Learning to notice what was unspoken

Being the youngest of three taught me early to be better at thinking ahead, noticing what was unspoken, and asking better questions.

I was six when I realized I'd been competing with siblings years older than me without even knowing it. That discovery sparked something in me—a fascination with how we navigate challenges, what drives us forward, and why some people seem to access capabilities others don't see in themselves.

My father believed I was capable of anything. He nurtured my ability to dream, BIG. Instead of asking "What do you want to be when you grow up," he probed deeper: "What will your legacy be?" "How will you leave a positive impact on the world around you?"

These weren't pressure-filled interrogations—they were invitations to think beyond the immediate and consider the deeper currents of purpose.

The only way to become your best self is to start. It’s built through trying, failing, and trying again.

  • Limousine driver in Boston

  • Social worker with vulnerable families

  • Cattle rancher in Texas

  • Wilderness guide in Yellowstone

  • State Department work in refugee resettlement

  • Federal policy development on Capitol Hill

  • Organizational change consultant

Each experience revealed something important about getting below the surface to inspire deeper insights. Leadership isn't just about having answers—it's about developing the capacity to hold complexity with grace. It's about seeing systems and patterns, understanding the human element in every equation.

A mentor once told me something that changed everything: "All your passion lies outside your comfort zone. You might enjoy things that come easily to you, but passion exists in those things that inspire greatness from you. Those things that push you beyond your own conception of what you can do, what is possible."

That insight was life-changing. I noticed that the deeper I have to dig within myself, the more engaged, passionate, and inspired I become.

This led me to business psychology.

My doctoral research on domestic violence in policing meant navigating academic politics, persuading skeptical departments to take part, and stepping into territory that made many deeply uncomfortable. The work ultimately earned an international dissertation award, but more importantly, it taught me something essential about breakthrough impact: it often demands going where others haven’t been willing to go.

Now I have the privilege of being beside leaders for the ride. Those moments when familiar approaches reach their limits. When you're being called to access parts of yourself that haven't been fully developed yet. When you need both courage and wisdom to step into what's next.

Because everyone deserves someone in their life who believes that they are capable of anything.

And more than that—someone who can guide them to discover it for themselves.