this is the most vulnerable page on this site...

I have been in 'leadership' roles for as long as I can remember. Maybe this is because that's what parents expected from me...maybe because of my personality...maybe because it's what I'm wired to do.

From youth group leadership when I was a teenager, to leading an international team in Europe....I have a lot of experience (experience = learning through failure) and if you can use my experiences in any way...I'd love to be a part of your journey. 

My Leadership Timeline

In the 5th Grade, I ran for school president. I lost...my tagline, "You're just in time to vote for Justin Powell." was catchy, but I lost to a more popular kid by 2 votes. 

As a teenager, I was a part of my church's leadership team...could be because I was the Pastor's kid and loved the feeling of following in my dad's footsteps.

At 20, I started leading a high school group of over 100 students. I had no idea that I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow I connected with the students and remain in contact with many of them.

At 22, fresh out of college and newly married, I was hired to help lead a young adult group at a large church. I had my own Personal Assistant, a team of 4 or 5 people who reported to me and I spoke to large groups on a regular basis. Many people told me how great I was and I made the mistake of believing everything they said!

At 25, I moved to Paris, France to work with an international team. My past experience and successes didn't give me much street cred on this team or in a global city. To be honest, this was the best thing for me. This is where my real inner journey started to gain traction and I learned that character matters more than reputation.

At 30, I launched a project in Barcelona, Spain. I always wanted to 'be a leader' because I thought it would validate me or in some way would help me feel like I had lived up to the high expectations I had for myself. To make a long story very short: This experience did not go as I expected, but it transformed me into a more humble and grateful person who could not identify more acutely with feeling like a failure.

At 33, I came back to the US and began a career in creative services. I have loved helping businesses grow in creativity and clarity (That's what most of this website is all about). Yet, at the same time, I longed for all of the lessons I've learned through 20 years in leadership, 4 international moves, 20 years of marriage, raising 4 great kids, many successful and failed projects to be shared and serve other leaders on the journey.

At 35, I quit my full-time job to work for myself as a creative and consultant. The lessons learned in the past handful of years are enough to fill many pages...but the net result is that I love my work and clients, and haven't given up my soul in building a great life for my family. 

3 things I learned about the inner game of leading that I didn't know when I got started:  1. Leading is rarely glamorous
2. Leading is often very lonely
3. Leading is about dealing with failure well

If you've ever been a leader, you know this is true. You've probably learned there are few people you can be truly honest with. You've felt like the 'bad guy' for making decisions that weren't popular. Your decisions have been criticized by those you lead but you can't tell them all of the factors in the decision because you've learned that transparency can have endless unintended consequences.

I can't speak for every leader, but I can say with confidence that one of the biggest factors in staying sane throughout my journey was having people to talk to who have walked the path ahead of me. They assured me that I wasn't a failure. I wasn't alone. And that to be a real leader meant I had to be willing to make the next decision and take the next step.

If you're interested in learning about a coaching relationship, please reach out to meet for a 'no strings attached' coffee to get to know each other. I use a Strength-based approach when processing your leadership issues and ask questions to help you process the things that often bounce around in your head. I'm not a 'know it all' leadership guru....and don't want to be. But I do believe my experience and insight will help you find long-term and sustainable success...otherwise, I wouldn't have made this page on my site. (Which I almost didn't, but I am so passionate about helping young leaders succeed, that I'd be betraying myself not to put this out there.)

Let's Connect

You're more than welcome to use the form below or give me a call at: (971) 202-6560. I look forward to connecting with you!

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