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

TFB 017 - Collecting Clues w/ Lance Johnson

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 simply collecting great stories. Looking back, I think I was collecting something else. I was collecting clues. Clues about one question that has become the heartbeat of The Fort Builders: How do we become who we are? As I reflected on conversations with guests like Jeremy Newman, Mary Shannon, Stephen T. Johnson, Coach Bryant Wright, Ezra, Mike Akers, Dave McClung, Stephanie Bessent, Sherrie Ortiz, Brad Finkeldei, Kirsten Flory, Andrew Kneisler, Chad Dick, Brandon Meek, and many others, I realized something. No one arrived where they are by accident. Each of us is shaped by people, moments, decisions, setbacks, risks, failures, beliefs, and opportunities. Some of those things we choose. Some choose us. In this episode, I share some of my own reflections—from watching communities come together during the World Cup, to a meaningful fishing trip with my dad and brothers in Canada, to looking back on the forts we built as kids and realizing they represented something much bigger than pieces of scrap wood. Maybe we weren't just building forts. Maybe those forts were building us. This isn't a recap of past episodes. It's an invitation to look at your own life. Who and what has shaped you? What moments changed your direction? What are you still building? Because the story isn't over. None of us are finished. We're all still under construction.

TFB 016 - Always Another Chapter w/Sherrie Ortiz

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 hiding in plain sight—from gangsters and ghost stories to public art, architecture, fountains, and local history. But that wasn't always the plan. Before becoming a tour guide, Sherrie spent nearly 30 years in the bakery industry. She started decorating cakes shortly after high school, worked her way through grocery bakeries, and eventually built a successful home-based business called Sherrie's Cake Magic. For 18 years she created wedding cakes, custom birthday cakes, and specialty desserts while raising her children from home. Then life changed. While caring for her mother during a battle with ovarian cancer, her business slowed. After her mother's passing, Sherrie made the difficult decision not to rebuild the bakery business she had spent years creating. What followed was a series of pivots. An attempt to enter real estate appraisal that was disrupted by 9/11. A fascinating stint working for an online auction company during COVID. And eventually the launch of her current business, just before the world shut down. Throughout the conversation, one thing stood out to me: Sherrie never pretends she had some grand master plan. She simply kept adapting. When conference tours weren't producing enough business, she embraced walking tours. When one path closed, she explored another. When something wasn't working, she adjusted and kept moving. We also talk about Kansas City itself—its growth, history, hidden stories, and the things most people drive past every day without noticing. Whether it's Harry Houdini performing a famous stunt downtown, the history of the City Market, or the changing face of neighborhoods throughout the metro, Sherrie has built a business around helping people see familiar places differently. As we often talk about on The Fort Builders, building a life isn't always about following a straight line. Sometimes it's about being willing to start over. And trusting that the experiences you've gathered along the way might lead somewhere you never expected. Just One Day Travel Tours, LLC [https://justonedaytraveltours.com/] If you want more episodes of 'The Fort Builders Podcast', you can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple.

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.