Pressure is a constant companion for anyone chasing excellence on the field, in the office, or anywhere expectations run high. Whether it’s a scoreboard or a bottom line, performance is measured, critics weigh in, and the stakes can be brutally public.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, sits down with Coach Lee Owens, a sixteen time champion football coach at Ashland University, the University of Akron, The Ohio State Univeristy, Galion High School, Massilon and others along the way. They got together to talk about his new book, Spirit of a Team: Successful CEOs and Coaches Share Their Strategies for Achieving Excellence.

Owens explains why he chose to write it after 45 years in coaching and how lessons from championship football connect directly to corporate leadership and everyday life.

Topics like how recruiting great people, cultivating culture, and maintaining integrity form the foundation of lasting excellence are shared, as well as stories of players and leaders who embodied those principles.

The mark a true leader leaves behind is legacy. For Owens, that legacy lives not in trophies or records, but in the young men and women who grew, learned, and carried his lessons forward.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-True excellence is more than achievement; it’s success with significance.

-Every organization needs a “Tom Brady”, a difference maker who sets the tone.

-The best leaders build culture before chasing results.

-Pressure reveals motivation: if you’re in it for money or recognition alone, it will eventually break you.

-Winning without integrity isn’t winning at all.

-Preparation and belief can narrow the gap between underdog and champion.

-Failure handled well builds resilience that success never could.

-Great teams—and great companies—operate like families built on trust and shared values.

-Legacy isn’t measured in stats, but in lives changed.

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Helpful Links:

Lee Owens: www.coachesplaybook.com

Spirit of a Team: Available on Amazon - https://a.co/d/foPlNbv

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

Technology can either fuel your business or drain it. For many leaders, IT once meant keeping the lights on. Today it defines whether a company can compete at all. The difference comes down to clarity, culture, and a willingness to grow without losing who you are

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, welcomes Becky Cross, Vice President of Client Partnerships at FIT Technologies, a Cleveland-based managed IT services firm that supports clients nationwide. FIT has become known for its people-first culture, earning 11 consecutive NorthCoast 99 awards and maintaining steady growth while helping companies navigate complex technology challenges with clarity and purpose.

Becky shares how FIT grew through the pandemic, doubling in size while preserving authentic client relationships and learning to scale responsibly. She explains how the company’s employee ownership structure and use of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) helped stabilize growth, strengthen internal culture, and reinforce a shared mission during turbulent times.

The discussion explores what’s next for business technology — from cybersecurity to the rise of AI — and underscores how purpose-driven leadership and genuine partnerships can turn pressure into progress.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Growth works best when it’s built on trust and authentic relationships, not transactions

-A strong company culture protects both employees and clients when pressure hits

-Expanding too fast can expose cracks, but it also reveals where systems need strengthening

-Employee ownership creates accountability that naturally improves service and outcomes

-Structure and clarity (like the EOS model) can turn chaos into direction

-Cybersecurity must be treated as a constant priority, not a one-time project

-AI should be approached thoughtfully — use it to enhance people, not replace them

-Technology decisions are business decisions; both require purpose and perspective

-Partnering with experts can help small and midsize businesses compete at a higher level

-Staying true to your “why” helps you adapt without losing your identity

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Helpful Links:

Becky Cross, VP Client Partnerships, FIT Technologies: https://www.fittechnologies.com/

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

Pressures don’t wait for a convenient moment. Talking about immigration and diversity is perhaps easier to put off than tackle. But, perhaps, it's the things that make us most uncomfortable that are the most important to talk about.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, is joined by Christian Ponce, Executive Director for University Marketing at Indiana State University. Chris is a higher education marketing executive, an immigrant, a first-generation college graduate, and now a passionate advocate for multicultural marketing and inclusion in higher education.

Together, they explore the challenges that international and multicultural students face, from loneliness and cultural barriers to the pressure of navigating systems not built with them in mind.

This conversation is both candid and practical. It calls leaders, educators, and communities to recognize the changing demographics, to break down silos, and to embrace a new mainstream that is already here.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Pressures in higher education mirror the pressures of life: they demand resilience, adaptation, and clarity of purpose.

-International students often experience deep loneliness, cultural dissonance, and language barriers that require intentional outreach.

-Universities can’t rely on marketing “gloss”. Authenticity matters, and students will walk away if promises don’t match reality.

-Inclusion and multicultural marketing make both moral and business sense, especially as demographics shift toward greater diversity.

-Corporate America has long understood the value of speaking to diverse markets; higher ed can learn from that pragmatism.

-Institutions must recognize the “new mainstream” — a generation that is majority diverse — and adapt their language and practices.

-Mission clarity is vital: not every school can be everything to everyone, but each must be true to its identity.

-Leadership must involve honest conversations about relevance, strategy, and breaking down silos across campus.

-Authenticity, purpose, and mission-driven focus are the keys to thriving under pressure, for both individuals and institutions.

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Helpful Links:

Christian Ponce: https://www.chrisponce.com/

Indiana State University: https://indianastate.edu/

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/