As an entrepreneur and executive, I've got enormous empathy for my readers who are leaders, managers, founders and owners (and those who aspire to be) in organizations large and small. 

I am the founder and CEO of Sloan Group International, a boutique leadership development consulting firm serving fortune 1000 companies on 5 continents. I am also a board member, speaker, a teacher, a parent, and an avid fan of people who make a positive impact on the planet.

If there's one thing that distinguishes me as a writer, it's that I'm on a mission to provide both practical tools and a supportive voice for people with purpose. 

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Michael Towers is the C.E.O of Speaking of Your Success. He is a subject matter expert in the areas of leadership, mental health, and addiction. Michael’s mission is to utilize his knowledge to improve the lives of people that suffer. Michael wants to use his story to help anyone who wants to rewrite theirs. Hurting people hurt people, and Michael has a heart for helping hurting people.

Motivated by the desire to help others overcome their mental health challenges, Michael resolved to learn everything he could about mental illness. Michael earned degrees in substance abuse counseling and psychology and has been a mental health and addictions counselor for 20 years.

For two decades Michael has given talks to psychiatric hospitals, rehabs, jails, and youth detention centers about how to live with mental illness.

In 2020 The Society for Human Resource Management honored Michael with the opportunity of a lifetime and listed him on their speaker’s bureau. To become valuable to SHRM Michael began to research mental health in the workplace. The data is alarming.

• 9 in 10 employees report that their workplace stress affects their mental health.
• 60% of employees are not receiving adequate support from supervisors to manage stress.
• 4 in 5 employees feel emotionally drained from their work.
• 56% of employees spend time at work looking for a new job.
• Only 5% of employees strongly agreed that their employer provides a safe environment for employees who live with mental health.

Since most people spend their waking hours at work, Michael believes he can make the biggest impact helping organizations, leaders, human resource professionals, and employees improve mental health conditions in the workplace. Empowering leaders to lead better, has a cascading affect that can be exponentially powerful.

Michael’s topics are engineered to empower leaders to change company culture. Michael teaches leaders how to be transparent, listen attentively and without judgement, and make their people feel like they are understood.

Michael initiates leaders to be authentic, accepting, and understanding. The results are less employee burnout and improved mental health conditions. Employees will be healthier. Healthier people make the people they love, lead, and live near healthier.

Your employees will thrive, which will positively impact the bottom line.

Michael can assist companies delivering keynotes or workshops. Although Michael loves to communicate face to face, he excels speaking virtually. He incorporates state of the art technology, visuals, and educational materials. Michael is second to none at delivering entertaining programs in the virtual space.

Michael’s presentations are informative, engaging, and are designed to identify challenges and give practical ideas and solutions.

Michael lives in Baltimore, Md, is happily married and has 3 German Shepherds. Which by the way, are tremendously beneficial for his mental health!

Lauri Flanagan is President at Management Resource Group, Ltd. where she provides support in corporate executive search assignments and business consulting. Due to her strong background in human resources, Lauri provides valuable advice and thoughtful insight throughout the entire search process. As a consulting professional, she helps companies through challenging people solutions, assuring expert navigation to achieve practical results. She also has the ability to guide you through employee promotions, terminations, downsizing and reorganizations. Lauri also manages the MRG Assessment Center, which is designed to provide comprehensive assessment and tests available for selection, promotion and development purposes.

For the past 16 years, Lauri has owned her own business consulting firm providing strategic advice and support in talent management. Previously, Lauri worked as the HR Manager for Woods Equipment Company, which manufactures lawn equipment, and The Furst-McNess Company, an independent agricultural company that provides customized solutions for livestock performance and profitability. 

Lauri holds a B.A. in Psychology from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and an M.S. in Management from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is an active member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Great River Human Resource Association (GRHRA). At GRHRA, she is serving as President for 2020 and 2021. Lauri previously served as president of Lourdes Catholic School parent organization and was a board member for the Women’s Choice Center for four years. Lauri has been married to her husband, Tim, for 30 years and they have two children, Liz and Benny.

"Great vision without great people is irrelevant." - Jim Collins
I am a passionate leader in the human resources industry and a strong believer in building the individual to support.

Tina Beaty changes the way people think, feel and believe. Using an integrated communications strategy, based on research and audience insights, she deploys omni-channel campaigns to change behaviors in pursuit of better workplaces for a better world.