A Year of Intention and Impact

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I wrapped up my time at Slack Fund and launched Grandview Performance Coaching. As I approach this anniversary, it feels like the perfect time to share more about my decision and journey. This isn’t a detour or a back up plan—it’s the path I’ve chosen with intention, long-term commitment, and the belief that I can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

Performance Coaching in Business

You’ll hear a lot from me about the parallels I see between founders / executives and elite athletes. In sports and in business, high performance isn’t just about raw talent—it’s developed through structured practice, consistent habits, recovery, and timely feedback.

I often think about the mindset of an elite athlete prepping for a competition: they break down film, refine the fundamentals, run focused drills, and surround themselves with a team that pushes them. Founders need that same infrastructure—especially when the pressure and the stakes are high.

Like elite athletes, ambitious founders operate under constant pressure, face fierce competition, and are expected to deliver every day. My role as a coach is to help them meet that challenge—building clarity, resilience, and tactical precision—so they can perform at their best and sustain growth over time.

White Belt Mentality

Along with my coaching practice, I am also excited and committed to sharing strategies, insights, and reflections in this newsletter, which I’m calling “White Belt Mentality.” In martial arts, the white belt marks the beginning of a practitioner’s journey, but it also represents a mindset that even the most advanced practitioners return to. A white belt mentality means staying open and humble, learning from everyone, and continuously evolving how you think and operate.

Over the past 11 years of practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I’ve come to appreciate how powerful this mindset truly is. On the mats, it’s essential. In business and leadership, it’s transformative. It mirrors what Carol Dweck describes as a growth mindset—an openness to new ideas, to failing forward, and to constantly expanding and exploring what’s possible.

These principles—curiosity, humility, and a commitment to lifelong learning—have guided me not just in martial arts, but in my work with clients and in how I show up as a coach. They’re the foundation of how I think about personal development and sustained performance.

What’s next

In the coming weeks, I’ll be diving into topics like how founders can prepare for high-stakes board meetings, ways to create more leverage through delegation, and lessons I’ve learned from coaching sessions that challenged my own thinking. These are the types of topics that come up regularly in the fast-paced, high-pressure environments many of you are navigating—and I believe now more than ever, practical and reflective tools can make a meaningful difference. I hope these stories and strategies help spark new ways of working and leading in your own world.

How You Can Support

I’d like to say a sincere thank you to the clients, friends, and peers who’ve supported me on this journey—it’s been an incredible year of growth, and I’ve learned even more than I’ve given. I would greatly appreciate your continued feedback and support including in the following ways:

• Share this newsletter: Help me grow our community by forwarding this to friends, colleagues, or anyone who might benefit.
• Engage and suggest topics: I’d love your comments or suggestions about topics you’d like me to explore.
• Refer potential clients: If you know someone who might be a great fit for coaching, I’d appreciate an introduction. I’m always eager to support founders and executives—whether or not they ultimately become a client. I offer free consultation sessions and enjoy making connections and being helpful however I can.

P.S. I added a mix of friends, former colleagues, founders, and early supporters to this list to share an update and offer something I hope you’ll find valuable. If this isn’t for you, feel free to unsubscribe—no hard feelings at all.