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Firepower Talent Partners Advisory Board
Meet our Faculty of Experts
Ben Gay III
Ben Gay III has been called a living legend in the sales world. After 50+ years in professional selling, he has been the #1 salesperson in every organization in which he has worked. At age 25 he was president of what was then the world’s largest direct sales/network marketing company, having been personally trained by fellow sales legends J. Douglas Edwards, Dr. Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, William Penn Patrick, Zig Ziglar, and many other sales giants.
One of the most famous, popular, and powerful sales trainers in the world, Ben now writes/publishes/produces “The Closers” series of books/audios/ videos/newsletters/podcasts/live seminars, a series that is considered to be “The Foundation of Professional Selling.” Ben was the founder and is the current Executive Director of The National Association of Professional Salespeople. Ben and his lovely wife Gigi live near Lake Tahoe in the little Northern California town of Placerville, California – where the California Gold Rush began!
Jeff Engel
Jeff Engel has a diversified background that has spanned the Navy SEAL’s, corporate world, and entrepreneurship. During his time in the Navy SEAL’s, Jeff worked alongside Special Forces units from various countries in the Middle East and Asia with a particular focus on operations in the Middle East. Following his time in the military, Jeff went on to work for IBM and became an integral part of four startups.
Jeff was also part of a small team that successfully grew a 15,000-person, $400 million company to a 31,000-person, $1.2 billion powerhouse in just ten years, which was eventually acquired as a strategic imperative. Jeff attributes much of his success in the business world to his time in the Navy SEAL’s working directly for people like Admiral McRaven. Jeff would equate the SEAL’s to improving his Grittiness, Hardiness, and Resilience while at the same time learning how to think through tactical decisions in a strategic way
Dr. Bob Choat
Bob Choat, PhD, hosts The School of Transformation Podcast and authored “Mind Your Own Fitness” and the upcoming “Develop the Champion Within.” He founded Mind Hack Academy and shares peak performance insights in various publications. Known as the Transformational Grandmaster, he’s been featured on KABC TalkRadio, Cosozo Radio Network, Sirius Satellite Radio, and Hypnosis Today TV Show.
Bob, a Marine Veteran, and former LAPD Police Officer, holds a 5th-degree black belt in Kenpo, is a Jeet Kune Do Sr. Instructor, and a Close Quarter Combat Master Instructor. With one of his PhD’s in psychology, he’s an NLP-certified trainer, Executive Coach, and Peak Performance Mindset Master Trainer. In his free time, he enjoys Parkour and outdoor activities.
Christina Dodd
Christina is an executive coach, corporate trainer, and facilitator in leadership transformation, emotional intelligence, and life and business skills growth. She is a seasoned business owner, mentor, and HR consultant with over 25 years’ experience. Her expertise in the field of human development and achievement comes armed with a career in government, advertising, executive search, MLM, training and development, and educating entrepreneurs to grow their own businesses.
Christina is an Australian citizen who has also lived and worked in Southeast Asia for over 30 years. Her clients are based in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Southeast Asia region. Her reach includes France (Europe), the UAE, KSA, and Morocco (MENA).
Christopher Salem
Chris Salem is an accomplished CEO, Business Growth Strategist, Professional Keynote Speaker, Award-Winning Author, Business Trainer, Radio Show Host & Media Personality dedicated to empowering business owners’ businesses to boost their brands and businesses simultaneously from ordinary to extraordinary. His goal is straightforward – to help serious business owners foster better workplace environments that lead to higher engagement and retention with staff while generating more clients, increasing customer experiences, and scaling their overall revenue and profits quickly and inexpensively.
His book Master Your Inner Critic / Resolve the Root Cause – Create Prosperity became an international bestseller in 2016. He also co-authored the recent edition of “Mastering the Art of Success” with Jack Canfield. His weekly radio show, Sustainable Success is part of the Voice America Business Channel and Business Influencers with TALRadio, part of the Touch-A-Life foundation.
Naeim El Zein
Naeim El Zein serves as the Founder and CEO of Mira-Clé, a preeminent training and consulting company operating in Lebanon since 2009 and the UAE since 2022. He also held the position of Partner & COO at iLead Group, a distinguished firm specializing in Leadership & Communication Development. Prior to this, Naeim held pivotal roles, notably as the GS Manager at Kuwait Energy Company (Oil & Gas) with multiple critical HR functions under the GS umbrella, and as the Admin & HR Manager at Al Houkair & Sons Group. With a rich background spanning over two decades, he possesses exceptional expertise in HR Development, Organizational Cultures, Behavioral Psychology, Strategy, and Inter/Intrapersonal Skill Advancement.
In his current capacity, Naeim is a distinguished and seasoned trainer and coach for executives and prominent public figures. His transformative training has benefited over 10,000 professionals, and he provides consulting services focused on Human Resources, Strategy, and Workplace Safety to more than 500 clients across the Middle East. His expertise spans business acumen and soft skills, encompassing Influential Communication, Training of Trainers, Public Speaking Excellence, Leadership Mastery, Emotional Intelligence Enhancement, Customer Service Psychology, Behavioral Psychology relating to Body Language, and Microexpressions.
Dr. Robyn Odegaard
Dr. Robyn is a former competitive beach volleyball player turned high-performance psychologist with continuing education in nutrition. She has written three books and given a TEDx talk titled Creating Success out of Chaos. Her clients call her a “smoke jumper” because she “parachutes in and helps fight life’s fires from the inside.” She has facilitated more than 330 episodes of her panel discussion video podcast called ‘Quick Hits’ because she adores the intellectual stimulation of a good conversation.
In her spare time, she reads astrophysics for fun, works out, tends to her garden and WAY too many houseplants, and trains her dog Nebula to do circus tricks. As a highly sought-after Executive Coach serving celebrities, CEOs, and sports stars, she is often referred to as the ‘MacGyver’ because of his acute ability to understand and process real-life complexities.
Dr. Joe Perez
Dr. Joe Perez, an award-winning thought leader, prolific international keynote speaker, and published author with 40+ years in IT and education has amassed an impressive portfolio. From Business Intelligence Specialist to Senior Systems Analyst and fractional CTO, he’s an authority in data viz/analytics and process improvement.
Featured on a Times Square billboard, he’s a powerhouse of expertise, integrity, and excellence. As a recognized “Thought Leader” in business networks such as LinkedIn, Perez sparks innovation, captivating audiences at conferences in 20-plus countries worldwide.
David P. Glaser
David Glaser, Major General (retired in 2021) and as Chief Strategy Officer at Sam Houston State University (SHSU), stands at the forefront of academic and strategic excellence. His distinguished career spans various leadership roles, including Provost Marshal General for the U.S. Army, Commander of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command, and Senior Advisor to the Ministry of the Interior in Afghanistan. A graduate of prestigious institutions like UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and Syracuse University,
David’s expertise extends to international presentations and consultations, covering strategy, leadership development, innovation, crisis management, and security. He’s an esteemed member of the FBI National Executive Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Kevin Wash
Before becoming a partner at VOS consulting, Kevin Wash led sales teams to produce multi-million-dollar record-breaking achievements of which some of these were within Fortune 500 companies. His expertise in driving winning sales teams in diverse country markets such as Switzerland, Dubai, South Africa, UK, USA, Spain, Germany, Thailand, Portugal, and more.
He has a tremendous passion for assisting in the growth and development of individuals from both a personal and professional perspective, often taking them to heights they had never believed they were capable of. He has authored several books and appears as a frequent guest on podcasts internationally. Today, he is one of the most sought-after sales trainers in the world.
James T. Quilley
James has one of the most diverse career backgrounds imaginable. Spanning over 35 years, starting work at an early age, he has risen from the front lines to the pinnacle positions of several industries. Working in 18 countries in the industries of sports, leisure, hospitality, real estate, banking, and management consulting, today he is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and editorial contributor.
Joseph Polanin
Captain Joseph Polanin, U.S. Navy (retired) is an award-winning CEO and a disabled Navy combat Veteran who served three decades leading elite teams to succeed on complex missions in high-risk environments despite every obstacle. He has 20+ years as a successful Commanding Officer, Task Force Commander, and Director of Operations (CEO/COO) for globally integrated organizations, led several lasting enterprise transformations, and founded The Alaka’i Leadership Group, LLC, a Strategic Accelerator providing unmatched fractional C-Suite leadership in 2020.
Dave Crane
Dave’s an acclaimed award-winning motivational speaker and CEO mentor, has a 40-year career marked by collaborations with top-tier global brands, leaders, and entertainment icons. Dave’s touched over a billion lives as an event facilitator and host of notable sporting and entertainment events.
An NLP master practitioner and certified hypnotherapist, Dave’s commitment to personal development is evident in his Industry Icon mentoring program, mastermind groups, and The Game Changers community. He is a dynamic presence in the international public speaking circuit and has delivered keynote speeches at prestigious events like NASA and TEDx.
Coach M J Tolan
As an Entrepreneur, he spearheaded multi-national Sales teams, of which one he built his team starting with 3 persons into a powerhouse of over 700 sales staff and executives in 6 country markets throughout 15 years amassing more than 100 Million USD in sales.
He has recruited and trained over 2,500 sales staff which led to him to the Executive Search and Training arenas.
Today he leads Firepower Talent Partners as part of Tolan Brothers LLC a Business Excellence Group as the Chief Empowerment Officer that hosts special practices in Executive Search, Training and Development, Executive Coaching, and International Consulting.
He is a bestselling award-winning author of Executive Powers, Cracking the Code to Magnetic Leadership, and Co-Author of Unleashing Firepower, Masters of Business Excellence, and several others. Coach M J is also a featured International Keynote and TEDx Speaker.
He is the Co-founder of an NGO that empowers underprivileged children with his I’M Possible Programs. Since its inception in November 2000, his organization has brought smiles to over 16,500 Children from a variety of nations.
Dr. Val Alino
Val Alino, a Life, Spiritual, and Conscious Parenting Coach, and international keynote Speaker, has empowered leaders, teachers, parents, and youth worldwide. Certified by Dr. Shefali in Conscious Parenting, an NLP practitioner by Richard Bandler, and holding Montessori leadership certifications from Italy and Atlanta, she earned Life Coach certification from the Life Purpose Institute. Val transforms lives through one-on-one coaching and international speaking engagements, including keynotes in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
As an MC for "World Speech Day" in over 103 countries, she's taught at 12 university conferences in the US and Latin America, gaining recognition in Peru for her work with the Ministry of Education.
Karl Lillrud
Karl Lillrud is a distinguished global thought leader in AI and business innovation, recognized for bridging technology and business applications. Honored as a TOP10 AI Thought Leader and ranked 11th among global speakers, his work influences transformative thinking. Collaborating with Fortune 500 companies and startups, Karl draws large audiences, demonstrating his expertise across AI's many dimensions, including business growth, customer engagement, and ethics. His 9th book, 'AI, Your Second Brain: Evolve or Go Extinct,' makes AI accessible for leveraging technology effectively.
Prof. Christian Farioli
Prof. Christian Farioli Is A Digital Marketing Pioneer Since 2003. Lecturer For The Digital Marketing Institute, Informa, And PwC. He Has Spoken At More Than 130 International Conferences, Including GOOGLE, NASA And Davos, Trained And Advised More Than 15000 Executives In 4 Continents, From Armani, Bayer, Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, Etisalat, Huawei, ADNOC, Ferrari, Just To Name A Few. He Has Formerly Worked With Oracle In Italy, Spain, And Ireland. He Advised Clients On Digital Marketing Strategy, Performance & Inbound Marketing, And Analytics. After 12 Awards, Including Oracle Innovation Award, A Microsoft AI Competition, And Launching Digital Campaigns For Major Banks, Events, Media, Telco, Hospitality, Real Estate, Healthcare And Pharma, His Digital Agency In Dubai Has Been Elected Agency Of The Future. His Book Became A Best Seller In Just One Month.
Julie Lewis
Julie Is A Seasoned International Speaker Known For Igniting Inspiration And Ambition In Her Audiences. With A Heartfelt Approach, She Has Captivated Listeners In Over 20 Countries, Sparking Action In Hundreds Of Teams And Organizations. Having Led 70+ Expeditions Worldwide, Including Arctic And Antarctic Journeys, She Brings Firsthand Adventure To Her Talks. Julie's Personal Feats Include Scaling High-Altitude Peaks And A 2018 Solo English Channel Crossing Attempt. Fusing Eastern Philosophy With Life Experiences, She Delivers Powerful Messages, Weaving In Transformative Stories. A TEDx And Million Dollar Round Table Speaker, Julie's Impact Extends Through Her Two Books "Moving Mountains" And "Uncharted Waters.
Our Authors
Firepower Library
