Context

Braden is the founder of a boutique film and storytelling studio. He’s a creative who never set out to “run a business”, but over a decade, that’s exactly what his work became.

He leads a team. He manages high-stakes client relationships. He balances long production weeks, travel, family life, and the constant pressure of delivery.

From the outside, things were successful. Internally, everything lived in his head.

The Starting State

Where things felt heavy

Before coaching, Braden described his days as stressful, distracted, and mentally crowded.

He was holding:

• Client deliverables

• Team responsibilities

• Household logistics

• Personal commitments

All at once. In his mind.

“I was trying to keep all the balls in the air. Most of it lived in my head.”

Work always came first, because it had to. Family and personal life were what absorbed the overflow.

He wasn’t working less. He wasn’t disengaged. But his attention was fragmented, and his days were shaped by urgency rather than intention.

“I was chasing email, trying to get to inbox zero, being overly responsive, and pulling myself in a lot of directions.”

What he felt most wasn’t burnout, it was constant cognitive load. There’s a big difference

The Real Issue

What came into focus

The problem wasn’t effort or commitment.

It was that nothing had a place.

Without clear external systems, Braden’s nervous system stayed in a constant state of low-grade vigilance—always scanning, always tracking, never fully off.

“If something happened to me, I don’t know where all that information would go.”

That realization landed quietly, but clearly.

What he needed wasn’t productivity hacks. He needed containment.

The Coaching Experience

What it felt like to work together

What Braden appreciated most was that the coaching didn’t prescribe a universal solution.

Instead, it started with questions:

• How does your brain work?

• What do you already hate?

• What actually matters in this season?

“It always came from listening versus prescribing.”

The work unfolded in phases:

• First, building simple systems to get things out of his head

• Then, refining how those systems fit his rhythms, at home and on the road

• Finally, learning when not to force productivity

“If something didn’t work for me, we just threw it out. There was no ego around it.”

That adaptability built trust, not just in the process, but in his own judgment.

The Structural Shifts

What changed day to day

The changes were tangible.

Mental clarity through external systems
Tasks, ideas, and responsibilities moved out of Braden’s head and into reliable containers.

“Now I can dump things out of my brain, organize them once, and trust they’ll be handled.”

Time matched to energy
He learned when his brain worked best—and stopped fighting it.

“From 8 to noon, I can get a week’s worth of work done. Afternoons are for people.”

Meetings moved. Deep work was protected. Low-energy tasks stopped clogging high-energy hours.

Presence returned
Because work had boundaries, he no longer felt like he was always working—even when he wasn’t.

“When I’m not working, I feel more present with my family.”

The Deeper Outcome

What this actually gave him

Beyond organization, Braden described something more fundamental:

Relief.

“I feel organized for the first time. Even if I’m procrastinating, I know where everything is.”

That changed everything.

He stopped forcing work when his body wasn’t there. He stopped equating rest with failure. He learned that progress doesn’t have to look like constant output.

“I don’t have to force work anymore. I listen to what my brain and body are telling me.”

The result wasn’t fewer responsibilities.

It was more trust, in timing, capacity, and self-direction.

In Her Own Words

“I feel more organized, and because of that, more present.”

“I get more done in four focused hours than I used to in a week.”

“This isn’t productivity hacks—it’s figuring out how your brain actually works.”

“You gave me my time back.”

Coaching Might Be For You If…

• You’re holding too much in your head

• Your work is successful but mentally exhausting

• You want clarity without hustle culture

• You need systems that adapt to real life, not forceful, unrealistic routines.

Let’s Explore Together