Dean Niewolny | Halftime

When You Practice What You Preach

One year ago, on April 1, 2021, we announced a strategic shift in Halftime leadership. We can hardly believe what an eventful, providential year it has been, but here we are! Maybe you find yourself feeling the same way as you read this: time seems to be flying. But - what a difference it makes when you are confident that your time is being used purposefully. To illustrate this, we'd love to pause and share the story of someone who has been near and dear to all things

When You Practice What You PreachAlyssa Heffley2022-04-04T12:00:33-05:00

What’s Your Relationship Legacy?

This isn’t an article about romance. It isn’t about marriage. But it is about relationships: true, authentic peer relationships. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want ride the waves of life without them. At the Halftime Institute, we serve men and women going through a season of discernment and re-focusing. For many leaders, by mid-life, high-stakes busyness has crowded out heart-level connections and by the time they get to halftime, the deficit shows. If that describes you, then it’s time for a serious one-eighty. Relationships are

What’s Your Relationship Legacy?Dean Niewolny2018-02-13T15:12:46-06:00

What to Do When You Find Yourself Asking “Is This All There Is?”

The late, great Peggy Lee used to sing a song that became a standard called “Is That All There Is?” Ms. Lee suggested in the song that if this is all there is, then “let’s just keep dancing and break out the booze and have a ball.” I am thinking there might be a better plan out there for those of us who have and will have come face to face with that daunting question. The seeds of confusion about what was truly important were planted early for me.

What to Do When You Find Yourself Asking “Is This All There Is?”Dean Niewolny2017-10-30T13:46:21-05:00

Making Time and Space

Ninety-nine percent of new Halftimers are textbook type A’s, men and women shrink-wrapped into their schedules with zero margin. They walk into the Institute grafted to cell phones, setting plans by the quarter hour. When we tell them, almost first thing, to open their calendars and pry open their hours (for whole stretches, ongoing), it’s a little like waving scissors at a patient’s morphine drip. For their part, our Halftimers report back to us that their early efforts to dial back on busyness are: Scary A relief Welcome Incredibly

Making Time and SpaceDean Niewolny2017-10-30T13:14:18-05:00

An Economics Class with Jesus, Part 2

I am always amazed at what happens when trouble shows up in a community, how people pull together and you see how many good folks there are out there that will never be on the evening news for their charitable works, but are as important as a President in the moment. When hurricane Harvey struck south Texas and began its slow crawl across the land, people began almost immediately doing remarkable things to help each other. And, as usual there were throngs of businesspeople who stepped into the gap

An Economics Class with Jesus, Part 2Dean Niewolny2017-10-03T15:15:27-05:00

An Economics Class with Jesus, Part 1

If we are going to figure out how to finish well, we have to decide what we truly believe about money and things. Thankfully, Jesus gave us a blueprint to follow, and I am here to tell you it works. Should we be surprised by that? His blueprint is also countercultural and pushes back hard against almost everything you and I see and hear every day about how much is enough. So, let’s check in to Matthew 6:24, where Jesus begins to lay out a beautiful and air tight

An Economics Class with Jesus, Part 1Dean Niewolny2017-09-19T13:42:04-05:00

Critical Must-Haves For A Successful Halftime Journey: Part Two

It would be safe to say that almost none of us ever starts out on a journey with no idea about where we are going. If we are not sure about the route, the destination is plugged into our GPS, and off we go. But what about our life destination, that long term perfect scenario that we dream about? Do we have the coordinates for that so that we not only arrive there someday, but know we are there when we get there? The truth is most of us

Critical Must-Haves For A Successful Halftime Journey: Part TwoDean Niewolny2017-08-25T10:36:18-05:00

Living With Your 80th Birthday In Mind

It’s your eightieth birthday and someone has taken you to your favorite restaurant. Stepping through the front door, you see the entire place has been rented out for the occasion. Across a large room you see some two hundred family members, friends, and business associates. The room has a stage and a microphone. After dinner, one by one, all of the guests—your spouse, your children, your neighbors, employees, associates—form a line to take the microphone and say to everyone what your life has meant. What do you hope to

Living With Your 80th Birthday In MindDean Niewolny2017-09-07T15:55:05-05:00

Three Critical Must-Haves for Successful Halftimers: Part One

Success in the halftime journey doesn’t just happen. It takes planning and persistence, and it has several elements that are critical to your success. Let’s zero in on three of them for the time being: A personal board of directors, a strong mission statement, and coaching. Personal Board of Directors The first time I heard Bob Buford mention a personal board of directors, I thought to myself, “I’ve got that.” He was talking about a panel of trusted family, friends, and colleagues—people to speak truth into our lives.

Three Critical Must-Haves for Successful Halftimers: Part OneDean Niewolny2017-08-18T17:10:00-05:00

Advice to Leaders: Know Your Purpose And Help Those You Lead To Do The Same

In my new book, Trade Up: How to Move from Just Making Money to Making a Difference, that just published this month, I did something that made me more than a little uncomfortable. My Midwestern sensibilities and upbringing tell me not to talk about myself, but the truth is, I had to. I was sort of required to tell my story and I dutifully did so. I shared how as a young person I set out to make as much money as possible and by the time I was

Advice to Leaders: Know Your Purpose And Help Those You Lead To Do The SameDean Niewolny2017-08-10T18:29:49-05:00