I’m David Spinks. I help leaders stay present, grounded, and clear-minded while they build their business, grow communities, or navigate transition.

I started my first community when I was 14, running online gaming forums before I even understood what “community” really meant. That curiosity became a career. I went on to cofound CMX, one of the first and largest professional networks for community builders, which hosts global events and has supported over 20,000 leaders. We were acquired by Bevy in 2019, where I joined the exec team and helped scale both the company and its community.

I wrote The Business of Belonging, a practical guide for community-driven companies, which has become the go-to book for thousands of founders, teams, and strategists learning how to build meaningful communities.

I’ve had a wonderful career, but have also suffered. On paper, I had everything I thought I was supposed to want. But I was burnt out, constantly anxious, and grew increasingly disconnected. So in 2022, I stepped away to explore a deeper question: what’s left when the titles, the hustle, and the ego quiet down?

That led me down an intense path of self-inquiry. I went deep into meditation, therapy, coaching, and spirituality. I studied Internal Family Systems, Hakomi, and Zen. I trained as a coach. And I began supporting leaders, not just with their strategies and goals, but with the stories beneath them.

Today, I coach:

– Founders and executives who want to build businesses with clarity, presence, and integrity
– Community leaders navigating the complexity of business and building belonging
– High-achieving professionals in transition, ready to redefine the next chapter of their life and career

My work is grounded in lived experience. I know what it’s like to lead at scale, to face public challenge, to question everything, to feel lost, and to rebuild.

People come to me when they want someone who can meet them where they are: with depth, strategy, and presence. Someone who can help hold the complexity of leadership, growth, and being human.

If that’s you, let’s talk.

P.S. I’m also a proud dad of two (soon to be three) wild little humans, a husband, a nature lover, a meditator, a music lover (folk, electronic and hardcore are my go-tos), a pretty good cook (if you ask anyone other than my kids), and infinitely more.