I work with men at moments of change, when something is shifting and clarity, purpose, and direction begin to matter more.


This isn’t therapy. It’s not advice.

It’s an opportunity for growth and transformation.

"I combine a lifetime of leadership and lived experience with rigorous coach training. Together, these create space for people to recognize what they already know, that they are capable of more. People come to me to step more fully into their life’s purpose and uncover possibilities that have been waiting." -bd

- The Basics -

Coaching & Mentoring


Coaching
A coach doesn’t tell you what to do, but helps you think more clearly, and make choices aligned with what matters most.

This often means clarifying values, navigating identity shifts like parenting, career change, aging, or loss. A coach asks precise questions, challenges assumptions, and supports action.


Mentoring
A mentor shares lived experience, pattern recognition, and hard-earned insight.
Mentoring can offer permission to change course, and may offer stories that normalize doubt, fear, failure, and recalibration.
Where coaching helps you uncover your own answers, mentoring may also include making introductions or helping you identify the resources you need to move forward.



I can work in either context, or combine coaching and mentoring into an approach tailored to your needs.

In our initial discovery session, we’ll clarify what you’re looking for and what will best support you in moving forward.

What Are We Talking About?

My coaching work is conducted one on one. Our conversations may move through one or more of these areas.


Inflection Points & Change
Support through periods of change such as career shifts, midlife recalibration, or uncertainty, when old frameworks no longer fit.


Clarity, Values, and Direction

Coaching focused on clarifying what matters most, understanding how values shape decisions, and aligning current choices with those values.


Balance, Trade-Offs, and Perspective
One-on-one work to navigate competing priorities—work, family, health, creativity—so decisions are intentional rather than reactive.


Performance, Discipline, and Capacity
Coaching that strengthens habits, routines, and physical and mental conditioning to support sustained performance in a demanding life.


Relationships, Partnership, and Family Life
Individual coaching focused on navigating marriage, parenting, and family transitions with clarity, steadiness, and values-based decision-making.


Leadership and Decision-Making
Coaching for individuals in leadership roles who want clearer thinking, better decisions, and grounded authority—whether at work or at home.


Creative Identity and Meaningful Work
Individual coaching for artists, builders, and thinkers focused on aligning creative output with identity, purpose, and real-world constraints.


Discovery


In an initial 90-minute discovery session, we'll break down the basics of change. We'll work together to uncover and refine your values set—what do you stand for? What do you believe in? How do your current and past life decisions reflect these values? We may begin to explore what changes must be made for you to wake up feeling vibrant and on purpose.


Many people assume they should be able to do this work alone. In reality, ingrained patterns and cultural expectations make it difficult. Coaching provides a confidential space with structure and accountability. Elite athletes don’t rely on performance coaches alone, they often work with interpersonal coaches who help them navigate their lives.

Women's Work & More

My coaching often focuses on men, though I work with a range of clients, from young people finding their footing to experienced professionals.


I've coached many women, and my perspective is shaped by my lifelong relationships, including three sisters, my mother, and a long marriage. At its core, the practice centers on awareness, choice, and aligned action.

Are you firing on all cylinders, or just going through the motions?

Maybe you're successful on the surface but looking for change inside?



"Bill inspires others to be more imaginative!" 

JOHN BRADY  Senior Director Fischer-Price

"The end result of his work is as authentic as he is."  
DR. LAURA JANA  Asc. Professor Penn State, American Academy of Pediatrics


"Billy D is made of curiosity!"

DIANE FRENCH   Patagonia / Rivian Automotive


"Working with Bill is an adventure and an experience. I recommend him!"

PATRICK BATTEN   Apple Computer / Intuitive Surgical

"Bill’s creativity is on another level, and it's driven by his deep curiosity. He is an amazing communicator as well as tuned in listener. His ideas are bold and his experience is vast."

TOM FOX   VP & Owner, Optic Nerve Eyewear

"He has a swiss army knife of creative skills and his positive energy and curiosity

are contagious,which makes working with him a joy for all involved."

KATE O'BRIEN   Business Strategist & ADHD coach for creators / MusicPortland


"Bill is a pioneer in so many categories and easily one of the

most powerful out-of-the-box creatives I know."

JOHN FAY  CEO & Founder Lada Cube

 

"Bill's incredible energy and creative insights are always spot on and inspiring.

Ultimately, Bill is just a great person to work with."

MARC NAGER  Greater Colorado Venture Fund / Telluride Venture Accelerator


Psychedelics, Integration,

and Discernment

In my coaching work, questions about psychedelics often arise. I offer informed, grounded consultation for clients who want to understand the evolving psychedelic mental health landscape. Psychedelics can catalyze profound experiences, but their lasting impact is shaped primarily by the quality of integration work that happens both before and after the experience.


I am comfortable discussing a wide range of psychedelic modalities and contexts, from legally available clinical models to emerging therapeutic frameworks, helping you think about readiness and responsibility. I can offer clear-eyed insight that supports thoughtful evaluation without hype or ideology.

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new."  —Socrates

COST

We begin with a 20 minute introductory call to explore fit and next steps. There is no charge for this call.

If we decide to move forward, coaching begins with a 90 minute discovery session, followed by five 60 minute sessions.
The total cost for the six sessions is $1,200, including written follow up for reference and accountability.


There is flexibility to pause or step away if the fit does not feel right.

Sessions take place either in person or remotely via Zoom.

ABOUT

BD / Billy D / William / Willy / Bill


Based in the mountains of Colorado for nearly three decades, Bill brings a grounded sensibility shaped by growing up in Madison, Wisconsin. He and his wife, fine artist Laura Donavan, co-founded an early new media design studio in Jackson, Wyoming. He later built and managed a global manufacturing and supply chain with production partners in southern China, an experience that gave him perspective across small team creativity and large scale operations.


Alongside his professional life, Bill has spent years as an elite level athlete in demanding environments that include paragliding, skiing, and snowboarding, as well as film and photography in high altitude terrain. In these settings, preparation, and being calm under pressure matter. He brings the same steadiness into his coaching, informed by a 35 year marriage and raising two children into adulthood.


Across these varied environments, the through line in Bill’s career has been strategic communications, supporting people and organizations in making sound decisions and communicating with integrity.


Bill has received numerous short film and toy design awards and was credited in Harvard University Press’s book, Cultural Strategy;  Using Innovative Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands.


- Let's Hop On A Call -

Contact Us

The Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) is a globally respected leader in coach training, known both for a methodology that helped inform the professional standards later formalized by the International Coaching Federation and for one of the most rigorous and demanding certification pathways in the coaching profession.