A place to belong. Room to become.
I started Belong & Become Strengths Coaching because I believe people grow when they feel known, valued, and encouraged to see what's possible.
Before we ever talk about goals or plans, you'll be met with warmth and full presence — because the work only goes somewhere real when it starts from a place of belonging.
Jeff Holmes
Gallup® Certified Strengths Coach
My path
The road that shaped how I coach.
My path has taken me through more than 40 years of leadership development in multiple organizations — both professionally and in the nonprofit world — 15 years of owning a roofing business, and 17 years with a general contractor serving military communities across the country. I also started and still run a nonprofit bicycle club, now in its 17th year. Along the way, I've led teams, built relationships, and helped people navigate challenges and turn ideas into action.
For the last three years in my current position, I have led the company's learning and development team. We use Gallup CliftonStrengths to support individual growth and action planning, as well as team development — helping people understand one another more clearly so they can work better together.
40+
Years of leadership development in multiple organizations, professionally and in nonprofit work
15
Years owning a roofing business
17
Years with a general contractor serving military communities
Those experiences have shaped how I coach: with curiosity, warmth, and respect for the experiences each person brings.
About me
My life is defined most by the people in it.
- 45 years married to my high school sweetheart
- Three sons — the greatest achievements of our lives
- Ten grandchildren — the joy of our lives
- Soccer at a high level, in college and beyond
- Running my own roofing business
- Triathlon and ultramarathon cycling
- Founder of a nonprofit bicycle club, now in its 17th year
If you really want to know who I am, don't start with what I've done — start with who I've done it with. I met the love of my life in third grade, and she became my sweetheart in high school. We've now been married for 45 years. Together, we did life and raised three boys, who are the greatest achievements of our lives — and now we have ten grandchildren, who truly are the joy of our lives.
Life has also taken me in many directions — playing soccer at a high level in college and beyond, running my own roofing business, competing in triathlons, taking on ultramarathon cycling, and starting a nonprofit bicycle club that is now in its 17th year. Those chapters shaped me too. But my relationships are what my life is really about — and they're why belonging matters so much to me.
Today, I'm learning to let go of some of the activities my body no longer allows me to pursue. That transition has invited me to consider what belonging and becoming mean in this season of my own life: appreciating who I am today while staying open to who I can become — with the people I love around me.
I've learned that letting go isn't only about the passing of years. Sometimes it's letting go of things we can't control — an illness, a loss, a big inflection point that changes what our bodies or our circumstances allow. Those moments ask something hard of us: we can no longer do things the way we used to do them, and we have to pivot. I know something of what that feels like — and I've also seen that a pivot is not an ending. It's an invitation to discover new ways to bring value to your own life and to the people around you.
Why I coach
Helping you see what you already bring.
Through these different chapters, I've come to appreciate how much we each bring to the world — and how easy it can be to overlook our own strengths. What draws me to coaching is the opportunity to help people recognize what comes naturally to them, see its value, and put it to work in ways that matter to them.
At Belong & Become Strengths Coaching, I bring curiosity, encouragement, and a desire to help you find a way forward that fits who you are. Together, we explore your strengths and how you can use them with greater intention — in your work, your relationships, and whatever chapter comes next.
Challenging goals
I know the satisfaction of pursuing a demanding goal — and what it takes to keep going.
Business ownership
I understand the responsibility, risk, and reward of running something of your own.
What comes next
I've navigated the uncertainty of finding a new path when familiar ones are no longer available.
Grounded in Gallup CliftonStrengths.
As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, my coaching is built specifically around the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment and the methodology taught in Gallup's certified coaching process — not general coaching. We use the full 34 assessment as the foundation of our work together. It helps us discover your natural talents — and here's the part many people miss: a talent isn't automatically a strength. The same raw talent can lift you up or hold you back depending on how you use it, so we learn to invest in it well.
Together, we use those insights to create a practical plan for your growth — grounded in your strengths and the goals that matter to you.
How I'm wired
My top five Gallup CliftonStrengths.
My own Gallup CliftonStrengths results offer another glimpse of who I am — and a reminder that I'm on the same journey of discovery I invite you into.
01
Strategic
I naturally spot patterns in complexity and consider different possibilities before choosing a path forward. In coaching, I help you explore your options and identify next steps that fit your strengths.
02
Learner
I'm energized by the process of discovery — the questions, practice, and growing confidence that come with learning something new. I bring that curiosity to coaching as we explore how your talents show up in everyday life.
03
Maximizer
I notice the sparks of natural talent in people and love helping them develop into something exceptional. As your coach, I help you recognize what you already do well and explore how to build on it.
04
Activator
I'm drawn to turning ideas into action and learning through experience. In coaching, I help you put discoveries about your strengths into practice, then use what you learn to guide your next step.
05
Positivity
I bring warmth, enthusiasm, and a natural desire to celebrate progress. In coaching, I offer encouragement as you recognize your strengths, build confidence, and work through challenges.
Why we exist
Belonging first. Then room to become.
Everything we do flows from one conviction: you have worth as you are, and you have room to grow. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Our mission
We help individuals and teams understand and develop their natural strengths so they can lead, work, and live with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Our vision
A world where people know they belong, recognize what they uniquely bring, and have the courage and support to become who they are capable of being.
Belonging
Everyone is met with warmth and full presence, exactly as they are.
Strengths
We start with discovering what your natural talents are and learning how to use them as strengths.
Curiosity
We ask questions with genuine interest — no assumptions, no shortcuts.
Practical growth
Insight becomes action: quiet, doable steps that fit real life.
Respect
Your story, your pace, your goals — honored every step of the way.
Encouragement
You'll hear what's possible in you, often and honestly.
Purpose
The aim is always a life of clarity, confidence, and meaning.
How we do this
Belonging starts with being known.
I believe belonging is something we were all created to experience. It depends on a lot of things, but first and foremost on being known. Here's the path we'll walk together.
01
We start with your story.
Context is everything. Before any problem-solving, I want to know your story — and what you share is completely up to you. As you tell it, I practice the art of active listening: hearing what you're saying directly, and picking up on what you're not. And respect? That's a two-way street. It grows between us as I come to understand your story better.
02
I reflect back what I see.
Having listened to your story, I ask questions and discover the unique signatures and superpowers already in your life. Then I share them back with you: "Here is how I've experienced you, and here is what I see from what you have told me." This is where belonging usually comes alive — a light comes on that says, "I belong."
03
We build your plan to become.
Once belonging has taken root, the work of growth begins. Together we develop a plan for what you would like to become — grounded in your strengths, shaped by your story, and aimed at the life you want to live.
Who it's for
One-on-one, and side by side in teams.
I love working one-on-one and with teams, helping people better understand themselves and one another. Whether you're developing as a leader, strengthening a team, or seeking a clearer way forward, my goal is to help you turn self-awareness into meaningful change in everyday life.
Coaching inquiry
Start the conversation.
Share a little about where you are and what you're hoping for, and I'll be in touch to set up a time to talk. There's no pressure — just an open door.
The door is open. Walk through.
What's next for you? I'd love to hear your story and explore how strengths coaching could support you.