A Better Way

The relationships we build can shape what we believe is possible, and how we choose to show up for others.

In this episode of A Better Way, Kristi Jacobson, Senior Vice President and Relationship Officer at Tradition Capital Bank, shares her perspective on meaningful relationships, values-aligned work, financial empowerment, and the many ways we can use our experiences, resources, and influence to help others thrive.

Kristi reflects on growing up on the North Shore of Lake Superior, becoming a first-generation college graduate, and the mentors who invested in her at pivotal moments in her life. She shares how those experiences shaped her approach to mentorship, connection, and creating opportunities for others.

She also reflects on her career in financial services, from discovering the importance of values alignment at work to helping make financial concepts more accessible and empowering. Throughout her career, authentic relationships have remained at the center of her work, shaping how she thinks about networking, leadership, and what it means to genuinely care for the people around us.

The episode also explores belonging, nonprofit leadership, the personal experiences that can draw us toward giving back, and the roles self-discovery and empathy play in generosity.

Ultimately, Kristi invites us to expand the way we think about what we have to give. Beyond time, talent, and treasure, our relationships, experiences, and influence can be meaningful gifts, too.

Listen in for a thoughtful conversation about building meaningful relationships, finding alignment between your values and your work, and using what you already have to make a difference.

What does it take to make people pay attention to the causes they might otherwise ignore? For Gary Mueller, it takes creativity, courage, and sometimes, a willingness to make people uncomfortable.

Gary is Executive Creative Director at BVK and the founder of Serve, an all-volunteer advertising agency built to bring bold creative thinking to underserved causes. In this episode of A Better Way, Gary joins Leah Barr to share the epiphany that led to Serve’s creation and reflect on 25 years of using provocative, purposeful marketing to help change behaviors and create meaningful impact.

Throughout the conversation, Gary shares the stories behind some of Serve’s most memorable campaigns and the lessons he has learned along the way, including why getting attention is only part of the equation. Creating meaningful change also requires humility, listening, and understanding the people you hope to reach.

The conversation also explores a bigger idea about generosity: the transformative power of using what you already have to serve others. Gary reflects on how creative professionals can put their skills and expertise to work for good, the impact that service can have on both communities and volunteers, and what is ahead for Serve as it enters its next chapter.

Takeaways

• Bold, provocative marketing can help underserved causes break through the noise and inspire action.
• Serve grew from a powerful sense of purpose into an all-volunteer model that has spent 25 years bringing creative expertise to nonprofits.
• Effective campaigns require more than boldness. Humility, listening, and nuance are critical to creating messages that resonate with the people they are intended to reach.
• Professional skills, creativity, time, and expertise can all be meaningful forms of generosity.
• Serving others can have a transformative impact not only on communities, but also on the people who choose to give their talents.

Chapters

00:00 The Epiphany and Founding of Serve
03:33 The Journey to Advertising
05:27 The Impact of Bold and Provocative Advertising
08:17 The Power of Purposeful Advertising
09:21 The Creation of Behavior-Changing Campaigns
23:17 Partnering with Organizations and Balancing Boldness and Humility
29:48 The Power of Humility and Listening
35:19 Transformative Impact of Serving
36:19 Creative Professionals in the Nonprofit Space
47:05 Reflecting on 25 Years and Vision for the Future

Thinking about joining a nonprofit board but not sure where to start?

Many people assume nonprofit board service is reserved for executives, experts, or people with years of experience. In reality, some of the most impactful board members simply started by saying yes.

In this episode of A Better Way, Cam Rosenow and Trisha Zeller from NorthRock Partners, share what nonprofit board service is really like. From finding the right organization and understanding the responsibilities of a board member to using your professional skills to make a meaningful difference, this conversation offers practical advice for anyone looking to serve their community.

You'll learn how to find a nonprofit that aligns with your passions, what board service actually involves, and why you don't have to be an expert to make a lasting impact. Whether you're considering your first board position or simply looking for a new way to give back, this episode will help you take the next step with confidence.

In this episode:

• How to know if nonprofit board service is right for you
• What nonprofit board members actually do
• How to find a mission that aligns with your passions
• Why your professional skills can make a bigger difference than you realize
• The personal and professional impact of serving your community

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations about generosity, leadership, philanthropy, and building a life of purpose.

How do you build generational wealth that lasts beyond money? In this episode of A Better Way, Foundation X explores how generational wealth, family legacy, charitable giving, strategic philanthropy, financial planning, faith, investing, and generosity come together to create lasting impact. Former NBA player Anthony Tolliver shares how his definition of wealth evolved beyond financial success into building a legacy rooted in faith, family, and purpose.

After a 13-year NBA career, Anthony transitioned from professional basketball into entrepreneurship, investing, and philanthropy. Today, alongside his wife and four children, he is intentionally building the Tolliver Family Foundation, teaching the next generation that true wealth isn't measured only by financial assets, but by generosity, service, and the lives we impact together.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, financial advisor, investor, parent, nonprofit leader, philanthropist, athlete, or someone thinking about the legacy you want to leave behind, this conversation offers practical insights into building wealth, raising generous children, and creating impact that lasts for generations.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Anthony Tolliver built a 13-year NBA career by maximizing every opportunity

• Why generational wealth is about more than financial success

• How faith and family shape long-term decision making

• Why investing early creates freedom beyond your career

• How to raise children who value generosity and service

• The story behind the Tolliver Family Foundation

• Why defining your financial "finish line" changes everything

• How philanthropy becomes a tool for building generational impact

• Why generosity should become part of your family's identity

• How purpose, investing, and charitable giving work together to create lasting legacy

At Foundation X, we believe there is A Better Way for Doing Good. Every episode explores how strategic philanthropy, charitable giving, donor-advised funds, nonprofit leadership, family philanthropy, foundation management, legacy giving, impact investing, financial planning, wealth management, and community impact help individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits create lasting change. Our mission is to help people align their values with their resources to build stronger communities and a more generous future.

Learn more about Foundation X: foundation-x.org

Follow Foundation X:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/foundation-x

Instagram: @foundation_x_org

What starts as a single opportunity can create impact for a lifetime.

In this episode of A Better Way, Leah Barr sits down with brothers Brandon and Ryan Schenck to explore how an early experience through the nonprofit organization For Us shaped not only their futures, but their understanding of mentorship, leadership, and the responsibility to create opportunity for others.

What began as a summer job caddying at a local golf course became a pathway to the Evans Scholarship, higher education, professional careers, and ultimately a return to the very organization that helped launch their journeys.

Together, Brandon and Ryan share how small investments in young people can create ripple effects far beyond what we initially imagine. Through the encouragement of family, mentors, and community members who believed in them, they gained access to opportunities that changed the trajectory of their lives. Today, they are committed to ensuring those same opportunities exist for the next generation.

This conversation explores:

• How mentorship can create lasting impact across generations
• The power of opportunity to change the trajectory of a life
• Why consistency, perseverance, and showing up matter
• The role community plays in helping people reach their potential
• What it means to receive an opportunity—and return it to others
• How impact often begins with a single person willing to invest their time, knowledge, or belief in someone else

At its core, this episode is a story about the ripple effect of impact. It's a reminder that generosity isn't always financial, and that sometimes the most meaningful investments are the ones we make in people.

Whether you're a parent, mentor, nonprofit leader, educator, or someone looking for ways to make a difference, this conversation offers a powerful perspective on how opportunity, when paired with support and intention, can shape lives for decades.

Brandon and Ryan Schenck are brothers and leaders of ForeUs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing young people through mentorship, opportunity, and golf caddie training. Both are Evans Scholars whose lives were transformed through the program at an early age. Today, Brandon serves as Chairman of the Board and Ryan serves as Chief Operating Officer, helping create pathways for young people to access the same life-changing opportunities that shaped their own futures.

What if philanthropy wasn’t an add-on to financial advice, but a central part of financial planning and wealth management?

In this episode of A Better Way, Leah Barr sits down with Rob Nelson, Founder and CEO of NorthRock Partners, to explore how philanthropy, charitable giving, and purpose can be fully integrated into comprehensive financial advice.

Drawing from over 30 years of experience as a financial advisor, Rob shares how his perspective on charitable giving evolved through working with clients and witnessing the real impact of intentional philanthropy. What began as a response to client needs ultimately shaped a broader vision for financial planning, one that goes beyond investments and tax strategy to include purpose, legacy, and meaningful impact.

The conversation also explores the creation of Foundation X and how simplifying the complexities of philanthropy and charitable giving can help individuals, families, and advisors create more intentional, measurable impact. Rob unpacks why many financial advisors hesitate to engage in philanthropic conversations, why that hesitation matters, and what it looks like to step into the role of a truly comprehensive advisor.

This episode offers a perspective on the future of financial advice, where philanthropy, charitable giving, and values-based financial planning are no longer separate, but fully integrated.

NorthRock Partners is an SEC-registered investment advisor. Guest views are their own and not those of NorthRock Partners.

Innovation thrives when it’s aligned with personal vocation.

In this episode, Sara Meslow, founder and executive director of Camp Odayin, shares her journey of creating a space for children with heart disease to experience the transformational power of camp. What began with her own lived experience as a heart patient became something she couldn’t ignore, a deep sense that something needed to exist and that she was the one meant to build it.

What followed wasn’t just the creation of a camp. It was the creation of a community shaped by connection, belonging, and a shared understanding of what it means to navigate life with heart disease.

Sara’s story is a testament to what happens when purpose, experience, and action come together. It’s a reminder that meaningful innovation doesn’t always start with strategy, but with paying attention to what’s on your heart and having the courage to act on it.

In this engaging conversation, Leah Barr speaks with Caroline Correia, a seasoned professional in the event industry, about her journey into event design, the importance of generosity, and how to create meaningful experiences. They discuss the role of joy and creativity in events, the impact of small moments, and the significance of understanding the audience to foster connection and engagement. Caroline shares her insights on the evolving nature of events and the importance of empathy and curiosity in her work at BeEvents.

Sometimes the most transformative moment in giving is realizing it changes not just the world, but the giver as well. In this first episode of A Better Way, the Foundation X podcast, Leah Barr is joined by Emily Vennerstrom, COO of NorthRock Partners and President of Foundation X, for an honest conversation about generosity, joy, and the deeply personal nature of social impact.

Through stories rooted in service, community, and global experience, Emily reflects on how philanthropy can be intentional, imperfect, and profoundly human. She explores how values guide giving, why impact is never one-size-fits-all, and how structure can support creativity rather than limit it. This conversation invites listeners to rethink what doing good looks like, and how generosity, collaboration, and purpose can create meaningful connection for individuals, nonprofits, and communities.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

• Why generosity and philanthropy are deeply personal journeys
• How joy and empowerment can be reintroduced into giving
• The role of community, collaboration, and nonprofit partnerships in social impact
• What it means to give with intention, even when resources feel limited

This episode is for anyone seeking a more grounded, human approach to giving, impact, and purpose.

In this About Our Podcast episode of A Better Way, host Leah Barr shares why the podcast exists and the perspective that shaped it. She reflects on how values-aligned generosity can feel more intentional, human, and joyful, and why there isn’t one right way to do good, while also diving into the work and philosophy of Foundation X. This episode helps set the stage for what’s to come, inviting listeners into thoughtful reflection, curiosity, and the many ways impact can take shape.