C-10 Mentoring & Leadership Podcast

As you might've seen in the title, this is episode 120. It's going to be a little different from most episodes, but it's an exciting one for us.

See, on May 31st, we closed our C-10 Mentoring & Leadership school year with our annual salute to the seniors. This year, in addition to the normal pomp and circumstance, we asked each senior to deliver a 2-5 minute speech on one of our 10 C words. Each C word could be picked only once. Funny, but the seven words chosen by these seniors fits each one perfectly.

So this week's episode features those seven speeches. You'll hear about the C words, how the C words have influenced each student, and how the C-10 program fits with that C word in their lives.

The order:

Avary (Character)
Lisa (Care)
Treyton (Courage)
Isaiah (Confidence)
Alissa (Commitment)
Dawson (Competitor)
Korey (Coach)

We hope you enjoy it.

LINKS:

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

If you’re a long-time Kansas Citian, you likely recognize the name Toby Cook. He spent more than 14 years with the Kansas City Royals as the Vice President of Publicity. Before that, he was an anchor for eight years on Fox4 in Kansas City. In the spring of 2021, he had a job pivot — in his early 50s — when he left the Royals and became the Director of Public Relations for the University of Kansas Health Systems.

In this episode we talk to Toby about the job he's doing now, what he's learned about himself, our C word, COMPOSURE, the recent C You At Topgolf event, and he takes another swing at our Pre-Game Batting Practice.

LINKS:

In this episode we mention the legendary Bill Kurtis and how he's a past guest. To hear Episode 40 with Bill Kurtis, click here.

This is Toby's second time on the C-10 Podcast. To hear his first visit, Episode 60, go here.

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

If you’re a long-time Kansas Citian, you likely recognize the name Toby Cook. He spent more than 14 years with the Kansas City Royals as the Vice President of Publicity. Before that, he was an anchor for eight years on Fox4 in Kansas City. In the spring of 2021, he had a job pivot — in his early 50s — when he left the Royals and became the Director of Public Relations for the University of Kansas Health Systems.

In this episode we talk to Toby about the job he's doing now, what he's learned about himself, our C word, COMPOSURE, the recent C You At Topgolf event, and he takes another swing at our Pre-Game Batting Practice.

LINKS:

In this episode we mention the legendary Bill Kurtis and how he's a past guest. To hear Episode 40 with Bill Kurtis, click here.

This is Toby's second time on the C-10 Podcast. To hear his first visit, Episode 60, go here.

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

This week we're joined by Mary Esselman, the President and CEO of Operation Breakthrough here in Kansas City. Mary has an interesting background in education, starting as a teacher in a prison before focusing on children from under-resourced areas. She taught in the Kansas City area, moved to Detroit, and then came back to KC to begin working at Operation Breakthrough. (If you’re not familiar, Operation Breakthrough, which started in 1971, provides a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and empowers their families through advocacy, emergency aid and education.)

We’re incredibly fortunate that Mary and her incredible team at Operation Breakthrough allow our C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program to use their space on a fairly regular basis during the school year.

Mary takes our Pre-Game Batting Practice before diving in to the 10 questions, including one about our C word, COMMITMENT.

LINKS:

To learn more about the awesome work at Operation Breakthrough, visit their website.

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

This week we're joined by Mary Esselman, the President and CEO of Operation Breakthrough here in Kansas City. Mary has an interesting background in education, starting as a teacher in a prison before focusing on children from under-resourced areas. She taught in the Kansas City area, moved to Detroit, and then came back to KC to begin working at Operation Breakthrough. (If you’re not familiar, Operation Breakthrough, which started in 1971, provides a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and empowers their families through advocacy, emergency aid and education.)

We’re incredibly fortunate that Mary and her incredible team at Operation Breakthrough allow our C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program to use their space on a fairly regular basis during the school year.

Mary takes our Pre-Game Batting Practice before diving in to the 10 questions, including one about our C word, COMMITMENT.

LINKS:

To learn more about the awesome work at Operation Breakthrough, visit their website.

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

This week on the C-10 Podcast we're chatting with Ryan Watson, a one-on-one mentor in the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program. Ryan is finishing his second year in the program. As his student Korey heads to college in the fall, Ryan is eager to get his next student.

Ryan grew up in the Kansas City area, graduated from Rockhurst High School and then Kansas State University. Incidentally, he is the nephew of award-winning jazz musician, Bobby Watson.

For eight years, Ryan was a District Manager with EcoLab. For the past seven years, he has worked his way up to agency owner with Farmers Insurance.

LINKS:

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

This week on the C-10 Podcast we're chatting with Ryan Watson, a one-on-one mentor in the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program. Ryan is finishing his second year in the program. As his student Korey heads to college in the fall, Ryan is eager to get his next student.

Ryan grew up in the Kansas City area, graduated from Rockhurst High School and then Kansas State University. Incidentally, he is the nephew of award-winning jazz musician, Bobby Watson.

For eight years, Ryan was a District Manager with EcoLab. For the past seven years, he has worked his way up to agency owner with Farmers Insurance.

LINKS:

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

One of our favorite nights on the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program calendar happened recently. It’s when we invite the next year’s cohort of students to come to a session and see what C-10’s about. As part of that, we interview the current seniors to see what they’ve taken from their two to four years in the program.

So, this week you’re meet and hear from five of this year’s seven seniors: Alissa from Sumner Academy, Avary from Piper, Dawson from Liberty North, Lisa from Wyandotte, and Trey from Truman. (Our other two seniors, Isaiah and Korey, weren’t with us due to high school baseball games.)

As an extra bonus, these five seniors were interviewed in front of the group by longtime Kansas City sports TV anchor — and C-10 mentor — Al Wallace.

One final note: if you’re a supporter of C You In The Major Leagues and, specifically, the C-10 program, as a financial donor, a mentor, an in-kind donor…whatever it might be…THANK YOU! You are making all of this possible.

LINKS:

Register here for the 2nd Annual C You At Topgolf event.

To go straight to the auction page, which closes on May 25th, click here.

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

One of our favorite nights on the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program calendar happened recently. It’s when we invite the next year’s cohort of students to come to a session and see what C-10’s about. As part of that, we interview the current seniors to see what they’ve taken from their two to four years in the program.

So, this week you’re meet and hear from five of this year’s seven seniors: Alissa from Sumner Academy, Avary from Piper, Dawson from Liberty North, Lisa from Wyandotte, and Trey from Truman. (Our other two seniors, Isaiah and Korey, weren’t with us due to high school baseball games.)

As an extra bonus, these five seniors were interviewed in front of the group by longtime Kansas City sports TV anchor — and C-10 mentor — Al Wallace.

One final note: if you’re a supporter of C You In The Major Leagues and, specifically, the C-10 program, as a financial donor, a mentor, an in-kind donor…whatever it might be…THANK YOU! You are making all of this possible.

LINKS:

Register here for the 2nd Annual C You At Topgolf event.

To go straight to the auction page, which closes on May 25th, click here.

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.

For those who've met her in the last 10 years or so, Mandy Shoemaker is an entrepreneur. And rightly so. In 2013, she and her sister-in-law Michala Gibson founded Prairie Elder Care, which provides residential care in a unique setting for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. And then last year they launched Connectivities, a subscription-based service that provides boxes of supplies for activities to help build connections for families and other caregivers for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Before 2013, though, Mandy had a much different career. She started as an elementary school teacher in Oregon, where she worked in some challenging circumstances. She returned to the Kansas City area -- her childhood home -- in 2005, first as a principal in the Blue Valley School District, before moving over to the Olathe School District.

With all of this awesomeness that she’s been a part of, Mandy was a 2019 Women Who Mean Business honoree from the Kansas City Business Journal, and then in 2020, Prairie Elder Care was one of the Kansas City Chamber’s Top 10 Small Businesses.

We chat with Mandy about her career, building relationships, the importance of CARE in leadership, and much more.

LINKS:

To learn about Prairie Elder Care, go here.

For info about Connectivities, click here.

Register here for the 2nd Annual C You At Topgolf event.

For more information about the C-10 Mentoring & Leadership program for high school students, visit our website.

To make a financial gift to give students life-changing one-on-one mentoring, visit our secure donation page.

For all episodes of the C-10 podcast and ways you can listen, click here.

If you’d like to make a comment, have a suggestion for a future guest, or your company would like to help underwrite this podcast, please visit our contact page.