About Chris Steely

As a top-rated speaker, NCAA national rowing champion, U.S. Marine Corps Officer, corporate vice-president, business owner, MBA, world traveler, inspirational author, renowned global business coach, and devoted husband, Chris Steely has a vast array of life and leadership experience.

He has the ability to extract business and life lessons from his experiences, leveraging them to inspire and invigorate the lives of others, which sets him apart from so many other speakers, educators, and leaders around the world.

Chris is an exceptional leader, with over 25 years of business development, marketing, coaching, process improvement, and project management experience, who inspires people and solves complex business problems.

Chris’ personal mission is to positively influence others through open communication, empathetic understanding,idealism, and contagious commitment to success.

Chris is a certified business coach who has created and developed two executive coaching and search firms. He currently travels the world, coaching, inspiring, empowering and facilitating teams of hundreds in areas of business success, strategic vision development, and cross-pollination of ideas and ideals.  

“Hoist your sail, and fly! If not now, when?”   

As sail is a simple, elegant, powerful device that leverages the force of the wind into forward motion of a vessel; converting force and power into motion and momentum. A sail might look flat when lying on the ground, but once it's hoisted, it becomes a three-dimensional, curved surface; in essence an airfoil, designed to facilitate “flight.”  

Sailing is my personal life metaphor; constantly demanding the sailor’s awareness and presence. I used to sail on a lake in Indiana when I was a kid, and that metaphor has carried me through my life. When I’m sailing on the water, leveraging the wind against the sail, it’s about accepting the situation, letting it be, trusting, and being present, because there are only so many things I can control in the dynamic of the wind, and potentially the storm. The dichotomy of the storm is stillness, and no wind—a condition of peace and quiet, letting it be, being aware, and understanding through experience that I am here on this journey for a reason. My metaphor of sailing— letting it be, and trusting the process—has facilitated my perspective. I’ve learned that paying attention, being aware, and being present are powerful states of being. 

Strong, powerful, flexible, adaptable, aware, present. Be the sail.