freezedance

Toko | Brooklyn, NY | ONSITE (hybrid) | https://tokotutor.com/en

Toko (YC W22) is on a mission to make English fluency accessible to the world's 1.5B English learners. With our app, learners talk with an AI like it's a real person, and get feedback on their grammar/pronunciation.

We are in the top 3 apps for education in Taiwan, with ~3k paying subscribers (and growing fast)! Many users have reported landing new jobs and confidently moving overseas since using Toko.

Founding team has 10+ years of ed-tech experience at MIT, Quizlet, Codecademy (+ experience at Google, Palantir, and Stripe).

As a Founding Engineer, you’ll have an outsized equity stake and impact on the product, culture & future of language learning.

JD: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/toko/jobs/hXNmmpi-foun...

Get in touch: jen[at]tokotutor.com

Toko | Brooklyn, NY | ONSITE (hybrid) | https://tokotutor.com/en

Toko (YC W22) is on a mission to make English fluency accessible to the world's 1.5B English learners. With our app, learners talk with an AI like it's a real person, and get feedback on their grammar/pronunciation.

We have > 2k paying subscribers in Taiwan & Hong Kong and are growing fast! Many users have reported landing new jobs and confidently moving overseas since using Toko.

Founding team has 10+ years of ed-tech experience at MIT, Quizlet, Codecademy (+ experience at Google, Palantir, and Stripe).

As a Founding Engineer, you’ll have an outsized equity stake and impact on the product, culture & future of language learning.

JD: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/toko/jobs/hXNmmpi-foun...

Get in touch: jen[at]tokotutor.com

Toko | Founding Product Engineer | Brooklyn, NY | ONSITE / HYBRID | https://tokotutor.com/en

Toko (YC W22) is on a mission to help the world's 1.5B English learners become fluent. With our app, learners talk with an AI like it's a real person, and get feedback on their grammar/pronunciation.

We have > 1k paying subscribers in Taiwan & Hong Kong – many have reported landing new jobs and confidently moving overseas since using Toko.

Founders have 10+ years of ed-tech experience at MIT, Quizlet, Codecademy (+ Google, Palantir experience).

As Founding Product Engineer, you’ll have an outsized equity stake and impact on the product, team culture & future of language learning.

JD: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/toko/jobs/hXNmmpi-foun...

Get in touch: jen@tokotutor.com

I love the distinction between incremental and transformative learning. Personally, I've experienced the most transformative learning through working with a coach - a 3rd party who offers the space for reflective engagement, new perspectives, and experimentation. Much of this is tough to do on our own because we get stuck in the same mindsets and patterns of behavior. A coach helps articulate what's going on in a new light, uncovers blindspots, and holds us accountable for taking action, ultimately fueling transformative learning.

(Side note: I'm on a mission to spread the power of coaching by making it easier to find the right coach: https://uplevel.coach/ Happy to chat with anyone interested in learning more!)

A few takeaways here:

- The line between coaching and therapy can be blurry, especially as many coaches practice therapy techniques and vice versa.

- It’s hard to find both a good therapist and a good coach.

- There is no official license for coaching, which makes it even harder to find a good coach.

I appreciate the suggestion re: providing a quick referral to a therapist if that’s the solution a user requires. Will definitely keep in mind as this expands.

Thank you for the thoughtful, candid feedback and support!

Thanks for your reply. I admit I oversimplified the distinction in this article for the sake of conciseness.

There is certainly a sizable overlap between coaching and certain types of therapy. Perhaps a bigger distinction I failed to mention is the underlying assumptions:

In therapy, therapist and client traditionally form an expert-subject relationship. The assumption is that the client is somehow “damaged,” lower functioning, or in crisis, and the the goal is to “fix” the problem.

In coaching, coach and client form a comutual or cocreative partnership. The assumption is that the client is naturally creative, resourceful and whole, and the goal is to empower the client to take action towards their goals.

(Based on perceptions across professionals in both [1]. I’m sure not all therapists and coaches fall cleanly into these buckets.)

I don’t mean to claim that coaching is superior to therapy; each provides its own value for different situations. Anyone experiencing depression or other mental health issues should certainly consult a licensed therapist.

I do believe, however, that coaching is an underrated option for many seeking support on personal growth. I recognize there are plenty of coaches that practice woo out there, but there are also plenty of skilled, trained coaches who make a big difference in people’s lives. And I aim to make it easier to find those coaches through Uplevel (https://uplevel.coach).

I’d be curious if you have any evidence to show that coaching is strictly less effective than therapy.

Thanks for calling out the reductive statement!

[1] https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/cpb-1061-4087-53-...

Links:

- https://uplevel.coach - Blog post on how coaching impacted me: https://medium.com/@jenkliu/hiring-a-coach-was-the-best-inve...