Welcome!
We focus on the Nexus of these competencies
Hi! I'm Kenton Epard, CEO and Founder of The Nexus Initiative. Welcome to our website! We look forward to hearing from you.
The Nexus Initiative is a boutique Executive Coaching practice built on real-world operating experience and multidisciplinary thinking.
Our Mission is to develop Emotionally Intelligent and Mentally Agile Leaders and Teams.
Because managing people is challenging, and so is the world they inhabit.
We prepare you for success and give you the Edge you need to pull it off.
The Challenges.
The World Is Challenging, and it's not getting any easier. Even with AI.
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Are hidden emotions sabotaging your leadership decisions?
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Do rigid mindsets stall innovation and growth within your organization?
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Is volatility leaving your teams feeling overwhelmed and unproductive?
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Are you falling behind because the world changes faster than you?
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Are your people and teams demotivated and disengaged?
You Are Not Alone. We Can Help.
The Vision. What If?
What if You or Your Team:
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Performed at a higher level
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Worked better together
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Was more creative
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Was more engaged
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Had less turnover
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Better managed conflict
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Could adapt more easily and quickly to our changing world?
How Much Would That Be Worth To You?
Emotional Intelligence and Mental Agility give You the Keys to the Castle.
...and Research Shows Why.
Research Backs It Up
The Rationale
In today's dynamic landscape, Emotional Intelligence and Mental Agility are no longer soft skills - they are mission critical.
Knowing how to apply them in a real-world setting is essential as is leveraging solutions others have already uncovered.
Mental Agility is core to how we engage the world.
Multidisciplinary Thinking is about being open to finding insights or solutions from any discipline or subject area.
Emotional Intelligence is core to how we engage each other as humans.
Real-world operating experience is about how we apply it in a practical way.
The Outcomes You Want
Our goal is to get you the results you want.
These are just a few.
Develp your self-awareness and emotional regulations skills.
Improve your ability to focus while maintaining the ability to scope out and see the big picture.
Respond better in challenging situations by increasing your awareness of how emotions link to behavioral choices.
Get practical tips on how to improve your behaviors to get the results you want and the coaching support to sustain it.
Make better decisions faster and improve your ability to think, learn and quickly absorb new information.
Develop strategies on when, and how, to pivot in light of new information.
Get reliable results of how others experience you and how your EI compares to a global benchmark
Get confidence and peace of mind that you can better handle whatever comes your way
Become the manager all employees want to work for.
Enhance critical thinking and problem-solving ability.
What People Are Saying
Somehow I survived as a leader for over forty years without executive coaching but know I could have been much more effective had Kenton Epard been in my corner. He inspires trust, looks beyond the obvious, examines alternatives, and emboldens confidence. Checks all of the boxes!
David W. Magill, EdD
Director Emeritus,
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
POSITION TYPE: C-LEVEL
TYPE: NON-PROFIT EDUCATION
Types of Clients
Executives and Executive Teams
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Private Equity Backed
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Venture Backed
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Legacy
Small and Middle Market Companies
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Steady-State
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Rapid-Growth
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Distress
Family Businesses
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Multi-generational
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Distress
Non-Profits
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Public Schools
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Private Schools
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Religious Organizations
Note: We are open to working special circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us to discuss.
Meet Kenton Epard
I'm an energetic and curious leader with nearly thirty years of experience. I've worked in many businesses, from fast-paced technology startups in Silicon Valley to Fortune 500 companies to family-owned firms to school and church boards.
I have been a founder, co-founder, operator, board member and entrepreneur. Situationally, I have been involved in rapid growth environments, successful exits, organizational turnarounds, difficult corporate wind-downs, sudden leadership departures, and many more. In short, I've seen a lot.
Through my failures and successes, I believe that developing skills in Emotional Intelligence and Mental Agility is foundational to any sustainable definition of happiness and success. I further believe that proactively seeking out methods or practices from other disciplines, the essence of multidisciplinary thinking, can help improve decision-making and elimate reinventing the wheel. These beliefs for the basis for the mission of The Nexus Initiative.
I am a Certified Executive Coach, a member of the International Coaching Federation, and a certified Genos Emotional Intelligence practitioner.
I also hold a BS in Electrical Engineering from Kansas State University (Cum Laude) and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.
Personally, I'm also a married father of three children. I know about juggling it ALL. I'm an optimist and a realist, and I love "figuring it out." I'm attracted to challenging situations. I enjoy reading, exercise (especially hours-long walks that afford me "think time"), travel, good food, and good (bad?) dad jokes.
I launched The Nexus Initiative to bring my experience to help you achieve your vision.
I invite you to spend time on our website. Read about our values and beliefs - we actually mean them. Read what others have said. Peruse the blog posts, and feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.
Let's get to work on your achieving your vision for yourself!
Credentials
We believe that developing these competencies can help you constructively handle whatever you encounter.
Real-World Operating Experience.
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We have lived in the trenches of operating businesses. From startups to Fortune 500 companies to family business to non-profits.
Investment in Industry Leading Education and Certifications.
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Certified Executive Coach by an industry leading training firm.
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Wharton MBA.
Investment in Industry Leading Tools.
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Get insights into how your thinking processes, behaviors, emotions and operating tendencies affect your performance.
Access to Best Practices In Leadership and Organization Development.
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Trained on best practices as part of certification.
EI Methods Backed by Psychological Research.
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Assessment tools based on research.
Experience-Based, Practical Know-How.
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We have likely been there, and done that.
Our Own Success Story.
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We have track record of success.
Our Values
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Emotional Intelligence Is Foundational to Leadership Effectiveness and Performance
We believe sustained high performance is not possible without it.
Expect Uncertainty. Build up Skills in Agility and Resilience
We believe an prepared mindset toward adversity or failure helps us overcome it.
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Effective Teams Are Made. More Importantly, They are Continually Maintained.
Successful relationships require continual iteration.
Taking a Multidisciplinary Approach Enhances Success
Integrating knowledge from diverse sources and disciplines improves outcomes.
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Getting the Life You Want Requires Being Purposeful
There is no substitute for thoughtful planning about achieving your goals.
It's Important to Stay Current and Competent
In the age of AI, staying up-to-date and competent are essential to success.
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Continuous Improvement is Foundational
The more we learn, the more we need to stay curious to learn more.
You Have Permission To Be You. Embrace It.
There's one person who decides who you are. That person is you. Now, go for it.
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Nobody is Coming to Rescue You.
You are responsible for your habits, disciplines, choices, and behaviors. Your choices determine your outcomes.
Theory and Practice Are Always in Constructive Tension
Balancing theory and practice is essential to success.
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“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”
-Rumi