Exited founder turned CEO-coach | Helping founders discover who they are as leaders and build high-performance, low-drama companies

Over 15 years I founded and served as CEO to three VC backed companies (one big exit and two learning experiences), all while presenting only the most polished, hyper-competent version of myself and my company, at all times. And then, in 2020 I left it all behind.When I signed the papers, officially removing myself as CEO of the company I’d started a decade prior, it felt like I’d been punched in the gut.Without my persona as the “CEO of VNN,” I realized that I had no idea who I was anymore, or what to do with my life.It was the opportunity of a lifetime.I spent the next 2 years searching, meditating, hanging out with monks, diving into psychedelics, and trying on new identities that never felt right.I was stuck.And then, I finally opened up.I started being honest about my struggles, despite the voice in my head telling me to play a role. I let go of my compulsion to be “Ryan the CEO,” or “Ryan the entrepreneur,” or even “Ryan the guy who’s raised a ton of money and scaled a media company.”I was just, Ryan.And the most surprising things happened.1. The more I opened up, the more everyone else did around me. My network grew and developed into one of deep relationships spanning life and business.2. The more I let go, the more the universe seemed to place exactly what I needed on my doorstep. Things began to happen organically, in ways much better than I could have planned.3. The quieter my mind got, the more I was able to access an innate wellspring of creativity and inspiration that, frankly, made work feel easy and joyful.Me, the guy who’d worked so hard his whole life to be perfect, when I learned to let go and be me, great, meaningful work flowed out of me.And from that foundation, I started Inside-Out Leadership, a boutique executive coaching firm that helps founders transform their companies into their masterpieces and step fully into their lives.Today, in my work as a coach I see the tendency to present that veneer of polished competence in nearly every founder I meet. And while I recognize the need for presentation in some cases (fundraising, recruiting), I also see how that need to look good actually gets in the way of our learning and growth.If you're tired of doing your own impression of the "perfect leader," you're not alone.Shoot me a DM. There's another way. And it's fucking incredible.

Ryan H. Vaughn

Early in my career, I was hesitant to be direct with people. I didn’t want to come across as aggressive. I didn’t want to hurt feelings. I didn’t want to be “that guy.”

So I softened feedback.
I talked around the point.
I hoped people would infer what I meant without me having to actually say it.

It sounded thoughtful.
It felt kind.
And it created more confusion than clarity.

For a long time, I told myself this was generosity. What I eventually saw was that it was mostly fear.

Indirect communication often gets framed as “niceness.” But more often, it’s a way of trying to preserve connection without risking discomfort.

And that’s the paradox.

The key to influence isn’t niceness. It also isn't directness. It’s connection.

Directness only works when it happens inside connection.

Leaders tend to go indirect in the moments that matter most:

Difficult feedback
Missed expectations
Tension that’s been quietly building

In those moments, indirectness becomes a crutch - a way to avoid the risk of saying something true and potentially disrupting the relationship.

But people feel it anyway.

They notice the mismatch between words and tone.
Between praise and body language.
Between what’s said publicly and what’s felt privately.

Standards get fuzzy.
Expectations get unclear.
And psychological safety starts to erode.

Because no one actually knows where they stand.

Or, equally problematic, leaders are overpowering in their directness. Crossing the line into asshole territory, and leaving no room for the other person in the interaction.

This is equally problematic, as it equally erodes connection.

Real influence happens when you can stay in connection and speak truth into that connection.

That requires self-trust.

Learning to communicate directly isn’t just a communication skill.
It’s a developmental shift.

It means trusting yourself enough to stay present when things feel uncomfortable.

To say what’s true without withdrawing or armoring up.
To risk momentary tension in service of long-term trust.

As that fear loosens, you learn to stay in connection with another human within more and more intense conversations. Then, something interesting happens.

Directness stops feeling harsh. It becomes clean. Simple. Human.

If experimenting with directness feels uncomfortable, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

It takes practice. The key is in monitoring how connected you are with the other person, while you speak your truth.

That’s where influence lives.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

Exited founder turned CEO-coach | Helped early/mid stage startup founders raise over $500m, and create equity value over $12bn (and counting...)

No alternative text description for this image

25 years building companies taught me that creating something meaningful is different than creating something successful.

Most people think meaning comes from getting somewhere.

A clearer vision. A bigger goal. A better version of themselves.

That belief creates tension.

Like a rubber band stretched tight between who you are today and who you think you’re supposed to become.

We praise that tension. We call it ambition.

And to be fair, it works.

It gets people out of bed. It builds companies. It produces results.

It also quietly guarantees dissatisfaction.

Because the moment you reach one version of the dream, it stops mattering.

It’s immediately replaced by the next one.

Not because you failed. But because the dream was never designed to end.

So the bargain most achievers make, usually without realizing it, looks like this:

Progress, momentum, recognition in exchange for contentment.

And we normalize this trade so completely that questioning it feels irresponsible.
Lazy, even.

Here’s what I've learned, working with dozens of founders in transition:

There are 2 fundamentally different ways to act.

1. Functional action

Doing things to get somewhere.
Action in service of an outcome.
Most work lives here.

2. Expressive action

Action taken not to become someone, but to faithfully respond to what’s true right now.

Not “What will this lead to?”
But “What feels honest in this moment?”

Expressive action doesn’t optimize for success.

It doesn’t guarantee status or promise outcomes.

It’s closer to art than strategy.

That scared me.

I worried that if I stopped chasing, I’d fall behind.

That everyone else would keep running while I stood still.

What I found instead was this:

When action comes from expression rather than ambition, there’s more energy, not less.

More precision. More aliveness.

You still work hard. But the work stops feeling like a toll paid on the way to a future life.

It is the life.

This is how you create something meaningful.

Not by aiming at meaning.

But by taking the action that feels most honest in this moment, without negotiating with outcomes.

Meaning is a byproduct of expressive action, never the goal.

This doesn’t mean ambition is wrong. Or that goals are bad.

It means if the only reason you’re moving is to escape the present moment, no amount of achievement will ever feel like arrival.

Meaning doesn’t come from becoming someone else.

It comes from doing what you’re doing as if it were art for its own sake, without needing it to justify your worth.

If this lands uncomfortably, nothing has gone wrong.

You may just be noticing that the ladder you’re climbing was never actually yours.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

Once upon a time, I won $500k from a five-minute business pitch, but I still think the business pitch, as currently constructed, is leading investors to fund the wrong entrepreneurs...

I have a friend. Immigrated from a war zone in Haiti with his family. Served in the military with distinction. After becoming a civilian, he founded multiple businesses, including a few aimed at helping vets. I have some high-capacity friends, but this particular friend is a force of nature.

I got to witness him pitch to a couple of angels & seed investors a while back. 

He told his story, explained what he was raising money for, but even as he was pitching, I found myself getting confused. The pitch didn’t follow the format I’m used to, and as a result, it wasn't as clear as it could have been. I noticed this, so I wasn’t surprised when the investors told him he was too early. 

These investors, who will tell you until they’re blue in the face that at the seed stage they bet on the jockey and not the horse, unceremoniously turned down a force of nature because his pitch didn’t match the pattern they’re looking for. 

And it got me wondering: is the investor pitch really the best way to make an investment decision at the seed stage? 

If it really is about the jockey, and not the horse, shouldn’t our attention be on learning about the jockey?

Now I get it. A good presentation at the seed stage is indicative of someone who will be able to give a good presentation at later stages. This is important.

But this is also a learned skill. 

There is a “right way” to present your business, which I or any other experienced fundraiser could teach a young entrepreneur in an afternoon. It’s glorified paint-by-numbers.

At the seed stage, having a great pitch is compelling. But however compelling it sounds, the business is wrong. 

It’ll change a ton of times between then and any sort of exit, so having a good pitch really only proves that you know the combination lock to get investors excited. 

Instead, we should be looking for someone who can create their own path when there is no clear way forward. 

What if, instead of focusing our diligence on the fundamentals of a business that will change umpteen times, we asked entrepreneurs to tell their stories? 
What if we tailored the process to finding the best jockeys, knowing that we can train them to pitch to later-stage investors as we go?

The best entrepreneurs, invariably, have incredible stories from their lives, school, the military, previous companies, etc. Stories of amazing resilience in which they've overcome incredible odds. Learning about how a person has navigated these environments in their past will tell us more about their ability to do those same things than asking them to make up pretty-sounding shit.

If what we’re really looking for at the seed stage is good people, shouldn’t we design our vetting process around figuring out who it is, really, that is pitching us?

I'd love to hear your thoughts below.

Somewhere along the way, many of us lose the ability to pretend.

We stop softening our words.
We stop managing the room.
We stop spending energy trying to be palatable.

What once felt automatic starts to feel exhausting. And then, quietly, it stops working.

This is not bitterness. And it is not a personality flaw.

There is actually some interesting science behind it.

I recently read an article by Ellen Scherr that explored how, as we age, the brain reorganizes itself. Neural pathways tied to constant social monitoring and emotional labor get pruned. Energy becomes more precious. And the brain becomes less invested in managing how we are perceived. 

In simple terms, we become less compelled to please.

The article talks about women in particular, but I see this shift in the men I work with all the time. Founders in their 40s and 50s become more direct. They people-please less. They stop contorting themselves to fit rooms they have already outgrown.

And almost without exception, life feels more intense: More alive, Less numb.

Usually, they often become more effective too, because they are no longer self-limiting just to fit in.

A lot of my clients come to me wanting to trust themselves more and show up as more thoroughly themselves, with fewer filters in their lives.

That transition matters.

When people let go of those filters, everything sharpens. And in our work, we help people get to know themselves deeply enough to trust what wants to come through.

But there's another way this happens: Age

I see it in most clients as they grow older. They care less about what they used to care about, especially socially. They become more direct. They give less fucks.

There are ways to accelerate that. Inner work is one of them. But age is a very reliable indicator. Think of your nana, farting loudly in the middle of dinner and completely ignoring it. It's that sort of thing.

Now, you may not want to go around farting everywhere.

But letting go of all the subtle ways you limit yourself to fit in is, in my experience, unquestionably a happiness and effectiveness amplifier. 

When you stop checking whether you're acceptable and adjusting yourself in real time, you stop outsourcing your authority to the room.

This is not about becoming careless or abrasive. There's a difference between authenticity and unintegrated impulse. It's about reclaiming parts of yourself that were kept hidden primarily to keep the peace.

Age will eventually take you there. Inner work can take you there sooner.

Either way, the destination is the same.

 A life that feels less managed. Less split. More honest.

If this feels familiar, nothing has gone wrong. You may just be growing into yourself.

And that is not something to fix.

-

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

For most of my life, I had a very clear idea of who I was supposed to be. Then I discovered how to really live...

First, it was a professional basketball player.

I practiced constantly. Organized my life around it. Got the tattoos. I lived inside that identity.

And then that dream ended.

When it did, I didn’t stop to ask who I was without it.
I just found something else to become.

That next phase got darker. Drugs. Alcohol.
A few years of trying very hard not to feel the question underneath all of it.

Eventually, that identity collapsed too.
I ended up in jail after my second DUI.

So I did what a lot of people do at that point.

I decided to become someone better.

This was the late 2000s. Facebook and Twitter were just getting started. Startup founders were the new heroes. That seemed like a good thing to be.

So I became one.

I founded companies. Failed a couple times. Learned. Tried again. Built and scaled a venture-backed company over a decade. Raised money. Built a big team. Chased and eventually secured an exit.

And honestly, for a long time, it worked.

Until it didn’t.

A few years before I left that company, I started noticing how much energy it took to hold everything together.

Who I thought I needed to be for investors.
Who I thought I needed to be for employees.
Who I thought I needed to be for customers.

I was constantly managing the room. Constantly performing the role.

At some point, that just became unsustainable.

When I finally stepped away, a question landed that felt bigger than any business problem I’d ever faced:

If I’m not the CEO of this company anymore... who am I?

My reflex was the same one I’d always had.

Start something new.
Build the next thing.
Reconstruct the identity.

But this time, I didn’t.

Instead, I sat in the discomfort of not knowing.
No title. No pitch. No clean story about what was coming next.

People kept asking, “So what’s next?”

And for a long time, I genuinely didn’t know.

That was uncomfortable.
And humbling.

But something interesting happened in that space.

When I stopped trying to become anything, things started emerging on their own.

I started writing again. Not strategically. Just honestly.

That writing led to conversations.
Those conversations led to coaching.
And eventually, to the work I do now.

None of it came from a master plan.
It came from listening.

Entrepreneurship taught me how to build companies.

Letting go taught me how to build a life.

I see this pattern constantly in founders.

They think the next level requires a sharper identity.
A clearer vision.
A stronger version of themselves.

Sometimes the work is the opposite.

Not becoming someone new, but undoing the person you think you have to be.

If the old story isn’t working anymore, nothing has gone wrong.

You might just be standing at the edge of something more honest.

And that’s not a problem to solve.

It’s an invitation.

Most “shitty co-founder relationships” don’t start that way. Here's how they actually go off the rails: They decay slowly.

Every time something matters to you, but you don't say it, "eh, no biggie. I'll let it go."

You’re taking on relational debt. Cruft.

Imagine communication like a pipe.
Early on, it’s clean, you can say anything.

But over years of working together:

Missed expectations
Unspoken frustration
Feedback you meant to give, but didn’t

A little gunk builds up each time you don’t speak.

Eventually, the pipe clogs.

Now you’re arguing about trivial things, when the real issue is years of unsaid truth.

Here’s what I’ve learned from being a co-founder multiple times, and from coaching hundreds of founders:

Hyper-effective companies are built on hyper-effective relationships.

And hyper-effective relationships require clearing.

Clearing the pipe takes a simple (and very hard) 3-step process:

1) Observe what’s true, inarguably

Facts + your feelings.
No stories. No interpretations. No blame.

2) Take 100% responsibility

Not because it’s all your fault but because ownership is the only place you can create change.

3) Commit to doing your part differently

Your commitments are the antidote to the environment you helped create.

Notice what’s missing?

No demand for an apology.
No score-keeping.
No forcing the other person to change.

When you fully own your side, one of two things happens:

• The relationship becomes clean and effective again
• Or it becomes obvious it can’t continue, without drama

Either way, the pipe is clear.

And clear communication is the foundation for whatever you build next.

If you're struggling with your cofounder relationship, comment "gimme gimme" to get the full, comprehensive strategy we share with clients.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

Jim Carrey stood on the Golden Globes stage, a two-time winner, looking out at a room full of the most successful people on earth. What he said next is a valuable lesson to us all: 

“I am two-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey...
And when I dream, I don’t just dream any old dreams. No sir. I dream about being three-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey. 
Because then I would be enough. 
It would finally be true. 
And I could stop this, this terrible search. 
For what I know, ultimately won’t fulfil me.”

He was joking, but at the same time, he definitely wasn't.

This is the sacred, self-inflicted wound that drives every high-achiever.

It starts with a dream. And with the first whisps of the dream, the machine locks in, and the outcome is set.

You create details, bringing the dream to life. And the minute it's real, a tension is born: a taut rubber band stretching between the dream and you. 

The dream is always pulling. 

You feel this tension as the disappointing, unself-actualized side of yourself, which compels you to chase, to change today to conform to your vision for tomorrow. This tension propels you out of bed every day.

We deify this tension as ambition. We call it "making something of yourself." But in addition to propelling us, it permeates life with a generalized dissatisfaction that no amount of achievement can solve. The moment you attain a piece of your dream, it becomes irrelevant, overwhelmed by the necessity of attaining the next piece. If you attain the whole thing, your dream will have receded, sitting as far out of reach from your hard-won perch as it was at the start.

The bargain is this: to succeed in getting closer to my dream, I offer in trade my contentment, in full, and vow to never be satisfied. 

This is the trade many high-achievers make. They get the allure of the chase at the cost of the moment.

Chasing a dream translates roughly to "wishing things were different from what they are." Since they cannot possibly be, our perpetually unfulfilled wishes leave us wanting. The game of chasing an ever-receding mirage is a game you can't win. 

I see this most often with founders right after an exit, to whom I say:

If you can still convince yourself that building a bigger company will finally make you feel complete - considering the last exit didn't - then do it. It is by far the easier path. 

It’s just like Jim Carrey's "dream" of a third Golden Globe. 

But eventually, you realize that no exit is big enough to make you feel whole in a lasting way. 

That is the moment the real work begins. The work that leads you away from chasing achievements to feel complete, and into the actual work of your life.

That transition - from performer to person - is the most exciting part of what I do.

It’s when you finally stop searching. And start living.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

Most companies that implode, do so for the same reason.

I still remember the chair I was sitting in.

Brown leather. Boardroom.
Nine months after our Series A.

We were scaling fast, from 15 to 75 people.
Hitting numbers. Lining up a Series B.

An investor looked at the pitch deck I’d spent weeks on and said:

“This is garbage. No one will buy this. Change it.”

In that moment, my job as CEO was to push back. I knew that.

Instead, something else happened. Fear took over.

And it almost killed the company.

A wave hit my body first, heat in my chest, pressure, shame.
And suddenly I wasn’t a CEO in a boardroom anymore.

I was a kid, scared that if I didn’t comply, someone would leave.

So I did what fear told me to do. I changed the pitch.

The raise failed.
We closed a bridge round instead.
It took years to recover.

At the time, I told myself a clean story: bad advice, bad board dynamics, bad timing.

What I couldn’t see yet was the real cause.

Fear made the decision for me.

This is far more common in startups than we like to admit.

We rarely talk about fear directly. So it hides behind more respectable labels:

Perfectionism
Founder conflict
Execution issues
Being “off your game”
Tone problems

Different symptoms. Same root.

Fear is a reflex. And when it’s unexamined, it runs companies from the background.

I see this constantly now in founders I work with:

• Flinching in negotiations
• Avoiding hard conversations
• Over-polishing instead of shipping
• Defensiveness
• Burnout

All fear-based. Mostly unconscious.

So what actually helps?

1. See fear as a bodily experience, not a thought.
Fear shows up as sensation before it becomes story.

2. Name it directly.
Not “I’m off my game.” But “I’m scared right now.”

3. Wait to make important decisions until fear has subsided.

The ability to sit with discomfort until you can respond instead of react is a leadership skill.

And finally: talk about fear as fear. Unexamined fear becomes fate.

For founders, this isn’t optional inner work.

It’s a business risk.

Ignoring fear and hoping it goes away isn’t an acceptable strategy for technical debt or competition.

It shouldn’t be for leadership either.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

Anxiety is the price of the life you were meant to live. James Hollis said that years ago, and I’ve found it to be painfully accurate.

If you’re building something new, stretching beyond who you’ve been, anxiety is inevitable. 

Not as a flaw. As a signal.

Most people treat anxiety like an enemy. Something to suppress, outrun, or eliminate. And when that doesn’t work, they assume something is wrong with them.

Usually, nothing is wrong.

Anxiety is your nervous system doing its job. It’s an alarm designed to pull your attention toward something that matters.

The problem isn’t anxiety. It’s our relationship to it.

When you resist anxiety, it tightens.
When you try to override it with logic, it gets louder.
When you numb it, you mute everything else too.

What actually helps is learning to interpret it.

Some anxiety is functional. It’s telling you to act. Make the call. Fix the problem. Adjust the plan. Once you do, it quiets down. Feature, not bug.

Other anxiety is patterned. Old. Installed early. Designed to protect you from hurts that are no longer present. That kind of anxiety doesn’t resolve through action. It resolves through feeling it fully. Listening to it all the way, until it has nothing more to say.

That’s the part most people avoid.

Because feeling anxiety fully takes courage. It requires slowing down instead of muscling through. Listening instead of fixing. Trusting that the emotion isn’t here to destroy you, but to show you something.

When you learn to work with anxiety this way, it stops running your life from the background. It becomes guidance instead of interference.

The irony is that the leaders who feel the most alive, most grounded, most effective aren’t the ones without anxiety.

They’re the ones who stopped fighting it.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership , CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

In 2014, Microsoft was stagnant after years of success. Then, Satya Nadella took over and did the opposite of what most CEOs do: he didn’t start with strategy, he started with psychology...

For years the stock essentially wouldn’t move.
Key markets, like mobile and early cloud were slipping away.
Internally, teams were siloed.
Competition inside the business was rewarded more than collaboration.

The company wasn’t dying, it was stagnating.

Most leadership plays at moments like this start with strategy:

New products. New org charts. New KPIs.

Nadella’s first move was quieter and much harder.

He called out the real problem:

Microsoft had become a “know-it-all” culture and needed to become a “learn-it-all” one.

That feels soft, but it isn’t.

A know-it-all culture is driven by fear:

• Fear of being wrong
• Fear of losing status
• Fear of admitting uncertainty

That fear doesn’t show up as panic. It shows up as silos.

Avoiding hard conversations.
People optimizing for brilliance over learning.

That wasn’t a strategy problem. It was a psychology problem.

So he started inside.

He modeled curiosity instead of certainty.
He rewarded leaders who learned and collaborated.
He made it safe to say “I don’t know” and ask better questions.

He didn’t just change culture, he changed how leadership worked.

The result?

Microsoft regained relevance.
Cloud became a core growth engine.
And the company went from a decade of stagnation to becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world.

But that’s not the real lesson.

Leadership breakdowns rarely start as strategy problems. They start as fear-driven behavior patterns.

Fear doesn’t announce itself as fear.
It shows up as:

“We need more certainty.”
“That’s not how we’ve always done it.”
“We’re right and they’re wrong.”

Those aren’t causes.
They’re symptoms.

Nadella began with the psychology under the surface:

• how people relate to uncertainty,
• how they protect identity,
• how they choose learning over armor.

Most leaders try to fix outcomes.

The best fix themselves first.

That’s where real transformation begins.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

Step 7, The Postcard: The primary risk to any intentional change is inertia. Specifically, that your best intentions get lost within the never-ending sea of life/work/family tasks, and before you know it, another year has passed... 

Don’t let that happen.

Create accountability for yourself, to yourself, by writing a letter to your future self, which you’ll schedule to have automatically delivered at a future date.

This way, whatever happens in the year ahead, you know that at some point in the future you will be reminded of your commitments, and have occasion to reflect on how well you kept to them (remembering that the key is keeping to actions taken, not outcomes produced).

In this letter, share your reflections from these exercises, your learnings, and any commitments you are making to yourself.

Schedule the email to send to yourself on June 30, 2026, using your mail client’s “Schedule Message” feature. 

And with that, brings the close to my annual reflection template.

------------

This is it.
This year.
This minute. 
This moment.

Even if it seems like this couldn’t possibly be it. 

That feeling is it, too.

Thank you for everything you brought to the world in 2025, for everything you are, and for everything you are becoming. 

Thank you for taking the time to reflect on your one weird, precious life, and by doing so giving yourself the opportunity to create it more consciously. 

Thank you for being unabashedly you, and not anyone else.

There will be a lot of moments in 2026. Co-create them with the ones you love.

I wish you the best of luck in diving deep, leading authentically, and bringing your unique story to the world this coming year.

And, if you'd like access to the full Annual Reflection Template, comment "Gimme gimme" below.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

There’s a moment in leadership that doesn’t get talked about much - when the role that once fit you perfectly starts to feel heavy.

Not wrong.
Not broken.
Just no longer yours.

Most people interpret that feeling as something to fix. 

Recommit. Push harder. Find the motivation again. 

After all, this role worked once. It made you who you are.

But sometimes what’s happening is simpler, and harder to accept.

You’ve changed.

Most leaders don’t leave roles because they fail at them. They leave because, quietly, the role no longer matches the person they’re becoming.

Howard Schultz is a useful example of this.

He built Starbucks. For a long time, he was Starbucks. The company’s culture and story were deeply personal to him. When he first stepped away as CEO, it wasn’t because the company was broken. It was because the role no longer fit.

Years later, he returned. The company needed him, and at that moment, he was the right person again.

And then, later still, he stepped away once more.

That second departure is the interesting one.

It wasn’t driven by crisis or failure. It came from something quieter. A recognition that staying would mean clinging to a version of himself that no longer felt true.

Most founders struggle here.

They stay in roles long after they’ve outgrown them, not because they’re incapable, but because their identity hasn’t caught up. The company becomes a proxy for self-worth. Letting go feels like disappearing.

But outgrowing a role isn’t failure.

It’s information.

It’s a signal that the work is changing, and so are you.

I see this often in my work. Leaders who are still performing competence long after it stopped being authentic. They’re not failing. They’re misaligned. And the longer they ignore that signal, the more brittle everything becomes.

Stepping away, when done honestly, isn’t quitting. It’s a form of stewardship. Of yourself, and often of the organization too.

The hardest part is trusting that who you are is bigger than the role that once defined you.

But that trust is exactly what makes the next chapter possible.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

I had to die three times before I finally got the hang of it.

The first was at 17.

I was convinced I’d be a professional basketball player. I practiced constantly. Built my life around it. That identity gave everything meaning.

And then it ended.

I didn’t know who I was without it, and I wasn’t willing to stay with that question.
So I numbed it.

Drugs. Alcohol. A few years of running hard in the wrong direction, until I found myself sitting on a stiff cot in a jail cell after my second DUI.

That version of me collapsed completely.

The second time, I responded the way our culture teaches us to.

I decided I could still be great, just as someone else.

This was the late 2000s. Startup founders were the new heroes. That felt like a worthy thing to become.

So I became one.

I founded companies. Failed a couple. Learned. Tried again. Built and scaled a venture-backed company over a decade. Raised capital. Built a large team. Eventually exited.

For a long time, that identity worked.

Until it didn’t.

When I finally stepped away from the CEO role, that identity died too.

But this third time was different.

Every other time an identity fell apart, I rushed to replace it.
New role. New story. New certainty to keep myself moving forward.

This time, I didn’t do that.

Instead, I stayed in what followed.

No title.
No plan.
No clean answer when people asked what was next.

It felt like standing on a plateau, between where I’d come from and wherever I might go next. The old story was gone. The new one hadn’t arrived.

A liminal space.

In the past, I treated moments like this as problems to solve.
Something to fix as quickly as possible.

This time, I let it be unfinished.

That space was uncomfortable. Disorienting. Quiet.
And unexpectedly, it was also the most alive I’d felt in years.

Without an identity to perform or defend, I started noticing what actually had energy. Writing. Honest conversations. Work that emerged instead of being forced.

Not from a master plan.
From listening.

Every major transition creates this in-between moment, when who you were no longer works, and who you’ll become isn’t clear yet.

Most of us rush to close that gap.

But there’s another way through it.

Not by recreating yourself.
Not by rushing to certainty.
But by staying with the space long enough for something truer to surface.

That’s what the third death taught me.

Not how to become someone new.

But how to stop interrupting the moment where life is trying to show you who you already are.

---

Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership, CEO coaching by exited founders who've been there.

If this resonated and you want to dive deeper, shoot me a DM.

Michael Phelps won 28 Olympic medals across four Games. Yet, after London 2012, despite winning six medals, he was in deep crisis and contemplated ending his life...

He's not alone. Will Smith has talked about "Cliff Top" being just as lonely and hard as "Rock Bottom." Jim Carrey has said similar. The list goes on.

So what's going on?

This is a central paradox of high performers in any field. The fierce drive that propels you to the top of your game/market is the same corrosive force that leaves you hollowed out at the summit. For founders, we chase the exit unquestioningly, so focused on attaining the goal that we never stop to consider what might come after.

What nobody tells you about an exit is that the leaving is its own special kind of challenge. Special, and yet surprisingly consistent from person to person.

Here's the typical process:
1. Exit.
2. Existential vacuum.
3. ???
4. Realigned to purpose.

Some founders, confronted with this vacuum of purpose, jump immediately into the next thing. If you exit your consumer app and can find purpose in an even bigger consumer app, bless your heart, please run with everything you've got. Come read this post back after your next exit. 

If you find yourself struggling, however, know that you're not alone. Many founders struggle with step 3. I did. I experimented, jumping into each project with the same gusto, but I kept finding that I couldn’t recapture that sense of unquestioning purpose. Try as I might, it just felt different.

The salient issue, I've learned after coaching dozens of founders through their post-exit transition, is that as we mature, the way we construct meaning changes. 

At first, we FIND purpose. But eventually, we must CREATE it.

Finding Purpose:

• Purpose is found in the world and brought into yourself.
• Meaning is derived from what, and how much, you get.
• Success is a function of the outcome achieved.

Creating Purpose:

• Purpose is found inside yourself and brought to the world. 
• Meaning is built from what, and how much, you give.
• Success is a function of the work done and the motivations behind it.

Phelps found his breakthrough by checking into intensive treatment in 2014.

He returned in 2016 to win five more golds in Rio, but he swam from a radically different internal foundation. He swam from love for the sport, not the desperate need for meaning. The achievement was the same, but his entire relationship to it had transformed.

Today, he has moved beyond the pool to create purpose as a vocal advocate for mental health. By sharing his struggle, he is building a meaningful life that a gold medal alone never could.

Only you can tell if it's time to start your own work. If so, here's a question for you to get started on your path to rediscovery:
 
How can your career be most useful to others?

In 2017, Uber lost its CEO, its reputation, and nearly its future - because the culture became toxic and turned against itself. I’ve been there, too, without the global brand, but with all the danger...

Uber's early success was fueled by aggression, speed, and internal competitiveness. These traits fueled their rise, but without emotional regulation or boundaries, they became catastrophic liabilities.

I've been in that pressure cooker.

Years ago, I scaled my company from 15 employees to 75 employees in nine months. Our corporate culture was completely unprepared for the stresses of such rapid scale-up.

I talk to founders every day who face the same dilemma. They do what successful people do: they try to fix it. They spend a fortune on consultants, off-sites, and "culture work."

Uber is the masterclass in this.

They hired a former U.S. Attorney General to write a 12-page report with recommendations, fired 20 people in one shot to signal 'change', and ditched their original values for a new list of corporate-approved principles.

But you can't fire or spend your way into a new culture. By pushing new cultural frames without acknowledging the current ones, you breed resentment and cynicism from those who see the culture for what it actually is.

To truly change your culture, first, you must stop trying to build the culture you want and start by looking at the culture you actually have. Only then, working from a foundation of what is, can you begin to make change.

Here's how:

1. Look Inside Your Company

Anonymous surveys are a great tool to understand how your employees view your culture. Anonymity is key.

A survey like this communicates to your employees that you understand the importance of culture and that you will presumably listen to what they say. However, if you take this route and do nothing to address the feedback, it can break trust. 

2. Look Inside Yourself

At some point in every entrepreneur’s journey, they realize that their company is a manifestation of themselves. This offers a shortcut: you can understand your corporate culture by understanding yourself.

Are you late to meetings? That’s your culture. Others are late, too. 
Do you hold yourself to the grindstone, sacrificing holidays to make more progress? That’s your culture. Others do that, too. 

While most entrepreneurs resist this, looking internally is the most reliable route to determine your culture. For those brave few, it’s best done with either a 360-degree survey, or a dedicated coach to help you see your blind spots.

Great. I’ve reconciled with my current culture, and I still don't like it. Now what?

Once you've identified how you're creating the culture you say you don't want, changing it is simple:

Step 1: Change yourself to live by the values you want the company to live by.
Step 2: Write the values you live by on the wall.

And if you’re wondering, yes, that’s what we actually did to transform our culture at speed.

Simple, yes.

But not easy.

I used to be a virtuoso of the "Founder's Glance." In 30 minutes, I could diagnose a hemorrhaging sales pipeline or a toxic board member with surgical precision. It took me 15 years to sharpen these instincts into a blade...

And then GPT-4 learned it all in an afternoon. 

For the modern founder, watching AI automate your "unique" expertise is far more than merely a professional crisis. It’s an existential punch to the gut. 

The standard advice is to pivot - to move from "knowledge" to "wisdom." We’re told that our value now lies in judgment, in knowing which fires to douse and which to let burn. There is some truth there, certainly. 

But here is the deeper rot that no one wants to name. 

Tying your worth to "wisdom" is just as brittle as tying it to knowledge. Because wisdom is still something you possess. It is an accumulation, a trophy case of experiences. And anything you possess can - eventually, inevitably - be taken from you. 

I grokked this the hard way in 2020. 

The day I signed the papers and officially ceased to be "Ryan the CEO," the armor evaporated. Without the title, the expertise, and the authority, I realized with a terrifying clarity that I had no idea who was left standing in the room. I had spent a decade building a masterpiece of a company, but I was a stranger to the person underneath it. 

The only foundation that cannot be automated is your Integrity. 

Not integrity as a corporate buzzword, but integrity as wholeness - the radical alignment between your deepest values and your daily actions. This requires two things that are infinitely harder than raising a Series A: 

1. Ruthless Self-Inquiry: 

Stripping away the inherited scripts of "unicorn status" and "disruptive growth" to find what you actually give a damn about when the world isn't watching. 

2. The Courage to Lose: 

The terrifying bravery to say "no" to the high-status investor or the lucrative exit because it doesn't match the shape of your soul. 

When I finally put down the Successful CEO costume, the world didn't end. 

It began. 

And I became a more integrated human being. 

Inside-Out Leadership was born from that wreck. We help founders find the floor that doesn't drop out when the technology changes. 

If you’re tired of being at war with an algorithm for your sense of worth, let’s talk. 

Shoot me a DM. There's another way.

The #1 Done-For-You LinkedIn Growth System for Execs & Visionaries | We Don’t Just Advise, We Execute | Clients Gained 1M+ Followers in 2024 & 6-7 Figure Deals with Nike, NASA, US Army & More | Book Your Strategy Call 👇

After 10+ years building 15+ award-winning brands, and fueling 8-figure exits, I realized I was playing too small..

I craved a bigger impact.

So I launched Brain Apes to serve visionary founders and execs who want real traction and more influence, without endless trial and error.

What we do:

→ We blend real-world business development and social media expertise, no “copy/paste” course nonsense here.

→ We live in the trenches, delivering presence, strategy, and results that speak for themselves:

🥇 Scaled an org to 200+ employees
🥇 Got a franchise acquired for 8 figures
🥇 Built 37 award-winning brands in 2024
🥇 Added 1M+ followers to clients in 2024 alone
🥇 Fundraised $300K+ in wellness tech pre-seed
🥇 Built a portfolio of award-winning cannabis brands
🥇 Elevated 20+ coaches to 4-5-figure offers that sell
🥇 Managed and monetized 6, 7 and 8-figure audiences
🥇 Helped a local biz win 85+ awards (most in the state)
🥇 Scaled multiple retail & service-based businesses to 7/8+ figures and win awards 

What clients say:

“Working with you in 2024 was so helpful for account growth for my co-founder and me. In total, we added over 40,000 followers and generated millions of impressions. It also helped us raise funds for Prescribe Life—we’re over halfway through our $500K pre-seed raise. You and your team were awesome!”
– Oli J., Co-Founder of Prescribe Health

“Thanks to the offer stack you helped me build, I’ve been closing $20K offers. Also, I can’t believe how quickly you grew my LinkedIn: 0 to 8K in just a few months! You seriously delivered.”
– XK, Founder & Master Coach

“One of THE BEST decisions for my business and life! It’s only been seven days and my LinkedIn is exploding: at least 10X reach, more high-quality interactions, and tons more calls booked for my publishing services!”
– Ben Gioa, Founder of Leadership Awake LLC

Our formula:

1. Nail your positioning and offer
2. Boost content performance
3. Go on offense and get attention

You could spend 120+ hours a week to figure it all out…

Or let us handle everything for you.

(Our Strategy + Your Expertise) x Our Team = Audience Growth & Revenue.

→ We don’t work with everyone.
→ We always have a waitlist.
→ We’re not cheap, but we deliver on our promises (and then some).

Ready for massive results and unstoppable growth?

Book a free executive strategy call with me. 
I’ll give you clarity, no punches pulled.. 

And if we’re a good fit, we’ll craft an offer to work together.

Ready to see what’s possible for your brand in the next 90 days?

Claim your spot here:
brainapes.com/strategy

Jordan Murphy 🧠🦍

He's Not Working Harder. He's Working Smarter.

A solo landscaper. Affixes a self-propelling mower to a rope tied to a post.

Sends it on its way. It wraps around the post, pulling closer with each lap.

Covers the whole inner field.

While it works, he jumps on his ride-on mower. Zips around covering other areas.

Weed wacker comes out. Polishing the work as the mower finishes the innermost area.

Boom. Job done.

He's not working harder. He's working smarter.

This is what leverage actually looks like.

One guy. The right system. The right tools.

Maximum output. Minimal input.

He figured out how to do more with less.

But here's what most people miss:

It's not just about working smarter.
↳ It's about having the right tools for the job.

That mower doesn't work without the rope system.

The rope system doesn't work without the self-propelling mower.

The ride-on doesn't replace the system. It complements it.

The right tools, working together, create the leverage.

Most executives think they just need information.

"Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"Give me the strategy and I'll execute."

But information isn't enough.

You can know exactly what to do to build executive visibility.

Post consistently. Share your expertise. Build your network.

But without the right tools, you're still working too hard.

You're manually creating every post. Manually tracking every interaction. Manually managing every piece of content.

You're the guy mowing the entire field by hand.

That's why we built the Executive Visibility OS™.

Not just information. Not just strategy.

The complete operating system with the right tools built for this exact mission.

Because here's the truth:

→ Information tells you what to do.

→ Systems show you how to do it.

→ But the right tools let you actually do it without burning out.

The Executive Visibility OS™ gives you:

The frameworks. The systems. The playbooks.

And the custom platforms built specifically for executive visibility.

Not generic tools you have to hack together.

Not information you have to figure out how to implement.

The right tools, working together, creating leverage.

So you can build visibility like that landscaper:

Set the system in motion. Let it work.

While you focus on the high-value work only you can do and have a team member run the OS.

Because here's what we know:

You don't need to work harder.
You don't need more hours.
You don't need to do everything manually.

You need the right tools for the job.

The Executive Visibility OS™ is the right tool.

Built specifically for executives who want to build visibility without burning out or looking bad when a team member runs the engine.

The system that works while you work on other things.

Information isn't enough.
You need the operating system.

Ready to work smarter?

DM me "OS" and let's get you the right tools for the job.

シ

📹 e_scapes33

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you working harder, or are you working smarter?

undefined undefined

LinkedIn executive visibility for impact‑driven founders & execs who want steady, warm, high‑value pipeline and real authority in their market | 40+ award‑winning brands & 2M+ followers | Book your strategy call ↓

Alexandra Murphy

Stop. You're Solving the Wrong Problem.

A guy moving a cone behind someone's car.

The driver backs up. Sees the cone. Gets out. Moves it.

Gets back in. Backs up. The cone's back.

Gets out. Moves it again. Gets back in.

The cone's back. Again.

Back and forth. Over and over. Confused.

He can't solve what he can't see.

This is what solving the wrong problem looks like.

You fix it. You check. It's still there.

You fix it again. You check. Still there.

Because you're solving the symptom, not the constraint.

I see this with executives constantly:

Can't hire top talent. So they improve the job posting. Offer more money. Refine the interview process.

Check back. Still can't hire top talent.

Can't close deals. So they improve the pitch. Refine the product. Lower the price.

Check back. Still can't close deals.

Can't get funding. So they polish the deck. Add more traction. Improve the numbers.

Check back. Still can't get funding.

They keep solving it. It keeps coming back.

Because they're moving the cone.

But the cone isn't the problem.

The problem is invisible.

Here's how to identify the right constraint:

Ask: What's the one thing that, if solved, would make everything else easier or unnecessary?

Not "what's the most obvious problem?"

Not "what's the loudest problem?"

What's the constraint that's creating all the other problems?

For most executives, the constraint is invisible:

Executive visibility.

You can't hire top talent because they don't know who you are.

You can't close deals because buyers don't trust you.

You can't get funding because investors haven't been watching you.

The cone keeps coming back because you're not solving the real constraint.

Here's how weak executive visibility shows up:

You post job ads but top talent doesn't apply. They don't know you exist.

You reach out to buyers but they don't respond. They don't trust you.

You pitch investors but they pass. They haven't been following your journey.

You keep solving the hiring problem, the sales problem, the funding problem.

But the real problem is visibility.

Showing up as pipeline issues.

And here's why it keeps coming back:

Because you're not addressing the constraint.

So here's the question:

What problem keeps coming back no matter how many times you solve it?

Are you moving the cone? Or are you identifying the real constraint?

Because you can't solve what you can't see.

Stop moving the cone. Solve the constraint.

Ready to identify your real constraint?

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

(normally $527 - free while spots are available)

シ

📹 woodyandkleiny

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 What problem keeps coming back for you?

He Doesn't Know Every Detail. He Knows the Next Step.

A kid builds a trick shot.

But he's not planning the whole thing upfront.

He sets up one piece. Tests it. Watches what happens.

Then uses that information to set up the next piece guiding toward the end goal.

Each attempt tells him what to do next.

He's not guessing. He's building step by step.

This is how you actually build something.

Not with a perfect plan.

Not with a five-year roadmap that accounts for every variable.

Not by figuring out the entire thing before you start.

You build by knowing the next step.

Most founders waste months (at best) trying to see the whole path.

They want to know exactly how the product will scale before they build v1.

They want to map out year three before they've closed their first customer.

They want certainty about the end before they're willing to start.

And while they're planning, someone else is testing.

Someone else is setting up the first piece, watching what happens, and adjusting.

Someone else is building step by step.

And by the time the planners are ready to start, the builders are already three steps ahead.

Here's what that kid understands that most people don't:

You can't know the end until you start.

The trick shot reveals itself as you build it.

Each attempt gives you information you didn't have before.

The path forward only becomes clear when you take the step.

This is iterative strategy.

You don't need to see the whole staircase. You just need to see the next step.

You don't need perfect information. You need enough information to move forward.

You don't need certainty about the outcome. You need clarity about the next move.

And then you move.

You test. You learn. You adjust. You build the next piece based on what the last piece taught you.

The best companies I know were built this way.

They didn't start with the master plan.

They started with a hypothesis and a first step.

They shipped. They watched. They learned.

And then they built the next step based on what they learned.

The strategy emerged through building, not before it.

Because what you learn is:

The market will teach you things no amount of planning can predict.

Your customers will show you paths you never saw coming.

Your product will evolve in ways you didn't expect.

You can't plan for that. You can only respond to it.

And the only way to respond is to be in motion.

To be testing. To be building. To be learning from each step.

So here's the question:

What are you waiting to have figured out before you start?

What's the next step you already know, but you're not taking because you can't see the whole path?

Because you don't need to know the end.

You just need to know the next step.

And then take it.

シ

📹 littlebroslegit

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 What's one thing you're overplanning that you could just start testing?

You see someone crushing it with their brand.

Consistent posts. Engaged audience. Deals closing.

And you think: "They just showed up and it worked."

Wrong.

What you're watching is the final stretch.

The 6,000th patio block being laid.

You don't see the foundation that was poured months ago. You don't see the vision they held when no one was watching. You don't see the strategy sessions at 11 PM. You don't see the phases.. the intentional action, day after day, bringing it all to reality.

You see the shine. You miss the grind.

Here's what I know about playing the long game:

Consistency isn't sexy.

It's not the viral post. It's not the big launch.

It's showing up when you don't feel like it. It's being present with your audience, aware of your state, grounded in the moment. It's smiling through the doubt, relaxing into the process, trusting the foundation you're building.

Every curve. Every angle. Every block.

Most people quit before they see the track take shape.

They want the result without the reps. The visibility without the foundation. The brand without the consistency.

Truth is..

The executives who dominate their space?

They didn't get there by accident.

They built systems. They stayed consistent. They played the long game while everyone else chased quick wins.

And they didn't do it alone.

We make consistency simple.

Our systems and fractional full marketing team handle the foundation - so you can focus on being the visionary while we lay every block.

Strategy. Execution. Phases of intentional action.

You bring the vision. We build the track.

Ready to stop chasing and start building?

Let's talk.

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

(normally $527 - free while spots are available)

シ

📹 mattjonesmtb

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Name one executive’s personal brand you admire?

He Slows It Down to See What Everyone Else Misses.

An artist named Gaosu Sheying. High-speed photography turned into slow-motion visual art.

Splashing water. Shattering glass. Cause and effect mastered.

He visualizes. Executes based on hypothesis. Tests. Adapts to feedback.

He slows it down to see what everyone else misses.

This is what most executives miss about building visibility.

They're moving too fast.

Executing. Shipping. Solving. Building.

But they're not capturing it..

Here's what happens when you slow down:

You see the micro considerations. The small decisions. The process.

You see the beauty in how you think. How you execute. How your team works.

How you build for your clients.

You see the moments that work out better than expected.

And those moments? That's your content.

Most executives think content is:

A polished announcement. A big win. A final result.

But the best content is in the process.

The hypothesis you're testing. The feedback you're adapting to. The way you think through problems.

The small decisions that compound. The moments that reveal how you operate.

That's what builds trust. That's what creates visibility.

Because truth is..
People don't just want to see your results.

They want to see how you think. How you execute. How you handle the unexpected.

They want to see the process.

When you slow down and capture it:

↳ You document the micro considerations that show your expertise.

↳ You capture the moments that showcase how your team thinks.

↳ You reveal the process that makes people trust you.

And that becomes the content that builds your visibility.

This is what we do with executives:

We help them slow down enough to capture what they're already doing.

Not create content from scratch. Not manufacture stories.

Capture the process. Document the execution. Share how they think.

Because the beauty is in the process, not just the outcome.

The way you approached the problem. The hypothesis you tested. The feedback you adapted to.

The moment it worked better than expected. The decision that made the difference.

That's the content that builds trust and visibility.

Most executives are moving too fast to capture it.

They execute brilliantly. But they don't document it.
They solve problems. But they don't share how.
They create value. But they don't show the process.

And they wonder why no one sees their expertise.

So here's the question:

What are you missing by moving too fast?

What moments in your process could become content?

What micro considerations could showcase how you think?

Slow down. Capture it. Share it.

Your process is your content.
Your execution is your visibility.
Your thinking is what builds trust.

But only if you slow down enough to capture it.

シ

📹 artistsuniversum

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 What's one moment from your process this week that you didn't capture?

Everyone Has the Recipe. Not Everyone Has the Right Tools.

These guys made a massive lasagna using only construction tools and equipment.

Cement mixer. Power tools. Heavy machinery.

It's crazy. It looks delicious.

But would you eat it?

Here's the problem:

The equipment can't be perfectly clean. The tools aren't made for food.

They got it done. But not done right.

Because the wrong tools affect the quality.

Executive visibility works the same way.

Everyone has a general recipe.

Post consistently. Share your expertise. Build your presence.

But not everyone has the right tools.

Most executives are using construction equipment to make lasagna.

Generic scheduling tools. Basic content platforms. Duct-taped solutions.

They're getting content out. It looks like it's working.

But the quality is off.

Because truth is:
You can make content with any tools.

But without the right tools, it won't build real trust. It won't attract the right people. It won't sound like you.

The tools determine the quality.

That's why we built the EVOS Stack™.

The right tools. Built specifically for executive visibility.

Three components:

1. Beacon™

The physical device you plug in at home or office.

So your team can safely run your LinkedIn as if they're sitting at your desk.

No sketchy VPNs. No weird IP flags. No security issues.

Your team operates your account. Safely. Seamlessly.

No one has anything like this.

2. Content Studio

Your digital clone. Interview workflows. Planning. Media generation. Trend tracking.

We train a digital version of you so your EA or marketer can create posts, threads, and assets that actually sound like you and say what you mean.

Your nuances. Your values. Your perspective. Never lost.

Quality content without needing your time.

3. Outreach Hub

Sales Nav imports. Connection requests. Drip DMs. Inbox tags. CRM integrations. Distribution and community.

The place your operator runs outreach, replies, and relationship-building in one spot.

Instead of duct-taping tools together.

Everything in one place. Built for executive visibility.

Even if you know the recipe for executive visibility..

Without the right tools, you're making lasagna with a cement mixer.

It gets done. But not done right.

↓

Our Stack is built specifically for executives who want quality visibility.

Not just content. Quality content that builds trust and attracts the right people.

Not just presence. Strategic presence that sounds like you and works without your time.

The right tools for the right job.

So..
Are you duct-taping generic tools together and hoping for quality?

Or are you ready for the right systems + right tools?

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call now. 

(normally $527 - free while spots are available)

シ

📹 haus.plans

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you making quality content, or are you using construction equipment?

The Gold Was Always There. He Could See It.

A guy standing in a river. Precisely strikes a rock with his tool.

A few precise hits. It breaks open.

He pulls it away. Reveals gold.

The gold was always there. He could see it.

This is what most people don't understand about opportunities.

They're always there.

The talent. The deals. The partnerships.

But your state determines whether you can see them.

When you're scattered, anxious, operating from lack, you can't see the gold.

You're looking at the same river everyone else sees. The same rocks. The same opportunities.

You can't see where to strike.

When you're present, aware, operating from abundance, the gold reveals itself.

You know exactly where to strike.

A few precise actions. The breakthrough happens.

Executive visibility works the same way.

The opportunities are always there.

Top talent is looking for leaders to follow.
Buyers are looking for experts to trust.
Partners are looking for people to work with.

The gold is always there.

But if you're invisible, if you're not present on LinkedIn, if you're not showing up with awareness and intention, you can't see the opportunities.

And they can't see you.

When you build visibility from the right state:

You're present. You're aware. You're operating from abundance.

And suddenly, you see the opportunities that were always there.

→ The comment from someone who becomes your next hire.

→ The DM from someone who becomes your next client.

→ The connection request from someone who becomes your next partner.

The gold was always there. Now you can see it.

Most executives know they should be visible.

They know they should be on LinkedIn.

But they're not in the right state to do it effectively.

They're scattered. They're inconsistent. They're operating from "I should post" but push it off.

And the opportunities stay hidden.

This is what we do:

We build your executive visibility from the right state.

Not scattered posting. Not anxious content. Not "I hope this works."

Strategic, intentional, abundant visibility that reveals the opportunities.

Our fractional marketing team handles the execution.

You stay present. You stay in the right state.

We make sure you're visible, consistent, and positioned to see the gold on LinkedIn and beyond.

The opportunities are always there.

The right talent. The right business. The right partnerships.

But your state determines whether you can see them.

And your visibility determines whether they can see you.

↓

Ready to see the gold that's always been there?

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

We'll build your visibility. Our fractional marketing team handles the execution.

You stay present. We make sure the opportunities can find you.

(normally $527 - free while spots are available)

シ

📹 goldrinn.prospector

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 What opportunities are you missing because you're not in the right state?

Same Problem. Better Packaging.

A lady doing dishes. A man adds another dirty dish to the sink.

She looks disappointed.

He taps her. She turns reluctantly.

A Louis Vuitton box.
She gets excited. Opens it.
Another dirty dish inside.

She snaps.

This is what hiring feels like right now.

You're drowning in work. You need help.
You hire someone. Great resume. Strong interview.
You're excited. Finally, someone who can execute.

Then they start..

Same problem. Better packaging.

Here's what's happening:

AI is making everyone look more capable on paper than they actually are.

Resumes are polished. Cover letters are perfect. Interview answers are rehearsed.

They look like the Louis V box.

But when you open it? Another dirty dish.

The pattern:

..Can't execute without hand-holding.
..Create more work than they solve.
..Need constant direction. Can't think strategically.

You thought this one was different.
It's more of the same.

Because you're solving the wrong problem.

The problem isn't finding better hires.

The problem is that the best talent doesn't know who you are.

Top talent isn't on job boards.
They're not actively looking.

They're being recruited by leaders they already know and trust.

Leaders who are visible. Who share their thinking. Who've built credibility publicly.

The best talent goes to the best known leaders.

So you're left with:

- People who need a job. People who are great at interviewing.

- Not people who are great at executing.

And now with AI, everyone looks impressive on paper.

But execution? That's where the Louis box opens.

You can keep hiring. Keep hoping this one is different. Keep opening boxes.

Or you can solve the actual problem.

The actual problem: Top talent doesn't know who you are.

Executive visibility solves this.

When you're visible, top talent sees how you think. They see your leadership. They see the problems you're solving.

They want to work with you. They come to you.

This is what we do:

Executive Visibility Advisory 
+ Fractional Marketing Team.

We build your visibility so top talent finds you.

We handle the execution so you're not drowning.

You get the talent and the team that makes it work.

Stop opening Louis V boxes and finding dirty dishes.

Build your visibility. Attract the talent.

Make yourself the obvious choice for the best talent.

Ready to stop the cycle?

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

(normally $527 - free while spots are available)

シ

📹 ponyatowskiy

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 How many disappointing boxes have you opened?

He Built the Momentum Before the Wave Came.

Running from shore. Throws the skim board. Jumps on.

Pumping to keep momentum. The wave forms. Picks him up.

Rides it back to shore. Flawless. He built the momentum before the wave came.

This is how opportunity actually works.

Most people wait for the wave.

They wait for the perfect moment. The right opportunity. The big break.

And when it comes, they're not ready.

Because the reality is:
You can't ride a wave without momentum first.

The wave doesn't create your momentum. It amplifies it.

If you're not already moving, the wave passes you by.

I see this with executives constantly.

They wait for the right time to build visibility.

"I'll start posting when I have more time."

"I'll build my presence when the business is more stable."

"I'll get visible when I need it."

And then the opportunity comes.

The investor who could have funded them. The buyer who could have changed everything. The top talent who would have joined.

But they're invisible.. No momentum. No presence.

And the wave passes them by.

The executives who catch the wave?

They built momentum before it arrived.

They were already visible. Already building trust. Already showing up.

So when the opportunity came, they were ready.

The wave didn't create their success. It amplified the momentum they already had.

Executive visibility is building momentum before the wave.

You don't build it when you need it. You build it before you need it.

You don't wait for the opportunity. 

You prepare for it.

You create momentum now so the wave can amplify it later.

Because here's what happens when you have momentum:

↳ When the investor checks you out, they see months of thought leadership. They trust you.

↳ When top talent researches you, they see how you think. They want to work with you.

↳ When the buyer finds you, they see your expertise. You're the obvious choice.

The opportunity amplifies the momentum you already built.

But if you're waiting to build visibility until you need it?

You're standing on the shore watching waves pass.

No momentum. No preparation. No way to catch it.

And the opportunity goes to someone who was already moving.

So here's the question:

Are you building momentum now?
Or are you waiting for the wave?
Because the wave is coming.

The opportunity. The investor. The talent. The buyer.

But if you don't have momentum when it arrives, you can't ride it.

Build your visibility now.
Build your network now.
Build your trust in the market now.

So when the wave comes, you're ready.

シ

📹 jlskim

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you building momentum, or are you waiting for the wave?

I train founders & execs to turn LinkedIn into a warm, high‑value pipeline their team converts into deals | Executive visibility systems | 40+ award‑winning brands & 2M+ followers | Book your strategy call ↓

High performers earn more because they work smarter and own their impact zone.

It’s like using a magnifying glass and the sun..

→ Same energy.
→ 100× more powerful when focused.

Here’s the 3-step strategy that unlocked massive leverage in my business and life:

1. 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗜𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Ever felt like you're juggling too much, only to realize half of it doesn't really move the needle? It hit me hard one day. It's about nailing down where you truly shine.. your real impact zone.

Think about what you love, what you're really good at, and where you can make the biggest waves. That's your sweet spot.

➠ Take a beat to reflect on your skills and what lights you up.

➠ Evaluate how each project or task contributes to your big picture.

➠ Focus fiercely on what aligns with your impact zone.

This is about maximizing impact to create leverage over your time.

2. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲

I learned the hard way you can't do it all. Embracing systems and automation was a game-changer for me. It's about freeing up your headspace to focus on the big plays only you can make.

➠ Automate the mundane. Trust me, it's liberating.

➠ Outsource like a boss. There are people who can do things better and faster.

➠ Systemize your operations. This was my aha moment for real growth.

It's about working smarter, not harder.

3. 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲... 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆

Balance? It's more like juggling. But here's the thing.. sometimes, you gotta throw all your balls in one direction. That's what I did with Brain Apes. We went all-in, and it was nuts.. but it paid off big time.

➠ There's a time for sprinting, and a time for chilling. Know when to hit the gas.

➠ Proven systems (info + tools) and live expert support? Lifesavers. They help you build the engine that runs while you’re executing the next big move.

➠ It's about making bold moves, but also knowing when to take a step back and recharge.

I’ve been on a SPRINT building out something special that’s getting -[ANNOUNCED]- tomorrow,, after getting back from some travel and having some family visiting through the new year! 

And I’ll be slowing down and savoring some family time this weekend.❤

Find your tactical imbalance and go beyond limits!

↓

P.S. Tell me (really, drop a comment):

Where do you make the biggest waves? 💬

What’s your impact zone? 💬

シ

📹 Robert C.K.

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

He's recording every step and you should be too.. I’ll explain.

Every step. Every shift in momentum. Every decision is captured and visible.

He's not just completing the course.

He's documenting the journey.

You see how he thinks. How he responds when balance shifts. What he does when the next platform isn't where he expected.

He gets an abundance of data to improve from and leverage..

His values show up in real-time. His beliefs drive every move. His energy either pulls you in.. or pushes you away.

And that's the point.

This is what executive visibility actually looks like.

You're not hiding behind the company logo. You're not letting the brand do the talking.

You're showing up. Sharing your experience. Your lessons. Your energy.

Every step of the journey.

People don't buy what you do.

They buy why you do it.

Simon Sinek nailed that.

But here's what most executives miss..

Your "why" doesn't live in a mission statement on your website.

It lives in how you show up. What you share. How you think through problems. The values you demonstrate when no one's watching.. except everyone is watching.

That's how you attract the right partners. The right talent. The right business.

And just as importantly.. that's how you repel the ones who would never resonate.

Your executive personal brand isn't about being liked by everyone.

It's about building connection and trust with the right ones.

The ones who see your journey and think: "That's someone I want to work with."

For me, it's all about being a compounder of impact.

Helping impact-driven leaders attract more of the right business, talent, and partners through their executive visibility.

Because when you document the journey.. when you share how you think, what you value, and why you do what you do..

You're not just building a brand.

You're building a magnet.

Ready to turn your executive presence into a compounding asset?

Let's talk.

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

(normally $527, free while spots are available)

シ

📹 parkourtangqi

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 What's one lesson you learned by documenting your journey?

If you want to break free, you need a strong skill stack.

The problem is you don't know what you don't know.

But I've got your back.

Here's how to build a skill stack around your core skill:

𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲:

Flashback to my first career → At Sprint, I started from the bottom, rapidly climbing to head of training and development.

My core skill? Connecting with people and simplifying complex problems.

𝟮. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀:

As I grew, I didn't just focus on one aspect.

I built a wide foundation, learning everything from operational management to strategic planning, all complementing my core.

𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:

Mastery of natural talents is crucial, but so is adaptability.

I piloted new roles, embraced the unknown, and honed a range of skills that made me versatile and resilient.

𝟰. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲:

Adopting this mantra changed everything.

It pushed me to keep learning, keep improving, and never settle.

This mindset is key to expanding your skill stack.

𝟱. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲:

Effective communication amplified my impact.

It's a skill that connects all others, turning a group of skills into a cohesive, powerful stack.

𝟲. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿:

With a solid base in communication, I deepened my problem-solving abilities.

Each challenge became an opportunity to add another layer to my skill pyramid.

𝟳. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁:

Each new skill didn't just add, it multiplied the effectiveness of existing ones.

This is the power of building a skill stack - the whole becomes much greater than the sum of its parts.

𝟴. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆:

Identify your core skill, then start layering complementary skills.

Stay curious, embrace discomfort, and continually seek ways to combine and refine your abilities.

But don’t get distracted trying to learn and do everything.

The next level is about leveraging other people’s skill stacks..

If you're building an audience on LinkedIn and want to go faster (without having to develop and manage a team) I'll be opening up one new spot soon.

We’ll run our proven playbook.

(And do all the hard work for you)

Or we can install our playbook with your team and give you access to our internal platforms.

Grab Your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

Hit my profile and book an appointment.

(normally $527)

シ

📹 _ryan.bean_

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Do you prefer to manage a team or work with an agency?

The Right Setup Changes Everything.

A bunch of friends. Crazy slip and slide.

Thick plastic sheets in a huge loop. Lathered up.

An excavator in the middle. Ropes strapped to the end.

They're grabbing the ropes. Getting swung around. Jumping each other. Creating ramps. Launching each other.

Pure chaos. But it works.

Because they built the right setup.

This is what an unfair advantage looks like.

Not just effort. Not just commitment.

The right setup. The right tools. The advantage no one else has.

Most people trying to build executive visibility?

They're doing it with basic tools. Generic advice. Trial and error.

Figuring it out as they go. Wasting time on what doesn't work.

They don't have the setup.

The Executive Visibility OS™ is the setup.

20,000+ hours of experience baked in.

From scaling startups. Leveraging social media for brand and business visibility. Running some of the biggest personal brands on social.

That's the setup.

But it's not just experience.

It's the processes that work on first principles.

The advantages we've built over time.

And the combined tool stack that no one has public access to.

This is what brings the resources of a whole team to one person.

You're not figuring it out alone.

You're not using generic tools everyone else has.

You're getting the setup that creates an unfair advantage.

Because the harsh reality is:

You can work hard with the wrong setup and get nowhere.

Or you can work smart with the right setup and get ahead faster.

The setup changes everything.

The Executive Visibility OS™ gives you:

The frameworks from 20,000+ hours of experience.

The processes built on first principles.

The proprietary tool stack no one else has access to.

The setup that makes executive visibility actually work.

This is the unfair advantage.

Not just information. Not just strategy.

The complete setup that gets you ahead faster.

Ready for the right setup?

DM me "OS" and let's give you the advantage.

シ

📹 lukesowby

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you building with the right setup, or are you figuring it out alone?

Balance. Momentum. Control. In That Order.

A dude on a longboard. Finesse footwork. Flips and tricks.

Making it look easy. Natural flow.

Balance. Momentum. Control. In that order.

Here's how this actually works.

It's not random. It's not just talent.

It's three principles. In a specific sequence.

→ First: Balance

Before he does anything fancy, he's balanced on the board.

Centered. Stable. Grounded.

Without balance, nothing else works.

You can't build momentum if you're not balanced first.

→ Second: Momentum

Once he's balanced, he creates forward motion.

Not jerky. Not forced. Smooth and continuous.

The momentum makes the tricks possible.

You can't have control without momentum.

→ Third: Control

With balance and momentum, now he can control the board.

The flips. The tricks. The finesse.

It looks effortless because the foundation is solid.

Control is the result of balance and momentum.

Executive visibility works the same way.

Three principles. Same sequence.

Balance. Momentum. Control.

↳ First: Balance (your message)

Before you build visibility, you need balance.

What are you known for? What's your positioning? What's your unique perspective?

Not everything. Not random topics. Balanced and clear.

Without message balance, visibility is just noise.

↳ Second: Momentum (your consistency)

Once your message is balanced, you create momentum.

Showing up. Sharing consistently. Building presence.

Not sporadic. Not forced. Smooth and continuous.

Momentum makes everything else easier.

↳ Third: Control (your results)

With balanced message and consistent momentum, now you have control.

The right people find you. The opportunities come to you. The results compound.

It looks effortless because the foundation is solid.

Control is the result of balance and momentum.

Most executives skip the sequence.

They want control (results) without momentum (consistency).

They want momentum without balance (clear message).

And they wonder why it feels hard.

But when you follow the sequence:

Balance your message first. Get clear on what you're known for.

Build momentum through consistency. Show up. Share. Be present. Nail distribution.

Control follows naturally. The right people find you. The results compound.

It looks effortless because you built the foundation.

This is the system.

Not random. Not hoping. Not guessing.

Balance. Momentum. Control. In that order.

So here's the question:

Where are you in the sequence?
Do you have balance (clear message)?
Do you have momentum (consistent presence)?
Are you trying to force control without the foundation?

Follow the sequence. The results follow.

Balance. Momentum. Control.

That's how executive visibility actually works.

シ

📹 jeff__corsi

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Which principle do you need to focus on right now?

You Built a Prison. Here's How to Escape.

A guy in a prison cell. Draws on the wall. Materializes what he draws.

Removes a can of black paint. Throws it on the wall. Creates an escape path.

Climbs through.

The guard sees it. Runs in. Confronts the black hole.

It's just wet paint.

The prisoner appears on the other side. Slams the door. Traps the guard.

He's free.

You built a prison. Here's how to escape.

This is what success feels like for most executives.

You built a business. It's making money. Revenue's good.

But you're trapped.

The business that was supposed to give you freedom became your prison.

You can't step away. You can't scale. You can't grow past the plateau.

You need better talent to run better systems.

But the talent you need doesn't know you exist.

The money's great. The freedom's not.

And here's what most executives do:

They try to escape by working harder.

Hiring more. Building more systems. Optimizing operations.

But that's the guard running into the wet paint.

It looks like the escape. But it just traps you more.

Because here’s the harsh reality:

You can't hire your way out of a growth plateau if top talent doesn't know who you are.

You can't build better systems if you can't attract the people who build them.

You can't scale if the market doesn't see you as the obvious choice.

The escape isn't more operations. It's visibility.

Executive visibility is how you escape.

Not by working harder in the prison.

By becoming visible enough that the right people find you.

When you have executive visibility:

Top talent sees how you think and wants to work with you.

They come to you. You're not chasing them.

Better talent means better systems. Better systems mean you can step away.

That's the escape.

But most executives are looking in the wrong place.

They think the escape is hiring another person.

Building another process.

Fixing another operational issue.

That's the wet paint. It looks like the exit. But it traps you more.

The real escape?

Build your visibility. Attract the talent. Let them build the systems.

Then you're free.

Because here's what happens when you have visibility:

1. The talent you need finds you.

2. The systems you need get built by people who know how.

3. The business runs without you being the bottleneck.

You're on the other side of the door. The prison is behind you.

So here's the question:

Are you trapped in the business you built?

Is the money great but the freedom's not?

Are you stuck at a growth plateau needing better talent and systems?

The escape isn't where you're looking.

Stop running into the wet paint.

Stop thinking more operations will free you.

Build your executive visibility. Attract the talent. Escape the prison.

Ready to escape?

DM me "ESCAPE" and let's get you out.

シ

📹 zachking

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you trapped in what you built, or are you free?

Here's How This Actually Works.

A guy with a soccer ball. Kicking it off the wall with precision.

Ball comes back. Complete control. Every time.

Looks effortless.

Here's how this actually works.

Three things make this possible:

1. The angle

He's not just kicking randomly. He's choosing the exact angle that brings the ball back to him.

Cause and effect. Predictable. Repeatable.

The angle determines the return.

2. The force

Too hard and the ball flies past him. Too soft and it doesn't come back.

He's calibrated the exact force needed.

Consistent force creates consistent results.

3. The position

He's standing exactly where the ball will return.

Not guessing. Not chasing. Already there.

He knows where it's going before it gets there.

That's the system.

Angle. Force. Position.

Master those three things and it looks effortless.

But it takes practice to make it look this easy.

Executive visibility works the same way.

There's a system. Three core principles.

Get them right and it looks effortless.

But most executives are guessing.

Here's the system for executive visibility:

1. The angle (your positioning)

What you're known for. Your niche. Your unique perspective.

Not random topics. Strategic positioning that brings the right people back to you.

Your angle determines who finds you.

2. The force (your consistency)

Too much and you burn out. Too little and nothing happens.

The right cadence. The right effort. Sustainable momentum.

Consistent force creates consistent visibility.

3. The position (where you show up)

You're not chasing opportunities. You're already where they'll find you.

LinkedIn. Your network. Your presence.

You're there before they need you.

That's the system.

Angle. Force. Position.

But here's the problem:

Most executives don't know the system.

They're kicking randomly. Hoping something works. Chasing the ball.

And it looks hard because they don't have the system.

The Executive Visibility OS™ gives you the system.

The exact angle to position yourself.

The exact force to maintain momentum without burning out.

The exact position to be where opportunities find you.

Plus some unfair advantages only for insiders.

Not guessing. Not trial and error. The system that works.

Because truth is:

Executive visibility looks effortless when you have the system.

But without it, you're just kicking balls and hoping they come back.

The system makes it repeatable. Predictable. Effortless.

Ready for the system?

DM me "OS" and let's give you the angle, force, and position that makes executive visibility work.

Or hit my profile and book your executive strategy call.

シ

📹 thesoccersamurai

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you guessing, or do you have the system?

He Committed Before He Knew Where He'd Land.

Rolling on his onewheel. Right to the curb.

Finesse launch. The onewheel stops. He flies.

Hands in his pockets. Into the water.

He committed before he knew where he'd land.

This is what leadership actually requires.

Commitment before certainty.

Taking the leap before you see the landing. Moving forward when you don't have all the answers.

Most executives wait for certainty before they commit.

They wait to see the full plan. The guaranteed outcome. The safe landing.

And while they're waiting, the moment passes.

Your competition gains ground while you’re indecisive..

The leaders who actually break through?

They commit before they know where they'll land.

They launch the product before it's perfect.
They hire the person before they're 100% sure.
They make the pivot before they have all the data.

They commit. Then they figure it out.

Because typically..

You never have full certainty.
You never see the complete picture.
You never know exactly where you'll land.

But you have to commit anyway.

I see this with executive visibility constantly.

Executives waiting for the perfect time to start.

"I'll build visibility when I have more clarity on my message."

"I'll start posting when I know exactly what to say."

"I'll get visible when I'm sure it will work."

And they never start.

Because they're waiting for certainty that doesn't exist.

You don't know how the market will respond until you show up. You don't know what will resonate until you share it.

You don't know where you'll land until you commit.

But you have to commit first.

The executives who build visibility that attracts top talent, funding, buyers, and partners?

They committed before they knew where they'd land. They started posting before they had it all figured out.

They showed up before they felt ready.
They built momentum before they saw the results.
They committed. Then they figured it out.

And here's what happens when you commit:

You learn faster. You adapt quicker. You build momentum.

The landing becomes clear as you're in the air.

But only if you jump.

So here's the question:

What are you waiting for certainty on before you commit?

What leap are you not taking because you can't see the landing?

What would change if you committed first and figured it out in the air?

Because the leaders who win aren't the ones with the most certainty.

They're the ones with the most commitment.

They commit before they know where they'll land.

Hands in their pockets. Full confidence. No hesitation.

シ

📹 colbe891.edits

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you waiting for certainty, or are you ready to commit?

The safe approach wasn't working.

Guy's trying to cut and clear a downed tree that’s blocking his boat from passing through..

He jumps on it from the safe side. Nothing happens.

Keeps jumping. Still hanging by a thread.

So he walks out onto the risky side.. the part that's about to fall.

Jumps once. Keeps jumping..

It snaps. He drops with it into the water.

As execs, we do this all the time.

Most always try the safe play first.

Test the market. Run the pilot. Stay conservative.

But when it doesn't work, most executives just.. stay there.

They keep trying the same safe approach, hoping something changes.

The best ones? They read the signals. They move to the risky side when it's time.

Not reckless. Calculated.

They test first. Then they commit.

Here's what nobody tells you..

Not having your personal brand dialed in? That's actually the risky side.

You just don't see it until it's too late.

The cost of weak visibility is always compounding, same as the value that compounds for you with strong visibility.

When the market shifts. When your role changes. When you need options.

If nobody knows who you are, you're already falling.

Executive visibility is the safe play.

It's building your platform before you need it. Testing the market while you're still stable. Creating options before you're forced to choose.

So when the moment comes to pivot or double down..

You're not scrambling. You're ready.

We help impact-driven leaders build that foundation.

Systems. Strategy. Execution.

You bring the vision. We build the visibility.

Ready to stop playing it risky by staying invisible?

Let's talk.

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

(normally $527, free while spots are available)

シ

📹 will_mcadam

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 What's one decision where you had to move from safe to risky?

Science confirms your nervous system's immediate impact.

Your state transfers to others in under 200 milliseconds.

Before you speak a word, your nervous system broadcasts. Calm or chaos. Confidence or doubt. People feel it before they hear it.

This is why some leaders walk into a room and the energy shifts.

Research from universities across the globe shows mirror neurons fire faster than conscious thought. Your team reads your tension, your presence, your groundedness.

The best leaders I work with understand this.

They manage their internal state first. They know a rushed, restless energy creates rushed, restless teams. A grounded presence creates space for clear thinking.

You can't fake it. Your physiology speaks louder than your words.

When you enter a meeting stressed, your team's heart rates sync to yours. When you pause before responding, you give everyone permission to think.

This is leadership at the biological level.

Most people focus on what they say. The real work happens in the 30 to 90 seconds before you open your mouth.

Breathe. Ground yourself. Let your nervous system settle.

Then speak.

In high pressure moments, I smile and relax. Sounds simple, but it works.

If my mind won't quiet, I use 4-7-8 breathing. Inhale through my nose for 4 seconds. Hold it for 7 seconds. Exhale for 8 seconds.

It slows my heart rate, calms my nervous system. Paired with smiling and relaxing, it brings me back to center.

Try it before your next big moment.

Heck, try it any time just to chill out..

シ

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 What’s one thing you do to reset your energy?

The Goalie Knew It Was Over.

A soccer player juggling the ball through the air. Complete control.

Making progress down the field.

Slows down in the goal box. Teammate ready.

Draws the goalie out. Finesses around him.

The goalie knows he's beat. His face says it all.

The goalie knew it was over.

This is what mastery looks like.

Not just winning. Making the outcome inevitable.

The goalie knew before the ball hit the net.

Because when you have complete control, the result isn't in question.

Executive visibility creates this.

When you're visible, when you've built trust, when the market knows how you think, the outcome becomes inevitable.

Top talent knows they want to work with you before they apply.

Buyers know they're choosing you before the pitch.

Investors know they're funding you before the meeting.

The goalie knows he's beat before you score.

Here's what creates inevitability:

Control. You're not scrambling. You're not chasing. You're in complete command.

Patience. You slow down at the critical moment. You don't rush. You let them come to you.

Execution. When the moment comes, you finesse. No force. Just precision.

And they know. Before it's over, they know.

Most executives are chasing.

Chasing talent. Chasing deals. Chasing funding.

Scrambling. Hoping. Pushing.

And the outcome’s always uncertain.

But when you have executive visibility:

You're not chasing. You're drawing them out.
You're not hoping. You're executing with precision.
You're not uncertain. The outcome is inevitable.

Because they already know. They've been watching you. They've been learning from you. They trust you.

This is the difference..

Without visibility, every deal is a fight. Every hire is a gamble. Every pitch is uncertain.

With visibility, the outcome is inevitable. They know they're choosing you. You're just finishing what's already decided.

That soccer player didn't hope he'd score.

He knew. The goalie knew. Everyone watching knew.

Because mastery creates inevitability.
Executive visibility shows your mastery.

Build it. watch outcomes become inevitable.

Top talent knows they want to work with you.
Buyers know they're choosing you.
Investors know they're funding you.

Ready to make your outcomes inevitable?

Hit my profile and book your Executive Visibility Strategy Call.

(normally $527 - free while spots are available)

シ

📹 kingofpov80

💾 Save ♻️ Share 🔔 Follow 📣 Engage

↓

💬 Are you chasing outcomes, or are they inevitable?

taplio

The Battle

Ryan H. Vaughn

Jordan Murphy 🧠🦍

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreRyan H. Vaughn's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJordan Murphy 🧠🦍's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ryan H. Vaughn

Jordan Murphy 🧠🦍

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);}Ryan H. Vaughn's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJordan Murphy 🧠🦍's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRyan H. Vaughn's LinkedIn Performance