In this absolute knockout, tour-de-force of an episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in studio by the legendary leader, visionary and man of impact, the one and only Michael Brunker. A live well lived took him from Detroit, Michigan to San Diego in 1980 and it's safe to say that San Diego is far better off for his presence. From his days of coaching for the Detroit Pistons and SDSU Basketball to his leadership at the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA and now his work with the Ken Blanchard Institute, the common denominator is his commitment to youth and providing them with foundational life skills.

A mindset that "it's tough to be young today" inspires his work to help young adults sort through the myriad of choices and questions and provide them with "bonafide answers." His work with the Ken Blanchard Institute, brought on to reimagine their leadership training programs and deliver them to middle school and high school students is just one shining example of intentional and purposeful shaping of the world by Michael. Part and parcel of this is his discussion of what we can all do with our "head, heart, hands and habits" daily to make the world better. We also learn about impactful ideas such as "points of power" and the "four-way test" used by the San Diego Rotary in guiding their work. Michael also shares the impact of one book in particular, given to him by Melvin Franklin of The Temptations, that had a huge impact and informs his work to this day...."The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran.

Quite the episode and here are some other amazing takeaways from the interview with Michael Brunker:

- The two songs which he thinks still fit today's world for youth
- His thoughts on leadership styles and his view of a gap minder (great!)
- This man of Motown picked favorite band that threw Nancy and Jose for a loop!
- The best spots in town for brussel sprouts!
- The answers to the Rapid Fire questions!

A truly uplifting, energizing and impactful interview from a phenomenal gap minder. Thank you, Michael Brunker, for your contributions to the world of social impact, making the world a better place, and for joining us on The Gap Minders.

Enjoy this episode and be sure to subscribe to the show.

If you have any questions or want to contact Nancy or Jose, please send an email to podcast@uwsd.org. Thank you for listening.

To learn more about the two social impact organizations making The Gap Minders possible, please visit www.TheGapMinders.org.