On the Spot

In this special bonus episode, Andrew McDonald joins Roy Brown on Billings Catholic Radio’s On the Spot podcast for a conversation about the vision behind Rooted & Rising and the role storytelling plays in the life of Catholic schools.

Together, they explore why creating space to share the everyday moments of school life matters, how storytelling strengthens connection and trust within a community, and what it means to lead with both clarity and transparency in Catholic education.

Originally recorded for On the Spot, this conversation offers a broader look at the purpose of Rooted & Rising while reflecting on the mission, challenges, and opportunities shaping our schools today.

If you like this episode, check out more On the Spot at: https://billingscatholicradio.podbean.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Thank you for joining us for another episode of On the Spot, a production of Billings Catholic Radio. I'm Deacon Roy Brown, Executive Director, and today we're going to have a podcast about a podcast. I know it sounds redundant, but it isn't. It's actually quite exciting. It's a brand new podcast that was launched, uh, courtesy of I think it was a joke or a challenge to the president of our Billings Catholic schools, Andrew McDonald. Thanks for being our subject today because this is gonna be fun.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Absolutely, Roy. So good to be here.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

You have a new podcast. It's called Rooted in Rising, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Stories from across our schools. Okay, it's important to put that part in there. Otherwise, there's a couple different Rooted in Risings, which I didn't realize. I counted about seven. Yeah, as I wish.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Should have probably searched before I named it. I am so happy that you're doing this because I don't want to mention one of your podcasts. We're gonna dive into a couple of different ones here and we'll get to kind of where this all came from. But one of your podcasts I think is really important for people to tune into was the president's report. Is that what you called it? The president's president's report for April. Yeah. That was really uh interesting to hear you speak about the things that are happening at the Catholic schools. It does put a real personal touch to it, and I appreciate that. So thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, I think that was kind of the initial impetus for for the podcast. We send out emails, we send out the president's report, but we're aware that email inboxes just get flooded, right? And it's and things get deleted without ever being open. Really quickly. And so it's it's difficult for folks to to always read through those things. It's also long. We have a lot that goes on every month, and so asking somebody to sit down and and take 15, 20 minutes to actually read through all the reports from across the system, I think can be a challenge. And this way, it's 10 minutes, throw it on when you're in your car. You get the same information if you want more details, it's always in the president's report, so you can go and find it. But it's also something there there's a lot to be said about communicating, uh, not in person, but as close to it as we can get. And I think when you hear somebody, you hear tone, you hear inflection, you hear emotion, you hear joy, you hear challenge.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

That's exactly what I heard. I heard a real emotional, not like dramatic, but I I could sense the pride that you had in in all the teachers, all of the volunteers, in the students themselves. It came through really well.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

I'm really glad to hear that because that is it's been interesting leaning into the podcasting space, not really knowing much about it when you start, uh trying to get those that authenticity in your voice. I I I mean, truly, this is this is me talking because I don't know how to do it otherwise. I I think about the way that you do things, Roy, and and your voice is so perfect for this. And I just try and emulate some of that.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

My face was just perfect for this. No, I I think that there is something, there really is something to the spoken word that resonates within our heart, not just our ears. And and when when you're able to sit in front of somebody, look them in the eye, and have a conversation like we are, there's an element there that is unspoken. When you listen to somebody who is articulating their passion, what they true, what truly drives them, it comes through. And I and I try and remind people of that. Smile when you talk. People can hear your smile.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Yeah, it's it's absolutely true. I think that my favorite episodes to record or or to go back and listen to are the ones that have laughter in it, because you get to hear, you get to hear joy. And and those are things that don't always always come through. I think it can be really flat if somebody just reads. I've listened to really terrible audiobooks and and terrible podcasts.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

They'll put me to sleep. Uh that's why I will not listen to them while I'm driving.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

I've got a couple that are on on deck for specifically going to sleep because I know that this one will knock me out really quickly. There you go. Um, but I it it's it's so much fun when you get to have those conversations and you get to experience that sitting across from somebody and then hopefully share that with the wider community.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Yeah. And I think when people are tuning in, they're vicariously participating in that conversation. I found myself during that president's report wanting to ask a question. Now that's the hard part when you're not right there, but you know that you can reach out and you can talk to you. You can talk to anybody at the school, you can go back and look at the the paper copy, I guess you'd call it. The hard copy.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

But yeah, so it gives you that a little bit of interaction there. Yeah, that was definitely, like I said, that was the goal, is is try and get information to people in a way that they can consume it with low, low effort on their part. We all lead incredibly busy lives. Life is is crazy and chaotic, especially as we enter the spring. So trying to get people involved in whatever way we can. And if this is this is another way that we can do that, this that's that's the goal. If they've got questions too, uh just to follow up on that, I would love for them to reach out. What is the best way to reach you? Is it by phone? Is it by email? Email is definitely the best.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

You go through every single one of them.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Office, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Email would be the way to go it the way to go. So it's amcdonald at bcsmt.org. We shortened it for everybody. It used to be that BillingsCatholicschools.org. So now it's just bcsmt.org. Fantastic. Um a McDonald.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

So how did this all get started? Take take us back to when did the flower get planted, the seed get planted for this rooted in rising.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Yeah, it was one of those things that sounds like a great idea in the moment and and kind of comes up almost jokingly. So we had a committee meeting of the the school board and we were talking about president's report and and read rates on the the president's report, just recognizing that that's that's difficult for people to really tune into. And one of the committee members said, you know, like we could we could start a podcast. And I looked at them and I said, Great, you should start a podcast. And somehow it got communicated to the board that I was starting a podcast. And it took us a little while to get moving, but now we're up and running, and and it's actually been a lot of fun. This is one of those those things that's provided quite a bit of joy for for me because I get to celebrate teachers. I get to celebrate the people and the the work in our system that really matters uh and communicate that to people in a different way. So, what started, you know, as as a joke that we didn't think was going to take a whole lot of time has turned into something that really does take a pretty decent amount of time, but but brings me a lot of joy too.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Well, you can you can sense that. I went through and I binged like most of us do. It's like I don't listen every day, but I binge, right? And so here at the radio station, we're trying to do more of that so that people can capture more of what we have to offer. And you're doing the same thing. And I'm really excited to see this happen. I never look at it as, oh, oh, they're gonna steal the audience. That's not what it's about because your role and your duty is so much different than what we're doing. We're trying to gather people in and show them the church so that they will come and experience it themselves. And I see that same type of idea coming from Rooted and Rising, because you want people to kind of get a glimpse inside the school and and get that excitement to feel like there is a personal connection there because that's what's going to get them to walk in the door and start to examine it a little bit closer.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Well, ultimately these are these are your schools, right? The the Catholic schools are a ministry of the Catholic Church. So in the same way that that Billings Catholic Radio is bringing people in and inviting them to come experience the church, I I think that's the mission of our schools as well. The the idea is we're we're looking at kind of the same group of people, but but just like a church has multiple ministries, right? So does so does our faith. We are just those different ministries. Uh, and this is one way that people can can be involved. To to highlight some of the special things that go on in our system, like I said, is is a a way to really acknowledge the work that's often done in in quiet, right? That not everybody gets to see those things. And bringing that to light, bringing that to the surface is just one way to say you are seen and it's awesome what you do. Right. And then sharing that with the wider community, they get to hear some of those stories as well that that they otherwise wouldn't be exposed to.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

You dropped four episodes when four episodes when you launched this, what, three weeks ago? Yeah, right around middle of April. So this is still very fresh. Very fresh. Very fresh. These are new plants, right? Yeah. Is that kind of the whole theme here? The growth?

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Yeah, the the the idea that's rooted in rising, right? Like we've got a long tradition. Billings Catholic Schools has been around since the 40s, so we have a storied history. Uh, and with that history comes a lot of stories that we can we can tell. I've got plans for that. My hope is the summer we can do we can do a couple different things with some longer form stories. But the idea is we have these roots and and we're also trying to build roots for our students and and from there rise. Where are we going as a system? Where do we head next? And and our students too, where are you going? Where are they going to go as we send them off into the world? It's really neat, especially at this time of of year as we're getting closer to graduation, to think about that idea of rising. Oh, yeah. Uh you you have the roots, you know, where are you gonna bloom?

SPEAKER_00 9:13

And the transition from kindergarten to first grade, from third to fourth. I all of these stages along the way, there's so much there that every parent looks forward to, the kids look forward to, and even even the entire system really looks forward to. The first episode I listened to was the episode with Sean Kahn and Krista Wall. That was one of your first attempts.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

Yeah, that was I recorded that one third, but it came out as part of that first first series of four that I released. So I felt like I had already improved as a podcast host by episode three. You learn really quickly. You do. The Brandon Martinez episode was my first episode that I recorded, and I noticed I'm an active listener. So I say yes or a lot, which actually sounds terrible on podcasts, like when you listen back. So I've learned that I need to shut my mouth and not speak while other people are talking, which has helped me in life as well. There are there are different ways that I can indicate I'm paying attention and involved in the conversation. But that episode with Krista and Sean was one of my favorite episodes still to have recorded just because of the excitement that they had for their work. Yeah, there was passion for what they do, there was passion for our faith. Watching Sean speak, I I wish I could have a I wish it was a video podcast. In that moment, I I wanted to have that like live on YouTube. A little animated, he is. Oh my goodness, it was incredible. So to see him get excited and to see Krista kind of bounce back and forth this energy. There was a spirit in that room that was very much alive. So that was a great episode talking about the why of Catholic schools. Why, why are we different? Why should we exist? And those are two people to really lean into that subject with.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

It was fun and educational at the same time because we did get a little bit of a peek behind the motivation for many of the teachers, much of the uh well, the entire system. I mean, but there's some that exude it more than others, obviously. And Sean and Krista do a great job of really showing that passion for what they do.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Yeah, absolutely. I think hearing their story about what brought them to the faith and then the opportunity, uh how they recognize the opportunity that they have to bring that to the students and the the responsibility that they feel for that. And and then also just how faith overwhelms them in the midst of doing that job, right? We we talk about it as a vocation, and that that really is what it is for them. They they truly did live that out, and a lot of our teachers do. They were just two that I got to to chat with that day, and something special happened.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Do you find it difficult for people to sit down with their boss and open up like that?

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Well, see, I I try really hard. It's still odd to me when people refer to me as a boss. I get that. You have a role to play. I do, Mr. Trafton, you know, every time I see him, what how you doing, boss? And it's still, man, that's a weird, weird thing because I just don't think of myself in that way. And in these moments, I do think it's always awkward at first. So you'll notice that I start the recording a little early, and then my first thing, the first thing that I say to to guests is always, we're just gonna have a conversation. It's just a chat. And you can hear them, you can almost hear the nervousness in their voice. And as soon as they laugh or as soon as we start getting into it, you can you can almost feel it switch. And then by the end of the episode, I always leave it running a little bit long after I say thank you, just because the best conversations I found often happen as soon as you hit stop on the recording. So I gotta figure out how to capture more of that part. But yeah, I do think it's in some sense it's awkward for for folks initially, but I think it gives us a great opportunity to connect about the work that they do.

SPEAKER_00 12:57

It's awkward for us to talk about ourselves. If if if we're living in that trying to be, you know, humble about who we are, and but recognize that we do have a gift. And and as you were talking about, yeah, you know, traft Mr. Trafton, you know, hey boss, how you doing? But there's there's an idea of what is a boss look like in our head. See, there's another whole conversation we could go down. What does it mean to be a boss? And it's not a dictator, it's not an authoritarian demand, it's one who walks with you. And it's it goes right back to the gospel from this last weekend with the shepherd walking in front of the sheep, and that's really what people are trusting that you are going to do. You're going to lead by example, you're going to help guide them in the path so that they excel.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

I think it's also giving them the space and the room to to shine, right? Putting them on stage at times. And and my hope with this is that that it is that opportunity for them to to tell their story. Because the stories, uh to me, that's one of the most important things here. Stories matter. We've all got a story to tell. We all have experience. We've all got something unique. We God has blessed all of us with gifts and talents. So to highlight those and to give people space to to highlight those things is really important to me. And that's one of the things I think that I can do as a boss, right? I I think we ask our students to learn all the time. We ask our students to to grow and and learn and mature over time. And I think that that's our obligation as adults, as members of that community, parents as well.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

It goes back to the whole philosophy of Catholic education. It's to form the whole person. You can infuse as much knowledge as you like. You can do your math multiplication tables and all of that stuff. But who is the person? And when you do give people the opportunity to grow, to express who they are and bring their own ideas to the table, giving that giving them the opportunity to shine. I I think that really gives them the confidence then to actually do that. Now, you mentioned your episode with Brandon Martinez. He's the drama teacher, he's orchestra band, all that. That's the one episode I haven't listened to. So I'm gonna pass over that. I'm gonna come back to that later. A couple of the other ones that I think really people need to just sit down and listen to and and really enjoy. The one with Lacey Weedman. Yeah, Wideman. Wideman, excuse me, and Jeff Melder.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

That was on literacy. That one really grabbed my attention because I do wonder are our kids literate with so much technology that'll do so much for you? Can they read? Can they comprehend? And the two of them really showed their passion for watching these young kids grow into readers.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Yeah, I think uh the the idea of confidence, you just you just kind of hit on on confidence, and and when we give people the the the opportunity to showcase who they are or their stories, it helps to build confidence. That was a theme in this episode. Was once students finally have that that spark, they get that, that it comes together and you can see it in their eyes, that's where they take off. And it that confidence from reading translates to all these other subjects, which is why for us it's really important to double down on that literacy piece. We we want to make sure that we've got excellent communicators, readers, writers, uh all of those, those pieces of of literacy that that are so important for future progress in education. And Jeff and Lacey are two advocates for for science of reading, uh, for uh our uh our very guided and direct approach to reading, really excited to try some new things this this coming year. And you can listen to that episode and hear some of the new things that they've tried this past year that have worked really well and and where they're excited to go in the future too. But yeah, that idea of of making sure that that our students are prepared through literacy is is incredibly important.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

I think when you listen to Rooted in Rising, what what's the what's the subtitle to that?

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Stories from Across Our Schools.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Stories from Across I'm gonna have to remember that. I'm sorry. You sat down with a student and a teacher, and you talked about a healthcare. It's a club. It's a club. Talk about that because that that was kind of I never even knew it existed. It was one of those clubs that you don't even know existed.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

Yeah, so the the club is HOSA, and so I was able to get to And HOSA is what? HOSA is a for future healthcare workers. I'm still not certain of the acronym either.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Uh but it is it is geared towards healthcare.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

It is future careers in healthcare. And it's a it's a CTE club, so a career and technical education club. So students that are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare come together. Krista Cunningham is our our sponsor, she's one of our science teachers up at the high school, and she just does a phenomenal job with these students. It's I I believe that we have the biggest chapter in the state.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Uh I think that's what she said.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

We've got over a hundred students that participate in the city.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

And she thought they might get 30.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

Yeah. Yeah. When she initially started. Yeah. And it really just took off because our students are really invested in learning these things that will translate into the rest of their lives. We're also in a medical hub. So we've got a lot of students that come from medical backgrounds. It's constantly in their face. Absolutely. So for them to go and experience some of these things. Like on that podcast, I believe I was joined by Olivia Gunthner, who's a senior, and then Katie Kotecki, who's a freshman. That's right. Yeah. So it's open to everybody, ninth through twelfth grade. And Olivia's experience has been a little bit different because she's been in it all three years. And now as she's getting ready to graduate, you know, she initially started by thinking about being a pharmacist, but through this club was able to determine, you know, I'm not sure that that's my path, and kind of move into the the nursing pathway, and then just went and competed at at uh the statewide meet for for nursing. And then Katie is just getting into it, so she has a wealth of options open to her. She's one of those folks that I think was given that that seed as a very young person, like this is what you're going to do with life. And for her, it's also nursing. And so she uh has kind of leaned all the way in there. But but this way she gets to experience a variety of options when it comes to future healthcare careers.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

One of the beautiful things about our educational system is these opportunities to find out what you don't want to do. And I that really struck me when she mentioned that about pharmacy. She's like, I really thought I wanted to be a pharmacist. But because I was involved in this club, I realized that's not the area of healthcare. I still want to be involved in healthcare, just not there. And this is a great opportunity rather than spending one or two years at college to figure that out.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Yeah, I think it just fast-forwards some of that process a little bit. And this really is the time. If we can bring those opportunities to our students now so that they're able to kind of choice into what they want to do later, I I certainly wish I would have had that. I'd probably end up with less degrees and student debt.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

I probably would have gone to college. So that one's called Called the Care. That was your fifth episode. Let's talk about the episode with Mallory Harris and Angie Gonzalez. When I saw this, I'm like, oh, you're gonna talk to the receptionist. Well, this will be interesting. And it was, it was so incredible. And the the the the vantage point you took it just resonates with all of us because it was that first face, that first voice you see when you walk into the building, and how that sets the tone for everything else. Can you kind of dive into what you learned from their experience? Because you're over in the corner office, you got the great view, they're down in the trench, and it's good for you to know how are things.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Yeah, uh truly those folks are the heartbeats of of schools, right? Any anytime that you work in a in a school or have occasion to visit, you can see some of the chaos that goes on in that that front front office. That was my my working title for the episode was Welcome to Our Chaos. And I I liked that because of the welcome there, but also the chaos. I've sat at the front desk as a sub and filled in while somebody was, you know, had to run an errand or go to lunch, and I can do about six minutes before it's completely overwhelming. So what they do is absolutely incredible. But I I think that that first impression, those initial experiences, when you walk in any place, does somebody say hello? Do they do they wave? Are you acknowledged? Are you seen as a person? It's so important when that happens. And when it doesn't, it's notable. And it it really does have the ability to shift your experience with an entire with an entire place. It it can change a day. We talk about the power of a smile, the power of a hello. And that's so important. And in the midst of all that they are doing, and and that's the piece I I hope folks walk away with, just the phone is ringing, kids are coming through, the principal needs something, I need something, parents need something, lunches are being dropped off, DoorDash is coming and delivering food, uh they're still smiling. And when you listen, especially to Angie, talk about that, like this is the best job. Like I don't I don't ever wake up and think to myself, like, I don't want to go to work today. Like for somebody to say that is really powerful.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

That's gotta make you feel good.

SPEAKER_01 22:35

Yeah, there's there's a piece of me that feels really really gratified in in knowing that, but but I think it's the personality. Like you look at these folks, some people are just built for that. Like I could never be a kindergarten teacher, preschool teacher. Definitely not cut out to be an office manager either. And these people are so important in our system. So to to again put them on stage, give them an opportunity to say, you know, here's here's how I contribute was really important to me.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Maybe I shouldn't have said it makes you feel good. It should make you feel thankful that that God has brought these people in the door. And one of the things that got me when I was listening to this episode at the front door is the name of the episode, was our first meeting, our first walk into the primary building when we brought our kids to the Catholic schools. The first person I met, Mrs. Peterman, she was right there that had the had the the pew right in front of her office, and we waited there and she came out and greeted us. There is so there is power in that acknowledgement. And also the other thing that struck me was here's Angie, and she's trying to manage the chaos, and there's a child that comes in that wants to share their joy, and she takes the time. She has a lot of duties to get done, but she takes the time to give that child the opportunity to share their excitement. Hey, this is what happened last night, or this is what I get to do today, and it comes through so well. So my I'm really encouraged by your podcast. I've also learned things.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

Really grateful for the experience, grateful to be here to talk about it with you.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

There's one more episode I want to talk about. Yeah. And and I think it's coming up soon, and it's the film club. You you sat down with Shane Fairbanks and you were talking about the students. They they make a film. At the beginning of the year, they they start, and he kind of went through the process of how all of that happens. From the outside, we can look at it as these kids are just goofing off all day. But there's some real there's some real collaborative teaching going on here. He's showing the kids how to work together. Not everybody gets to do whatever they want, not because somebody disagrees with me or they my enemy. So he's really doing a great job of teaching real real world skills within this dynamic of the film club, as well as his civics club and our civics class and all of that. You've got an amazing teacher there.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Yeah, he's an incredibly dynamic teacher. The the first year I was here three years ago now, this is almost conclusion of my fourth year. But that first year I was here, I went, he invited me into his classroom. And just when you walk in the room, you're like, oh, this is different.

SPEAKER_00 25:19

It's very different. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

There's posters all over the place. You can hear him kind of describe his classroom on that episode. But but you're immediately greeted by the sense that something is is different in that room. And then you can experience it. So that the opportunities that he gives those students to engage with content, with with games, with developing relationships is is really second to none. But I think you hit on something that that's incredibly important as we think about the world in which we live today, right? Academic skills are really important. The ability to collaborate is maybe more important. The ability to think is probably the most important. And so he creates this environment and this space in which kids have to solve problems. They have to engage about difficult issues, and they have to be able to hear each other and respond and then work together to figure out well, what do we do? And that I think is so important. I think it's what's missing in a lot of places in our world today. We've forgotten how to listen and we've forgotten how to think for ourselves. And you can also hear him talk about the oracle, right? AI, the Oracle.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:29

And that part's really interesting too, and how we incorporate that into teaching.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

I think that that kind of sums up the entire school system. Well, Mr. Fairbanks has a unique opportunity with these older students. I see this happening all the way down to kindergarten. There's this idea that we're helping develop the entire child. We're not just watching over them, we're not just making sure that they can pass a specific test, although that is a huge bonus, is the level of education that our students get. But I honestly think that comes through the well-rounded teaching rather than just trying to teach facts.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Yeah, absolutely. The each of these students, everybody, right? We we believe everybody was created for more. They were created for something specific. And and only God may know what that is. But it's our job to help the students find it for themselves, to reveal it over time, and to ensure that that they have the tools, right, to experience truth, beauty, goodness through God-given reason. So when you take that approach towards education, right, it becomes about so much more than academic scores. Our job does not cease when the students leave our building. Like that is, that is a job that is never done. And we may not often get to see the results, but but our system is one that people do feel connected to. So I think that we have a lot more opportunity to see these students after they leave our doors because they come back. And I think it speaks to what you're talking about, this idea that they grapple with things, they they work together, they struggle as they grow. And in doing so, you create really strong bonds with one another. So there is something different about a central graduate, right? Because it's not just central, it's ECE, it's St. Francis, then it's central. And so you see these ties and you see this ability to think deeply and form real authentic human relationships that is that is unique, right? Like it the amount of kids that come back and stay connected to this system is special. It's a special deal.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Well, we've only got a minute or two here. What do you got on tap? What are you working on?

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Yeah, we've got a couple episodes coming up that I'm really excited for talking to several of our student support folks just to talk about how do you meet students where they are in the different grade levels, right? Like kindergarten through fourth grade. How are how are we doing those things? Fifth through eighth, middle school's a weird time. Right. So to get to talk to those folks that have a gift for developing relationships with kids during that point in their lives is a special deal. We've also got a really fun one on Walk to Math, which is a new approach that we've tried this year. I'll I'll just tease that here. I'm not going to go into detail, so you got to check that episode out. And then a probably my favorite episode to record with a couple seniors that are looking to graduation, reflecting on their time as a part of the system and and looking ahead to the future, which is uh really captures that idea of rooted in rising.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

Andrew, thanks so much for uh making some time for us. I really appreciate it. And congratulations on the podcast. I'll be listening.

SPEAKER_01 29:29

Thank you so much, Roy. Great to great to see you.