Coach Houston’s Bio

CEO: M-Powerment Leadership & People Solutions | Executive Director: Maxwell Leadership Certified Team

Author: The Encouragement Factor” Give Me One More Inch

Lead Pastor: Harvest Church | Radio/Podcast Host: The Martin Houston Show

Coach Martin Houston, a coach, a leadership strategic and a team/culture builder, is a 2x SEC Champion and National Champion at the University of Alabama, where he also earned a B.S. in Marketing. With over 35 years of leadership experience, he is a dynamic voice in the world of empowerment, team development, and culture building. He is the Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer (CEO) of M-Powerment Leadership & People Solutions, a leadership and human resources wellness company, and serves as an Executive Director with the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team. Through boot camp workshops, executive coaching clinics,  keynote peptalks, and talent evaluation assessments—including the Maxwell Method of DISC—he helps organizations develop clarity, confidence, and consistency at every level of leadership.

Coach Houston’s championship pedigree and leadership philosophy were forged on the gridiron as a National Champion and two-time SEC Champion with the University of Alabama, and later tested at the professional level as a free-agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Combined with over 30 years of corporate leadership success, his unique, battle-tested journey equips him with the insight and experience to build better leaders, stronger teams, and championship cultures. His clients don’t just hear leadership theory—they gain real-world insights from someone who’s lived it. Leadership is a full-contact sport, and Coach Houston has been in the game at every level. As Chief Growth Officer at Alabama One Credit Union, in just under 8 years, he helped grow the organization from negative $1 million to 6+ million in profits,  from $550 million to $1.2 billion in assets and expanded it’s branch network from 11 to 27 branches. He also co-founded the Ambassador Program to help identify and develop high-potential leaders internally. He also founded two start-up churches and revived one that declined from 1000 members to 40, before it’s relaunch! Whether speaking, training, coaching or assessing behaviors, Coach Houston empowers individuals and teams to rise and create championship cultures.

Current Talks available as keynote peptalks, boot camp workshops or lunch-n-learn peptalks:

• Friction Zone Leadership Framework™: Turning Tension Into Transformation

• The Authority Zones of Leadership: 15 KPIs of Championship Organizations

• The ChampionShift: Turning Good into Great

• The EmpAct™ (Empowering Action) Leadership Model: 5 Steps of Empowering Leadership

• Coach the Coaches: Building Your Leadership Pipeline

• The Winning Game Plan: The Playbook of Champions in Life and Leadership

• Keep Blocking: The Resilience Roadmap

• The A.C.T.I.O.N. Framework: The Resolution System for Conflict & Performance

 *customized PepTalks and Boot Camps available

Categories: Leadership Development, Coach the Coaches, Cultural Transformation, Behavioral & Talent Evaluation Assessments, Team Building, Resilience, Friction & Conflict and more!

Full Bio:

Martin Houston was born in Centre, AL to Henry Houston & Nellie (Henderson) Barnett. He was raised with a great work ethic and encouraged to pursue his dreams. He was influenced by his hardworking mother and a belief in Jesus Christ. These two factors along with his marriage to Cassandra Dobbins, proved to be the driving forces and his greatest source of encouragement.

Football allowed Martin Houston to fulfill his childhood dream. Through the playing of football and a commitment to his education, Martin earned a scholarship to the University of Alabama, which he attended from 1988-1992. During his time as a student-athlete, he received a B.S. Degree in Marketing, as well as was a big contributor on the 1989 SEC Championship and the starting Fullback on 1992 SEC Championship and the 1992 National Championship. He followed that up by signing a contract to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a career ending knee injury, Martin returned to Tuscaloosa, AL to resume his role as a husband, father and community leader. 

Martin has seen success in his post sports life. He has been recognized as a leader, as well a reproducer of leaders. He is also known to have an entrepreneurial spirit, which has led him to be a 2x Church Planter and the Founder and Host of The Martin Houston Show (sports talk radio). From the classroom to the boardroom, he has been recognized for his commitment to excellence. He was an Academic All-SEC Winner, The Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award, a 2x Pinnacle Recipient and led an Insurance Agency that was recognized as Tuscaloosa’s Best Agency four consecutive years. He also ran a great Mayoral campaign to unset a 16 year incumbent, but came up a little short.

Martin most recently served as the Chief Growth Officer for Alabama One Credit Union from 2017 -2024, where he helped them achieve unprecedented growth and expand from 11 branches to 27 and grow total assets from just over $500 Million in total assets to over $1 Billion in total assets and go from over $1 Millions in losses to over 6+ Million in profits.

As He transitions into the CEO Role of M-Powerment Strategies & Solutions, he will continue to serve as the Lead Pastor of Harvest Church and host his sport talk show. M-Powerment Strategies & Solutions is a Leadership and Wellness Company.

Martin and Cassandra married during his redshirt-freshmen year at the University of Alabama. The two of them have seen many days of ups and downs and through it all they have remained faithful to each other and continued to grow and mature. Their union has produced 4 children (2-boys/2-girls) and 3 grandchildren (and growing). His wife and family have encouraged him to continue to thrive to leave a legacy of love that will propel (encourage) them to carry on the work God has started in him.