Salesman on Fire: A Life Lived Loud, Led with Purpose
You may know me from LinkedIn posts, podcasts, books, webinars, or keynotes. You may have read my stories about sales, life, resilience, and mindset—or maybe someone sent you a video or a post where I spoke candidly about failure, faith, or personal reinvention.
But long before I ever hit “record” or put pen to page, I was just a kid growing up in Missouri—blessed with big dreams, a love for storytelling, a relentless competitive fire, and, if I’m being honest, a heavy heart carrying far more than most people ever realized.
My name is Carson V. Heady. And this is the story of how I got here.
It’s not just a story about sales or success. It’s a story about family, faith, pain, purpose, and choosing to stand back up every time life tried to knock me down. It’s a story about living with intention in a world that tries to distract you from everything that truly matters.
My upbringing was a blend of simplicity and complexity—small-town values with big-time dreams. I was surrounded by good people. Hardworking people. People who believed in doing the right thing even when no one was watching.
I grew up with a pen in one hand and a dream in the other. I wrote stories as a kid—not just because I loved the craft, but because I had to. It was my therapy, my joy, my way of making sense of the world. That passion never left me. It’s why I write today.
I’ve worked in sales for over 25 years, starting in a call center. I know what it’s like to grind on the front lines, making 100 cold calls a day, hustling for every dollar. And I know what it’s like to lead large teams, drive 9-figure deals, and walk into the C-suite with confidence because you’ve earned your seat at the table.
The thread that’s run through all of it? Passion. Persistence. People. I’ve never sold just a product. I sell outcomes. I build relationships. I serve others. And that, to me, is what sales should be about.
I’ve written five books. Each one is a time capsule of a different phase of my life:
Birth of a Salesman: A fictionalized journey of a young man trying to make it in the sales world. Raw. Real. Reflective.Salesman on Fire: A sequel that delves deeper into the challenges of sales leadership and personal ambition.The Salesman Against the World and A Salesman Forever: A gritty and honest portrayal of fighting for your place in a world that doesn’t hand you anything.The Show Must Go On: My most personal work yet—a reflection on reinvention, resilience, and rising from the ashes.I’ve hosted and co-hosted podcasts like Mastering Modern Selling and Connected Teamwork, bringing on incredible guests to explore sales, leadership, growth, and mindset.
I speak at events, mentor emerging talent, and create content daily because I believe in giving back. I believe in lifting others. I believe in using your voice, your story, your platform to help someone else keep going.
At this stage of my life, I’ve gained clarity: So much of what we chase—money, approval, status—is just dopamine. We spend decades looking for validation in the wrong places, avoiding our pain, numbing out, or overworking. I’ve done all of it.
But these days, I seek stillness. Presence. Love. Joy. Purpose.
I’m here to leave a legacy—not just of what I built, but who I became in the process. Not just of what I achieved, but how I made people feel. Not just of what I wrote, but what I lived.
Chapter Eight: What I’ve Learned
Lessons from the grind:
Lessons from the heart:
Lessons from the fire:
I’m still here because I believe someone out there needs to know they’re not alone. They can rebuild. They can change careers at 40. They can bounce back from heartbreak, from rock bottom, from burnout.
They can write that book. They can speak their truth. They can find love again. They can reconnect with God. They can change the world—starting with themselves.
#Leadership #PersonalGrowth #SalesLife #FaithInBusiness #Resilience #AuthenticLeadership #MindsetMatters #Storytelling #Motivation
