Meet Kent: Bridges Alumni, Coach, Author and Originator

What's an originator? I'm glad you asked. (I may have made up the word.) An Oringiator is someone who creates original content. They have their own IP (Intellectual Property - I didn't make that one up.)

Kent originated the REST assessment and offers it for free! I would encourage you to take the assessment, but first let's hear his coach training story.

How did you first hear about coach training?

Honestly, two things were happening. First, I had been hearing about the coaching paradigm for a few years and had some respected friends who raved about it, including some friends who had trained with Bridges Coaching, and it piqued my interest. Being a voracious learner and practitioner, I get excited to learn new leadership skills. Second, I was kind of frustrated with old ministry paradigms. I wanted to see people get breakthroughs, but realized the old discipleship paradigm of “telling” doesn’t work with every personality. Additionally, had been thinking about doing coach training for a few years and was interested in branching out to start my own coaching practice. 

What did you appreciate about the training?

The training was exactly what I needed—engaging, thorough, and intensely practical. It wasn't theory for theory's sake. Each week, we read, practiced, watched, processed together in cohort, and then got direct feedback from expert coaches in small groups. I'm a huge fan of apprentice-type learning, and Bridges nailed it. But here's what really got me: they didn't just teach coaching skills. They modeled the coaching paradigm and showed us how it worked. I learned as much from how they trained us as from what they taught us. That's rare.

How are you using what you have learned?

After twenty years of ministry leadership—including that season where I was an angry, burned-out mess—I got my coaching certification from Bridges in 2019. I immediately started coaching leaders on the side because I couldn't not share what I was learning. As time went on, I partnered with an executive coaching firm and began building my own practice. Then in 2023-2024, I made the leap: left full-time church leadership and went all-in on performance and leadership coaching for business owners and executives (for-profit and non-profit)

Now I help successful business owners and executives build thriving companies and organizations without burning out or sacrificing the things that matter most. I work with people who are tired of running on fumes and calling it faithfulness. Because here's what I know: you can't lead well from depletion. And most high-achievers don't realize how close to critical they actually are.

How can people find out more information about what you offer?

Start by taking my Rest Assessment!

Most leaders think they're just tired. They don't realize they're three steps from critical. The Rest Assessment helps you identify exactly where you are on the burnout scale—from Thriving to Critical—so you can take the next right step before burnout takes you out.

When you take it, you'll also start receiving my Rhythms of Rest newsletter—practical insights every other Sunday to help you live and lead from internal rest instead of chronic depletion. No fluff, no generic productivity hacks. Just hard-won wisdom from someone who's been there."

What would you say to someone considering coach training?

Getting my coaching certification was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It not only helped me become a business owner, but the coaching paradigm also helped me become a more effective pastor, leader, husband, father, and friend. 

The coaching paradigm fundamentally changed how I show up in every relationship. It made me a more effective pastor because I stopped trying to fix everyone and started creating space for people to discover their own answers. It made me a better husband because I learned to listen instead of solve. It made me a better father because I learned to ask questions instead of lecture. And it made me a better friend because I stopped telling and started being present.

If you're considering coach training, don't just think about what it will do for your career. Think about what it will do for you. Because the skills you learn aren't just professional tools—they're life tools. And once you learn to lead others well, you'll find you're finally able to lead yourself well too."

You've coached in multiple contexts—ministry, executives, and business owners. What's the common thread you see across all high-performers who are struggling?

Many of them are running on fumes and calling it faithfulness.

Doesn't matter if they're running a church, a tech startup, or a Fortune 500 division—high achievers have convinced themselves that burnout is the price of significance. They wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. They say yes to everything because saying no feels like failure. And they're terrified that if they slow down, everything will fall apart.

Here's what I've learned: the thread connecting every burned-out leader I've coached isn't their industry or their personality type. It's that they've built their entire identity around what they produce instead of who they are.

When your worth is tied to your output, rest feels like weakness. But here's the thing—you can't lead well from depletion. You just can't. You might be able to fake it for a season, but eventually, something breaks. Your health, your relationships, your sense of purpose... or all three.

That's why I created the Rest Assessment. Because before you can change direction, you need to know where you actually are. Most people think they're just tired. They don't realize they're three steps from critical.

What did coach training help you realize that changed everything?

That I wasn't stuck. I had just believed a lie.

For years, I told myself I couldn't move forward. I felt trapped—like I had no options, no way out. After eight years of church planting without the results I'd hoped for, I was disillusioned and exhausted. There must be more than this, right? That nagging thought wouldn't go away.

Then I pursued my coaching certification with Bridges, and with the help of my coach, I realized the truth: I wasn't stuck. I had made a choice. And if I'd made one choice, I could make another. That changed everything. I stopped seeing myself as powerless and started taking ownership of my life. I realized I could lead a church and start a business. The either-or narrative I'd been telling myself was false.

Coaching didn't just give me tools—it gave me permission to rewrite the story I was telling myself. And once I saw I had a choice, I couldn't unsee it.

Here's the part about being an originator.

Kent writes this about The Tool That Helps Your Clients Move Forward (Not Just Survive)

You know that moment in coaching when someone finally sees their patterns clearly? When they stop circling and start moving?

I've created a tool that creates exactly that breakthrough—and it's designed for the high-capacity leaders you serve.

It's called the REST Assessment, and it helps people identify exactly where they're depleting across four essential rhythms: Relational, Emotional, Spiritual, and Tangible. The REST Assessment gives clarity on what's actually happening beneath the surface.

After my burnout at 27 (the kind where you literally fall down and cry like a baby), I spent 20 years discovering what actually creates wholeness instead of just balance. The REST framework emerged from that crucible—and it's helping thousands move from overwhelmed to whole.

What makes this different:

  • It's not another personality test—it's a sustainability diagnostic
  • It identifies specific depletion patterns, not just general "you're tired"
  • It provides a biblical framework (the four rhythms) that resonates with faith-driven leaders
  • It gives concrete next steps, not just awareness

How you can use this: First, maybe you need to consider your own state of REST. Then, whether you're coaching individuals through transitions, helping leaders discern their next steps, or walking alongside people who feel stuck—the REST Assessment provides the clarity they need to move forward with confidence.

Kent also wrote a book on this topic, "Rest Assured": Seven Days to Stillness, Sanity and the Sabbath You Need. 

These resources help you and your clients move from asking surface-level questions to addressing root issues. And isn't that what transformational coaching is all about?

 

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