Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Masi Willis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Masi, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I always worked for someone. From college internships until I was 50 years old, I was “owned”—hired for the spark they saw in me, then slowly shaped into whatever version fit their mold. I became the high-performing, do-it-all team player. Their trusted fixer. Their motivator. Their “worker bee.” And for a while, I wore that as a badge of honor.

But in 2023, I struck out on my own. I stopped waiting for permission and started following my irrevocable calling. I stopped doing assignments and started designing transformation.

Do I ever look back? Sure. Especially when I’m sick and there’s no one to “call in” to. When I’ve lost my voice (literally—laryngitis is real), when the travel stacks up, and when life feels like too much and I still have to lead through it. It’s probably a quarterly thought: “Wouldn’t it be easier to just clock in, clock out, and let someone else carry the weight?”

But then I remember—I own myself now.

I choose how I show up. I get to shape my pace, my health, and my rhythm. I’ve learned to plan for pause, hire to my weaknesses, and build margin when I need it most.

And more than anything, I never have to trade impact or influence for a 9–5.

I don’t just have a job. I have the exponential power of transformation in my hands every single day.

And while it’s not always easy—it’s mine. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

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

From Cracks to Culture: Why I Don’t Just Coach Leaders—I Rebuild Them

Let’s be honest—leadership doesn’t collapse in one dramatic moment. It erodes slowly. One unresolved conflict. One misaligned hire. One team member who stops speaking up. That’s the hidden damage I look for. And that’s what I help rebuild.

I’m Masi Willis, a leadership coach and culture strategist obsessed with helping mid-to-senior-level leaders stop the cycle of drama, disengagement, and daily firefighting—and start building something that lasts. I do it through my signature M.I.L.E.™ Methodology—a full-cycle framework that transforms cultures from the inside out.

My M.I.L.E.™ Methodology:

Mirror – You can’t lead what you don’t understand. We start with radical self-awareness.

Implement – We translate insight into repeatable habits and rhythms that scale your influence.

Leverage – We build out systems, tools, and relational structures that empower your team—not just you.

Evolve – No structure is permanent. We create a rhythm of recalibration so growth never stalls.

I don’t hand over a slide deck and wish you luck. I stay in the trenches with you until the blueprint becomes behavior, and the cracks are not just covered—they’re repaired at the root.

What Makes Me Different

I live by this rally cry: Unlocking people. Restoring culture. Unleashing performance. And I’m not interested in surface-level wins. I bring unfiltered candor when leaders need to face what’s not working, and obsessive human connection when teams need to feel seen and heard. I say the hard things—because clarity is kindness.

My values shape everything:

Guide, Not God – I walk alongside leaders in the “messy middle”—the space between the no longer and the not yet—where transformation actually happens.

Hone the Edges – I help leaders sharpen what needs precision and soften what needs grace. We grow when we stay teachable and trust the process.

Own the In-Between – I lead boldly in ambiguity. That’s where potential lives. I see the beauty in the unclear and move toward it with clarity and courage.

A Vision Bigger Than Business

My vision is simple: Transforming the world—one leader, one team, one breakthrough at a time.

I’ve built my reputation by staying until the job is done. Books like 10X Is Easier Than 2X and The E-Myth have helped me lead with efficiency, clarity, and vision. Tools like The 5 Voices and The 100X Leader help teams speak a common language and multiply health—not chaos.

Why It Works

I don’t sell inspiration, motivation, and education—I deliver transformation. My clients see measurable shifts: higher retention, clearer communication, better delegation, and cultures that don’t crack under pressure. They reclaim time, reignite trust, and build teams that move together—not just grind alone.

If you’re ready to stop patching and start rebuilding,
I’m here—not to fix you, but to build with you.
Because I don’t just coach leaders.
I create foundations that last.

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

Two things: unfiltered candor and obsessive human connection.

I don’t sugarcoat dysfunction—I call it out. Leaders aren’t paying me to be polite; they’re paying me to help them build teams that perform, communicate, and stay. I think people respect that I don’t just deliver insight—I stay in the mess with them until we see real change.

The other piece is this: I actually care. Deeply. About people, about potential, about unlocking what’s stuck. “People are my cocaine” isn’t just a cute phrase—it’s how I work. I show up, I listen, I dig past the surface stuff, and I help leaders build cultures that outlast the next crisis.

That mix—telling the truth while walking with people through it—is what’s built trust and, I think, my reputation in this space.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Absolutely—and the mix of what’s influenced me may surprise you.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni confirmed what I’d already seen in so many teams: when trust is thin, everything else fractures. That book helped me put structure to the chaos I was helping leaders navigate—clarifying where to begin and what to prioritize.

10X Is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy challenged me to think bigger and simpler. It gave me permission to let go of “good” things to create space for the things that are uniquely mine to do. It’s changed how I scale—by subtraction, not addition.

The E-Myth by Michael Gerber was a foundational shift. It taught me the difference between working in the business and working on the business. That distinction has helped me build systems for transformation, not just deliver one-off wins.

And the GiANT tools? Game changers. The 5 Voices gave me a shared language to help teams understand themselves and one another in ways that actually stick. The 100X Leader taught me how to be someone worth following—someone who builds others while still growing themselves. It’s not just about influence; it’s about intentional multiplication.

Together, these resources helped me turn what I felt intuitively into a repeatable system that transforms culture from the inside out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.masiwillis.com
• Instagram: the.mason.effect
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themasoneffect/

Image Credits

Lauren Thompson with Lollypop Lenses