Profiles in Leadership

Christie Garcia is a Leadership Coach, Speaker, Facilitator and Founder of the digital Mindful Choice Leadership Academy. She has 17 years of experience in sales, recruiting, and coaching. In 2009, Christie had a life changing fall from a 30ft fire escape. Luckily, she walked away with nophysical damage and a huge reality check to start living her next chapter.

After ten years within the walls of corporate business, working as a recruiter and in sales management in the healthcare industry, Christie increasingly grew frustrated watching talented individuals be promoted to management and fail to reach their leadership potential. She courageously left corporate America and started her leadership coaching business, Mindful Choice. Over the last 11 years she has worked with business owners and leaders from fast growing & modern organizations including Airbnb, Twitter, Movement For Life and Sunrun. Christie builds programs that help individuals and teams maximize their impact through self-awareness, ownership, communication, alignment and accountability. One of Christie’s super-powers is helping her clients manage their Ego and build authentic confidence so they can show up 100% in both business and life. Christie’s modern approach is designed to be simple. You just have to choose to be

1% better every day.

Angela Lewis is the founder of ALA Public Relations, a boutique

firm focused on amplifying the voices of serviced based leaders

who want to share their expertise and transform the lives of

others.

After publishing four books and managing all of the media outreach

on her own, she recognized that many authors and leaders

struggled to find the time to share their message. As a result, many

people never had the level of impact that they wanted.

Angela and the team take’s pride in being the connectors for

leaders who value building authentic relationships through

meaningful conversations. The team at ALA Public Relations is

passionate about making sure each client is matched with media

placements that align with their voice. Media training is also

provided to help experts develop confidence, clarity and

composure during interviews.

Angela is a former professional basketball player and championship

winning coach who brings a burning desire to win for her clients.

The lessons from playing sports such as teamwork, never giving up

and assisting others is infused into the culture of ALA Public

Relations.

Angela has been recognized globally for her efforts receiving the

prestigious Robin Roberts Sports Communication Award, Urban

League St. Louis Young Leader in Youth and Education and the US

Bank Woman of Distinction Award. She is also a member of the

International Women’s Forum Women Athlete Business Network.

Angela has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Communication.

Angela currently lives in Medellin, Colombia.

Jim has over 25 years of management and leadership experience in the healthcare industry. He is passionate about helping owners create an engaged employee culture of teamwork, excellence, accountability, and leadership development. Jim specializes in clinic optimization of key performance indicators and clinic metrics achieved by maximizing operational efficiency, leadership development and staff engagement. 

As the managing Partner and SVP of Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Jim and his partners grew their practice from 3 to 30 clinics culminating in a successful sale in 2016. 

Jim holds a MA and BA in Exercise Science from Furman University, a BS in Physical Therapy from the Medical University of South Carolina, and a DPT from the University of Montana. Jim resides in Easley, SC with his wife Eleanor, 2 children, 3 dogs and in his spare time enjoys hunting, fishing and the occasional round of golf.

Ed Hajim, author of The Island of the Four P’s: A Modern Fable About Preparing for Your Future" (Skyhorse - April 4, 2023). In the spirit of classics like “Who Moved My Cheese," and "Oh, The Places You'llHOr Go," you'll likely read this in one sitting and find yourself transported into another world. Ed Hajim’s story is truly worthy of the Horatio Alger Award, which he won in 2015, positioning him in the rare and esteemed territory of Americans who exemplify the values of initiative, leadership, and commitment to excellence and who have succeeded despite personal adversities. And Ed's adversities were many. Did I mention that Ed Hajim is 86-years-young?

Ed Hajim catapulted from foster homes, orphanages, and meager beginnings to becoming a mega-successful Wall Street executive. His story and trajectory are staggering. I invite you to Ed’s website to learn much more. Also, I’m attaching a press release describing his new book.

·         Ed was kidnapped by his immigrant father at age three, told his mother was dead only to find her in his 60s

·         When rejected for membership at a Nantucket golf club where he lives part of the year, he built is own

·         Ed Hajim, who values education, was the single largest endower at the University of Rochester ($30 million)

·         He is know for his timeless classic, bestselling book, "On the Road Less Traveled."

Lori joined the Therapeutic Associates Physical Therapy team in 2006 after starting her career in non-profit arts administration and as a professional performer. She is currently Therapeutic Associates’ Chief People Officer, collaborating with teammates in HR/Recruiting, Learning and Development, and Employee Experience to ensure that the experience of the people of the organization thrives alongside the financial, operational and customer experience aspects of overall organizational health. In 2012, Lori completed her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Washington. She lives in Seattle with her husband and is a lover of dogs, the arts, enjoying food and fun conversation with others, and the Green Bay Packers.

Rachel Rider founded MettaWorks in 2015 after a distinguished career in HR, receiving executive coaching certification from Columbia University, and extensive training in meditation, Somatic Experiencing, and Polarity Therapy. Starting as HR Business Partner responsible for developing and coaching leaders and teams at Bloomberg, she went on to specialize in leadership coaching at AppNexus (since acquired by AT&T) and Digital Ocean, the third-largest hosting company in the world. She studied under renowned teacher and Zen Mountain Monastery founder John Daido Loori Roshi for 13 years before continuing under his successor, Shugen Arnold Roshi. Rider completed a three-year intensive certification in Somatic Experiencing in 2018, and a 2020 training in Polarity Therapy with the aim of bringing leaders tools to unlock effective, long-lasting change in concert with the body. Since 2020, she’s been working intensively with anti-racism coach Makeda Pennycooke. Rider lives in New York with her husband and two children.

Matt Lesser has trained leaders, teams, and boards of directors for over twenty years and on six continents. He is the founder and CEO of Uniquely Normal, LLC, facilitating leaders, leadership teams, and boards on their journey to improving organizational health and performance. He has served in various C-suite roles in private equity, banking, and commercial uniform industries. He also launched and operated several businesses in the Midwestern petroleum industry.

Lesser and his family live in northeastern Indiana. He enjoys traveling, biking, running, weight lifting, writing, public speaking, and reading.

M. Shannon O’Kelley, MPT, is President and CEO of IRG Physical & Hand Therapy Services as well as the owner of Innovative Mill Work Solutions and Rehab Strategies Northwest.

By combining his compassion for each individual patient and his passion for education, Shannon takes an active approach to his leadership role. He is an expert on performance, personal empowerment and team synergy. Shannon O’Kelley, MPT holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Washington State University and a Master’s in Physical Therapy from Chapman College/Children’s Hospital of L.A. In 1996, Shannon created IRG Physical and Hand Therapy, Inc., which has become an industry leader in outpatient Physical and Hand Therapy. As the host of 710 AM ESPN Sports: Sports Injury Update and KOMO Radio News IRG Health Talk, Shannon is dedicated to providing medical content that will make a difference to your health and well-being

Jim Landsman, BSME, MBA. Every business leader in 2020 is challenged to figure out how to run a successful business during a pandemic. Jim not only forged that path but then had to deal with contracting the virus himself and living through a nightmare of being on a ventilator for 10 days and coming very close to dying. He credits being in good physical shape at 57 for saving his life. Listen to the fear he and his family had to go through to come out on the other end. The support of friends, family and even complete strangers has been overwhelming. He still is trying to get back physically what was taken during his fight to survive. Jim is a co-founder and the President and CEO for Atlas Injury Prevention Solutions. Atlas IPS is a leading nationwide injury (MSD) prevention service and technology provider. Jim has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a masters degree in business administration, both from the University of Notre Dame. Jim’s 30+ years of leadership experience is equally split between operations and sales/marketing. Jim is originally from Grand Haven, MI but now resides in New Smyrna Beach, FL. He is happily married to his wife and soulmate (Gayle) for almost 30 years, and has three children and two grandchildren. Jim loves most to spend time with his family, but when he is not doing that he likes to run on the beach, fish, boogie board, kayak, and (pre-COVID) travel to and explore new and fun destinations.

Julia C. Rock is a career and leadership development coach who

has helped hundreds of ambitious Black and POC professionals

break through career plateaus to secure six-figure salaries and

fulfilling job opportunities.

She is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and a

Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP).

Through her company Rock Career Development, she now helps

Black and POC former and transitioning athletes translate their

existing skills into high-paying, in-demand careers.

Through her signature coaching methods, clients are able to

secure dream positions while earning their worth and then

some.

Julia has been featured in several major publications and

platforms, including: Fortune, Business Insider, Monster, and

Blavity.

Julia is also a published author, co-authoring two new books:

The Six-Figure Athlete and Athlete to Entrepreneur (available July

2023).