This past spring, I left the company I founded 8 years ago. Since then, I’ve been regularly fielding the question that serves as the title of this post.  Often times, that question is followed up with, “Why did you leave”? or “Why the change”? or “Was something wrong?”, or some similar question.

If you know me, and you’ve read this far, then perhaps you have some of the same questions. (If you don’t know me, then I look forward to meeting you some day). Either way, this introductory post is my way of helping out those inquiring minds.

It all started in January. I had just come back from a 2 week, “unplugged” Christmas vacation. It was a great break…did absolutely nothing. You would have thought that I would have returned rested, relaxed and ready to jump at the new year. However, the reverse happened. Although I was rested, I wasn’t excited.  I didn’t have the fire, the drive, or the desire to do what I was doing. This isn’t the first time this has happened. You probably know what I’m talking about…that recurring conversation with yourself when you ask something like, “Is this what I’m supposed to be doing? In the past, I’ve just argued myself out of it until I was convinced that my current role was a blessing, and that I should be thankful. Then, I’d usually give myself a pep talk, and I’d be back in the saddle until the next time the “question” popped up.

But this time, I decided not to argue. Instead, I chose to pursue the question. I added other questions like, “What’s missing?”, and “Why am I not excited about what we’re building here?” (To give context, I was the Chief Revenue Officer of a fast growing marketing consulting firm). I sought to find the answers by engaging in conversation, reading, praying, thinking and learning. By April, I had found the answer, and it was this: My dissatisfaction was the result of me not fully living out of who I was designed to be.

You see, over the years, I have been affirmed over and over again as a coach, a teacher, a mentor. I’ve spent quite a bit of time teaching and mentoring, doing so on subjects that have nothing to do with marketing: leadership, strategy, life purpose, personal/self development, etc. For the last few years, these interactions have been “outlets” for me, allowing me to help others, and to be fulfilled in living out who I am. During the months of pursuing the question however, I came to realize that living out my true self via these outlets wasn’t enough. I needed to do so full time. So, I decided to make the change by leaving the firm, and developing a coaching practice. In doing so, I finally found the answer to the question.

The areas with which I help people and companies (marketing, sales, personal development, team development, strategy) are all described here in my website. These are spheres in which I have coached for many years, albeit informally. Now, I’ll be doing so in a formalized way.

So, that’s what I’m doing and why. My hope is that by living out of my talents, strengths and how I am wired, I can help others to become better at what they do, to find their fit, and to become more at peace with who they are.

Thanks for visiting.