What's the CO2?

Registered dietitian Allison Knott has spent her career helping everyday athletes eat well, and she says the protein craze is crowding out the rest of the plate. In this episode of What's the CO₂?, she talks about why protein is in everything from cereal to ice cream, why she calls herself a "supplement skeptic," and what to look for before you trust a label. Allison also gets personal. She talks...

Worth Fighting For | Gail Grimes, RN What does it actually take to hold a hospital accountable, and what happens to the people who choose to try? In this episode of What's the CO2? , we sit down with Gail Grimes, ICU nurse, nurse educator at Des Moines University, and a leading voice in the fight to unionize nurses at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines. Gail takes us through her path into healthcare,...

In this episode of What's the CO2?, Matt sits down with childhood friend Sergio Gonzalez, Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator at Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena, Texas. From playing on a historic undefeated Galena Park team to building programs from the ground up at Chavez and now Rayburn, Sergio opens up about the journeyman years, the instability that comes with coaching, and what i...

Dr. Raquel Relph just finished residency and is stepping into her first year as a family medicine physician, but getting there wasn't a straight line. In this episode, she opens up about missing her first shot at med school over a forgotten laptop charger, her years as a CNA in hospice care (including caring for a 104 year old Holocaust survivor), and the brutal stretch of residency where she work...

Autism diagnoses have climbed from roughly 1-in-88 to 1-in-31 kids, but is that a crisis, or just better fishing? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nate Noble, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and clinical geneticist who helped build Des Moines' developmental pediatrics practice essentially from scratch. Dr. Noble pulls back the curtain on what a real autism evaluation looks like (spoile...

For years, Jessica Fraser tried to be the perfect chameleon at work, bending herself into whatever her job needed her to be. It worked, until it didn't. In this episode, she opens up about the moment she stopped stuffing her real self into a "neat container," took the leap to start her own company, and learned to see failure as fuel instead of something to fear. Jessica is the founder of ElucidCX,...

Zane Chapman had no guarantees it would work. Just a conviction that coaching throws was what he wanted to do with his life, and the willingness to take an unpaid volunteer job to prove it. That decision took him from Eastern Illinois University to a volunteer position at Wisconsin, working alongside an Olympic discus thrower, to Drake University, where there was no throws program at all. Zane sta...

What does it take to lead a 23 year old nonprofit through its next chapter, while honoring everything the founder built before you? In this episode, I sit down with Emmanuel (Manny) Caraballo, Executive Director of Freedom for Youth, a faith based nonprofit serving at risk youth in the Des Moines metro. Manny's path here wasn't a straight line, Army chaplain's assistant, youth pastor i...

Travis Shelton is a financial coach, founder of Shelton Consulting, and host of the Meaning Over Money podcast. But his path here wasn't straight — it ran through a job loss at the height of the 2008 financial crisis, $236,000 in debt, and an involuntary move back to Iowa three days into his engagement. What came out of that season was a completely different philosophy about money, work, and w...

What does it take to leave everything you know behind, and then figure out who you actually are when the thing that defined you is gone? In this episode of What's the CO2? , Matt sits down with Ross Moffat, therapist, soccer coach, and Glasgow native, for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about identity, mental health, and what it really means to grow up. Ross shares his journey from the street...

What do Chick-fil-A, a gas station taco stand, and a top 1% real estate career have in common? Jake Moore. Jake Moore is the founder of the Jake Moore Group and one of the most successful realtors in the country, but his path there was anything but a straight line. From burning out at a booming software company, to a brief (very brief) stint in fast food, to running a taco stand three hours from h...

We sit down with Pastor Scott Rains from Lutheran Church of Hope in Ankeny, Iowa to explore the profound intersection of healthcare, spirituality, and the human experience of grief. The conversation delves into the "meaning making model," examining how we bridge the gap between our foundational beliefs and the often-traumatic realities of life, while emphasizing that a truly "full life...

Dr. Jason Cruz, is the former Interim CEO and a current Internal Medicine physician at Broadlawns Medical Center. He shares his journey and insights into the evolving world of medicine. Explore how compartmentalization and intangible qualities like empathy and moral clarity are essential in the role of a physician. Delve into the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the potential impact of AI on heal...

Dr. Yechan (YC) Kim is an Internal Medicine doctor with a focus on Sports Medicine. Dr. Kim shares his journey from South Korea to the United States and discusses the challenges he faced adapting to a new culture and language as well as the impact of his families personal challenges. He reflects on his faith journey and how it helped him overcome adversity. Dr. Kim also talks about his passion for...