Mike has dedicated his career to higher education, serving as a football coach, instructor, and administrator at multiple colleges and universities. Throughout his tenure, he contributed to several conference championships, coached numerous All-Conference and All-American athletes, and mentored countless current teachers and coaches across the Midwest and beyond. As the President and Founder of Via Crucis Leadership, LLC, Mike is a dynamic speaker who brings passion, humor, and heartfelt stories to audiences. He emphasizes essential leadership skills based upon his “Handful of L’s” as a foundation for those striving to navigate and lead in today’s complex, “Chaordic” world (forces of chaos & order colliding). Guided by his mission of “1-0 Every Day in Every Way: Living life creating a transformation of self and others.” Mike inspires individuals to unlock their potential, embrace resilience, and foster meaningful change in themselves and others. Mike also serves as the President of the Chris Norton Foundation and was featured in the acclaimed documentary “7 Yards.” He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and continues to lead with purpose and impact.

Ben Eden is a keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and the creator of the Eden Model, a transformative framework designed to help high-achieving leaders evolve from the inside out. With a background as an HR executive and as the author of How We See Ourselves, Ben has developed a unique ability to guide successful business owners and corporate leaders who, despite their outward achievements, seek greater clarity, balance, and fulfillment. Ben specializes in helping those who carry the weight of performance realign with their true selves, enabling them to lead with increased confidence, deeper connections, and greater time freedom. His work combines practical leadership wisdom with profound insights into personal identity, making him a sought-after guide for leaders looking to make meaningful transformations.

Doing good work doesn’t require a title, permission, or perfection—it requires action and alignment.

In this article, Joshua McMillion breaks down a simple yet powerful framework for living a meaningful life through three key steps: discovering your passion, defining your purpose, and living out your assignment. Drawing from military experience, personal reflection, and years of leadership, this piece challenges readers to stop waiting and start leading—right where they are.

If you’re ready to live with conviction and do work that matters, this is your call to action.

To achieve the extraordinary, you must frame the challenges relative to your capacity. Too small of a vision leads to expected results; too bold, it becomes unrealistic, and you fail to develop the required resources. I've created a system called VISION to help you break through the mental fog and start building traction for your personal and professional life.

In the previous blog, I explained Work-Family-Self as a framework to take back your time. We explored the concept of POISE, an acronym that you can use to charge your battery better so you can go out into this world as a more authentic leader. In this article my goal is to walk you through another acronym that I have created called TIME.

Life and leadership have one thing in common: they're both journeys filled with ups and downs. Purposeful Accountable Leaders (PALs) find self-serving routines and learn to live in harmony between work and family commitments. In this article, I provide a system using the acronym POISE to help you achieve a harmonious life.

Core values are part of every leader's House of Leadership (HOL). But what are core values, how can you find yours, and why are they important? In this episode, I will share a framework I have developed to guide you in answering these questions. After reading this, I challenge you to find your own and inject them into your daily actions and decisions.

Core values are part of every leader's House of Leadership (HOL). But what are core values, how can you find yours, and why are they important? In this blog, I will share a framework I have developed to guide you in answering these questions. After reading this, I challenge you to find your own and inject them into your daily actions and decisions.

Every leader has a leadership philosophy, but not every leader can clearly communicate it. To be a Purposeful Accountable Leader (PAL), you must consider your leadership philosophy. A way to achieve this is by creating a symbolic house encompassing your leadership style.

As we build our leadership bridge to become a more Purposeful Accountable Leader (PAL), there will come a time when we assume situational leadership. Someone somewhere believes you have what it takes to become a transformational leader. Be careful; position, rank, or title only gives you authority. Authority is recognized, but leaders can not earn trust and gain respect with it. Situational Leadership is the only phase on our journey that is not earned. You should aggressively begin to exit the phase as quickly as you entered it.