The Follow to Lead Podcast

Follow to Lead with Lynn Hire, Executive Director, FIRE Foundation

On this episode of Follow to Lead, we will be talking with Lynn Hire, Executive Director of the FIRE Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. Lynn is in her ninth year with the FIRE Foundation, which recently celebrated their 25th anniversary of providing children with special needs the opportunity for an inclusive education in the Catholic schools they attend. Since their beginning in 1996, FIRE has raised close to $6.2 million to support this mission. In addition to its location in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, FIRE now has six affiliate partners in other parts of the country. Join us for an interesting discussion regarding inclusive education and how one group of families impacted their city and beyond to make Catholic education more available for those who have special needs.

Follow to Lead with Steve Pokorny, Founder of Freedom Coaching

On this episode of “Follow to Lead,” we are addressing the other worldwide pandemic, pornography, which is now impacting both men and women at even very young ages. Steve Pokorny, Founder of Freedom Coaching in San Antonio, TX will be joining us to discuss this very serious topic. Steve founded Freedom Coaching to offer help to those who struggle and are looking for freedom from the grip of pornography, something with which he struggled earlier in his own life. Teachers, administrators, and families are impacted by this “drug” every day. Please join us for an enlightening discussion on this critical and timely topic.

Follow to Lead with Anna Camacho, Artisan and Founder of Corda Candle

On this episode of “Follow to Lead,” we’ll be talking with Anna Camacho, Artisan and Founder of CORDA Candles about discerning careers and her company.F or years, Anna asked for the intercession of St. Joseph, praying and hoping for some kind of work that was creative and let her work with her hands. There were plenty of ideas that didn’t pan out, but she kept bothering St. Joseph for one that would! And then one day during prayer, the idea for CORDA was born. It took many months and exhaustive testing to take CORDA from an idea to the launch of the first products: handcrafted candles with scents directly inspired by saints and the faith. Please join us for this inspiring discussion about discerning your career path.

Special Encore: Follow to Lead with Guest Dr. Clare Kilbane, McGrath Institute of Church Life

This is a special encore edition of Follow to Lead with our guest is Dr. Clare Kilbane, Professor of the Practice at the University of Notre Dame affiliated with the McGrath Institute for Church Life. Clare will be a featured presenter at the Duc In Altum Summit this month. Prior to joining the McGrath Institute, Clare spent twenty years as a professor of education at four different universities.  She has authored many books and articles as well as multimedia materials. 

Special Encore: Follow to Lead with Guest Camille Pauley, Healing the Culture

Today we are featuring a special encore edition of Follow to Lead with Camille Pauley. As a featured presenter at the Duc In Altum Summit this month, Camille will be sharing about her non-profit organization Healing the Culture and their mission is the evangelization and conversion of people to become deeply, authentically, and permanently pro-life. Founded in 2003 by Camille and Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., Healing the Culture uses his unique curriculum to change hearts and minds and build a culture of life. Camille has over 25 years of experience as a professional pro-life advocate and has inspired, trained, and educated millions on effectively defending the sanctity of human life. 

Follow to Lead with Patrick Reidy, VP of Mission & Faith, JSerra Catholic HS

Today’s guest is Pat Reidy, Vice President for Mission and Faith at JSerra Catholic High School in Orange County, CA. There’s a lot of talk right now about being a mission driven school. We will be discussing this critically important topic with Pat,  talking about what it means, what it doesn’t mean, and what it looks like in practice.

Follow to Lead with Jeremy Lillig, Executive Director, Bright Futures Fund

Today on Follow to Lead, we will be talking with Jeremy Lillig, Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph about special funding initiatives for Catholic Education. He is also  the Executive Director of the Bright Futures Fund, which supports inner city schools in the diocese and provides administration in the diocese for the the new Missouri Scholars program, providing funding for private schools through a special state tax provision.

Follow to Lead with Kyle Pietrantonio, Executive Director, DIA Schools Collaborative

In this episode we’ll be talking with our Executive Director, Kyle Pietrantonio about recent developments in the Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative, as well as a look at upcoming events and activities. As a part of the program, we’ll share information about our Fall Summit, including speakers and some of the workshops being planned. This year’s Summit will be hosted by JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA.

Follow to Lead with Rachell Ullmann, Executive Director, The Given Institute

This week on “Follow to Lead” we will be interviewing Rachel Ullmann, the Executive Director of the GIVEN Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to activating the gifts of young adult women for the Catholic Church and the world. GIVEN inspires and equips the next generation of female leaders to “receive the gift that they are; realize the gifts they’ve been given; and respond with the gift that only they can give.” Through leadership training, faith formation, and dedicated mentoring, GIVEN forms women for mission and for life.

Follow to Lead with Chris Ledyard, Athletic Director of JSerra Catholic High School

Today we will be talking with Chris Ledyard, the Athletic Director of JSerra High School. Prior to his work at JSerra, Chris spent over 20 years as Athletic Director at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. For Catholic schools, sports is always a key component to the proper fulfillment of our faith mission. During our program, we will dive into the issues of integrating faith, virtues and moral values into athletics in schools. All of this and more will be coming to you on this edition of “Follow to Lead.”