Creating a Beautiful Future with Barrett Brooks

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Jan 15, 2024

Former COO of ConvertKit, Barrett Brooks, reflects on his deep connection with nature and the complexities of executive coaching. He shares his experience leaving a company and emphasizes the importance of navigating departures and processing grief. Barrett discusses the interplay between grief and joy, his future plans of writing a memoir and starting a podcast, and the significance of personal growth and clear professional agreements.

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INSIGHT

Brokenness in Nature and Organizations

The brokenness of the natural world mirrors the brokenness in organizations and relationships.
Unmet needs, especially basic ones, drive people to sacrifice other important things, leading to brokenness.

ADVICE

Therapy and Coaching for Founders

Founders should consider therapy as their company becomes an attachment, revealing their patterns.
Coaching works best alongside therapy, addressing work-specific manifestations of deeper issues.

ANECDOTE

Hypervigilance as a Double-Edged Sword

Barrett's hypervigilance, learned from his father's repressed anger, became a strength and weakness in leadership.
He learned to repress his own emotions, impacting his work and relationships.

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Barrett Brooks, former COO of ConvertKit and now an executive coach, shared his deep connection with nature and the significance of confronting past pain. He reflected on the complexities and rewards of executive coaching, the balance between coaching and personal creative work, and the necessity of personal growth and clear professional agreements.

Barrett discussed his own experience of leaving a company, highlighting the lessons learned about boundaries, contracts, and the challenges posed by conflicting desires for company growth. He stressed the importance of navigating company departures, processing grief, and understanding the interplay between grief and joy.

Additionally, he talked about his future plans, including writing a memoir and starting a podcast.

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Chapters

(00:00) - Introduction
(06:17) - The brokenness of the natural world and organizations
(12:22) - Finding inner and outer alignment
(16:05) - Patterns from childhood and their influence
(26:14) - Transitioning to coaching
(29:50) - Coaching's influence on writing
(33:13) - How would you coach yourself?
(35:53) - Navigating joining and leaving ConvertKit
(46:24) - The cost of joy is grief
(59:34) - Power of memoirs
(01:07:13) - A beautiful future

Takeaways

Nature can have a profound impact on our well-being and should be protected.
Acknowledging and integrating past pain is essential for personal growth and success.
Coaching can be a valuable tool for individuals to navigate their personal and professional challenges.
Creating space for personal growth and creative pursuits is crucial for maintaining balance and fulfillment. Having clear boundaries and a contract is essential when entering into agreements.
Incompatible desires for company growth can lead to conflict and ultimately the decision to part ways.
Navigating the complexity of leaving a company requires open communication and a willingness to process emotions.
Grief and joy are interconnected, and allowing oneself to fully experience grief can lead to a deeper appreciation of joy.
Writing and ritual can be powerful tools for processing grief and creating closure.
Storytelling and making meaning are important for personal growth and understanding.
Creating a beautiful future involves healing and integrating past pain.
Writing a memoir and starting a podcast can be powerful ways to share personal experiences and inspire others.

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