A bout, A boat, A boot

TJ Bennett
The creative who coaches creatives

Part sounding board. Part advisory board. Part Oujia board.

Often beclad in cat-themed and/or Snoopy gear, TJ is pretty easy to spot in a crowd. Once you find him, you’ll discover that his love for felines and cartoon beagles is matched by a mildly unhealthy obsession with making work not suck. He spends his days listening intently to clients, helping them uncover insights that spark life-altering possibilities. And he spends his nights dreaming of the same thing, except everyone is dressed like clowns and he forgot to wear pants for some reason. Rest assured he will never show up to a session sans trousers and will always show up with a fresh perspective that makes you think about work a little differently.

Where I’ve been

What I’ve learned

Things I’ve discovered in my 25+ year career as an advertising executive, creative director and writer

Humility
After about the ten thousandth rejected idea, you start to realize you may not be perfect.

Persistence
Somehow, after all that rejection, you come up with idea number 10,001 and 10,002 and, well, you get it.

Empathy
People show up to work with all of their life inside of them. It’s helpful to remember that, always.

Gut Trustability
A lot of learning happens below the surface, through experience. Some call that wisdom, others like to use goofy made-up words to describe it instead.

Perspective
You put out enough fires, you start to realize which ones have the power to do real damage and which ones are just a distraction (hint: most are just distractions).

Who I’ve collaborated with

Ever have a conversation with a friend, family member or co-worker that was completely free from judgment or bias?

Me neither. But I have with a coach. Because that’s the job we’re trained for.

Coaching has changed my life. I’m here today, doing what I love, because I worked with coaches who gave me the space to figure out what was true for me. If you’d like to have the same experience, let’s talk.

Our Values

Curiosity
You can’t find answers if you don’t ask lots of questions, like the most delightfully annoying 4-year old.

Tenacity
We spend most of our time down rabbit holes; that’s where the best insights live.

Integrity
Do the right thing, even when it seems like the wrong thing. Especially then.

Irreverence
A steady stream of snark is needed to take on the ever-growing population of snake oil salespersons in our midst.

Optimism
If we don’t think things can be better, what the heck are we doing here?

Our Expertise

A few of our favorite skills

BS detection
Jargon purging
Making molehills out of mountains
Not overthinking it
Simplifying the complex
Speaking in plain English

Business stuff we’re really good at

Career Coaching
Leadership Coaching
Culture Coaching
Team Coaching
Brand Coaching
Brand Strategy
Brand Tone & Voice
Brand Messaging
Brand Manifestos
Conceptual Thinking
Copywriting

Non-business stuff we’re really good at

Air Cello
Anti-social media
Cat whispering
Falling asleep while reading
Hair parting
Pretending to use a CB radio
Smirking
Whistling on the inhale

Little round things that prove that we’ve learned a few things

I’m a coach for people who think coaching might be BS.

No gimmicks, synthetic sunshine or hustle culture nonsense here, just some proven approaches that can help you do more of what you were meant to do during our brief stay on this planet.

Humanity. Autonomy. Creativity.
Our vision for a desuckified future.

Work from Anywhere
Let’s remove the barriers to great talent and great relationships. One of the greatest benefits of technology is the ability to work anywhere. Let’s embrace that and find ways to make remote work more collaborative and fun.

Human Centered Innovation
Let’s figure out how to make the workplace (and the world) a bit more human. Technology offers so much possibility, but only if we never lose sight of its ultimate purpose—to make our lives better.

Non-traditional career paths
You know all that advice you got about sticking to a plan, following the rules and never making a decision that someone, somewhere might possibly find fault with? Fuck that shit. It’s time to do what you actually want.

The 4-day workweek
You ever work a 4-day week? It was pretty awesome, wasn’t it? And somehow, you found a way to get all of your crap done. You may have even been more focused and inspired, leading to some groundbreaking ideas. Let’s do all of that more often, shall we?

Fractional
Fractional work is seeping its way into the corporate consciousness as we speak. But not fast enough, in our opinion. The benefits are clear—less ageism, more inclusivity, access to more high-end talent. All of which will dramatically improve your culture. Because culture is all about creating an environment that shows people you give a shit. And giving people more options to contribute is pretty darn give a shitty if you ask us.

Let's talk about it