We were lucky to catch up with Jerry Roisentul recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jerry, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience wasn’t something I read in a book or learned in a leadership seminar—it was developed in the trenches of life. I developed my resilience the same way I coach leaders to develop theirs: by getting back up one more time than I got knocked down.
Growing up, I watched my dad—a man of grit and integrity—handle life’s pressures with quiet strength. That planted the seed. But it wasn’t until I faced my own setbacks—whether it was business challenges, team breakdowns, or moments where doubt tried to take me out—that resilience really took root.
For me, resilience is built through decision. It’s the choice to keep leading when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. It’s staying aligned with your vision even when the path forward feels foggy. Over the years, I’ve learned that mindset isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the engine behind every comeback.
Resilience came from doing the hard internal work: strengthening my emotional intelligence, learning to lead myself before I led others, and rewriting the story in my head when life didn’t go as planned. It’s also come from surrounding myself with people who believe in me, challenge me, and remind me who I am when I forget.
Bottom line? I didn’t develop resilience by avoiding the fire—I built it by walking through it, and choosing to come out stronger on the other side.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
At my core, I’m a mindset, leadership and communication coach. I help growth-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders crack the code of confident leadership, high-performance teams, and communication that actually moves people.
My journey started over a decade ago when I realized something most people don’t say out loud: leadership can feel incredibly lonely. I was mentoring talented people who were hitting the same wall again and again—not because they didn’t care, but because no one had ever taught them how to lead people, cast vision, or build trust from the inside out. That’s when I created Champion Mentorship—a coaching movement built to turn potential into performance.
Today, I get to work with entrepreneurs, small business owners, and teams who are ready to scale with purpose. They come to me because they’re tired of doing it all alone, tired of the team friction, and tired of sounding unsure when they speak. Through my signature coaching program—90 Days to Fearless Leadership—I help them elevate their leadership, build a culture of ownership, and communicate with influence so they can finally grow without burning out.
What makes my work special? It’s not just about strategies—it’s about identity. I don’t believe leaders are born, I believe they’re built. My clients don’t walk away with a checklist—they walk away changed. They stop second-guessing. They speak with conviction. Their teams become self-driven. And their vision finally has the wings to scale.
Right now, I’m especially excited about expanding our live workshop series and launching a new experience called “Lead Like You Mean It,” designed to help teams build trust and alignment in real time. And of course, the message from my bestselling book—Don’t Let Doubt Take You Out—continues to fuel everything I do. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about business. It’s about building leaders who believe again—in themselves, their mission, and their power to make a real impact.
I get asked alot why this matters so much to me? It’s simple: Because I know what it feels like to question your worth. I know what it’s like to lead with a smile while carrying the weight of self-doubt upon your shoulder. I know what it’s like to be writing a letter to my three year old son trying to explain to him why his dad took his own life. And I also know what happens when someone steps into their true leadership voice—it changes everything. Helping leaders find that voice, own their influence, and lead with conviction? That’s not just my work—it’s my calling and my purpose.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, there are three game-changers that shaped everything for me:
1. Emotional Intelligence
2. Communication Mastery
3. Identity-Based Leadership
Let me break those down.
1. Emotional Intelligence:
Early on, I thought leadership was all about having the right answers. But what changed the game for me was learning how to lead myself first—especially when the pressure was on. Emotional intelligence helped me understand my triggers, stay grounded in hard conversations, and make decisions from alignment, not anxiety.
My advice: Do the inner work. Read the books. Get coaching. Journal. Be honest with yourself. The stronger your self-awareness, the stronger your leadership.
2. Communication Mastery:
If you can’t clearly articulate your vision, your values, or your expectations—don’t be surprised when no one follows. Learning how to communicate with clarity, empathy, and conviction changed how people listened to me, how my team showed up, and how fast we moved.
My advice: Study great communicators. Practice out loud. Ask for feedback. And remember—people don’t just need information, they need inspiration. Speak to their heart, not just their head.
3. Identity-Based Leadership:
This one’s big. I had to stop performing leadership and start embodying it. That meant letting go of imposter syndrome, owning my voice, and realizing that the best leaders don’t pretend to be perfect—they lead from who they are, not who they think they’re supposed to be.
My advice: Build your leadership from the inside out. You don’t need to wear a mask to lead. The more real you are, the more people will trust and follow you.
For anyone early in the journey: don’t rush the process. Mastery doesn’t come from having all the answers—it comes from being willing to grow, stretch, and keep showing up even when it’s uncomfortable. Invest in your mindset, learn to lead yourself well, and remember: you don’t need to be fearless to lead—you just need to be willing.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
One book that had a massive impact on me—both personally and professionally—is The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell. That book didn’t just teach me leadership—it showed me who I needed to become to lead well. It was one of the first resources that gave language to what I had felt in my gut for years: that leadership is more about who you are than just what you do.
A few of the most powerful laws that stuck with me:
1. The Law of the Lid:
This one changed my entire perspective. It made me realize that my leadership ability was the lid on everything else in my life—my team, my business, my impact. If I didn’t grow, nothing around me could grow past me. That lit a fire to take my own personal development seriously and to never stop learning.
2. The Law of Influence:
This law reminded me that leadership isn’t about a title—it’s about impact. You can’t force people to follow you; you have to earn the right to lead them. That’s why I focus so much on communication, trust, and alignment with my clients. Because without influence, leadership is just noise.
3. The Law of Process:
This one is a favorite. It taught me that leadership is built daily, not in a day. Growth isn’t always sexy—it’s consistent. It’s in the reps. That reminder helped me stay patient through the long-haul seasons and gave me confidence that who I was becoming mattered more than any quick win.
I’ve had the honor of training under John Maxwell and becoming a Certified Coach, Speaker & Trainer on his team—and I can honestly say, that one book was the spark that started it all. It gave me a framework that I now use to help others become the leaders their vision is calling for.
Contact Info:
- Website: www,championmentorship.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerryroisentul
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerryroisentul
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerryroisentul
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