Christopher Sprague is a transformation executive, entrepreneur, and leadership researcher with more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale business, digital, and organizational transformations across Fortune 100 healthcare companies. Throughout his career, he has led global teams, modernized complex operations, and helped organizations navigate change in highly regulated environments spanning supply chain, quality, IT, regulatory affairs, and human resources.
Today, Christopher is the CEO and Co-Founder of Enluma Leadership Group, where he is focused on a challenge he believes has been overlooked for decades: making high-quality leadership development accessible to every leader—not just executives. After researching leadership behaviors across hundreds of professionals, Chris and his team developed a practical leadership framework that combines behavioral science, AI-powered coaching, stakeholder feedback, micro-learning, and real-world application into an affordable platform designed for everyday managers.
Chris is passionate about the future of leadership, the responsible use of AI to augment—not replace—human development and helping organizations build stronger leaders at scale. His work explores how technology can democratize coaching, accelerate leadership growth, and create healthier, higher-performing organizations where great leadership becomes the norm rather than the exception.
[Q U I C K N O T E S]
- Position: CEO & Co-Founder
- Industry: Leadership
- Location: Chicago, IL
- LinkedIn: Christopher Sprague
- Website: Enluma
- Instagram: N/A
- X: N/A
Chris, can you start off by telling us about yourself and why you chose leadership & entrepreneurship as a career?
I’ve been fortunate that my career has followed a non-linear path. A PhD in toxicology and twenty years spent in regulatory, quality, IT, supply chain, EHS, and HR roles. Throughout all of this, I enjoyed challenges that were unclear and uncharted. But the most rewarding aspect is helping someone else achieve more than they thought possible. You can get awards in your career and forget what you spent the money on. But if you help someone achieve and become more, you will remember this for the rest of your life. It’s not easy, but this is why I chose leadership development.
I also thoroughly enjoy designing, building, and launching transformational IT systems that truly help people and organizations to be more effective. Combining this passion with my affinity for leadership development, I stepped into entrepreneurship to help others achieve more at scale.
Can you tell us what drives you to be successful as an entrepreneur?
With Enluma, I see two large problems that need to be addressed. First, most leaders don’t coach and provide feedback to their employees. Not from lack of caring, but rather, due to lack of time. There needs to be an efficient platform to help leaders and team members develop at scale. It also needs to lead to measurable behavior change that has a business impact.
Second, I firmly believe the largest organizational opportunity lies in the people we are overlooking, the middle. They aren’t high or low performers but make up 65 to 80% of organizations. If we can improve this large group by even 10%, we can dramatically improve the culture, operations, and profitability of many companies. All with the people they already have.
Tell us about your vision of your business in the next 2-3 years?
My vision: we first launch a modern leadership develop platform focused on helping leaders who want to grow their teams but are limited on time. A logical extension we’re building is then a career path assistant that would guide users to better understand possible paths, explore options, and then help them to move forward.
Then with the platform built, we would expand our scope to sales effectiveness, marketing, project/program management, change management and other training that are traditionally expensive and not accessible. We would be supporting 10,000s users a year around the world to achieve lasting behavior change, personal growth, and more satisfaction in their careers. Within Enluma, we would practice the behaviors and approaches we enable in our platform.
What’s the one or two accomplishments that you’re proud of?
While Enluma is still progressing on our journey, I’m proud to have plunged into the entrepreneurial world. With support of my wonderful wife, family, my business partner, and our growing team, it hasn’t been easy, but we’re moving forward.
What advice do you have for other up-and-coming leaders?
I regularly think about challenges and obstacles. I’ve come to learn that every person faces challenges. What defines us as people is how we respond to those challenges. Knowing this, I’ve started asking myself a very simple question, “Succumb or Overcome?”. Up and coming leaders need to ask themselves the same question when times are tough. Because we grow when it’s difficult and you need to be honest with your answer.
Are you active on social media professionally? If so, what platforms work best for engaging your followers?
I’m posting regularly on LinkedIn and Substack. Always appreciate people reaching out and connecting.
Who was your biggest influence?
In life, I’ve realized the biggest influences come from the people who impact the innate behaviors and perspectives you have that require no additional thought. For me, that’s my parents. For most of my childhood, we were solidly middle class and didn’t have a lot. But with every challenge or project, my parents would role up their sleeves and find a way. Giving up was not an option and neither was unnecessary drama. It’s how I’m wired to operate.
What is the most challenging part of your work as an entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur is like riding a roller coaster blind-folded. You will experience highs and lows. Some you can anticipate while others will be unexpected. But I’ve learned, persistence and grace for yourself, is critical for survival and then ultimately, success.
What do you have your sights set on next?
In parallel with growing Enluma, I’m working on a book sharing my lessons learned from my recent cancer journey and my revised relationship with time. In my case, seeing that my time on this planet will not last forever, has helped me to be more focused on my priorities and the people that matter. It’s been a liberating perspective that I’d like to share with others.
What is a day in your life like?
Each day is a mix of short-term and long-term focus. We’re heavily focused on marketing, communications, and final touches to our platform for our 28 August launch. In parallel, we’re doing outreaches and planning for further improvements to the platform to support our expansion this fall and our growing reach in 2027. Every day is a balancing act and never the same.
Do you have any hobbies?
Although we don’t have mountains in Illinois, I enjoy mountain biking along with strength and core training. I also enjoy wood-working and home improvements. It’s really rewarding to take a pile of wood and making furniture or updating a neglected space. In some ways woodworking is a lot like starting a business.
What makes you smile?
To learn, especially to learn new insights where I realize I was either wrong or didn’t fully understand a concept or situation. It really makes me smile when our team challenges or pushes back on me.
What are you never without?
From our church, we were each given a short string of beads with a cross at the end. The intent was to illustrate the multiple weeks of lent leading up to holy week. For me, it’s a reminder of one of my dad’s sayings. “if you’re on this earth and you’re not helping or serving someone else, you’re just taking up space”. I keep this short string of beads with me to remind me that I need to ensure I’m helping and serving others and not taking up space.
What scares you?
In 2025, I was diagnosed with a malignant sarcoma in my right leg, within my hamstring muscle. I had 25 rounds of radiation and then the tumor was successfully removed. Every four months I have what my wife says is a minor heart attack when I’m scanned for the tumor in my leg or lungs. What scares me, is my time will be cut short and I won’t make an impact on my family, friends, and those how need it, and will miss out on the opportunity to serve and help others.
What is your favorite vacation spot?
Yellowstone national park is a humbling place. The volcanic activity has been occurring for 10,000s of years and will very likely continue to occur for 10,000s of years more. Watching bison, elk, bears, and other large animals at dusk, you forget about everything else going on. It’s easier to savor the moment. Yellowstone is the only place I’ve been to where it never gets old (slight pun intended).
List any other work, published articles, interviews or accomplishments:
Book: Lead Without Limits, Dr. Christopher Sprague (2025). Available at most online book retailers.
Podcast: Leadership Dev Is Broken. AI Can Fix It. | Ep 1299 [The Digital Executive]
~ Chris
