Author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Craig Keeland is a 5th Generation Texan who graduated from The

University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance and Southern

Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. His lifetime passion has

been about Leading Others to Better Health and a commitment to Helping Others Reach Their Lifetime Goals and Improve Their Character.

Craig describes his vision of Global Citizenship: “God placed each of us here to bring joy and hope to others

and to do something meaningful for them. That is the most important thing in life and that is my purpose for living.”

Craig Keeland earned his M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business in the Ivy Leagues at The University of Pennsylvania.

He began his professional career in banking and finance, achieving

great respect from his professional peers as Founder and C.E.O. of the

Heritage Corporation of America and Chairman and C.E.O. of Guaranty

Bank, Dallas. As a Financial Consultant, Craig worked with several

billionaires and was valued for his financial expertise and guidance.

In 1991, Craig asked how he could experience Feeling Younger Longer

and in excellent health. He immediately set out to uncover the secrets

to a long and healthy life. To that end, he founded his own health and

wellness products company. He gathered a team of world class scientists

to achieve the goal of creating a good tasting, antioxidant rich, whole

food puree that would support a state of wellness.

Craig’s vision became reality in 2003 when the first bottle of the

“Antioxidant-rich Whole Food Puree” product was introduced to the

public. That product is now available in more than 26 countries and

territories and Craig is proud to say that it is truly “Restoring Health

and Hope Around the World.”

Since 2003, Craig has developed and launched a family of

“Antioxidant-rich Whole Food Puree” products manufactured and

distributed by his CK Family of Companies which includes: Doctor’s

Wellness Solutions, Trinity Nutraceuticals and Liberty Franklin

Pharmaceuticals. Craig’s CK Management organization manages the business

of the CK Family of Companies and their “Antioxidant-rich Whole Food

Puree” products.

Craig is also Founder of The Andes Children’s Foundation, an organization created to give back to the children of the Rainforest of Vilcabamba, high in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and support the educational needs of the children of the area. Through this foundation and other philanthropic endeavors, Craig lives the statement that “We Are More Than A Company…We Are A Cause®.”

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This week I continue my conversation with Luke Coffee. If you missed last weeks conversation please go back listen it will be well worth your time.

After graduating from Baylor University with a BA in Film/TV, Luke Coffee moved to Hollywood to pursue his lifelong passion for film and storytelling. He spent five years working long hours as the post-production coordinator on two primetime television shows for both Warner Brothers and NBC/Universal, while spending the TV hiatus working countless roles on various types of sets to gain more knowledge of the industry. After LA, Luke moved across the world to Cape Town, South Africa for six months producing a pilot for a travel-reality series entitled “Gypsy Kings” that was geared toward the World Cup.

In 2010, Luke Coffee moved back to his hometown Dallas,TX

establishing his full service production house under the umbrella of his

mentor director Rocky Powell’s company RockHouse Films. Luke has

produced/directed everything from music videos to corporate industrials

and web-based content to broadcast commercials even earning national

accolades for his first few spots. Luke was brought on as a producer for

Rocky’s first feature film Language of a Broken Heart which had a

successful theatrical run opening in 10 cities nationwide. In the last

few years, Coffee has directed his first feature documentary entitled

Old Man Football, co-wrote, produced and directed the TV pilot Cubicle

Cowboy while also partnering on several other pilot projects. Luke will

produce the feature he has co-written Texas Angel alongside Powell who

will direct the film. The narrative, which is based on a true story, is

in pre-production. In 2016 Coffee was officially added to the roster

become the 2nd ever Rockhouse Films director alongside his mentor Rocky.

Over the last few years he has partnered with  The Marketing Arm,

Agency Creative, Greenlight and ProPac Marketing to produce and direct

content for brands like Doritos, FedEx Office, YMCA, SPCA, and Gold’s

Gym to name just a few.

Coffee is a working actor, booking various roles in national

commercials, music videos, television and feature films. His recent

highlights include co-starring roles on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”,

“Las Vegas”, Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Chase” and a lead role in Ridley

Scott’s “The Hunt,” which was shot in South Africa. He also played a

supporting role as the jock ‘Drake’ in Rocky’s feature romantic comedy.

Luke has used his many experiences in front of the camera to aid in

every project as he hones his skillset as a seasoned Director.  Luke

Coffee has also  been a featured artist in the publication Art House America.

Make sure to like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest podcast episodes.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

After graduating from Baylor University with a BA in Film/TV, Luke Coffee moved to Hollywood to pursue his lifelong passion for film and storytelling. He spent five years working long hours as the post-production coordinator on two primetime television shows for both Warner Brothers and NBC/Universal, while spending the TV hiatus working countless roles on various types of sets to gain more knowledge of the industry. After LA, Luke moved across the world to Cape Town, South Africa for six months producing a pilot for a travel-reality series entitled “Gypsy Kings” that was geared toward the World Cup.

In 2010, Luke Coffee moved back to his hometown Dallas,TX establishing his full service production house under the umbrella of his mentor director Rocky Powell’s company RockHouse Films. Luke has produced/directed everything from music videos to corporate industrials and web-based content to broadcast commercials even earning national accolades for his first few spots. Luke was brought on as a producer for Rocky’s first feature film Language of a Broken Heart which had a successful theatrical run opening in 10 cities nationwide. In the last few years, Coffee has directed his first feature documentary entitled Old Man Football, co-wrote, produced and directed the TV pilot Cubicle Cowboy while also partnering on several other pilot projects. Luke will produce the feature he has co-written Texas Angel alongside Powell who will direct the film. The narrative, which is based on a true story, is in pre-production. In 2016 Coffee was officially added to the roster become the 2nd ever Rockhouse Films director alongside his mentor Rocky. Over the last few years he has partnered with  The Marketing Arm, Agency Creative, Greenlight and ProPac Marketing to produce and direct content for brands like Doritos, FedEx Office, YMCA, SPCA, and Gold’s Gym to name just a few.

Coffee is a working actor, booking various roles in national commercials, music videos, television and feature films. His recent highlights include co-starring roles on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”, “Las Vegas”, Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Chase” and a lead role in Ridley Scott’s “The Hunt,” which was shot in South Africa. He also played a supporting role as the jock ‘Drake’ in Rocky’s feature romantic comedy. Luke has used his many experiences in front of the camera to aid in every project as he hones his skillset as a seasoned Director.  Luke Coffee has also  been a featured artist in the publication Art House America.

Make sure to like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest podcast episodes.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Michael Edwin Thornton was born in Greenville, South Carolina and raised on the family farm near Spartanburg. Thornton joined the Navy upon graduating from high school in 1967 and completed the rigorous training to join the SEALs, the Navy’s elite sea-air-land special operations force. As overall American conventional forces were gradually withdrawn from Vietnam in the early 1970s, the “unconventional warfare” role of Navy SEALs grew. In the spring of 1972, Petty Officer Thornton was assigned to a mission under the command of Lt. Thomas Norris.

Thornton and Norris accompanied a three-man South Vietnamese Navy team on an intelligence gathering mission in enemy-held territory. Launched from a Vietnamese Navy junk in a rubber boat, the patrol reached land and found themselves farther behind enemy lines than they had planned. Continuing on foot toward their objective, they came under heavy fire from a far larger force and were in danger of being surrounded. While inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy, they headed for the shore, in hopes of escaping by sea.

On learning that Lieutenant Norris had been hit by enemy fire and was believed to be dead, Thornton returned through a hail of fire to the lieutenant’s last position and found him severely wounded and unconscious but alive. Quickly disposing of two enemy soldiers who approached at that moment, Thornton slung Norris over his shoulder and dashed for life over 400 yards of open beach, returning enemy fire as he ran. He carried Norris and another wounded comrade out to sea, beyond the range of enemy fire. The company floated for approximately two hours before being retrieved by the South Vietnamese Navy.

Close to a year after his heroics in Vietnam, on October 15, 1973, Michael Thornton received the Medal of Honor at the White House from President Richard Nixon. Lieutenant Norris, still a patient at nearby Bethesda Naval Hospital, had been forbidden by his doctors to go to the ceremony, but Thornton spirited him out the back door of the facility and took him along. Almost three years later, Norris himself, received the medal with Thornton looking on. Thornton is the first person in more than a century to receive that honor for saving the life of another Medal of Honor recipient. Now retired after a distinguished Navy career that continued through Operation Desert Storm, he resides near Houston, Texas.

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Dr. Ruth Simmons is one of the most impressive people I have had the pleasure of sitting down with. It was such an honor to sit down and have a conversation with such an accomplished individual. Further, Dr. Simmons is more than just a preeminent professional in the field of higher education. She is also. a trailblazer and a historically significant individual. I hope you enjoy this interview, that I believe will go down as one of the most important I have done thus far and most likely will ever do.

Ruth J. Simmons was appointed 8th President of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) in December 2017. She is the first woman to hold the presidency at PVAMU. Prior to taking on the top administrator role at PVAMU, Simmons served as President of Brown University from 2001-2012, becoming the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution. Under Simmons’ leadership, Brown made significant strides in improving its standing as one of the world’s finest research universities.

A French professor before entering university administration, Simmons held anappointment as a Professor of Africana Studies at Brown. After completing her Ph.D. inRomance Languages and Literatures at Harvard, she served in various faculty andadministrative roles at the University of Southern California, Princeton University, andSpelman College before becoming president of Smith College, the largest women’s college in the United States. At Smith, she launched a number of important academic initiatives, including an engineering program, the first at an American women’s college.

Simmons is the recipient of many honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship to France, the 2001 President’s Award from the United Negro College Fund, the 2002 Fulbright lifetime Achievement Medal, the 2004 Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the Foreign Policy Association Medal, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the Centennial Medal from Harvard University. Simmons is a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the boards of FCA and Square, as well as a number of non-profit boards. Awarded numerous honorary degrees, she received the Brown Faculty’s highest honor: the Susan Colver Rosenberger Medal in 2011. In 2012, she was named ‘chevalier’ of the French Legion of Honor.

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Nick & Jen

Pencis took over the business in 2006 after the death of founder JD

Stanley left his family unable to continue the operation. Nick & Jen

have kept the spirit of JD’s recipes and methods alive, as well as

adding their unique flair to the joint. They have been named “One of the

Best BBQ Joints in the World!” by Texas Monthly Magazine, finding their

story published in David Gelin’s book “BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret

Recipes from the Barbecue Belt,” and Daniel Vaughn’s “Prophets of Smoked

Meat” published by Anthony Bourdain. Nick & Jen have tried to

recruit the best staff to ensure the highest quality food and fun

atmosphere.

Stanley’s has been family owned and operated since 1958. The site

where Stanley’s sits today was a BBQ restaurant for two previous owners

before being bought and renamed by J.D. Stanley in the late 50’s. The

history of BBQ is long and strong in this spot.

In 2013, Nick & Jen expanded the joint’s cooking and seating capacity, introduced the friendliest full-service bar in Texas, and brought back weekly live music. “Mom & Pop” Pencis are proud of their “Little Engine That Could” and are honored, grateful, and proud to carry on a great Texas tradition! As always, they encourage all to “Be Kind and Have Fun!”

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Mr. Thomas Craig Wheat is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pediatric Home Healthcare, LLC, (PHH) an exclusively pediatric private duty nursing provider. PHH services pediatric patients from birth to 21 years of age and employs only skilled nurses, LVN’s and RN’s, to care for our patients.

Mr. Wheat oversees the executive team members; as such, he is responsible for the annual revenue, profitability and overall success and growth of Pediatric Home Healthcare, LLC. He is also a part of the marketing team, responsible for educating hospital administrators, case managers and other referral sources regarding services provided by PHH. Mr. Wheat serves on the Board of Managers and the Advisory Committee.

Mr. Wheat is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) in The Lone Star – Dallas Chapter. He serves on their Executive Board as Member Chairman and on the YPO Regional Board as Membership Officer over the five YPO chapters in North Texas. Mr. Wheat has been a member of Legacy Forum where he served as Member Chairman and he sat on the Legacy Forum Board of Directors.

In 2016, Mr. Wheat was appointed to the Board of Trustees at The ChildCareGroup (CCG) with a three-year term, and he was appointed to The Board of Directors at Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas. In 2017, Mr. Wheat was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the North American Development Group “NADG NNN REIT.”

Mr. Wheat has served on the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Council (HHSC) which he was originally appointed by Governor Rick Perry and then re-appointed to serve an additional term. He is also appointed to the E-Health Advisory Committee at HHSC, a selection made by HHSC Commissioner, Charles Smith. As a voting member of this council, Mr. Wheat has been a part of the team responsible for developing rules and policies for the Commission. The HHSC is a state agency which seeks to provide the leadership and innovation needed to achieve an efficient and effective health and human services system for Texans.

Mr. Wheat holds a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Along with both degrees, Mr. Wheat received a Tennis Scholarship from Texas Tech University.

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Bobby

Stroupe is the Founder and President of ATHLETE Performance Enhancement

Center (APEC).  Coach Stroupe has directed human performance systems

for nearly 20 years while expanding his influence as an author,

consultant, speaker, and educator. His experience includes working with

school systems, collegiate teams, professional teams, businesses,

corporate fitness and individuals alike. His coaching ranges from youth

athletes to some of the top names in multiple professional sports

including 1st round picks, Super Bowl and World Series champions. APEC

has been a part of developing over 20 athletes that trained in the APEC

system in grade school, and continued all the way to the professional

ranks. Stroupe and team currently support over 100 athletes in the NFL

and MLB alone. Among many accomplishments by his athletes, Bobby has

been credited with supporting arguably some of the best in the game of

baseball and football including NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. Coach Stroupe

has been featured as a top trainer for multiple sports and athletic

performances on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, NFL and MLB

network, STACK, Bleacher Report, and many more.

Bobby

has presented on various human performance topics at notable coaches

clinics internationally, including the NIKE Roundtable and the China

City Bowl tour. Stroupe launched the CAPEC certification at Nike World

Headquarters in addition to doing work with Nike Training and the Nike

Young Athlete division. Bobby serves on the Advisory Committee for

Wellness and Exercise at Tyler Junior College. Stroupe and staff have

powered strength & conditioning for TJC baseball during their four

time in a row National Championship run.​

As an entrepreneur,

Stroupe and team built APEC from a grass field in 2005 to today, a world

wide training leader in human performance. Bobby serves as the

president for APEC, making strategic decisions, designing training

systems, and guiding an elite team of coaches that power two locations

(Tyler, Fort Worth).

Coach Stroupe belongs to an elite group of physical therapists, athletic trainers, and human performance practitioners as a Fellow of Applied Functional Science. Stroupe has also been named a RSCC*D by the NSCA due to 10+ years of demonstrating high standards and professional practice.

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HOLLY brings her love for Texas and for taking on big ideas to her role as Managing Director, External Affairs, for Texas Central. As a native Texan, she is passionate about bringing the train to her home state and sharing its benefits transforming how people think about travel, putting people to work and saving lives.

Working on the Texas high-speed train is a perfect fit for Holly, as it builds on her career of working on other transformative projects involving critical infrastructure. During Holly’s 25-year career at AT&T, she helped facilitate network deployments of high-speed internet, mobility networks, and communication infrastructure.

At Texas Central, Holly leads the team supporting the external initiatives of the multi-billion dollar project driving awareness of the positive impacts on jobs and economic development, growing support and coordinating with State, Local and Federal stakeholders. Her responsibilities include public policy, outreach, government relations and branding, media and communications activities.

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Dr. Robin L. Pinkley is the Duchossois Endowed Professor of Management and Organizations at the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and past Chairman of the Organizational Behavior Department and Director of the American Airlines Center for Labor Relations and Conflict Resolution. Dr. Pinkley is the founder of the M2M [Master to Master] Center for Profitable Negotiation, focusing on negotiation research, training, consulting and deal-making. She previously served as Visiting Professor of Organizational Behavior at the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Dr. Pinkley received a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Dr. Pinkley has been a frequent speaker in management development programs and a negotiation consultant for corporate and government organizations in nine countries. A sample of her clients include Accenture, Allstate Insurance, ARCO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Florida, DFB Holding Company, Devon, DPT Laboratories, Freeman, General Electric, Generational Equity, Jones Lang LaSalle, JP Morgan Chase, Kodak, Legacy Bank, Lockheed Martin Vought, Macy’s, Maxim Integrated Products, Mobil, NASA, Physician’s Leadership Association of America, Pioneer Natural Resources, Presidential Leadership Scholars Program (G. H. W. Bush, G. W. Bush, W. J. Clinton, & L. B. Johnson Presidential Centers), Reliant Energy, Remington Hotel Corporation, Rewardstyle, Samson Investment Company, SBC Communications, Sewell Motor Company, 7-Eleven, Sony Ericsson, State Farm Insurance, Staubach Real Estate Company, Southwest Airlines, Southwestern Bell Company, Strasburger & Price LLP, Targetbase Marketing Consultants, Taylor Publishing, Texas Children’s Hospital, Toyota-Lexus, Unilever, Warner Brothers, and Yahoo! She has been a member of the Board of Directors for Solidus Technologies and NW Leadership Society. She is also the Chief Strategic Officer of the newest to market high tech healthcare company, Bed Beacon LLC.

A subset of Dr. Pinkley’s media coverage includes interviews on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Marketplace Radio (NPR), quotes in newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today and quotes in magazines such as US News and World Report, Money Magazine, Monster.com, Fortune Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, Redbook, Working Mother, Woman’s Day, Ladies Home Journal and D Magazine.

Dr. Pinkley was the President for the International Association of Conflict Management. She served as a Chairman of the Conflict Management Division of the Academy of Management, as well as, Member at Large and Program Chair. She was also an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Conflict Management.

Dr. Pinkley is co-author (along with Greg Northcraft) of “Get Paid What You’re Worth: The Expert Negotiators Guide to Salary and Compensation”. She is also the author or co-author of articles on negotiation and managerial conflict resolution, which appear in the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, and the International Journal of Conflict Management.

Dr. Pinkley’s is the creator of the Gain-Gain Approach to Profitable Negotiation. Her research focuses on the sources and consequences of negotiator power, the use of strategic bidding strategies, and the strategic application of “value context theory”. This research has earned Dr. Pinkley the Edwin L.