Meet Shane Borza

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shane Borza. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Shane with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I have been blessed, or perhaps sought out, many avenues in life which reiterated the ethos that ‘hard work pays off’. Not only did I learn this at an early age from my parents, who both worked hard, including long hours, and extra days, holidays, and the like but also later. In high school I did sports which meant you had the responsibility to work hard “both on and off the field” i.e. if you didn’t keep your grades up you were off the team and/or couldn’t compete. This continued in college when it then meant both studying and working and how to juggle them while consistently succeeding at both. After all, if you are working your way through school, you are at once both dependent on the job to literally pay for the classes and, you are dependent on the good grades to ensure you are working towards graduation… Of course, serving in the Military, but especially Military Police meant “we work harder than anyone else” became not just a mantra but a way of life. After all of – or perhaps because of – those through lines, when I began working in film, the idea of a 12 hour day being standard and “first in/last out” was the norm, I again was reminded of all the opportunities to show up, be ready, do your best, dig deep, go further faster, and all the rest. Ethics, whether work or otherwise, are all around you. Here’s hoping you’re noticing and implementing the ethics that both speak to, and apply to, you, and your life and pursuits.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Shane Borza is a Lifelong Climber, Award Winning Filmmaker, and Master Level Coach who combines his love of mountains and sharing stories with his mission to help others. With 30+ years of international climbing experience and 20+ years as an award winning filmmaker, Shane has been able to create many award winning films which center on powerful stories – both climbing and otherwise.
Starting his film education in Australia, where he attended both an International Film School and Stunt Academy, Shane quickly built his resume by working on three feature films in three months. Over the years, he has accrued over 200 on set credits, mostly as an Assistant Director.
Now with his own Coaching Company, Shane helps teach people how to dive deep into their habits and patterns so they can create lasting change and live their truth. He also mentors creatives so they can figure out how to create large, complicated projects, such as films, books, courses, and companies.
Current projects include Expanding and Updating his two books on filmmaking Film Notes and the Film Notes Workbook (just released, hosting the Film Notes Podcast, and finalizing his fourth and fifth feature films. You can see more of his work at shaneborza.com and professional credits at imdb.me/shaneborza.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Figuring our your Mission, Vision, and Values will be hugely beneficial for most anyone – regardless of whether that is for them personally, or their brand or business. In fact, doing both separately can be vastly impactful, and informative, as well. In short; the Mission is whatever you are currently working on or are called to do, the Vision is the future you look forward to creating, building, or working towards, (regardless of timeline), while the Values are those key words or phrases which help you navigate the options and choices along the way.
Like anything else in life, if you don’t know where you are, where you’re going, or how to get there, quite often you’re not going to either get there or make any progress. While a road trip may get bogged down in traffic, rerouted due to construction, weather, or other issues, or have other things get in the way, you’re still going to get to your destination – it may just not be what the initial plan was. Life too ebbs and flows and only by having a clear “I am here (Mission) and going there (Vision) via this (Values)” are you going to know what you’re working on, how to make progress, and if your plan is working.
To learn more about me and my Mission, Vision, and Values, I invite you to look here: shaneborza.com/about

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Reading Dave Eggers masterful ‘A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius’ changed my life. Not only was it written in a, at the time, new and challenging style, but it broke both boundaries and conventions. It was a memoir dealing with life, death, and challenges and taught me a lot both in terms of creating things but also in living. A lot of other people liked it too, and it’s nice to feel like something I loved was valued (nominated for a Pulitzer, New York Times bestseller, among others) but, really, it was the thought and head exploding experience of reading it. The excitement of “Wow – I’ve never read anything like this before!” And not just that, but knowing it, in the moment, like “It’s not just blowing my mind, but I’m thinking about thinking that!”
Hearing how someone navigates the loss of their parents, their innocence, their youth, how they make mistakes, learn from them, fall down, get up, and relaying it so masterfully, so beautifully, so deeply, so profoundly – even though I’ve only read it the one time (and that was 20+ years ago) it continues to resonate. This inspired me to look inward, reflect, learn, grow, but also to make master works of my own, or try to. The best lessons are not just teachers – they are inspirations.

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©2025 Shane Borza Coaching LLC

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