CHASE Your Dreams Podcast

Send us Fan Mail MIT graduate and CHASE FEST keynote speaker Drew Crowe joins us to unpack how the manufacturing sector is creating meaningful, inclusive career pathways—and why the future of work is more accessible, innovative, and full of opportunity than ever before.

Send us Fan Mail It's 2026 and the world is more connected than ever. And yet, making friends can feel hard! If you want tips on making friends (from two certified friends), give the newest episode a listen. 

Send us Fan Mail We're back! This episode features CHASE youth Max! He shares insights on fishing, guitar playing, and his interest in cars. Thanks for tuning in! 

Send us Fan Mail Have you tried to nail down a gratitude practice but find it difficult to maintain? Maybe you're not the gratitude journal type, and that's okay! Gratitude can be brought to all areas of life and experiences, sometimes it just takes thinking outside of the box. Luckily, Jorden is here to help us do just that.  Enjoy this episode, and please remember to rate and share our...

Send us Fan Mail Amy Ballinger is the Community Engagement Leader at Independence, Inc. -- a Kansas Center for Independent Living (CIL). Amy and her team are taking up a collaboration on IEPodcast with the Families Together CHASE gang, offering youth and young adults in Kansas City, KS a new opportunity to join a podcast about their own IEP! Listen in for a sneak peek, and contact Amy directly for...

Send us Fan Mail In this Teach From The Heart episode, CHASE team member Natalie Moyer invites listeners to explore the power of belief systems and how reframing your mindset can help you push past limits, create space for abundance, and CHASE your dreams with confidence. Through personal stories of multiculturalism and upbringing, Natalie and special guests, Melodie Moyer and Jorden Durkee, share...

Send us Fan Mail When Brad attended a national leadership conference focused on improving youth transition services, he met Michael Scanlon, Director of Community & Partnerships at Street Smart Ventures. In this episode, Michael joins us virtually to share the mission of Street Smart Ventures, his role in building community connections, and the core values that fuel his passion for empowerment...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Edgar Palacios, founder of the Latinx Education Collaborative and Revolución Educativa , two powerful organizations advancing Latino representation and leadership in education. Edgar shares his personal journey, and his views on creating pathways for Latino educators, students, and families to be seen, heard, and empowered. From dismantling system...

Send us Fan Mail CHASE team members Natalie, Jorden, and Jacob gather to discuss takeaways from the 8-week CHASE Youth Program. Plus they add insights into new topics that could be fun to consider! Tune in for a thoughtful discussion about how the CHASE work impacts daily life, relationships, and more. 

Send us Fan Mail Youth voices matter—but so do the voices of parents and guardians. Join us for a powerful conversation with Kansas City parent Lamar Nixon as we dive into parenthood, navigating system involvement, and how families can help shape stronger communities.

Send us Fan Mail With a rich background in both agriculture and the restaurant world, Kendall Harris brings a fresh, down-to-earth perspective to navigating both parenting and profession. In this episode, he shares how the slow rhythms of farming have taught him powerful lessons in patience, growth, and raising kids. Listen now on the CHASE Your Dreams Podcast!

Send us Fan Mail Sensitive Content Warning: This episode contains discussion around the topic of suicide.  Christopher Williams is a physical trainer, author, and survivor of multiple major health events. His story inspires us to dig deeper, find purpose, and give our gifts to the world. Thank you for tuning in! 

Send us Fan Mail This Mental Health Awareness Month, the CHASE team dives deep into what mental health really means—how it compares to physical health, the powerful role relationships play in our well-being, and how philosophy and faith can shape our mental landscape. Join us for an honest conversation that reminds us all: mental health matters.

Send us Fan Mail CHASE team members Jorden, Natalie, and Brad discuss this year's CHASE FEST sessions and how they tie into overall themes of community. Building our own healthy communities is a critical step toward fully living our dream life — thanks for tuning in! 

Send us Fan Mail Join us for another dip into the IEPodcast project, a new way for students to self-advocate in their IEP meetings. Kansas State School for the Blind is a Kansas City-based school that has existed for over 150 years as a catalyst and leader in the development of programs in Kansas vision services. Enjoy some fun insights from Dan, Mary, and Mr. C! More to come on this collaboration...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re excited to introduce two new team members who are joining the Families Together CHASE family: Josie Newman, our talented new Multimedia Coordinator, and Jacob Dunn, our driven Data Coordinator. Get to know Josie and Jacob as they share their backgrounds, passions, and what they’re most excited about in their new roles. Tune in to hear how they’ll be making a...

Send us Fan Mail Today we're sharing two tracks from students in our JAM class (Just Arts & Music). Thank you to Brandon Yangmi with Art As Mentorship for recording and engineering the songs. JAM is offered in Olathe, KS at an alternative high school. Students learn the benefits of music and art on things like collaborative skills, mental health coping skills, and honing creativity. Enjoy...

Send us Fan Mail The CHASE "IEPodcast" (Individualized Education Podcast) is a project that seeks to give youth in Kansas a new way of self-advocating in their IEP meetings. For youth involved, audio from the episode can be shared with school staff leading up to the IEP meeting, giving everyone a great head start on things like goals and/or educational needs.  Tune in for a chat with our...

Send us Fan Mail We are back with another installment of "Teach From the Heart" - a CHASE educational series highlighting team topics that we are passionate about! Join us as CHASE Youth Specialist Gina Reyes guides us through Mood & Food, an episode digging into the vital connection between our gut health and mental health.  Guest starring on this episode are Fort Scott's Heath...

Send us Fan Mail This year CHASE is exploring a new project called "Teach From the Heart" - an opportunity for each CHASE team member to teach about something they are passionate about. First up is Youth & Family Support Specialist, Jorden Durkee, serving up some amazing knowledge about sensory environments and making sure your physical surroundings work for your specific needs. Very...

Send us Fan Mail We love encouraging people to "CHASE their dreams" but under one condition - does your dream serve the greater good? If not, it's worth stepping back and considering how you are using your unique gifts in life. Tune in for a new episode! 

Send us Fan Mail This week we dig into our key findings from 2024's Social Media Balance Study. Tune in to find out the ways reduced screen time on social media can positively impact your life! 

Send us Fan Mail The year 2025 is underway, and with that comes new year's resolutions and lofty goals. This is a good time to examine our relationship with failure, and finding for ourselves ways to associate our personal success and confidence with the act of trying more so than achieving. Tune in for a short episode about "failing forward"! 

Send us Fan Mail CHASE team members Natalie, Leia, and Brad sit down to discuss 2024 in retrospect. Hit play to hear more about our team's accomplishments, plus some voice clips from our community at the recent Tinsel & Tape event! Thank you for listening to this podcast in 2024! We appreciate you. 

Send us Fan Mail "What's in the water in Eldon?" This is a question the Eldon, MO school district despises, but not for the reasons one might think. As a district, they have been able to dig out of almost last place in Missouri schools, and transform their school community into a top class thriving hub for education. So, "what's in the water in Eldon" is because every...