Have you ever accomplished something big — or even something small — and immediately moved on to the next thing without stopping to celebrate? That's exactly what happened to a group of leaders at a recent learning event, and it sparked a conversation that changed everything. We were all feeling that mid-afternoon slump when someone said, "I've just been running for months straight, and I really just need a day for me." That moment led to creating what I'm calling a Celebrate Me Day — a dedicated day to pause, reflect on your wins (big and small), and intentionally pour into yourself. We talk about why we skip celebrations, how humility and self-pride can coexist, and how a simple weekly practice of tracking three wins can rewire the way you see your life. I also share exactly what my own Celebrate Me Day looked like and how you can make this a quarterly ritual. Highlights The mid-afternoon slump that sparked the idea of a Celebrate Me Day How we move from one win to the next without stopping to acknowledge the good Why blanket advice about "staying humble" can keep us from celebrating ourselves Each and every one of us has things to celebrate — we just have to pause and look back The weekly practice of pulling out your top three wins from the Full Focus Planner What a Celebrate Me Day actually looks like: slow mornings, yoga, a massage, and Harry Potter Making it a quarterly ritual: pick a day at the start of a month and pour into yourself Share your own Celebrate Day in the comments Chapters 0:00 — Midday Slump Reflection 2:20 — Why We Skip Celebrations 3:14 — Introducing Celebrate Me Day 3:24 — Humility and Self Pride 4:43 — Weekly Wins Practice 6:03 — How I Spent My Day 7:16 — Make It a Quarterly Ritual 7:49 — Share Your Celebrate Day Resources Full Focus Planner — mentioned as the tool used for the weekly three-wins practice

What happens when you hand two podcast hosts a 20-sided die and ask them to revisit their favorite conversations from nearly 80 episodes?  You get a highlight reel of Kansas at its most unexpected. We rolled the dice on some of our most memorable episodes and pieces, and what came back reminded us why we started doing this in the first place: Kansans have a tendency to look down on their own state, and every one of these stories proves they shouldn't. Highlights A family road trip tradition of holding your breath at the state border — and the "My Cows" game where you count pasture livestock for good luck Episode 35 with Becky Tanner reframes The Wizard of Oz as a love letter to Kansas and explores what "home" really means Episode 56 with Leland Danes tackles the heavy reality of children as young as six translating adult concepts — from car insurance to cancer diagnoses — for their parents, and the resources Kansas Spanish Speakers provides Episode 14 with Jordan Romerman delivers the ultimate road trip advice: get off the interstate and explore Kansas scenic byways for rolling hills, chalk formations, and wide open skies Episode 29 with Rex Buchanan, former director of the Kansas Geological Survey, unpacks the Cimarron National Grasslands and proves Kansas is far more than flat and treeless Episode 9 spotlighting SB Mowing's Spencer, a Wichitan who mows overgrown lawns for free and turned one act of neighborly kindness into hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for an elderly woman in need Episode 62 with Jim Gray ("Beam Me Up, Kansas") celebrates the quirky side of Kansas, including the Geneseo UFO Festival, the Christmas town of Wakinni, Lucas's Garden of Eden and Bowl Plaza, and Erika Nelson's World's Largest Museum of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Episode 57 with DJ Carvin reveals the remarkable life story behind the mustache — a New Yorker who found his way to Wichita and chose it as home Episode 51 with Claire Ludus tours the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, named one of the best space museums in the world for telling the complete story of the space race from both the American and Soviet sides Episode 26 with Greg Victors, the Wichita War Dancer, who showed up in full regalia and offered perspective on culture and representation the hosts never could have arrived at on their own Episode 60 with Tanner Johnson closes the dice roll with a story about connection — a violinist and conductor in Manhattan, Kansas, and how the podcast's mission to bring Kansans together actually shows up in real life Chapters 0:00 — Border Breath Challenge 0:37 — Tunnel Luck and Cow Counting 2:07 — Welcome to Ask a Kansan 3:25 — Dice Roll Episode Picks 3:54 — Home and Belonging in Kansas (Episode 35 — Becky Tanner) 6:26 — Language Access and Diversity (Episode 56 — Leland Danes) 9:08 — Get Off the Interstate (Episode 14 — Jordan Romerman) 12:25 — Wild Kansas Landscapes (Episode 29 — Rex Buchanan) 14:59 — SB Mowing Neighborly Kindness (Episode 9) 17:56 — Quirky Kansas and UFOs (Episode 62 — Jim Gray) 21:01 — Wichita DJ Life Story (Episode 57 — DJ Carvin) 22:56 — Cosmosphere Space Nerd Out (Episode 51 — Claire Ludus) 25:09 — Wichita War Dancer Regalia (Episode 26 — Greg Victors) 26:56 — Connecting Kansas (Episode 60 — Tanner Johnson) 29:28 — Wrap Up and Credits Resources Mentioned All Episodes of Ask A Kansan Kansas Tourism Cimarron National Grasslands Cosmosphere Fili Creative  Forge Podcast Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

We're told the secure path is school, a good job with benefits, and a retirement plan. But how much control do you really have over that one income stream? When a single email about "workforce reductions" can upend everything, maybe it's time to rethink what risk actually looks like. This episode reframes the conversation around side hustles and risk. Starting a business on the side isn't about gambling your family's future — it's about diversification. It's about building something that gives you flexibility, options, and a safety net that doesn't depend on one company's quarterly results. We cover why a W2 can be far more uncertain than it feels, how a side hustle cushions you against layoffs and life changes, and practical steps to start lean without putting everything on the line. Highlights The 2008 recession story: living through layoffs as a young engineer and the fear of losing it all Why a W2 job carries hidden risk — you don't control the outcome of the business you work for How loyalty has changed on both the employer and employee sides over the last few generations Side hustle as diversification: even 500–1,000/month in side income changes your options The freedom to fail safely — why running it on the side gives you room to learn and grow You're not starting from zero: customers, skills, and a network outside your day job Negotiating differently when one employer isn't your only option Practical risk management: keep your day job, set a stop-loss timeline, start lean, separate bank accounts, get paid up front A real failure story: the T-shirt drop-shipping business that didn't work out — and why that's okay You don't need 20 hours a week — five hours is enough to start building something real Chapters 0:00 — Intro 0:19 — Why today's topic shifted to the mentality behind side hustles 0:48 — The 2008 recession: fear and uncertainty in a W2 job 4:24 — What if we've been measuring risk wrong? 4:41 — Where the real risk lives: your day job 5:02 — You don't control the outcome at your W2 6:22 — How loyalty has dropped on both sides 6:45 — Capitalism, priorities, and why jobs can be uncertain 8:38 — The side hustle as diversification and room to fail 11:08 — Security isn't one big income 11:25 — How to shrink the risks of starting 12:04 — Create boundaries and a stop-loss number 12:11 — Start lean, separate your money, get paid up front 14:38 — It's okay if it fails: the T-shirt business story 15:23 — Protecting family time while building on the side 18:13 — Wrap-up and what's coming next week 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.

The members of the 30,000 love to talk about the vision (the what) and the purpose (the why); however, it’s rare for them to really talk about the “how.”  In this episode, we explore why valuing process and structure is a critical ingredient to solving the health gap in Kansas. Drawing on examples from baseball leagues to youth sports coaching, from the Kansas Economic Growth Act to rural health transformation, we make the case that for the 30,000 Kansans in roles of civic authority, spending more time on the how is essential to moving the needle on our state's health challenges.  Returning guest Kenny Wilk joins the conversation again to share his firsthand experiences and to help us wrestle with what it takes to invent the processes and structures that turn vision into reality. HIGHLIGHTS Why process and structure are the invisible, overlooked "how" that separates a great vision from actual results. How the invention of baseball leagues mirrors what civic leaders must do: inventing process and structure to support a big idea. The Network Kansas story: how Steve Radley and Eric Pedersen built "E-Communities" to turn a legislative vision into 80–90 thriving local entrepreneurship programs. Kenny Wilk's account of authoring the Kansas Economic Growth Act with Senator Nick Jordan, and how KTEC helped create the process behind the vision. Why creativity and imagination are essential for inventing processes—not just physical objects, but the way we organize people and resources. The Food Is Medicine movement: widespread agreement on the vision, but the hard work is inventing the process and structure to deliver and scale it across Kansas. The Rural Health Transformation Program—a $50 billion federal investment in rural health—and the Anchor Hospital concept aiming to ensure every Kansan has primary and specialty care within 60–90 minutes. The World Cup in Kansas City and the renovation of Union Station via the bi-state tax are powerful examples of how process and structure enable regional collaboration across a hard state line. Why the "how" is adaptive, not set in stone—you must be willing to learn, adjust and iterate as you go. The case for more regional collaboration in Kansas: 30 years of talk, but what process and structure would actually make it happen? Key takeaways: a vision is only as good as the process and structure around it, and those in authority should use their position to center the conversation on how. CHAPTERS 2:45 — The “How” Matters 6:54 — Network Kansas Case Study 8:51 — Kenny Joins the Conversation 15:37 — Inventing Processes for Health 19:34 — Rural Health Transformation Spotlight 24:33 — Adaptive How and Youth Sports 27:05 — Regional Collaboration Challenge 31:15 — World Cup and Bi-State Examples 33:35 — Key Takeaways RESOURCES MENTIONED Learn more about Network Kansas: https://networkkansas.com/ Refer back to our previous episode on Create Collaboration: https://share.transistor.fm/s/f0a151d5 This episode highlights the importance of regional collaboration across Kansas, and the Kansas Health Foundation is making moves on that. Meet our two newest regional managers on the team:  Northeast Regional Manager, Matt Kleinmann: https://kansashealth.org/2026/09/01/kleinmann-joins-khf/ Southeast Regional Manager, Jennifer Rutledge:https://kansashealth.org/2026/09/11/rutledge-joins-khf-as-southeast-kansas-regional-manager/   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.

Ever wonder what keeps a small town alive when the world seems to be pulling people toward the cities? Simone Elder grew up on a family farm in Atwood, started doing economic development work in high school, and now leads an organization devoted to making sure rural Kansas doesn't just survive — it thrives.  As the new executive director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, she stepped into the role once held by the legendary Marci Penner and is bringing her own western Kansas perspective, entrepreneurial background, and a whole lot of what she calls "Kansas rizz" to the job. We talk about the Power Up movement — a network of 21-to-39-year-olds choosing rural by choice — what communities need to keep young families around (it turns out sidewalks and salads matter a lot), the eight rural cultural elements that help towns see themselves differently, and why Simone believes the best thing you can do when the doom and gloom gets heavy is walk out your front door and get involved in the community right there around you. Plus, Sydney's Halloween costume saga and a new dart throw that lands us in Rooks County. Highlights Sydney's mom made every Halloween costume growing up — including a monster suit built from dyed green mop heads — and Sydney is keeping the tradition alive with an increasingly specific vampire bat queen costume for daughter Madeline Thrift stores in McPherson delivered $35 worth of Gothic vampire jewelry that would have cost $75 on Amazon Simone got her start in economic development through a youth board program called YCIP (Youth Community Improvement Program) in Rawlins County, which invited high schoolers to answer "What do you want to see in our community?" The Power Up and Go report surveyed nearly 500 Kansans aged 21–39 and found they want basics: fresh food, sidewalks to push strollers on, and a place at the table where their ideas aren't dismissed with "we tried that before" Simone's mailbox initiative in Wichita County gave graduating seniors a literal mailbox with their name on it as an invitation to come home — and some of them did, starting businesses in Leoti The eight rural cultural elements — art, architecture, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history, and people — give communities a framework to see what they already have Kansas has 625 incorporated cities, and about 75% of them have populations of 1,500 or less Elkhart, Kansas (Morton County) is closer to three other state capitals than it is to Topeka A young man in LeRoy, Kansas bought an old downtown building, repointed the brickwork himself, turned it into an Airbnb, and has a vision for a walking trail tied to local history Simone's car wouldn't restart at Point of Rocks in the Cimarron National Grassland — no cell service, just her and the pioneer spirit A new term for the movement: "Rural Curious" — urban dwellers who show up to rural programming because they want to understand and connect Dartography lands in Rooks County for next time — home of Stockton and some of Gus and his wife's favorite people Chapters 0:00 — Homemade Halloween Roots 1:59 — Thrifting Gothic Jewelry 3:54 — Guest Intro 5:02 — Simone's Career Path 7:45 — Why Western Kansas Matters 10:36 — Choosing Rural Power Ups 16:05 — Taking Over After Marci 20:08 — Bridging Statewide Networks 22:19 — Gumption and Cultural Elements 24:23 — Programs Kansas Sampler Offers 27:20 — Power Ups Future 28:31 — Team On The Road 29:52 — Message To Rural Expatriates 31:46 — Rural Curious And Coming Home 32:58 — LeRoy Main Street Revival 34:34 — Point Of Rocks Adventure 36:12 — Support Kansas Sampler 37:13 — Host Reflections And Hope 38:54 — Dartography 43:16 — New Dart Throw: Rooks County 44:18 — Stories From A Hat 49:10 — Wrap Up And Credits Resources Mentioned Kansas Sampler Foundation  Kansas Guidebook  Network Kansas Fili Creative  Forge Podcast Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net