Jeff Nikkel
Trailhead Coaching’s founder has a passion for helping executives and business owners thrive. He loves working with successful leaders who are hungry for more – more success, more freedom, more impact, more joy. He is an authentic person, a skilled listener, a passionate encourager, an honest truth-teller, a trusted guide, and a humble fellow-traveler, uniquely gifted to help men and women come alive, identify root issues, and walk courageously toward greater success in business and in life.
He has been married to Lianne for 25 years and has three wonderful children – Garrett (who recently married the lovely and talented Ellen), Alison and Ashley.
When Jeff isn’t coaching, he loves to read, fly-fish, golf, hunt, hike, watch movies, and enjoy time with his family.
Jeff’s Work History
Jeff’s career began as a Bank Examiner with the FDIC. In that role, he conducted over 100 financial institution examinations, assessing the strength of the bank’s management team, capital adequacy, asset quality, earnings, liquidity, and overall risk profile. He specialized in commercial lending and also taught financial analysis in Washington D.C.
After eight years, he moved into the private sector, where he oversaw the credit and loan review function for a group of five mid-size banks.
Sensing a call to work more closely with students, and driven by a curiosity for how people grow, he then pursued a Master’s Degree at Denver Seminary.
Since that time, Jeff has been involved in writing, speaking, helping students, serving various churches, and most recently, founding Trailhead Coaching in 2012. All along the way, he’s been passionate about helping others grow, living wholehearted, courageous lives. His 25 years as an executive, a pastor, and a coach make him uniquely suited for this position.
Blake Buhrman
Blake’s passion is centered on helping professionals live and lead well. He loves engaging highly successful professionals, who are hungry to experience life to the fullest, both personally and professionally. Blake is genuine, authentic, and wise – a gifted listener who helps men and women identify their core strengths, honestly evaluate their gaps, and establish clear growth strategies for the journey of becoming more fully alive and impactful.
Blake has held various roles in the fields of education and non-profit leadership. Most recently he has worked as a marriage and family therapist and as a consultant in both private and public sectors, helping businesses and government agencies.
Blake has been married to his wife, Carlin, for over a decade and together they have two amazing children – Reece and Landry. During his free time, Blake enjoys spending quality time with his family, golfing, watching college basketball, and pursuing his love of coffee.
Dan Steiner
As a leadership coach, Dan helps people become the sort of leader others want to follow. He is a coach, speaker, author, and mentor who specializes in helping people navigate change and become more effective in their work. With over 15 years of leadership development experience, Dan has a unique ability to come alongside leaders as they connect the dots between their personal and professional lives, helping them discover more about who they are and who they want to become. Foundational to his coaching philosophy is the idea that identity informs action – character informs leadership. Dan has strong listening and communication skills, honed with over two decades of experience in the education and non-profit sectors. A common thread that runs through his career is listening to people’s stories, helping them develop goals, and championing their success. He creates a relational space to discern and pursue goals that lead towards health in the whole of life. Dan’s ideal client is someone who wants to increase their influence, desires to help others be the best they can be, and prioritizes leading from a place of health.
