all.
Here's the honest answer.

"I'm not sure I have time for this..."

The engineers who tell me they don't have time are usually the ones spending 10 hours a week redoing work their team did wrong, sitting in meetings they don't know how to run, and lying awake thinking about a conversation they haven't had yet. Forty-five minutes a week isn't adding to your load — it's the thing that makes the rest of the load lighter. The question isn't whether you have time for this. It's whether you can afford to keep going without it.

"Thanks but I should be able to figure this out myself."

You figured out distributed systems. You figured out how to ship hardware at scale. You did that because you had senior engineers, documentation, code reviews, and years of accumulated knowledge to learn from. Nobody handed you a blank repo and said "good luck." Leadership is the same — except most companies do exactly that. The engineers I work with aren't weak for needing a place to practice. They're the ones honest enough to admit that winging it isn't a strategy.

"I'll find someone in my company to help me out."

Having a partner or sponsor within your org is a great idea! Where it can fall short is if the person applies a cut & paste approach to leadership — handing you what worked for them or what they think they've seen work, but it may not resonate with you or help you discover a style that feels intuitive to you. Or they simply get busy and don't have cycles to help you cross the finish line because they have their own fires to fight.

"But I'm not sure it's worth $5,000..."

One bad quarter because your team missed a deadline you could have caught. One relationship burned with a cross-functional partner because you didn't know how to handle the disagreement. One high-performer who leaves because the feedback loop wasn't there. Any one of those costs more than this program — in time, in reputation, in the compounding difficulty of digging out. The question isn't whether $5,000 is a lot. It's what staying stuck costs you over the next 12 months.

I'll just take it later.

I'm only offering this program once a quarter.

You don't want to miss out on this. Just imagine where you could be in three months…

You could be seated in a meeting clearly, calmly, and confidently communicating your ideas.

You could be nailing that next performance review.

You could be presenting to your teammates, cross-functional teams, and senior leadership with your chin up and your head held high, while they're sitting at the edge of their seats listening to your every word.

You could be on vacation and take the actual vacation, without being pinged — because you have a team that is functioning and delivering while you recharge!

It's possible... Poornima has done it for herself and for others.

Watch the video →

How much is it?

Flexible. Practical.
Built for your schedule.

The Technical Leader's Playbook is a $5,000 investment for the full 3-month program. If you'd prefer to pay upfront, it's available at a discounted rate of $4,500. Or spread it across three months at $1,667/month — same program, same access, same commitment.

Every session is 1:1 and held over Zoom — so you can call in from wherever you are, no commute, no office required. We'll find a weekly time that fits your calendar and hold it consistently so it's easy to protect.

Twice a month, you'll also join a small group coaching call with your cohort peers — a structured space to practice real scenarios, hear how others are navigating similar challenges, and get live feedback in a setting that's honest but low-stakes. It's where the 1:1 work gets pressure-tested.

Pay in full

$4,500

Save $500

Monthly

$1,667

× 3 months

Total value

$5,000

Standard rate

Company sponsoring you? We can issue an invoice and provide a one-pager for internal approval. The same payment and cancellation policy applies.

Our Money Back Guarantee

We want you to love
your experience.

We want you to love your experience with Femgineer and understand that stuff comes up. If an unforeseen emergency arises during the program, let us know — and we'll work with you to figure out an arrangement.

At any time during the program, if you feel like you aren't getting the results you want, you're welcome to drop out, and your refund will be pro-rated.

Next steps

Two steps to get
started.

The program is designed for one person at a time. Before committing, there's a short process to make sure it's the right fit — for you and for the work.

01

Complete the self-assessment

A short self-assessment to understand what's working and what you need help with. Takes about 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

02

Book a 15–30 minute call

A conversation to review your assessment and dig into where you are in the transition, get an understanding of your organization, and whether this program is the right fit.

This isn't a sales call. It's a fit conversation — to give both of us a chance to chat and explore if we can work well together.
Book a call to secure your spot →

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need
to know.

Practical answers to the questions that come up most before people commit.

Is there homework between sessions?

No homework. What I will ask is 5 minutes of daily reflection and journaling — a short, low-friction habit that keeps the work alive between sessions and makes our time together far more productive. You're not preparing a presentation. You're just noticing what's happening.

How much does the program cost?

The program is a $5,000 investment for all 12 sessions. If you'd prefer to pay in full upfront, it's available at a discounted rate of $4,500. Alternatively, it can be broken into monthly installments of $1,667 across the three months. Either way, you get the same program, the same access, and the same commitment from me.

What's your refund policy?

I believe in this program and stand behind it. If you cancel at least 2 weeks before our first session, you'll receive a full refund — no questions asked. If at any point during the program you feel you haven't gotten your money's worth, I'm happy to refund you the pro-rated amount for sessions not yet completed.

How and when do we meet?

We meet once a week on Zoom for 45 minutes. Scheduling is flexible — we'll find a time that works for both of us within 9am–5pm PDT. Once we lock in a time, sessions are held at the same time each week so it's easy to protect in your calendar.

In addition to your 1:1 sessions, there is a bi-monthly group coaching call where you'll practice with your peers in a safe space. We'll find a time that works for the majority of folks in the cohort.

What happens if I have to miss a session or I'm late to one?

Life happens — you have 2 opportunities to reschedule and a 15-minute grace period if you're running late. The program must be completed within 14 weeks of your first session. That said, consistency matters here. We're building momentum and I want to see progress week-over-week — the coaching works best when we keep the rhythm.

What happens if you cancel on me?

The same rules apply. I hold myself to the same standard — 2 opportunities to reschedule and a 15-minute grace period if I'm running late. I take this commitment seriously and will always give you as much notice as possible if something comes up on my end.

How many spots are available?

I work with 5 coaching clients per month. As people graduate out of the program, spots open up. If you're interested, the best time to reach out is now — the fit call is the first step to getting on the waitlist.

Can I get my boss or company to sponsor this?

Absolutely. Just let me know if you need an invoice or a one-pager to share with them — I'm happy to provide either to help make the case. Note that the standard payment policy still applies: payment in full upfront ($4,500) or in monthly installments ($1,667/month).

Are sessions recorded? Who can see them?

All sessions are recorded and transcribed for your benefit. The recording and transcript are yours — a resource you can return to after each session. They will not be shared with anyone else, period. What happens in our sessions stays between us.

Still have questions? Feel free to send them over when you book a call with Poornima.

Ready to get started?

Let's find out if this is
the right fit.

Book a free 15–30 minute call. I'll send you the short self-assessment, review it, and then we'll talk through where you are in the transition, and make sure this program is right for you and your organization.

Book a call →