Our clients are exceptionally diverse in their ages, occupations and interests. Their occupations cover a range of industries and job titles, from managerial to creative, from science and technology to finance and fashion and publishing. What unites them is their desire for professional success and personal satisfaction. People who care about their careers and the quality of their work life come to Optima.

We’ve worked with people from companies including the following:

American Express — Bloomberg LP — Citigroup — Blackrock — CNET — ESPN — Estée Lauder — LVMH — Goldman Sachs — Morgan Stanley — Hearst Corporation — J.Crew — JPMorgan Chase — Kirkland & Ellis, LLP — Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom — L’Oreal — Macy’s — New York City Government Offices — Reed Elsevier — Sotheby’s — Tiffany & Co. — Time Inc. — The Brooklyn Museum of Art Young & Rubicam — Penguin Random House — Google — Facebook — Disney — Ernst & Young

We help people at every career stage, and in many special situations.

Career Stages

Recent grads and career launchers

Facing reality: It’s hard work to find work
Finding your competitive advantage
Knowing when to move from internships to a regular job
Finding work at a better company with more training opportunities
Overcoming resistance to making important career decisions

Mid-career

Addressing feelings of being bored or “stuck”
Figuring out how to make the most of what you’ve got
Learning how to want what you have (Does the grass always seem greener somewhere else?)
Getting beyond what you don’t want
Discovering what you DO want
Overcoming fear that it’s too late to start over
Moving from homemaker to career: empty nest, post-divorce, restless
Wondering if you should start your own business
Having thoughts about making a change but never actually do it
Something isn’t working at work: determining the underlying problem

Late-Career

Feeling unsatisfied, wanting more
Working while transitioning to retirement
Planning to work well beyond 65

Special Situations

Starting and managing a business

Instituting professional management practices
Finding a partner
Growing the business
Succession planning

Achieving work-life balance

Transitioning back to work while still a Mom or a Mr. Mom
Finding work to fit your unique situation (e.g., Is there part-time work in my field?)
Setting realistic expectations: What can work for you and your family?

Surviving being fired

Establishing your next steps
Making your transition successful

College students and recent graduates come to Optima from some of America’s most competitive and prestigious colleges and universities.

Amherst College — Boston College — Columbia University — Emory University — Georgetown University — Harvard University — Howard University — Johns Hopkins University — Loyola University — New York University — Pennsylvania State University — Spelman College — Trinity College — University of Pennsylvania — Washington University — Wesleyan University

Each client’s story is different, but their situations and issues fall into broad, recognizable categories. Click on any of these case studies to see how we work with clients in different situations.