In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with his friend, colleague, and self-described longtime brother James Coleman — President of the Colorado State Senate, representing Senate District 33 in Denver. Murphy opens by needling Coleman about his signature Western wardrobe (bolo tie, cowboy boots and all), and the two spend the rest of the hour trading that same easy, brotherly back-and-forth while covering a lot of ground: Coleman's path from a childhood expulsion to the president's chair, the real mechanics of party politics and bipartisanship in Colorado, what a Senate president's job actually involves day to day, and the sobering reality of political violence and safety measures now built into the job.

Coleman traces his own story first — born in Denver, raised for a stretch in Nevada, and back home by age 11, when he was expelled from Smiley Middle School (now Denver's McAuliffe International School) for fighting bullies. A scholarship sent him to a small private school where, for the first time, he had a Black teacher and a Black principal, Vivian Wilson, and where Black history was taught as a daily part of the curriculum rather than a February add-on. That same year he reconnected with his father, a street preacher and military veteran 50 years his senior, and met the girl he'd go on to marry — his wife of 16 years within a 25-year relationship. A community ask pulled him into his first legislative race in 2016 with only a few months' runway before the primary; he won by 84 votes. A decade later, after four years in the Colorado House and six in the Senate, he's serving as Senate president with two years left before term limits end his run.

Some of the most candid moments come when Coleman talks about carrying the weight of representation. He is one of only three Black men among Colorado's 100 legislators and one of two Black senators, a reality he holds up against a "legacy wall" in his office honoring every Black elected official who's represented his district before him — including Peter Groff, Colorado's first Black Senate president; George L. Brown, the first Black person elected to statewide office in the United States as Colorado's lieutenant governor; and Wilma Webb, the state representative and wife of Wellington Webb, Denver's first Black mayor. That history, Coleman says, is what answers his own imposter syndrome: the question was never whether he should be there because of how he looks, but whether he's earned it through the work.

But the heart of this episode is how government actually functions — and how Coleman thinks it should. He and Murphy dig into the difference between "stakeholding" and "fake holding," the discipline of running one or two well-vetted bills instead of the five each legislator is allotted (Murphy proposes capping it by law, and the two riff on calling it "the Murphy's Law Bill of Sense"), and how Colorado's TABOR-driven billion-dollar annual budget gap forces creativity over spending. Coleman also walks through the bipartisan Collaborative Management Program bill he ran with Republican colleague Cleave Simpson to keep at-risk kids out of the juvenile justice system, and makes the case — backed by a claim that roughly 80% of bills passed in Colorado are bipartisan in some form — that the state legislature is far less divided than national media coverage of "the aisle" suggests.

The conversation turns serious when Coleman describes the physical-safety dimension of the job that no one warns you about. He recounts a 2020 threatening letter sent to his home, and a call with Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion in the wake of the 2025 shootings that killed and wounded Minnesota state legislators, after which Coleman helped lead the push for the authority-verification legislation implemented statewide this year through SurePass — screening for identity, authority, and capacity at security checkpoints in the Capitol, courthouses, and other government buildings, following incidents of firearms slipping past unchecked in the Capitol itself.

Key Themes & Takeaways

A Legacy Wall and the Weight of Being "One of Two." Coleman keeps a wall in his office honoring every Black elected official who has represented his Denver district before him — Peter Groff, George L. Brown, and Wilma Webb among them. With only three Black men among Colorado's 100 legislators, he says that history, not personal doubt, is what keeps him grounded in the role.

Exercise Discretion: One Good Bill Beats Five. Each Colorado legislator can run up to five bills a session, and Coleman argues most shouldn't. He makes the case for running one or two well-researched, well-stakeholded bills — and using the rest of the two-year term to funnel constituent problems directly to the executive branch and local agencies — rather than treating bill count as a proxy for effectiveness.

Governing the Chamber Is Leading by Influence, Not by Authority. As Senate president, Coleman can't fire or discipline the members he leads — they're all independently elected. He describes the job as service to every member regardless of party, elected by the full chamber (Republicans included), and built on modeling behavior, exposure trips into colleagues' districts, and holding his own leadership team to a standard of objectivity.

Political Violence Has Become Part of the Job Description. After a 2020 threatening letter to his home and a conversation with Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion following the 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators, Coleman helped champion legislation requiring identity and authority verification at security checkpoints in the Capitol and other government buildings statewide, implemented this year through SurePass.

Beyond the Aisle: Bipartisanship Is the Norm, Not the Exception. Coleman pushes back on the narrative of a divided legislature, citing roughly 80% of bills passed in Colorado as bipartisan in some form — whether through mixed-party votes, dual-party prime sponsorship, or unanimous chamber support. He points to his Collaborative Management Program bill with Republican Cleave Simpson as an example of finding agreement even inside a Democratic supermajority.

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with one of his closest friends and a leader who's shaped policing far beyond Colorado's borders: Colonel Matt Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol since 2017. Murphy opens by calling him one of the best friends he has in the world, and the conversation that follows moves from Packard's own origin story — a childhood fascination with the FBI that led to an accounting degree and, eventually, a patrol car — through the full scope of what the State Patrol actually does, the culture that makes Colorado troopers a national standard, and a hard, emotional conversation about the two troopers shot in the line of duty just weeks before this recording.

Packard traces his path back to his mother's job at a museum that shared a building with the Golden police department, a family friend in the FBI, and a high school tour of the Denver FBI office that hooked him. He earned an accounting degree from the University of Northern Colorado — a deliberate, marketable path toward federal law enforcement — before deciding he wanted to drive a patrol car first. Twenty-six years later, he's still at it, having risen from state trooper to captain overseeing the hazmat section, to major, to colonel of the entire agency. Murphy and Packard spend real time on the Patrol's less-visible work: its hazardous materials response team, its aircraft fleet (which flies enforcement missions, ferries the governor, and transports hospital staff for time-sensitive medical procedures), and the two distinct roles Capitol-based troopers now play — uniformed security and, increasingly, dignitary protection and threat investigation for elected officials.

Some of the most striking material comes from Packard's account of leadership under pressure. He and Murphy first worked closely together during 2020, coordinating COVID-19 staffing and response alongside the George Floyd protests, and Packard credits that shared crisis with cementing their partnership and the State Patrol's relationship with Denver. He also opens up, at Murphy's prompting, about the moment two of his troopers were shot during a traffic stop near Woodland Park — both are recovering and have been released from the hospital — and the on-camera statement he gave afterward: "If you come for my troopers, I'm coming for you." Packard describes the anger behind those words, and the fact that he made zero outside phone calls that morning because the response from neighboring agencies, counties, and federal partners simply happened on its own.

Key Themes & Takeaways

A People Profession, Not a Tech Solution. Packard is candid that tools like drone-as-first-responder programs and AI-driven verification systems are additive, not a replacement for an officer showing up in person. He argues public trust in policing depends on visibility and face-to-face interaction — something no technology, in his view, can substitute for.

"If You Come for My Troopers, I'm Coming for You." Packard walks through the shooting of two Colorado State Patrol troopers during a traffic stop near Woodland Park in August 2026 — both are expected to recover — and the raw, unscripted statement he gave afterward. He describes the anger behind it and the immediate, unsolicited mutual-aid response from neighboring agencies and federal partners.

Capitol Security and the SurePass Partnership. Building on a prior Murphy's Law conversation with Senate President James Coleman, Packard details how identity- and authority-verification tools like SurePass now screen who's entering the Capitol and what they're legally allowed to bring in — closing gaps that had let firearms go unnoticed at security checkpoints.

Leadership Is Hiring People Better Than You, Then Getting Out of the Way. Asked how he manages an agency spanning five field districts, hazmat response, an aircraft fleet, and Capitol security, Packard credits his executive team and a leadership philosophy built on delegation, trust, and tolerating decisions he wouldn't have made himself.

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with Dave DeVia — President and CEO of Colorado Concern, fifth-generation Denver native, former Westminster City Councilman, "recovering banker," 18-year veteran of the building trades, and co-owner of one of Denver's most beloved neighborhood bakeries for over two decades. Murphy invited Dave on because he's fascinated by him: a guy whose family has been building this city, literally, since 1884, and who has spent his career moving between small business, labor, local government, and now the boardroom — always landing on the same question: how do we make Colorado work for everybody?

This conversation moves fast and covers a lot of ground. Dave traces his family's roots to Pioneer Ironworks, the company his great-grandparents founded that forged the ornamental ironwork still hanging in the Brown Palace today, and tells the story of his great-grandmother — the second woman in the City and County of Denver to hold a driver's license, whose elopement to Boulder made the newspapers. He talks about cutting his teeth at Jake Jabs' American Furniture Warehouse, banking, nearly two decades in the building trades working alongside labor unions, and finally Colorado Concern, the 200-member coalition of CEOs and business owners he's led for the past three years.

Some of the best moments come from the bakery. Dave and his wife Kathleen ran it for 23 years before selling it — five weeks before COVID hit, a stroke of luck he's the first to admit he didn't plan. He tells the story of TJ, an employee on the autism spectrum who worked the register and boxed cookies for over a decade, treated by the whole staff like family. And he tells the one about the day he covered a shift and kept steering every customer toward the same chocolate mousse torte, only for Kathleen to remind him there were twenty other cakes in the case.

But the heart of this episode is policy, and Dave doesn't pull punches. He and Murphy dig into Colorado's affordability crisis — the state ranks 49th out of 50 on CNBC's affordability index — and the regulatory pileup behind it: 487 bills signed into law last year against roughly 100 a decade ago, and only 487 new condos built statewide against a real need closer to 8,000. Dave makes the case, drawn from his own time on Westminster's nonpartisan, at-large city council, for a different way of doing government — one built on proximity, collaboration, and an actual "bigger tent" rather than a bigger fight.

Key Themes & Takeaways

A Family Business Literally Built Into Denver Dave's family has been in the Denver construction business since 1884. Pioneer Ironworks, his family's company, forged the ornamental iron still visible in the Brown Palace's banisters and ceilings today. His great-grandmother was the second woman in the City and County of Denver to earn a driver's license — he still has the card — and made local headlines when she eloped to Boulder to get married.

Westminster's Model for Getting Beyond the Aisle Before Colorado Concern, Dave served on Westminster's city council under Mayor Brent McFall — a council with no districts, no party labels next to anyone's name, and Democrats and Republicans elected at-large and simply doing the work. Dave holds it up as proof that local government can function without partisanship getting in the way, if the structure is built right.

487 Bills, 487 Condos One of the episode's sharpest exchanges: the Colorado legislature signed 487 bills into law last year, up from roughly 100 a decade ago, on top of hundreds more items added through agency rulemaking. That same year, the state built exactly 487 new condos — against an estimated real need of 8,000 — because policy decisions in the early 2000s made condo construction too risky to insure. Dave and Murphy trace the state's affordability crisis directly back to that mismatch.

Business Isn't a Four-Letter Word Both men push back on the idea that profit and job creation are something to be suspicious of. Murphy shares the story of personally handing an employee $2,000 and emptying his own freezer when he faced eviction; Dave tells a nearly identical story of helping an employee move out of an abusive situation on a Saturday afternoon. Their point: the owners taking the financial risk are very often the same people quietly taking care of their people, off the record and out of pocket.

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with one of his oldest and most trusted friends — Charles Guilford III, CEO of Inner City Health, megachurch pastor, former student body president of one of the most powerful student governments in America, and the man Murphy Robinson called when God told him who he needed by his side running the city of Denver during one of the most chaotic periods in its history.
This episode is different from anything Murphy has done before. This is not a conversation between a host and a guest. This is thirty years of brotherhood unpacked in real time — two men who have done life together since they were toddlers, led through chaos together, cried on the phone together during COVID, and watched each other become the men they always believed they would be.
Charles Guilford's story is one of the most extraordinary on Murphy's Law to date. He grew up in a divorced household with strained resources, worked four jobs in college while sending money home, couch surfed throughout most of his time at CU Boulder without knowing it qualified as homelessness, packed up his family's foreclosed home alone in the middle of the night while his parents slept, watched his best friend's mother die of cancer that was missed by a doctor, and became the legal guardian of his younger brother at 24 after his mother attempted suicide under the weight of a $10,000 to $20,000 monthly medical bill she couldn't pay.
And his brother graduated with a 4.8 GPA and went to CU Boulder for engineering.
Then COVID hit. And Murphy called. And Charles said yes. He quarantined away from his two-year-old daughter for months, slept on concrete, served breakfast every morning to 700 unhoused men, talked a scared young father through staying for the birth of his child, and watched someone overdose and die on the floor of the shelter he was running.
He did it because he hadn't forgotten what it felt like to be hungry. And because a dying woman once told him never to regret anything he did for God.
This episode is raw, funny, deeply spiritual and one of the most honest conversations about leadership, homelessness, democracy, faith and friendship that Murphy's Law has ever produced.

Key Themes & Takeaways
He Was Homeless In College And Didn't Know It
One of the most striking revelations in the episode. Charles Guilford couch surfed throughout most of his time at CU Boulder, working four jobs and sending money home, without realizing that by definition he was experiencing homelessness. That realization shapes everything about how he leads Inner City Health today.

The Night He Packed Up The Foreclosed House Alone
A moment that stops the episode cold. His father gathered the family to tell them they had five days to leave their home before foreclosure. Charles — the eldest in the house that night — packed load after load into a U-Haul alone while his family slept, praying the whole time. It is one of the most powerful war stories in Murphy's Law history.
He Raised His Younger Brother From Age 24
After his mother's suicide attempt, the state granted Charles custody of his teenage brother. He raised him through high school graduation — 4.8 GPA — and through college at CU Boulder studying engineering. Without internet. Through a cracked iPhone screen. Sitting outside a neighbor's building in the rain to catch the Wi-Fi signal.
The CEO Who Slept On Concrete
During COVID Murphy asked Charles to run the largest homeless shelter operation in the state of Colorado — 700 men and 300 women at the National Western Complex and Denver Coliseum. Charles quarantined away from his two-year-old daughter for months, slept on concrete, served breakfast every morning, and talked people through some of the darkest moments of their lives. Because he hadn't forgotten what it felt like to be them.
God Gave Murphy Charles' Face
One of the most beautiful moments in the episode. Murphy describes praying alone in his office as the new COO of Denver — responsible for a multi-billion dollar budget and 16,000 employees — asking God who he could trust. God gave him Charles' face. He picked up the phone and called. Two days later Charles walked in with his things.
Proximity Is Currency
Both Murphy and Charles align on one of the most important leadership principles in the episode. Saying yes gets you in the room. The room gives you access. Access gives you the ability to make impact. And impact is the only thing that actually matters.

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with the Honorable Mayor Yemi Mobalaji — the first Black mayor, the first immigrant mayor, and the first independent mayor ever elected to the city of Colorado Springs. And he did it all just five years after becoming an American citizen. After waiting 21 years to get there.
Mayor Yemi's story is not a political story. It is an American story. From growing up in Nigeria with limited opportunity, to coming to the United States on a student visa too nervous to speak in front of a class of 20 people, to becoming a pastor, a quality control manager, a seminary graduate, a small business champion, an economic development executive, and ultimately the mayor of one of the fastest growing cities in Colorado — this is what saying yes looks like when you don't know where it's going to lead.
But this episode goes far beyond the mayor's biography. Murphy and Mayor Yemi have one of the most honest and urgent conversations about immigration, democracy, tribalism, and the future of America that Murphy's Law has ever produced. Two children of immigrants — one from Nigeria, one from Panama — sitting across from each other and asking the question that neither political party seems willing to answer honestly. What actually makes America great? And are we losing it?
The answer, according to Mayor Yemi, is not complicated. It just requires the courage to say yes to democracy over tribalism, community over party, and people over politics. It is the philosophy that turned Colorado Springs into one of the top 30 safest cities in America, reduced emergency response times from 24 minutes to 11 minutes, and produced more economic development agreements than any mayor in the city's history.
And he is just getting started.

Key Themes & Takeaways
21 Years To Become A Citizen. Five Years Later He Ran For Mayor.
One of the most powerful personal timelines in Murphy's Law history. Mayor Yemi unpacks what it actually takes to become an American citizen the legal way — and why the people loudest about immigration are often the least informed about what the process actually involves.
Proximity Is Currency
Both Murphy and Mayor Yemi align on one of the most underrated leadership principles in the episode. Saying yes gets you in the room. And once you're in the room — everything changes. Murphy shares for the first time the story of how saying yes to an Obama rally security gig led to him spending an entire day protecting a Supreme Court justice and a future president.
The First Independent Mayor Of Colorado Springs
Mayor Yemi breaks down what it actually means to run without a party — without infrastructure, without machine money, and without the typical political playbook. In a state where 47% of voters are independent, he makes the case that the independent is not the third option. It is the majority.
Tribalism Is The Real Threat
A word Mayor Yemi uses deliberately and repeatedly. He left a world defined by tribalism to come to a country built on the competition of ideas. And he is watching that foundation erode in real time. His warning is clear, urgent, and deeply personal.
He Got Robbed At Gunpoint At 16. There Was Nobody To Call.
The moment that explains everything about Mayor Yemi's passion for public safety. Growing up in Nigeria with no emergency response system, no 911, no officers coming to help — he made a promise to himself about what kind of city he would build if he ever got the chance. Colorado Springs is the result.
Results That Speak For Themselves
Top 30 safest cities in America. Response times cut from 24 minutes to 11 minutes. 300 officers hired. More economic development agreements than any mayor in Colorado Springs history. Highest population growth in the state between 2020 and 2025. This is what independent leadership produces when people are put ahead of politics.

Who This Episode Is For

Elected officials and public servants at every level
Immigrants and children of immigrants who see themselves in this story
Independent voters tired of being forced to choose between two parties
Business leaders and economic development professionals
Law enforcement officers and public safety advocates
Anyone who believes democracy is worth fighting for
Parents raising kids who need to see what the American dream actually looks like
Leaders who believe saying yes to the unknown is the only way forward

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with Rabbi Jamie Arnold of Congregation Beth Evergreen — and what unfolds is one of the most moving, unexpected and deeply personal conversations on the show to date.

Rabbi Jamie's path to the rabbinate wasn't a dramatic calling. It was a slow unfolding — a deeply religious but unconventional upbringing, six months living in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Nepal, a year studying Hebrew in Jerusalem, and a guidance counselor's office conversation with his mother that planted the seed. Twenty years later he leads one of Colorado's most quietly remarkable interfaith partnerships — a decade-long collaboration between his synagogue and Zion Temple, a Pentecostal Black church, complete with an annual pulpit swap and a combined gospel choir that has become the heartbeat of both communities.

This episode is also deeply personal for Murphy. He opens up for the first time on the show about growing up what he calls a Pentecostal Jewish kid — raised in the Black Pentecostal church while spending every Friday at synagogue with his aunt, Rabbi Alysa Stanton, the first African American woman rabbi in the world. That dual upbringing shapes everything about how Murphy approaches this conversation — with curiosity, reverence and genuine joy.

Together Murphy and Rabbi Jamie unpack what it means to live in two civilizations at once, the diversity hiding inside the Jewish community that most Americans never see, why synagogue security has become a tragic necessity, and why faith communities — not government — might be the answer to America's most pressing social needs.

This is a conversation about identity, partnership, community and the kind of faith that doesn't divide people but brings them closer together.

Key Themes & Takeaways

Judaism Is A Civilization, Not Just A Religion
Rabbi Jamie unpacks the framework that changes how you see Jewish identity entirely — cultural, religious, national and communal threads that together form something bigger than any single label. It is one of the most clarifying explanations of Jewish identity Murphy has ever heard.

Living In Two Civilizations
Drawing from 20th century Jewish philosopher Mordecai Kaplan, Rabbi Jamie explains how American Jews navigate belonging fully to both Jewish civilization and American civilization at once — and why that cross-fertilization makes both stronger.

The Pulpit Swap and The Gospel Choir
For nearly a decade Beth Evergreen and Zion Temple Church have swapped pulpits once a year, with the bishop preaching at the synagogue and the rabbi preaching at the church. The real glue holding it together is a combined gospel choir, led in part by Murphy's own mother, that has become a model other Jewish congregations across North America now look to with envy.

Murphy's Own Story — The Pentecostal Jewish Kid
For the first time on the show, Murphy shares the full story of growing up between two faith traditions — raised in the Black Pentecostal church while his aunt, Rabbi Alysa Stanton, brought him into Jewish life nearly every week. It is a personal and powerful thread that runs through the entire conversation.

Synagogue Security in 2026
A sobering and necessary conversation. Rabbi Jamie shares that Beth Evergreen has faced bomb threats and active threats multiple times a year over the last three years, and why armed security at synagogue doors has tragically become the norm in America the way it has been in Europe for over a decade.

Why Government Should Not Try To Do Everything
A powerful moment of alignment between Murphy's experience running government and Rabbi Jamie's experience building grassroots solutions. From a homelessness crisis in 2007 to a winter shelter that became the only one operating in Jefferson County during COVID, Rabbi Jamie makes the case for why faith communities — not bureaucracy — often move the fastest when people need help most.

An American Day of Atonement
Rabbi Jamie introduces a powerful idea inspired by Yom Kippur — a national day of collective reflection on America's history of racism and injustice, not rooted in shame but in honest reckoning and growth. A conversation that challenges listeners to think differently about what Memorial Day and other civic holidays could become.

Who This Episode Is For

• Faith leaders and clergy across all denominations
• Anyone interested in interfaith collaboration and community building
• People curious about Jewish identity and culture
• Community organizers and nonprofit leaders
• Anyone navigating questions of faith, security and belonging
• Parents raising kids in multicultural or multifaith households
• Leaders who believe government cannot and should not solve everything
• Anyone who believes faith should bring people together, not divide them

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with one of his favorite colleagues, collaborators and community champions — Kayla Garcia, President and CEO of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver. And fair warning — by the end of this conversation you are going to want to write a check, volunteer your time, and clear your calendar for the next Girls Inc. gala.
Kayla Garcia is not your average nonprofit CEO. A first-generation college graduate who grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, built her career across some of Colorado's most respected organizations — from Mile High United Way to Denver Inner City Parish to Molson Coors — and now leads one of the most impactful youth-serving organizations in the state. Under her leadership Girls Inc. of Metro Denver serves more than 3,000 girls annually with programming built around one powerful mission: inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
But this episode goes far beyond organizational talking points. Murphy and Kayla get personal — about parenting in the age of social media, the mental health crisis hitting girls before they even reach high school, why dads matter more than we give them credit for, what it really means to keep kids safe in a nonprofit that isn't a school and isn't a daycare, and why Kayla just admitted — for the first time publicly — that she could see herself running for office one day.
Oh, and they talk about SurePass. Because when you are responsible for 3,000 little girls every single day, a pen and paper pickup list just doesn't cut it anymore.
This episode is warm, funny, deeply honest and packed with the kind of community leadership conversation that reminds you why Murphy's Law exists.

Key Themes & Takeaways
Girls Are Born Strong Smart and Bold — We Just Need to Remove the Barriers
One of the most powerful reframes in the episode. Kayla doesn't talk about building confidence in girls. She talks about removing the barriers that chip away at the confidence they already have. That distinction changes everything about how you think about youth development.
Career Before College
Girls Inc. flips the traditional college-to-career pipeline on its head. Kayla breaks down why showing girls real career pathways long before they ever set foot on a campus — especially in STEM — is one of the most important things any youth organization can do right now. And the results speak for themselves. 100% of Girls Inc. graduates have gone on to four-year higher education for three straight years.
The Mental Health Crisis Nobody Is Talking About Enough
Social media. Doomscrolling. AI relationships. Body image. Kayla and Murphy have one of the most honest and practical parenting conversations on Murphy's Law to date — including Murphy's own story about catching his 10-year-old daughter doing a TikTok dance that wasn't quite what it seemed.
Dads Matter More Than You Think
A conversation that every father needs to hear. Murphy asks Kayla directly what role dads can play in protecting their daughters' self-image and mental health — and her answer is both affirming and practical. Male allyship isn't optional. It's essential.
Why Kayla Spends a Quarter of Her Time Thinking About Safety
Most people see Kayla at galas and board meetings. What they don't see is the mental load she carries every single night thinking about the safety of every girl in her building. From locked doors to pickup procedures to SurePass implementation — Kayla opens up about what it really means to be entrusted with someone else's child.
SurePass at Girls Inc. — Protecting the Most Important Asset
A pen and paper pickup list was secure. But was it the best process? Kayla breaks down exactly why Girls Inc. implemented SurePass — real-time verification of approved caregivers at pickup, seamless access for last-minute family changes, and a system that scales as Girls Inc. opens its second location and plans for regional expansion beyond Denver.

Girls Inc. of Metro Denver needs your resources, your exposure, and your access. Visit girlsincdenver.org to donate, volunteer, or bring Girls Inc. into your business or organization. Every dollar and every door you open changes a girl's life. 
Please Donate!
https://girlsincdenver.org/donate

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson reunites with one of the most influential people in his law enforcement career — retired Chief Scott Hughes of Ohio, the academy instructor who made a young Murphy Robinson run mile after mile, drop for push-ups, and do it all over again. Nearly 20 years later, the roles are reversed. And it's one of the best conversations Murphy has had on the show.

Chief Hughes is not your average retired cop. With 29 years on the job across four agencies, a decade as chief, 27 years teaching recruits at the academy, and 13 years traveling the country training law enforcement for Caliber Press — one of the most respected names in law enforcement training — Scott has seen it all. Done it all. And still isn't slowing down.

One week into retirement when this episode was recorded, Scott brings a perspective that is equal parts hilarious and deeply wise. From jumping into a nuclear sewer canal in full uniform to chase a murder suspect one month after his wedding — ring and all — to navigating the impossible balance of leading a department in today's polarized, under-resourced, over-scrutinized law enforcement environment — this conversation is raw, honest, funny and packed with insights that every leader in and out of law enforcement needs to hear.

Together Murphy and Scott tackle the real state of police recruiting and retention, why appearance commands respect and what we lose when we stop holding standards, the future of policing in a world of drones robots and artificial intelligence, and why the consolidation of law enforcement agencies across America may be not just inevitable but necessary.

This episode is a love letter to the profession — and an honest reckoning with where it needs to go.

Key Themes & Takeaways

The Sewer Story Nobody Will Forget One month into his marriage. Full uniform. Chest deep in a canal of nuclear waste chasing a murder suspect. And his wedding ring was still there when he got out. Chief Hughes tells one of the greatest war stories in Murphy's Law history — and the taser that came out fully charged on the other side.

You Are What You Tolerate Both Murphy and Chief Hughes align on one of the most important leadership principles in any organization. Standards start at the top. If foolishness has a seat at your table — you gave it one. And if your officers are walking around looking like they don't want to be there — that's a leadership problem not a personnel problem.

Appearance Commands Respect One of the most passionate and practical conversations in the episode. Chief Hughes makes the case that how an officer carries themselves — uniform pressed, shoes shined, chin up, shoulders back — is not just about pride. It is a direct officer safety issue. Predators read body language. And weakness invites attack.

The Recruiting and Retention Crisis Departments are hemorrhaging officers and the old playbook isn't working. Chief Hughes breaks down why today's law enforcement culture wars — over beards, vest carriers, gym time on duty — are really about something much bigger. Culture. Morale. And whether chiefs are finding ways to say yes.

The Future of Policing — Drones, Robots and Consolidation One of the most forward-thinking conversations on Murphy's Law to date. Scott and Murphy unpack where technology is taking law enforcement — drone as first responder, real-time crime centers, robots on patrol — and why the financial reality of American cities may force something the law enforcement world has resisted for decades. Consolidation.

The Best Ideas Don't Come From The Chief's Office A masterclass moment from a man who spent 10 years as chief. The best ideas come from the officers on the street. The leader's job is to listen, evaluate, and say yes when it makes sense. Sledgehammers in every cruiser. BJJ training on duty. The ideas that saved lives and built culture didn't come from a spreadsheet — they came from the people answering calls every single day.

Who This Episode Is For

• Law enforcement officers and command staff at every level
• Police academy instructors and trainers
• Chiefs and sheriffs navigating today's recruiting and retention crisis
• Public safety leaders thinking about the future of the profession
• Anyone who has ever been shaped by a great mentor or instructor
• City managers and elected officials responsible for public safety budgets
• Parents and young people considering a career in law enforcement
• Anyone who loves a great war story and honest leadership conversation

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with Elliot Sawyer — pastor, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, executive coach, and the son of both a mayor and a pastor — for a conversation that sits squarely at the intersection of faith, leadership, business, and the courage it takes to stop telling people what to do and actually go do it yourself.

Elliot spent 15 years as a full-time pastor building community, leading people through their darkest moments, and teaching others how to be a light in the marketplace. And then one day he felt called to go do exactly that himself. Not because ministry wasn't enough. But because he realized he was leading a marketplace ministry from inside the church walls — and the only way to truly model what he was preaching was to step out and live it.

What followed was the journey every entrepreneur knows but nobody fully prepares you for. The weight of payroll. The sting of betrayal. The faith required to bet everything on yourself and God when the safety net disappears. And the realization that the skills that make a great pastor — empathy, communication, community building, and the ability to sell people on something bigger than themselves — are the exact same skills that make a great leader in any room.

Together Murphy and Elliot unpack the state of the American church, the crisis of leadership virtue across every industry, why 84% of American Christians say their lives are unfulfilling, and why the greatest thing we can do for the next generation might be to stop protecting them from disappointment.

This episode is equal parts sermon, masterclass and honest conversation between two faith-driven leaders who believe the answer to America's biggest problems starts not in Washington — but in the hearts of people willing to step up and lead.

Key Themes & Takeaways

Make It Personal. Don't Take It Personal. Elliot's most quotable leadership philosophy — and one of the most practical pieces of advice for any entrepreneur, manager or leader who has ever been burned by the people they trusted most.

The Non-Anxious Presence The greatest leaders don't avoid chaos — they walk into it as the calmest person in the room. Elliot unpacks why the leader's job is not to eliminate the storm but to be the steady presence that helps everyone else navigate it.

Practice What You Preach Elliot left a 15-year pastoral career not because he was done with ministry — but because he realized he was asking people to do something he wasn't modeling himself. The courage to walk your talk is one of the most powerful leadership decisions anyone can make.

The State of the Church A candid and hopeful conversation about what COVID exposed, why celebrity Christianity produced shallow believers, and why Elliot genuinely believes a great awakening is already underway — one driven not by entertainment but by true discipleship and personal ownership of faith.

84% of American Christians Say Their Lives Are Unfulfilling One of the most striking statistics in the episode. Elliot unpacks why he believes the consumer mentality — in church and in life — is at the root of a spiritual and cultural crisis that goes far beyond Sunday morning.

Why We Need Faith-Driven Leaders In Public Service Murphy and Elliot end with a challenge to every pastor, entrepreneur and business leader sitting on the sidelines of public service. The criticism is real. The personal attacks are real. But so is the need. And the cost of staying quiet is higher than the cost of stepping up.

Who This Episode Is For

• Faith-driven leaders in business and ministry
• Entrepreneurs navigating the weight of building something from scratch
• Pastors and church leaders thinking about the intersection of faith and marketplace
• Anyone considering stepping into public service
• Parents thinking about how to raise resilient kids in a consumer culture
• Leaders who believe virtue and accountability still matter
• Anyone who has ever felt the gap between what they preach and what they live
• Business owners looking for a framework for leading through chaos with grace

Connect With the Show Murphy's Law is presented by SurePass — Confidence in every ID. Stay tuned for weekly conversations with leaders across public safety, justice, government, faith, and high-stakes leadership spaces.

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In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson goes solo — and gets direct about something that he thinks about every single day as a former public safety director, a current law enforcement professional, a tech CEO, and most importantly, as an American.

The assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner involving President Donald J. Trump wasn't just a breaking news story. It was a live demonstration of one of the most dangerous and consistently ignored vulnerabilities in American security — the verified authority gap.

Someone got into one of the most heavily secured events on the American political calendar. Not through a sophisticated hack. Not through a state-sponsored operation. Through the same vulnerability that has existed for decades — a credential, a confident stride, and a security checkpoint staffed by someone without the tools to stop them.

Murphy has seen this before. As public safety director for the city and county of Denver during the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, he and his team stopped a planned terrorist attack that never made national news — because they did their jobs right. And what he learned from that experience is the same lesson that Saturday night's events proved all over again. Security is only as strong as its weakest verification point.

In this episode Murphy connects the dots between the Correspondents' Dinner attack, the massive security events America is about to host — the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and more — and the urgent need for a real-time verified authority solution that takes the impossible decision away from the lowest paid person at the checkpoint and puts the power of verification where it belongs.

That solution is SurePass. And this episode is the most compelling real-world case for why it matters.

Key Themes & Takeaways

The Verified Authority Gap Multiple layers of security. Secret Service. Military. Law enforcement. Private security. And still — someone got through. Murphy breaks down exactly why this keeps happening and why the answer has nothing to do with adding more people at the door.

The Pressure To Wave People Through One of the most overlooked dynamics in event security. Nobody wants to be the person who holds up a federal agent. Nobody wants to question a cop. Bad actors count on that social pressure every single time — and exploit it without hesitation.

The MLB All-Star Game Lesson Murphy draws directly from his own experience stopping a planned terrorist attack at the 2021 MLB All-Star Game — an event that never made national news because the threat was eliminated before it could become one. That experience shaped everything he built with SurePass.

The Lowest Paid Person Has The Hardest Job One of the most powerful observations in the episode. We consistently put the most critical security decisions in the hands of the least trained and least equipped people at the checkpoint — and then wonder why gaps exist. Murphy makes the case that technology should close that gap permanently.

America's Biggest Security Moment Is Coming The Olympics. The FIFA World Cup. Multiple major international events on American soil within one year. Murphy issues a direct challenge to every law enforcement agency, venue operator, and event planner in the country — the time to close this gap is right now. Not after something happens.

Why Murphy Built SurePass This isn't commentary. This is personal. Murphy connects his oath as a law enforcement officer to the mission behind SurePass — giving every checkpoint, every venue, and every agency the ability to verify authority in real time so that the person with a fake credential never makes it through again.

Who This Episode Is For

• Law enforcement officers and public safety leaders
• Event security and venue operations professionals
• Homeland security and federal agency personnel
• Elected officials and government leaders
• Anyone responsible for credentialing and access control
• Business leaders investing in public safety technology
• Americans who want to understand the security gaps hiding in plain sight
• Anyone who watched the news Saturday night and asked — how did that happen

Connect With the Show Murphy's Law is presented by SurePass — Confidence in every ID. Stay tuned for weekly conversations with leaders across public safety, justice, government, faith, and high-stakes leadership spaces.

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