Who is Federico Malatesta?

Federico Malatesta is the founder of FM Transformational Coaching™, a practice that unites executive insight, leadership frameworks, and lived experience to explore how identity evolves through change. Rooted in narrative theory, neuroscience, and contemporary psychoanalytic thought, Federico’s work helps individuals and organizations interpret context, act with coherence, and translate insight into meaningful, sustained results. Federico writes and speaks on leadership, identity formation, and the complexity of midlife transformation. His essays appear in his newsletter ‘Almost Everything Is Context’, published across his website and Substack. He is the author of two books - Trading On Line (1999) and Oil and Europe (2000) - and is currently writing his third, an exploration of selfhood, desire, and the challenge of redesigning life’s second act, to be published in 2026.

How does executive coaching differ from transformational coaching?

Executive coaching focuses on leadership performance and organizational impact, while transformational coaching works at the level of identity and interpretation, helping clients rewrite limiting narratives and build the internal architecture for sustained, purposeful change.

Where are sessions conducted?

Sessions are offered globally via video conferencing or in-person intensives in select locations, including The Artha Ranch for equine-assisted programs.

Reimagine What Is Next

Executive and Transformational coaching for leaders ready to disrupt their own narratives.

Federico Malatesta, Transformational and Executive Coach, portrait in his office — exploring the intersection of leadership, identity, and meaning.

The questions that drive a career and the ones that redefine a life aren’t as separate as they seem.

As a Transformational and Executive Coach, I work at the intersection where leadership, identity, and meaning converge. Rooted in narrative theory, neuroscience, and contemporary psychoanalytic thought, my practice helps individuals and organizations interpret context, act with coherence, and translate insight into meaningful, sustained results.

This work isn’t about motivation or reinvention; it’s about precision, understanding the systems that shape behavior and learning to rewrite them with intent. Whether the context is leadership, transition, or the second half of life, the aim is the same: to move from pattern to authorship, from motion to direction.

A COO navigating the shock of a merger. A founder facing a quiet loss of drive. A parent contemplating a second-act career. Or anyone who senses that the next plateau could last decades if left unchallenged.

If this sounds familiar, book a free 30-minute Zoom® conversation. We’ll explore your objectives and assess whether this coaching approach is the catalyst for your next milestone.

Executive and Transformational coaching for leaders ready to disrupt their own narrative.

Rooted in neuroscience, contemporary psychoanalytic thought, and lived executive experience, FM Transformational Coaching™ helps individuals and organizations interpret context, act with coherence, and translate insight into meaningful, sustained results.

This is not motivational work. It’s the disciplined task of identifying the stories that govern our choices and rewriting them so that action aligns with what actually matters. Whether the context is leadership, transition, or the second half of life, the aim is the same: to move from pattern to authorship, from motion to direction.

YOUR NEXT CHAPTER STARTS HERE

START MY FREE DISCOVERY CALL

Nicolo' Andreula, Founder and Managing Director, Disal Consulting: "What I most like about Federico is his capacity to listen in a non-judgmental way, with a deep empathy and sense of understanding. He has always given me different, fresh perspectives on how to look at things, allowing me the space to identify both my personal priorities and the tradeoffs of every decision. He is a pillar of my professional and personal life."

Federico Malatesta's client, Nicolo Andreula, Founder and MD, Disal Consulting

How FM Coaching™ works

At FM Coaching™, you won’t just set goals, you’ll question the story that shaped them. This is not about optimizing your performance; it’s about reclaiming authorship over the life you’ve outgrown. Through a structured, psychologically grounded process, you’ll surface the deeper architecture of your decisions, confront inherited scripts, and design a second half of your adult life that is expansive, meaningful, and unmistakably yours.

To maximize impact, I have designed the ADE™ process - tailored for Transformational, Executive & Equine coaching. It's a dynamic framework with 3 distinct yet integrated stages:

1. APPRAISE

2. DEFINE

3. EXECUTE

Transformational

Change doesn’t follow a single rhythm. Sometimes it calls for sharp disruption to break old patterns; other times, it requires deeper inquiry to dismantle and recompose the story that’s been silently shaping your life.

FM Transformational Coaching™ offers two specialized programs aligned with your specific needs: FM Ignition™ for swift breakthroughs, and FM Mastery™ for comprehensive narrative redesign.

Transformational

Executive

FM Executive Coaching™ now offers two targeted tracks:

The Core Program™ for emerging leaders aiming to enhance commercial delivery and overcome performance barriers.

The Inflection Track™ for senior executives confronting profound transitions and identity shifts.

Anchored in rigorous analysis and tailored strategy, our approach enables leaders to redefine success and thrive amidst evolving challenges.

Executive

Equine

A distinctive personal transformation pathway that integrates my proprietary ADE™ framework with deep self-discovery, facilitated by guided interaction with horses in a focused setting.

This coaching modality is not stand alone and it is available for both Transformational and Executive clients.

Explore the opportunity of a unique in-person coaching experience with horses at the Artha Ranch.

Equine

“And then the knowledge comes to me that I have space within me for a second, timeless, larger life.”

R. M. Rilke, “I Love My Being’s Dark Hours”

Why we all need a coach

Why Coaching Matters

Across cultures and industries, coaching clients overwhelmingly agree:
96% say they’d return to the experience. It’s not just what clients learn, it’s who they become.

Satisfied with The Coaching Experience

Increased Self-Esteem and Confidence

Improved Relationships

Improved Communication Skills

Improved Work Performance

*source: 2009 ICF Global Coaching Client Study, commissioned by the ICF and conducted by PwC

About Federico Malatesta

As Chief Investment Officer for a global oil-and-gas major, I led a $40 billion capital program.

Today, as a certified Transformational and Executive Coach, I work with leaders to disrupt limiting narratives, re-author their own, and foster lasting change in the people they lead.

The reassuring credentials you are probably looking for, with all the proper degrees and certificates, are at the end of the About page. But that is only part of my story and possibly, not the most important one. So let me start with another story.

It's early 2013....

CONTINUE HERE ⟩

About Federico

As Chief Investment Officer for a global oil-and-gas major, I led a $40 billion capital program.

Today, as a certified Transformational and Executive Coach, I work with leaders to disrupt limiting narratives, re-author their own, and foster lasting change in the people they lead.

It's early 2013....