Brian Paulsen

Brian Paulsen, a retired technical executive at IBM, spent much of his career at the forefront of object-oriented technology, well before modern programming languages like C#, C++, and Java became widespread. During his time at IBM, Brian led custom application development teams, primarily focused on building solutions for the finance industry. His two main passions, however, were mentoring and finance. While his professional life appeared successful, the personal toll was mounting.

At 32, Brian had already achieved significant milestones—he was happily married, with two young sons, and had recently been promoted to technical executive. Despite these outward achievements, he felt increasingly disconnected from his core values. His demanding work schedule, which required him to travel 80% of the time, left him absent from family life. Although his wife Amy and their boys had everything they needed materially, what they lacked was his presence. Brian realized he was missing out on crucial moments of his children’s lives, which led to a growing sense of stress and imbalance.

This realization spurred a significant turning point in Brian’s life. After a period of deep reflection, particularly during a flight home after Thanksgiving in 2005, he created a 10-year plan aimed at rebalancing his life. By age 42, he retired from IBM as the CTO of the IBM Account and shifted his focus back to his passions—mentoring and finance. This decision allowed him to prioritize his family and be fully present during his children’s formative years.

Today, Brian applies the lessons he learned in his own journey to help other technical leaders achieve balance in their lives. Through his work with intellicents Personal CFO, he assists clients in identifying their core values and aligning their family, work, and financial goals. His approach is grounded in setting measurable, integrated goals that reflect a holistic view of personal and professional success, helping others commit to and achieve a fulfilling life both at home and in their careers. You can catch up with Brian on his LinkedIn profile.