When Bob asked if I wanted to build a personal brand site, I thought—sure, why not. Might help open some doors. I figured it’d be a logo, some colors, and a few nice words. What I didn’t expect was to feel like I was meeting a version of myself I hadn’t seen in years.

The questions in the Polaris process didn’t feel like a questionnaire. They felt like a mirror. I caught myself saying things I’d forgotten I believed in. Things I used to stand for. And then when I saw the first version of the site—my site—I laughed and said: Apparently I’m pretty fantastic. It was aggressive, sure. A little louder than I usually am. But the truth? My teammates, my old sports buddies, my family… they’ve always said that’s who I am: gritty, relentless, all-in. I’d just lost track of it. This process didn’t turn me into someone new. It reminded me of who I already was. 99 yards downfield. That’s what it felt like. Like I was one yard from scoring—and this time, I’m carrying the ball.

I was skeptical at first. I’ve seen a lot of branding talk before—and most of it feels like fluff. Templates. Buzzwords. Stuff that looks good but says nothing. This wasn’t that.

From a simple questionnaire and a short intake, they built something that actually felt like me. Not just the surface—my tone, my values, how I think… all of it showed up on the page in a way that made me pause. I read the copy and thought, ‘Damn. That’s actually how I talk.’ The layout, the colors, the structure—it all lined up. No awkward revisions, no guessing games. It felt like they handed me a fully loaded version of myself.

If you’ve been putting this kind of thing off because it sounds like a chore or feels a little self-indulgent… I get it. But I’ll tell you—seeing your story told clearly? That changes how you show up