Give A Damn

Stan Hays loves barbecue, feeding people, helping in times of need. His organization, Operation BBQ Relief, has fed over 10 million meals to people in need in their nearly 12 years of existence.   When disaster strikes, they are quite often the first organization into town, bringing meals (incredible, comfort type meals) to people who need it most. Those who have been decimated and discouraged.  ...

Max Malldorf is a German national who fell in love with America as a foreign exchange student. He's now a master brewer at POG brewery south of Kansas City. He is candid about how discomfort has been a vehicle for change in his life, and we were honored to hear his story.

Josh Cress is a therapist and founder of Ampersand Counseling in Liberty, MO. Our conversation goes quickly into the vulnerable, discussing his journey "inward" toward self-awareness. It's a treacherous but rewarding road that many men and women have traveled (particularly since Covid disrupted life as we know it in March of 2020).   Josh is a brilliant, empathetic, and vulnerable man, and fellow...

Author, leader, thinker, and man of deep care and humility - Brent Beshore shares his story with us this week, and we could not be more grateful to hear his heart.   Brent shares, among other things, what it's like to walk through pride and into humility, his opinions on "health bros" and their bad takes on ice baths, and many other lessons he's learned along the way.

Trent Raines is a partner at Collected Living, where he has taken his love of building and brought it into the workplace for this incredible design firm.   Throughout his career, Trent consciously has pursued work that makes him come alive. And like any empathetic leader, this road has been a journey of self-awareness and self-discovery.   And we are so honored to hear his story.

MJ Mitchell, CEO of Resto Athletic, has a riveting story: learning to lead a massive global organization at a young age, revolutionizing the custom performance apparel manufacturing industry, all while giving his team members the dignity of a living wage for their skilled labor.   Justin and MJ discuss leadership, redemptive entrepreneurship, how to become a horizon painter, and much more.   We ar...

"Do you mind if I pray before our conversation," Chris asked before we hit record.   Chris started the conversation with intention, clarity, and surrender.   And what resulted was mind blowing.   We're humbled to share this dialogue, and the glimpse into the deep parts of Chris' story.   One of triumph, transformation, and truth.   His bravery, his resilience, and his purpose is on full display he...

Rebecca Kidwell has a huge heart, an incredible academic pedigree, and deep humility. She has used her intellect as an engineer to start the LEARN Science and Math Club for students in the Kansas City area. That club has gone on to pioneer and develop mobile machines that help students with disabilities experience motion and play with their peers. Where they belong.   She is an incredible person t...

Jeremy Parsons is a lot of things: a father to three growing young men, a lover of the wild places in Western Colorado (where he grew up), films by Tarantino and Wes Anderson, the comedy of John Mulaney and Patton Oswalt, and ordering more of the adventurous selections on a restaurant’s menu.   He has traveled the world as a documentary photographer, falling in love with humanity along the way. In...

Who is Guild Collective? What does it mean to be "human first"? Why does Guild Collective exist? Why does story matter?   Racheal Burnett, COO at Guild Collective, and Jeremy Parsons, Director of Story at Guild Collective join Justin to have a transparent and enlivening conversation, getting to the heart behind what drives GC and how we got here.

Kemet Coleman is an urbanist, artist, entrepreneur, and activist, to name a few.    Born and raised a KC native, Coleman grew up in a household motivated to seek justice for our city. After dabbling in music and theatre, he found his path through an urban studies class. This father of three thrives on helping KC see itself in a creative way and for who we really are.    "The cultural identity that...

A discussion on swimming upstream to create work that matters with team members Devin Simmons, Director of Digital Marketing, Racheal Burnett, VP of Creative, and Colin Potter, VP of Business Operations. In the past 5 years, our team has grown from one guy with a laptop to 12 kind, brilliant people. It’s a plane being built in flight, and the biggest thing we’ve learned: work with good humans that...

Hear from Bronson, Cory, and Justin as they dive deep into mindset and what it takes to work through the fear that leads to scarcity thinking.

Hear from Professor Dave Geenens, author and professor at Benedictine College, on his journey of building businesses on the pillars of virtue and challenging the status quo.    Geenes incorporates counter-cultural business practices to make money while making your business one that benefits everybody. In our discussion, he imparts his wisdom on: -Expanding your comfort zone to create opportunities...

Hear from Bronson Ko and Cory Scheer, past guests of the Guild Stories podcast, in a new monthly format called The Orchard. This will be an evolving dialogue where Bronson, Cory, and Justin meander through a variety of topics including leadership, wellness, community, entrepreneurship, mindset, emotional health, marketing, technology, creativity, and whatever else may emerge. This month’s conversa...

Hear from Eric Bartlett, co-founder and partner at Northland Injury Law, as he shares lessons in building an intentional brand, including:  Standing out in a cluttered industry segment  The importance of disarming and comforting clients through clear communication and education  Using external feedback as a mirror for your business How COVID revealed an opportunity to shift and expand his firm’s m...

Hear from Beth Anne + Russ Branden, partners in life and part of the partnership group at Built Interior Construction .  They share their philosophy on: Client service Team development and empowerment Disrupting an entire industry Building a business and life with purpose The changing face of business environments How life and business partnerships thrive And much more.       

Hear from Bronson Ko , Founder of KOMA . This conversation is rich in practical and philosophical wisdom. Among other topics, Bronson shares about: Failure being a generous gift The two sided coin of precision How processes free your people to be fuller versions of themselves How emotional resilience is built How character is forged in the fire  What it takes to build something beautiful  Why core...

Hear from George Weyrauch, Founder of Rock Creative Network on his role as Chief Relationship Evangelist in the KC creative community.  You'll soak up great wisdom and encouragement from one of the most generous connectors in the often competitive agency space.  PS - George knew Seth Godin before Seth Godin was, well...Seth Godin.  You can follow George on LInkedIn here . 

Hear from Tod Puetz, Founder and CEO of Insane Impact , as he shares his six-year entrepreneur and starter story and drops some gold as it relates to: Why you should hire your friends What it's really like to start something meaningful  How his motto of Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Beers has carried many tough days Why he cares deeply about relentless innovation How he's shifted from start-up mode to...

Hear from Shannon and Dustin Lundberg, Owners of Blue Heating and Cooling, on their journey as entrepreneurs, owners, and community builders.  You'll appreciate their honesty, vulnerability, and humor as they share their story of building one of Kansas City's best home service businesses.   

Hear from Marilyn Chappell, Founder and Executive Director, of Exceeds Expectations as she shares real, powerful stories of: Her gambling addiction and how she accepted her reality How she and her husband had the courage to dream, then the guts to do something about them How she's helping end generational poverty through financial literacy  How her faith helps her see opportunities and achieve the...

Hear from Mike Sgro, Leadership Coach, on how he helps people how to people.  Among many other nuggets of wisdom, Mike shares: How to unlock the power within each of us How transformation is the journey His Degree of Oprah That feelings are not facts How to wake up to yourself Healthy habits that can transform your life The difference between productivity vs. morale How to slow down to see clearly...

Hear from Kansas City Symphony's Executive Director, Danny Beckley, as he shares stories and lessons on: Blazing trails Radical expansion Historic renovations of a community showpiece Orchestra for all How the pandemic created invitations  And much more You'll be inspired by his thoughtfulness, wisdom, insight, and trails blazed. 

Hear from Dr. Christine Nedeau, Founder & CEO, Family Medicine, Functional & Integrative Medicine at Bloom La Vie Health - Where Good Health Grows. Among many other things, Dr. Nedeau discusses: The deep need for great sleep (and why most don't get it) How most doctors aren't able to focus on and care for the root causes of health because they're incentivized to treat illness The introduction of a...