Casey Calkins, PCC — CEO
First-line leaders manage 70% of a company's workforce, and are given little to no leadership training. So, most they default to what they know: doing everyone’s job, being available 24/7, & wearing exhaustion as a badge of honor. They become convinced that constant pressure is the only path to results. This cycle spreads quickly through teams. High potential talent says no to leadership opportunities (because who wants to live with nothing outside of work?). Morale tanks, top talent leaves, & revenue follows. I transform overwhelmed sales managers into magnetic leaders by teaching them to lead through their people, not around them. My work blends emotional intelligence, behavioral science, & practical systems to help managers master empathy, influence, motivation & self-awareness. They learn to create consistent results without burning out in the process. I know this transformation is possible because I’ve lived it. As a new leader at Houzz, I nearly burned myself & my team out trying to control every outcome. I thought being a good leader meant outworking everyone, always being available, never showing weakness. It drove me to walk away from leadership & return to an individual contributor role. But when I stepped into leadership again at Salesforce, it was different. They invested in helping me find strengths in others, practice empathy, & communicate with impact. My team consistently ranked in the top 10%, & I promoted 30% of reps YoY. But even then, I was running on fumes. On the outside, I was successful. Inside, I was crumbling. I suffered from chronic migraines & panic attacks until one day, I collapsed (literally). It was a small stroke at age 36. I learned 1 in 4 adults has a heart condition that can make strokes possible, but it wasn’t genetics that caught up to me. It was my lifestyle: sitting all day, skipping breaks and meals, stress-drinking, taking Zoom calls from soccer sidelines, & negotiating contracts while making dinner. That experience made self-regulation my top priority. I learned performance & well-being actually depend on each other. Now I help leaders learn from what I once struggled with. Research shows that high-stress jobs significantly increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, & depression, especially under age 50. No wonder nearly half of middle managers leave within 2 years on the job. Through coaching, workshops, & speaking, I teach the leadership skills I developed at Salesforce & the stress regulation tools I mastered through recovery to build sustainable, high-performing teams.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS leadership development expert with a focus on emotional intelligence and team performance.
Location: Mission Viejo, California, United States
Experience: 15 yrs 9 mos
Skills
- Leadership
- Sales Leadership
- People Management
- Sales
- Account Management
- Insurance Planning
- Operations Management
- Project Management
- Financial Planning
- Consultative Selling
Career Highlights
- Transformed overwhelmed sales managers into magnetic leaders.
- Promoted 30% of reps YoY at Salesforce.
- Expert in emotional intelligence and behavioral science.
Work Experience
Legacy Executive Club
Member (11 mos)
The Old Girls Club
Member (11 mos)
C2it Partners
Facilitator & Coach (2 yrs 8 mos)
Salesforce
Vice President, Commercial Sales (5 mos)
Sr. Regional Manager, Commercial Sales, Growth Business (2 yrs 5 mos)
Regional Manager, Commercial Sales, Small Business (1 yr 6 mos)
Account Executive, Growth Business (2 yrs)
Houzz
Sales Manager, Pro Plus (1 yr)
Team Lead, Account Management Org (11 mos)
Account Manager, Pro Plus (9 mos)
McQueen Kalligan Insurance Services, Inc.
Regional Sales Director (3 yrs 7 mos)
Nordstrom
Sales Executive, Personal Stylist (11 mos)
Rauhaus Freedenfeld & Associates, LLP
Operations Manager (5 mos)
Thrivent
Financial Consultant (1 yr 3 mos)
Education
Bachelor's degree at California Lutheran University
