From Embers To Excellence™

Fred Rutman, aka “Repeatedly Dead Fred” was a marketer/consultant and then went into academia as a college professor. He taught MBA, Marketing and Finance for a number of years. After acquiring his MBA, his weight really ballooned, up to 340 pounds. He did all the CICO methods, tried a bariatric doctor (no surgery) and exercised his butt off. He eventually got down to about 280, where he plateaued...

Daniel is the co-founder of Spacemakers®, a productivity consulting group for busy leaders. His book " Interview with Daniel Sih, Author of “Spacemaker- How to Unplug, Unwind and Think Clearly in the Digital Age”" won the Australian Business Book Award in 2021 for personal development, and was a finalist for best technology book and best cover design. Daniel has a broad professional history, inclu...

James is a successful coach, entrepreneur, and the host of the popular podcast “Weekly Wins and Losses.” People from around the world find James when their way of handling losses just no longer works, and when leaving 50% of life on the table is no longer an option. James’ current client list ranges from well-known professionals and executives to average ordinary humans - both of which are deeply...

Julian Chapman is the author of “The Managerial Leadership Journey.” He has over three decades of experience engaging teams and organizations, from small groups to thousands of employees, building their leadership capability. His leadership knowledge is augmented by his 30+ year "second" career as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces from which he retired in 2014 at the rank of Brigadier-General....

Kelle Logan, MS, APRN, CRNA is the Director of the Tallahassee and Panama City Florida Mind Health Center Clinics. Mrs. Logan has practiced nursing for 19 years and worked as a heart transplant coordinator at the renowned Tampa General Hospital. She received her master’s degree in anesthesia from the University of South Florida and has been a board-certified nurse anesthetist for 9 years. As a nur...

Douglas began his writing career at a young age, when one of his teachers asked the class to write a poem. Robbins grew up, attended college, and held jobs in numerous fields, from construction to insurance. The jobs changed, but his need to write and express himself remained a constant. He released his first novel, “The Reluctant Human,” in 2012. He quickly followed it up with the novella “Max Jo...

From Wall Street to red-carpets, Lisann Valentin is an empowered empath and a 5th generation Shaman (Boitiu) in the corporate world and entertainment industry. With mindfulness at the forefront, she amplifies her clients' gifts with shamanic life coaching for the world's empaths, creatives, leaders, and healers. This is an incredibly powerful conversation that lends more information and explanatio...

David retired from the US Army after 33 years of military service in 2015 and currently serves with the HOPE Project. His many years of military service includes 16 years as an Army Chaplain where he deployed to Iraq twice, Afghanistan, Africa and Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His awards include three Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart. David specializ...

A New Zealander by birth, Hamish Thomson is a seasoned global leadership executive. In a 30-year career, he has been a successful CEO/Regional President and Global Brand head for Mars Incorporated (UK, Australia, and Chicago), a senior marketing and sales lead for Reebok International (England and the Netherlands), and a fresh-faced account executive in the London advertising scene. A start-up adv...

Limor has worked in the tech industry for over 20 years as a software engineer, engineering manager, and Director of engineering. She knows firsthand what it is like being a woman in a male-dominated field. After spending nine years living in the US, she returned to her home country and decided to focus on her passion for supporting women's career growth in tech. Ever since she has been mentoring...

Dr. Kolenda works with leaders who want to apply insights from history and military operations to transform their businesses. A West Point graduate, recognized combat leader, and retired Army colonel, he defied conventional wisdom in Afghanistan by motivating a large insurgent group to switch sides, the only example of such success in the 20-year history of the war. As a trusted adviser to three f...

Carol Sanford is a consistently recognized thought leader working side by side with Fortune 500 and new economy executive teams, designing and leading systemic business change and design. She is Senior Fellow of Social Innovation, Babson College; Founder, The Regenerative Business Development Community, Change Agent Development community. Her best-selling books have 15 awards, are required reading...

Lindsey Pollak is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading career and workplace experts. She was named to the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List, which honors the top global management thinkers whose work is shaping the future of how organizations are managed and led. Lindsey’s latest book is a response to the Covid crisis: Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing...

Victoria self-published “The Guided Heart: Moving Through Grief and Finding Spiritual Solace”. She is an Advanced Cert. Grief Recovery Specialist®, Creator & Podcast Host of Grieving Voices, Reiki Master, Cert. YouMap® Coach and End-of-Life Doula. She aims to use her strengths and skills through various offerings to help those whose lives have been upended by grief and loss go from surviving t...

Former Special Forces and Warriors Heart Co-Founder Tom Spooner’s service to our nation in the U.S. Army spanned nearly 21 years (1990-2011). His military career included time in the 82nd Airborne, as a Green Beret in the US Army’s 7th Special Forces Group and, ultimately, in the US Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta as an Operator. Since retiring from the military in 2011, Spo...

Sybil is a Philanthropy professional with over two decades of experience working with donors to establish best funding practices that will help them to avoid costly mistakes and instead make a true and impactful difference in the world. She has a J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, a Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a B.S. from Scripps College. She...

Tim began his career as an Airman in the United States Air Force. He realized that he wasn’t on the path he wanted to continue on. In 2011 with no formal education and only $6,241.56, he launched his first software project. He has been a leader in the tech industry ever since. Tim has launched hundreds of apps, developed hundreds of platforms, and directly supported other multi-million-dollar proj...

Andrea Johnson is a certified John Maxwell Leadership Coach and a certified DISC Behavioral Analysis Consultant. Andrea helps high performing, mission minded women grow, lead and succeed, using the six tenets of Intentional Optimism. She operates a collaborative group coaching program called “Launch from The Beach.” In Feb. 2017, Andrea’s mother finished her 15-year fight with breast cancer, and t...

Frank Forencich is an internationally recognized leader in health and performance education. He earned his BA at Stanford University in human biology and neuroscience and has over thirty years of teaching experience in martial art and health education. Frank holds black belt rankings in karate and aikido and has traveled to Africa on several occasions to study human origins and the ancestral envir...

Maureen Ross Gemme, MS Ed., CEO of Emerge Leadership Academy, began training leaders across New England in 2015 after a 30-year corporate career. A motorcycle riding grandmother and personal growth advocate, Maureen trains and coaches leaders who want to make an impact. She is passionate about helping her clients step into their full potential and develop others on their team. As a personality exp...

Lisa Marie Platske has moved from the front lines of law enforcement to becoming an award-winning certified master coach, leadership expert, speaker, and international best-selling author recognized by the White House and Small Business Administration. Her mission is to transform lives through leadership by teaching mission-driven and service-based entrepreneurs, consultants, and corporate leaders...

William Attaway is a Leadership Coach for Catalytic Leadership, LLC, a company he founded to help leaders INTENTIONALLY grow and thrive. He has served in local church ministry for nearly 25 years, and is currently the Lead Pastor of Southview Community Church, a church in Herndon, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.) where he has served since 2004. He holds a Ph. D. in Old Testament (with an emphasis...

Sami is a mindset coach, mindfulness teacher, and entrepreneur, he helps people overcome their anxiety and self-doubt, so they can live with relaxation, mental tranquility, and as their authentic selves. Over the last 13 years he's worked in the startup, corporate, agency and nonprofit worlds. He founded a social enterprise, conducted and facilitated countless entrepreneurial and personal developm...

Tracee Lydia Garner is an international best-selling author of 17 books, speaker, writing coach, and dynamic course–creator. She writes fiction and nonfiction depicting African-Americans triumphing over adversity and meeting success whether that be in love, or life pursuits. Tracee loves public speaking, teaching workshops, and talking about the craft of writing at every opportunity. She is the cr...

Jon is a business leader, bestselling author, speaker, and podcaster. He is the Co-Founder, President & CEO of Peak Demand Inc., a premier manufacturer of critical components for electrical utilities. He is a former U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer who made seven deployments during the end of the Cold War. Prior to starting Peak Demand, he led eight manufacturing businesses for three global...