Podcast
Take the Elevator
Hosted by GentheBuilder and Kory · EN
This podcast is purely about elevating people through individual life stories and experiences in the Elevator. In the Elevator, what's key is maybe changing your perspective; having self-actualization; embracing your purpose; and acting on it as we grow from one another. There is a whole different point of view when you look up to elevate.
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
390th Floor: The Flood You Didn't Know You Needed
Feb 2300:35:05Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailSometimes the biggest lift in your life isn’t flashy — it’s foundational.In this episode, we uncover the story of Alexander Miles, the Black inventor who made elevators safer in 1887. His quiet innovation didn’t just improve a machine — it protected lives. And it reminds us that the most powerful elevation often starts with unseen upgrades.From there, we ride through Fontana roots, Black History parade energy, and Inland Empire grit — owning the growth of a region once underestimated. Loving where you’re from teaches you how to honor where you’re going.Then we get practical about health and discipline. Not chasing a size — building a life. Ten-lap house walks. Heart-pumping 30-minute sessions. Breaking 550-calorie “coffee” habits. Partnering with your doctor. Quarterly labs. Blue Zones wisdom. Faith that steadies you when willpower fades.This episode is about the upgrades you didn’t know you needed — the small shifts, the honest wins, the foundational choices that quietly raise your whole life.Step on, Press play. Let's elevate. Support the showhttps://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com
Transcribe →389th Floor: Love, Halftime, And A New Direction
Feb 1000:28:02Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailEver wonder what keeps a show alive after hundreds of recordings? We pull back the curtain on our near-500 journey, the “eavesdrop” energy listeners love, and the quiet rituals that make us want to press record again. Valentine’s Day is sweet, but the real magic is in what happens the other 364 days. We share the practice that’s sustained us for twenty years: unveil yourself slowly. Let your partner discover new layers at a human pace. Pair that with everyday love habits—short notes, unhurried dinners, tiny traditions—and you stop needing a holiday to feel cherished. Our biggest shift is one we’ve delayed for too long: making our faith explicit. Taking the Elevator has always meant looking up, elevating, praying, and moving with hope. We share why this perspective will now shape our mic time as much as it shapes our off-mic life. Along the way, we celebrate momentum for The Fuzzy Furry Forest—new events, school interest, and a parade appearance—because stories for kids are one of the surest ways we know to lift a community.If you’re here for relationship wisdom, culture talk, or a little soul in your feed, you’ll feel at home. Press play, share this with someone who needs a nudge to love well all year, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.Support the showhttps://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com
Transcribe →388th Floor: What If Ease Is The Shortcut To Consistency
Feb 200:31:21Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailPress pause, breathe, and build a life that runs on ease instead of willpower. We open the new year by resetting our pace and sharing the small, durable habits that actually stick: a movement-first Pomodoro that racks up 10,000 steps at home, a simple nutrition stack, and a two-minute rule that empties mental clutter before it grows legs. We watched motivation turn into momentum.We also pull back the curtain on a different kind of creative work. As movie trailers lean darker and edgier, we double down on protecting childlike wonder. The Fuzzy Furry Forest is our answer: wholesome characters, clean storytelling, music, and community events that let families gather in joy. If you’re ready to trade overwhelm for small, compounding wins, join us, share your easy habit, and help us spread the word. Subscribe, leave a review, and send this to a friend who could use a gentler way to start again.Look up, and let's elevate! Support the showhttps://www.thegenko.com
Transcribe →387th Floor: We Trade Resolutions For Meaning And Gentle Momentum
Jan 500:34:30Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailWhat if January isn’t the starting line it’s made out to be? We open the door to a kinder New Year by tracing how we got here, from the Julian calendar to Pope Gregory’s fix and the symbolism of Janus, the two-faced guardian of beginnings and endings. That history reframes winter as a season for clarity and hibernation, so if your energy feels low right now, you’re not broken—you’re seasonal.From there, we shift to the psychology of fresh starts. Temporal landmarks help us reset, but we don’t need to invent a “new you.” We talk about self-regulation as a practical skill—creating space between stimulus and response—and how easing off self-judgment restores choice. You’ll hear the red flags that signal you’re not ready to set goals yet—urgency spikes, over-planning, avoidance, chasing motivation—and how to turn that into information instead of shame.We also get real about compassion versus comparison. January’s feeds get loud with productivity theater, but invisible wins like healing, boundaries, and recovery count just as much. We invite you to return to your lane and meet the year with honesty, not hustle. Then we pull back the curtain on the Fuzzy Furry Forest: a heartfelt team transition, a rising-star illustrator named Rica joining the series, and new plushie partners bringing characters to life. The next book anchors the world we’re building, and we couldn’t be more excited to share where it’s headed.To close, we offer three prompts for gentle clarity: what did last year ask of you and how did you respond; what are you proud of that no one saw; what does enough feel like right now. If this conversation gave you a saner way to begin, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a softer start, and leave a review with your one gentle goal for January.Look up, and let's elevate!Support the showhttps://www.thegenko.com
Transcribe →386th Floor: Year-End Reset from Early Childhood Tips to Big Girl Energy
Dec 2901:01:13Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThe best leadership lesson we learned this year wasn’t about getting it right—it was about knowing when to pause, own the mess, and rebuild with care. On the next episode of Take the Elevator, Gen and Kory sit down with Tamara and Danya—early childhood educators, professors, and the duo behind Talk Early To Me and TD Growth Unboxed—to close the year with an honest conversation about rest, resilience, and continuing when the plan falls apart.From 2 a.m. creativity vs. shower breakthroughs to imposter syndrome in classrooms, meetings, and living rooms, the laughs quickly give way to real talk. You’ll hear how stopping mid-course can become a master lesson, why “keep going” sometimes means baby steps back to joy, and how confidence can be something you quietly wear into any room.They also share what they unboxed this year—launching a podcast, formalizing the business, aligning a shared vision—and name what’s next: a first book, deeper belonging, and finishing their PhDs. Saying it out loud matters.You’ll walk away with practical tools for families before preschool—turning everyday moments into learning labs that build confidence, self-regulation, and executive function—plus an open invite for educators and teams ready to elevate with humor, presence, and purpose.If this conversation sparks something, subscribe, share, and leave a review with your next baby step.Look up—and let’s elevate.To contact Tamara and Danya: IG: @tamara_danya_ecehttps://talkearlytome.buzzsprout.com/The Fresh Patch Podcast - Where Good Pets Get It. Welcome to the Fresh Patch Podcast where we talk about everything, from dog...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Support the showhttps://www.thegenko.com
Transcribe →385th Floor: We Took A Sabbatical And Questioned What Counts As Entertainment
Dec 2200:32:13Tap to summarizeSend a textWhat if your media diet shaped your mood, ethics, and generosity more than you think? We close the year by reexamining entertainment—what we watch, why we watch it, and how it quietly rewires our days. With a 16-day sabbatical as a backdrop, we unpack the pull of short-form video, the lure of shock-based virality, and the hidden costs of counterfeit products that undercut creators and confuse buyers.Together, we explore media literacy in 2025: noticing how algorithms nudge, spotting AI-generated tricks, and pruning feeds. Hence, they reflect the life we want—not the outrage someone else profits from.Then a real-world twist beats any reel. In a packed Costco line, a stranger waved us ahead and paid for our entire order. She showed us kindness.. That simple act shifted our perspective more than hours of scrolling—proof that the most meaningful “content” is often experienced offline, where gratitude expands and paying it forward becomes the obvious next step.If you’re ready to curate a kinder, smarter feed—and trade empty noise for stories that teach, delight, and elevate—this conversation will help you set a fresh tone for the new year. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs a reset, and tell us: what will you cut from your feed and what will you add to elevate your days?Look up, and let's elevate!Support the showhttps://www.thegenko.com
Transcribe →384th Floor: Holiday Grief, Gentle Growth
Dec 1500:29:50Tap to summarizeSend a textThe mics are back on and so are our hearts. After a brief pause, we’re catching you up on a season that blended creative momentum with honest conversations about grief, memory, and what it means to keep elevating when the holidays press on tender places. We sat with the complexity of the season. Gen reflects on training with grief educator David Kessler and how it reframed loss from something to close to something to integrate. We talk about the difference between moving on and moving forward, and how remembering becomes a daily practice that carries our people with us.We offer practical language for supporting someone who’s grieving—less fixing, more listening—and a reminder to give and receive freely. Come for the creative behind-the-scenes, stay for the honest, hopeful tools to navigate holidays, legacy, and everyday courage with a little more light.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review to help more people find our community. Look up, and let's elevate!Support the showhttps://www.thegenko.com
Transcribe →383rd Floor: Early Childhood Done Right with Tamara & Danya
Dec 600:55:03Tap to summarizeSend a textWhat if the “difficult” child isn’t difficult at all—but unseen, unheard, or simply in need of glasses? We sit down with Tamara and Dania of TD Training and Growth Unboxed to unpack how playful teaching, trauma-aware practice, and better language can transform early learning into a place where every child belongs. They don’t just work with kids; they teach the teachers and lift up the parents, creating a circle of support that starts with relationship and grows into real results.Tamara and Dania lay out a practical triage mindset for classrooms—offer connection first, then assess needs, and bring in targeted services without shame. If you’re a parent, you’ll feel seen—and equipped. If you’re a teacher, you’ll get usable strategies to include, not exclude, even on hard days. And if you’re a leader, you’ll learn how thoughtful words, playful PD, and strong family partnerships change outcomes. Listen to feel hopeful about early childhood education again, and to pick up simple steps that make a big difference at home and at school. If this conversation resonates, you can subscribe, share it with a fellow educator or parent, and leave a review to help more people find the show.Look up, and let's elevate! Support the showhttps://www.thegenko.com
Transcribe →382nd Floor: Elevate with Karla, Founder of Empathy for Autism Calfiornia
Nov 1700:36:24Tap to summarizeSend a textAuthor, speaker, and founder Karla Chinen, a Latina powerhouse, invites us into a life shaped by resilience: parenting two autistic kids, discovering her own late diagnosis, and building Empathy for Autism California so families aren’t reduced to numbers or left out by language and culture.We talk about the moments that matter: a mother demanding a same-day diagnostic letter so early intervention could start within weeks; how autistic girls often mask and get overlooked; and why empathy isn’t a personality trait, it’s a teachable skill. Karla breaks down practical systems—sensory-informed outings, meltdown playbooks, and one-on-one time for siblings—that protect joy and strengthen marriages under stress. She’s frank about leaving a slow, political 9–5 to create a mission-led nonprofit with bilingual resources, sensory-friendly events, and trainings that rehumanize organizational practice.You’ll hear a blueprint for action: push for timely evaluations, ask for services you’re eligible for, and partner with professionals who learn your child’s name before their case number. We also spotlight Karla’s podcast, Voices Beyond the Spectrum, where families and experts share travel tips, education advocacy, and underused supports many don’t know to request. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with someone.Look up, and let's elevate! Support the showhttps://www.thegenko.com
Transcribe →371st Floor: When Ordinary Isn't Enough
Aug 12, 2025Tap to summarizeSend us a textWhat if that moment required you to be more than okay? What if ordinary just wasn't enough?This question frames a robust conversation about pushing beyond comfortable mediocrity into extraordinary territory. The distinction is subtle but profound: ordinary means meeting minimal requirements with no shock value, while extraordinary means exceeding expectations and making a lasting impact. For those hesitant to embrace the extraordinary, the hosts offer practical guidance: clarify your "why," dream exponentially bigger than feels comfortable, set progressively larger goals, tap into your unique strengths, find inspiring role models, and push through resistance by raising your standards. The simple shift from asking "what's good enough?" to "what's my best?" can fundamentally change your approach to challenges.The episode concludes with a powerful mantra that encapsulates the extraordinary mindset: "If it's worth it, then it's worth my all." Whether applied to relationships, career opportunities, or personal dreams, this perspective transforms ordinary efforts into extraordinary results.Ready to elevate your thinking and performance? Join us to discover how small shifts in preparation and mindset can yield remarkable outcomes in every area of your life.Look up, and let's elevate!Support the showhttps://linktr.ee/genthebuilder
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