Everyone assumes car people grew up under the hood with grandpa. This guest didn't — and he might be the best in the business anyway. On this episode, we sit down with Matthew "Matt" Miller-Wells, Associate Director of Automotive Studies at McPherson College, to talk about how a '68 Beetle and a lot of video games turned into a career restoring some of the rarest vehicles on the planet. We get into what it's really like inside the only four-year vintage automotive restoration program in the country, the wild story behind building a car museum from scratch in Salina, and how a student-restored 1953 Mercedes ended up placing second in class at Pebble Beach. Highlights Matt's automotive obsession traces back to a family '68 Volkswagen Beetle and a Herbie the Love Bug replica bought while stationed in Germany. McPherson College is the only school in the U.S. offering a four-year Bachelor of Science in Vintage Automotive Restoration Technology, started in 1976 by Smokey Blue. A feature on Jay Leno's show helped grow the program from a small two-year technical track into a full four-year degree. About 98% of McPherson grads land a job within six months of graduation, with many landing internships and offers well before commencement. Career paths extend far beyond the shop — alumni now work in insurance (Hagerty), auctions, social media/marketing, and even GM's heritage and design divisions. Matt spent five years building The Garage museum in Salina from the ground up, including VR welding/painting simulators and rotating exhibits like an all-yellow-car show. The college's "Path to Pebble" project — a student-restored 1953 Mercedes 300S Cabriolet — placed second in class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2023. McPherson is reviving its T Build Team, where students assemble a Model T from parts to a running car in minutes. The college offers numerous scholarships (including from the Model T Ford Club, SEMA, and the Piston Foundation), and over 40% of the class of '26 graduated debt-free. McPherson's annual car show (first weekend in May) draws close to 500 cars and effectively shuts down the town. Chapters 0:00 – Car Show Photos 3:30 – Meet Matt Miller-Wells 4:42 – Military Roots & Moving Around 5:60 – Falling for Volkswagens 8:10 – Starting at McPherson 9:49 – Building The Garage Museum 14:44 – Making Car Museums For All 17:04 – McPherson Program Explained 22:48 – Careers Beyond The Shop 27:27 – Bringing Back the T Build Team 31:56 – Community Support & Scholarships 33:07 – Parking Lot Rebuilds 33:38 – Car Community Support 34:16 – Scoring a Parts Haul 35:38 – Young Enthusiasts Thrive 36:11 – Scholarships and Debt 37:14 – Path to Pebble 39:14 – Concours Level Details 40:48 – Pebble Beach Triumph 42:58 – Monterey Car Week 45:25 – Program Future & Tech 47:20 – Visit and the Annual Car Show 49:05 – The Hearse and Other Projects 51:42 – Host Wrap-Up and Thanks 54:10 – Kansas Car History Segment 1:02:53 – Final Sign-Off Resources Mentioned McPherson College Automotive Restoration – Instagram (@mcautoresto) Hagerty Classic Vehicle Insurance SEMA Piston Foundation Model T Ford Club of America Newspapers.com Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

What if the guilt you feel every time you say "no" is actually costing you more than the yes ever could? After a peer advisory group session turned into an unexpected goldmine of ideas, I knew I had to bring it straight to you. If you're a people-pleaser, a do-gooder, or someone who feels a pang of guilt every time you turn someone down, this one's for you. I'm sharing the practical frameworks that came out of that conversation — from budgeting your time like a budget line item, to getting curious about what people actually want from you, to understanding why your "no" protects the power of your "yes." We also get into the guilt-versus-pride dynamic between how women and men tend to overcommit, and why learning to trust your body's signals might be the most important skill of all as we head into Q4. Highlights Why saying no matters more than ever heading into the last stretch of Q3 and into Q4 Budgeting your time like money: predetermine how many "yeses" you can afford to give Asking for the "why" behind a meeting request before automatically saying yes How offering a group workshop can turn one-on-one asks into a scalable win-win The idea that unchecked "yeses" dilute in power if you never say no Creating a "not now" list of things you're saying no to for this season of life Learning to trust your body's signals over your mind's endless search for reasons to say yes The difference between guilt-driven overcommitment (often seen in women) and pride-driven overcommitment (often seen in men) Why it's okay for "no" to come with a little guilt sometimes Chapters 0:00 — Why Saying No Matters 2:57 — Time Budget Your Yeses 4:14 — Ask For The Why 7:09 — Offer A Group Workshop 9:09 — Protect The Power Yes 9:59 — Create A Not Now List 11:27 — Trust Your Body Signals 13:42 — Guilt, Pride, And Overcommit 16:50 — Closing Pep Talk 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.

What if the very thing making you feel like a failure has nothing to do with your business at all? If you've ever scrolled social media late at night and watched a competitor announce their big win while you're sitting there wondering why it's not you, this one's for you. I share a moment that knocked me off balance — seeing someone I'd hoped to work with celebrating a partnership with a competitor — and unpack why comparing your side hustle to someone else's highlight reel is a losing game. Social media only shows the glossy storefront, never the debt, the strain, or the struggles behind it. I walk through the hidden variables that make every "race" different — starting lines, financial support, family obligations, goals — and bring it back to the two-part definition of success we set up earlier in this series: are you reaching your goals faster than you would without the business, and is it operating within the constraints you set for it? If both are true, you're winning, no matter what anyone else's feed says. Highlights A personal story about seeing a hoped-for client publicly celebrate signing with a competitor — and the gut-punch of comparison that followed Why "comparison is the thief of joy" and how easily a few minutes of scrolling can spiral into doubt about your own progress Social media as a "glossy storefront" — it shows the wins, not the debt, health struggles, or unprofitable months behind them The reminder: "you are running your own race" — comparison only works when every variable is equal, and it never is The hidden variables behind someone else's success: starting capital, inherited audiences, spousal income, debt load, family obligations, and different goals altogether Revisiting the two-part success equation: (1) is the business moving you toward your goals faster than without it, and (2) does it operate within the constraints you originally set for it A preview of next week's topic: managing the money in your business — how it flows and where it goes Chapters 0:19 — Recap of The E-Myth Revisited series 0:38 — The story: seeing a competitor's win on social media 3:35 — Social media as a glossy storefront 4:35 — "You are running your own race" 6:37 — Revisiting the success equation, part one: reaching your goals faster 7:37 — Success equation, part two: fitting within your constraints 8:30 — Next week: managing the money in your business 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.

What if the way we’ve been trying to help individuals who need it is actually holding us back from solving complex Health challenges?  Most of us have given to a food pantry, volunteered at a coat drive, or helped a neighbor in need. While those acts matter, to truly move the needle on Health in Kansas, individual acts of kindness aren’t enough. The 30,000 Kansans in positions of authority — elected officials, school leaders, business owners, pastors — have a unique power to shift not just how we help people, but the scale at which we help them. That's the heart of Chapter 13: Working Systemically. Joined by conversation catalyst, Kari Bruffett, President and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute, we unpack what it really means to think beyond the individual, how a simple framework can help you identify bigger leverage points, and why systemic change doesn't have to be harder, just different. Highlights The difference between an individual mindset and a systemic mindset is illustrated through Kansas examples regarding secondhand smoke, fair hiring practices and food desert policy.  The "2x2" framework: a quadrant that maps out individual vs. systemic thinking against upstream vs. downstream action and why the upper-right quadrant is where Kansas needs more energy. Why charity is essential but not sufficient and how the 30,000 can shift the conversation. Kansas's extension of postpartum Medicaid eligibility to one year is a real-world example of systemic change that benefits individuals and the broader health system. How communities in the Pathways to Healthy Kansas program have evolved from downstream charity to upstream, systemic work Lawrence's "A Place for Everyone" initiative is a model for systemic thinking around housing and the unhoused population. Why systemic thinking doesn't remove individual responsibility — it levels the playing field so people can exercise it. How implementing the Five Whys questioning process can help identify the root cause problem and potential solutions by thinking systematically.  Chapters 0:48 — Welcome & Introduction 5:28 — Individual vs. Systematic Examples 7:40 — 2x2 Framework 9:36 — Upstream vs. Downstream Efforts 15:33 — Kari Bruffet Joins the Talk 20:06 — Leaders Who Propel Different Thinking 21:17 — Kansas Postpartum Medicaid Example 24:41 — Community Upstream Success 27:39 — Why Systems Trigger Pushback 32:56 — Systems Involve More Than Government 35:15 — Five Whys in Action 37:16 — System Level Thinking Equals Different Thinking 38:44 — Key Takeaways Resources Kansas Health Institute — Kari Bruffett's organization, which produces research and policy analysis on health in Kansas America's Health Rankings — referenced as the "north star" for measuring Kansas's health progress Work Systemically Grid Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way.  Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at kansashealth.org/leadinghealth Continue the discussion with these resources: Book Clubs Speakers and Workshops Share Your Story And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

Kansas State University touches all 105 counties in this state — training the veterinarians who protect our livestock, the biomanufacturers building tomorrow's jobs, and the students who choose to stay and build their lives right here in Kansas. On this episode of Ask a Kansan, Gus and Sydney sit down with Dr. Richard Linton, president of Kansas State University, to talk about what it really means to lead a land-grant institution built to serve every corner of the state. We get into the mentors who shaped him, the napkin sketch that mapped out his entire career decades before he became a university president, why athletics might matter more in Manhattan, Kansas than almost anywhere else in the country, and the story of how he and his wife once snuck onto campus incognito before he ever took the job. We close out with his hopes for what Kansas and K-State will look like 100 years from now. Highlights Dr. Linton's path from food microbiology at Virginia Tech to university leadership, shaped by mentors like Dr. Merrill Pearson and Randy Woodson K-State's scale: over 21,000 degree-seeking students, three campuses (Manhattan, Salina, Olathe), and engagement across all 105 Kansas counties A breakdown of what a university president's week actually looks like — "friend-raising and fundraising" Major initiatives shaping K-State's Next Gen strategic plan: biomanufacturing, water resource management, and nuclear energy The origin and meaning of "land-grant university," and what "next-generation land-grant" means for K-State today The value of a K-State degree, explained through three numbers: 81% financial support, 97% job/grad school placement, 67% above-average starting salaries Community college partnerships (Dodge City, Garden City, Manhattan Technical College) and support for first-generation students The "brain drain" challenge — why Kansas keeps roughly 75% of in-state students but only 40–45% of out-of-state students Why athletics matters so much to K-State's economic impact ($2.3 billion total, $486 million from athletics) and student enrollment The National Agro and Biodefense Facility (NBAF) and K-State's unique BSL-4 biosecurity capabilities The story behind the $260 million agricultural initiative — raising $84 million in four months after 90% of people called the goal impossible Dr. Linton's own education story and the mentors who shaped his career How K-State's campus culture stood out to Dr. Linton and his wife before he even took the job His vision for Kansas and K-State 100 years from now Chapters 0:00 – First K-State Game Memories 0:53 – Madeline Meets Purple Pride 1:55 – Welcome to Ask a Kansan 4:44 – Meet President Rich Linton 5:24 – Mentors and Food Science Path 7:32 – From Research to Administration 11:43 – K-State Scale and Reach 14:48 – A Week in the President's Life 18:59 – Community Listening and Initiatives 21:22 – Next-Gen Land-Grant Explained 26:15 – Biomanufacturing Defined 27:39 – Value of a K-State Degree 31:59 – Community College and First-Gen Paths 33:52 – Brain Drain and Keeping Kansans 34:43 – Keeping Grads in Kansas 35:50 – Jobs and Economic Pull 36:50 – Athletics vs Academics 38:04 – Why Sports Matter 41:51 – A President as Fan 43:32 – NBAF and Biosecurity 45:42 – Next Gen K-State Plan 49:11 – Ag Initiative Fundraising 52:18 – Education and Mentorship 55:10 – K-State Culture Story 59:18 – 2126 Vision and Legacy 1:01:13 – Host Wrap and Takeaways 1:02:58 – Subscribe and Support 1:03:59 – Final Thanks and Goodbye Resources Mentioned Kansas State University Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net