Entrepreneur and consultant dad blog | MattFoxCoaching.com - Part 2
A small plant emerging from soil

The work you can’t yet see

You know something is changing beneath the surface. You just can’t see it yet. And that’s the work. We live in a world that rewards the visible. The launch, the result, the announcement. What gets far less attention is the long, patient work that makes any of that possible. I think about the surfer. Before […]

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Silhouette of a man on top of a mountain at dusk

The version of you at 25 wasn’t wrong

The version of you at 25 wasn’t wrong. You just got very busy becoming someone else.I find myself asking this question with clients: cast your mind back to who you thought you’d be. I don’t mean the specific job title or salary. More, the kind of person and the kind of life. Most describe something […]

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A person standing on the edge of a cliff at daytime

The hidden cost of always being responsible

Responsible for 25 years. But postponing your aliveness. Most senior leaders I speak with are extraordinary at doing what needs to be done. They’re sorted on the deliverables, the obligations, the expectations of others. They know how to execute. They show up. They hold the line when they need.But what is often absent in all […]

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Ceramic cup with coffee on saucer on a table by the window

Who are you when nobody’s watching?

The gap between your LinkedIn bio and your Sunday evening is worth studying. One tells the story of impact, influence and momentum in your life. The other tells you something quieter and more subtle. It says something about who you actually are when the performance stops.Many senior leaders I meet are extraordinary at the public […]

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Sunrise over the ocean horizon

The breakthrough you didn’t see coming

For months. Sometimes years.It feels like swimming against the tide of what you actually want.The effort is real. The resistance is real. And the gap between where you are and where you sense you should be feels like it’s getting wider, not narrower.Then something shifts.It’s rarely a single moment. More often it’s a change in […]

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Black and white photo of a man working on his laptop in a cafe

Why success leaves leaders feeling empty

He’d built everything. The title. The respect. The financial security. And he still felt hollow.We sat down a few months ago, and he said “I’ve spent years getting here. But why can’t I stand it anymore?”It’s a question I hear more than you’d think. From successful leaders, years into successful careers, feeling like something essential […]

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Silhouette of a man watching the sun set over the ocean

To the man who keeps telling himself he should be grateful

You probably are.That is the part many people misunderstand.You are grateful for the career. And the income.You are definitely grateful for the family, the house, the choices, the security, and the chances life has given you.You know you’ve done well. That many people would trade places with you.You might be thinking that your problems are […]

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Silhouette of a man inside his room working on a computer

Most successful men don’t fail in the second half of life

They keep going.And that is the problem.Your diary stays full. Your reputation stays intact. Your income keeps arriving. People still come to you for answers.From the outside, nothing looks broken.But you know the private version.You wake at 3am and your mind starts running.Work. Money. Retirement. The children leaving home. The future. The question you have avoided because it feels inconvenient.“Is this still actually […]

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Silhouette of a man looking out an office window at sunset

The hidden cost of being the capable one

I think there is a particular type of burden that comes with being the man everyone relies on.You become good at handling things. You’re the one people turn to when the hard thing needs to be done, whether it’s the difficult conversation or the financial decision. Maybe it’s a team issue. Or a family responsibility. Or […]

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Silhouette of a man staring out on a window

I reckon the most dangerous phrase you can say in life is ‘I should be happier than I am.’

Sure, it sounds small. The kind of thing you want to say quietly. Something you might not even dare say to your wife on a Sunday evening even though she senses it already. But what is that question actually saying.It’s saying: probably by every measure that matters, my life is working. The income. The title. […]

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