Take the Elevator

Hosted by GentheBuilder and Kory

Business Entrepreneurship Education Society Culture

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Episodes

407

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

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.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 2, 202630 min

407th Floor: Customer Service or Do Customers Deserve This?

Send us Fan Mail You walk into a store for toothpaste. Two minutes, tops. Then you hit the register and realize you’re no longer shopping; you’re stuck in a live documentary about a stranger’s road trips, grandkids, and divorce. That tiny moment captures the question we can’t stop laughing about: when did customer service turn into customer therapy? GentheBuilder and Kory keep things light, but the point is real. With holiday shopping pressure, long lines and hold times, and less patience, the customer experience rises and falls on small choices. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who hates checkout lines, and leave a review. What’s the one customer service habit you wish would disappear? Look up, and let's elevate! Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

October 19, 202645 min

406th Floor One Habit Can Change Everything

Send us Fan Mail What if changing ONE bad habit could change your entire life? 🚀 On this episode of Take the Elevator , we're getting real about the small habits we do every day that may be holding us back from the life we want. From procrastination, running late, and endless scrolling to impulse spending, road rage, lack of sleep, and reacting emotionally instead of responding intentionally—we're breaking down how seemingly small habits can create BIG ripple effects in our relationships, finances, health, happiness, and peace of mind. And we're challenging four words that might be keeping you stuck: "That's just who I am." But what if that's not who you ARE? What if that's simply what you've gotten used to DOING? We're talking about the power of self-awareness, taking accountability, letting go of what you can't control, and pausing before you react. We're also sharing personal experiences, including one simple change that brought more peace into our marriage. ❤️ Because sometimes the breakthrough you've been waiting for doesn't require changing your entire life. It starts with changing ONE thing about yourself. And when deeper struggles require more than a habit change, it takes strength to recognize when to seek professional support. So here's our challenge to you: What's ONE habit you need to stop defending and start changing? 🎧 Tune in, join the conversation, and ask yourself: What could be different in my life if I made just one better decision consistently? If this episode speaks to you, share it with someone who could use a reset, subscribe for more real conversations about personal growth, and leave us a review! Remember, you don't have to change everything to change your life. But you DO have to be willing to change something! LOOK UP, AND LET'S ELEVATE! 🚀 Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

October 12, 202638 min

405th Floor: Trust The Training

Send us Fan Mail Life has a way of showing us what we’ve been practicing. It’s easy to talk about patience, trust, and consistency when everything is going our way. But when the pressure shows up? That’s when we find out what’s become muscle memory. On this floor of Take the Elevator, we’re talking about trusting the training—even when you’re still wondering where all this preparation is taking you. We begin with a check-in we use ourselves: body check, mind check, soul check. How are you doing, really? We talk about making room for that honest answer, why naming what we feel can be difficult—especially for men—and how having someone to talk to can make a difference. Then we get into the reps of everyday life. The showing up. The trying again. The work nobody sees. We’ve all had moments when we wanted to wing it or find a shortcut. With tools like AI at our fingertips, we explore how to use them while still building our own thinking and judgment. Sometimes preparation feels repetitive. Sometimes you wonder if it’s paying off. Then life puts you in a situation, and you realize, “Wait a minute. I’ve got something for this.” And sometimes the payoff looks different from what you planned. What you learned in one season shows up in your relationships, your creativity, or an opportunity you never saw coming. Years later, an experience can still give you something to draw from. Those reps count. Join us for a conversation about what we’re practicing, what we’re carrying, and how we’re preparing for what comes next. What are you training for right now—and what are your daily reps teaching you? Subscribe, share this episode with someone who’s putting in the work, and leave us a review. We’d love to hear what’s connecting with you. Look up, and let’s elevate. Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

October 5, 202640 min

404th Floor: Value Without The Title

Send us Fan Mail Strip away the job title, credentials, salary number, and social proof. What’s left, and would you still feel like you matter? Gen and Kory take a hard, honest look at identity beyond titles, and why so many high performers quietly depend on labels to feel stable. We start with listener feedback that hits a nerve: the moments when we think we’re giving our all, but still leave value on the table. From there, the conversation turns personal and a little uncomfortable as we ask what your “human value” looks like when nobody knows your role. We dig into leadership and character, the difference between being and doing, and why the small moments reveal more about your integrity than any title ever could. Finally, we reframe titles as tools for purpose, influence, and service. Look up, and let's elevate! If this conversation challenges you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review with the one line that best describes who you want to be. Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

September 28, 202639 min

403rd Floor: Stop Leaving Money on the Table

Send us Fan Mail Gas jumps to $6.50 a gallon, bills creep up, and somehow there is still too much month left at the end of the money. We feel that pressure too, so we’re bringing a grounded conversation about how to stop leaving money on the table without pretending everyone can become a tech founder, a superstar influencer, or an overnight millionaire. We zoom out to income streams that don’t require hype. We also share a crucial nuance: value is bigger than cash, and learning the difference between generosity and undercharging can change how you show up in work and life. If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs options, and leave a review. What’s one way you’ve found to bring in extra income without burning out? Look up, and let's elevate Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

September 21, 202635 min

402nd Floor: Lead Your Next Season

Send us Fan Mail Something shifts when you realize you’ve been performing a role that no longer fits, even if you’re “good” at it. How do you know when it’s time to grow, and how do you stop confusing a title with a calling? If you’re navigating a midlife career change, feeling stuck in comfort, or hearing that inner voice asking for something new, we give you language and tools to explore it: ask better questions, talk with trusted people, consider a coach, and pay attention to seasons of transformation. We close with one reflective question worth sitting with: “Is what I’m doing me being the real, authentic me?” If this resonated, subscribe to Take the Elevator, share it with a friend who’s in a transition, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

September 14, 202637 min

401st Floor: A Break From Burnout and A Return to Real Talk

Send us Fan Mail We’re back in the studio, and it feels strangely like walking into your old high school after a long time away: familiar, a little awkward, and full of memories. Gen and Kory talk honestly about why we stepped away after more than 400 episodes, how a simple “summer break” turned into real burnout recovery, and what it took to stop running on fumes. If you’ve been trying to push through work stress, creative pressure, or relationship strain, you’ll hear your own thoughts in this conversation about rest, identity, and rebuilding a steady baseline. We also don’t shy away from the heavy stuff. We name the climate that’s been weighing on us, from nonstop outrage to the stress of inflation and the cost of living in California. Gas, groceries, layoffs, and shrinking resources aren’t just headlines; they shape how people eat, plan, and survive. From there, we ask the question that keeps bothering us: when did we lose the ability to talk things out? We connect war and violence to isolation, virtual life, and reactive culture, then intentionally turn toward hope. We share the “glimmers” that kept us grounded. If this return resonates, subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review so more people can find us. Look up and let's elevate! Link to Dr. Jessica Miller's new book: https://a.co/d/06IUuotN Link to Crystal Davis' Grief books: https://a.co/d/091WL0nn and https://a.co/d/0f6YSgTA Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

May 4, 2026Episode 40035 min

400th Floor: You Used to Love This, So What's Changed?

Send us Fan Mail We made it to the 400th floor—and instead of just celebrating, we’re reflecting. Have you ever found yourself saying, “I used to love doing this…” —but now it feels different? Heavy. Forced. Or maybe it’s just gone altogether. In this episode, Gen and Kory unpack the real reasons joy fades—from pressure and burnout to identity shifts and comparison. More importantly, they explore how to elevate back into alignment… without forcing yourself to go backward. Because sometimes it’s not about getting the joy back the way it was— It’s about rediscovering it in a way that fits who you are today. If something you once loved doesn’t feel the same anymore, this conversation is your invitation to pause, reflect, and rise. Look up, and let's elevate! Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

April 27, 202628 min

399th Floor: Deadbeat Dog Dads And The Pet Parenting Gap

Send us Fan Mail Somebody always says, “That’s my dog”… right up until the barking starts, the mess happens, or the vet needs a call. We lean into that tension with a playful label, “deadbeat dog dads,” and then we get honest about what responsible pet parenting actually looks like when you share a home, a schedule, and two very real dogs with very different personalities. We swap stories about our own “co-parenting” dynamic, including the funny power of a calm presence that makes dogs instantly behave, and the not-so-funny moments when you realize you don’t even know the vet’s name. Then we talk about the overachievers, the pet parents who go all in with pet cameras, two-way audio, calming playlists, treat machines, routines, pet insurance, and even gourmet homemade dog food meal prep. We also share a terrifying coyote bite story and what recovery looks like when your dog comes home shaken, sore, and needing steady comfort. It’s a reminder that dogs have feelings, habits, and a whole language of cues, and the relationship gets better when we learn to read it. If you love pets, dogs, animal behavior, dog training, pet anxiety solutions, and real-life pet care stories, you’ll feel seen here. Subscribe, share this with a fellow pet parent, and leave a review, then tell us: are you the “alpha,” the caretaker, or the true co-parent in your house? Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

April 20, 202640 min

398th Floor: Julian & Deb Montgomery - From Idea to Table

Send us Fan Mail A word game that uses puzzle pieces sounds like a gimmick until you watch how fast it turns into strategy. We’re hanging out with Julian and Debbie Montgomery, a powerhouse creative couple who went from Minnesota to Los Angeles and somehow ended up building a real tabletop game you can actually hold in your hands. Julian brings the storyteller brain and the systems brain, composer and software engineer energy, while Debbie brings architectural design instincts that make ideas physical. Together, they built Puzzingo, a word building board game that feels familiar at first glance but plays in a totally different way once you’re placing tiles, locking shapes, and trying to outthink the table. We get into the origin story: a poetry children’s book, experiments with puzzles, a late-night moment watching a mobile word game, and the question that changed everything: what if word building and puzzle mechanics were the same experience? From there, it’s prototypes, playtests, rule tweaks, bonuses, and the satisfying grind of making something that works, not just something that sounds cool. If you’re into board game design, tabletop gaming culture, 3D printing, laser cutting, or launching an indie product, you’ll hear the real steps it takes to move past “I want to” into “we did it.” We also talk about what comes next: prepping for a Kickstarter board game launch, getting copies into the hands of reviewers, and the long-term dream of seeing Puzzingo on store shelves. Plus, we love how they blend modern convenience with classic game night by adding optional online tools like phone-based scorekeeping and timers, without losing the face-to-face connection that makes board games special. Check out Puzzingo.com, share this with your favorite game-night crew, and if you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe and leave us a review so more people can find the show. Support the show https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com