2018 EDGE (Educate Discover Grow Execute) Conference

On October 4^th, 2018, MacKay CEO Forums is holding a one-day conference at the Hilton Toronto. The theme is “Embracing Innovation and Technology”. Keynote speakers include Peter Diamandis and Amanda Lange (see the agenda here), and if you want to know about blockchain technology, this is the place to be.

I will be in attendance, along with 50 other forum chairs and 450 CEOs and senior leaders. I’d love to have you join me at my table for an inspiring and intense day of learning. Please contact me if you are interested.

Meanwhile, I created a podcast for this group in which I discuss my latest book, The Bellwether Effect. You can listen to it here: https://tinyurl.com/yc9kaoq6.

3 Comments

Ron Mandel September 26, 2018 at 9:26 pmLog in to Reply

Hi Lance:
I could juggle my schedule to be available on Oct 4. Please let me know more details.
I’m in Dallas right now and having fond memories of our work together at First Command.
Rick September 30, 2018 at 8:24 amLog in to Reply

Thanks Lance but I will not make it. Lance I hope you do a write up of the event as the keynotes are sure to be great.
- Lance October 1, 2018 at 1:39 pmLog in to Reply
  
  I hadn’t thought of that Rick – I will try.

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By Lance Secretan

Dr. Lance Secretan is a spiritual thought leader, the world’s top authority on inspirational leadership, a trailblazing teacher, advisor, coach, mentor, and expert on building inspiring corporate cultures, whose bestselling books, inspirational talks, and life-changing retreats have touched the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide.

Martin Gleissner

Martin discovered the tremendous potential of Higher Ground Leadership® when raising a new engineering team for the automotive company Bosch in San Luis Potosi, Mexico from 2015 to 2019. To define a dream and to lead and live by the CASTLE® principles made them reach goals they never dared to dream of!

Martin has a Ph.D in engineering and over 20 years of international leadership experience in the automotive industry including development of product platforms, business and portfolio development and guidance of countless projects. He is fluent in German, English and Spanish. His passion is to enable individuals to live their full potential and to create high performant organizations that collaborate joyfully among themselves and with others. Martin believes that an inspired team is the prerequisite for sustainable success.

The on-going global transformation made Martin re-focus on his WHY: To grow consciousness. Martin believes that being conscious is necessary to lead a fulfilled and successful life. Therefore he is building a School for Growth in Queretaro, Mexico, to encourage consciousness, help individuals to grow and organizations to reach excellence by collaborating joyfully.

Superpower

Enabling growth by including head, heart and intuition. Building inspired, and therefore, high performing organizations. Fostering integral health for Mind, Body and Work.

Anne Miner

Anne Miner is an International Speaker, Best-Selling Author, and Business Owner. She’s a confident leader. A creative genius. And a cool and collected woman of style and charisma. Her proven ability to bring calm to chaos, success to failures, and solutions to problems weave together seamlessly to define her executive charm.

As an author and sought-after speaker, Anne’s written and spoken word encompasses her soothing and positive personality and youthful wit, revealing an infectious brand of go-getter wisdom for achieving personal success. She has successfully empowered many “to go over, under, around, or through the obstacles on any path… and to be courageous in pursuing their dreams.”

Anne is the President and Founder of The Dunvegan Group, Ltd. a company specializing in business retention; she is an Executive Coach and Mentor as well as the Founder of Women with GRIT.

Among Anne’s awards are the Alumni Medal of Achievement from the University of Guelph and the Luminary Award from the International Women’s Forum of Canada.

Anne is Past President of Oxford Women in Networking (OWIN) and Past President of the Toronto Chapter of the International Women’s Forum Canada.

Coaching / Teaching Resources

1. Overview

2. Intake

3. Proposal

3. Email Content for Proposal (Word)

4. Contract

4. Coaching Agreement (PDF)

5. Coachee Research

6. Constituent Research

7. Coaching Format

8. Interim Feedback

9. Post Assignment

10. Higher Ground Leadership® Coaching

10. Higher Ground Leadership® Coaching Deck (PPT)

Higher Ground Leadership® Resources

1. Foundation

1A. Becoming a Higher Ground Leader

1B. The Fundamentals

1C. Exercises

1D. Meditation

1D. Future Self Visualization (Word)

2. How We Teach

2A. Personal Values Workbook

2B. Spirit@Work®

2B. Key Words for Creating a Greeting (Word)

2C. Support for Teaching

2D. Teaching Instruments and Visuals

3. The Spark

3A. Why-Be-Do®

4. The Flame

4A. CASTLE Contract

4B. Exercises

4C. CASTLE Workshop

4C. CASTLE Workshop (Word)

4D. CASTLE Miscellaneous Files

5. The Torch

5A. Values-Centered Leadership® People Management and Position Descriptions

5B. Values-Centered Leadership® Definitions

5C. Values-Centered Leadership® General Tools

5D. Values-Centered Leadership® Sales Support

5E. Values-Centered Leadership® Strategy Tools

5F. Values-Centered Leadership® Teambuilding and Communicating

5G. Vector Surveys

5H. Exercises

5I. Vector Miscellaneous Files

6. German Translations

7. Spark, Flame, Torch Workshop

8. Case Studies

9. Crossword

Spirit@Work®

People crave meaning and connection at work – but most workplaces provide very little of either. This highly interactive keynote introduces Spirit@Work®, Lance Secretan’s groundbreaking system that blends multimedia, community wisdom, and personal reflection using the Spirit@Work® mobile app.

Participants guide the experience by selecting themes that matter most to them, creating a dynamic, co-created exploration of inspiration, values, and Higher Ground Leadership®. This format is energizing, surprising, and deeply human.

The result is a shared journey where people rediscover their own inner wisdom—and learn how to bring more spirit, joy, and authenticity into their work.

Key Takeaways

A new, interactive approach to cultivating inspiration at work
How the Spirit@Work® Cards and app spark meaningful conversations
The core concepts of Higher Ground Leadership®
How wisdom emerges collectively through peer-sharing
Why a people-centered leadership revolution is underway
A practical way to bring more purpose and humanity into work

Book Now

ONE: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership

Conscious Leadership begins with the understanding that we are all deeply connected – and that separation is at the root of most human pain. In this keynote, Lance Secretan explores how the CASTLE® Principles empower leaders to live and lead with Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love, and Effectiveness.

Through stories, spiritual insight, and practical guidance, he shows how reconnecting with our shared humanity transforms individuals, relationships, organizations, and society. This is leadership as wholeness – a return to oneness.

Participants learn how to embody inspiration in everyday life and bring greater unity, compassion, and clarity to their leadership.

Key Takeaways

How to regain and embody personal Courage
What Authentic leadership looks like in practice
Why Service elevates both self and others
How Truthfulness builds deep trust
Why Love is essential to leadership
How Effectiveness grows naturally from conscious living

Book Now

ONE Dream®: The Transformative Journey

Organizations often become divided by silos, priorities, and power struggles – and lose the ability to dream. In this keynote, Lance Secretan shows how creating ONE Dream® unifies people around a shared, elevated purpose that transcends competition and inspires collective greatness.

Lance reveals how dreaming – once considered too “soft” for business – is actually the engine behind the world’s most successful organizations. He shares the science, process, and stories behind helping corporations, cities, and regions identify and realize bold, transformative dreams.

When people dream together, barriers dissolve and extraordinary outcomes become possible.

Key Takeaways

Why mission/vision/values statements fall short
How ONE Dream® aligns and inspires entire communities
The science and structure behind bold organizational dreaming
How leaders unlock passion, creativity, and commitment
Real-world examples of cities and companies transformed by ONE Dream®
A step-by-step process for discovering and sustaining a dream

Book Now

A Grand Theory of Corporate Vitality

Despite endless books, courses, and theories about leadership, our institutions continue to struggle. In this keynote, Lance Secretan introduces a radical new understanding of what truly creates vibrant, inspired organizations – drawn from his groundbreaking work A Love Story.

He reframes the very idea of leadership, shifting the focus from command-and-control to a more human, love-centered approach that fuels vitality, innovation, and belonging. Leaders discover a refreshing and practical philosophy that rebuilds energy at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

This keynote is ideal for organizations seeking a new way forward – one rooted in meaning, spirit, and humanity.

Key Takeaways

Why traditional leadership concepts are no longer enough
How love and inspiration drive corporate vitality
A new, research-based model for building inspiring organizations
Practical steps to elevate trust, engagement, and performance
How leaders create environments where people thrive
The deeper forces that shape sustainable culture

Book Now

The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch

Our current leadership paradigm is failing – and we all feel it. In this keynote, Lance Secretan offers a bold reset drawn from The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch, revealing a path toward more human, inspired, and effective leadership across every sector of society.

He challenges conventional approaches to mission/vision/values statements, performance systems, motivation, and coaching – offering Higher Ground Leadership® as a powerful and proven alternative. With stories, metaphors, and vivid visuals, Lance shows how anyone can become an inspiring presence who elevates people and reshapes culture.

This keynote distills 35 years of research and practice into a clear blueprint for personal and organizational transformation.

Key Takeaways

Why traditional leadership models have failed
The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch framework
The true difference between inspiration and motivation
The CASTLE® Principles as a foundation for real leadership
How inspiring language and relationships accelerate performance
How to define your North Star (the Why-Be-Do®)
A practical roadmap for becoming an inspiring leader

Book Now

The Bellwether Effect

Too many organizations adopt trendy management practices that drain energy instead of elevating it. In this keynote, based on Lance Secretan’s bestselling The Bellwether Effect, audiences learn why these ideas spread – and how to replace them with practices that truly inspire.

Lance shares the eight most common, counterproductive habits leaders unintentionally embrace and reveals fresh, research-supported alternatives that transform culture, performance, and morale. His stories, insights, and lived experience bring clarity to why so many employees feel disengaged – and how leaders can change that.

You’ll walk away with a renewed sense of what leadership can be when it is grounded in inspiration instead of management fads.

Key Takeaways

Why leaders are seduced by trendy but ineffective ideas
The eight practices that undermine engagement
Practical, inspiring alternatives that actually work
How to build an organization people love being part of
What great leaders do differently
How The Bellwether Effect transforms both culture and results

Book Now

Reawakening the Human Spirit

When the world feels heavy, our inner light can dim. In this keynote, Lance Secretan invites audiences to rediscover the spark that makes us fully alive – reawakening the human spirit in ways that renew energy, joy, and purpose.

Drawing from Reawakening the Human Spirit, he explores how inspiration works, how it transforms our biochemistry, and how we can refill our inner reservoir even in challenging times. This is a powerful exploration of what it means to feel whole, grounded, and inspired again.

You’ll learn why inspiration – not motivation – is the force that elevates individuals and organizations, and how reconnecting with your Essential Self opens the door to deeper meaning, connection, and impact.

Key Takeaways

How to rediscover your Spark, Flame, and Torch
Why we are all leaders in our personal and professional lives
How separateness drains us—and oneness restores us
A practical path to remove stress permanently
The difference between the Essential Self and the Social Self
The biochemistry of inspiration
Techniques and habits that lead to a more inspired life

Book Now

Rachel Lauren Wade

Rachel Lauren Wade is the Co-founder of Heads and Tails Coaching, partners with the Coaching Revolution and owner of Rachel Lauren Wade Life and Business Coaching. With her passion and love, she inspires a courageous world through her public speaking and life/business coaching.

Rachel’s approach to coaching is all about living the example for her clients by living her dream of running her business while sailing around the world. With over 19 years of experience working with individuals, corporations and nonprofits she has the tools, expertise and passion to help clients to create, design, and achieve their desires. By being inspiring and practical Rachel supports a client’s fulfillment, productivity, and happiness.

Rachel holds an MBA in Global Business, BA Psychology, and is an ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC).

Deanna Stull

Barto, PA

I’ve been a disrupter for most of my life — a rebel in the anti-status quo revolution. I’ve had remarkable adventures and the great fortune of epic business journeys.
As an experienced professional coach who focuses on diving deep, facilitating fear, and challenging core beliefs—all in the name of making the world a more inspired and connected world. It is my goal to change cultures of fear within organizations and individuals.

My expertise comes from 25+ years of business development, marketing, branding, and professional coaching.

As a Senior Faculty Instructor and Chief Experience Officer at Coachville, LLC, and Certified Higher Ground Leadership® Coach/Pathfinder and Secretan Center Adjunct faculty member, I have mentored 4,000+ students taught more than 2750 coach training hours to aspiring professional coaches.

In my own practice, I have worked with more than 1,250 clients ranging from the Mayo Clinic to private entrepreneurs, and I have logged more than 22,500 coaching hours. My past experiences include:

Launching the flagship location of School of Rock in Philadelphia, creating the foundation, marketing, and press which supported its growth into an iconic music school with 260 franchises and inspired a major motion picture, a television show, and an Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway musical
Transforming the culture at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee through Higher Ground Leadership® coaching in partnership with The Secretan Center that improved staff communication, connectivity, and increased the number of children served by 15,000 within a year
Inspiring an entrepreneur to break out of the mold to achieve the equivalent of one year of sales results in only six weeks by identifying roadblocks, creating an action plan, and making space for creativity and the spirit of play

I’ve believed, through most of this experience, that I was not enough. It was a deep survival pattern running underneath the surface of everything I did.

I am a creative, wild mind, I will challenge every belief you have about yourself and your business.

I believe all things are possible, and I encourage my clients to break free of old patterns and to see their own bright, rebellious futures. It takes time, practice, and innovative coaching techniques to make measurable progress.

Jim Rink

Naperville, IL

As a Pathfinder and owner of a consulting firm, Jim is devoted to his Why-Be-Do®, guiding his passion to create a more inspired world. His destiny, or WHY, is to build a thriving, flourishing world. He embodies BEing a generous, loving, and inspiring person, evident in his 35+ years of leadership, technology, and change management, as a business owner and with a Fortune 100 company. Jim’s calling, or DO, is to serve and influence through his learning, connecting, and leadership, positioning him as a mentor, coach, and influential industry leader.

Holding advanced degrees in education, business, and engineering, Jim resolves complex organizational challenges, aligning people, processes, and technology. His Pathfinder certification in Higher Ground Leadership® is a testament to his commitment to lighting the way for personal and corporate inspiration.

In his current roles as an advisory board co-chairman, director, and adjunct faculty, Jim collaborates with a global community of consultants, facilitators, and leaders, dedicated to making a difference. His extensive experience and commitment to community impact, environmental sustainability, workforce development, and education, underscore his dedication to creating a flourishing world, reflecting his character and calling in every endeavor.

Super Powers

Facilitation, business advising, operational improvement, executive / life coaching and career transition coaching

Bill Richardson

Port Perry, ON

Bill is an international management consultant, executive coach and trainer dedicated to helping individuals, teams, and organizations transform learning into measurable value. This simple but powerful imperative, which he calls Learning on Purpose, is the centerpiece for his consulting and training business and is aimed at engaging in learning as a process, not a one-time event. He can be counted on to candidly share his knowledge, global perspective, and objective insights about how to thrive in today’s fast-paced, turbulent, but opportunity-rich, environment.

Scott Regan

Hilton Head Island, SC

In the last 20 years, Scott Regan has worked with more than 100 organizations on issues related to strategy, execution management, cultural transformation, and branding. His work has yielded amazing results, including a $40 million turnaround in 24 months for one organization and a four-year listing on Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for another.

Scott’s insights stem from a rich consulting and management career that includes C-suite experience in healthcare, quality management, and software technology. He has been the COO of a major teaching hospital, EVP and practice lead of a global consulting firm, and founder and CEO of a cloud-based software company. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Health Services Administration, and he is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Scott is also an adjunct professor at Winston-Salem State University, where he teaches Strategy, Finance, and Leadership, the latter course based on Lance Secretan’s book, “Reawakening the Human Spirit”.

Colin Platt

Mississauga, ON

Colin is an authentic, growth-oriented and strategically minded executive leader with a unique blend of skills in business development and human resources. Known as a passionate and inspirational ‘developer’ of people and teams, he builds a culture of strong morale through cross-functional collaboration and support. With a consultative approach, growth mindset, and desire to serve, he has a genuine interest in others, creates a sense of urgency and fosters innovation. As a facilitator, coach, and mentor, he builds trust quickly, listens well and communicates and facilitates with enthusiasm.

Colin has held progressive roles at Aon for over 15 years, and is currently helping to lead Aon’s core strategy, Delivering Aon United, allowing colleagues to more effectively collaborate and innovate on behalf of clients. In addition to Colin’s core responsibilities, he assists in leading/facilitating several of Aon’s flagship colleague-development programs.

Prior to Aon, Colin was involved in growing several entrepreneurial ventures in Toronto. He holds a BA from York University and is a graduate of Queen’s Executive Program, Kingston, Ontario

Colin is married to Amanda, and they live in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada with their four young children.

Robin Mooney

Robin has 15 years of experience as a high performing Sales Executive in the Office Furniture Industry, with her most recent post at Herman Miller. In addition to her role as Consultative Sales Professional, Robin has led numerous teams around the World of Work – the trends affecting businesses world-wide, including globalization, attraction and retention, generations at work, change communication and creating work environments as a business tool. Her passion for inspirational transformation in the workplace led her training and certification in Higher Ground leadership including the CASTLE® Principles, 5 Dynamics, and ONE Dream®. Understanding the key business drivers of effectiveness, productivity and profitability, Robin connects the shift of learning one’s 5 Dynamics Profiles, team relationships and living the CASTLE® Principles in our day-to-day work with clients. It is this connection that can make dramatic impacts on these and other business drivers.

Her entrepreneurial and corporate experience has provided deep insight into the hearts and souls of individuals, teams and communities that make up organizations of every size and scope. Robin’s mastery is using her relationship building skills to create a foundation for trust and permission space with teams and to engage them in respectful and authentic communication with each other. This foundation allows them the ability to begin creating inspirational and highly effective teams and loyal customers while living and passing on the torch of the CASTLE Principals.

Eirini Metaxas

Katonah, NY

Eirini is a Transformational Coach who founded me2morph Life Coaching to offer the insights she has learned along her personal journey. Eirini’s passion is to guide clients to achieve their dreams, with breathtaking results.

The name me2morph derives from the Greek word metamorphosis and stands for the proposition that “I too can change.” It was only in the process of overcoming her own challenges that Eirini learned to see life in a different light. Employing the spirit of play, she inspires others to tap into their inner resources and achieve their own personal breakthroughs.

Eirini coaches one-on-one and also invites women to her “playshop” — Discover Your Inner Goddess — which she leads each summer in the Blue Zone of Ikaria, Greece.

Listen to Eirini’s podcast — Dancing through Life with Eirini — on Apple, Podbean and Spotify.

Certifications:

Professional Certified Coach (PCC) — International Coaching Federation
CVPCC — Center for Coaching Mastery at CoachVille
Higher Ground Leadership® Certified Coach — The Secretan Center
International Association for Human Values & Art of Living Foundation certification in deep breathing & meditation wellness

“I believe we all can thrive in the cosmic dance of life, physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.”

The world is your stage to perform, play and self-express! What part of your life do you need to morph and perform better?

Super Powers

Metamorphosis coaching, role playing, scenario planning, stress management, visualization, pivotal moment identification, Inner Freedom method, intuition, spirituality, retreat leading and change facilitation.

Sue Lindsay

Queenstown, New Zealand

Accidental researcher, startup survivor, professional director, Master Executive coach, retained by leaders as a mentor, coach and strategist, Sue Lindsay is the CEO of Real Insight Now, an insights and strategy consultancy working with clients in New Zealand and Australia.

The unique approach Sue’s team brings to research places them at the cutting edge of talent and customer insight. Their work informs strategy and focuses leadership. This unique level of insight combined with her wide experience including as CEO of a Top 200 organisation, cofounder and CEO of a tech-based startup and extensive Governance experience mean that Sue is the perfectly aligned with senior executives, entrepreneurs and company directors serious about inspiring the full potential of their people, their business and the impact that both can have on creating a more inspiring future.

A shameless advocate for advancing the role of women, Sue partnered with Bank of New Zealand in delivering her Women in Business program to over 5500 women. Her Feminine Perspective research project continues to challenge the way business thinks about brand and leading diversity across the gender gap. Sue is the Founding President of The International Women’s Forum in New Zealand and serves on the Presidents’ Global Council.

A true pathfinder Sue lives and breathes authentic and inspirational leadership– she believes that now, more than ever, we are all being called to leadership – that this is not optional, that it is imperative – and not for the faint of heart. Sue is the perfect mentor, coach or strategist for leaders committed to developing their potential and impact as inspirational leaders, who create cultures, brands and businesses that make the world a better place.

Alice “Cheri” LePage

Gibsons, BC

I’m your witness to your spark within that will ignite the opportunity for finding your passions, self expressions and support you to find that pathway to freedom that unlocks your Highest Self.

As a Healing Practitioner since 1996 in the fields of Biodynamic Craniosacral Balancing Amnion – Aquatic Therapy, that gave me insight into the unique beauty of each client and a witness to very deep unfolding of their patterns towards Inherent Health within.

In 2020 I began enhancing my coaching skills and became a Pathfinder. I then began assisting people ‘deprogram’ their deeper ‘root-programs’ or ‘imprints’ and to unravel their ‘stuck’ patterns and turn them into unrealized potential.

My Superpowers

My highest passion is with re-acclimatizing people with the natural surroundings, bringing a sense of spiritual connection and atonement to the planet and each other in natural surroundings.

Ron Hulse

Toronto, ON

An organizations builder and entrepreneur with 30+ years in the technology and start up sector, Ron is a Partner in Bigwin Group, a leadership focused recruitment firm. A journalist by training, he rose to VP, Sales at Compaq Computer Corporation, from 1984-2000, having been the first sales rep hired. He honed his skills as the company grew to more than $2B from just over $10M when he joined, but one of his notable contributions was the organizational design and integration of the two largest acquisitions he developed when Compaq acquired Tandem and Digital Equipment. His entrepreneurial calling flourished in Silicon Valley as part of the dotcom boom before leading two other startups, based in Tel Aviv and Seattle. In 2007, Hulse joined Samsung Canada as the VP of the IT Division before being named the Chief Convergence Officer in 2009 with responsibility for their Mobility Division and was designated to become the first local President of the $2B subsidiary. Executive Placement was a natural extension to his abilities to shape organizations and was what led to him joining Bigwin.

His career has thrived on his ability to attract, coach, motivate and develop future leaders. He is a Register Corporate Business Coach (RCC) under the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches in August 2020. He is also a practitioner of Higher Ground Leadership®, having completed the Master Certification in 2022. He embraces the CASTLE® Principles as a model for his life. He is also certified as a practitioner of both Lumina Learning’s suite of psychometric assessments as well as the Leadership Effectiveness Analysis from Management Research Group.

Hulse combines his enjoyment of a good challenge with fundraising and has trekked Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Everest Base Camp to fund raise for Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation. He has also served as Youthdale Foundation co-chair in fundraising.

Hulse is a Journalism graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University and has attended leadership development courses at Western University and Harvard University.

Superpowers

His superpower is his ability to relate, understand and gain insight from others that he uses for positive outcomes.

Lynnea Hagen

San Jose, CA

Lynnea’s clients tend to be executives who want to exchange “stuckness” for passion.

Her holistic “internal-external” approach and deep focus on purpose empowers clients to overcome challenges, increase profitability, and cultivate inspiring leadership. She specializes in helping people translate “work” into a personal passion or meaningful definition, which transforms how they live their lives– in, and out of, the workplace. Then she helps them craft steps to do that.

As one client said, “You take all of the ‘stuff’ that’s out there, and in our minds, and you synchronize it”.

She holds certifications in Life, Group, Small Business, and Executive coaching, as well as business planning and 90-day success plans. She has coached CEO’s, directors, and company presidents in a wide range of organizations, large and small. Lynnea’s professional credentials include a management background with Disney and Pacific Bell/AT&T, and executive search firms. Clients include H.P., Cisco, Intel, The Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Club of America, and dozens of small businesses ranging from machining companies, construction, MLM, financial, and legal. She holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and sociology, post-grad certificate in Info Systems management, and an MS degree in HR/Organizational Development. Lynnea started coaching groups in 1987, which ignited her passion for helping others get out of their own way and achieve their dreams.

She loves music, dancing, traveling, the arts (and her dog, Bizet).

Super Powers

Liberator from “stuckness”, Bringer of balance, Facilitator for success and sales plans, Clarifier of challenges, Partner for your journey, Guide for growth, An objective, new pair of eyes, Booster from “mouse vision” to “eagle vision”.

Kevork Garabedian

An entrepreneur of 24 years, Kevork Garabedian is a certified professional coach dedicated to helping people and organizations. Having built and operated multiple businesses he has inspired his teams by creating an atmosphere of trust and support. Kevork also has a passion for art. His studies of various partner dances led him to understand the importance of human connection and this led him to develop a non-profit which taught the basics of human connection to elementary school students.

Kevork believes corporations are an integral part of society and has dedicated himself to the development of empowering and joyful work culture. This led him to The Bellwether Effect. After reading Lance’s book he immediately saw the wisdom of The Higher Ground Leadership® techniques and now uses them to help people and corporations.

Lauren Flanigan

Lauren is the Founder/Director of Music and Mentoring House, a New York State non-profit that provides an affordable and transformational residency program along with hands-on mentoring to students studying in the arts in NYC.

Music and Mentoring House fosters transformation through Courage, Authenticity, Service to others, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness. The CASTLE® Principles.

I have enjoyed a more than forty-year career as a leading opera singer that included performances at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Glyndebourne, the New York City Opera, ten world premieres, one movie, Death to Smoochy, eleven CD’s, and five Live From Lincoln Center telecasts and I’m not done yet!!

I am actively working towards ICF certification through Coachville.com and am an active member of Higher Ground Leadership® Community. If your artistic life has stalled or you are looking for new inspirations, I’m your girl.

David Fisher

Oakville, ON

Have you ever felt frustrated that you can’t find a solution or resource that can provide you with what you need at the right cost?

Do you believe you’ve wasted either time, energy or resources on solutions that just don’t work for you or your team?

Are you afraid that your good ideas and momentum are being sabotaged by either yourself or others?

If you wish to inspire your team and embrace a new way of doing things, I help remove the negative attitudes and change barriers through my mental fitness facilitation and coaching.

As a mental fitness consultant, coach, and value based sales professional, I have over 25 years of experience managing development projects, producing training programs and working with amazing people from all over the world on exciting corporate educational programs.

David Fisher has worked with many large clients such as ExxonMobil, Husky Energy, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, AT&T Canada, Bell Mobility, Nortel Networks… I’ve travelled extensively supporting, training, facilitating, helping, coaching, caring and enjoying my direct work with interesting people.

Super Powers

Certified as a Higher Ground Leadership® Pathfinder in 2021, and in partnership and consultation with Dr. Lance Secretan, David now uses the CASTLE principles to create customized and one-of-a-kind training program focused on the needs of volunteers and leaders.

Alise Cortez

Dallas, TX

Dr. Alise Cortez is the Chief Ignition Officer at Gusto, Now!, a human and organizational transformation consultancy specializing in the activation of meaning and purpose to increase engagement, performance, innovation, and retention. She is an organizational psychologist and logotherapist, inspirational speaker, researcher, author, and host of the Working on Purpose podcast. She is the author of:

Purpose Ignited: How Inspiring Leaders Unleash Passion and Elevate Cause (2020)
Passionately Striving in “Why”: An Anthology of Women Who Persevere Mightily to Live Their Purpose (2021)
The Great Revitalization: How Activating Meaning and Purpose Can Radically Enliven Your Business (2023)
Coloring Life: How Loss Invites Us to Live More Vibrant Lives (2023)

Having developed her expertise within the human capital / organizational excellence industry over the last 25 years, she is focused on helping companies, leaders, and individuals across the globe to live with “gusto” and make the most of their one, precious life. Today Dr. Cortez is focused on enabling organizations to lead from purpose and create cultures that inspire impassioned performance, meaningful engagement and fulfillment, while encouraging a devoted stay within the organization. For individuals, Dr. Cortez facilitates an online global community and various retreats to enable people hungry for a more meaningful and purposeful life to create it for themselves.

Ellen Brakel

Greater Toronto Area

Ellen Brakel is a Wellness Coach, Yoga, Qigong and Meditation Instructor, Registered Massage Therapist, Cranial Sacral and Medical Qigong Therapist, Airbnb Host, Herbal Tea Co-Founder/Farmer/Producer and Entrepreneur who offers over 25 years of experience in the health industry.

She has managed two wellness centers and a retail health food store, worked in a team setting within the Spa Industry, a center for youth addiction and mental health, a senior’s home and a physiotherapy clinic. She has designed and taught Yoga and meditation workshops to youth and teens in local school settings.

She enjoys weaving the CASTLE® Principles and Spirit@Work® Cards and mobile app into her sessions from her Pathfinder training with the Secretan Center.

She lives in Mono, Ontario with her husband, on their Herbal Tea and Airbnb Farm and has a home practice and yoga teaching studio. She can be reached at www.soaringheartwellness.com.

Jutta Böttcher

Germany

Jutta Böttcher is a business graduate, married, mother of two grown-up daughters and grandmother of a granddaughter. She lives in a small town in northern Germany near Hamburg.

From 1984 to 2004 she was an employee and deputy manager of her parents’ medium-sized company. During this time, her intensive voluntary work in various leading positions as a parent representative in large school organizations, such as a school with 1000 pupils and a staff of 100 at the time, as well as chairmanship of the town parents’ council, led her to realize how few educational and professional systems are able to support people with a high level of sensitivity and awareness and to recognize their importance for future social development.

After winding up and selling the company she inherited, she therefore founded the first competence center for high sensitivity in Germany in 2008 under the name Aurum Cordis.

From 2016-2018, the specialist book Hochsensibilität (High Sensitivity) was created from the diverse experiences gained both in accompanying these people and in collaboration with equally interested experts from other disciplines. The third edition was published in German by fischer& gann in 2023.

In her work, Jutta Böttcher draws on her experience from her many years of voluntary work as well as her many years of further training in spiritual guidance and a wide range of experience and further training in various analogy systems and spiritual spaces. Fifteen years of experience in coaching and counseling highly sensitive adults in change processes as well as families with highly sensitive children have made her a sought-after expert on the topic of high sensitivity – frequently interviewed in the press, on the radio and at various conferences.

As early as 2011, she took part in a fundamental seminar on Higher Ground Leadership® with Dr. Lance Secretan in Germany. From 2013-2020, together with colleagues, she led and developed the Integral Health Coach training at Aurum Cordis, which already incorporated essential elements of Higher Ground Leadership®. Her deep interest in the role of the heart both for the development of resilience and as a gateway for spiritual insight processes and consciousness development led her to the HeartMath Institute, California. 2021- 2023 she took part in the online training to become a HeartMath Coach through HeartMath Germany and tested these insights in coaching processes. Since 2024 she is certified HeartMath Coach and Pathfinder in the network of Lance Secretan.

Superpower:

I remind people of their spiritual connection and help them to find their place in life with the power that comes from being in tune with their higher self.