AuthentiCity FM | Real Stories. Bold Ideas. Better Communities.

• AuthentiCity FM, Episode 19: Pfinding the Pfun in Pfearless with Sereniah Breland

  #LocalGov #Leadership #WomenInGov #CityManagement #AuthentiCityFMSometimes, the most honest conversations start with asking yourself if you're good enough to be in the room. This one starts with bobsleds and sourdough starters, then goes deep into the messy beauty of looking back while staying present.Sereniah Breland, city manager of Pflugerville, Texas, opens up about imposter syndrome, hard rooms where people don't love you, and why she leans into every creative opportunity like turning budget presentations into Pfinance reports and making Tymo the drug dog the police chief photo in the city budget. She shares the moment on the Camino de Santiago when she realized presence matters more than perfection. Climbing the mountain, looking back at how far you've come, then staying grounded in the now is what leadership actually looks like.This conversation explores what it means to lose a mentor who taught you to ground yourself with "INMC" (it's not my city), the promise to leave behind wisdom through letters to her nieces, and why grief teaches us the most about legacy. Sereniah shares core beliefs like "we see what we're programmed to see" and why being the person you mean to be matters more than being the person everyone expects.There's talk of joy seeking and unexpected detours, the kind of wisdom that only comes from years of journaling through the really hard times, and what it means to be affable, feral, bold, unfiltered, and on the verge. Seven cities, one really long walk through Spain, and a whole lot of vulnerability later, Sereniah reminds us of what matters most.Stay kind, stay steady, stay you. Because you're not meant for every room, but you're absolutely meant for great rooms.01:56 Meet Sereniah03:30 The Importance of Vulnerability in Leadership08:34 Mentorship and the Power of Community11:44 Breaking Barriers: Women in Leadership15:30 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome20:53 The Value of Taking a Sabbatical24:30 Lessons from the Camino de Santiago29:44 The Grasshopper Analogy: Taking Leaps of Faith40:52 Transformative Career Journeys42:04 Navigating Self-Doubt in Leadership47:05 Engagement in Professional Development48:07 Shifting Focus from Ego to Purpose51:42 The Importance of Fun in Leadership01:00:41 Creativity and Community Engagement01:10:29 Lessons from Life Experiences01:13:08 Legacy and Mentorship

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• AuthentiCity FM, Episode 18: The Reimagining of Community

  #LocalGovernment #Community #AuthenticityFM #Leadership #PublicService #CivicEngagementWhat if trust hasn't disappeared, it's just stopped flowing through the channels we built for it? What if community isn't broken, it's just layered in ways we haven't learned to see yet?The future of community exists somewhere between the people we trust and the systems we question, between the practices we share and the digital worlds we inhabit, between memory and meaning. We're living in an era where people willingly hand their most precious moments to platforms they'll never meet while doubting the governments they can actually see. Where geography matters less than experience. Where a rainy fireworks festival creates more connection than a perfectly executed event ever could.This episode explores what happens when we stop trying to restore what fell and start building what wants to emerge. When we recognize that community forms around shared experiences, not shared addresses. When we understand that the soccer ball a kid uses for years matters more than the plastic trinket they'll forget in minutes. When we see that the BLT sandwich from a farmers market becomes the memory that outlasts the infrastructure.Rebuilding community means reimagining what community can become when analog and digital both matter, when trust decentralizes instead of centralizes, when we give people a why instead of just a what or where. It means creating spaces for memories that haven't happened yet and trusting that connection will find its own path forward.Part two of our series on community. The fall was inevitable. The reimagining is intentional.00:00 Reimagining Community in a Digital Age01:09 Trust and Transitions: The New Community Landscape05:04 Decentralizing Trust: A Shift in Perspectives10:53 Navigating Change: The Role of Networks16:24 The Evolution of Community Norms21:58 The Future of Community: Integrating Analog and Digital28:45 Community of Tomorrow: Challenges and Opportunities33:13 The Evolution of Community and Governance37:41 The Role of City Management in Democracy43:57 Rebuilding Trust in Local Politics46:47 Bridging Physical and Digital Spaces54:31 Experiences Over Materialism01:05:23 Gratitude and Community Building

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• AuthentiCity FM, Episode 17: The Fall of Community

  #LocalGovernment #Community #AuthenticityFM #Leadership #DigitalAge #PublicServiceDoes your algorithm know you better than your neighbors? That question opens a conversation about what happened to community and why it no longer feels like what it once was. We trace the shift from knowing everyone on the block to knowing everything about strangers online and what that transformation means for local government, leadership, and the future of connection.We explore this through unexpected lenses. The Jetsons imagined a tech driven future but missed how innovation would isolate us. Brené Brown's Four Types of Power show up in neighborhoods, workplaces, and public spaces in ways that shape who belongs. Third places have faded even though they once held the social fabric together. The simple invention of the garage door opener quietly rewired how we relate to the people living closest to us. And now AI may push social media toward the same tech graveyard that holds MySpace.From cul de sacs and alleyway conversations to curated feeds and disappearing gathering spots, we look at how the built environment, consumer behavior, and digital design have reshaped what it means to be neighbors. We revisit ideas like the Shultz Hour, a reminder that time is something we guard even as technology keeps asking for more of it. Because at the heart of authentic leadership and authentic community is permission. Permission to disconnect, to choose presence over distraction, and to rebuild a sense of belonging that no algorithm can predict.00:00 The Changing Landscape of Community08:02 The Impact of Urban Design on Community Interaction13:44 Algorithms vs. Neighbors: The New Social Dynamics22:12 The Role of Third Places in Community Building27:42 Power Dynamics in Community Engagement38:35 The Future of Social Media and Community Connection42:07 The Commoditization of Attention46:50 The Importance of Storytelling in Community51:22 AI's Role in the Future of Social Media56:46 Navigating Relationships in a Digital Age01:00:19 Authenticity in a Fake World01:07:55 The Trade-off Between Connection and Convenience

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• AuthentiCity FM, Episode 16: Wake-Up Calls and What Actually Works

  #AuthenticityFM #LocalGovernment #LeadershipWellness #PublicService #CityManagementWhen did we all become people with dashboards for our bodies? A1Cs, cholesterol, sleep scores, resting heart rates. We manage complex budgets and organizations, but managing our own health? That might be the hardest part.In this episode, we get honest about what it really takes to stay upright in this profession. Phil opens up about living with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 20 years and maintaining a 1,165-day run streak. Corri shares her wake-up call and the recovery that followed. Mike talks about hot yoga at 105 degrees, the superpower of sleep, and the gift of good genetics.The conversation moves from personal health stories into deeper territory. The phone calls that happen during dog walks. The professional courage it takes to say "it can wait." The mindset shift happening across local government from transactional service delivery to relational community building. Because how we show up for ourselves directly shapes how we show up for our communities. We talk about why younger professionals need to build sustainable practices now, because maintaining wellness is so much easier than regaining it.Phil also shares what November means to him, including his family's story of courage that shaped his entire local government career.This is health and wellness for local government professionals, not the Instagram version. Heart rates, blood sugar, boundaries, and the messy truth about trying to lead a community when you're running on empty.00:00 Introduction to Health and Wellness in Professional Life02:49 Personal Health Journeys and Challenges08:07 The Importance of Setting Boundaries12:27 Managing Chronic Conditions and Self-Advocacy22:35 Understanding Diabetes: Type 1 vs Type 230:29 The Role of Technology in Health Monitoring35:49 Finding Balance: Data, Health, and Personal Growth52:59 Setting Boundaries in Professional Relationships01:08:56 Rethinking City Hall Operations01:11:18 Raising Awareness for Diabetes

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• AuthenitiCity FM, Episode 15: Compass, Curiosity, and a Career Well-Lived with Craig Rapp

  What does 48 years in local government teach you about leadership, reinvention, and staying authentically yourself? In this episode, we sit down with Craig Rapp, consultant, mentor, and creator of Compass Peer Groups, for a conversation that spans from his first job as a 25-year-old city administrator to his current work supporting the next generation of local government leaders.Craig takes us through two remarkable halves of his career: the first 22 years as a striver in city management, and the last 25 years as a seeker navigating consulting, face plants, learning curves, and ultimately building something meaningful. Along the way, we explore the unexpected connections between Canadian tuxedos, Gordon Lightfoot, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, bow ties, and the leadership frameworks that shaped Craig's journey.We dig into the messy middle of career transitions, the courage it takes to reinvent yourself at any age, the power of peer support, and why putting the ladder back down matters more than pulling it up. Craig shares wisdom about navigating failure, staying curious, and being a person of your time while still pushing forward into new territory (yes, even AI artifacts).This is a conversation about authenticity, longevity, and what it means to build a career that serves not just yourself, but the profession and the people coming up behind you.#LocalGovernment #Leadership #CareerReinvention #CityManagement #AuthenticityFM01:34 Craig Rapp's Journey into Local Government04:13 Career Transitions and Reinvention09:48 The Importance of Support Systems15:33 Authenticity in Professional Life22:36 The Connection to Ore Boats and Personal History25:54 Early Influences and Upbringing29:03 Navigating Political Challenges37:42 Lessons from Jesse Ventura's Tenure42:59 Courage in Leadership48:27 The Importance of Peer Support58:50 Compass Peer Groups and Their Impact01:01:06 The Power of Optimism in Leadership01:04:28 Peer Support: The Backbone of Resilience01:08:31 Real Stories of Peer Group Impact01:10:58 Improv and Leadership: A Unique Connection01:15:39 Imagining Life Beyond City Management01:21:17 Advice for the Next Generation of Leaders

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