Case Study: Stage Coaching
ROBERT HODGIN
How to lead as an artist in a corporate world
Remember Who You Are
How Pablo reclaimed his voice, redefined visibility, and remembered what real leadership feels like.
The Challenge:
When Success Doesn’t Feel Like Success
Pablo Honey had built an impressive track record at Automattic and even before.
He was respected. Trusted. A creative with a strong moral compass, sharp thinking, and a quiet power that made people listen.
But behind the scenes, something wasn’t clicking.
He was being pulled into endless operational discussions. Design had turned into management. Creativity turned into control. He was leading, but it no longer felt like his kind of leadership.
People around him were saying, “We need more Pablo.” But Pablo wasn’t sure who that version of him even was anymore.
He wasn’t lost. But he was no longer visible to himself. And that misalignment was draining his energy, confidence, and joy.
The Real Work:
Letting Go of Who You Think You Should Be
Pablo came to me thinking he needed a better leadership strategy.
What he really needed was to reconnect with his core creative identity. Not as a manager. Not as a facilitator. But as a true artist—the kind who sees things others can’t, and dares to build from that place.
Our 1:1 coaching was not about adding more tactics.It was about subtracting everything that wasn’t him.
The Approach:
We created space to reflect deeply:
Who are you when you’re not performing?
What are you here to say that no one else can?
What have you been tolerating that’s costing you your clarity?
He realized the system around him was never built for someone like him. And trying to fit in was slowly making him disappear.
The Shift:
From Management Back to Mastery
Once Pablo let go of who he thought he should be, the real transformation began.
We helped him:
Reclaim his voice as an artist, not a manager.
Clarify his leadership identity—rooted in his core values: beauty, justice, and goodness.
Redefine his personal brand to reflect how he actually thinks and operates.
Shift from doing to authoring—moving from tactical execution to shaping the bigger vision.
Lay the foundation for a book—a long-term body of work to share his perspective and thought leadership.
Craft a visibility strategy that didn’t require performance—just alignment.
He started showing up with more clarity, more calm, and more confidence. No longer needing to convince people—just to embody what he stands for.
The Result:
A New Kind of Leadership
Pablo didn’t get louder. He got clearer.He didn’t chase relevance. He became it.
He stepped into a new phase of leadership—not by climbing a ladder, but by stepping fully into himself. Since then, he’s been approached for internal speaking opportunities. His ideas are circulating. His impact is growing. And most importantly—he feels whole again.
He’s no longer trying to fix the system.He’s showing people what’s possible outside of it.That’s what real artists—and real leaders—do.
Final Thought
You don’t have to fit in to make a difference. You have to be fully yourself so others have permission to do the same.