What if the systems we built to move people forward are actually the ones holding communities back?  This episode takes on one of the most important and most avoided conversations in public health: the relationship between race, racism and health outcomes. Joined by conversation catalyst, Kari Bruffett, President and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute, we explore the roots of health disparities and how leadership evolves when you confront the data, history and systems that dictate who thrives. Highlights Misconceptions about what led to the demise of Black Wall Street in Tulsa.  The difference between explicit racism and systemic racism, and why both matter for Health. Why health disparities (the differences in outcomes) are not the same as inequities (the systemic reasons why). The patterns that exist in Kansas’ data that uncover systematic disparities in capital H Health.  How redefining "equity" as equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcomes can open more productive conversations. How policies of the past that are rooted in racism have effects on today’s Health outcomes, and how using tactics like data walks can foster greater systematic thinking.  How the Pathways to a Healthy Kansas project creates community conversations that focus on who benefits and who is harmed by current systems — without assigning individual blame. A call for the 30,000 Kansans in civic authority to lean into this conversation and start creating safe, facilitated spaces for it. Chapters 1:51 — Introducing Mindset #3: Race and racism really do matter 4:30 — The story of Black Wall Street and Interstate 244 5:28 — Explicit racism vs. systemic racism 9:52 — The three books every person should read 11:38 — Welcome back, Kari Bruffett 12:21 — When did race and racism become a Health issue? 14:04 — Kansas data: Infant mortality and maternal mortality disparities 17:11 — Disparities vs. inequities: Understanding the difference 21:38 — How systems thinking helps us understand why 21:46 — The Wichita data walk: Redlining and neighborhood disadvantage 28:27 — Pathways to a Healthy Kansas: How to have the conversation 30:25 — Who benefits? Who is harmed? Reframing the discussion 34:55 — Advice for the 30,000: How to do this discourse better 40:08 — Key Takeaways  Resources Mentioned Race and Racism Books to Read: https://kansashealth.org/race-and-racism-matters/ Pathways to a Healthy Kansas: https://www.bcbsks.com/blue-health-initiatives/pathways/pathways-to-a-healthy-kansas KHI: A Changing Kansas Report: https://www.khi.org/articles/2018-a-changing-kansas/ KHI Health Disparities in Kansas Research: https://www.khi.org/topics/health-disparities-in-kansas/ 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.

Sometimes the best things hide in plain sight. If you didn’t know, Kansas was once an ocean, and a huge chunk of that history is still alive at Cheyenne Bottoms — the largest wetland in the interior United States. We sit down with Curtis Wolf, director of the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, who breaks down what actually makes something a "wetland," why this 41,000-acre basin is a lifeline for migrating shorebirds traveling thousands of miles between South America and the Arctic, and how decades of careful management keep it thriving. We also swap stories from our own family trips out there, talk monarch butterfly tagging, and wrap things up with another round of Dartography. Highlights Curtis explains the three technical requirements for a true wetland: the right soil, the right plants, and seasonal water. Cheyenne Bottoms is a 41,000-acre basin and the largest wetland in the interior U.S. — yet less than 1% of the Kansas landscape qualifies as wetland. The Kansas Wetlands Education Center opened through a partnership between Fort Hays State University, the Department of Wildlife and Parks, the City of Great Bend, and Barton Community College, funded in part through a KDOT mitigation grant. A Hudsonian Godwit tracked by researchers flew six days straight from Chile to Cheyenne Bottoms without stopping. One square meter of mud at Cheyenne Bottoms can hold up to 65,000 bloodworms — a key food source fueling migrating birds. The Center hosts around 700 programs a year, including a Second Grade Wetlands Day, summer day camps, Turtle Tots for preschoolers, and stargazing nights during the Perseid meteor shower. The annual Butterfly Festival features monarch tagging tied to the Monarch Watch program, plus a honeybee demonstration hive and seed bomb crafts. Monarchs migrating through Cheyenne Bottoms in the fall are actually the fourth generation removed from the butterflies that left Mexico that spring. Cheyenne Bottoms is managed in nine separate pools with a dike and canal system pulling water from the Arkansas River and Walnut Creek to maximize water availability for wildlife. The Nature Conservancy manages over 8,000 additional acres of the Cheyenne Bottoms basin alongside the state's 21,000 acres. Admission to the Wetlands Education Center is free. Dartography lands in Haskell County, home to Sublette, possible ties to the 1918 Spanish flu, and a starring role in Donald Worster's Dust Bowl history. Chapters 0:00 — Pen Disaster 1:30 — Wetlands Episode Intro 2:19 — Visitor Center Photo Tour 4:12 — Barton County Side Trip 6:11 — Meet Curtis Wolf 7:58 — What Is a Wetland 9:56 — How the Center Began 13:25 — Why Wetlands Matter 16:12 — Inside the Building 22:39 — Wildlife and Bird Migration 27:52 — Education Programs Highlights 29:12 — Stargazing and Camps 30:21 — Turtle Tots and Programs 30:49 — Butterfly Festival Spotlight 32:07 — Monarch Tagging Explained 33:16 — Migration Generations Story 35:33 — Festival Activities Rundown 36:18 — Birds' Impact on Wetlands 38:35 — Managing Cheyenne Bottoms 41:11 — Nature Conservancy Partnership 42:09 — Kids in the Wetlands 45:06 — Visit and Stay Connected 46:33 — Host Takeaways and Birding 49:24 — Dartography: Sublette and Haskell 54:31 — Next Dart: Northeast Kansas 55:33 — Kansans in the Wild Shoutout 56:55 — Final Credits and Signoff Resources Mentioned Fisher Space Pen Kansas Wetlands Education Center (Cheyenne Bottoms, near Great Bend, KS) Sunflower Summer app Monarch Watch The Nature Conservancy Quivira National Wildlife Refuge  Audubon of Kansas Kansas Tourism's Wetlands and Wildlife Byway Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s by Donald Worster 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 permission you've been waiting for to slow down was yours to give all along? Karen Bartholomew knows firsthand what burnout looks like — running from 6 AM to 9 PM, no time for a cup of coffee, no room to breathe. In 2010, as a single mom of three, she hit a wall and gave herself four months to figure out what she actually wanted. That pause didn't just change her life — it became the foundation of The Pause Method, a five-step framework she now uses to help high-achieving women strip away the conditioning, stories, and expectations that have been running the show, so they can design their next chapter with clarity and confidence. Karen and I talk about the fear of slowing down, the difference between scarcity and abundance, why we carry childhood stories into our fifties, and how courage isn't always about moving forward — sometimes it's about being still. HIGHLIGHTS How Karen recognized her own breaking point in 2010 and gave herself permission to pause The difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset — and how childhood conditioning hides our natural abundance Why fear of the future is really our imagination running wild with stories that haven't happened The childhood story Karen told herself at age 12 — that she wasn't loved — and how she learned it wasn't truth A powerful moment in a classroom exercise that helped Karen discover her voice and step into leadership How Karen coaches her own daughter through childhood conditioning at age 26 The five steps of The PAUSE Method: Perceive, Acknowledge, Unwind, Shift, and Embody Why slowing down feels so scary — and what we're really afraid of facing The courage to be still, ask "What do I need today?" and let that be enough Why you don't need a crisis to deserve a pause CHAPTERS 1:51 — Why Women Seek Change 2:02 — Burnout And Overload 3:08 — Asking For Help 3:50 — Karen's 2010 Breaking Point 4:41 — Taking A Four Month Pause 8:26 — Fear Of The Future 11:17 — Scarcity Versus Abundance 12:06 — Childhood Stories And Conditioning 15:39 — Finding Your Voice 17:32 — Coaching Through The Past 18:23 — The PAUSE Method Steps 22:46 — Embodying The New Truth 24:49 — Designing The Next Six Months 25:33 — Courage To Be Still 27:18 — How To Work With Karen 27:56 — Rest Without A Crisis 28:22 — Retreats And Closing Thanks RESOURCES Karen Bartholomew's website: karenbartholomew.com 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 money sitting in your business bank account isn't actually telling you the truth? A lot of side hustlers manage their income and expenses in a simple spreadsheet, but that's a far cry from an actual strategy. I break down why the traditional profit and loss statement — while necessary for taxes — is backward-looking and doesn't help you make real-time decisions about your money. I introduce a better mental model based on the "Profit First" framework, walk through the four-bucket system for every dollar you earn, and share the exact tool I use to automate the whole process so it doesn't become another chore on your to-do list. Highlights Why tracking income and expenses in a single account is simple, but not a real money strategy The core problem with profit and loss statements: they're backward-looking and don't help day-to-day decision making The "Profit First" flipped equation: Sales minus Profit equals Expenses (instead of the other way around) Why you should plan to pay yourself a profit from day one, not just whatever's left over The four buckets every dollar should be sorted into: profit, owner's compensation, tax, and operating expenses Why side hustlers can often combine the profit and owner's compensation buckets into one The friction problem with manually moving money between multiple bank accounts How automating bucket splits with a business banking app removes that friction Why having a real-time view of your money is more powerful than a backward-looking P&L How this system scales as your business grows more complex (adding buckets for payroll, materials, etc.) Chapters 0:00 — Welcome 1:03 — Why P&L Falls Short 2:54 — Profit First Mindset 5:01 — Four Bucket System 6:37 — Account Friction Problem 7:47 — Automating with Novo 9:03 — Real Time Money Clarity 11:53 — Next Steps and Resources 13:43 — Wrap Up Resources Mentioned Profit First by Mike Michalowicz Novo 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.

Ever noticed how a garden doesn't stay weed-free on its own? The same thing happens with a once-thriving business. That's not bad luck — it's the law of entropy, and it applies to everything: your business, your relationships, your health, and especially your second act. The natural tendency of everything is to move from order to disorder unless energy is applied. That means if you're not intentionally improving something, entropy is quietly changing it for you. The good news? Once you understand this law, you can leverage it. The opposite of entropy is leadership — and your second act isn't waiting for the perfect time. It's waiting for your decision. HIGHLIGHTS The law of entropy explained: nothing naturally improves on its own — gardens grow weeds, houses get dusty, cars wear out, relationships drift apart, and businesses slowly decline Why businesses don't stay the same — they don't naturally improve, they naturally drift How stopping one-to-one meetings and team communication slowly erodes a healthy company culture Why marketing isn't something you do when you're slow — it's something you do to avoid ever becoming slow How shortcuts and skipped steps in your systems lead to quality drops, customer complaints, and costly errors The "orange cones" analogy: construction on the road is frustrating, but without repairs and improvements, the bridge eventually crumbles Even your dreams suffer from entropy — "someday" turns into next year, and next year turns into five years A personal story about writing a book: motion creates momentum while waiting creates decline — there's no in-between The neighborhood story: one house that stopped fighting entropy brought down the whole block and cost the owner real money at sale time The opposite of entropy is leadership — entropy says "wait another year," leadership says "start today" CHAPTERS 0:59 — Law of Entropy Explained 2:37 — Why Businesses Drift 3:46 — Culture Needs Maintenance 5:02 — Marketing and Pipeline Drift 5:35 — Systems Need Upkeep 7:40 — Dreams Need Action 8:32 — Writing a Book Momentum 10:11 — Neighborhood Entropy Story 11:54 — Spot Entropy in Your Life 12:30 — Leadership Over Entropy 13:10 — Wrap Up and Share 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.