Linch With A Leader

Rachel is a graduate of the Auburn University Broadcast Journalism program and has become a master at her craft.  She has been featured on national broadcast such as Fox Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo and Sirius XM.   Whether a field reporter and host of the College Football National Playoff game or working NASCAR, Rachel bring passage and energy!  She is known by many as the “SEC-ologist” for her vast knowledge of SEC football and was the first female host of SiriusXM ESPNU.Her most recent work away is called “Changing the Narrative”.   Since August of 2016, she has visited 35+ institutions talking to young athletes about being Kings and Queens through purpose. In this episode, Mike explores not only Rachel’s life journey but also her faith that has been her sustaining force!

Kevin Scott is an entrepreneur and author from Kennesaw, Georgia and is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He has spoken in over 100 countries, and co-founded ADDO in 2011 with the mission and goal of inspiring people today to impact tomorrow. ADDO is a leadership consultancy that partners with Chick-fil-A and Coca-Cola. Prior to founding ADDO, Kevin was involved with non-profit charitable work, business ventures, and politics. Kevin has been named to the “40 under 40” lists for Georgia Trend and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. He has also authored three books, The Lens of Leadership, 8 Essential Exchanges, and The Lepers’ Lessons

Chris Norton is a motivational speaker and has a non-profit foundation. Chris was a collegiate football player who’s career ended in 2010 after becoming paralyzed after making a tackle. Although he was told he would never be able to move again, Chris had defied the odds and walked across the stage at graduation and walked down the aisle with the assistance of his wife Emily. His story was seen online hundreds of thousands of times online. Now he is sharing his story with people all over the country, and through the Chris Norton Foundation, helping others with neuromuscular injuries overcome their obstacles.

Dr. Sam Chand is a former pastor, college president and chancellor, speaker, and author. He lives with the singular vision for his life of “help others succeed.” He climbed the ranks at Beulah Heights Bible College beginning as a janitor, and finishing up as the president of the school. He continues to develop leaders through the Sam Chand Leadership Institute working with ministries, governments, and social organizations. In this episode, Mike Linch and Dr. Sam Chand discuss his background, his passions for leadership, new material he has just released, and how his faith has played a key role in who he is today.

Ira Blumenthal is a speaker, consultant, author, branding expert, and a motivator based out of Atlanta, Georgia; he is often considered the modern day “Renaissance Man.” He is the founder and president of Co-Opportunities Inc., which a consulting company that has worked with some of the largest companies in the world including: Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kroger, Disney, and many more. Ira has the honor and notable distinction of being the single longest continually retained consultant in The Coca-Cola Company’s history. Ira is also a published author with his works, Ready, Blame, Fire! (Myths and Misses in Marketing) andManaging Brand You are just two of the books he has published that have gained notoriety. On top of everything else he does, Ira Blumenthal has spoken to well over 1-million people throughout his career on five different continents. In this episode, Mike Linch and Ira Blumenthal discuss their friendship, Ira’s impressive background and career successes, lessons that he has learned, and the role his faith has played in his life.

The Miles’ are the CEO’s and Co-Founders of Belay. Belay is a virtual assistant company that has the mission to, “glorify God by providing solutions that equip our clients with the confidence to climb higher.” Bryan and Shannon felt a calling from the Lord to start their own business, and in 2010 they began the step by founding the Miles Advisory Group. That group expanded into a multitude of areas and roles of providing those solutions to their clients all across the country, and in 2017 all of their Miles AG suite came under the name of Belay. Belay was recently awarded the number one spot in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best Company Culture and has been in INC. 500 four times. Bryan and Shannon both have authored books as well. In this episode, Mike Linch and Bryan and Shannon Miles discuss their backgrounds, how they got into what they’re doing and how God has played a role in their leadership and company.

Dan Reiland is the Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He first partnered with the legendary John Maxwell for 20 years, as the Executive Pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church located in San Diego. He then moved on to become the Vice President of Leadership and Church Development at Injoy. Dan also writes a blog to help encourage and pass on leadership insights that he has learned and acquired from his time in ministry. He has a passion for seeing leaders grow and become empowered in what God has called them too. In this episode, Mike Linch and Dan Reiland discuss his passion for developing leaders, things that he learned from working for John Maxwell, leadership lessons that he has learned along the way, and all the things that God is doing through him.

Darleen Santore, also known as “Coach Dar” is a Board Certified Occupational Therapist, business executive, author and speaker. She started out as an occupational therapist working with a variety of different clients. While she was working her way up in the management world living in Nashville, she suffered a stroke at the age of 25. It changed her world and her own faith, as she then stepped out and began her own practice. She now helps individuals, corporate executives, and professional teams and athletes become the best that she can be. She has also made a stamp in the game of basketball, as she was awarded the “Most Inspiring Woman from WNBA.” In this episode, Mike Linch and Darleen Santore talk about her background and how she got into her career, the setback she faced, dealing with adversity.

Brian Dodd currently serves as the Director of New Ministry Relationships for Injoy Stewardship Solutions, where he helps churches fully-fund their mission and vision for their church. Brian also has a leadership website entitled Brian Dodd on Leadership. Brian states the goal for the site is “to take everyday life experiences we all have and process them in the light of leadership.” He is constantly updating the site with blog posts and e-books that are all leadership focused. Brian’s site is consistently viewed by some of the greatest leaders in the industry, and was ranked the number one Christian Leadership blog in 2012 by Theology Degrees Online. Brian has also authored a book recently entitled Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices of Apex Leaders, which gives some insight on what great leaders have done to achieve success. In this episode, Mike Linch and Brian Dodd dive into not only his background, how Brian’s faith has played a role, the intricacies of spiritual leadership, and the qualities some of the greatest leaders.

Dave is a graduate of Middle Tennessee University with a degree in recording management.  While a student there he began writing songs for others but was later encouraged to begin to perform himself.  He has now released eight albums, his most recent being, Who Knew It Would Be So Hard To Be MySelf,which released in 2018.   He gained huge notoriety when Blake Shelton recorded and released his song, God Gave Me You, in 2011.  The song became his fifth number one song and led to his nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song.Today, Mike talks to Dave about his journey into music and how he handles the stresses and strains of the road.  Dave shares his story of growing up as a “preachers kid” but how his parents lived out their faith in front of him helping him to have a faith that works.