Young Professionals on the American Dream, Division & What Gives Them Hope

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Andy Beshear Podcast

Episode: Young Professionals on the American Dream, Division & What Gives Them Hope

Date: March 5, 2026
Host: Andy Beshear

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Overview of the Episode

This episode of the Andy Beshear Podcast takes a break from politics to amplify the voices of young professionals in Kentucky. The conversation dives into whether the American Dream still feels attainable, the unique economic and societal challenges facing 20-somethings, the impact of social and political division, and sources of hope for the future. The episode features small business owners, a teacher, and an engineer, followed by a panel with Beshear’s regular co-hosts (“the Johns”) who discuss current events, including the war with Iran, economic news, and Beshear's new book.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Meaning & Reality of the American Dream (Starts ~[03:34])

• Cindy Kia (Middle School Math Teacher, immigrant from East Africa):
  • Growing up, the U.S. was seen as “the land of opportunity,” but after experiencing real-life economic pressures post-college, “you graduate, get that first paycheck, and you're looking at the bills thinking, man, is this really the dream that I thought?” ([04:57])
• Karina Henson (Civil Engineer):
  • Echoes the conflict between limitless childhood optimism and the sober reality of “just wanting to feel stable and take care of myself and my family.” ([05:17])

Notable Quote:

“You graduate college, get into the career you desire…but you get that first paycheck, and you’re thinking about, man, is this really the dream that I thought and that dream that I really wanted to go after?”
— Cindy Kia ([04:57])

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2. Affordability and Economic Pressure on Young Adults

• Main Concern: Rent

  • All participants cite rent as the most stressful, “Rent.” ([05:37])
  • Home ownership feels “almost unattainable” due to housing prices and interest rates. ([05:38])
  • Most peers are still renting; “feels like we’re kind of stuck.” ([06:24])

• Food Costs

  • Groceries are the next biggest source of stress, with prices for essentials like meat driving dietary changes. ([06:49])
  • Echoes of “Am I really eating that much or are groceries really that high?” ([07:27])

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3. Shifting and Adapting Life Dreams

• Financial Reality vs. Idealism
  • The dream of “making a difference” as a teacher clashes with financial strain, leading to a shift in focus toward self-sustainability. ([08:40])
  • Deep sense of disappointment at having to prioritize earning enough just to get by, sometimes at the expense of passion or service.

Notable Quote:

“It is difficult for me to invest in myself right now currently…Do I focus on making that impact or do I focus on trying to build myself up financially so that I’m not struggling?”
— Cindy Kia ([08:40])

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4. Community, Hope, and What Young Professionals Value

• Uplifting Themes

  • Despite hardships, hope comes from community: “I’m excited about seeing how communities are coming together to lift each other up…” ([09:49])
  • Acknowledgement of Kentucky’s strong people-to-people connection: “even through the difficulties, there are great teachers who are trying to make a difference, and people in communities who want to do positive things.” ([10:01])

• Advice to Peers:

  • Focus on character, mental health, and actionable steps within one’s control. “You can’t really grow with trying to control things that are outside of your range…just have that voice and speak…” ([10:50])

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5. Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword

• Information Source and Comparison Trap

  • Most news is consumed via social media (Instagram, TikTok), where brevity, sensationalism, and emotional triggers override depth. ([11:37]–[12:42])
  • Social media leads to unhealthy comparisons: “People your age group are flying to Dubai…you start to question, am I doing this thing right?” ([12:38])

• Generational Strength & Use of Voice

  • Genuine desire among young people to “use our voice to really make a change,” despite being judged by older generations. ([16:15])
  • Social media has also empowered activism, such as organizing for teacher’s rights and protests ([17:28]).

Notable Quote:

"Social media can really corrupt your thinking in that way."
— Cindy Kia ([12:42])

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6. Challenges Facing Young Families and Educators

• Childcare and Healthcare as Barriers
  • “Not in a place where I could have kids at all right now… childcare costs, healthcare, all of the things that add up. It’s so much.” ([13:27])
  • Teachers worry about retirement and healthcare, with legislative instability fueling anxiety. ([14:32])
  • Trust and retention of teachers depend on financial and institutional promises being honored.

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7. Small Business Ownership in Your 20s

Panel 2: David Echeverria & Sarin Bentley ([23:31])

• David Echeverria (Village E Sports/DSE Solutions):

  • Joy in flexibility and learning, but confronted with ambiguity about healthcare and the future.

• Sarin Bentley (Cities United):

  • Entrepreneurship is both a source of pride and vulnerability—jumping into LLC status brought lessons that perhaps a nonprofit would have offered better fit and funding.
  • Peer support is vital: “being able to have that community of young professionals to lean on…”

Mentorship:

“There’s nothing more beneficial than having a mentor, whether you’re a small business owner or not.”
— David Echeverria ([27:42])

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8. Perceptions of Politics and Division

• Politics as “a lot of noise…” ([28:29])
  • Social media fosters division through misinformation and disinformation.
  • The need for trustworthy education on civics and critical thinking is emphasized.

Succession Planning Vacuum - Sidelining of young leaders in politics is seen as a problem: “People in office now fought so long to get there that they’re holding on to that space… instead of inviting in young leaders…” ([29:37])

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9. What Would Be Different if Young People Were in Charge?

• Compassion and Accountability:
  • More compassion and “clear conversations” would define governance.
  • There’s skepticism: “Not sure it’d all be better…but things would be a little less complicated,” with more empathy and accountability. ([31:17]–[32:35])

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10. Redefining the American Dream

• Community-Focused American Dream
  • The “old” American Dream feels further away, especially for Black and immigrant communities. But there’s hope in redefining the dream: “how do I create that community? How do I uplift the community…?” ([33:45])
  • Government won’t “ride in on a horse with the answers;” change happens from the community up. ([36:02])

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11. Action Steps for Policymakers

• Healthcare:

  • Immediate concern for young professionals approaching the age cap on parental healthcare coverage ([38:41])
  • Desire for policy to support small business owners’ access to comprehensive, affordable health care.

• Wages:

  • Minimum wage increases are critical: “Living off $7.25, you’re wondering if the lights are going to stay on or if you’re going to be able to pay for groceries…” ([41:53])
  • Suggests raising the minimum wage would have ripple benefits for all low- and middle-income earners.

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12. Emotional Weight & Shared Hope

• Feeling Exhausted by News and Division
  • “Exhausted is one word…the lack of compassion that’s behind a lot of actions…there’s no real release.” ([44:33])
  • Hope comes from “seeing that what we’re seeing in office is not what we’re seeing in community. That community is stepping up, filling in the gap.” ([46:09])
  • The importance of “just keep going…even if it feels like we take a couple steps backwards. Even the steps backwards are part of the dance. So just keep dancing, keep moving. They can’t hit you if you’re moving.” — Karina Henson ([48:10])

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Panel Discussion with the Johns: News and National Division

War with Iran and Foreign Policy ([48:33])

• New U.S. military engagement in Iran; concerns about lack of strategy and Congressional debate.
• Questions about regime change, endgame, and the potential for troops on the ground ([52:02])
• Economic concerns: impact on gas prices, inflation, and military capacity ([56:26])

State of the Union & National Leadership ([57:22])

• State of the Union critiqued as long and “detached from reality” ([58:24])
• President’s claims of a “golden age” of the economy are disputed given persistent affordability struggles.
• Bipartisan frustrations: disruption in Congress and partisan theatrics condemned ([59:19])

Kentucky Economic News ([60:09])

• Despite national turmoil, Kentucky achieves record exports and top status in economic development per capita, with aerospace leading among exports.

Notable Quote:

“You can’t win if you’re not in the game.”
— Andy Beshear, on global trade missions ([62:50])

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Beshear’s Book: Go and Do Likewise ([63:10])

• The book aims to “reclaim faith for good,” inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan as a model for neighborly compassion across differences.
• Writing the book was therapeutic: “I learned that I bury my trauma deep…But like every chapter, what sticks with me is how people responded…If we can get through a pandemic the way we did, surely we can bridge this divide.” ([65:11], [66:41])
• Available for pre-order; released September 22.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Dream Shifts:

“Is this really the dream that I thought?”
— Cindy Kia ([04:57])

On Community:

“I’m hopeful that what we’re seeing in office is not what we’re seeing in community. That community is stepping up…The exhaustion that I may feel is stopping someone else from having those same emotions…”
— Karina Henson ([46:09])

On Social Media:

"Social media can really corrupt your thinking in that way."
— Cindy Kia ([12:42])

On Policy:

“Living off $7.25, you’re wondering if the lights are going to stay on or…pay for groceries…”
— Karina Henson ([41:53])

On Overcoming Division:

“Even the steps backwards are part of the dance. So just keep dancing, keep moving. They can’t hit you if you’re moving.”
— Karina Henson ([48:10])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro and Episode Framework: [00:38]
• Panel 1 (Kia, Henson, Rabinowitz) on American Dream: [02:47]–[18:13]
• Panel 2 (Echeverria, Bentley) Small Business/Politics: [23:31]–[48:10]
• The Johns segment on News and Politics: [48:33]–[67:22]
• Book discussion & reflections: [63:10]–[67:26]

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Takeaways

• The American Dream remains deeply desired but increasingly out-of-reach for many young adults, with rent, homeownership, and healthcare topping the list of stressors.
• Social media is both a tool and a trap: essential for news and community building, but equally a source of unhealthy comparison and misinformation.
• Community resilience, peer mentorship, and youth advocacy offer hope—and a possible reimagining of what the American Dream means for this generation.
• Young professionals want to be heard and included not for tokenism, but for substantive change.
• The most pressing policy demands: livable wages, accessible healthcare, affordable housing, and genuine inclusion of the next generation in decision making.

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Transcript

[Karina Henson]

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[Andy Beshear]

Welcome to the Andy Beshear Podcast, folks. This is our 51st episode. That's right. Next week will mark one year of the Andy Beshear Podcast. Remember, you can download us wherever you get your podcasts or on the Sirius XM app. You can also listen to us on the Progress Channel on Sirius every Saturday morning at 11am we have a great episode for you. We're taking a little bit of a break here in season two from our prime for 2026, and we're sitting down with young professionals all in their 20s, to talk about their hopes, their dreams, to talk about whether the American dream is still attainable for them, to talk about their feelings on the level of division in this country. We're going to talk to small business owners. We're going to talk to people who are trying to make a difference in their community. We're going to talk to a teacher and an engineer. This is one where, you know what, we sit back and we listen to the challenges that are out there for this really important demographic. Then I have my conversation with the Johns and it's been a heavy couple weeks of news. We talk about the war with Iran, we talk about the state of the union. We talk about how there's actually some really good economic news right now in Kentucky that hopefully lifts everybody up. And yes, they asked me about Go and Do likewise, my new book that's available for pre order. This is a really interesting and I think insightful episode. I hope you like it. This week we're starting the Andy Beshear Podcast with two conversations with young professionals. We want to know how they feel about the American dream, their concerns about division in this country, what makes them hopeful, what makes them worry. Because in my job we talk a lot, but it's just as important to listen. So this first segment will be John RABINOWITZ and I second segment will be John McConnell. We've got a lot to learn, so let's get to it. Thank you all for joining the podcast.

[Karina Henson]

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

[Cindy Kia]

Glad to be here.

[Andy Beshear]

If we can begin, if you'll introduce yourself to our listeners. Just tell them a little bit about yourself.

[Karina Henson]

Okay.

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah, I'll go ahead. I'll get started. My name is Cindy Kia. I was born in East Africa and immigrated to the US in the early 2000s. Lived in Louisville for a couple of years, where I attended the University of Louisville.

[John McConnell]

Go Cards.

[Cindy Kia]

Did my undergrad there and grad school as well. And now I'm currently teaching middle school math, trying to, you know, build up the next generation, teaching them how to be critical thinkers.

[Andy Beshear]

Good for you.

[Karina Henson]

And I'm Karina Henson. I'm from Lexington. Then I went to UofL for college. I studied civil engineering, and now I work for Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District as an engineer there.

[Andy Beshear]

I want to start with the American dream. You hear a lot of people talking about it right now, but you all are right at that time in your life where you're probably thinking about it, trying to live it, wondering what it means at this time. So let's start with what does the American dream mean to you?

[Cindy Kia]

Well, I think for me, growing up in Africa, you hear a lot about the US and this is the land of opportunity. Coming here and being able to be given those opportunities was a blessing. So a little bit of that can kind of conflict what I think about the American dream. Because if you come from a third world country, anything small seems really, really impressive to you. But after spending some time here in the US And I'm seeing people my age and even a little bit older than me going after some very strong opportunities, it kind of moves that goalpost for me. But then the reality hits. You graduate college, applying for jobs, you get into the career that you desire to be in, but you get that first paycheck, and you're looking at the bills and thinking about, man, is this really the dream that I thought and that dream that I really wanted to go after?

[Karina Henson]

I resonate with what you're saying about kind of it seeming very big, but then kind of in reality it's. You also just want to be able to take care of yourself and your family and feel stable. But yeah, like growing up feeling like there's so much potential and kind of anything is possible and balancing those.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, so.

[John Rabinowitz]

So the.

[Andy Beshear]

The buzzword is affordability. And I'm worried that's getting a little political sciencey because it's this one word that. That covers a whole bunch of concerns and maybe even struggle. What's the one bill each month that worries you the most?

[Cindy Kia]

Rent.

[Karina Henson]

Rent.

[John Rabinowitz]

Rent.

[Cindy Kia]

Does it? I think for a lot of us in our 20s and early 30s, we think about purchasing a home because that's one of the things that fall into that American dream, being a homeowner. But when you look at our peers and looking at some of us can't even afford to, to start that home buying process, we're told, we're constantly told, hey, you know, you need to invest in a home that's going to bring something back to you. Stop paying rent every single month. But the reality is you look at some interest rates, you look at the price for homes and how much is just gone up, it's almost unattainable.

[John Rabinowitz]

So are most of your friends renting or have they purchased their first home?

[Cindy Kia]

So I'm at the age where it's half and half. Some of them are purchasing, but, you know, I think, I think most of them pretty much are renting. And you know, it's, it's really because the down payments, the, you know, the mortgage, everything is just so expensive. It feels like we're kind of stuck in that place.

[Andy Beshear]

What's the, what's the one bill for you? And you can't say you're water sewer because you're an engineer. But at.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah, I know what that all goes into. I would say maybe groceries. Seeing groceries increase, especially like since I started buying my own groceries to now and adjusting to that is still shocking.

[Andy Beshear]

What hits you in the supermarket the most?

[Karina Henson]

I feel like maybe meat and I've been buying less meat and trying to switch to more vegetarian food anyway, but that's definitely driving those choices as well.

[Andy Beshear]

And as you all look at these costs going up, what do you think the reasons are?

[Cindy Kia]

A lot of times we just. There is so much that goes on that you feel like there is no control. You have no control in that and you question yourself. Is it locally, is it at the state level, is it at the federal level? So, you know, it's difficult to be able to see that from just the consumer side of things. But, you know, I know I track all my spendings and every time I look at the monthly spending for groceries, I'm just shocked. I'm thinking, am I really eating that much or is groceries really that high?

[Andy Beshear]

You track it in an app or on a spreadsheet on an app. I just wish, I wish within my kids. Sixth grade teacher.

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah, yeah, I do. I track it. And it gets scary at times to just look at some of those numbers. A quick trip to the grocery store to Kroger might cost you $200 and you're looking at the groceries that, that you purchased and you're confused. So it gets challenging there.

[John Rabinowitz]

Have your dreams changed over the last few years from even when you were in college to now? Have you had to modify those dreams? Are there things that you thought you could accomplish but now you're worried you might not be able to accomplish besides the homeownership?

[Cindy Kia]

I think when I graduated college, going into the education field, I was a believer. And you know, I believe that, you know, I have, have the power to really make a big difference in every, every student's lives. But, you know, the reality is you, you, you're going to work, you're working a lot of hours. Sometimes you still have to think about the financial side of things. So you deal with some of those things, the personal things as well, and you feel like, how much do I have to invest in, in this future? Gener? It's difficult for me to invest in myself right now currently. So to kind of answer your question, yeah, it kind of does shift a little bit because you're thinking about priorities and what do I really focus on? Do I focus on making that impact or do I focus on trying to build myself up financially so that I'm not struggling?

[Andy Beshear]

Which you shouldn't have to choose between. But we don't pay our teachers nearly enough. Yeah, absolutely. But I haven't tried. Karina, when, when you think about what gives you hope. All right. We talk a lot about the stress. What, what are, what are you excited about?

[Karina Henson]

I think one thing I'm excited about is seeing how communities are coming together to lift each other up and to work together. And something we were talking about, something that we love about Kentucky is the people here.

[David Echeverria]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah.

[Karina Henson]

And I think you see that everywhere you go, people are, I mean, even through the difficulties, there are great teachers who are trying to make a difference in people's lives and there are people in communities who want to do positive things for people.

[Andy Beshear]

So if you were in charge, let's say, of it all, and you could do one thing that would help people, help people in the 20 something range, what would it be?

[Cindy Kia]

I think a lot of times, as, you know, people, our age group, we were presented with so much from the media, a lot of political things, and it's easy to feel defeated when you feel like you have no control in any of that. So I think the news makes you feel that way, right?

[David Echeverria]

Absolutely.

[Cindy Kia]

You can't escape it anywhere. Look, you have. Something is going on here in this part of the world, this part of the country. So it's difficult to Escape that. But I think if I was to give advice to any, anybody around our age group, just think about what you can do with your character. What can you do so that you're staying focused? What can you do to help with your mental health? Because you can't really grow with trying to control things that are outside of your range. The beautiful thing is to just have that voice and speak to the people who can make those changes and hope that they remain on your side to make those changes.

[Karina Henson]

That's beautiful.

[Andy Beshear]

How, Karina, how do most of your friends get their news?

[Karina Henson]

I think a lot of people get it through social media, Instagram or TikTok.

[Andy Beshear]

And is it in there? I mean, both TikTok and Instagram, you're not going to get a very long video.

[Karina Henson]

Right.

[Andy Beshear]

And so is the idea that that's what grabs your attention and then you go look for something else?

[Karina Henson]

I think so. I think at least for me personally, I try and get my news also from like newspapers and sources that have articles because I think especially social media, really it's very emotional and it's very attention grabbing. And so sometimes it's hard to get a full picture or a very hopeful picture just from that. So.

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah, yeah, because they're just trying to push something that will gain some views and yeah, so it gets scary. And to kind of go back to people our age group, I think it's easy for us to really compare what success is. You know, a lot of times you look on social media, people your age group are flying to Dubai, they're going to different parts of the world.

[Andy Beshear]

Fake success, the picture at the right time.

[Cindy Kia]

So you start to question, am I doing this thing right? Am I doing this adult thing right? Because you're looking at your bills, you're looking at how much you're bringing in and you're kind of questioning how are they able to do some of this. So social media can really kind of corrupt your thinking in that way.

[John Rabinowitz]

You know, Andy, we were talking about earlier, we talked about how family was so important to both of you guys and it kind of kept you grounded, kept you in, in state here. But we talked a little bit about the future of. We were talking to John and I, with you guys about our kids.

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah.

[John Rabinowitz]

And we talked about, I asked, does anyone have kids yet? And I think the response was, you know, we're, we want to get there, but we're worried we wouldn't be able to afford it.

[Cindy Kia]

Right, right.

[John Rabinowitz]

So talk a little bit to that.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah, yeah. I also am not in a place where I could have kids at all right now. But I think thinking about the affordability of it, you know, talking to my co workers and thinking about how much childcare costs and if you wanted to keep working and have a kid, the factors that go into that and then medical situation, you know, just all of the things that add up. It's so much. And yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

So we had a big group of foster care parents and many of them had fostered and weren't continuing to. And we asked them what's the number one reason? What's the number one stress. And of all the things they said healthcare.

[John Rabinowitz]

That's fascinating.

[Andy Beshear]

And both the affordability and the accessibility. And while we've been expanding that, you think about Norton West Louisville, you think about UofL Bullock county, you think about the things we've done with Sainys in Northern Kentucky. A lot of that is really at risk right now with nationally funding being cut by a trillion plus dollars.

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah. And it's scary because people, it's their kids that's the priority. A lot of people just focus on that. The other piece too is because I'm an educator, so I work with a lot of these kids and you just see that the disconnect and there's really no trust in some of the education system at times. And as an educator, I will always, when I get opportunities like this is just asking for in order to retain the teachers in the school so that we can continue to have some of those teachers who really do care and want to develop kids who can become the group that changes the world in the future. How can we as educators continue to feel that trust from the people responsible for say our retirement plans, knowing that the promises are kept that our retirement plans won't be cut into later on?

[Andy Beshear]

I, I had to go to court to prevent that from happening several years ago and, and there was a, a version of the budget that the House introduced which would have significantly increased your healthcare costs. Yeah. Thankfully we've got that now out of it. It wasn't in, in my proposed. But just one piece of legislation could add crushing costs, right?

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Andy Beshear]

So, so what do you do to feel in control as a. I'm asking for a friend.

[Cindy Kia]

Yes, that's a good question. I think we, we just, we know our group people, our group are really strong. A lot of times we're looked down by some of, some of the older guys saying oh, your generation is not doing things the right way.

[Andy Beshear]

I remember.

[John Rabinowitz]

Right.

[Cindy Kia]

But I feel like every generation does have its struggles. But I Think our group is. We're doing a pretty good job, especially in the economy, the way things are. We're really fighting. We're fighting. We're trying to use our voice to really make a change and I really do appreciate that. I think that's a step when we can continue to use our voice to look for those changes that we were hoping to get. That's hopefully.

[John Rabinowitz]

Yeah, we comment all the time. We can't imagine growing up in this generation that's again, dates us.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

Tell us your thoughts on social media. Net positive, net negative. How does it hit you on a daily or a weekly basis?

[Karina Henson]

I've been trying to use it less and less. I think there are definitely a lot of positive things. I think it can connect people and show you different perspectives that you wouldn't otherwise, you know, meet people who share those. But I think also, you know, talking about the comparison, I think it's just, it's hard sometimes and I think also sometimes it can really isolate you from people that are here with you in person. Stories you can hear from people directly and really make a connection with.

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah, absolutely. There. There are some really good things about social media as well. I know I just, I spent a few moments ago talking down on social media, but I think that could also be used as a platform for sharing some of the ideas that we have. Those might be the only ways for us to reach out to some of those lawmakers, some of the people that we need to reach out to. I think, you know, just thinking about back in 2018, I believe with the Senate bill, I think 151 for teacher retirement, a lot of the, you'll see a lot of the protests with the teachers through the media and you know that your voice is really going out there and in some way it will reach out to the people who can help out in that way. So social media does have its downside to it, but it does also help

[Andy Beshear]

and for the listeners. That was when our state legislature turned a seven page sewer bill into a 150 page bill that would eliminate the promised retirements. Every teacher, police officer, firefighter, social worker, every state, city, county official, 10,000 teachers marched on the Capitol. I was there. It was incredible to see. It is the only 10,000 person rally where if one person holds up their hand, everybody goes quiet. It was the best behaved rally I think we'd ever seen. 10,000 rules followers. You know what, they did it to him anyways. But it wasn't constitutional. Right. Thankfully we had an attorney general who's now a Governor that was able to go to court and get it stopped.

[John Rabinowitz]

Now, speaking of the governor, not many people have an opportunity to sit here and have a dialogue with the governor. Are there any questions as young professional professionals you might have as for the governor?

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah, I mean, I think again, as an educator, I just speak from the point of what can we do to really improve some of the scores that we see, especially in math? Being a math teacher, I will always advocate for math and things that we can do to improve that area and the reading scores as well. What can we do from an early on stage from the elementary school level so that we can see more effort put into educating our kids because they are the future?

[Andy Beshear]

Well, I think the first thing we have to do is fund pre K. Absolutely. And we got half of our kids showing up for kindergarten not ready, behind. So not enough words, don't know their colors. I talked to one kindergarten teacher who had five students that weren't potty trained.

[John Rabinowitz]

Wow.

[Andy Beshear]

How in the world is she supposed to run a classroom? If, if, if that's the, the case, we have enough money to do it just out of sports betting revenue. We use lottery proceeds for college scholarships. How about using sports betting for, for pre K? It would solve some of the childcare issues for, for child care deserts in eastern and western Kentucky. But, but if we've got kids that are walking into public school for the first time in their life and they're already behind, some will never catch up. And you can't blame that on the public education system.

[Karina Henson]

When you were starting out in your career, did you ever see yourself being governor and then do you have any advice for us?

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, I never intended to run for office when I was growing up. I thought that was what I was supposed to do. And so when I was in high school or junior high, I ran for everything and I lost every thought. I remember at kya, Kentucky Youth association and Youth Assembly, I ran for Lieutenant Governor. There were three of us. I came in third. If I could have come in fourth, I probably would have. But I was again running because that's what my dad had done and not because I had that driving reason. And so we always talk on this podcast about your why and in any part of your career, I think finding out the why, not just what you're going to do, but why you want to do it, it helps you deal with the difficulty. It helps you push through that tough bill, it helps you push through that tough day. And if your purpose can meld with your occupation, I think you can find mission in life and especially if it's helping other people out, it's worth a lot because it's a really stressful world right now. It's a really stressful job for me, but I get to get up every day in this chaotic world and just try to do something about it.

[Cindy Kia]

Yeah, I can appreciate that. Why aspect? Because a lot of times, again, going back to the social media, we're so driven by how much money we can get. But the real reason behind that is how many people can I impact? How many lives can I impact? That'd be really good.

[Andy Beshear]

At the end of the day, do you feel like you made a difference?

[Cindy Kia]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

It's great advice. Thank you. Well, thanks for joining us today.

[Karina Henson]

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[Andy Beshear]

you're listening to the Andy Bashir podcast and our conversations this week with 20 somethings about division, about the American dream, about hopes and fears in this crazy world we're living in right now. So we've got John McConnell subbing in for John Rabinowitz. And for our next two panelists, if you will please tell our listeners a little bit about yourself.

[David Echeverria]

Absolutely. David Echeverria, young professional based out of Louisville, Kentucky, owner of Village E Sports and Entertainment as well as DSE Solutions. And yeah, happy to be here.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah. Hello everyone. I am Sarin Bentley, also a Louisville native, 26 years old. I am associate of impact at Cities United and I also have my own llc. Sarah Bentley, llc. Yeah, and I am the founder of the Prom Just Drive and Pop Up Shop.

[Andy Beshear]

So just a few things.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah Just a few things. Just a few things.

[Andy Beshear]

So. So I actually want to start. You all both have small businesses. Tell us about both the opportunities and the challenges of being a 20 something with a small business or a few.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah, yeah. So for me, I spent the last two years as a full time entrepreneur. It's a little rough because I kind of just jumped in head first. I was working full time, decided I no longer wanted to do that, and I was like, I want to start my own business. Like I want to do social media and community work full time. And my fiance was like, go for it. And so I jumped into it head first. I was not prepared. None of us are at all. I think they make it sound a lot easier than it is, but it's also been very fruitful. And so in terms of challenges for me, just a little bit of reflection and realizing that I probably needed a nonprofit and not an LLC for where I've taken my business and the, the opportunities that I have. But then also being 26 and being able to say that I have my own business, you got a lot of pride in that. Yeah, I do. I do have a lot of pride in that. So, yeah, that's, that's how it's been for me.

[Andy Beshear]

David.

[David Echeverria]

Yeah, no, likewise, definitely plenty of opportunities, but also, yeah, plenty of, of things that have crossed paths and had to, you know, come encounter with. One of the great things about having a small business or small businesses is being able to be flexible and try and do different things. I think one of the beautiful things about being I'm 25 now, but I started my first business at 21, was being able to try different things and go different places, meet new people and learn a lot. I think that's one of the things as a small business owner is you're always learning, you're always able to try new things. Especially in today's day and age, there's a lot of access to education and different tools to learn more, but it doesn't come with its challenges too. You know, having to one identify what is it I actually want to do. Because I think the vision I had at 21 is a lot different than now at almost 26.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, right. You have, you have, you're both into gaming and into politics.

[David Echeverria]

Yes, yes. A lot of people would not see any overlap between those two things. And I don't, you know, those are two of my passions. And so at first it seemed like a very divided line between the two. But as things have developed and as I've had a lot of Conversation with people around the country. You know, things do overlap. And, you know, I had our first city contracts on the. On the gaming and esports side this past year. So it's exciting. Navigate. It's exciting, but also how to navigate being a city vendor, and, you know, all the paperwork comes with that, which is good. Like, it was a new opportunity to learn and navigate that space. But, yeah, it's an exciting time to innovate and be a leader in that.

[John Rabinowitz]

So.

[Andy Beshear]

So given you all own your own small businesses, you're the boss. Where do you go to for advice?

[David Echeverria]

Mentors. Mentors. I've been very, very blessed with great mentors in my life, whether it's, you know, growing up, my dad was definitely one of my mentors. He was also a public school teacher,

[Andy Beshear]

and I still get to ask my dad questions.

[David Echeverria]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John Rabinowitz]

And.

[David Echeverria]

And then upon graduation, you know, being able to find mentorship out of state even, and being able to see what they do in other parts of the country, being able to take some of that knowledge and experience back back here to Kentucky, and, yeah, being able to also be by their side as, you know, someone who's very young at the time and continuing to be in that way, but also being able to see the challenges that they go through and the way they handle those things. I think there's nothing more beneficial than having a mentor, whether you're a small business owner or not, but definitely in

[Karina Henson]

that respect, yeah, same for me. It's definitely been the mentors, but also the other people my age that have their own businesses. So being able to kind of lean on each other for the things that you thought were gonna go the way that they have and the things that, you know, have kind of been like a wrench thrown in there. It's just been nice to be able to have that community of young professionals to be able to lean on as well.

[Andy Beshear]

I think that's important because the idea of a mentor or support doesn't always mean somebody that's older. Yeah, it means those. Those people around you. So with one of you doing political consulting and the other doing advocacy work. Tell us your thoughts on the state of politics. I think the size starts it all.

[David Echeverria]

I think it's a lot of noise right now in a lot of ways. Not completely negative, because there's a lot of things going on. And I think. And part of the previous conversation was around how we utilize social media and other tools at our disposal, But I'd also think there's a lot of negative noise as far as missing Disinformation and being able to understand what's true, what isn't true. AI content is now flooding a lot of spaces and I think that complicates the discussion around politics a lot. I think the flow of information that a lot of folks are experiencing is now becoming muddy waters in a lot of ways. And so there's a constant source of division when it comes to social media algorithms and the way that we're having those conversations, whether it be in person or online, because even though the online content floods into the in person conversations in a lot of ways too. And so there's a lot of education that constantly has to happen. And so I think that's really where I would say is the state of our politics is a. There's a strong need for education, whether it's from the very basic civic lessons to, you know, the news that we see each and every night.

[Andy Beshear]

So facts need to exist.

[David Echeverria]

Absolutely, absolutely.

[Karina Henson]

I think we're looking at no secession planning. I think a lot of the people that we have in office now fought so long to get there that they're kind of holding on to that space. Right. And instead of inviting in young leaders and people, and maybe not as young as us, and I mean still, I think we're at the prime age to be getting into some of these spaces. But then also people who are in that 30 to 40 space as well, we're not looking at people who have thought about who's to come after them and how do we sustain some of this stuff and then how do we also change and make sure that there are things for people, you know, to have when you leave? I think right now we're looking at a state of, you know, we're going to just swing from the chandelier and whatever sticks, sticks and not really thinking about the people that one are living through it now. But then like, what are the repercussions of this, you know, as we continue on. So I think that's, that's where we are right now. And like David said, education is so important and just being able to block out that noise because it's so easy to listen to the news and the social media and all of that and let it muddy your mental and let you slow you down from the process that you're in, the path that you're on. So learning how to compartmentalize that, right? Like not allowing yourself to not be educated, but then also not allowing that to just overtake your mental.

[Andy Beshear]

So if your generation was in charge right now, how do you think Things would be different.

[Karina Henson]

A whole lot different.

[David Echeverria]

Yeah, definitely different. Not sure it'd all be better. You know, I'm not gonna put that kind of pressure on us, but I do think that, I would like to think that things would be a little less complicated if we were, you know, all on one accord.

[Andy Beshear]

I think they'd be less confrontational.

[David Echeverria]

I think there'd be a bit more compassion. I think that's something that a lot of us are craving at the moment, is compassion and empathy. I, I think that a lot of that comes from, you know, part of it might come from social media. The fact that we're able to see more stories of people that aren't necessarily, you know, ones that look like us or are coming from the same kind of background, but also we're experiencing things consistently that are challenging us in a lot of ways, the very fabric of what this country is built on. Like a lot of these things are being challenged each and every day. Our civic experience from growing up in, in, you know, from the early 2000s to now, then, then 2016 on, has been quite a, an experience. So I would like to think that things would be a little more cohesive, but there'd also be, hopefully more accountability. I think that's what a lot of us really are also craving is, is having those clear conversations about what should be happening and what isn't happening that is impacting us, you know, each and every day.

[Andy Beshear]

So that's, that's so interesting to me, the idea that we need to have clear conversations and not sound bites. Yet social media almost only lifts up and allows that sound bite.

[David Echeverria]

Yeah, yeah. Well, I think, I think part of the problem we find too in this age of social media and content and the, one of the reasons why there is so much innocent disinformation and attention grabbing content is because of the, the fact that folks are relying on it for money for one. The fact that you're able to monetize content, monetize attention. We live in an attention economy. That's one of the reasons why I do think the gaming entertainment space is so important right now, is how are we making sure that we are grabbing people's attention, bringing them in, but then having those clear and concise conversations as well, because we understand people's attention spans. But yeah, we have to make sure that it's still being intentional and that we are making the most of people's time because, yeah, we can't, you know, hold them hostage all the time with, with having those educational conversations.

[John McConnell]

Well, when you talk about Small business ownership and the age that you are right now, when you start to talk about and look at the American dream, how do you define that and how does it make you feel?

[Karina Henson]

I think the idea that I had of the American Dream as a child is drastically different. So, like, I was in elementary school when Barack Obama became president, right? And so, like, as a young black girl, that's, like, you are always taught, like, that would never happen. You know, like, having a black president is a. Is a never. And also, as a young black woman, having to have that realization and sit with all of the feelings and emotions that came behind the last election cycle. But the American dream now seems like what they call it a dream. Like, it doesn't ever seem that it was something that was obtainable to the average person. I remember when I was in middle school and I did an interview with a refugee. He was actually a lost boy. And I asked him, you know, like, what was your idea of America? Like, when you came, what did you think that you were gonna get? And he was like, oh, I thought when I got here at the airport, somebody was gonna hand me, like, a wad of cash and, like, say, you know, like, welcome to America. And it was just gonna be like this, you know, peaches and cream. And I was like, wow. Because, you know, at the time, like, we're coming off of Trayvon Martin' and all of those things. And so just thinking about even then, like, how vastly different what his idea was from where we are. And I don't think that that gap has closed any. And I honestly, if anything, it's widened. I feel more so as though, like, the American dream is far away from at least what they described it as. Right. But I also take that opportunity for us to redefine what the American dream is. And for me, it's about community. It's about being able to have that compassion and that empath. And we always talk about, like, they're not governments, not coming to save us. So how do we save ourselves? How do we arm ourselves with the tools and the knowledge that you need to be able to, you know, live and live comfortably and safely as well. So I think, for me, like, that is what seems more attainable of, like, how do I create that community? How do I uplift the community, and how do I contribute in some way that helps not only just me, but, you know, others in my community. Community as well.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah. I've always believed that the government's never going to ride in on. On the horse with the answers, but if it's listening to community leaders.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

There's opportunities to act intentionally. Do you all feel heard?

[Karina Henson]

It depends on who's listening.

Okay.

I will say it depends on who's listening. I think a lot of times as young leaders and young professionals, people want you in the room to check a box to say that you were here, that you were at the table, that we brought you into the conversation, but never so that they're gonna use what you've brought to the table to make change. It wasn't until my work with Cities United that I started feeling like somebody's listening and they are using young leader voices to push some of this work forward. But. Yeah. What about you, David? You think somebody's listening? You think we're being heard listening, but

[David Echeverria]

it's less about the listening, it's more about the afterwards. A lot of times I've, you know, had many conversations over the years where, you know, I feel valued in the moment and, and I feel heard and I'm like, oh, this is like a great idea. You know, this is something that'd be, you know, something that'd be very impactful. But then the, the lack of support afterwards to help make that vision happen is sometimes lacking. I feel like, you know, a lot of times it, it again with young folks, it's, it is about sometimes ticking that box, which is understandable. Like, you know, I understand that we're not always going to get, you know, it's not gonna be a voting seat at a table, you know, whatnot. But it may start even at the university level. Right. Like, I think that's one of the things where, when you consistently are in the spaces, you know, at the university, you're the one paying the tuition, you're the one, but also experiencing the shortcomings of the institutions. And so I think a lot of times when it comes to the institutional spaces, there is a lack of feeling heard when you know it's not just you, but you're also sharing what your family's experiencing. Like, it's not just about my experience alone. It's about what my, what my, you know, dad and my mom are feeling or what my cousins down the street are experiencing too. So it's not just about, hey, you know, you need to listen to what a 25 year old is saying. It's like I'm the one that's able to come to the table right now to speak for my community or my family and these are the things that are happening. But yeah, it's about the action afterwards after the acknowledgment so we got a

[Andy Beshear]

lot of policymakers that listen to the podcast or at least tell me, hey, listen to the podcast so you've got a chance. What's one thing you would say that they we need to focus on?

[David Echeverria]

I mean it's been again as I said several times, I mean healthcare is a huge concern. I'm at the age right now as a small business owner who's 25 and turns 26 this year. That's a big moment for me.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah.

[David Echeverria]

Where I'm having to make decisions about one, am I going to continue being a small business owner and what kind of healthcare plan options are there for small business owners like myself?

[Andy Beshear]

So were you on the exchange before?

[David Echeverria]

So I'm on my parents healthcare. Yes.

[Andy Beshear]

So, so it used to be that you could come off that and, and thank goodness for the Affordable Care act and the ability to stay on that, that, that, that health care for until you're 26. And the exchange used to be that step. And especially small business, small businesses that don't have enough employees to qualify for one of these major plans. Yes, but as you all know, we had Congress that extended a tax cut for the wealthy.

[David Echeverria]

Yes.

[Andy Beshear]

But wouldn't extend a tax credit for small business owners.

[David Echeverria]

Yes. So I mean. Yeah. And that you speak directly to it. We're not speaking as though none of these things have, have, have been part of the conversation before. We've taken major steps back and not, not necessarily us that are making those decisions. But yeah, that's a big concern of mine. I mean I hurt my, hurt my knee this week. So I came in here on crutches because you know, I'm like that's a good thing to happen now and not six months from now where my healthcare situation might be, you know, unclear.

[John Rabinowitz]

Right.

[David Echeverria]

And so I think that's something that a lot of 20 something year olds, especially as affordability becomes more and more of a question when we don't necessarily have all the things that, that you know, my parents, I'm at the age now where I'm older than my parents were when they had both me and my sister. They owned a home and they, you know, we're starting a family. So I think those are all big conversations.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah. On the, on the healthcare front, you know, I think about the, the challenge that you face and the fact that it doesn't have to be that way, that, that there are different options and, and whether that's the federal government doing what they ought to do, whether that's the state stepping In I propose that we put the funding in to help our small businesses be able to afford health care. But I have a new worry and it's not just that people fully fall off health care, but they move to cheaper plans where they're gambling with their health. But if they gamble wrong, they end up in an even worse place.

[David Echeverria]

Absolutely. The co pays are. Those aren't jokes. It really is a big concern and, and unfortunately my dad is a public school teacher so I went to Dr.

[Karina Henson]

This week.

[David Echeverria]

It's a strong healthcare plan that he has access to and I have access to an extension. So yeah, it definitely is something to consider and something that yes, I would plead to many of the lawmakers, whether it's here in Kentucky or elsewhere, to make sure that they're keeping in mind the 26 year old folks that are about to be 26 year old folks that don't necessarily want to have to be attached to that nine to five life life of a bigger corporation. We want to have the opportunity to innovate and lead in our own way.

[Karina Henson]

So yeah, I have a long list

[Andy Beshear]

of things give me just a couple

[Karina Henson]

that I would definitely want to talk about. But I would say a livable wage. Our minimum wage has not changed.

[Andy Beshear]

Right.

[Karina Henson]

Probably since I believe since I was in elementary school that we've had. Is it 725?

[Andy Beshear]

It is.

[Karina Henson]

It's not a livable wage.

[Andy Beshear]

Give you an idea. When I was, was 16, it was five and a quarter.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

And so yeah, you know what, $2 different from 1990, whatever year.

[Karina Henson]

Right. Until the early 2000s. So I would say a livable wage as we, we've been talking about, like can't even think about wanting to own a home. Right. Can't even, you know, like I'm getting married next year. Right. So the next. Thank you. So the next step is children. But you think about children, that's, that's a bill, you know, when you think about it. And I hate to have to like think about things that way, but it's not, we're not living in an affordable lifestyle and I just, I'm, I lucked out getting a career that is able to pay me more than you know, the average person is making right now. But it's still like there's, there's such a gap, you know, like there's things that I thought that now working full time again that I would be able to pay for and I can't. And I'm still like, okay, I have to give my, myself grace in terms of being able to afford and to save and to invest in all of these things. But somebody that's living off of 725 is wondering if their lights are going to stay on or if they're going to be able to pay for groceries or take care of their children. And so, yeah, just thinking about all of the people across Kentucky and the ways that we are living in the different lifestyles and communities that. That we need money, you know, things are. Things are getting more expensive, and raising the minimum wage is. Is going to be, you know, one step closer to allowing people to live.

[Andy Beshear]

No, I think that's important. And one of my goals is to connect people to better wages that are out there that they might not know about. So last year, we hit our highest average incentivized wage for a new job ever. It was almost $30 an hour. Wow. But how do I make sure that that person working minimum wage can. Can get that job? Right. The other thing, and somebody explained it to me this way, is that, okay, let's say somebody is making 7.25. Let's say they're making 15. If the minimum wage is raised $5, that person making 15 will make 20.

[David Echeverria]

Right.

[Andy Beshear]

So hopefully it lifts everybody up.

[John McConnell]

One question I've got is that we talked a lot about the economics, what's happening around us, but. But I'm just kind of curious to hear what the. What the emotional take is. When you turn on the news in the morning and you see what's happening, what is the feeling that hits you on most days?

[David Echeverria]

Yeah, I mean, exhausted is is one word. I think since you're working in the political field, there's not really release necessarily.

[Andy Beshear]

There's not. You can't turn it off.

[David Echeverria]

Exactly. I mean, it's part of. Of my job as well, is to be educated on the issues and. And to be in tune with what communities are feeling and saying. And so I think it's. There's no. There is no real release from it. And it's not like it's just, you know, nonsensical information that's being thrown. It's important things are happening, impacting thousands of millions of people around the world. And so it's also. It's just a lack of intention that. Or the lack of compassion that's behind a lot of actions. A lot of it is very intentional. And so it's not. It's not as though it's just a fleeting consequence. There's an active movement behind it, too, which I think adds to the weight of it as well. And so one piece is making sure that there is, there are, you know, whether it's your colleagues, your friends, your family, or your community members that are aligned with you. And understanding where those folks are is helpful. So you don't feel as alone. And I think that's what, you know, again, going back to social media, that's helpful, but it can also make you feel very isolated at times too. And so, yeah, in a lot of ways exhausted, because I feel like there hasn't really been a release. But, you know, still hopeful that. Because I do know there's people around me that are aligned and that's where

[Andy Beshear]

I want to turn and give you the final word.

[David Echeverria]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

If, if, if that's the, the feel, leave our listeners with. What are you hopeful about?

[Karina Henson]

I'm hopeful that what we're seeing in office is not what we're seeing in community. That community is stepping up. Community is filling in the gap. Community is providing and loving and supporting each other in any way that they can. We saw that with them stopping food stamps. How many people were able to come

[Andy Beshear]

in, first president ever, to stop that during a shutdown?

[Karina Henson]

I'm not surprised, unfortunately. Disappointed, but not surprised. But even like into myself, I give away prom justice for free every year. And that's a labor of love that I do all year long. So you'll probably see me with two or three prom dresses in my backseat.

[Andy Beshear]

I've seen you on the news with them.

[Karina Henson]

Yeah. So I try to get everywhere that I can, but also just knowing that the exhaustion that I may feel or the overwhelmingness that I may feel is, is stopping someone else from having those same emotions about something that for a lot of our youth is something so big for them. Right. And so that's the hope that community will continue to fill in the gaps that we will get the people in office that will continue to listen. We appreciate you for giving us the platform as young professionals to be able to speak to a wider audience than we usually are susceptible to. And so that's the hope that we will, as the American people, will carry on what it means to actually be a US Citizen, what it means to actually be God fearing, and what it means to love each other and continue to take care of each other. And that is gonna take all of us and it's not gonna happen overnight, but we have to keep working at it. We have to keep going, even if it feels like we take a couple steps backwards. One of my favorite quotes is that even the steps backwards are a part of the dance. And so just Keep dancing, keep moving. Cause they can't hit you if you're moving.

[Andy Beshear]

I can't say it any better. Thanks for joining the podcast.

[Karina Henson]

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[Andy Beshear]

Simple. Welcome back to the Andy Beshear Podcast. It has been a heavy couple weeks of news, and we've been so busy with Our prime for 2026, we have not had an opportunity for a conversation with the Johns. So today We've got John McConnell and John Rabinowitz back with us. As a reminder, we started this podcast to help folks cope with the news that seems to hit you minute after minute after minute, to try to talk through some of the chaos and hopefully leave our listeners feeling a little more informed, maybe a little bit lighter, to have that conversation among friends. So, gentlemen, we start today with the fact that, that we woke up on Saturday at war with Iran. We woke up and the president had authorized the United States, which has joined Israel into significant attacks on the country. I think we are in the third wave of those attacks and Iran is retaliating. I think we've got six US Soldiers dead, a number of people in Israel and some of the other surrounding countries. We have some dead Iranian children, too, because there's an elementary school next to one of the targets. The president has yet to make his case to the American people, despite the State of the Union just being a couple days before, much less make it to Congress. So at this stage in it, how are you all feeling about this most recent conflict? And.

[John McConnell]

And they're calling this a war.

[Andy Beshear]

They're using those terms.

[John McConnell]

They're not beating around the bush about this. And when they start talking about they think it may take four or five weeks, but we're there as long as we need to be. And from what I've seen, I haven't seen anywhere that ground troops have been ruled out.

[Andy Beshear]

So, I mean, and to be clear, this is Monday.

[John McConnell]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

That we're filming this. It's going to come out or taping. It's going to come out on Thursday. And a lot changes very quickly.

[John Rabinowitz]

I think Secretary Rubio is speaking with legislators today to update on, on what's going on. But I'll tell you, my take is let me step back and first say we're praying for the men and women overseas who are fighting for us. Right.

[Andy Beshear]

And I think we all agree that the US Military is second to none. Their ability to execute a mission is is incredible. The question is, should they be on that mission?

[John Rabinowitz]

Yeah. So I'm torn on it a little bit. I understand the argument. Obviously, like Congress's job is to make that declaration and we have these international laws. I also go back to. I never want Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

[Andy Beshear]

Agreed.

[John Rabinowitz]

And I never want. I actually think it's such a repressive system that I'm very happy that the Ayatollah is no longer personally me is that is no longer in existence. I don't know when we would have had another opportunity to hit 49 leaders at once. I can't believe they were all together at one time. That shows you like the superiority of our men and women in intelligence. But I think it had to happen. I understand the concerns. I just want to see what happens over time because like you, I just don't know what the. There's no clear endgame and I don't want us to be like Iraq.

[Andy Beshear]

I think we all agree on two things. Number one, that this regime, they're the bad guys. They sponsor terrorism. They are not just repressive. They have murdered a number of their citizens. And yes, they can never have nuclear capabilities. But remember the last set of very limited attacks the president said they had annihilated. Was his term any and all means for them to have nuclear weapons. Now we question that at the time. This calls it further into question. But I think the President has to make the case to the American people who are tired of foreign conflicts. In fact, he's president in part because he promised not to get us involved in foreign conflicts. And the context is we're tired because it was many of our friends that were in Iraq and Afghanistan that came home with scars on the inside and the outside. You know, years upon years upon years of those conflicts. And in a number of these foreign conflicts by this President, there doesn't seem to be the long term plan. So originally this president said it was for regime change. And that should be concerning for all of us because regime change takes time. It often takes troops on the ground. The idea that we could just drop bombs and shoot missiles and the Iranian people will rise up and somehow take back their country in an organized fashion. If that is the mission, then there's cause for concern.

[John McConnell]

Well, and that also would indicate that there was some type of a plan in place. Look what happened in Venezuela. And now all of a sudden we've taken out the leader of Iran. And we had some young professionals on earlier and one comment they used when they turned the TV on now is exhausted. So now starting another war without a plan.

[John Rabinowitz]

Yeah, I'm hopeful that we're going to understand why. Well, the urgency. I understand that they tried to negotiate and, or we're being told that there was some negotiations that fell through and basically our president was done with negotiating. I want to understand the, whether this was an imminent threat. And like, what does that mean? I'm also very curious as to. So we give the Iranian people now a choice now, now they're going to decide and how is that? Are we going to set up a democracy? I mean, I don't, I don't understand what our involvement in that will be.

[Andy Beshear]

The Iranian military is a part of, of the government in a way that, that maybe Americans if, if they're not familiar with the country don't fully grasp how tight the military is with this regime. And this regime has members in different towns and, and provinces. Religion is, is mixed into it. So regime change is a concern now. Numerous times they've, they've pulled that back and then they say it again. I think the, the President had said four objectives at a, at an event today which he then after the, I think Congress, the, the Medal of Honor. There is no Congressional Medal of Honor. He talked about this and then he talked about the drapes in the ballroom, but he said he wanted to destroy their ballistic missiles, destroy the Navy, prevent them from having a nuclear weapon and to prevent the funding of, of terrorism. All you would agree with that. All real reasons. But remember those last two, preventing nuclear weapons and, and preventing the funding of terrorism were pretty much the two stated reasons that we ended up with to get into Iraq and Afghanistan.

[John McConnell]

Yes.

[John Rabinowitz]

Well, I think time will tell. I just hope it's not a prolonged war for. And I guess they're sending more troops over there as we sit here today.

[Andy Beshear]

So there's also the issue of capacity for our military, which people aren't, aren't, aren't talking about out loud munitions. Given what we did in Venezuela, this is in fact the eighth time in one year that this president has used military force. Which also raises questions about, is it about an impending need right now or do we simply have a president that uses force first and then thinks about the need or justification later? I'm concerned that that's it.

[John McConnell]

And when we talk about what this does to our country as well, I mean right now we're looking at inflation still going with what it is, the cost of living being so high energy costs. And now all of a sudden, I mean, what is this going to do

[Andy Beshear]

to the Prices of gas, both natural gas and gasoline.

[John McConnell]

Yes.

[John Rabinowitz]

Were you surprised that in Iran's counterattack that they attacked some of the countries in the Middle east and my understanding is also maybe attack some of our bases in Europe?

[Andy Beshear]

I believe they were trying to attack our bases in the Middle east and underestimated how that would be viewed by the countries that those bases are in. I thought, I, I think that Iran thought that those countries would sympathize with them. But if you're shooting missiles through somebody's country where it could just as easily hit their citizens, I think they, they, they got that response wrong.

[John McConnell]

Sure.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah.

[John Rabinowitz]

Speaking of our president, who stayed up for the entire State of the Union address, the longest in history, I think, in what, an hour and 48 minutes?

[Andy Beshear]

Yep.

[John Rabinowitz]

What are your thoughts, John?

[John McConnell]

Well, I did not stay up and watch the entire hour and 48 minutes. I think one thing I did take away from it is that he just still doesn't understand where most American people are at that. And I'll get Andy's feedback when he says the golden age of America is

[Andy Beshear]

right now the golden age of our economy. Even he talked about first it was way too long. I got through an hour and 10 minutes. It's 10:30. I made my kids go to bed, came back in, it was still going. May or may not have fallen asleep, woken back up and then hit the rewind to, to get the. Insofar way too long. And if it's way too long for me in this job that I'm trying to watch, it's way too long for the American people. But the second, it was just detached from reality, saying we're in the golden age of the American economy. Like he had. What did he previously say won Affordability. Like it was a game. And he'd won it when the American people are, are still hurting. And then he had the nerve to say he protected Medicaid when his big, ugly bill is the most severe cut, cut to Medicaid in history. It's going to close rural hospitals, people are going to have to drive, women are going to drive hours just to give birth. So I, I'd say long and entirely detached from reality. Last thing I'd say is it's an opportunity to talk to the American people or to fight with people inside the chamber. And he chose fighting inside the chamber.

[John Rabinowitz]

I will say, though I am not a fan of now, this could be at any state of the Union, but legislators from the other side of the aisle, standing up, protesting, making a scene, I know it's their right But I am totally against it. I think it's totally inappropriate.

[Andy Beshear]

So I give the state of the Commonwealth every year and we have a lot of Republican legislators that just don't come. And, and people could say, wait, this is part of their job. The governor gives this speech to legislators and others every year. If they choose not to come, that's okay. It just sounds like there's more applause because we have more people there. So I don't, I don't take it personally. But, but disruptions, I agree, should not happen. But you also shouldn't have a gimmick where you try to make one side or the other stand up.

[John Rabinowitz]

Sure.

[Andy Beshear]

Or not stand up and then it ends up in a commercial three days later.

[John Rabinowitz]

I'll tell you a highlight though. It was pretty cool seeing the US Hockey team. Yeah, they'd be an honor.

[Andy Beshear]

Their energy was, I think what made it. You could tell it was a stunt, but they got out and people were so excited about that win.

[John Rabinowitz]

Yep.

[John McConnell]

And one thing I did notice is Trump again did not acknowledge what tariffs have done to this country or still continue to do. But we talk about exports. Kentucky's doing well.

[Andy Beshear]

In spite of this president and his tariff policy, Kentucky's economy continues to surge. Two pieces of recent news. We broke our all time exports record for the third straight year. Over 50 billion of goods from Kentucky being sold all over the world. That makes us global now here in the Commonwealth. And today we just learned that for the sixth straight year, every year since I've been governor, we have been top five in economic development per capita in the country. So that we were fifth this year. That continues a huge winning streak. So it means we've had the best year for wages, best year, best years for new jobs, best years for exports. It's pretty exciting when other states are falling into recession. We're still growing.

[John Rabinowitz]

You know, that's, I mean, actually pretty incredible news. And we've talked about this a little earlier, but I think what our listeners might be really surprised by, I mean, this is Kentucky, at least you would think. Our main export is what, bourbon. Right. What ended up being our top export this year?

[Andy Beshear]

Oh, it's been aerospace for a while.

[John Rabinowitz]

That's crazy.

[Andy Beshear]

And auto is, I think, number three. So you look at the top five, you also have pharmaceuticals. And so it's exciting that we are a part of this global economy and we keep bringing in business. We've been reshoring since before President Biden and certainly we've continued reshoring even though Trump's tariffs make it More difficult. They don't induce it, they make it more expensive.

[John Rabinowitz]

So these trips overseas seem to be working.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes, absolutely. We can trace every single one of these trips to jobs. So. So some listeners might not know our legislators are trying to attack these trips, calling them a vacation. I go from one conference room to another. When we were in Germany for one trip, we drove 800 miles and unfortunately the company calls itself a limousine service. We were in a van. We were in a van driving in Germany from one conference room to another, but hundreds of jobs came out of it. And so it's exciting when you see those meetings, the respect that you've showed to the international CEO by going to their headquarters. Bear fruit. I will never forget being in London making a pitch towards a company that may make a billion dollar plus investment. And you know what the CEO said to me? He said, that seat you're sitting in, the governor of Virginia was there next week. You can't win if you're not in the game.

[John Rabinowitz]

Yeah, love that.

[John McConnell]

Well, when we talk about exports and new things upcoming, there's some book I've heard about, we're trying to get, you

[John Rabinowitz]

know, John, he gives preorders. Well, it gives me grief about promoting the Amston Bourbon Bar and Amston Station.

[Andy Beshear]

But now inVersales, Kentucky.

[John Rabinowitz]

Now just listen to this new book. What is this?

[Andy Beshear]

Yes, my new book, Go and Do likewise is available for pre order wherever you buy your books. It's a book about reclaiming faith for good. We see faith being used far too often to harm people instead of to help people. Go and do likewise are the last words of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Because it's not a story, it's an instruction. Jesus tells this amazing story about two people that are taught to hate each other, that probably look different, pray different, probably part of. They're probably different ethnicities, everything about them is different. Yet they are the two that Jesus chooses to teach us how to be a good neighbor, how to lift each other up. But at the end, he looks at the crowd he's talking to and he says, now go and do likewise. So my hope is the book can help bring us together. It's that idea that we're supposed to care about each other. We're supposed to be people of faith or Americans before Democrats and Republicans. And I just think that thinking about it in that way, and there's a parable, the Good Samaritan in every religion in one way or another is maybe a way that we bridge this divide.

[John Rabinowitz]

And how would someone like me go about ordering pre ordering this book. What's the best route?

[Andy Beshear]

So if I give one route the other routes get upset. But you can get online type in Andy Beshear, go and do likewise and you will have multiple different places that you can make the the order from. Or if you want to do a big pre order you can always reach out through the links of my my my personal handles which is at Andy Bashir Ky and we can make that happen.

[David Echeverria]

Perfect.

[John McConnell]

I I do have one question about the book. Just not not going to give away anything here since it's still on pre order not out yet. As you wrote this of course you're having to look back and do reflection. So really as you reflected back in this what's one thing that caught you in that reflection when you were looking back?

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, I learned that I, I bury my trauma deep. There are a lot of tough chapters. There's people suffering after tornadoes and and floods. I talk about my friend Tommy Elliott, we lost in a mass shooting and how I was the one who called his wife Marianne to tell her because no one else would. And it takes too long to wait for that DNA test to come back. But writing about the pandemic was really hard. I took every death personally. There are about 21,000. If you go up today and to be the person that receives that death list every day and then has to read sticks with you. But like every chapter, what sticks with me is how people responded. And we talked about how much grief and loss there was as we were going through it. We probably should still be talking about that today. But remember what we did when we said people need to see that we care about them. We asked them to put up green lights and this whole state lit up green in a way that I never expected. It was our universities, our businesses, but people were painting the lights on their porch green so that that person who lost somebody at a time when you couldn't come over and hug on them could just drive around alone or with their spouse or kids in their car and they could see how much the rest of the state loves them.

[John Rabinowitz]

Serious therapy.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, it was significant therapy, but I'm glad I, I did it. I think when, when you work through all of it, it helps you, but it also reminded me of, of things that I hope can help me in the future. If we can get through a pandemic the way we did, surely we can bridge this divide. Especially in the early parts of the pandemic, we didn't care, Democrat or Republican. We were all living for each other. We were all trying to help each other. And as much cruelty as we see out of this current administration, we saw the best of love and humanity and empathy early on in that pandemic. I think we can turn that on again. And that's one goal of the book. So just small goals coming out.

[John McConnell]

Small goals.

[John Rabinowitz]

So again, we can pre order now, but it comes out when?

[Andy Beshear]

September 22nd. But. But pre order now. We're, we're really excited about what we've seen thus far. It's off to a really great start. I'm sure we'll have a. A book tour later in September. I look forward to seeing people all over the country.

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