Sheldon Crocker knows what it means to fight through hardship—and win. As an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, and resilience-building expert, he has turned his own story of struggle into a message of hope for people around the world. From childhood trauma and physical limitations to addiction and deep emotional pain, Sheldon has faced more than most. But he never let those challenges define him. Instead, he used them as stepping stones toward a life of purpose, strength, and service. Rising above adversity, his work today empowers others to do the same: to face adversity head-on and come out stronger.

A Voice Born from Experience

Sheldon’s mission began in silence. For years, he carried the weight of abuse and addiction alone, unsure if he had the right to dream of something more. But over time, he realized that his story could become a lifeline for others—if he had the courage to share it.

“I was inspired by my own battles,” Sheldon says. “People around me were suffering in silence, like I once did. I knew I had a voice to help them rise.”

From that realization came a commitment to speak, write, and teach in a way that is raw, honest, and deeply personal. His message is clear: your past doesn’t define you—your response does.

Keep on Walking

One of Sheldon’s most powerful principles is what he calls “KEEP on WALKING.” It’s not about giant leaps or instant fixes. It’s about small, steady steps—especially when the path feels impossible.

“I faced physical limitations and emotional scars that nearly broke me,” he shares. “But I kept walking. I surrounded myself with people who believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself.”

That mindset became the core of his resilience work. Through talks, books, and his growing Empowerment Course, Sheldon helps others find their footing when life knocks them down.

Rising Above Adversity

Sheldon’s journey has shaped everything he teaches. He doesn’t lead from theory—he leads from lived experience. That’s what gives his work its impact.

“I bring practical tools and authentic storytelling to help people create real transformation,” he explains. “Adversity isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of something powerful.”

His approach is grounded in integrity and purpose. He’s not interested in quick fixes or surface-level motivation. He wants people to dig deep, rise strong, and make lasting change.

Connecting Through Truth

At the heart of Sheldon’s work is connection. His audience includes anyone who has struggled—anyone who’s ever felt broken, stuck, or invisible. He reaches them by being real, by offering strategies they can actually use, and by showing up with his full self.

“Relatable stories and actionable steps are how I connect,” he says. “I’m not here to preach. I’m here to walk alongside people.”

That connection is what makes his message stick. People don’t just hear Sheldon—they feel understood by him.

Defining Success Through Impact

To Sheldon, success isn’t about awards or applause. It’s about the lives changed. The letters he gets. The people who tell him they kept walking because of his words.

“Success means living with purpose and staying true to my mission,” he says. “It’s about impact. It’s about creating hope where there was none.”

It’s also about staying grounded. For Sheldon, values like authenticity, compassion, and service are the compass points that guide every decision he makes.

What’s Next

Looking ahead, Sheldon is focused on expanding his reach. He’s booking more speaking engagements, growing his workshop offerings, and building partnerships that allow his message to spread farther and faster.

He’s also continuing to develop his Empowerment Course, Unleash Your Inner Strength: A 6-Week Journey to Emotional Empowerment and Personal Transformation, and plans to publish more books designed to guide readers through their own journeys of resilience. His free guide, Unlock Transformation: 7 Steps to Unleash Your Potential, is already helping people take the first steps.

But no matter how big his platform grows, his goal remains the same: to help people rise.

Connect with Sheldon Crocker

• Website: https://www.sheldonstransformativethinking.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-r-s-crocker
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sheldon.R.S.Crocker.Speaker
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sheldonscrockersTransformThink
• Email: sheldon@sheldonstransformativethinking.com

Timothy Mullin never set out to start his own business. But after decades of public service and leadership, he realized something was missing in the professional world—genuine, people-first leadership. So he decided to do something about it.

Timothy is the founder and CEO of Pathfinder Leadership Academy, a consulting firm offering leadership and development training for individuals and small groups. He brings more than 20 years of military service, a career in law enforcement, and a deep passion for mentoring into everything he teaches.

“I’ve always enjoyed helping others reach their goals,” Timothy says. “That’s what leadership is—empowering people to reach their fullest potential.”

From Service to Start-Up

After earning his Master’s in Public Administration in 2016 and retiring from law enforcement in 2021, Timothy could have easily taken a step back. Instead, he chose to lean into what had always brought him the most fulfillment: developing others.

For nearly a decade, he has facilitated leadership training in the Air Force Reserve. Now, he’s bringing that same level of structure, discipline, and heart to the civilian world through his own company.

Starting Pathfinder Leadership Academy wasn’t easy. Timothy had never launched a business before and had to learn everything from building a website to navigating state registration and outreach. But he kept going. “The fear of the unknown, the possibility of failure—it was all there,” he admits. “But so was the drive to make a difference.”

A Leadership Style Built on Experience

Timothy’s leadership style doesn’t fit in one box—and that’s the point. Over the years, he’s learned to adapt. Sometimes a team needs collaboration. Sometimes it needs direction. Other times, the best thing a leader can do is step back and let people figure things out on their own.

“I use different approaches depending on the situation,” he says. “Good leaders know when to switch gears.”

That flexibility was honed through years in unpredictable environments—from military deployments to overnight law enforcement shifts. It’s a skill that he now teaches others, emphasizing real-world thinking, quick decision-making, and resilience under pressure.

“There is no rulebook in life,” he adds. “You make the best decision you can with the information you have—and sometimes it’s the wrong one. You’ve got to bounce back and keep going.”

People Over Profits

What makes Timothy’s work different is simple: he puts people first. He’s troubled by how many businesses train employees just enough to do the job—and nothing more. In his view, that approach breeds disengagement, poor customer service, and missed potential.

“There are so many companies that put profits over people,” he says. “But without the people, the profits wouldn’t be there.”

Through Pathfinder, he’s helping organizations shift that mindset—investing in their teams so that leadership becomes part of the culture, not just a title.

Teaching More Than Just Management

Timothy’s work isn’t just for executives. His target audience includes anyone who wants to become a better leader in work and in life. He believes that the lessons from leadership—self-awareness, communication, accountability—carry into every role, every industry, every family.

And while building a client base is a challenge, he’s committed to doing what it takes. “I’m networking, attending conferences, visiting businesses, asking for referrals—whatever it takes to connect with the people who need this.”

It’s not about mass marketing. It’s about real connection. And that’s exactly what his leadership model is built on.

Redefining Success

For Timothy, success isn’t flashy. It’s about purpose. It’s about showing up, doing the work, and helping others grow.

“Success is different for everyone,” he says. “We’ve got to stop comparing ourselves to others. The journey looks different for each of us.”

He speaks from experience. The road hasn’t always been smooth—between balancing military duties, family life, and now entrepreneurship, he’s had to navigate plenty of obstacles. But adversity, he says, is a gift. “It builds character. It gives you perspective. No matter how bad things seem, they can always be worse.”

A Legacy of Leadership

Looking ahead, Timothy isn’t just focused on growing his business—he’s focused on making an impact. He wants to leave behind more than a successful company. He wants to be remembered for how he made people feel, how he lifted others up, and how he helped build stronger communities one leader at a time.

“I’m a bit of a dreamer,” he says with a smile. “But if someone remembers me because I helped them become better, and they then help others in the same way—that’s the kind of legacy I want.”

Connect with Timothy Mullin
Website: https://www.pathfinderleadershipacademy.com
Email: TIMOTHY.MULLIN1127@gmail.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tim-mullin-68ab2743

Evan Sohn has spent his career building companies at the intersection of data, strategy, and innovation. As CEO and co-founder of Aura Intelligence, he’s on a mission to help organizations understand one of their most valuable yet overlooked assets: their people.

Aura was born out of a clear and pressing problem. While financial performance is tracked with precision, workforce data has historically been messy, slow, and scattered. Leaders were forced to make major decisions—on hiring, restructuring, or investing—without a clear view of what was really happening inside their teams or across the market.

Evan and his team set out to change that.

From Blind Spots to Better Decisions

Aura’s roots trace back to Bain & Company, where the idea first emerged. Time and again, leaders lacked real-time, external insights into workforce trends and talent flows. That blind spot inspired Evan and his co-founders to build something different— something smarter.

“What if we could bring the same rigor and clarity to workforce insights that companies rely on for financial performance?” Evan recalls asking. That question became Aura’s mission.

Today, Aura provides AI-powered, outside-in workforce intelligence to top consulting firms, private equity teams, and enterprise leaders around the world. In 2024 alone, they supported over 1,800 client engagements— and they’re just getting started.

Convincing the Market Workforce Data Matters

One of the biggest early hurdles was changing how companies viewed workforce metrics. “Many saw workforce data as ‘nice-to-have,’ not mission-critical,” Evan explains. Shifting that mindset took time, persistence, and results – and it is still a work-in-process.

Then there was the technical challenge: workforce data is fragmented and inconsistent. Making it useful at scale meant building infrastructure to clean, unify, and analyze it. But once clients saw how Aura could help them spot risks, benchmark competitors, and uncover opportunities faster than traditional methods, adoption followed.

“When we paired clear ROI with great design and speed, we turn skeptics into believers,” Evan says.

The Goal: Smarter Decisions, Not Just More Data

Evan isn’t just focused on giving leaders more information— he wants to help them make better calls. Aura’s tools are designed to improve how companies hire, structure teams, plan ahead, and respond to change.

The long-term vision? For Aura to become the lens through which leaders see the labor market. “We want leaders to feel more confident, more informed, and more agile because of Aura,” Evan says. That’s the kind of legacy he and the Aura team are building toward.

Innovation Through Listening

Staying innovative in workforce intelligence means keeping your ear to the ground. Evan spends a lot of time listening— really listening— to what clients are struggling with. “The most powerful ideas often come from a casual comment or a repeated frustration,” he explains.

At Aura, innovation is constant. The team moves fast, tests quickly, and isn’t afraid to toss out what doesn’t work. Evan surrounds himself with people who think differently because diversity of thought keeps things fresh.

“In a new and fast-moving field, staying innovative means staying uncomfortable—in the best way possible,” he says.

Building a Company That People Believe In

As Aura continues to scale, Evan hasn’t lost sight of what makes the company thrive: its people. One of the biggest lessons he’s learned is that clarity and trust are everything. People do better work when they know the “why” behind it.

He also believes in giving people space. “Micromanaging kills creativity,” he says. “Hire great people, give them autonomy, and stay available for support. That’s when teams really hit their stride.”

It’s a philosophy that’s shaped Aura’s culture from the beginning— and one Evan hopes to see more of across the industry.

Making an Impact Beyond Business

Outside of Aura, Evan serves as Vice President of the Sohn Conference Foundation. The organization raises funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research by bringing together the global finance and investment community. Their flagship New York Sohn Investment Conference is a powerful example of purpose meeting profession.

“Being part of a mission that accelerates breakthroughs in childhood cancer is incredibly humbling and deeply motivating,” he says.

What’s Ahead for Evan Sohn

The future of workforce intelligence is being shaped by three major forces: AI, real-time data, and transparency. From skills mapping to org design, companies are now expected to make faster, more informed decisions with less room for error.

Aura is evolving to meet those needs. The platform is expanding its data coverage, deepening AI capabilities, and building tools that empower not just analysts— but business leaders directly.

Evan wants Aura to be the compass that guides companies through the ever-changing landscape of work. “There’s never been a greater need for clarity,” he says.

Connect with Evan Sohn
Website: www.auraintel.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evansohn/
Email: evan@auraintel.com