Obsidian Investments LLC

I burned the practice I worked so hard to build I even swore I was done working with clients Why would I tear down what took me years to build? I was a coach without a coach, I figured out too late That my entire life was output Saving people on my 24 or 48 hour shifts as a Fire Captain Only to go home, shower put on a suit, then save them in my office for 9 hours Then hit the gym, shower, sleep and repeat the pattern the next day, day after day week after week month after month year after year. Until it wasn't sustainable anymore. I didn't recognize extreme burnout and my life of service to others led me right to it I regret not seeing the signs and adjusting with the same balance I was training into my clients. It was humbling and at times soul crushing. It came at the same time that I suffered career ending injury that cut short what could have been the longest standing Fire Career in MPLS history. And spent months bedridden healing from knee surgeries Not long after, I was taking on day jobs and working for bosses who were well intentioned but broke every decent manager principle there is. I'd get fired for speaking up for others. I had to start all over. One of the lessons I learned was this: Even when your circumstances shift, and they inevitably will in life 1. Don't lose who you are, however hard it may be - I could have buried what I knew when I was low but it would have magnified my challenges 2. Don't stop trying to help others - Even though you may be struggling in your present circumstances, others may going through much worse. Be willing to help 3. Learn from whatever circumstance you find yourself in - No matter how tough, there is something you can learn from it and add to yourself to temper you and refine your qualities. Use it. If you do this then even when your circumstances change, You can come out stronger on the other side.

Keeping up appearances is wearing you out. For whoever needs to hear this,, I'm gonna get real, keep scrolling if you need a more shallow take for the day: Do you find yourself... Smiling for the camera until your cheeks start to hurt Looking through your pics and scanning for which one screams "success" Is the lighting just right? Shadows too much? One more post on a beach, with a smile, on a breezy walk, laughing at a joke no one is telling, catching just the right angle, because your left side photographs better than your right, wearing that blazer without a button down to be business but in control at the same time? It's alright, you can let your hair down, you can holster that 1000 Watt smile, You can relax here. What if in a space where everyone is selling and putting their best foot forward, You can exude confidence that isn't dependent on daily affirmations, the right camera angle, the perfect smile, appearing to always have it together, because what you're selling is the finish line people strive for I work discreetly with clients who appear to have it all together by external standards but not only have problems, they deal with the same issues everyone else has and its multiplied by the added challenges unique to their position. They breathe a sigh of relief the second we begin, because they don't have to be anything but their self. The confidence and security they end up with, working with me, doesn't need to be "turned on" anymore. It's impervious. It can't be turned OFF anymore. It doesn't matter what they go through or how they arrive, they get there completely whole. Together. Their internal security in who they are, radiates, without the strain anymore. Success is being comfortably on the inside who you project on the outside. A single version of you that is unshaken by external factors. Its peace. Many who preach it, actually don't have it. I have helped my private clients get that, for years. Everything for them changes. DM me if you are searching to own this version of you.

I'm exposing one secret to making it easy to Lead others and have them follow you And it's easier than you think It's been said that in a sales conversation, there is always a sale that takes place. Either you sell the other person on whatever it is that you offer Or they sell you on their lack of need or interest in it What can often decide that outcome? Certainty. Who is more certain in the interaction? Usually, that wins. If you want to have a stronger impact on those you Lead and get them to follow you, conviction is non negotiable. It is a must. How do you gain conviction? Having laser focus on the outcome you are seeking for your business or Organization And that comes from gaining conviction what what you are doing and striving towards is absolutely necessary, valuable and that you will attain it. Period. Take the time to convince yourself of this on the front end and when you do it well? You will approach Leading with a conviction much deeper than daily affirmations. It will be woven into the fabric of who you are and how you show up. And it will remove any doubt from the people you have the privilege to Lead.

Are they talking about you behind your back? Yes. If you're in a Leadership position, expect it. Don't overthink it. your employees need the freedom to talk about you behind your back and blow off steam. You did this too , in hushed tones, about your Leadership. That's not the problem. Treat them in such a way that you give them fuel to say some good things! What do you think they're saying behind your back?

The hardest lesson I learned in business wasn't about success It was about failure. And it was hard lesson to swallow. I started out as an accidental and almost reluctant coach. I didn't know anything about how to price, session structure, root cause analysis, anything. But I learned through mistakes and eventually built a thriving practice where people would have to get on a waitlist to work with me. I could pick and choose who I wanted to work with. Until it crept up on me so slowly, I never saw it coming until it was too late. Burnout. I found myself in my office at the start of the day, with a full client load scheduled Wishing they would all just cancel and reschedule. I didn't want to see anyone. These late signs of burnout bleeding right past my defenses. I had been on a nonstop course of 6-7 day a week output without any energy management whatsoever, for years in a row. It caught up to me. I didn't recognize it for what it was until after I had effectively burned my practice to the ground. stopped marketing. fulfilled my client contracts and after they ran out, I didn't pursue anything new. Closed the office. Handed in the key I'd used for years to start my day. I felt like a failure for not sticking it out. I'm not someone who quits, I told myself. I tried to blend into regular life. It didn't take. And after some years went by with a few client engagements here and there, I started working with clients again. I had to start building again from scratch. But thanks to a conversation with a wonderful coach, I'm reminded, I get to bring all the lessons and expertise with me. The lesson: I found that for me, even though I had been training clients for years to manage their personal energy and resources, I had no coach helping me manage mine. Sometimes for the lessons we learn, the price is steep. But even if we lose everything else, if we use what we have learned, we can rebuild. Thanks Mariana Lacombe for the insights! Have you ever lost everything and had to start over?

I had no intentions of being a Leader I was content being in the background and just being a member of the team. I had zero desire to stand out and even less interest in telling people what to do. No burning desire to lead. That all changed. I was a young firefighter and being sent to work at a different station for every shift. Working for different Captains all the time starting making me aware of just how broad the difference in Leaders there were. It was after being assigned to work under a Leader who was a nice person but a terrible leader that I realized a simple truth: This person's way of leading was damaging and might even get me killed. I said from that moment forward, I want to be the one to decide what happens to me. And I dedicated myself to beginning to develop the skills to become the best Leader I could be. That marked the start of my Leadership journey. I've been a Leader ever since. Have you ever worked for someone so bad they changed the trajectory of your life? what was the start of your Leadership journey?

I have yet to see an Post talking about when to fire someone... But I see a million with people sharing talking heads while on a beautiful walk. I hit the like button effortlessly. I dig it. Don't just share the good stuff. People need help with the hard stuff. Without fail, one of the early Operations conversations I have when entering strategy sessions with a new client is: Can you just fire them for me? Wait a minute. It's not that easy. Firing doesn't by itself eliminate the conditions that created the problem to begin with. Let me explain.... When I found myself in my first time as head of Operations in a small business, I started to see a pattern emerge that would follow for many engagements after.... The "will you fire them for me?" mantra. Early hires are tough and usually speed hires based off of necessity. As your business gains more traction, the cracks and wear and tear begin to show. The people you hired become increasingly unable to fulfill the evolving roles they now hold. What will you do? Sometimes a respectful, dignified separation has to happen. But will you exhaust every other avenue first? Will you provide a pathway for them to develop? Will you be candid with them about the gap between where their skills are and where you need them to be moving forward? Will you handle this situation and preserve their dignity? Will you be candid? How you handle the hard conversations says more about you than how you handle the wins. Repost if you think there needs to be more cultures that praise embracing hard conversations with transparency.

How do you rank in Critical Leadership skills? There is currently a growing crisis of faith in Leaders right now. Employees expectations of those Leading is on the rise and the confidence of those in Leadership roles is declining. Where do YOU fall into all of this? Are you a team member or employee with little confidence in your Leadership team? Maybe you're a Leader who is inceasingly aware of the areas where you wish you were better or more skilled? Here are one of the critical skills I help integrate into Leaders with in my Leadership Academy Training and Coaching. Want to upgrade your Critical Leadership Skills? Start by improving your Decision Making ability. Great decision makers make decisions within tight timelines. If you have all the time in the world to make a decision, almost anyone can make a decision choice. The mark of a great decision making in a Leader is their ability to make good decisions very fast! Remember: A Good Decision made rapidly is 10X better than a great decision made 1 minute too late. Practice making all of your decisions as if there is a shortened time in which you need to make them, whether or not this is true, so that you can develop this skill with precision. After time it will become a part of your decision making and go on autopilot. Great Leaders know how to make great decisions. Start to work to master this one element of Critical Leadership skills and your team and lowered stress levels with thank you for it. For more tips and secrets from my Leadership Academy Training and Coaching keep following my posts or grab a free discovery call with me. These are the same Critical Leadership Tools framework I used to help me successfully navigate Leading and training teams through change, growth, and even life and death situations with exceptional results, at an age when most young people are still living with their parents. And I'm sharing them with you. Share if you think others could benefit from learning how to upgrade their Leadership skills!

Today was a day to get out and hit a few balls with some old friends

Being in the right room can change your trajectory I had a wonderful and enlightening time at Reconnect Rondo summit! Brilliant, Passionate, dedicated and committed. I sat in a room filled with giants in my community who have dedicated their lives to the service of this generation and those to come. Lesson: In the wrong rooms it's easy to get the wrong ideas about how to move forward. Putting ourselves in the right rooms can open doors and realign us.