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Meet Jeff Koziatek

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Meet Jeff Koziatek

November 7, 2022
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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

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We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeff Koziatek. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeff below.

Jeff, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

Growing up, I was a HUGE St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. I ate, slept, and breathed baseball. I watched it on tv, listened to it on the radio, and played little league.

As a pitcher, I had a wicked curve and racked up numerous 15 strike out games. Baseball was my life and I dreamed of playing in the big leagues.

One day, my friend casually mentioned that no one on our team would make the majors. He was someone I respected and believed. Plus, he was older than me and “so wise” at 14 years old – so he had to be right.

How could I have been so blind to think I could make it? I believed my friend and reluctantly let go of playing professionally.

However – the story didn’t end there. Two interesting things happened.

1 -I got angry at myself for letting someone else take my dream and resolved to never let anyone tell me I couldn’t do something again.

2 – I would go into film production and produce a baseball movie. I would cast myself as the closing pitcher brought into the ninth inning to win the game for my team. I would stand on the mound of Busch Stadium because we would shoot on location. Forty thousand fans would cheer my name because it would be in the script, and I would throw three perfect pitches to win the game because of video editing. This became my new dream, and it was going to be epic.

Fast forward to several years after college.

One day my client calls me up and asks if I would throw out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals game to Albert Pujols. The only catch was that I would need to dress up as a wizard – the brand ambassador character that I had created for their company.

My answer was an immediate YES! No hesitation. It didn’t matter that I would be wearing a pointy hat or a long flowing robe with huge sleeves – THIS would be the fulfillment an old dream – taking the mound in a professional baseball stadium in front of thousands of people. Needless to say, I was excited and told everyone I knew.

The day of, there was a slight change. The company’s CEO would be throwing to Albert, so I would be throwing to a guy named Robinson instead. For me, it didn’t matter – I would be throwing from the mound and that’s all that I cared about.

Here is where it gets weird.

I know that I had a good time because there are photos of me smiling, on the mound, in the robes, throwing the first pitch, but… I don’t remember it.

I don’t remember any of it because at that time in my life, I found my worth/significance/identity in what I was doing – in my performance. Because of that, I was always thinking about the next project, the next meeting, the next thing on my To Do list.

There I was, on the mound, baseball in hand, fans in the stadium, fulfilling my childhood dream – and I missed it because my mind was lost in the future, thinking about tomorrow and missing today.

As a peak performance coach, I help people find a new foundation for their worth/significance/identity – one that is tied to WHO they are as a performer rather than WHAT they do (their performance). When my clients make this shift, they can show up fully present where they are – at home or at work – and catch the special moments of their lives.

I made the mistakes, became the workaholic, and looked for my significance in what I did. As a result, I felt overloaded, second guessed myself, experienced regular burnout, all while missing key moments in my life.

Leveraging my experience as I coach others with my proven process to help them fast track doing more in less time with increased satisfaction – and be present for the moments of their life – is incredibly fulfilling.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For years I juggled. I entertained and made people laugh. Through live performances, events, and video projects, I challenged perspectives, lifted people up, and brought people together.

When I entered my forties, I was constantly on the road, working faster, juggling more, and falling behind. I was consumed by my performance and defined success as a jam packed calendar.

My marriage was suffering, my health was suffering, and I felt no matter how many balls I threw in the air, it wasn’t enough. It was only a matter of time before everything would hit the floor.

I valued what I did (my performance), not who I was (the performer).

Thus began the journey of discovering myself – the man behind the roles and responsibilities.

When I hit my breaking point, I was married with kids and trying to run three businesses by myself. My calendar boasted 300+ shows every year plus an additional 60 hours a week of admin work. I was spinning all the plates, juggling all the balls, giving everything I had, and STILL coming up short.

Survival became the daily routine as plates began to fall and balls began to drop. I was struggling, exhausted, at the end of my rope, and desperate for another way.

In that place, I began to shift my identity from performance to performer, from behavior to human being. I discovered the power and freedom of personal worth and a new journey began – one focused on health, prosperity, and balance.

Today, I can honestly tell you that I am making less mistakes, life is richer, I am experiencing a level of peace and joy that I’ve never felt before, I am more present in my relationships, and it is getting better every day.

As a Peak Performance Coach and Inspirational Speaker, it is my mission to help other Top Performing leaders experience the same:

break the chains of performance
confidently juggle priorities
catch the special moments in life
experience more professional success and personal freedom
overcome overload, doubt, and burnout
use a proven process to fast track doing more, in less time, with increased satisfaction

My background in entertainment:

I am an award winning, international entertainer with more than 20 years working professionally in the entertainment industry. I’ve produced national touring acts, performed over 4,000 shows across the country, produced award winning theatre and film, operated a booking agency, and owned a complete event management company catering to high end corporations and nonprofits.

I studied acting in New York City with the late Gene Frankel and in Los Angeles with Steve Eastin, although my biggest teacher has been experience – beginning on stage when I was 4.

My goal as a performer is to create a space where you, the audience, feel comfortable enough to take off the mask(s) you wear every day to survive, so you can have a genuine laugh, as your core authentic self, next to a total stranger. I do this with comedy, improvisation, audience interaction and physical stunts.

Today, I’m excited to say that performances are free through my 1 for 1 Give Back program. The program provides free performances and presentations for youth (elementary through college age) in conjunction with a keynote or coaching package. The goal is to bring corporations and communities together.

My background in speaking:

Entertainers often wear masks and adopt different personas to tell a story, but you don’t have to.

I want to inspire people to live a core authentic life, without a mask, so they can better communicate with others, lead people, and confidently face life’s challenges. Most importantly, when we drop the mask, we catch the special moments of our lives and our experiences becomes richer.

The audiences I’ve had the opportunity to speak to are diverse, ranging from: accountants, the US military, financial professionals, educators, religious organizations, business owners, health care professionals, software developers, security firms, custodial services, professional athletic organizations, non-profits, to casinos, rental car companies, and associations.

I am a professional member of the National Speakers Association.

My background in coaching:

The reason I coach is because I’ve experienced the benefits of coaching firsthand. It’s had such a profound impact on my life that I continue to seek out coaching today.

My style is rooted in curiosity, empowerment, and encouragement.

As for formal training, I hold certifications as a life and leadership coach with both the John Maxwell TEAM and The Values Conversation. My education about human behavior and belief continues as I devour books, articles, research, brain science, videos, seminars, and workshops to better serve my clients. In November 2022 I will go through EFT training (Emotionally Focused Therapy) with Geroge Faller and I am also a VISTAGE Trusted Advisor.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

As a speaker and coach my work is both public and private. I believe that my reputation as a speaker has been built on the quality of my keynotes, word of mouth, and social media promotion. Since my coaching is confidential, I believe that this reputation has grown from word of mouth, social media posting, and digital engagement (i.e. website, LinkedIn, my mindset motivation club).

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

To succeed as a coach, I have to remember that no matter how much I want my clients to succeed, I cannot pick up responsibility for making the change. If my clients want to reach their goals, they must desire change and take ownership for their actions – I am simply the catalyst for their mindset.

When you are passionate about helping others experience positive, sustainable growth, it can be easy to go above and beyond and cross a line into behavior that no longer serves the client and threatens personal burnout.

Remembering who is responsible for what in the coaching relationship is crucial for sustainable success for both the coach and the client.

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