I help analytical women in STEM make career decisions they can trust, because I’ve been there too.
I’m Lala Sorenson. I spent more than 16 years in engineering, and it took me two years of going back and forth before I decided to leave. Today I’m a Certified Executive & Transition Coach and the founder of Own the CHAIR™.
Former Professional Civil Engineer (16+ years) · Certified Executive & Transition Coach
I can help you if…
- You’re an analytical woman in STEM who has worked hard to build your career, and you’re seriously thinking about quitting.
- You’re burned out, struggling in your role, or frustrated with the company, the people or where your career is headed.
- You know what you don’t want, but you’re not sure what you want instead.
- You’re worried about money, the job market, or leaving and still not knowing what to do next.
- You’re analytical and prone to perfectionism, so you keep researching, second-guessing and waiting until you’re sure.
- You’re tired of going back and forth, and you want to make a decision you can trust and move forward.
I’m not here to tell you whether to quit, or what your next career should be. I’m here to help you decide with clarity and move with confidence.
I know what it’s like to be successful and still stuck
Where it started
I come from a family where formal education was a privilege previous generations never had. When I started school, I was my family’s ticket out of poverty. It was a gift, but it came with a quiet pressure: I had to be perfect. If I failed, part of me believed my family would fail with me.
In engineering, my analytical mind and perfectionism served me well. I learned to anticipate problems, evaluate risks and find the right answer. But when I used that same way of thinking on the big decisions in my life, it held me back. I wanted to analyze everything before I decided, and I could accomplish something significant and still wonder what I had missed.
After more than 16 years in engineering, I knew something needed to change. For two years, I went back and forth. I wanted to know the risk was acceptable. I wanted to know I wouldn’t regret it. Eventually I realized I was waiting for something that didn’t exist: a perfect decision with a guaranteed outcome.
What changed
Coaching helped me approach the decision differently. I didn’t need to become less analytical. I needed to use my analytical mind differently: to ask better questions, look at what was really influencing my thinking, and bring my mind, my heart and my actions into alignment. I made the decision to move forward, and I learned that self-trust isn’t knowing you made the perfect decision. It’s trusting yourself to make the best decision you can and handle what comes next.
In the spring of 2026, I gave a keynote to more than 170 people at my employer’s anniversary. Years earlier, I would have analyzed every way I could fail. This time I knew I might stumble over a word, and I was okay with that. Dozens of people came up afterward to tell me the message resonated with them.
That’s why I do this work. I help analytical women in STEM build the self-trust and practical skills to make a career decision they can trust, and to navigate the transition with confidence, without needing to have everything figured out first.
The biggest shift wasn’t certainty. It was trusting myself to make the decision without it.
Lala Sorenson, founder of Own the CHAIR™
A few things about me
- I immigrated to the US and restarted my career from the bottom.
- I paused my career for 7 years to raise my daughters, then found my way back in.
- I changed companies 8 times, negotiated part-time work twice, and tripled my salary in 5 years.
- I moved from residential and commercial engineering into utility-scale green energy.
- I’m a mother, an entrepreneur and a recovering perfectionist.
Three things I believe
- You don’t need to become less analytical. You need to use your analytical mind differently.
- Self-trust isn’t knowing you made the perfect decision. It’s trusting yourself to handle what comes next.
- Success means more when it’s rooted in self-trust rather than constant striving, and when your decisions line up with who you are.
Real experience with high-stakes decisions
A non-linear career, real leadership experience and formal coaching training, brought together to help you trust your own judgment.
- Certified Executive & Transition Coach through iPEC, with 260+ hours of formal coaching training
- Energy Leadership Index (ELI) Master Practitioner
- Former Professional Civil Engineer with 16+ years of leading high-stakes decisions under pressure
- Managed multiple $1M+ projects, diverse teams and clients
- Directly involved in hiring and promotion decisions, so I know how these decisions look from the other side
Having a coach who understands my profession meant we had a common language and could talk easily. I also found that the value of coaching was more than what I expected. I learned a thought process I can use for other challenges as well.
Ready to talk it through?
Book a free 1-hour Career Exploration Call. We’ll talk about where you are with your decision and whether coaching is the right next step for you. There’s no pressure either way.
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