Does your career have you feeling

  • stuck in a fog?

  • drifting aimlessly?

  • lost in the storm?

  • in uncharted waters?

I’ve been there.

I know what it's like to have challenges while navigating a career. My professional career has been a real-life adventure, filled with exhilarating highs, humbling lows, and plenty of unpredictable sideways moments. Whether you've led a team or thrived as an individual contributor, I've been in your shoes and can help you navigate the challenging realities of career growth.

As a leadership coach, I'm passionate about helping individuals traverse the ever-changing waters of the professional world. With a mix of Midwestern warmth and contagious enthusiasm, my collaborative approach blends creativity, inspiration, and a genuine desire to help you succeed. Through coaching I work with professionals looking for more confidence, clarity, and direction. You’ll feel seen, heard, and challenged. My goal is to have you leave our sessions energized with newfound clarity and the momentum to move forward.

It’s your journey, but I’ll help guide the way.

About Nate

Hi, I'm Nate!

My background: I grew up in the Midwest in a family of educators and coaches. This instilled in me a strong work ethic, a love of learning, a focus on goal-setting, and resilience.

My professional experience: Over the past two decades, I've successfully led sales teams, both as a teammate and manager. I thrive in collaborative environments and excel at building strong relationships. I understand the importance of connecting people, ideas, and teams to achieve shared goals.

My Values: Connections & Fun

…and if you believe any of this stuff:

  • Insights Discovery: ‘Creative’ Inspiring Helper

  • CliftonStrengths: Learner, Individualization, Context, Communication, Woo

  • Values in Action: Curiosity, Humor, Creativity, Love of Learning, Perspective

  • Horoscope: Leo

  • Enneagram: Type 1

  • Myers-Briggs: ENFJ-T / The Protagonist

Why use a coach?

After years of chasing my dream role, I finally landed it. The reality was far more challenging than I anticipated. I faced setbacks and ultimately fell short. I consumed numerous books, articles, and videos on self-improvement / career advancement, but felt stuck in a loop.

…then I worked with a professional coach.

Working with a career coach was like discovering a hidden treasure. It wasn't an overnight transformation, and the journey took unexpected turns. While they didn't magically reveal a dream job or uncover hidden talents, they did something even more valuable: helped me see my career in a whole new light. By aligning my values and goals, they guided me towards a career path that felt truly rewarding and fulfilling. 

What is coaching?

Coaching is a different relationship/conversation than therapy, mentoring, advising - the coach is looking to you via questions / not you to them for problem solving answers. I found this helpful as the answer was within me, not a solution that worked for someone else.

Through thoughtful questioning, coaches help clients delve deeper into their experiences and identify areas for growth. Together, coach and client work to establish clear, achievable goals that align with the client's vision.

It’s best summed up as “Coach the person, not the problem.”

It was through this process that I realized my passion for coaching and decided to become a coach myself. Coaching was the missing piece I had been searching for, and it was only through working with a coach myself that I found it.

The Lighthouse

Think of me as your personal lighthouse. As a coach, my role is to illuminate your path forward, helping you navigate through the vast ocean of career possibilities, challenges, and uncertainties. I’ll offer a beacon of light when the fog rolls in, identifying potential obstacles you might not see. I offer guidance and support – without steering your course. You are the captain behind the wheel. Together, we’ll make use of your skills and resources to reach your destination. With me as your guiding light, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the challenges of your career journey with confidence and clarity.

I use metaphors & analogies a LOT! By framing a problem in a new way, these figures of speech can help you see things from a different perspective and discover new solutions. This helped in my professional career - having to make very complex concepts into simple solutions, and it’s a lot of fun to use in coaching. As for my approach to coaching:

My Approach

I am a passionate collector of all sorts of stuff. This includes experiences, intriguing stories, valuable lessons, meaningful souvenirs, and even unique rocks. Throughout my life, I have accumulated numerous items that hold significant meaning for me.

I’ll use four distinct things on my desk to vividly illustrate my unique perspective on coaching and how it can empower others. These items can serve as metaphors in my coaching practice, as I strive to make the complex aspects of life and career paths feel simple and accessible.

  • A polished Petoskey stone is a captivating sight: its intricate coral patterns revealed in shimmering detail. Yet, before its beauty was unveiled, it was a rough, unassuming rock. Buried beneath layers of sediment and time, its true nature was hidden.

    Like the Petoskey stone, our true selves are shaped by experiences, challenges, and time. It takes patience, effort, and sometimes a little polishing to reveal our inner beauty and potential.

    Plus, it’s a fossil of a coral that’s approximately 350 million years old! 

  • LEGO bricks are individual, often seemingly unrelated pieces. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Alone, they're just plastic pieces. However, when connected thoughtfully, they form intricate structures, characters, and entire worlds. This process mirrors how disparate ideas, experiences, or elements can combine to create something entirely new and meaningful. Just as a LEGO masterpiece emerges from a collection of bricks, innovation and creativity often arise from the unexpected connections between different components.

    I am a lifelong fan of LEGO and am thrilled to have an excuse to buy more for my daughter.

  • Ever dreamed of that perfect job, only to find it wasn't quite what you expected? Conan O'Brien's journey mirrors this common experience. After years of climbing the late-night ladder, he reached the top, but the view wasn't as fulfilling as anticipated. Rather than dwell on disappointment, he embraced change, reinventing himself and his career. Just like Conan, you might find that your dream job isn't your destiny. It's okay to adapt, to evolve, and to discover new passions. Sometimes, the most rewarding paths are the ones you create.

    “Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

    -Conan O'Brien

  • A looming storm brews on the horizon. The bison charges directly into it, seeking to swiftly weather the onslaught. In contrast, the cattle flee in the opposite direction, only to find themselves trapped by the storm's relentless advance. This mirrors the professional world. 

    Some, like the bison, confront challenges head-on, emerging stronger and quicker. They embrace change as an opportunity for growth, their resilience and determination guiding them through adversity. 

    Others, like the cattle, avoid change, leading to stagnation and potential career derailment. 

    When faced with professional storms, it's the bison's approach - direct, courageous, and adaptable - that paves the way for success and fulfillment.

Connect with me

Use the form below to learn more about me & my services. Remember, I’m here to guide you through your career journey!