My Walk into the Future allows for numerous adventures I can share with my readers.
Most of these adventures have something to do with travel for races and simply enjoying life.
One of my newer adventures is leveraging the Seaway Drive Bridge as part of my race preparation. I’ve written about this bridge briefly in a few blog articles. There were days when I dreaded seeing or crossing the bridge in my training program. My mindset saw this part of my training as a chore. I decided to flip my mindset in 2025 and embrace the bridge as part of my regular training program. I stopped dreading the bridge and started finding new ways to incorporate it into my race preparation.
Most training plans call for runners to complete hill repeats to prepare for races. There are no hills in Fort Pierce but there are several bridges. I began leveraging the Seaway Drive Bridge to complete my hill repeats last year. The simple view is I would run from the west side of the bridge to the east side. I take a short rest on the east side and then head back west. Up and over, then back again—simple concept. My goal most days is to repeat this process 10 times before I’m done. One time over the bridge is approximately .75 miles. I’m never concerned about time but need to get over and back to complete this workout. I leverage the hill repeats on Sundays because Saturdays are for my long runs.
I also incorporate the Seaway Drive Bridge as part of normal runs between 4 to 6 miles. This is a good way to test my endurance as I start and finish these sessions with bridge incline work. Some of my best run view photos have been taken at the top of this bridge.
The results have been positive. I completed the Nashville Half Marathon this year with minimal leg soreness. I have also been faster with my race times this year. I attribute both outcomes to added hill repeats to my training program. No more days of avoiding the bridge—I’m excited to get my bridge repeats in now and will add more for future training sessions.
What have you been avoiding that may help you move forward? Time to get your hill repeats in!
“Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.
(Elbert Hubbard)
My Walk into the Future provides multiple opportunities for me to network and expand my knowledge base.
I attended Ellucian Live 2025 in Orlando, Florida back in April. My current school is in the process of implementing Banner as our new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) student support system. We’re currently a Workday school and need to modernize the ERP for ease of use for everyone to include students, faculty, staff and administration.
The Ellucian Live event allowed space for us to network and explore available modules for the new system. This was an outstanding way to see how the modules interact and provide a better experience than our current ERP.
My overarching role in the switchover is to identify the modules that will provide us with the best capability for successful implementation. I sat in multiple sessions to hear from experts and other schools on their implementation of best practices. There are a lot of moving parts to successful implementation, and I wanted to ensure we didn’t miss any steps. Fun fact—it’s not my job to run the implementation but my area will be a huge consumer of the completed project.
There were several keynote speakers during the event from diverse backgrounds. There were university and college presidents, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, the Ellucian CEO and Coach Prime (Deion Sanders). They all had specific messages, but Coach Prime was my favorite speaker.
Coach Prime has a message of positivity and making the world a better place. There are times this message gets lost because folks are not truly listening to what he is saying. He is a true family man and has deep religious beliefs. This is how he lives his life daily.
The Ellucian CEO sat down with Coach Prime to ask him questions during his session. I wish they would have given him a true keynote session and let him deliver his message. He was adept with his responses to her questions but the biggest takeaway I got from him was he never let other people’s issues cause him to have a bad day. He admitted he can and will have a bad moment but does not let that linger and cause a bad day. His message is to focus on the positive in life and shrug off bad moments.
Coach Prime shared, “Don’t drag the bad moments forward and let them mess up a good day” (Ellucian Live 2025).
I remember Coach Prime from his Florida State University and Atlanta Falcons playing days. He had a different nickname back then, Neon Deion. He was flashy, loud and brash—or so we thought. Turns out that was the image of his younger self that does not fit him now. He leverages past experiences to set an example for his children and players.
I love his no bad day message and work to integrate it into my daily endeavors. Bad moments by others will not impact my day or positive outlook.
How can you leverage this principle in your daily life?
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”.
(Steve Jobs)
My Walk into the Future is designed to allow me to gain new experiences and share knowledge when needed.
I connected with the Academic Impressions Senior Product Experience Manager during a Retention conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota last October. I knew of her through work communications but got a better understanding of her role while attending the conference.
She knew of my work at Indian River State College in the Advising and Career Services space but did not know I did leadership consulting on the side. I’m happy to share this fact with anyone willing to sit with me so I can expand my portfolio of clients. Also, I’m proud of my Authentic Leadership work and developing new partnerships is something I strive to achieve.
The Academic Impressions mission is to develop the leaders higher education needs to thrive. My Authentic Leadership research and consulting focuses on higher education, but I expand this focus to include any organization looking to enhance leadership development. I shared my leadership training philosophy with the Academic Impressions staff during the conference, and we spent several days discussing a potential partnership between CW Consulting, LLC. and their organization. The organization has a branded, 5 Paths to Leadership program that is leveraged by higher education institutions to build and grow proactive leadership programs.
I was invited out to Denver for the leadership conference to learn more about the Academic Impressions leadership programs and to see how we may be able to introduce Authentic Leadership into their leadership training portfolio. Yes, I’m always looking for ways to partner and find new ways to expand the reach of Authentic Leadership. 😊
I was able to leverage professional development funding for this trip to enlarge my institution’s partnership with Academic Impressions. A bonus to this partnership was the opportunity to visit Denver again and experience the city after work hours. I’ve been to Denver multiple times and enjoy the culture, sightseeing and crisp mountain air.
The Academic Impression leadership conference consisted of higher education professionals from around the country. Several schools sent their entire leadership teams to this conference to build teamwork and synergy towards developing leadership protocols to enhance their daily operations. It was interesting to hear from others in this space to understand the challenges they face in leadership development. FYI—most schools conduct professional development training out of the Organizational Development (OD) department which is part of Human Resources. Most conference attendees worked out of OD at their respective schools and were in the process of building or revamping their leadership training programs. The Academic Impressions 5 Paths to Leadership program was a major draw for everyone in attendance. I was a bit of an outlier as I was trying to determine if Authentic Leadership could be embedded in this leadership principle and possibly become a leadership facilitator with Academic Impressions.
The 5 Paths for Leadership is based on research within the higher education leadership space and has helped multiple schools get positive results in leadership training. My time in Denver allowed me to learn how this leadership program has helped organizations implement leadership training on their respective campuses. The attendees were able to share leadership challenges and get input from facilitators on ways to move forward with new concepts and ideas based on research.
I enjoyed the one-on-one time with the facilitators and the group exercises to identify future challenges to leadership success (example: the political climate in America, reduction in DEI initiatives, etc.). We spent a good amount of time identifying challenges with a Post It Note session and there were consistencies across the board—it did not matter what part of the country we came from; we all had the same thoughts on future challenges. ☹
I made a lot of new leadership connections during this conference and stay in contact with my colleagues to learn new techniques. I plan to follow-up with the Academic Impressions folks to see how I can incorporate Authentic Leadership into their leadership program. This would be a great compliment to their work and would allow me to expand the Authentic Leadership style into the higher education space. I’m always looking for ways to expand and this partnership will provide me with another platform to share with others.
I will provide an update once the Academic Impressions folks pick me up as a facilitator. 😊
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“The art of communication is the language of leadership”.
My Walk into the Future in Nashville, Tennessee (NashVegas) provided me with new adventures this year! I normally stick to my tried-and-true venues but wanted to explore a bit more this year.
The Stage
I know this is one of my regular stops when in Nashville, but I always like to stop in. This is my favorite live music venue in Nashville because of the actual stage and the way the music carries throughout the venue. The view of the band is never obstructed, and the sound system provides a great acoustic backdrop for the crowd. There’s not much of a dance floor, but you occasionally will see a few folks out dancing to the music.
Category 10 (new)
This was my first time visiting Category 10. This venue transitioned from the Wildhorse Saloon and now features Luke Combs and his musical endeavors. The Wildhorse Saloon is a place I loved visiting for the great music, large dance floor and line dancing. Luke Combs and his team did a great job renovating this venue and turned Category 10 into a destination in Nashville.
The main dance hall is huge and has three levels. The stage and dance area are the largest in the Broadway area and the crowds continue to flock here. I was able to get in some line dancing before and after the half marathon and enjoyed every minute of it.
Bon Jovi (new)
Jon Bon Jovi has the newest bar on lower Broadway. I walked by the venue several times before deciding to go in. I thought it would only be a rock venue but there were country tunes coming out on the day I walked in. This was a huge venue with multiple levels of music to include a rooftop bar. It was a nice spot and I’m sure I will visit again on my return to Nashville.
Jelly Roll (new)
I’m not sure how new this spot is because I’ve walked by this location on lower Broadway multiple times but never ventured in. It has multiple levels, but it is not a huge venue. It has a great sound stage and angles to watch the bands play. I’m not sure how often I will visit this spot, but it was a nice change of pace from my normal Honky Tonk adventures.
Morgan Wallen (new)
Morgan Wallen’s bar is called THIS BAR after one of his songs. It’s not on Broadway but you can see it from Jason Aldean’s rooftop bar. I’m not a huge Wallen fan but there was a stream of folks going in and out, so I decided to join the crowd. The rooftop bar had great views of the Nashville skyline and an outstanding sound stage. The beer was cold, and the crowd was ready to have a good time. I decided to stick around for multiple beers and vibe with the band.
Jason Aldean’s
This is my favorite rooftop bar in Nashville! It’s right in the middle of Broadway and offers views up and down Broadway. The crowds on the rooftop are mellow and kicked back on sofas or high back chairs. The best bands play on the rooftop and the dance floor is always packed. This is a great place to watch people and listen to outstanding musicians. I highly recommend this spot if you are heading to NashVegas!
Well, that’s my Nashville report on places I visited on my most recent trip.
Which venue are you going to visit? 😊
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“Nashville, where the music flows like sweet tea”.
“I love Nashville. It seems like everywhere you walk; there’s great music coming out of every wall”.
(Imelda May)
My Walk into the Future brought me back to one of my favorite cities, Nashville, Tennessee (NashVegas)! 😊
I always look forward to my yearly pilgrimage to the Music City for the half marathon, live music and great food. Nashville is my city!
I added bridge repeats to my training program this year to help me battle the Nashville hills. This additional training got me ready, like my old training routes in Tallahassee, Florida. I never imagined how the hill training in Tallahassee prepared me for the half marathon distance. Yes, I need more hill training in my life!
The 2025 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon was a battle. This was not because of the distance or the hills. I put in extra work to get me mentally and physically ready to rock the half marathon (pun intended). The battle on race day was because of the unseasonably high humidity. April temperatures in Nashville rarely get past the mid-60s but our race day started with temperatures in this range and the humidity hung in the air. Again, the race temperature at the start was fine but the humidity was my primary worry. Yes, I train in Florida, but the humidity has not been high so far in this training cycle.
The race is well organized and there are aid stations about every 1.5 miles on the course. I made a mental and strategic plan to get extra fluids at the aid stations to keep myself hydrated throughout the race.
I stayed in a new hotel this year. The Marriott Courtyard West End which was one block over from my normal hotel. I got a great rate which included parking and breakfast and allowed me faster access to the great restaurants in the West End of Nashville. I got an early morning flight from Orlando to Nashville so I could hit the race EXPO when it opened and then head over to Broadway for food, beer and music.
Getting through the EXPO was a breeze! The Rock N Roll folks know how to throw a race party. I got my bib, t-shirt and Rock N Roll carry bag and made my way to visit the vendors in the Music City Convention Center. I didn’t really need anything but always get some food samples and explore clothing options. I found a funky headband that matched my projected race outfit and tried out some recovery boots—this is always a highlight if there are no long lines. No, Lauren, I did not buy the high price recovery boots. 😊
I left the EXPO and walked one block over to Broadway to take in the sights and hear great music. My first stop was Rippy’s Honkytonk for food, beer and live music. Rippy’s is a popular spot and has great BBQ. This is not my typical meal before a race, but the pull pork is outstanding, and I doubled up on the French fries as part of my carb loading process. I left Rippy’s and made my way to my favorite spot, The Stage. I love this spot because of the stage configuration and the quality bands that play here. This is my go-to spot in Nashville.
I left The Stage and made my way down to 2nd Ave to check out Luke Comb’s new spot, Category 10. This is where the old Wildhorse Saloon was located, and I was anxious to see what they did to the place. The inside of the venue has been upgraded with new floors, light show and sound system. They also provide line dancing lessons throughout the day. Yes, Maria, I like line dancing when I’m in Nashville. 😊
I didn’t want to stay on my feet too much with a half marathon coming up, so I made my way to the Westend of Nashville and checked into my hotel. I made a point to get to bed early so I could tackle the Nashville hills in the morning.
My hotel was only 1 mile away from the race start line, so I walked down Broadway as a warmup. I was assigned Corral #6 this year which put me close to the elite runners. I’m not saying I am elite, but I could see them from where I was standing. 😊 I got a nice warmup by walking to the start line and stretched well before getting into the corral. Getting extra hydration on the course was going to be a needed resource due to the humidity.
The Rock N Roll series uses rolling starts to ensure runners are safe at the start line. They release corrals every two minutes, so I didn’t have to wait long to get my start down Broadway. The first portion of the course on Broadway is downhill before we make a right on 4th Ave and then begin the climb back up towards Music Row.
My first mile was run in 9:20 which felt pretty good considering runners experience the first major hill climb within the first half mile of the race. My pace stayed consistent throughout the race with Mile 11 being my slowest at 10:34. I stuck to my race plan and got fluids at each aid station and made a point to pour water on the back of my head to avoid overheating—this really works. 😊
I finished Mile 13 with a pace of 10:12 and crossed the Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon at 2:12:45 which was 8 minutes faster than 2024 even with the heat and humidity. Unfun fact—there were several racers who needed medical attention on the course. This is the only race where I’ve seen runners receiving medical attention. I’m hoping these runners have speedy recoveries and can get back to running soon.
The race after party was epic again this year with food trucks, free beer and a concert. I stayed around a little longer this year to soak in the atmosphere and celebrate a hard-fought race. I am already looking forward to my return to the 2026 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon.
What are you looking forward to?
FYI–part 2 will cover my time on Broadway! 😊
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“The half marathon is not a race against others; it’s a race against our own doubts”.
The Walk into the Future blog is ready to give a guest content creator shoutout to my friend Melissa Forges. My first run at a topic suggested by Melissa was Make Every Second Count back in April. She gave me a total of three topics to generate content and I’m ready to give topic #2 a run: Going Alone with EmpowerMEnt.
We had a great chat while I drove over for the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon. I promised her I would put effort into bringing her topics to life. There are days when I don’t know if I can pull off some of my articles, but I gladly take on this challenge Melissa! 😊
Our discussion centered around the concept of ME in empowerment. This play on the word was done on purpose to highlight that it is okay to do things for yourself. We spend a lot of time taking care of the needs of others and forget to take care of ME (you) sometimes.
When was the last time you took a walk on the beach by yourself? It’s okay, I’ll wait for you to think of that time. 😊
EmpowerMEnt allows you to see it’s okay to do things for yourself without feeling guilt. We spend so much time doing things for others and this becomes embedded in our psyche, and it becomes the norm. Please know that I’m not saying drop everything and forget the folks in your life.
Really, I’m saying the opposite. The time you spend by yourself to recharge CAN allow you to come back to your normal routines energized. Yes, taking time for yourself can help you recharge.
Sitting on the beach is one of my favorite activities. I just need my beach towel, a good book and beer to entertain myself for hours. A quick nap is always a possibility when I’m getting ME time on the beach. I’m able to get a lot of uninterrupted thinking time when I’m on the beach too. This is a place and mindset that allows me to generate content for the Walk into the Future blog. Yes, I jot down ideas to come back to for blog article development.
Running is another opportunity for empowerMEnt in my world. I write about my running tourism experiences in this blog format but running allows me to clear my mind daily. I’m able to get lost in my run and this provides a different level of comfort and relaxation for me. I’m empowered to tackle running distances and races to continue my personal development. I’ve thought about joining run clubs but can’t bring myself to do it since this would eliminate the solitude I desire when I’m out for a run. Yes, there are thousands of people who run half and full marathons, but I don’t engage with them until the finish line with beers in my hand. Running may be the best place for me to gain empowerMEnt.
Researching and generating content for the Walk into the Future blog is my happy place. I love getting immersed in the writing process as I develop new projects. I have to avoid writing too late in the evenings because I find myself up past my bedtime trying to complete an article. The Walk into the Future blog is my major empowerMEnt flex where I get to discover new things about myself while writing.
Well Melissa, this is article #2!
How do you leverage empowerMEnt in your daily life?
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“One can be instructed in society; one is inspired only by solitude”.
My Walk into the Future ventured back down to Negril, Jamaica for spring break this year. This is not a huge revelation since I make this trek yearly. I’ve written about my adventures in Negril to include great food, reggae, snorkeling and enjoying irie vibes.
This year was a little different since the water was choppy and there were days we were instructed to stay out of the water. I still found ways to entertain myself and enjoy my time in my adopted hometown. 😊
So, instead of writing about similar adventures I have each year, I’m sharing my Negril trip with pictures—enjoy! 😊
“Every pizza is a personal pizza when you are marathon training”.
(Unknown)
My Walk into the Future continues to be centered around being a running tourist. I love to sign up for races and explore locations and enjoy the sights and sounds of each city.
Winter Park, Florida is in my regular running rotation with multiple distances: 5ks and 10ks each year in my running schedule. The Track Shack headquarters is right down the street and returning to Winter Park for races allows me to visit with my friends at Track Shack and Orlando. I met the owners on a running trail in Tallahassee, Florida while they were visiting their daughter and grandchildren years ago. It’s always great to return to check out new merchandise and talk with local runners before the races.
I ran my first Winter Park 10k back in 2019 and have not missed a race since. I ran my 10k personal record (PR) of 55:57 (9:00 minutes per mile) back in 2021. Fun fact—my three fastest 10ks have all been run during the Winter Park 10k. The course is mostly flat and allows runners to stretch out and go fast. I think that’s the part I love about this race—I know I will be fast because of the course familiarity and understanding when to push the pace to hit the finish line with a good race time.
The 2025 Winter Park 10k was the last long race before heading to Nashville for the 2025 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon. The Winter Park race provides me with a fitness test to determine how much work I still need to accomplish before NashVegas.
I made my way over to Track Shack the day before the race to pick up my race packet and get settled in my hotel. I am a creature of habit so try to hit Track Shack before the large crowd arrives. I like to get some shopping done while I’m in the store and it is better before the crowd arrives. 😊 They didn’t have any new gear in my size, so I just walked around a bit and then headed out to carb load.
I made my way to the UCF Buffalo Wild Wings to get my fill of wings, potato wedges and beers. I didn’t need to go overboard with the carbs since this was a 10k—still needed carbs but decided to forego the pasta and use the potato wedges and beer to carb up a bit.
Headed across the street to my favorite hotel in Oviedo to get off my feet and get prepared for a big race day. My bedtime comes early when I have a race coming up and I need extra rest to feel fresh—mission accomplished.
I headed over to Park Avenue in Winter Park with plenty of time to warm up and stretch before the race. The race village was teeming with runners when I arrived, so I found a spot to stretch without getting run over by folks trying to get to the 2-mile race start line. I’ve never completed the double race (2-miler and 10k) but a lot of folks like the challenge so they can double up on race medals.
I toed the 10k line feeling fresh and wanted to run a good time. The weather was warmer than last year but there was no humidity in the air. This normally means a fast time for me regardless of the distance. Let’s fast forward a bit and I was off my 10k PR by a little over 2 minutes. This was my fastest 10k since 2021 and I felt good from start to finish. I was able to cross the finish line with a smile and passed quite a few runners at the end. I normally zone out the finish line crowds but decided to enjoy hearing total strangers cheer for me. It was a great day to race!
I made my way back into the race village to take some pictures and get my ice-cold beer. Track Shack partners with local nurseries and everyone got a nice plant to take home as a prize. I collected my potted plant and made my way back to my vehicle. I dropped off some of my running gear and headed to Croissant Gourmet Bakery for breakfast. I’ve been to this spot before and decided to treat myself to a great breakfast and do some people watching before heading back to Oviedo. I highly recommend this spot if you are ever on Park Avenue.
That was the old tag line to promote Jamaica as a tourist destination. I never got the tag line when I was young but fully get it now. Jamaica is an island getaway destination full of energy and adventure. Yes, that last sentence sounds like a Jamaica travel endorsement. Hopefully, I can get to work soon as a travel blogger. Fingers crossed! 😊
I started coming down to Jamaica back in 2005 to explore and experience the culture. I was hooked on that first trip and have only missed a few years since. My goal is to make it down yearly to enjoy my second home—yes, I adopted Jamaica.
I picked Negril back in 2005 because I wanted to try something different. Most folks that come down hit the major tourist spots (Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, etc.) but I never heard anyone mention Negril. I wanted to give it a run because it is smaller and less tourist type activities. It’s a fishing village and has a slower way of life than the better-known areas.
Truth be told, I got lucky when I picked Samsara as my resort. It was listed as a 3-star resort, but I loved the pictures of the resort and how close it was to other things in Negril. Centrally located on the cliffs and I can walk to other points of interest with no problems. The cliffs provide another level of adventure for cliff divers, snorkeling and scuba spots. All this can be done without leaving the property.
The chefs at Samsara are just as amazing as the views. Breakfast, lunch and dinner have a unique Jamaican flavor and allows visitors to explore multiple food options. I used to get the all-inclusive package but now I like to hit other locations for food when I’m in Negril. I still eat breakfast and other meals at Samsara but love the freedom to explore and hit other food spots:
3 Dives / Jerk chicken
Push Cart / Ox tails
Rock House / Grilled snapper with callaloo
Xtabi / Pan fried snapper
Chances / Best pizza in the world 😊
Samsara / Breakfast buffet with blue mountain coffee
Samsara continues to provide a level of comfort and enjoyment. Most of the staff have been there since I’ve been coming to Jamaica. They remember me like I never left and this makes me smile.
I recommend Samsara if you’re looking for an Irie feel for your vacation. No big production or resort type feel. I love this location because it allows me to explore as a Jamaican instead of being stuck in a large resort with tourists.
Give Samsara a run if you’re looking for a Jamaican getaway. Tell them that Williams sent you! 😊
Walk Into the Future 