In Episode 24 of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Mr. Jeff Pierce, University School’s Jr. K - 8 enrichment specialist, middle school speech & debate coach, and history specialist, to trace the winding path that shaped his life in education. From growing up in Columbus and thriving as a student, to studying history at Harvard, to a formative stint volunteering abroad, Mr. Pierce shares how curiosity (and a willingness to take big leaps) eventually carried him to teaching overseas, where a “one-year” plan in Hong Kong turned into a 14-year chapter in international education.

The conversation dives into what it’s like returning to the U.S. after years abroad, what makes University School special, and how debate, enrichment, and genuine student opportunities can build lifelong skills beyond the gradebook. Along the way, Mr. Pierce reflects on family, coaching, raising two boys at US, and the values that ground him when life gets busy, making the world a better place, and believing that “Pierces can do hard things.”

Credits to Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 23 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with two University School seniors who took different paths to US, and found their place in the same community: Colin Milbourn, a two-sport athlete in football and basketball who transferred in looking for a bigger challenge, and Kingston Oliver, a varsity basketball player and cellist whose move to US brought an early culture shock and a fast transition through sports. Together, they reflect on what it really feels like to “find your footing” at a new school, meeting people through teams, leaning on teachers and mentors, and discovering that brotherhood shows up in everything from the classroom to the student section. Along the way, they shout out the classes and educators that shaped their experience and talk about how sports, clubs, and music widened their circles and built relationships that stuck.

From there, the conversation shifts to senior-year leadership and what it means to carry yourself when the stakes are higher, staying steady in big moments, leading by example, and helping build a culture where showing up for each other is the norm. Colin and Kingston break down the energy behind this year’s school spirit, why their class has kept it going, and how support can look like cheering at games—or showing up to an orchestra concert. They also get real about balancing academics, athletics, friends, and family, share what they’ll miss most about a small-school environment, and offer advice to younger students on finding support early and making the most of the time you have. They close with their “why”: gratitude for family sacrifice, and a commitment to being intentional in everything they do.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 22 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Terry Lipford ’98, University School alum, middle school teacher, basketball coach, and Director of the REACH Program. Growing up on Cleveland’s east side in a family of educators, Mr. Lipford reflects on the early influences that shaped his values, community, discipline, and pride in identity. He shares what it was like arriving at US in seventh grade, finding his footing through football and basketball, and forming lasting connections through teams, mentors, and the school’s Black student community. From high-stakes basketball moments to the teachers and coaches who pushed him to grow, he explains why US became a place that helped him see both who he was and who he could become.

From there, Mr. Lipford walks us through his path after graduation: choosing John Carroll University, studying business, spending time in the corporate world, and ultimately realizing his calling was in education. We dive deep into the REACH Program, its origins, mission, and impact as a three-summer academic and identity-affirming experience for African American middle school boys, and what sets it apart from traditional enrichment or admissions pipelines. Mr. Lipford breaks down how REACH measures success, why brotherhood and belonging matter as much as grades, and what it means to see alumni return as mentors and leaders. He closes by reflecting on legacy, service, and his “why”: family, responsibility, and giving back to the community that helped shape him.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 21 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Russell Breuer ’98, University School alum and the founder and CEO of Spot & Tango, the fresh pet food company shaking up how we think about pet health. Growing up in Shaker Heights, and later commuting from Aurora after his family moved, Mr. Breuer reflects on his path through US and the teachers, trips, and community that stuck with him. He shares why the “do everything” spirit of US mattered: playing soccer and tennis, becoming editor-in-chief of The Mabian, and learning the kind of structured, first-principles problem solving he still leans on as a CEO.

From there, Mr. Breuer walks us through Emory, studying Spanish and international studies (inspired in part by his family’s Venezuelan roots), and how that global focus turned into a consulting career that started in Washington, DC (Kaiser Associates) and unexpectedly became eight years in London, passport and all. We dive into the origin story of Spot & Tango: his wife cooking fresh meals for their mini goldendoodle, late nights in a Queens incubator kitchen, and the “dark times” grind (apron, hair net, and bike-messenger deliveries) that eventually pushed him to go all-in in April 2018. We unpack what “personalized” pet nutrition really means, the idea behind UnKibble (freeze-dried, shelf-stable, and designed to cut cold-chain cost), and the scaling moments, like selling out in three days after launching in April 2020 and building real-world manufacturing muscle in Allentown. Mr. Breuer also breaks down the rebrand to “Spot & Tango,” the launch of Pup Gum, what’s next (including a Canada move on March 1 and brick-and-mortar on the roadmap), and closes with the legacy he wants to leave, giving back, and his “why”: grit.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 20 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Tony Peebles ’81, veteran banker and finance leader, longtime civic fundraiser, Baldwin Wallace University’s Alumni Engagement Director, and a current University School board member. Growing up in Cleveland’s Lee-Harvard neighborhood with two educator parents (a PE teacher mom and a shop-teacher dad), Tony reflects on being an introverted kid who found his voice through music (he started guitar at age seven) and the mentors who pushed him to work hard. He shares how CCIS-era recruiting and a “Major Works” cohort from Gracemont brought him to US in seventh grade, and how Western Civ, public speaking, and the jazz band (including a Boston tour by Amtrak) helped shape his confidence, humility, and love of teamwork.

From there, Tony traces his path to Duke, from a Stanford dream vetoed by his mom to a campus visit made powerful by the reality that Duke would’ve been segregated for his father and grandfather. He tells stories of ACC basketball energy (and seeing legends up close) before unpacking the relationship-driven breaks that built his career: an Ameritrust summer internship arranged through US connections that turned into a full-time management trainee role and, eventually, a decades-long run in financial services, including major responsibility at Fifth Third and an MBA earned while working full-time. We dive into what alumni engagement really means, “time, talent, and treasure”, and why Tony believes staying involved is one of the most underrated leadership skills. He closes with the legacy he hopes to leave at US (keeping doors open for talented students from every background) and his “why”: giving back, guided by his father’s rules about faith, family, and leading with integrity.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 19 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, the second half of their fireside conversation, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down once again with Mr. Harmon: legendary science teacher, storyteller, and the driving force behind University School’s Outdoor Projects. Mr. Harmon pulls back the curtain on how the “outdoors” at US is really a living science lab, connecting classroom concepts to real-world systems. He breaks down everything from calorimetry and the energy content of different woods to the trout hatchery’s year-round water system and the live plankton it provides for biology labs, to the physics (and chemistry) behind maple sugaring, photosynthesis, sap flow, osmotic pressure, and even freeze-thaw dynamics.

Along the way, he reflects on the origins of Outdoor Projects (and the early Outward Bound–style challenges), why forest health matters more than ever, from invasive pests threatening beech trees to the overlooked importance of soil science, and what it means to protect the campus as a “trust,” not “land waiting for development.” The conversation closes with the show’s signature question, “What is your why?”, as Mr. Harmon shares a simple, powerful philosophy: be human, be charitable, and make decisions that help more than hurt.

Happy Holidays, and have a great winter break. Stay tuned for more episodes as we keep capturing the stories (and wisdom) of the legends who make University School what it is.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 18 of Season 2 of The Late Start Show (and the next year of The Harmon Holiday Special), Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down by the fire with Mr. Terry Harmon, legendary science teacher and Outdoor Projects advisor at University School, to talk all things winter on campus.

From the first real signs of the season to the magic of a frozen Lake Kilroy, Mr. Harmon breaks down how the school measures ice safety (and where not to step), then goes deep on what’s happening beneath the ice, why water behaves so strangely, why ice floats, and how big bodies of water shape weather (and even agriculture) around Lake Erie. Along the way, he revisits the unforgettable winter of 1977–78, connects the brook trout to the bigger story of wilderness and conservation, and shares the personal moments that sparked his love of trout, from childhood canoe trips in Canada to hatching eggs at home and helping launch the school’s trout hatchery decades ago.

This episode is equal parts a science lesson, winter story time, and a love letter to the outdoors, perfect to listen to while it’s cold outside. Stay tuned for Part 2 as we rebuild the fire and keep the conversation going.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.

In Episode 17 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Dan Swander ’61, University School lifer, veteran consumer products executive, and co-founder of consulting firm Swander Pace & Company and private equity firm Swander Pace Capital. Growing up in the backyard of the Shaker Campus, Dan shares memories of walking across the fields to kindergarten, remembering every teacher from first grade through senior year, and having US at the center of his life. He reflects on the mentors who shaped him such as his coaches and teachers, the early days of sixth-grade football and undefeated varsity soccer, and what’s changed (and what hasn’t) as US evolved into a two-campus, more diverse, greater-Cleveland school community. He traces an “unplanned” career from Trinity College and Wharton to McKinsey, built around curiosity, a love of consumer products, and the occasional unconventional answer, like telling a McKinsey psychologist he’d come back as an otter.

From turning around a struggling food company by taking office doors off their hinges to helping build large brands, Dan unpacks the leadership principles that have guided him: flipping the leadership chart upside down, betting on teams instead of lone geniuses, and focusing on real dollar margins instead of just percentages. He talks candidly about short attention span in modern entrepreneurship, how AI and automation will reshape work while opening doors in skilled trades, and what it was like to balance six kids with a demanding career. Now deeply involved in his church and Winter Nights Family Shelter, Dan reflects on legacy, service, and staying engaged, and shares his “why”: to stay curious, work hard, make mistakes, give back to his community, and wake up each day asking, “What can I do that matters today?”

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.