TFB 012 - Part 2 - The Process of Becoming w/ Stephanie Bessent

TFB 015 - Building Winners w/ Coach Michael Akers

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 resources they were competing against. But even then, the mindset was already there: preparation, belief, and a willingness to do extra work. Before that state tournament, Mike drove five hours by himself, stayed in a hotel alone, and played multiple practice rounds before the rest of the team arrived. That mindset would follow him throughout his career. After working as a golf professional, Mike moved into coaching and eventually built successful collegiate programs at Texas State and North Texas. When he arrived at North Texas, the program was ranked around 200th nationally. Today, it has become a nationally respected program with conference championships and victories over schools with significantly larger budgets and recruiting advantages. What stood out to me in this conversation is that Mike doesn't talk much about talent. He talks about people. He talks about relationships. He talks about culture. Whether he's recruiting internationally from Thailand, Latvia, South Africa, or India, or evaluating players from Texas, he's looking for more than scores. He's looking for character, independence, work ethic, and people who genuinely want to improve. We also discuss one of my favorite themes from the conversation: intentional practice. Mike shares stories about athletes spending hours "practicing" while not really being present and explains why focused effort always beats simply putting in time. Golf provides instant feedback. You can't fake preparation for very long. Throughout the conversation, another lesson keeps surfacing: The details matter. Whether it's club fitting, recruiting, relationships, culture, or leadership, success is rarely one big thing. It's usually hundreds of small things done consistently over time. As we often talk about on The Fort Builders, we're all building something. Mike's story is a reminder that winning cultures aren't built overnight. They're built through relationships, attention to detail, and a belief that where you start doesn't determine how far you can go. Women's Golf - University of North Texas Athletics [https://meangreensports.com/sports/womens-golf/]

TFB 014 - The Next Adventure w/ Dave McClung

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. Dave has spent a lifetime pursuing experiences. In his 50s, he got serious about hiking and began tackling trails and adventures around the world. Since age 62, he's hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon more than 40 times, completed portions of the Colorado Trail, hiked to Machu Picchu twice, explored England coast-to-coast, walked the Camino de Santiago, climbed Mount St. Helens, and trekked countless miles alongside his wife Linda. But hiking is only one part of the story. Dave grew up in Louisiana as the son of a pastor before serving as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, flying more than 200 combat missions. Later he built a successful legal career, transitioned into executive leadership, turned around struggling construction companies, and eventually served as president of a college in Massachusetts. What stood out to me is that none of these transitions seem accidental. When we dug into his family history, Dave described generations of people who were always willing to move, explore, and pursue new opportunities. His great-grandfather left Arkansas for what was then Indian Territory. His family never stayed in one place very long. They simply kept moving toward what was next. That same spirit still shows up today. Whether he's revisiting Vietnam decades after the war, planning cruises through Southeast Asia, exploring India, or standing at Everest Base Camp, Dave approaches the world with curiosity and gratitude. One of my favorite moments comes when Dave reflects on all the places he's visited. Rather than naming a favorite destination, he talks about being amazed by both the beauty of the world and the resilience of the people who live in it. From the Himalayas to Africa to Vietnam, he's learned that travel isn't just about seeing places—it's about understanding people. As we talk about often on The Fort Builders, we're all building something. Dave's story is a reminder that building a meaningful life doesn't stop at retirement, and it doesn't happen by accident. It comes from staying curious. From continuing to move. And from always being willing to say yes to the next adventure.

TFB 013 - They Saw Me w/ Mary Shannon

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 eventually being removed from the home and placed in the Wichita Children’s Home. Then, around age 13, something changed. A couple entered her life and simply began showing up. They mentored her, invited her into their home, took her out for burgers, and gave her what she describes as “a seat at the table.” Most importantly, as Mary says: > “They SAW me.” That investment changed the trajectory of her life. Eventually, she found a forever family, gained U.S. citizenship, attended college, and built a nearly 30-year career in nonprofit leadership focused on helping others experience the same kind of transformation. But what makes this conversation powerful isn’t just the story itself. It’s how Mary has chosen to use it. We talk about leadership, culture, mentorship, accountability, gratitude, and the responsibility that comes with helping people feel seen and valued. She shares lessons learned through both personal hardship and professional leadership — including why passion alone isn’t enough, why failure should be treated as courage, and why hope still matters even when it’s not a plan. There’s also a strong thread throughout this conversation around people. Building teams. Building trust. Building cultures where honesty and growth are possible. And helping others realize they don’t have to walk through life alone. Sometimes the people who impact us most aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones who show up. Mary’s story is a reminder that relationships truly can change lives — and sometimes all it takes to alter someone’s future is for one person to see them.

TFB 012 - Part 2 - The Process of Becoming w/ Stephanie Bessent

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 learning to trust yourself over time. Stephanie reflects on the pressure many people feel to hold everything together while simultaneously trying to grow personally, professionally, and relationally. There’s a tension there that a lot of people will recognize: trying to meet expectations while still figuring yourself out in real time. This conversation also explores identity in a deeper way. How life changes you. How priorities evolve. How certain seasons stretch you in ways you don’t fully appreciate until later. And through all of it, there’s an important realization that surfaces repeatedly: You don’t become who you are all at once. It happens slowly. Through experiences. Through challenges. Through moments that force growth whether you feel ready or not. What makes Stephanie’s story compelling isn’t perfection or a dramatic turning point. It’s the reality of continuing to move forward while carrying responsibility, uncertainty, ambition, and growth all at the same time. As we often talk about on The Fort Builders, most of the important building in life happens gradually — layer by layer, season by season. This conversation is a reminder that becoming isn’t a destination. It’s a process.

TFB 011 - Part 1 - The Process of Becoming w/ Stephanie Bessent

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 trying to balance multiple roles at once. What stood out to me throughout this conversation is that her story isn’t built around one defining moment. It’s built through layers. Through adapting to change. Through learning confidence over time. Through continuing to move forward even when things weren’t fully clear. There’s an honesty in this conversation that I think a lot of people will relate to — especially the idea that growth often happens while you’re in motion, not after everything is figured out. We also talk about identity and expectations. How people evolve. How priorities shift over time. And how the version of yourself you become later in life often looks different than the version you originally imagined. Stephanie talks openly about navigating responsibilities, leadership, family, and personal growth — and how those experiences gradually shaped the way she sees herself and the world around her. This episode doesn’t feel like a conversation about arriving somewhere. It feels like a conversation about becoming. As we talk about often on The Fort Builders, most of us are built gradually — through seasons, transitions, and experiences we don’t always recognize in the moment. Stephanie’s story is a reminder that growth rarely happens all at once. It happens layer by layer. And sometimes the process itself is the story.