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In this heartfelt episode of "You Can Mentor," we welcome Dr. Zac Bauermaster, a dynamic principal, author, and former college basketball player known for his viral social media content (21 million views) that spreads positivity and encouragement. Dr. Bauermaster shares his philosophy on building a school culture rooted in high fives, fist bumps, and genuine connections, emphasizing the transformative power of relationships in education. We explore his personal journey, from his early days as a teacher to his current role in school leadership, and discuss the mentors who shaped his path. Dive into stories of resilience, faith, and the profound impact of simply showing up for others. Whether you're a mentor, educator, or someone passionate about making a difference, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a leader who truly embodies the spirit of mentorship.
For more info about Zac, go to https://linktr.ee/zbauermaster
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Chapters
For more info about Zac, go to https://linktr.ee/zbauermaster
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Chapters
- Introduction to Dr. Zac Bauermaster
0:00 - 2:00
Meet Dr. Zac Bauermaster, a principal, author, and former college basketball player known for his viral social media presence. - Creating a Culture of Encouragement
2:01 - 8:00
Discover how Zac fosters a school environment filled with high fives, fist bumps, and genuine connections. - The Power of Presence
8:01 - 15:00
Explore the importance of showing up and being present in the lives of students and mentees. - Personal Journey and Mentorship
15:01 - 25:00
Zac shares his personal journey, the mentors who shaped him, and the impact of relationships. - Balancing Roles and Responsibilities
25:01 - 32:00
Insights into how Zac balances his roles as a principal, speaker, and family man. - Final Thoughts and Advice
32:01 - 37:23
Zac's advice for mentors and how to keep showing up for those you mentor.
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Want to go deeper?
• Join our Learning Lab for mentoring resources and community
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You can find everything at www.youcanmentor.com or follow us on instagram @youcanmentor
If this podcast has encouraged or equipped you, would you take 30 seconds to leave a 5-star rating? On Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom of the You Can Mentor page and click “Write a Review.” On Spotify, go to our page, click the three dots next to the settings wheel, and hit “Rate Show.” It helps us reach more mentors like you.
Want to go deeper?
• Join our Learning Lab for mentoring resources and community
• Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop
• Come to our annual You Can Mentor Gathering
You can find everything at www.youcanmentor.com or follow us on instagram @youcanmentor
Creators and Guests
What is You Can Mentor: A Christian Youth Mentoring Podcast?
You Can Mentor is a network that equips and encourages mentors and mentoring leaders through resources and relationships to love God, love others, and make disciples in their own community. We want to see Christian mentors thrive.
We want to hear from you! Send any mentoring questions to hello@youcanmentor.com, and we'll answer them on our podcast. We want to help you become the best possible mentor you can be. Also, if you are a mentoring organization, church, or non-profit, connect with us to join our mentoring network or to be spotlighted on our show.
Please find out more at www.youcanmentor.com or find us on social media. You will find more resources on our website to help equip and encourage mentors. We have downloadable resources, cohort opportunities, and an opportunity to build relationships with other Christian mentoring leaders.
Welcome to the You Can Mentor Podcast. We help Christian mentoring leaders thrive. Share our podcast with your team, sign up for our monthly learning lab cohorts for mentoring leaders, and come to the national Christian mentoring gathering. Help us serve more mentors by giving us a five star rating where you listen to your podcasts. Find out more by following us on social media or going to our website at youcanmentor.com.
Speaker 1:You can mentor.
Speaker 2:Alright. Welcome to the You Can Mentor podcast. This is your favorite mentor, Zach, and I'm here with another Zach. Zach, say, hey.
Speaker 3:Zach, how's it going? Lots of Zachs being thrown around here. It's great to be with you.
Speaker 2:Man, this is just a Zach party. We just got Zach's over here. Zach's over there. It's awesome. All right.
Speaker 2:I'm here with, doctors Zach Bauermaster. Man, I I found out about Zach one because I've seen some of your, posts on social media. I mean, dude, you are just blowing up, and it's just, like, the most encouraging thing that I've ever seen. But I've also had multiple people call me and be like, hey, man. You have to check out this guy.
Speaker 2:He is just the most encouraging cat out there. And so, man, I'm so excited to have you on our podcast today, Zach. So, welcome, my man.
Speaker 3:Hey. It's great to be here. And I I mean, I'm humbled every time. Like, it's just amazing how God works. It's amazing how he works through different people And and the when I started sharing a little inside out of what occurs in the school building where I'm principal, the response has just been unreal.
Speaker 3:Unreal. And and I'll receive messages. I might be diving into content too quickly here, but I'll receive messages from adults who will say, that that video, that high five, that fist pump, that's all I needed when I was a kid and my whole life could have turned out differently. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Just the number of people who reach out as adults where those videos are hitting them, whether they look back to a wonderful experience they had in school and maybe someone that connected with, or a terrible experience they had in school, and they just needed someone to see them.
Speaker 3:And so they'll reach out to me and share those things, whether it's a name of someone who had an impact on their life, or whether it's that terrible experience, and they're saying, Hey, keep doing that. That's all I needed. My life's not gone too well. I could have really used that when I was a kid. So, like I said, that just gives me goosebumps to think about the impact of just showing up for people.
Speaker 3:And we don't always see it in education with kids, plant those seeds all the time. Sometimes you see them grow, but we may never see them grow. But what we can, we can trust God and we can continue to plant those seeds.
Speaker 2:Dude, like, I it, I guess I saw your first video, like, a couple months ago, and I seriously sat there and I watched it, like, four times. And I got emotional because, man, like, you're exactly right. It's like, if you have experienced that your heart overwhelms me. Oh, thank you, Lord. Like, thank you that there was someone who saw me, that there was someone who said, Hey, Hey, Zach.
Speaker 2:How's it going today, bro? But if you haven't experienced it, then it's, it is this like, oh man, I wish I had that. And so dude, I'm Yeah. Just so, like, so thankful for the impact that just people watching you encouraging other kids is having. So I'm smart, dude.
Speaker 3:Thanks. It's amazing. I mean, vid I don't know which one you saw, but the one video has three sixty million views on Instagram and over 20,000,000 likes. But that's not what it's about. It's it's just what you mentioned, mentioned, how it's resonating with individual people in their life.
Speaker 3:So I I have I have really been blown away and have I've been deeply encouraged myself through it all.
Speaker 2:That's awesome, man. So Zach, why don't you just, open up just talking about your background, talking about your personal life, your, you know, you're a school principal, you're a husband, you're a father, you're an author, you're all of these things.
Speaker 3:Yeah, man, why don't you just Yeah. Talk about I have a lot of wonderful things going on. I'm, I'm, I've certainly been blessed. I, I'll have to start by talking about my wife, Carly, my high school sweetheart. Just celebrated fifteen years of marriage.
Speaker 3:Sometimes people, my neighbor said to me one time, my 80 year old neighbor, he's since passed away, he read my first book. And he came over and he said, Zach, I learned something about you when I read your book. If you didn't have your wife, you'd fall flat on your face. I said, you're exactly right. If I didn't have Jesus and if I didn't have my wife, I'd fall flat on my face.
Speaker 3:And we have three wonderful kids. We have Olivia, who's 13, Elliot, who's 10, and Isaac, who's eight. So I'm in the thick of it coaching youth sports, and I love that. So even though I'm I I'm a principal, I I do speaking, I travel the country speaking, and I'm an author, I never wanna miss those moments right in my home. Coaching locally, coaching my son, coaching my daughters.
Speaker 3:And then what's special about that is coaching their friends and getting to know their families and just the relationships you build with that. So I started out as a high school teacher, then I was a middle school teacher. I got into administration. I'm now eight years as an assistant principal or as a principal. But even going back further than that, I grew up in a wonderful home.
Speaker 3:There hasn't been a day I haven't known Jesus. I loved playing sports and the relationships built through sports, and the ups and downs you go through in sports. I had a lot of heartache in sports. As you lose tough games or you strike out, you miss a layup that could have won the game, but instead you lose. So you just really go through difficult times, and you go through them with people, which makes that really special as you look on those relationships.
Speaker 3:So then I played college basketball, and I always wanted to be a lifelong high school basketball coach and a social studies teacher. The Lord I'm still in education and around a lot of kids, but the Lord had slightly different plans for me as I'm now in school leadership. So I also love writing. I love sharing my story. And one of the ways I communicate with people is through writing and it is through speaking.
Speaker 3:So I really enjoy that part of my work. And as I said, family is really important to me. So when I travel to speak, I'll either have my wife with me or I'll have my whole family, because I wanna make it a part of what we do. I don't want it to be something I just go and do separately.
Speaker 2:Yeah. That's awesome, man. Zach, dude, we have a ton in common. You know? I'm a former teacher.
Speaker 2:I'm a kind of a basketball player. You know? I'm a writer. Just all of that. But, man, I I know why I'm passionate about mentoring.
Speaker 2:Right? It's because there's no way that I would be here today if it wasn't for men investing into me. You know? Guys like Steve, guys like Buck, guys like Don. So why don't you share with us who has invested into Zach and who has kind of made you not only who you are today, but who has shown you just the power of relationships?
Speaker 3:Yeah. I like it's easy for me to say my parents, my mom and dad, have just been by my side. And we've talked a lot about, I feel like even before the show and on the show, shelling up. My parents have always shown up. Like almost to the extreme, I'll be playing pickup basketball at the park and they'll come over and they'll be watching from the car.
Speaker 3:I'm like, come on, mom and dad. But they just always show up and they're doing the same thing for my kids. So they do that for all their grandkids. There's they I just love that feeling. Even when I was coaching that, I I wasn't I was no longer playing.
Speaker 3:I was coaching. When I saw my parents walk into the gym, like I stood up a little taller. I was like, man, they're here. They're showing up for me. So my parents have just been there my whole entire life.
Speaker 3:Someone else that comes to mind is coach Glacken, my high school basketball coach. And he really pushed me outside my comfort zone. He identified me as a leader and someone that he could really push to grow to their full potential. He did something so locally, everybody in, it's called the Lancaster Lebanon League, we would play in the same summer league in Hempfield, a school inside. But one summer, he switched it up, and he sent us to a local city where we played in an outdoor league against adults.
Speaker 3:So he just did different things like that to stretch us out of our comfort zone to make us better. So he's someone that really stands out to me. And then later in life, I need to tell you about a guy named Rob McCullough, where I was, I was so on the outside, I had a wife, I had two kids, everything was going as planned. I was teaching, I was coaching, I was continuing my education. But on the inside, I was really struggling.
Speaker 3:My heart hurt really bad. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I lost interest in things I enjoyed doing. I would wake up in hot sweats.
Speaker 3:I would wake up in cold sweats. I would go to the doctor to find out what was wrong. And to the point where I thought, I literally thought I was dying. And it wasn't that I ever wanted to take my own life, but I got to this point where I really didn't care if I did. And on the outside, no one would expect that.
Speaker 3:And one Sunday, I went to church and a man by the name of Rob went up and shared his testimony. So he's an older gentleman than me, but he shared about when he was 30 years old what he had been going through with anxiety and depression. And that's exactly what I was going through. What was so cool about that, I just wept in the pew that day. Because even though I didn't talk to Him yet about it, for the first time I felt like, Hey, someone's going through this with me.
Speaker 3:Now I had been in the, through God's grace, I had been in the Word, I had been in prayer, but God knew I needed more than that. He knew I needed community. He knew I needed the people to share this story with. So that week, I called him up and we started to meet together, and he has walked right alongside me throughout that journey. And it's been unbelievable.
Speaker 3:And there I am as an adult, so it's not just kids that need it. We all need those mentors walking beside us. And I think that's what's so awesome about God. What's so awesome about the Bible is those different seasons of life that we go through, and we know Scripture tells us He's a God of compassion. He's walking there right with us.
Speaker 3:But we go through those situations and we go through those challenges and difficulties because we're going to walk alongside people in our lives. And I have found through writing, speaking, just everyday conversation, the importance of sharing our stories. Because I realized once I started to share about anxiety, I started to share about depression, how many other people are going through it. So, I mean, so there you go. My parents, Coach Glatkin, Rob McCullough.
Speaker 3:There's a guy by the name of Jeff Root that I meet with. He's a business owner. He's the founder of Hope International, a nonprofit. But so he's not in education, but he walks alongside me. I often reach out to him.
Speaker 3:He encourages me. So so just a lot of people, different seasons of life that come in just to walk alongside us.
Speaker 2:Me and Zach, so I wanna take a second and I wanna talk about Rob. Okay? Yeah. So just Rob shared his testimony and he had no idea that that was just gonna hit you. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So I mean, dead on. So how can we as mentors, especially whenever we're hanging out with kiddos, you know, maybe it's a kid in fourth grade, maybe it's a kid who, you know, 16. How, how can we in a safe way, share our testimonies and kind of let them know, Hey, I am in this with you. I don't have it all kind of figured out. And here's what I am experiencing.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think, I mean, that's a great point, just sprinkling in through conversation part of your story, sprinkling in. And maybe they're going through a difficulty, and maybe something you're going through or have experienced isn't the exact same. But you can find, you can think about that. Hey, how can I try to relate to them through, hey, you wanna know, wanna hear something I'm struggling with right now?
Speaker 3:And you can, you can share that story with them. And when you were talking, you made a gesture with your hands that made me think of the fist bump. And I'm a big believer in the fist bump and with kids. And it's not just, hey, awesome job, or let's celebrate. It's I see you.
Speaker 3:Like, hey, here's some physical contact. I see you. I'm here for you. I'm gonna keep showing up for you. I know you're going through a difficult thing.
Speaker 3:I don't have words to say right now, but I'm right here with you. So I think like you're saying, exactly right. You have that relationship built. You're in a safe space. You open up and gradually start to start to share part of your story,
Speaker 2:and then look for those areas where you can connect with them in different ways. And so speaking of trying to connect, right? So how can we as mentors be intentional in creating a safe environment where we can connect with them and truly make them feel seen and known?
Speaker 3:Yeah. And it begins with that building trust. And I'll use the example. I was having a catch with my son. He's eight years old.
Speaker 3:So he loves baseball. He's got a great arm and we're out throwing. But you know what I often do when I'm out? I start to coach him. And I'm like, Hey, you should do this.
Speaker 3:Do this. Bring your arm here. And the one day he looked at me and he said, Dad, I don't want coached today. He just wanted to have a catch with his dad. He just wanted to have a catch with his father.
Speaker 3:And he said, I don't even want to talk. Just it was about being in the presence and and interacting. Sometimes we think at least I'm this way. Sometimes we think we have to have the perfect words or we're at this spot. I need to go deep.
Speaker 3:I need to share this. But sometimes it's just being in the presence. Like it just reminds me of my son, hey, I don't need coach right now. I just want to be in your presence. And I think that's a way we build trust with people where they think we're just going to come in and talk to them.
Speaker 3:A lot of it is that listening piece. We can be so easy. I know, again, I'm talking about myself, so quick to speak when we are supposed to be slow to speak and quick to listen. I mean, that's what the Word tells us. And that's a great way to build trust.
Speaker 3:Sometimes when I'm in conversation with my wife, I'll go to, I want to be a problem solver. I want to step in. I'm a help. And she'll just stop. And she'll be like, I just need you to listen right now.
Speaker 3:I just need you to listen right now. So sometimes when we're in conversation, I say, alright, do you need a listener right now, or do you need me to help problem solve? So I I think it's knowing who you're communicating with as well. But when I think of the question you asked, I think of the importance of just presence, just being there, just showing up and truly being a good listener.
Speaker 2:Man, so like, I mean, you obviously have a ton going on. Right? Like, you are trying to oversee a school and you've got your family and you've got these, you know, different kinds of books and things like that. Tell tell me as a mentor, as someone who invests into kids, tell me how you are able to truly be 100% there with the kid. Like, how how can you put to the side all the responsibilities and all the worries and all the things, all the tasks, and just see a kid 100%.
Speaker 3:I'll preface this by saying it's not something I'm the best at. And I had a superintendent, he always used the quote, and I know I've heard it said often, be where your feet are. And we're so often pulled. Our minds are our feet are somewhere, but our minds are pulled elsewhere. And I think sometimes you just actually have to pause and you have to feel your feet on the ground and you're with that person and and just let them know, might even say it, hey.
Speaker 3:You are the most important person in the world to me right now. And you're just just the way you're looking at them, way you're positioned as you're seated or you're walking and talking. But I think some of that too is what are you doing before that conversation? I find sometimes, and I'll even use the example of a meeting or if I'm, you know, having a conversation. Like before I met with you, I was I was at work today and I came home and it was quick to get my laptop plugged in, but I stopped for five minutes, and I sorta just paused, and I prayed, and I was I was trying to get my heart in the right spot where it's not just like, alright, what's next on my to do list?
Speaker 3:But I'm gonna stop. I'm gonna be with Zach, and I wanna be fully present with him. Because after this meeting today, I have a baseball game I'm gonna be coaching. But right now, this is where I am with you and your audience as well. So I think it's just it's really that pausing, especially before you go into a conversation, and just being intentional about being where your feet are.
Speaker 2:Man, like, I didn't like, I know that that's so hard for me. Right? Like, just I I see a kid and especially if it's a kid who has, like, things that I can fix. You know? Like, oh, man.
Speaker 2:This kid needs to get a job or he needs to do, you know, better in math or I need to help him out with his jump shot. But you're right. Like, those those are important things, but the most important thing is how we make them feel. Right? And so, man, just like you talk a lot about being where your feet are and, like, what do kids experience when they experience you?
Speaker 2:Okay. And so just like, tell tell me what are some of the things, what are some of the characteristics of a mentor who is able to make a kid experience the love of Christ when they experience death.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And I think when I think about these, like some of these videos that have gone viral and ultraviiral. I don't even know if that's a word. And, but it just reminds me what a, what a dark world it is. And for some people seeing this, it's this, this glimpse of light.
Speaker 3:And so when I think of this, this fist bump, I think of, you know, our purpose here, Jesus is the light of the world and we are to reflect and illuminate His life. And I just think of the importance, We can get lost. I can get lost in, as I do my morning devotions or I read the Bible or I write, I think about how it can impact everyone else. And I lose sight of my own heart. And I need to pause in that moment and be like, because the, a lot of times people say, I don't hear God talking to me.
Speaker 3:What do you mean? The Word of God is God talking to us. How cool is that, by the way? How awesome is that? The Word of God, God talking to us.
Speaker 3:And then we can talk back to Him through prayer. In between that, you need the meditation. And it's not the world will say meditating's emptying your mind. It's filling the mind with Scripture. But how much as mentors, we needed that vertical relationship with our Heavenly Father so then we can pour out that light horizontally into the lives of others.
Speaker 3:And I think that's a step that's often missed. We get so focused on, Hey, how can we, I'm going to use the word fix or problem solve for them. When we look for that perfect answer, we look for that bull's eye when right there it's in the Word of God as God's working in our heart day by day, day after day. And then we can overflow that into the lives of others. I was, there was a second grader this year at school who was struggling with behavior and he would elope and he would run from class.
Speaker 3:And he ran and I got him to the office and I said, why, why'd you, why'd you run? And he said something about the math being hard. And I was like, Hey buddy, we, we can't my quick response was we can't just run away when things get hard. Do you know what he said to the second grader? He said, well, that's what my dad did.
Speaker 3:So right there you have a second grader, just eight years old, is able to make that connection. Hey, when things get hard, I can run. So right there, because that occurred to him through a relationship in his life. So right there, you know, I'm a busy principal. I have my phone.
Speaker 3:I need to make sure that's down. And there's a talking point that we can work through. I had a fifth grade girl once when I got called to a classroom, she had her head down and she was asleep. Finally got her to the office just to talk to her, and she said she didn't sleep much the night before because she was thinking about her dad who was in prison. And she said, all's I want is a piggyback ride for my dad.
Speaker 3:She said, but by the time he's out of prison, I'm gonna be too old for that piggyback ride. I won't be able to get a piggyback ride from my dad. And so as an educator, all those stories are happening everywhere. And I don't know what's going to happen each day. But as I shared earlier, that's why our daily habits of those spiritual disciplines of the Word and meditating on the Word, prayer, and being in community ourselves and having people feed into us, the Holy Spirit's going to use that to feed into those different moments that pop up.
Speaker 3:That's why we need to know Scripture. It's that sword that defends us. It's those things that pop into our mind that we're ready to share with other people. So, I mean, that's just something I think about as we prepare to meet with people and be present. It can't just be in the moment.
Speaker 3:God is preparing us for that moment day by day.
Speaker 2:Man, that's those are some powerful stories, man. So, like, this is kind of a loaded question. Okay? And Yeah. You can take it anywhere.
Speaker 2:But tell me just you know, you taught in high school, you taught in middle school, you you're now you're in elementary school, but tell me what in your perspective it is that kids really need today.
Speaker 3:That's a great question. You know, I just think about it and I live, so let me describe the area I live in. It's a rural area. It's not a city, but we have, we call it rural poverty, where we're really spread out. Our school district makes up 20% of the land in the county, but only 5% of the But unlike a city, there's not direct access to different supports.
Speaker 3:So the school becomes that central support. So when I think about what kids really need, it is that relationship. It's knowing there's at least one adult in their corner. Our school counselor, at the end of the school year, she meets with every single kid. And one of the questions she asks them is, do you have a trusted adult here at school?
Speaker 3:Do you have an adult at school that you trust? This year, a 100% of the kids said yes. And that gets me excited because there are so many, what do kids need? There are so many broken homes. There are so many broken families, whether a dad's not in the picture, a mom's not in the picture, a lot of dysfunction in families, and kids need that sense of stability.
Speaker 3:And sometimes that comes in the form of a relationship and just someone being there. So one of my goals as a school principal is to always greet kids at the door, letting them know, Hey, I'm right here. That's where a high five and fist bump. I'm right here. I see you.
Speaker 3:And then every morning I go around and stop into each classroom and I peek in. I say good morning to the teacher, see if they need anything. And I say hello to the class. Another way like, hey, I'm right here. I see you.
Speaker 3:This year, something new I tried is kids do announcements, but I go on morning announcements every day as well. And for me, it's a way to let the kids know, hey, I'm right here. I'm right here. And then being visible in the hallways and the cafeteria, it's my favorite place to connect with kids. But then as they leave for the day, I always want to be by the door.
Speaker 3:Now there's not, I won't lie and say there's not times I get pulled, but be by the door as they go off and like, Hey, I'll see you tomorrow. I want to see you come back. So there's just that sense of stability that I think kids really need. There was a kindergartner who was really struggling this year. He's actually in emotional support classroom and questions.
Speaker 3:He's really clever. He knows a lot, asks a lot of questions, but he often asks questions to distract us. So we decided as a team, hey, what questions are we going to answer? The questions we answer for this kid are questions about his safety and security and next steps. Because he's always like, if I go somewhere, he's like, hey, when are you gonna come back?
Speaker 3:And I'll be like, well, I need to do go to the cafeteria. And the teacher knows this. They're like, well, doctor Bauermaster, he has some other kids he needs to attend to, but we may see him. So just answering questions that give him, just a little bit of that knowledge of safety and that stability.
Speaker 2:Man, and like, as a mentor, you have no idea how important it is to just consistently be letting your mentee know that you're in their corner, whether that's through a text or a voice memo or a call or showing up to a, to a game or to a different kinda, you know, showing up to their work. Just anything that you can do to let them know, hey, I'm I'm here. And I am here for the good and I'm here for the bad. I'm here for the exciting and I'm here for the boring. I am just here.
Speaker 2:And if you ever need anything, you know where to find it.
Speaker 3:Yeah. That, I mean, that's exactly right. It's a, it can be a discouraging world, but I'm a big believer in living a life, living encouraged in a discouraged world. And that's what we need to do for one another, just as you're saying, that in your corner. And when you think of that concept of in your corner, you do really picture that boxing ring.
Speaker 3:And sometimes you go out into that ring and you're in the middle, that person's in the middle, they're going through life, it's tough, but then they come back and they want to know that person's right there. You know, they're going to put some ice on their face. There might be a little wound, metaphorical wound, but you're, like you're saying, you just, you know somebody's going to be right there through the good times and through the difficulties. And it's just one of my favorite words is steadfast, being dutifully firm and unwavering. And Isaiah 20 six:three says, He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.
Speaker 3:And people need someone who's steadfast in their life, steady and dutifully firm, unwavering. They're not going to leave no matter the situation. And you know what? It's awesome to think that's what God does for all of us. When I think of, I'm more like my kids than I realize, but God doesn't say, He did that again?
Speaker 3:How many times do I have to tell you? He doesn't do that. Just think of Adam and Eve. They ate from the tree that they were not to. He clothed them right away.
Speaker 3:And there's just that God of compassion that we need to just continually give to others, the the same love, compassion, and mercy that God gives us.
Speaker 2:And, like, I'd say that the kids have been out there, you know, and they've been fighting. And they come back and they might, on their face, look tough, but, man, they've got wounds all over them. Mhmm. And just like you were talking about whenever you were hanging out with your son. Right?
Speaker 2:Like, our temptation is to coach him. Our temptation is to, hey. Well, you should do this. You should do that. But there's so much power in your presence.
Speaker 2:Yeah. There's so much power in the encouraging word. Right? To encourage someone is to open up their chest and to insert courage. Because, man, our kids need so much courage today to go out there and just to live life.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's hard. And so what what an amazing opportunity we have as mentors to show up and just to encourage and just to make sure that our mentees, our kiddos know that no matter what happens, we are there for them. And that does speak to our faith. That does speak to, you know Mhmm.
Speaker 2:The
Speaker 3:first No. You're exactly right. Yeah. You're exactly right.
Speaker 2:Man, so, like, I saw this a ton with me as a teacher and a coach. You know? I I think at my school, we had 60 some odd teachers and four men. Right?
Speaker 3:Like, no.
Speaker 2:So, man, just like as a as a male, as kind of a larger male, right, like, tell me, I don't know if it's a responsibility that that you might kind of feel, or maybe it's it's an honor, but for those kids who are growing up without a father, you know, how how can we as men, show, show them what it looks like to be a positive and productive male who, as a serious thing?
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think it really is just that modeling day in and day out. And I think that's why, that's why I always, I always repeat to myself, especially if I feel myself getting worked up about something, whether I'm coaching or an interaction with a child, Zach, you're an ambassador for Christ. You're an ambassador for Christ. That's who you're representing in every interaction.
Speaker 3:And, and I think, but even this, and I know every, like it's not what we wear, but so I'm actually a principal in the district I live and went to. So I just have that pride in that. Now I was in some other districts and I still wanted them to do well, but there's something about being with the kids right in the town where you were raised, you want them to do well. And when I started, actually some families even reached out that they appreciated that I wore a suit and tie and a jacket. They're like, Hey, it gives these kids something to maybe look up to.
Speaker 3:Like, Hey, one day I want to put a suit on. And I'm not saying that's what you need to do, but that's just some of the feedback I got. Because I know you don't need a suit to be a principal or to be successful. But then it, like, I feel like it's been talked about often today. There's going to be good times and there's going to be difficult times.
Speaker 3:It's really those difficult times that are going to reflect our hearts the most that really represent Jesus and really model how we should interact with others. And there's often and I struggle with this a little bit, but I also like, I can't change a kid's behavior. I can't. I'm a big believer in the heart and how God is shaping and changing our hearts, but I can constantly just be pointing. And a lot of that is through asking questions.
Speaker 3:Like, hey, tell me about what happened. And why did that happen? How did it make you feel when that happened? And then what was the result of that? Where they're actually able to think, and I'm just constantly pointing them and allowing the Holy Spirit to do work on the heart as they're young and growing up.
Speaker 3:But that's a way where it's not like, hey, you shouldn't do this. You shouldn't, shouldn't, shouldn't. Just start asking questions. And I found that to be helpful as I have one on one conversations with kids, whether in the hallway, in a classroom, on the baseball field, on the basketball court. I'm just meeting them right where they are.
Speaker 3:I do that, as you said, I'm taller. Not quite at your height, Zach. You're six'eight. I'm six'three. You got five inches on me.
Speaker 3:But when I talk to a kid, I actually try, I don't over, I don't stand over them. I think about my body positioning and I'll actually get down where I'm either shorter than them or eye level, or I'll get one of those tiny kindergarten chairs and I'll sit down and just help meet meet them right where they are.
Speaker 2:And and and just like a man who is at peace, a man who asks questions, a man who speaks slowly. Right? Like that that really is the opposite of a man who is angry and who's loud and who's kinda, Right? And so, man, what a great opportunity we have as men. Right?
Speaker 2:Like, we we will create who we are. Yeah. And so, man, what a great, reminder just like these boys are watching us. And Yeah. They are watching how we treat our wives.
Speaker 2:They're watching how we talk to all of our friends, how we speak to kiddos. And so, just what a fantastic opportunity we have to help a kid. Hey. When they see us, we hope that they see a person who, you know, who is just, just a lot like Jesus.
Speaker 3:So Yeah. It's, it's like, let's say I get called on the radio to a behavior incident. On the way, I try to calm myself. Like, so I, so I, so it'll seem as if I purposely show up calmer. Because sometimes it can be easy to come and just, just meet it where it is, but just, just to calm ourselves.
Speaker 3:And I, I saw the quote the other day is we become our habits and our kids we become our habits and our kids become us. So, I mean, you can think about that in any place. What habits are we doing? And just that whole, it's not culture's not taught. It's caught.
Speaker 3:Just what's what's being seen, what's being modeled, that's really what's picked up on. And and sometimes you'll see your bad habits come out in your kids or in some other people. But but I think that's just so important that modeling day in and day out.
Speaker 2:That's good, man. Alright, Zach. This will be our last question. If if, there's one piece of advice or one encouragement to anyone out there who is mentoring a kid, tell me, what that would be for Neil.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It would really be like, like keep showing up, Just keep showing up. I had this awesome opportunity recently where I got invited out to visit San Quentin Rehabilitation Center with Bob Goff and Love Does. Was able to part of it is he is Bob Goff has this dream big class where these incarcerated men who are trying to do better to get out. And it's an unbelievable experience, by the way.
Speaker 3:On the outside, people are pointing and saying, Hey, they're getting what they deserve. But on the inside, you see these men. Yes, they've committed some horrific crimes, but they have this peace about that. They're reading, they're writing, they've come to know Jesus. But what's fascinating is when you unpack their stories, a lot of the impact was when they were a kid.
Speaker 3:And so I think that encouraged me as I left the prison that day just to continue showing up for these kids right now where they are. And just the importance. Because then I talked to somebody else who knew somebody in the prison and they say, make sure you go back and see them again. So we want to keep showing up. We don't want to just make it a one time thing with, and I'm talking about people and relationships.
Speaker 3:We want to keep showing up for them, letting them know that we are right there. So I think that would be my biggest thing. Just keep showing up, just like Jesus does for us. Just keep showing up day in, day out, no matter, no matter what's happening. But I also really encourage, as I mentioned earlier, to make sure, you know, you're taking care of your own heart and, and that alignment with the heavenly Father so you can pour in.
Speaker 3:So you're, you're in the scriptures, you're in the word, you're in prayer, and the Holy Spirit can really use that in your relationships because you don't know what's going to pop up, but the word will prepare you for any moment.
Speaker 2:That's awesome, Zach. Yeah. Man, thanks so much. If, people wanna learn more about you, tell them how to do that.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So you can go to zachbauermaster.com. You can find out more information there. There's some information on my books or to connect about speaking. I'm also on social media zbouermaster, so you can find me there as well.
Speaker 3:Or on Facebook, it's just zachbauermaster. So feel free to take a look and connect. I love I love learning stories. And and throughout throughout my journey recently, I've been able to hear a lot of different stories, and I love that. So I love speaking.
Speaker 3:I love speaking to groups. But there's the part I don't like about it is you leave that. But my favorite part is usually there's a person or two that I stay connected with at each because I get to know their story. They stay after and share their story or they follow-up by email. So would love to hear from people to to reach out just to connect, to hear a little bit about your story.
Speaker 2:That's awesome, man. Yeah. And I will share all of the books and all of the websites and all all of, the things on our social media. Zach Man's super thankful for you and for your wisdom and for all of your stories. If you're tuning in, I encourage you to share this with a mentoring friend.
Speaker 2:And remember, you can mentor. Thanks for tuning in
Speaker 1:to the You Can Mentor podcast. Give us that five star rating and share this podcast with your mentoring friends. Learn more at youcanmentor.com. Thank you.