AuthentiCity FM | Real Stories. Bold Ideas. Better Communities.

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**AuthentiCity FM | Real Stories. Bold Ideas. Better Communities.**

Communities thrive through caring leaders, residents, and dreamers. AuthentiCity FM brings local government stories to life, inviting all who want to make a difference. Discover honest views, fresh insights, and candid talks that inspire change. Whether you’re a city manager, advocate, or curious, AuthentiCity FM reveals the ideas shaping our communities. Join us in a movement where authentic voices and bold ideas build tomorrow’s cities.

Latest Episodes:

AuthentiCity FM, Episode 18: The Reimagining of Community Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

#LocalGovernment #Community #AuthenticityFM #Leadership #PublicService #CivicEngagement

What if trust hasn't disappeared, it's just stopped flowing through the channels we built for it?

What if community isn't broken, it's just layered in ways we haven't learned to see yet?

The future of community exists somewhere between the people we trust and the systems we question, between the practices we share and the digital worlds we inhabit, between memory and meaning. We're living in an era where people willingly hand their most precious moments to platforms they'll never meet while doubting the governments they can actually see. Where geography matters less than experience. Where a rainy fireworks festival creates more connection than a perfectly executed event ever could.

This episode explores what happens when we stop trying to restore what fell and start building what wants to emerge. When we recognize that community forms around shared experiences, not shared addresses. When we understand that the soccer ball a kid uses for years matters more than the plastic trinket they'll forget in minutes. When we see that the BLT sandwich from a farmers market becomes the memory that outlasts the infrastructure.

Rebuilding community means reimagining what community can become when analog and digital both matter, when trust decentralizes instead of centralizes, when we give people a why instead of just a what or where. It means creating spaces for memories that haven't happened yet and trusting that connection will find its own path forward.

Part two of our series on community. The fall was inevitable. The reimagining is intentional.

00:00 Reimagining Community in a Digital Age

01:09 Trust and Transitions: The New Community Landscape

05:04 Decentralizing Trust: A Shift in Perspectives

10:53 Navigating Change: The Role of Networks

16:24 The Evolution of Community Norms

21:58 The Future of Community: Integrating Analog and Digital

28:45 Community of Tomorrow: Challenges and Opportunities

33:13 The Evolution of Community and Governance

37:41 The Role of City Management in Democracy

43:57 Rebuilding Trust in Local Politics

46:47 Bridging Physical and Digital Spaces

54:31 Experiences Over Materialism

01:05:23 Gratitude and Community Building

AuthentiCity FM, Episode 17: The Fall of Community Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

#LocalGovernment #Community #AuthenticityFM #Leadership #DigitalAge #PublicService

Does your algorithm know you better than your neighbors? That question opens a conversation about what happened to community and why it no longer feels like what it once was. We trace the shift from knowing everyone on the block to knowing everything about strangers online and what that transformation means for local government, leadership, and the future of connection.

We explore this through unexpected lenses. The Jetsons imagined a tech driven future but missed how innovation would isolate us. Brené Brown's Four Types of Power show up in neighborhoods, workplaces, and public spaces in ways that shape who belongs. Third places have faded even though they once held the social fabric together. The simple invention of the garage door opener quietly rewired how we relate to the people living closest to us. And now AI may push social media toward the same tech graveyard that holds MySpace.

From cul de sacs and alleyway conversations to curated feeds and disappearing gathering spots, we look at how the built environment, consumer behavior, and digital design have reshaped what it means to be neighbors. We revisit ideas like the Shultz Hour, a reminder that time is something we guard even as technology keeps asking for more of it. Because at the heart of authentic leadership and authentic community is permission. Permission to disconnect, to choose presence over distraction, and to rebuild a sense of belonging that no algorithm can predict.

00:00 The Changing Landscape of Community

08:02 The Impact of Urban Design on Community Interaction

13:44 Algorithms vs. Neighbors: The New Social Dynamics

22:12 The Role of Third Places in Community Building

27:42 Power Dynamics in Community Engagement

38:35 The Future of Social Media and Community Connection

42:07 The Commoditization of Attention

46:50 The Importance of Storytelling in Community

51:22 AI's Role in the Future of Social Media

56:46 Navigating Relationships in a Digital Age

01:00:19 Authenticity in a Fake World

01:07:55 The Trade-off Between Connection and Convenience

AuthentiCity FM, Episode 16: Wake-Up Calls and What Actually Works Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

#AuthenticityFM #LocalGovernment #LeadershipWellness #PublicService #CityManagement

When did we all become people with dashboards for our bodies? A1Cs, cholesterol, sleep scores, resting heart rates. We manage complex budgets and organizations, but managing our own health? That might be the hardest part.

In this episode, we get honest about what it really takes to stay upright in this profession. Phil opens up about living with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 20 years and maintaining a 1,165-day run streak. Corri shares her wake-up call and the recovery that followed. Mike talks about hot yoga at 105 degrees, the superpower of sleep, and the gift of good genetics.

The conversation moves from personal health stories into deeper territory. The phone calls that happen during dog walks. The professional courage it takes to say "it can wait." The mindset shift happening across local government from transactional service delivery to relational community building. Because how we show up for ourselves directly shapes how we show up for our communities. We talk about why younger professionals need to build sustainable practices now, because maintaining wellness is so much easier than regaining it.

Phil also shares what November means to him, including his family's story of courage that shaped his entire local government career.

This is health and wellness for local government professionals, not the Instagram version. Heart rates, blood sugar, boundaries, and the messy truth about trying to lead a community when you're running on empty.

00:00 Introduction to Health and Wellness in Professional Life

02:49 Personal Health Journeys and Challenges

08:07 The Importance of Setting Boundaries

12:27 Managing Chronic Conditions and Self-Advocacy

22:35 Understanding Diabetes: Type 1 vs Type 2

30:29 The Role of Technology in Health Monitoring

35:49 Finding Balance: Data, Health, and Personal Growth

52:59 Setting Boundaries in Professional Relationships

01:08:56 Rethinking City Hall Operations

01:11:18 Raising Awareness for Diabetes

AuthenitiCity FM, Episode 15: Compass, Curiosity, and a Career Well-Lived with Craig Rapp Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

What does 48 years in local government teach you about leadership, reinvention, and staying authentically yourself? In this episode, we sit down with Craig Rapp, consultant, mentor, and creator of Compass Peer Groups, for a conversation that spans from his first job as a 25-year-old city administrator to his current work supporting the next generation of local government leaders.

Craig takes us through two remarkable halves of his career: the first 22 years as a striver in city management, and the last 25 years as a seeker navigating consulting, face plants, learning curves, and ultimately building something meaningful. Along the way, we explore the unexpected connections between Canadian tuxedos, Gordon Lightfoot, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, bow ties, and the leadership frameworks that shaped Craig's journey.

We dig into the messy middle of career transitions, the courage it takes to reinvent yourself at any age, the power of peer support, and why putting the ladder back down matters more than pulling it up. Craig shares wisdom about navigating failure, staying curious, and being a person of your time while still pushing forward into new territory (yes, even AI artifacts).

This is a conversation about authenticity, longevity, and what it means to build a career that serves not just yourself, but the profession and the people coming up behind you.

#LocalGovernment #Leadership #CareerReinvention #CityManagement #AuthenticityFM

01:34 Craig Rapp's Journey into Local Government

04:13 Career Transitions and Reinvention

09:48 The Importance of Support Systems

15:33 Authenticity in Professional Life

22:36 The Connection to Ore Boats and Personal History

25:54 Early Influences and Upbringing

29:03 Navigating Political Challenges

37:42 Lessons from Jesse Ventura's Tenure

42:59 Courage in Leadership

48:27 The Importance of Peer Support

58:50 Compass Peer Groups and Their Impact

01:01:06 The Power of Optimism in Leadership

01:04:28 Peer Support: The Backbone of Resilience

01:08:31 Real Stories of Peer Group Impact

01:10:58 Improv and Leadership: A Unique Connection

01:15:39 Imagining Life Beyond City Management

01:21:17 Advice for the Next Generation of Leaders

AuthenitiCity FM, Episode 14: Tips and Tricks for ICMA Tampa Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Stories, strategy, and spontaneous connection. This is your guide to transforming five days in Tampa into friendships, insights, and moments that remind you why you love this work.

Whether you're boarding your first plane to an ICMA conference or you're a veteran of twenty, Phil, Mike, and Corri break down how to turn five overwhelming days into career-defining moments. From the anxiety of walking into a room with 5,000 strangers to the magic of hallway conversations that become lifelong friendships, this episode is your honest, practical guide to making ICMA 2025 unforgettable.

The hosts share their own evolution—from sticking close to familiar faces to actively seeking out the most eccentric sessions, from treating keynotes like optional background noise to sitting front row and soaking in every word. They reveal the 10-10-10 rule for conference success, why your badge lanyard matters more than you think, and how to ask questions that create real connection instead of awkward small talk. Mike confesses his technology shortcuts, Corri challenges you to meet people outside your comfort zone, and Phil makes the case for being unapologetically present.

This isn't about maximizing sessions or collecting vendor swag—it's about showing up for a profession that can feel lonely, finding your people, and remembering why this work matters. From Arthur Brooks and Amy Cuddy keynotes to the Mount Rushmore panel of legends, from regional meetings to the expo hall puppies, every detail is an invitation to engage differently.

Plus: Why you should take your badge off when exploring Tampa, the power of handwritten thank-you notes, and an invitation to join the live podcast recording on Monday afternoon.

#ICMA2025 #LocalGovernment #CityManagement #PublicService #Tampa #ProfessionalDevelopment #AuthenticityFM

02:45 Personal Experiences at ICMA Conferences

05:55 Keynote Themes and Speakers

10:23 Navigating the Conference as a Newcomer

19:33 Engaging with Speakers and Networking

27:02 Strategies for Meeting New People

34:46 The Importance of Vendor Interactions

40:33 Setting Goals for the Conference

51:08 Preparing for the Conference Experience

01:00:31 The Value of Keynote Speakers

01:09:05 Closing Thoughts and Final Tips

AuthenitiCity FM, Episode 13: Legacy, Service and the Long View Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Join us for an extraordinary conversation with two legends of local government management: John Phillips and Steve Carter. After decades leading communities and another decade as senior advisors mentoring Illinois managers, these veterans share unfiltered insights about what it really takes to sustain a career in public service.

From their first internships in the 1960s and 70s to wrapping up their roles as ILCMA senior advisors, John and Steve discuss the evolving challenges of the profession—from navigating social media storms and changing council dynamics to building trust in university towns and managing multi-jurisdictional relationships. They reveal why they stayed in their communities for 25-30 years when others leave after five, how they built staff cultures that outlasted their tenures, and what it means to show up with integrity when the work gets hard.

This isn't a retirement party—it's a masterclass in relationship building, ethical leadership, and the quiet art of making local government work. Whether you're new to the profession or a seasoned manager, their stories about hiring good people, maintaining work-life balance, and keeping the code of ethics close will resonate deeply.

#CityManagement #LocalGovernment #PublicService #LeadershipLegacy #ICMA #ILCMA #AuthenticityFM

01:07 Meet the City Management Legends

02:59 The Role of Senior Advisors

08:55 Understanding Downstate Illinois

13:10 Building Networks in City Management

16:06 The Importance of Professional Local Government

17:32 Navigating Modern Communication Challenges

22:19 Evolving Relationship Management

33:11 Reflections on Long-Term Careers in City Management

43:07 Hiring for Values and Integrity

48:41 Evolving Paths to City Management

55:14 Ambassadors of Change in Local Governance

01:02:17 Legacy and Collaboration Beyond Boundaries

01:09:07 The Importance of Work-Life Balance

01:16:08 Reflections on Mentorship and Inspiration

AuthentiCity FM, Episode 12: Listening, Leading, and Letting Go Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

#AuthentiCityFM #Leadership #Resilience #Creativity #EmotionalIntelligence #GenX #Millenials #GenZ #Homelanders #ArtistArchetype

While seasoned leaders have been perfecting the art of holding things together, the next generation has been quietly mastering something entirely different: the art of making things beautiful. In Part 2 of this conversation, we explore what happens when crisis-forged leadership meets artist-generation innovation.

Through stories of children drawing with grandparents, asking deeper questions at dinner tables, and naturally building inclusive communities, they discover that the Homelanders aren't just surviving the storm—they're learning to dance in it. These digital natives possess emotional intelligence that cuts through professional facades, form communities around shared interests rather than geographic boundaries, and treat creativity not as luxury but as essential processing power.

The conversation moves from theoretical observations to practical implications: What does it mean when vocal tones become the new body language? How do you lead when maps no longer define communities? Why might grandma hobbies be the most strategic thing leaders aren't doing?

But the biggest revelation isn't about generational differences—it's about generational collaboration. As these three leaders grapple with letting go of systems that no longer serve, they realize the Artist Generation isn't waiting for permission to rebuild. They're already creating what comes next, with tools their parents are just beginning to understand.

Raw, hopeful, and surprisingly practical, this episode captures the moment when exhausted leaders discover that the future might not just be in good hands—it might be in better hands than they ever imagined.

00:00 Introduction to the Framework

02:36 Navigating Complexity as a Gen X Manager

04:43 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

08:10 The Role of Curiosity and Courage in Leadership

11:22 Generational Perspectives on Winning and Participation

18:14 Creating a Culture of Care and Curiosity

25:21 The Power of Intuition in Decision Making

30:58 Intergenerational Connections and Learning

37:53 The Impact of Free Speech and Civil Discourse

49:34 Embracing Analog Experiences in a Digital World

01:01:38 The Future of Local Government and Community Engagement

AuthentiCity FM, Episode 11: Leading Through Crisis in the Fourth Turning Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

#Leadership #Crisis #LocalGovernment #PublicSector #Resilience #AuthentiCityFM

What happens when crisis stops being exceptional and becomes the constant? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Mike, Corri, and Phil explore how two generations now share leadership during what feels like permanent emergency.

Gen X—the latchkey kids who watched the Challenger explosion—learned early that adults couldn't always protect them, developing the radical self-reliance that would serve them through decades of managing the unmanageable. Millennials entered adulthood believing institutions could be reformed, only to have that faith tested by the 2008 financial collapse and everything that followed. Now both generations find themselves leading through COVID, civil unrest, and institutional breakdown, each bringing their own crisis-forged strengths to the work of holding things together.

Through personal stories spanning childhood memories to real-time leadership decisions, they examine how these experiences shaped their approaches to trauma, resilience, and the exhausting work of showing up when systems feel fundamentally broken. But the conversation takes an unexpected turn when they realize something remarkable: while they've been patching and managing, they're raising what generational theorist Neil Howe calls the "Homelanders"—the Artist Generation who may already possess what's needed to rebuild rather than just repair.

Raw and reflective, this episode captures three seasoned leaders confronting a profound question: What if the most courageous thing they could do is finally let go?

Next time: Part 2 explores how the Artist Generation is already showing us what rebuilding looks like—and why that might require us to lean into a little childhood joy.

00:00 Navigating the Chaos of Modern Life

02:59 Generational Reflections: Understanding Gen X

07:48 The Impact of Shared History on Generations

13:02 Crisis and Awakening: The Generational Cycle

18:24 The Weight of Responsibility in a Relentless Era

21:29 Crafting Solutions: The Role of Gen X

25:38 Art as a Unifying Force in Turbulent Times

32:32 Nostalgia and Changing Times

35:37 The Rise of Grandma Hobbies

38:15 Navigating Change and Uncertainty

41:34 Rebuilding and Opportunities Ahead

48:48 Letting Go and Moving Forward

55:36 Courage and Community in Crisis

AuthentiCity FM, Episode 10: Beyond Busy: Barbecue, Barriers & Big Ideas with Nick Kittle Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

#Innovation #Leadership #Teamwork #LocalGov #PublicService #AuthentiCityFM #RealStories #BoldIdeas #BetterCommunities

What if the secret to lasting innovation isn't working harder, but working at 85% capacity? What if the best leadership development happens around a smoker instead of a conference room? And what if the biggest barrier to breakthrough thinking is simply being too busy to think?

Join Phil, Corri, and Mike for a conversation with Nick Kittle—innovation expert, barbecue pitmaster, and the guy who's helped over 100 communities stop saying "that's how we've always done it." From building one of the first government innovation offices to creating team-building events that involve actual trust (with your brisket), Nick brings hard-won wisdom about making change stick.

We dig into the messy realities of innovation: Why scarcity and abundance are easier to navigate than the dreaded middle ground. How to spot hidden talent in your organization (especially when they don't see it themselves). The critical difference between innovation and efficiency that most people get backwards. And why the federal chaos might actually make local government more important than ever.

Plus: climbing 14,000-foot peaks for life lessons, the ethics problems stifling government partnerships, and a book full of made-up words that perfectly capture workplace frustrations we all feel but never name.

Whether you're trying to build something new, develop emerging leaders, or just figure out how to do important work without burning out, this episode delivers practical insights wrapped in refreshingly honest conversation.

Like, subscribe, and tell us about your own innovation wins and failures—we're here for the real stories, not the polished ones. This is sustainable change, AuthentiCity-style.

01:45 Sustainable Innovation: An Introduction

06:09 The Journey from Illinois to Colorado

13:35 Navigating the Middle Ground of Innovation

17:12 The Future of Local Government: Opportunities and Challenges

23:50 Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders

32:18 Identifying Hidden Talent in Organizations

35:25 Balancing Commitment and Capacity

38:23 Innovation vs. Efficiency in Overworked Teams

46:33 Books That Shape Leadership Thinking

49:10 The Creative Process and Brainstorming

57:30 Climbing Colorado's 14ers: Lessons from the Mountains

01:00:29 Barbecue as a Team-Building Experience

01:18:15 Navigating Disruption in Local Government

01:22:32 The Power of Creativity in Language and Humor

AuthentiCity FM, Episode 9: Pilots, Pivots, and Permission to Change Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

#Leadership #Adaptation #DecisionMaking #LocalGov #PublicService #AuthentiCityFM #RealStories #BoldIdeas #BetterCommunities

What if leadership isn’t about what you build, but how you decide what’s worth keeping, changing, or letting go? In this “living lab” episode, the AuthentiCity FM crew gets real about what to measure, what to reimagine, and why sometimes the hardest part is asking the right questions—about your work, your team, or even your own podcast.

Join us for honest conversations around pilot projects, creative risks, feedback that stings (and inspires), and the very real challenges of adapting before it’s too late. From data dives and Target runs to unexpected lessons in community, we unpack the practical side of growth, value, and leading with curiosity.

Whether you lead a team, run a city, or just want to do your work better, this episode is packed with honest insights, vulnerable stories, and the courage it takes to hit “pause,” scale up, or try something totally new.

Like, subscribe, and send us your big questions—especially the ones with no easy answers. This is decision-making, AuthentiCity-style.

#Leadership #Adaptation #DecisionMaking #LocalGov #PublicService #AuthentiCityFM #RealStories #BoldIdeas #BetterCommunities

00:00 The Test of Leadership

08:37 Data Insights and Listener Demographics

18:42 Defining Outreach vs Engagement

30:03 Falling in Love with Your Community

38:54 Taking the Hatchet: When to Let Go

44:55 Are We Asking the Right Questions?

46:39 Creativity in Hierarchies: Welcoming Disruptive Voices

55:36 The Perils of Standing Still

1:03:16 Scaling Up: From Fun Project to Something More