Framing Our Lives As Works Of Art – An Interview With Author + Inspired Mindset Coach William Rees
Updated: Aug 24, 2022
William Rees is a leading Career and Wellbeing Coach and the founder of Keylight, the top-tier coaching practice renowned for empowering individuals and duos to cast their endeavors in vibrant and visionary light. Drawing upon his two decades as an award-winning filmmaker, Rees instills a cinematic sense of adventure and wonder into the personal and professional pursuits of his diverse roster of clients. Honoring the idea that The Greatest Art Form is Life Itself, Keylight’s poetic and powerful approach to self-development quickly unlocks clarity and creativity for uniquely inspired living.
William Rees, Inspired Life + Career Coach
How would you describe the work you’re doing at your practice, Keylight? The driving vision for the Life + Mindset coaching work I do at Keylight is to ensure that growth, self-discovery, and deeply meaningful change is an ever enjoyable and inspiring adventures. I think too often, individuals and their practitioners alike frame the work of self-improvement as a brutal, boot-camp-style slog for one’s soul. Yikes! Who said growth had to be so grim and grueling? Life is inherently hard enough, and change is even harder. So when you sign into a Keylight coaching session or download one of my digital self-coaching tools, my aim is that it’ll always feel fun and flattering and inspiring. A nourishing spa day for your soul. That’s what allows people to actually propel themselves forward—feeling clear, centered, and confident in themselves. Focusing on their gifts and goals rather than over-analyzing fears and past fumbles.
What kind of people do you serve? My background is in the arts, writing and filmmaking, and design. So the majority of my clients have that creative spark flickering inside of them as well. And they’ve either strayed from it for too long or are seeking clarity on how to best advance their personal and professional paths through honoring their creative vision in an authentic and updated way. With every client, whether they’re a clothing designer or a lawyer, I’m helping them shape and sculpt their ultimate creation: a life that clearly expresses their unique quirks and character—in their relationships, in their careers, in their personal passions, and priorities. What would you say is your greatest career achievement so far? I’ve just released my first product I’m very excited about. A digital workbook called The Keylight Sourcebook filled with snappy tools and thought exercises to help people frame themselves and their life stories in an instantly energizing, inspiring way. The book assembles some of the most important questions and considerations I walk my 1:1 clients through to quickly shift their mindsets into really engaged, adventurous spaces.
Looking to make self-improvement a more artful and elevated experience, I structured The Sourcebook a bit like a self-help book but crossed with the beauty of a coffee table book or a cool design magazine. People download it right to their laptops or tablets, and it’s this visually stunning and super stimulating resource to walk through and return to whenever someone’s stuck and in search of ways to kick-start a more confident and creative way of navigating their life.
There was nothing else out there like it, and I’m excited to be able to reach more people now in this new and novel way!
What inspires your work?
As a writer, I love words—so when I was launching my practice, I knew it needed a name that perfectly expressed the bright beauty of the coaching process. I pulled together a long list of contenders, but nothing was quite right. And then I remembered this old filmmaking term—key light.
In cinematic arts, the key light is the first and most important light a scene composer uses to highlight the form and dimension of their subject. And that definition is really my north star when it comes to every coaching session I step into.
I am here to help clients shine a light on their own sharp wisdom and ingenuity. (Not my own.) I excel at helping people see themselves clearly and confidently, so they're energized to make decisions that fully align with who they truly are.
By honoring this process, this poetic approach to creating a key light within every session, my clients become brilliant beams of inspiration. They inspire themselves in each and every session, and they inspire me to keep fighting for the ideals and adventures that I believe in.
Explore William’s uplifting, eye-popping new book
7 Brilliant Tools to Unlockan Inspired Life
