Humans rise when they have purpose

I’ve always been fascinated by Super Heroes and their ability to overcome impossible odds to save the day when all hope was lost.

In particular, I was fascinated with the chemistry between Super heroes and their teams.

Because they ALL have teams. Whether it was Lois Lane and Superman, the Avengers and Captain America, or the SEALs in modern combat operations, I love the legend – and reality – of individuals with callings to do something MORE.

As a small farmtown kid from the mid-west, I’ve been blessed to have an epic life journey spanning the Naval Academy, the Navy SEALs, combat zones, diplomatic negotiations between nations, peak performance in the NFL, and entrepreneurial creations to transform the future.

The common thread of all of these experiences were the incredible leaders I had the opportunity to partner with along the way. Whether it was my parents’ early guidance, my mentors who have influenced me, or my friends that have locked arms with me to accomplish seemingly insurmountable tasks that required the combined superpowers of teams, I believe that humans are not individual and separate as our egos would sometimes lead us to believe, but all part of a greater collective designed to function as one.

I love the history of the underdog; and the paradox of understanding that true power comes from naked humility, authenticity, and vulnerability. The strength to understand that the most difficult challenge, as my mentor Tom Crum taught me, is for “The true warrior cuts through their story and steps forth from their vision.”

I have been in awe that on each of my hero’s journeys, the perfect guide has appeared at the critical moment they were needed to carry me across the chasm and enable my team and I to accomplish what we did not innately have the capability to do at the outset of our journey.

In today’s era of disruption and uncertainty, my call to adventure is to enable others to answer theirs. Whether through 1 on 1 guiding on development of your vision or drawing out your execution map, building bridges across societal gaps through story, or opening possibility for connection through technology, we have never in history had the intrinsic conscious awareness nor the extrinsic crises which compel us to evolve as a collective for the betterment of the entire planet.