Respiris

It’s been a nonstop journey, traveling 3 of the last 4 weeks, from budget hotels to high-energy meetups, all in the name of innovating in the last mile of the employee lifecycle. Figuring out this week how to embrace the grind and building a legacy is the post-tech month hustle. I think I am done traveling for the remainder of the year. LA TECH WEEK by a16z brought invaluable conversations and insights alongside San Francisco’s Sequoia and Lattice's Lattiverse Conferences, where I had the chance to collaborate, pitch, learn, and live the real grind of founder-led sales. Unpacking these connections and refining our path forward is the next step. Respiris is on a mission to redefine how employees experience transitions, and I’m more motivated than ever to see that through. To support our scaling, we’re bringing on an Automation Engineer and Operations Assistant, fueling this journey through revenue growth and possibly an accelerator to unlock even more potential. Here’s to all founders out there who are on the move, embracing the hustle, and building something meaningful. Excited to pushing forward, innovating, and creating legacies that uplift and inspire. 🌉💼 #FounderLife #Innovation #TechWeek #Scaling

Thank you to everyone who’s shown interest in joining Respiris as a Job Search Coach. Seeing so many talented career coaches and recruiters reach out has been incredible. But the work we do is unique—it’s not traditional career coaching or outplacement. At Respiris, we approach transitions with something deeper and more intentional, something I call the Career Prayer™. This journey is personal for me. My life’s work has been helping people find direction, but it didn’t come easy. As a first-generation college graduate with roots in hard work, I learned early on about resilience, empathy, and purpose. Over my career, I’ve felt the isolation that can come with tough transitions—losing a job, navigating family law litigation alone, or working 60-hour weeks for a startup only to have to lay myself off and 1/2 my team. These experiences shaped me and inspired me to build Respiris as a true support system—one I wish I’d had in those moments. Respiris is here to redefine the last mile of an employee’s journey with their company. This isn’t just about updating a resume or LinkedIn profile; it’s about helping people connect with their deeper purpose and the path that genuinely fulfills them. And yes, it’s different. It requires a game theory mindset — an ability to think strategically, empathetically, and collaboratively—to support someone in seeing the big picture, making real changes, establishing your brand, and finding fulfillment. Our side hustle job search coaches, experienced in marketing, product, finance, or other areas bring real-world insights and a deep commitment to supporting others. They know folks may want something like, “I’m a Product Marketing Manager, so I’ll aim for Senior Product Manager.” But sometimes, it’s not that simple. Sometimes, it means saying, “My life in Ohio isn’t the life I want, it’s not why I went to college and I need to have a family board meeting to figure out what’s next with myself, partner, etc.” And here’s where innovation comes in: learning to use an AI Companion Coach is a crucial step in supporting our candidates (for new employment or building a company) on this journey. This AI Companion provides 24/7 support, helping candidates feel guided and empowered, even between sessions. It’s part of how Respiris bridges the gap between self-reflection and practical steps, ensuring our candidates are never alone in this process. It’s not just about landing a role; it’s about finding alignment with who you are and the life you want to lead. That’s the Respiris difference. Our testimonials provide a different perspective!

Last night, walking into Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) brought back a flood of emotions. I had a brief PTSD moment, recalling the week in December 2021 when I lived in the hospital, trying to understand why our kid’s SED rate (inflammation marker) was off the charts. That period was filled with uncertainty and countless questions, but the hospital staff treated us with such deep empathy, guiding us through each step of the way. Once I gathered myself, I was able to enjoy the incredibly insightful discussion held by Scott Lieberenz, Jennifer Longnion, Darren Summers and Mamoon Syed. Their perspectives on navigating challenges in the pre- and post-COVID world, managing employee demands, and addressing resource constraints resonated deeply, especially after my own experience managing overwhelming complexities at CHLA. I remain eternally grateful for the care we received and the empathy extended to us during such a critical moment in our lives. It was nice to catch up Silvia Backus, SHRM-CP and Farah Marinero. Thank you for the invitation Andrew Agress (LION user).

Yesterday was one of those long, but truly amazing days at #LATechWeek It definitely is a marathon - not a race. It started with navigating the 405 South Highway to get to a 8:00 am breakfast with Jason Yeh, heading to Venice Beach for follow up meetings, and then hitting the 10 East Highway to Downtown LA for a 6 pm meet and greet with Stifel Bank, Vamos Venture Partners, Plug In Ventures, BLCK VC, SomosVC, etc Along the way, I met with banks, co-founders, investors, and incredible people supporting founders like me. I’m feeling so much gratitude right now — after yesterday’s conversations, I finally have clarity on how to scale Respiris over the next 6 months. Thank you everyone! It’s crazy to think we’re only 8 months old, and people were surprised to hear that we’ve already pitched to Berkeley SkyDeck and Microsoft for Startups, have partners, revenue, testimonials, and a fairly strong pitch deck that frames our four beachheads. Feeling energized and grateful for what’s next! #startup #fundraising #founder

Day 2 of LA Tech Week in the Books! Excited to share that today I had the pleasure of meeting several incredible professionals, each with a unique perspective on how to drive innovation in their fields. It’s also great to see familiar faces as I start to meet the same people in different forums, which reinforces the strength and collaboration within the tech community. Shout out to Gabe Linares, CPA,Andy Sacchetti, Abe Serrano, Jonathan Zoucha, Kayvon Moshiri, Brandon Cooper, Steven Imes IV, and Daricus Releford (again 😊🤦🏽♂️😊). We shared our journey on how Respiris is reinspiring transitions, enabling a marketplace of job search coaches, and offering a product that provides 10 coaching sessions over a 3-month period for $1500—all without the usual per employee per month (PEPM) fees to private equity and venture capital backed companies. We are committed to making a real impact during periods of career transition and growing the company in phases. We are learning how to work with investors, ask the right questions, and navigate bootstrapping as the easiest path while considering raising a round to scale Respiris further. It’s been an eye-opening experience as we learn how to align with the right partners for growth. Looking forward to the rest of LA Tech Week and the possibilities ahead! #LATechWeek #Networking #TechCommunity #Innovation #Transitions #Marketplace #Startups #Bootstrapping

Day one of LA Tech Week is complete. Now readying for Day two with FounderFamilia and Techqueria. Nice to meet you Ramona Ortega, Daricus Releford, Michelle D., Omar Mattox, MBA, Jose Perez, Catherine Huang, etc. Thank you MaC Venture Capital, Seth Pablo Welty, MBA and Marlon C. Nichols for hosting us and providing us access to pitch Microsoft for Startups. #LATechWeek #microsoft #culturehouse #fundraising

I am going to pitch investors. This is when preparation meets opportunity. Every person reading this post will experience directly or indirectly the following words: “I am sorry to let you know that based on business conditions that today is your last day of employment.” Whether it is your mom or dad, a relative or a friend, job eliminations impact everyone! Respiris exists to ensure that no one faces career transitions alone. #LATECHWEEK #fundraising #bootstrapping

It was great attending Lattiverse in San Francisco yesterday! A big thank you to Sarah Franklin and Gianna Driver, for the invitation, and to all the Lattice employees and sponsors that made the event a success. While I didn’t get the chance to spend 1:1 time with many I wanted to, it was great to see a strong cross-group representation of founders, HR leaders, and business partners. It was exciting to see how AI is being embedded into the Lattice platform, and I enjoyed making new connections and deepening existing ones. I am inspired to see how these innovations will align with our Respiris mission to support transitions. More to come on this later Leigh Alcott. Shoutout to Sarah Holland, Deborah Hanus, Kate Stewart, Remy Beers, Felix Calero, Tammy Polanco, SPHR, SHRM SCP, Hailey Tielkemeier, Samantha Dresser, MSHRM, PHR-CA, iezana mekonnen, Morgan Williams, Marc Prager, Anthony Garcia and the amazing Melanie Naranjo for the great conversations. Looking forward to what’s next! #Lattiverse #AI #Networking #Innovation #Respiris #Transitions