Today, we're bringing you a special presentation from Riley Maas, one of our many talented communicators at Unbound. Riley recently shared this keynote presentation at our Capstone event as we wrapped up this year's Ascend program. You'll hear Riley break down the concept of mentorship and connections, making it both practical and relatable. You'll learn about the idea of the 1% mentor, the importance of seeing the Imago Dei in others, and how both intentional and unintentional connections shape our lives. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the idea of finding a mentor or simply want to improve your connections, this episode is for you.

05:08 Defining Connection

06:51 The Who of Connection

16:43 The What of Connection

25:41 The Why of Connection

30:25 Riley's Personal Story on Connection

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

When so many young adults fail to thrive as they enter adulthood, what separates those who find success? In this episode of the Be Unbound podcast, we pick up the conversation from our last episode and explore the fragility we've seen in today's young adults—especially college students. We're joined by Trent Emmack, an admissions counselor for Unbound and our resident deep thinker, to discuss the lack of long-term hope and the lack of ambition to seek out challenges. We tackle how to encourage young adults to take on difficult tasks, learn from failures, and grow into independent, thriving individuals.

Here is the link to the article we referenced in our conversation:

"Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College" - NY Magazine

02:00 Discussing the State of College Students Today

05:59 Observations on Parental Involvement and Homeschooling

09:58 The Role of Difficulty and Resilience in Growth

15:21 The Impact of Cultural Trends on Young Adults

23:27 Encouraging Vision and Imperatives for Young Adults

28:57 Conclusion: Opting Out of Bad Cultural Trends

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

In this episode of the Be Unbound podcast, we discuss the declining state of traditional education and its shift toward a transactional relationship. Some recent articles from researchers and college professors have shed light on an alarming and depressing trend: college students have become little more than human assistants for AI bots. Rampant AI cheating and the lack of academic integrity among today's college students have reached a critical level.

By contrast, the recent experience we had at our Capstone event highlighted a lot of really positive aspects of students in our Unbound community. Curiosity, critical thinking, and genuine learning are celebrated by the leaders, but more importantly, it's celebrated by the students. If you're looking to foster a healthier and more meaningful educational path for young adults, join us as we explore how to be radically countercultural in today's world by embracing timeless values and a commitment to real knowledge and personal growth.

Here are some links to the articles we referenced in our conversation:

• "Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College" - NY Magazine
• "Why AI is Destroying Academic Integrity" - Hilarius Book Binder (Substack)

01:56 The Depressing State of Modern Education

04:36 Rampant AI Cheating in Universities

06:14 The Transactional Nature of Higher Education

08:46 Unbound's Unique Educational Environment

19:41 The Importance of Community and Relationships

21:19 A Macro View on Education and Culture

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill