Seth Schmidt
I'm Seth Schmidt: husband, father, adventurer, and for the last eight years an executive coach obsessed with one question. What does it look like for a man to lead from his true identity, not his fear?
Before founding FORTIV, I spent six years inside Novus Global, one of the premier executive coaching firms in the world, coaching CEOs, entrepreneurs, and their teams through the kind of breakthroughs that don't show up on a spreadsheet. That work sharpened my methodology. It also convinced me that the deepest lever for a leader isn't strategy. It's identity.
FORTIV is the next chapter: everything I learned, filtered through the convictions I hold most deeply. Your identity is the foundation of everything. The heart must be fought for. And you were never meant to lead alone.
Every part of FORTIV, from a single coaching session to a week in the backcountry, is built on this story.
- Designed. You were made to lead powerfully, as an image bearer of God in a much larger story.
- Opposed. You also have an enemy who wants to take you out.
- The small story. His favorite tactic is to keep you living in a small story of fear, lies, and false identity. When that runs the show, your heart gets taken out.
- Fight for your heart. FORTIV exists to help you fight for it, so you can recover your strength, identity, and purpose and live courageously.
- Choose your path. There are three ways to do that work: one-on-one, alongside other men, or out in the wild.
What clients say after a session with Seth
Seth, you turned what typically is shame into a discussion of growth and exploration of my thought processes. In the end there was a sense of growth and, more importantly, a path laid out before me.
I left feeling very clear about what needs to shift in my mentality to start getting different results, and making keeping commitments a natural part of my operation.
The hard part is addressing things and doing something about it. When I do something about it, it removes the weight of doing nothing and still having it hang over my head.
This felt like a very practical, productive meeting. Seth, you're helping push us to define terms and give clarity, which is the area we seem to struggle with most.
So stoked to be working with you, so stoked to be making progress towards these meta outcomes! Loving the game!
He’s doing great, just learning me and how to push me. I already see him seeing my strengths and snares with my ‘thoroughness.’
The sharing of Time Boss literally blew the doors off of my perspective of how to build structure. I am excited to see what lies ahead.
Thank you for always reminding me how God sees me! His grace is sufficient for me.
Thrill is an interesting word, in that it can include a combination of excited, scared, confronted, encouraged, and confident, all at the same time.
Bringing Danica into the coaching is adding a ton of value. It’s also adding a lot of value in our conversations together as a couple.
Learned the use of phrases that pull out truth from a conversation, so there is clarity about what took place vs. assumptions.
Great session! Always appreciate how you remind me of how I am made.
I’m growing in confidence in what we are doing together and looking forward to the next session.
My wife asked how my day was. I said, ‘I met with Seth. I’m pumped, excited, and a little scared.’ She said, ‘I like when you’re meeting with Seth.’
Another awesome coaching sesh and integrity check.
I appreciate the shifts to ‘simplicity’ and ‘speed.’ I think these are crucial mindset coaching focuses.
Appreciate the deep dives and advocating for my personal life.
I needed today’s session. Thank you.
Thank you for helping me think through my upcoming work. Always so very helpful to get your insight!
Imposter/fraud to creator + builder identity exchange = awesome.
Thanks for everything. Appreciate every call, and loving what we’re working on and towards.
Great session today, and God-timely, based on the conversation and how I applied it immediately afterward during my employee review.
Thank you for pushing the way I think about things and helping me get more clarity on what I should be working on with my team.
Straight answers from Seth.
Who do you coach?
Entrepreneurs, CEOs, executives, business owners, and high-capacity leaders who want to explore what they're capable of and create results they never thought possible. They also want to become stronger, more courageous leaders, healthier spouses, better fathers, and more integrated men.
How is FORTIV different from other coaching programs?
Most coaching focuses on strategy, performance, and skills. Those matter, and we go there too, but FORTIV starts at the deepest level: your identity.
We integrate faith, the masculine journey, and adventure into the coaching, because transformation doesn't always happen in a conference room. The frameworks come from years inside world-class executive coaching firms, plus the dimension most programs leave out: the battle for your heart and the ability to lead from your true identity.
Does FORTIV only work with Christians?
No. FORTIV uses Jesus' teachings and God's wisdom as the plumb line for the most effective model of leadership, and I coach leaders from all spiritual backgrounds. I meet people where they are.
What does a typical engagement look like?
It depends on where you are and what you need. 1-1 Executive Coaching is a focused 6–18 month engagement with three sessions a month. FORTIV Groups are curated peer advisory boards of 8–12 leaders who meet in person a half day each month. Expeditions are 1–4 day outdoor adventures built for the interior work that can't happen at a desk.
What kind of results can I expect?
Every man's breakthrough looks different. But the men I work with report the same core shifts: more clarity about who they are and what they're building, less fear driving their decisions, deeper relationships, consistent courageous action, and results they never thought possible.
The promise of FORTIV isn't comfort. It's growth. We go to the hard places together, and what's on the other side is worth it.
How do I know if we're a good fit?
Schedule an exploratory call. I'll ask you honest questions and give you honest answers. If FORTIV is the right move for this season, we'll both know it.
What does coaching cost?
Pricing for 1-1 coaching and FORTIV Groups is discussed on a discovery call. The men who get the most from FORTIV treat the investment as leverage to create the most value possible, and they consistently call it one of the highest-return investments they've made: in their business, their marriage, their fatherhood, and their faith.
Can I listen to or watch your content first?
Yes, and I'd encourage it. The Alive with Courage podcast is on Spotify and YouTube, and it's where I go deepest into the heart of FORTIV.
If you're ready to explore what you're capable of, I'd love to talk.
Every FORTIV engagement begins with a free, no-pressure exploratory call.