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Robert Forto sits down with Douglas Vandergraph, a Fort Collins, Colorado businessman and YouTube creator whose daily faith-focused channel reaches hundreds of thousands of subscribers, plus a broader daily podcast audience. Vandergraph’s path did not begin with a platform. At 16, he was struck head-on by a dump truck, suffered a carotid blood clot, and was clinically dead for 60 minutes on March 3, 1992. He returned with left-side paralysis. He finished the University of Nebraska–Lincoln by moving bench to bench in winter conditions, later earned an Ivy League MBA, and co-built a software system that auto-adjudicated claims for 97 percent of U.S. healthcare carriers. Family traveled with him; boardrooms included coloring books. Years later, after watching his homeschooled children on YouTube, he bought a $65 camera and started posting from a spare bedroom to prove them wrong. The first 900 videos covered business and self-help. A viewer asked him to break down the New Testament chapter by chapter. The series (roughly 260 videos) shifted the content and the audience. He now produces a short daily video and writes multiple articles a day; all content is free and searchable by his name. The conversation turns on the line Robert brought in: leadership gets real when an old plan stops working. Vandergraph’s answer is practical. Reinvent without abandoning the consistent center (for him, faith). Stay engaged instead of praying and walking away. Accept that attention spans have shortened, so deliver the point in 10–15 minutes. Consistency, not the ideal path, is what moves the work forward, bench to bench, airport to airport, take after take. Rapid-fire close: Herman’s Hermits and Bread in the morning playlist; “my heart” as the piece of gear he always carries; Bucky’s cherry beef jerky on the road.

Michele Forto opens with the line she keeps in the margin of Experiential Facilitation 101: you can pay for a round on a challenge course, but you cannot buy good judgment. That is why Peak Experience is pointed at Estes Park this November. Robert drives from Las Vegas to the Association for Experiential Education’s 54th International Conference at the YMCA of the Rockies. Sphere on Saturday. Bryce Sunday night. Moab Monday night. Glenwood Springs Tuesday night. Estes Park Wednesday afternoon. The conference runs Thursday to Saturday, November 12–14. Theme: ASCEND: Growing Community, Elevating Practice. This episode is not a travelogue. Michele talks about what “elevating practice” has to mean if you actually run groups: frame the day, sequence so the activity earns the conversation, protect emotional and physical safety, debrief as if transfer depends on it, manage the person who takes all the air without making them the villain, give directions a tired group can follow the first time. Kolb is not a secret. Sticking with the craft when the weather is ugly, the CEO is watching, or the metaphor collapses, is scarce. AEE returns to the 2024 YMCA site: 800+ acres of ponderosa, challenge course on campus, teachers, guides, counselors, professors, therapists, and researchers in the same dining hall. If an “experiential” conference could have been a Hilton ballroom, ask what you think experience is. Includes a Moment in Leadership History: Theodore Roosevelt and the 1902 anthracite coal strike, step in when doing nothing would cost more. Facilitation 101 cohorts: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Portland, Seattle. Web: peakexp.org Conference: aee.org Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

What happens when we are not recording, and what is going on behind the scenes during a Peak Experience course?

Robert is in New York for Podcast Movement. Michele stays with the signal Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable put on the table: the fourth annual Podcast Landscape, built on more than 5,400 U.S. adults 18+. The curve has flattened. About three-quarters of Americans have tried a podcast. 55% listen monthly. 39% listen weekly. Those numbers have been roughly the same for two or three years. Word of mouth got the medium here. Tom’s point: it will not take it further. The open lane is invitation, not explosion. About 60 million American adults are still willing: lapsed listeners, people who know a listener, people who were never asked in a way that felt personal. Growth is now craft. Smart TV is the platform still clearly growing. Shows found on Netflix and other TV apps skew younger, more likely to have kids at home, and twice as likely to be heard with other people. Co-consumption is partnership. That is Peak Experience language: teams do not change by consuming alone. They change by sitting together and deciding what it means. Discovery has moved. YouTube first, Spotify second, Netflix third. Apple is at 11%. Dedicated podcast apps fell from 19% to 15% as the most-used app. Webster’s image: we are losing our Tower Records, the hits up front, the middle tier, the back catalog, the odd record nobody knew yet. A Walmart CD rack only stocks the star of the week. Closed platforms that gatekeep (Netflix) are that rack. YouTube and Spotify still let you walk in. Netflix does not, and a show can be canceled when the algorithm moves on. Robert and Michele did not start a microphone in Alaska to wait for permission. Advertising a small dog-training company was expensive. The show built authority over time. Intimate. Repeatable. Ours. Four moves if you lead people: Don’t mistake a bigger screen for a better business. If you cannot own the relationship, set the price, or stay when the algorithm changes, it is a lease.Quality is the open lane. People are tired of brain rot. Experiential leadership that holds under pressure is the same bet.Protect the middle tier and the long trail. Stars without a bench is not a company.Invite people on purpose. The 60 million look like every market we serve. They have not rejected the work. They have not been given a reason that feels like a peak experience. Includes a Moment in Leadership History: Winston Churchill, May 1940: leadership is tested before you know how the story ends. When you’re ready for the work, not the feed: Dreamchaser Leadership. Web: peakexp.org Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Robert J. Cruz joins Robert Forto on the Peak Experience Podcast to discuss servant leadership, education, mentorship, and how to put leadership principles into practice. Cruz shares his path from an early start at the University of Connecticut to a 20-year career in the United States Air Force and, later, a return to higher education that ultimately led to a Doctor of Strategic Leadership degree. Today, he serves as an adjunct professor, consultant, author, and founder and CEO of BEC Global Consulting Group. The conversation explores the difference between studying leadership and practicing it, including Cruz’s experience teaching servant leadership to doctoral students and mentoring students who are balancing academics, careers, family responsibilities, and the realities of life. He also discusses artificial intelligence in higher education and the importance of integrity and critical thinking in academic work. Robert and Dr. Cruz then turn to Cruz’s book, Servant Leadership: A Remedy for Racism in America, and his belief that servant leadership provides a framework for addressing difficult social and organizational issues. Cruz discusses characteristics including listening, empathy, persuasion, foresight, stewardship, building community, and helping others grow. It is a conversation about leadership as a daily practice, the responsibility leaders have toward the people they serve, and how individuals can begin applying servant leadership within their own circles of influence. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

What does it take to balance military service, family, and a doctoral degree while researching one of today's biggest leadership challenges? In this episode of the Peak Experience Podcast, Robert Forto sits down with Dr. Theodore Summers III, an active-duty U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant, to discuss his journey from New Orleans to earning a Doctor of Business Administration from Liberty University. Along the way, they explore servant leadership, resilience, digital transformation within military organizations, and the importance of helping others reach their full potential. Dr. Summers shares insights from his doctoral research examining how digital systems, leadership, and training influence innovation and organizational agility in the U.S. Space Force's civil engineering enterprise. He also offers an honest look at balancing family life, military responsibilities, and the demanding process of completing a doctorate. Whether you're a military leader, graduate student, executive, or someone pursuing an ambitious goal, this conversation offers practical leadership lessons and encouragement to keep moving forward. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

In the final episode of The Journey: Leadership Through Partnership, Robert and Michele Forto explore the true measure of success. It isn't passing a certification or completing a program. It's what happens months and years later when trust, consistency, and shared experience become part of everyday life. Danny and Gunner's story began as a veteran working with a service dog. It evolved into something much bigger. Their partnership helped shape Alaska Dog Works' veteran service dog program and ultimately influenced the leadership philosophy behind Peak Experience. In this episode, you'll learn why sustainable success comes from building systems instead of chasing quick fixes, how confidence is developed through experience, and why the strongest teams are built one small moment at a time. Whether you lead a business, coach a team, or simply want to become a better leader, this episode demonstrates that meaningful partnerships are never accidental. They are intentionally built through trust, accountability, and consistent effort. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

In Part 4 of The Danny and Gunner Story, Robert and Michele Forto explore the moment every leader, team, and service dog partnership eventually faces: the test of pressure. Training is one thing. Real-world performance is another. As Danny and Gunner move beyond controlled environments and into unpredictable situations, their partnership is challenged in new ways. Through public access training, growing confidence, and increasing responsibility, they learn that success is not measured when conditions are ideal, but when circumstances become difficult. This episode examines the relationship between preparation and performance, the role of trust in leadership, and why pressure often reveals the true strength of any system. Whether you are leading a team, developing a culture, or navigating personal challenges, the lessons from Danny and Gunner's journey offer valuable insights into resilience, confidence, and long-term success. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

What determines success long before anyone notices the results? In this episode of The Journey: Leadership Through Partnership: The Danny and Gunner Story, Michele and Robert Forto explore the foundational stage of Danny and Gunner's service dog journey. While many people focus on outcomes, real success is built through daily habits, trust, consistency, and disciplined action. Danny entered the Alaska Dog Works service dog program looking for greater independence and confidence. What he discovered was that building a successful partnership required more than training a dog. It required developing leadership skills, communication habits, and a commitment to showing up every day. This episode examines how strong foundations create lasting results in service dog training, leadership, business, and life. If you've ever wondered why some teams thrive under pressure while others struggle, the answer often lies in the work that happened long before the challenge appeared. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Most doctoral students think graduation is the finish line. It is not. In this episode of the Peak Experience Podcast, Michele Forto explores why publishing your dissertation or doctoral project through ProQuest may be one of the most important leadership decisions graduate students can make. This conversation covers: Why research deserves to be seen and citedHow ProQuest expands the reach of your workThe connection between leadership and academic contributionWhy so many graduate students struggle with burnout and isolationHow doctoral research can become books, speaking opportunities, consulting, coaching, and curriculum development Whether your work focuses on leadership, organizational development, experiential learning, succession planning, or another field entirely, this episode is a reminder that your research matters long after the defense is over. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Most training failures are not caused by lack of effort. They happen because the structure breaks down under pressure. In this episode of the Peak Experience Podcast, Michele Forto continues The Journey: Leadership Through Partnership, The Danny and Gunner Story by exploring why training systems fail, whether you are working with a service dog, leading a team, or building an organization. This episode breaks down the three biggest reasons performance becomes unreliable: Lack of clarityInconsistencyReactive leadership Using real-world lessons from service dog training at Alaska Dog Works and leadership development through Peak Experience, this conversation explores how stable systems create trust, confidence, and long-term reliability under pressure. If you lead people, train dogs, manage teams, or build organizations, this episode will challenge the way you think about accountability, communication, and performance. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

What happens when the systems you depend on stop working, and failure is not an option? In this powerful first episode of The Journey: Leadership Through Partnership, Michele Forto introduces Danny, a combat veteran living with PTSD, and Gunner, the service dog who helped rebuild trust, structure, and independence. This episode explores how leadership principles, consistency, and real-world reliability apply far beyond dog training. It is a story about pressure, partnership, and creating systems that hold up when the stakes are real. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

What if the leadership advice most people need today did not come from a CEO or bestselling author, but from Mister Rogers? In this episode of the Peak Experience Podcast, Robert and Michele Forto explore the timeless leadership lessons found in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street. These iconic shows modeled values that many organizations need now more than ever: calm leadership, empathy, kindness, clear communication, storytelling, and patience. You will learn why strong leaders do not need to be loud, how kindness builds psychological safety, why stories move teams more than spreadsheets, and how slowing down can often move your organization forward faster. If you lead a team, run a business, or want to become a more effective communicator, this episode offers practical wisdom you can apply immediately. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

In this special relaunch episode of Peak Experience, Dr. Robert Forto shares why he is bringing years of business ownership, education, and leadership experience into sharper focus through Dreamchaser Leadership. Robert discusses experiential learning, coaching small family businesses, delegation, leadership lessons from sled dog teams, and what success looks like in this next chapter. If you lead a team, run a business, or want practical leadership advice, this episode is for you. Other Episodes You Will Love· Leadership Under Pressure: What Happens When the Plan Falls Apart · Why Most Teams Struggle With Trust · Adventure as a Leadership Classroom Support the ShowThis episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and Rodecaster Pro II. Like this episode? Share it with a leader, founder, or teammate who would benefit from it. Love this episode? Say thanks by leaving a review and helping more listeners discover the show. Ready for real growth, not just motivation? Explore coaching, workshops, and experiential leadership programs through Dreamchaser Leadership. Download our free leadership resources and practical tools designed for business owners and teams. Book Dr. Robert Forto for speaking, leadership development, or strategic coaching for your organization. Join our mailing list for new episodes, leadership insights, and upcoming program announcements. Follow Peak Experience for more leadership strategies and real-world lessons: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ©2022-2026 Peak Experience Podcast by Dreamchaser Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Join hosts Robert Forto and TJ Miller as they delve into the controversial topic of participation trophies. Are they fostering a generation of entitled individuals, or are they essential for building self-esteem and teamwork? This episode explores the pros and cons, drawing from personal experiences, academic insights, and listener feedback. Key Discussion Points: The evolution of participation trophies and their impact on different generations. Personal anecdotes from Robert and TJ about their experiences with awards and recognition. Insights from recent studies on the psychological effects of participation trophies. The role of feedback in personal and professional development. Future implications for leadership and team dynamics. Resources Mentioned: Research studies from 2018 and 2020 on generational shifts in praise and critique. We would love to hear your thoughts on participation trophies! Share your experiences and opinions with us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe to the Peak Experience Podcast on your favorite platform and leave us a five-star review. Hashtags: #Leadership #TeamBuilding #ParticipationTrophies