The Fort Builders Podcast

Lance Johnson
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Personal Journals

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 unique 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 childrenEarly influences that shaped their directionMoments that changed themValleys that refined themThe work they’re building nowWhether 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.

  1. 2d ago

    TFB 022 - The Six Men I've Been w/ Ezra Vancil

    What happens when the person everyone thinks you are is very different from the person you know yourself to be? Ezra Vancil is a singer, songwriter, poet, and artist living in East Texas. As a teenager, he signed a major music deal in Los Angeles. He went on to win numerous awards and build a successful creative career. From the outside, it looked like he had everything going for him. But inside, Ezra was struggling. In this episode of The Fort Builders, Ezra shares a remarkably personal story about talent, expectations, addiction, family, recovery, and learning to live differently. His book, Mornings and Midnights, became a starting point for our conversation. Through his poetry, music, and artwork, we explore the different versions of ourselves we become throughout life. Ezra describes six men: the golden child, the rising star, the hypocrite, the drowning man, the freed man, and the reliable man. It's that sixth man he's working to become today. We talk about what it means to rebuild relationships after causing harm, why genuine change has to be demonstrated rather than simply promised, and how Ezra came to understand freedom as the ability to be himself. But there's another side to this conversation I really enjoyed. We talk about childhood imagination, building forts, getting lost in creativity, walking in the woods, and learning to do things simply because we enjoy doing them—not because they need to produce something. Ezra also shares an extraordinary story about a song he wrote after getting sober, and how that song unexpectedly helped bring him and his wife back together. What I appreciated most about our time together was Ezra's willingness to share not only what he's learned, but what he's still working on. Because becoming who we are doesn't end at a certain age. We're still building. In this episode: Growing up as a gifted young artist and musicianThe pressure that comes with being called talentedThe six different men Ezra describes in his lifeAddiction, recovery, and rebuilding family relationshipsWhat it means to become someone others can depend onFinding freedom in simply being yourselfRediscovering childhood imagination and creativityLearning to be present instead of constantly pursuing the next accomplishmentWhy unfinished projects can still have meaningThe song that helped change the course of Ezra's marriageFinding gratitude and contentment in everyday lifeIf you want to know more about Ezra, his new book "Mornings & Midnights", his music, etc., please visit his website: Ezra Vancil Website Thank You for Your Time... The Fort Builders — How We Become Who We Are.

  2. Sep 9

    TFB 021 - Standing on Their Shoulders w/ Shannon Oury

    What does it mean to have someone in your corner — and what happens when you become that person for someone else? Shannon Oury is the Executive Director and CEO of the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, a role she’s held for roughly 16 years. Before that, she was the agency’s attorney and served on its board. But her path there was anything but predetermined. Shannon grew up in Oklahoma in a family whose story had been dramatically changed by the generations before her. Her grandmother — “Big Mom” — was orphaned at four years old during the 1918 flu epidemic and grew up in difficult circumstances. Years later, with little more than four cows to the family’s name, she mortgaged those cows to start a café. She eventually went back to school, became a teacher, and after retiring, started Meals on Wheels in her community. That example carried forward. Shannon remembers growing up knowing two things: her family delighted in who she was, and they believed she was capable of building something for herself. Her mother’s message wasn’t simply, “You can be anything you want to be.” It was: “You can be anything you want to be if you work hard enough to do it.” After college, Shannon moved to Colorado, went to law school, and began building a successful legal career. But experiences early in that career caused her to reconsider what she wanted her life to look like. With two young children, she shifted her focus away from climbing the corporate ladder and toward family, meaningful work, and eventually Lawrence, Kansas. That journey ultimately led her away from a law-firm partnership and into public service. Today, much of Shannon’s work revolves around something her own family experienced firsthand: creating opportunity. We talk about poverty, housing, education, the growing difficulty of achieving the American dream, and why stable housing can provide the foundation someone needs to begin moving forward. Shannon also shares how the Housing Authority goes beyond simply providing a place to live — helping people pursue education and job training, obtain certifications, gain skills, and, when possible, eventually move out of assisted housing and into the broader market. But underneath all of it is a much bigger conversation about the people who build us. Shannon says whatever success she has achieved came from “standing on other people’s shoulders.” And perhaps one of the most important ideas in this conversation is also one of the simplest: Every kid deserves a champion in their corner. Not everyone gets a Big Mom. But maybe each of us has an opportunity to become one for somebody else. This is a conversation about family, work, housing, education, community, purpose — and carrying forward what others once gave us. In this episode: The influence of Shannon’s grandmother, “Big Mom”Growing up with adventure, imagination, and high expectationsWhy education became a generational value in her familyLeaving Colorado and reconsidering the corporate ladderChoosing meaningful work and public serviceThe realities of poverty and affordable housingWhy stable housing can change much more than where someone sleepsHelping families build skills and move toward economic independenceWhether the American dream is becoming harder to achieveWhy education and learning still matterThe importance of having a champion in your cornerFinding purpose by paying attention to what keeps pulling you back The Fort Builders - How We Become Who We Are

  3. Aug 18

    TFB 020 - Pt. 2 - How We Become Who We Are: The Story Behind TFB w/Lance Johnson & Stephanie Bessent

    How We Become Who We Are: The Story Behind The Fort Builders. Every guest who has joined me in The Fort has answered questions about the people, moments, decisions, failures, victories, and relationships that helped shape who they are. Eventually, it was only fair that someone turned those same questions back on me. In this special two-part conversation, my friend and life coach, Stephanie Bessent, takes over the host's chair and interviews me about the experiences that built my own life. We talk about growing up in western Kansas, spending countless hours on construction sites with my dad, building forts with my brothers, creating businesses before I was old enough to drive, and discovering a love for engineering, entrepreneurship, and creating things that didn't exist before. But we also spend time talking about a much more difficult chapter. The collapse of the engineering company I helped build during the Great Recession...losing my confidence...walking through years of uncertainty...and how relationships, gratitude, curiosity, and a willingness to begin again slowly rebuilt my life. This conversation explains why The Fort Builders exists. It isn't simply a podcast about successful people. It's about understanding how ordinary people become who they are. Because every one of us is built by people. By moments. By failures. By victories. By decisions. By grace. And by the people who stayed when life got hard. In this episode and Episode TFB - 019: Growing up around construction sites in western KansasBuilding forts, imagination, and creativity as a kidEarly entrepreneurial adventuresWhy engineering became the pathStarting and growing an engineering firmServing on the Lawrence City CommissionLosing a business during the Great RecessionDepression, identity, and rebuilding confidenceThe people who carried me through difficult yearsWhy gratitude and curiosity became guiding principlesThe vision behind The Fort BuildersWhy everyone's story matters A special Thanks to Stephanie Bessent (Be-Sent Life Restoration) for asking the great questions, and Joe Comparato with Daybreak Recording Company for the studio space and technical assistance. If you want to support The Fort Builders Podcast, please Like/Subscribe and follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and find full episodes on YouTube, Spotify and Apple podcats. Thank You!

  4. Aug 10

    TFB 019 - Pt 1 - How We Become Who We Are: The Story Behind TFB w/Lance Johnson & Stephanie Bessent

    How We Become Who We Are: The Story Behind The Fort Builders. Every guest who has joined me in The Fort has answered questions about the people, moments, decisions, failures, victories, and relationships that helped shape who they are. Eventually, it was only fair that someone turned those same questions back on me. In this special two-part conversation, my friend and life coach, Stephanie Bessent, takes over the host's chair and interviews me about the experiences that built my own life. We talk about growing up in western Kansas, spending countless hours on construction sites with my dad, building forts with my brothers, creating businesses before I was old enough to drive, and discovering a love for engineering, entrepreneurship, and creating things that didn't exist before. But we also spend time talking about a much more difficult chapter. The collapse of the engineering company I helped build during the Great Recession...losing my confidence...walking through years of uncertainty...and how relationships, gratitude, curiosity, and a willingness to begin again slowly rebuilt my life. This conversation explains why The Fort Builders exists. It isn't simply a podcast about successful people. It's about understanding how ordinary people become who they are. Because every one of us is built by people. By moments. By failures. By victories. By decisions. By grace. And by the people who stayed when life got hard. In this episode and Episode TFB - 020: Growing up around construction sites in western KansasBuilding forts, imagination, and creativity as a kidEarly entrepreneurial adventuresWhy engineering became the pathStarting and growing an engineering firmServing on the Lawrence City CommissionLosing a business during the Great RecessionDepression, identity, and rebuilding confidenceThe people who carried me through difficult yearsWhy gratitude and curiosity became guiding principlesThe vision behind The Fort BuildersWhy everyone's story matters A special Thanks to Stephanie Bessent (Be-Sent Life Restoration) for asking the great questions, and Joe Comparato with Daybreak Recording Company for the studio space and technical assistance. If you want to support The Fort Builders Podcast, please Like/Subscribe and follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and find full episodes on YouTube, Spotify and Apple podcats. Thank You!

  5. Jul 14

    TFB 018 - More Than Beer w/ Jason Lieb

    One thing Jason said kept resurfacing in different ways: He likes making things that other people experience. Whether it's a brewery... a downtown... an economic development project... or simply a place where strangers become regulars... he's driven by creating something that didn't exist before. What does it take to build something people want to come back to? For Jason Lieb, it isn't just about brewing great beer. It's about creating a place where people gather, celebrate, reconnect, and build community. Jason is one of the founders of Transport Brewery in Shawnee, Kansas, but his story started long before the brewery. From dreaming of becoming an astronaut, to starting an IT company, running for public office, and now helping shape economic development for the City of Olathe, Jason's path has been anything but linear. In this conversation we talk about why creating something tangible matters, the risks of starting a business, how Transport Brewery nearly had several different homes before finding the right one, and why hearing a stranger compliment your work is one of the greatest rewards of entrepreneurship. Jason also shares what he's learned from business ownership—including failures, unexpected challenges, opening during COVID, and why he believes trying something, even if it doesn't ultimately succeed, is almost always worth it. We also dive into leadership, downtown revitalization, public service, running for office, and why meaningful progress never "just happens." It takes people willing to step forward, invest their time, and play the long game. If you've ever dreamed of starting something, wondered whether the risk is worth it, or simply appreciate hearing how ordinary people build extraordinary lives, I think you'll enjoy this conversation. In this episode we discuss: How Transport Brewery got its nameWhy experience matters as much as the beerTurning a hobby into a businessOpening a brewery in an emerging downtownWhy progress doesn't happen by accidentEntrepreneurship versus securityLessons from selling an IT companyEconomic development and building stronger communitiesWhy Jason ran for public officeThe value of trying—even when you might failBuilding something that serves others Transport Brewery

  6. Jun 26

    TFB 017 - Collecting Clues w/ Lance Johnson

    This week is a little different. Instead of sitting down with a guest, I wanted to hit pause and spend a little time reflecting. Over the past several months, I've had the privilege of sitting across from artists, entrepreneurs, coaches, nonprofit leaders, public servants, athletes, adventurers, and people whose life stories have challenged, inspired, and changed me. I originally thought I was simply collecting great stories. Looking back, I think I was collecting something else. I was collecting clues. Clues about one question that has become the heartbeat of The Fort Builders: How do we become who we are? As I reflected on conversations with guests like Jeremy Newman, Mary Shannon, Stephen T. Johnson, Coach Bryant Wright, Ezra, Mike Akers, Dave McClung, Stephanie Bessent, Sherrie Ortiz, Brad Finkeldei, Kirsten Flory, Andrew Kneisler, Chad Dick, Brandon Meek, and many others, I realized something. No one arrived where they are by accident. Each of us is shaped by people, moments, decisions, setbacks, risks, failures, beliefs, and opportunities. Some of those things we choose. Some choose us. In this episode, I share some of my own reflections—from watching communities come together during the World Cup, to a meaningful fishing trip with my dad and brothers in Canada, to looking back on the forts we built as kids and realizing they represented something much bigger than pieces of scrap wood. Maybe we weren't just building forts. Maybe those forts were building us. This isn't a recap of past episodes. It's an invitation to look at your own life. Who and what has shaped you? What moments changed your direction? What are you still building? Because the story isn't over. None of us are finished. We're all still under construction.

  7. Jun 17

    TFB 016 - Always Another Chapter w/Sherrie Ortiz

    In this episode of The Fort Builders, I sit down with Sherrie Ortiz, owner of 'Just One Day Travel, LLC', a Kansas City tour company and someone whose story is really about adaptation, reinvention, and staying curious. Today, Sherrie spends her days leading walking tours, bus tours, food tours, ghost tours, and history tours throughout the Kansas City region. She helps people discover the stories hiding in plain sight—from gangsters and ghost stories to public art, architecture, fountains, and local history. But that wasn't always the plan. Before becoming a tour guide, Sherrie spent nearly 30 years in the bakery industry. She started decorating cakes shortly after high school, worked her way through grocery bakeries, and eventually built a successful home-based business called Sherrie's Cake Magic. For 18 years she created wedding cakes, custom birthday cakes, and specialty desserts while raising her children from home. Then life changed. While caring for her mother during a battle with ovarian cancer, her business slowed. After her mother's passing, Sherrie made the difficult decision not to rebuild the bakery business she had spent years creating. What followed was a series of pivots. An attempt to enter real estate appraisal that was disrupted by 9/11. A fascinating stint working for an online auction company during COVID. And eventually the launch of her current business, just before the world shut down. Throughout the conversation, one thing stood out to me: Sherrie never pretends she had some grand master plan. She simply kept adapting. When conference tours weren't producing enough business, she embraced walking tours. When one path closed, she explored another. When something wasn't working, she adjusted and kept moving. We also talk about Kansas City itself—its growth, history, hidden stories, and the things most people drive past every day without noticing. Whether it's Harry Houdini performing a famous stunt downtown, the history of the City Market, or the changing face of neighborhoods throughout the metro, Sherrie has built a business around helping people see familiar places differently. As we often talk about on The Fort Builders, building a life isn't always about following a straight line. Sometimes it's about being willing to start over. And trusting that the experiences you've gathered along the way might lead somewhere you never expected. Just One Day Travel Tours, LLC If you want more episodes of 'The Fort Builders Podcast', you can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple.

  8. Jun 10

    TFB 015 - Building Winners w/ Coach Michael Akers

    In this episode of The Fort Builders, I sit down with Mike Akers, head women's golf coach at the University of North Texas and someone I've known since our days growing up together in Hays, Kansas. Mike's story starts in western Kansas, where he helped lead Hays High to a state golf championship. Looking back, he now realizes just how unlikely that accomplishment was given the larger programs and resources they were competing against. But even then, the mindset was already there: preparation, belief, and a willingness to do extra work. Before that state tournament, Mike drove five hours by himself, stayed in a hotel alone, and played multiple practice rounds before the rest of the team arrived. That mindset would follow him throughout his career. After working as a golf professional, Mike moved into coaching and eventually built successful collegiate programs at Texas State and North Texas. When he arrived at North Texas, the program was ranked around 200th nationally. Today, it has become a nationally respected program with conference championships and victories over schools with significantly larger budgets and recruiting advantages. What stood out to me in this conversation is that Mike doesn't talk much about talent. He talks about people. He talks about relationships. He talks about culture. Whether he's recruiting internationally from Thailand, Latvia, South Africa, or India, or evaluating players from Texas, he's looking for more than scores. He's looking for character, independence, work ethic, and people who genuinely want to improve. We also discuss one of my favorite themes from the conversation: intentional practice. Mike shares stories about athletes spending hours "practicing" while not really being present and explains why focused effort always beats simply putting in time. Golf provides instant feedback. You can't fake preparation for very long. Throughout the conversation, another lesson keeps surfacing: The details matter. Whether it's club fitting, recruiting, relationships, culture, or leadership, success is rarely one big thing. It's usually hundreds of small things done consistently over time. As we often talk about on The Fort Builders, we're all building something. Mike's story is a reminder that winning cultures aren't built overnight. They're built through relationships, attention to detail, and a belief that where you start doesn't determine how far you can go. Women's Golf - University of North Texas Athletics

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5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

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 unique 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 childrenEarly influences that shaped their directionMoments that changed themValleys that refined themThe work they’re building nowWhether 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.

Information

  • Creator
    Lance Johnson
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Lance Johnson
  • Show Website
    The Fort Builders Podcast