How Brad Kinkema Transformed the YMCA from Gym & Swim to a Community Lifeline

[0:00]  Greatness has always come from lots of failures. Absolutely. No, no one uh gets to be great or nothing is invented. You you don't get to Everest without lots of defeats. You can't do it right. And so, uh I think kids now think that everything's got to be success and when they fail, it's over, right? And that's just a building block for for getting to where you want.

[0:44]  All right, guys. Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle Podcast. When you think of the YMCA, do you still picture just the treadmills and the swimming pools? Well, my guest today would actually kindly ask you to think again. This man has spent decades flipping the script, turning the Y into a fullblown heartbeat of the community.

[1:02]  From mental health to mentorship, from AI nonprofits to real leadership lessons. We're unpacking it all with someone who's lived it. Let's welcome Mr. Brad to the Heart and Hustle podcast. How you doing today, sir? I'm good. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. I love you, man. Listen, uh I say I love you. Well, I do love you. Uh let's start off here. So Brad, I I love that we're in this space of YMCA because the last time I actually went to YMCA is uh probably like a year or two years ago.

[1:27]  And the reason I went is because they do free swimming lessons and I have a little daughter, right? And um when I walked in, I'm like, man, it's been a long time. Before that, maybe I was 12 years old, you know, and we went uh me and my brother went just to it was a community thing, you know, we had a YMCA where we grew up. Um but ever since then, I haven't walked into one. Man, what is it? You actually I remember you telling me that your dad was a YMCA director too if I wasn't mistaken.

[1:53]  So, and by the way, you made me feel very old when you said decades in the Y, but I guess that's that's true. You know, um my first job was at the Y. Uh in good part because my dad was the executive director at the uh community center YMCA where we grow up. He he was there at the Y since I was born. So he he retired after 32 years there. So um I spent a lot of my formative years in YMCA programs or just running around.

[2:25]  You know, I have such fond memories of going with my dad to the Y before it was open on a Saturday morning. He'd have to open it and as elementary school kid to be able to run around a giant building, you know, with all kinds of different spaces was was just awesome. So, a lot of fond memories that helped um guide me uh through life and so it was a natural progression to keep giving back and and joining the Y. Do you ever feel like at some point you're just um living on your dad's legacy? Someone that was in the YMCA for some years and did damn near the work that you're doing now, you're probably doing at a bigger scale, but do you ever feel like you're just kind of following your dad's footsteps as leaving that leg? following his footsteps but making my own path as as well. My dad did a lot of things

[3:12]  really good. Uh but of course when he was a director um you know when he retired they had a lot of technology but they did their budget on paper. Uh he got his phone messages written and put in his box. They didn't have voicemail. um there wasn't a lot of technology uh back then and um and so a lot has changed but but the foundation of my belief system is definitely uh how I lead as a leader is from my dad you know compassion understanding building people up and that kind of thing you're in a special place as a leader when it comes to nonprofit Brad and I say that because not a lot of people spend their entire career in the nonprofit you know world and you never really I don't think that

[4:00]  we spoke last time that you mentioned that you were in the for-profit world. Um did you always want to do nonprofit just cuz it felt like home for you like this is what you kind of grew up in and and you loved it growing up? Well, when I got out of college, you know, I had a degree in sociology so I I didn't really know like a lot of people that get out of college are like what am I going to do the rest of my life? And so it was sort of a natural thing for me to start at a Y. I was a a swim coach and aquatic director. Um, and then it just uh felt good and I just never stopped and I I as most people do in life, they try to achieve more and progress more and learn more. And so I kept moving up u with the YMCA. A lot of times you got to move. So I've moved uh several times with my wife and kids. And I've been here in

[4:48]  Martinsville for 17 years. And uh I think we'll probably stay till retirement here. Really like it. But uh before that I I progressed through several different stages at Wise. Wow. What was that moment for you? May maybe a story or person that really made you think as you were doing this through all these decades. Um yep. This is really where I want to be. This is where I'm I'm meant to be actually. Well, it's reinforced all the time, you know, in the Y. In fact, if you hear background noise of people carrying on and having a good time, it's because I'm in my office and uh right over here, I usually have the windows open where I can see people and wave to them and um you know, give a quick shout out. But uh it's reinforced all the time when you you you know, you mentioned your daughter learning to

[5:35]  swim, when you see somebody that's never been in a pool before and they're putting their face under uh and they're learning water safety. when you see a senior that has lost a loved one and they never came to the Y before, but now the Y is the go place for them because they need community. So those things throughout my career have just uh kept me going.

[5:59]  I love that. And we kind of go back to the beginning of what we were talking about the what what's really nails on a chalkboard for you is when someone says uh the why is gym and swim. Right. Right. What what are they really missing about the Y when why do they just reduce it to that? Um this is nothing against fitness centers or you know for-profit fitness centers. They they have a spot um and fill a fill a need but that's not us, right? We do have weight equipment.

[6:29]  We do have a pool. Uh but the purpose of those instruments, if you will, is is not to be the same as the equipment that a plan of fitness has. And so, let me explain. I was thinking about this today. Um, when we teach swim lessons, we certainly teach water safety and how to swim, but we also teach how to be a part of a group. We also teach uh uh self-control, sitting there. We teach um risktaking in a safe environment. We teach um uh how to learn a new skill.

[7:03]  So, so the purpose of those lessons, if you will, those swim lessons are to teach much more than just the the what you would think you're getting. Uh I also coach the swim team and I recently came up with uh sort of a pledge or a a statement of what we are and almost none of it is about winning um or uh getting faster. It's about um how we respond to when we fail, right? How how we have a work ethic uh to do better. And when we do those things, we win uh in the most part. And so just another example of we have group exercise classes and some people on the surface level would say,

[7:49]  "Oh yeah, you're teaching you're teaching group exercise and people go in and they get stronger." Well, what we're what we're giving is community. So people come into that class specifically because they don't want to work out alone. They want to meet people. They uh want to go through life with people uh that are also exercising. So it's very different than um just being a fitness center and a pool. Uh we're we're here for the community for much more for building uh mind, body, and strength.

[8:23]  You know, that's what we're all about. and and giving someone a place to to go when they feel like there's nowhere to go. Right. Exactly. Giving them that family. You mentioned how people come in, they wave at you because now you become part of their day, part of their life. You're like family to them. I can only imagine how many gifts you're receiving on a Christmas, you know, month or things like that. I actually want to talk about a little bit about kind of what you guys do during that time. You mentioned YMCA Santa. Yeah.

[8:48]  What does a story like that say about this? So, so we we had an individual that was uh challenged. He was actually a little bit older than me and I I he was one of the first people I knew when I um came here. He recently passed away so we were reflecting on him uh and and his impact. So he he had a lot of challenges but he lived on his own. He drove, God forbid you wouldn't want to get behind him because he he drove 35 miles an hour everywhere even if he was on a highway. But um he brightened everybody's day. Uh, and it wouldn't be unusual for Patrick to come in around Christmas time in a full Santa outfit.

[9:27]  He already had a beard, you know, and he just wanted to give back and and uh he'd walk around and say ho ho ho and talk with people and um that that was uh that's just one example of the eclectic people you meet at the Y, right? Uh he was a character that made the Y what it is. And if you went to any Y, I would challenge you. You will have a Patrickike person there, if that makes sense. Yeah, I love that. I I do love that you guys still honor him, right?

[10:01]  That that just kind of goes to show what the community looks like. Yeah. And I'm pretty sure, as you mentioned, so many people remember Patrick coming in like that or Patrick just saying hello or seemed like he was just that person. Spoke to anybody. Right. Right. This was a safe place. This is where he felt very comfortable to do the things that he was doing, you and you guys allowed it. So that's I think it's always cool that you guys allow people to just come as they are, right? That's why that's a huge part um is being a part of a community.

[10:29]  You got to be honest and that we all have issues, right? We're we're not all perfect and um um too many times we we um we put on this facade, right? And and we hope that we create an environment here where people can let down that guard. One of the things that we talked about, we created a YMCA culture um document of who we are. And one of the things in that document is we ask people how they're doing, but but not like you normally do because normally, hey, Efron, how how you doing today? Right?

[11:02]  And and whatever your answer is, I'm going to say, oh, that's great. I mean, you could tell me you're having the worst day ever. And I'd be like, well, I just wanted a hey, I'm good. Right? But what we stress to the staff is when you ask somebody how they're doing, you're really opening an invitation for them to say how they're doing and you'll respond appropriately. So if they're saying, man, I'm having a tough day today that we listen to that and we give back what they need and not that surface level.

[11:34]  Oh, okay. You know, um I'm sorry to hear that and keep going. Yeah. So that that is the kind of community that we we want um here where people can open up, they can share stories and right right outside my office, we have these three benches and more conversation happens there than I think anywhere in the community. Um and people a lot of times the old-timers will will sit there and they'll talk about life. They'll talk about their struggles of getting old because you know when you're 80 nothing's easy. Um, and uh that it makes their life better just sitting on those benches. As silly as that seems, that is a huge deal to to people uh that are that are aging and can't do the things they they can. Maybe they sit at home by themselves the rest of the day. So those

[12:23]  moments at the Y are are profound even though they look simple. No, it's actually to think that people would even after working out just spend time at the Y. Yeah, it shows that second home to them, right? Where they feel comfortable enough to just hang out another 30, 45 minutes. I'll give you guys also engaged. A perfect example is we just had a a family join this past year. In fact, their their father um bought a membership for them. Um and it is a blended family. So, it's a husband, wife, his kids, their uh their kids, her kids. I don't even know how many uh but Ronnie's a good friend. And um their life is busy. I don't know know if they live in the same house but they all come in about the same time to work out and sometimes that's the only time I think they they get to talk to each other

[13:10]  because their lives are so busy but the why has become like you said that second place um where they go uh they they get healthy um and they enjoy their time together. I love that you you did mention last time we spoke, Brad, that um you wasn't a big fan of writing, right? But you did mention as well with writing, you're using AI to help shape really what culture docs look like and and make sure it looks, you know, presentable for whoever's reading this.

[13:41]  H how did this start? Because I'm speaking to nonprofit leaders and believe me, some of them are just using Chad GPT and thinking to themselves like, "Wow, this is amazing. this would would change my nonprofit, which it it will, but I think there's a lot of AI tools out there that are really also helping and developing nonprofits at at a faster scale. What is your thoughts on AI? How did you even get started to start using Well, so let's go back to my grade school. I was a absolute terrible reader and terrible writer. Uh my mind just doesn't work that way. And I I never appreciated um the skill of writing or reading till I got older, you know, maybe even just 15 years ago, so in my 40s. And then I realized that just like talking, writing is a powerful communicator. And you can change people's perspective and um how

[14:31]  they view things by writing just as much as you can talk to them. So, I worked on that skill, but even, you know, working on that, uh, doesn't get you didn't get me to where I needed to be. So, um, AI has been a huge blessing for me. In fact, I'll give you a couple examples, um, that I just used in the last week. I mean, uh, I'm using it more and more. I wanted to make this commitment for the the swim team that I'm coaching, right?

[15:00]  So, what is the coach's commitments? What are the kids commitments? what are the pillars that we stand on? And I just had these bullet points, right? Just just things like u I wrote them down, but how we're going to practice um how what we're going to focus on. And I put it in the chat GP GBT and I said expand on this. And man, it came up with the most elegant, beautiful document that was up here, right? It was up here, but I couldn't articulate it in writing. Um, I also had to do some agreements. Um, I wouldn't say they were contracts, but they pretty much were. And I'm not a lawyer, so I wrote that. I said, "Put this into, you know, an agreement." Um, and then I'll give you a personal one.

[15:48]  I'm going on spring break with my wife to Savannah and um I heard a guy talk the other day and he was telling about all the things AI can do, right? And he said, "You can make a itinerary." So I said, "Okay, we're going to we're going to see what this thing will do." So I put in AI. I said, "My wife, we're going to Savannah.

[16:07]  Here's the place where we're staying. We like to run. We like to have coffee in the morning. And we like to have beer at night with live music. Um, create me an itinerary." And within 5 seconds, 10 seconds at the most, it came up with a daily itinerary. And there was something that I forgot to put in there. we don't like fancy restaurants. Because it had us going to some upper end restaurants. So I said, "Hey, we want a uh you know, middle of the road, nice with a lot of culture um restaurant." And it changed it. I mean, the power of what AI can do is is pretty incredible. Hey, real quick. If you enjoying the podcast, we first want to say thank you and we also just want to give you a little insight of what we're

[16:54]  up to at Francis. Some don't even realize that we're working with organizations to help them use AI to create that real human communication experiences where that's actually supporting your your families, those patients or the entire community. We're actually creating tech that connects. Check it out. Francis.ai. Yeah. I I'll tell you one another one, Brad, that uh happened to me. You talked about not um not being an attorney and a lawyer, right? I had a situation where I had to be my own lawyer. Well, Chad Dvt was my lawyer actually, right? Because I I was putting in You could put in screenshots into Chad DBT and it would read it, you know? So, you could put in documents and it would read it. So, I'm talking to it. I love to talk to it. So, either I'm talking to it on my phone all the time because it's just better that way. You talked about not wanting to

[17:40]  write. You could just talk to it. How great is this? Or I'm right here just talking to it as I'm doing it. And um I got my money back and it got to the point where it even sometimes gets like kind of aggressive to where I had to say, "Hey, that's too aggressive. Can we kind of talk down a little bit? Like chat DBT, it's an assistant. It's a tool. Um I think when people especially leaders or I mean I think anyone thinks AI coming into their establishment that their jobs are being replaced but I think the jobs are going to be replaced by people that know AI, not so much just AI, right? Um but I'm loving that you're using it. so many different features.

[18:13]  Like if you could get a if you could have a let's say a virtual a AI bot, you know, whether it's on the website, whether that's inside the YMCA for the communities for engagement, what does that look like for you? Well, uh, have you thought that far? Well, we actually just hired a marketing director and she's young and is very versed in AI, but of course AI is changing so much that you need to keep up with it. And I we were talking um about our marketing and one of the things that the Y has is it's very tight on its brand and how you use it, what colors you use, what you put around it.

[18:56]  And there there's a branding document that's probably about 40 pages long. And we were talking I said, "Could you pump that into AI and um then you know maybe we pay we pay for uh the program because you know you can only use so much for free and have it create our flyers." And she said, "Oh yeah, you know, and there it's legit." So I have not got into the financing part of AI, but I know a lot of wise will use it. They'll put in their um financial statement each month and they'll say, "Tell me what you see uh where I can make improvements." Um I haven't got to that part, but I can tell you when um I sent an email yesterday that I had to be real sensitive about um but I

[19:44]  needed to make an ask. Uh that's really all I can tell you. And so I I wrote it and I put it in chatgpt and I said, "Here's the situation." You know, I want to come across as compassionate, but and and it took what I wrote and made it a ton better. A ton. I mean, and and it's not um if if if anybody out there's never used AI, it's not uh it's amazing how it is what you're thinking, right?

[20:15]  It it doesn't take what you write and totally change it to something that you're not familiar with. Yeah. Um and that's what's incredible. It's not an editor. It's actually thinking and um you know, you can tweak it any way you want. Brad, I don't even know if you if you've done this part. If you go to uh Chad and go to the settings, you can um kind of almost create that engine, right? You could tell it what kind of tone you want. What are you doing? Who is Brad? So that anytime you know you talk like I got it to the point Brad I I now use chatbt so much I need to create automations out of chatbt. So I have and this is crazy on the back end and you might be like I don't get it but if you look at the diagram there's like 15 maybe 15 steps but it's all automation.

[21:01]  I can now drop a video into one file and it'll come back on the other end with a full script like full uh caption hashtags hook and everything for my video. Don't you know and it's in my voice because I created this GPT that would do it's like amazing what AI is doing and I'm kind of when I think about nonprofit leaders as you mentioned if you're not using it why not it it's truly Yeah for sure time for sure. Well, another example that this speaker gave the other day is you could take an hourong uh YouTube video and you could dump it into AI. You know, let's say we're all busy and and nonprofit leaders are busy, too. So, if you had um uh a training that you had to watch, you know, uh but you just didn't have the time, dump it in the chat GPT, say, "Give me give me the 15 bullet points,

[21:50]  you know, that uh this video is talking about." And what within a minute you have that? I mean, um, I I got one better for you, Brad. I'm not a reader. As much as I could read, I just don't like to read. Okay. So, I got all these books are just for show. Don't don't think that I read that book. I tried and then my mind goes elsewhere. But there was this book right here, right? Big book. I'm definitely not opening it. But someone gave it to me as I uh transitioned to um just, you know, entrepreneurship. He says, "Man, this this book changed my life, the success principles." And I I'm reading it, Chicken Soup for the Soul. I remember that book. Okay, cool. But I wasn't going to read the whole book. So I put in the title. I said, "Hey, can you give me like some insights and and knows what I'm doing? I'm in the, you know, coaching podcasting space." And it gave me breakdown of almost every chapter and

[22:38]  how I could utilize some of these things that were in this book. And I'm like, "Wow." Like you mentioned, within seconds, I already knew what the book was about and it it stripped everything that I needed to know. How cool is that? Yeah. Well, that that reminds me. I I love Jordan Peterson who's uh a psychiatrist and has written a book uh 12 um I forget what it is but he's very difficult to read like and I'm not a strong reader as I mentioned right so I read what he says and I don't get it it's it's like the King James version right of the Bible you know you read it and you're like what and so I may put him through chat GPT and say give me in in my language you know the the principles here and uh I'll be able to understand it a lot better. I love it. I love it. You said nonprofits still need

[23:26]  to be run like businesses but but with soul. Yeah. Can you break that down for someone who might not get what balance actually looks like? Well, so a lot of times people get into the nonprofit world because they're passionate about certain area, right? they want to help uh they they want to open a um uh a feeding center or they they want to give food to the homeless or they uh want to do something that is is close to their heart. But there's a whole another aspect to running a nonprofit besides the passionate part and it's called a business. Um, and so we as nonprofits have a real challenge to run ourselves like a business even though most of the time we're very very small. You know,

[24:14]  uh, we're about a $2 million um, YMCA. That may seem like a lot, but um, small things can make big impacts. So, we watch everything we spend. Um and and so it's it's important to not only finances but human resourcewise how you portray yourself. You you have to be as good as any business out there. Um y you know I I as the director so we're small enough Y that I'm the IT guy. I'm the HR guy.

[24:48]  Um I I play have a lot of hats on. And you know, we're mentioning AI now. You can pump in, you know, um, you could put in, I have an employee that's doing this, blah, blah, blah. What do you recommend? And chat GD would come up with an answer, you know. Um, so we have to wear many hats, but that's not an excuse not to have finances done properly to ensure something like segregation of duties, which means you know that someone's not taking money. um that people's uh that are paying you in donations or membership uh that your money is accounted for. Uh that you're treating employees according to the law and what's right. Um those are big things that that people going into a

[25:36]  nonprofit have to take into consideration. Bro, when you think about fundraising, are you guys doing fundraising? Like when I think YMCA, there's memberships. I don't know if I've ever seen an event put on by the YMCA. Um do you guys do fundraisers? Is that what you got? Yeah. In fact, the poster right here, we're trying to raise $28 million for a new the new building. Is that what it is?

[25:56]  Yeah. Yeah. So, okay. Okay. That's what I figured. I had to put that prop in there, you know. Um, so we're we're always fundraising in one sense or another. Um, I'll give you an example. Our swim team, you know, swim teams are very costly because uh of of not only the staffing, but you're taking valuable pool time away. And so, um, we go out and we ask for sponsors. But the the biggest thing with fundraising, I'll I'll tell you, is, um, telling your story, right? So, um, what what we like to do or I like to do is, uh, for example, say, um, you know, we're we're teaching 700 first graders in Martinsville and Henry County free swim lessons. They come from the school. uh

[26:45]  they they do their swim lessons and they go back to school. So we we guarantee that we're teaching everybody a week long of swim lessons and you know we do it at no cost to the individual. Um and then you segue into is that something you could support, right? So it's not a cold, hey, you need to give the Y money because we're a nonprofit and and it's hard to make it. We we tell our story of what we're doing. We're impacting lives.

[27:10]  We're making a difference. Um we're giving seniors a place to go and then we give an avenue for them to give back and um that's been very successful uh because who wouldn't you know um we have so many different facets that if somebody it isn't their thing to support kids in swim lessons but it is for seniors for a safe place to be you can support that you know um yeah I believe nonprofits um their product is stories like that that's what we sell right nonprofit, we we sell stories and when people get to see the story and the impact that is making on the other end, they're they're definitely more compelled to to give. Um, so we don't have a physical product. We're not selling a book. I mean, in this case, we sell, you know, in YMCA, suddenly there's memberships, but there's also selling that story for people to say,

[27:57]  "Oh, I'm I I want to see more of that." Right? And that's what all organizations do. Do do you actually think that there's a mind shift that leaders should have um or need to make when asking for money? Is there anything differently that you you think you come across? Well, sometimes um people think that they're owed because they're doing good work, right?

[28:19]  I'm I'm doing good work here, so you should contribute to me. And that's not how the life works, right? Um people want to know that their funding is going to valuable work and making a difference. And so I never begrudge somebody that uh doesn't support the why or doesn't support it to what they support others be other organizations because um we we have some very good funders that make it really well known that they've never been in the Y. They don't even know necessarily what the Y does, but they contribute. Um and they'll make it well known that is look, it's not my biwick, right? I love the Y.

[29:00]  I love what you do, Brad, but I'm over here because this is what I support, but they still support us. So, no one owes your nonprofit anything even though you're doing great work. Um, tell your story. Don't whine about how how broke you are um and how you need their donation, but tell a story that's compelling and then open the door for them to give, right? It'll just happen.

[29:30]  it it will just happen. Yeah, I think communication with donors is so important. Um, one of the things I've noticed is out of sight, out of mind. You know, people think that uh asking too much or too many times could be a hinder to some folks. But I don't think so. I think I'm seeing in the nonprofit space as me now being in in the leadership role where people are saying, "Hey, I don't mind giving. You just got to ask. Remind me." Right? like it people give to so many places they forget or you know they maybe they give that one time a year they forget and if you don't remind them how do we keep engagement how do we keep that communication going letting them know that there's events you know um is that happening for some nonprofits and I think some nonprofits haven't created that database that allows them to communicate even through text message I think the number one form of communication is text message yeah you know and I think you could agree with

[30:17]  that you're never going to change your phone number so if you get someone's phone number if they get your number saved in um I think there's something there is how do keep them engaged so they can also, you know, come back. And I want to challenge you on something because we talked about this a little earlier as well. For those that are watching, um, that hasn't been in the YMCA since the '9s. What's something about the modern YMCA that would totally surprise someone as they walk in?

[30:45]  H, you should have given me this question. Well, well, okay. So, in the 90s, I I'll tell you this. my dad's old Y. It had the universal equipment, right? And and this is going back even to the 70s, right? It had the rubberized track that went around and it was curved and in the middle was a universal machine and a heavy bag and a speed bag.

[31:11]  Um and and wise have changed where sometimes they had a reputation for being a grungy place, you know, that wasn't clean. Um and the majority of wise are not like that anymore. Um we've spent a lot on the infrastructure uh of wise. Uh certainly our Y is aging but it's well kept up. Um the equipment is new and so um yeah I would challenge them that uh uh the Y is constantly changing to serve um what it's needed in the community.

[31:50]  You know, I was thinking about uh this the other day because we had a list of questions. You know, wise back in the day, it some of the old old-timers remember um the Y was all about staying uh men staying there. So, if you had a Y in downtown Rowan Oak or some of the bigger metropolitan areas, um men could stay there and they also swam naked, right? Because there were only men there. So, uh we have changed a lot. uh over the years and will continue to change. The Y is doing much more, you know, we're about body, mind, spirit, but we've uh forgot about the mind in a lot of sense as far as like mentally being mentally healthy and the wise is getting much more into understanding

[32:39]  their role in mental health, right? Certainly coming and working out is uh good me you know for your mental health but there's other things like you know how do people deal with stress how do they deal with um the death of a loved one and how can the Y be a space that helps with that um so that's what you're going to see more of going forward is we're not just about getting physically healthy but mentally healthy as well and for folks that are listening who haven't stepped um in the why, you know, and want to know how they can give back.

[33:15]  What are some some ways, I know you mentioned a new building. What are some ways our our our listeners and and those that are are watching, whether it's um now or years from now, how can they continue to give back to their local YMCA's to YMCA's in general, what does that look like? Well, um you can give your time, treasure, or talent is what we say. So, you know, your time you can volunteer. your treasure, you can give or your talent, you can volunteer um what whatever your skill set is. The other thing is just Google um the Y close to you and go in and see what it's all about and and dig a little bit deeper than just walking around and seeing the facility because the facility is just a tool uh to shape people's lives. So, you know, see what programs

[34:02]  they do, talk with the staff and and see how they're affecting people's lives and and then, you know, get engaged at whatever level you want. You know, we were talking on the the last time about everybody has a wise story, right? It's amazing whether it's a tiny one or a big one, whether it's, hey, I went to day camp when I was a kid or I learned to swim at the Y or I was a camp counselor or a lifeguard. Um, everybody's been touched one way or another by the YMCA. Um, and we'd like to make it more profound than just passing.

[34:40]  Brad, I can't believe we've been talking already almost 35 minutes. So, we got another question before we get to this blind question. Yeah. Yeah. What does it mean to you personally to lead with purpose in a world that often chases profit over people? You've been doing it for so long. Well, it it's a blessing, right? It's a blessing to see um the effect we're having on people. Um and I I will say it's it's not always uh a sequer but um leading with passion focused passion and um making a a space for people to enjoy community eventually leads to profit.

[35:25]  Right? So it it is um it it doesn't mean that you can't make money at it. Um because people seek what the why is giving. Um you know I'll also say uh I grew up as a swimmer. I I swam um division one um in college on a scholarship. So that that's something that has affected my trajectory in life. And so I'm giving back coaching the kids here. And um even though I work a full day and then I go coach, it is uh totally different work that um sort of juices me up and and uh I love to do it because I see the kids changing not only getting faster but their mindset, right? Because

[36:15]  we talk a lot about hard work, right? which isn't a among uh uh kids under 20 isn't a good thing, right? They they want to be able to do things the easy way, right? And we talk about perseverance, hard work, commitment, um teamwork and things. Um and going back to those old school things, um and seeing how the kids absorb that is is really awesome.

[36:47]  almost kind of scary when you think about kids and the way they think, right? It's almost they have that Amazon effect. They want it now and you have a tachy PT that gives it to them now, right? It's kind of scary because will they have that hard work, that grit that I think a lot of us got from, you know, young and putting in that time and that hard work and getting creative and and thinking outside the box. As you mentioned, I go to Chad DBT and say, "Hey, think outside the box. I'm doing XYZ." And within seconds, it gives it to you. Yeah. So, I think there's pros and there's cons to it, but I I did kind of liken the direction you were going to when it comes to our youth and what does that look like, you know, nowadays.

[37:23]  Yeah. And we and we talk a lot about um you know, I always parallel life with practice, right, or swim team. And I I tell them, you know, this is not you're not going to go from this time to this time like this. That's not how life works. That's not how swimming works. You're going to have this, right? And when you're down here, you analyze, why did that happen? How do I get back up?

[37:52]  Same as life, right? If if life was like this, it would be boring. Um to be honest, and so we we talk a lot about that and we talk a lot about it is never when you win when you learn the most, right? It is when you don't do what you wanted to do and you have to learn from it. And and that's that's life. I love that you you you gave me the example of like this, right? Like you're not really enjoying it. Um someone mentioned to me recently like, man, life's been a roller coaster. And I'm like, oh, that's good.

[38:25]  That means you're living because if you're not, are you really living? You know, life is about those roller coasters. There are ups and downs. And as you mentioned, when you're down, what is there to learn when you're down? Because those are the really like learning moments. you know, we we go and chase something, we fail. That doesn't mean you failed for life. It just mean that there was a lesson to be learned so you don't make the mistake again or that you could be better the next time. So, uh greatness has always come from lots of failures. Absolutely. No, no one uh gets to be great or nothing is invented or um you don't get to Everest without lots of defeats. you can't do it, right? And so, uh, I think kids now think that everything's got to be success and when

[39:13]  they fail, it's over, right? And that's just a building block for for getting to where you want. I agree. Listen, I can't This has been such a great conversation that I just I'm still in awe that we're already at the 40-minute mark. I'm going give you I'm give you the blind question, man. This really good blind question. Um, so the last leader wants to ask, if you were handed a blank check, Brad want they want you to dream big for the next 10 years of the YMCA, what would you actually do? Oh, that's an easy one, right? Uh, so we're building this uh our our dream is to build this new YMCA. We bought the property. It's a 20 $28 million new Y.

[39:50]  We have $18 million of it, and we're we're working every day to get more. um we we would uh I would write that check and um we'd start building tomorrow. Um and it would be as much as we're transformative here at our current Y, you know, sometimes um facility and physical things limit you from doing what you want to do. And so this would let us do everything that we want to do in the community. So yeah. Do you have a say you being at that seat where you're currently, do you have a say at what it looks like, what's being inputed, things like that, or is it just kind of general? Yeah. Yeah. And we and we've worked with one one valuable lesson I've learned is you don't ever have to be the smartest guy in the room, but you have to put the smartest guys in the room with you. So, um, one of the things we've done along this process is hired

[40:38]  um, consultants that just work with wise on um, knowing your community and what you should put in to a new Y that will be successful. Right? So, um, we've worked with a lot of smart people that said, um, here's what you should build and if you build this, you will be successful. Can you mention some of the new things, um, that will be going to this YMCA that maybe yours currently doesn't have? Yeah. So, one of the things is a outdoor splash park, uh, splash pad. So, a lot of municipalities are putting them in. Um, some YMCA's are. And so this would be a place for community to come where you don't need a lifeguard on a hot day. It would be awesome. We're putting in a third. So we have a uh two half courts now. We put in a third uh half court. So it' be a

[41:26]  bigger gym because we're just uh we always want a place for people to go. Um it has a second pool uh because we are busting at the seams with all the things we have going on. The pool, we can't serve more people unless we expand. Um, and then just an expanded wellness center where we can help people reach their physical uh goals of getting stronger, losing weight, staying healthy, and things like that. Sounds fun, man. Do you still get the corner office with the windows? Uh, this one, the office would be uh have windows where I can see people coming into the building. Yeah. Okay. Okay. You still get to see that. I was about to say, you can't get rid of that. That was your thing. thing people. Well, Brad, man, it definitely was a pleasure. Is there anything that you want to um leave our

[42:13]  listeners with? Um any insights on the YMCA if you had to say the last words to them? Well, just um you know, like we started uh with the the Y is not a gym and swim. It has a pool. It has a fitness center, but those are tools to reach our purpose, which is to make people healthier uh in mind, body, and spirit. Um and uh so ne never never never think when you're joining the Y that you're joining a fitness center. You're joining a community center. Um and that's an important that it is a very very important distinction.

[42:51]  Um that the Y is here um to make people's lives better, not just stronger. Amazing words from Brad. Guys, if you haven't walked into a YMCA in years, the decades, this is a time where you want to walk into a YMCA. I've seen actually a lot of them that re, you know, as you mentioned, been updated, have been brand new. Half the splash pads, half the pools. So, if you guys are still wondering, should you go to the YMCA?

[43:16]  Yes, there's so many opportunities for you at all stages of your life. Whether you're, you know, you have a young kid that you want to get into the YMCA to, you mentioned about um swimming lessons or you're the elder that just needs community that that needs to feed the the you talked about body, mind, and soul. This is a time to go check out your local YMCA. We appreciate you, Brad, for being here, for giving us more insight on what has been really a um almost a landmark for a lot of us. We probably all remember that YMCA was in our communities, right? So, thank you for kind of giving us back the nostalgic feeling and hopes that we can get some more people into the YMCA's and I can't wait to see that new building as well.

[43:53]  Yeah, glad to do it. Thank you. Yeah, absolutely. Brad, my name is uh Ephra as you know guys, you're still watching Heart and Hustle Podcast. We'll catch you guys on the next one. Lers.