After spending 23 years climbing from entry-level to senior leadership roles across multiple industries, then investing $35,000 in coaching education, I learned most of what we’re taught about leadership is wrong.
I was the successful leader who felt stuck. Rising through the ranks in IT, EdTech, and Marketing, hitting my targets, getting promoted—but knowing deep down I was operating below my potential. Sound familiar?
The breakthrough came when I stopped making excuses for what wasn’t working and started questioning everything I’d been taught about leadership.
The expensive education
I’m not one of those coaches who decided to hang up a shingle after reading a few leadership books. I went all in—and I mean ALL in. Over $35,000 invested in coaching certifications. John Maxwell, Gallup Strengths, Global Coach Group, programs that would have gotten me to the “gold standard” PCC level from the International Coach Federation. You name the program, I probably did it.
I even took on debt to fund this professional development. I was that committed to figuring out what actually works.
Here’s what I discovered: most of it was garbage. Subscription programs run by people who’ve never actually led anything more challenging than a weekend workshop. The coaching schools make the most money while actual practitioners struggle to create real change.
The industry peddles secrets that aren’t secret, shortcuts that don’t work, and feel-good frameworks that sound profound in theory but fall apart when you try to implement them with real people facing real challenges.
The turning point
Everything changed when I picked up a Marshall Goldsmith book. Then another. Then another. His approach was different—no BS, no theoretical fluff, just a process that worked. When I learned about his Stakeholder Centered Coaching methodology, I knew I’d found something real.
Marshall’s values and worldview resonated with me at a deeper level. The focus on measurable outcomes. The involvement of stakeholders. The recognition that change only counts if the people around you actually notice it. This wasn’t just another coaching fad—it was a process built by someone who’d actually coached Fortune 500 CEOs to measurable improvement.
I became certified in his methodology and chose not to renew the other certifications. Why? Because I’d rather master one thing that works than collect credentials that don’t.
What I believe
Leadership isn’t complicated. We make it complicated.
Most leadership development treats symptoms, not causes. We send people to workshops on communication skills when the real issue is they think they’re indispensable. We focus on time management when the problem is they can’t delegate because they don’t trust their team’s judgment.
I believe in asking uncomfortable questions. Like: What if your team respects your title but not your leadership? What if you’re working harder than everyone else because you’ve created a culture where that’s expected? What if the promotion you’re chasing requires skills you don’t even know you’re missing?
After nearly 10,000 hours of coaching leaders and 23 years of being one, I’ve learned that the gap between where you are and where you want to be usually isn’t more knowledge. It’s the courage, discipline, and humility to act on what you already know.
How I work
I write about leadership challenges on my blog because I believe in teaching, not just coaching. The insights that help one leader often help many others facing similar challenges.
When I work with individual clients, I use Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder Centered Coaching process—not because it’s the latest trend, but because it’s the only methodology I’ve found that consistently delivers measurable results with real accountability.
I don’t do cheerleading. I don’t peddle shortcuts. I ask the questions that help you see what you can’t see on your own, and I involve the people who actually have to work with you in the process of your development.
The bottom line
If you’re a senior leader who knows you’re capable of more but can’t figure out what’s holding you back, I might be able to help. Not through more theory or feel-good conversations, but by helping you identify and change the specific behaviors that are limiting your effectiveness.
I’ve been where you are. I know what it’s like to feel successful on paper but stuck in reality. The difference is usually simpler than you think—and harder than you’d prefer.
Ready to figure out what’s really holding you back? Check out my coaching approach or browse my blog posts for insights on leadership challenges you’re probably facing right now.