In this lively and heartfelt episode, the team—DJ, Mary, Beth, and special guest Emma—dig into what it means to show up in the world (and at work) as your authentic self. Emma, a college senior and intern at augustwenty, shares her journey of switching majors from anthropology to marketing, explaining how she discovered her true passions by embracing her natural strengths, humor, and curiosity. Along the way, the conversation turns lighthearted with anecdotes of father-daughter banter, family quirks, and comedic tales from Emma’s college years.

Beyond the laughs, the group covers important ground on the challenges of working in teams, especially when everyone’s commitment level differs. Emma highlights her volunteer work with Sparkles at Ohio University—an inclusive cheerleading squad—reflecting on how this experience taught her the importance of open-mindedness, positive energy, and genuine connection. Mary and Beth chime in with their own professional insights, emphasizing how welcoming others to speak up, valuing diverse perspectives, and leading with kindness can create healthier, more productive team environments. Throughout, DJ’s playful but proud dad banter keeps the conversation real and entertaining.

Key Takeaways:

1. Embrace Who You Are: Authenticity and self-confidence often go hand in hand. Cultivate both to open doors and discover your true path.
2. Collaboration Over Conformity: Teams thrive when individuals bring unique strengths to the table rather than trying to blend in or “fit a mold.”
3. Lift Others Up: Invite quieter voices into the conversation, model respect for different viewpoints, and create a culture where everyone feels safe to speak.
4. Risk Embarrassment for Growth: Taking a leap—whether it’s skydiving or voicing an unpopular opinion—can lead to transformation and fulfillment.
5. Stay Curious and Open-Minded: Working with diverse groups, like the Sparkles cheerleading team, shows how empathy and gratitude can broaden horizons and deepen human connections.

Tune in for a candid, humor-filled conversation that reminds us courage isn’t just about grand gestures—it’s about daring to show up as the person you really are, every single day.

In this first Caffeine episode of 2025, DJ kicks off Season 3 alongside familiar voices Eric, Daniel, and Mary. The group dives into a lively discussion about Claude Code, a command-line tool from Anthropic that integrates large language models (LLMs) directly with your local development environment. Eric and Daniel share their hands-on experiences, describing how Claude Code can open files, make edits, run tests, and iterate on solutions—all while prompting the user for permission at each step. They’re especially excited about how Claude Code’s larger context window (via Anthropic’s latest Claude model) provides deeper insight into complex codebases and aids in tasks like test-driven development.

Mary joins to highlight her broader use of LLMs for productivity, such as quickly generating presentation materials or summarizing large documents. Though she typically works outside hardcore coding, Mary’s input underscores how LLMs can save hours of repetitive effort in any domain. Throughout the conversation, the hosts examine the trust factor—acknowledging that while LLMs accelerate work, you still need a human-in-the-loop for final reviews, critical thinking, and error checking.

As the episode wraps up, they look ahead to the future of engineering roles, emphasizing that LLMs won’t replace senior developers but will shift day-to-day responsibilities toward providing context, shaping requirements, and verifying AI outputs. They also tease further explorations and promise a follow-up discussion to see how Claude Code—and the broader AI landscape—continues to evolve in the weeks ahead.

The podcast episode features hosts DJ Daugherty, Mary Kaufmann, and Beth Shaheen as they welcome special guests from Hope House Detroit, including founders Gary and Becky Gentry, along with team members Jess Brown and Riley Chowning. The episode, titled The Courage to Have Hope, explores the mission and impact of Hope House, an organization dedicated to supporting children and young people in Detroit through mentorship, education, job training, and community engagement.

Gary and Becky share the origins of Hope House, which began as a simple effort to be good neighbors in a Detroit community. Initially, their presence sparked curiosity among local children, especially when they installed a basketball hoop, which became a natural gathering space. Over time, they developed programs based on the needs of the kids, including literacy initiatives, mentorship groups, and job training.

Jess and Riley, who were drawn to Hope House through their own personal journeys, discuss how the organization has evolved, emphasizing the importance of relationships in their work. They highlight success stories, including young people who have grown up through Hope House’s programs and now return to give back. A particularly moving story is shared about a young man named Jadair, who took on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings, found a home at Hope House, and is now attending college.

The team also discusses the broader vision of Hope House, including their work with a local school, the expansion of programming, and a new Hope House location in Montgomery, Alabama. They emphasize the importance of ongoing community support through prayer, donations, volunteering, and internships.

The conversation concludes with a powerful message that anyone with a home can create a Hope House—by simply being a good neighbor and supporting those in need. The team invites listeners to visit, get involved, and experience the power of real, crazy love firsthand.

Visit Hope House Detroit.

In this episode of the augustwenty Podcast, hosts DJ Daugherty, Mary Kaufmann, and Beth Shaheen explore the connection between courage, curiosity, and lifelong learning. Inspired by a conversation with DJ’s brother-in-law, they discuss the power of asking “What if?” and “Why not?” to spark innovation and growth. Through personal stories, they highlight how embracing the unknown, applying knowledge, and fostering a mindset of continuous learning leads to both personal and professional success. They also stress the importance of balancing curiosity with action, avoiding analysis paralysis, and creating environments that encourage others to learn and innovate. Ultimately, staying curious and courageous is key to solving problems, seizing opportunities, and making a meaningful impact.

Podcast Summary – Season 3, Episode 2

In this episode, host DJ Daugherty and new co-host Beth Shaheen welcome guest Jesse Boulard. The episode is both a celebration and a farewell, as Jesse marks his two-year anniversary with augustwenty while also announcing his departure to pursue a passion project.

Jesse’s Next Venture: A Music Discovery App Jesse is leaving to develop a music discovery platform designed to match people based on the emotional impact of music. He shares his personal journey of discovering music that truly moves him and how his app will help others find songs that elicit strong emotional reactions.

His approach goes beyond traditional recommendation algorithms used by platforms like Spotify or Pandora. Instead, his technology utilizes EDA sensors (electrodermal activity sensors) in smartwatches to measure emotional responses in real-time. The software will track physical reactions like goosebumps or emotional spikes and use them to find like-minded listeners who may introduce new, impactful songs.

The Challenges & Risks

• Patent Process: Jesse discusses the complexity of securing a patent, including his experiences with failed and ongoing patent applications.
• Funding & Development: He plans to build a beta version within 6-12 months, possibly seeking funding to accelerate development.
• Market & Users: The target audience is anyone who streams music and wants to find songs that truly resonate emotionally, rather than just algorithm-based recommendations.

Support & Encouragement

DJ and Beth praise Jesse’s courage to take the leap, noting how many people dream of pursuing a passion project but never act on it. Jesse explains that he strategically saved money for years to ensure financial stability before making the jump. While some family members are skeptical, his wife is supportive.

Future Plans & Testing

Jesse hopes to involve augustwenty colleagues in beta testing and believes the software developer community may have similar emotional reactions to music. He’s open to potential collaborations in the future, either hiring former coworkers or returning if needed.

Closing Thoughts Jesse thanks augustwenty for the support and expresses excitement about the future. The hosts encourage listeners to follow Jesse’s journey and express interest in a follow-up episode in six months to check on his progress.

In this premiere episode of the new season, Mary and DJ dive into the theme of “working smarter, not harder,” covering a variety of personal strategies for boosting organization and productivity. They emphasize the importance of prioritization—knowing what to say no to so you can say a deeper yes to your top goals. Mary describes her Trello-based workflow, DJ highlights his trusty notebook system, and both agree that small, effective tactics (like using timers or automating repetitive tasks) can make a big impact. They also touch on the value of a good morning mindset, reflection, and consistent, incremental improvements—all while sharing entertaining, real-life stories of success (and a little frustration) along the way.

In this podcast episode, the augustwenty team — DJ, Mary, and Beth — hosts two guests from the Riverview International Center (RIC) in Columbus, Ohio: Executive Director Emelia and Community Care Coordinator Hamida. Emelia explains how RIC began in a tiny apartment helping immigrant women with everyday needs, eventually growing into a nonprofit that now serves over 1,800 people a year from dozens of countries. Hamida shares her personal story of moving to the U.S. from Algeria through the Diversity Visa Lottery, revealing the challenges her family faced in adapting to a new language and culture. Together, they describe RIC’s range of services, from job readiness classes and community care (like enrolling children in Medicaid) to helping credentialed professionals navigate the path toward working in their fields. Throughout the conversation, the hosts and guests emphasize the importance of resilience, trust, and the power of community support—underscoring how RIC’s “small but mighty” team of nine staff and over 200 volunteers has transformed countless immigrant and refugee lives in central Ohio.

In this episode of the augustwenty podcast, DJ and Mary discuss the importance of celebrating successes—large and small—and how such recognition fuels ongoing motivation. They explore the evolving nature of what feels like a “win” as a company matures, the differences in how individuals respond to praise, and why continuous encouragement matters for team morale. The hosts agree that everyone needs some form of acknowledgment, but it must be authentic, purposeful, and tailored to individual motivators. Ultimately, they emphasize balancing meaningful recognition with maintaining forward momentum, ensuring that even minor victories act as fuel to achieve bigger goals.

In this episode of the August 20 Podcast, DJ Daugherty and Mary Kaufmann are joined by Scott Hubble, former CEO of NuCamp RV and founder of Awaken RV, to explore the journey of pursuing ambitious goals and embracing the risks required to achieve them. Scott shares his story of taking calculated leaps, from revitalizing the teardrop trailer market to launching his own innovative venture in fiberglass travel trailers. The discussion highlights the importance of passion, resilience, and community in overcoming setbacks and transforming bold ideas into reality. Packed with actionable insights and inspiration, this episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to aim higher and take meaningful risks.

In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss the concept of "FAIL" (First Attempt in Learning), emphasizing the importance of a growth mindset and resilience. Mark Tremayne shares his journey from a finance career to education, reflecting on how failure and risk-taking shaped his path. DJ and Mary Kaufmann also contribute their perspectives on learning through failure, recalling personal experiences that helped them grow. They explore the significance of creating environments that encourage learning and risk-taking, both in educational settings and beyond.

They discuss pivotal moments that inspired their journeys, from high school experiences to impactful teachers who instilled the belief that failure is part of the learning process. They highlight the importance of encouraging others to take risks and learn from their mistakes. The conversation touches on strategies for inspiring others, including fostering self-efficacy, providing feedback, and creating opportunities for exploration.

The episode concludes with reflections on how creating a supportive environment and celebrating small successes can lead to personal growth and lifelong learning. Mark emphasizes that investing in others is key to achieving collective success. The hosts also discuss their experiences working with students and their passion for helping them embrace failure as a learning opportunity.