Strategic Initiatives Manager | Growth & Impact through Collaborative Partnerships

I lead and write from a place of purpose, heart posture, and story. 

My work spans development, partnerships, and strategy, and the thread through everything is relationship. I listen closely, notice what’s often unspoken, and use storytelling to help people feel seen, valued, and invited into something meaningful.

At the core of who I am is this
people matter
stories matter
and when the heart is engaged, everything changes.

Summer Applegate🍏

The considerate heart
shows up in parking lots
in grocery aisles
at restaurant tables
and in family rooms

The considerate heart grabs the cart
blocking a parking space
and uses that one to shop

because no one can park there
until it’s moved

They pull another can to the front
after taking the one they selected
and forward face the label

Not from past retail training
but from peripheral noticing

They saw an employee doing it
and something in them responded

Easing someone else’s labor
even in small ways
leaves an imprint

No one goes on the intercom
and says
“Thank you to the person in qaisle three
for being considerate”

A considerate heart
is a subconscious habit

A kind of care you practice
until it becomes you

They stack their plates after a meal out
and wipe their space

Knowing someone else
will reset the table
for someone else

In this 
They appreciate the moment at their table
and restore it for the next person

This kind of consideration
is appreciation
turned outward

Appreciation
expressed in action

To notice with care
that anticipates
and lightens the load

To respond 
without needing credit

It’s the kind of person
who has seen the movie
and watches it again
because you haven’t
Enjoying it more because this time the moment is shared 

—

We’ve all heard some version of

“I take my interviews to a restaurant
and see how they treat the wait staff”

Can good treatment be faked?
Absolutely

Make eye contact
Repeat their name
Say thank you

People can read performance situations
and adjust accordingly
especially in an interview

Over time
hearts reveal themselves

In tone
micro-decisions
how someone handles power
how they handle service
how they treat what goes unseen

You want to hire
the considerate heart

Look deeper 

—

Today my son and I were playing
Mario Kart

He was in first
I was in second

He said
“Here you go Mom
take the win”

He slowed
just enough

To let Princess Peach pass the finish line

Then he looked into my eyes
and smiled

“Good job Mom”

My son
you inspired this

Consideration is relational

It’s how someone connects in the world

It reads the room
Senses the moment
Feels what would build

True influence
makes what’s around you
and who’s around you
better

A considerate heart senses
what would deepen connection
and chooses that

Love often shows up
as yielding

A small surrender
that creates a deeper bond

A decision that says

I see you
I want you to feel joy
I want this moment shared

And in that exchange
something forms

Trust
Warmth
Belonging
Moments built that matter

So I’ll ask

Are you enjoying the table you’re eating from?

Are you restoring it for the next?

Are you shaping what’s around you?

Every room is formed by someone

Let it be formed by you

Through a considerate heart

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Dennis Geelen

Business Coach | Keynote Speaker | Author of The Happy Accidents newsletter and The Accidental Solopreneur book

I’ve spent most of my career helping people navigate change.

Sometimes that meant working with leadership teams and organizations.
Sometimes it meant coaching solopreneurs who were building something new after an unexpected turn.
And more recently, it’s meant telling true stories that remind us how unpredictable, strange, and meaningful real life can be.

At the core of everything I do is one idea:
people don’t change because of frameworks alone, they change because of perspective.

What I Do

I’m a speaker, author, and consultant who helps individuals and organizations make sense of uncertainty, transition, and unexpected opportunity.

My work focuses on:
 • Leadership and change
 • Human-centered decision making
 • Serendipity, timing, and “happy accidents”
 • Stories that challenge neat narratives about success and control

I’m currently building The Uncanny, a storytelling project exploring true stories that sound impossible but actually happened.

Who I Work With
 • Event organizers looking for keynote talks that are thoughtful, grounded, and story-driven
 • Organizations and nonprofits navigating change, leadership transitions, or cultural shifts
 • Individuals who want practical clarity through focused, one-hour coaching conversations

(I’m no longer actively promoting large programs or long-term coaching, but I still take on select conversations and workshops when there’s a strong fit.)

What I’ve Created
 • Author of The Zero In Formula and The Accidental Solopreneur
 • Host and creator of story-driven newsletters, podcasts, and short-form video content
 • Speaker on topics including change, leadership, serendipity, and starting before you feel ready

Want to Connect?

If you’re reaching out about:
 • Speaking engagements
 • A focused workshop or session
 • A thoughtful one-on-one coaching conversation

Feel free to DM me.

And if you’re someone who loves true stories that make you pause and say, “That can’t be real”…
you’ll probably enjoy what I’m building next.

Founder

Coaching and mentoring to help you start and scale your one-person business.

Some of the most damaging leaders I’ve seen weren’t incompetent.

They were unregulated.

Don’t get me wrong, they were smart,  strategic, and experienced.

But they couldn’t manage themselves.

They couldn’t control their reactions in tense moments.

They took feedback personally.

They blamed circumstances when results slipped.

They said “yes” to everything and then created chaos trying to deliver.

And their teams paid the price.

Leadership isn’t just about vision or communication.

It’s about emotional control.
Self-awareness.
Responsibility.
Discipline with your time and energy.

If you can’t lead your own habits, emotions, and priorities, you end up outsourcing the consequences to everyone around you.

And that’s when trust erodes.

Have you ever worked for a leader who struggled to lead themselves?

What did that look like and how did it affect the team?

Speaker | Author | Consultant - Guiding organizations through leadership transitions and complexity

Is it your goals?
Is it your habits?
Is it your purpose?

Or is it actually none of those things?

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Summer Applegate🍏

Dennis Geelen

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taplio

The Battle

Summer Applegate🍏

Dennis Geelen

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Summer Applegate🍏's LinkedIn Performance

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