Goat Wrestling Perseverance

Athlete. Entrepreneur. Author. Podcaster. Speaker.

Playing overseas was one of the best experiences of my life. Through all of the ups and downs, I learned so much about who I was as a man and how to survive in a foreign country on my own. I gave so much to the game of basketball and it is still a huge part of who I am today. This is why I aim to give back to so many other athletes.

Writing a book was never in the plan. Hell, I never even considered myself to be good at writing much of anything until my second year playing overseas. In my first couple of weeks there, all I had was a room, a computer (without internet connection), and a lot of time. 

Entrepreneurship to me is all about taking a huge risk on your future for a vision only you can see. This is what I’ve done my entire life. I’ve sacrificed and believed in my vision despite other people who doubted me. It is also about patience, determination, and grit, things that I have prided myself on for as long as I can remember.

Just like writing, public speaking was never something I saw myself doing. I learned how much I am able to impact others through words and that’s what it has been all about ever since. Through my experiences, and every time I have an opportunity to speak publicly, my aim is to change at least one person’s life for the better.

Actress Katherine Willis has built a career playing characters that are powerful, grounded and compelling. Kat is most commonly recognized for her work on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” where she played Joanne Street, the mother of paralyzed quarterback Jason Street. She gained international attention for her roles on the Nat Geo miniseries “The Long Road Home“, and her starring role in Nicolas Sparks’ first television effort, the Civil War drama “Deliverance Creek” on Lifetime TV.

She'll next be seen on AMC's "The Son", Showtime's "Kidding" starring Jim Carrey, Robert Rodriguez's feature "Red 11".

She is currently filming season 1 of TNT's "Tell Me Your Secrets".

Katherine started her acting pursuits in theater, and was a state and national champion in high school forensics and poetry reading, a division of Speech & Debate. She then studied Theater and Film at Brigham Young University.

Born on the South Pacific island of Tonga, Kat's childhood was spent in rural Missouri on a 200 acre farm, she considers herself a tomboy with an edge. 

WHAT I DO: I help active-duty military and recent retired veterans plan for healthy transitions to civilian life. Furthermore I also help individuals understand how to manage their financial opportunities as they relate specifically to veterans and military benefits. My deeper purpose, however, is to be a guide for fellow veterans in discovering their own purpose. Together, we clarify and embark on a new mission that leads to financial stability and personal life fulfillment. I do this because I believe that our military service may be complete, but our true service to the world is still ahead of us. 

HOW I DO IT: I provide one-on-one consulting and coaching, online webinars/training programs, on-site workshops, speaking engagements and create content aimed at helping you discover your true purpose, how to achieve your financial goals, and the steps to achieving all of it.

WHY I DO IT: After a number of successes and mistakes, trials and errors, I discovered not only the ins and outs of financial opportunities afforded to veterans, but more importantly my mission to help others discover the same—without all the turbulence I experienced in the process. I want to help as many veterans as possible to get here as well. This is my new life’s mission. 

MY BACKGROUND: A former military officer, author and award winning entrepreneur, I combine realistic perspective, financial expertise, and life experience to help others prepare financially for the transition back to civilian life.

Tamara Barlette  retired from the Air Force in 2018 after 20 years of dedicated service.  During her last assignment she was an  instructor pilot in the T-38 Talon, the Air Force’s primary trainer for the fighter/bomber aircraft track. In addition to the T-38, Lt Col Barlette has flown the T-37 Tweet, the A-10 Warthog, the MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper. She  is also a graduate of the prestigious US Air Force Weapons School. She  has more than 3000 total flight hours and over 1500 hours of combat  support time in both Iraq and Afghanistan supporting and protecting our  troops on the ground by providing real time reconnaissance and lethal  support.  

Brigadier General (Ret) Maureen LeBoeuf, Ed.D.

First Woman Department Head, USMA; Former Executive Director, Feagin Leadership Program, Duke Sports Medicine

Expertise
Leadership development, wellness, executive coach 

Experience
Maureen spent 28 years in the U.S. Army, where she held various staff and leadership positions, as well as flying UH-1 helicopters in the continental United States and Europe. Most noteworthy was her assignment as the Professor and Head of the Department of Physical Education from 1997 until her retirement in 2004. Her position carried the unique title “Master of the Sword.” She was the first woman to chair a department chair at the U.S. Military Academy since it was founded in 1802. Upon her retirement, Maureen was advanced to the rank of Brigadier General. Recently, Maureen served as the Executive Director of the Feagin Leadership Program at Duke Sports Medicine. 

"The first step in developing your leadership philosophy is to determine your values—it needs to be authentic and reflect who you really are."

Chad Kroll is the Owner of Inspire Fitness in Cedar Park, TX. He is a  Certified Personal Trainer  and personal training is Chad's life's passion.

With over 20 years of experience in cities such as Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and now Austin, he has had the opportunity to change and inspire many lives.  He has vast experience in many facets of fitness, including the psychology of making life changes, weight loss, strength training, cardiovascular rehabilitation and routines, fitness and bodybuilding shows, pre-natal/post-partum fitness, aqua sessions, nutrition counseling, and injury rehabilitation.

His certifications include American Council on Exercise (ACE), National Health Club Association (NHCA), Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), and CPR/AED through American Red Cross.

He competed in the 2014 Adela Classic Bodybuilding competition (Light-Heavyweight division), and is an IFBB bodybuilding judge.

Inspire Fitness Details

Joe Peppers is a 3X deployed West Point graduate with experience at several Fortune 500 companies and the current CEO of Kids Hope Alliance in Jacksonville, Florida. Joe knows the word perseverance from a young age, while struggling at West Point and dealing with the trauma of his deployments, Joe is a pillar in the community that is bringing hope to children and teens in the state of Florida. 

Joe's ultimate goal is to help others reach their full potential. If I can do that, then I will have done my job.

Sara began her journey working full-time while she earned an MBA. As she climbed the ladder of corporate America, she repeatedly observed a surprising phenomenon: the most successful people weren’t necessarily the ones with the highest IQ or best job skills. She recognized instead that career advancement was much more closely linked with how people applied their knowledge and talents — their capacity to collaborate, communicate, and influence others.

Organizations have historically made heavy investments to help top performers and senior leaders gain tangible skills through degrees, professional certifications and technical training courses. However, companies that are giving equal emphasis to boosting intangible skills have discovered a measurable bottom-line impact and a distinct competitive advantage in today’s fast-paced, global economy. What are these high-value intangible skills?  

•Influential leadership and compelling communications that inspire and motivate colleagues and co-workers •Powerful personal presence that others perceive as charismatic and persuasive yet approachable and supportive  •Strong emotional intelligence that builds solid connections with people at all levels of the organization •Collaborative behaviors and strategies that maximize team performance and results  

When high-potentials successfully integrate these intangible leadership skills, their corporate employers reap the benefits: increased productivity, stronger market performance, and improved employee retention. Sara Canaday has an impressive track record for helping companies harness those distinct advantages.

College Football DII National Champion, former NFL quarterback - MBA from University of Texas. Amazing leader at a Fortune 500 company that has successfully made the transition from sports to the corporate world. Currently Director of US Sales at Stryker, John has taken his ability of goat wrestling perseverance to everything he has done.

• Director of US Sales
  Stryker Advanced Guidance Technologies
• Regional Manager
  2016 Regional Sales Manager of the year
  2014 Regional Sales Manager of the year 

National Football League

MN Vikings 2005
Rhein Fire 2006
Amsterdam Admirals 2006
Rhein Fire 2007

Brian Oman is a lifetime leader of service to our country. From combat veteran to FBI agent - listen in on his biggest goat he had to wrestle as a Platoon Leader in Iraq during OIF III. How do you bounce back from days like that? Download this episode that you don't want to miss with some candid conversation about fear, death and overcoming obstacles in the true Goat Wrestling Perseverance way!

Dave Swanson

Jermaine Tolbert is a rapper/singer/songwriter & recent author of Remind Me To Think: The Genius Behind Crazy. Forced to walk away from a recording deal with Oscar & Grammy Award Winner Pharrell Williams once diagnosed with schizophrenia & depression, Jermaine's life work is mental health advocacy.   The goat I'm currently wrestling right now is building my non-profit 3rd Dimension Dreams Laboratory.

Daniel Hayes earned his nickname “The Honey Badger” (an animal known for its fearlessness) in the ring during a pro sparring session. His talent expands beyond the sports realm from Motivational Speaking to Entrepreneurship to being an On-Camera Talent.  

Hayes started competing in sports from the young age of 8. He competed in Soccer, Basketball, Football, Baseball, to Swimming and Track & Field. By age 16 he was a certified lifeguard and it became obvious that Hayes was born to compete in the sports world with the rising demand for the young athlete.

Hayes high school athletic career as a basketball player landed him several scholarship offers from NCAA division I and II schools. Hayes however decided to attend TRU where he and his childhood best friend were offered athletic scholarships. His chosen college major was Kinesiology until he was introduced to his first acting class where he instantly fell in love with acting and changed his major to Theatre.  

Acting was a natural evolution of talent into a different form of artistic expression for Hayes who has never been camera shy since age 17 he had been a published print model in magazines. His new passion led him to study the art of acting at The Second City and Groundlings, schools that boast alumni like Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Seth Rogan and Steve Carell. Hayes continued training at The Ivana Chubbuck Studio a recognized acting academy which has coached Hollywood’s elite such as Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, Terence Howard and many famous actors.

In 2016 Hayes joined forces with a lifetime friend and professional basketball player turned filmmaker to produce The Honey Badger, a boxing documentary directed by KB Kutz. The Sport Documentary covers the life of Hayes as an athlete preparing for his professional fight in Mexico. Their project The Honey Badger has won numerous film festival awards in Hollywood, Toronto, New York, San Diego and Los Angeles.

On December 3, 2016 Hayes came out of a winning fight with a fractured left hand that required surgery, during his recovery he gained tremendous life wisdom from his successes and losses which he now shares in his work as a Motivational Speaker and Entrepreneur. His message is “I’m using this as an opportunity to be more accountable, I look in the mirror and say, you will be back and you will be better. Remember the times that you had the ability to do something and didn’t. I want to achieve more and I will. I’ll be better in a different way.” He continues his World Championship journey fighting out of the world famous Wild Card Boxing Club, home to superstar world champions Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.  

Ben guides the vision and strategic direction of the company. He leads  business development efforts at My Financial Answers and is continuously building new partnerships. Has a twin brother and is constantly seeking new challenges. Listen to his story of taking on a start up while working a full-time job!

Education
US Military Academy, BS
UVa Darden School, MBA

Melvin is a servant leader whose primary focus is to coach, encourage and ultimately help others uncover their God ordained purpose in life. As a young man I began my own search for purpose and meaning which led me on a journey of growth and development that began over 15 years ago and continues to this day. Through trial and error, personal implementation and years of research I have uncovered that the key to living a successful life is, intentional living!

As a certified coach he works directly with clients to develop life strategies that will enable them to clarify their personal vision, gain a deeper understanding of their unique mission, establish foundational values by which to live and set personal expectations that will help them to live up to their potential and maximize each moment of their life!

In addition to keynote speaking and personal coaching, he offers engaging and interactive, live workshops; in which I walk participants through step by step on the path of personal discovery and empowerment. My live workshops serve as a catalyst for change. Once you’ve attended a live event you’ll never look at life the same again! Are you ready to embrace life for the journey that it is and begin to truly live up to your God given potential? If so he wants to be your guide!

Website - https://melvinbanksinspires.com

Book - http://bit.ly/TheBlueprintDesignYourDreamlife

Dave Swanson

Aaron (A.J.) Armstrong is a leader, engineer, entrepreneur, manager, veteran, investor, international business and life strategist, and author. He is a former D1 football player and graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in Systems Engineering. He and his wife are the owners and founders of three start-up companies: Armstrong Ventures LLC, Armstrong Real Estate Group LLC, and Marissa’s Fit Boutique LLC. He is currently working toward his MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Northeastern University and plans to have a book published this summer. 

He worked for a Fortune 400 automotive defense contractor as a Systems Engineering Manager while simultaneously growing his real estate business.  He is the founder of Armstrong Ventures, a Consulting & Equity service. He is the host of “Winners, Wallets and World Views” podcast. In this podcast, he coaches leadership through storytelling. 

Website - www.armstrongventuresllc.com

Podcast - https://www.armstrongventuresllc.com/all-episodes

Dave Swanson