Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share JVB Collaborative Podcast
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
JVB Collaborative Podcast
JVB Collaborative Podcast episodes
- Episode #2 - Meet John Torres: Family, Faith, and Showing Up for Your Community
Last episode, John interviewed Brett. This time Brett turns the questions on John.
John tells how he went from San Jose to the Central Valley. He became an instant dad at 21 and swapped sleeping kids with his wife on the Altamont between graveyard shifts. He also won a Wheel of Fortune prize and used it as the down payment on his first house. From there the conversation gets deeper. They talk about why family matters so much to someone who grew up without a steady home, how John's faith took shape (it involved a free frozen coffee), and where his knack for connecting people comes from.
Brett and John also talk about the FREEDOM Project, their mentorship program for young men. They cover why John always brings food, and why it matters for men to tell people they love them. They push back on each other a few times along the way, which is the point. Being able to disagree and still go get coffee afterward is something they want to model on this show.
To close, they share what's next: bringing local people onto the show who are doing great work and deserve their flowers.
Got a topic or a person we should feature? Drop it in the comments.
Chapters
0:00 Welcome back
1:02 From San Jose to the Central Valley
3:58 Wheel of Fortune and a first home
7:13 Family, faith, and finding the right church
17:07 A note for listeners of every belief
20:17 Talking across differences
22:42 Where John's gift for connection comes from
26:12 The FREEDOM Project
31:01 Saying "I love you" and why food matters
38:54 Life outside work: family, pickleball, and vinyl
44:27 John's music picks
48:44 From Rock Band to a real band
56:31 What the JVB Collaborative Podcast is about
1:00:24 Tool belt or cardigan? Modeling disagreement
1:03:33 What's coming next#JVBCollaborative #Modesto #CentralValley #Mentorship #Community #Podcast
1 hr 9 min - JVB Collaborative Podcast - Episode Zero - What is the JVB Podcast?
Join John Torres and Brett Ashmun for a short introduction video about the JVB Collaborative Podcast.
3 min - Episode #1 - Getting to Know Brett Ashmun
Join us as we kickoff our podcast with an introduction of Brett Ashmun, CEO of JVB Collaborative, Co-Facilitator of The FREEDOM Project, Faculty at Stanislaus State, and Director of Great Valley Writing Project.
37 min
About JVB Collaborative Podcast
From the publisher's feed
The JVB Collaborative Podcast explores what becomes possible when people recognize their own capacity to shape their lives, lead with purpose, and create meaningful change in their…
communities.
Hosted by Brett Ashmun and John Torres, the podcast features honest conversations with educators, community leaders, entrepreneurs, mentors, and everyday people whose work reflects courage, persistence, service, and personal agency. Each episode explores the experiences, relationships, decisions, and lessons that helped guests move from simply responding to circumstances to actively authoring their own path.
Grounded in the work of JVB Collaborative, our podcast moves beyond inspirational stories alone. The podcast examines how confidence is built, how opportunity is created, how communities support growth, and how people can help others develop the belief and capacity to act.
At its heart, the podcast is about human potential, shared responsibility, and the idea that lasting change begins when people stop seeing themselves as passive participants and begin recognizing themselves as authors, leaders, and contributors.