The Fort Builders Podcast

In this episode of The Fort Builders, I sit down with Jeremy to talk about a childhood that most people will never fully understand.

At two years old, Jeremy was placed with foster parents — and that became home. What makes his story unique isn’t just that he grew up in foster care. It’s that he "Got to" stay.

While other kids came and went through the home, Jeremy remained. And over time, that creates a different kind of perspective. You’re not just living your own experience — you’re watching others move through theirs.

Jeremy talks about what that was like as a kid. Not fully understanding it in the moment, but absorbing it. Watching transitions. Seeing uncertainty. And slowly developing an awareness of people, stability, and how quickly things can change.

There’s also an important layer in how Jeremy sees it today.

He doesn’t tell his story from a place of resentment — he tells it with perspective. He knows he was fortunate to be in a place where he could stay, even without having a choice in it.

And that balance — of reality and gratitude — is what makes this conversation stand out.

We talk about how those early experiences shaped the way he sees people, how he navigates relationships, and how he approaches life today.

As we often say on The Fort Builders, we’re all shaped by things we didn’t choose.

Jeremy’s story is a reminder that even in those moments, something is being built — sometimes perspective, sometimes awareness, sometimes a deeper understanding of what really matters.

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#fostercare #acceptance #gratitude #howwebecomewhoweare #thefortbuilderspodcast #thankyouforyourtime

How do we become who we are?

Sometimes it’s not one moment… it’s a series of environments we learn to navigate.

In this episode of The Fort Builders, Lance sits down with Brandon Meek—Chief Marketing Officer and business development leader in Houston—whose story is rooted in adaptability, resilience, and learning how to read the room from an early age.

From growing up between two households, to becoming a latchkey kid, to building a career across programming, consulting, sales, and AI—Brandon didn’t follow a straight path. And for a long time, it didn’t make sense.

But looking back… every step was preparing him for exactly where he is today.

• Growing up between two homes and learning to adapt early in life
• Becoming self-reliant as a latchkey kid and problem-solving at a young age
• How instability can quietly build resilience and awareness
• Why Brandon rearranged his room constantly—and what it says about control and creativity
• The connection between early life experiences and a career in consulting and problem-solving
• Moving from programming → program management → leadership → AI
• The realization that nothing in his career was random—it was all building toward something
• Why he sees himself as a “builder,” not a maintainer
• How AI fits into the future—and why it’s a tool, not a threat
• Raising kids with grit… without recreating the same struggles

What feels like instability early in life can become your greatest strength later.

At the time, nothing feels linear. But over time, it forms a clear path.

Some people are wired to create, build, and move on to the next mountain—and that’s okay.

Technology changes. Tools evolve. But it always comes back to people.

You don’t have to pass down the same struggles to teach the same lessons.

What shapes a person?

Is it where they start… or what they’re willing to walk through?

In this episode of The Fort Builders, Lance sits down with Andrew Kneisler—Kansas City real estate agent, father of four, and someone whose life has been built through seasons of discomfort, discipline, and deep faith.

From growing up without an ownership mindset, to nearly losing his life in a traumatic fire, to being sent away to boarding school at 14… Andrew’s story is anything but linear. But in that tension—those defining moments—you begin to see how character is formed.

This is a conversation about what happens when you’re pushed into the unknown… and choose to step forward anyway.

• Growing up in a large family with limited resources—and how that shaped Andrew’s mindset
• A life-changing house fire at age 13 that shifted his faith and perspective
• Being sent to boarding school and learning independence the hard way
• The loneliness, discipline, and structure that built his work ethic
• Starting from zero in commission-based sales at just 18 years old
• Knocking doors, facing rejection, and learning how to serve—not sell
• How purpose—not money—transformed his success trajectory
• Why real estate became more than a job—it became a way to guide people through life’s biggest moments
• Fatherhood, faith, and what matters most in this season of life

Andrew’s story is a reminder that most people don’t follow a straight path.

They’re shaped in quiet moments.
In hard seasons.

In decisions no one else sees.

And sometimes… the very things we wouldn’t choose
are the things that build us.

In this episode of The Fort Builders, I sit down with entrepreneur, author, and commercial real estate leader Kirsten Flory.

Kirsten is the founder of Foundations Commercial Real Estate and host of the Small Business Mindset podcast, where she shares insights and lessons for entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of building and growing businesses.

But Kirsten’s journey didn’t start in commercial real estate. Like many entrepreneurs, her path has been anything but linear. From working in banking and nonprofit leadership to eventually launching her own company, Kirsten’s career has been driven by curiosity, connection, and the willingness to take risks.

In this conversation, we talk about the moment many entrepreneurs face — the point where the path forward becomes uncertain and the only way ahead is to jump.

Kirsten shares the story of leaving the stability of a traditional career to start her own business and the mindset it takes to step into the unknown.

She talks openly about fear, failure, and the emotional reality of entrepreneurship — including the difficult moments when businesses struggle and leaders are forced to make hard decisions.

We also explore the lessons she’s learned along the way:

• Why curiosity and asking questions have shaped her career
• The role of mentorship and relationships in business growth
• The mental and emotional resilience required to build something from scratch
• Why failure is often the price of forward progress
• How the COVID pandemic became a moment of reflection that pushed her toward entrepreneurship

Kirsten also shares how those experiences eventually led her to create the Small Business Mindset podcast, a platform where she helps other entrepreneurs navigate the realities of business ownership.

What stands out in this conversation is Kirsten’s honesty about the entrepreneurial journey. Starting a business isn’t just about strategy or opportunity — it’s about mindset.

As we talk about often on The Fort Builders, building something meaningful requires courage, persistence, and the willingness to keep going even when the path isn’t clear.

Kirsten Flory’s story is a great example of what that looks like in real life.

In this episode of The Fort Builders, I sit down with a good friend of mine and someone many people in Lawrence know well—Brad Finkeldei.

Brad is currently serving as mayor of Lawrence and has spent decades involved in the civic life of this community. But like all of us, his story didn’t start in city hall. It started with family, curiosity, and a desire to be around people and help where he could.

Brad and I talk about the path that led him from growing up with an identical twin brother, to studying chemical engineering at Kansas State, to eventually becoming an attorney and managing partner at Stevens & Brand. Along the way, one thing kept showing up in his life—relationships.

Brad discovered early that what energized him most was being around people and contributing to the places and organizations that make a community work.

That instinct led him into a long line of service roles—Rotary, nonprofit boards, the Chamber of Commerce, planning commission work, and eventually running for the Lawrence City Commission. But as Brad shares in this conversation, even when you think you know the path ahead, life has a way of rewriting the plan.

Just three months after he joined the commission, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. The expectations he had for public service were suddenly replaced with uncertainty, isolation, and some of the most difficult civic challenges our community has faced in decades.

We talk about what that experience was like, how relationships helped carry him through that time, and why being connected to the community before stepping into leadership made such a difference.

Brad also shares insights into how local government really works—how much happens outside of the public meetings people see, why relationships matter in decision-making, and how the stories we read about in the newspaper often capture only a fraction of the full picture.

We also discuss several decisions and moments that may shape Lawrence for generations, including:

• The new development code and its long-term impact on housing and growth
• The evolving relationship between the University of Kansas and the City of Lawrence
• The Gateway and Crossing projects at KU
• Future growth west of the South Lawrence Trafficway

These are the kinds of decisions that may not seem dramatic today, but decades from now will shape what this community becomes.

At its core, Brad’s story is about something simple but powerful: showing up. Showing up for your neighbors.
Showing up for your community. And giving a little of your time to something bigger than yourself.

Brad reminds us that you don’t have to run for office to make a difference. Sometimes the most important work happens on nonprofit boards, community committees, or simply choosing to get involved.

As we often talk about here on The Fort Builders, the structures that hold up our communities aren’t built by one person. They’re built by people willing to step forward and do the work together.

And Brad Finkeldei is someone who has been doing that for a long time.

The Fort Builders is a story-driven podcast about how we become who we are.

Each episode explores the human journey behind the work — beginning in childhood and following the non-linear path through early influences, defining moments, setbacks, growth, and perspective. Rather than focusing only on accomplishments, these conversations dig deeper into the experiences, relationships, and seasons that shape identity and impact.

Host Lance Johnson brings a nique lens shaped by years in engineering, real estate development, entrepreneurship, public service, and personal reinvention. From building forts as a kid to navigating business growth and loss during the Great Recession, Lance approaches each guest with curiosity and humility — seeking to understand not just what they’ve built, but who they’ve become.

The Fort Builders is grounded in a simple belief: everyone started somewhere, everyone has walked a different trail, and every story carries value.

Through thoughtful, unhurried conversations, guests reflect on:

• What they were like as children
• Early influences that shaped their direction
• Moments that changed them
• Valleys that refined them
• The work they’re building now

Whether the guest is a community leader, entrepreneur, creative, public servant, or someone quietly making a difference, the goal is the same: uncover the deeper story beneath the surface.

This podcast is for anyone who believes life isn’t a straight line — and that success, failure, and growth are all part of becoming.

It’s an invitation to slow down. To listen. To reflect. And to recognize that we’re all still building something meaningful.

Welcome to The Fort.

And thank you for your time.

In this first guest episode of The Fort Builders, Lance sits down with life coach Stephanie Bessent to explore the deeper story behind her work — and the personal journey that shaped it.

Stephanie grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, in a culture of resilience, achievement, and self-reliance. From early athletic success to becoming a professional athlete, she learned how to push through fear, work hard, and perform. But underneath that strength was a quieter reality: a lens of self-judgment and a belief that achievement equaled acceptance.

After marriage, a sudden health crisis changed everything.

What began as unexplained illness eventually unraveled into deeper questions about identity, fear, and the emotional patterns shaping her life. During a pivotal season of recovery — both personally and in her marriage — Stephanie was confronted with something new: feelings.

Not as data points.
Not as weaknesses.
But as invitations.

In this honest and thoughtful conversation, Stephanie shares how acknowledging fear — rather than powering through it — transformed her life and her coaching practice. She reflects on the shift from external achievement to internal alignment, and how healing her own story gave her the capacity to sit with others in theirs.

Together, Lance and Stephanie explore:

• Growing up in Alaska and learning resilience at a young age
• The pressure of achievement and the lens of self-judgment
• Losing physical strength after illness and the identity shift that followed
• The difference between powering through fear and admitting it
• Why anxiety often masks unacknowledged fear
• The role of presence and attunement in healing
• How pain can become passion
• Why people aren’t scared of the dark — they’re scared of being alone in it

Stephanie now leads Bessent Life Coaching, a nonprofit practice built on the belief that finances should not prevent people from receiving help. Her work centers on aligning who we are with how we live — helping people recover their stories, acknowledge their feelings, and show up fully present in their lives and relationships.

This episode reminds us that we don’t need to have it all figured out. We need courage. We need curiosity. And sometimes, we simply need someone willing to sit with us in the dark.

Thank you for joining us in The Fort.
And thank you for your time.

Guest: Stephanie Bessent

www.be-sent.life

In this inaugural episode of The Fort Builders, host Lance Johnson shares the story behind the podcast — beginning in a backyard sandbox and stretching through decades of building, leadership, failure, growth, and reflection.

At five years old, Lance watched a new neighborhood take shape as lots were graded, streets were poured, and infrastructure emerged from open land. At home, he and his two younger brothers played inside a backyard-sized sandbox that included a concrete RCP pipe — turning it into tunnels, forts, and imagined worlds. Later, on five acres outside of town, they built increasingly ambitious forts over a drainage swale they called “The Draw,” using scrap wood and imagination to create something from almost nothing.

Those early experiences — watching land transform and building structures from imperfect materials — quietly shaped how Lance would see the world.

That thread continued into construction, engineering, entrepreneurship, and real estate development. He went on to help design subdivisions, build infrastructure, and grow a firm — only to face the Great Recession and lose the business he had helped build. During that same season, while serving on the Lawrence City Commission, he learned firsthand how success and failure both shape identity — and how humility reshapes the way we see people.

This episode sets the tone for the podcast’s core question:

How do we become who we are?

Through honest reflection, Lance explores:

• The childhood origins of creativity and leadership
• What building forts taught him about rebuilding
• Lessons from growth, risk, and loss
• The shift from building structures to valuing stories
• Why life feels more like a hiking trail than a straight road

The Fort Builders is a space for thoughtful conversations about identity, influence, setbacks, resilience, and becoming. It begins in childhood and follows the winding path that leads each of us to where we are now.

Because everyone started somewhere.
Everyone has walked a different trail.
And everyone is still building something.

Thank you for joining us in The Fort.
And thank you for your time.