Free Daily Podcast Summary
Going Big! with Kevin Gentry: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Kevin Gentry
Welcome to Going Big! — the podcast where we share the stories of people who have truly gone big in their own lives. Hosted by Kevin Gentry, each episode features in-depth conversations with business owners, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, political figures, and other trailblazers who have achieved extraordinary impact in their work and communities. You’ll hear firsthand how they pursued bold ideas, took major risks, overcame challenges, and built something remarkable. We no longer focus solely on fundraising and marketing. Instead, Going Big! explores the full spectrum of leadership, innovation, and personal drive — uncovering the lessons, values, and pivotal moments that propelled our guests to think bigger and push further. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, a nonprofit leader, a political changemaker, or simply someone inspired by real stories of ambition and achievement, Going Big! offers insights and inspiration to help you take your own next leap.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago51 min
Scott Walker: The Governor Who Took the Fight Head-On
What does it take to make a difficult decision when the stakes are high and the opposition is fierce? Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker joins host Kevin Gentry on Going Big! to discuss the leadership decisions that defined his career, from confronting Wisconsin’s $3.6 billion budget shortfall to surviving a 2012 recall election after protests involving more than 100,000 people. Walker reflects on the personal cost of leadership, the mentors who shaped him, and the faith that helped him navigate threats and intense public pressure. The conversation also explores Walker’s decision to leave the 2016 presidential race and his current role as president of Young America’s Foundation, where he works to develop the next generation of leaders. Through stories about mentorship, risk-taking, public service, and a student who found the courage to lead after meeting peers who shared his convictions, Walker offers lessons on recognizing opportunities, knowing when to move on, and using personal gifts to make a lasting contribution.
- 2 weeks ago46 min
Taylor University's $500 Million Vision with Dr. Michael Lindsay
How does a small Christian university reverse years of enrollment decline and launch a $500 million fundraising campaign? Dr. Michael Lindsay, president of Taylor University, joins Going Big! host Kevin Gentry to share how a bold vision, a distinctive institutional identity, and a commitment to student development helped transform the university’s trajectory. In five years, Taylor grew campus enrollment by 45%, achieved four consecutive years of record enrollment, and built momentum around one of the largest fundraising campaigns in Christian higher education. In this conversation, Lindsay explains why organizations cannot cut their way to greatness, how to inspire donors through a compelling vision, and what his research on influential leaders taught him about mentorship and leadership development. He also reflects on his own career transitions, the role of faith in major decisions, and the importance of understanding what makes an organization truly distinctive. Nonprofit executives, fundraisers, board members, and leaders looking to scale their impact will find practical lessons in Taylor’s remarkable turnaround.
- 3 weeks ago54 min
Inside Skunk Works: Beating the Clock for America's First Fighter Jet with Josh Dean
What does it take to build something everyone else says is impossible? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with author and journalist Josh Dean to explore the remarkable story of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the legendary Lockheed engineer who created the Skunk Works and helped produce some of the most consequential aircraft of the 20th century. Johnson promised to build America’s first jet fighter in 180 days and delivered it in 143. He later led the development of the U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird, transforming aviation and providing the United States with critical intelligence capabilities during the Cold War. Dean explains how Johnson combined audacious goals with disciplined execution: exceptional talent, extreme focus, minimal bureaucracy, delegated authority, and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking. The conversation offers lessons far beyond aerospace. For anyone leading a business, nonprofit, creative organization, or ambitious project, Johnson’s story raises a fundamental question: How do you create a culture capable of doing things others believe cannot be done?
- 4 weeks ago42 min
The Conference Guiding the Future of the Center-Right with Armin Petschner-Multari
What happens when you have a big idea but no funding, no guaranteed audience, and no finished plan? Armin Petschner-Multari decided to find out. He committed to building what became the Berlin Campaign Conference, an international gathering where political strategists, communicators, and campaign leaders from democracies around the world exchange ideas, compare campaign practices, and build lasting relationships. In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry talks with Armin about taking that initial risk, the power of networks, the differences he sees between Anglo-Saxon and continental European campaigning, and the challenge facing traditional political parties as voters increasingly look for alternatives. The conversation also explores what it takes to build something consequential before you know exactly how it will work.
- Sep 28, 202650 min
How Josh Grainer Helped Put Virginia Wine on the Map (Lost Mountain Vineyards)
What does it take to build an exceptional craft from the ground up? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Josh Grainer, inaugural winemaker at Lost Mountain Vineyards in Delaplane, Virginia, to explore the unlikely journey that led him into winemaking and the vision behind one of Virginia’s most serious wine projects. Josh traces his path from growing up around agriculture and studying ecology to a transformative spring break trip to Tuscany, working in restaurant kitchens, and eventually apprenticing under legendary Virginia winemaker Jim Law. He shares how persistence opened a door that initially seemed closed, and how an unexpected opportunity at a young age led him to Lost Mountain. The conversation goes deeper into the philosophy of craftsmanship, mentorship, risk-taking, and building something exceptional in an unlikely place. At Lost Mountain, a hillside once considered unsuitable for agriculture because of its rocky soil became the foundation for a distinctive approach to Virginia wine. Josh’s story offers lessons for anyone trying to discover their contribution, take a meaningful risk, and spend a lifetime getting better at their craft.
- Sep 21, 202655 min
The Power of Parents in Education with Darla Romfo (Children's Scholarship Fund)
What happens when parents have the resources to choose the education that best fits their child? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Darla Romfo, president and CEO of Children’s Scholarship Fund, an organization that has awarded more than $1.2 billion in scholarships to nearly a quarter of a million children across America. Darla shares the story behind CSF, the vision of founders John Walton and Ted Forstmann, and why she believes families should be at the center of educational decision-making. The conversation also explores the major new opportunity created by the upcoming federal tax credit for scholarship funding, which takes effect in 2027. Darla explains how the policy could expand access to educational choice, bring new donors into philanthropy, and create an unprecedented opportunity to scale scholarship programs across the country. She also shares lessons from more than two decades of leading CSF about parents, philanthropy, leadership, and preparing for a moment of enormous growth. For those interested in education, school choice, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, or the future of opportunity for children and families, this conversation offers a firsthand look at what it takes to build a movement, scale a proven model, and prepare for a potentially transformative moment.
- Sep 14, 202645 min
Simplify: Doing What Actually Matters with Axios co-founder Mike Allen
How much of your day is consumed by work that no longer needs to exist? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Mike Allen, one of America’s most influential political journalists and the co-founder of Axios, to explore the hidden cost of complexity and how leaders can reclaim time for the work that matters most. Mike traces his journey from traditional newspaper journalism to Politico, where he helped create Playbook, and then to Axios, where he helped pioneer Smart Brevity. Now, in his new book Simplify—which you can get at smartbrevity.com/simplify —Mike and his co-authors apply those lessons to organizations and everyday life. The three-part framework is simple: confront what has accumulated, delete what doesn't add value, and amplify the work that people are uniquely good at. The conversation explores AI, information overload, storytelling, organizational bloat, meetings, leadership, and the discipline required to say no. Mike shares a striking example from Goldman Sachs, where simplifying work gave one team 500 additional hours each year. For anyone interested in learning more about how to simply their work and their life, this episode offers a practical challenge to become more productive without simply doing more. And if you enjoyed the conversation, please subscribe to Going Big!, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use some hours back in their day.
- Sep 7, 202657 min
The Billion-Dollar Bet on Educational Opportunity with Tony de Nicola
What happens when a successful private-equity executive decides that one of America’s biggest challenges cannot be solved through philanthropy alone? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Tony de Nicola, Chairman of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and co-founder of Invest in Education, to explore his decade-long effort to expand educational opportunity for American families. Inspired by his own immigrant family’s experience and the education that changed the trajectory of his life, Tony became convinced that systemic reform was needed to help more children access the schools that best meet their needs. Tony shares the remarkable story of building bipartisan support for education tax-credit legislation in New York, watching it fail at the final stage two years in a row, and then making the decision to take the fight to Washington. That persistence ultimately helped lead to the first federal tax-credit scholarship program in American history, projected at roughly $30 billion over 10 years and potentially capable of supporting millions of scholarships. The conversation also explores Tony’s “venture philanthropy” approach, donor engagement, leadership, risk-taking, learning from failure, and what it takes to pursue a transformational goal over many years. For anyone interested in education, philanthropy, public policy, or pursuing meaningful change over the long term, this is a conversation worth hearing. Be sure to subscribe to Going Big! wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with someone who is working to solve a problem that may be bigger than any one organization can tackle alone. To learn more about the new federal scholarship tax credit program, visit https://scholarshiptaxcredit.org/
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About Going Big! with Kevin Gentry
Welcome to Going Big! — the podcast where we share the stories of people who have truly gone big in their own lives. Hosted by Kevin Gentry, each episode features in-depth conversations with business owners, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, political figures, and other trailblazers who have achieved extraordinary impact in their work and communities. You’ll hear firsthand how they pursued bold ideas, took major risks, overcame challenges, and built something remarkable. We no longer focus solely on fundraising and marketing. Instead, Going Big! explores the full spectrum of leadership, innovation, and personal drive — uncovering the lessons, values, and pivotal moments that propelled our guests to think bigger and push further. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, a nonprofit leader, a political changemaker, or simply someone inspired by real stories of ambition and achievement, Going Big! offers insights and inspiration to help you take your own next leap.
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