Resetting the Signal: Why I’m Rebuilding My Public Voice
For years, my public-facing profile looked solid: Senior product leader. Interim CPO. Strategic advisor. It ticked the right boxes — clear enough to explain what I’d done, polished enough to signal I belonged in high-level conversations.
But it wasn’t me. Well — it was, but not fully.
Over the past months, I realized something unsettling: the more polished my profile became, the more I felt invisible inside it. The voice sounded safe, professional, and… flat. The real work I do — the way I see the world, translate complexity, and build wild-but-working systems — wasn’t showing up. Worse, I was starting to believe my own “safe” story.
So I decided to stop. To reset the signal completely.
The Before: What Was Missing
My old profile was built the way many of us build public identities:
- Focus on titles and roles
- Bullet points of achievements
- A tone of professionalism that feels safe — but often generic
On paper, it worked. I attracted opportunities, I spoke at conferences, I got calls for interim leadership roles. But looking back, I can see the cracks:
- It emphasized what I did but barely hinted at how I think
- It showed deliverables but not the lens and energy behind them
- It listed outcomes but missed the edge that actually sets me — and my teams — apart
That gap showed up again and again.
At Retarus, I built a product team that became known as “the misfits — the wild bunch.” Brilliant, a little unruly, and high-performing in ways no one expected. When we moved offices, I famously banned every sad, half-dead office plant — sparking an inside joke that lasted years. After plenty of (joking) complaints, I gave everyone a small cactus as a replacement. (We still talk about the “Cactus Gang.”)
These weren’t just quirks. They were signals: I build teams and environments that don’t just function — they thrive in tension, clarity, and creative energy.
But my public voice didn’t reflect that.
Instead, it created a disconnect between how people perceived me at first and what they experienced once we worked together. I kept hearing:
“We didn’t expect you to be this direct.”
“You think differently than other leaders we’ve worked with.”
“You bring a clarity that shakes things loose — but in a good way.”
That disconnect? It was my fault. I’d built a brand that was too focused on fitting in — when the truth is, I do my best work at the edge of clarity, not in the middle of consensus.
The Discovery: What I Learned About Myself
Through plenty and long discussions— and, honestly, through some hard feedback — I started to really see what sets me apart.
I’m not just a product leader who delivers features or manages roadmaps.
I’m a seer-builder: someone who sees patterns early, often before others are ready to name them, and starts shaping them into systems that work.
I learned that:
- My strength isn’t just in execution — it’s in early clarity and bold translation.
- I don’t just build products — I build teams and environments that turn early signal into momentum.
- I have a natural antenna for misalignment, misunderstanding, and blind spots — and I can’t not act on what I see.
But here’s the hard part I had to admit:
I often expected others to see what I saw without giving them the right framing. I spoke fast, I moved early, and when people didn’t catch on, I felt frustrated.
One of my biggest breakthroughs came in a conversation with my brother.
He told me:
“You throw a thought on the table — super fast and in the middle of a discussion. You’re quicker in your brain than the others in the room, and you share that thought without a filter. The only thing you want is a reaction — it doesn’t matter if people agree or not. But the others need more time, and when they don’t react quickly, you get frustrated.”
He was right.
It took me a while to recognize that my clarity is only as strong as my ability to translate it — and to create the space for others to process and respond.
That insight changed everything.
It made once again obvious that building trust and shared ownership is just as critical as spotting early opportunities.
It also made me realize: the kind of people I want around me aren’t just followers or executors — they are challengers, translators, builders, and truth-tellers.
This wasn’t just a rebrand.
It was a reset of my leadership philosophy — and a recommitment to building spaces where tension, clarity, and creative energy fuel real breakthroughs.
The Work: How I Reframed My Leadership & Brand
Once I saw the disconnect clearly, I knew I had to do the real work — not just polish my LinkedIn headline, but rewire how I present, lead, and build.
I started by asking hard questions:
- What do I really stand for?
- What’s the kernel function of my leadership — what do I optimize for, always?
- What kind of teams and environments bring out the best in me (and vice versa)?
- What am I no longer willing to hide, dilute, or soften?
I worked through deep reflection — and sharpened my lens with the help of a few sparring partners who pushed me to name what I’d been circling around for years.
That process revealed key anchors for me:
- I’m here to amplify early clarity over late consensus.
- I lead by building high-trust, high-voltage environments where bold thinking can thrive.
- I build teams that work at the edge — misfits, outliers, sharp thinkers who don’t fit every system but can build incredible things when the environment is right.
I also realized that my public voice and my day-to-day leadership must be one and the same. No gap, no adjustment between the two.
This wasn’t just about branding — it was about making sure that the first impression people get of me reflects the real work I do.
The result?
- A reimagined website and brand presence that says plainly what I bring: signal clarity, system thinking, and bold execution.
- A reworked LinkedIn profile that moves past bullet points to capture my real edge.
But the most important shift was personal:
No more fitting in for safety, no more muting my clarity to make things comfortable.
This is a commitment — not just to a new public image, but to a deeper alignment between how I think, how I build, and how I show up.
It is not a marketing message it is a line in the sand.
The Now: What This New Voice Means
This reset wasn’t about changing what I do — it was about making sure my signal is clear from the very first interaction.
Here’s what that means now:
- I work with teams and leaders who value early clarity over comfort.
- I build environments where people are trusted to think boldly, challenge assumptions, and move fast with integrity.
- I’m not here to please or polish — I’m here to amplify what matters, translate complexity, and help teams build things that actually move the needle.
It also means I’m clearer than ever about who I’m for — and who I’m not for.
If you’re looking for a product leader who smooths over hard truths or keeps things safely incremental, I’m not your person.
If you want someone who helps you and your team see what’s next, align fast, and build with high-voltage precision — I’d love to have that conversation.
The Open Door
This is my signal — clear, direct, and open.
Let’s see what we can build together.
