Summit After the Storm | Leadership, Faith and Resilience Podcast

“Bart… this isn’t the way.” That’s what my son told me as we biked to school. We took a different route that morning… and the more we rode, the more unsure he became. It didn’t look familiar. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t match what he expected. And he kept saying it… “This isn’t the way.” Until one turn later… he recognized where we were. And said, “You’re right… this is the way.” That moment s...

Amanda and I were sitting in the dark… watching a movie… and we were both crying. I told her it was just my allergies. It wasn’t. This episode was inspired by I Can Only Imagine 2 —and the powerful stories behind two songs: It Is Well with My Soul and Even If by MercyMe Both written in moments of deep pain, uncertainty, and loss. Not on the summit… but in the valley. And that’s where this episode...

You ever wake up so sore you question everything you did the day before? That was me. After a hard workout—rowing, pushups, abs—I felt strong in the moment… but the next day? Every muscle was screaming. And today… I’m doing it again. This episode isn’t about fitness. It’s about what happens in the valley— when the results aren’t visible yet, when the pain shows up before the progress, and when dis...

This weekend, the house was quiet. After a Saturday scrimmage where everything started to click… the bats, the timing, the confidence… I saw something every leader and parent hopes for: The training is working. But later that weekend, when everything slowed down, a harder question surfaced: 👉 What are they really learning from me? Because whether we realize it or not… we are all running a trainin...

👉 You can do everything right… and still fail. What do you do when you’ve done everything right… and it still doesn’t work? In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks shares a real-life moment trying to help his daughter fix her car—tracking down parts, solving problems, and doing everything possible… only to have it fail anyway. And that’s where the real lesson begins. Because in...

👉 You think you're building your career… 👉 But you're actually training your replacement. The best leaders train their replacement. But what if your replacement isn’t who you think it is? In Episode 54 of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks starts with a powerful leadership principle from business (succession planning, developing talent, and building leaders) and then delivers a persp...

What happens when you’re forced to lead… without your usual support system? In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks shares a real-life leadership moment from youth baseball practice when his wife Amanda, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, was out of town. With a full practice plan, three training stations (pitching, hitting, and catcher drills), and growing pressure to m...

I met my wife on a flight. Not planned. Not expected. Just a changed seat assignment that turned into something much bigger. In this episode, I share the story of how Amanda and I met on a flight from Houston to Memphis after two completely different conferences, and how a simple moment led to a life we never saw coming. We talk about timing, shared experiences, second chances, and how some of the...

Sometimes life doesn’t just get hard. It gets messy. In this episode of Summit After the Storm, Bart Wilbanks shares a moment that was shocking, frustrating, and unexpectedly funny when his Goldendoodle, Olive, created a situation he definitely did not see coming. What started as a normal routine quickly turned into one of those moments that reminds you how little control you actually have and how...

He wanted #2. He wanted #6. Because those were the numbers of his heroes. But sometimes… the number you’re given means more than the one you want. In Episode 50 of Summit After the Storm, Bart Wilbanks shares a powerful moment coaching youth baseball with his son Noah—when a simple jersey number turned into a lesson about leadership, legacy, and what we choose to honor. When Noah didn’t get the nu...

The uniforms came in. Parents had questions for weeks. Pants, belts, colors, details. Everyone wanted it to look right. But somewhere between the planning and the pressure, a simple truth showed up. Kids don’t care about perfect. They just want to play. In Episode 49 of Summit After the Storm, Bart Wilbanks shares a real moment from youth baseball that turns into a powerful leadership lesson about...

Planning a European vacation sounds exciting… until you’re deep in flights, train schedules, ferry routes, budgets, and decisions that don’t line up. In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks shares the real behind-the-scenes of planning a multi-country family trip to Europe—and how the stress, complexity, and decision fatigue mirror leadership and life in the valley. If you’re nav...

Sometimes life hits you… without warning. A moment at baseball practice turns into a black eye in seconds. A child walks into a new school carrying quiet nerves they won’t admit out loud. In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks reflects on two powerful realities: The unexpected hits we can’t prepare for The anticipation and anxiety of stepping into something new Whether it’s a su...

Spring has arrived in the South… and so has allergy season . The pollen count is high, the sinuses are congested, and breathing sometimes feels like climbing a mountain through a straw. In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks talks about something surprisingly relatable: hay fever, allergies, and the small frustrations that test our patience every day. Not every valley in life is...

Not every season of life feels like a summit. Sometimes you find yourself back in the valley. In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks shares an honest reflection about leadership during difficult seasons of life — when plans take longer than expected, uncertainty grows heavier, and the next summit isn’t visible yet. Drawing on lessons from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and the timel...

Patience is one of the most underrated leadership skills. And sometimes the best leadership lessons show up in unexpected places — like youth sports. In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks shares a humorous story from baseball practice that turned into a deeper reflection on leadership, parenting, and patience. After practice, a parent unexpectedly asked Bart if his wife Amanda...

Leadership often starts with a plan. But great leadership starts with listening. In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks shares a leadership lesson that came from an unexpected place — a youth baseball practice. With one son on spring break and fewer coaches available than expected, the practice didn’t go exactly as planned. But what unfolded revealed something deeper about leade...

The headlines lately feel heavier. Oil prices are surging. Markets are uncertain. Global tensions are rising. In moments like this, people naturally feel anxious about the future — their jobs, their businesses, and the economy. But uncertainty is also when leadership matters most. In this episode of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks explores what leadership looks like when the world feels uns...

Season 3 of Summit After the Storm begins with a shift in focus. Season 2 explored the climb — storms, endurance, leadership lessons from Mount Kilimanjaro, and the realization that the internal summit is higher than the external one . But the truth is, you don’t live at the summit. You live in the valley. In this Season 3 premiere, Bart Wilbanks reflects on what it means to bring the lessons of t...

What are you actually chasing? In Episode 39 of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks reflects on a powerful realization that came from standing at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. At 19,341 feet, the climb was complete. The accomplishment was real. But the mountain revealed something unexpected: the pursuit had been focused on accomplishments, milestones, and résumé-building summits rather than...

Season 2 of Summit After the Storm closes with the most important lesson the mountain revealed. Standing at 19,341 feet on Mount Kilimanjaro was an accomplishment. But the climb exposed something deeper: the hardest summit is not the one you see — it’s the one inside you. In this Season 2 finale, Bart Wilbanks reflects on the central truth that emerged throughout the journey: the internal summit i...

Most people believe peace waits at the summit. After the promotion. After the achievement. After the storm. But what if success doesn’t deliver peace? In Episode 38 of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks explores why climbing Kilimanjaro didn’t quiet the internal unrest he expected — and what Psalm 34:14 teaches about actively pursuing peace instead. In a world filled with global tension, marke...

Most people think the hardest part of success is reaching the summit. It’s not. The hardest part is the descent. In Episode 37 of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks explores what happens after achievement — after the promotion, after the storm, after the mountaintop moment. From descending Kilimanjaro to sitting in a quiet draft room at a 12U youth baseball evaluation in Collierville, this epi...

In Episode 36 of Summit After the Storm , Bart Wilbanks reflects on the unexpected passing of former colleague and friend Doug Alford at just 57 years old — and the leadership lessons hidden inside ordinary phone calls. This episode explores: • Leadership beyond titles • The power of steady presence • Why legacy is built in conversations, not announcements • What Psalm 90:12 really means when it s...

In this episode of Summit After the Storm, Bart Wilbanks shares a real-life fatherhood moment that became a leadership lesson rooted in The Golden Rule. When his 17-year-old daughter became sick and her mom reached out, Bart had a full day of meetings, deadlines, and responsibilities planned. But leadership isn’t tested when it’s convenient — it’s tested when it costs something. Anchored in Matthe...