Bill Baren
My StoryPerhaps the best way to begin to describe what I do is to share the defining moment in my life that got me to where I am today. I woke up one morning in the summer of 2000 and simply couldn’t get out of bed. I could no longer escape from acknowledging that I was depressed and that my life was no longer working. Though I had at one point enjoyed my career that looked incredible on paper, my heart was no longer in it. It wasn’t enough that I was managing a music distribution company and was constantly around incredible music. It wasn’t enough that I owned a successful record label and had the access to produce and shape the music we were releasing. It wasn’t enough that I had my own business. It wasn’t enough to be fueled by the dreams and desires of my past. I could no longer ignore my intuition that told me that I needed to do something else. I needed to be in a career that allowed my creativity to flourish. I needed to be in an industry where the core values were more linked to my own. I needed to work with people and to continue to grow as a person. So after a year of procrastinating and living in fear of giving up the only career I knew, I finally decided to sell my business and to take the time I needed to figure out where my intuition would lead me.
In allowing myself to be in a space where anything was possible, my creativity started to wake up again. I was no longer motivated by money but by my personal fulfillment. I realized that my purpose is to make a difference in the world by connecting and staying present with myself and others, while continuing to grow and to stay on my own individual path? It would be enough for me to work with creative individuals. It would be enough to find a career that connected with my life's purpose. It would be enough to define success on my own terms. And thus I found coaching, where my mission became integrating creativity and life balance with financial success. Now I feel like I've been a coach all my life and feel blessed to call coaching my career.
My Path
I graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Russian Literature. As you can imagine, my parents were not exactly thrilled that I decided to go into the music business right out of college, but I had to follow my heart. Since my girlfriend was still in college in the Bay Area, I decide to settle there. San Francisco wasn't exactly the Mecca of the music world. Yet this turned out to be a good thing, since I was forced to create opportunities for myself.
My 12 years in the music biz saw me create four companies and watch them grow to have over 85 employees and revenues of over $15 million per year. I also enjoyed the creative aspect of the business, having produced a Top 100 pop hit and numerous other successful projects. My label enjoyed much success, releasing material with artists like Jurassic 5, Kool Keith, Aceyalone, Boy George, Billie Ray Martin, Eminem, Zach De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine and many others.
The last two years running my company, my heart was no longer in it. In theory, the success of my artists is a goal that should have been shared by me, my staff and the artists themselves, but we were often not on the same page. There was an inherent conflict of interest and a general lack of trust. I also realized that I was a part of an industry, whose value structure no longer matched my own. I came to face one of the most difficult challenges of my life. I had to leave the music biz and let go of the company that I had worked so hard to establish.
So I sold the label and decided to take a year off. During that time I met a coach, who took me under his wing. He was in the process of starting a learning company, so he hired me as a coach trainee. As I began to be coached, I was completely sold on the idea of it. As I started to coach clients myself, I was excited to know first-hand that coaching really works. I also learned how to develop curriculum tailored to the needs of my individual clients.
This training greatly contributed to the current success of my practice. I have since continued to further my education by taking numerous classes, workshops and trainings through Coachville, The Coaches Training Institute, Wavemaker Training, Matrix Energetics and other coaching organizations. I am the outgoing President of SF Coaches, a chapter of the International Coach Federation.
Coaching Mission
My coaching mission is to integrate creativity and life balance with financial success.
You know how some creative people have forgotten their creativity once they get into the business world. They simply don’t have time or their environment is not conducive to it. Their life gets out of balance and they have no outlet for their creative endeavors.
I have a coaching program that enables you to integrate your creativity and life balance with financial success. We create a vision for your future and formulate a direct plan of action. You will create success on your own terms and with ease. You will unleash your passion for your work and for your life. You will discover your zone of genius!
Since I take a spiritual and holistic approach to my coaching, in addition to getting results in an area you are specifically targeting, you will also receive benefits in all areas of your life.
