Honoring Resilience: Purple Heart Day and the Strength of Our Veterans
Every August 7, we pause to recognize Purple Heart Day—a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by those wounded or killed in service to our nation. It’s more than a day of remembrance; it’s a moment to honor resilience, courage, and the ongoing strength of those who...
The Roller Coaster of Entrepreneurship: Why Founders Need Support for the Whole Ride
Entrepreneurship is often described as a journey, but let’s be honest, it’s more like a roller coaster. There are the highs:🎉 The first client.💡 The moment your idea clicks with someone else.🔥 The surge of momentum when something finally works. And then there are the...
The Hidden Cost of Service: How Military Spouses Keep the Homefront Strong
By Nila Thompson When we think about military service, we often focus on the service member who wears the uniform. But behind every mission, every deployment, and every PCS (permanent change of station), there is often a military spouse holding everything together at...
You can’t change the past. But you can respond to it
Josh Nowack Reclaiming a Good Name: From Baal Shem Tov to Hamilton to Reentry A few hundred years ago, the founder of the Chabad movement, the Baal Shem Tov, was known not for wealth or power, but for being “the master of a good name.” Centuries later,...
What Does Your Email Say About You Professionally?
In today’s fast-paced digital world, your email can be a powerful extension of your personal brand — or a glaring red flag. Whether you're applying for a job, communicating with clients, or networking with professionals, your email address and how you use it can speak...
“You Can Teach Skills. You Can’t Teach Hunger.” — Why Fair Chance Hiring Isn’t Charity, It’s Smart Business
Josh NowackThe ASCEND CollectiveBoard Member There are people in this world who wake up on third base and swear they hit a triple. And look—I’m not saying anyone has a perfect life. But if you’ve got options, you’re already ahead of the game. Now imagine trying to...
The Never-Ending Job Interview
By Corey Schuler Are you on Facebook? TikTok? Snapchat? LinkedIn? Reddit? X? Insta? Threads? Pinterest? Discord? MySpace?!?! Or any one of thousands of social media platforms that have bulldozed their way into our lives over the last two decades? Odds are you’re...
It’s Just a Conversation
By Corey Schuler You can’t tell, but the guy in this photo has sweat everywhere, he’s running talking points through his head at a thousand miles an hour, and dreading the questions he assumes he isn’t ready for. A friend told him earlier that day, “Psh, it’s just...
Busy Bees
By Corey Schuler Folks, we’re some busy bees over here at The ASCEND Collective. Not to humblebrag, but there are a lot of exciting new endeavors we have coming to fruition this year, such as our Northern Compass Academy grant from the TRUIST Foundation! Especially...
Moving Season
By Corey Schuler Summer is moving season for a lot of Americans. This is especially true for our military service members and their families, so much so that summer is often referred to as “PCS Season”, or permanent change of station season. This also means job...