What I've been sitting with this September

Between Labor Day and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September has a way of asking quiet questions — about work, about what comes first, about the people and losses that shape us. A few of those questions have been on my mind lately, so I wanted to share where they've led me.

The people who trained me before anyone was watching

Listen to a special audio clip on this topic from Keith

When I was starting out in sales, fresh out of college, I got promoted early. Twenty-six, when the average age for that role was forty. I thought that meant I had it figured out. I didn't. I talked too much, moved too fast, and the veterans in the office had a nickname for me that wasn't a compliment. Looking back, I was in over my head and too proud to admit it.

I've come to believe none of us get anywhere on our own effort alone. A few guys in that office took me under their wing, put up with my mistakes, told me things they didn't have to tell me. Honestly, they're the reason I stuck around long enough to get good at the job. I wrote in Champion Mentors that "champions are made off the field, during practice, before the game, wherever they hone their skills." Still true. Nobody's watching when the actual work gets done.

This Labor Day I keep thinking about those guys, mentors who shaped how I work before any of it looked like success. If someone did that for you, or you're the one doing it for someone else right now, this book is for you.

Putting first things first — honestly, not just on paper

Listen to a special audio clip on this topic from Keith

For years I told myself my priorities were straight: God, family, work — in that order. But if you'd looked at my actual days where my time and energy really went, you'd have seen something different. Work came first more often than I want to admit, and everything else got whatever was left over.

I've come to believe the answer was never about balancing everything better. It was about reordering what came first. In Living Life's Priorities, I write that the real turning point wasn't a single dramatic moment — it was "the exact actions I took to place God at the center of my life," one small choice at a time. That's still how it works. Not all at once. Just the next right choice.

This month, as we mark the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I'm thinking about what it means to actually put something above ourselves — not just say we do. If your own priorities feel out of order, I wrote this book, and recorded a soundtrack of songs across Pop, Rock, R&B, Country, and Gospel, to walk through that reordering with you.

What I've learned about sitting with someone's grief

Listen to a special audio clip on this topic from Keith

When my friends lost their son without warning, I remember sitting with the news and not knowing what to say. Not one word felt like enough. Then the pandemic came and grief seemed to be everywhere at once; in every family I knew.

I've come to believe that comfort doesn't come from finding the right words. It comes from staying close, from showing up, and from trusting that our loved ones who have gone before us are closer than we think. I wrote in My Grieving Hand about a hand touching your soul, right in front of you, and I still believe that. Their hands are there. So is God's.

If you're carrying a loss right now, I wrote this book for you.

The question I stopped being able to avoid

Listen to a special audio clip on this topic from Keith

There was a season in my life, during the pandemic, when I watched people all around me lose their sense of God. I watched it happen in my own family and friendships too, and it unsettled me enough that I stopped and asked myself some hard questions.

I've come to believe it really does come down to that one choice. Either there's another life after this one, or there isn't. I stopped being able to sit on the fence about it. That question changed how I write, how I pray, and how I try to lead my family.

If you've been circling that same question, I'd invite you to spend some time with my book, Getting Back to God

Bring Keith to Your Next Event

Known as The Catholic Mentee, Keith blends story, scripture, humor, and music into an unforgettable experience — at parish events, men's retreats, faith conferences, and corporate gatherings. 

If you have an event coming up and want Keith to join you:

Other Resources