About

Michael's Story

I spent 30 years in media, marketing, and technology leadership - including 18 years at Adobe, where I consulted and led teams of 100 or more. I've navigated corporate politics, built and restructured organizations, hired and mentored hundreds of people, and learned something new nearly every day.

I'm a husband of 21 years, father to four sons, and an ordained permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. All of those roles - professional, personal, and spiritual - have shaped how I think about leadership, identity, and what matters.

The Shift

Somewhere in my late 40s, the questions changed. Not "how do I get ahead?" but "who am I becoming?" The first half of my career was about performance and ambition. The second half is about clarity and meaning.

That shift doesn't happen overnight. It takes honest reflection, new frameworks, and the willingness to let go of things that used to define you. I'm still working through it. Everything on this site comes out of that.

Why "Ad Alta"

Ad alta is Latin for "to the heights." Verso l'alto - toward the heights - was the personal motto of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young man who lived with radical joy, generosity, and purpose. He didn't wait for clarity to act. He climbed - literally and figuratively - toward something higher.

That's the spirit behind this project. Not a frantic hustle to the top, but a steady, intentional climb toward who you're meant to become.

What's Here

Four ways in, at different depths.

Ad Alta Weekly is free and publishes Tuesdays - essays on vocation, leadership, and the work of building something.

The Boardroom is $150 a year. Monthly notes with the actual numbers from the two businesses I'm building, plus a quarterly call where I put them on screen and answer questions. Not the polished version.

An Hour with Michael is one conversation, $250, about whatever you're working out.

The Ascent is a cohort - six sessions over three months with eight people making the same kind of decision. The October cohort is enrolling.

There's also The Table, a monthly lunch gathering for Catholic entrepreneurs and business owners in the Springfield diocese and surrounding region. That one is regional and in person.

See all of it →

What I Believe

• The hardest transitions are about identity, not strategy.
• Clarity comes before courage - you can't take the next step if you don't know who you're becoming.
• Formation is a lifelong process. You don't arrive - you keep climbing.
• Faith, family, and honest work are the foundation of a life well led.
• Leaders in transition need more than advice - they need accompaniment.

Connect

The fastest way to find out whether any of this is useful to you is to read the Weekly for a month. It's free, and it will tell you more than this page will.

If you'd rather just ask: michael@adaltaleadership.com

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