From Crossroads in Life to Living Life on Mission!

Crossroads in Life

​In 2017 I was at a crossroads in my career and life.  I was a senior corporate executive responsible for four manufacturing facilities, two in the United States, and two in Canada.  Life was busy and I travelled a large portion of my time for business.  My wife, three sons and I were living in the Toronto, Canada area, and spending time at our condo in Southwest Florida from time to time.   
 
I had just helped sell the company and had an important decision to make.   Do I stay and take a significant role in the new company with even more responsibility, or do I move on, and if so, to what?

Discovered GPS Life Journey

While attending Legacy Church in Estero, Florida, and meeting Nolen Rollins I learned about a unique opportunity to participate in a workshop he had developed called the GPS Life Journey, designed to find my God given purpose for the next phase of my life.   It resonated with me, so I signed up to take a GPS Life Journey Blitz over a weekend in the fall of 2017.   I obtained the workbook in advance of the workshop and diligently worked on the homework and preparation.   
 
I went into the GPS Life Journey with great anticipation and an open mind to where God would lead me.   Not only was I thrilled with the workshop, I stayed an extra day to become a trained GPS Life Journey Facilitator, and I have since led several other people through the GPS Life Journey process myself.
 
The GPS Life Journey and Nolen Rollins’ experienced and skilled facilitation met me exactly where I was in need.   It helped me appreciate my personality, life and career experiences, gifts, strengths, passions and interests, and what I was uniquely equipped to do.   
 
I came out of the GPS Life Journey with a new mission statement:  My mission is to mentor, coach and build trusting relationships with business and organizational leaders to make a positive difference in their lives.   I was being called to invest my time and experience in developing leaders and helping younger leaders navigate their careers, relationships, faith journeys, finances, and personal health.  
 
So in 2018, I made a transition out of the corporate executive role, achieving metrics and financial results, to making a significant difference in the lives of leaders, and organizations they serve.
 
Fast forward to today, in 2023, I’m a Senior Associate at Nelson/Kraft & Associates (www.nelsonandkraft.com) where I am an executive coach and consultant to boards and executive teams and I get to partner with search teams in executive searches.  
 
God has put me in a position to use my faith, skills, career, and ministry experiences to develop leaders and high-performance teams for faith based not-for-profit and for-profit businesses and organizations.   I’m helping leaders and organizations make a greater Kingdom impact!  
 
It’s been a journey over the last five years, but it’s rewarding to see how seeds that were planted during my GPS Life Journey in 2017 have come to fruition all these years later.  It feels good to be living on mission!
 
Jeff Pitchford is a Senior Associate at Nelson/Kraft & Associates, Canada