About Andrea Goulet

Founder & Lead Coach, Debugging Human Communication

Andrea Goulet

Let's get one thing straight. You won't hear me tell you to "just be more confident," "smile more," "maintain eye contact," or "read the room." That advice is vague, generic, and impossible to act on — and it doesn't stick because it skips the part that actually matters: the experiment. Humans learn by testing, observing, and adjusting. My approach gives you the structure to do exactly that — and goes deep enough into the details to find what actually works.

Over the past 25 years, I've studied the mechanics of human communication — the patterns, structures, and systems that determine why some messages land and others don't. I've used my particular set of skills to help Fortune 500 companies navigate billion-dollar turnarounds, facilitate workshops with Smithsonian scientists, bootstrap a multi-million dollar software consultancy, and teach over 100,000 people through my courses on LinkedIn Learning.

When I started sharing my ideas publicly, technologists showed up in droves. 'Finally,' they told me, 'messy human systems make sense!' Keynote invitations poured in. I launched communities and podcasts like Legacy Code Rocks and Empathy in Tech. I became deeply embedded in the world of software — so you won't have to translate yourself into business-speak around me.

What lights me up is diving deep into the details with an individual and finding the most elegant solution to a problem. That's what this program is built for. Not surface-level tips — real structure, real tactics, and a coach who isn't intimidated by complexity.

If you've made it this far — chances are you're someone who's been wrestling with communication and knows you can figure it out with the right tools. You don't want generic advice that doesn't stick. You want the structure, the secrets, and the tactics that actually work in your context — and a coach who knows the difference between a stakeholder meeting and a standup.

Effective communication isn't about changing who you are. It's about having the right tools for the situation. I've helped countless professionals find exactly that — and I'd love the chance to work with you, too.

Common Questions

"I've tried other communication training. Why would this be different?"

Most programs are designed for everyone, which means they're optimized for no one. This one is designed for people who think in systems, value evidence, and want frameworks they can apply consistently. The methodology matches how your brain already works.

"What if I don't have time for this?"

This isn't additional work. It's a different approach to conversations you're already having. The time you spend stewing over an email, replaying a meeting, or avoiding a difficult conversation — that's the time this reclaims.

"How do I know if this is worth it for me?"

Consider the cost of doing nothing. What's a missed promotion worth? A project that stalled because you couldn't get buy-in? A relationship with a colleague that never recovered from a misunderstanding? You're the only one who can run that math — but if communication friction is costing you more than $129, you have your answer.

"What's group coaching actually like?"

It's a small cohort of about 12 people — the same faces each week, not a rotating cast of strangers. You'll get to know each other over time, which makes it easier to share real challenges and practice in a space that feels safe. Most members find it's a relief: other technical professionals wrestling with the same things, without the pressure of networking or performing.

"What makes private coaching different from other business coaches?"

Most coaches give you one session a month and send you on your way. This is a full program. You get 1:1 sessions, plus access to group coaching, plus direct async access to me between sessions when something comes up, plus the online community. I also document your frameworks and experiments so you're not starting from scratch each time. It's designed to give you the full support you need every day as you're creating and running your experiments.

"What's the online community like?"

We use a platform called Heartbeat with Slack-style channels for discussion. You'll start with an online course that sets you up for success and helps you overcome the anxiety of your initial interactions. Online courses, a resource library, and member events are all on the roadmap. Members are encouraged to share their ideas, propose changes, and explore opportunities to lead events that will foster true connection.

"How do I know if I'll like working with you?"

That's what the Discovery Session is for. It's a condensed version of a private coaching session — we'll work on a real challenge you're facing. You get a password-protected recording and the same documentation I create for my private coaching clients. It's a real sample of how we'd work together, not a sales pitch.

"Can I try group coaching before committing?"

Yes. After your discovery call, you can attend one group coaching call to see if it's a good fit before signing up. You'll get a real sense of the format, the people, and whether this is right for you.

"What's the commitment?"

Group coaching has a 3-month minimum, private coaching 6 months. After that, cancel anytime. Both include lifetime access to the online community.

"Can I use my professional development budget?"

Yes. Communication skills directly impact team effectiveness, stakeholder relationships, and leadership capacity. If your company invests in training, this qualifies. Need help making the case? We can work together to craft documentation you need.

"What's up with the moth?"

In 1947, a team working on the Mark II computer couldn't figure out why the heck things weren't working as expected. After hours of searching, they decided to check deeply into the bowels of the computer and soon found the problem. A moth had made its way into the machine. In the team's logbook, Grace Murray Hopper taped the bug to the page and commented that it was the "first actual case of a bug found," and we've been fixing bugs ever since. This story reminds us that many times the solutions to our challenges aren't always obvious. When we keep an open mind and are willing to look on the inside, that's where we can find the small and often surprising solutions that have a big impact.

"Can I get a discount?"

You read all the way to the bottom of the FAQ? That's the kind of thoroughness I appreciate. Use code READTHEFAQ for 20% off your discovery session.

Sample Session Report

Names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.

Session Notes: Alex

Date: January 5, 2026 | Duration: ~59 min Attendees: Andrea Goulet, Alex

Overview

Alex spent ~15–16 hours on his blog during the holiday break and feels proud of the progress. The session explored why budgeting 20 hours (vs. 1 hour) shifted his emotional experience from embarrassment to pride, identified a sunk cost fallacy pattern around rabbit holes, and established experiments for estimation and context capture.

Experimental Design

1. Friction Point

Estimating accurately and avoiding rabbit holes that delay launching the blog.

2. Context
Theme Description
Previous session Felt embarrassed about lack of progress when estimating 1 hour for tasks
This session Felt proud after budgeting 20 hours and spending ~15–16
Work blocks Morning sessions continue to be effective; context switching is expensive
Documentation Writing tickets/documentation "doesn't feel like work," contributing to sunk cost trap
Work situation Increased estimation requests at work
3. Variables
Variable Observed Outcome
Time budget (1 hr vs 20 hrs) 20 hrs → pride; 1 hr → embarrassment
Doom scrolling replacement Successfully swapped for blog work multiple times
Breaking work into pieces Easier to estimate smaller chunks
Claude Code for tedious tasks Content import, to-do list generation, redirect script creation worked well
4. Success Criteria
Criterion Status
Blog live In progress
First post published Pending
Proud of visual design Achieved locally
Able to publish new articles Pending deployment
5. Hypotheses
IF THEN
Alex quadruples his gut instinct for estimates He'll avoid disappointment and feel proud of progress
Alex uses Claude Code to capture thinking when hitting a blocker He can avoid sunk cost fallacy and context-switch more easily
Alex breaks big things into smaller pieces before estimating Estimates become more accurate
6. Measurement
Metric How to Track
Actual time vs estimated time Track for each task
Sunk cost trap occurrences Notice when falling in and capture the moment
Blog launch Binary: is it live?
7. Experiment
Behavior Change Expectation
Estimation approach: Before communicating any expectation (external or internal), break the big thing into smaller pieces, apply 4x multiplier to gut instinct, sum the pieces More accurate estimates, less disappointment
Avoiding rabbit holes: When a task exceeds its budget and isn't mission-critical, pause. Capture: goal, blockers, potential solutions. Create WIP commit with to-do list, push to branch, link in ticket Escape sunk cost trap, preserve context without full documentation overhead
Ask: "How essential is this for accomplishing the actual goal?" Prioritize mission-critical work
8. Follow What Works
Past Experiment Effectiveness
Budgeting more time (20 hrs vs 1 hr) Proud vs embarrassed
Morning work sessions Consistent progress
Doom scrolling → blog work swap Successful
Claude Code for tedious tasks Content import, to-do generation, redirect scripts all worked
"If I search and don't find the answer, publish when I figure it out" Content strategy in place

Action Items

Alex:

  • Hide non-essential elements (2 hrs budgeted)
  • Fix broken images in imported posts
  • Complete deployment with staging environment (10 hrs budgeted)
  • Set up redirect links (4 hrs budgeted)
  • Update essential content (remove stock/template text)
  • Write first blog post (favicon generation process)
  • Test everything works (images, RSS, URLs)

Andrea:

  • Post notes in Heartbeat

Planning

Task Estimate
Hide non-essential elements 2 hrs
Deployment + staging 10 hrs
DNS + redirect links 4 hrs
Content updates + testing ~4 hrs
Total remaining ~20 hrs

References

  • Content Collections library — separating content from display
  • Claude Code — content import, to-do list generation, redirect script creation
  • AWS S3 + CloudFront — hosting approach for redirect support

Next Session

  • Did the 4x estimation approach help with both personal project and work estimates?
  • How did the "Claude Code for context capture" experiment go when hitting blockers?
  • Is the blog live? If not, what blocked it?