I've been wrestling with words lately.
Specifically "coach" and "consultant."
You know those words that just give you the ick? Yeah, those.
For months now, I've been dancing around something. Something that lights me up like nothing else.
It's this thing that happens when I sit with someone who's trying to figure their shit out.
Could be a founder.
Could be an executive.
Could be anyone standing at that crossroads of "what's next?"
Here's what goes down:
I listen. Like, really listen.
And then I mirror back what I'm hearing, sprinkled with questions that have been bubbling up in my mind.
Sounds simple, right? Maybe even underwhelming?
But here's where the magic happens.
It's like adjusting a prism that wasn't catching any light. Just the tiniest shift.
And suddenly?
*Sparkles everywhere.*
I've seen it happen time and time again. That moment when someone's face lights up. When the path forward suddenly becomes clear. When possibility floods the room.
Man, that shit is addictive.
It's like being a witness to someone's breakthrough moment. Their own personal light show.
But here's the thing that's been keeping me stuck.
For all these months of doing this work, loving this work, I've been fighting with those labels.
Coach. Consultant.
Having been an entrepreneur for as long as I have, I've got some baggage with those words.
Some folks I talk to hate "consultant" but vibe with "coach."
Others run from "coach" but can rock with "consultant."
And I've let these labels - these mere words - hold me back from fully stepping into what I know I'm meant to do.
My buddy Salil called me out on it last week.
"Patrick, I love what you're doing on LinkedIn, love the content, but you never ask people what you want from them. Never tell them how they can work with you."
He's right.
I haven't been in a rush to get there.
But if I'm being honest? I'm also preventing my own growth by not claiming this space.
By not saying out loud: This is what I do. This is how I can help.
It's funny how we can be our own biggest roadblock.
Standing in our own way because the labels don't feel quite right.
Even when the work itself? Pure magic.
So I'm done letting words hold me back.
Because at the end of the day, it's not about the title.
It's about that moment when the light hits the prism just right.
When clarity breaks through.
When someone sees their path forward with fresh eyes.
That's the work.
And that's what I'm here for.
So yeah, maybe I'm a coach.
Maybe I'm a consultant.
Maybe I'm just a guy who loves helping people find their light.
But whatever you want to call it, I'm ready to do more of it.
Until next time.
This is Ground Control.
- Patrick
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