Rebuilding from Scratch

Well, where the hell have I been? Good question - if you find out, let me know.

I started Unreasonable Creativity (that’s the name of this email series, by the way) because a year ago, I had to make one of the most complicated decisions of my life. I walked away from a job at a multimillion-dollar creative agency, from an office in New York City, and from a career path that had defined me for years. It wasn’t a rash decision. It was a collective one (made as a household) driven by a belief that it would ultimately bring greater security and stability to our family.

For years, that role (and ones like it) gave me status, and access to the engine of the world. To the high-stakes problem solving that only comes with working alongside the biggest businesses on their most pressing challenges. But it also took its toll.

At the end of 2023, the steady rhythm of life, the pressure cooker of client wins and losses, ego boosts and reality checks, was replaced by a void. It wasn’t just about losing a paycheck (well, partly - that USD to Canadian exchange rate didn't hurt). It was about losing a sense of myself. Suddenly, I was questioning my identity, stripped of the peace of mind and certainty that comes with the golden handcuffs of a career-track job.

And let’s be honest, “best for the family” is a long game. In the short term, it brought nothing but overwhelming personal challenges and hard doses of reality that forced me to reassess everything.

Inside the Box

I’ve never believed creativity thrives outside the box. In fact, I’d argue the opposite: creativity is born from tension and constraint. As Nils Leonard says: “You’re never more creative than when caught doing something you’re not supposed to be doing by someone you love.”

Tension + constraint. 

The most meaningful work doesn’t come from limitless blue-sky thinking (corporate jargon alert) it comes from finding order in chaos, from solving problems within clear limits.

When I found myself in Canada, jobless, I was inside a new kind of box. Limited options. Clearly defined boundaries. A world much smaller than the one I was used to. I had to take my own advice, remind myself that constraints don’t restrict creativity; they sharpen it.

I had to mansplain myself to myself. Because when the space to maneuver shrinks, you don’t stop moving. You just learn to break the rules differently.

Out of necessity, I rebuilt. I had to redefine what I brought to the table and figure out how to turn that into a business. For years, I measured my value by my ability to develop others - mentoring teams, leading projects, shaping strategies. But as a solopreneur, there was no one else to develop. I was the only one doing it. I had to ask myself: Did I really want to do this? Had years in a structured career conditioned me to function only within the walls of a big agency?

What started as a scramble to stay afloat evolved into something bigger: a growing business, yes, but also a journey in resilience, creativity, and clarity. I leaned into what I knew and was forced to evolve.

The Four Levels of Value

Ever heard of Myron Golden? He’s a business growth strategist - also seems to enjoy God quite a bit. YouTube threw some of his content my way, and one idea really stuck: the four levels of value. It’s a simple framework, but once you see it, you can identify where you are and start leveling up. For those reimagining themselves (and I know some of you reading this are), here’s the key takeaways:

1. Implementation – The lowest level, where wealth is created using muscles over time. Both are finite resources. Think personal trainers - there’s a ceiling on earning potential and contribution. There's only so much of you to go around.

2. Unification – Managing others, which obviously increases compensation. Add Gym Manager to the role above, or maybe Head of US Film with a small but perfectly formed team 😉.

3. Communication – Wealth creation really starts here. You get paid to use your voice - teaching, speaking, coaching. We’re now talking about a Director of Fitness programming for a big chain, nationally. The reach is greater, but time is still finite.

4. Imagination – The highest spiritual level. Thinking is a higher-value activity than talking. Remove the constraint of time and presence, and your ideas have infinite reach - write a book, create meaningful content, launch an on-demand course. This is where real leverage happens. Congrats, you’re now Dr Mike Israetel of fitness YouTube fame.

I had to assess where I was on this chain and figure out how to consciously move on up.

Over the past year, I’ve transitioned from freelance gigs to contracts to business partnerships. But this story isn’t just about professional reinvention. It’s about balancing fatherhood and solopreneurship, finding community as a school board member, collaborating on creative projects with like-minded truly excellent people, and rediscovering what matters in the spaces between work and real life.

It’s about being lost and finding direction. Not necessarily through faith in a higher power (sorry, Myron), but through faith in myself.

One of my biggest supporters kept saying: “Trust the process.”

I finally get it. Instead of obsessing over the destination, I’ve learned to embrace the journey. And by doing that, what I’m building now feels more aligned with my values and priorities than anything I’ve done before.

Why This Blog Exists

Unreasonable Creativity started as a personal reminder - a regular pep talk to myself: I know things. I have opinions, passions, and expertise worth sharing. In the beginning, it had a self-serving purpose: replacing the validation I once got from Corporate America. But as life got harder, then busier, and I disappeared from view, the potential within this space evolved to be something more. A point where professional insights could collide with personal reflections. A place to explore the messy, but sometimes beautiful, intersections of work, life, and creative responsibility.

So, from now on, every week you’ll find stories here that offer actionable insights on:

• Mastering Clear, Impactful Communication – Even If It’s Uncomfortable

• Strategic Thinking Behind World-Class Content

• Fatherhood, Leadership, and Creativity in Balance

• Building a Business While Navigating Life’s Chaos

• The Art of Professional Storytelling

• Practical Tools for Navigating Change

This isn’t just about sharing knowledge, it’s about making sense of it in a way that sparks action.

If this resonates with you - whether you’re rethinking your career, navigating family life, or simply looking for inspiration, I invite you to join me. Subscribe, comment, and share your own stories. Let’s explore what it means to rebuild, reimagine, and create with purpose.

A Parting Thought

Just over a year ago, I walked away from what I thought defined me because I believed it was the right thing to do for everyone important to me. Since then, I’ve realized that real growth doesn’t come from clinging to the familiar, from sacrificing for the benefit of others or through incremental steps up a well trodden path.

Leadership isn’t about titles or having a team you think you're fighting for - it’s about outcomes. Most people are managers at best (literally and metaphorically), attempting to maintain systems built by others, mimicking and just trying to outperform what came before. Leaders, however, make new tracks. Their role isn’t to drag others along but to set a standard worth aspiring to. You don’t have to be in a big corporate to do that.

After 16,000 days on this planet, a decade of marriage, eight years of parenting, and a career spent working with people across the world, I finally get it: And the real story, the one about resilience, creativity, and growth, is still unfolding. This newsletter (or whatever we want to call it) is my way of sharing that journey.

The biggest lesson from 2024? 

Isolation and change taught me that my story isn’t just mine - it can be a lifeline for someone else. When you open up about your struggles, pain, and accomplishments, you create a bridge for others walking the same path. They see themselves in your words and realize they’re not alone.

My greatest professional successes have come from serving others. That doesn’t mean every effort succeeds, or is valued, but I’ve found the most meaning in that pursuit. I’ve tried to apply that same principle to my personal life and community. The difference? Failures there feel heavier and linger longer and triumphs are fleeting.

I wish that, at the start of 2024, someone had told me: “I’ve been there, and you can make it through too.” I had support (that I'll never forget, or be able to appropriately acknowledge) but not from someone who had lived what I was going through. Maybe my voice, my specific journey, can be the hope and guidance someone else needs to reimagine their career, their business, or their experience of the world. And maybe this email series will give them the tools and inspiration to do it.

As you were. It's nice to be back, see you on Sunday.

MrMcK.

About the Author: Mark McKenna helps companies all over the world drive progress through strategic storytelling and content production. He has spent nearly 20 years at creative agencies serving clients at the intersection of corporate communications, advertising, and public relations. For the last decade, he has held senior leadership roles, providing counsel to the decision makers at the largest organizations in the world. Mark’s career includes time spent in London and New York, working with Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 clients on their communication challenges across EMEA and the Americas.

But, if you meet him in person, he’ll say “Hi my name is Mark McKenna. I help businesses tell their most important stories in a way that makes people want to listen.”