Why Puneet Sachdev Should Be Included as One of America’s Top Coaches
Client Snapshot: Lyssa Vanderbeek, VP in a Fortune 500 Company
When Lyssa Vanderbeek first partnered with Puneet, she was navigating the aftermath of a major reorganization—leading a 150-person cross-functional team with limited resources, diminished support, and high uncertainty.
Originally a 6-month coaching engagement, Lyssa extended it to a full year due to the ongoing clarity, growth, and impact she experienced. With Puneet’s guidance, she was able to realign her team, lead with deeper authenticity, and drive tangible business results.
By the end of the engagement, her team’s engagement score had risen 9 points, leadership communication scores improved, and understanding of company strategy grew significantly. Below is her full testimonial—shared in her own words.
Why I Decided to Work with Puneet
I'm nominating Puneet Sachdev because I benefited tremendously from our work together – so much so that our initial 6-month engagement extended to a full year due to the ongoing value I received. It helps that, in addition to being a seasoned coach, he's a globally experienced business leader having worked on 4 continents and bringing a multitude of perspectives. I believe many other leaders facing similar challenges would benefit from his unique and holistic coaching approach that balances people development with measurable business impact.
My Situation as a VP Leading Through Reorganization
When I began working with Puneet, I was in a VP role leading a cross-functional team of 150 colleagues through a significant reorganization. With projects halted, resources lost, and my mentors departed in the change, I felt isolated while facing the enormous challenge of realigning a newly formed team around a new strategy.
Gaining Strategic Clarity and Personal Authenticity
What makes Puneet exceptional is his ability to help leaders navigate complex change with both strategic clarity and personal authenticity. One of the biggest breakthroughs I experienced was identifying my core values as a leader and understanding how I intended to show up and lead. Puneet worked with me to map out actions for leading change management in my organization, and importantly, helped me understand the "why" behind these actions. These conversations enabled me to demonstrate my leadership values through my behaviors, allowing my team to understand what they could expect of me, and what I expected of them.
Tangible Outcomes & Business Results
The impact of this work was transformational – not just in how I felt as a leader, but in measurable business outcomes. Following our coaching partnership, my team's engagement metrics showed remarkable improvement:
Overall team engagement increased from 67 in January 2024 to 76 in January 2025 (mid-year score of 74 in June 2024)
Leadership communication scores rose from 76 to 80 during the same period
Understanding of our strategy among team members improved significantly from 56 to 65
Beyond these quantifiable results, I observed substantial improvements in collaboration between teams that had historically experienced friction. I was also able to have more meaningful, in-depth conversations with colleagues who had been among the most dissatisfied following our reorganization in November 2023. This clarity enabled me to first build trust with my leadership team and eventually create alignment on our new strategic direction.
Mindfulness & Emotional Intelligence Breakthroughs
Another breakthrough was the mindfulness practice that Puneet introduced me to. I remember our first session when he asked about my intentions, and I had no idea what he was talking about! Now, I've noticed a profound difference in how I interact with colleagues – I approach situations with calmness, curiosity, and intention. This has allowed me to give others space for their own energy and has enabled me to build trust even with the most skeptical colleagues.
A Coaching Style That Feels Deeply Human
What makes Puneet truly unique is his masterful integration of Western business frameworks with Eastern philosophies and spiritual practices. This holistic approach creates an exceptionally humane coaching experience where I felt deeply seen and understood from our very first meeting. The space he creates allows truth to emerge naturally, making even difficult conversations feel safe and productive. This aspect of Puneet's coaching style has helped me in unexpectedly significant ways.
Tools, Trust & Tactical Shifts
Puneet consistently creates a calm and safe space to work through complex issues while maintaining a deep understanding of people and change management. He has helped me understand the core needs of individuals on my team and always meets me where I am on the change curve, constantly moving with me to the next step. I'd leave every session armed with strategies and a mindset that allowed me to show up with intention in every situation, from one-on-one conversations to CEO presentations.
As companies across America continue to transform, leaders like me are being asked to navigate significant change with both strategic vision and human empathy. Puneet consistently demonstrated his ability to balance people development with bottom-line results, helping me implement strategies that were not only personally fulfilling but also drove measurable business outcomes.
Social Impact and Humanitarian Work
What I also find deeply admirable is Puneet's commitment to giving back through his pro bono coaching work with women entrepreneurs in challenged Middle Eastern countries including Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Algeria, and Tunisia. He not only provides coaching but also connects these entrepreneurs with international resources, exemplifying how executive coaching can create positive impact beyond corporate environments.
Final Thoughts
Puneet's exceptional ability to help executives lead with clarity, purpose, and authenticity during crucial transitions, while maintaining a clear focus on business results, makes him truly deserving of recognition as one of America's top coaches.