Leadership Speaker, Author & Coach
When people love the work, everything downstream changes.
Business doesn't get better. People get better. For 25 years, Dr. Nathan Unruh has helped leaders and teams become the kind of people their business can grow around.
“I write motivational books for a living. But when I need a boost of encouragement myself, Nathan is one of the first people I call.”
Jon Acuff
New York Times bestselling author · One of Inc.'s Top 100 Leadership Speakers
Every leader hits a ceiling.
Most can't see it from the inside.
The Growth Potential Assessment is a short, honest diagnostic that shows you where your organization's growth is stalling — and what to do about it first.
Free · about 8 minutes · results you can act on this week
The 20%
Are you part of the 20%?
Only about one in five people say they truly love the work they do.
That's more than a workforce statistic. It's a challenge to leaders, teams, and organizations everywhere. Because when people love what they do, everything downstream changes. Energy rises. Culture tightens. Teams perform. Customers feel the difference before anyone tells them about it.
Nathan's work starts there — not with systems, org charts, or a new dashboard, but with the people those things are supposed to serve.
Business doesn't get better. People get better.
About
Dr. Nathan Unruh
Nathan didn't learn this from a textbook. He learned it building companies.
Over 25 years he's founded, scaled, and led businesses across healthcare, professional services, marketing, and training — including SIDECAR and Love the Work. Along the way he wrote seven books, hosted more than 200 conversations with leaders on the Beyond Bricks podcast, and discovered that the principles that grow one company grow almost any of them.
They all come back to people.
Today he works with executives, owners, and teams who've hit a ceiling they can't quite name. Through coaching, training, and speaking, he helps them strengthen culture, sharpen communication, design experiences customers remember, and build the kind of leadership that outlasts the leader.
He's an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He's also a husband to Sara, a father of three, and a South Dakotan who will tell you — usually within the first ten minutes — that when a storm rolls in, cattle run from it and buffalo turn into it.
He'd like you to be a buffalo.
Listen
Beyond Bricks Podcast
Conversations with leaders, builders, and difference-makers about what it actually takes to grow yourself and the people around you.
Leadership
Leadership isn't a title you're handed. It's a capacity you build. Nathan helps leaders at every level lead with intention — strengthening culture, sharpening communication, and setting a standard the whole team can feel.
Growth
At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212, it becomes steam — and steam moves things. Growth is rarely about a total overhaul. It's about finding the one degree that changes everything, then applying it relentlessly.
Affluence
Affluence comes from a root meaning abundant flow — and it was never only about money. It's health, relationships, purpose, and impact moving freely through your life. Nathan helps people build businesses that fund a life worth living, not one that consumes it.
Who this is for
The business grew faster than the people leading it.
Nathan works with owners, executives, and leadership teams who are past the startup scramble and running into a different problem. Clients range from 10-person shops to companies with hundreds of employees, across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, retail, hospitality, and nonprofits.
You'll recognize yourself if —
- Your team is busy but not aligned, and you can't tell where the drag is coming from
- You're the bottleneck on decisions you shouldn't be making
- Culture happened to you instead of being built on purpose
- Your customer experience is fine, and fine isn't winning you anything
- You've read the books, run the offsite, and it didn't stick
Love Stories
“Dr. Nathan Unruh has been instrumental in the cultural shift at A&B Business Solutions. He helped us reach record years in revenue and customer satisfaction.”
Kyle Lambert
CFO/COO, A&B Business Solutions
“When I think of Nathan's coaching, one word comes to mind: CHANGE. He has a remarkable way of helping employees, leaders, and teams see what they can't always see for themselves.”
Chris Vinson
CEO, Windsor Mortgage
“It's like Traction, but even better. We can't believe how quickly we achieved it, and what it did for the company has been beyond my wildest expectations.”
Vince Wuebker
CEO, HotSpring Spas & Pool Tables 2
“Working with Nathan over the years has been game changing for me personally and for the growth of my company. Nathan always pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and every time I do so, I continue to learn and progress.”
Dylan Kvaale
Make Way Wealth
“Nathan is a spark plug for the soul! High energy, deeply trusted, and always bringing a fresh perspective I can't see on my own. Every time we meet, I walk away inspired with clear next steps I can run with.”
Adam Weber
Embrace Church
“Nathan has a unique gift for turning complex challenges into clear, actionable steps that lead to real results. Working with him has been both inspiring and stretching, and he consistently leads with honesty, integrity, and authentic character.”
Jason VanRuler
Therapist, Author & Speaker
Companies Nathan has worked with
Speaking
Nathan doesn't do keynotes.
He does momentum.
High energy, story-driven, and built to leave a room with something they'll actually do on Monday. Nathan speaks to leadership teams, conferences, associations, and company-wide gatherings.
Signature talks
The Extra Degree
Why 212 changes everything 211 couldn't
On the small, relentless margins that separate good organizations from the ones people won't leave.
Business Doesn't Get Better. People Get Better.
Development as the fastest path to growth
A practical case for developing people first — and what it costs you when you don't.
Love the Work
Only 1 in 5 people love their job
What the other four need from their leaders, and how culture and experience get built on purpose.
Strike Your Match
On potential
Why most people die with theirs unlit, and the nine principles that ignite it.
Turn Into the Storm
Leading through crisis
Pressure, adversity, and the seasons where hoping isn't a strategy.
Custom topics and half- or full-day workshops available.
October 7 · Orpheum Theater, Sioux Falls
Love the Work Event 2026
One day, four speakers, and a room full of leaders who refuse to settle for fine.
Jon Gordon
Author of The Energy Bus, which has sold over 3 million copies
Shep Hyken
Customer service expert, NYT and WSJ bestselling author, National Speakers Association Hall of Fame
Jason VanRuler
Therapist, author, and speaker on communication and relationships
Scott Iverson
National sales trainer, Watkins Manufacturing
Great leadership mirrors great storytelling. Heroes face adversity, grow through the challenge, and bring others with them.$399 per person · 9:00–4:00 · cocktail hour to follow
Get tickets→
Where do you want to be a year from now?
Most people can answer that. Fewer can tell you what's standing between here and there.
Start with the assessment. It takes minutes, it's free, and it will tell you something you don't already know.
Take the Growth Potential Assessment →Or reach out directly if you'd rather just talk.