The project that’s been stuck on your desk.
Let’s get it past the wall together.
Pathmaker is two to three weeks of focused, hands-on work alongside and experienced leadership and change strategist. We work on the real thing, in real time, until we’ve made the path through one specific roadblock, walked it together, and put the outcome you need in your hands.
30 minutes. No cost.
You’ll leave with clear next steps,
whether or not we work together.
The Wall
There’s something on your desk that should have moved by now.
You lead people, projects, or a business. You know what this particular thing needs to become. You may have started it twice. And it’s still sitting there.
The obstacle usually isn’t capability or commitment. It’s one of two things. Either you don’t have the bandwidth to give it sustained, focused attention, or it’s the first time you’ve had to do this particular thing, and the stakes are too real to learn it by trial and error.
Meanwhile, the cost compounds quietly. A deadline drifts. A team waits on direction. An opportunity doesn’t wait for you.
Pathmaker is built for walls like these:
- A strategic or operational plan that needs to go from ideas in your head to a document people can act on
- A restructure, role redesign, or change initiative you need to map out before you announce it
- A presentation that has to win the room, whether it’s an idea for your boss or a pitch to a potential client: the structure, the stories, the visuals, and a close that gets you to yes
- A stalled project that needs a reset: scope, priorities, and the next three moves
- A process or way of working that no longer fits the team or business you have now
What done-with-you means
This isn’t coaching. And it isn’t outsourcing.
Coaching draws the answer out of you. Pathmaker puts two kinds of expertise directly into the work: your inside knowledge and my outside perspective.
We don’t talk about the project and leave you to do it later. We work on the actual thing, together, in the session. Sometimes we build it side by side. Sometimes I walk you through it step by step while you drive. Either way, the work moves while we’re in the room, not on your to-do list afterward.
| Coaching | Pathmaker (done-with-you) | Done-for-you | |
| Who does the work | You, between sessions | Both of us, in the session | Someone else, mostly without you |
| What you get from the expert | Questions, perspective, accountability | Expertise, structure and a second pair of hands | A finished product |
| What you walk away with | Clarity and growth in how you lead | The outcome, plus the know-how to do it again | An outcome you may not fully own or understand |
| Best when | You have the capacity and want perspective | You need momentum and guidance, now | You can hand it off completely |
The difference matters most after we’re done. Because you were in the work, you understand every decision in it. You can present it, defend it, and adapt it when circumstances change.
How it Works
From stuck to done in two to three weeks.
- Ignition Call · 30 minutes, no cost. We talk through the roadblock, what’s at stake, and whether Pathmaker is the right fit. You leave with clear next steps either way.
- Roadblock Mapping Session · 40 minutes. Our first working session. Together we name the real roadblock (often not the one on the surface), define the deliverable, and set the scope and number of sessions. Before any work begins, you’ll know exactly what we’re building and what “done” looks like.
- Working Sessions · up to five, 50 minutes each. Focused, hands-on work on the project itself. We draft, decide, build, and refine. I bring the expertise and structure; you keep the ownership.
- Between sessions · feedback through your private client portal. Send a draft, a question, or a deliverable for review, so momentum doesn’t stall waiting for the next meeting.
- Done. The roadblock is behind you, the outcome is in hand, and you know how you got there.
Why this Works
Momentum, ownership, and nothing left half-finished.
Two kinds of expertise, in the same room. You bring the inside view: your people, your history, what’s been tried and why it stalled. I bring the outside view: patterns from other organizations, perspective that isn’t caught in the day-to-day, and the questions no one inside thinks to ask. Neither view is enough on its own. Together, they reach solutions neither would find alone.
Momentum is built into the design. Two to three weeks, scoped up front. Short enough to hold urgency. Long enough to do it properly.
You stay the owner. Nothing gets handed back to you that you can’t explain. The thinking is yours, which means the result holds up in the boardroom, with your team, and six months from now.
You borrow experience instead of building it the hard way. I’ve held leadership roles in food services, healthcare, education, professional practice, non-profits, service delivery, and my own business. That has meant everything from production and customer service to building teams, managing projects, leading organizations through transitions, and growing a business. Different sectors, different responsibilities, one constant: every role was about finding solutions and making things better. You get that range of pattern recognition, without the learning curve.
You build capability as you go. Because you’re in the work, the next time this kind of challenge shows up, you’ll know how to move it yourself.
Bring the person who’ll carry it forward. You can invite a team member into the working sessions, especially the one who’ll implement the outcome or who brings experience the solution needs. The work gets better, and the buy-in is built while the thing is being built.
No surprises on scope. The Roadblock Mapping Session sets the boundaries before we begin. If your challenge turns out to be bigger than this format can handle, I’ll tell you plainly and propose what it would take, at the start, not halfway through.
What it looks like in practice
They walked in anxious about failing. They walked out leading the change.
A client story, anonymized.
A leader’s boss challenged them to draft a list of the changes they believed their unit needed. On paper, a simple ask. In reality, they were anxious and afraid of getting it wrong.
Together, we did a virtual walk-through of their unit. I brought a fresh eye and probed the areas they’d skipped, the things that become invisible when they’re that familiar. We identified the full list. Then we went deeper on each change: why it mattered, and how it would benefit the team, the unit, and the company. From that work, we built two deliverables: a concise brief and a presentation.
Their boss was impressed, and asked them to take on the top priority.
Is this right for you?
Pathmaker is right for you if:
- You’re a leader, project lead, or business owner facing one specific, important roadblock
- You know the outcome you need, even if you’re not sure how to get there
- You can commit to roughly two working sessions a week for two to three weeks
- You want to be in the work and come out the other side knowing how it was done
It’s not the right fit if:
- You want someone to take the project off your plate entirely
- You’re looking to grow as a leader or navigate a transition over time; that’s coaching, and that’s exactly what Facing Transitions is for
- The challenge is really several roadblocks, or an ongoing need rather than one defined outcome
Not sure which side you’re on? That’s exactly what the Ignition Call is for.
Questions
Is this a coaching program?
No. Coaching helps you find your own answers over time. Pathmaker is hands-on work toward one defined outcome, with me contributing expertise, structure, and effort directly in the sessions.
Will you do the work for me?
We do it together. In some sessions I’ll take the lead and walk you through it; in others you’ll drive and I’ll guide. What never happens is the work disappearing and coming back finished without you. If you want me to do it all for you, we need to discuss a consulting project instead.
How much of my time does it take?
About five hours of session time over two to three weeks, plus whatever you choose to move forward between sessions. Most clients find it’s far less time than the project was already costing them.
What if my roadblock turns out to be bigger than expected?
We’ll know early. The Roadblock Mapping Session sets the scope, the deliverable, and the number of sessions. If it’s larger than this format can handle, I’ll say so and propose what it would actually take before we go further.
What happens on the Ignition Call?
Thirty minutes, no cost. We look at the roadblock, what’s at stake, and whether Pathmaker is the right approach. You’ll leave with clear next steps, even if we don’t work together.
Can I bring someone from my team?
Yes, and it’s often the smartest move. If a team member will implement the outcome, or brings experience the solution depends on, bring them in. They’ll understand the decisions because they helped make them.
Name the wall. Then let’s make the path through it.
In 30 minutes, we’ll look at what’s stuck, what it’s costing you, and the fastest credible path through it.
No cost. No obligation. Clear next steps, either way.