Going Big! with Kevin Gentry

David Rubenstein has spent a lifetime building extraordinary institutions—and studying the leaders who built the ones that came before him.   In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with the co-founder of The Carlyle Group for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, American history, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and the enduring qualities that define great leaders. Draw...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with filmmaker Jon Erwin, the creative force behind Young Washington, the new theatrical release opening July 3. Known for I Can Only Imagine, Jesus Revolution, American Underdog, and House of David, Erwin shares why this film is his most ambitious project yet — and why he believes this is a story audiences should experience on the big scr...

In this episode of Going Big!, Kevin Gentry sits down with Senator Steve Daines for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, risk, entrepreneurship, family, and public service. Daines reflects on the major leaps that shaped his life, from moving his young family to China with Procter & Gamble, to helping build RightNow Technologies in Bozeman, to stepping into the political arena and serving 1...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Dr. Jane Kamensky, president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, for a timely conversation about Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence, and the ideas that have shaped America for nearly 250 years.   Kamensky explains why Jefferson was chosen to draft the Declaration at just 33 years old, how divided and uncertain the...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Princeton professor Dr. Robert George for a wide-ranging conversation about truth, freedom, virtue, and the future of the American experiment. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Robert reflects on what Americans often misunderstand about the founders, why George Washington was indispensable, and why a republic cannot surv...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry welcomes economist Daniel Di Martino back for a timely conversation about Venezuela, freedom, assimilation, and the future of America. Raised in Caracas during one of the most dramatic political and economic collapses in modern history, Daniel shares what it was like to watch shortages, inflation, and repression reshape everyday life, and how those...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with producer Drake Springer and director Meredith Danluck to discuss Why We Dream, a documentary that follows World War II veterans returning to Normandy 80 years after D-Day. With many of the veterans now more than 100 years old, the film captures a vanishing generation’s memories of war, service, sacrifice, and the lives they built afte...

After losing her husband, Navy SEAL Lieutenant Brendan Looney, in Afghanistan, Amy Looney Heffernan could have stepped back from the world. Instead, she chose a harder path: building a life of service, leadership, and impact in his memory.   On this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry talks with Amy, now President of the Travis Manion Foundation, about grief, resilience, Memorial Day, and how...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with former Vice President Mike Pence for a conversation about faith, conviction, public service, and the moments that test a leader’s character. Pence reflects on his journey from a young Democrat inspired by John F. Kennedy to a Reagan conservative, the hard lessons he learned from early political defeats, and the principles that shaped...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry talks with Kip Woodward, a Canadian business leader, investor, and public-policy advocate whose career has spanned family enterprise, ranching, health care governance, and reform efforts around some of Canada’s most entrenched institutional challenges. Kip reflects on what it takes to lead at scale, challenge broken systems, and take risks without l...

Human trafficking and exploitation are often hidden in plain sight. In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Rev. Becca Stevens, founder of Thistle Farms, to explore how one home for five women became a survivor-led movement serving around 1,500 women each year through housing, employment, and long-term support.   Stevens shares what most people still misunderstand about tra...

Most people spend their lives trying to escape work. David Bahnsen thinks that’s a tragedy — and a recipe for emptiness.   In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with David, founder and CIO of a wealth management firm overseeing more than $9 billion, to unpack a countercultural claim: human beings were made to contribute, not just consume.   They talk about why the “non-essenti...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry interviews Adrien Lewis, Founder and President of CarePortal, about building a “care-sharing network” that connects vetted needs for kids and families in crisis with local churches, businesses, and neighbors who can respond quickly. CarePortal connects the real-time needs of community members (submitted by caseworkers and agencies) with neighbors wh...

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins joins host Kevin Gentry on Going Big! to discuss his "minimum dose" philosophy of regulation—and why information overload can be just as harmful as too little disclosure. They cover the decline of public markets and Paul's push to revive IPOs, the role of institutional ownership and politicized shareholder activism, and why he believes crypto belongs under U.S. oversight w...

Most people never step inside a prison. But what if some of the most compelling stories of change in America are happening there?   In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry interviews Heather Rice-Minus, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship, about what she has seen in prisons across the country and why she believes hope can grow in the hardest places.   The conversation traces the origin...

Millions of people say life feels empty, even when they’re achieving more than ever. Why is that happening, and how do you reverse it? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Arthur C. Brooks — Harvard professor, bestselling author, and one of the world’s leading voices on happiness and meaning — to unpack what Brooks calls the “meaning gap.” Arthur shares his own journey o...

On this special episode of Going Big!, released on March 16 -- Wichita's "316 Day" -- Wichita Mayor Lily Wu joins host Kevin Gentry for a conversation about civic leadership, immigrant grit, and what it looks like to “go big” as a true outsider. Without prior election experience — and without the backing of either major political party — Wu ran for mayor of Wichita in 2023 and won decisively. She...

Episode Description
What does it mean to find your unique skill set when technology is moving faster than most people can process? In this episode, Kevin Gentry sits down with _Wall Street Journal_ columnist and innovation optimist Andy Kessler to break down how high performers and high agency leaders can thrive through the biggest technology shift of our time. Andy lays out a simple but powerful...

What happens when you stop trying to control a movement and instead design it to be owned by everyone? In this episode of the Going Big! Podcast, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Asha Curran, Chief Executive Officer of Giving Tuesday, the global generosity movement that began as a simple idea and grew into a year-round force for good across more than one hundred countries. Initially conceived as a...

When people are able to apply their unique talents to real-world problems, we all benefit. But too often, talented entrepreneurs lack the practical tools, know-how, or relationships they need to turn a good idea into a working business -- and so they miss out on the essential seed capital to take those ideas to market. That’s the gap Bo Ghirardelli and Nicolas Cary built Sky’s the Limit to close....

What if Going Big doesn’t mean building a massive platform — but laying a foundation that lasts for generations? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Reverend John Yates III, rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. The son of influential pastor John Yates II, Yates has chosen a different but equally ambitious path to live out and develop long-t...

In this episode of Going Big, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Fr. Robert Sirico — priest, thinker, and co-founder of the Acton Institute — to explore a remarkable life shaped by bold ideas, unexpected turns, and an unwavering commitment to the dignity of the human person. Fr. Sirico reflects on his early years in Brooklyn, his immersion in the social movements of the 1970s, and the intellectual j...

In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Aditi Goel and David Carroll, the executive director and founder of the Sixth Amendment Center, to explore one of the most misunderstood crises in American law: the failure of many local courts to provide legal counsel to people who can’t afford it. Though the Constitution guarantees the right to an attorney, millions of Americans are...

What if going big in politics meant doing less? Dr. Rand Paul is a U.S. Senator from Kentucky—and one of the most consistently independent voices in American government. In this episode of Going Big!, we talk about how his commitment to liberty, limited government, and constitutional principles have shaped every step of his unconventional journey. You’ll hear how growing up in the household of Ron...

What if excellence in higher education wasn’t about who you exclude—but about how many you can empower to succeed? In this episode of Going Big!, host Kevin Gentry sits down with Dr. Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University and one of the most visionary university leaders in America. Over the past two decades, Dr. Crow has led a sweeping transformation of ASU—turning it into the nation’...