Mark Fotohabadi, PhD, MBA, MDR has spent the last 21 years building businesses and studying how high performers think, lead, and grow. He has navigated high-stakes legal battles, scaled companies through chaos and growth, coached top investors, and turned every scar into sharpened strategic insight.

His academic foundation mirrors the versatility he brings to coaching: a BSc in Urban Planning (systems thinking), an MBA in Finance (strategic decision-making), a Master’s in Dispute Resolution (high-stakes negotiation), and a PhD in Business Leadership (behavioral patterns of top performers). Over the past six years, Mark has also taught graduate-level courses in advanced negotiations and business strategy capstones at several prominent Southern California universities (CSU campuses and Loyola Marymount) — shaping the leadership thinking of more than 2,300 students.

As a Scaling Up Certified Coach, Mark helps C-level executives design and implement powerful Business Operating Systems that align people, strategy, execution, and cash (the 4 D's of Scaling Up). Having led and partnered across multiple industries, he brings a rare ability to extract best practices from one sector and apply them systematically to another—compressing timeframes and amplifying results. His approach blends analytical rigor with real-world experience, helping leaders turn strategy into motion and motion into momentum that endures long after the engagement ends.

Along the way, he developed strategic frameworks for acquisitions and for dispositions — lighthearted yet battle-tested approaches proven in boardrooms and deal tables alike. The nickname “The MILF Man” stuck, not just for its humor, but because the strategies consistently deliver results.

Mark is also an avid reader, backgammon enthusiast, and competitive sailor. Proud husband and father of two young children, Mark draws daily inspiration from balancing high performance in business with presence at home.

Based in coastal Orange County, California, he believes leadership isn’t just built in boardrooms — it’s refined through family, challenge, and the pursuit of mastery across all areas of life.