Most leaders are not actually stepping into 2026. They are dragging unresolved decisions from 2025 behind them.

This episode of The School of Influence is a leadership walk around. Before you accelerate toward new goals, you need to inspect the frame you are building on. Momentum built on dysfunction always leads to burnout.

As a faith driven business leader and founder of the Influence Academy, I help entrepreneurs grow their impact, income, and influence through God honoring strategy. This episode calls leaders to stop chasing foliage that feeds the ego and start cultivating fruit that feeds the mission.

In this conversation, we break down:

• The Pilot’s Walk Around

Why speed without inspection creates hidden failure points.

• Fruit vs. Foliage

How to separate ego driven activity from real effectiveness.

• The Tax of Toleration

What you are allowing that is quietly draining your peace and energy.

• The Mirror Test

How fear gets disguised as wisdom, patience, or strategy.

This episode is not about doing more.

It is about removing what no longer belongs so your leadership can move forward clean, focused, and strong.

Most people don't truly "start fresh" in a new year; they often carry the "burden of the past" with them. We tend to cling to the old, rather than truly "let it go" and embrace a clean slate. This video explores why we must confront the "burden" we bring into new beginnings, rather than simply dragging our "past" along.

What if the hardest seasons of your life were not setbacks, but the very foundation of your calling?

In this powerful episode of The School of Influence, Devin Schubert sits down with purpose and possibility influencer Les Allen for a raw, faith-filled conversation about identity, resilience, and legacy. From growing up as one of five children raised by a single mother in Chicago to leaving home at sixteen and facing deep personal struggles, Les shares how hitting rock bottom became the turning point that awakened his true purpose.

This episode is a wake-up call for anyone who feels stuck, overlooked, or held back by past mistakes or limiting beliefs. Les unpacks how faith in action, not perfection, creates momentum. He challenges listeners to stop waiting for clarity and start moving with obedience, reminding us that influence begins with service, integrity, and small daily steps of courage.

If you are ready to break free from fear, reclaim your identity, and build a life that leaves a generational legacy, this conversation will stir your spirit and move you forward.

Get Your Story Published TODAY: https://www.storiestostages.com

Coupon Code: PODCAST1

What You’ll Learn

How to break free from limiting beliefs that keep you stuck

Why rock bottom is often the foundation for your next breakthrough

How faith and service create real influence in business and life

Why momentum starts with small, obedient steps, not perfection

Guest Bio

Les Allen is a Purpose and Possibility Influencer, ordained minister, four-time author, corporate trainer, and international coach who has worked with clients on five continents. His mission is to awaken people to the call on their lives by breaking down barriers to belief and stirring the giant within. Known for his deep faith, integrity, and servant leadership, Les lives as an unashamed Ambassador for Christ, helping others rise in purpose without compromising their values.

Guest Links & Resources

Website: https://www.ambassadorsway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sr.lesallen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sr.lesallen

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

Connect with Devin (Host)

Website: https://www.devinschubert.com

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

Join the Influence Academy: https://influenceacademyonline.com/

Grab Free Ebook: https://www.createbetterstories.com

What if the very parts of your story you try to hide are the same parts that qualify you to lead?

In this powerful episode of The School of Influence, Devin Schubert sits down with Dr. Davis McAlister, a former homeless teen who went on to serve in U.S. military intelligence, become a doctor, author, and nationally recognized leadership coach. Dr. Davis shares how sleeping under stadium bleachers shaped the resilience, discipline, and identity that later defined his leadership.

This conversation dives deep into identity, influence, and leading without leverage. You’ll hear how military interrogation principles translate into modern leadership, why relationship matters more than position, and how past pain can become a strategic advantage instead of a liability.

If you’ve ever struggled with imposter syndrome, questioned your calling, or felt disqualified by your past, this episode will reset your perspective. Leadership is not about titles or platforms. It’s about character, clarity, and courage forged through experience.

Your story is not a weakness. It is a responsibility.

Get Your Story Published TODAY: https://www.storiestostages.com

Use Coupon Code: PODCAST1

Dr. Davis Transcript

What You’ll Learn

• How identity shapes influence long before position does

• Why leadership is built on relationship, not authority

• How to turn survival skills into leadership strategy

• A practical way to overcome imposter syndrome and lead with confidence

Guest Bio

Dr. Davis McAlister is a keynote speaker, author, and leadership coach known for transforming leaders into resilient problem solvers. With eight years of service in U.S. Army Military Intelligence as an Interrogator, Counterintelligence Specialist, and Linguist, Dr. McAlister brings a rare real-world perspective to leadership development. He is the author of The Interrogator’s Guide series and the host of The Approach YouTube show, where he interviews high-level performers across business, military, and leadership sectors. His work focuses on identity-driven leadership, influence without leverage, and building high-performing teams.

Dr. Davis

Guest Links & Resources

• Website: https://drdavismcalister.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davis.mcalister.27413

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrDavisMcAlister

• Book Series: The Interrogator’s Guide

Connect with Devin (Host)

• Website: https://www.devinschubert.com

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schubertdevin

• Join the Influence Academy: https://influenceacademyonline.com

• Grab Free Ebook: https://www.createbetterstories.com