What happens when a kid who learned to cook crack cocaine by age five ends up as a corporate executive in small-town Kansas?  Our friend Rafael Mendez sits down to share one of the most remarkable personal journeys we've ever heard on this podcast. From a childhood in Miami shaped by the drug trade, foster care, and a serious criminal charge as a teenager, Rafael found an unlikely lifeline through college at Kansas Wesleyan — a place he'd never heard of and almost didn't stay at. He opens up about the people who refused to give up on him, the tough love that changed his trajectory, and how a background check after graduation led him to law school at Washburn. We also talk about his career in the consumer packaged goods industry, what brought him back to Salina to work at Blue Beacon, and how programs like Leadership Salina and Leadership Kansas are building networks that strengthen communities across the state. Rafael's story is a powerful reminder that the people who show up for us — sometimes when we least deserve it — are the ones who make all the difference. Highlights A viral TikTok donut shop in Winfield, Kansas, kicks off the episode with a laugh Rafael shares his first childhood memory at age five: building a crack pipe from a medicine bottle and household materials His parents, Cuban immigrants who arrived during the Mariel boatlift, were deeply involved in the Miami drug trade Both parents went to prison, and Rafael and his siblings entered the foster care system — an experience he describes as financially exploitative and abusive Rafael was arrested at 16 and charged as an adult with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer A friend's mother visited him in jail, helped with his legal case, and personally funded applications to roughly 80 colleges Kansas Wesleyan was the first school to call — Rafael had never heard of Salina and almost didn't stay Jane Anderson delivered what Rafael calls "the biggest white lady lecture" he'd ever received — and his GPA never dropped below 3.5 after that He was elected student body president and helped secure record funding for student clubs A criminal background check became a persistent obstacle after graduation, prompting Rafael to pursue law school He bombed the LSAT but was accepted to Washburn through the CLEO (Council on Legal Education Opportunity) program — a Thurgood Marshall initiative Despite interest from a top-10 law school (Iowa), Rafael chose Washburn out of loyalty to those who took a chance on him After law school, he built a career in the consumer packaged goods industry, including a stint at Tillamook He and his wife Renee felt called back to Salina six years ago to join Blue Beacon Leadership Salina (class of 2021) helped him build a professional network from zero after returning to Kansas Leadership Kansas took him to communities across the state, from Garden City's dairy farms to Big Brutus in Pittsburg Rafael wrote and submitted a proposal — without consulting anyone — to bring a Leadership Kansas session to Salina for the first time His core message: it's all about relationships, and surrounding yourself with the right people Chapters 0:00 — TikTok Donut Shop Find 1:07 — Kansas Accents And Ike 2:12 — Guest Intro 3:51 — Meet Rafael Mendez 4:33 — From Miami To Kansas 6:39 — Cuba Roots And Miami 9:35 — Foster Care And Arrest 13:11 — College As A Lifeline 15:02 — First Days In Salina 18:02 — Grace And Giving Back 22:11 — Wesleyan Changed Me 29:26 — Background Checks And Law School 32:36 — Bombing the LSAT 33:55 — CLEO Summer Law Prep 35:30 — Choosing Washburn 36:46 — Miami Career Detour 38:14 — Back to Salina 40:29 — Leadership Salina Network 44:15 — Leadership Kansas Tour 49:55 — Salina Session Proposal 55:11 — Relationships Matter Most 58:16 — Contact Rafael and Wrap Up Resources Mentioned Ike's Donut Shop Kansas Wesleyan University — kwu.edu Washburn University School of Law —https://www.washburn.edu/about/index.html Blue Beacon — bluebeacon.com Smoky Hill River Festival Jane Anderson / Friends of the River Foundation —https://www.smokyhillriver.org/ CLEO (Council on Legal Education Opportunity) —https://cleoinc.org/ Tillamook— tillamook.com Leadership Salina — https://www.salinakansas.org/leadership-salina.html Leadership Kansas — https://leadershipkansas.org/ The Cilantro Diaries by Tommy Espinoza Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

What happens when achievement starts costing you aliveness? Dr. Kristen Strom joins the show to share her story of chasing success as a professor, wife, and mother—only to realize that the life she'd built was slowly draining the life out of her. From missing her kids' sporting events to feeling numb at the mention of a university teaching award, Kristen opens up about the red flags she ignored, the wake-up calls she couldn't, and the small, daily habits that quietly rewrote her entire future. We talk about what it really takes to stop hustling, start listening to your body, and build a life where you don't have to sacrifice the people you love to do the work you love. If you've ever looked in the mirror and not recognized the woman staring back, this conversation is for you. HIGHLIGHTS Kristen's realization that she was succeeding professionally but losing herself personally—missing her kids' events, running on empty, and ignoring years of physical red flags The numbness that set in even after receiving a student-nominated teaching award and a national publication—achievements she'd worked her whole career for How her son's words in the car one morning became a mirror reflecting her own stress back at her The two wake-up call moments: a vacation photo where she didn't recognize herself, and a mirror moment at 38 wondering what her 40s would feel like if nothing changed The health reset Kristen and her husband undertook together—from nutrition and fitness to mindset and emotional wellness Kristen's 10-minute power practice: brain dumping, setting three intentions, and expressing gratitude before the day begins Why high achievers should think smaller, not bigger, when creating change—and how tiny habits compound over time The identity work required to believe you're worth the investment—and to envision a future self worth becoming How fear and discomfort are not signs to stop but signals that you're in the growth process Kristen's transition from professor to speaker and transformational life coach, and her mission to help women thrive without turning healing into another achievement The power of getting quiet enough to hear what you actually want—and the freedom of saying no to good opportunities that don't align CHAPTERS 2:22 — Professor Life Pressure Cooker 3:59 — Red Flags And Burnout 5:56 — Numb To Achievements 7:54 — Kids Mirror The Stress 11:02 — Restoring Marriage And Home 11:56 — Health Reset And Mindset 15:38 — Two Wake-Up Call Moments 17:16 — What Do You Want Instead 18:37 — Small Habits That Stick 21:21 — Ten Minute Power Practice 23:45 — Dream Smaller, Compound Wins 26:52 — Identity, Beliefs, And Future Self 29:22 — Fear, Peaks, And Resilience 31:13 — Turning Healing Into Purpose 35:07 — Quiet Clarity And Saying No 38:04 — How To Work With Kristen 39:08 — Final Thanks And Wrap-Up RESOURCES MENTIONED Dr. Kristen Strom's website Want to learn more? The Thread Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

Ever lost a potential client because you couldn't respond fast enough? That's the problem we're solving with automation — and it starts with one simple intake form. When someone wants to work with you, they shouldn't have to jump through hoops or wait days for a reply. Today kicks off a new series on building automation systems for your business, and we're starting with the foundation: a single, simple form that captures every lead and puts them in one place. No more scattered messages across email, DMs, and phone calls. One front door, one auto-reply, zero missed opportunities. Plus, I'll walk you through free tools you can use to build it today — no budget required. Highlights Why doing everything manually will eventually burn you out and let leads slip through the cracks The Saturday baseball game scenario: how delayed responses cost you real money The five-question rule — why your intake form should never exceed five fields (and the first two are free: name and email) Using the BANT framework (budget, authority, need, timing) to craft your qualifying questions Making your form the single "front door" across every channel — website, email signature, social media, Google Business profile Setting up auto-replies on DMs and email so every inquiry gets an immediate response Connecting form submissions to one central place (Trello or Google Sheets) as a lightweight CRM Why you must test the form yourself before launching it Free tools that make this cost nothing: Tally and Google Forms Advanced upgrades: conditional logic to auto-reject unqualified budgets, routing by service type, and tagging lead sources "Clarity is kindness" — how automated budget screening saves both you and the prospect from an awkward call Chapters 0:00 — Why Automation Matters 1:46 — The Intake Form Goal 2:33 — Missed Leads Scenario 4:17 — Five Questions Only 7:29 — Make It the Front Door 9:08 — Send Leads to One Place 10:04 — Test and Launch 10:40 — Free Form Tools 13:23 — Next Steps and Upgrades 16:23 — Weekly Action Plan 17:13 — Scheduling Next Week Resources Tally Google Forms Trello Google Sheets Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review! For more information about The Side-Hustle Dad, visit our website at https://thesidehustle.dad Remember, build the business, but be the dad! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net.

Are you working harder than ever and getting less for it? There's a silent force at play in every business — one that quietly turns your best efforts into wasted energy. It's called the law of diminishing returns, and once you can spot it, you gain the power to redirect your time toward what actually moves the needle. The core idea is simple: more is not always better. Better is better. Whether it's sales calls, meetings, hiring, or admin work, every additional hour of effort eventually produces a smaller payoff — and if pushed too far, can even become counterproductive. This episode breaks down how to recognize when you've crossed that line and, more importantly, how to reverse it by making your process sharper instead of just longer. HIGHLIGHTS The law of diminishing returns explained: as you add more time, effort, or money while everything else stays the same, each additional investment eventually produces a smaller benefit A sales call walkthrough showing how returns grow, plateau, and then turn negative as you scale from 20 to 80 calls Common signs of diminishing returns: longer hours with declining productivity, adding staff without improving management, overspending on ads after the audience is reached, and meetings that run past their value Every activity falls into one of three categories: good return, diminishing return, or negative return — there are no exceptions Practical steps to reverse the decline: stop adding more, break down the process, identify where results begin to drop, and improve one or two steps at a time Why doing administrative tasks you're "good at" can quietly steal time from high-value activities like selling and business development A real client case study: how shifting from aimless cold calls to intentional, scripted outreach with a clear purpose improved her success rate to roughly 3 out of 10 people committing to a next step The importance of scheduling your most important work during your peak energy windows and setting hard one-hour stopping points CHAPTERS 0:35 — Welcome and Episode Focus 1:24 — Business Laws Recap 2:08 — Diminishing Returns Explained 3:18 — Sales Calls Example 5:00 — Spotting Diminishing Returns 7:09 — Make Calls Better Not More 8:31 — Avoid Fatigue and Busywork 10:40 — Reverse the Decline 11:38 — Client Telemarketing Case Study 13:57 — Wrap Up and Call to Action Want to get more help from Lee with your business? Visit her website: https://leegray.actioncoach.com/ Identify your strengths and weaknesses as a second actor with our comprehensive Second Act Assessment. https://secondact.scoreapp.com This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information, visit ictpod.net.

How do you convince authors, budget-strapped nonprofits, and thousands of book lovers to show up in one place on the same Saturday? We sat down with the woman who has to figure that out every single day. This week we're joined by Lara Avery, Executive Director of the Kansas Book Festival and published author of romance novels including The Year of Second Chances and Purple Hearts (adapted into a movie). We get into how she landed the job, why she doesn't send authors too many emails, what a "book parade" actually is, and why she thinks everyone — audiobook listeners included — counts as a reader. We also wander into Dungeons & Dragons character work, Horcruxes as a metaphor for creative legacy, and the ongoing debate about how Orcs reproduce. Highlights A fast food employee who is deaf handled Gus's order entirely through writing — a small moment that stuck with him Lara explains her unconventional path to authorship, writing for a company (Alloy) that also produced Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries Why she calls herself a "listener" rather than a traditional reader, and her love of audiobooks Details on this year's Kansas Book Festival: 69 authors and moderators, a first-ever romance panel, keynote Ben Lerner, and a brand-new book parade Her philosophy for working with authors: minimal, respectful communication instead of over-formal outreach A moving conversation about what writers "leave behind" in their work, and why she thinks people should treat their attention and time as more valuable A deep dive (sorry, had to sneak it in only once!) into how to write distinct character voices — starting with diction, not psychology The Dartography segment uncovers the story of John Brown's 1859 rescue of 11 enslaved people near Holton, known as "The Battle of the Spurs," plus the history of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation and Minnie Evans's fight to preserve tribal recognition in the 1950s Chapters 0:00 – Fast Food Kindness 2:13 – Meet Lara Avery 3:41 – Author Life and Day Jobs 4:49 – Romance Books and BookTok 9:02 – Kansas Roots and Audiobooks 11:49 – How She Became a Writer 15:17 – What Is Kansas Book Festival 17:40 – Parade, Food and Perks 20:13 – Leading Authors and Logistics 26:50 – Festival Date and Panels 27:51 – Dungeon Master Character Talk 28:59 – Crafting Character Voices 31:00 – Diction First, Psychology Later 32:01 – Orc Lore Detour 32:51 – Creative Horcruxes and Legacy 36:36 – Attention Economy vs. Reading 40:10 – Books as Shared Imaginary Space 41:20 – Raising Readers at Home 45:30 – Kansas Stories and Festival Mission 49:07 – Support the Festival: Donate 50:42 – Dungeon Master Aftershow 52:34 – Dartography: Holton History 59:16 – Prairie Band Potawatomi Story 1:02:55 – Holton Telescope Surprise 1:04:14 – Next Dart and Wrap Up Resources Mentioned Kansas Book Festival — kansasbookfestival.com  Red Fern Booksellers (Salina) Libro.fm The Year of Second Chances by Lara Avery Purple Hearts by Tess Wakefield Harriet the Spy Kansas Authors Club Ready Player One by Ernest Cline  Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman The Tattered Cover bookstore (Denver) Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net