Bill Cortright, the Stress Master
According to a few studies, Wisconsin is the capital of the world for things like growing the most ginseng, having the largest mustard museum which boasts of a collection of 2,300 varieties of mustard, producers of the most toilet paper, Swiss cheese, and bratwurst to name a few. What many have started to realize over the years that Wisconsin, particularly, a small town called Merrill has produced is an international best-selling author, keynote speaker, high-level coach, wellness specialist and a foremost expert in the field of stress and stress management. Those are just some of the accolades that describe Bill Cortright. But who Bill really is has everything to do with his deep rooted belief in the power of God. Bill’s work is God driven and purposed. He motivates, educates and inspires people to live their most genuine existence. To say that he’s “good” at what he does is a gross understatement as he is paid top dollar for the wisdom that he imparts to major C-Level executives and professionals.
Bill’s early beginnings were not so bright and promising as his parents were divorced when he was between the age of 5 or 6. Eventually, his mother moved in another man who would come to abuse Bill and his siblings. However, Bill beared the brunt of the abuse as he was the eldest child. He would eventually move back and forth between his mother’s home and his grandparents home, finally residing with his grandparents throughout his school years.
Living with his grandparents is when he was first introduced to God, sports, and family. Bill states that while he had a complicated childhood, it was a perfect one as this is what set him on his life’s course.
He initially wanted to become a professional athlete because “I loved the respect they received and how they influenced their fans. I loved the competition of sports, the training, the strategy, and the game. I was the kid that looked to motivate others to be their best,” says Bill. By the time he was 16-years-old, he was coaching the Little League. Unbeknownst to him at that time, he’d become a coach for his son’s Pop Warner football team for seven years and eventually coach professionals from across the world.
Bill has accomplished some major feats in his professional career and seeks to accomplish more. For example, he opened the first ever personal training center in Miami FL., he started the first wellness programs in the country of Panama bringing medicine, diet and exercise together. Due to the overwhelming results, he then duplicated that success in Peru. He opened the first medical-wellness clinics in Miami Florida, where the primary doctors worked hand-in-hand with the wellness team all for the benefit of the patients. Mr. Cortright’s program was singled out by one of the top five health insurance companies in the country, Humana. Humana, according to www.verywellhealth.com, has 10.2 million medical members and is Number 73 on Fortune magazine's list of the largest U.S. companies, ranked by annual revenue. Some of the recognized brands that he’s worked with across the world include: Cable and Wireless (Panama) Banco General (Panama), Procter & Gamble, Thunderbird Resorts (Panama, Costa Rica, Philippines & U.S.), Presidential Hotels, (Peru), Caterpillar Company , Intercontinental Hotels, Northern Trust Banks, Dell Computers, Burger King Corporation, Telefónica Moviles (Perú), Visanet (Peru), Hilton Worldwide, & Taco Bell, Inc.
Bill has and continues to travel the world teaching executives and professionals how to master stress. He is the author of two best-selling books and a number one podcast. He is responsible for having built corporate wellness programs in some of the world’s top companies and coaches some of the world’s top executives and professionals. However, his greatest accomplishment is never having to work a single day in his life as he vowed at a very young age to not work at anything that he did not love doing.
Mr. Cortright has a clear vision to touch a million-plus people with his forthcoming books, his speaking, coaching, and his podcast. He also will bring his executive stress management coaching to churches across the country, as these truths will permit more people in a variety of walks of life to master stress and then receive spirit. Bill believes that stress is an illusion, “it is stress and the force energies of stress that keep us disconnected from God,” says Bill. He states that almost no one believes that stress is an illusion. It is not real. Not a single person was born with stress, it was programmed during the first seven years of life. If it was programmed it can also be removed. Stress is just a perception of your thoughts. Change the thoughts, change the perception. “Have you ever seen a stressed out three year-old?” Bill asked.
Families, audiences, and clients alike, adore Bill’s endless and inviting energy that he brings into the room. Bill states that his superpower is his imagination and that is what assists in the fueling of his energy.
As a staunch believer of Christ, he embodies the scripture from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV), as this is what has built my life since I was 20. At the age 20, Bill was diagnosed with diabetes and weighed 278 pounds at five feet six inches. He stumbled across a life altering book by Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking, that not only changed his life, but completely shifted his paradigm so much so that he would eventually lose 123 pounds and have a successful 37-year career in personal development.
Bill describes his relationship with God as a complete connection! Complete Faith! “My relationship with God is personal and intimate. At this time in this journey I walk solely with God. My ego has dwindled and each day is becoming increasingly quiet while that still soft voice whispers daily and guides all of my work. “Thy Will Be Done!”
When asked when did he know that he was successful and Bill responded that he has always been a success as his definition of failure is to quit, so he never quit and thus he never failed, which makes him successful. His decision to leave the military and work on his own terms was one of the pivotal points in his life and career.
Mr. Cortright states that faith is the manner in which he pushes through the worst times in his life. He believes that hope is a weak energy. “It is said that hope is the ability to hear music of the future BUT Faith is the courage to dance to it today”. He lives his life within systems. Bill has systems for work, health, relationships, and spiritual practices. He creates a habit of focus which creates a flow that gives him connection. This is how he remains connected to God all day. He uses those systems to focus, beginning in the morning with an hour long meditation prayer practice and he closes each day with contemplation. During the day he uses a system that he created called The Green Focus Management System. This system of working puts one in the parasympathetic nervous system which he calls The Green Zone.
Oftentimes, we hear successful people speak about how lonely being at the top can be and how it is difficult to select friends. Bill stated that he meets many people in his line of work and that he tries to aid everyone that he meets, but he only has a few close friends. He also stated that the older he gets the more silence and quiet time he enjoys. However, his best friend is his wife, Linda, and since they share everything when he has free time, he really desires to spend it in her company.
Vitality is the word that Mr. Cortright uses to describe himself. He has had times when he’s felt like throwing in the towel and getting a “normal” job and a “normal” life. However he cannot quit as he is here on assignment by God and will keep doing his job until he is told to stop. “You know who is doing the telling, so if He decides so be it, until then, I’m getting up at 2:30am and doing my thing everyday”. Bill believes that there is a misbelief, among Christians, that God will solve your problems. He said that he has learned that there are no good or bad problems. He believes that God is perfect and there are no accidents. When so-called bad things happen they are there for our growth. Many people turn to Christianity to escape from their lives. This is a mistake, God is their life and the circumstances are there for you to grow and increase your faith. He admits that he has been tested and of course he has experienced his share of fear, grief, anger, but when he experiences these emotions, he says that he does not make these experiences a part of his story or identity. Bill stated that Jesus gave us the perfect example of our potential as human beings. He died for us to see that we could forgive during the harshest of circumstances.
Bill Cortright is serious about what he does and he knows that his work is something that is God ordained. He also knows how to appreciate life with his family. He is a die hard Green Bay Packer fan, to the the point that he named his only son, Brett, after Brett Favre. During his leisure time he likes to walk his two teacup Yorkies and loves the looks he receives when people see a big guy walking small dogs. Bill owns a few sports cars and loves to drive them very slow as this is how he relaxes. Driving his fast cars slow gets him funny looks and sometimes the finger, but he’s okay with that.
For more information about Bill Cortright and how to book him for your upcoming event, visit www.thehigherlevelmethod.com