Shows / The Disruption Lab
The Disruption Lab
Step into the world of innovation with The Disruption Lab live podcast, where groundbreaking ideas and strategic insights come to life. Hosted by Kevin McGinnis and filmed in front of a live studio audience at Keystone Sessions, each episode brings you face-to-face with the visionaries reshaping industries and pioneering new paths in entrepreneurship. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, innovator, or professional eager to fuel your growth and unlock strategic collaboration, The Disruption Lab…
Episodes
- The Disruption Lab
She Ran a $14M Beauty Department, Then Watched It Shut Black Founders Out
Montré Moore spent years managing a $14 million prestige cosmetics department at Neiman Marcus watching brand founders get shut out by red tape, gatekeeping…
- The Disruption Lab
You Can't Eat IRR: Why Venture Capital's Economics Are Broken
Venture capital loves to talk about returns, but what happens when the returns stop coming? Johnny, a venture investor who has deployed capital inside a $20…
- The Disruption Lab
She Grew Up Homeless in Lykins. Now She's Building Homes There
Rosana grew up in Kansas City's Lykins neighborhood, where she experienced housing insecurity as a single mother working double shifts to keep her kids afloat…
- The Disruption Lab
Easy To Work With
The difference between having standards and settling. Ecosystem building looks like collaboration from the outside everyone aligned, everyone winning together…
- The Disruption Lab
How One Attorney Turned a Broken Divorce System Into an Operating System for Families
Trina spent nearly two decades as a foster care social worker, then an attorney, watching families get "finalized" by the court system and then abandoned to…
- The Disruption Lab
The Chemical Keeping Your Fridge Cold Just Got Banned; Here's What Happens Next
There's a chemical in nearly every building, car, and grocery store in America and the world just agreed to phase it out. On this episode of The Disruption…
- The Disruption Lab
The Judge and the Data Scientist Rebuilding Justice From the Inside
Courtney hears 200 domestic violence cases a day. She has six months to work with, structurally, the maximum sentence her municipal court can impose, and she's…
- The Disruption Lab
85% Want Help. 5% Get It. This Founder Duo Is Closing the Gap.
Brandon has survived 12 strokes. Lindsay has been his care partner for 15 years. Together, they're the founders of Beyond This — a company that didn't exist 90…
- The Disruption Lab
11 Years and Counting: The Creative Chief Who Outlasted His Own Rule
After building some of advertising's most iconic campaigns — Sonic's "two guys," Southwest's "Now Free to Move" — Brian walked away from agency life to become…
- The Disruption Lab
From Haute Couture to Kombucha: How One Founder Is Growing the Future of Fashion
Nadia trained in haute couture at the Paris American Academy, the kind of centuries-old, precision-driven craftsmanship the fashion world has run on for…
- The Disruption Lab
The Innovation Nobody Can Measure
Why do the most promising innovation programs inside big companies keep getting killed — even when they're working? Host Kevin McGinnis shares the story of…
- The Disruption Lab
The Logistics Hub Hiding in Plain Sight: How Kansas City Quietly Powers America
Most people hear "Kansas City" and think warehouses and highways. That's about 10% of the real story. In this episode, Kevin sits down with Chris Gutierrez…
- The Disruption Lab
AI Broke the Grid; Nuclear Is How We Fix It
Everyone keeps saying nuclear is "having a moment." But Kevin McGinnis has heard that before — and this time, the pressure isn't coming from where you'd…
- The Disruption Lab
Designed, Not Counted
What if the thing everyone agrees we need more of is the thing that matters least? In this solo episode of The Disruption Lab, host Kevin McGinnis turns a…
- The Disruption Lab
Ideas Are Cheap; This Is What Actually Builds a City
Jeff spent fifteen years inside one of America's most celebrated startup ecosystems. Then he left Austin for Kansas City — to run a program handing out $20,000…
- The Disruption Lab
Doing Well by Doing Good: The Lesson That Took 15 Years to Land
This is a different kind of episode. Every solo I've done has been about a framework — a thesis, a system, an argument. This one is about a person. Dan Hesse…
- The Disruption Lab
The Kids Who Never Got to Practice: How VR Is Teaching Social Skills Schools Forgot to Teach
For decades, social skills training in schools meant one thing: a teacher singling out a student in front of their peers to practice something they don't yet…
- The Disruption Lab
The Hidden Influencers: What Analysts Know, What AI Just Changed, and What It Really Costs to Build Something Worth Stepping Away From
Andrew Hsu spent more than a decade building Spotlight, a market intelligence and analyst relations firm that helped some of the most recognized names in…
- The Disruption Lab
The Corporate Antibody: How Big Companies Kill Innovation (And What Actually Works)
Every Fortune 500 company says they want to work with startups. Almost none of them actually can. The problem isn't intention. It's infrastructure. When a…
- The Disruption Lab
The Quiet Revolution: Why Animal Health Is America's Overlooked Superpower
Most people don't realize that the food on their table and the medicine keeping their pets alive flow through a system few understand. Kim Young, President of…
- The Disruption Lab
The Growth That Counts
Why high-growth entrepreneurship is a different kind of economic infrastructure — and why most regions don’t have a strategy for it. I recently published an…
- The Disruption Lab
They Were Wrong by 50% Every Time — Inside the Invisible Crisis Running America's Food Supply Chain
Across agriculture, mining, and construction, billion-dollar supply chains still run on a phone call and a guess. Someone walks outside, eyeballs a pile of…
- The Disruption Lab
From the Capitol to the Startup: Why a State Senator Quit Politics to Fund Founders
Travis Fitzwater spent 12 years in the Missouri legislature building the policy infrastructure behind the state's innovation economy — the Right to Start Act…
- The Disruption Lab
The Mayor Who Refuses to Play Small: Rebuilding Trust in an Underestimated City
What does it take to lead a community that's spent decades being treated like a stepchild? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, host Kevin McGinnis sits down…
- The Disruption Lab
Inside the Food Access Model Cities Are Getting Wrong: Corner Stores, Redlining, and Feeding a City
Most people who see a broken food system either accept it or complain about it. Max Kaniger did something different — he walked into 70 corner stores and got…
- The Disruption Lab
Stop Calling It Charity. Affordable Housing Is Infrastructure.
What if everything you think you know about homelessness is wrong? Forty to fifty percent of people experiencing homelessness in America are employed. They're…
- The Disruption Lab
The Money Isn’t the Problem
Everyone assumes that underinvested communities, early-stage ecosystems, and emerging innovation hubs need more money. More grants. More venture. More…
- The Disruption Lab
From Grammy Stages to Kansas City Creative Economy
Jo Blaq left Kansas City because the infrastructure for a music career didn't exist. He went to LA, built one anyway — Grammy nominations, Ariana Grande…
- The Disruption Lab
The Bottleneck Is Never What You Think It Is
After 50+ conversations on The Disruption Lab, one pattern keeps surfacing: the thing that slows down innovation is almost never the technology. It’s the…
- The Disruption Lab
95% of It Goes Through China — And We Can't Do Anything About It
The U.S. offshored its critical minerals processing decades ago. Now 95% of the world's nickel runs through China — regardless of where it comes out of the…
- The Disruption Lab
The #1 Bottleneck in Drug Development Isn’t Science
Why do new drugs and medical breakthroughs take so long to reach real people? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, we sit down with Kyle McAllister, founder…
- The Disruption Lab
The Overlooked Mental Health Barrier No One Talks About: Pets, Trauma & A 100% Return-Home Solutionn
What if one of the biggest barriers to escaping abuse or entering mental health treatment wasn’t money, fear, or access? In this live episode of The Disruption…
- The Disruption Lab
Building in Public: How Radical Transparency Is Changing Real Estate, Cities, and Power
What if the fastest way to build better cities wasn’t behind closed doors—but out in the open? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, we sit down with Zach…
- The Disruption Lab
What Happens to Work When AI Knows Almost Everything? (And What That Means for You)
What happens to work, dignity, and human purpose in a world where AI can write, diagnose, advise, and automate faster than most people ever could? In this…
- The Disruption Lab
Building Autonomy and AI for National Security in Kansas City
Artificial intelligence and autonomy are no longer future concepts in national security—they’re shaping real-world decisions, operations, and outcomes today…
- The Disruption Lab
If Your Team Isn’t Listening, It’s Not Them—It’s This One Leadership Mistake
We have more ways to communicate than ever… so why does it feel like nobody is actually hearing each other? In this live episode of The Disruption Lab, Kevin…
- The Disruption Lab
The Truth About Gentrification: Can Development Help Without Displacement?
What if gentrification isn’t the real problem? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, host Kevin McGinnis sits down with Erik Murray, founder of Eastside…
- The Disruption Lab
From Grants to Growth: How KC GIFT Is Rewriting the Rules of Economic Development
What happens when community capital and culture move in lockstep? In this live episode of The Disruption Lab, we sit down with Brandon Calloway to unpack how…
- The Disruption Lab
AI Isn’t Killing Us—We Are: How to Use Robots Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Community)
Are robots and AI actually making us smarter—or just outsourcing our brains? In this conversation with John McElligott, we unpack why technology isn’t the…
- The Disruption Lab
The Power of People: How Benny Lee Built Global Companies—and a Legacy of Giving
What does it take to build a life — and a legacy — from scratch? In this live episode of The Disruption Lab, Kevin McGinnis sits down with Benny Lee, engineer…
- The Disruption Lab
Smart Cities 101: How Tech, Safety & Equity Are Redefining Urban Life
What if a city could completely reimagine how technology shapes daily life—not just for convenience, but for public safety, economic growth, and citizen trust?…
- The Disruption Lab
Inside the Nation’s First Wellness Court - From Punishment to Possibility
What if “public safety” didn’t start with punishment—but with support? In this episode, Judge Courtney pulls back the curtain on how a municipal court in…
- The Disruption Lab
The Viral Razor from Shark Tank: How Go Nuts Is Changing Men’s Grooming Forever
What happens when you take a taboo topic, flip the script, and turn it into a global lifestyle brand? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, Craig Moore sits…
- The Disruption Lab
Turning 381 Million Tons of Plastic Waste Into Fashion: The Salubata Story
Can sneakers really solve plastic pollution? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, guest host Craig Moore sits down with Yewande Akinse, co-founder and COO of…
- The Disruption Lab
The Future of Voting: Can Civic Tech and AI Save Democracy?
Can technology actually rebuild trust in democracy—or is it just making things worse? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, we sit down with Mychal Shaw…
- The Disruption Lab
From Wall Street Dreams to Regenerating Cities: How Capital Can Heal Communities and the Planet
This week on The Disruption Lab, we dive into the question: What if money could do more than just make profit? What if it could restore communities and…
- The Disruption Lab
The Startup Taking On the Autism Resource Crisis (And Winning)
When Antoinette’s children were diagnosed with autism—four years apart—she was handed the same outdated “resource packet” both times. Nothing had changed…
- The Disruption Lab
How a Streetcar, a Park, and a Crazy Idea Changed a Whole City
What does it really take to turn a struggling downtown into a vibrant, diverse, and connected economic engine? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, we sit…
- The Disruption Lab
The Startup Fix No One Talks About: Why Community Beats Capital
What happens when a former underestimated tech founder takes the reins of one of the Midwest’s top entrepreneurial networks? In this raw and powerful episode…
- The Disruption Lab
Why These Founders Are Betting on Startups to Fix Their Countries (Inside the global shift toward entrepreneurship)
In this special live edition of The Disruption Lab recorded at Keystone Sessions, we’re joined by four powerhouse entrepreneurs from around the world—each…
- The Disruption Lab
Why the $1.8T Construction Industry Is Finally Ready for Disruption (and How AI Will Lead It)
Is it finally time for construction to catch up with tech? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, we sit down with Usman Wajid, founder of Block & Mortar, to…
- The Disruption Lab
You’re Not Failing—You’re Just the First One to Try: What Founders Get Wrong About Doubt
Ever launched something new and immediately questioned everything? Wondered if the doubts in your head were louder than the market feedback? In this raw solo…
- The Disruption Lab
Why 76% of OTs Want to Be Entrepreneurs (And What’s Broken in Clinical Care That’s Pushing Them There)
In this powerful episode, Dr. Brandy Archie (OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP) —occupational therapist and founder of AskSAMIE and OT Connected—shares the heartbreaking…
- The Disruption Lab
She Turned Her Wedding Returns Into a High Growth Venture (And It’s Genius)
What do DIY wedding centerpieces, Amazon returns, and climate action have in common? For Send Back founder Shaniqua Jones-Williams—the answer was everything…
- The Disruption Lab
Why Building Something That Last Feels So Messy (And What That Actually Means)
Are you building something new and wondering why it feels so overwhelming? In this solo episode of The Disruption Lab, Kevin McGinnis, President and CEO of The…
- The Disruption Lab
Why Innovation in Government Feels Impossible — And What Actually Works
Why does it feel like nothing ever changes in local government—even when the ideas are good? In this episode of The Disruption Lab, civic innovation expert…
- The Disruption Lab
How One Scientist Is Turning a $20B Pollution Problem Into a Climate Solution
Most people have never heard of refrigerants—but they’re one of the most dangerous climate pollutants on Earth. In this live episode of The Disruption Lab, we…
- The Disruption Lab
The Biggest Lie in Entrepreneurship—and The Brutal Truth About Starting a Business
What happens when you follow all the rules, invest $350,000 of your own money, and still end up broke? Dr. Donnetta Watson—known as The Launch Strategist—did…
- The Disruption Lab
How a Small Bank is Quietly Disrupting Big Finance
What happens when a former Wall Street investment banker takes over a small community bank in Kansas—and decides to shake up the entire financial industry? In…
- The Disruption Lab
Businesses that heal: How Social Ventures Can Rebuild Divided Communities
What if the best way to fix a broken community isn’t charity or government programs—but business? In this powerful episode of The Disruption Lab, Father Justin…