Sometimes the game is not really the game.
In this special STL Hustle Insider spotlight episode, Cortez Hustle sits down with four men connected through Smooth 1432, a collective using cornhole, conversation, mentorship, education, therapy, and brotherhood to create safe spaces for men and young people across the St. Louis region.
This episode features Mike Elliott, Earl Docket, Jay McDaniels, and Josh Gilliam. Each man brings his own brand, profession, and calling to the table, but together they represent a larger movement: men showing up for other men, young people, families, schools, and communities.
Through Smooth 1432, Cornhole with Smooth, Fly Beyond Limits, The Breakfast Club, Vertical Therapy LLC, and 1432 The Podcast, this group is using something unexpected — cornhole — as a conversation starter for deeper topics like mental health, marriage, fatherhood, depression, trauma, purpose, education, mentorship, and community connection.
Earl Docket shares his work as an educator, coach, founder of Fly Beyond Limits, and creator of The Breakfast Club, a school-based mentorship effort focused on young Black male students, mental health, behavior, attendance, and self-worth.
Jay McDaniels, founder of Cornhole with Smooth, explains how he discovered cornhole during COVID, why he is introducing the sport to inner-city youth, and how cornhole can open doors to confidence, scholarship opportunities, discipline, and purpose.
Josh Gilliam, owner of Vertical Therapy LLC, talks about therapy, men’s mental health, confidentiality, trauma, and the importance of creating safe spaces where men and young people can process what they are carrying.
Together, these conversations show how Smooth 1432 is building something bigger than an event. It is a movement of men using play, purpose, and presence to reach the community.
In This Episode
Cortez talks with the Smooth 1432 collective about:
- What Smooth 1432 is and why it exists
- Creating safe spaces for men to connect, talk, and try something different
- How cornhole became a tool for community engagement
- Why men need spaces outside of work, home, and marriage where they can be honest
- The pressure of being the only Black man in professional environments
- Wearing a “mask” in certain spaces and needing time to decompress
- Marriage, communication, and growing together as a couple
- The role of 1432 The Podcast in conversations around marriage and men’s lives
- Earl Docket’s work as an educator and coach
- Fly Beyond Limits and the meaning of “First Love Yourself”
- Depression, mental health, and the realities facing young people
- The Breakfast Club and mentoring young Black males in school
- Reducing suspensions, referrals, and chronic absence through intentional support
- Why parents should not be afraid of IEPs and individualized support
- The importance of consistency at home
- Jay McDaniels’ journey from traditional sports to cornhole
- Cornhole with Smooth and bringing the game into schools
- Why cornhole is mental, strategic, and accessible
- Scholarship opportunities and nontraditional sports pathways
- Using cornhole as a conversation starter around purpose and identity
- Josh Gilliam’s work through Vertical Therapy LLC
- Why men need therapy and confidential spaces to talk
- How trauma affects children and young people
- Why therapy helps people stop dancing around the issue and address the real thing
- Smooth 1432’s larger mission around men, youth, mental health, and community
Key Takeaways
- Cornhole may be the activity, but connection is the mission.
- Men need safe spaces where they can talk honestly without judgment.
- Being the only Black man in a professional environment can create pressure, exhaustion, and emotional weight that often goes unseen.
- Marriage requires more than telling people to communicate. Couples have to learn how to communicate as they grow and change.
- Young people need adults who will listen to what they need, not just tell them what they need.
- IEPs and educational supports should not be treated with shame. They can help children receive the individualized support they need to succeed.
- Cornhole gives youth another pathway to confidence, teamwork, discipline, competition, and even scholarship opportunities.
- Therapy is not weakness. It is a confidential space where men and young people can process trauma, loss, development, and life.
- Smooth 1432 is showing that creative intervention can meet men and young people through something simple, then open the door to deeper conversations.
Featured Guests
Mike Elliott
Smooth 1432 / 1432 The Podcast
Mike Elliott is part of Smooth 1432 and 1432 The Podcast. His work centers on creating spaces where men, especially married men and Black men navigating professional environments, can connect, talk, and build community.
Earl Docket
Founder, Fly Beyond Limits
Educator and Coach
Earl Docket, also known by many young people as Coach Docket, is an educator entering his 23rd year in education. He serves at KIPP Inspire Academy and is the founder of Fly Beyond Limits, which stands for First Love Yourself Mentorship and Leadership. He also leads The Breakfast Club, a mentorship effort focused on supporting young Black male students.
Jay McDaniels
Founder, Cornhole with Smooth
Jay McDaniels is the founder of Cornhole with Smooth LLC, a podcast and brand using cornhole to reach youth and community members in a new way. Through the Cornhole with Smooth Youth Academy, Jay is introducing the game to schools and using it as a tool for purpose, confidence, mental focus, and opportunity.
Josh Gilliam
Owner, Vertical Therapy LLC
Licensed Professional Counselor
Josh Gilliam is a licensed professional counselor and owner of Vertical Therapy LLC. His work focuses on helping men and young people process trauma, loss, life development, emotional struggles, and the internal battles people often carry in silence.
Guest Links
Smooth 1432: [Add official website link]
Smooth 1432 Instagram: [Add link]
Smooth 1432 YouTube: [Add link]
1432 The Podcast: [Add link]
1432 The Podcast Instagram: [Add link]
1432 The Podcast TikTok: [Add link]
1432 The Podcast YouTube: [Add link]
Cornhole with Smooth Email:
cornholewithsmooth@gmail.comCornhole with Smooth Facebook: [Add link]
Cornhole with Smooth Instagram: [Add link]
Cornhole with Smooth TikTok: [Add link]
Fly Beyond Limits: [Add link]
Earl Docket Instagram: [Add link]
Earl Docket Facebook: [Add link]
Fly Beyond Limits Email: [Confirm full email address]
Vertical Therapy LLC Instagram: [Add link]
Josh Gilliam / Vertical Therapy website: [Add link]
Resources Mentioned
- Smooth 1432
- 1432 The Podcast
- Cornhole with Smooth
- Cornhole with Smooth Youth Academy
- Fly Beyond Limits
- The Breakfast Club
- Vertical Therapy LLC
- NAMI St. Louis
- KIPP Inspire Academy
- Job Corps
- St. Louis Virtual Resource Center
- STL Virtual Resource Center
- Cornhole
- IEPs / Individualized Education Plans
- Youth mentorship
- Men’s mental health
- Black male mental health
- Marriage and communication
- Youth mental health
Episode Sponsors
St. Louis Virtual Resource Center
STL Hustle Insider is sponsored by the St. Louis Virtual Resource Center, a centralized online place for St. Louis area entrepreneurs to find business resources, support organizations, community, opportunities, and tools to help move their businesses forward.
St. Louis has resources for entrepreneurs, but they are often scattered across different organizations and platforms. The St. Louis Virtual Resource Center helps bring those resources together in one place.
Learn more:
[Add St. Louis Virtual Resource Center link]
Music Attribution
No specific music attribution was clearly included in the provided spotlight transcripts.
Music attribution, if applicable:
[Add song title, artist, and link]
Chapters
Note: Chapter timestamps are approximate and based on the provided spotlight transcripts. Please adjust to match the final edited audio export.
00:00 - Smooth 1432 special spotlight introduction
00:30 - Mike Elliott on Smooth 1432
01:00 - Creating safe spaces for men through cornhole
02:00 - Finding community as a Black man in professional spaces
03:00 - Wearing the mask and needing time to decompress
04:30 - Why brotherhood matters
05:30 - Marriage, communication, and support
07:00 - 1432 The Podcast and Smooth 1432 connections
08:30 - Earl Docket spotlight begins
09:00 - Fly Beyond Limits and First Love Yourself
10:00 - Depression, mental health, and young people
11:00 - The Breakfast Club mentorship model
12:00 - Reducing suspensions, referrals, and chronic absence
13:30 - Why students need to be heard
14:30 - IEPs and individualized support
16:00 - Parent consistency and investing in children
18:00 - How to connect with Earl Docket
19:30 - Jay McDaniels spotlight begins
20:00 - How Jay discovered cornhole during COVID
21:30 - From traditional sports to cornhole
22:30 - Why bring cornhole to inner-city youth
24:00 - Cornhole as a mental and strategic sport
25:00 - Scholarship opportunities and youth pathways
26:00 - Cornhole with Smooth Youth Academy
27:30 - How to connect with Cornhole with Smooth
29:00 - Josh Gilliam spotlight begins
29:30 - Vertical Therapy LLC and men’s mental health
31:00 - Why men need confidential safe spaces
32:30 - What happens in therapy stays in therapy
33:30 - Trauma, youth, and emotional processing
35:00 - Cornhole, precision, and therapy
36:00 - Addressing the real thing instead of dancing around it
37:00 - How to connect with Josh Gilliam
38:00 - Sponsor message and closing
About STL Hustle Insider
STL Hustle Insider is a St. Louis podcast and local media platform hosted by Cortez Hustle and owned by iHustle Media Group LLC.
The show spotlights the people, businesses, creatives, nonprofits, leaders, entrepreneurs, and movements building St. Louis from the inside out. Through real conversations and local storytelling, STL Hustle Insider brings attention to the builders, visionaries, and community movers shaping the future of the region.
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