EMPOWERING AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP
Building exceptional leaders through the unique blend of military leadership and championship coaching where personal investment meets professional transformation.
OUR FOUNDATION
PEOPLE
After 50 years of combined leadership experience, through victories and defeats, successes and failures, we’ve learned that one truth stands above all others:
LEADERSHIP BEGINS AND ENDS WITH PEOPLE
The most sophisticated strategies, the most elegant systems, and the most brilliant plans all crumble without a foundation built on genuine care for the humans who bring them to life.
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of AI, automation, and digital transformation, the fundamental nature of leadership remains unchanged. While technology continues to reshape how we work, authentic leadership still centers on the human experience.
Our journey hasn’t been without missteps. We’ve experienced the humbling lessons that come from prioritizing processes over people, metrics over meaning, and results over relationships. Through those mistakes, we discovered that excellence only emerges when people are treated with KINDNESS, HUMILTY, CARE, and SERVICE
MEET THE TEAM
THE COLONEL AND THE COACH combines strategic discipline with team dynamics, but at our core, we’re simply two people who believe in making each day count and helping others do the same.
Through initiatives like the AirPeyton Memorial, we’ve seen how bringing different perspectives together can create meaningful impact.
We listen to understand, celebrate small wins, and show up for our community – not because it’s extraordinary, but because that’s WHO WE ARE.
OUR PILLARS OF LEADERSHIP
At The Colonel and The Coach, we believe that exceptional leadership is built on five core pillars. These principles shape our approach, ensuring leaders are equipped to inspire, guide, and achieve lasting success.
WHAT WE DO
At The Colonel and The Coach, we help you lead better. You can bring us in to guide your team, solve leadership challenges, and build lasting success.
Leadership Guidance Built for You
We don’t do one-size-fits-all. We work with you to solve the problems that matter most to your team.
Clear, Practical Plans
We create a leadership roadmap based on your goals that are simple, structured, and ready to use.
Ongoing Support
We stick with you. Regular check-ins keep progress moving and accountability strong.
Help When It Counts
Need us on short notice? We’re there. Real-time support means you’re never stuck waiting for answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of organizations benefit most from your long-term leadership programs?
Our most successful transformations have come from organizations with defined start and end points like athletic teams and military units. Athletic teams go through a natural progression from preseason to playoffs or championship, giving us a clear window to develop leadership and performance. In the military, success often depends on guiding individuals through the rigorous transformation required to become commissioned officers or successfully graduate from demanding, high-stakes training programs that often pushes them to accomplish things they never imagined they could do
While our background is rooted in the military and athletics, we’ve found our authentic leadership model that focuses on people translates powerfully into the business world. Every industry needs leaders who can grow people, build trust, and execute under pressure. That’s why we believe our experience that were tested in environments where outcomes can mean life or death, or win or lose on the national stage gives us a rare perspective that helps organizations of any kind elevate their performance.
Can you share a specific transformation you’ve helped create?
As a USAF Weapons Officer, Colonel Matt Smith, (r) led over 300 people into combat on five separate occasions. Each mission presented a new, unfamiliar challenge that required us to train and execute in ways we hadn’t before. Whether it was Operation ALLIED FORCE or ENDURING FREEDOM, our approach transformed how combat operations were conducted, and the results were unprecedented. In Afghanistan, our integration of Airpower with Special Forces was called the most successful in history and became the foundation of the story behind the film 12 Strong. My interview on this integration is part of the permanent exhibit at the Special Warfare Museum in Fort Liberty.
In a completely different world in Division I collegiate hockey Coach Cam Ellsworth recruited an unknown goalie playing for Texas named Connor Hellebuyck. In his very first game, he (Connor) gave up five goals and was pulled. But through a system of coaching, personal development, and belief in potential, he rose to become the first-ever Mike Richter Award winner, now an NHL star and finalist for the league MVP.
These two stories, one from combat, the other from sport reflect the same core principle: transformation happens when leadership is personal, intentional, and long-term.
What do clients say they value most about working with you?
We consistently hear that our attention to detail, deep experience, and genuine care set us apart. Clients appreciate that we don’t come in with canned presentations or surface-level fixes. We listen closely, ask the right questions, and invest in understanding the full scope of their challenges before we offer guidance.
More than anything, people value how present and committed we are. They feel heard, challenged, and supported. Our clients often describe the experience as transformational not just professionally, but personally. Whether they’re leading a platoon, coaching a team, or running a company, we walk with them through the tough moments and help them grow into leaders others can trust and follow.
Why is now the right time to invest in leadership development?
Leadership is the one constant in an increasingly volatile world. Technology, markets, and global dynamics evolve rapidly but the human element remains foundational. Leaders today are expected to do more with less, navigate uncertainty, and still deliver results. That’s why a sustained investment in leadership isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential.
The old approach of hiring a speaker for a one-day event or streaming a course doesn’t produce real change. Our model is immersive, relationship-driven, and focused on transformation that endures.
We believe the future belongs to organizations that see leadership as a long game. Truly investing in people means getting in the trenches with them, seeing their world through their eyes, and giving them the confidence and tools to lead authentically. If you want real growth, real results, and real connection, the time to start is now.
How does your military and sports background influence your approach?
In Colonel Smith’s military experience, he had the responsibility to lead at multiple levels where the stakes were incredibly high and the margin for error was razor-thin. Everything he did had to be executed with extreme precision, from the initial planning stages all the way through execution and debrief. That attention to detail wasn’t optional but a matter of life and death.
We’ve carried that same mindset into how we work with our clients today, whether they’re NCAA coaches preparing for a championship run, military units facing critical missions, or businesses aiming to deliver under pressure. Doing things right the first time matters. But just as important is being adaptable, being willing to listen, take input, and adjust fire quickly when necessary.
At the same time, Coach Ellsworth’s background in athletics taught him that leadership is ultimately about people. A team, whether on the field or in an office, is made up of individuals, each with different stories, strengths, and challenges. Success comes from understanding those differences and learning how to bring out the best in each person.
Our approach is built on that dual foundation: the precision and structure of the military, combined with the personal, human-centered mindset of elite coaching. That marriage of discipline and empathy is what allows us to help teams and leaders not just perform, but transform
What are common misconceptions about leadership training—and how do you challenge them?
One major misconception is that leadership can be taught through a video series, a motivational speech, or a weekend workshop. Those formats can spark excitement but excitement fades.
Real leadership change takes time, context, and repetition. Another misconception is that there’s a “one-size-fits-all” approach. There isn’t. People are too diverse, challenges too dynamic. You can’t scale transformation through generic models.
We reject these shortcuts. Our model is personal, adaptive, and long-term. We don’t maximize revenue by minimizing time, we do the opposite. We invest deeply in people and commit to walking alongside them for as long as it takes. That’s what real leadership coaching looks like. We aren’t here for the quick win, we’re here for the lasting impact.
How do you measure success in your leadership partnerships?
We measure success by the growth of the people we serve. Did they get promoted? Did they lead better? Did they reach a level they never thought possible? Whether it’s a coach, an officer, or a young professional, their success is the clearest indicator of our own. When someone we worked with tells a colleague about the impact we had, that’s the kind of feedback that means we got it right.
Leadership development also plays the long game. Sometimes the true effect isn’t seen until years later, when someone we coached becomes a leader in their own right, passing on what they’ve learned. Or when a father teaches his son the lessons we once helped him discover. That ripple effect is the real scoreboard.
What is the biggest transformation leaders go through during your programs?
We’ve seen meaningful growth across a number of dimensions: care, confidence, communication, and clarity chief among them. But if there’s one change that truly stands out, it’s the rise in self-confidence. Time and again, we’ve watched individuals who were simply going through the motions in leadership roles begin to genuinely step into those positions. As they start to believe in themselves and their ability to lead, that belief translates into more decisive action and clearer judgment, and that confidence becomes contagious. Their teams notice, their colleagues respond, and suddenly, there’s a shift in the entire environment.
That transformation doesn’t stop at the individual level. Over time, those same leaders begin to pass on what they’ve learned, not by mimicking our methods, but by leading in a way that is fully and authentically their own. We move from being their primary coaches to becoming trusted guides, watching as they take ownership not just of their role, but of the development and success of those around them. It’s in those moments: when we see someone we’ve worked with empower others that we know true leadership has taken root.
How do you support leaders between sessions?
We stay deeply connected between sessions because leadership happens in real time, not just during meetings. We use tools like email, text, WhatsApp, and Google Workspace apps like Docs and Sheets to ensure leaders can reach out when they need to. Whether it’s solving a tactical problem, navigating team dynamics, or just needing a sounding board, our clients know they’re not alone, even when things get tough.
We’ve always made it a priority to be accessible not just to leaders, but to colleagues, teammates, and those we support. In today’s fast-paced and often unpredictable world, being available can make a meaningful difference. While we’re clear about setting healthy boundaries and using tools like communication priorities to stay focused, we also know that sometimes a quick message, a shared idea, or a question in the moment can shape the outcome of a mission, a game, or a decision.
Beyond tactics and performance, it’s also about being present for people when they need it most. Sometimes it’s a moment of personal doubt, quiet stress, or a feeling of being overwhelmed. These aren’t things people always say out loud, but they show up in subtle ways and when someone reaches out, we want them to know they’re not alone. Supporting others in those moments, helping them find clarity, or simply being someone who listens are part of the leadership journey too.
What does ‘Empowering Authentic Leadership’ mean to you?
It means helping people discover the unique strength that comes from their own life experiences. Whether you’re a new lieutenant or a seasoned executive, your story matters. We don’t overwrite your experience with one-size-fits-all leadership jargon. We help you understand how your life has shaped your voice and how that voice can be used for good.
Authentic leadership isn’t a style, it’s a commitment to be real to lead as yourself, not as a copy of someone else. We honor each person’s background, culture, pain, and victories because they form the lens through which they lead. Empowering someone to lead authentically means giving them permission to grow, challenge the status quo, and show up without a mask. That’s when people follow you because they know you mean it.