Individual work

Our Services

Explore our range of services designed to help you move forward with confidence, wherever you're headed next.

This page is about individual work. Looking for team programs?

individual work

$500

Root Cause Session

60-90 minutes to understand what is driving the pressure, and what to address first.

You may know that something is no longer working, without knowing exactly what kind of problem you are dealing with. Burnout can come from chronic overload, interpersonal conflict, leadership isolation, unclear boundaries, organizational tension, personal patterns, and often several of these at once.

Bring one situation you have been turning over alone. During a focused 60-90 minute consultation, we map what is happening, identify the factors creating the most pressure, and distinguish what needs attention now from what can wait.

You leave with a written one-page synthesis of our conversation, including the key patterns we identified, practical action points, and selected resources you can use on your own.

For some people, one conversation provides enough clarity to move forward independently. If the situation calls for deeper work, the consultation can become the starting point for a Sustainable by Design →, tailored to you, your relationship, or the people involved.

Best for: a situation you have been turning over alone, when something is clearly no longer working but it is not yet clear what kind of problem it is.

from $2,000

Sustainable by Design

Four to eight weeks of focused work on the patterns keeping the problem in place.

This is where psychological depth meets the reality of professional life. We begin by defining what needs to change and what a useful outcome would look like, then work across several focused sessions on the areas with the greatest leverage: workload and recovery, boundaries, difficult conversations, the pull of other people’s emotions, your own patterns under pressure.

The contract is bounded and practical. Scope and endpoint are agreed at the beginning, so you know what the work is aiming at and when it is complete. Partway through you receive your Sustainability Plan, a written synthesis of what keeps the problem in place and where to put your effort.

Small professional businesses rarely have an HR department, and a difficult employee, a strained partnership or a conversation you keep postponing can take up an extraordinary amount of a founder’s attention. That problem can come here too.

Best for: a situation where you understand enough to know that one conversation will not be enough.

price upon request

The Partnership Decision

A six-month engagement

For two (or more) people who share both a business and a life, working through something that touches both.

The structure mirrors Sustainable by Design, with both partners in the room and a longer arc that gives a layered situation the time it genuinely needs.

Best for: business partners who are also life partners, whether spouses, siblings, parent and adult child or longtime co-founders, facing a decision that the business frame alone can't hold.

from $1,400/month

Sustainable Pro Advisory

Your ongoing thinking partner for the human side of professional life.

For clients who have done the core work and want a thinking partner who already knows the people, the history, and the patterns. Each month includes live sessions, a priority slot within one business day for situations that can't wait, and secure messaging between sessions. You get support before the difficult moment, not a debrief after it. Retainer spots are limited, so every client has real availability.

Best for: clients who have completed Sustainable by Design or equivalent work with me.

Who you'll work with Polina Kodess, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Developmental psychology

Advanced training in human development, adaptation, relationships and psychological functioning across the lifespan.

2018 Licensed in Colorado

Clinical psychologist working with professionals, business owners, couples and families under sustained pressure.

14 yrs Psychological research

From doctoral researcher to senior researcher at a psychology research institute.

Teaching Education & consulting

Programs for attorneys and professional audiences on burnout, conflict resolution and communication.

How it works

A one-to-one conversation at a table
01

Send a request

Tell us what is going on. A few sentences are enough.

02

A first conversation

We come back to you within one business day and set up a short call to see whether this is a fit. No cost, no pressure.

03

Tackle burnout at the source

We agree on the scope and begin. The work is built around your situation, and you leave with something written down that you can use on your own.

FAQ

Questions

How do I pay?

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Simple. If you’re booking for yourself, you’ll get an invoice after we book, payable by card and due before we start. If you’re bringing me in for your team, I invoice the business directly on net-30 terms. No big package you have to commit to up front. We start with what you need right now.

Do we meet online or in person?

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Mostly online. Video does the job here, and it’s a lot easier to fit into a full week. I also work in person for team sessions and workshops. Start wherever’s easiest for you. We can always change it later.

Is this confidential?

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Yes, and I hold our work to the same standard I’d hold clinical work to. What you tell me stays with me. If your organization arranged this, they don’t get a report on you. We agree up front on what they see, which is usually themes across a group, never names or specifics.

Is this therapy or coaching?

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No, this isn’t therapy, even though I apply the same high standard of confidentiality to our work. It might be coaching for one person, two partners, or a small group, where we focus on your current challenges and the practical tools to improve the situation right now. It can also be a diagnostic and assessment of what’s happening between you, your job, and your business partners.

Who is this for?

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When I say on the front page that this is for the brilliant, brave, and tired, I mean it. If you’re a professional, if that’s a big part of who you are, and you’re tired of how it isn’t working out, let’s talk. I’d really like to help you see that you’re not alone, and that there are solutions here.

How do we make sure the program fits our team?

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That’s why we start with a short conversation and an assessment of your needs. The programs I run share a similar core, but the emphasis is always tailored to your specific environment, challenges, and goals.

How do we start?

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Reach out and tell me a little about what’s going on. I’ll get back to you within two business days, and we’ll set up a first conversation to see if this fits. No cost, no pressure.

A leader in a working conversation
A client talking something through
A professional at work

Work With Us

Sustainable Pro

Growing sustainable success for professionals and teams.

Contact4155 E. Jewel Ave #225
Denver, CO 80222
(720) 230-6727
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