Introducing Momentum Matters: Finding your Path to Progress
By Chris Maxwell, CEO of MaxStrat
Welcome to the first edition of Momentum Matters, a newsletter from MaxStrat designed to help you create and sustain momentum in your organization, your career, and your life. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re looking for a way forward—toward impact, clarity, and meaningful progress. That’s exactly why we’re here.
This inaugural issue of Momentum Matters also marks an exciting new chapter for our firm: the official launch of MaxStrat 4.0.
We’ve rolled out a new look, a new website, and an evolved identity that reflects who we are today—a mission-driven team of exceptional leaders who deploy our Momentum Model through dynamic, team-based leadership and strategy services. Whether you need interim or long-term leadership, staffing support to launch special projects or fundraising efforts, board and executive guidance, or a clear strategic roadmap, our team is built to help yours move forward with purpose and precision.
Finding Momentum in the Middle
I’ve always been drawn to the middle—not as a place of indecision, but as a place of balance, collaboration, and possibility. I grew up in the middle of America, in the small town of Parkston, South Dakota, as one of six kids. My parents, two of the most incredible people I’ve ever known, instilled in me the values that shape my life and work today: belief in something greater than myself, kindness, gratitude, hard work, and the importance of dreaming big and going after those dreams to make a difference.
That upbringing shaped everything about how I approach leadership, problem-solving, and planning. I’ve learned that lasting success doesn’t come from swinging to the extremes—it comes from building bridges, finding common ground, and harnessing momentum from the middle path. That philosophy is at the core of the Momentum Model.
The success triangle: Your guide to momentum
Over my career, I’ve found that successful planning and decision-making boil down to three foundational elements—the Success Triangle:
Think Big. The best ideas and biggest opportunities come when we allow ourselves to dream without limits.
Take Action. A great idea without execution is just a thought. Momentum comes from moving forward.
What Matters Most. Focus is everything. Clarity on priorities ensures that energy is directed toward what truly moves the needle.
Every effective strategy—whether for an organization, a movement, or an individual—needs all three. You have to dream big, act with intention, and stay focused on what truly matters.
The “everything is for you” mindset
One of the most transformative lessons in my life has been the idea that everything is for you—not in the sense that the world revolves around us, but in the belief that every experience, challenge, and setback carries an opportunity to learn, grow, and build momentum.
Obstacles are opportunities.
Setbacks are setups for something greater.
Momentum isn’t found—it’s created.
When we embrace this mindset, we stop seeing roadblocks as reasons to quit and start viewing them as stepping stones to something even bigger. This mindset, along with the strategic principles of the Momentum Model, has shaped how I lead, how I plan, and how I help organizations create meaningful impact.
Moving forward together
Our newsletter is about sharing the tools, insights, and mindset that help leaders like you find and sustain momentum in a fast-moving, ever-changing world. In the coming months, Momentum Matters will dive deep into the practices, frameworks, and philosophies that power our work—including the Momentum Model, the Success Triangle, the Everything Is For You Mindset, and the 10P Momentum Accelerators.
As we launch MaxStrat 4.0, we’re not just unveiling a new look—we’re doubling down on what we do best: helping leaders and organizations navigate complexity, make bold decisions, and move forward with clarity and confidence.
I’m excited to take this journey with you. Let’s think big, take action, and focus on what matters most—together.
Chris Maxwell
CEO, Maxwell Strategies
the road to Momentum Matters: A Journey of Resilience, Perspective, and Purpose
Life has a way of shaping us, molding us through experiences, challenges, and the people we encounter along the way. For me, the roots of who I am—and the foundation of the Momentum Model Strategic Planning Approach—began in the heart of rural America, in the small town of Parkston, South Dakota.
Growing Up in the Middle of America
There’s something special about growing up in a small town. It teaches you humility, perspective, and the value of hard work. Life in rural America is about more than just wide-open spaces; it’s about community, resilience, and finding adventure in the everyday. I had the privilege of being involved in everything—Boy Scouts, band, choir, student government, basketball, football, track, and any other opportunity that came my way.
Being involved in such a variety of activities gave me a well-rounded perspective that shaped how I see the world today. When you experience life from multiple angles, you gain insights that someone who specializes in just one area doesn’t always have. I learned how to adapt, lead, follow, compete, collaborate, and innovate—all skills that became the backbone of my career and the Momentum Model.
Growing up in a big family—one of six kids—also meant learning how to share, compromise, and find the middle pathearly on. There was no room for extremes in a house that busy. If you wanted to be heard, you had to listen. If you wanted to get your fair share, you had to make sure others did too. That environment gave me a safe place to develop social skills, conflict resolution, and teamwork—all of which would later influence how I lead, strategize, and help organizations find their momentum.
Now, as a husband and father of four amazing kids—Benjamin, Samuel, Isaac, and Hannah—my wife, Molly, and I are raising our family in the middle of America, in Pierre/Fort Pierre, South Dakota. We strive to instill in our children the same values of kindness, gratitude, resilience, and dreaming big that shaped me.
A Career Built on Perspective and Momentum
My professional journey has been anything but linear, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. From working with multiple startups, to advising large government organizations, to leading nonprofits, I’ve had a front-row seat to the challenges and opportunities that exist in organizations of all sizes.
That diverse career path gave me a unique perspective—one that helped me recognize patterns in what makes organizations succeed and what holds them back. Through these experiences, I developed the Momentum Model Strategic Planning Approach, built on three key components:
The Success Triangle – Think Big. Take Action. What Matters Most.
The “Everything Is For You” Mindset Principles – Finding opportunity and growth in every experience.
The 10P Momentum Accelerators – The key elements that drive sustained success in any organization.
Momentum isn’t about chance—it’s about intention, adaptability, and finding the right path forward.
A Battle That Galvanized My Beliefs
In 2019, I faced a battle I never saw coming.
It started with numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes. Within days, doctors diagnosed me with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)—a rare autoimmune disorder that attacks the nervous system. Within weeks, I was completely paralyzed, unable to blink, swallow, or even breathe on my own.
For four months, I relied on a ventilator to keep me alive. Over the next six months, I had to relearn how to do everything—blink, breathe, swallow, eat, sit, stand, and, eventually, walk again. The road to recovery took me through Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, and QLI in Omaha. Every step of the way, I was surrounded by an incredible team of medical professionals, a loving family, and an entire community that refused to let me fight alone.
Nine months after my initial diagnosis, I returned home—with no assistive devices, and a determination to regain every ounce of strength I had lost. My therapy and recovery continues, and I strive for a full recovery and to grow into the best physical, mental, and emotional person I can be every day.
That experience didn’t just change me—it galvanized my beliefs, my approach to life, and my Momentum Model. I came out of it with an even stronger understanding of resilience, purpose, and the power of momentum.
Why Momentum Matters
Life, leadership, and strategic planning are all about finding a way forward. It’s easy to feel stuck, to get lost in challenges, or to focus on obstacles instead of opportunities. But momentum is always possible.
That’s why I created Momentum Matters—to share strategies, mindsets, and real-world insights that help you and your organization move forward with clarity and confidence.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you. Let’s think big, take action, and focus on what truly matters—together.
Chris Maxwell CEO, Maxwell Strategies
