In preparation for today's interview, Bart was digging into Gary Keller's book called "One Thing" which highlighted three things for Bart:

• Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow your focus is
• No one succeeds alone
• Mastery should be seen as a path and not a destination

Communication takes a lifetime to master. Thomas has seen his journey with mastering communication as an opportunity to focus on the path and not the destination. He is part of the theological program at the Shepherds Institute. He was involved in an organization called Send international and spent a year in Russia and we dive into his experience in this episode.

They were teaching English in a summer camp format during their time in Russia. Thomas shares about what the three biggest challenges to overcome.

1. The cultural differences
2. How to show people we love them without words, but through emotions and body language
3. Working with the church about logistics without a shared language and vocabulary.

We discuss overcoming the often negative stereotypes of Americans in Russia which Thomas described as an uphill battle. We discussed how in any communication there is a difference between perception and reality. That gap is called disparity. When addressing a group of people the perception of how you might perceive it is going as the communication may be different than the way the listeners are perceiving. The goal of successful communication is learning to close that gap.

Thomas described hurdles he faced when trying to close that disparity gap during his time in Russia. Understanding what they needed and what they were looking for when they attended class versus what he thought they needed. This fits perfectly into an idea often discussed in classes by Bart which is being listener focused instead of teacher-focused.

Thomas also discussed how cultural differences communicated more than he intended. For example, when offered tea, he may have refused because he preferred water or not wanting people to go through the trouble of preparing tea, but in Russian culture sharing tea was a staple and often people would be offended by his refusal of tea.

Thomas also shared about his wife's experience as a woman in Russia, which is a largely patriarchal society. We discussed the power of a woman's voice in effective communication and transforming lives.

When asked about what's next, Thomas shared some potential plans they have for their future.

We spent time talking about the cultural differences between churches in Russia to churches in America. For example, there is less influence of consumerism, mostly smaller, there are small changes in government restrictions.

Nelson Mandella said, "Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world." Tina is a great example of the idea of taking education and using it as a weapon to produce change.

Giving students the power to communicate helps them with college interviews, presentations, and sets a foundation for key relationships in their lives.

In 2008, Bart was able to travel to Kenya to work with juniors and seniors in an orphanage. It was during this trip that Bart felt called to give a million people their voice. It was during this time that Tina asked Bart to consider coming to her high school and working with her students.

Tina is a dedicated teacher who goes above and beyond with her students. Bart has worked on and off with Tina and her students over a six-year period and they talk about the effects of investing in the communication skills of these young people.

"It has been transformational both for the students and in my life to see these young people that have struggles beyond what we could imagine walking into your class and in three days walk out transformed." - Tina

Tina shares examples of students who experienced transformation in their confidence to speak and engage with others and share their beliefs as they learn to live their purpose.

Guadalupe was a young woman who took the class and went from a young lady with low self-esteem to the next year running for homecoming queen.

"I think that's what this class does better than anything, it empowers the student to be their best self." - Tina