When Phil sits down to coach a Leader, he brings the unique experience of having been in their shoes.
He knows what it takes to enter the program, build relationships, learn a trade, and keep going when the work gets hard. He also knows how much it matters to have people beside you who see what you can contribute before you see it yourself.
Just over a year ago, Phil stepped through the doors of CrossPurpose for the first time as a Leader looking to start a new career. Today, he shows up to work as a coach for the program, offering the same encouragement he received to Leaders on their own career journeys.
“My biggest advice for all of them is: the easiest way to get through this program is to just put your heart into it,” he says. “You don’t have to put money into it. All you gotta do is put your heart into it.”
That same mentality helped transform his life and his family’s lives.
When Phil moved from California to Colorado with his wife and young son in 2024, he hoped to put down roots but lacked clear direction. He had left college without finishing and spent years working a variety of jobs.
“In my adult life, I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck that whole time,” he says.
In Denver, his work at an RV rental company slowed during the winter, leaving him searching for something more dependable. After both the air conditioning and heat failed in his apartment, he began thinking about a career in heating and cooling. A search for HVAC training led him to CrossPurpose.
He came looking for a career, but he also had what he calls a “poverty of purpose”. He wanted direction and a more meaningful way to contribute.
At CrossPurpose, Phil invested in his training and the community around him. He built friendships with other Leaders and found examples in the staff of the kind of man he wanted to become. His faith took on renewed meaning as he saw people putting Christ’s love into practice every day.
Early in the program, after hearing CrossPurpose’s mission described, he stepped outside and called his wife in tears.
“This is why God brought us here,” he told her.
After graduating and beginning to work in HVAC installation, Phil returned as a volunteer Ally, not wanting to be away from the community that had impacted him so much. As he connected with staff and encouraged Leaders every Wednesday night at Family Gathering, someone suggested he apply for a coaching role.
Phil hadn’t imagined that possibility. He was trained for HVAC, and he questioned whether he had the experience to coach others.
However, his former coaches saw something in him that he was still learning to recognize. One staff member told him, “You have the heart and the personality that is perfect for this position.”
He applied, interviewed from his car during a lunch break at an HVAC job site, and eventually joined the staff as a Leader coach.
Now, the relationships that helped shape his growth inform how he supports others. He remembers how his coaches treated him, how they made him feel, and how their encouragement helped him move forward. As he coaches current Leaders, he seeks to apply that same level of care to their unique situations.
His own growth continues, too. Phil is part of the CrossPurpose Legacy program for Leader graduates, where he is working toward the goal of owning a home. At home, he’s a more present father and a more supportive husband. At work, he continues learning from the colleagues who first encouraged him as a participant.
Phil came to CrossPurpose ready to build a career. Today, he’s building a future for his family and walking alongside others as they build theirs, putting his heart into every step.
