Redirecting.work

outside looking in, his identity was tightly woven with Silicon Valley prestige, leadership, and measurable success.

But beneath the surface, there had always been something more. Joe carried a long-standing, private relationship with spirituality—rooted in his Christian faith—that he kept to himself during his tech career. He lived his values quietly, with integrity that never clashed with his professional roles, but his faith wasn't something he brought into workplace conversations. That is, until everything shifted.

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At the tail end of a two-year sabbatical from Sun that included caring for a friend dying from cancer, Joe attended a church service and responded to a sermon about death and dying. He sent a simple email to the teaching pastor saying it touched him profoundly. This was something he’d consciously avoided doing for years. “I knew if I ever developed a relationship with a pastor, I’d go into the deep end really fast,” he laughs. 

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He wasn’t wrong. That small gesture sparked a series of deepening conversations and commitments: first joining a small men’s spiritual group, then teaching leadership to the student ministry team, and soon after, co-founding a new church with that pastor. By the time his sabbatical ended, Joe had unexpectedly stepped into a leadership role at Blue Oaks Church.

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He wasn’t looking to become a pastor—especially not while still fielding job offers—but his spiritual roots, honed over years of private growth, laid the groundwork for this radically different path.

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What Is He Doing Today?

 

Today, Joe serves as the Executive Pastor and Co-Lead Pastor of Blue Oaks Church. He’s responsible for strategy, staff leadership, and day-to-day operations, effectively functioning as the nonprofit's executive director. His co-lead, Matt, handles the teaching ministry, while Joe ensures that the organization remains aligned, effective, and mission-driven and always growing its membership.

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His pivot wasn’t just vocational—it was an identity shift. Joe jokes that the story might have been more dramatic if he’d been a “hell-raising executive turned holy man,” but the truth is quieter, more personal. His life had long been shaped by purpose and values; the change was less about a 180-degree turn and more about revealing what had been central all along.

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Still, the pivot carried unexpected challenges—including for his wife, Lisa. Moving from being the spouse of a high-status tech exec to being the spouse of a pastor brought its own reckoning. Joe reflects thoughtfully on how career identity affects not just individuals but couples and families: “Leadership in a church is a marital decision,” he says. “You can’t make this kind of shift without your spouse being fully onboard.” And Lisa was.

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Financially, they were fortunate. Joe’s years in tech provided the financial foundation to step into a lower-paid nonprofit role without sacrificing stability. “I think God put me through the high-tech world so I could be in a position to say yes to this,” he says. But the transition still tested his confidence. Despite being licensed as a pastor, Joe struggled early on with imposter syndrome: “It felt funny being called a pastor. There’s this belief that you’re not one unless you have a Master of Divinity. I didn’t—but I knew I was called.”

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He doubled down on learning. Drawing from his tech background, he brought professional management to the church, hired an executive pastor coach, and applied frameworks from the corporate world that most church leaders never encounter. As his coach told him, “I’ve learned as much from you as you’ve learned from me.”

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What Is His Advice to Others?

 

Joe’s advice is rooted in two themes: identity and intentional reflection.

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“The most successful transitions,” he says, “are the ones that acknowledge a change in identity—how you answer the question, ‘I am…’” That shift, he notes, is what truly defines a pivot. His move from sales executive to pastor wasn’t just a job change—it reshaped how he saw himself, how others saw him, and how he moved through the world.

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He encourages others to do the deep internal work before making this leap. One of the tools he recommends is SHAPE, a framework used in his church that helps individuals reflect on their Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. Combined with insights from thinkers like Marcus Buckingham, he urges people to look for what truly brings them joy—not just what they’re good at.

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“So many people stay in roles they don’t love because they think they have to—financially, for prestige, or to meet someone else’s expectations,” he says. “But there’s power in stepping back and asking: What do I love? What am I uniquely good at? What does the world need that I can offer?”

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Joe also speaks candidly about faith. He doesn’t push doctrine but invites others to examine their own sense of wonder, belief, and belonging. “You don’t have to defend where you are,” he says. “But be honest with yourself about your spirituality. Own your journey.”

 

Final Reflection

 

Joe Hartley didn’t pivot into something new so much as he finally aligned his outer life with an inner truth that had been quietly growing for decades. His transition—from Silicon Valley sales leader to church pastor—may look dramatic on paper, but in spirit, it was the most natural move he could make.

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His story reminds us that pivots aren’t always about reinvention. Sometimes, they’re about being brave and coming home to yourself.