Tom Lenoble’s story is a powerful combination of leadership, resilience, and personal transformation. In this inspiring interview, Tom reflects on his remarkable career leading global customer operations for major brands like MCI, Walmart.com, Palm, and Facebook, where he helped build the company’s first customer operations organization during its explosive early growth.
Beyond his Silicon Valley leadership achievements, Tom opens up about surviving two life-threatening illnesses, living with HIV, and battling metastatic cancer for 13 years while continuing to lead, inspire, and thrive. His bestselling memoir, My Life in Business Suits, Hospital Gowns, and High Heels, reveals the deeply human side of his journey — from corporate success to vulnerability, healing, and purpose. Today, Tom is a sought-after leadership coach, speaker, and CEO of the Academy for Coaching Excellence, helping others discover strength, clarity, and meaning in life’s most difficult chapters. This episode is a powerful reminder that resilience, courage, and authenticity can transform even the hardest experiences into incredible “gifts.”
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Watch on YouTube
Listen on Spotify
In this powerful episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Eric Ford to talk about the car accident that changed the course of his life. In 2009, while driving through Atlanta with his children, Eric was struck by a drunk driver. Though his children escaped with only minor injuries, Eric was left with life-threatening damage to his leg. Over the next two months, Eric endured 12–13 surgeries, including skin and muscle grafts, in an attempt to save the leg. When the wound continued to reopen and the pain became unbearable, he made the courageous decision to undergo an amputation. Eric shares the emotional and physical challenges of that decision, and how it ultimately gave him a new lease on life.
Stevia Walker joins host Mike Bolland to share her powerful story of resilience after a life-altering car accident that left her with a fused cervical spine and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in her right hand. After extensive research and consultations, Stevia made the courageous decision to undergo amputation of her hand—with the support of Dr. Stephen Niedermeyer. In this inspiring episode, Stevia reflects on rebuilding her life, from her former career as a hair stylist to her meaningful role today as a Girl Scout leader. She speaks candidly about living with phantom limb pain, her challenges with prosthetics, and how she empowers others by sharing her experiences. As a board member of the Dallas Amputee Network (DAN - https://dallasamputeenetwork.org/), Stevia highlights the nonprofit’s impactful work supporting amputees, caregivers, and families throughout North Texas. Founded in 2002, DAN provides education, peer mentorship, fitness opportunities, and social events like the upcoming Legapalooza fundraiser—all aimed at improving the quality of life for those affected by limb loss.
What does it truly mean to be seen as fully human in a world that often overlooks disability? In this thought-provoking episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland welcomes back Dr. Stephanie W. Cawthon—an acclaimed deaf author, speaker, and researcher—for an honest and insightful conversation about identity, accessibility, and belonging. With ASL interpreters Amanda Ford and Steven Nugent joining, Dr. Cawthon shares the personal and cultural impact of her book Disability is Human, a work that has deeply influenced Mike’s own journey.
