(A Case Study)
When I first began coaching Jim Jacoby, I met a brilliant yet skeptical mind. A seasoned engineer in Wisconsin, Jim thrived on logic, analysis, and practical problem-solving. He was the kind of person who could reverse-engineer any system and find efficient, grounded solutions. But after years in a toxic work environment under a domineering boss who devalued both him and his colleagues, Jim felt stuck. He knew something had to change, but he wasn’t sure what or how.
He was open to coaching, but not convinced it would lead to any real breakthroughs. And when I introduced him to his BG5 Career Analysis, he was hesitant. He admitted he didn’t believe in personality systems or anything that couldn’t be proven through traditional means. Yet he was open to seeing what it could offer him. I used his design to coach him and provided a practical, organized, logical, step-by-step action plan. That was enough for him to trust me and the process to give it a chance.
Jim’s BG5 Career Type is a Builder, someone designed to bring consistent, powerful energy into the world through the right work, people, and environments. When Builders invest their energy into something that energizes them from within, they thrive. That is exactly what had been missing for Jim. His energy was being drained in the wrong role under the wrong leadership. The key to his transformation began with learning how to work with his Energy Resource Function.
This function is a consistent source of stamina and drive when applied correctly. Jim learned that his decision-making process is rooted in responding to what life brings him, not chasing after opportunities or trying to control outcomes. His Energy Resource Function gives him real-time feedback about what is correct and sustainable for him. The physical sense of “yes” or “no” in his body became his compass. Once he started listening to it, the path forward became clearer.
He also has a Collaborative Assimilation Process, meaning he processes information best when he can bounce ideas off others. One-on-one partnerships and small group dynamics help him put the pieces together, hear his own thoughts, and gain insight. This explained why he often felt fragmented or disconnected in his previous work environment. It wasn’t just a matter of toxic leadership. The structure of his daily workflow didn’t match how he naturally processed information.
He also has a lot of definition in his mind, which is great for the kind of work he does, but it was his nemesis when it came to making decisions that were correct for him. His mind was also second guessing his energy resource response. He needed to detox from a lifetime of conditioning that told him to use his rational mind to make rational and practical decisions. One of the things I enjoy about coaching people is to be a witness to their process of transformation. Jim really stepped into his experiment of responding more to his gut responses, but admitted it wasn’t easy. Ultimately, he was committed and in the end he trusted his gut response to land his dream job, despite his busy mind’s chatter.
Together, we focused on strategic action. We developed a well-organized job search plan, refined his resume and LinkedIn profile, and prepared for interviews by helping him think on his feet with confidence. And when the right opportunity showed up, Jim didn’t hesitate. He felt the clarity in his body, trusted it, and responded. He accepted a position at a larger company, exactly the kind of environment he had hoped to find. The job came with a $20,000 annual salary increase and, more importantly, the respect and recognition he had been missing.
Jim told me afterward that he had never expected coaching to be this impactful. He thought it would be about tips and tactics. He didn’t expect it to help him reconnect to his own internal guidance system. And he certainly didn’t expect that something like a career analysis could help him make one of the most significant career decisions of his life. But it did.
His career analysis showed that he thrives in a combination of small collaborative teams and one-on-one partnerships with time to recharge in solitude. This mix of connection and independence creates the rhythm he needs to feel whole and productive. His strengths include the Strength of Experiential Process, which brings clarity through lived experience, and the Strength of Custodianship, which reflects a deep care for the well-being of others and a sense of responsibility to maintain fairness and sustainability in systems.
Jim is not someone who leads loudly. He leads by showing up, by staying the course, and by responding to what is right for him. In his new role, he is already being recognized for his natural leadership and thoughtful approach. He is no longer trying to prove himself. He is simply doing what he does best in an environment that honors him for it.
This is the real power of a BG5 Career Analysis. It doesn’t require belief. It simply asks people to experiment. To notice. To trust the feedback their own design is giving them. Jim did exactly that, and in doing so, he went from a place of deep frustration to one of fulfillment and excitement about the future.
He told me that he expects to stay in this new role for the remainder of his working career. It is that aligned. For a Builder, that level of satisfaction is the ultimate signpost that you’re on track.
When clients like Jim shift from burnout and doubt to clarity and satisfaction, it reaffirms why I do this work. Helping professionals move into roles that match their true nature is not just career coaching. It is life alignment.
Jim Jacoby may have started out as a skeptic. But today, he is living proof that when you align your work with your design, life begins to work for you, not against you.
About the Author:
Rayana is an Emotionally Intelligent Energy Advisor who is a Certified Human Design Analyst, BG5 Business Consultant, Business and Career Transition Coach, and Master NLP Mindset Ninja.
With 25 years of experience as a business, career and mindset coach, she specializes in guiding people through life, career, and business transitions by helping them uncover their genetic blueprint and live in alignment with their true design. She uses Human Design as a tool to give people permission to be themselves.
A seasoned entrepreneur, Rayana has started up and grown multiple businesses from the ground up, scaling them to 6-7 figures across industries like real estate, insurance, pet care, art and coaching.
But, when she discovered coaching, she found her true calling, to guide and empower people on their journeys to get from where they are to where they want to be, one simple step at a time, to ultimately achieve their goals and dreams.
Rayana was introduced to Human Design in the year 2000, but it didn't take root right away. It stalked her over the years until she finally felt the calling to accept the invitation into her own experiment. She has been formally studying Human Design for over 10 years. She has found it to be a practical tool, along with NLP techniques, to transform her own life and relationships, as well as to empower her clients to break free from fears and limiting beliefs and the comparison trap. She enjoys witnessing her clients' transformation and feelings of validation when she shares a career analysis with them.
Her mission is simple: to liberate potential, excavate inner genius, and transform the future by helping people embrace who they are truly meant to be, living a life that is not only successful but deeply fulfilling.
