iBuild America Podcast

iBuild America Podcast
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The iBuild America Podcast empowers workforce development professionals with insights from industry leaders, exploring strategies, challenges, and solutions to build the Workforce of the Future. Join us to foster collaboration and drive meaningful change.

  1. Oct 16

    From 911 Dispatcher to Dorm Mom: The Heart Behind Job Corps

    For 15 years, Keisha Hunt was the calm voice on the other end of 911 calls. Today she’s the first face new female students see when they walk into Dorm 9 at the North Texas Job Corps Center. She welcomes them into a room she decorated herself, because, in her words, “I don’t know their stories.” In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Damaris Casanova sits down with Keisha to talk about what it takes to earn the trust of young women who’ve been through it. Some arrive after abuse, neglect, or homelessness. Some are already mothers. Others just couldn’t afford college. Keisha gets real about: • Why respect comes first, and how it gets a room full of Gen Z and Gen Alpha students to put their phones down without being told to • Setting boundaries on day one while still admitting that “just because I’m staff doesn’t mean I’m always right” • The suggestion box, the daily dorm meetings, and the small moments (like one girl lending another a pair of shorts) that turn strangers into family • Mental health support at Job Corps, and how much has changed since the “stop your crying, you’ll be fine” days • The day she ran into a former student at Walmart, now a working CNA with her own apartment, and had to hold back the tears • The biggest myth about Job Corps (it’s not a program for “bad kids”) and why she’d recommend it to her own family Whether you’re 17 and figuring out your next move, a parent wondering whether you’re really hearing your kid, or someone who cares about building America’s workforce, this conversation will stay with you. Her motto? “When you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.” Like, subscribe, and share, and tell us in the comments who’s the “Miss Hunt” in your life.

  2. Oct 8

    Raising Young Men at Job Corps: One Dorm, One Mentor, Changed Lives

    What happens when a truck driver trades the open road for a dorm full of teenagers who don’t want to be there? On this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, Damaris Casanova sits down with Aaron Smith, a residential advisor at the North Texas Job Corps Center. The students call him “Mr. S.” After eight years behind the wheel, Aaron got custody of his two youngest sons and made a choice: be present. That choice brought him to a dorm where new students arrive every week, many of them “fresh out of the community,” homesick, anxious, and ready to test every rule. Aaron is proudly embracing his “unk” era. He shows up in Jordans, jokes about students’ hometown slang, and tells them straight: “I’m a father, but I’m not your father.” He calls Job Corps “a business trip, not a personal trip.” He swaps the pack mentality for a family atmosphere, settles conflicts that usually come down to “girls or basketball,” and explains why every rule, from dress code to keeping track of your own locker key, is preparation for a real job. In this episode: From truck driver to dorm mentor“It’s not the streets”: resetting mindsets on day oneHow to set boundaries with young men who test youFamily atmosphere vs. gang mentalityWhy structure is the hardest (and most important) adjustmentSquashing conflict like grown men“Your child has a voice”: a message to parentsSuccess stories: the military, HVAC, plumbing, and $27/hrYou’ll hear about the student who cried on his first night because wake-up was 6 a.m. and is now thriving. You’ll hear about the young father-to-be who tracked Aaron down to say “the talks worked” before he left for the military. And you’ll hear about four dorm leaders who walked out the door earning $25–$27 an hour in HVAC and plumbing. This one is for anyone who has felt like their past decides their future, and for every parent, mentor, and “unc” trying to show up for the next generation. 👉 Subscribe to the iBuild America Podcast for more real stories from the people building America’s workforce.

  3. Oct 1

    Is AI Coming for the Trades? A 30-Year HVAC Vet Says No

    Tommy Breedlove thought his HVAC days were over. After decades of climbing into hot Texas attics, he had moved on to driving trucks. Then his son, a plumbing instructor at North Texas Job Corps, called with an offer: "Dad, you taught me everything I know. Come teach them." In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Damaris Casanova talks with Tommy about his unexpected move into teaching and about the young people who come to Job Corps looking for a fresh start. Tommy explains how he earns trust with students who have been let down before, why he moved his classroom from textbooks to hands-on work, and why he'll repeat a lesson 20 times if that's what it takes. He covers why AI and robotics won't replace skilled tradespeople, how HVAC can take someone from minimum wage to $30 an hour, and why employers shouldn't write off Job Corps because of one bad experience. In this episode: The phone call that brought Tommy back to HVAC as a teacherHow students helped him redesign his training stationsWhy "sometimes guys just need a friend"Real-world customer service lessons for Texas-heat emergenciesHow HVAC works as an apprenticeship-style career pathWhy the trades matter more than ever in the age of AITommy's advice for anyone unsure about their next step If you're 18 and figuring out what's next, 35 and thinking about a career change, or an employer looking for motivated talent, this conversation shows what can happen when someone believes in you. 🎧 Listen now, and subscribe so you don't miss the next story of people building America. iBuild America Podcast: building workforce success, one podcast at a time.

  4. Sep 24

    Get Paid to Learn: The Job Corps to Apprenticeship Pipeline

    Scott Geer has spent about 40 years in the masonry trade. He started as a tile setter, went on to terrazzo and marble, and has spent the last 15 years in brick. Along the way he taught apprenticeship programs in Seattle and Las Vegas. Today he's the brick instructor at North Texas Job Corps, where he spends his days turning "I'm not sure this is for me" into "I built that." In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Damaris Casanova sits down with Scott for an honest conversation about what it takes to build a real career with your hands. They cover: Why the worker who shows up a few minutes early often beats the most talented oneHow apprenticeships work: your raises are written down on paper, and if you do your part, you get paid moreThe job sites where you can't bring your phone at all, not even in your pocketHow drones, touchscreen blueprints and computer-run saws are changing the tradesThe biggest myth about Job Corps ("I thought it was jail or something")Why this generation of tradespeople will be needed for at least the next 20 yearsYou'll also hear about the former student who's now sending Scott pictures of his paychecks, bought a new truck and took a 10-day solo trip to Hong Kong. Whether you're 17 and trying to figure out what comes after high school, 25 and ready for a fresh start, or a parent, mentor or employer who cares about the next generation, this one's for you. 🎧 Listen now and subscribe to the iBuild America Podcast so you don't miss the next story.

  5. Sep 17

    Skip the Debt: Why Apprenticeships Might Beat the 4-Year Degree

    What if the biggest barrier between a young person and a stable career isn’t talent, or drive, or even opportunity — but simply not knowing a program like this exists? In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Damaris Casanova sits down with Will Houston, Center Director of the North Texas Job Corps Center in Dallas, Texas, for a conversation that goes far beyond job training. After 27 years inside Job Corps, Will has seen it all: students who walk in without a high school diploma and walk out with a trade, a diploma, and a completely different sense of who they are. Will breaks down the biggest myths about Job Corps (no, it’s not “juvie,” and no, it’s not only for kids labeled “disadvantaged”), the trades North Texas Job Corps trains for — from electrical, HVAC, and carpentry to nursing, medical assisting, and culinary — and why he believes manufacturing and welding are becoming a matter of national security. But this episode is really about people. Will opens up about the hardest part of his job, why he believes “leaders show and managers tell,” the oxygen-mask philosophy that keeps him from burning out, and the line that sticks with you long after the episode ends: most of the students who come to Job Corps “don’t come in batteries included” — and it’s the staff’s job to help charge them up. Whether you’re 16 and wondering what’s next, 25 and looking for a career reset, or someone who has built a life and wants to understand how the next generation is being trained to build alongside you — this conversation will change how you see workforce development, and maybe how you see potential. In This Episode: • The biggest misconceptions about Job Corps — and the truth about who it’s really for • Why the program is 100% free (housing included), and why that changes everything for families • The trades in demand right now: construction, healthcare, culinary, material handling — and why welding may be a national security issue • The difference between leaders and managers, in Will’s words: “Managers tell. Leaders show.” • How Job Corps builds “the whole human,” not just a skill set • The hardest part of the job — and how Will processes it • Why apprenticeships are the natural next step after Job Corps, and how employers benefit from investing in them • What to expect if you tour a center — and why Will’s advice is simply “come and see” A new episode of the iBuild America Podcast is live now — listen and follow so you never miss an episode. Know a teenager or young adult trying to figure out their next step? Share this episode with them — it could change their path.

  6. Sep 10

    Adversity, Affirmations, and Second Chances: A Job Corps Story

    At 18 years old, Dr. Renatta Lindsey felt like she had nothing left — no car, no plan, no idea what came next. Then a Job Corps recruiter stopped her on the street and asked one simple question that changed the entire trajectory of her life. Within a week, she was enrolled. Twenty-six years later, Dr. Lindsey is a licensed professional counselor, a compliance leader in a public health system, and living proof of what Job Corps can build. In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Damaris Casanova sits down with Dr. Lindsey at the Henry B. Aviation Center in Dallas, Texas, for an honest, moving conversation about identity, adversity, and healing. They talk about what it really felt like to walk into Job Corps as a self-described “angry kid” with no direction, the mentors who poured affirmations into her every single morning, and how those lessons in discipline, patience, and grace still shape her work today. Dr. Lindsey opens up about childhood adversity (ACEs), why the label “at-risk youth” needs to be retired in favor of “at risk for greatness,” and how normalizing mental health conversations — even among today’s celebrities and teens — is changing what it means to ask for help. Whether you’re 16 and figuring out your next step, or 30-plus and reflecting on the path that got you here, this conversation is a reminder that struggle isn’t the end of the story. It’s often where the story begins. Tune in, subscribe, and pass this one along to someone who needs to hear it today.

  7. Sep 3

    Behind the Fences: Building Careers in Prison Workshops

    A music teacher and a former military corrections officer walk into the construction industry… and end up changing thousands of lives. Heather Luhn and Chris Tylutki didn't plan careers in workforce development — they fell into it. Heather left teaching during COVID and found herself running a carpentry program in Boston with zero construction background. Chris left the military and corrections world looking for "something to do" and found a mission instead. Five years later, they're both leaders at the Home Builders Institute (HBI), helping turn returning citizens, veterans, young adults, and career-changers into skilled tradespeople with a future. In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Lorraine Lane sits down with Heather and Chris for an honest, funny, and genuinely moving conversation about what it really takes to rebuild a life through the trades. They talk about the moment a prison warden choked up watching graduates reunite with their families, why "you're really good at that" can change the trajectory of someone's entire life, how HBI is closing the skilled trades gap (hint: it starts with untapped talent, not just untapped jobs), the rise of women in the trades, and where AI actually fits into the future of hands-on work. Whether you're 19 and wondering if the trades are "really a career," or you've been in workforce development for 20 years and need a reminder of why you started — this one will stick with you. In this episode: • How two completely different career paths led to the same mission • The skilled trades shortage — and the workforce nobody's tapping yet • A story about a prison graduation that will get you right in the chest • Why confidence, not just certification, is HBI's real product • Women breaking into the trades and reshaping the industry • AI, efficiency, and what it will (and won't) replace in construction 🔨 Press play. You'll never look at a job site the same way again.

  8. Aug 27

    From Job Corps to CEO: One Founder's Blueprint for Impact

    What does it actually take to bet on yourself after 25 years of betting on everyone else? In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Lorraine Lane sits down with longtime friend Akil Bektemba — CEO and Founder of Vanguard Consulting Group LLC — for a conversation that's part reunion, part masterclass. Akil spent decades in the trenches of workforce development, including years with the Job Corps program, before launching his own firm built on a simple but radical idea: work with who you want, on what you're passionate about. They dig into the real stuff — the risk of entrepreneurship, the moment Akil almost walked away, and why he believes most workforce programs get it backwards by building services first and asking communities second. Akil breaks down what true alignment looks like between employers, communities, and the people workforce development is supposed to serve, and why "disconnected youth" might be the wrong term entirely — it's not disconnection, he argues, it's disbelief, and that changes everything about how we show up for young people. Whether you're 16 and just starting to figure out your path, in your 20s building your first real career, or 30+ and leading a team (or rebuilding one), this episode has something for you: honest talk about burnout, mentorship you don't always recognize in the moment, the importance of consistency over hustle-culture perfection, and yes — a genuinely useful napping strategy. Plus, stick around for the rapid-fire round to find out what's actually on Akil's playlist. 🎧 Listen now and subscribe to the iBuild America Podcast for more real conversations with the people building America's workforce, one community at a time.

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About

The iBuild America Podcast empowers workforce development professionals with insights from industry leaders, exploring strategies, challenges, and solutions to build the Workforce of the Future. Join us to foster collaboration and drive meaningful change.

Information

  • Creator
    iBuild America Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © iBuild America Podcast
  • Show Website
    iBuild America Podcast