Project Potential

At only 24 years old, Kellie Kolnes has been through the type of rigourous training most of us never see in a lifetime. Having always dreamt of joining the military, Kellie joined Marine Officer Candidate school, but had to drop out due to a health concern. The next year, she decided to go thorugh the training again and give it another shot, only to encouter the same problem as before. After this setback, Kelly decided to go through training and became a police officer in Santa Cruz, California where she spent the better part of a year. However, Kellie's lifelong desire to join the military convinced her to set her career as a police officer aside and join the United States Navy to chase her dream of becoming a pilot. She is currently in Pensacola, Florida. In this episode, Kellie details the setbacks she experienced at Marine OCS, the lessons she learned as a police officer, and the goals she has set for herself as she begins a new chapter with the United States Navy. 

For Tyler Lafferty, being well rounded is a must. Tyler is the embodiment of combining an optimistic mindset with a desire to help others. In Episode 6, we discuss his upcoming book Be More Like You , a story of a kid who needs help and finds a mentor to guide him. Tyler is a  serial entrepreneur from Spokane and the owner of businesses such as Seven2, a digital marketing agency that has done work for companies such as Nike, Amazon, and MTV. One thing that sets Tyler apart is his desire to make an impact in the community, and he certainly does this through his philanthropy and mentoring.

Our fourth guest comes at the perfect time. For Episode 4 of Project Potential, we are excited to share our conversation with Jessica Matlock, a recent college grad and good friend who is venturing into the world of politics. Jessica has worked for California representative and Presidential candidate Eric Swallwell, and most notably with Kamala Harris, the soon to be Vice President of the United States; as well as the first ever woman to be elected to the office. In this episode, Jessica opens up about the philosophy of politics, how we can begin to heal a deeply divided nation, and the challenges of being a woman in the political arena. One interesting take away from this discussion with Jessica is the need for genuine conversation amongst others, which has been a challenge during an age of disinformation. Follow Jessica: @jessica_linn_ 

For episode 3 of Project Potential, we are excited to share our conversation with Austin Carfi, a 22 year old digital creative and entrepreneur who has worked for iHeartRadio, RCA Records, and numerous successful musicians making music videos and cover art. Austin describes his feeling as a child of wanting to do something creative with his life and how he combined his passions for music and art to do what he does today. Austin lends his insights on what it takes to be successful in a creative field, his various methods to be productive, and how he stepped away from a great opportunity to start his own business, Carfi Media. Austin is an inspiring and insightful individual and we really enjoyed this conversation with him! Austin: @carfimedia on Instagram Check out Austin's work:  www.carfimedia.com/work

We are excited to have our friend Gunnar Conley on as our second guest! Gunnar is a realtor in the greater Seattle area and a host of the podcast “Compounding Change”, which offers a lot of valuable advice on personal development, finance and home buying. In this episode, Gunnar details how he started his career in real estate and how he has identified that building relationships and financial responsibility are the keys to success in a commission based career. He also mentions how he was able to adapt to the pandemic, focus his marketing efforts, and above all keep a positive mindset.  “You have an opportunity now to do something with your life. There are always going to be restrictions, a legal system telling you what you can and can’t do.  It's about working within the rules of the game and going after what you want to go after, and creating value for yourself and others” Check out Compounding Change below! : http://bit.ly/compoundingchangepodcast IG: @realtorgunnar

For our first episode of Project Potential, we are thrilled to have Kevin Sowe, an up and coming MMA fighter from The Gambia who is currently fighting out of Italy. Kevin’s story is truly inspiring, and in this episode he details his journey through the Back Way, a well established migration route for refugees from Africa to Europe. This treacherous route goes from Western Africa through the Sahara desert by truck and  ends up Libya; a place where sub Saharan Africans risk enslavement or death. The final stage of the route involves taking a raft from Libya to Italy, an endeavor that often ends in death for many migrants. Kevin details his struggles after arriving in Italy, and explains how he was able to channel his traumatic past into an insatiable drive for success. Kevin’s positive mindset and his love for life despite the hell he has walked through is truly an inspiration. His life and story are perfect examples of how mindset is the key to the success this world has to offer, no matter the challenges one may face.

Welcome to the first episode of Project Potential! In this brief episode we introduce ourselves and discuss why we were motivated to create this podcast.  Our goal is to take the messages of our guests and share them in order to help others with their mindset and navigating our 20s. We hope you enjoy!