I've spent my life split between the bridge of a ship and the start line of a race. Both taught me the same thing: hold your composure, adapt to what's changing, and act without hesitation.
I'm Wes, founder of Helm and Horizon Coaching. I graduated from Oakland University with a degree in English and Russian language and civilization (I read a lot of Tom Clancy as a kid) and joined the U.S. Navy shortly after, mostly to avoid a cubicle and see some of the world.
What followed was a 26-year Navy career that sharpened everything I now believe about clarity, accountability, and trust, and it never really slowed the other thing I was building in parallel: thirty years of endurance sport, from competitive swimming to triathlon to swimrun and mountain biking, squeezed into whatever time deployments and duty stations left over.
Coaching is where those two lives meet. Effort and heart rate over ego. Read the data, hold the discipline, and adjust the plan before the moment forces you to.
Four years as a varsity swimmer at Oakland University, including the program's transition from NCAA Division II to Division I and a conference title in the 200 freestyle in 1997, an early lesson in discipline, preparation, and trusting the process.
A 26-year career aboard cruisers, destroyers, and two aircraft carriers (USS COLE, USS FIREBOLT, USS MAHAN, USS LEYTE GULF, USS OSCAR AUSTIN, USS ENTERPRISE, and USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER). Qualified as Officer of the Deck, Engineering Officer of the Watch, Tactical Action Officer, search-and-rescue swimmer, and non-compliant boarding officer, with deployments to the Mediterranean, the Arctic Circle, the Middle East, and off the coast of Africa. It culminated in command of USS OSCAR AUSTIN (DDG 79), responsible for a crew and a mission, with zero margin for error.
It started with a Trek 2200 bought at the end of Division Officer School, a sprint triathlon in 2005, and an Olympic-distance race a week later that I was sure I wouldn't survive. From there: 70.3 Oceanside, Wildflower, Escape from Alcatraz, my first full Ironman at Ironman Wisconsin in 2016. That same year, I discovered swimrun, and raced for the inaugural North American event in Casco Bay. A move to Colorado added mountain biking and the Leadville 50 to the mix. These days, I enjoy mixing every sport I can outdoors in the mountains. That includes cycling, mountain biking, swimming, running, and the kind of adventure-driven endurance that values capability, variety, and experience over being defined by one finish line.
Coaching endurance athletes and leaders using the same principle: ground every plan in real data and the individual in front of you, never a generic template.
I'm not here to hand you a one-size-fits-all formula or tell you who you need to become. I'm here to help you understand yourself better, navigate challenge with more awareness, and build a more intentional way forward.
I bring lived experience to this work. I know what it means to lead when the stakes are high, to pursue hard things over long periods of time, and what pressure actually feels like, and the value of having someone in your corner who can help you pause, recalibrate, and move forward with purpose. That is what I aim to offer through Helm and Horizon Coaching.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call, for endurance, leadership, or both.
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