Our story began in 2011 when Dr. Jeff Duke first introduced the 3D Coaching framework to our community at the emPowerU facility in downtown St. Joseph. To help tell the story that led us to where we are today, start at the bottom of this page to follow the sequence of events that transpired since that initial visit. Also, check back often to watch the story as it continues to unfold!
The journey continues.
Check back soon for more updates!
October 2023
On October 3rd, leaders from the Arts community presented A Dream for the Arts as the second breakfast in The Seven Oaks of St. Joseph series. Over a dozen local leaders from the nonprofit arts sector, the for-profit arts sector, and from our area museums shared a compelling vision for the arts in St. Joseph.
The presentation sought to answer the following questions:
- What’s the dream?
- Why is it important?
- Where are we?
- How can we get there?
The breakfast concluded with the issuing of a Community Challenge to give attendees specific ways to help move the dream forward.
September 2023
On September 1st, Wes Simmons of the 3D Institute presented a keynote called “The Life-Cycle of the Dream” to serve as a review of Seasons 1 and 2 and to set the stage for Season 3. Tama Wagner of the St. Joseph Community Alliance then proceeded to share about this season’s collaboration between The Joseph Company and the Imagine St. Joseph 2040 plan. The series for Season 3 is called “The Seven Oaks of St. Joseph” and features local leaders who are sharing the 2040 dream for their sector.
3DI also conducted 6 professional development workshops for St. Joseph School District staff at the Engage Summit hosted by Missouri Western State University.
August 2023
As we finished up the summer planning and recruiting process, we also launched year 3 with the St. Joseph School District.
On August 31st, over 150 first and second year teachers gathered to learn about the 3D framework. The kickoff session was led by Darbie Valenti Huff, a 2017 Teacher of the Year in Missouri.
All other energy was given to preparing for the launch of TJC Season 3 and the upcoming Engage Summit professional development day on 9/22/23 at Missouri Western State University.
July 2023
July was all about planning and recruiting.
First, planning. Plans were made to execute Season 3 of The Joseph Company. Building on last year’s theme, the Season 3 breakfast series is set to focus on the “Seven Oaks of St. Joseph.” The Joseph Company is collaborating with the St. Joseph Community Alliance to help promote the Imagine St. Joseph 2040 action plan. Which means…
Recruiting. We spent time recruiting community leaders from the seven sectors of St. Joseph to help us cast the vision for their sector at the Season 3 breakfast that is dedicated to them.
June 2023
June of 2023 was a milestone month. It marked the completion of our 3D Coaching for Business Leaders course as the final video was produced and uploaded to the course on www.3dinstitute.com
The final video of the course featured the impact that this training had on leaders from the Art community in St. Joseph who took the 3D Journey together.
Check out their story.
May 2023
On May 5th, The Joseph Company gathered for the final meeting of Season 2.
Danielle Greibel, the co-founder of Performulus, Inc., had the opportunity to witness firsthand the transformative power of love while volunteering with Mother Theresa in Calcutta, India. After returning to America, she dedicated herself to applying the lessons she learned from that experience to her executive and entrepreneurial roles in different industries. Danielle graciously shared her valuable leadership insights to help us identify the essential “nutrients” required in the soil for our community’s “Seven Grand Oaks” to thrive.
April 2023
Because Good Friday fell on the first Friday of April, the eighth breakfast in the “Grand Oaks” series took place on March 31st. Nationally known speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez was present to deliver his famous keynote: ALL IN.
Also, a campaign was announced (thanks to Reed Automotive Group) to provide funding for Second Harvest’s Backpack Buddies program. The campaign ended up signing up 114 new leaders for the 3D Journey and raising $5,700 in support of SJSD students.
On April 10th, 3DI and SJSD administrators met to continue planning for the roll out of the 3D Coaching for Educators training to the entire staff, beginning in September of 2023.
March 2023
On March 3rd, The Joseph Company gathered to discuss the sixth of The Seven Grand Oaks: Education.
Dr. Jeff Duke, founder of the 3D Institute, shared a keynote address explaining how the 3D framework was born out of research in the field of holistic education. In addition to Jeff’s presentation, district administrators from the St. Joseph School District were on hand to give an update on the rollout of the 3D training to over 300 building leaders in the district.
The 3D Spotlight video featured middle school teacher at Spring Garden Middle School: Rita Hubbard. Check out the video to the right to hear some of her story.
February 2023
The Joseph Company: Season 2 Breakfast 6 took place on 2/3/23. Dr. Cymbeline Culiat shared about the Restorative Purpose of Healthcare with a a focus on Holistic Wellbeing.
On February 13th, 3DI conducted 6 professional development workshops for the 250+ SJSD employees who are currently engaged in the 3D training in the district. Also, a second 3D Athlete training was held for 60 SJSD student-athlete leaders.
On February 21st, 3DI leaders met with SJSD administrators to discuss the roll out of the 3D training to the rest of the employees in year three, and began discussions about how to operationalize the framework through ongoing professional development, mentoring, effective systems and purposeful processes.
January 2023
On January 6th, The Joseph Company reconvened to hear a presentation on the 5th of The Seven Grand Oaks: Government.
David Cooke, the current city manager for the City of Fort Worth, TX, was in St. Joseph to talk about the Restorative Purpose of local government to provide “protective service” for ALL members of the community. Also on hand was Cooke’s former college wrestling coach and mentor at the University of North Carolina, Bill Lam. Coach Lam is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and is the winningest wrestling coach in the history of the ACC. Lam’s role was to introduce his former wrestler while also inspiring attendees with leadership principles that can equip any leader for success, regardless of their field or industry.
Meanwhile, SJSD staff who are participating in the 3D Coaching for Educators course completed Modules 7-9 of the online course covering the 2nd Dimension topics of Emotions, Team Cohesion, and Goal Setting.
After the keynote presentation, 3DI’s Alan Hoffler facilitated the monthly “Coaches Time Out” which allows attendees to process the presentation with others at round table discussions.
December 2022
The Joseph Company: Season 2 Breakfast 4 took place on 12/2/22. Nearly 200 community leaders gathered to hear a talk about the Restorative Purpose of Athletics in the community.
After opening remarks from 3DI’s Wes Simmons, former Disney executive and current 3DI Chief Operating Officer Mike Millay was on hand to share wisdom from his 40+ years in the sports industry. His presentation helped community leaders understand the importance of athletics as a key contributor to a healthy overall community culture.
Meanwhile, Wes also met with SJSD leaders to plan for the upcoming professional development workday on February 13th, 2023 and to begin discussing plans to roll out the 3D training to all staff in 2023-24.
November 2022
On November 4th, over 200 community leaders gathered to hear 3DI’s Director of International Partnerships Mark Hull present on the 2nd of the Seven Grand Oaks: The Arts.
On November 10-11, 3D training continued for SJSD administrators and building leadership teams.
November 11th also marked the inaugural 3D Athlete presentation for SJSD student-athletes. Selected leaders from Benton, Central and Lafayette High Schools gathered to hear a message on leadership from NCAA Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach, Sue Ramsey. Also on hand was the team chaplain for the Kansas City Chiefs, Marcellus Casey. Marcellus inspired the students with a message about the power of intrinsic motivation, servant-leadership and self-sacrificing love.
October 2022
On October 7th, we zoomed in on the first of the “Seven Grand Oaks” of the community: Business. The presentation centered on the role of the business community to help restore feelings of strength, health and wellbeing for those who call St. Joseph home. Over 180 leaders processed this topic together at roundtables following the presentation.
October also marked the 2nd month of learning for leaders across the city who are taking the 3D Journey in their own places of businesses. While the SJSD leadership teams completed modules 1-3 in the 3D Coaching for Educators course, community members did the same using the 3D Coaching for Business Leaders course.
September 2022
On September 1, 2022, the 3D Journey was officially launched in 92 (to date) participating organizations outside of the St. Joseph School District. Leaders from these different organizations began consuming 3D content online on their own time, and then began meeting together to process the content as a team.
On September 2, 2022, The Joseph Company launched season two of its leadership breakfast series. Nearly 150 area leaders were present to hear about the theme for series two, The Seven Grand Oaks of the Community.
On September 23, SJSD hosted the first of two district-wide professional development days for the 2022-23 school year. 3DI provided a keynote presentation for those who will be taking the 3D Journey, followed by 20+ breakout workshops on various topics that pertain to the 3D framework.
August 2022
On August 18th, 2022, the St. Joseph School District hosted a district-wide convocation event for all SJSD employees at the Civic Arena in downtown St. Joseph. The purpose was to inspire SJSD employees as they headed into the 2022-23 school year. As part of the SJSD x 3DI professional development contract, the 3D Institute provided the keynote speaker for the event.
Also known as “The Chalk Guy,” speaker and artist Ben Glenn delivered a powerful story while introducing the 3D framework to the staff. After sharing a story about how a 3D educator made a trajectory-changing impact on his life in the 9th grade, he then put his artistic talent on full display by drawing this paradisiacal scene on a bed sheet from Target in a matter of about 18 minutes.
July 2022
3DI leaders continued casting the vision for The 3D Journey; a county-wide initiative to implement the 3D training across the organizations in the community.
The focus was further defined to include the following seven sectors of the community: Arts, Athletics, Business, Education, Healthcare, Local Government, and Non-Profit.
June 2022
June was marked by numerous filming projects and the corresponding video production to get everything ready to go for the fall. Over a dozen different content presenters were on hand to help us with the conversion of 3D Coaching for Athletic Coaches to 3D Coaching for Educators and 3D Coaching for Business Leaders.
Meanwhile, the SJSD professional development plan for live 3D training was finalized to include:
- 8/18/22 – SJSD Convocation: “Make a Difference”
- 45-minute keynote introducing 3D for Educators
- 9/23/22 – SJSD District Professional Development Day
- 45-minute keynote to start day
- 24 breakout workshops on various 3D topics
- 2/13/23 – SJSD District Professional Development Day
- 45-minute keynote to start day
- 24 breakout workshops on various 3D topics
May 2022
May marked the end of year one of 3D training with the St. Joseph School District coaches and administrators. For a high-level year-end report, check out the PDF embedded to the right.
Meanwhile, a NEW COURSE was produced called 3D Community: St. Joseph, MO. This course houses all of the content from the seven leadership breakfasts that were hosted by The Joseph Company in season one. Anyone can register for free to access the content by clicking here.
April 2022
The Joseph Company wrapped up season one with its seventh and final leadership breakfast. This event featured a presentation from Dr. Jeff Duke, founder of the 3D Institute. The breakfast ended by featuring a panel of different community leaders who shared their dreams for St. Joseph.
At the end of the month, TJC hosted a breakfast just for “Team Captains.” A 3D Team Captain is one from within a participating organization who is willing to serve as a leader of a team. A team is a small group of 3-12 members who are committed to completing online training modules and participating in regularly scheduled small group meetings where the content can be processed together.
March 2022
In March, 3DI leaders met with SJSD administrators to continue planning for the roll-out of 3D teaching to the entire SJSD staff over the 2022-23 school year.
At The Joseph Company Leadership Breakfast #6, 3DI leaders continued casting a vision for The 3D Journey; a county-wide initiative to implement the 3D training across the business community.
February 2022
The Joseph Company Leadership Breakfast #5 focused on the topic of significance. After Alan Hoffler shared a message called “Two Ways to the Top,” Wes Simmons cast a vision to roll out the 3D Coaching training to at least 100 businesses and organizations in the community.
3D training continued to take place with the SJSD administrators and coaches. The topics of the month were “Competition” and “Character.” The online training and the small group time continued at its normal pace. Meanwhile, 3DI and SJSD leaders met to start fine tuning the plan for rolling out the 3D training to all SJSD staff in the fall of 2022.
January 2022
January kicked off with TJC Leadership breakfast #4. The topic of the month was “Success,” and former NFL football player Ray McElroy was in town to inspire the breakfast attendees with an inspirational message.
The Joseph Company also partnered with MidCity Excellence to host their 8th Annual MLK Day Solutions Summit. The event featured two former NFL football players, Dave Tollefson and Kenny Onatolu. Dave and Kenny challenged the attendees to get outside of their comfort zones and build relationships with people from different backgrounds.
December 2021
Though there was not a leadership breakfast hosted by The Joseph Company in December, plenty of training continued to happen with the St. Joseph School District.
The training topic of the month was Emotions. SJSD coaches and administrators learned about how to create an environment where the power of emotions are harnessed to enhance attitude, effort and performance.
Along with the regularly scheduled online training sessions and small group meetings, 3DI trainer Dr. Nina Rios-Doria was on hand to share information and strategies about how to create a culture that supports mental health and improves mental performance.
While she was here, Dr. Rios-Doria also presented some of the 3D Coaching content for the NAIA’s NEW “Champions of Character” course which is a required training for every coach in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
November 2021
On 11/12/21, The Joseph Company hosted its third of seven leadership breakfasts to begin taking the 3D training into the wider community. Over 150 area leaders joined us as momentum continued to build.
For SJSD, the November training focus was on the 2nd Dimension topics of Motivation and Confidence. After the coaches completed the online modules, once again they met to process the content in small groups at their respective high schools. Mark Hull, the 3D Institute’s International Coordinator, joined us for a large group presentation on how to cultivate confidence when it is lacking in those whom we lead. Finally, Scott Bloomquist was on hand once again to contextualize the content for SJSD Administrators.
October 2021
October kicked off with the 2nd leadership breakfast for community leaders hosted by The Joseph Company. The topics addressed how to change culture using “The Formula for Change.”
October also marked the 2nd month of 3DI training for SJSD coaches and administrators. Along with the regularly scheduled online training modules, small group discussions, and large group presentations, 3DI also conducted a special training session for St. Joseph School District Athletic Directors at Room 108 in downtown St. Joseph.
September 2021
September was a busy month. On 9/3/21, The Joseph Company hosted its first of seven leadership breakfasts to begin taking the 3D training into the wider community. Over 100 area leaders joined us at our inaugural breakfast.
For the school district, 3DI conducted 9 different training touchpoints with the SJSD administrators, coaches, and school board members. Along with online training, coaches were afforded the opportunity to gather in small groups to process the content. Nationally-known TedTalk presenter Gian Paul Gonzalez was in town to present a “3D” version of his: “All In.” Finally, 3D trainer Scott Bloomquist was in town to conduct the first installment of the 3D Coaching for Administrators training.
August 2021
On August 10th, 3DI kicked off the training plan with SJSD coaches, administrators, and school board members. After a welcome from SJSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Gabe Edgar, former NCAA Division I wrestling coach Heath Eslinger warmed up the crowd as the event’s emcee. 3DI President/CEO Wes Simmons then delivered a keynote presentation called The “It” Factor to introduce the 3D framework. Following the keynote, Heath explained the training plan that is in place for the 2021-2022 school year.
After the plan was revealed, Wes shared the wider community vision and facilitated a panel that was made up of Dr. Marlie Williams representing the school district, Scott Meierhoffer representing the business community, Pat Dillon representing the hospital system, and Bryan Carter representing the City of St. Joseph.
June – July 2021
It was now time to build out the team. 23 people were recruited and contracted to help execute the plan in a variety of different roles. The team got to work immediately to prepare for the “3D Kickoff” coaches breakfast that was scheduled for early August.
Meanwhile, more strategic meetings took place to continue seeking alignment with all of the stakeholders in the community. This picture of a meeting room at City Hall was taken just before the vision was cast to key members of the city leadership team.
May 2021
The training plan was finalized with the SJSD and the 3D Institute. A three-year agreement followed suit, and the SJSD leaders invited 3DI President Wes Simmons to share the vision at the May 2021 school board meeting.
March – April 2021
March and April consisted of much planning, vision casting, fundraising, and strategizing. Several businesses and individuals generously stepped up to help finance The Joseph Company fund. These funds are being strategically invested to help the plan succeed in our primary areas of focus:February 2021
The Joseph Company was born.
Community business leaders began to brainstorm about the best ways to support this plan. It was determined that one of the best ways to help it flourish in the wider community is to create an alignment with the business community as well. Toward that end, The Joseph Company was formed and a designated fund was created in the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri to provide financial support.
January 2021
After the SJSD leadership reviewed the “Imagine St. Joseph Sports – 2025” document, a decision was made to pursue a possible partnership with the 3D Institute. However, district leaders weren’t satisfied with training the coaches only. They expanded the vision and invited 3DI to use SJSD as a lab to contextualize the 3D framework to train the entire school district: Administrators, Teachers, Coaches and Support Staff.
3DI and SJSD immediately began to work on a plan to train all district employees over a 3-year period. Meanwhile, the news was reported to the business community leaders. They wasted no time in putting together a plan to support the district and community with this effort to transform the culture.
December 2020
The month of December was spent creating a blueprint for how we can possibly architect a new model for youth sports for the benefit of the entire northwest Missouri region.
Because of the alignment between this plan for youth sports and the Chamber of Commerce’s “Imagine St. Joseph 2040” project, the document was titled “Imagine St. Joseph Sports – 2025.”
The plan was presented to SJSD leaders, Chamber of Commerce leaders, and other key leaders in the city of St. Joseph.
November 2020
After gaining support from several area business leaders, Wes first presented a vision, and then issued an invitation to the SJSD administrators and board members.
The vision was to help transform our community by training coaches to become 3Dimensional in their approach while using sports as a vehicle to mentor our youth.
The opportunity was for the St. Joseph School District to become a “lab school” for the 3D Institute to fully implement its current offerings while providing an opportunity for 3DI to innovate new training and resources in a real-life setting.
August – October 2020
Over the next couple of months, several local stories were produced to highlight the impact of area 3D Coaches. As these stories circulated on social media, they began to attract the attention and interest of several community leaders.
These inspired leaders took the initiative to set up several vision-casting meetings so other leaders in the community could learn more about the 3D Institute. One of these meetings was with St. Joseph School District administrators and board members. Other meetings were with members of the St. Joseph business community, the city, and from our health care system.
“A good coach can change a game; a great coach can change a life.”
— John Wooden
July 2020
A devastating flood wreaked havoc on the Southside of St. Joseph, MO. In response, local baseball coach, Johnny Coy, organized a community-wide clean up effort to help those who were affected.
Local sports reporter Chris Roush interviewed Coach Coy about their effort to serve the flood victims. As he shared his story, Johnny referenced how the “3D training” made an impact on his coaching philosophy and inspired him to step up in this time of need. That brief mention of 3D intrigued Chris to ask more questions, and those questions then led to more local 3D stories.
February 2014
The 3D Institute was established in 2014 to come alongside sport administrators in a quest to help meet the growing professional development needs of the international coaching community. Since that time, 3DI has trained thousands of coaches in over 60 countries world-wide.
January 2011
Dr. Jeff Duke came to present a training on “3D Coaching” for the first time in northwest Missouri. Approximately 120 area coaches attended the Saturday morning workshop in downtown St. Joseph.
From there, St. Joseph resident Wes Simmons and Jeff became close friends and partners in purpose. This eventually led to the creation of the 3D Institute where Wes serves as President/CEO from St. Joseph.
Watch the video below to learn more about the 3D Coaching framework.