Steve Baue was living the dream — by corporate standards.

Global VP. First-class flights. A career arc that looked like success on any LinkedIn feed. But 38,000 feet above the Atlantic, something cracked.

He was on a plane to Venice, reading The Happiness Project, when the tears came — not from sadness, but from the gut-level realization that everything he’d built was out of sync with who he really was.

That flight changed everything.

Within a few years, Steve left corporate life and went on to build five companies, each focused on mental health, leadership, and personal development. His mission: to help others find meaning before burnout makes the decision for them.

We sat down with Steve for a soon-to-be-released episode of The BD Podcast, and the insights were too powerful not to share now.

1. Burnout isn’t about exhaustion.
It’s your spirit quietly staging a protest. Steve calls it “low power mode” — like your phone dimming when the battery runs low. You can’t nap your way out. You need a recharge of purpose.

2. Therapy looks back. Coaching looks forward.
Steve now leads a dual venture: one focused on clinical mental health, the other on coaching. His line is clear: both are valuable, but coaches must know when to refer. Trust is sacred — and boundaries are leadership.

3. Leadership isn’t about style. It’s about self.
Early in his career, Steve mimicked the loudest leaders in the room. It took years — and some hard coaching — to realize that real influence doesn’t come from yelling. It comes from clarity, compassion, and knowing who you are.

4. Culture starts at lunch.
One of Steve’s most actionable ideas? Hold “step-down meetings” — weekly lunches with employees two or three levels below you. No HR, no scripts. Just curiosity. You’ll hear the truth, build trust, and lead better.

Steve’s story is a reminder:
🚫 Titles won’t save you.
🛫 Purpose may hit mid-flight.
✅ It’s never too late to redesign your career around who you really are.

—

Ask yourself:
If I stay on this path for 3 more years… do I like where it leads?

Stay tuned.
– Team Searchlight

Guest: Kyle York | Ep. 13

Kyle York took Dyn from $3M to $100M in revenue and sold it to Oracle for $600M. But the real story? It’s not just about the exit. It’s about what it costs to scale a company that fast — mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

🟣 Why founder-market fit beats product-market fit
🟣 The myth of “startup success” (and what’s missing)
🟣 What the VC playbook gets wrong for 90% of companies
🟣 A smarter way to build generational wealth — without burnout
🟣 The branding move Kyle says most founders ignore

David Lovejoy

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