When Structure Meets Opportunity for Detroit’s Youth with Renee Fluker

Feb 18, 2026

Renee Fluker, founder of Detroit’s College Career & Beyond | Midnight Golf Program, has guided 3,000+ students to college using life skills, mentorship, and golf. She recounts starting with pizza and golf, building a renovation-powered home, and running a routine of speakers, dinners, and lessons. Renee stresses love paired with structure, strict but caring accountability, and why golf expands horizons beyond sports.

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ANECDOTE

From Pizza To Pipeline

Renee Fluker started Midnight Golf by recruiting kids for golf but only got them to show up when she offered food.
The program grew from 17 students into a college-preparation pipeline after adding life skills to the golf lessons.

ADVICE

Teach Etiquette Before College

Teach soft skills like thank-you notes, dinner etiquette, and necktie tying before students leave for college.
Combine structured lessons with practical practice and mentors to prepare students for campus life.

INSIGHT

Select For Grit Not Grades

Midnight Golf selects students by grit and motivation rather than GPA or test scores.
Mentors conduct interviews and choose participants who show commitment and desire to improve.

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What do golf, grit, and gratitude have to do with college success? Renee Fluker answers that question with 25 years of proof. As the founder of Detroit’s College Career & Beyond | Midnight Golf Program, Renee has helped more than 3,000 students—many written off by traditional systems—develop the life skills, discipline, and confidence to thrive in college and beyond.

In this episode, Guy Kawasaki sits down with Renee to unpack how a small, food-fueled experiment turned into a nationally recognized pipeline to higher education, why rules and respect still matter, and how love—paired with structure—can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. Renee’s story is raw, practical, and deeply hopeful, offering a blueprint for anyone who believes opportunity should be taught, not assumed.

Guy Kawasaki is on a mission to make you remarkable. His Remarkable People podcast features interviews with remarkable people such as Jane Goodall, Marc Benioff, Woz, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Bob Cialdini. Every episode will make you more remarkable.

With his decades of experience in Silicon Valley as a Venture Capitalist and advisor to the top entrepreneurs in the world, Guy’s questions come from a place of curiosity and passion for technology, start-ups, entrepreneurship, and marketing. If you love society and culture, documentaries, and business podcasts, take a second to follow Remarkable People.

Listeners of the Remarkable People podcast will learn from some of the most successful people in the world with practical tips and inspiring stories that will help you be more remarkable.

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