The Executive Career Accelerator

You're doing everything right. You're still getting passed over.

It isn't your talent, your effort, or your résumé. The jump from manager to executive runs on a different set of rules, and no one handed you the manual. The Executive Career Accelerator is the 6-month program that closes that gap. We cover mindset, executive presence, personal brand, and 1:1 coaching that move you into Director, VP, and C-suite roles, using the Whole Executive Framework™.

Book a Strategy Call → Free 45-minute, zero-pressure session
The Executive Career Accelerator program on desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone
The Gap

What Got You Here Won't Get You There

The gap between manager and executive is deceptively large. You are a star professional with the experience and the desire, so why does it feel like this?

"I feel invisible."

You watch lesser-qualified people get promoted faster, and you cannot get interviews even though you are more than qualified.

We build your executive presence
"I'm undervalued."

You are told "you're doing great, don't change a thing," and then nothing happens in your career.

We activate your executive brand
"I'm underpaid."

You are tired of layoff threats used to avoid raises, and of randomly applying to LinkedIn posts and getting ghosted.

We unlock the hidden job market

Does this sound like you?

If any of these sound familiar, you're not alone.

"The formula that got you here will keep you here… and you can't just over-perform your way through it."

Tom Cox, Founder of Vertical Motion

Why Tom Created the Executive Career Accelerator (ECA)

Built by someone who has done it five times.

Tom Cox spent 15 years as an executive leader. In 2022 he was diagnosed with leukemia and given weeks to live. Beating cancer helped crystallize what really matters: doing something he loves, is good at, can be paid for, and the world needs.

Three years later, he and his team have helped hundreds of mid-career professionals become the leaders they knew they could be, using the exact framework Tom used to land five executive roles in his own career.

Read Tom's full story →
Tom Cox coaching clients
Your 5-Phase Action Plan

The Whole Executive Framework™

This is the framework we teach all of our clients, and the framework I used to land five executive roles in my career.

The Whole Executive Framework™
The five phases of the Whole Executive Framework™: Foundations, Executive Upskilling, Brand Activation, Interviewing and Negotiation, and The First 90 Days
1
Module 1

Foundations

  • The Foundations Report, a deep analysis of your psychometric data from proprietary assessments
  • A 60-minute 1:1 call with an executive coach to review it and plan your journey
  • Define who you are, your life purpose, and an Executive Career Roadmap
2
Module 2

Executive Upskilling

  • Develop executive presence, communication, and management skills
  • Build a true leadership mindset
  • Learn core executive skills: finance, M&A, team-building, strategy, and time management
3
Module 3

Brand Activation

  • Put yourself out there without feeling creepy or narcissistic
  • Define your personal executive brand and attractive character
  • Use LinkedIn the right way and build a funnel of opportunities through targeted outreach
4
Module 4

Interviewing & Negotiation

  • God-Mode Interviewing: stick the landing in every executive interview
  • Protocols and checklists for in-person and remote interviews
  • Time multiple offers for leverage, negotiate a fair package, and resign the right way
5
Module 5

The First 90 Days

  • Prepare before you start, then what to do Day 1, Week 1, and Month 1
  • Days 1-30 observe, 31-60 assess, 61-90 implement
  • Set yourself up for further growth in your career

Ready to map your move to Director or VP?

Book a free 45-minute strategy call and leave with a clear, personalized path forward.

Book a Strategy Call →
What's included

A complete system, plus the people to guide you through it.

The Executive Career Accelerator program

Dedicated Executive Coach

Ongoing 1:1 coaching with a Vertical Motion Certified Coach for 6 months, so you get personalized support tailored to your situation.

Complete 5-module video course

Every step to define your executive self, build your brand and presence, tap the hidden job market, and land the role.

A high-level private community

Hundreds of successful executives and aspiring leaders who started right where you are. Jump-start your network.

Multiple acceleration calls each week

Small-group coaching on your roadmap, brand, skills, networking, interviewing, and negotiation.

The Executive Edge + the Vault

A weekly lecture-style call with guest speakers, plus a growing vault of deep-dive trainings.

The Foundations Report

Your psychometric profile and self-analysis, reviewed 1:1 with a coach to plan your journey.

Bonus: incredible resources

Outreach scripts, resume and LinkedIn templates, job-tracking tools, and much more.

How it works

The 3 core pillars of the ECA.

Coaching, community, and course, working together to move you from where you are to the executive seat.

Coaching

You get your own Vertical Motion Certified Coach who gives you concrete, specific action steps each week, not generic advice. Together you'll:

  • Define your exact Director, VP, or C-level target and strategy
  • Turn your experience into a compelling executive narrative
  • Build your executive brand and run a weekly promotion and search rhythm you can actually sustain

Community

You won't do this alone. You'll be part of a powerful, curated VM community. This is where the hidden job market talks to one another. You are not competing against resumes for executive positions, you are competing against relationships:

  • Ongoing group coaching calls (up to 6 calls a week available)
  • Private community chat to share wins, troubleshoot, and get real-time support

Course

You get on-demand frameworks and tools you can revisit anytime:

  • The full Whole Executive Framework™ curriculum
  • Templates, scripts, and checklists for outreach, interviews, and negotiations
  • Mini-courses on transition, consulting, and risk management
Is this for you?

Built for one kind of leader, at one kind of moment.

The Accelerator works best when these are true. If they are, you are exactly who we built it for.

  • You have 10 or more years of professional experience
  • You have managed people at least once in your career
  • You earn around $150K or more
  • Your goal is Director, VP, or the C-suite
  • You want to make a move in the next 6 to 18 months
  • You are ready to do the work, even with a demanding schedule
This is me. Book a Strategy Call →
Here's the math

One promotion can pay for itself many times over.

Manager at $120K/year
Director at $160-180K
+$40-60K every year, year over year
Director at $150K/year
VP at $200-300K
+$50-150K every year, year over year

"Every month you wait, you're spending $3-5K a month on lost compensation."

Dan K., who doubled his income

The math is simple. The next move is yours.

Every month you wait is compensation left on the table. Let's build your plan.

Book a Strategy Call →
Real outcomes

From mid-career operators to executive leaders.

Members of the Vertical Motion community

"I went from being laid off to landing a VP role in just 60 days."

Louis K.
Louis K.Member since 2023

"This was a leadership evolution. I got promoted 3 levels above my previous title and doubled my income."

Vijay C.
Vijay C.Member since 2024

"After deploying lessons from the program and ongoing support, I received a promotion to Sr. Director this week. Very grateful."

Jeremy O.
Jeremy O.Member since 2026

"I finally gained the confidence to get noticed and got promoted, twice."

Kelly E.
Kelly E.Member since 2024

"I went from Director to Chief Operating Officer in just 2 years."

Brendon D.
Brendon D.Member since 2025

"I finally got promoted within my company from Director of Engineering to VP of Engineering. Couldn't have done it without VM."

Brian Y.
Brian Y.Member since 2023

"I went from a 5-year plateau to VP in 6 months."

Bill O.
Bill O.Member since 2024

"I didn't know I needed an Executive Coach until I had an Executive Coach."

Renard H.
Renard H.Member since 2024

"I've been promoted to Director. I could not have done this without the mentors and community that gave me the confidence to keep pushing."

Adam K.
Adam K.Member since 2026

"I was offered a position after a few interviews. The interviewing modules were a tremendous help. Great things are on the horizon."

Keldric E.
Keldric E.Member since 2025

"I landed a new role that increased my overall annual income by 30% after six months working with the team."

Nel J.
Nel J.Member since 2025

"I accepted and signed an offer for a VP position. The guidance and coaching from VM were some of the best I have ever received."

Eric W.
Eric W.Member since 2026
See for yourself

Hear it from our members.

Real clients, in their own words. Tap any video to watch on YouTube.

See more on YouTube →

In their own words

Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member
Written testimonial from an ECA member

Even in this job market, our members are getting and negotiating offers.

If you do the work, the results follow.

Your strategy call is free, and you can't buy anything on it. It's about clarity first.

Book a Strategy Call →
Questions

What you are probably wondering.

How much time do I need to invest in this program?

Plan for a few focused hours a week. The course is self-paced, and the acceleration calls run several times a week so you can attend live or watch the replays. Most members make real progress alongside a demanding job.

Do you guarantee that I will land an executive role?

No honest program can guarantee a specific offer, because hiring depends on factors outside anyone's control. What we guarantee is the framework, the coaching, and the support. If you do the work, the results follow, and our members regularly land Director, VP, and C-suite roles.

Do you work with consultants, startup founders, or entrepreneurs?

Yes, for leaders on the executive track. If your goal is to build your own consulting, coaching, or fractional business instead, the Corporate Freedom Accelerator is likely the better fit. Your discovery coach will help you choose.

Can I get my company to pay for this?

Yes. We help clients get reimbursed for this coaching all the time. Most companies have a Leadership and Development (L&D) budget they can apply to a program like this.

We encourage you to invest in yourself first and then seek reimbursement. Our delivery team can help you with any materials you might need for your HR or Finance teams.

This coaching may also be tax deductible, especially if you have a consulting business. Inside the program we can help you form a business, and we can connect you with tax accountants familiar with both W-2 and consulting income. (Check with your tax advisor to confirm your specific situation.)

What if I am laid off?

Being laid off is a difficult situation, and investing with no income can be a daunting lift. Most people won't make that kind of investment in themselves in that situation.

The ones who do, however, have had tremendous success in this program. Instead of 3-5 hours a week, you can make this your full-time job and see results much faster.

We have dozens of case studies of laid-off director-level professionals landing Director or VP-level roles in less than 6 months. In one case, Louis went from a laid-off Director to three VP-level offers in 60 days.

What's the cost, and what's the ROI I can expect?

The cost is $10,000, and we offer financing that can break the investment into manageable chunks.

The ROI depends on a lot of factors (industry, role, location, and so on), but we typically see 30-50% pay bumps when people move from Director or Sr. Director to VP, and about 20-30% increases for Director to Sr. Director.

We have outlier cases on both sides. A few clients more than doubled their income, while others took a pay decrease because the new role was better aligned with the life and direction they wanted for their career. If you are here for the financial ROI, it will be there if you stick to the program. If you are here to build a better career, that can be your ROI too.

Book your free strategy call

We review every questionnaire carefully and use it to prepare for your strategy call.

This questionnaire helps us determine the next actions you should take to advance your career, and whether we are a fit to work together in a larger coaching capacity.

We work with serious, mid-career leaders who are ready to take decisive action toward Director, VP, and C-level roles. We take on a limited number of new clients so we can go deep with each one, which is why cultural fit matters so much to us.

1

Answer a few questions

So your coach can prep and make the call useful.

2

Pick a time

Choose a slot on the calendar that works for you.

3

Talk 1:1 with a coach

Get a clear, personalized read on your next move.

Your call is free, and you can't buy anything on it. It's about clarity first.

Step 1 of 4Your detailsTakes about 3 minutes
What field or industry are you in? *
Executive Career Accelerator · free 45-minute strategy call Book a Strategy Call →