American Dream Factory (ADF)

In this solo episode of the American Dream Factory podcast, Nick Smoot explores a simple but powerful idea that keeps people stuck. Waiting.

Waiting for permission.

Waiting for perfection.

Waiting for someone else to go first.

Nick shares a personal story about solving a ridiculous traffic problem with a bucket of yellow paint and a little courage, and how that small act quietly changed behavior for hundreds of people and eventually the city itself.

This episode is a reminder that cities do not change because of committees alone. They change when ordinary people take responsibility for the problems they see and act on them.

If you feel lonely, disconnected, or frustrated with your city, this conversation is for you.

• Why waiting for permission keeps cities stagnant

• How perfection becomes an excuse to avoid meaningful action

• A real story of grassroots problem-solving that actually worked

• Why no one will ever invite you to build the world you see

• Taking responsibility for the chaos you notice around you

• Creating beauty, value, and order through small actions

• Why community begins with initiative, not authority

You do not need permission to care about your city.

You do not need perfection to get started.

The gap between the life you want and the impact you could have is often one small action.

Nick also shares how Build helps people take action together. Build is a community platform where you can:

• Post projects you are working on

• Share challenges your city needs solved

• Create events and third-place hubs

• List skills you want to learn or contribute

• Get introduced to people nearby through AI-powered matching

Learn more at buildcities.com

Nick invites listeners to the upcoming Build Summit on January 16–17, featuring two legendary mentors:

Flint Dille

World-builder, storyteller, and creator behind iconic universes including work with Steven Spielberg, Pokémon Go, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Chronicles of Riddick. Flint will lead a workshop on world building, games, and creative storytelling.

Amish Patel

Inventor, technologist, and venture builder whose work includes the Xbox controller, smartwatch sensor technology, and advanced robotic surgery systems. Amish will teach a workshop on venture capital and what is investable in 2026.

The summit includes workshops, fireside chats, pitch sessions, community-voted micro-grants, and time to connect with builders working on real projects.

• Website: buildcities.com

• Email Nick: [email protected]

If this episode resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and take one small action this week that creates beauty and value in your city.

The world does not need more spectators.

It needs builders.

If this episode resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and take one small action this week that creates beauty and value in your city.

The world does not need more spectators.

It needs builders.

America is running out of workers and time. The baby boomers are retiring, birth rates are collapsing, and colleges are struggling to prove their value. In the middle of that chaos, a new movement is forming built on skills, not degrees.

In this episode of The American Dream Factory, hosts Nick Smoot and Joseph Toney talk with Josh Wright, Head of Growth and Partnerships at Lightcast, one of the world’s top labor market data firms. Together they explore a defining question for America’s next chapter: can the nation rebuild its workforce fast enough to handle the coming labor storm?

Josh, a former journalist turned data storyteller, shares insights from Lightcast’s Rising Storm report, revealing how demographics, education gaps, and untapped human potential are reshaping the labor market. The conversation moves from workforce data to civic purpose, showing how cities, schools, and employers can realign around skills and human creativity instead of outdated systems.

This is more than an economic discussion. It is a moral one about how we value people, purpose, and contribution in the next American century.

The Great Workforce Reckoning

Baby boomers are aging out while the next generation is smaller and slower to engage. Labor shortages are hitting manufacturing, healthcare, trades, and public works hardest. America’s talent pool is shrinking, and the gap between open roles and available skills is growing.

Degrees Are Losing Their Power

A four-year degree no longer guarantees opportunity. Employers are shifting toward skills-based hiring, yet systems for verifying skills are still forming. Parents remain one of the biggest barriers, pushing children toward traditional degrees even as the trades and new credentials gain traction.

Data as Civic Infrastructure

Lightcast’s 34,000-skill taxonomy shows which abilities matter most right now and where. When data flows between educators, employers, and governments, cities thrive. Without shared data, everyone is guessing and losing.

The Hidden Workforce

Millions of Americans already have valuable but invisible skills. Unlocking that hidden capacity can fill jobs, drive innovation, and rebuild civic pride. Cities that activate this potential will outcompete those that do not.

The Moral Imperative of Work

Work is not only about money. It is about meaning, belonging, and participation. The Skills Revolution is the path to restoring human purpose in an automated world.

• The Demographic Drought series and its warning for U.S. labor markets

• The decline of degree-based hiring and rise of digital credentials

• How cities can use data to align workforce pipelines

• Immigration’s impact on the workforce crisis

• The role of parents, perception, and pride in shaping the next generation of workers

• Real examples from Greensboro, North Carolina and Fargo, North Dakota showing how data builds resilient cities

“You cannot separate skills from the individual, their learning, and their lived experience.” — Josh Wright

“The data does not solve the problem. People do. But the right data helps people take better action.” — Josh Wright

“There is a missing dataset, the skills people already have but no one can see. That is the next frontier for cities.” — Nick Smoot

• Lightcast — Global leader in workforce and labor market data

• The Rising Storm report — Insights on the demographic labor crisis

• Guest: Josh Wright, Head of Growth and Partnerships, Lightcast

• Hosts: Nick Smoot and Joseph Toney

• Learn more at AmericanDreamFactory.com or email [email protected]

In this episode of The American Dream Factory, hosts Nick Smoot and Joseph Toney sit down with creative veteran Lee Davis, founder of Clean, a Raleigh-based agency known for its soulful approach to branding. Lee’s three-decade journey spans legendary firms like Wieden+Kennedy and J&J, giving him a rare vantage point on how brands—and cities—can rediscover their essence.

Together, the trio unpacks what it means to build belonging in an age of isolation. Lee reflects on how communities lose their identity when they chase growth without soul, and why cities need to stop marketing for tourists and start engaging their residents. From Raleigh’s “City of Oaks” to Durham’s bold “Marry Durham” campaign, they explore how design, storytelling, and community behavior can transform a place into something people feel.

Key Themes:

• The difference between brand and marketing—and why cities often get both wrong

• Why it’s okay to “offend” people in branding—and why not every city can (or should) be for everyone

• The hidden cost of moving from the front porch to the backyard

• How sports, design, and shared storytelling can rebuild civic pride

• The spiritual side of place-making—and how “we” must matter more than “me”

Takeaways:

• Great cities, like great brands, are built on truth and tension, not slogans.

• The best marketers for your city are its residents—if you give them something to believe in.

• Growth without identity breaks community; design for the people who already live there first.

Learn More:

Follow Lee and his team at Clean Agency and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Join the American Dream Factory community at AmericanDreamFactory.com for updates, live events, and tools for city leaders and builders.

In this episode of American Dream Factory, Nick and Joe sit down with two transformative leaders in the world of politics, community, media, and capitalism:

• Matthew Barzun – Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. & Sweden, bestselling author of The Power of Giving Away Power, and architect of “constellation thinking.”

• Seth Levine – Venture capitalist, co-founder of Foundry ($4B under management), and co-author of The New Builders, with a new book Capital Evolution releasing December 2025.

Together, they explore what it will take to reboot the American Dream in an era where trust in institutions is collapsing, cities are strained, and communities are hungry for new ways of working together.

Join our community of city leaders at AmericanDreamFactory.com and learn how to get the city building tool, BuildCities.com for free.

Chapters

Chapters

00:00 The American Dream: A Shared Vision

09:22 The Role of Venture Capital in Empowering Entrepreneurs

12:12 Meritocracy and Economic Mobility

15:11 Populism and the American Dream

21:12 Collaboration vs. Competition in Governance

24:02 Reimagining Capitalism for the Future

26:59 Local Businesses and Community Development

35:17 Navigating Local Government Regulations

37:25 Community Engagement and Overcoming Barriers

39:11 The Interdependence of Community and Economy

44:07 Building Trust Through Collaborative Efforts

44:45 The Role of Local Government in Community Dynamics

50:20 Creating a Culture of Open Dialogue

55:01 The Power of Shared Vision in Community Development

01:04:02 Bridging the Political Divide

01:04:54 The Importance of Deliberate Processes

01:09:51 The Role of Community in Decision Making

01:14:55 Navigating Future Paths

01:20:37 Creating a Collaborative Future

01:26:16 Building a Community of Leaders

If you have future guests you'd like us to interview, email us at [email protected]

In this episode Nick Smoot sits down with Ernesto Sirolli of the Sirolli Institute.

Chapters

09:42 Engagement with the Community

26:00 Lessons from International Aid

42:36 The Joy of Helping Others

46:24 Building Community Through Collaboration

56:21 The Importance of Passion in Business

01:00:22 The Role of Cooperatives in Society

01:06:08 The Nature of Entrepreneurship

01:08:57 The Debate of Nature vs. Nurture in Development

01:12:03 The Role of Pain and Love in Growth

01:13:50 The Importance of Community Participation

01:15:24 Finding Passion and Purpose in Work

01:17:46 Creating Value and Beauty in the World

01:19:08 The Journey from Idea to Market

01:19:57 The Sacred Act of Creation

01:21:00 Unlocking Social Capital for Community Growth

01:23:59 Measuring Community Prosperity through Social Capital

01:25:42 The Role of Frameworks in Economic Development

01:27:56 Indicators of Community Success

01:32:41 Enlightened Capitalism and Community Transformation

01:35:09 The Unexpected Beauty of Human Potential

01:38:10 The Importance of Digital Infrastructure

01:39:57 Empowering Communities for the Future

What does it take to lead a city when everything is on fire... literally and figuratively?

In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with longtime friend and civic leader Joe Toney, who has spent nearly two decades inside city government, including serving as City Manager of Malibu during the recent catastrophic wildfires.

Together, they dive deep into what’s breaking modern cities—and what might still save them.

From AI and remote work to affordability, isolation, and polarization, cities today are struggling under a storm of converging forces. Joe offers a rare inside look at the emotional, operational, and political pressure of managing a city during crisis, while Nick challenges what’s possible for the future of work, belonging, and civic life.

What You’ll Learn:

– What really happens behind the scenes when a city is in disaster

– Why cities can’t pivot fast—and what that costs

– The emotional toll of being “number two” in civic leadership

– Why purpose and community might be the best mental health infrastructure

– How policy and entrepreneurship could align to rebuild social fabric

– Whether AI, ambition, and affordability will break cities—or make them better

Who It’s For:

– City and civic leaders

– Entrepreneurs, policy makers, and reformers

– Anyone who cares about community, belonging, or the future of work

– People trying to lead something hard, in a time of instability

Quote Highlights:

“Running a city today is like steering a ship through a hurricane while everyone on board argues about the map.”“Belonging isn’t a luxury. It’s infrastructure.”“We expect city leaders to fix everything, fast, but they’re operating inside decades of decisions that weren’t built for now.”

07:43 High School Experience and Preparedness

12:29 The Skills Gap in Education

15:04 Value of College in Today's World

21:32 Reimagining High School Education

29:33 The Role of AI in Education and Work

30:57 Perspectives on the Future of Work

32:56 The Impact of AI on Job Roles

36:13 The Evolution of Education and Experience

38:16 Redefining the Value of Education

41:20 Personal Experiences and Learning

45:05 Addressing Mental Health and Wellbeing

49:19 The Necessity of High School in the Age of AI

54:48 Empowering Young Entrepreneurs with AI

57:24 The Future of Entry-Level Jobs

59:45 The Evolution of Skills and Roles

01:02:43 Education's Role in a Changing World

01:09:28 Building a New Generation of Innovators

01:20:00 Creating Meaningful Impact Through Education

In this bold and timely episode, host Nick Smoot is joined by Ian Christianson (a newly graduated 18-year-old entrepreneur and camp counselor) and Patrick Gallagher (leadership advisor to engineering executives) to explore the future of high school in an AI-driven world and introduce a new education initiative called Pragma.

Together, they unpack the question:

Is high school still necessary in an era where AI automates knowledge and traditional jobs are disappearing?

Spoiler: Yes — but it must evolve.

• The Crisis in Education:

  Why 68% of teens and 85% of college grads feel unprepared for real life or work — and why employers agree.

• What the Future Demands:

  From AI to robotics, the new world requires high-agency, emotionally intelligent, curiosity-driven creators.

• Real Voices:

  Ian shares his perspective as a Gen Z student — what worked, what didn’t, and what needs to change fast.

• The Role of AI in Learning:

  How AI can handle knowledge transfer while humans focus on building relationships, solving problems, and cultivating taste.

• Introducing PRAGMA:

  A new program designed to help 17- and 18-year-olds become high-performing humans who launch real-world projects.

  Think:

  • Hands-on projects

  • Access to world-class mentors

  • Personal development and emotional intelligence

  • A new path to flourishing in the modern world

    
    

Learn more about Pragma: Coming soon

Contact Nick: [email protected]

Connect with Patrick: LinkedIn – Patrick Gallagher

Connect with Ian: Instagram @christianson_ian

Learn about Build_ platform: buildcities.com

“Teenagers are no longer waiting to grow up. The world is changing too fast. We need to equip them now — not just to learn, but to lead.”

Welcome to the American Dream Factory. Let’s build something that matters.

🔥 Key Quotes:

“We’re no longer training people to be workers. We’re training them to be solvers.” – Nick Smoot

“I think the future of work is using AI as a tool — not a crutch. We need operators, not passengers.” – Ian Christianson

“The old entry-level job is gone. The new one is building something real that adds value.” – Patrick Gallagher

“Taste is the new moat. The differentiator is no longer what you know, but what you create.” – Nick Smoot

Think AI is just for tech bros, coders, or billionaires building robot empires? Think again.

In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with AI expert Josh Freckleton to break down what artificial intelligence really is, what it actually does today, and how "normal people" can start using it to make work easier, faster, and better.

Josh went from studying the human brain to building digital ones and now he helps everyday business owners, founders, and curious creatives figure out how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini, and Hugging Face without needing to speak “tech.”

This is the plain-English, no-hype, real-world AI episode you’ve been waiting for.

👤 About Josh Freckleton

Josh Freckleton is a North Idaho–based AI researcher and software engineer focused on real-world applications of artificial intelligence. He began his career studying neuroscience, then shifted to AI after realizing the biggest questions about intelligence and reasoning were being explored through code. Josh has built systems for startups and large companies alike, and now leads the North Idaho Machine Learning & AI Group — a community where engineers, creatives, and business owners explore how to integrate AI into everyday life and work. His goal is to make intelligence tools useful, understandable, and accessible to everyone.

🌐 freckleton.io

💬 tinyurl.com/discord-ai-group

🎙️ About Nick Smoot

Nick Smoot is a civic futurist, founder, and economic strategist who has spent over a decade helping cities and companies adapt to the future of work, innovation, and human purpose. He is a founder of build_, a global platform that activates local economies through project-based incentives and AI-powered collaboration. With a background spanning startups, venture capital, real estate development, and public policy, Nick’s work focuses on rethinking how communities build, how people contribute, and how technology can unlock human flourishing.

🌐 nicksmoot.com

📲 buildcities.com

What if the most powerful new protocol in AI wasn’t being shaped in Silicon Valley… but in a basement in North Idaho?

Enter ⁠Paul Swaim⁠ and ⁠Garrett Oetken⁠, two innovators who went from community college hallway conversations to becoming key architects of ⁠BitTensor⁠, a $3B+ decentralized AI network reshaping the future of work, research, and economic contribution.

Garrett dropped out of college. Paul spent years as an IT leader working at one. Both found themselves in North Idaho, guided by curiosity and a shared desire to make a meaningful impact. As they got pulled into the innovation culture blossoming in Coeur d’Alene, they began to dream bigger about what they could build, and who they could become. 

Together, they co-founded a startup and went on to help create the leading global, merit-based AI economy that rewards contributors, not credentials.

This isn’t just a tech story.

It’s a blueprint for how small towns can birth big revolutions.

Chapters

04:08 The Evolution of Technology and Infrastructure

09:26 Digital Transformation in Education

11:50 Building Infrastructure in Rural Areas

15:23 Decentralized Future and Community Ownership

17:44 The Future of Energy and Nuclear Innovations

30:49 Building Community for Entrepreneurship

32:35 The Emergence of Blockchain and Innovation

33:19 Understanding BitTensor and Its Mechanisms

36:57 The Role of Miners and Validators in BitTensor

40:26 Incentive Mechanisms and Competition in Subnets

52:54 Monetizing Data and the Future of AI Innovation

56:58 Introduction to Macrocosmos and Its Team

58:11 Understanding Protein Folding and Its Applications

59:43 The Future of Work and Merit-Based Protocols

01:02:21 Decentralized Approaches Beyond AI

01:05:47 Real-World Applications and Community Engagement

01:08:14 The Role of Education in a Changing Landscape

01:12:59 Building a New Future Together

01:16:50 Engaging with the BitTensor Community

This episode challenges the broken narrative around the American Dream and reframes it as a mindset, not a marketing slogan. He dives into the importance of creation over consumption, the undervalued wisdom of older generations, and the truth that you’re never too old (or too young) to build something of real value.

Nick shares stories of his friend and aerospace legend Burt Rutan: the man who invented private space travel and is still designing planes at age 83. The episode also features a tribute to Max Faget, a high-impact inventor with no college degree who helped shape modern space capsules and inspired Rutan deep into his 90s.

This episode is both a wake-up call and a love letter to dreamers, doers, and underdogs of all ages.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why the American Dream isn’t about white picket fences, but about freedom to grind and create

• The dangers of a consumer-only culture and how to reclaim our creative birthright

• How storytelling nights around the world are reactivating towns and turning residents into creators

• The incredible story of Burt Rutan, his 50th commercial airplane, and his lifelong grind

• Why degrees and credentials aren’t the only paths to greatness (hello, Max Faget)

• A reminder that innovation and impact have no age limit

🛠️ Tools & Resources:

• BuildCities.com — A new platform for local collaboration and economic awakening

• Black Sky Documentary — Watch on YouTube

🔥 Takeaway Quote:

“You are never too young or too old to chase and create the American Dream. Go build things of beauty and value.” — Nick Smoot

📣 Join the Movement:

Become a part of the American Dream Factory by showing up, building your project, and joining others in your city who are grinding for something better. Follow along at BuildCities.com.