I know this path
From performing
to presence
For years, I sat at a piano with every page taped down and my leg shaking beneath the keys. I played precisely. From the outside, I looked confident. But I was terrified. Without those pages, I didn't trust myself to play.
By my early 20s, I walked away from the piano entirely. I'd achieved every goal: scholarships, recognition, awards. But performance had replaced presence so completely that I no longer knew what it meant to actually play.
The same pattern followed me into leadership. Say the right things. Do what's expected. Succeed on the outside while slowly disconnecting on the inside.
Until one day, everything changed.
A guitar maker named Bill said five words that changed everything:
"Make sure you play the piano."
That conversation sent me back to the piano. Not to perform. Not to be good enough. But to discover what it meant to actually play. That journey became the foundation for everything I now do with leaders.
