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Caleb was a part of the 2022 Colorado Governor's Fellowship and a Board Member of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado. He had the privilege of serving as the 2019 President of the Southern Colorado Commercial Brokers (SCCB) Association and is a part of the Colorado Springs Small Business Advancement team, developed in partnership with the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, where he served on the ReTool COS Committee. He currently serves as a consultant with the Small Business Development Center in El Paso County and on the committee for the Racial Equity Fund that raises funds and awards grants to minority-led non-profits in El Paso County. He was also the recipient of the Golden Rule Young People’s Goodwill Ambassadorship Award presented by Dr. Clyde Rivers and Ambassador Mussie Hailu in 2014 for his work and commitment to the people of Ethiopia.
Shifting Gears, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Living His Authentic Life: Meet Caleb David
What is my personal/professional story?
I spent almost 20 years in the non-profit sector and eventually started my own non-profit (The Table Initiative) to bring awareness, activism, and change to social justice in our world. I do not have a college degree, so I always had impostor syndrome and felt less than those who did. However, I did not allow that to stop my career and life path. In 2014, I fell into commercial real estate. Within the first year, I was honored by my peers as the rookie of the year and I felt that I had a new path that would eventually give me the opportunity to have not only an impact on my clients and community but to be able to support causes with my time and finances.
In 2020 during the pandemic, I finally had the courage at age 40 to fully embrace who I am.
Growing up in a very conservative and restrictive upbringing and religion, I had always hidden from my true self. In 2020, I knew I could no longer live in the shadows or I would no longer be on this earth. When I finally came out, I knew it was the right thing to do but as a result, I lost my family, my home, most of my clients, my friends, my church community, and much more. I found myself at the very bottom, but I knew for the sake of my kids and myself, I could not give up. Most days, I had to literally take the next steps moment by moment and just do the next right thing. I started my own commercial real estate company in early 2021 based on my authentic self and the values that I learned to hold as a beacon. Our team has grown from just me into a diverse, inclusive, and expert team of five in just over 3 years. In the future, my goal is to train, coach, and teach new commercial brokers to break into this very difficult career. I also love coaching and advising small businesses to foster success.
Can you share a turning point in your life that sparked your interest in helping others succeed?
Helping others has always been in my DNA. This is why I was drawn to the non-profit sector at a very young age. I am also considered a “third-culture” kid being half East Indian and Caucasian, so I was always searching for a place to belong as I didn’t feel like I could identify fully with either culture. However, over the years, I needed to learn to help myself, heal, and find healthy boundaries so that I could help others out of a place of wholeness instead of a need for approval. I started intensive therapy in 2013 and this was a huge step in the right direction of checking my ego and finding my way forward. The major turning point for me was during COVID-19 when I finally realized that I had already lived half of my life hiding behind masks and walls.
What impact did GlobalMindED have on your professional success?
The impact of the training that I received in the coaching certification programs has widened my perspective and allowed me to grow and bring greater impact to my team and clients. In addition, it has opened the door for me to provide coaching to others outside of my industry. I look forward to more coaching opportunities, but the tools and methods learned have broadened my options and horizons to help others while continuing my own growth journey.
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