At 12, I talked my way into a dream job at my local bike shop — not for the paycheck, but for the chance to learn. I swept, painted, and organized… just to make myself useful. As I did… I soaked up everything I could about sales, people, and entrepreneurship. Looking back, that bike shop wasn’t just my first job — it was my first taste of what it meant to build something.
But like many, I lost sight of that wiring as I climbed the corporate ladder.
After a successful run in the pharmaceutical industry — eventually helping to manage the sales training department for a $2B company — I hit what I now call “the bad-fit ceiling.”
A promotion landed me in a role that looked great on paper… but drained me daily. I knew I had more to give, but the risk of leaving a stable income (especially with a family and mortgage) felt overwhelming.
I invested in a big-name coach training program, launched a website, and started offering coaching and speaking on the side. But like so many, I quickly realized the training had skipped a critical component: the business of being a Coach. Without systems or strategy, I floundered.
Until I didn’t.
With prayer, wisdom from a mentor and a lot of late-night trial and error, I built a simple, strategic path to align my experience with offers people would pay for — and I scaled from side hustle to six figures in under six months.
That path became the foundation of everything I now teach.
Soon after… other Coaches and Speakers started reaching out — asking how I’d built something that worked and felt aligned. I started leading workshops around the country, helping leaders coach more effectively, speak with impact, and build businesses they actually loved.
In 2011, we brought that training online — equipping thousands of what I call “Encouragers” (Coaches, Speakers and Content Creators) across the globe.
NOTE: This was a true answer to prayer for me. Because I’ve always wanted to help launch 1 million dreams in my lifetime… and training up an army of globe-changing Encouragers was the best way to make that possible.
In 2015, I launched the DREAM THINK DO podcast — not because anyone gave me permission, but because I had stories to share and a desire to serve. Plus, I wanted to learn from people who were dreaming bigger, thinking better and doing more of what they were put on the planet to do.
It’s now in the top 1% of all podcasts globally, and it’s helped me coach leaders, interview world-changers, and speak to organizations like NASA, NIKE, and United Airlines.
Today, I have my podcast and I speak around the country and I coach high-level leaders and entrepreneurs.
Plus, I continue to help high-achieving professionals turn their success into something even more personal: a coaching & speaking business built on purpose, profitability, and impact.
I call that process the Authority Bridge™ and it’s the system I wish I had when I started — and the roadmap I’ve used to help others hit six figures and beyond with clarity, integrity, and confidence.
I live in Des Moines, Iowa, with my amazing wife, Melissa. We have two wildly creative sons (who make us proud every day). We love our church, our community, and yes — faith is at the heart of everything I do.
If you see me around, chances are I’ll be laughing loudly… and holding a really good cup of coffee.
Whether it’s on stage, on Zoom, or behind the mic, my goal is simple: to help people remember who they are, what they’re capable of, and what’s possible when you build something on purpose.
