Winning on Purpose: Culture, Clarity, and Human Connection with Nathan Schock
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
Release Date: 02/16/2026
Winning on Purpose: Culture, Clarity, and Human Connection with Nathan Schock
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
In this episode of Counsel Culture, Eric sits down with culture strategist, speaker, and author Nathan Schock for a wide-ranging conversation about culture, clarity, and why sustainable growth always starts with identity. Nathan reflects on a pivotal season in his life as a father of three adult daughters, sharing the gratitude and perspective that comes from walking through transition with his family. That grounding leads into a deeper exploration of his professional journey—from building a successful customer experience firm to realizing that systems fail when culture is unclear. What...
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Winning at Home First: Cory Carlson on Purpose, Burnout, and Sustainable Leadership
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
In this episode of Counsel Culture, Eric sits down with executive coach, author, and former corporate leader Cory Carlson for a grounded conversation about leadership, burnout, and why success at work eventually collapses when life at home is neglected. Cory reflects on a recent personal loss that renewed his sense of urgency around intentional living and clarified his mission to help leaders win at home first. Cory shares his path from civil engineer to sales executive to full-time coach, including the season when imposter syndrome and pressure at the top began to erode his health, presence,...
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Strength After The Breaking Point | Jodi Brown
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
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The Motive with Patrick Lencioni
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
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Braving the Workplace with Dr. Beth Kaplan
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
This week on Counsel Culture, I sit down with Dr. Beth Kaplan, author of Braving the Workplace, for an honest conversation about belonging, leadership, and what it really means to show up as yourself at work. We explore the tension many people feel between authenticity and fitting in, and why so many professionals silently trade pieces of who they are just to feel accepted. Dr. Kaplan shares practical insights on self-awareness, boundaries, and the role leaders play in creating environments where people feel seen, not just managed. This episode is a reminder: belonging isn’t about...
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Leadership Lessons Learned with Coach Matt Doherty
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
In this episode of Counsel Culture, Eric sits down with national champion, former UNC head coach, and executive coach Matt Doherty for a candid conversation about leadership, culture, and the kind of personal transformation that only comes through adversity. From playing alongside Michael Jordan to being fired from his dream job at North Carolina, Matt opens up about identity, ego, and what it really takes to rebuild your life and leadership from the inside out. Together, Eric and Matt dig into why culture is king, why talent without character will eventually break your team, and how the best...
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Fail Forward with Jacob Brown
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
In this powerful episode of Counsel Culture, Eric sits down with former NFL athlete, author, and speaker Jacob Brown for a raw, vulnerable, and deeply inspiring conversation about redemption, resilience, and faith. From losing his NFL dream to rebuilding a life rooted in purpose, Jacob shares how failure became his fuel—and how being “laid off” can actually mean being launched. Together, Eric and Jacob unpack the lessons of accountability, fatherhood, and leadership through adversity, reminding us that the pressure, heat, and pain we face are what ultimately form the diamond within. As...
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Shine Brighter with Laura King
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
Today on Counsel Culture, I’m joined by Laura King, executive recruiter, coach, and now published author, who has conducted more than 30,000 executive interviews. Laura has a rare vantage point on leadership and identity: why so many high performers pin their worth to a title, and what changes when we shift from “What do I do?” to “Who am I?” She helps leaders trade burnout for alignment by doing the inner work that fuels real, sustainable impact. She’s here to share insights from her new book, Shine Brighter: The High Performer’s Guide to Purpose, Presence, and Peak Living....
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Signal. Opportunity. Choice. How to Lead with Emotional Intelligence
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
In today’s episode of Counsel Culture, we welcome the incomparable Cassandra Worthy, a former corporate executive turned global keynote speaker and founder of Change Enthusiasm® Global. Cassandra brings unmatched energy as we talk about real change, real emotions, and the real work it takes to grow through adversity. From navigating multi-billion-dollar M&A activity to facing her own battle with alcoholism, Cassandra’s story is one of grit, grace, and a powerful mindset that she now teaches leaders worldwide: Signal. Opportunity. Choice. We talk about: What it means to embrace the...
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Hurdling Adversity and Breathing Life into Others
Counsel Culture with Eric Brooker
From Olympic hopeful to Paralympic silver medalist, keynote speaker, and servant leader, John Register brings more than a story of resilience. He brings a framework for transformation. In this episode, we explore: Why John doesn’t believe in “overcoming” adversity and what he does instead The power of redefining your new normal as a launchpad, not a limitation His RE framework: Reckoning, Revision, and Renewal What it means to “amputate fear” and move forward with purpose How to lead teams with empathy, vision, and humanity, even through layoffs or transition Whether...
info_outlineIn this episode of Counsel Culture, Eric sits down with culture strategist, speaker, and author Nathan Schock for a wide-ranging conversation about culture, clarity, and why sustainable growth always starts with identity.
Nathan reflects on a pivotal season in his life as a father of three adult daughters, sharing the gratitude and perspective that comes from walking through transition with his family. That grounding leads into a deeper exploration of his professional journey—from building a successful customer experience firm to realizing that systems fail when culture is unclear. What began as customer experience work ultimately evolved into a mission to help organizations define who they are before deciding what they do.
Eric and Nathan explore why proximity once carried culture in early-stage companies, why growth exposes what was never documented, and how leaders lose engagement when expectations remain unspoken. Drawing from real-world examples across retail, hospitality, and global brands, Nathan explains why culture isn’t enforced through rules or memos, but formed through identity, clarity, and consistent modeling.
The conversation also dives into the role of human connection in an AI-driven world. Nathan challenges the idea that efficiency equals experience, arguing instead that technology should create more space for presence, trust, and relationship capital—not replace them. From Chick-fil-A to Disney to everyday leadership moments, he illustrates how small, intentional behaviors compound into enduring cultures.
They close with a practical discussion on employee engagement, why people don’t quit companies but quit confusion, and the importance of giving teams a clear definition of success. Nathan also shares the question he believes leaders should ask more often: where are you going—and what kind of life are you building along the way?
In this episode, you’ll learn:
· Why culture must be defined before it can scale
· How clarity drives engagement at every level of an organization
· Why customer experience always reflects internal culture
· The difference between service efficiency and human experience
· How AI should support presence, not replace connection
· Why identity shapes behavior more than policies ever will
This episode is dedicated to Nathan’s journey and the lessons formed through leadership, family, and faith. This conversation is a reminder that culture isn’t something you install—it’s something you live. This conversation is what we make it.
This is Counsel Culture.
Learn more at www.ericbrooker.com | www.nathanshock.com