Zach Garza - You Can Mentor! Ep #10

Spiritual Fathers

In this episode, we’re joined by Zach Garza, the Founder and Executive Director of You Can Mentor and the Co-Founder of Ten Thousand Fathers. Zach’s journey from being mentored to mentoring others is a powerful story of transformation, faith, and purpose.

From his own life-changing experiences with mentors like Bob and Steve Allen, to founding organizations that support kids without dads, Zach’s passion for mentorship shines through. He shares how vulnerability, presence, and authenticity can make anyone a great mentor and outlines practical ways to lead, connect, and empower others.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make a lasting impact, Zach’s insights will inspire and equip you to step into a mentoring role.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Resources and relationships (00:00)
• Zach’s faith journey (2:00)
• How to be a mentor (12:45)
• Learn more about Zach Garza (17:29)
• Three things that make a great mentor (22:45)
• How a mentor can identify skills to teach (33:17)
• The best advice Zach has received (35:08)
• Books Zach recommends (36:33)

Zach’s Spiritual Mentorship Started as a Mentee

Zach shares his journey from seeking acceptance, love, and validation through negative behaviors to finding guidance and support from a professor named Bob. Initially reluctant, Zach was drawn to Bob because Bob took an interest in him and didn't try to fix him. Over time, Bob's consistent presence and love helped Zach trust him and eventually accept an invitation to a men's Bible study.

Bob's mentorship extended beyond academics, showing Zach the importance of genuine, non-judgmental support. Zach also encountered other mentors such as Steve Allen, who played fatherly roles, encouraging him and teaching him different aspects about Jesus and spiritual values.

These ongoing mentorships helped Zach transform his life, break free from generational curses, and embrace a path of light and purpose. Zach credits these mentors for teaching him how to be a better man, husband, and father, leading to profound personal growth and generational blessings.

Zach’s Work as a Mentor

Zach started as a teacher and coach at a low-income school in Dallas. Recognizing the need for father figures among his students, many of whom lacked a dad at home, he began mentoring them outside of school through lunches, dinners, and basketball games.

In 2009, with support from his community, Zach started a non-profit called Forerunner Mentoring Program to mentor young men without dads at home. By 2014, they were mentoring around 30 kids, and Zach went full-time with the organization, which expanded to include after-school programs and support for single moms. By the time he handed it off to his successor in 2021, they were mentoring hundreds of families, had baptized over 85 kids, and had a budget of $1.2 million.

Seeing the need for similar programs in other communities, Zach founded You Can Mentor, a non-profit that provides resources and training for mentors and mentoring organizations. They offer video training series, books, podcasts, informational documents, conferences, cohorts, and a non-profit accelerator to help people make disciples, especially for kids without dads or those who have experienced trauma.

Zach has written several books and continues to provide resources and relationships as a mentor.

Three Things that Make a Great Mentor

Zach emphasizes that anyone can be a mentor if they're willing to be vulnerable, present, and genuine. You don't have to be an expert; just a few steps ahead and ready to share your journey. Be available and be authentic.

Zach says the first point of being a good mentor is to lead like Jesus. Initiate the relationship and invite the other guy to follow you. Be willing to make the first call, initiate the text, or consistently be available and continue to reach out. Also, as a mentor, you should have a plan for improvement. Have a podcast or book, questions, or talking points to help the other person.

Second point: be faithful over fruitful. It’s not your job to change the person. You should focus on being faithful. He says your role is to show up, reach out, pray, and make the connection until God says not to. Your job is to plant seeds and let God work on the transformation.

The third point is to acknowledge identity + skills (in a safe environment) = the best chance of success. Zach reminds us, that God identifies us as a man of God, full of value we share that with the mentees.

Then comes the skill. You need your mentees to be faithful, available, and teachable. For example, Zach teaches his guys how to set goals, how to connect with their wives, and how to respond to texts timely. Whatever skills they want, mentors need to have a plan to teach them, but it must be in a non-critical, nurturing environment to give the greatest chance of success.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Raising Up Ten Thousand Fathers
• Forerunner Mentoring
• You Can Mentor
• You Can Mentor by Zachary Garza
• Tell Me About Your Father by Zachary Garza
• The Youth Mentoring Playbook by Zacary Garza and John Barnard

Connect with Zach Garza

• Zach(at)youcanmentor.com
• Connect on LinkedIn

Connect With Spiritual Fathers

• The Spiritual Fathers website
• SpiritualFathers(at)ManInTheMirror.com

Audio Production and Show Notes by - PODCAST FAST TRACK