LEAD-N-LIFE LLC

Leadership is more than just a career skill—it's a lifelong journey that shapes who you are at home, in your community, and within yourself. Our mission is to transform the conventional approach to leadership development by focusing on the holistic growth of individuals, helping them conquer their fears, follow their passions, and unlock their true potential.

We believe that leadership is not just about managing others but about mastering yourself. At LEAD-N-LIFE, we challenge the status quo by offering tools and guidance to help you become a better leader in all aspects of life. Whether it's leading your family with empathy, inspiring your team at work, or pursuing your own purpose with determination, we are here to support your journey every step of the way.

Our programs are designed to cultivate empathetic, purpose-driven leaders who are equipped to inspire and lead the next generation. We are committed to helping you strive for greatness, not just in your career, but in every facet of your life.

Founder

United States Army Reserve

Transportation Manager

Tesla

Production Control Supervisor

Arcosa Inc.

DC Operations Manager

Alterman, Inc.

Warehouse Team Lead

The TJX Companies, Inc.

Operations Supervisor

US Army

As an Army Leader, I was responsible for training, mentoring, and guiding soldiers through intense challenges, both in training environments and during deployments. I led small teams - medium teams, ensuring they developed the skills, discipline, and resilience necessary to succeed under pressure. My role involved not only tactical and technical instruction but also fostering personal growth, helping each team member push through obstacles, build confidence, and overcome adversity.

In this position, I learned to assess individual strengths, identify areas for improvement, and create personalized plans for growth. 

I now help individuals navigate mindset challenges, empowering them to leverage their unique skills and experiences to overcome toxic environments or feelings of being stuck, and discover their best next step.

My experience leading teams through deployments and complex challenges gives me the insight to coach individuals through the complexities of their careers & lives. I support professionals as they overcome career roadblocks, rediscover their purpose, and strategically position themselves for success, just as I did with my soldiers.

Transportation Supervisor

Movements Supervisor

Small Group Leader

Leader | ✔️Goal Getter | 📦 Thinking outside the Box to achieve MORE | Passionate about helping other's realize their potential!

Let’s be honest, most people didn’t build careers or companies.
They built survival systems.

We chase titles, scale businesses, and check all the boxes.
Until one day, the system we built starts breaking us.

I know because I’ve lived both.
Military. Corporate. Executive Leadership. Now consulting.

On paper? Success.
In reality? Misalignment. Burnout. The quiet question: “Is this it?”

Today, I run LEAD-N-LIFE, a clarity and operations consultancy helping:
🔹 High-achieving professionals pivot into aligned, purposeful careers
🔹 Small business owners streamline operations, build systems, and prepare for scale or sale

What I’ve learned (and now coach + consult):
✔ Burnout isn’t a weakness, it’s a misalignment
✔ Hustle in the wrong direction burns faster than doing nothing
✔ You can’t scale a company or career until you’re aligned with it
✔ Clarity is built, not found

🧭 My two core offers:
• Profession to Purpose Cohort – A bold group coaching program to rewrite your career with confidence
• Fractional Ops Consulting – SOPs, leadership systems, and exit-prep for small business owners buried in their own growth.

If you’re navigating misalignment, whether it’s in your career, company, or identity—this is the work I do every day.

No fluff. No famed performance. 
Just clarity, systems, and perspective.

Reach out if you're ready to get unstuck (personally or professionally).

– John
www.professiontopurpose.com
www.lead-n-life.com

John Martinez

What’s the real goal in life for men?                                                                                             

Start a million-dollar company?

Rise to greatness?

Become a star athlete?

Devote yourself to something bigger?

Those things are good…

But they’re not it.
______________________________

No one told us growing up that one of the greatest victories a man will ever experience is this:

 💯Marrying the person who will go to war with you. 💯 

Because what are all the wins worth, if you can’t share them with someone
who truly sees you?

Not the version you present to the world…

but YOU!
______________________________

When my wife read her vows, she said a line I’ll never forget:

“I saw the demons you were fighting, and I will continue to be by your side as you battle them.”

Damn…

I felt that in my soul.

It brought tears to my eyes right there at the altar.
______________________________

No matter what God has planned for the rest of my life.

I know He’s already given me one of the greatest blessings He could:

💖 My lifeline.

💖 My partner.

💖 My “ride or die.”

The woman He chose to walk with me as I step into HIS purpose.
______________________________

11/11/2025: I reached a milestone goal in my life.

I married my Love Buttons. 🤍(Yes, that's my nickname for her 🤣) 

To the men reading this:

Chase your dreams.

Build big things.

Lead boldly.

Pursue purpose with everything in you.

But don’t forget...

one of the strongest moves you’ll ever make

is choosing a partner who sees your storms…

and still chooses you through them.
______________________________

💬 To the married men, engaged men, and dating ones, share your wisdom: what’s one thing relationships/marriage has taught you about yourself?

#MensLeadership #Marriage #MenOfFaith #LifeMilestones

Leadership. Faith. Alignment. | Guiding Men to Rebuild What Success Can’t Fix

GOD woke me up today...

That's it...

Another day to spend time with family...
Another day to appreciate what I have...
Another day to fulfill his WILL...

May GOD bless you and your family. 

Happy Thanksgiving, LinkedIn Family....

I feel called...
not ready,
not perfect,
but called...

To help #men realign with what success can’t fix.
______________________________

Here’s a truth most men won’t admit out loud:

We’re terrified of losing the peace we worked so damn hard to find.

And why wouldn’t we be?

For many of us, that peace came after years of grinding, hurting, failing, rebuilding, praying, breaking down, and getting back up.

This weekend, I celebrated with my in-laws.
✅ Laughter.
✅ Family.
✅ Good food.
✅ Beautiful moments.

But inside…
I still battle the demons.

The silent ones:

“What if next year I’m not able to do this…”
“What if I’m not here…”
“What if I can’t be present…”

Men don’t talk about these thoughts, but we all have them.

And today, as I write this, I’m sitting with that fear.
______________________________

I have an event coming up this week, one that requires me to step outside my comfort zone…

To show up at a higher level…
To deliver.

And here’s what I’m realizing:

All men are scared.
______________________________

Some fear is loud.

Some fear is quiet.

Some is manageable.

Some is paralyzing.
______________________________

But every man carries something:

“Letting my family down.”

“Not being disciplined enough.”

“Not providing.”

“Making the wrong move.”

“Dying before my purpose is fulfilled.”
______________________________

But here’s what GOD has been whispering to me lately:

Your peace doesn’t mean you won’t feel fear.

It means your faith in Me is stronger than the fear in you.
______________________________

Presence doesn’t pull you out of the fire.
Presence keeps you steady inside it.

Because the fire isn’t there to destroy you.
It’s there to refine you.
______________________________

“For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” – Psalm 66:10

Today, I’ll ask you the same question I asked myself as I sat and wrote this:

Where is Jesus holding you in the fire?

Not to harm you, but to refine you?

💬 What is your peace right now, and how are you protecting it?

#FaithDrivenMen #RefinedByFire #LeadershipThroughFaith

P.S. My wife wouldn't keep her eyes open in every picture we took 🤣

Men, here’s a framework I wish someone had taught me 10 years ago.

A framework for the driven. The ambitious.

The men who carry more than they say out loud.

Because...

Most of us were trained to believe our value comes from our performance.

👉🏽 What can you provide?
👉🏽 How hard do you work?
👉🏽 How much can you carry?
👉🏽 Somebody else is grinding harder? Then push more.

Until one day… something hits you.

Something small, but deeply real.

I caught myself missing out...

Not because I didn’t care, but because I was performing instead of being present.

And I’m not alone.

A man I coached said this:

“I work 90+ hours during my on-call week. I try to make up for it the next weekend, but the exhaustion is deep. I don’t want to live like this anymore.”

Men, listen to me carefully:

You are already loved.

By God.
By your family.
By the people who see the man behind the pressure.

Your job is not to perform your way into worth.
Your job is to discern your way back into alignment.

And that’s why I built this:

The 5-Minute Discernment Model (For Faith-Driven Men)

A simple tool to help you slow down, listen, and respond from PEACE, not pressure.

1️⃣ Calm Your Body (Presence)
Hand over your chest.
3–3–5 breathing. (3-second inhale, hold 3 seconds, 5-second exhale)
Prayer: “Lord, steady my spirit.”
This shifts you to the present moment. 

2️⃣ Name the Situation (Awareness)
“If I don’t do X, what do I fear will happen?”
Dump every thought for 30 seconds.
Most men discover their fear is driving the wheel.

3️⃣ Test the Motive (Peace vs Pressure)
Your body tells the truth before your mind.
Ask yourself: Is this urgency from God, or from fear?
Do I feel calm and relaxed or tense and pressured? 

4️⃣ Test the Alignment
Does this action:
 ✔ support your calling?
 ✔ steward what God gave you?
 ✔ strengthen or strain your foundation (faith, family, health)?

5️⃣ Check for Confirmation
Does the thought bring peace or chaos?
Has God already given you signs?
Does Scripture support this move?

6️⃣ Interpret + Act
If it’s peace → move in faith.
If it’s pressure → pause.
If it’s both → move slowly, test lightly.

I used this framework multiple times this week, when fear tried to pull me away from the moments that matter.

And every time I paused to discern.

For me, it was moments like these:

✅ My daughter called me as I was working to show me her "silly win” at Target - finding the biggest Twizzler's. 
(I could have kept working, but rather stepped away to hear the story) 

✅ Pausing to call my son and grandson, just to say hi. 
(I could have kept working...) 

✅ My wife was singing in the kitchen while I was working…I sat with this moment for a bit and then got up and went to share this moment with her.

Men; use this tool.

It will show you where God wants your focus…
not where society tells you your worth should come from.

💬 What area of your life needs more discernment than pressure?
#FaithDrivenMen #LeadershipForMen #MasculineClarity

30,000 Corporate Amazon employees are being laid off.                                                                                                                                                                    

But for many, the hardest part isn’t the job loss, it’s the emotional fallout that comes after.

😮 Shock. 
😡 Anger. 
😑 Guilt. 
😵‍💫 Confusion. 
🤔 Reflection. 
😀 Hope.

These are the 6 emotional reactions to a layoff, and each one tells you where you are in the journey of rediscovering clarity and purpose.

I’ve coached clients + experienced them all myself.

and every time, it’s not the end of the story… 

It’s the beginning of their next chapter.

Swipe through this carousel for a guide on how to navigate each stage with purpose.

💬 Which stage have you experienced in your journey? 

#CareerTransition #LeadershipDevelopment #FaithDrivenLeadership

Clarity Coach for High-Achievers & Leaders in Transition

The 6 emotional reactions to job loss...and what to do.

Sometimes peace is forged in the storms we didn’t ask for...                                                                                                                                  

As Men, we’re used to pressure:

👉🏽 Carrying it 
👉🏽 Absorbing it
👉🏽 and somehow still finding a way to make things happen.

Honestly?

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

✅ I love being ambitious.
✅ Driven.
✅ Purposeful.
✅ Relentless when I need to be.
______________________________

But most men never admit:

We spend so much time handling the storms around us that we never deal with the storms inside us.

👉🏽 The pressure to perform.
👉🏽 The pressure to provide.
👉🏽 The pressure to control everything we can’t actually control.

And if you don’t learn to quiet that storm, it will eventually quiet you.
______________________________

Here are 3 simple practices to help you reconnect with peace, and yourself:

1️⃣ Walk for 30 minutes. 
Alone. No music. No agenda. No “optimizing” the walk.
Just you and your thoughts.
Let them rise. Let them pass. Let them settle.

💯 Men forget how powerful silence can be.

2️⃣ Journal the truth, not the polished version.
This isn’t your spouse’s soft, reflective journal entry.
Write with honesty and grit.
Start with this question: 
“What control do I really have?”

💯 You’ll notice how much peace comes from surrender, not strategy.

3️⃣ Reconnect with the boy you used to be.
Build Legos.
Pick up Hot Wheels.
Sketch.
Play.
Do something with no goal, no productivity, no performance metric.

💯 We Men tend to forget how to just be...

It is not about the absence of storms but rather learning how to hear GOD’s voice through them.

💬 Which of these three practices will you try out? 

 #MentalClarity #LeadershipDevelopment #FaithDrivenMen

Losing a job can shake you...

You start questioning your worth, your plan, even GOD’s plan.

But what if your layoff isn’t rejection, it’s redirection?

We rush to rebuild what God is trying to replace.

We look for another title, another version of the same comfort.

But sometimes, He closes one door so you’ll finally notice the next one opening.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us: 
“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”

This isn’t the end of your story.

It’s the transition that leads to purpose.

#FaithAndWork #Purpose #CareerTransitions

Brad Smith highlights a truth I am well aware of. 

Leaders need guidance, training, and overall support. 

You can't expect success from someone who hasn't "done" the job. 

There is a difference between "theory" and real life. 

Brad is bringing that support and training for leaders and bridging that gap. 

This is something I have to support and get behind. 

#manufacturingleadership #leadershipdevelopment

Leadership, Health, and Life as a father of 3 | Engineering my life and helping others do the same in Leadership and Health. Fatherhood... send help!

“60% of new Managers fail.” Common stat ... but WHY?


From the CEB Global study:
6 out of 10 new Managers don’t make it past their first two years.

Add in data from Interact Harris:
39% don’t provide constructive feedback
51% don’t communicate with their team
52% “no time” to meet employees  
57% don’t give clear directions  
63% don’t recognize team member wins  

Woah! Starting to make more sense.

Now going deeper, WHY are these critical tasks often missed?

Stat time again: 
Because 43% of Managers with less than 1 year of experience report receiving... 𝗡𝗢 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.
None. Zero.

We would never hand a rookie a game-winning penalty kick with no practice.  
Yet we give keys, a title, and a team, and expect a new leader to handle manage performance, people, safety, quality, emotion, change...

Just stats?
Not from my experience. I’ve been the victim, the guilty party, and the witness.

When I ask “Why no training?” I receive the same answers. Those that match my observations in leading teams in manufacturing for 10+ years and conducting leadership training:
1. No time/resources  
2. Past training didn’t stick  
3. Not a priority at the top  

This is not a talent problem.
It’s a system problem.

And I want to fix it.
I want to help more leaders and the businesses in which they lead.

Here’s what I’m doing about it.

I’m launching the 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆:
--> A practical, cohort-based program for Frontline Leaders - Supervisors, Leads, and emerging Leaders and Managers
--> Right here in 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮.

Real plants. Real teams. Real tools leaders can use that day:
- Clear expectations in writing
- Communication and feedback they’ll actually use
- Coaching and tough conversations
- Accountability without burning people out
- Support and community instead of sink-or-swim

If You are a local organization - or Leader - in Mercer County or the surrounding area and You want stronger support for Your Frontline Leaders, send me a message or comment “PLAYBOOK” and I’ll send flyer & more details.

Let’s stop hoping they figure it out.  
Let's build 𝗨𝗻𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀

_________
Pic of our Grand Lake during a run over the summer. Love the look when the lake is calm.

Most men don’t slow down until life forces them to.

We call it burnout, but what if that’s not the real problem?

In this live session, I’ll unpack the difference between being burned out (doing too much, needing rest and recovery) and being burnt-out (no amount of rest can help because you’re no longer aligned with what you’re doing).

As men, we’re taught to push harder when things get heavy. 

But what if the real test isn’t endurance, it’s discernment?

In this conversation, I’ll explore:
✅ The key difference between burnout and misalignment (burnt-out)

✅ Why men mistake exhaustion for purpose loss

✅ How to recognize when it’s time to rest vs. when it’s time to realign

✅ Practical steps to reset your clarity without losing your drive

I’ll also share a few personal insights from my own journey,  the moment I realized my “hustle” had become a form of hiding, and how peace was only found once I began aligning my work back to my faith and calling.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, drained, or unsure what’s next, this session is for you.

Because sometimes, rest isn’t what you need.

Realignment is.

💬 Join me live, and let’s talk about how faith, purpose, and peace intersect in the storms we didn’t ask for, but are called to grow through.

#FaithDrivenLeadership #MenOfFaith #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerClarity #PurposeWork

Ernest Sexton, DML, Jared McClinton and 5 other attendees

Burnout vs. Burnt-Out: Why Rest Isn’t Always the Answer

Today I didn’t feel like stepping into the gym.
I tried to think of every excuse not to.

😴 “I deserve a break.”
🤔 “It won’t hurt to take a day off.”
😕 “Just relax today.”

Meanwhile my mind was everywhere:
🈺 Business.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family.
💰 Money.
🙏🏽 Purpose.
💎 Pressure.

And honestly?

It felt easier to avoid all of it.
______________________________

But...

There’s a difference between resting and running away.

I wasn’t tired.

I wasn’t sore.

I wasn’t preventing injury.

I was just trying to avoid myself.

Trying to escape the noise in my own head.
______________________________

Men are taught to “push through everything.”

And yes, we do have a responsibility to lead, to provide, to protect, to walk in the purpose GOD called us to.

But strength isn’t just pushing harder.

Strength is learning to discern:

👉 When God is pushing you to grow

 vs.

 👉 When God is telling you to slow down
______________________________

Today, He wasn’t telling me to slow down.

He was teaching me something else:

That I’m strong, but I’m also fragile.

And I still have a lot to learn.

✅ So I went into my garage...

Not because I felt like it, but because I refused to run from myself at that moment.

If you’re reading this, I hope it inspires you to pause before your next task, challenge, or obstacle and ask:

“What is God trying to teach me here?”

Sometimes the struggle isn’t a sign to stop or even slow down; but rather, It’s a sign to pay closer attention to what's really going on.

#FaithDrivenMen #LeadershipDevelopment #MentalStrength

GOD never asked you to carry your whole life by yourself.

But somewhere along the way…

you started believing you had to.

And that belief is costing a lot of men their peace.

THE WEIGHT WE CARRY MINI-SERIES: Issue #1: The Pressure You Put On Yourself

If you’ve been carrying more than GOD asked you to…

You’re going to want to read this.

#mensexpectations #mensmentalhealth #menspurpose

THE WEIGHT WE CARRY: A Mini-Series for Faith-Driven Men (Issue 1 of 4: Field Notes on Faith, Pressure & Purpose) You ever notice how nobody has to tel

Open article: The Pressure You Put On Yourself by John Martinez • 3 min read

I thought I was doing everything right.

✅ Praying.
✅ Journaling.
✅ Exercising.
✅ Trusting God.

Then I found myself on the floor of my bedroom having a panic attack.

Today’s newsletter is the most honest thing I’ve written in a while.

👉 The Noise That Kills Clarity

For the faith-driven man who’s been wrestling with silent pressure.

Full article below. 👇

THE WEIGHT WE CARRY - MINI-SERIES Issue 2 of 4: Field Notes on Faith, Pressure & Purpose There’s a kind of noise men carry that no one else sees. Not 

Open article: The Noise That Kills Clarity by John Martinez • 4 min read

Men… your body knows the truth before your mind does.

Yesterday morning, I woke up already feeling pressure.

Nothing was wrong, but my chest felt tight, my thoughts were racing, and I kept telling myself:

“You're behind, you need to do more, do it now.”
______________________________

That’s not peace.

That’s pressure pretending to be "responsibility".

So instead of forcing a decision, I strapped on my rucksack and went for a walk.

I needed to slow my mind down long enough to ask this question:

“What is driving this decision: peace or pressure?”
______________________________

Here’s how you know the difference:

Pressure feels like:
❌ Tight chest
❌ Shallow-quick breathing
❌ Racing thoughts
❌ “If I don’t fix this right now, something will fall apart.”
❌ Fear of disappointing someone or yourself

That’s pressure.
That’s "performance mode".
That’s how men burn out silently.
______________________________

Peace feels like:
✅ Clarity without the urgency
✅ Stillness in your spirit, in your heart.
✅ Calm enough to think
✅ Aligned just enough to hear God at that moment.
✅ No frantic rushing or quick rash decision-making

And for faith-driven men, this part is crucial:

✅ Peace is usually the voice of God.
❌ Pressure is usually the voice of fear.
______________________________

Before you make your next BIG move, pause and ask:

“Is this coming from HIS voice… or my fear?”

💬 Men, when was the last time you felt the difference?

#FaithDrivenMen #Leadership #MasculinePeace

Faith doesn’t replace effort.
It refines it. 💪🏽                                                                                                                                                                                                      

I had this reflection today:
I trust God…

But sometimes, I’ve used faith as an excuse to wait, when God was actually calling me to work.

I’ve gone through several transitions in my entrepreneurial journey.

I’m still going through one right now.

Some seasons, I had to step back and reflect, then the answer came.
Other times, I had to move first,  and the answer met me in motion.

There’s a tension most faith-driven men feel:

We say, “GOD’s got me,” but deep down, we’re afraid to move until every sign lines up.

Because the risks are high for us.

I’ve been there.

Praying for clarity and waiting for peace.

But peace doesn’t always come before obedience.

Sometimes faith is what you bring while you build, not what you wait for before you begin.

Having faith isn’t always stillness.

Sometimes it’s movement, showing up in motion, despite not knowing how it’ll all work out.

(I’m living that truth today.)

Faith gives you direction.

Work gives that faith a pulse.

As James wrote:
“Faith without works is dead.” — James 2:17

God doesn’t bless idle belief. He blesses obedient action.

If you’ve been praying for a breakthrough but haven’t taken the first step,  maybe the work is the answer to your prayer.

💬 What’s one area in your life right now where you need to show up in faith and put in the work?
#FaithDrivenLeadership #MenOfFaith #PurposeWork

Most men aren’t afraid of failure anymore.
They’re afraid of losing the peace they finally found.

I spoke with a man in a leadership role last week.

He wasn’t talking about money, promotions, or titles.

He said, “I’m scared of being consumed by work again, of losing the peace I’ve worked so hard to regain.”

And I felt that.

Because I’ve been there, and still fight those battles from time to time.

This morning was a small reminder.

I was batching content, writing, filming, and planning.

Then an opportunity came up:

Take a walk with my wife and dog… or keep working?

I asked myself:

“Am I responding to my day from alignment, or am I acting for performance?”

👉🏽 I went on the walk.

When you start rebuilding your peace after years of pressure, you protect it like it’s oxygen.

But the world will keep whispering;

“Just one more project. One more late night. One more win.”

That’s how #men drift right back into the exhaustion they swore they’d never repeat.

Peace isn’t something you find once and keep forever.

It’s something you must steward daily, through boundaries, reflection, and obedience to what God already told you.

The truth?

God doesn’t call you to grind harder.

He calls you to guard what HE’s given you.

“The peace of GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:7

Your job is to protect that peace, not perform your way out of it.

If you’ve felt that tension between faith and performance, you’re not alone.

The same drive that built your success can destroy your peace if it’s not aligned with your calling.

💬 What’s one way you protect your peace while still showing up as a leader?

#FaithDrivenMen #PurposeWork #LeadershipDevelopment 

P.S. Take more walks with your spouse; it will help you connect deeper. 
(Our walk Friday at the San Antonio Riverwalk, had to get a Milo's Tea👍🏽)

Most men don’t stop long enough to notice the moments God is trying to show them something.

In the first issue of The Unstuck Dispatch:

I shared a story about my dog rolling in a muddy patch of grass…
Not because it was deep.
Not because it was logical.

But because it reminded me that most men can’t remember the last time they loved a moment enough to just roll in it.

We’re so focused on the next step, the next goal, the next obligation…
that we miss the simple miracles right under our feet.

That article struck a nerve.

Men messaged me saying:
“I needed that reminder.”
“I forgot how to slow down.”

But next week… we’re going deeper.

Because sometimes the problem isn’t that a man doesn’t see joy.

It’s that he can’t hear anything at all.

Tuesday (11/25) @ 8:00 am: 
I’m releasing Issue #2 of my new mini-series inside The Unstuck Dispatch:

The Weight We Carry - Field Notes on Faith, Pressure & Purpose

The topic?

 👉🏽The Noise That Kills Clarity.

The mental static.
The pressure.
The expectations.
The spiritual chaos that builds until your mind goes quiet… in the worst way.

This one is raw, honest, and vulnerable (for me)

It’s the reality most men hide behind discipline and strength.

If you’re a faith-driven man who has felt the weight lately…

you’ll want to read this.

Drops Tuesday, 11/25 at 8 AM CT.

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When life gets loud, what do you struggle with most?

Most men don’t need “work-life balance.”

They need alignment, with GOD, with their values, with their calling.

❌ Balance divides your life.
✅ Alignment integrates it.

Today’s new issue of The Unstuck Dispatch dives into the lie we’ve all been sold:

👉🏽 The Lie of Balance: Why faith-driven men don’t need balance, they need to surrender.

Read the full issue below. 👇🏽

#worklifebalance #mensmentalhealth #mensclarity

THE WEIGHT WE CARRY - MINI-SERIES Issue 3 of 4: Field Notes on Faith, Pressure & Purpose Most men are exhausted for one simple reason: We’re trying to

Open article: The Lie of Balance by John Martinez • 3 min read

Discipline didn’t fix my life; awareness did.

For a long time, I thought more structure was the answer.

Wake up earlier. 
Grind harder. 
Push through.

But discipline without direction only creates exhaustion.

I was doing everything “right,” yet moving further from peace.

The truth is, discipline keeps you busy,

but awareness keeps you moving towards alignment.

When you slow down long enough to notice what GOD is revealing,

Clarity starts to show up.

If this hit you, pause today before you push.

That moment of awareness might change everything.

#buildingclarity #pauseandreflect #awarenessnothustle

Most of the pressure you feel isn’t coming from your job, your family, or your responsibilities.

It’s coming from you...

From the expectations you’ve been carrying alone…

in silence…for years.

Tomorrow...

I’m dropping Issue #1 of a new mini-series inside The Unstuck Dispatch:

👉 The Weight We Carry: Field Notes on Faith, Pressure & Purpose
 Issue #1: The Pressure You Put On Yourself

If you’re a faith-driven man who’s tired of performing your way into peace…

This one is going to hit home.

Drops tomorrow at 8 AM CT.

Stay tuned.

The world tells Men how to succeed.
God tells Men how to live.
And the two are not the same.

Most of the men I've spoken with are not struggling because they’re weak

They’re struggling because they’re exhausted from chasing a definition of success that was never theirs to carry.

We were taught to measure "Manhood" by:
✔ How much money you make.
 ✔ How hard you can grind.
 ✔ How much pressure you can absorb.
 ✔ How many people you can provide for.
 ✔ How many wins you can stack.

But you can hit every one of those target's and still feel completely disconnected from the man God is shaping you into.

That’s the noise that kills clarity.

One man stated to me:

“I’m scared of being consumed by work again. I just got my peace back.”

Another said:

“I’m exhausted, but I don’t know how to slow down without losing everything.”

Another told me:

“I feel guilty when I rest, even when I know I need it.”

These men aren’t lost, they’re simply following the wrong map.

The World’s map:
👉🏽 Go faster.
👉🏽 Do more.
👉🏽 Build bigger.
👉🏽 Stay busy.
👉🏽 Don’t feel.
👉🏽 Don’t stop.

GOD’s map:
✅ Be still.
✅ Seek Me.
✅ Walk in alignment, not anxiety.
✅ Lead with peace, not pressure.
✅ “Be still, and know that I am God.” - Psalm 46:10

The world’s version of success nearly took me out too.

It almost cost me my faith, my clarity, and my peace.

I continue to learn that for God, performance does NOT equal worth.

And the moment I did, everything began shifting.

Men; if success is costing you peace, presence, or purpose…

it’s too expensive.

💬 What’s one “success rule” you were taught that you’re now choosing to unlearn?

#FaithDrivenMen #PurposeWork #MenOfFaith #SpiritualClarity

Vaughan Broderick

Wiley

Co-Author, Innovation in Action

Helping organisations become future-ready & thrive in constant disruption through field-tested human-centred innovation methods

- Customer insights
- Customer experience design
- Growth strategy
- Service design
- Lean innovation methods
- Workshop design and facilitation
– Human-centred design capability programmes

🔥 Highlighted Testimonials:

"The experience was so positive and impactful for us that we have asked Vaughan back on numerous occasions to assist us with designing services.  His expertise in design thinking coupled with an engaging personal style makes him a valued member of the team that is transforming our organisation." 
- Nick Scott, General Manager, Service Delivery, Brackenridge

"Vaughan facilitated our value proposition workshop as we were at a loss as to how to get started. Vaughan skilfully challenged our thinking through a range of activities and questioning, and we left the workshops feeling a sense of clarity, newfound enthusiasm and collective understanding. We would not hesitate to use Vaughan again in the future.” 
- Sara Luckman, Strategy Manager, NZ Young Farmers

"The group greatly appreciated the interactive nature of the program combined with the opportunity to think and reflect on how the practices and skills developed would benefit the public sector and challenges with which they are grappling. Thanks Vaughan, hopefully we can repeat this next year." 
- Dr. Chris Vas, General Manager Food Innovation Precinct, Western Australia

Founder - Innovation Lab

University of Canterbury

Lecturer - Innovation by Design - July 2023 - Present

- Teaching human-centred design to business masters students.

Guest Coach - Executive MBA March 2023 - Present

- Coaching MBA innovation students

Mentor - Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Mar 2021- Present

- Mentoring student founders to utilise design thinking and lean innovation methods

Impact Lead - Centre for Entrepreneurship - July 2023 - Present

Innovation Lecturer - Executive MBA Coach - Startup Coach

Festival for the Future

Guest innovation workshop facilitator at Aotearoa’s biggest leadership and innovation summit.

Guest Workshop Facilitator

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

Authoring training content on Business Models, Value Propositions, Pitching & Storytelling, Strategy and Creative Problem-solving using a design thinking approach

Author - Strategy and Creative Problem-solving

Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury

Helping public sector organisations use design thinking to collaborate, innovate and create more insight driven, human-centric organisations.

+ Design thinking projects
+ Workshop facilitation
+ Design research
+ Prototyping and testing

Design Thinking Coach

Brackenridge Services Ltd

Helping to reimagine, redesign and implement service and system change to meet regulatory requirements, exceed client and stakeholder experiences and outcomes. So far, we have redesigned the assessment and transition process for individual service offerings that have resulted in reduced lead time, improved quality, reduced risk and increased customer experience and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:
Co-designing service and innovation
Stakeholder engagement and communication
Amplifying the voice of the customer
Change leadership and embedding new ways of working

Change and Innovation Project Manager

Consulting in the social services sector as part of my MBA (and post-graduation), I am leading the digital transformation of Life Storybooks for young people in care. This project requires multi-stakeholder management, the development and maintenance of key relationships across all levels, meeting and surpassing key project deliverables and the development of effective change leadership implementation strategies.

The project necessitated the effective use of design thinking, lean and change leadership methodologies to manage various stages of the project and included the establishment of the additional project supporting elements such as foundation and design principles, organisational structures and development specifications.

Innovation Project Manager

Sabbatical

Taking a year off to travel with my family provided a great opportunity for many amazing experiences together. The most valuable part was how we developed personally and as a family when confronted with challenges and obstacles that required adaptability, problem-solving, teamwork and coping skills.

World Traveler

Broderick Consulting Ltd

Broderick Consulting was in the business of helping clients achieve their financial goals. I founded and grew a successful business serving hundreds of clients throughout New Zealand until a successful sale was executed.

Founder and Adviser 

Innovation coach helping you & your organisation thrive in disruption | Teaching proven practical methods to help people innovate | UC MBA | Follow for posts about startups, innovation & leadership

Innovation shouldn’t feel like pressure without progress.

Yet many leaders I work with are stuck in exactly that space.

They’re expected to move fast—but don’t have time to think.
They’re leading innovation—but unclear whether they’re solving the right problem.
They’ve run strategy sessions and pilots—but can’t make the change stick.

I help leaders and teams slow down where it matters—so they can move faster where it counts.

My work focuses on four key challenges:

Understanding the real problem behind the problem (no more jumping to solutions)
Designing smarter decisions in complexity (move forward with clarity, not chaos)
Aligning teams and stakeholders (so change feels shared, not forced)
Implementing innovation that sticks (not stalls)

I blend psychology, human-centred design, and practical strategy to help people turn insight into action - especially when the stakes are high and the path isn’t obvious.

As an innovation coach, advisor and educator, I’ve supported 225+ teams across business, government, and education to design smarter decisions and lead real change.

I’m known as The Slow Strategist - not because I move slowly, but because I help leaders pause where it matters most. Before assumptions harden. Before decisions get baked in. Before “solution mode” derails the real work.

I’m the co-author of Innovation in Action: Unlock Curiosity, Creativity and Clarity with the DUCTRI Method, and I write a weekly newsletter read by 10,000+ professionals who want to lead with confidence - not chaos.

Earlier in my career, I founded and scaled a financial services business to 2,000+ clients and $500M in assets. Burnout led to a complete reinvention: I sold the company, travelled through 23 countries with my family, completed an Exec MBA, and retrained in human-centred innovation.

That reset equipped me with the real skills leaders need to thrive in a VUCA world: slowing down to think clearly, making human-centred decisions in ambiguity, and turning insight into action.

If you’re:
	•	Leading innovation on a complex challenge
	•	Building something new from scratch
	•	Or stuck trying to make change stick

…here’s how I can help:

1. Read by 10,000+ smart professionals each week
-> https://vaughanbroderick.com/newsletter/

2. Join 275+ smart innovators on the Innovation in Action book waitlist:
-> https://vaughanbroderick.com/the-ductri-playbook/

3. Workshops | Consulting | Speaking | Innovation Training
-> Let’s have a conversation: DM me

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John Martinez

Vaughan Broderick 🦆🌳

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John Martinez

Vaughan Broderick 🦆🌳

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}John Martinez's LinkedIn Performance

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