Building Supportive Communities: Prioritizing Well-being & Growth E41
This episode of Culture Crush Business is a real deep dive in the space of building communities that help with growing and positive well being. Kindra deep dives into the journeys of Nathan Coury and Ryan Tomita, two entrepreneurs on a mission to build supportive communities and foster personal growth. Nathan kicks things off by sharing his insights into creating human-centered businesses that prioritize the well-being of employees, leading to remarkable retention rates and minimal staffing challenges. Then, Ryan, the brains behind Middlefinger Mantras, opens up about his struggles with mental health and how they inspired him to create safe spaces for men to find support and empowerment.
As if that wasn’t enough, Nathan and Ryan also get into the nitty-gritty of balancing masculine and feminine energies in business. They stress the importance of collaboration and connection, rather than competition, in creating thriving workplace environments. They tackle the stigma head-on and wrap things up with a powerful call to prioritize mental well-being and reach out for support when needed.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to cultivate a culture of care and growth in their personal and professional lives. 
Freak Brothers Pizza’s purpose is to nourish people body, mind, and soul. They serve high vibe brick oven pizza at their shop inside The Churchill community space in Downtown Phoenix, as well as specializing in wedding catering and large music festivals with their mobile wood-fired pizza oven.
Their pizza is made using 100% organic fresh dough, organic produce & natural meats whenever possible, and so much love & intention. They also cater to most dietary lifestyles including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free needs.
They believe in the power of creating an amazing culture that’s the perfect mix of “fun and professional” for the humans who craft their pizzas, which results in amazing energy being infused into the pizzas and experiences created daily for their customers.
Nathan Coury is a deeply curious, passionate, and service-oriented human on a mission to elevate himself, his community, and humanity primarily through the vehicles of conscious business, community building, and creative expression.
He owns two restaurants (Freak Brothers Pizza and InFruition), facilitates men’s work, hosts a podcast (What The Freak), channels freestyle raps, and is involved in leadership with several spiritually-rooted communities and event curators.
He continues to explore more ways to apply the deep spiritual wisdom he has acquired through deep introspection and medicine journeying into real-world applications that improve the human experience for all beings.
Follow Freak Brothers Pizza on Facebook and Instagram. 
Middle Finger Mantras is a movement of men who are encouraging each other to be physical, mindful, and vulnerable.
The community facilitates connection through experiences and environments that initiate play, adversity, and healing.
Ryan Tomita founded Middle Finger Mantras in May of 2023 after struggling to find the type of community he craved.
Missing the camaraderie from his time as an athlete, Ryan felt like he was playing the game of life alone. His sense of isolation deepened as he parted ways with friends who were not supportive of his personal growth.
Determined to create a space where men could thrive outside traditional norms, Ryan built Middle Finger Mantras to attract like-minded individuals who embraced a different approach to masculinity.
Follow Middle Finger Mantras on Instagram.
About Culture Crush
At Culture Crush, culture isn’t just a corporate buzzword. It’s a key factor that can either boost your company or lead to its failure.
We’re culture consultants, with a focus on leadership, appreciation, communication, processes, accessibility, mental health, diversity, inclusion, and creating a dynamic workplace.
As a growing company:
Culture Crush Business is your hub for company culture resources. With deep cultural insights and years of expertise, we evaluate your company’s needs and connect you with the precise resources to cultivate a thriving culture.
We work with CEOs, founders, HR Directors, or Culture Leaders of companies or teams, who value company culture and understand its impact on their business success.With Culture Crush you’ll learn how to transform your workplace into a place of unity, efficiency, and growth. Don’t just fix your company culture – transform it with Culture Crush Business.
On this podcast: We focus on everything surrounding businesses with good company culture. We will talk with company leaders to learn about real-life experiences, tips, and best practices for creating a healthy work environment where employees are finding joy and satisfaction in their work while also striving and growing within the company. We share the resources to help improve company culture and showcase them on the podcast with their tips and tricks for growing culture.
About the Host
Kindra Maples is spartan racer, past animal trainer, previous magician’s assistant, and has a weakness for Oreo cookie shakes. Her journey working with people actually started working with animals as a teenager (don’t worry we won’t go that far back for her bio).
She worked for over 15 years in the zoo industry working with animals and the public. Her passion of working with animals shifted into working with people in education, operations and leadership roles. From there her passion of leadership and helping people develop has continued to grow.
Then came the opportunity for leading the Culture Crush Business Podcast and she jumped on it. Leadership, growth, and strong company cultures are all areas that Kindra is interested in diving into further.
Thank you for our Sponsor!
This episode is sponsored by Gateway Bank, a community bank in Arizona that specializes in serving small businesses across the Valley and the country.
When you work with Gateway, you don’t have to call an 800 number for support, or submit your loan application and wait weeks or months for an answer. You get fast, personal service from a team who knows you and cares about you.
When Gateway was founded in 2007, the team had a vision of building a hometown bank that prioritizes people over profits. Over 15 years later, they’re proud to still be one of the highest-performing AND highest-rated community banks around.
Whether you need a loan or banking services for your business, Gateway is here to help. Visit gcbaz.com/culturecrush for details and a free consultation with bank President James Christensen.
All loans subject to approval. Member FDIC.
