The Faceless Coach

The Golden Handcuff Dilemma Week 2: Reduce to Regain Freedom Dear Reader, Last week, we talked about Disrupting the Default—the moment you stop saying “yes” to a path that no longer fits. (If you missed it, you can catch up on the D.R.E.A.M. Ladder framework). But once you say “No” to the old path, you are faced with a terrifying question: How do I afford the transition? Most people never make their move because they are trapped by what I call Golden Handcuffs. It’s the lifestyle you’ve built...

Kill the 'Company Man'! Why your current success is now your ceiling—and the 5 decisions required to architect what’s next. Dear Reader, I used to believe that transformation was a matter of accumulation. I thought if I just added another degree, secured one more qualification, or found the right sponsor, the ceiling of my life would finally lift. I spent years in a cycle of "doing" to prove I was "becoming." But here is the hard truth I had to learn: You can coach a bird to walk, but if its...

Quiet excellence is often missed because it isn’t legible. Dear Reader, A senior manager once skimmed my CV and said, “I can see what you did. I can’t see what it was worth.” It stung—because it was true. Many leaders scan fast; if the value isn’t obvious, they move on. Research shows initial resume screens can take only a few seconds, which means clarity has to hit immediately. Maybe you’ve felt this too—pages of precise tasks, yet the impact gets lost in the noise. The fix isn’t hype. It’s...

Dear Reader, The restaurant was loud. My hands were shaking... I slid a four-year plan across the table. July 2008. Final year of university in Owerri, Nigeria. I was broke and short on prospects—except for one thing: a North Star I could see so clearly it felt like memory. In my notebook I wrote a page titled “Four-Year Plan” It had five elements: Win a scholarship Study abroad Work for two years and save Return to Nigeria and marry my sweetheart Bring her abroad—all within four years We’d...

Clarity doesn’t come before the step... It shows up because you took it. Dear Reader, Maybe you’ve felt this too: you’re building a life no one in your family has modeled before. There’s no map to copy, no elder to call for directions. On good days, that feels like freedom. On others, it feels like you’re making it up as you go—because you are. Over the last few years, I learned something honest (and slightly uncomfortable): fear doesn’t vanish when you hit milestones. It rides shotgun. The...