Motivate with Coach Camp

Coaches - Episode 3 –Mr. Robert Carter “Family is not an important thing, it’s everything.” ~ M. Fox

In our lifetime we are fortunate if we meet just a dozen people on this planet that have a true heart for growing others.  This week’s guest is without question one of those unique souls.  
 
Robert Carter may be a banker, but he is a true humanitarian through and through.  His love and passion for life goes without saying, but this true desire to see others give and be their best really shines through when he is coaching his team.  
 
If you have ever had a coach in your life that you knew would do anything to help you be the best version of you, then you will certainly feel like you know Robert when you check out our conversation.
 
Not only is he a great coach, a great friend, a great husband and a great father, but he is the connecting link to how I got teamed up with Derrick Michaud and SRP studios and how the Motivate with Coach Camp podcast came to be.  This was a great honor to share the mic with the one that started it all!
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link below to learn more. 
 
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This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC 
SRPStudiosLLC.com

Coaches - Episode 2 – Coach, Principle, School Superintendent, Mentor- Mr. Milton Kuykendall. “A good coach can change a game, a great coach can change a life.”

If you grew up in DeSoto County through the 90’s and beyond, then you most certainly know this week’s guest.  Mr. Milton Kuykendall is truly an icon in Northwest Mississippi. 
 
I was beyond blessed to have such great parents in this life, but the one thing that we all know is, we must have a variety of mentors in our life that help influence us to grow in the right direction.  As the expression goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
 
 Mr. Kuykendall started his career in education at Horn Lake High School as our basketball coach.  As you will hear in our conversation, he had several years of experience in both coaching and being a principal prior to coming to Horn Lake.  It was in those early years that helped to mold him into the man he was by the time he arrived at Horn Lake.  
 
It is in my humble opinion that he was a pivotal influence on me and my education and I consider myself to be very blessed to have been a small part of his educational career.  It is moments like this that I am so grateful to have my small platform to highlight such a great person.
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link below to learn more.  This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC ShelbyRowProductions.com

Coaches - Episode 1 – Kasey Astor, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” ~ Proverbs 22:6 (LAPA – Love & Prayers Always

When a person decides to become a coach, they are committing to a position of mentorship, instruction, development, leadership, and above all, a passion to help others reach their full potential. However, for those coaches that truly understand the total impact they have on those they coach, they can change their lives!
 
This week’s guest is Mrs. Kasey Astor. Kasey shares with my audience how she transitioned from gymnastics to cheer as a young person and then eventually into coaching cheer. I had the blessed experience of Mrs. Astor being my daughter’s cheer coach in middle school and I can tell you first hand that Mrs. Astor is a coach that loves her kids. Balancing when to push a player and knowing when to build them up can be tricky. It requires someone that takes the time to know their players and has a genuine love and concern about their well-being.
 
Kasey attributes her love and passion to her faith in God. Coaching can be hard at times, but loving her girls was easy. I knew that when my daughter would come home tired and frustrated she had had a tough practice. Tough practices build character and help to bond a team through their hard work. Kasey always expected their best effort, not because she deserved it, but because the girls deserved it of themselves.
 
The one thing that always stood out to me was how she would let each girl know how much she loved them and would always finish each practice or game with a prayer. Coaches like Kasey should never be taken for granted because they are leaving positive impressions that will forever help them no matter what they end up doing in life. I know you are going to love this episode!
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com Also, if you are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link below to learn more.
 
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🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
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This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC
SRPStudiosLLC.com

Giving Yourself a Second Chance – Matt Carter and Amy Braden, ”Life isn’t perfect, we all need grace.”

Being called to something is a very powerful thing.  I’ve often asked myself, what if 
I didn’t act on something that I was supposed to act upon? Could I have missed 
out on great blessings?  Will someone else suffer from my lack of action? 
 
Clearly, we can’t be everywhere and do everything, but we can and we should, do 
something.  My guest this week, Mr. Matt Carter and Mrs. Amy Braden answered 
their calling and they are doing great things right here in the Memphis area.   
 
Matt is the Community Engagement Coordinator and Amy is the Workforce 
Coordinator for the nonprofit, HOPEWORKS.  This is an organization that helps 
adults to get their feet under them so they can become thriving citizens and 
hopefully break the chain of generational depravity. 
 
HOPEWORKS helps adults get their personal records in order so they can be better 
equipped to pursue jobs, they educate those whose second language is English, 
they assist with real world acclimation for those that have been incarcerated.   
 
Simply stated, they put tools in the tool box for those that may not have had a 
great first chance at life.  I know you will be touched by this heartwarming story of 
love and if you would like to find out more about how you could get involved you 
can email www.whyhopeworks.org or call 901-272-3700. 
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my 
social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you 
are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link 
below to learn more.  
 
👉 SPONSOR THIS PODCAST -  https://bit.ly/443wPRj
🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
📺 WATCH - YouTube and Facebook
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This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC 
SRPStudiosLLC.com

It’s Time To Give Yourself A Second Chance! – Coach Camp, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

What if everything we did was the final chapter to describe who we are or what 
we will become?  There would be no hope for those that make massive mistakes.  
We would forever be defined by our bad choices and there would never be any 
hope for a better, brighter future.   
 
Regardless of what you’ve done or where you’ve come from, God gives us the 
opportunity to change our lives forever.  You simply have to start today and move 
to a better you tomorrow.   
 
So often we can be our own toughest critics and never allow ourselves to be a 
better version of ourselves tomorrow because we can’t forgive ourselves from 
yesterday.  We should never be held prisoner by our past, but instead, we should 
allow our past to help mold the better version of ourselves. 
 
After a very vivid dream, I was inspired to record this solo podcast in the hopes 
that it would find its way to the individuals that needed to hear this message.  I 
am certain that this message will hit home for some of you and possibly you 
needed to hear this and you were completely unaware that you needed it. 
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my 
social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you 
are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link 
below to learn more.  
 
👉 SPONSOR THIS PODCAST -  https://bit.ly/443wPRj
🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
📺 WATCH - YouTube and Facebook
🎧 LISTEN - Apple and Spotify
This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC 
SRPStudiosLLC.com

Clear Skies Ahead with Tim Simpson

My guest this week is certainly no stranger to the Mid-South.  Mr. Tim Simpson 
has a storied career as one of channel 3’s severe weather experts, but he is much 
more than a weather expert.  He is a singer, a pilot, a sports enthusiast, a 
husband, a father of 5 and above all, a man of faith. 
 
Mr. Simpson shares with my listeners what led him into a career of broadcasting 
and what mentors he had along the way.  Prior to coming to channel 3 news in 
Memphis he had 8 previous years of broadcasting the weather and then spent an 
additional 29 years with Memphis before retiring and moving to South Carolina to 
be around family.   
 
I am sure that you will find his interview to be both intriguing and inspiring when 
he talks about one of his favorite segments the network did on Thursdays called, 
“Pass it on Thursday’s”.  This is actually what brought us together when we 
teamed up with Mr. Simpson to deliver some help for a fellow school employee.  
You can see this episode by clicking the link below. 
https://wreg.com/news/pass-it-on/grandmother-gets-help-before-christmas/ 
 
Now that Mr. Simpson and his family has relocated to South Carolina he has more 
time to do things with his loved ones and one of those things is producing a 
podcast with his wife called, “Embrace your Everyday”.  Passing on a positive 
message will forever be a part of Tim’s life and I am so grateful for having the 
opportunity to meet such a great person. 
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my 
social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you 
are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link 
below to learn more.  
 
👉 SPONSOR THIS PODCAST -  https://bit.ly/443wPRj
🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
📺 WATCH - YouTube and Facebook
🎧 LISTEN - Apple and Spotify
This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC 
SRPStudiosLLC.com

Triumph Over Tragedy Episode 2 – Donna and Charity Kirk, and Hope Holmes, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” ~John 15:13

This episode is dedicated to Lt. Trent Kirk and Pvt. Charles Zachary 
 
On Father’s Day, July 15th, 2003, tragedy struck the Memphis Fire Department and 
the loss was felt by many, but none more than my three guests today.  Lieutenant 
Trent Kirk, officer on Engine 10 B-shift, was working overtime at station 31 when 
they were called to a Family Dollar store for a potential fire.  The events that 
unfolded next would leave an entire city in mourning and Trent’s wife without a 
husband and his children without a father. 
 
It is not a secret that firefighting is dangerous.  All that choose to serve 
understand that in a moment’s notice things can go from seeming to be fine to 
deadly.  However, you could never do the job if you were scared to act when the 
time called for it.   
 
With that in mind, firefighters do the only things they can do.  We workout to stay 
in shape, we train constantly, and we pray that at the end of each day we all make 
it back home to our families.  When the unthinkable happened on that warm 
evening in 2003 the Kirk family had to figure out how to pick up the pieces and 
carry on, and carry on they did.  Ms. Donna started the nonprofit “Our Fallen 
Hero’s Foundation”, daughter Hope is now a Paramedic and daughter Charity is 
now an Ultrasonographer.  I feel like I can speak with certainty when I say, Trent 
would be incredibly proud of how his entire family chose to live their lives with a 
service to others.  It was a true honor to sit with this family and share the 
moments that brought us all together and honor two fallen heroes. 
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my 
social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you 
are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link 
below to learn more.  
 
This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC
SRPStudiosLLC.com
 
👉 SPONSOR THIS PODCAST -  https://bit.ly/443wPRj
🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
📺 WATCH - YouTube and Facebook
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Triumph Over Tragedy Episode 1 – Nick Blakemore, “Triumph is never accidental, it must always be very intentional. ” ~Coach Camp

Sometimes the path we thought we were meant to take in life can suddenly be 
altered in a second’s notice.  This week’s guest had a vision and dream for his 
future, but on the morning of March 8, 2000, a 20 year old Nickcolus received the 
news that his 48 year old father had been shot and killed while fighting a house 
fire.   
 
Needless to say, firefighting is a dangerous occupation, but no one expects to hear 
the news that they had lost their life from being shot.  Nick shares with my 
audience how this tragic moment affected their family and how this changed the 
direction of his entire life. 
 
Nick decided to put his dreams of being a writer on hold so he could join the fire 
department to honor his dad.  Nick talks about how he spent 18 years on the 
department before having to retire due to injuries to his knee.   
 
It was at that time that he reconnected with his love of writing and has since 
written several books and screen plays and recently completed his first feature 
length movie.  Nick could have easily used the tragedy of losing his father at an 
early age to negatively impact the rest of his life, but instead he chose to honor his 
father and then when given the opportunity to return to his original love, he 
bounced back like he had never put those dreams on hold.   
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my 
social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you 
are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link 
below to learn more.  
 
This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by Shelby Row Productions LLC. 
SRPStudiosLLC.com
 
👉 SPONSOR THIS PODCAST -  https://bit.ly/443wPRj
🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
📺 WATCH - YouTube and Facebook
🎧 LISTEN - Apple and Spotify

Public Servant Episode 4 – Cory Uselton, “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” ~ Kobe Bryant

When I decided to orchestrate a series that would put a spotlight on public 
servants, I never would have dreamed that I would be so fortunate to have such a 
lineup of all stars.  My guest ranged from a Sheriff, to a Mississippi Supreme Court 
Justice, to a nationally known fire Chief and finishing up with the DeSoto County 
school Superintendent, which happens to be the largest county in the state. 
 
The school Superintendent sets the culture of a school system.  Leadership 
positions are important for any organization, but I feel like most people would 
agree that education ranks near the top.   
 
We live in a time that our children have a plethora of influences and with the 
abundance of cell phones, our children are subject to more negativity and 
egregious content than any other generation. 
 
Knowing this to be a fact, not an opinion, it is more important than ever to have 
educators that love and care about the growth of the next generation well beyond 
the classroom.  In order for this to be the driving force behind our teachers, it 
requires the leader of that school system to be invested in the teachers, as well as 
the students.   
 
After my interview with Mr. Uselton I am convinced that his heart is in the right 
place and we are blessed to have him in DeSoto County.  My two boys graduated 
from Hernando High and my daughter is currently in 9th grade.  When I say that I 
am thankful to have this great leader here in DeSoto County, I do so with skin in 
the game, so to speak. 
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my 
social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you 
are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link 
below to learn more.  This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by 
Shelby Row Productions LLC 
 
srpstudiosllc.com
 
👉 SPONSOR FORM -  https://bit.ly/443wPRj
🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
📺 WATCH - YouTube and Facebook
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Public Servant Episode 3 – Gary Ludwig, “A leader should put themselves at the bottom of the organizational chart.”

This week’s guest is a modern day legend amongst the fire world.  He has spent 
more than 4 decades serving communities, first as a firefighter and then as a 
firefighter/paramedic.   
 
Mr. Ludwig’s experience as a chief in both St. Louis, MO and Memphis, TN puts 
him in rarified company, much less the 40 plus years spent in the game.  In this 
episode, Chief Ludwig shares with my listeners how he developed his love for the 
profession and how he continued to grow from one year to the next.   
 
Ludwig served in a number of capacities on the various departments which gave 
him a unique perspective on how the entire job operates.  Chief has chronicled 
those years of experience and knowledge in his 4 novels and hundreds of articles 
that have been published in various EMS and fire magazines. 
 
With plenty of accomplishments to hang his hat on and be impressed by, I am 
most impressed by his humbled leadership style.  I had the good fortune of having 
Chief Ludwig serve as my EMS Chief for over a decade and during that time I had 
the pleasure of getting to know he was not only a very knowledgeable Chief, but 
he was always available even.  Without question, he has left his mark on the 
profession and I am certain that this interview will be worth your time. 
 
Please continue to listen and support this podcast and be sure to check out my 
social media content on my website MotivateWithCoachCamp.com  Also, if you 
are interested in becoming an official sponsor of this podcast please click the link 
below to learn more.  This episode was recorded at SRP Studios and Produced by 
Shelby Row Productions LLC 
srpstudiosllc.com
 
👉 SPONSOR FORM -  https://bit.ly/443wPRj
🔗 WEBSITE - www.motivatewithcoachcamp.com
📺 WATCH - YouTube and Facebook
🎧 LISTEN - Apple and Spotify