Crystal Gaskin

About Crystal Gaskin

You’ve built an impressive career. You’ve led teams, hit the milestones, and earned the title.And now something is shifting.Maybe you’re considering a sabbatical. Maybe you’re navigating a career transition. Or maybe you’re quietly wondering who you are without the role that has defined you for the last decade.That tension between what you’ve accomplished and what you actually want next? Most high-achievers sit in this alone. The moment when the career that built your identity no longer fits.I help senior leaders navigate that exact inflection point — the sabbatical you’re considering, the transition you’re already in, or the identity shift that comes when you step away from everything you’ve built.I spent decades leading people strategy inside complex organizations. I led through a $12B acquisition, a CEO transition, and multiple organizational transformations across Amazon, Honeywell, Kimberly-Clark, and Mailchimp, where I served as Chief People Officer. Then I stepped away from my own executive role and took an extended sabbatical. Untangling identity from achievement and rebuilding life on the other side of a demanding career now informs how I coach. Today I’m a Hudson Institute-certified executive coach, and the creator of The Rested Achiever™, an approach designed for high-performing leaders navigating life after relentless achievement. I’ve lived this transition myself, and I’ve studied why it’s so hard. The research is clear: professional identity doesn’t shift through planning alone. It shifts through experimentation — trying on new possibilities, releasing what no longer fits, and giving yourself permission to be in between. I coach at that intersection, helping leaders pair intentional rest with the kind of exploration that leads to real clarity about what’s next. Ways to work with me: Private 1:1 coaching: For leaders navigating sabbatical, a career transition or reintegration. Sabbatical Curious: A deep-dive session to explore what a sabbatical is and could look like for you, surface what’s holding you back, and get grounded in what’s actually possible.If you’re in this transition — or starting to feel the pull toward one — book a Discovery Call or send me a message.I also write about rest, identity, and relationship to achievement in my Substack newsletter.

Experience

1. Mentor

   Techstars

   Nov 2023 — Present · Atlanta, GA, US

Education

• Cass Technical High School

  High School Diploma, Business Administration

• Georgia Institute of Technology

  Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Global Business

  2015 — 2016

• Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications

  Certificate in Global Leadership

  2016 — 2016

• American InterContinental University

  Bachelor of Arts, Marketing

  1998 — 2002