I see incredible potential in people but rarely see it in myself. Imposter syndrome, low self-esteem, fear of abandonment — there are many names and conditions for it, and I suspect I’ve unconsciously danced with them all.
My self-beliefs were built from lack of self-awareness. In hindsight, I would have benefitted from executive/life coaching sooner. As a child, I was collateral damage in a contentious divorce that led me to believe that I was somehow responsible for my parents’ breakup and that I might hold the key to their reconciliation. Responsibility and solutions sat on my shoulders, for everything.
My journey from navigating my parents’ fiery divorce to a successful career just happened, or so I thought. I am a first generation Integrated Creative Director, entrepreneur and CEO of my own Agency, Professor and Marketing Executive.
My CV is impressive, and I look successful on paper. My personal life looked good as well: loyal husband, dutiful father, caring brother, honorable son, supportive friend. While all factually accurate, my sense of self-worth was always in question internally. I had no feedback loop. Nothing to prove me right or wrong in these unsubstantiated beliefs, so I just kept being responsible and providing solutions.
Even as I experienced tremendous pain, loss, and suffering, I always kept swimming – like a great White shark. Until finally I couldn’t be responsible, and I didn’t have a solution and I ran out of ocean.
40 years after my parents’ split, I needed to know why I operated as I did. I needed an outside perspective. Not a friend, colleague, or partner but a view of me without the clutter of my unsubstantiated beliefs. I needed a coach.
It has been a rollercoaster of self-discovery over the past 10 years. I invested in Executive Coaching, expanded to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and group work with the Mankind Project. It has changed my life. So much so that I’m now completing my training as an International Coaching Federation certified coach. I want to help others the way I’ve been helped.
My coaching style is a mix of contagious optimism and intentional pragmatism. There is no “work/life” balance but equilibrium between these forces, and I measure success by the lightbulbs going off in my clients’ lives. It’s never too late to become who you’re meant to be. And a good coach can help you get there. I’m living proof.
