About Sabrina

Hi, I’m Dr. Sabrina Chang—a leadership and speaking coach and the founder of The Assured Nerd.  I’m a Certified Organizational Coach (University of British Columbia) and an ICF-accredited Associate Certified Coach (International Coaching Federation).

In partnering with clients to set goals and achieve meaningful outcomes, my expertise lies in optimizing individual and team performance through the positive ripple effects of clients’ mental and emotional growth, and behavioural change.

As a coach, I draw from my background as a team and group facilitator, cognitive scientist, peak performance coach, and competitive pianist and violinist (with over 43 years of playing). I’m also an improviser—both in improv theatre and in life—and that spontaneity and adaptability deeply influence how I coach. (Plus, playing make-believe as an adult with other adults in improv theatre is pretty silly and fun.)

I hold a PhD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) where my doctoral research examined the cognitive psychology of performance, as well as how applied improvisation can transform performance in the workplace and public health.

More specifically, my research looked at performance through the lens of enactive cognition—basically, how action is fundamental to cognition and that cognition is not just about our mental processes. In other words, our mental states, thoughts, perceptions and experience of the world actually arise through the ongoing, dynamic interplay between our bodies, actions, sensory experiences, and physical environments. Importantly, this approach can provide critical insight into how we show up in the world as leaders at work and in everyday life.

In deepening my understanding of the role our bodies play in our thoughts, perceptions, communication, interactions, and behaviours, I most recently completed the Embodied Transformation leadership course at the Strozzi Institute for Somatics in California.

I also hold a certificate in Neuroscience for Business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a certificate in Inclusive Leadership Through Behavioural Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Learning is a lifelong passion, and I’m always looking for ways to bridge science and practice in my coaching.

My sweet Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014, and as a way to give back, I volunteer as a Support Group Facilitator for both Parkinson Society British Columbia and Parkinson Canada.