Two Leaders, Same Challenge: When Being Incredibly Capable Isn't Enough
Both Julie and Jeremy came to me with impressive credentials and proven track records. Both were stuck. Both felt unconfident despite their obvious capabilities.
Both represent a pattern I see constantly: incredibly capable people who can't fully access what they already possess.
Here's how we helped each of them shift from incredibly capable to insanely capable—not by adding more skills, but by removing what was blocking access to their existing strengths.
Bryan Yates talks about his passion challenges with clients.
Julie: "I forgot who I was at my last tech company"
The Setup: Julie is a brilliant data scientist, but years in toxic corporate environments had disconnected her from her core identity. "I guess I kind of thought you were going to hand me a blueprint for success at the start," she told me. She was looking for a formula, but what she really needed was to remember who she already was.
What We Discovered: Julie's challenge wasn't lack of capability—it was interference. Outdated survival patterns from previous toxic environments were still running her decisions. She was operating from fear-based responses instead of her natural analytical strengths.
The Work: We didn't add new skills or give her a step-by-step plan. Instead, we focused on removing what was blocking her:
Identified where old survival patterns were sabotaging her current opportunities
Helped her reconnect with her technical expertise and natural perspective
Trained new responses that honored her capability instead of hiding it
The Result: "We worked on my executive presence and communication. It's kind of crazy, but doors are starting to open for me!" Julie didn't become someone new—she became herself again, operating from strength rather than survival mode.
Jeremy: "I was being small and unconfident"
The Setup: Jeremy, a Healthcare Innovation Leader, was completely stuck. "I felt frustrated with no way out," he says. "I had zero confidence to send out my resume—every job I looked at, I'd think 'I can't do that, I'm not qualified.' I felt I had no options."
Despite his proven track record, Jeremy was seeking constant approval, letting difficult interactions consume him for days, and consistently diminishing his own accomplishments.
What We Discovered: Jeremy had all the capabilities needed for bigger roles. The interference was internal—he was operating from a story of inadequacy rather than his actual competence.
The Work: We focused on accessing what Jeremy already possessed:
Shifted him from seeking approval to taking agency over his projects
Trained him to process difficult interactions rather than be consumed by them
Helped him recognize how his experience creates real impact
The Result: "Though I'm still in the same role, I'm a completely different person in it, operating at a higher level," Jeremy reports. "I pick up projects and run with them now, without constantly seeking approval. My curiosity has strengthened—I ask better questions without fear of judgment."
The concrete outcome: Jeremy is now interviewing for multiple positions that will bring a 30% salary increase—opportunities he "would never have considered before."
Bryan Yates talks about how this work has evolved.
What Both Cases Reveal
Julie and Jeremy's stories illustrate a fundamental truth: most capable people don't need more skills. They need to remove the interference blocking access to capabilities they already have.
Both were incredibly capable but stuck in patterns that made them feel small and unconfident. Both needed to shift from operating out of survival mode to operating from their actual strengths. Neither needed a blueprint—they needed to clear the static so they could hear their own signal.
The progression from incredibly capable to insanely capable isn't about adding more. It's about accessing what's already there.
Julie went from: Incredibly capable and unsure of what's next → Insanely capable and aligned with her strengths
Jeremy went from: Incredibly capable and held back by “unconfidence” → Insanely capable and pursuing bigger opportunities
Same challenge. Same solution. Different expressions of the same fundamental work: removing interference so people can put their soul into what they do.
A bit more about me and the work…
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