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Michael D. Penn - Founder of Total Freedom Life
Founder & Principal Consultant

Michael D. Penn

AI Systems Architect & Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur

I find domains where deep expertise is trapped in human processes — and build the AI-native infrastructure that makes it scalable, defensible, and genuinely valuable. I do this because I believe good stewardship of our gifts demands nothing less than excellence.

31+
Years Shipping Software
$20K→$130K
Monthly Revenue Growth
13
Year Client Partnership
5
HR Certifications

My Journey

One consistent thread across every industry — and one consistent conviction

My career has followed one consistent pattern, even when the industries looked nothing alike.

At Charter Communications I built order automation systems that doubled online sales. At Wells Fargo and Centene I architected enterprise platforms handling operations at scale. For 13 years I've built and modernized an AI-powered sports contract management system for WME Agency — an Endeavor Company — that serves USA Today and sports attorneys nationwide. When HRTrainingClasses.com was founded I helped scale it from $20K to $130K in monthly revenue in under a year. Today, CriticalThink HR is establishing market leadership in SHRM certification prep with 7,000+ scenario-based exam items and a proprietary methodology that no competitor has matched.

Different industries. Different problems. Same underlying move every time: find the domain where real expertise lives in people's heads and manual processes, understand it deeply enough to encode it, then build the AI-native infrastructure that makes it scalable and defensible.

Looking back, I can see how God was preparing me through every season — even the ones that didn't make sense at the time. Each role sharpened a different skill. Each challenge refined my judgment. It wasn't random; it was preparation.

That's what Total Freedom Life exists to do — for your business.

I combine 31 years of enterprise systems experience, dual senior HR certifications (SPHR, SHRM-SCP), and deep AI architecture capability across LLM integration, RAG systems, and document intelligence. That combination — domain authority plus technical depth — is rare. And it's exactly what's required to build platforms that don't just automate work but encode judgment.

I believe every person is created with a God-given purpose — and that when you align your work with that purpose, something powerful happens. The right systems in the right hands don't just create businesses; they create freedom — the kind of freedom that comes from knowing you're building what you were designed to build. That's the "Total Freedom" in Total Freedom Life. My job is to bring world-class execution to the vision God gave you.

"If you're ready to build what you were made for, let's talk."

— Michael D. Penn

Areas of Expertise

A unique combination of technical depth, business strategy, and human capital expertise

AI & Innovation

  • LLM Orchestration
  • Document Intelligence
  • RAG Systems
  • AI-Powered Automation

Architecture & Development

  • Full-Stack Development
  • Cloud Architecture
  • Enterprise Systems
  • API Design

Business Strategy

  • TCO Analysis
  • Technology Roadmapping
  • Process Automation
  • Stakeholder Management

Human Capital

  • HR Strategy
  • Organizational Development
  • Team Building
  • Leadership Coaching

Professional Certifications

Credentialed expertise in human resources and organizational development

SHRM-SCP
Senior Certified Professional
SHRM-CP
Certified Professional
SPHR
Senior Professional in Human Resources
PHR
Professional in Human Resources
aPHR
Associate Professional in Human Resources

Education: Bachelor of Science in Finance, Missouri State University

Career Highlights

A track record of delivering transformative results

Total Freedom Life

Founder & Principal Consultant

2023 - Present

Founded technology consultancy and venture studio building AI-powered platforms. Flagship products include CriticalThink HR (decision governance for SHRM certification with 7,000+ exam items), the CriticalThink Advantage methodology, SCMS 2.0 (AI-powered sports contract management), and LightCastr Media.

4 ventures launched and scaling

WME Agency (Endeavor)

Senior Solutions Architect

2023 - Present

Architected SCMS 2.0, a comprehensive AI-powered contract intelligence platform for collegiate athletic coaching contracts. Integrated Google Vertex AI (Gemini 2.5 Pro), Document AI, and Pub/Sub event-driven processing to automate extraction and analysis of multi-season coaching agreements for USA Today and sports attorneys nationwide.

13-year stakeholder relationship maintained

HRTrainingClasses.com

Co-Founder

2017 - 2023

Founded and scaled portfolio of e-learning platforms from ground up to consistent profitability. Engineered highly automated business infrastructure reducing operational overhead while supporting scalable growth.

$20K → $130K/month in under a year

Charter Communications

Director, Enterprise Integration

1999 - 2006

Managed team of 20+ employees and consultants. Led design and development of Order Automation system resulting in higher activation rates and charter.com sales more than doubling.

2x increase in online sales

Ready to Build What You Were Made For?

Let's discuss how my experience and expertise can help bring the vision God gave you to life — with excellence and intention.