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Julien Smith
Founder and CEO of Practice, Executive Coach
Julien Smith is the Founder and CEO of Practice, a platform designed to assist coaches in building and managing their businesses independently. He has a strong background in entrepreneurship and is also a New York Times bestselling author. His notable works include "The Flinch" and "Trust Agents," the latter co-authored with Chris Brogan, which has been influential in the field of social media marketing.123
Career Background
Before founding Practice in November 2019, Smith co-founded Breather, a flexible office space company, where he successfully raised over $150 million and took the company to Series D funding. His leadership at Breather involved strategic hiring, fundraising, and partnership development, which contributed significantly to the company's growth and visibility in the tech industry.26
In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Smith is an executive coach, focusing on first-time venture-backed CEOs. He leverages his extensive experience to guide these leaders in areas such as customer acquisition, team building, and operational management.45
Personal Insights and Philosophy
Smith emphasizes the importance of combining passion with marketability in business ventures, believing that both elements are crucial for success. He is known for his ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, which has allowed him to impact a wide audience through his writing and coaching.23
His approach to coaching is rooted in the belief that CEOs often lack opportunities to express their true selves, and he aims to provide a supportive environment for them to do so.6 Smith's commitment to helping others is evident in his work, as he seeks to empower individuals and teams to achieve their potential.7
Highlights
Your city affects your ambition.
The people you meet
The streets you walk on
The conversations you hear
all of it frames who you are, and who you’re becoming.
As Paul Graham said, a city is like a river. It has its own current, and if you’re not deliberate, you’ll just go wherever it takes you.
I saw this in action once when advising a founder in Canada.
He was grinding hard, raising funds, making traction locally. So I asked, “Have you tried New York? San Francisco?”
He paused, then mentioned maybe Toronto could be next.
That’s when it hit me - some people don’t realize what they’re missing.
When you’re fully absorbed in one environment, it’s like being a fish in water. You don’t even know there’s an ocean beyond.
You’re not even aware of the limitations because you’ve never experienced what’s outside them.
But if you want to succeed, you have to step outside your own ecosystem.
You have to know there’s more than what’s right in front of you.
Because the worst ceiling is the one you don’t even know is there.
