Built for Impact

Cheryl Miller founded a thriving equine-assisted services organization with her daughter, Dawn, in 1986 in central Indiana called Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources. Agape began as a summer program in partnership with Indiana University’s Bradford Woods and quickly grew to serving over 1,000 kids with various disabilities each summer. Then Cheryl experienced unimaginable loss when Dawn was tragically killed in a domestic violence incidence. Cheryl was critically injured during the shooting and miraculously survived. In today’s episode, Cheryl shares her story and shares the key to turning any tragedy into triumph. She teaches us that nothing is ever wasted and that God can use all things for good. 

In Part 1, Doniphan Stone shared his story of surviving cancer at the young age of 15. And how that eventually led to his career in health and fitness and the creation of the Corefirst training system. In this Part 2 episode, we hear from Donny and his business partner, Jeff Huling. They share the genesis story of Corefirst, but we also talk about how health and fitness impacts your leadership and longevity. We talk about the importance of strengthening your core for your mental health and Jeff shares a deeply personal story of triumph about his experience with bullying as a kid. These two are so inspiring and they will challenge you to become the leader you want to be starting from your core first. 

Doniphan Stone survived cancer at the young age of 15. He not only survived it, but he regained his strength and became a Junior Olympic medalist in Taekwondo and played Division II collegiate soccer. 

Today, he is the co-author of the book Fearless Devotion, which is about creating and achieving your goals from the inside out. He is also the Co-President and Founder of Corefirst™ and created the original Corefirst training system. 

To say that Donny is an ‘overcomer’ seems like an understatement. I am confident Donny’s story will inspire you today. 

Have you ever asked yourself if there was something more to life? Do you have a dream but something is holding you back from going for it and it keeps you up at night? 

By the age of twenty-three, Julia built a successful company in real estate that bought and sold millions of dollars’ worth of investment property only to end up $100,000 in debt. She then rebuilt her career as a business coach, advising hundreds of entrepreneurs on how to build a successful business. She bought the house and nice cars, had a few babies, and obtained “the American dream” only to realize it wasn’t her dream. Every night as she crawled into bed, she had this nagging question in the back of her mind: IS THERE SOMETHING MORE?  

Human Trafficking is a billion dollar evil that is happening all around us in all of our communities. Rachel White is a licensed counselor and felt so compelled that she needed to help survivors of trafficking know that they are loved so she founded Her Song: where young ladies from all over the nation find refuge in the aftermath of trafficking.

She received the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in 2016 at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. and a Meritorious Award in 2019 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for outstanding community service in a case that led to a trafficker being sentenced. And since their inception until today, Her Song has served over 1,600 survivors. 1,600. Rachel is an incredible leader who is making an eternal impact. 

Angela Burke purchased Palladian West in 2019. She dealt with tremendous fear in evaluating the decision. But, she decided to say ‘yes’ and pressed forward like the ‘Maverick’ she is. Then 2020 came just a few months after and she was faced with challenges she could have never anticipated. Angela discusses how she overcame her fear and what she has done the past year to lead her team and her company forward. 

Have you ever asked yourself the question “Where do I want to be in 10 years?”  

That’s what led Brian Brandt to start his own leadership development company. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting but through some soul searching he discovered his place in leadership development.  

Brian is Founder and C.E.O. of Core Insights, a company providing training, strategic planning, coaching and a speakers’ bureau for businesses and nonprofits.  With over THREE decades of leadership experience, he has devoted his life to developing stronger leaders and organizations.  His expertise revolves around leadership, communication, board training, and strategic planning. He has ALSO co-authored Blind Spots: What you don’t know CAN hurt you and The Ambassador’s Journey: A parable about Nonprofit Board Leadership. 

In honor of Black History Month, we are replaying our conversation with Stanford Moore of Black Reins Magazine. 

What would you do if you were told you’d never have enough content to make a magazine successful? Would you keep going? Or would you throw in the towel? Stanford Moore is a black American who loves horses and has a dream to celebrate the black men and women who have contributed to the equestrian life. Listen to his response and decisions as he’s faced oppositions along the way to building Black Reins Magazine.

Have you ever been so frustrated with how things currently are that the rewards of changing things outweigh the challenges? Has your past ever been able to inform your present and lead you towards the future? 

That’s what led Phil Clark to start ENABLE Special Needs Planning. Phil grew up on a family farm with his two sisters - Sarah and Grace. Sarah has Down Syndrome and Phil learned from his family and his sister that we all have two choices in life - we can look at life with a limited mindset or an abundance mindset. 

Prior to starting ENABLE, Phil was faced with limitations in serving families with special needs children. He wanted to approach planning with hope and an abundance mindset. Finally, Phil and his wife Chelsea decided it was time to start ENABLE and begin changing the conversation. They were faced with opposition and critics who told them they would never be able to do this. Today, they are serving families all over the country through special needs planning. And they are seeing families who believe their child with special needs can have a beautiful future and leave a lasting impact. Just like his sister Sarah. 

Are your marketing efforts bringing in the results you need for your business? Is your marketing generating revenue? 

This is the second part Q & A where Adam and I answer your questions. In this episode we talk all about marketing - what is it, why is it important, what should it be doing for your company, and more. We also talk specifically about websites and digital advertising. We take a dive into marketing to help equip you so you can increase your impact.