Real Stories. Bold Ideas. Better Communities.

Ep18

The Reimagining of Community

Trust decentralized. Community layered. The rebuild isn't about restoring what fell; it's about building deliberately toward meaning, memory, and moments that actually matter.

Ep15

Compass, Curiosity, and a Career Well-Lived

Craig Rapp takes us through two halves of a remarkable career, from 25-year-old city administrator to consultant, mentor, and seeker, proving that reinvention at any age is wisdom in motion.

Ep17

The Fall of Community

Algorithms curate our lives while neighbors become strangers. We trace how convenience and technology quietly dismantled what community used to mean, one garage door and curated feed at a time.

Ep1

Everything Has a Beginning

Ever wonder who really keeps your town buzzing? These are the behind-the-scenes stories—awkward first gigs, wild career twists, and even a pet cow—shared with heart, humor, and zero polish.

Ep3

Nostalgia, Networks, and New Narratives

Nostalgia, innovation, and genuine connection crash together as stories and screwups shape the new community vibe. Imperfect, open, and full of real talk—this is how we grow together.

Ep2

Mother Nature, AI & More

Step into the whirlwind: stormy weather, tech curveballs, new beginnings, and straight-shooting laughs. Here, public service is messy, meaningful, and anything but boring.

Ep7

Recruitment: What Works, What Doesn't…

Recruiting leaders today isn’t simple. Retirements, small candidate pools, and new tech mean the rules are shifting fast. Dig into local gov hiring, what’s changing, what’s challenging, and what actually gets results.

Ep4

Talent, Timing, and Turning Points

Mentors who change lives, colleagues who keep you honest, and rookies who inspire you back—these are the real voices of growth. Honest, funny, and totally relatable, this episode leaves the “rules” behind.

Ep6

Moves, Mentors, and Members Matter

From burnout to bow ties, family moves to fresh mentorships, this one’s about showing up real, stumbling loud, and finding energy when the tank feels empty.

Ep5

Civility, Safety, and Showing Up

When public debate turns toxic, the hits feel personal. A raw, real look at standing your ground, protecting your sanity, and finding grit, humor, and humanity when the heat is on.

Ep9

Pilots, Pivots, and Permission to Change

Three people wearing headphones in a video call, two men and a woman, smiling and clapping, with home decor and artwork in the background.

In this living lab, we dig into real data, candid critiques, and why letting go, listening up, and thinking like a start-up might be the smartest thing your organization ever does.

Ep8

Rivalries, Resilience, and Real Leadership

A virtual meeting with four people, each in separate rooms. The top left man has short dark hair, a beard, serious expression, and is wearing headphones and a blue hoodie. The top right woman has blonde hair, glasses, and is smiling, with a white wall decorated with books and pictures behind her. The bottom left man has long curly hair, a beard, and is wearing a blue cap and blue shirt, with a dark bookshelf background. The bottom right man has short dark hair, glasses, and a serious expression, sitting in front of a white bookshelf and wall decor.

Midwestern football banter, career pivots, wardrobe surprises, and candid talk about real leadership. Victor joins the team for an episode that’s equal parts rivalry, resilience, and behind-the-scenes grit.

Ep10

Beyond Busy: Barbecue, Barriers & Big Ideas

A screenshot of a virtual meeting with four people, each in their own home office or living room, smiling and looking at the camera.

In this episode, we welcome Nick Kittle and talk about imposter syndrome, trust, and why building better governments (and teams) starts with curiosity.

Ep16

Wake-Up Calls and What Actually Works

Resting heart rates become crisis metrics, blood sugar requires constant negotiation, and managing a city somehow feels easier than the professional courage it takes to protect what you can't delegate.

Ep13

Legacy, Service, and the Long View

Five people participating in a virtual video call, each in different home environments, with various background decorations and furnishings.

Two city management veterans share decades of wisdom in honest conversation about staying power, building trust, and why commitment matters more than perfection.

Ep12

Listening, Leading, and Letting Go

Three people in a video call, all wearing headphones. The woman on the left is holding a mug, the man in the middle has his hand on his chin, and the man on the right is wearing glasses and a blue jacket.

The next generation hears what we miss, builds communities around ideas instead of addresses, and somehow makes creating look easier than surviving.

Ep11

Leading Through the Fourth Turning

Screenshot of three people in a video call, each wearing headphones and facing their webcams. The background of each participant shows a different room with shelves, artwork, and decorations.

When leaders realize they're all MacGyvering their way through permanent crisis, and maybe it's time to stop fixing what's broken and start building what's better.

Ep14

Tips and Tricks for ICMA Tampa

Three people participating in a video call, wearing headsets and smiling, with a plain background behind them.

Stories, strategy, and spontaneous connection. This is your guide to transforming five days in Tampa into friendships, insights, and moments that remind you why you love this work.

To be able to infuse hope into a space that kind of feels hopeless right now, and to be both authentic and hopeful is magic in a bottle.

Episode 1: Everything Has a Beginning
I'm going to do the things I love for a profession I love with the people I respect.

Episode 2: Mother Nature, AI & More
History cycles suggest that individual voices become especially influential during times of transition. When collective institutions falter, the drive for meaning, leadership, and innovation often comes from individuals and small networks.

Episode 3: Nostalgia, Networks, and New Narratives
This is as stable as things are going to be right now. And they’re only going to get more complicated...but as daunting as it is going to be, we are going to come out the other side stronger and better as a result.

Episode 3: Nostalgia, Networks, and New Narratives
The experience itself sucked, and it hurt, and it was humbling, and it was not ever my brightest, shiniest moment, but it made the most impactful difference in who I became as a professional along the way.

Episode 4: Talent, Timing, and Turning Points
If someone believes their cause is justified, they will view their actions directed at others as appropriate or excusable, regardless of impact.

Episode 5: Civility, Safety, and Showing Up
But if you're gonna lean into the status quo, somebody who is more nimble and more creative is going to wipe you out.

Episode 8: Rivalries, Resilience, and Real Leadership
If you don't do it before it's too late, failure is the outcome, and no one should want to accept failure.

Episode 9: Pilots, Pivots, and Permission to Change
We can have hard conversations about hard topics. We can talk about things without making it personal, without putting people or organizations down, without blame. And that matters to me.

Episode 9: Pilots, Pivots, and Permission to Change
If you're not leaning into different, creative, smarter, more vulnerable, you will get left behind. And we are just at... the precipice of probably one of the most transformative eras, definitely of our lifetime, in what happens next.

Episode 10: Beyond Busy: Barbecue, Barriers & Big Ideas

Real Stories. Bold Ideas. Better Communities.

To be able to infuse hope into a space that kind of feels hopeless right now, and to be both authentic and hopeful is magic in a bottle.

I'm going to do the things I love for a profession I love with the people I respect.

History cycles suggest that individual voices become especially influential during times of transition. When collective institutions falter, the drive for meaning, leadership, and innovation often comes from individuals and small networks.

This is as stable as things are going to be right now. And they’re only going to get more complicated...but as daunting as it is going to be, we are going to come out the other side stronger and better as a result.

The experience itself sucked, and it hurt, and it was humbling, and it was not ever my brightest, shiniest moment, but it made the most impactful difference in who I became as a professional along the way.

If someone believes their cause is justified, they will view their actions directed at others as appropriate or excusable, regardless of impact.

But if you're gonna lean into the status quo, somebody who is more nimble and more creative is going to wipe you out.

If you don't do it before it's too late, failure is the outcome, and no one should want to accept failure.

We can have hard conversations about hard topics. We can talk about things without making it personal, without putting people or organizations down, without blame. And that matters to me.

If you're not leaning into different, creative, smarter, more vulnerable, you will get left behind. And we are just at... the precipice of probably one of the most transformative eras, definitely of our lifetime, in what happens next.