#52: Chris Atwell (My Pastor) — On Cancer, Suffering, and Peacemaking

November 23, 2020 by Cal Walters in Leadership, Intentional Living

Today, I'm very excited to share a special conversation I had with my pastor, Chris Atwell.  Chris Atwell is the Lead Pastor of Vision and Instruction at Portico Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, which he planted in 2004. Chris is also an area leader in Acts 29's U.S. North Atlantic Network.

Serving in the Army, we move around a lot. Each time we move, it takes time to build community and find connection. One way we build community is getting plugged in to a local church. In 2019, we relocated from Texas to Charlottesville, VA, for me to complete the Graduate Course at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. This course is attended by all Army Judge Advocates after they are promoted to the rank of Major, and all students that successfully complete the course receive an L.L.M. in Military Law.

During our year in Charlottesville, we really enjoyed attending Portico Church. Today, I’m very excited to share a special conversation I had with the pastor of Portico, Chris Atwell. Chris Atwell is the Lead Pastor of Vision and Instruction at Portico Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, a church he planted in 2004. Chris is also an area leader in Acts 29’s U.S. North Atlantic Network. He serves as the Dean of Students at Grimké Seminary. Chris is married to Jenn, and they have three daughters.

This is my first time sitting down with a pastor or religious leader on this show, but it was really special for me. No matter what your faith background, I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation about a faith that has really had a big impact on my life and worldview.

Chris is also a huge UVA Basketball fan.

Chris gets quite vulnerable with us and shares his battle with cancer, how he dealt with suffering, his perspective on leadership in the non-profit space, and his views on peacemaking—something that is always relevant but certainly relevant right now in the US.

Chris brought up the following books during our conversation.

Gospel-Centered Discipleship

By Dodson, Jonathan K.

The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict

By Sande, Ken

The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future

By Booth, Jeff

Thanks for listening! According to Feedspot, we are one of the Top 30 Leadership Podcasts on the internet!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Partner with us financially at Patreon

#50: Cheryl Bachelder (Former CEO of Popeyes) — On Daring to Serve in Business

November 03, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Cheryl A. Bachelder is a passionate restaurant industry executive and former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Cheryl is known for her crisp strategic thinking, franchisee-focused approach, superior financial performance and the development of outstanding leaders and teams. Cheryl joined Popeyes, Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., in November 2007, after serving as an active member of the Board for a year.

Cheryl A. Bachelder is a passionate restaurant industry executive and former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Cheryl is known for her crisp strategic thinking, franchisee-focused approach, superior financial performance and the development of outstanding leaders and teams.

Cheryl joined Popeyes, Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., in November 2007, after serving as an active member of the Board for a year. She brought more than 35 years of experience in brand building, operations, and public-company management at companies like Yum Brands, Domino’s Pizza, RJR Nabisco, The Gillette Company, and The Procter & Gamble Company.

At Popeyes, Cheryl promptly established a Road Map for Results. This strategic framework led to market share gains of eight points, improved guest ratings, and increased restaurant margins (400 basis points in seven years). The improvement in restaurant performance led franchisees to remodel the system and accelerate new unit growth both in the U.S. and abroad. In eight years, the enterprise market cap grew from less than $300 million to over $1.3 billion. At fiscal year-end 2015, Popeyes’ system-wide revenues were $3.1 billion. These revenues were generated by over 2,539 restaurants operated by 360 franchisees and more than 60,000 restaurant employees in the United States, three territories, and 27 foreign countries.

Ms. Bachelder created a culture based on the Popeyes Purpose: to inspire servant leaders to achieve superior results. This purpose was expressed in the six principles of how they worked together. The Popeyes team focus was to serve the franchise owners well; together they pursued a bold ambition for the enterprise. This produced exceptional performance results. In March 2015, Ms. Bachelder published a book chronicling the tenets of the Popeyes turnaround, entitled Dare to Serve, Second Edition – How to drive superior results by serving others.

Ms. Bachelder has served on the board of directors for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., since 2006; board of directors for Pier 1 Imports, Inc., since 2012; the advisory board of Agile Pursuits Franchising, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, since 2009; and the International Franchise Association since February 2015. She also served on the board of directors for True Value Company from 2007 – 2012 and on the board of the National Restaurant Association May 2009 – 2012. In November 2014, Cheryl was certified as an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

Prior to serving as Popeyes CEO, Ms. Bachelder revitalized brand performance in both retail and consumer goods companies. She was president and chief concept officer for KFC Corporate (2001-2003), creating growth plans for the U.S. business in collaboration with the franchise owners. From 1995 – 2000, Ms. Bachelder served as vice president of marketing and product development for Domino’s Pizza, Inc. She was the brand architect responsible for contemporizing the restaurant chain’s image and launching the innovative Heatwave bag which improved product quality and drove strong same-store sales growth for five consecutive years across 5,400 units. Prior to her restaurant experience, Ms. Bachelder served as general manager of the LifeSavers Division of RJR Nabisco. Her early career years included brand management roles at The Gillette Company and The Procter & Gamble Company.

In September 2015, Cheryl was awarded The Norman Brinker Award from Nation’s Restaurant News. She has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and was named by CNBC’s Jim Cramer as one of his “21 Bankable CEOs” for 2014. In 2012, she was recognized as “Leader of the Year” by the Women’s Foodservice Forum, and received the Silver Plate Award from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.

Ms. Bachelder holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing, from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She has been married for over 35 years to Chris Bachelder and they have three grown daughters.

On this episode, we discuss her incredible father, Daddy Max, her family’s dinner conversations that contributed to her and all of her siblings being CEOs, the impact of her faith on her leadership, her journey being a female executive, how she integrated life as a business leader with family, how she turned Popeyes around by leading differently, and much more.

Books or resources mentioned during this interview:

Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others

By Bachelder, Cheryl

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

By Covey, Stephen R.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't

By Jim Collins

The Soul of the Firm

By Pollard, C. William

Check out the great work of Robert Greenleaf here!

Thanks for listening! According to Feedspot, we are one of the Top 30 Leadership Podcasts on the internet!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Partner with us financially at Patreon

#42: The Legacy of a True Hero — 1LT Chris Goeke (KIA 13 July 2010)

July 12, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Today, on July 13, 2020, we pay tribute to Chris Goeke. Chris was a husband, brother, son, dear friend, and leader among leaders. On this episode, we remember a man that made us laugh, feel special, believe in ourselves, grow in our faith, be okay with not knowing, and live more intentionally.

Even from a young age, Chris was adventurous and born to be a leader. He grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota where he loved building forts in the woods behind his house and often gathered and encouraged his friends. He excelled in school through all his years and was active in music, mock trial, and various sports.

As he grew older, his faith in God grew and he participated in many church activities and mission trips. He was accepted into West Point with the class of 2008, where he graduated 6th in his class. After college, Chris was commissioned as an infantry officer and completed Army Airborne School and Ranger School.

Chris married the love of his life, Kelsey, and they settled into life together at Fort Bragg, NC, where Chris joined C Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment on May 18, 2009.

Chris and Kelsey - professional photo.jpg

In September 2009, Chris deployed with his unit to Afghanistan and would lead a platoon in combat. On Tuesday, July 13, 2010, Chris was killed in action while repelling an insurgent attack on an Afghan police compound in Kandahar City. 10 years after his death, we come together to remember Chris and honor his lasting impact on our lives.

Chris, we love you and miss you. You truly were the best among us, and we carry you with us wherever we go.

“Chris Goeke was one of the finest officers I have had the honor of leading in 20 years of service. His bravery in combat, commitment to his paratroopers, out-of-the-box problem solving and love for his wife and his profession were unparalleled. Chris was respected by his men as a leader and a person. Chris left a legacy with the battalion and on the lives of the men he led. Chris died a hero.”

— Lieutenant Colonel David Oclander, Battlalion Commander of 1-508 PIR

Chris’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachute Badge and Ranger Tab.

Please consider supporting the Warrior 196 Foundation. It is a 501(c)3 with a mission to honor and remember Chris and four other men from Independent School District 196 who paid the ultimate sacrifice by providing scholarships to young leaders and support to the community.

A special thank you to Jeni Huff, Erin Jorich LaVoie, Scott Wigen, Rick Ferrera, Mary Alice Noel, Kimberly Jung, Kevin Kniery, Quinn McArthur, John Bockstanz, Rajiv Srinivasan, James Booth, and Lance Dietz for participating in this tribute. It was so wonderful to hear how so many people were impacted in such profound ways by Chris, and this group only represents a small portion of those impacted by Chris.

Thank you to Randy Goeke and Kelsey Goeke for providing so many wonderful pictures of Chris for us to reflect on his life.

Finally, a HUGE thank you to Julie Blim, Dean Zawacki, Jamie Flora, Shawn Brady, and Chris Woodland for editing, mixing, and producing this tribute. Your kindness and generosity to make this project come together were amazing! Thank you!

Let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts