Your Next Best Step

What does it look like to build multiple successful businesses while keeping family, culture, and community at the center?

In this episode of Your Next Best Step, we sit down with Kenworth Reeves—a hands-on entrepreneur who owns and operates a diverse portfolio of businesses including a real estate investment company, 13 Stripes Brewery, and a local Junk King franchise. But Kenworth's approach is anything but conventional. He doesn't just write checks—he shows up, leads from the front, and brings his five kids along for the journey.

Kenworth shares his philosophy on people-first leadership, the power of long-term thinking, and why the best businesses are built on relationships, not just revenue. We dive into the realities of multi-business ownership, how he decides where to invest his time and energy, and what it means to build a legacy that goes beyond the bottom line.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, a leader, or someone looking to create something meaningful, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about what success really looks like.

Tune in to discover:

• How to stay operationally involved across multiple ventures without burning out
• The leadership lessons that come from working alongside your children
• Why investing in people and culture is the ultimate competitive advantage
• How to know when to scale, when to pivot, and when to just be present

This is Your Next Best Step—where we explore the journeys, strategies, and stories of leaders who are building what's next.

In this episode of Your Next Best Step, Brek Cockrell sits down with Kristian Andersen, Co-Founder and Partner at High Alpha, to explore the innovative venture studio model that's changing how technology companies are built. Unlike traditional startups or venture capital, venture studios like High Alpha conceive, launch, and scale companies from the ground up—and Kristian has mastered this approach.

With an impressive track record that includes founding Studio Science (a leading design and innovation consultancy he sold in 2019) and co-founding multiple successful software companies including Octiv, Lessonly, Visible, and Pathagility, Kristian brings a unique perspective on what it really takes to build scalable tech ventures. As an active angel investor and co-founder of Gravity Ventures—a seed-stage venture fund that raised 6 funds and invested across Indiana and Arkansas—he understands both sides of the entrepreneurial equation.

In this conversation, Kristian shares insights into the venture studio operating model, the critical role of design thinking in entrepreneurship, and the frameworks that help turn ideas into thriving businesses. He discusses the importance of community building through his work co-founding The Speak Easy, founding the Arkansas Fellowship, and serving as former Chairman of the Harrison Center for the Arts.

Recognized as a TechPoint Trailblazer (2020) and member of multiple Forty Under 40 classes, Kristian balances his professional pursuits with deep commitments to faith and family—he's been married to his wife Brandi for 23 years and together they're raising 6 independent children. He's also passionate about Indianapolis, conservation, and outdoor pursuits involving fly-rods and camouflage.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, seasoned founder, or investor looking to understand the venture studio model, this episode delivers actionable frameworks and inspiration for your next best step.

Connect with Kristian: www.kristian.vc

The armor we wear isn't physical—it's the self-protection we put on when we feel threatened, exposed, or uncertain. And it's killing trust on our teams.

In this episode, BC unpacks 6 contrasts from Brené Brown's "Strong Ground" that reveal where leaders armor up and how to choose daring leadership instead:

• Being a knower vs. being a learner
• Tapping out vs. leaning into hard conversations
• Shame & blame vs. empathy & accountability
• Driving perfectionism vs. modeling healthy achievement
• Professing values vs. practicing values
• Fitting in culture vs. belonging culture

BC challenges you to pick ONE contrast that made you squirm, get specific about who you're armoring up with, and take one small step this week toward trust-building leadership.

Because here's the truth: Everything Depends On Trust (E-D-O-T). And trust can't grow where armor lives.

Your Next Best Step with Brett Cockrell – the locker room for purpose-driven leaders.

🎙️ Season Finale | The Final Episode of 2025

As we close out the first 25 years of this century, I explore a question from Father Richard Rohr: What if we don't lack love, but wisdom?

In this powerful episode, I unpack Jesus's parable of the wheat and weeds, offering a fresh perspective that challenges our leadership instincts around control, certainty, and fixing people.

What You'll Learn:

• Why certainty is a trap for leaders
• How to love people wisely, not just love them
• The wheat and weeds within each of us
• Practical next steps: Name the mystery, create space, trust the soil

Key Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30

This episode is for leaders ready to stand in the mystery and trust the process—even when the field looks messy.

Your Next Best Step awaits. See you in 2026!

#Leadership #Wisdom #ChristianLeadership #PurposeDriven

Most leaders don't suffer from a lack of good intentions—they suffer from a lack of good attention. In this episode, Brett introduces a powerful leadership framework to help you design 2026 instead of drifting through it. Learn how to move from hoping the year goes well to creating a year that ends with a win you can actually point to.

Key Takeaways

✓ Most leaders suffer from a lack of good attention, not good intentions
✓ Focused attention creates impact
✓ You cannot lead where you are unwilling to look
✓ Awareness is disciplined leadership, not judgment
✓ Fate is not a good writer of your story—take the pen from fate's hand
✓ Walk into 2026 with a game plan, not just hopes
✓ Don't drift into the year—decide it, design it

You're doing all the things. Working the strategy. Leading the team. Executing the plan.

So why does it feel like nothing's moving forward?

Here's what most leaders miss: You're not stuck. You're experiencing resistance.

In this episode, Aundrea De Leon—Fractional Chief of Staff, Business Integrator, and former Fortune 500 executive—breaks down why your next breakthrough won't come from doing more. It'll come from fixing what's running amok internally before you run amok externally.

Aundrea's journey took her from foster care to the executive ranks at UPS, IBM, and American Express. After 22+ years climbing the corporate ladder, she made a bold transition into coaching and building what she calls the YOS Model—Your Operating System. It's the foundation that determines whether you lead with clarity or chaos.

In this conversation, we dive into:

→ The YOS Model: Why your operating system determines your outcomes
→ The Leader of One Framework and why you can't lead others until you lead yourself
→ Why "stuck" is really just internal resistance showing up externally
→ How to know when your next best step is actually a pause, not more action
→ The inside-out approach to leadership that changes everything
→ What it means to stop doing and start being
→ How Aundrea helps visionary founders calm the chaos and execute with clarity

If you're grinding hard but your team isn't aligned, your priorities feel overwhelming, or you're constantly chasing fires—this episode will shift how you think about leadership.

Because the problem isn't your strategy. It's your operating system.

About Aundrea De Leon:

Aundrea De Leon is a Fractional Chief of Staff, Business Integrator, and leadership coach who helps overwhelmed founders scale their businesses by calming their chaos. After spending 22+ years in the tech world at companies like UPS, IBM, and American Express, she transitioned from corporate executive to full-time coach and integrator. Aundrea specializes in bridging the gap between bold vision and consistent execution, helping leaders simplify operations, align their teams, and get back into growth leadership mode. She's the creator of the YOS (Your Operating System) Model and the Leader of One Framework. Based in Denver, she's also a die-hard Broncos fan.

Connect with Aundrea:

• LinkedIn: Aundrea De Leon
• Website: https://whyinstitute.com/why-os-discovery/

When God Interrupted a Revenge Plot: Jay Harris on Radical Transformation

Jay Harris was 10 steps from leaving church when God spoke: "You're gonna die this week."

He was plotting a murder for Wednesday. Going to church on Sundays to keep his girlfriend happy. Living in the streets, dealing with beef, drowning in alcohol—and convinced he had it all under control.

Then everything changed.

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Jay shares his journey from the streets of Jacksonville to pastoring in the hood, from survival mode to building a legacy that shapes kingdom leaders. This isn't a polished testimony—it's a real story about transformation, counseling, fatherhood, and what happens when you stop trying to figure it all out alone.

What we cover:

• The altar call that interrupted a murder plot and changed everything
• Why Jay resisted counseling for years—and why it became his best investment
• How to build family culture and legacy when you come from dysfunction
• Leading in the trenches vs. leading from a conference stage
• The power of letting yourself be led when you're exhausted
• What it means to pastor the hood with dignity and stay rooted in community

This episode is for you if:You're tired and questioning your calling. You're leading alone and burning out. You think counseling is for "other people." You're building something but don't know how to create lasting legacy. You need permission to stop working so hard.

Jay's closing advice will challenge every leader: "Stop trying to lead and let yourself be led sometimes. You might find more rest and peace than you ever imagined."

What if the best way to prepare for 2026 isn't planning—but paying attention?

In this episode, Brek Cockrell shares a transformative leadership lesson he learned back in 2008 at conference that has shaped how he approaches new seasons, new roles, and new years. Drawing from wisdom taught by Pastor Wayne Gordon and Dr. John Perkins, Brek introduces a simple but profound rhythm: listen, reflect, respond.

Most leaders end the year exhausted, already planning for what's next without taking time to listen to their own lives, teams, or the patterns that have shaped their year. But what if we entered 2026 differently? Not with hustle or hype, but with awareness, curiosity, and intention?

Brek unpacks why it's not our intention that leads us to our preferred destination—it's our attention. He asks powerful questions: What are you worried about? What are you avoiding? What's driving your decisions? What patterns are showing up in your leadership?

He also introduces his 21-day leadership accelerator, "26 Is Coming Quick"—a live, community-based experience designed to help leaders listen first, reflect second, and respond with clarity and confidence as they enter the new year.

In This Episode:

- The leadership lesson Brek learned in 2008 that changed everything

- Why most leaders respond first and reflect later (and how to flip the script)

- The difference between intention and attention in leadership

- How to enter 2026 with clarity, confidence, and curiosity

- Details about the "26 Is Coming Quick" leadership accelerator

Perfect for: Purpose-driven leaders, pastors, entrepreneurs, and anyone feeling tired and scattered as they head into a new year.

In This Episode:

- The leadership lesson BC learned in 2008 that changed everything

- Why most leaders respond first and reflect later (and how to flip the script)

- The difference between intention and attention in leadership

- How to enter 2026 with clarity, confidence, and curiosity

- Details about the "26 Is Coming Quick" leadership accelerator

Perfect for: Purpose-driven leaders, pastors, entrepreneurs, and anyone feeling tired and scattered as they head into a new year.

What if everything you're chasing as a leader is keeping you from what actually matters? In this powerful solo episode from the locker room in Brek Cockrell shares a transformational story from 1993 that shifted his entire approach to leadership and life.

With only $100 to his name, newly married, and desperate to advance his coaching career, BC attended the Final Four in New Orleans. What happened that weekend—and the conversation with Josh McDowel —completely changed his definition of success.

This episode is for every leader who's caught in the trap of "never enough," chasing titles, metrics, and wins while wondering why it still feels empty. BC breaks down the critical difference between success and significance, and why only one of them echoes beyond your lifetime.

#Leadership #Success #Significance #JohnMaxwell #LeadershipDevelopment #PurposeDrivenLeadership #LeadershipCoaching #PersonalGrowth #YourNextBestStep #ImpactfulLeadership

When Your Dream Job Isn't Enough: From Community Health Worker to Beauty Boss & Beyond.

What happens when your "dream job" stops being enough? In this raw and powerful episode, SalleyNycole Crews—8-time award-winning entrepreneur, esthetician, and business coach—shares her journey from making $26K as a community health worker to building her thriving beauty empire, all while battling severe depression.This isn't just another success story. It's a masterclass in resilience, showing up when everything feels impossible, and why asking for help is the smartest move you'll ever make.

🎙️ ABOUT THIS EPISODE SalleyNycole Crews opens up about:

• Her journey from $26K community health worker to successful beauty entrepreneur

• The mental breakdown that happened while opening her new business location

• Battling 22 months of depression while keeping her business alive• Why she kept showing up even when she was praying for others but couldn't pray for herself

• How counseling, coaching, and community saved her life and business• The resilience that comes from your darkest seasons