The Next Generation Needs More Than Advice. They Need Access.

Today I sat down with John Chaney to talk about my role as one of the coaches for the Winchester-Clark County Entrepreneur Academy.

I also had the opportunity to gift John two books that represent different parts of my journey: From Silence to Success, which I wrote, and Born To Risk: Veterans Inaugural Edition 2026, which I had the honor of co-authoring.

But today wasn't really about the books.

It was about young people. And what becomes possible when somebody invests in them early.

Why I Said Yes to This

I committed to coaching because I've learned a lot of lessons the hard way.

Business. Leadership. Failure. Faith. Taking risks. Starting over. Building something when you don't have all the answers.

Those aren't just chapters in a book. They're lived experiences. And if some of what I've learned can help a young person discover what's already inside of them a little earlier, I want to be in that room.

We talk a lot about wanting the next generation to become leaders, entrepreneurs, and difference-makers. But at some point, those of us with experience have to stop talking about it and make ourselves available to help them become it.

That's why this matters to me.

The Greatest Thing We Can Build

There's something that happens when you sit across from a young person who has an idea but doesn't yet have the language for it. Who has creativity but hasn't been shown what to do with it. Who has drive but hasn't had someone tell them it's worth something.

You realize quickly that the most important thing you can offer isn't a strategy or a framework. It's presence. It's belief. It's the willingness to say, I see something in you, and I'm going to help you see it too.

Sometimes the greatest thing we can build isn't another business. It's another builder.

I'm excited to pour into these young entrepreneurs. But I already know something else is going to happen too: they're going to teach me. That's how it always works when you show up with an open hand instead of just an open mouth.

An Opportunity Worth Sharing

If you know a young person who has an idea, creativity, curiosity, or an entrepreneurial spirit, put this opportunity in front of them.

Parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and community leaders, this is the kind of room that changes trajectories. The kind of investment that pays forward for decades. The kind of access that most people wish they'd had earlier.

Applications are open at the Winchester-Clark County Entrepreneur Academy: www.wceacademy.org

I'm proud to be part of something like this right here in our community.

The next generation doesn't just need our advice. They need our access, our time, and our belief that they can do it.

Let's give them all three.