about me
I was in software for over twenty years, initially as a software developer. I loved building something out of nothing but always wanted to work directly with people. I was then, and still am, fascinated by human potential. And so I moved into managerial and director roles until the 80-hour weeks and unending stress had me looking for other opportunities.
Over the next ten years, I found fulfilling options within smaller start-up companies through various VP roles spanning technology, operations, marketing, and product strategy. But honestly, none of this is the most important part of my story.
When I decided to exit the corporate world and commit to carving out my path, there were four questions I needed to answer for myself.
What am I most passionate about?
What do I have to offer?
How do I combine my passion and skills?
What is most likely to trip me up along the way?
The last question is the most interesting. It also becomes a window through which I can best understand the profound truths of the other questions. So, without reservation, the answer is believing in myself. If I was going to exit a successful corporate career, I had to discover a way to believe in myself deeply.
If you’re reading this now, it’s likely because you’re curious about coaching, wondering how it applies to you, and wanting to know if you and I would be a good fit. So, out of respect, I want to be transparent: I did not believe in myself. Not a bit. I was terrified of failure throughout my career, and as a result, I carefully constructed a mask by which I could project confidence when I felt none, hide my fear of being a fraud, and be the person others needed me to be.
This mask I had constructed was decades in the making. When I knew that I had to abandon it, I had to face up to the hard truth that catering to the opinions of others left me unsure of my own beliefs. Asking critical questions about my values and beliefs meant I was beginning to write my own story or, better said, wake up to my own story. I could recognize the lessons I’ve accumulated, the wisdom I’ve gained, the mistakes that have humbled me, the relationships that have lifted me, and the thread that has always been there, tying it all together. Throughout everything is an unshakeable belief in others. By that, I mean a belief in the power and potential of people to bring about meaningful change in their lives and those around them.
What am I most passionate about, then? I want to help others shake off the binds that keep them from experiencing a fulfilled life. I want to help others recognize and step into the potential they know is there. I want everyone I sit down with to live an elevated life, whether that starts with developing a better relationship with their employees to grow the business, co-creating strategies that benefit the ADHD brain, or helping someone to gain the language that describes their life experience and empowers them to transform their self-image from victim to hero.
Small changes naturally snowball into significant changes. Understanding the efficacy of this led me to adopt chaos in my branding. You don’t have to move mountains to get the life you want. You need only nudge the right things in the right direction. Adopting the hero label when you feel like the victim, for example, has ripple effects throughout your life as you change how you show up in each moment.
What does this mean I have to offer? I have a unique perspective on the complexities and intricacies of life and systems. That doesn’t mean it’s better or worse than anyone else’s. It means I value it and have learned how to put it to use in the service of others. It’s my ADHD brain that led me to fear failure, fear disappointing others, and construct a mask. Ironically, I now understand it is also the superpower fueling my perspective. I listen. I absorb. And I question f#$%^ing everything, exhaustingly so. I’m not happy unless I’m learning and not satisfied unless I put that to use for the greater good.
That leads me to the how question; fortunately, the answer has become achingly simple. I want little more in my life than to be in conversation with someone else, specifically those wrestling with questions of unmet potential and struggling with the obstacles to a fulfilling life. Therein is the nexus of my passion and skills. Therein is my purpose.
If you’ve skipped over everything else, I can at least leave you with one of my most important realizations.
You are the hero of your journey, even when it doesn’t remotely feel like it.