The Fort Builders Podcast

This week is a little different. Instead of sitting down with a guest, I wanted to hit pause and spend a little time reflecting. Over the past several months, I've had the privilege of sitting across from artists, entrepreneurs, coaches, nonprofit leaders, public servants, athletes, adventurers, and people whose life stories have challenged, inspired, and changed me. I originally thought I was sim...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with Sherrie Ortiz, owner of 'Just One Day Travel, LLC', a Kansas City tour company and someone whose story is really about adaptation, reinvention, and staying curious. Today, Sherrie spends her days leading walking tours, bus tours, food tours, ghost tours, and history tours throughout the Kansas City region. She helps people discover the stories...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with Mike Akers, head women's golf coach at the University of North Texas and someone I've known since our days growing up together in Hays, Kansas. Mike's story starts in western Kansas, where he helped lead Hays High to a state golf championship. Looking back, he now realizes just how unlikely that accomplishment was given the larger programs and...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with Dave McClung. At first glance, this conversation starts with a recent trek to Everest Base Camp. Eight days of hiking, high altitude, Sherpas, tea houses, and standing nearly 17,600 feet above sea level beneath the tallest mountain on Earth. But as we talked, it became clear that Everest is really just the latest chapter in a much bigger story...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with Mary Shannon, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas, for a conversation about mentorship, resilience, leadership, and the life-changing power of relationships. Mary’s story starts long before her leadership career. Born in South Korea and adopted into Wichita at the age of five, she spent years in an abusive environment before e...

In Part 2 of this conversation on The Fort Builders , Stephanie and I continue unpacking the experiences, responsibilities, and transitions that shaped who she’s become. And what stands out in this part of the conversation is the honesty. We talk more deeply about confidence — not as something that suddenly appears, but something built gradually through experiences, setbacks, responsibilities, and...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with Stephanie Bessent for Part 1 of a conversation that covers far more than career paths or accomplishments. This is really a conversation about growth. Stephanie shares the experiences, transitions, and challenges that shaped her — from early influences and expectations to navigating adulthood, leadership, motherhood, and the constant tension of...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with Ezra Vedral — linebacker for the Kansas Jayhawks and a civil engineering student — to talk about what it really takes to pursue two demanding paths at the same time. From the beginning, Ezra made a decision: he wasn’t going to choose between football and engineering. He wanted both. And more importantly — he believed he could do both at a high...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with Coach Bryant Wright — a longtime cross country coach who built one of the most successful programs in Missouri. But this conversation isn’t really about running. It’s about what he built through it. Coach Wright didn’t start with championships. In fact, early in his career, he stepped away from coaching altogether before eventually returning a...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with artist, author, and educator Stephen T. Johnson . Stephen’s work spans more than just one medium or one audience. From award-winning children’s books like Alphabet City , to large-scale public art installations in places like New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas, to gallery and museum exhibitions — his work shows up in ways people experience ever...

In this episode of The Fort Builders, I got to sit down with Chad Dick with Fully Promoted in Lawrence, KS to talk about a path that wasn’t built on big moments — but on consistency. Chad’s story isn’t about one defining turning point. It’s about showing up. Day after day. Doing the work. Figuring things out as he went. He shares what it was like growing up with expectations to contribute early —...

In this episode of The Fort Builders, I sit down with Jeremy to talk about a childhood that most people will never fully understand. At two years old, Jeremy was placed with foster parents — and that became home. What makes his story unique isn’t just that he grew up in foster care. It’s that he "Got to" stay. While other kids came and went through the home, Jeremy remained. And over time, that cr...

How do we become who we are? Sometimes it’s not one moment… it’s a series of environments we learn to navigate. In this episode of The Fort Builders , Lance sits down with Brandon Meek—Chief Marketing Officer and business development leader in Houston—whose story is rooted in adaptability, resilience, and learning how to read the room from an early age. From growing up between two households, to b...

What shapes a person? Is it where they start… or what they’re willing to walk through? In this episode of The Fort Builders , Lance sits down with Andrew Kneisler—Kansas City real estate agent, father of four, and someone whose life has been built through seasons of discomfort, discipline, and deep faith. From growing up without an ownership mindset, to nearly losing his life in a traumatic fire,...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with entrepreneur, author, and commercial real estate leader Kirsten Flory . Kirsten is the founder of Foundations Commercial Real Estate and host of the Small Business Mindset podcast , where she shares insights and lessons for entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of building and growing businesses. But Kirsten’s journey didn’t start in commerc...

In this episode of The Fort Builders , I sit down with a good friend of mine and someone many people in Lawrence know well— Brad Finkeldei . Brad is currently serving as mayor of Lawrence and has spent decades involved in the civic life of this community. But like all of us, his story didn’t start in city hall. It started with family, curiosity, and a desire to be around people and help where he c...

The Fort Builders is a story-driven podcast about how we become who we are. Each episode explores the human journey behind the work — beginning in childhood and following the non-linear path through early influences, defining moments, setbacks, growth, and perspective. Rather than focusing only on accomplishments, these conversations dig deeper into the experiences, relationships, and seasons that...

In this first guest episode of The Fort Builders , Lance sits down with life coach Stephanie Bessent to explore the deeper story behind her work — and the personal journey that shaped it. Stephanie grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, in a culture of resilience, achievement, and self-reliance. From early athletic success to becoming a professional athlete, she learned how to push through fear, work hard,...

Episode 0: How We Become Who We Are In this inaugural episode of The Fort Builders , host Lance Johnson shares the story behind the podcast — beginning in a backyard sandbox and stretching through decades of building, leadership, failure, growth, and reflection. At five years old, Lance watched a new neighborhood take shape as lots were graded, streets were poured, and infrastructure emerged from...