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.
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, “Life is dynamic and always evolving. To achieve greatness beyond oneself, be it individually, as a team, or as a company, requires balance, integration, and an understanding of the connection of mind, body, spirit and soul.” He adds, “It is through dedicated and consistent practice that we find rhythm, create balance, and live in the flow of life… 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 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
Insert bio
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.
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).
Have a question?
Let us know and we will be in touch: