My Path to Leadership…
I never saw myself as a leader, nor would I have ever used that word to describe who I was. I admired people who led well, assuming they possessed something I didn’t. Leadership felt like something other people were born with. My path to it was anything but direct.
Most of my journey was spent wandering—lost in a kind of personal desert. Professionally, emotionally, intimately, spiritually—I was immobilized, and had no idea how to free myself from the quicksand I was sinking into.
The turning point came when I finally stopped looking outward for explanations and began examining the part I played in my own circumstances. I was living not in reality, but in a story—one built on how I thought things should be. That story didn’t move my life forward; it quietly eroded the ground beneath me.
Two moments changed everything.
The first was a simple glimpse of an expression on a friend’s face during lunch when I was, yet again, lamenting about my life. It was a look that silently said, “Here he goes again—poor, powerless Bryan.” In that moment, I recognized myself in a way I never had before, and I didn’t like it. I became determined to stop surrendering my power and to take responsibility for my life.
The second came when I was contemplating the end to a long-term relationship. We were locked in blame, and it was exhausting. I asked myself a different question: What would happen if I looked at the end of this relationship through the lens of my own contribution rather than the other person’s failures?
The answer was simple but powerful
If I could understand my part, I wouldn’t have to repeat it. I could become a better partner. I could break the cycle I’d been living in for years. As I looked deeper, I saw this applied to every aspect of my life. What I was committed to reflected the results I was getting in life.
The moment I accepted that truth, a weight lifted—one I had been carrying for over a decade. I was able to transform myself not into someone new, but to realign with who I am at my core and become more of who I have always been.
None of it was quick. None of it was easy. At first, I still blamed external forces. But gradually, each time I heard myself slipping into that narrative, I would stop and think, “There goes poor, powerless Bryan again.” And in the space where excuses used to be, the only option left was accountability. Over time, I learned—slowly and imperfectly—to see life through the lens of choice. I’m still learning, but I’m miles beyond where I began.
These moments helped me to stop seeing myself as powerless.
That was when I stepped into leadership.
Today, I am no longer pushed through life by my past; I am pulled through life toward the future I choose to create.
You Are Here reflects the transformation I made in my life.
I created this platform to have a continued dialogue with anyone that wants to be a part of a conversation about the building blocks of increasing awareness and creating a life of choice and freedom. This platform is both for my clients to learn about these building blocks and for me to learn from each of them as we engage with each other through curiosity and exploration of what it means to be a human being living at choice.
My mission in coaching is to help you discover your path to live a life of your design. A life of connection and creation. What I have come to learn is that life is much more fun when you are creating something.
I look forward to connecting with you and exploring together!