C-10 Mentoring & Leadership Podcast

In this engaging episode 169 of the C-10 Podcast, Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation, joins CYITML Executive Director Matt Fulks for an insightful conversation recorded live at Music Theater Heritage. Speaking in front of C-10 students and mentors, Kathy shares her inspiring journey from her early days in media to leading majo...

In Episode 168 of the C-10 Podcast, we sit down with Melesa Johnson, the trailblazing prosecutor for Jackson County, Missouri. Recorded live at Music Theater Heritage, this episode features insightful questions from our students, offering a unique perspective on Melesa's leadership journey. Melesa shares her experiences growing up in a challenged area, her path through Columbia University and...

In Episode 167 of the C-10 Podcast, we sit down with Sean Hart, former CEO of George Clinical in Kansas City, to explore his remarkable leadership journey. Sean shares insights from his career in global healthcare, offering valuable lessons on leadership, resilience, and innovation that apply to any industry. This episode delves into Sean's experiences in scaling businesses, developing leader...

In Episode 166 of the C-10 Podcast, we're thrilled to present a special conversation with Mike Garrett, recorded live at Music Theater Heritage in Crown Center. Led by veteran sportscaster and C-10 mentor Todd Donoho, this engaging discussion captures the wisdom of the 1965 Heisman Trophy winner and Kansas City Chiefs legend. From his groundbreaking career at USC to his memorable years with t...

In Episode 165 of the C-10 Podcast, we present a unique and powerful conversation with General Richard Myers, recorded on a snowy February evening as part of a virtual C-10 session. This special episode, which includes thoughtful questions from our C-10 students, offers unprecedented access to one of our nation's most distinguished military and educational leaders. General Myers' remarka...

Join us for Episode 164 of the C-10 Podcast, recorded live at Music Theater Heritage inside Crown Center with our C-10 students and mentors. Our guest, Sam Brown, shares a powerful story of resilience and transformation that captivated our audience. After losing both parents by age 11, Sam's journey was shaped by the guidance of his 23-year-old sister and his own unwavering determination. Fro...

In memory of Rob Browne, the CEO of YouthReach International who died on May 1st, we're revisiting a fun and powerful conversation from 2021 that exemplifies servant leadership and the impact one person can have across the globe. Rob's unexpected passing, following the loss of his wife to cancer just 13 months ago, leaves a void in many hearts but also a legacy of service that will conti...

In this special episode of the C-10 Podcast, recorded at Music Theater Heritage in Kansas City's Crown Center, we welcome Shawnie Nix, whose journey with C-10 exemplifies the power of meaningful mentorship. As a former Kansas City, Missouri police officer, Shawnie brought unique insights when she helped develop the C-10 program as a member of the curriculum committee. Her commitment to youth...

For more than 25 years, Ryan Lefebvre's voice has been synonymous with Kansas City Royals baseball. In Episode 161 of the C-10 Podcast, we sit down with Lefebvre, who grew up immersed in baseball as the son of former big league player and manager Jim Lefebvre. Ryan's journey in broadcasting began at just 19 years old, and after graduating from the University of Minnesota, where he also p...

Episode 160 of the C-10 Podcast features a conversation with contemporary Christian music powerhouse Matthew West, recorded during our C You In The Major Leagues' 10th anniversary celebration in December 2024. In this special episode, Emmy Award-winning Fox 4 anchor Abby Eden teams up with CYITML Executive Director Matt Fulks to co-host an engaging Q&A with Matthew West. Eden, who later s...

Episode 159 of the C-10 Podcast welcomes former Kansas City Chief and current Chiefs Radio Network color analyst Danan Hughes for a special live recording at Music Theater Heritage in Crown Center. In front of our C-10 students and mentors, Hughes shares his fascinating journey from New Jersey to becoming a two-sport star at the University of Iowa, where his athletic prowess caught the attention o...

Episode 158 of the C-10 Podcast takes listeners on an exciting new journey with our first-ever (and possibly last) "car chat" featuring Fox4 news reporter Matt Stewart. In this unique and intimate setting, we dive deep into Matt's career, exploring the journey that led him to become a respected figure in the Kansas City media. As we, um, cruise through the conversation, Matt shares...

On Episode 157 of the C-10 Podcast, we're chatting with Mari Foster, one of this year's six Blue KC Coaches with Character honorees. Mari has been a coach in the Kansas City Public School District for more than 25 years. She started at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy Middle School in 1998, and then created the Tiger Dance Team in 2005, which reached the state championships just three...

For Episode 156 of the C-10 Podcast, we're featuring Tim Kluempers, the second of six 2024 Blue KC Coaches with Character honorees. Tim started the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints Rugby team in 2007. Under his direction, the Saints have won the Kansas state championship nearly every year, and they’ve competed on the national stage, also. Before getting into coaching, Tim played for the US National...

On Episode 155 of the C-10 Podcast, we're chatting with the July Blue KC Coaches with Character honoree, Jill Courter, the girls golf coach at Blue Springs High School.  Jill Courter has worked in the Blue Springs School District for more than 25 years, and has been the golf coach since 2007. During the past 17 years, she had an undefeated team that won the Missouri state championship in 2014...

In Episode 154 of the C-10 Podcast we're chatting with Rob O'Byrne, the retired president of CBIZ Employee Services. Before that, he was the President and CEO of other employee benefits firms Robert D. O’Byrne and Associates, and the Grant Nelson Group, before they were acquired by CBIZ in December 1997.  Rob O'Byrne, who's the husband of C-10 Curriculum member and previous C-1...

In Episode 153 of the C-10 Podcast we're chatting with Brian Bracco, who spent most of his career in leadership at various stations around the country. Most notably for those of us in Kansas City, he was the news director at KMBC — channel 9 — for 13 years, from 1987-2000. He then spent 13 years as Vice President of News for Hearst Television, before spending a little more than four years, 20...

This is an extra special episode of the C-10 Podcast, as you get to hear from the three seniors from the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program, John Wilson IV, Topher Rauth, and Norman Davis Jr.  Each, during interviews with Max Utsler in front of the students and mentors in the C-10 program at Operation Breakthrough on May 15, discuss how much they've changed because of C-10, what they lea...

In this episode, we're chatting with Mike Sewell, who's the co-inventor of the StepNpull foot-operated door opener. (You've probably seen it in some public restrooms.) Mike led the company through its exponential growth and international recognition as businesses look for ways to minimize the spread of germs, particularly in light of Covid. Part of that growth in 2020 came from Mike...

In this episode, we're excited to be joined by someone who's helped shape some of the things we do at C You In The Major Leagues on the fundraising side. Steven Screen is the co-founder and creative director at The Better Fundraising Company, which launched 10 years ago this month in the Seattle area. And he’s been with other agencies that work with nonprofits during a 31-year career. CY...

You might know the name Jeff (or Jeffri) Chadiha from his time at Sports Illustrated or ESPN, or what he’s doing now at the NFL Network. But Jeff, who makes his home in the Kansas City area, is a great spark for several nonprofits in the KC community. In fact, he’s been vital to several things we’ve done at C You In The Major Leagues during the past seven or eight years. He was a part of the curri...

If you’re a long-time Kansas Citian, you likely recognize the name Toby Cook. He was an anchor for eight years on Fox4 in Kansas City. And then he spent more than 14 years with the Kansas City Royals as the Vice President of Publicity. But then in the spring of 2021, he had a job pivot — in his early 50s — when he left the Royals and became the Director of Public Relations for the University of Ka...

Matt Dimmick served as the Director for Russia and Eastern Europe on the National Security Council Staff. He previously served as the Russia Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Through that he consulted a president on Russian affairs. He also held the positions of Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché in Tbilisi, Georgia, Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor for the Chief of Staff o...

On this episode of the C-10 Podcast, we're chatting with Ryana Parks-Shaw, the Mayor Pro Tem in Kansas City, Mo. She began serving her first term as council woman in the 5th District in August 2019. She has lived in the 5th district with her family for more than 22 years. Mayor Quinton Lucas appointed Ryana Mayor Pro Tem of Kansas City in August 2023. She also serves as the Chair of the Neigh...

Episode 145 of the C-10 Podcast is a fun chat with Chase Coffman, who grew up in the Kansas City area, before becoming an All-American tight end at the University of Missouri, and then a journeyman career in the NFL.  Chase, whose dad starred at Kansas State before a career in the NFL with Green Bay and Kansas City, chats in this conversation about his football career, how faith played a role in h...