Leadership is the outward expression of an inwardly rooted life.
Before you grow your influence, deepen your roots.
The leadership world gives us plenty to think about—strategy, performance, communication, and results. Those things matter.
But somewhere along the way, we've stopped asking the question that shapes all of it: Who are you becoming while you lead?
Because leadership isn't something we perform. It flows from who we are. Our character. Our values. Our self-awareness. The choices we make when no one is watching.
And who we are shapes how we communicate, make decisions, build trust, navigate pressure, influence culture—and ultimately, how we lead.
As we become more grounded in who we are, something happens. We listen better. Encourage more freely. Stand steadier. Make braver decisions. Have harder conversations with greater grace.
We don't just lead differently. We live differently.
I learned this long before I studied leadership.
I grew up on a cattle ranch in western North Dakota, where I learned that what grows above the ground is only as strong as what is rooted beneath it.
You showed up.
You worked hard.
You treated people well.
You cared for what had been entrusted to you.
Your character mattered far more than your title.
Those lessons stayed with me.
Today, they shape the way I speak, coach, write, and work with leaders through Bar 33 Leadership.
That's the kind of growth I love!
Not endless introspection. Not becoming a leadership project. Real growth. In real life. In doable doses.
Growth that helps us see ourselves more clearly, make braver choices, have better conversations—and bring more of who we are into the places and people entrusted to us.
Because small shifts within us create meaningful ripples around us.
Ways to Work Together
Speaking · Executive Coaching · DISC · You. Defined!
Different ways to begin. One underlying invitation: Pay attention to who you're becoming—and put that growth to work.
Explore Working With Alyssa →
Something worth carrying. Something worth noticing.
Growth doesn't only happen in a keynote, coaching session, or workshop; it happens in the middle of ordinary life.
Happy Monday! + Happy Friday! offer simple thoughts, questions, and reflections to help you carry growth into your week—and notice it along the way. Real growth. In real life. In doable doses.
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More grounded. More hopeful. More courageous. More intentional. More alive.
Because becoming deeply rooted isn't about becoming more serious.
It's about becoming more fully who you were created to be—and allowing something good to grow from there.
Before you grow your influence, deepen your roots.