Shani Ospina

Shani Ospina · Coach for founders & entrepreneurs

You built something of your own. Now let’s look after the person building it.

Running your own business is exhilarating, and it can be lonely. I help founders get clear on what they really want, see the patterns that hold them back, and lead with more confidence, energy and ease.

Let’s have a conversation How I work
Portrait of Shani Ospina
Hi, I’m Shani. Founder, coach, and a straight talker.

Sound familiar?

The moments founders bring to coaching

  1. Everything still runs through you

    The business has grown, but your role hasn’t. You’re the bottleneck, and you’re tired.

  2. A big decision, and no one to think it through with

    Raise or bootstrap, hire or wait, grow or sell. The people around you all have a stake in your answer.

  3. The people side is harder than the business side

    A co-founder relationship that has drifted. A team that doesn’t quite pull together. Conversations you keep putting off.

  4. Success, but not on your terms

    From the outside it’s working. From the inside you’ve lost sight of why you started, or of the life you wanted around it.

You don’t need another framework. You need a clear head and an honest partner.

How I work

Honest challenge, with real care

I’ll tell you what I see, kindly and without sugar-coating. Most of what holds founders back isn’t strategy. It’s the patterns underneath: how you make decisions under pressure, what you avoid, and how you show up with the people who matter to your business.

We work on both levels. Practical: your role, your priorities, your team, the next hard conversation. Personal: your purpose, your mindset, and the self-awareness to notice your impact and adjust it.

My training goes beyond the usual coaching toolkit, including ontological and somatic coaching, so we pay attention to what your body and your instincts are telling you, not only your spreadsheet.

…get to the heart of the problem and understand underlying motivations and dynamics.

…allows analytical people to open the door to their emotions.

Power and grace, compassion, kindness and strength.

What clients say

About me

I’ve sat on your side of the table

In 2008 I co-founded The Cognitas Group with Laura Watkins, and I’ve been building it ever since. So I know first-hand what it means to start something, carry the risk, win the clients and grow a team.

Before that I was a consultant at McKinsey & Co and an investor and portfolio manager in private equity. I’ve seen businesses from the boardroom and from the investor’s chair, and I understand both the commercial realities and the human dynamics behind them.

Today I coach founders, entrepreneurs and leaders in startups, family-owned businesses and global companies, on five continents and in English, Italian, Spanish, French and German.

Away from work you’ll find me outdoors with my two children, sharing my love of sport, nature and music, or planning the next adventure. I’m slowly working towards visiting most countries in the world.

  • Co-founder since 2008The Cognitas Group
  • McKinsey & private equityConsultant, then investor and portfolio manager
  • 5 languages, 5 continentsEnglish · Italiano · Español · Français · Deutsch
  • LSE · LBS · MiamiMSc Development Studies (Distinction), Corporate Finance, BA Economics (Summa cum Laude)

Let’s talk.

Tell me a little about you, your business and what you’d like to change. I read every message myself, and we’ll start with an informal conversation to see whether we’re a good fit.

Email me

so [at] shaniospina.com