In this episode, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Mark Donovan, president of the Kansas City Chiefs. They discuss his path to the NFL, recruiting top talent, organizational culture, the organization's response to Black Lives Matters and some calls to change the name, how to make tough decisions when it matters most, finding your leadership style, and much more.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Nika Cotton, KC poet, entrepreneur, and founder of SoulCentricitea - a tea room with soul (Soulcentricitea.com). Nika is also a former Case Manager with Reconciliation Services. They discuss the challenge of launching a company during Covid-19, Nika's passion for social justice, how her leadership journey is one focussed on her own growth, and how she has turned her love of tea into a tool for building relationships and spreading joy.

In this week's episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Fr. Alexii Altschul, Co-Founder of Reconciliation Services and Orthodox Christian priest-monk. They discuss the intimate history of Reconciliation Services and its humble beginnings as a personal mission of Thelma Altschul to serve her neighbors with what little she had; the difficulties of prioritizing relationships over efficiency in American culture and why we must de-politicize the healing of the human heart; why it's essential to acknowledge past societal trauma (including everything that's happened along Troost Avenue in the past 200 years) in order to build a new kind of community seeking racial and economic reconciliation in KC; and so much more.

In this week's episode, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Nicole Jacobs Silvey, President & Founder of Connection Coach KC. They discuss bridging the opportunity gap across socioeconomic boundaries, learning about other cultures as a youngster, the power of intersectionality, and how to savor even small progress

On Episode #19 of The Social Leader podcast, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Darron Story, community advocate and radio personality, about his growing up in the urban core of Kansas City amidst white flight, his success in the music industry and reinventing himself after that, treating violence as a public health crisis, and helping our community heal through individual acts of kindness.

In this episode of The Social Leader Podcast, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Myron McCant, RS Social Ventures Board Member, Co-Founder of The Kiddie Depot Learning Centers, KC entrepreneur and member of the Prospect Business Association. They discuss Myron’s personal leadership journey, the different racial and economic realities facing Black and White leaders, his work developing high-quality 24-hour childcare for low-income families, and the importance of building relationships in the community and in business.

In Episode #17 of The Social Leader podcast, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Isaac Collins, a successful KC entrepreneur and owner of two Yogurtini franchises. They discuss, what it was like for Isaac owning a business on the Plaza during the Black Lives Matter Protests, his heartfelt participation as a protester and a black entrepreneur, and his social leadership in the community. They'll also talk about how Isaac gives back to the Kansas City community by sharing his passion for mindfulness with young people teaching "Superhero Yoga", a trauma-informed yoga class bringing yoga to 800 students weekly at three Kansas City elementary schools.

In this episode of The Social Leader podcast, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Terry Bassham, CEO of Evergy energy company. They discuss how Terry's personal life informs his values as CEO, the importance of seeing the community reflected in the company, how puting people first is good for business, and the need for Social Leaders to admit when they are wrong and to not be afraid to change.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Rev. Adam Hamilton, founding and Senior Pastor at the The Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS, with campuses across the KC metro and a membership of over 20,000.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Bill Brandmeyer of 810 Sports Radio and the new ShareWaves Foundation. They discuss the potential for youth sports to advance racial reconciliation in the region—as it has in other countries—and make a positive impact on kids. They also discuss Bill's thoughts on social leadership and making non-profits self-sustaining.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Murray Woodard II, Program Officer in Education for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. They talk about the importance of seeing the need or issue right in front of you and how compassionate leadership looks like listening and acting right away.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Kansas City, Missouri, Third District Councilwoman Melissa Robinson. They discuss the intersection of place, policy, and people and unpack Councilwoman Robinson's "Righteous Agenda", the importance of embedding reconciliation into our systems and structures, and the role of leaders to work for change.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Collen Hernandez, former CEO of the Homeowners Preservation Foundation and life-long advocate for Affordable Housing. They discuss the affordable housing crisis, the potential tidal-wave of evictions facing poor communities due to the economic hardship brought on by COVID 19, and the necessity of leaders to really listening to people who are actually affected by this issue and so many others.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Tom Esselman, CEO of Connecting For Good, a nonprofit providing access, tools, training, and partnerships to promote digital citizenship in low income communities. Fr. Justin and Tom discuss the economic and systemic factors affecting access to training and technology, promoting self-advocacy, and the importance of increased connectivity—technologically and relationally.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Gwendolyn Grant, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. They discuss about how self awareness can lead to social awareness, the importance of evaluating the data to understand disparities facing people of color, how to lead without "positional power," and the necessity of leaders to lean into discomfort.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Valerie Nicholson-Watson, President & CEO of Harvesters - The Community Food Network, about food insecurity, leadership accountability in times of need, and the role of innovation and inspiration when facing growing community need.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Qiana Thomason, CEO of the Health Forward Foundation. They discuss the importance of understanding the social, environmental, and economic determinants of health and the need to intentionally build equity into our structures and systems.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin Mathews talks with Brenda Sharpe, President and CEO of the Reach Healthcare Foundation. Brenda talks about the hard realities facing the uninsured and underinsured in our country and the importance of leaders to be informed about the issues and to be authentic and consistent—on and off the clock.

In this episode of The Social Leader, Fr. Justin talks with Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, about leading in unity in times of crisis and always looking for the common ground.