Back in the Arena: Why I Left Coaching to Lead Again

For the past several years, I’ve lived and breathed leadership development. I’ve coached executives through major decisions, mentored new managers navigating their first tough conversations, and facilitated hundreds of “a-ha” moments in Vistage peer groups. And it’s been deeply meaningful work.

But something shifted.

This spring, I made the decision to step away from my role as a Vistage Chair and to close the chapter on most of my 1:1 coaching engagements. BauerHouse Coaching is not going away—but it is evolving. I’m stepping into two new roles: one as Chief Operating Officer at Denamico, a Minneapolis-based HubSpot consultancy, and the other as a thought leader with a louder voice and a renewed purpose.

Let me explain why.

I Believe Thought Leaders Belong in the Arena

There’s a quote from Brené Brown that I’ve always loved: “If you're not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I'm not interested in your feedback.”

I’ve built my reputation on being the kind of coach who gets it. Not just in theory, but in practice. I’ve been a CFO. I’ve run P&Ls. I’ve led teams through growth, downturns, chaos, and calm. But lately, I started to feel like I was sitting just a little too far outside the arena.

Coaching is sacred work—but I missed having my own skin in the game.

I missed building something from the inside. I missed being responsible not just for developing others, but for making decisions that have real operational weight. I missed the tension of balancing strategy with execution, of watching metrics move (or not), and of rallying a team toward something that keeps me up at night because it matters.

So I went back in.

Denamico is a place where I get to roll up my sleeves and do the work again—leading people, driving results, solving the big messy problems that leadership throws at us. It’s exhilarating. It’s exhausting. It’s everything I teach, now playing out in real time.

BauerHouse Isn’t Going Away. It’s Growing Up.

BauerHouse Coaching started with a single goal: help people become better, more intentional leaders. That mission hasn’t changed—but how I’ll deliver on it will.

The new version of BauerHouse is less about individual coaching calendars and more about ideas, writing, and influence. It’s about reaching more people through thoughtful content, provocative questions, and tools that make conscious leadership not just possible, but practical.

I want to write the things that make you uncomfortable in the best way. I want to be the voice that nudges you to ask, “Why am I leading this way? And is it still serving me, my team, and my business?”

The answer doesn’t always come from a coaching session. And I certainly can't continue to coach without fresh content (aka - real life punches in the face).

This is Not a Goodbye to Coaching—It’s a Recalibration

To be clear, I still believe in coaching with my whole heart. It changes people. 

But I’ve also learned that I can’t write, lead, coach, and build all at once. Something had to give. And for now, that something is the version of coaching that had me too far from the work I love: leading from within a team.

What Happens Next?

I’m inviting you to come along as I navigate this new chapter. Expect more raw reflections, more “oh wow, that didn’t go as planned,” and more real stories from the trenches of leadership.

There’s still so much to explore: How do we build healthy accountability without burnout? What does effective delegation really look like in a fast-moving company? How do you lead when you’re grieving? Or tired? Or unsure?

These are the questions I’ll be wrestling with in real time. And I’ll be sharing the journey—not because I’ve mastered it, but because I’m committed to walking through it with intention.

Final Thought: You Can Evolve Without Erasing Who You Were

I’m proud of who I am as a coach. I’m proud of the work I’ve done with CEOs, managers, and teams all over the country. But I’m also really excited about who I’m becoming—a leader who still teaches, but also builds; who still listens deeply, but also acts decisively.

This isn’t a pivot. It’s an expansion.

So if you’re feeling that itch—that pull toward something new, something that puts you back in the ring—I hope this gives you permission to go. You don’t have to abandon the work you’ve loved. But you do get to redefine how it lives inside you.

Because the world needs more leaders who are both brave enough to evolve and bold enough to share it.

May you Live & LeadWell,

~E

COO, Denamico

https://www.denamico.com

back in the game