About Me

I've spent 15+ years leading teams in sales, operations, customer service, merchandising, and training and development. I have been successful in building, transforming, and optimizing teams across all these areas. I did most of this at one of the world's most valuable and respected companies, Apple.

That's where I fell in love with leadership and saw firsthand its power to impact people's lives, for better or worse. My worst experiences with leaders drove me to build something better. My best experiences inspired me to become the leader I am today.

Here's what I know: I wasn't born knowing how to lead. I had to learn. Apple created a great environment to do this. They invested in my development with world-class training and clear frameworks. I also had mentors who showed me what great leadership looked like, and colleagues who pushed me to be better every day.  I took all of this and applied it to my work. I continually tried, failed, learned, and grew.

Through it all, I discovered that a great leader isn’t a single spectacular entity that makes all the decisions. A great leader is a facilitator of their team’s skills and talents toward a unified goal. Creating an environment where others can and want to do their best work is key. I watched many leaders who had access to the same training, development, and mentorship as I did fail to successfully engage their teams and deliver results.

That experience shapes everything about how I coach. I know what it feels like to be developed well and the difference it makes. I also understand more clearly than others the true role of a leader and how to build and foster teams that are successful.

I find that many people get promoted into leadership because they were great individual contributors. Heck, that’s how I started. But those skills that get you to promotion aren’t exactly what you need to lead. If you’re lucky, you’ve got mentors and training to help you build the skills you need to be successful. What I see more often is that leaders are left to figure it out on their own.

That's why I started True North Ascent — to give leaders at every level a clear understanding of what being a leader means and a real path to successfully lead others. It all starts with understanding who you are so you can show up authentically every day for your team. Then build the skills that unlock your team’s true potential.

Let's find your True North. Then let's ascend.

A little more about me

Honestly, coaching was probably always in the cards. I grew up in a small rural Minnesota farming community, one of five kids, with two parents who were both teachers. Developing people was kind of the family business — I just took it in a different direction.

I've been to a few places since then, including several years living in Hawaii, but Minnesota is home.

When I'm not coaching, you'll usually find me:

• Mid-renovation. There's always a project at the house. I'm rarely between them.

• Outside, especially in the summer. Hiking, fishing, getting the family out on the pontoon, and squeezing in mountain biking with friends whenever I can.

• With my wife and kids — the people who keep me grounded and remind me what all of this is really for.

• Lost in a good movie or series. A great story is hard to beat.