A reflection on lineage, leadership, and why presence has been the quiet thread through every meaningful decision in my life and work.
January 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter in my work and in my life. I am stepping into the role of steward, owner, and CEO of Presence-Based Coaching, the leadership development and coach training organization founded by the late Doug Silsbee and carried forward with great care by my teacher-turned-coach-turned-mentor, Bebe Hansen.
It would be easy to say this was a simple decision, but that would not be true.This transition has been unfolding behind the scenes for more than a year now and is the result of many quiet conversations and introspection. More importantly, the decision arrives with a steady sense that this deeply aligns with the work I’ve already been doing for most of my adult life.
Presence-Based Coaching (PBC) has markedly shaped me as a coach and a person. Both the curriculum and the practice have taught me a leadership and coaching style that is grounded rather than reactive, aware rather than urgent. I’ve learned how to more masterfully meet complexity with clarity and to support others from a place of inner steadiness.
Those lessons reached me long before I ever imagined that I would be trusted to lead the organization. It’s changed the way I work with founders, executives, and creative entrepreneurs. It has crystallized my perception of what I think makes a strong team leader. It’s changed the way I show up as a husband and a parent. And I’m honored, excited, and nervously anticipatory about the months and years to come.
Presence is a Throughline of My Life and Work
For most of my career, I have lived at the intersection of leadership, entrepreneurship, and teaching. And presence has been the quiet thread running through every meaningful decision I have made so far. I started my first company, Living for Monday, because I believed that meaningful work and good leadership could change lives. Later, at Fizzle and then at Kit (previously ConvertKit), I poured myself into building culture, clarity, and standards that allowed creators to do the best work of their lives. In my coaching practice, I have worked with high-earning entrepreneurs, founders, and creators who are trying to build something that matters without losing themselves in the process.
The work has looked different over the years, but the core questions have stayed consistent. Can we slow down enough to notice what is really happening in us, in the world, in the people we serve? Can we act from a grounded place instead of reacting from fear? Can we build companies, careers, and lives that are not only successful from the outside, but whole on the inside?
It’s no surprise that coaching and teaching has always been a gift and joy I return to. I come by it honestly. Both my parents were coaches to me in their own ways, whether on a baseball field or in the personal development work they nudged me toward. So teaching and guidance has always been front and center: when I built courses and frameworks and tools for creators, when I coach CEOs who need space to think again. It’s a part of every conversation whether I’ve realized it or not: with friends, colleagues, my wife, my children.
When I first found Presence-Based Coaching, it felt like someone had taken many of the scattered threads of my life and work and woven them into a coherent framework. It gave language, structure, and practice to things I had felt but could not fully name. In many ways, stewarding Presence-Based Coaching is a continuation of work I started long ago and am committed to continue doing. It is the next expression of what I believe about leadership and what I believe about people. And the heart of that belief is simple: When leaders learn to be present, whole, and at peace, everything else opens. Creativity. Integrity. Wellbeing. Even profit. And the capacity to lead others expands in ways that do not require sacrificing the self.
What I’d Love You To Know About Presence-Based Coaching (PBC)
Presence-Based Coaching sits at the intersection of leadership, teaching, and embodiment. It helps people not only share what they know, but inhabit what they teach. For founders, executives, and creators, that alignment matters. It is the difference between using your work to prove something and using your work to serve something.
Most of the people I serve are creators in some form. They run businesses, write books, host podcasts, build software, or lead teams. They are teachers in their own right, whether they use that word or not. I believe deeply that teaching and, thus, coaching, is one of the most powerful leverage points we have for changing the world. A single lesson or framework, shared at the right time, to the right person, can alter the trajectory of a life. I have experienced this as a student and I have experienced it as a teacher.
Stepping into stewardship at PBC allows me to bring everything I care about into one place. The craft of coaching. The discipline of building culture. The practice of presence. The joy of teaching. The desire to see creators and leaders flourish, not just perform.
We Will Honor the Rich Lineage and Also Grow the Impact of the Work
My intention with PBC is simple. I want to honor the roots of the organization and expand PBC’s reach in ways that stay true to the underlying work. I want to give multitudes of others the same opportunity to learn about the ways in which they can expand as leaders, coaches, creators, people. The curriculum will remain true to what Doug and Bebe have built and the philosophy will continue to sit on the foundation of mindfulness, embodiment, and systems awareness. But my job as the next torch-bearer is to carry forward with care and invite others into a way of learning that’s already been transformative for so many.
Practically, that means a few things. We will keep the heart of PBC intact. The core programs, the faculty, and the foundational teachings will continue. We will continue to support coaches and leaders with an embodied foundation they can carry into every part of their work and life. The point is not to put my fingerprints all over the work. The point is to keep the lineage healthy, vibrant, and accessible.
We will expand in thoughtful and grounded ways. One of the first steps is offering a West Coast Presence-Based Coaching program near Portland, Oregon, where my family and I live, in addition to the programs that will continue to be offered on the East Coast. For years, people have traveled across the country to participate in PBC. Creating an additional in-person option reduces friction for those who live closer to the West Coast (Asia even, for example), while preserving the immersive retreat experience that defines our work.
We will keep investing in coaches and leaders who want to build from a deeper foundation. The coaches, founders, and executives I work with are not lacking in ambition. They are often seeking practices and support that help them stay grounded while they pursue work that matters. PBC is one of the best containers I have found for that kind of growth.
What To Look Forward To and an Invitation to Get Involved
It is a weighty thing to be invited to continue a lineage. It is an even weightier thing to commit to carrying it forward. Yet at the heart of the decision to acquire PBC is a belief I keep returning to… Presence is not a nice-to-have. It is a necessary condition for any meaningful decision, including this one. Every time I have made a choice I am proud of, presence has been underneath it. Every time I have made a decision I regret, urgency and fear have been in the driver’s seat.
I am grateful for Bebe’s trust and for the opportunity to build on the legacy she has tended with so much heart. This next chapter will ask for everything I have learned as a coach and as a leader. It will also ask for the same presence that first brought me to this work.
If you have ever considered becoming a coach, deepening your leadership presence, or building the internal skills needed to lead well in a complex world, this is an ideal moment to reach out. Presence-Based Coaching is a meaningful pathway for practitioners who want depth rather than speed and impact rather than noise. You can see all the programs for 2026 on the website, including links for registration.
If you would like to talk about PBC or about 1:1 executive coaching, I would love to connect. You can reach me at barrett at presencebasedcoaching dot com for coach training and bb at barrettbrooks dot com for executive coaching.
However you are connected to my work, thank you for being here. I am looking forward to walking into this next chapter with as much awareness, courage, and care as I can bring to it.
Here’s to the new year and to the beginning of what is possible.
