About Our Founder
Meet David Zeitler
A master executive coach with 25+ years of experience helping emerging and senior leaders create lasting, meaningful change. David’s work integrates neuroscience, adult development, psychology, and real-world leadership practice into a novel, evidence-based method for human transformation.
“Across the gaps where people feel most alone, I build bridges.”
A Calling Shaped by Culture and Change
You won’t find much about David Zeitler online — he has spent most of his career quietly supporting leaders rather than seeking visibility. But the cultural moment we now live in compelled him to step forward.
David sees a unique convergence of forces:
Growing distrust of institutions
Increasing division and fear
Young professionals navigating unclear, unsupported paths
Organizations struggling to balance structure with human needs
As David puts it:
“Structures are distrusted, yet we need them to survive and thrive. The result is an uneasy truce between the systems we work in and the people within them.”
He founded Accelerade to address what he sees as the greatest cost of these conditions:
Young people are left without clear paths to success, and most are forced to navigate professional development entirely on their own.
David’s work exists to bridge these gaps and provide a structured, evidence-based path for emerging leaders to thrive.
A Method Rooted in Evidence and Integration
David is a Master Executive Coach whose work draws from three major psychological approaches, with a core emphasis on adult developmental psychology.
He spent years studying, researching, and ultimately serving as Director of Coaching for Robert Kegan, Harvard Chair in Adult Learning & Development — one of the world’s foremost thinkers in adult development theory.
His methodology integrates:
Neuroscience
East-West psychology
Adult developmental theory
Mind-body practices
Leadership development science
These perspectives come together to form the basis of the Success Story program and Accelerade’s broader coaching philosophy.
The Early Path:
Entrepreneurship + Psychology
David developed two lifelong passions at age ten: entrepreneurship and psychology.
Precociously empathetic, he often surprised adults with how accurately he sensed what they were thinking and feeling. At the same time, he needed a tennis racquet — so he started a car-washing business.
It took nearly 30 years for those two passions to merge fully.
In the 15 years since, David has helped hundreds of young professionals achieve extraordinary success through their own development.
The Experiences That Shape His Work
David’s academic and professional journey reflects his commitment to depth, rigor, and integration. He has studied neuroscience, East-West psychology, leadership development, and spent two years in a rigorous mind-body training program as a “lay monk” at the Shaolin Temple Headquarters in Flushing, NY.
This broad experience forms the backbone of his unique coaching methodology — one that helps leaders change not just behaviors, but the underlying structures that drive them.
Education, Training & Certifications
Education
BA, Neuroscience, University of Delaware (1996)
Undergraduate representative, 1994 “Towards a Science of Consciousness” Conference
MA, East-West Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies (2000)
Presenter, 1999 “Towards a Science of Consciousness” Conference
MBA, Leadership Development, John F. Kennedy University (2011)
Creator of Interdepartmental Programs for School of Business Management & School of Integral Psychology
Certifications + Specialized Training
Certified Immunity to Change Coach (2010) — Minds at Work
David’s coaching portfolio has been used as a training template since 2011
Certified Leadership Circle Profile 360 Coach (2014) — The Leadership Group
Known for making the tool more powerful through adult development insight
Certified Subject/Object Interview Practitioner (2015) — Harvard Graduate School of Education
Built a novel recruiting interview using this method
Certified Polarity Management Coach (2019) — Polarity Partners
Helps leaders navigate competing values and tensions
Certified Integral Leadership Coach (2023) — Stagen Leadership Academy
Coaches senior leaders using Integral Theory approaches
Testimonials
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“Working with David gave me the clarity and courage to take the leap into entrepreneurship I might never have dared on my own.”
Managing Partner, Black Pine Partners
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"David's coaching is effective because he can zoom in and out with you. He helps design tangible experiments to help you action on your short-term goals while never losing sight of the longer-term, human-level development.”
Chris Ahn, Investment Firm Partner, promoted from Director
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"David has been instrumental in helping me navigate complex workplace situations through thoughtful role-playing exercises and practical guidance. His coaching has enabled me to grow into a stronger leader and become much more effective in the office."
Ben Lim, Global Infrastructure P.E. Fund
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"I have been able to hack away at my big personal roadblocks to develop new, more aware mental frameworks that help me every single day, in both internal and external conversations."
Anonymous, Product Manager, Google
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"I now operate much more confidently – and with much less anxiety – than I ever have before. And that would surely not have been possible without David. I cannot recommend him enough."
Dave Bochetto, Co-Founder Catalyze-X
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“When David and I first met four years ago, I was stuck - stuck in a corporate career path where I felt trapped, stuck without a clear understanding of the worldviews and behaviors holding me back. David's coaching has improved virtually every aspect of my life, both professional and personal. His frameworks and guidance gave me the courage to express my unique quality through entrepreneurship and the tools to grow into a successful CEO. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”
CEO, Reliable Premium Management