Kurt is an executive with Sandler Training, who works as a growth consultant and coach. He delivers engaging experiences that consistently challenge audiences to move from the status quo and leverage what matters. Groups communicate that they value his evergreen strategies they can apply in their professional roles, and to their personal relationships to see the change they most value.

Over his career, Kurt has been endlessly animated by helping people restore and pursue their nobility. Interestingly, Kurt will share that he never thought that he would be accomplishing the work he is doing today. In fact, he lived in a Christian monastery in Chicago, Illinois and had no backup plan to pursue another path.

 When Kurt left the monastery and moved back to Kansas, he studied and earned a degree in Psychology from Wichita State University. As an undergraduate, he was given the opportunity to run a graduate-level research team. Specifically, his interest was in workplace engagement, and the bottlenecks that create toxic environments. What he had seen is that often people would say they value healthy relationships and environments but run into similar challenges. Challenges of not being valued for more than their role, disparities in the ability to communicate authentic appreciation, and frustration around what healthy leadership should look like.

 His research led him to work with Dr. Paul White, who with Dr. Gary Chapman wrote the book, The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Through this work, Kurt heard other emerging themes: problems of disillusionment, frustrations around people not feeling seen, and the powerlessness that can come from no one having a common playbook.

 Around this time, Kurt wrote, produced, and directed a short film, called I’m in Traffic. This film brought awareness to audiences about the prolific issues of human trafficking. Working on this project spoke to many of Kurt’s values and afforded him the chance to live those out. Subsequently, he has given talks and workshops on the Topic of Human Trafficking and tangible ways people can make a difference.

 Today, Kurt’s work at Sandler Training revolves around consulting organizations and coaching leaders with: those that are looking for 1% more in their companies, teams, and lives. Kurt continues to help people and organizations connect the dots in the roadblocks they face, whether in start-ups or large organizations. Kurt will say, “while everyone is different, the challenges are often the same”. Some common pain-points Kurt helps leaders work on are: the problems of growing into a new role, developing the posture of a leader, how to properly use leadership capital, and identifying and cultivating talent. These, along with issues of unpaid consulting, commoditizing one’s work, and adding value to the market place are areas that allow Kurt to live out his values and help the people he works with to finally see themselves as more than the roles in their lives, and foster the nobility in their identities.