Goal Posts with Tresa Halbrooks
By Tresa Halbrooks
Goal Posts with Tresa HalbrooksJun 30, 2020
Season 1 - Tresa's Recap
This week on the Goal Posts Podcast, I’m recapping the first season and sharing my take on the past 6 months of career profiles and interviews with a variety of professionals. I started Goal Posts in order to not only share my story, but the stories of people who inspire me. I loved learning about all the different ways these folks achieved success and how they dealt with failure. It's so important to learn from people with different experiences and backgrounds. If you want to be inspired, make sure to check out the 'Education' section on Goal Posts and let us know who you’d like us to interview next season on Goal Posts!
Season 2 is coming September 1st, 2020. Stay tuned!
Turning a Dream Into a Reality: An Interview with Singer-Songwriter, Erin Kinsey
Erin Kinsey is a gifted songwriter, artist and highly accomplished musician, playing seven instruments. This Rockwall, Texas native began singing and playing guitar at the young age of 11. For the last several years, Erin Kinsey and her band have been wowing audiences in Texas, Music City and beyond, headlining noteworthy venues such as Love and War in Texas, The Gaylord Texan, CMA Fest, The Dallas International Film Festival and the C2C Festival in London, England. In 2017, Erin Kinsey opened for Hunter Hayes during the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Concert at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville. She can also be seen playing songwriter rounds at the historic Bluebird Café and The Listening Room Cafe.
It’s very rare in today's music industry to come across a young talent with the same love, passion, and tenacity for music as displayed by singer-songwriter Erin Kinsey. Whether it’s listening to her dynamic vocals, observing her skillful multi-instrumental abilities, or hearing her soulful lyrics, Erin is a talent to be watched. She’s been perfecting her craft under the tutelage of some of the biggest names in music and is poised for huge success in the near future.
For more information, visit: https://www.erinkinsey.com/
Enjoy the Journey: An Interview with Rachel Fontenot from Universal Music Group
Rachel Fontenot has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing & Artist Development for Universal Music Group Nashville. In her new role she will lead the artist projects and development team while continuing to oversee her roster, which now includes newly-announced UMG Nashville artist, Reba McEntire.
Fontenot joined UMG Nashville in 2019 to oversee day-to-day artist development and marketing efforts for Lauren Alaina, Gary Allan, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Sam Hunt, Brandon Lay, Parker McCollum, Kylie Morgan, Jon Pardi, Shania Twain and Brothers Osborne.
Making a Difference: An Interview with Deb Fair from the PEDIGREE Foundation
Deb Fair is the Executive Director of the PEDIGREE Foundation.
PEDIGREE Foundation is working to find a solution to the problem of the millions of homeless dogs in this country. Through their grant
programs, they support organizations that save the lives of dogs that would otherwise be lost.
The Foundation was established in 2008 by dog lovers with a passionate belief that every dog deserves a loving home. PEDIGREE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation that supports shelters and rescue organizations, as well as encouraging people to ADOPT, VOLUNTEER, and DONATE.
PEDIGREE Foundation grants are funded by the PEDIGREE® Brand and contributions from dog lovers like you. Your tax-deductible donation* helps them reach even more dogs in need.
For more information, visit: https://www.pedigreefoundation.org/
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: An Interview with Mike Rhodes
Mike Rhodes climbed Mount Kilimanjaro a few years ago with his friend, Scott.
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest peak in Africa and the world's tallest free-standing mountain. It's also the world's tallest walkable mountain—and what a walk it is. To reach the summit, one must pass through five distinct climate zones ranging from rainforest to alpine desert and eventually glacial Arctic. Although it is possible to climb Mount Kilimanjaro without any specific mountaineering training or equipment, summiting the Roof of Africa is not an easy task.
Approximately 25,000 people attempt to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro annually. Approximately two-thirds are successful. Altitude-related problems is the most common reason climbers turn back.
Focusing On The Task at Hand: An Interview With Country Music Artist, Ryan Weaver
Ryan’s personal story is like no other artist in country music today. Growing up with a family of eleven in a small town in Floral City, Florida, he joined the Army right after high school. After several years of working as a Military Intelligence Analyst, Ryan followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers, Steve and Aaron, by attending Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school. He graduated top of his class in flight school, becoming a Black Hawk Aviator. In April 2003, he deployed to Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. Shortly after, one of his brothers, Aaron, was deployed just west of him in Fallujah.
On January 8, 2004, Aaron was killed in action when the Medivac helicopter he was a passenger in was shot down by enemy fire. Ryan certainly understood mortality and the risks of combat… After all, Aaron had survived the bloody 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia – the same battle that became the basis for the movie, Black Hawk Down. When Aaron died, however, something changed for Ryan. He returned from combat, taking a new position training the next generation of Army aviators and officers at Fort Rucker, Alabama and has not piloted a Black Hawk since that fateful day.
On December 17, 2013 Ryan’s brother-in-law, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Randy Billings, was killed in action in Afghanistan when the Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting was shot down by an enemy ground-detonated explosive device. This second heartbreaking loss made the Weaver family a two-time Gold Star family. Both of his brothers’ ultimate sacrifices continue to fuel Ryan’s fire to accomplish his dreams in music.
In late 2016, Ryan released the music video for his single “Burn,” featuring Kris “Tanto” Paronto and John “Tig” Tiegen from the movie 13 Hours: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. “Burn” aired nationwide on The Country Network and Heartland, and internationally at over 5,000 retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues throughout the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017. Ryan’s first music video “Crank It” played nationally on ZUUS Country TV and TNN/Heartland Network and spent 8 weeks on their Top 10 Video Countdown – a network record.
In 2017, Ryan was named the Patriotic Voice of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) for their Celebrate America Campaign. The World Finals is the biggest global stage in professional bull riding – a booming sport now seen in more than 400 million homes worldwide. The Celebrate America Campaign is a season-long initiative that honors America’s heroes, inspires youth, and brings communities together. Weaver made his debut in the primetime performance slot, which was previously held by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler in 2016. At that time, the PBR officially launched Ryan as a PBR artist and debuted his new EP entitled Celebrate America. Ryan worked closely with hit songwriter Wynn Varble on the Celebrate America EP, co-writing three of the four songs. He has toured the U.S. and internationally to Australia with the PBR in 2018 and 2019, performing his songs and singing the “National Anthem” at US events.
Ryan performed on the first single from the West Point Military Academy’s Benny Havens Band’s debut album Songs That Save Our Lives. The song was short-listed for GRAMMY Award consideration in the American Roots category. The album also featured Charlie Daniels.
A Lightning Bolt Moment: An Interview with "Today in Nashville" Host, Kelly Sutton
Emmy-winning TV Anchor Kelly Sutton has called Nashville home since 2001. She started as the host of News 4's “Today In Nashville” on WSMV when the show began in September 2016.
Kelly quickly found her niche in covering the Country Music scene when she moved to Nashville. She has interviewed Country Music stars like Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Old Dominion just to name a few!
She has been voted as Toast of Music City's Best Local TV Anchor/Reporter multiple years, as well as being dubbed one of Nashville's 25 Most Beautiful People.
Kelly continues to volunteer with several charities. She works with SafeHaven family shelter, the Best Buddies of Middle Tennessee, St. Jude and Nashville Humane Association. Her hobbies include golf, tennis, running, and ballroom dancing. Kelly currently resides in Nashville with her husband and daughter.
Finding Your Voice: An Interview with Kevin Carter - Part 2
Kevin Carter is a 14-Year NFL veteran, Super Bowl Champion, Sports Broadcaster, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. Carter is an In-Studio Analyst for CBS Sports Network covering college and NFL games. He previously hosted the highest rated college gameday show on ESPNU - The Experts and College Game Day.
Kevin Carter grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and attended the University of Florida where his All-American career allowed him to be selected by the St. Louis Rams as the sixth overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. With four stellar seasons in the league, Carter turned his fifth season with the Rams into the best of his career. In 1999 he led the NFL in sacks with 17, earning him Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and All-Madden honors. Carter eventually accomplished his ultimate goal as a player that year when the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV earning the team its only Super Bowl title in team history.
In 2001, Carter joined the very team he had defeated in the Super Bowl, the Tennessee Titans. In his second year with the team, Cater was a 2002 Pro Bowl selection and helped lead the team to the AFC Championship game with his team high ten sacks. Not only did Carter produce on the field, but off the field as well with vast community endeavors through The Kevin Carter Foundation which he began in 2002. He was voted by his Titans’ teammates as the Community Man of the Year during three of the four seasons he spent with the team. Carter then landed with the Miami Dolphins in 2005, where he played two seasons with the team. In his first season with the Dolphins, Carter tied for the team lead in sacks with six. He spent his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, retiring in 2009. In his 14 NFL seasons, Carter never missed a game.
Kevin Carter finished his NFL career with 104.5 sacks, two Pro Bowl appearances, one All-Pro team, and a Super Bowl ring with the Rams. Mid-career, Carter decided that his next chapter would be in broadcasting after he retired from the NFL. He first became a football analyst/broadcaster for WKRN News 2 in Nashville to cover the Tennessee Titans pre-season game broadcasts and then went on to work for Fox Sports South college game day. The former sack veteran can now be seen on ESPNU as a college football analyst.
In September of 2015, Carter was honored to be inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame by his beloved coach, Dick Vermeil.
Throughout his career, Carter fell in love with philanthropy and giving back to the community. In 2002 he began a unique celebrity charity event in Nashville entitled Waiting for Wishes Celebrity Waiters Dinner where celebrities join him from all over the country to wait tables on patrons. In 2005, he tapped his friend,
Jay DeMarcus of the country group Rascal Flatts, to co-host the event with him. April 2020 will mark the 19th Anniversary for the event as he’s raised over $2.3 million for The Kevin Carter Foundation and Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee.
Looking back on his career, Carter says what he is most proud of is the work he has been able to do in the community, raising millions of dollars for various causes through his foundation.
“My father used to say ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’,” says Carter. “I try to live by that motto each day.”
Carter speaks to various groups on topics of teamwork, overcoming obstacles, and breaking through barriers.
Carter lives near Tampa, Florida with his wife Shima and son Zion.
For more information on Kevin Carter, visit his website at www.Kevin-Carter.com.
Redefining Yourself: An Interview with Kevin Carter Part 1
Kevin Carter is a 14-Year NFL veteran, Super Bowl Champion, Sports Broadcaster, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. Carter is an In-Studio Analyst for CBS Sports Network covering college and NFL games. He previously hosted the highest rated college gameday show on ESPNU - The Experts and College Game Day.
Kevin Carter grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and attended the University of Florida where his All-American career allowed him to be selected by the St. Louis Rams as the sixth overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. With four stellar seasons in the league, Carter turned his fifth season with the Rams into the best of his career. In 1999 he led the NFL in sacks with 17, earning him Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and All-Madden honors. Carter eventually accomplished his ultimate goal as a player that year when the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV earning the team its only Super Bowl title in team history.
In 2001, Carter joined the very team he had defeated in the Super Bowl, the Tennessee Titans. In his second year with the team, Cater was a 2002 Pro Bowl selection and helped lead the team to the AFC Championship game with his team high ten sacks. Not only did Carter produce on the field, but off the field as well with vast community endeavors through The Kevin Carter Foundation which he began in 2002. He was voted by his Titans’ teammates as the Community Man of the Year during three of the four seasons he spent with the team. Carter then landed with the Miami Dolphins in 2005, where he played two seasons with the team. In his first season with the Dolphins, Carter tied for the team lead in sacks with six. He spent his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, retiring in 2009. In his 14 NFL seasons, Carter never missed a game.
Kevin Carter finished his NFL career with 104.5 sacks, two Pro Bowl appearances, one All-Pro team, and a Super Bowl ring with the Rams. Mid-career, Carter decided that his next chapter would be in broadcasting after he retired from the NFL. He first became a football analyst/broadcaster for WKRN News 2 in Nashville to cover the Tennessee Titans pre-season game broadcasts and then went on to work for Fox Sports South college game day. The former sack veteran can now be seen on ESPNU as a college football analyst.
In September of 2015, Carter was honored to be inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame by his beloved coach, Dick Vermeil.
Throughout his career, Carter fell in love with philanthropy and giving back to the community. In 2002 he began a unique celebrity charity event in Nashville entitled Waiting for Wishes Celebrity Waiters Dinner where celebrities join him from all over the country to wait tables on patrons. In 2005, he tapped his friend,
Jay DeMarcus of the country group Rascal Flatts, to co-host the event with him. April 2020 will mark the 19th Anniversary for the event as he’s raised over $2.3 million for The Kevin Carter Foundation and Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee.
Looking back on his career, Carter says what he is most proud of is the work he has been able to do in the community, raising millions of dollars for various causes through his foundation.
“My father used to say ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’,” says Carter. “I try to live by that motto each day.”
Carter speaks to various groups on topics of teamwork, overcoming obstacles, and breaking through barriers.
Carter lives near Tampa, Florida with his wife Shima and son Zion.
For more information on Kevin Carter, visit his website at www.Kevin-Carter.com.
An Attitude of Gratitude: Interview with Life Coach Windy Jones Wile
I am privileged to have many incredible friends and colleagues with unique perspectives, talents and array of experience. So, I thought I’d explore some of my relationships in order to have them share their insights for your benefit as well.
Windy Jones Wile is a life coach and owner of Worth Wile Coaching. Professionally, she’s primarily worked with women in the beauty industry for the last 20+ years. What her beauty career revealed was that supporting women in developing their self-esteem, confidence and realizing their purpose, was her super-power! Helping others to discover what feeds their soul, fed her own soul. This powerful realization led her to begin her second chapter, a life coaching business - Worth Wile Coaching. Her goal now is to support her clients in discovering their passions and gifts. She works with clients to uncover and re-frame their personal blocks in order to make an action plan to achieve their goals and live the life that’s right for them. She believes that when people have awareness and are in alignment with their values and purpose, they tend to be happier, more productive people, who have a positive impact on the world and those around them. That’s the difference she wants to make with her coaching practice.
Check out the full article with Windy Jones Wile on the Goal Posts blog at: https://www.goalposts.online/post/career-profile-windy-jones-wile-life-coach-worth-wile-coaching
Introducing Tresa Halbrooks of Goal Posts
In 2012 Tresa Halbrooks launched LEGACY Consulting, PR & Events, a boutique firm based in Franklin, TN that focuses on clients ranging from professional athletes and entertainers to corporate entities, small business and non-profit organizations.
She’s coached some of the most well-known celebrities regarding their personal image, branding and philanthropy. Her vision has been vital in shaping the overall image of hundreds of athletes across the country for two decades.
Prior to the launch of her company, she spent 11 years in the NFL – directing community and player relations. She was not only responsible for the players’ image, public relations, community appearances, special events and foundation efforts, but also served as a team non-profit, community and league liaison. In fact, various NFL players credit her with giving them invaluable guidance that allowed them to become better men, often turning their image around so that they could become the overall athlete they wanted to be.
Prior to the NFL, she worked for one of the largest entertainment companies in the country at that time, Gaylord Entertainment Company and the retail giant, Service Merchandise, working closely with their CEOs on public relations, corporate image, various corporate events and philanthropy.
Tresa is an award-winning event producer and has played a role in some of Nashville’s most impressive public relations efforts and prestigious events. She’s proud to have spent her career working with some of the most talented and illustrious personalities in the sports and entertainment field to make a difference in the lives of others. It was the influence of her philanthropic efforts over the years and the importance of these celebrities and corporate entities to give back in order to create a legacy that led her to name her company. Making a difference in the lives of others is what LEGACY stands for.
With a degree in Mass Communications and Journalism, it's no surprise that she is an author and freelance journalist. She became a columnist and contributing writer for Nashville Lifestyles Magazine shortly after landing on the cover in 2003 and wrote a singles column “Single in the City” for eight years. In 2009, she shared her personal story as a survivor of domestic violence, in the book Today I am the Person I Want to Be ~ Women's Stories of Success and Inspiration, published by the YWCA of Nashville.
She now has a lifestyle blog – Goal Posts - that is geared towards helping young professional women strive to be their best. She says some of the most valuable lessons she’s learned about being an entrepreneur came from her time working in the NFL. That sports-minded philosophy stayed with her as she built a successful business and her hope is to share her unique insights to help educate, encourage and inspire young professional women.
Her efforts have not gone unnoticed with awards that include the Brentwood’s Best in Business Awards for Event Planning and Production 2015 & 2016; Nashville Business Journal’s Top Forty Under 40 in 2011; Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leaders Award in 2009; Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award in 2007 and the Tennessean’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2005.