Trained by the Fire, Carried by the Team

I didn’t feel ready.
Not even close.

Everyone else had flown out for months of training. I had five days. Five days to figure out the language, the pitch, the system, the culture. No roadmap. No ramp-up. Just pressure.

It wasn’t glamorous. I felt like an outsider, underprepared and slightly panicked. I wasn’t excited. I wasn’t even passionate about sales. But I needed the job.

What came next wasn’t a clean, confident rise to the top. It was messy.
I stumbled through scripts I didn’t believe in.
I second-guessed myself.
And most days, I felt like I was just trying not to fall behind.

But I kept showing up.Because I didn’t know how to quit.
Even when everything in me felt uncertain, I stayed in the room.

I didn’t have all the answers. But I did have one thing: a deep belief that if there’s an obstacle in front of me, I don’t back down. It’s just who I am. I keep going.

Looking back, I don’t romanticize that season of my life. It was uncomfortable, stressful, and lonely at times. But it was also formative. Because it taught me something I carry into everything I do now:

You don’t have to feel ready to be effective.

You just have to keep going when it would be easier to quit.

Now that I lead a company, I carry that lesson with me, but I also carry something even deeper. I’m not interested in building something where I’m the center of attention. I’m not trying to be the hero of the story. And I’m definitely not here to recreate corporate culture dressed up in nonprofit language.

At My Mogul Media, we’re not building a platform for the already polished. We’re not designing tools for people who have a communications team, a donor network, and a 5-year strategic plan.

We’re building this for the people who don’t.

For the nonprofit founder who’s figuring things out late at night on YouTube. For the program manager who became the “tech person” by accident. For the person with a big heart and a powerful vision who feels invisible in rooms full of buzzwords, dashboards, and consultants.

Because that was me.

I’ve felt what it’s like to be under-resourced and over-expected. I’ve been the one trying to “act like I belonged” while secretly wondering if I did.

And I’ve learned that the real difference between burnout and momentum often isn’t about how much you have, but who you’re surrounded by.

That’s why leadership, for me, starts with empowerment.

It’s not enough for me to lead well. I want everyone around me to lead. To think. To decide. To care.

My job is not to build followers. My job is to build leaders.

When I say “this isn’t the Darrin Cook show,” I mean it. I’m building My Mogul Media with a team of bold, thoughtful, mission-driven humans who believe in what we’re doing as much as I do.

I trust them. I give them space. I ask for their input and I listen when they speak. I don’t want a team that executes. I want a team that builds.

Because I know that if I can help someone else find their voice and confidence as a leader, we multiply the impact. We go further. We reach people I could never reach on my own.

And when someone on my team grows into more of who they are, we all win.

That mindset is baked into everything we create at My Mogul Media. The training, the tools, the tech. It’s all built with one big truth in mind:

“You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to feel seen, supported, and capable of leading in your own way.”

We’re not here to give you a blueprint for someone else’s version of success. We’re here to walk with you while you build your own.

If you’ve ever felt invisible, overlooked, or underprepared… you’re exactly who we’re here for.

You don’t need a bigger platform. You need a starting point.
You don’t need polished strategy. You need practical support.
You don’t need more technical jargon. You need clarity and courage.

You already have what it takes. You’ve just been working without the right mirror.

This week, I’m thinking of everyone who feels like they’re behind. Who’s trying to lead in the middle of the unknown. Who’s staying in it, even when it’s messy.

That’s real leadership. That’s what the world needs more of.

If that’s you, you’re not alone.
You’re already doing more than you think.
And we’re here to help you keep going.

Together, we’re building something that matters.
One leader at a time.

Thank you for walking this path with me.
See you next week.

Darrin.