At Depth with Ben Rodgers and Guests

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AT DEPTH is a podcast about intentional entrepreneurship and meaningful investing. Hosted by Ben Rodgers, each episode dives beneath the surface with founders, creative builders, and investors to uncover how values shape business decisions, capital allocation, and personal growth. Discover the throughlines between purpose, profit, and building what matters. Listen for conversations that go beyond strategy — exploring why we build something, as well as how it gets built.

  1. 3d ago

    Max Monks: Finding Purpose in the Grind, Leading with Humility, and the Power of Treating People Well

    What does it take to build a meaningful business and a fulfilling life? For Max Monks, it comes down to embracing the grind, staying curious, and treating people well along the way. In this episode, Ben Rodgers sits down with Max Monks, Founder and Managing Partner of Keeper Bay Real Estate, to explore the experiences and philosophies that have shaped his approach to business, leadership, and life. From an early ambition to join the CIA and an unexpected career path to building a business at the intersection of real estate, healthcare, and private equity, Max shares how curiosity, preparation, and a willingness to pursue new adventures have opened doors. The conversation digs into the less glamorous side of success: the everyday work, the setbacks, and the 98% of the journey that happens outside the highlight reel. Max shares why you have to genuinely enjoy the grind, how humor and humility help leaders navigate uncertainty, and why managing the emotional temperature of a team can matter just as much as making the right business decision. At its core, this is a conversation about keeping perspective, finding fulfillment in the ordinary, and recognizing that meaningful impact often comes through small interactions over time. Max makes the case for a simple but powerful approach: show up, work hard, practice gratitude, and treat people the way you want to be treated. Because sometimes the most enduring business advantage isn't a sophisticated strategy. It's simply being good to the people around you.

  2. Oct 30

    Michele Camp on Wealth, Trust, and the Power of Personal Relationships

    What does it mean to build wealth without losing sight of what matters most? On this episode of At Depth, Ben Rodgers sits down with Michele Camp, founding partner of Beacon Advisors, to explore the connections between money, trust, relationships, and the values that shape how we live and lead. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience across trading, private banking, and wealth management, Michele shares why financial planning is about far more than portfolios and returns. It's about understanding people, building relationships rooted in genuine care, and helping families make thoughtful decisions about their wealth, their legacy, and their future. Together, Ben and Michele explore why actions—not words—build trust, how wealth can complicate relationships, why families need a plan before a crisis forces the conversation, and what it looks like to put people ahead of products. Michele also reflects on an unexpected lesson from slowing down: sometimes, rest creates the space we need to see things more clearly. At its heart, this conversation is about what happens when we bring humanity back into finance—and why the best advice starts with knowing the person behind the money. In this episode: Why trust is built through action, care, and genuine relationships How wealth can change relationships and complicate the meaning of friendship Why estate planning and family communication matter long before a crisis The difference between selling financial products and providing truly independent advice How Michele is building Beacon Advisors around flexibility, personal service, and family values What slowing down can teach us about control, ambition, and rest At Depth explores the through lines connecting what we value to how we lead, build, and invest. This conversation is a reminder that financial decisions are never just about money—they're about people, priorities, and the lives we're trying to build.

  3. Oct 29

    Designing Better Experiences: The Human Side of Business with Jim Mikula

    What if the experience you create for people matters just as much as the product or service you deliver? In this episode of At Depth, Ben Rodgers sits down with Jim Mikula, President and CEO of the Fredericksburg, Texas Chamber of Commerce and a longtime hospitality leader with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, to explore what it really means to design an exceptional experience. From luxury hospitality to financial services, manufacturing, and small business, Jim makes the case that every business is in the experience business. The difference between a forgettable transaction and a meaningful relationship often comes down to awareness: seeing the person behind the purchase, understanding what matters to them, and paying attention to the expectations they may never articulate. Together, Ben and Jim explore how leaders can build cultures where hospitality becomes second nature, empower frontline employees to drive innovation, and move beyond task-oriented thinking toward genuine human connection. Jim also shares his framework for designing experiences across four stages: discover, book, deliver, and complete—and explains why the most important lessons often come from the moments when things go wrong. Because exceptional experiences don't happen by accident. They are built through intentional leadership, thoughtful systems, and a willingness to learn from the people we serve. In this conversation: Why every business, regardless of industry, is in the experience business The difference between being task-oriented and relationship-oriented How self-awareness and humility shape better leadership Why frontline employees are often the source of the best service innovations How to uncover the expectations customers don't know how to articulate The four stages of designing a better customer experience Why creating a great experience starts with your employees How to balance operational discipline with meaningful human connection At its core, this conversation is a reminder that business is never just about the transaction. It's about the people on the other side of it—and the experience they carry with them long after the transaction is over. Welcome to At Depth, where we explore the three lines that connect what we value to how we lead, build, and invest.

  4. Oct 1

    The Venture Mindset: Betting on What’s Next with Winter Mead

    What does it take to invest in businesses that don’t exist yet? In this episode of At Depth, Ben Rodgers sits down with Winter Mead, founder and CEO of Cool Water Capital, to explore the mindset behind venture capital—and what separates a thoughtful investment from a gamble. Winter shares lessons shaped by growing up on a farm, where he learned early about patience, preparation, seasons, risk, and the reality that you can do everything right and still lose. Those lessons now inform how he thinks about venture: planting seeds, nurturing the right opportunities, taking calculated swings, and staying diversified enough to withstand the ones that don’t work. The conversation digs into what makes a business truly “venture scale,” how investors evaluate ideas that could become enormous, the difference between invention, innovation, and investment, and why venture requires both a willingness to take risk and the discipline to manage it. Winter also explains how Cool Water Capital approaches emerging managers, why access and relationships matter, and how consistency across cycles can create an advantage in an asset class built around uncertainty. A conversation about ambition, patience, probability, and the work of investing in what comes next.

  5. Sep 17

    The Human Side of Investing: Relationships, Judgment & Knowing What You Can Control

    What makes someone good at investing? Is it the ability to process more information, build a better model, or make the perfect decision? For Colin Kampfe, Principal and Portfolio Manager at Brown Advisory, the answer is much more human. In this episode of At Depth, Ben Rodgers and Colin explore the parts of investing that don’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet: building relationships that last, staying intellectually curious, knowing what you can and can’t control, and learning to separate good decisions from lucky outcomes. They also get into the growing role of AI in finance—and why technology may be able to execute, analyze, and augment our work without ever fully replacing the human judgment required to build trust. At the center of the conversation is a simple question: When things go well—or when they go badly—who do you want in the room with you? This is a conversation about investing, but it’s really about something bigger: how we think, how we relate to people, and how we choose to spend our time. Listen in, and find your depth.

  6. Sep 3

    Building a Private Markets Platform That Lasts

    What does it take to build an investment firm that can weather multiple market cycles, back great entrepreneurs, and still stay true to its original philosophy? In this episode of At Depth, Ben Rodgers sits down with John Chadwick, Founder and Managing Partner of Claritas Capital, for a wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, investing, firm-building, and the power of partnership. John shares the story behind Claritas—from moving into venture capital in Nashville to building a multi-strategy private markets platform spanning venture, growth equity, and real estate. He explains why Claritas focuses on risk-adjusted returns, why they prefer active partnerships over simply writing checks, and how they evaluate the people behind an investment. The conversation also digs into what makes a great team, how Claritas gives talented investors room to build within a broader platform, and why John believes optimism, trust, and genuine partnership are central to how the firm operates. For John, the long game is simple: keep working with exceptional entrepreneurs and development partners, build a platform that creates access to private-market opportunities, and scale without losing the flexibility and focus that made Claritas successful in the first place.

  7. Aug 20

    Building Businesses That Last: Stephen Lowery on People, Growth & Smart Investing

    What does it look like to build a business—and an investment strategy—designed to weather the storm? In this episode of At Depth, Ben Rodgers sits down with Stephen Lowery, founder of Redbeard Capital, to unpack the lessons behind a career in entrepreneurship, family offices, alternative investments, and building alongside the right people. From selling cassette tapes in grade school to running a gopher-killing business and eventually investing in businesses and real estate, Stephen shares how starting small, proving a concept, and creating real value shaped his approach. The conversation goes deeper into Stephen's philosophy on growth, partnership, profit, and risk. Why does he believe businesses are either growing or dying? Why does Redbeard prioritize all-cash investments and start with the worst-case scenario? And how do you balance financial performance with building a business where people can actually thrive? It's a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, investing, relationships, and the long game—and why sometimes the smartest move is to slow down, de-risk, and give yourself room to win.

  8. Aug 6

    Success Isn't Fulfillment with Greg Taylor | Leadership, Purpose & the Power of Self-Awareness

    What if the biggest obstacle to your leadership isn't your strategy—it's the story you're telling yourself? Executive coach Greg Taylor has spent decades helping leaders, entrepreneurs, and high-performing teams operate closer to their potential. In this conversation with Ben Rodgers, he shares the hard-earned lessons that transformed him from a leader driven by proving himself into one committed to serving others. Together, they explore why success and fulfillment aren't the same thing, how self-awareness changes the way we lead, and why the best coaches don't hand out answers—they help people discover their own. Greg opens up about business failure, identity, family, and the moments that reshaped how he approaches leadership, relationships, and purpose. This episode is a conversation about becoming the kind of leader people want to follow: someone who listens before speaking, builds trust before demanding results, and understands that lasting growth starts from the inside out. As Greg puts it, fulfillment comes when what's been placed inside you finds its way into the world. In this episode: Why success without purpose eventually feels empty The difference between coaching, mentoring, and fixing people How self-awareness unlocks better leadership Building trust through questions instead of answers The "one domino" philosophy for creating lasting change If you're building a business, leading a team, or simply trying to become a better version of yourself, this conversation offers practical wisdom for the journey.

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About

AT DEPTH is a podcast about intentional entrepreneurship and meaningful investing. Hosted by Ben Rodgers, each episode dives beneath the surface with founders, creative builders, and investors to uncover how values shape business decisions, capital allocation, and personal growth. Discover the throughlines between purpose, profit, and building what matters. Listen for conversations that go beyond strategy — exploring why we build something, as well as how it gets built.

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