Matthew Brun

Before becoming a full-time professional coach with Southwestern Consulting, I spent over two decades in financial services, with a career focused on advising clients, sales, training, onboarding, and improving performance.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I believe God was using my years in financial services to prepare me for coaching. While I gained valuable experience and a deep understanding of the industry, I often felt that I was being called toward something more.

Looking back, I can see I was being prepared and equipped with the knowledge and perspective I now use to help financial professionals grow, succeed, and find greater purpose in their work.

One of the experiences I draw on most started in college, when I sold books door-to-door with Southwestern Advantage. It was one of the most challenging seasons of my life, but it’s where I learned how to stay disciplined with my schedule, how to handle rejection, and to keep moving forward even on super challenging days.

Because of the adversity I overcame during my summers selling books and leading teams, I can relate to my coaching clients who are working to grow their business while facing setbacks, uncertainty, and discouragement. I can appreciate what it feels like to keep showing up even when the results are not immediate.

That experience taught me the fundamentals of sales and leadership. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my career and became a foundation for how I develop others.

I was named Coach of the Quarter four times and earned President’s Circle recognition, an elite national honor awarded to Fidelity’s top-performing advisors, representing roughly the top few percent of the organization.

My definition of exceptional coaching is ICF’s definition of coaching: “I partner with my clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to reach their maximum potential both personally and professionally.”

My respect for other people’s “Map of the World.”

This belief is my secret sauce. It allows me to stay present in the moment with my clients and limits personal bias and judgements. This provides my clients with the space to be honest, transparent, and willing to peel back layers in order to grow.

What drew me to a career in coaching was something others recognized in me before I fully recognized it in myself. Throughout my career, coworkers and colleagues often told me that I had “coaching in my veins.” I was described as thoughtful, compassionate, inspiring, and encouraging, and I discovered how much I loved helping people see possibilities they could not yet see for themselves.

There is nothing quite like watching the moment when someone has an “aha” breakthrough; when a limiting belief gives way, confidence grows, and they begin to see a new path forward.

Those moments energize me and remind me why this work matters.

My own experience with coaching made that conviction even stronger. During my interview process with Southwestern Consulting, I experienced high-level professional coaching firsthand. The process became much more than an interview. I was carrying fears, limiting beliefs, and what I would call “head trash” that were holding me back from moving forward. Through powerful questions and advanced coaching techniques, my coach helped me challenge those beliefs, gain clarity, and see what was possible on the other side of them.

That experience had a profound impact on me. I didn’t just learn about the power of coaching; I experienced it personally. I will always be grateful for the caliber of coaching Southwestern Consulting brought into my life, and today I am passionate about creating those same kinds of breakthroughs for others.

For me, coaching is about helping people recognize their potential, remove what is standing in their way, and become more of the person and professional they are capable of becoming. Few things are