Excerpt: Intimate Chat with Former Pro Skier Mark Tache

I am honored to have welcomed former US Ski Team member, and husband to former BonneFire Intimate Chat honored guest Christin Cooper, Mark Tache. The video above offers a taste of our inspiring exchange about Mark’s journey to become an 8-year member of the US Ski Team, a 7-year US PRO Ski Tour competitor and inducted into the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 2006 and how he embraced transitions, continuing to be empowered in his life as co-founder and owner of the vibrant and very successful Montana Ale Works in Bozeman, MT.

Says Mark: “With business, you have to earn trust… It takes time to build trust… You have to really work on that, and keep nurturing it ongoing, and it has to start at the top.”

“You can say one thing, but if you don’t live it, people see right through it, and I think that’s the integrity of everything you do. If you can’t stand by what you believe in and you’re trying to do, then you shouldn’t be doing it…”

Like Christin, he’s found that the lessons learned during his ski career have been applicable to everything else. Having had to manage his own ski career prepared him in ways he could not have anticipated for his second career as an entrepreneur. As a “professional athlete, you live and die by your own rules. To me, that is life as well. Successful people are the ones that can create their lives around that…”

Moreover, Mark expressed his values about his relationship with his life partner Christin just having celebrated 31 years of marriage, and how they share everything, align and prioritize their life both personally and professionally as co-founders of their business. To him “the sun rises and sets with Christin.”

BonneFire Community members have access to view the full conversation. Not yet a member? Click here to join now!

Johanne Bouchard

Johanne Bouchard, a serial entrepreneur and former high-tech marketing executive, is a governance and leadership advisor to boards, CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs, as well as an expert in board composition and dynamics. An accomplished author and blogger, Johanne has published a number of eBooks, and her articles have been published in Ethical Boardroom and NACD's Directorship. She is an advocate for STEM, increased diversity in the boardroom and patients' rights.

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The meeting was fantastic. It was an undisputable success. The interaction was superior and beyond what anyone could have thought was possible. Everyone embraced you and your skills in ways that I have never seen before. I learned a lot about the process and it has been very meaningful. It illuminated me into focused actions. It galvanized the entire executive team across the five business units. Really exciting…

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Thank you for such a productive session. It was wonderful to have your support and focus in connecting the team. Your constant guidance in finding clarity is a true gift for our organization.

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Thank you very much for your kindness, warmth and thoughtfulness for our team. Your team building session was beautifully on point, and done very constructively.

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If you have an organizational leadership problem to solve (the bigger the better) and need a tireless, objective collaborator to assist, challenge and drive you (and she WILL drive you), work with Johanne. And if you welcome the friendship that will grow from that experience, you couldn't do better.

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