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In this episode, Shermain coaches Marcus McKibben, a brilliant technology leader who escaped poverty yet finds himself paralyzed by his biggest dream: becoming President of the United States. Marcus is worried about not just the journey to his goal, but the overwhelming responsibilities that will come after achieving it.

Here's how Marcus describes himself:

I come from a place where nothing was promised—but everything was possible. Raised in poverty, I learned early that survival requires more than hope—it demands grit, vision, and relentless courage. I taught myself to write code as a lifeline, and through years of grinding in silence, I became one of the best software developers in my field. I didn’t just solve problems—I rewired broken systems and brought order to chaos. But even at the top, I realized mastery alone wasn’t enough.

Now, standing at the helm, I am no longer just the architect of systems but the builder of people. Transitioning into leadership with precision and power, I understand that greatness isn’t sustained by individual force but by a high-performing team. I move with the quiet strength of someone who’s been through the fire and came out sharper. My new mission: to elevate others, align purpose with execution, and lead with the same clarity and discipline that brought him out of the shadows and into command.

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In this Courageous Coaching Conversation, Mash brings a challenge to Shermain connected to strategy and Shermain guides him into uncovering his identity and what that matters. Mash realizes that he's already in action and needs to in his words de-choppify...Take a listen and enjoy!

Here's his bio:

Mash (which is short for “Matthew Schwab”) is a Startup Advisor, and an Executive Coach. He has two primary areas of expertise: (1) building, scaling and honing commercial processes, including sales, marketing and customer success; and (2) Leadership development, with an emphasis on applying the latest research on the topic of leadership coming out of the world’s top business schools. He recently published “Hacking the Advanced Management Program: A Guide to Curating a Robust & Budget-Friendly Executive Education Plan.”

Mash and his wife Kathleen, have recently embarked upon their “empty nester” years with their youngest, Priscilla, enrolling in graduate school, and themselves moving from Santa Cruz, California just outside Silicon Valley to Blaine, Washington, just below Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Introducing "Playing Bigger" – Shermain Melton's bold new series designed to transform how you lead. In this inaugural episode, Shermain breaks from polished perfection to deliver raw, authentic guidance on the conversations most leaders avoid. Shermain delivers a blueprint any leader can use to master the art of addressing difficult behaviors with courage and humanity.