Show Notes:

What if the best leadership training wasn't in a conference room but on a historic battlefield?

In this fascinating episode of the Business Growth Spotlight, Heidi Schalk sits down with leadership expert, executive coach, author, and retired Army Colonel David Fivecoat. After serving 24 years in the military and leading organizations ranging from 40 people to several thousand, David has developed a unique approach to leadership development that takes executives and leadership teams directly to historic battlefields.

From Normandy to Gettysburg, David uses real historical events, leadership decisions, and moments of extreme pressure to help business leaders strengthen communication, decision making, initiative, and resilience.

David also shares the entrepreneurial journey of launching a consulting company during the height of COVID, the lessons he learned about grit, and why persistence is often the deciding factor between success and failure.

If you're looking for a fresh perspective on leadership, team development, and business growth, this episode delivers valuable insights you won't hear anywhere else.

Bio*

After 24 years as a US Army paratrooper, as well as 4 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Colonel David Fivecoat, US Army, Retired, founded The Fivecoat Consulting Group. The author of the book Grow Your Grit, he now develops leaders through executive coaching, keynote speeches, workshops, and battlefield based leadership experiences (corporate staff rides). A native Ohioan, David Fivecoat resides in Columbus, Georgia.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tfcg-llc

Website: https://www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com/

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

Show Notes:

In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, Heidi Schalk sits down with Danny Bobrow, founder of The Persuasion Blueprint, to explore how authentic communication can transform relationships, leadership, business growth, and everyday interactions.

Danny shares his remarkable journey from overcoming significant visual impairment challenges to building successful businesses and developing a proven framework for persuasive communication. His approach is built on a simple but powerful principle: people make decisions emotionally and justify them logically.

Together, Heidi and Danny dive into the three pillars of persuasive communication: Caring, Connection, and Collaboration, while discussing why listening may be the most valuable communication skill of all.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannybobrow/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielABobrow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielabobrow

Website: www.DannyBobrow.com

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

🎁 Looking for the solution to missed calls and leaking revenue? Check out Leah, our AI employee then get your free custom demo for your business: myhlhgrowthsolutions.com/leah

Show Notes:

What does it really mean to build a high performing organization?

In this powerful episode of Business Growth Spotlight, Heidi Schalk sits down with leadership coach, marketing strategist, and author Olivier Lemaignen to explore the leadership principles that drive sustainable growth, stronger teams, and meaningful impact.

After spending more than 30 years climbing the corporate ladder and serving as a marketing executive in Silicon Valley, Olivier made an intentional pivot into coaching. What began as a desire to escape corporate politics became a mission to help leaders become better versions of themselves while creating high performing organizations built on clarity, purpose, and service.

Throughout the conversation, Olivier shares why many leaders focus too heavily on performance metrics while overlooking the most important question: What are we actually trying to accomplish?

Together, Heidi and Olivier dive into leadership development, organizational growth, servant leadership, coaching, AI, business development, and the importance of defining your personal and professional True North.

If you're a business owner, executive, team leader, or entrepreneur navigating growth, this episode offers practical insights that can help you lead more effectively while building a legacy that lasts.

Bio:

Over the past 30+ years, I have led and grown B2B, B2C, and marketplace-driven platforms across companies such as Intuit, LegalZoom, Credit Sesame, and Align Technology.

My work has consistently focused on building repeatable revenue engines — aligning product, go-to-market, pricing, and operations to create durable growth and strong unit economics.I’ve operated both inside Fortune 500 environments and growth-stage companies.

Then I pivoted to my true passion (which also turned out to my secret sauce for my success as a marketing executive): helping people grow into better versions of themselves, making sure the rising tide lifts all boats.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierlemaignen/

Website: https://www.hpocoach.com

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

🎁 Looking for the solution to missed calls and leaking revenue? Check out Leah, our AI employee then get your free custom demo for your business: myhlhgrowthsolutions.com/leah

Show Notes:

In this episode of the Business Growth Spotlight, Heidi Schalk sits down with Steve Smith, founder of Growth Source Coaching, to discuss the challenges business owners face as they grow, scale, and evolve. With more than 45 years of business experience and nearly two decades as an executive coach, Steve shares practical insights on leadership, growth strategy, business infrastructure, coaching, visibility, and AI.

Steve explains why many business owners eventually lose connection with the purpose that originally drove them, how to identify growth ceilings before they become major obstacles, and why scaling too quickly can create more problems than opportunities.

The conversation also explores Steve's unique visibility strategy, including how Google Business Profile became one of his most powerful lead generation tools, generating a significant percentage of new business over the years.

Whether you're a founder, CEO, consultant, coach, or business owner looking to grow sustainably, this episode is packed with actionable wisdom and real world experience.

Bio:

Steve Smith, a professional business coach in Orange County, CA. has a mission. This mission is to provide an extraordinary coaching experience that helps business professionals develop a keen sense of clarity, confidence and belief about being able to achieve what is most important to them and their organizations.

Since 2008, Steve has worked with over 1,000 business professionals from a wide variety of industries and roles to ensure these clients could envision a future of growth, profitability and long lasting success.

His specialties in leadership effectiveness, management practices and marketing strategy make him ideal for professionals who want to become world-class business owners or company executives.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachstevejsmith/

Website: https://www.growthsourcecoaching.com/

Podcast: www.businesswingmen.com

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

🎁 Looking for the solution to missed calls and leaking revenue? Check out Leah, our AI employee then get your free custom demo for your business: myhlhgrowthsolutions.com/leah

Show Notes:

In this episode, Heidi Schalk sits down with Dave Pennington, founder of Penn Coaching & Consulting, for a conversation packed with hard-won insights on leadership, business scaling, exit strategy, and the smart use of AI. Dave shares his journey through ministry, private education, and now a coaching practice built around helping business owners unlock their strengths, build the right teams, and position their businesses for maximum value when it's time to sell or transition.

Bio:

Dave spent the last 35+ years managing and leading organizations. He has served on national & international boards. He has built strong teams, developed his personal leadership, managed financials, and developed and sustained visionary leadership.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pennington-phd-35042714/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penncandc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penncandc/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@penncoachingconsulting

Website: https://penncoaching.com

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

🎁 Looking for the solution to missed calls and leaking revenue? Check out Leah, our AI employee then get your free custom demo for your business: myhlhgrowthsolutions.com/leah

Show Notes:

What separates businesses that scale from those that stall?

In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, Heidi Schalk sits down with Dr. Adam Cubbage, Founder and Principal Consultant of CenterPoint Leadership Development, to discuss the systems, leadership frameworks, and mindset shifts that businesses need to achieve sustainable growth.

Drawing from his military background and years of leadership development experience, Adam shares why leadership is not inspiration. It is a repeatable system.

The conversation explores common mistakes founders make as they grow, the dangers of relying on one person for critical knowledge, how AI is changing business operations, and why business owners must continuously evolve if they want to reach their next level.

Adam also introduces his upcoming book, Nobody Gave Me a Playbook, designed for leaders who were promoted into management without ever receiving a roadmap.

Bio:

With over two decades of unique and hands-on leadership experience ranging from the combat zone to the c-suite, Adam Cubbage is a recognized expert in leadership & organizational development. He’s passionate about developing the next generation of leaders because he knows that great leaders are made only through a combination of experience, learning, and behavior.

As the owner and Principal Consultant of Center Point Leadership Development, a certified executive coach, and professional facilitator Adam has extensive experience working with leaders at every level of an organization discovering the best ways to lead people, develop teams, & achieve results. The outcomes are undeniable: increased employee engagement, high-performing teams, and improved performance.

Adam earned a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Hood College, is an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a contributing writer to Forbes Magazine, a TEDx speaker, an adjunct professor, and a decorated combat veteran.

He brings his love of learning, an ability to connect with people, and a keen sense of humor to deliver high-impact / high quality training programs all across the nation.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atcubbage/

Website: https://www.centerpointleadership.co/

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

🎁 Looking for the solution to missed calls and leaking revenue? Check out Leah, our AI employee then get your free custom demo for your business: myhlhgrowthsolutions.com/leah

Show Notes:

In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, Heidi Schalk sits down with Andrew Chesnutt, founder of Authority Forge, to discuss what it really takes to build authority, simplify marketing, and grow a sustainable business.

With over 20 years of experience in learning and development and more than a decade in entrepreneurship, Andrew shares how he transformed his expertise into helping coaches and founders manage marketing overwhelm while focusing on the work they do best.

This conversation dives into founder marketing, the balance between personal storytelling and business content, the role of AI in modern business, and why entrepreneurs often struggle by trying to do everything themselves.

Andrew also opens up about costly lessons learned, including a failed $15,000 marketing campaign, hiring mistakes, business pivots, and strategies that now consistently drive growth.

Discover practical insights on content strategy, authentic storytelling, pivoting, and leveraging AI effectively. If you're a coach, entrepreneur, or founder looking to create visibility, build authority, and scale strategically, this episode delivers practical insights you can implement immediately.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewchesnutt/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthorityforge/

Website: https://theauthorityforge.com/

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

🎁 Looking for the solution to missed calls and leaking revenue? Check out Leah, our AI employee then get your free custom demo for your business: myhlhgrowthsolutions.com/leah