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Most professionals spend 80% of their workday communicating — and almost none have a system for getting better at it. Conversations That Count changes that.
Hosted by David Shaft — President's Club Banker at Rocket Mortgage, Dale Carnegie graduate, and Detroit storyteller — CTC delivers real conversations with executives, industry leaders, and everyday professionals who break down the communication skills that actually move careers forward.
New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Professional multi-camera video production on YouTube. Full audio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
What you'll learn:
• Workplace communication: better meetings, tougher feedback, and difficult conversations that don't blow up relationships
• Public speaking and presentations: how to open strong, handle Q&A, and keep any room engaged
• Professional networking: small talk that leads somewhere, LinkedIn outreach that gets replies, follow-up that builds real relationships
• Storytelling: how to tell your story in 60 seconds and communicate with impact in any room
• Leadership communication: negotiation, influence, and the Dale Carnegie principles that still work today
CTC is syndicated on the Mission Matters Network and features professionals across automotive, finance, tech, healthcare, and Detroit's growing entrepreneurship scene — because great communication looks different in every industry.
Whether you're a mid-career professional chasing a promotion, a manager who needs to run better meetings, or anyone who wants to communicate with more confidence, credibility, and impact — this show was built for you.
Free resource: Download the free Communication Playbook — 10 frameworks, scripts, and exercises to help you communicate like a pro. Get it at: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube — and never miss an episode.
Stories That Stick. Skills That Scale.
David: However, I believe my disadvantage was actually my advantage.
David: You have to, your consumer, you have to know what you're doing.
David: You have to follow your heart.
David: You have to follow your passion.
Ken: Everyone has something that they can teach somebody
Ken: And there should be every interaction should be
Ken: Mutually beneficial.
Ken: At the end of the day, poverty is in where you live.
Ken: It's how you think, right?
Ken: Hey, you can pack the work hard,
Ken: But you have to make sure you're working hard
Ken: In the right direction for you.
David: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the conversations
David: That count podcasts.
David: Today, I am here with my good friend,
David: And he is an amazing individual.
David: And before I start introducing him,
David: I'm going to pass it over to him, let him introduce himself.
David: No, I appreciate that.
David: I'm really excited about the opportunity
David: To speak with you this evening.
David: A little bit about myself.
David: I'm a native Detroiter.
David: Go cast.
David: Once you're University of Michigan
David: Was in the business school there,
Ken: You've been in Ross School of Business,
Ken: Where I pursued a bachelor's business administration
Ken: Within the Citizen Marketing Strategy.
Ken: And currently, I am the amongst other things,
Ken: My main day to days,
Ken: I am the digital marketing manager
Ken: For the middle-antic region with the Atlantis,
Ken: Which formerly known as Fiat Chrysler Omelebills.
Ken: I love it.
Ken: And I love the fact your digital media marketing manager, right?
Ken: Because everything you do, everything you provide
Ken: Is how can I communicate with people at large.
David: It is amazing.
David: And not only that, but it's the way of the future
David: That I can love about my job is
David: There may be two days that are the same,
David: But outside of that, there is not going to be any repetition
David: Because the way that swimmers engage with digital media
David: Changes day to day.
David: And we see the adoption that it had in such a short amount
David: Of time, it's crazy how many brands and companies
David: Just flocked to the tool.
David: And this is what I was familiar five years ago,
David: No one thought was going to be a platform
David: That we would be using for advertising,
David: But now when you look at some statistics,
David: TikTok is one of the most advertised one platforms.
David: That's one of the duties of my job
David: Is constantly looking at the market,
David: Looking at what consumers are engaging in
David: And finding the best way to integrate our brands
David: With their lifestyles.
David: No, I love that I literally just bought something
David: Because it was on a TikTok advertisement.
David: I'm sorry to think I have a TikTok addiction.
David: So that's a great place to have that marketing.
David: And actually that leads me to really my first question.
David: Based on what you said, you really know your stuff, right?
David: You know what you're doing.
David: You know your products,
David: But you're a really young individual.
David: So I have to ask to be your age,
David: Be as successful as you are already.
Ken: I can only imagine that you've had some mentors
Ken: In your life and I'd love to hear at least
Ken: About one conversation that you had with them,
Ken: That counted and really had an impact on you.
Ken: I'm 25 and I am the youngest
Ken: Of the youngest digital marketing manager in Stellantis's history.
Ken: I came into the role when I was 24
Ken: And a lot of that came from to your point
Ken: Not only mentors, but just having career advocates
Ken: In my corner.
Ken: And I would say like,
Ken: I have all the mentors that I've had.
Ken: The one that's most aligned with the work that I do to individuals who were
Ken: Digital marketing managers and I was there in turn in the summer of 2018.
David: And I look at them and I saw at least two amazing women who were doing amazing
David: Things in a male-dominated industry.
David: And I remember having conversations with them and I was like, I want to get
David: Into the space by how do you do it?
David: Like how do you navigate it?
David: And the biggest thing that they told me was, and that stuck with me so
David: Tough because that is something that not only do I resonate with in my own
David: Personal, social, professional mantras, but that's something that a lot of my
Ken: Other mentors indicated to me as well.
Ken: And so to hear that from two individuals who were I want to say senior in the
Ken: Automotive industry, but they've had five to 10 years of experience in auto
Ken: Space just to hear them say that reignited like, OK, like this is something that I
Ken: Could be passionate about.
Ken: And then when I connected my summer internship experience, just being at each
Ken: Fighter and being an advocate car lover, it align perfectly.
Ken: I think it just allowed for me to really take my career to just take my life
David: By the right.
David: And just say, this is what I want to go for.
David: And I'm a goal.
David: And I'm just really with passion to get there.
David: And that's something that I've not only been able to do, but I feel as I've
David: Been able to thrive with over the past three years that I've been working full
David: Time with semantics.
David: That's amazing.
David: Right.
David: So it sounds like I mean, heck, you grew up in the motor city, right?
David: No, I have to be it because here it says, I can imagine that had a huge
David: Impact on you, especially growing up.
David: I love the idea though that then you took that passion.
David: You said not only will I come in and I'm going to do everything I can
David: To dominate the space, but I'm going to do it with my own energy, my own
David: Passion and with my own personality.
David: And and I can't imagine, right, being 20 24 starting off now 25, I can't
David: Imagine that that was always an easy, easy place to be and not kind of fall
David: Into into almost the fold of doing things.
David: I were guessing now and in the reason why it's kind of two-fold is, but
David: Almost industry is a hundred year old industry.
David: And to be completely here, a lot of the leaders within the space have a very
David: Similar look and very similar background.
David: One paper, I'm at a disadvantage for coming into this space.
David: However, I believe my disadvantage was actually my advantage.
David: So coming in as an intern, I had no agenda when I was an undergrad,
David: It used to be a career coach.
David: So whenever I used to talk to my students, both BBA's and PBA's that I
David: Would coach, I would say, don't do what I did when it comes to recruiting.
David: I applied to a hundred different companies.
David: And I just was like, okay, the first one that I did, I'm going to, I'm going to
David: Take.
David: So Christ, there was actually the first company to reach out to me,
David: Offering an interview and I did the two rounds.
David: And I say it was the best mistake of my because it was then,
David: When I was able to go out to New York and work out of the Northeast
David: Business Center, which is pretty much the entire Northeast.
David: They run, they manage all the Christ, that I was ran, deep sales in that region.
David: And I would never go over working at team.
David: I'd realized two things.
Ken: One, there's not enough diversity and inclusive and collaborative thought
Ken: Within the automotive.
Ken: Space and I found a, I wouldn't say a niche, but I just found a area that I knew that I can
Ken: Grow. I guess it would be a niche. But the second thing I noticed is it's something that I'm
Ken: A neatly good at. And I don't know if it comes from both of my grandparents working in automotive
David: Factories in Detroit. I don't know if it just comes from me growing up in Detroit. Or if it comes
David: From me being a 24, 25 year old into this space that actually understands the digital, not only
David: Understands social media. And that's kind of goes back to what I was saying about it being a
David: Kind of both side of both being a disadvantage and advantage. But like, yeah, coming into the space
David: When I first started, I was in area sales manager. And so that's pretty much more one-on-one
David: Consultation with a select number of dealers, out-station and Connecticut. And I had to garner
David: The respect to my dealers because like, you're the youngest rep you've ever had. What do you know?
David: And it was kind of a ball buster. It's all outside. I had to be able to talk to shit and
David: Back it up. But it was also rooted in like true genuine, what do you know? Like what value act can
David: You bring me? Like you just graduated college. So it forced me to be on top of my shit.
David: Where three years later, I still have dealers who call and reach out to me. Not just on a personal
David: Level, but on a hey, can you help me on this or can you provide resources on this? Because I
David: Lump and I was very quick with it. And there was very much a being kind of more authentic
David: Than myself. Like hey, if I don't know something, I'm gonna get back to you. And there was one
David: Instance where I was talking to a dealer. There were a newer dealer on the dealer and they were
David: Asking me something about them in the same app or something on those lines. And I told them, I don't
David: Know. Let me reach out to the team and I'll get back to you. And you said, Kim, you were the first
David: Rep that I had. And tell me that you don't know something. And I appreciate that because there
David: Was a rep who told me that they were something and it wasn't right. And they cost me $20,000.
David: So it's like, yeah. And it's just kind of like those moments where yes, I'm young and yes, little
David: Black games play from Detroit, first generation college student, you wouldn't expect to be able to
David: Drive this space. But it's those, I didn't find factors that really make me a decent job.
David: Where is like, yes, I'm coming into this space with a different perspective. But I'm also
David: Coming into this space with the perspective that is more representative of our target audience
David: In terms of, yeah, because we're trying to sell brands that we hope at the North Park polio,
David: Then those who don't share some of those same diversity traits. Wow. You said a lot of amazing
David: Things there. I want to break it down just a little because I can relate a lot to what you're saying.
David: And it actually took me back to my early days when I first started writing mortgages and
David: Originating them and helping clients, right? Because I first started off house 23 years old.
David: And imagine trying to tell someone what to do with the biggest investment they've ever made.
David: And I remember stepping into it right and thinking, well, I'm going to, even if I don't know
David: The answer, I'll make something up. I'll come with them in the spot, right? Because I'm fresh out of
David: College. I think I know everything. And even if I don't know what I'll act like I do. And someone gave
David: Me the same advice that you just kind of knew.
David: Which is a blessing, right? But I remember I was talking to a client. I didn't have the answer
David: And I started making something up and we as a direct nom a director, but I'll listen to like
David: My salespeople's calls, make sure they're telling people the right thing. And I had a director
David: At the time and when I tell you, he started messaging me saying, Hey, I need you to pause your
David: Phone. Right? He's stalking me right there. He said, I need you to put the client on, hold real
David: Quick, tell me, we'll be back three to five minutes. And I did just that. And I'm like, I wonder if
David: You're going to tell me how great I did. And opposite. He said, what you said made absolutely no sense.
David: Why would you say that if you don't know the right answer? Why would you make that up? This is their
David: Home we're dealing with? And I'm like, well, it doesn't matter. We'll get to the same result. He's like, no,
David: It matters completely because what's going to happen is either, hey, they're going to figure out
David: Your liar, which is no one wants to work with a liar or be, you're going to tell them something
David: That's incorrect that they think is the truth. And that's going to hurt them later in the future.
David: Every action has a consequence, right? And so he said, he actually said, Hey, it's okay to say
David: That you don't know. Right? Young, because I'm a young kid, barely went through college, grew up on
David: Section 8. I didn't even know what money was. And here I am lending out 100 to 1000 sometimes
David: Millions of dollars to people for their homes. So I don't want them to figure out that I'm a
David: I don't know what I'm doing, but it actually turned out to your point clients actually appreciated
David: So much when I would say, Hey, I don't have the answer. If you give me, give me just a minute,
David: I'm going to call someone who I think well. And I put them on a hold and I do it and they're so
David: Grateful. And I to your point, I have clients now, I'm not even client facing. I run a team,
David: But I still have clients now who will reach out call email me. And I'm running a team for almost
David: Two years now still have clients that are like, Hey, David, I know you don't do this anymore,
David: You're the one I want to work with. Exactly. And it's to your point. It's that it's that level of
David: Of just honesty and true communication with your clients. Which I think is,
David: And I think it's funny that you mentioned that home purchase most individuals, most
David: Personal, most expensive investment, because on most purchases are the second most expensive
David: To purchase. So funny, because we do have that commonality. And it's very similar in all those
David: It's been times when I've even had customers and I'm not customer facing audience in our
David: Dealer network. But I have where the dealership acts need direct question about specific
David: Deal or specific incentive or if we can get something moved around or something for a specific
David: Customer to their loyal. And I'm like, okay, let me work some kid magic here. Let me see what I can do.
David: And the dealership tell the customer, yes, this was happening because of our rep. And the customer
David: Reached sound like, thank you so much. We really appreciate it. It really feels good to know somebody
David: A corporate actually cares about what cares about your customers. And it's like those small
David: Moments in my opinion are what make not only my job. So both all the roles have had so many
David: People, but just also makes life meaningful when you're able to actually make a positive impact
David: And someone else's life. No, completely agree. And actually that that transitions me to
David: Other questions. I really've been dying to ask you because as we transition from being the direct person working with clients directly,
David: Leading people and helping them deal with clients right. I know we're always there to your point. It's good to know someone at corporate cares.
David: But what do you say are some of the biggest things you do so that the people that work under you can provide the same level of service that you did when you were in their shoes? Is there anything specific?
David: So my direct report, they're currently, is actually from one of our program, our digital program management company called Ship Digital.
David: And so I've never actually had the role that he's in now, but it's very similar to roles that I've either been around or experienced throughout my either full-time role worker Chrysler or my two internships.
David: And it's interesting because his habit older, his 20 years and so it's kind of interesting to have that dynamic. I'm younger than him.
Ken: And also his manager. And so I take a very lateral leadership style because I'm a firm believer of everyone has something that they can teach somebody and there should be every interaction should be mentioned in additional.
David: And when I say that, yes, there are some things that may have to be delegated, but also it's, hey, I'm not, you're not just working for me for me to look good.
David: I also need to work for you so that to make sure that when you're ready, you can get a role that surpass my because that's been a big model of mine in every capacity in my life of life.
Ken: As I move forward in life, I want to make sure that I'm always able to pull back into whatever community I'm currently on based off Baltimore.
Ken: So I'm living here for about a year and a half, but we've always going to be home. And so I always try to do things where I can pull back to push up.
Ken: And the role in the work capacity. One of the biggest things I do is I try to get my direct report as much exposure to senior leadership as much exposure to leading projects on his own and kind of like presenting the liberals training support.
Ken: Because in a day, not only see a representation of me, but he has to know that I fully trust him in his autonomy and his perspective because the reason why he was hired on was because obviously had experience.
David: And so I had some to ask me he had some that I'm at that he provides an organization. And my thing is why should I limit that with my own agenda.
David: And I can get more done if I actually to trust him. So I will say that that's the biggest thing is like trusting my direct report providing an abundant wrap around resources for him to not only grow professionally, but also grow socially also grow personally because he's a very intelligent guy.
David: You're timid when you're speaking.
David: And so I'm pulling the sign and like, no, like, I need for you to own this shit.
David: This is your stuff.
David: You research it.
David: You play with it.
David: This own it.
David: And those are kind of something that I believe makes a good manager.
David: And the last thing that I'll say is always putting your team first.
David: And what I mean by that is as managers, we're only as good as our team.
David: So if we're not putting our team members first and you're like, okay, are you good?
David: What do you need to do?
David: Do you need me to step in and light enough some of your workload to make sure that you're
David: Performing at the way that you need to perform?
David: Because it's like depending on the engine, you're not going to go anywhere.
David: And also it's like you have to make sure that your team holistically are just in a good
David: Spot.
David: And if you have to get into the weeds, get in the weeds.
David: I'll give this time example, then I'll go over to another.
David: I'll copy it about three weeks ago, Wagoneer, which is one of the branches in our portfolio,
David: We sponsored a horse race down in Baltimore to call the Preakness.
David: And this is a horse race where all the up and up's come in.
David: It's a very notable event within the mid Atlantic region.
David: We have the amazing opportunity to be one of the corporate sponsors.
David: And we found out from the event team that they were sitting on an individual to set up.
David: Now my new, this was no just pop up tent type of situation.
David: We got a whole floor plan of stopping.
David: We're bringing in tent tables and we're bringing in wagon and all these different things.
David: And it was just one young lady who was meant to set up all of this.
David: And so that I connected with her and I'm like, hey, I left 20 minutes out.
David: Do you need help?
David: And she's like, oh my God, yes.
David: So the two days before that event, I'm out in mud and dirt and cold raining weather with barely any
David: A tiger.
David: I didn't really know what I was getting into.
David: I'm thinking, oh yeah, just clean up this or that.
David: And we're up until 12 o'clock in the morning, setting up tents and setting up this and
David: That in the third and putting potting flowers and all these different things.
David: And it's not because I had to, but because I knew what needed to get done.
David: So like I don't mind going out into the trenches, rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty
David: Because at the end of the day, I hate to say all for a greater good.
David: So I feel like that makes what we do sound much more glorified than it actually means.
David: We're not, we're not rocket scientists here.
David: But shows that no matter what there is no iron team and everyone should be able to do
David: Everyone's role within a certain scope to make the larger plant.
David: Contaction.
David: No, I love that.
David: One thing I want to talk about that more, but I have to ask, what is that phrase you said,
David: Push up to pull forward?
David: What did you say?
Ken: Yeah, so pretty much as I move forward and I want to make sure I'm able to pull back
Ken: To move to push ahead.
Ken: But one of those things where I don't feel as though first generation college student who
Ken: Was who have it granted, I'm not, I'm not a believer in fate.
Ken: I'm a believer of everything happens for a reason and everything happens at the right
Ken: Time at the right place.
Ken: And a lot of opportunities mentorship opportunities, internship opportunities, school,
Ken: There's a lot of different things.
Ken: They all came about at the right time.
Ken: Why?
Ken: Where it's kind of certain that this and you kind of think this is all plan.
Ken: There's everything is strategically placed like a game of checkers or chess.
Ken: And I was like, OK, who's playing this right now?
Ken: But it's all.
Ken: Everything happens for a reason. So I was like, I know that without one of those experiences without one of those mentors about one of those opportunities
Ken: I would not be in a position I am in today and so because of that I make it one of my missions in life
Ken: To be able to give back and be able to help as many people as possible either in all the space or in any other industry as a career
Ken: Culture as just a mentor or however to push them ahead of me because I want to see you succeed
Ken: I know I know where I'm going and of course you have to continue to get advocates and community mentors
Ken: But like I'm in a good position. I'm like I think but there are a lot of people who don't have that same support
Ken: We don't have that same love. I have the opportunity back in 2016 to intern with the superintendent Detroit public schools and that experience
Ken: Open my eyes to the disparity of resource
Ken: Academic rigor
Ken: Also other things that a lot of Detroit youth face and
Ken: It was one of those things where it's like you don't really realize until you throw it and until you kind of get the experience
Ken: Posting their experience, but then how are we going and fix this?
Ken: How are we going to make this how we're going to change this narrative and this is something that's seen in a host of other urban communities
Ken: One of the really big reasons why I've enjoyed my time involved more so much is because the geographic social economic
Ken: Demographic
Ken: Statistics are very similar to Detroit the whole dynamic here is very similar to Detroit and because of that
Ken: We have the highs and have lows and that one of these why I'm sitting on the board now
Ken: Of an out topic called transforming youth into adults that work with foster care a foster youth who are transition out the foster
Ken: Care system and just providing wraparound services for them. It's like these are the same type of elements that are going on in Detroit
Ken: These are the same type of elements that are going on in other urban communities and it takes people who are able to
Ken: Make it out of those situations and who are in a better
Ken: Social economic and just overarching academic position to be able to pour back into the community
Ken: I'm gonna say this that we go to next topic while entering with superintendent
Ken: I remember being at a town hall and
Ken: One of the I think was either a recent graduate or soon to be high school graduate told us that their definition of success is
Ken: Either leaving Detroit and never coming back or coming back and making a day
Ken: And there are so many people who leave the city
Ken: Be at Detroit New York Chicago Atlanta fall up tomorrow
Ken: Whatever urban community that they grew up in and
Ken: Never go back because that's their definition of success anymore power to them
Ken: That's great, but personally that should how I wrote
David: I'm a firm believer of if this community poured all their resources into me growing up
David: It's up to me to be able to be able to pay that for it
David: I'd know if anyone listening to this that grew up into Detroit right Detroit is coming back
David: I work with a rocket and a lot of what we're doing down there is growing we're working on installing building a lot of cool stuff
David: Right I almost say what I was supposed to but we're working on creating a lot of great things down there
David: And I encourage everyone if you love Detroit if you've been at Detroit even just come and visit the downtown
David: I'll give you a look at your mind.
David: Because you're 100% right.
David: I know people who have left the trade
David: And they're like, I'm never coming back.
David: And that's why.
David: Why would you not want to come back
David: To the city that built you and shout out to all the kids
David: Who struggled and worked.
David: And if you're still working and trying to make it out,
David: Don't just think about how can I make it out of my area.
David: At the end of the day, poverty is in where you live.
David: It's how you think, right?
David: It doesn't matter where you go in the world.
David: You'll end up in poverty again
David: If you don't change the way you think.
David: So change the way you think, bring that thought back
David: To where you grew up.
David: That's my encouragement, my little soap box for the day.
David: And I want to ask too, right?
David: Because I think that's also awesome.
David: I've gotten to speak to a few other individuals
David: Who are part of nonprofits.
David: And I'd love to hear how you mentoring early stages
David: Instead of even like the later stages, right?
David: Because someone who's already seen the world,
David: Who's experienced the highs and lows of success,
David: Sometimes they can, it's a little easier to mentor someone
David: In that situation than it is.
David: Someone who's never gotten to see success, right?
David: Like tell me when I was riding a bus with my grandma
David: That it was that, hey, one day you might be driving any car
David: You want.
David: It's like, well, we don't even know what that car would be.
David: I've never been in it, right?
David: So what can you give me an example of what a conversation
David: You might have had with maybe one of your mentees
David: At the nonprofit people you've seen struggling
David: Trying to make their lives better?
David: Yeah, no.
David: So before I go on into this question,
David: I kind of want to go to a prior experience
David: I had with a nonprofit Detroit.
David: So when I was at CAS, it was my junior and senior year,
David: I was part of COOM.
David: And so I had the opportunity to work half a day only take,
David: Well, I'll be able to like,
David: Four classes and then with work.
David: So I'm like, that's a pretty cool sketchbook,
David: But I have an opportunity to report
David: An nonprofit called the Skillman Foundation.
David: When I had the opportunity to work with Skillman,
David: I, that was my first exposure to nonprofit work
David: And working with them,
David: Open my eyes to not only the disparity that Detroit used
David: In Detroit young people face,
David: But the disparity that a lot of black and brown individuals
David: In urban communities face.
David: And even I kind of want to ask for it to say,
David: Exactly Brown, because realistically,
David: It's not even a race thing,
David: Even though a portion of it is,
David: It's more of an under-resourced situation.
David: Because there are many people from different communities
David: And different backgrounds that live in under-resourced communities.
David: And that's the, I don't care how much people say
David: It's not a money and it's not a race thing.
David: It's a combination of that and more.
David: It's a lot of dynamics that create these disparities
David: Within our community.
David: But working with Skillman,
David: It kind of opened my eyes to seeing the impact
David: That nonprofits in the organizations are solely funded
David: And focused on making impacts on whatever social change
David: Or social movement that they are developed for created for,
David: Founded for, that it was like,
David: Okay, this is something I want to get started.
David: I'm just something that not only do I find it totally in,
David: But this is also something that I'm not actually
David: Make the most impact in the world.
David: And that was something that I took the college.
David: And of course,
David: Profit space, private sector, money and resource wise.
David: Very big difference. I kind of have to have to put one on the back of our forum minute.
David: But being able to kind of come full circle and get the opportunity to be on this board
David: For this nonprofit has been amazing. I think one of the biggest things, I can talk about the
David: Board experience first and I'll talk about another experience I've had talking with some
David: Entities to answer your original question. Sitting on the board is very unique because again,
David: You know, I'm just person on the board, most early 10 year in terms of their career on the
David: Board. However, I've been able to be a avid voice because a lot of the youth that we're targeting
David: And working with are a couple of years younger than me. The Baltimore really actually allows for youth
David: To stay in the system until the age of 21. And so the program that we created actually extends past
David: That to the age of 20 because we actually provide the opportunity for youth to develop a financial
David: Plan so that they can buy the homes that we own, that they're staying in and that would be the
David: First piece of property. And now are these individual homes that they live in or is it like?
David: Yes. So the nonprofit we have more to different style homes, laws, those apartments that we own.
David: And pretty much the plan is to provide a host of resource skills, make resource workshops and
David: Skills to offer these youth to become homeowners before the age of 21. That's amazing.
David: It's an up and coming nonprofit has been established for about three years, but there's so much
David: Traction behind it. And the biggest thing that I recognize here is outside of the financial
David: Component of it. There are so many other, I think one say issue there, so many other life skills that
David: Are needed for late teens, early 20s, and early to navigate it. There are so many things
David: Personally, socially, that you have to navigate and deal with in your late teens and early 20s,
David: That I could just imagine as someone who had resources, who had support systems, who had access to
David: Different opportunities. If I went through those type of things, individuals who have been
David: Either displaced or who have not had those opportunities or those same type of resources,
David: I just imagine how those same emotions, feelings and issues are magnified. And so when I came into the
Ken: Nonprofit, my main focus was how can we provide more wraparound services for these young people?
Ken: Because I know what they're going through. I mean, I think the pandemic in itself was rough enough.
Ken: For everyone, but then it's like, okay, and this is just like one of the top things that I think
Ken: About in a concept of things, as adult, how do you make friends? Like, just, we think of that as a very
Ken: Kind of, maybe a cliche, but a very like, tah-hah-hah-chuck-o-comin. But then you really start thinking about it.
Ken: It's like, how many adult friendships have you made that didn't stem?
Ken: From college and instant from work that didn't stem from something where you are forced to be together.
Ken: And we add in a layer of homelessness or property or being displaced and you don't have those
Ken: Same groups or communities to build those connections with, it's how do you build those type of
Ken: Connections with people. And then if you think about networking events, if you think about
Ken: Social outcomes, if you think about all these things, a lot of those things cost a lot of money,
Ken: Or cost money to engine. And so again, it creates this dynamic of well,
Ken: How do you go about this? How do you navigate this if you don't have those resources? If you
Ken: Don't have those experiences, and not saying that every youth that is part of the program or
Ken: Every youth that this homeless or displaced is not in school or is not educated, don't have those
Ken: Experiences. But there are still dynamics within that that doesn't create a full psychologically
Ken: Safe individual and that has a creative individual that has a lot of mental tasks because, hey,
Ken: You don't know where you're sleeping that night. The last thing you think about is making friends.
Ken: So that's like, it's a lot of right about I've earned things that you kind of have to think about.
Ken: And they kind of pivoting into your original question about having those conversations with
Ken: Someone who haven't necessarily had some of those life skills and life experiences, I actually want
Ken: To revert back to my college days where, well, you've been having my college days. I'll say
Ken: Mentoring still with university admissions, so I'm still part of some organizations on campus
Ken: Who I still am a mentor. And so there's a lot of first year in sophomore students who I
Ken: Engage with talk to present to and one of the main things they have is how are you so successful
Ken: Or how have you gotten to where you are? I wish I could see myself in that same trajectory.
Ken: And the biggest thing is like, you can do it and you can do more. Nothing that I've done has
Ken: Been either granted to me, given to me, silver spoon, or if anything that's just completely
Ken: What else in college I have six jobs. And of course, it was sort of money.
Ken: Wait, six jobs at once or six jobs all together?
Ken: I have six jobs at once.
David: Oh, wow.
David: I'm a dive into that a little bit. I was always very strategic in the work that I chose.
David: All the roles that I have were either some type of community outreach or as market. So,
Ken: I was a peer coach for the career development office within Rossville business.
Ken: I was a peer advisor for a learning community within Ross. I was a social media strategist
Ken: Or an nonprofit in an hour. Marketing and associate for another learning community on campus.
Ken: I actually opened up and ran my own marketing agency, which I did continue after college for a
David: Couple years. And I had the opportunity to work as a peer mentor for another learning community.
David: So, you know, I was able to have a lot of money.
David: I was able to develop my skillset early so that when I got into internships,
David: When I was time to start working, you know, full time, there was already a abundant amount
David: Of skills that I've already stored up. And so, and I said, that's a simple. Nothing I've done
David: In granted to me. I've worked my ass off to get where I'm at. And as long as you have a determination.
David: Won't get that passion long, get that fire, you can do anything.
David: But the other thing that I always preface, anyone, especially those I'm
David: Entering, is all that's fine, but you also have to make sure that
David: You're following your North Star and your comment, your passion.
David: Because I'm from a believer of I'm not a money-modivated person.
David: I love money, so you're wrong. But at the end of the day,
David: I'm not going to do something because of a dollar.
David: And that's one thing I try to instill with you in general, no matter what aspect
David: I like the area, because it's so easy and that's a
David: People on you, but it's so easy to get into the finance industry.
David: It's so easy to go to a accountant or IB or consult and because of the
David: Paycheck. Not saying it is easy to get into those spaces, but in terms of
David: If you're looking at what going on do my life, okay, well, I want to make a
David: Lot of money, let me go into consulting. Let me become, let me go into
David: Investment banking. Let me go into here, I'll be going to there.
David: But if that's not really what you're passionate about, a year to end, you're
David: Going to be barfined, you're going to hate your job.
David: I'm a lot of peers who are graduating from business school with
David: Their net paying position, where I had my job, I'm making decent money,
David: But I just can't do it anymore. And for me, it's a complete
David: Interest. I'll be still like my job. But I feel like my job. And it's like,
David: That's something that a lot of people can't say, but that's just one of those
David: Really strong cases of advice that I try to give is, hey, you can pack the
David: Work hard, but you have to make sure you're working hard in the right direction for you.
David: No, I mean, you're 100% right. A lot of people come into the finance industry.
David: To your point, oh, how can I make as much money as I can? How can I retire early?
David: And honestly, those people never make it the long term. I've had a lot of those people
David: Work for me. And they'll do really well for a short period of time.
David: Yeah. I had something that because I was one of those people early on where I was like,
David: Well, do this. Not because I want to, but because I know I can make a lot of money,
David: Help my family take care of the people I love, right? But as I started getting mentored by the
David: People who were able to find longevity, something that they taught me early on is that we're not
David: Here just to make a dollar. If you're here just to make a dollar, you'll probably make a few,
David: But you won't be here very long. But we're here. And the reason we're even compensated as
David: Much as we are is because of the impact we can have on people, right? Because people, if I can help
David: Someone either by refinancing their home, getting the money, paying off their debts, helping them
David: Get their first home, that's an enormous life impact. Right? And if I'm just doing it for a dollar,
David: I'm probably not going to help as many people as I could. And I'm going to be tired of it because
David: I'm not going to see the true benefit. But for the people that realize, yes, the industry you can
David: Make a lot of money, but it's the same thing with anything where you can make a lot of money,
David: Only make it because of the level of impact you can have on people. So to your point, right? I
David: Would encourage everyone to follow something they're passionate about. Now me, I got lucky, I came
David: In here looking to make a lot of money. And then I found my passion after that. It was like, wow,
David: No, that's why I became a leader rather than staying as a banker, right? Because I realized I could
David: Have a, if I have a larger impact on my team, I could then send that team out to have a larger
David: Impact on more people than I ever could by myself. And it's, it's allowed.
David: To do much bigger things for a lot more people at a larger scale. But you're not wrong, right?
David: It is easy to just jump into something like that. But it's not easy to stay for the for the
David: Exact reason you plan. So good point. Now something I want to ask you, right? Say you have someone
David: Who might be, because something I love that you talked about way earlier is you brought a failure,
David: Right? When you went to your first job that you didn't feel like you would really found necessarily
David: Your passion, right? What advice do you have for people out there to really find that
David: Passion? And anything they do, right? Maybe before they find that job that isn't for them,
David: Or even after. How do you find that North Star? So I'm a firm believer that you have to
David: Feel forward and you have to embrace it. And the reason why is at the end of the day, failure is
David: Just an experience to show you this may not be what this may not be the right way to do
David: Something at this moment in time. But it's not meant to say you should never do it again. And
David: It's not meant to discourage you from trying other avenues. I look at failure as the same as
David: Rejection if you're dating. Like if you're dating and you shoot your shot and your partner is like,
David: No, I'm not interested. Well, you're not going to stop dating. Maybe we'll blood her for a
David: Couple of hours, but are you going to come to the next person and be like, hey, what's up?
David: So failure, other capacities in your life have to be seen in the same capacity. Because the
David: Worst thing to make it say is no. And if someone says no, that means that that was not an
David: Opportunity. That was not an experience that was not a endeavor that was meant for you. Everything
David: That's meant for you will be. And if you have that mentality, you have that belief, failure will
David: Come more as a failure will be more would be accepted and accepted with open arms because you
David: Knew that that wasn't for you. Because what's the purpose of going down around a hole of getting
David: Something and you hate it. And if you shift your mindset to say, I didn't get this because
David: I it wasn't meant for me. And the next thing is going to be bigger and better. That's that's the
David: Biggest way to kind of go about navigating failure. Because at the end of the day, there are very
David: Few things in life where failure is a true life or death situation. There's a time if you're
Ken: Failing up something. Hell, I'll give a personal example. So, picture it, it's I'm taking calculus.
Ken: It's like fall 2016 semester. I don't do math. That's why I'm not in finding a colony. I don't do
Ken: Any of that. I can develop a marketing strategy in my sleep. But give me a balance sheet to balance out.
Ken: No, FIFO, LOPY, LOPY, all that know. Of course, before getting into the business school at
Ken: Ross, you have to take calculus on the burn. I set up other financial courses. So, I'm in
Ken: Calculus. And it was me and my college family. We're still together today. And I was actually
Ken: With them recently just two weekends ago. And I told them, I was like, yeah, no, no, no,
Ken: For the reason I passed calculus. Because I did my first exam, I don't think I got me like a BC something.
Ken: I got my second exam. I got to eat.
Ken: And I didn't even go call it out.
David: So when I was taking the exam, I had just, I clamped up,
David: I pressured up.
David: I was so just like, I just knew I wasn't going to do well.
David: And when I left half of the exam playing,
David: And it's like, I got the E and I was distraught.
Ken: I was like, I'm not going to get into Ross.
Ken: I'm not going to do this.
Ken: I need to just drop out.
Ken: I don't deserve to be here all this stuff.
Ken: And it took a couple people talking to me
Ken: That I love it, to realize, okay, I just have to,
Ken: I just have to change my study habits,
Ken: I have to change my direction how I'm doing things,
Ken: And I have to make some of the shape.
Ken: And so then after that, I was one of ours.
Ken: I was studying constantly.
Ken: I was taking these practice exams,
Ken: And I was being more proactive of asking questions,
Ken: Making it known, hey, I don't know this,
David: Let's go over this again.
David: And I've asked, have not,
David: Having that relationship with our professor,
David: Hey, what I'm trying to do?
David: Like, give me some extra problem.
David: Give me some extra things I can do.
David: And again, that's why I say, with failure,
David: You should think of it as, you should think of it as a pivot,
David: Because of something that they, hey,
David: If I would have kept going down the hole
David: That I was going in, and let's say I didn't fail.
David: Let's say I got another seat on that exam.
David: Then that final exam, I really might have failed
David: And would have won the course.
David: And then it would have been, again,
David: Having redo the whole thing all over then.
David: Whereas, me fell in for this one point
David: And changing and redirecting,
David: I was able to do what I need to do,
David: To get what I need to get out of that force.
David: That's an awesome story.
David: That's a good example of failure too.
David: Very good.
David: Well, how I say, seize get degrees.
David: So, wow, you just, you're full of quotes, Ken.
David: I love it.
David: Honestly, I need to, as funny,
David: I did a creative writing minor in undergrad.
David: I just need to write a book or something.
David: I need to actually put all of this in my head down the page.
David: No, I remember, and I have a similar example
David: When I first got the college, right?
David: So, not business school, not as fancy as you,
David: Not yet, but I remember in high school,
David: Right, I never had to study.
David: Never, I could do the homework before I left high school.
David: Like before I got out of class, I was usually done.
David: So, I could get home and do whatever I wanted.
David: I'll never forget, I even had a class
David: That was created for me just for writing,
David: Because I turned out to be so good at it.
David: But then I got to college,
David: And I ended up having to write a paper for a professor.
David: And I'll never forget getting back my paper
David: And him giving, I think he gave me,
David: I think it was my percentages,
David: But I think it equated to like a seat.
David: And I was shocked, I was like,
David: Whoa, I haven't gotten to see on a paper since like middle school.
David: What are you talking about?
David: This can't be right.
David: Are you sure you graded my paper?
David: Are you sure you didn't get a mixed up with someone else's?
David: You made it very clear and he said, well sit down,
David: I'll tell you all about how you could have done better.
David: And I said, okay, let's see you try.
David: When I tell you you spend probably 30 to 45 minutes
David: Of his office hours, right?
David: When people sitting outside,
David: Just sitting there telling me one after another
David: Of things I could have done better.
David: I walked out shocked and aw, just wow.
David: And at first, I was upset and I couldn't believe
David: That he had the nerve to tell me
David: That my paper wasn't good.
David: But then I really sat down and I read it a few more times.
David: I took in his feedback and I said, wow, he was right.
David: And I made a similar change, right?
David: I started going off as I was.
David: I started getting reviews from my peers before I even turned it in.
David: I would go through and grammar check it multiple times.
David: And those C started turning in and I did those B's with turn in the ACE.
David: And before I know it, it started getting easy all over again.
David: But to your point, if I never would have taken that loss, right,
David: Taken that opportunity for growth, I never would have done better in the future.
David: I never would have grown and taken my papers even more serious.
David: So yeah, and everything that's meant for you is for you.
David: Because again, in your example, if you never would have,
David: If you would never got an SC or even, oh, you have to think about,
David: You have to remove the whole like F for failure thing out.
David: And this is where failure is an internal rating scale.
David: So for you, if you're backing out AAA, yes, the C is a failure for you.
David: But everything that's meant to be is to be.
David: If you wouldn't have changed direction, and let's just say that,
David: The past student and the next professor, it probably wouldn't wait.
David: Works.
David: It would have been a harder percent or moving forward.
Ken: And I said, simply if I wouldn't have put in the effort to do what I need to do in that calculus class,
Ken: I weeks get into the business school.
Ken: And I knew that this school was for me.
Ken: I have to go to backwards version of my own monitor, like, okay, well,
Ken: This is for me.
Ken: So how do I get here?
Ken: Oh, but you know, same sentiment of just like,
Ken: You have to be able to accept and embrace failure with open arms,
Ken: Or from it, grow from it and move forward.
Ken: I have a firm belief, like, if you get a failure,
Ken: Something you get 24 hours to be upset about it.
Ken: And then you have to, you have to, you can still think about it,
Ken: But you have to be proactively trying to change it.
Ken: Because the purpose of being just bitter and upset,
Ken: That's not going to change anything.
Ken: No one's going to feel pity for you.
Ken: Not at all.
Ken: And I love that too.
Ken: And when you think about it, when you can take it even further, right?
Ken: And I feel like you're someone who does this too.
Ken: When you fail and then you might get upset for a second and you're like,
Ken: You know what?
Ken: I just learned X, Y, and Z from this.
Ken: And now you've gained that wisdom, right?
Ken: You've gained almost like a notch under your belt.
Ken: And to me, I feel the truly successful are just the people that failed the most.
Ken: Because they tried the most, right?
Ken: The only time you can fail is when you try.
Ken: If you never try, you never have to worry about failing,
Ken: But the people who constantly try to do better,
Ken: They're going to fail more than anybody.
David: Oh, wow.
David: But they also end up succeeding more.
David: After they fail a lot.
David: So I love that.
David: I think it's an example.
David: It's an example to some people to another topic.
David: But I think when you look at this, it kind of goes about people who are afraid to kind of
David: Venture outside of their wheelhouse and those who are.
David: And a lot of times, a lot of people are saying,
David: Within a certain geographic areas, they within a certain genre.
David: They within a certain industry.
David: They're afraid of failing somewhere else.
David: But you know, I didn't want to say the more successful people,
David: But the people who have more of an ambitious spirit of themselves,
David: And people who are willing to make those leaps and changes,
David: They have a.
David: An ambient of different life experiences and different experiences in general that they can learn off of the lean off of to make them more dependable people and the world.
David: You know, so just show you like, hey, having more value experiences actually makes it easier for you to navigate the world.
David: If you never let the city be true, you never let your block.
David: Let's take that and you're thrown in the middle of Kansas.
David: Like, what are you going to do?
David: You're not going to know what to do.
David: You're not going to know what to do.
David: My father of Kansas, like, but I can imagine, hey, I get there.
David: I'm like, okay, well, let me find a phone somewhere.
David: Let me get the fuck out of that room.
David: Like, let me call, let me do something.
David: You know, it's just like, you have to have an aggregate of experiences and like, to truly get the most out of it.
David: And I think that's where failure is going to be.
David: No, 100% and we'll wrap up with this because we're nearing an hour and it's been great, but I know it would do one.
David: Well, but something that I learned in my career as well and I'm sure you learned is that because of my aggregate amount of experiences, how many I had, it made it a lot easier relate to more clients and more people than it did to my peers who didn't have who might not have gone through the same level of hard times or even the same level of good times.
David: Right. They just couldn't relate to the people they were working with for or around them.
David: And so that also will help you be successful because to your point, you get dropped in the middle of Kansas and you're used to living in
David: The suburbs of Detroit. You're not going to know where to go. You're not going to know how to get a car, how to find a phone, how to talk to the next person you see you're not going to understand it.
David: So I think that was a huge point and a lot of great takeaways from everything you said right first and foremost, be true to yourself, be true to what what your passions are and search for that diligently.
David: And just hurts for a dollar, search for who you want to be. And when you find who you want to be, you start finding that success, don't forget there are a lot of people out there who haven't gotten that same opportunity and that we need to be reaching back for and doing more for and reminding they're not in this alone.
David: And even if we can't, we still should, right. We should all be giving back and sharing with each other. And as well, while you're doing all of that fail failure is great.
David: If you haven't failed, you're not living right failure is is the piece of life. It's the best way to enjoy it.
David: And there are a lot of more takeaways as well. I'll probably have to listen to this one multiple time to get all the takeaways.
David: What I do want to do is I would like for you to just repeat what the nonprofits name is where we can go everyone out there listening in myself or we can go to get more information on it, learn more how we might be able to contribute to it.
David: Yeah, no, I love that. So the nonprofits name is transforming youths into adults. And if you don't see why I a dot org, you'll be able to learn more about the organization's mission to volunteer opportunities that are going to have within the local Baltimore area.
David: But also know we're looking for an all text about opportunities for sponsorships engagements. The really the biggest thing.
David: We're just finding ways in which we can further integrate our mission and vision into not only the Baltimore community, but into the overarching landscape of the United States.
Ken: There are multiple youth that are facing homelessness that are in the foster care system and that don't have stable amount around resources.
Ken: And so with any connections that we can develop in order to help further our mission and hopefully further other organization mission as well, we extremely value.
Ken: I hope everyone listening here is the passion, sincerity and Ken's voice.
Ken: So whenever you have a person that communicates with passion, you can imagine that anything they take part in, they're going to push the success and they're going to push the impact and help as many people as possible.
David: So I encourage everyone to be a part of it, join, check it out, make sure the link will make sure the link is in the description for the nonprofit as well.
David: David shaft and Daniel signing off from conversations that count. Everyone having amazing successful rest of your evening. Let's go out there and impact some people. Thank you all so much. Thank you.
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