Inheriting The Future

Leadership often gets associated with bold decisions and big moments, but more often, it’s built through consistency, service, and staying true to the values that shaped you. In Episode 12 of Inheriting the Future , we sit down with Don Simon, President and CEO of Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan, whose career spans more than three decades with one organization and a lifetime of commitment to the...

Decision-making is invisible until the moment it matters, and for young leaders stepping into an AI-driven world, that moment is arriving faster than ever. In this episode of Inheriting the Future, we sit down with Dr. Adrian Wolfberg, a former senior intelligence leader whose career has spanned military flight operations, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the White House, and now the frontier of A...

Electricity is invisible until the moment it disappears, and for more than 125,000 members across rural Michigan, Shaun Lamp is one of the people responsible for making sure that moment never comes. In Episode 10 of Inheriting the Future , we sit down with the President & CEO of Great Lakes Energy and Truestream, a leader who has spent his entire career inside one cooperative and guided it thr...

In Episode 9 of Inheriting the Future , we sit down with the former President of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Tony Anderson. He's a leader who's journey spans five co-ops, 50 marathons, and a charitable fund now supporting families across the country. We talk with Tony about his beginnings in Timber Lake, South Dakota, he cooperative values that shaped his leadershi...

Some leaders shape a community by arriving with a plan. Others shape it by growing up inside it. In Episode 8 of Inheriting the Future , we sit down with Trevor Tkach - President & CEO of Traverse City Tourism - to talk about what it means to guide a place you've called home your entire life. We explore how growing up in Traverse City influences the decisions he makes today, from balancing...

Some people lead from a podium. Others lead from a spreadsheet, a board meeting, a late-night phone call, or a school pickup line. In Episode 7 of Inheriting the Future, we sit down with James Camiller - a CPA, community steward, and one of the quiet forces behind the financial stability and resilience of Otsego County. We talk with James about how a kid from the Detroit area found his way to Gayl...

Back when he was a college student working multiple part-time jobs and still discovering his love for broadcasting, few would've guessed that Dave Lorenz would become the face of Michigan tourism and the architect behind one of the most iconic state tourism campaigns in American history. In Episode 6 of Inheriting the Future, we sit down with the man who spent more than four decades making sur...

Long before he became a Dean of Students, a varsity basketball coach, and one of the most respected educators in northern Michigan, Rich Moffit was a kid growing up in Corunna — the son of a legendary football coach, surrounded by the rhythms of locker rooms, classrooms, and communities shaped by sports. In Episode 5 of Inheriting the Future , we sit down with the man who took that upbringing and...

Long before he became an Emmy Award‑winning television host, producer, bestselling author, and international keynote speaker, Kurt A. David was a kid from Gaylord with a dream big enough to carry him far beyond northern Michigan. In Episode 4 of Inheriting the Future , we sit down with the man who chased that dream all the way to professional basketball — and then had it all taken away in a single...

A few years ago, Northern Michigan hockey was a patchwork of small franchises, big dreams, and a community that cared deeply about the sport’s future. In Episode 3 of Inheriting the Future , we sit down with the man who stepped into that landscape and decided to build something stronger — team by team, partnership by partnership, and relationship by relationship. We talk with Andrew Dibble about w...

Two kids from a small town in Northern Michigan. One staying close to home. One heading to Notre Dame. both convinced that the greatest thing one generation can give the next isn't money or property - it's wisdom. Inheriting the Future is a podcast dedicated to bridging the gap between generations. Follow along as hosts David Wahl and Nate Kirk sit down with the leaders, builders, and mentors who...

Two years ago, David Wahl was a quiet kid from Gaylord who almost didn't apply for a trip to Washington D.C. He did. And it changed everything. In Episode 2 of Inheriting the Future, we sit down with the woman behind that experience — Michigan Youth Tour Director Katie Deller — and ask her about the cooperative principles that power rural Michigan, the history of a movement that refused to leave s...

For over 40 years, Paul Beachnau has been the driving force behind Gaylord's identity as a world class destination. But before any of that — he left. In Episode 1 of Inheriting the Future, we sit down with one of Northern Michigan's most impactful community builders and ask him the questions that matter most. What does it take to build something worth inheriting? And when it came to choosing betwe...