Life's Essential Ingredients
Life’s Essential Ingredients is spinoff of C4 Leaders, a California based non-profit who uses PIZZA to guide all people in RISING TOGETHER. The show is hosted by two best friends who were college roommates at the University of San Francisco – (Jeff with a Mike). Season 5 started in 2025 and the show is currently listened to in 58 countries and 808 cities.
The educational and entertaining show takes a deep, yet humorous look at life’s essential ingredients. The hosts will engage in interesting conversation with some of the world’s best leaders, authors, athletes, musicians, chefs, architects, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, comedians, CEOs, coaches, professors, teachers, and many, many, more industries and professions.
The goal of the show is to have the guest highlight their life’s essential ingredients, who helped them develop the ingredients, and how the guest can help the listeners develop their essential ingredients.
The hosts create space for the guest to be the star of the show and provide an incredible platform to highlight their life, their business, their passion, and most importantly, their gift they share with the world.
Our listeners are diverse and 9% are 18-24, 18% 25-29, 13% 30-34, 18% 35-44, 18% 45-54, and 55+ 24%.
Life's Essential Ingredients
Season 3 BONUS Episode James Roberts III is Chasing his Hoop Dream!
C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved. We also write children’s books, host this podcast, and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other. Please check out PIZZADAYS.ORG to support our important work.
Season 3 BONUS Episode James Roberts III is coming from Vacaville, California (inform, inspire, & transform)
You can find James via Instagram @jamesr_4l
About our guest: James is a student-athlete and senior starting guard on the 13-5 Vacaville Boys Basketball team. A few words to describe James: hooper, healer, inspirer, bucket filler, hope dealer, influencer, believer, brother, son, friend, communicator, team player, good dancer, dedicated, hard worker, and someone undefined.
Words his teammates use to describe James – adaptable, passionate, coachable, versatile.
Coach Duane Kaman states, James is a senior guard that is a fearless, blue collar player. He is dependable, consistent, and coachable. He leads our defense and provides whatever the team needs on a daily basis while never complaining. James is a great team player with plenty of skill to play all positions. We are blessed to have him on the team.
James, thanks for sharing your many talents with your family, your team, your teammates, Vacaville High School, and the greater Vacaville community. Welcome to the show.
TOTD – “Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.” C.S. Lewis
Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!
In this episode:
Getting to Know James
Text from James mother:
Take your pick: Warriors or Lakers, 49ers or Raiders, Giants or A’s.
Hamburger or hot dog, Mexican food or Italian, sweet or savory, and finally… best pizza in Vacaville?
What was life like growing up?
What are your life’s essential ingredients?
Something most people might not know about you?
How do you like to spend your free time?
Go to when you are hungry?
Steven Spielberg calls you and says, James, I want to make a SUPERHERO movie about you and want to know who should be cast in your role, what are your superpowers and what do you stand for?
Hero
Highlight
Hardship
Basketball
You are on the bus to Reno and the bus breaks down: who on your team is going to fix it, who on your team is going to cook the food, and who will provide the entertainment?
Any pregame ritual?
Toughest place to play
Best player you ever played against
Biggest difference between James as a soph vs. senior
What do you love most about being on a team?
What ingredients do you bring to your team?
What ingredients could be added to allow your team to play to it’s full potential?
What do you need to play to your full potential.
What does it feel like running out of the locker room in front of a packed house, when the lights turn off and you hear your name in the starting line up?
What actions did you take and do you continue to take to make that happen.
What does the Wood vs. Vacaville game mean?
What do you most appreciate about Coach Kaman?
Future Plans
Plans for the future?
Dental School
College Basketball
Advice for a parent or young person listening?
Last thing you listened to, read, witnessed … that “took your breath away”, made you really stop and think?
Legacy - John Alston quote then…When the final buzzer sounds and you realize your hs career is over, what do you want to feel in your heart and what do you want to leave behind.