KNOWN + Connected explores how the right connections can change everything. Hosted by Kinard Robinson, the podcast features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community leaders who’ve built powerful careers—not just from what they know, but from who knows them and how they show up in every room they enter.
From unexpected introductions that led to breakthrough opportunities to game-changing mentorships and partnerships, each episode delivers real stories and real strategies for elevating your presence, expanding your influence, and leveraging authentic relationships to create lasting impact.
Because being KNOWN opens doors—but staying connected is what keeps them open.
Episode 5: Rita Lowman: A Banking Titan on Relationships, Trust, and Giving Back
In this episode of KNOWN + Connected, Kinard sits down with his longtime mentor Rita Lowman, a 45-year veteran of the banking industry. Rita shares the story behind her rise, including turning around five community banks and successfully taking one public, and reflects on the mentors, teachers, and coaches who shaped her along the way. She and Kinard dig into what makes mentorship a two-way relationship, why people skills can't be taught the way technical skills can, and how ethics, honesty, and integrity built the reputation that carried her through a career that included serving as just the third woman in 130 years to chair the Florida Bankers Association. The conversation closes on what Rita calls the real keys to success: faith, family, and a commitment to giving back through time, talent, or treasure, not just money.
16 Jul 2026
Episode 4: Michael Stephens From Air Traffic Control to Airport CEO: The Power of Mentorship
In this episode, Kinard Robinson sits down with Michael Stephens, CEO of Tampa International Airport, to trace an unlikely path — from enlisted Air Force air traffic controller, to Morehouse grad and Army JAG officer, to attorney, to airport general counsel, and finally CEO of "America's favorite airport." Michael opens up about the mentors who shaped him along the way — a grandfather with a third-grade education who taught him how to treat people, a high school teacher who refused to let him fail, and the brothers who quietly modeled the paths he'd later walk. He and Kinard dig into what real mentorship looks like in practice: being intentional about seeking it out, staying coachable, following up and showing accountability, and paying it forward by mentoring others. The conversation also covers moving differently as you level up (employee to executive, entrepreneur to leader), the discipline behind lasting change, and why no one gets to the top by themselves.
9 Jun 2026
Episode 3: Kelly Flannery - Return to Relationships: Building a Culture of Connection
What does it actually take to build a community where people feel like they belong? Kelly Flannery, President and CEO of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce, has spent 13 years answering that question, and her answer always comes back to the same thing: relationships built before you need them.
In this episode of KNOWN + Connected, Kelly traces the journey that took her from Tampa to Florida State to Chicago and back again, including the moment a negative two degree landing convinced her that everything she loved was back home in Florida. She talks about planting seeds without an agenda, how a sidewalk conversation outside a cupcake shop turned into a CEO position, and why the Chamber closed its highest membership renewal year in the middle of a global pandemic.
Kelly and Kinard also dig into what is coming next for human connection in a world accelerating toward AI, why the handwritten note is making a comeback, and what it really means to show up for the people in your life.
If you are building a network, growing a business, or trying to be more present in the relationships that matter most, this conversation is for you.
27 Apr 2026
Episode 2: Joe Handy - Everything You Ever Wanted Is on the Other Side of Your Fears
From Harlem to leading one of Tampa Bay's most iconic institutions, Joe Handy shares the mentors, mindset, and moments that shaped his journey. A conversation about fearlessness, cross-generational mentorship, and the responsibility to bring others with you as you rise.
25 Jan 2026
Episode 1: Ron Christaldi - Influence Built Over Time
In the first episode of KNOWN + Connected, Kinard Robinson sits down with Ron Christaldi, a highly respected strategist, advisor, and trusted voice across business, government, and civic leadership in Florida. Ron has spent decades building credibility and influence through relationships—often behind the scenes, but always grounded in trust, integrity, and long-term impact. This conversation explores how influence is built over time, why reputation is shaped by how you show up, and how meaningful connections create access and opportunity. Ron shares insights from a career spent navigating high-stakes environments, earning trust in complex rooms, and understanding how presence, perspective, and consistency shape outcomes. This episode isn’t about chasing visibility. It’s about becoming known for the right reasons—and staying connected in rooms that matter.
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