Chrysalis is an executive coaching practice focused on identity transition and liminality — the disorienting space between who you were and who you're becoming. Founded by Aaron Perkins, ACC, the studio works with leaders navigating career crossings, cross-cultural relocations, and the deeper reckonings that arrive when success stops meaning what it used to. Based between Bali and Singapore. Serving clients worldwide.

Senior leaders, executives, and professionals navigating major identity transitions — whether that's a career reinvention, an international relocation, a role reshaped by AI and restructuring, or the quiet crisis of meaning that arrives when you've achieved everything and it still doesn't feel like enough. Clients have included leaders at LinkedIn, Uber, Coinbase, Twitch, Gilead, Capgemini, and Saint-Gobain, among others. If something is shifting and the old story no longer fits, this is the space for you.

Private one-on-one coaching grounded in an evidence-based approach to identity transition. Sessions draw on solution-focused methodology, narrative coaching, and insights from neuroscience and developmental psychology. The first session is a 60-minute exploration — we sit with what's shifting, what's emerging, and what coherence looks like from here. If there's resonance, we co-design a longer engagement based on your needs.

A framework for understanding identity transition and liminality, built from over twenty years of coaching practice across 59 countries. It maps five stages that every major transition follows: The Crack (when the old story stops being true), The Freefall (the liminal space before anything new has formed), The Noticing (attention before action), The Crossing (living the question rather than answering it), and The Inhabiting (identity recomposed as a living practice). The details differ — a restructured role, an international move, a crisis of meaning — but the inner architecture is the same.

Two tools sit alongside private coaching. Naya is an AI-powered threshold navigation companion — she helps you reflect, find clarity, and move through identity transitions using guided conversation grounded in solution-focused coaching. Not a chatbot. Not a therapist. A reflective companion for the liminal space between identities. Currently free during beta at app.chrysalisleaders.com. The Legacy Synthesizer transforms your reflections, values, and lived themes into a living portfolio of legacy possibilities — helping you see what endures and what wants to be built next.

No. Coaching is not therapy. While coaching may engage with personal meaning and emotional material, the focus is on clarity, direction, and intentional forward movement — not diagnosis or treatment. Aaron holds an ACC credential through the International Coaching Federation and follows ICF ethical guidelines, which include referring clients to appropriate mental health professionals when needed.

No. Many people begin with a single 60-minute session. If it resonates, we co-design a longer engagement — some clients work through a focused 6-session arc, others continue across different chapters of their life and leadership. There is no required commitment beyond the first conversation.

Yes. While Chrysalis is based between Bali and Singapore, all sessions are conducted globally via Zoom and scheduled flexibly across time zones. Clients currently span Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.

Associate Certified Coach (ACC), International Coaching Federation. Certified Organizational Coach, Institute of Executive Coaching & Leadership. Brain-Based Coaching Certification, NeuroLeadership Institute. Over 20 years in leadership development and executive coaching across 59 countries. Former faculty at EAE Business School (Barcelona) and Thunderbird School of Global Management. Creator of Naya. Publisher of the Thresholds newsletter.

Visit the Begin page and book a first session. If you're not sure which session fits, email directly — the crossing rarely comes with a label, and a short note is often the best way to begin.