Why Your Success Depends More on Relationship than Strategy 

Mariann has been part of my journey for over 15 years. She walked beside me as I navigated the challenges of being a business leader, weathered the transitions of marriage and family, and stepped into career pivot. At each of those crossroads, her wisdom and presence empowered my growth.

When I mention that Mariann is deeply rooted in Psychodrama, I usually get curious looks. To oversimplify, Psychodrama is a therapeutic approach that uses structured role play to explore subconscious patterns, behaviors, and embedded trauma. In practice, it creates a stage where the unspoken and unseen can take conscious shape. Making things consicious gives us the chance to rewrite old scripts that have defined us, and create new paths forward.

Though I don’t use Psychodrama often in my coaching, there are moments when it’s exactly what is needed, a doorway into clarity that words alone can’t open. Mariann has been a guide into that world. She taught me that beneath every leadership struggle, every conflict, every burst of creativity, there are deeper currents: emotions, memories, and stories wanting to be understood.

We rarely succeed on our own. My achievements—both professional and personal—are tied to the people who believed in me, challenged me, and walked alongside me. Mariann is one of those people. But she’s not the only one.

Over the years there have been many others I’ve learned from, and a part of each of them remains with me. They live on in my memory and in the ways they’ve influenced who I’ve become. A gesture here, a hard truth there, a moment of encouragement when I doubted myself—all those pieces remain. They’re stitched into the fabric of who I am today.

I owe much of the credit for my success and satisfaction to the people around me, and I am deeply grateful to Mariann and so many others who have supported me, taught me, and learned together with me.

I often tell people I work with: “You can’t avoid leading.” Leadership isn’t a title or a role—it’s influence. We are always leading those around us—through our words, choices, and presence—and they are always leading us in return.

That means every powerful relationship has mutuality, a dynamic dance of influence. Sometimes we’re the ones giving, offering perspective, encouragement, or wisdom. Other times, we’re the ones receiving, being stretched, supported, or reminded of something essential.

Both matter. In fact, both are necessary. If we only receive, we stagnate and never step into our own authority. If we only give, we risk burnout and lose the joy of learning. To be our best selves, we need to live in the rhythm of both—receiving and giving, following and leading, learning and teaching. My relationship with Mariann has that mutuality, she teaches me Psychodrama, but in the bigger arc of life we support each other and empower mutual success.

We all need mentors—and we all need to be mentors. The highest satisfaction in life doesn’t come from standing alone at the top of a mountain, but from knowing others are climbing with us, and that we’ve had a hand in lifting one another higher.

Mariann is slowly winding down her practice now, but she continues to pour herself into the world—facilitating groups, holding space for healing, and mentoring others. Her light continues to shine, not because of the roles she holds, but because of who she is.

Her example reminds me of this truth: our lives and our leadership are never fully our own—they are the sum of the relationships that have touched us and the people we choose to touch in return.

Think about the significant relationships in your life. Where are you mostly receiving? Where are you mostly giving? What does balance look like for you right now?

Surround yourself with the right people. Invest deeply in those relationships. Because in the end, our lives are built not on what we achieve alone, but on who we journey with along the way.

Who is in your inner circle?