What does it take to lead a 23 year old nonprofit through its next chapter, while honoring everything the founder built before you?

In this episode, I sit down with Emmanuel (Manny) Caraballo, Executive Director of Freedom for Youth, a faith based nonprofit serving at risk youth in the Des Moines metro. Manny's path here wasn't a straight line, Army chaplain's assistant, youth pastor in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Northern Virginia, before landing in Iowa just nine months ago to step into the role left by founder Mark Nelson.

We talk about:

• Why succession planning is the thing most nonprofits (and churches) struggle to prepare for
• The three barriers at-risk kids face most; identity, skills, and access
• Why Freedom for Youth operates on "hand ups, not handouts"
• How teaching kids to cook, budget, and build is changing their trajectory
• The Eugene Lang story and why belief might be the most underrated resource in youth development
• What's next for Freedom for Youth, including their new construction project on campus.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to invest in one kid at a time, and why that's the whole point, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Freedom for Youth:

🌐 freedomforyouth.org

📞 (515) 282-4822

What does it take to leave everything you know behind, and then figure out who you actually are when the thing that defined you is gone?

In this episode of What's the CO2?, Matt sits down with Ross Moffat, therapist, soccer coach, and Glasgow native, for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about identity, mental health, and what it really means to grow up.

Ross shares his journey from the streets of Clydebank, Scotland to the Scottish Premier League at 16, then a leap of faith to Des Moines, Iowa with a couple hundred bucks and a soccer dream. But the more compelling story is what happened after the soccer stopped, and how long it took him to realize he'd never truly left it behind.

This Episodes dives into:

• The adaptation triangle: safety, belonging, and significance, and the behavioral drivers we develop as kids that quietly run our adult lives
• Why athletes are especially vulnerable to identity collapse when their sport ends
• The overscheduling and early specialization crisis in youth sports
• Why men wait until crisis hits to seek help, and what therapy actually looks like
• The "software update" model of self-awareness (not a reset, just an update)
• Jason Wilson's work on masculinity and what it means to be "the man the moment demands"

Ross brings both the lived experience and the clinical lens. This one goes deep.

What do Chick-fil-A, a gas station taco stand, and a top 1% real estate career have in common?

Jake Moore.

Jake Moore is the founder of the Jake Moore Group and one of the most successful realtors in the country, but his path there was anything but a straight line. From burning out at a booming software company, to a brief (very brief) stint in fast food, to running a taco stand three hours from home while juggling a corporate job, Jake has tried it all, failed at some of it, and kept going anyway.

In this episode, Jake shares how faith, family, and a stubborn refusal to quit eventually led him to build one of the most trusted real estate businesses in the Houston area and why he wouldn't change a thing.

We sit down with Pastor Scott Rains from Lutheran Church of Hope in Ankeny, Iowa to explore the profound intersection of healthcare, spirituality, and the human experience of grief. The conversation delves into the "meaning making model," examining how we bridge the gap between our foundational beliefs and the often-traumatic realities of life, while emphasizing that a truly "full life" requires embracing the low side of emotions like sorrow and anger. Through poignant references to community, addiction, and even modern media like "The West Wing" and "The Pitt", we highlight how isolation can hinder healing and how authentic connection, rooted in compassion rather than condemnation, serves as the vital engine for emotional and spiritual transformation.

Dr. Jason Cruz, is the former Interim CEO and a current Internal Medicine physician at Broadlawns Medical Center. He shares his journey and insights into the evolving world of medicine. Explore how compartmentalization and intangible qualities like empathy and moral clarity are essential in the role of a physician. Delve into the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the potential impact of AI on healthcare.

Dr. Yechan (YC) Kim is an Internal Medicine doctor with a focus on Sports Medicine. Dr. Kim shares his journey from South Korea to the United States and discusses the challenges he faced adapting to a new culture and language as well as the impact of his families personal challenges. He reflects on his faith journey and how it helped him overcome adversity. Dr. Kim also talks about his passion for medicine, particularly sports medicine, and his commitment to serving underserved communities. He emphasizes the importance of accompaniment in healthcare and his desire to integrate spirituality into his medical practice.