My Story
I've Been Where You Are
I'm Steven Brandwayn—Executive Partner for C-level leaders navigating transition, identity, and the question: "Who am I without the work?"
I help successful executives and founders rewire the reactive patterns that keep them trapped in urgency mode, so they can lead from clarity and actually enjoy what they've built—at work and at home.
But I didn't start here.
The Executive Grind
For 8 years, I built and scaled a logistics tech company in Colombia—an Uber for trucks. We grew fast. The pressure was constant. My identity was completely wrapped up in the business.
I was always on. Always solving. Always in motion.
I thought that's what success looked like.
Then the pandemic hit. Everything collapsed. The business I'd poured everything into was gone.
And I was forced to confront a question I'd been avoiding: Who am I without this?
The Awakening
What followed was one of the darkest and most transformative periods of my life.
I went deep—into my patterns, my beliefs, my identity. I saw how much of my life I'd been living on autopilot. How much I'd been reacting instead of choosing. How disconnected I was from myself.
My marriage was on fragile ground. My sense of self was shattered.
But in that darkness, something shifted. I started doing the real work—not the surface-level self-help stuff, but the deep inner work of rewiring how I see myself, how I show up, and how I lead.
I closed the gap between who I was on the outside and who I was on the inside. I reconnected with my wife. I found my voice again.
And I realized: This is the work I'm meant to do.
Starting Over
In 2023, my wife and I moved to Denver with our three daughters (17, 14, and 9). I couldn't work for 15 months while waiting for my green card, so I used that time to heal, rebuild, and develop what would become the IITree framework.
I started working with executives and founders—people like me who had built something significant but were struggling with the same questions I'd faced:
Who am I without the business?
Why do I feel so disconnected from myself?
How do I stop living in urgency mode?
And I realized: The work I did on myself is the work they need.
Why I Do This
I've lived the executive grind. I know what it's like to have your identity wrapped up in work. I know what it's like to feel the constant pressure, the mental hijacking, the inability to be still.
And I know what it takes to rewire those patterns.
Not through quick fixes or productivity hacks—but through deep, transformative work. The kind of work that shifts how you see yourself, how you lead, and how you live.
That's what I offer: Partnership for leaders ready to do the real work.
Not coaching sessions. Not surface-level strategies.
Deep, sustained partnership to help you move from reactive patterns to conscious choice. From noise to clarity. From urgency to presence.
The iiTree Framework
The iiTree is the foundation of how I work:
Awareness — See the patterns you're repeating
Intention — Understand the truth beneath the story
Alignment — Choose who you're becoming by design, not default
Integration — Live it, not just know it
This isn't a framework I learned from a book. It's what I lived through my own transformation. And it's what I now guide other leaders through.
Who I Work With
I work with C-level executives and founders—typically in their 50s and 60s—who are navigating transition, retirement, or identity shifts.
They're successful. They've built something real. But they've realized their entire identity is wrapped up in work, and they don't know who they are without it.
They're tired of living in urgency mode. Tired of being hijacked by pressure. Tired of putting everyone else first and never stopping long enough to take care of themselves.
They're ready to do deep work. Not surface-level fixes.
And that's where I come in.
Beyond Work
I live in Denver with my wife and three daughters. I value presence, alignment, and living with intention.
I've traveled the world. I've worked with high-level leaders across industries. I understand the circles my clients operate in—the pressure, the expectations, the identities they've built.
But I also understand what it takes to step back, see clearly, and choose differently.
That's the work.
Ready to Do This?
If you're navigating transition, questioning your identity, or tired of living in urgency mode—let's talk.
No pressure. No pitch. Just an honest conversation about where you are and whether partnership makes sense.