Scott Dawson is a man of faith who was a recent gubernatorial candidate for the state of Alabama. He entered the race having never run for or been appointed to a political office. Scott didn’t win the race for Governor. However, he did win the hearts of thousands of people who supported his non-political agenda and ideas. But that is not what impresses me the most about this man.

In part 2 of my interview with Sunny Kaila, CEO of IT By Design, Sunny shares his journey from taxi driver to tech CEO and gives us insight into the mindsets and resources that got him there. This short conversation may just inspire you to continue or better yet, to start your journey of hard work heading toward your goals in life.

Sunny’s story is one not only of leadership and business success, but of family and persistence and chasing the “American dream”, and I know you’ll find it just as inspiring and insightful as I did.

Vaccines, quarantines, closures, economic hardship, loss of family, friends and loved ones, isolation, masks, fear, hard-to-follow science, political finger pointing…

Perspective. Everyone has one. I always try to inform my perspective with trusted expertise, and that is exactly what Dr. Nick Gillespie provides in this episode. During part 2 of our in-depth conversation, Dr. Nick shares his expertise on COVID-19, vaccines, timelines, and wearing masks among other things. He even points out one social benefit to mask-wearing that I personally found helpful and encouraging. His sound medical wisdom is what we all need to hear right now, as he offers us an informed perspective on how all of us should be moving forward through this pandemic.

Meet Dr. Nick Gillespie. He is a medical doctor who has been leading for a long time. He has studied with some of the brightest minds in the world and he is incredibly brilliant. He also has a humble spirit and genuine concern for his patients and their families. That is why this man is greatly loved and admired by those in his community, state and beyond. 

Nick speaks with me about how he grew into the person he is today. It began on a farm and continues to this day, as he enthusiastically serves his patients and others. This is a two-part interview, and after we learn a little more about Nick’s journey in this episode, we’ll dive into COVID-19 and let Dr. Gillespie sort out the truth from myth and offer his sound medical advice on the vaccines that are currently being rolled out across the US.

I invite you to take a few a minutes and walk with me. I am looking at the nuggets of truth that 2020 brought us. 2020 is the year that everybody hates. However, I believe there are valuable lessons that we can glean if we choose to view this ridiculous year through learning lenses.

Check out my Crossing The Line podcast  by clicking the link below. You will hear insights that will help you to have more successful and impactful relationships in your personal and professional life. 

Let’s learn some things from 2020 and then get ready to experience new and exciting opportunities in 2021. Listening to this special edition of our Crossing The Line podcast will make a difference!

Brad Schow is part of a team of coaches and consultants serving the IT industry, and a leader that I’ve known for many years. His desire as a leader is to help others to become better. He works on it every day. Don’t write his goal off as being cliché or soft. I have witnessed his strong leadership in situations where most would crumble. In this interview, Brad shared his insight on how serving others and an appetite for risk go hand in hand, and through his own journey you’ll begin to see how an authentic effort to help others succeed can lead to our own success.

Brad is a unique thinker who brings diversity of thought and perspective to any situation. I marvel at how his mind works and how he sees the world. I want you to experience his wisdom and insight in this interview.

As we approach this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, relationships are at risk. Families are torn and friendships are strained with those who possess totally different points of view about our next president, our congress and our culture. With the stress of a pandemic, the upheaval of civil unrest, and a hotly contested political election, the perfect storm is brewing to ravish relationships. That’s why I took the risk of having this conversation with my daughter.

Lauren and I do not agree on politics. We have developed a strong relationship and when I suggested that we might tackle this tough issue she graciously agreed. Take a few minutes to listen to my Crossing The Line podcast of a real conversation between Dad and daughter on how to honor the relationship in the face of disagreement. We truly hope our conversation will make a difference.

Meet Steven Pearl, the men’s Assistant Basketball coach for Auburn University and son of head coach Bruce Pearl. I have walked with Steven for several years . I have observed how he has chartered rough waters and how he has experienced incredible success. Steven remains the same through good times and bad. He understands servant leadership and has heart for each player on the team. Don’t allow his authentic leadership style to cause you to underestimate his competitive spirit and his drive for success. The recent results of Auburn’s basketball program speak for themselves.

Steven is a unique leader who leads with his head and his heart. Take a few minutes to listen to this fascinating interview as he tells us what it was like growing up with Bruce Pearl. Listen as he shares what he learned and how he is continuing to use those lessons in his own leadership journey.

Katie Britt is one of the most successful young leaders in our state and maybe the country. She has sat with national leaders and served as chief of staff to one of the most influential leaders in our nation. She has accomplished more at this stage of her life than seems possible. Katie currently serves as President of a prominent business organization that yields international influence and impact.

This unique young woman is leading with incredible competency and courage. All the while, she remembers those who have invested in her life. She also recognizes the great value in gaining lessons from the failures she has encountered.

I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation with Katie Britt, a young leader who gives me hope for the future and inspires all of us to make a difference.

It is easy to believe that those who are experiencing success just happened to be at the right place at the right time. You might think that about Chris Lilly. He is a world renowned pit master as well as a member of the world BBQ Hall of Fame. He owns a famous BBQ restaurant, Big Bob Gibson BBQ (you may have tried their award winning white sauce) and has won dozens of BBQ competitions and first-place medals. But Chris is quick to tell you not to confuse his success for luck. 

Chris has experienced ups and downs during his leadership journey. He learned about hard work as a boy and the importance of “figuring things out” from trial and error. He has experienced failure and has learned from his mistakes. He also shares the origin of his luck, a truth that applies to all of us- he says, “I’ve noticed that the harder I work, the luckier I become.”

Take a few minutes to listen to Chris’ story. He will leave you with helpful nuggets of wisdom and encouragement.

Crystal Brown is an incredibly kind, compassionate wife and mother. She has become a well respected and successful leader in the local and state business community serving on numerous boards. She continues to educate and advocate for creating diversity in business community. In this interview, Crystal talks candidly with me about dealing with the realities of racism, being the only person who looks like you in a room, and overcoming the fear of being different. She shares how she has found clarity in the midst of challenge and how she has chosen to move forward from pain instead of blaming others.

I hope you enjoy listening in on this conversation with Crystal- she is a special lady and an incredible leader who is making a difference.

Every successful person that I know has at least this one quality in common: perseverance. And Ashley Ashwander, the owner of The Albany and my guest for this podcast interview, has perseverance in droves.

Ashley is a young leader who has turned down the promise of instant gratification for the rewards that only come with time, intention, and fortitude. Ashley has faced multiple challenges and obstacles while building her company, and she has pivoted and succeeded in spite of them all. This is not a story of how she grew her business into a mega organization. This is a story about a wife, mom and entrepreneur who is constantly striving to do better and achieving the gradual result of excellence.

This interview will make you smile and renew your hope in the young leaders of our day. Take a few minutes to listen to Ashley, and enjoy her story of entrepreneurship, fortitude and ingenuity.

Dave Campion leads Areté Associates as its President and CEO. In our conversation, he shares with us the challenges he faced when, after being promoted to CEO, he realized that the company culture was in trouble and he set out to fill the void and create a healthy culture that values people just as much as it values results. The secret? Dave understands that exceptional results can rarely be accomplished without deep, healthy relationships. Dave offers advice on team building not only at work, but also in the home- one of his most important practices as a leader is to routinely engage in team building with his own wife and children.

I hope you’ll enjoy listening to this leader share his wisdom and insight on the importance of a strong work ethic and even stronger relationships.

From a young man who grew up on a farm, to the CEO of a large aerospace company, John Watson has learned a lot about developing the characteristics that make a successful leader. John is the President and CEO of Torch Technologies, an engineering services and solutions firm headquartered in Huntsville, AL with over $500M in annual revenues and 1,100 employees operating in ten states supporting primarily the Army and Missile Defense Agency.

From a young man who grew up on a farm, to the CEO of a large aerospace company, John Watson has learned a lot about developing the characteristics that make a successful leader. John is the President and CEO of Torch Technologies, an engineering services and solutions firm headquartered in Huntsville, AL with over $500M in annual revenues and 1,100 employees operating in ten states supporting primarily the Army and Missile Defense Agency.

This podcast episode was recorded on June 2, as our country is reeling from the murder of George Floyd and the protests and riots that have broken out in every single state demanding justice and change. I asked my long-time friend, Bruce Jones, to have an honest conversation with me about race. Since this is a podcast, for context I’ll tell you that Bruce is a black man, and I am a white man. We’re also releasing the zoom video recording of our conversation on our website, which I’ll link to in the show notes for this episode, if you’d like to watch as well as listen.

I hope you’ll listen and learn from Bruce.