Who We Are
Guided Leadership Group (GLG) – created by NFL executive Rick Smith is a modern and unique consultancy focused on leadership development and organizational transformation.
The GLG team draws on the combined knowledge and spirit of a diverse group of creative thinkers and doers. The bios below only begin to describe the efforts and accomplishments of our unique group.
Rick Smith – Founder / CEO
A naturally charismatic leader driven by foundational beliefs, Rick Smith, is committed to living a purposeful life as a professional; his ability to envision individual and team success and make them a reality sets him apart from other industry and genre-specific professionals who may loom large in their individual areas, but lack the perspective and introspection to create a broad-based appeal.
In Rick’s own words, “Optimal living and leadership requires balance integration and conscious participation. When we prioritize and practice the Four Pillars & Pursuits of Consciousness, there is rhythm, balance, and harmony… enabling us to listen, take on challenges, embrace adversity and express our gifts.”
Rodney K. Alston, PhD
Rodney K. Alston (Rod to his friends and associates) is a retired US Army Colonel with experience and proven success at numerous individual, team, and organizational levels.
Rod has not only taken, but excelled, at every course available to him during his military career. These programs include everything from basic Officer’s training curricula to multiple master’s degrees – all these pursuits concentrated on leadership as their primary focus and training.
A highly decorated officer, who was directly responsibility for overseeing a multi-hundred-million-dollar budget and the welfare and safety of tens of thousands of fellow soldiers, Rod also had duties as a community liaison, performing at the highest levels of our government and those of our allies. With that said, Rod states, “I have seen first-hand, that holding a position of authority does not necessarily make one a leader. For those who are committed to the journey, leadership is a separate skill set that can be taught and developed.”
Rodney K. Alston has also been a small business owner, a consultant to a residential home builder and a member of the board of directors for a nonprofit benefitting the mentally challenged.
Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith
Michael Bernard Beckwith is the Founder and CEO of the Agape International Spiritual Center, a trans-denominational community in Los Angeles that is composed of thousands of local members and global live streamers. The Center is highly regarded for its inclusivity, cultural, racial, and spiritual diversity, leading the late Coretta Scott King to write, “I greatly admire what you are doing to bring about the Beloved Community, which is certainly what my dear husband worked for and ultimately gave his life.”
Widely recognized for his teachings on the science of inner transformation and unity, Dr. Beckwith embraces a practical approach to spirituality by utilizing meditation, affirmative prayer, and Life VisioningTM – the latter being a spiritual technology developed by Dr. Beckwith for conscious evolution, authentic living, and living your life purpose. These practices teach students to take the experience of inner peace and awakened awareness into their everyday lives.
A sought-after meditation teacher, conference speaker, and seminar leader on the Life VisioningTM process, Dr. Beckwith has addressed audiences at the UN General Assembly, TEDx Maui, and the Oprah Winfrey Network’s (OWN) Super Soul sessions, and more. As co-founder and president of the Association for Global New Thought, he hosts conferences featuring harbingers of world peace including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and had the distinguished honor of presenting Nelson Mandela the Gandhi King Award. As a spiritual leader, Dr. Beckwith has taught about the unity of humanity and of all life. He states, “When you make genuine contact with your inner Spirit, there is an inner joy, an inner peace, that takes over.”
Ben Fairchild
Known for his successes in resurrecting the careers of aging and injured athletes, Ben Fairchild is a strength and conditioning manager in Houston, TX, who specializes in injury preventive performance enhancement.
After moving from New Orleans to Houston post-Hurricane Katrina, Ben created FSP (Fairchild Sports Performance Inc), a 12,000 square foot boutique-style training facility which serves as a training home for athletes and businessmen alike. Ben’s reputation is built on his work resurrecting and extending the careers of aging and injured athletes, with several Comeback Player of the Year awards given to his clients: including Houston sports stars 3-Time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt, World Series MVP George Springer, 2016 MLB Comeback Player of the Year Anthony Rendon, 5-time World Series Champion Andy Pettitte, and 2011 MLB Comeback Player of the Year Lance Berkman. Ben states, “Helping players regain their form and turning around aging bodies and minds from all walks is my passion.”
Ben has helped hundreds of professional athletes reach their potential and has helped innovate how they prepare for the rigors of their game. With a master’s degree in human performance and a bachelor’s degrees in sports science and business, Ben takes an evidence-based, business-like client management approach to drive programming… while also applying the latest scientific findings to his sports and exercise training programs. In addition to his education and experience, Ben is recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson is a former NBA basketball player, NBA head coach, and NCAA Men’s basketball head coach. A New Orleans native, Avery rounded out his college career at Southern University where he still holds the Division I single season record for assists per game. In 2013, the University dedicated its home court in his honor and unveiled a banner bearing his retired No. 15 jersey. He signed with the Seattle Supersonics in 1988 and went on to play a sixteen-season career with the NBA. Known as “The Little General” for his on-court leadership and diminutive stature, Avery played with seven different teams, most notably helping guide the San Antonio Spurs to their 1999 NBA Championship. Years later, the organization retired Avery’s #6 jersey, one of his greatest honors.
Avery’s coaching career began in 2004, when he transitioned from player to assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. The following year, he took over as head coach and led the Mavericks to the team’s first ever Western Conference Championship and was later named NBA Coach of the Year. In 2010, Avery became head coach to a struggling New Jersey Nets team where he emphasized discipline, attitude, and collaboration to lead the team on a remarkable turnaround. As a result, Avery was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November in 2012. From 2015 – 2019, he was invited to join the University of Alabama’s athletic department as the new head men’s basketball coach where he guided the Crimson Tide to the 2018 NCAA tournament.
In between coaching stints, Johnson has spent time at ESPN on various platforms covering the NBA. He is currently part of the CBS sports family where he is an analyst for CBS Sports HQ and color analyst for CBS Sports Network. During March Madness, he is on the call for 10 NCAA tournament games.
An entrepreneur at heart, Avery has advised on business dealings in a variety of sectors including oil and gas, multi-family and commercial real estate. He is also a sought-after motivational speaker, known for his fireside chats with Fortune 500 CEOs, as well as his motivational speeches and management training sessions. In 2008, Avery published his second book, Aspire Higher: Winning On and Off the Court with Determination, Discipline and Decisions. In early 2020, Avery Johnson and John Bailey formed The Allan Bailey Johnson Group, LLC, a national minority owned and operated commercial real estate advisory firm.
Avery has always been committed to making an impact in his community. He is on the board of Behind Every Door, a nonprofit that operates a network of community centers helping to alleviate poverty in Dallas, Additionally, he is involved with the V foundation, a nonprofit that fund’s game changing research and all-star scientists to accelerate Victory Over Cancer and save lives.
Jennifer Masley
Jennifer Masley is a multi-dimensionally trained coach and advisor to visionaries and leaders. Working with public figures and business leaders in industries including sports, hospitality/food, finance and tech, Jennifer leads with vitality first – the foundation of our lives.
With a successful history as a creator in the food and hospitality space, she believes our genius is discovered in our willingness to pause, reflect and soften. Jennifer nurtures the art of expression by holding space with a degree of finesse that allows for an easeful and expansive transformation. Jennifer has co-parented two well adjusted humans and lives in Nashville with her great dane Nala.
Cathleen Trigg-Jones
Cathleen Trigg-Jones is an Emmy award winning media executive, social entrepreneur and success coach whose gift is helping others unlock their stories, reboot their thinking and transform their lives through positive affirmations.
She is the founder and CEO of the iWoman TV Network, with a background in multi-media production, media strategy, crisis management, public relations, marketing, public speaking, and executive coaching.
Cathleen began her career as a news reporter for WBOC-TV before being tapped by then Senator, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to be the Press Assistant in his Delaware Senate Office, subsequent to that, she has also worked as a news reporter and anchor for New York City stations WWOR and WNYW. Cathleen has produced hundreds of projects and co-starred in more than two dozen TV shows and films, including Power, Madam Secretary, House of Cards, Homeland, and the Tupac Shakur biopic, All Eyes On Me. She is the Executive Producer and Host of the iWoman Report on iWoman TV, and the talk show Chic Chat which aired on iOne Digital. She is also the creator and co-star of the hit docuseries We Are the Joneses, which aired on Discovery Life and BET Centric.
Cathleen serves on numerous nonprofit, educational and business boards, and is the creator of Trigg House, a nonprofit, direct-service organization supporting foster children who are about to become emancipated from the state foster care system, offering stable pathways to young people aging out of the system. She is a dynamic executive with demonstrated success building and leading complex projects and organizations whose core values of integrity, clarity, compassion, and drive, are the perfect addition to the GLG leadership team.
Angel Renee
Angel Renee is a seasoned communications professional with expertise in social media, content marketing, and communications strategy. With over 30 years of experience, Angel helps clients uncover, create, and amplify their personal brand stories. She asks, “Are you living a life you’re passionate about? A life of not merely surviving, but thriving? When we come into alignment with our purpose, and create consistent habits from a place of clarity, change occurs exponentially.”
Angel is committed to helping others uncover their life’s purpose and reconnect, mind, body and spirit. Through Holistic Wellness Coaching and yoga, she provides an insightful approach to finding alignment in both personal and professional aspects of one’s life and believes that embodying balance in all areas creates fulfillment.
Shi De Shan
A 31st Generation Shaolin kung fu monk, Grandmaster Shi de Shan brings genuine Shaolin mastery to the Guided Leadership Group.
Shi De Shan’s specialties are traditional Shaolin Kung fu bare hand and weapons disciplines, and hard qi gong and san da (san shou) sparring. After completing his training he remained in residence at his temple for several years, primarily teaching Chinese military and police personnel. He has also performed in “Shaolin Kung fu of China” a thirty-nation demonstration tour which included events in the United States. After completing the tour, the Shaolin Temple gave him permission to remain in the United States.
For the last ten-plus years, Shi De Shan has run his own Shaolin Temple school in Houston, TX. to promote the philosophy in America and instruct his students in the path of fitness, respect, and honor. Along with his dedicated staff, this temple produces world recognized athletes and martial art champions while providing his students with valuable skills and morals that will help and guide them in all their endeavors for the rest of their lives.
Tamara Thompson
An empath by nature, Tamara Thompson brings authenticity, transparency, enthusiasm, humor, openness, respect, and compassion to her therapeutic relationships. Tamara works with clients to rewrite old/habitual narratives and create new ones rooted in strength, confidence, compassion, and empowerment – while providing supportive and practical feedback to help them effectively address personal life challenges and heal from past trauma.
Tamara is a strength-based therapist who incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), attachment theory, spirituality, mindfulness, and narrative therapy, all in alignment with GLG practices and principles. She states, “I immerse myself in the process and invite my clients to do the same, I am interactive, without being overbearing and I approach each client with curiosity and interest. The goal is to heal the whole person using a holistic approach, working together to develop custom skills/tools that will enable my clients to master their thoughts, protect and attract positive energy, manifest their desires, and heal every layer of their being. The end result is that they feel more connected to themselves and the desires of their soul/heart and begin to feel more fulfilled in their everyday lives.”
Tamara Thompson is a New York State Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).
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