Contagious Culture

#201 | How Purpose-Driven Teams Create Unforgettable Experiences With Mark Maynard

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Mark Maynard, keynote speaker, author, advisor, coach, and former managing partner at Union Square Hospitality Group.
Mark shares how hospitality, clarity, purpose, and community shape unforgettable customer and team experiences. He explains why great service is not just about a product, meal, or transaction. It is about helping people feel like they belong to something bigger.
Kyle and Mark also discuss why service teams need clarity, how purpose creates buy-in, why complaints are gifts, and how leaders can build organizations where every action connects back to the mission.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction00:26 — Meet Mark Maynard01:30 — Mark’s connection to hospitality and service03:00 — Why entertaining and hosting matter04:00 — Customers versus guests05:35 — Why your product is community07:30 — Building loyalty through belonging08:45 — Mark’s journey into hospitality10:00 — Why teams need clarity, not another pep talk12:25 — Purpose, buy-in, and shared direction15:25 — Where leaders should begin17:30 — Why complaints are gifts19:30 — Receiving feedback with humility21:30 — What extraordinary service teams do differently23:00 — Connecting people to purpose
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#200 | I Am Still Standing: How Resilient Leaders Keep Growing

In this solo episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle S. King challenges leaders to reflect on the setbacks they have survived, the character they are building, and the future they are intentionally creating.
Drawing from the wisdom of Maya Angelou, personal leadership experiences, and stories about trust, courage, and perseverance, Kyle reminds listeners that experiencing defeat does not mean they have been defeated.
He introduces a practical four-part framework for personal and professional growth:
Learn constantly
Build meaningful relationships
Add measurable value
Develop other people
This episode is a call to stop measuring leadership only by titles, recognition, or achievement. Sustainable success is built through character, consistency, service, and the willingness to lift others while you climb.
Episode Action Items
Write down the phrase “I am still standing.”
Define what you want to be known for by June 2027.
Identify one skill you need to develop before your next opportunity.
Schedule a conversation with your manager about your professional goals.
Identify three relationships that could support your development.
Solve one meaningful problem without waiting to be asked.
Choose one colleague or emerging leader to mentor.
Create a 30-day plan for learning, relationship-building, value creation, and developing others.
Reflection Questions
What challenge have you survived that once made you question whether you could continue?
What does your response to pressure reveal about your character?
Would people trust you to lead them through uncertainty?
What do you want to be known for one year from now?
What problem can you solve for your team today?
Who are you intentionally helping grow?
Are you climbing alone, or are you lifting others with you?
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#199 | Building Pathways for Underrepresented College Students with Dara Ashley

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Dara Ashley, founding executive director of the Dara Ashley Foundation, researcher, and nonprofit leader working to close the access and exposure gap for underrepresented college students.
Dara shares how her own experiences, mentorship, and time at Howard University shaped her passion for helping students see what is possible. She explains why exposure matters, why students cannot pursue opportunities they have never seen, and how mentorship can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
Kyle and Dara also discuss the difference between access and ability, the power of one-on-one mentorship, data-driven program design, Leadership U, and what it means to build an organization that helps students gain the skills, networks, and confidence they need for life after college.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction00:40 — Meet Dara Ashley01:00 — Dara’s mission and infectious spirit01:30 — Closing the access and exposure gap02:30 — Helping students identify what they do not know03:15 — The power of exposure04:00 — Dara’s origin story and early mentorship experience05:00 — Where to start if you want to serve your community06:00 — Former mentees returning as mentors07:15 — Access versus ability08:45 — Why exposure also shows students what they do not want10:00 — Dara’s path into research11:00 — Why leaders must mentor and reach back12:00 — Staying connected to the audience you serve13:00 — What Dara saw missing in the system14:30 — What leaders get wrong about mentorship15:30 — The power of one-on-one mentorship16:00 — What success looks like for Dara17:00 — The ten-year vision for the Dara Ashley Foundation18:00 — Growing into 42 states and going deeper locally19:00 — Leadership U and student-centered program design20:00 — Using data to measure and build impact21:00 — Turning vision into systems and deliverables
 
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#198 | From Grant Dependency to Financial Independence with Pedro Jose Rivera

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Pedro Jose Rivera, a nonprofit fundraising strategist working at the intersection of law, philanthropy, wealth management, and nonprofit leadership.
Pedro shares how Latino-led nonprofits can move from grant dependency to deeper financial independence by building diversified fundraising systems. He explains why organizations need to focus on individual giving, planned giving, corporate support, board engagement, and community-based fundraising instead of relying only on restricted grants.
Kyle and Pedro also discuss the role of faith, family, generosity, board responsibility, peer-to-peer fundraising, and why asking for support is not begging. It is inviting people to invest in the mission.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction00:45 — Meet Pedro Jose Rivera01:30 — Pedro’s Puerto Rican roots, family, faith, and education03:40 — How generosity was modeled in Pedro’s childhood06:00 — What Pedro hopes to give through his work06:45 — Moving Latino-led nonprofits beyond grant dependency07:40 — Understanding individual giving, planned giving, grants, and events09:15 — Where new nonprofits should start fundraising10:15 — Why nonprofits must think like entrepreneurs11:30 — Why organizations become grant dependent13:30 — Creative funding strategies and peer-to-peer fundraising15:30 — What executive directors often overlook16:50 — The role of the board in fundraising18:45 — Why passion without systems is dangerous20:30 — The fundraising truth leaders need to hear
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#197 | Why Teams Avoid the Conversations That Matter With Whitney Siders

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Whitney Siders, executive team advisor, coach, speaker, offsite facilitator, and founder of The Modern Inc.
Whitney helps leaders and teams get beneath the surface of what is really happening so they can strengthen alignment, accelerate action, and lead with greater clarity. She shares why fear, resistance, avoided conversations, and unclear first steps often keep leaders and teams stuck.
Kyle and Whitney also discuss emotional intelligence, leadership awareness, hard conversations, team patterns, real alignment, and why creating space to pause can help teams move forward with more honesty and effectiveness.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction00:18 — Meet Whitney Siders01:10 — Why Whitney does not love being called fearless02:15 — Fear, resistance, and clarity03:20 — Avoiding hard conversations05:00 — Solving symptoms instead of root issues06:10 — Awareness, clarity, and emotional intelligence08:45 — Looking at patterns under pressure09:30 — Caretaker leadership and avoided feedback10:50 — Creating space to pause12:45 — Why teams solve surface-level problems13:20 — The problem with fake alignment14:30 — Building tools, language, and accountability16:15 — Whitney’s slingshot moment17:00 — The accident that changed her life20:30 — Recovery, mindset, and small goals22:45 — Choosing work that helps people show up fully
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#196 | Leadership Requires More Than Competence with Andrea Mancuso

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Andrea Mancuso, trauma-informed leadership and emotional intelligence coach, licensed mental health counselor, and founder of Intentional Healing and Wellness.
Andrea shares why healthy, high-performing teams cannot exist if leaders have not done their own internal work. She explains how burnout, avoidance, people-pleasing, hustle culture, and emotional disconnection show up in leaders, teams, schools, and organizations.
Kyle and Andrea also discuss trauma-informed leadership, psychological safety, emotional capacity, rest, self-awareness, and why leaders must learn to slow down, disconnect, and lead from a healthier place.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction00:15 — Meet Andrea Mancuso01:15 — Andrea’s work and mission02:00 — Who Andrea is beyond the titles03:30 — Mental health, trauma, and what leaders misunderstand04:45 — Why society is navigating a mental health crisis06:30 — Technology, overstimulation, and exposure07:00 — What trauma-informed leadership really requires08:00 — The power of awareness09:30 — Patterns that lead to burnout10:00 — Busyness and the inability to slow down11:30 — Avoidance and why healing matters13:00 — People-pleasing as a leadership pattern14:30 — Unsubscribing from hustle culture16:30 — Rest, fear, and trust18:30 — Why there are no real emergencies in most businesses20:30 — Scheduling focused time and creating boundaries23:00 — Competent leaders versus emotionally equipped leaders
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#195 | Simple Gets People to Take Action with Dayana Kiblids

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Dayana Kiblids, strategist, speaker, co-author of Mailed It, and higher education communication expert.
Dayana shares why simplicity is one of the most powerful tools leaders can use to help people take action. She explains how complex language, unclear systems, and academic jargon often create barriers for students, families, and communities, especially in higher education.
Kyle and Dayana also discuss portfolio careers, saying yes to new opportunities, writing a memoir, translating complicated systems into clear steps, and why spoken language can help leaders communicate in a more human and accessible way.
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction00:15 — Meet Dayana Kiblids01:00 — What is giving Dayana energy right now02:00 — Writing a memoir and building a keynote03:00 — Saying yes to unexpected opportunities03:45 — Discovering the idea of a portfolio career05:30 — Balancing employment and entrepreneurship06:30 — Knowing what action to take next07:30 — Getting unstuck through new conversations09:30 — Who Dayana is beyond her job title10:30 — Living as a chameleon across cultures11:00 — Translating complex systems into simple steps12:00 — Dayana’s framework for strategy and translation14:30 — Why language becomes a barrier in higher education16:00 — Academic language, privilege, and access18:30 — Where leaders should begin simplifying communication19:00 — Using spoken language as a clarity tool20:30 — Why simplicity creates more access21:30 — The danger of editing simplicity out of the message
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#194 | From Rapper to Nonprofit Tech Leader with Brad Ton

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Brad Ton, a nonprofit technology leader, former rapper, father of six, and someone who brings honesty, humor, and heart into every room.
Brad shares his journey from working in professional sports, to pursuing hip-hop, to finding purpose in nonprofit technology. He opens up about reinvention, anxiety, recovery, fatherhood, and learning how to live with more honesty, presence, and purpose.
 
Kyle and Brad also discuss what it means to bet on yourself, let go of outside validation, pursue your “infinite why,” and build a life aligned with who you really are.
 
Episode History
00:00 — Introduction00:24 — Meet Brad Ton01:15 — Leading with heart and honesty02:15 — From sports management to hip-hop04:20 — Betting on himself and learning through the process05:15 — Performing with major artists and building confidence06:10 — Goals versus an infinite why08:15 — Choosing passion, joy, and alignment09:30 — Fatherhood, anxiety, and life transitions10:35 — Recovery, addiction, and getting help12:00 — Finding purpose in nonprofit technology14:20 — How life experiences shape leadership15:20 — Presence as the key to life18:20 — Letting go, growth, and subtraction19:00 — Honesty, accountability, and self-confidence
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