Every story and every experience that involves multiple people has different points of view on what happened. We bring our own beliefs, values, and filters due to our distinct backgrounds and biases. Those lenses become a union to create the experience – blended for the collective, yet unique at the same time for the individual. The founding partners at Purpose | Balance | Journey (PBJ People Consulting and Coaching) came together in Fall 2023 and we would like to share our unique perspectives that shaped our origin story.
Andrew (Drew) Brush
I co-founded PBJ to further my lifelong mission of being a helper and to amplify my impact in supporting others to actualize their full potential. My career, spanning roles as a clinician, coach, trainer, leader, and founder, has always been anchored in the goal of unlocking people’s greatest growth. With PBJ, I am excited to create an organization that not only embodies my passion for continuous learning, reflection, and fulfillment but also serves as a conduit for others to embark on their own journeys of personal and professional growth.
The inception of PBJ was inspired by my co-founders’ shared passion and vision. This venture represents an evolution of my professional journey, which began with providing mental health treatment and evolved through developing leadership & learning programs in diverse organizations. This venture is a culmination of my experiences and a new chapter in my ongoing mission to foster an environment where individuals and organizations can thrive to achieve their full potential.
Christine Parcells
I initially started to build my solo practice in coaching and leadership and organization development in 2022, but in the middle of forming that business and working towards a coaching certification, I became pregnant with twins. Needless to say, plans had to shift! I believe the universe gives us nudges if we stay open to possibilities and see what emerges. I listened to those nudges during a conversation with a coaching classmate during a walk along the sparkling Crystal Springs Reservoir in the San Francisco Bay Area. The energy was peaceful and expansive as we discussed our future aspirations. When Elisa (co-founder of PBJ) asked me if I wanted to join her in discussing the possibility of a business collaboration with another connection, I remember feeling a spark of excitement, honor, and a world of possibilities opening up. What could come from this? What might emerge? I committed to staying open minded and seeing where this new path might take me. Elisa and I agreed – we did not really want to walk this next path alone.
After a couple months of conversation and planning, PBJ came to fruition. For me, it’s not just what we want to do – it’s who we want to do it with. In coming up with our vision, we aligned on the word soulful. For me, soulful means bringing our purpose, passion, and authenticity to the workplace. It is a recognition between people and who we are as human beings. These sentiments underpin our name – Purpose, Balance, Journey, and what I experience with my partners at PBJ. It is this sense of connection and emphasis on the human that we want to bring to organizations in a time where so many people experience turbulence and complexity in many forms. At the end of the day we are all humans, which we can honor while still doing great work and achieving great results.
Bernhard Ries
Joining PBJ as a founding partner was a decision shaped by my belief in the importance of coaching in leadership roles. After 30 years working in the tech industry, I learned that being a leader is more often not about having the right answers, but more about asking the right questions. This insight has been a game-changer for me, moving away from just solving problems to enabling others to find their own solutions.
I chose PBJ because I believe it is a place where I can put this approach into practice, working with a variety of clients to develop their leadership skills and make their organizations better places to work. Our firm values the human side of business, something I strongly agree with. I was also drawn to PBJ because my partners have strengths that complement mine, such as expertise in Organization Development, Leadership Development, and other key areas. Together, we share a common goal: to help organizations and their people grow and maintain a sense of connection and purpose in their work.
Elisa Johnson
One of my favorite questions asked of me when I was working with my Executive Coach is “How are you different in six months from now.” That one simple question brought me through an internal identity adventure which ultimately led to the external adventure of being a Founding Partner for PBJ.
Through the coaching process, I traveled through a monumental shift in my thinking about life defined as a career and what I do to think about my life as BIG LIFE – who I am as a human being, plus who I choose to be – in a world that is experiencing exponential degrees of complexity economically, socially, environmentally, physically and psychologically. In working through all the tensions of “life as a career,” a notion that gave me stability and comfort to answer “what do I do and where do I work,” I noticed how difficult it was for me to take on capturing life as BIG LIFE. Through a series of uncomfortable but massively important discussions with my coach, I had breakthroughs on how I wanted to be different…how I wanted to “BE” and the choices and options for evolving into my future.
After a year of working through a series of experiments, such as increasing my vulnerability with others, forming new health habits and practices, and stepping out to renew relationships and introduce myself to new people, greater clarity emerged quickly and boldly in life as BIG LIFE. These practices helped me acknowledge my own humanity, increase leadership strength and resilience, and deepen my connection with others. PBJ People Consulting & Coaching is all about being part of a diverse team that values the BIG LIFE and invites others to step into theirs. “How are you different in XX timeframe” is still one of my favorite questions – I now start my coaching engagements with this question.
In summary
Forming a business with other people is a big commitment anchored in shared values, passions and aspirations. It requires compromise, listening, and above all — trust and vulnerability. It is much more complex than starting a solo practice, a trade-off that we embarked on with an open heart and mind. We’re finding our balance between that start-up mindset of going fast with an intentional, purpose-driven approach. We are unique individuals with a wealth of knowledge and experience fueled by our shared passions around learning and building individuals’ and organizations’ capabilities. We are excited for our journey ahead and look forward to sharing it with you!