In this episode of Gateway to Growth, host Jamal Cornelious sits down with Keisha Mabry — educator, workforce development leader, and certified AI educator — to talk about building a portfolio career rooted in curiosity, obedience to vision, and a refusal to be boxed into one lane.

From an 8th grade science classroom to leading tech workforce development in the AI era, Keisha's path is proof that a career doesn't have to be linear to be intentional. This conversation is packed with practical frameworks for anyone rethinking their next move, wrestling with whether to adopt AI, or trying to figure out how to tell their own "nonlinear" story with confidence.

Among the biggest themes covered: how to build and narrate a portfolio career using tools like the "three-word bio," the Jobs to Be Done framework, and the Business Model Canvas; how to adopt AI without losing your own judgment, empathy, or critical thinking; and how reframing fear as curiosity can change the way women (and everyone else) approach risk in their careers.


This episode's highlights include:

• Keisha's "three-word bio" framework: educator, builder, connector.

• Why she calls her nonlinear path a "portfolio career" — and why more people will follow it.

• Using "Jobs to Be Done" and the Business Model Canvas to pitch your transferable skills.

• A lesson from training 20,000 founders: build a "pain pill," not a "vitamin."

• Her rule for adopting AI: start with your workflow, not the tools.

• Why she closed her event space, Heydays, with no backup plan — and trusted obedience over fear.

• Inside Per Scholas: no-cost, 15-week tech training that's placed hundreds in St. Louis.

• A first look at her AI Summit at Cortex on October 17th.

From the classroom to the boardroom to the tech bootcamp, Keisha's throughline is simple: stay curious, be obedient to the vision, and don't build alone.

If you're curious about a career in tech, Per Scholas St. Louis offers no-cost, 15-week training with job placement support for anyone 18+ with a GED or equivalent — and Keisha's AI Summit at Cortex is coming up on October 17th, with more details to be announced soon.

Connect with Keisha Mabry
Instagram ▶ @keishamabry
LinkedIn ▶ linkedin.com/in/keishamabry
Website ▶ https://keishamabry.com/



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In this episode of Gateway to Growth, host Jamal Cornelious sits down with Coach Will Franklin — head football coach at University City High School and former NFL player — to talk about resilience, identity, and what it means to come home and give back to the city that raised him.

Will's story is a masterclass in patience and reinvention: a kid from North St. Louis who dreamed of the NFL, sat out a full year of high school ball only to have Mizzou believe in him first, built a historic senior season across three sports, and then had to rebuild his entire sense of self after his NFL career ended. If you've ever wondered what really happens after the spotlight fades — or what it takes to lead young people through their own version of that journey — this conversation hits different.

Throughout the episode, Jamal and Will dig into mentorship and identity beyond sports, the mental toughness required to do the work when no one's watching, and how investing in home — literally and figuratively — can transform a community.

This episode's highlights include:

• Growing up in inner-city St. Louis, discovering basketball and football in the neighborhood, and catching his first real recognition in eighth grade.

• Transferring high schools, sitting out an entire season, and how Mizzou's junior-year scholarship offer became the turning point in his recruitment.

• A historic senior year that took his football team to the semifinals, his basketball team to a 31-0 undefeated state title, and himself to a state track title.

• The mental toughness lesson from track and field about doing the work quietly, with no immediate reward, because "the finish line seems far away."

• Falling into depression after being released from his last NFL team, and the phone call from his friend Tony Ernst that pulled him into coaching.

• Learning to coach the whole person — helping student-athletes figure out who they are outside of the sport before that identity crisis finds them later in life.

• Coming home to St. Louis instead of staying in Phoenix, because giving back to the community that produced him mattered more than a quiet retirement.

• Building the culture at University City High School from 32 players to 86, upgrading facilities, and creating a path for student-athletes to graduate with an associate's degree and walk into college debt-free.

Will and Jamal close it out with real talk on patience — as a first-time head coach, as a parent, and as anyone trying to build something worth building — plus advice for the next generation of coaches on what the job actually demands.

Want to see it in person? University City football's first home game is September 11th at 7:00 PM against Northwest, on a newly upgraded field. Come check out the program Coach Franklin is building.

Connect with Coach Will Franklin LinkedIn ▶ William Franklin

🎙 New episodes of Gateway to Growth drop bi-weekly on Monday 🔔 Subscribe for future episodes exploring leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and career growth.

🎧 LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts ▶ https://apple.co/36ycuuO Spotify ▶ https://spoti.fi/3svGoqS

🔗 CONNECT WITH STL BUCKET LIST: Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/stlbucketlist/ Website ▶ https://stlbucketlist.com/

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In this episode of Gateway to Growth, host Jamal Cornelious sits down with Robert L. Powell III — founder and CEO of the BGG Foundation and former PlayStation employee — to talk about how he's turning gaming from a "hobby" into a real career pathway for St. Louis youth.

Whether you're a gamer, a parent, an educator, or just curious how esports scholarships actually work, this conversation breaks down an industry most people still don't fully understand.

In this episode, Jamal and Robert dig into how gaming can be a vehicle for mentorship, workforce development, and violence prevention — and why Saint Louis has been slow to catch up.

This episode's highlights include:

• Robert's journey from Saint Louis Public Schools and SLU to working at Sony on the PlayStation line, and why he left to start his own foundation.

• How the BGG Foundation runs gaming programs in schools and county libraries to help kids earn esports scholarships.

• The difference between "passive" screen time (doom scrolling) and "active" screen time (competitive gaming) — and why it matters for kids' attention spans and critical thinking.

• Why so few local kids end up on esports rosters at Saint Louis University, Maryville, Lindenwood, and other regional schools, despite those programs existing right in their backyard.

• A preview of the Got Game Tournament on July 25th at the St. Louis County Library's Clark Family Branch, featuring Super Smash Bros, Brawlhalla, and 2XKO, with $500 cash prizes and scholarship opportunities on the line.

• The launch of the Saint Louis Gaming League, a 21-and-up competitive league that faces off against Chicago and Detroit.

• Robert's advice to young people trying to find their path: be bold, follow what you love, and actually tap into your community instead of just watching from the sidelines.

From growing up gaming in his grandmother's basement to building scholarship pipelines for the next generation, this episode is a reminder that community — not competition — is what moves a city forward.

Get involved: visit the BGG Foundation's website to donate, check the esports leaderboards, browse the esports directory, or come out to a tournament or library program.


Connect with Robert L. Powell III
Instagram Personal ▶ @robbruhbruh
Instagram Company BGG Foundation ▶ @bggfndn
Linkedin ▶ https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-l-powell-iii/?skipRedirect=true

🎙 New episodes of Gateway to Growth drop bi-weekly on Monday
🔔 Subscribe for future episodes exploring leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and career growth.

🎧 LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts ▶ https://apple.co/36ycuuO Spotify ▶ https://spoti.fi/3svGoqS

🔗 CONNECT WITH STL BUCKET LIST: Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/stlbucketlist/ Website ▶ https://stlbucketlist.com/

🤝 WORK WITH STL BUCKET LIST Interested in partnering or sponsoring an episode? Email ▶ show@stlbucketlist.com Website ▶ https://www.bucketlistcreative.com/