Next Level Leader

Casey Allen is the consummate entrepreneur who's dedicated his life's work to helping those in the high-tech Enterprise SAAS space get to the next level of success…He shares his personal story of growth and his passion for the premier tech event in the Midwest otherwise known as "Enterprise Rising".

I hope you enjoy this episode and you can click on the links below to learn more about Casey.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/learncasey/

http://enterpriserising.co/

Aaron Holm lost both of his legs in a horrific accident on January 2, 2007. But what shattered his body failed to dent his courage, strength and infectious optimism. He's been helping others regain their positive energy and spirit ever since.

Armed with a laptop and a cellphone, Aaron started Wiggle Your Toes from his hospital bed. He educated himself, formed teams of friends and loved ones, and began charting a course to his new normal. Aaron returned home after only 19 days, joined his three children upstairs, and read them a story that night.

Aaron and his dedicated team built Wiggle Your Toes so others could not just get by but live life to its fullest. Through personalized support, practical answers, resources and tools, Wiggle Your Toes helps amputees in Minnesota and beyond keep looking and moving forward.

Our Mission

To empower those who have lost a limb to move forward, take action and get back to the life they want.

You can learn more and donate at https://www.wiggleyourtoes.org/

Allan Law's entire life has been consumed passionately and unselfishly serving the poor, vulnerable, disadvantaged youth, and their families. Since 1967 he has volunteered more than 175,000 hours, and has personally spent almost $500,000 serving…. with love and compassion and delivering a message of hope to those most in need. Over the years he has received numerous awards, including the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Gold Medallion presented at the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also received recognition from 3 U.S. Presidents for his Public Service. His dedication to helping others, and serving those in need through difficult and trying times, has given hope to thousands of people through more than 44 years of volunteering. Allan was a teacher in the Inner City Minneapolis Public School System for 32 years, and founded Minneapolis Recreation Development, Inc. 1967. Since its founding the Mission of MRD has been: "Love One Another" and the Guiding Principle: "Judge our society by how we care for our children and the disadvantaged." In 1996 Minneapolis Recreation Development, Inc. was granted 501(c) (3) Nonprofit Status which has helped offset the increasing needs in the community and ongoing expenses. MRD is an all volunteer non-profit with no salaries serving the homeless, poor, vulnerable, disadvantaged youth, and their families in the Twin Cities every day with food assistance, and a variety of other emergency needs through Three Core Programs. All donations are used for general operating expenses, or program specific funding. MRD does not have an office, but is based out of Alan's apartment where he maintains 10 freezers to store sandwiches, and other program items. Additional sandwich storage freezers are located at a few volunteer drop sites in the Twin Cities. Allan is the sole delivery person, and spends every night from 9pm to10am driving the inner city streets of the Twin Cities in search of people to help. He works overnight because that's when shelters are closed, and homeless people living on the street are most vulnerable. He also responds to several calls a day 24/7 from people in crisis, with requests ranging from critical immediate needs, to others like help finding a job or temporary housing. Making as many as 50 stops a night, he provides urgently needed food, basic necessities, and compassionate care to hundreds of people from the back of his MRD minivan. On any given night there are an estimated 7,000 homeless people in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area, and over 2,200 are children under 17. The goal of MRD is to feed, and provide emergency assistance to as many of them every day as possible.

Allan Law Awards & Recognition

• Recipient of the American Institute for Public Service's "Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Gold Medallion" presented at the U.S. Supreme Court
• Recipient of the American Institute for Public Service's National "Jefferson Award" presented at the U.S. Senate
• Recognition from President George W. Bush
• Recognition from President Bill Clinton
• Recognition from President George H. W. Bush
• Recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record by Senator Paul Wellstone
• Recognition from Minnesota Senator Rod Grams
• Recognition from Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton
• Recognition from Minnesota Congressman Jim Ramstad
• Recognition from Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
• Recognition from Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura
• Recognition from Attorney General Mike Hatch
• Recognition from Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton: "The Minneapolis Award"
• McKnight Foundation: "Virginia McKnight Binger Award in Human Service"
• City of Minneapolis: "Martin Luther King" Award
• Points of Light Foundation: "Daily Point of Light" Award
• Salvation Army: Outstanding Volunteer Service Award
• Minnehaha Academy: "Alumnus of the Year" Award
• City Business Magazine: "100 Unsung Heroes" Award
• Catholic Charities: Volunteer Service Award
• North Minneapolis: Community Service Award
• KARE11 TV: "Eleven Who Care" Award
• Awards from Optimist, Rotary, and Kiwanis Clubs
• WCCO TV: "Hometown Hero" Award
• Ventura for Minnesota: Public Service Award
• WCCO Radio: "Good Neighbor" Award
• Minnehaha Academy Centennial Award: "100 Alumni Who Have Influenced Our World"
• Featured in Documentary Film: "The Starfish Throwers"

You can donate at http://www.loveoneanother363.org/node/20

Alan J. McMillan spent 30+ years in executive leadership with technology companies but discovered a new calling when he identified an unmet need—and that is helping 18 to twentysomethings understand what it takes to figure out what they want in career and in life, nail their education, get a job that is the first step in an amazing career, have the skills to maintain employability over the arc of their career, and develop a plan that can lead to their financial independence, without demoting their lifestyle. Alan inspires students and newly minted college graduates to create a vision based on what they want out of life—and then provide actionable steps based on real-life examples to support their transition from college to the workplace—and beyond! Alan covers getting a job, thriving in that role, if there is disruption of employment, secure a new role better than the one they just left, and all the while making tangible progress toward their financial independence. Much of his work can be found at LearnEarnRetire.com. He also does presentations at college campuses across the country, post weekly blogs, develop online learning opportunities, and am in the process of writing/publishing my first book. This body of work is for today's 10m-American college students (that are 18-24), and twentysomethings as a whole, along with those who love them. Fortune 500 companies also retain his services to help them with college and diversity recruiting and entry-level employee development.

I hope you enjoy this awesome episode with my dear friend and mentor…

El Exigente, Captain on the Deck!

http://www.learnearnretire.com/

A former executive at Oracle, Dave Stephens shares a few of his personal observations about Larry Ellison the founder of Oracle Systems…From working at NASA on Monday's at High School, attending Cal and watching his Dad do 3 startups and run 2 public companies…Dave gives an insider's view of venture capital, the joys of entrepreneurship, how our search to find meaning in our professional lives sometimes leads us to spending 25 years building enterprise software. Which ultimately lead to Coupa Software going from incubation to a successful IPO with a market cap north of $8 Billion dollars!

I hope you enjoy this episode with Dr. Lisa Snyder, Mr. Erik Sill and Ms. Erica Johnson…We dive into the deep end on areas of improvement for higher ed. The debate on EQ and IQ is heating up as employers look for different skills to build great enduring companies.

If we expect different outcomes for our kids we need to invest time with the school districts, school board and teachers to help them transform the current experience.

http://edvisions.org/

https://klassenperformancegroup.com/

https://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/our-schools/plhs/mncaps

https://education-reimagined.org/

Luke Wyckoff, the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Social Media Energy, shares with Next Level Leader host, Craig Pratt the highs and lows of business ownership and speaks the gospel on the realities of leading an organization though turmoil and success. This comeback story is not only business related, but personal, with a surprise ending you don't want to miss.

https://lukewyckoff.com/

https://socialmediaenergy.com/

Recording Artist, Taja Sevelle, who signed her first record deal with the legendary artist, Prince, outlines a courageous plan for bringing the world into balance, and shares the reasons she put her music career on the "back burner" to start the nonprofit organization Urban Farming®. Her blueprint for balance includes recapturing trillions of dollars of wasted capital, and reallocating it into areas that will better serve both our economically challenged communities, as well as our economically vibrant communities. With chronicles of risk-taking vision, extensive research, and rare personal experiences, Taja offers a formula for integrity in business, personal, social, and political relationships, as well as world affairs. She shares how fundamental "root" principles are essential for the restoration and balance of mental, physical, and spiritual health within our global family.

While recording her third CD for Sony Records in Detroit, Taja saw widespread poverty and vast stretches of unused land—a memory she would not forget. With three community gardens and a global vision to "Create an Abundance of Food for All in Our Generation," Taja started Urban Farming, which went on to ignite a global gardening movement. Within six years, there were over 56,000 gardens within the Urban Farming Global Food Chain® Urban Farming has been featured in over 30,000 media stories including The Ellen Show, Good Morning America, The Montel Williams Show, the BBC, CNN, FOX, NPR, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

From The Root vibrates with the inspiration, innovation, and perseverance of a brilliant and passionate artist who put her first love—music—on hold to address some tough global issues.

The Ferris State University Athletics Department officially announced the appointment of Tony Annese as the school's 13th head football coach on Dec. 22, 2011. He will embark on his eighth campaign at the FSU helm in 2019. A proven winner at all of his previous coaching stops and highly-regarded across the country, Coach Annese took over the Bulldog program following three impressive years as the head coach at Grand Rapids Community College, which came on the heels of a highly successful 25-season stint at the prep level. In his first season at the helm in 2012, Annese led Ferris State to a 7-4 overall mark and FSU ranked among the nation's top teams in both rushing offense and total offense. For his efforts, he was a national semifinalist in voting for the prestigious Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

Tony's goal has been to make the Bulldog Football Program a national power on the field while developing young men of character and respect off the field:

• Posted a 75-15 overall mark in the last seven years
• Best winning percentage of all 21 collegiate programs in the state of Michigan
• Reached the national quarterfinal round in 2016, 2017 and 2018
• Made a D2 National Semifinal appearance in 2016 & 2018
• Made a D2 National Championship appearance in 2018
• 15 wins in 2018 was the most in 109 years of Bulldog Football
• Claimed three conference championships, posted three unbeaten regular-seasons
• Three Harlon Hill National Player of the Year trophies
• Two National Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards
• Won ten postseason games
• Nine players will participate in NFL camps this fall, 5 players were on an active roster in 2018

I hope you enjoy my heartfelt conversation with Coach Annese…He's a great coach but a better person!

You can donate to Bulldog football and become a member of the Gridiron Club at https://app.mobilecause.com/form/Z-zq4a?vid=1bq0w