Big Hearted Indy - The Citizen 7 Podcast

Citizen 7
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Monthly

Big Hearted Indy is the Citizen 7 podcast about genuine friendship, big-hearted service, and forming whole leaders in Indianapolis. Hosts Greg Enas, Don Palmer, and Chris Spangle sit down with men who are building, mentoring, serving, and leading across Indianapolis. If you want deeper friendships, a clearer sense of purpose, and practical examples of leadership shaped by service, you’re in the right place. Visit our websitefor more: www.citizen7indy.com Also included are special talks given at C7 events.

  1. May 25

    Greg Ballard and Joe Loftus on Friendship within Leadership, Indianapolis and the Secretary of State Race

    Greg Ballard built one of Indiana's most unlikely political careers, winning the Indianapolis mayor's race as a near-total unknown against a heavily favored incumbent. Now he's running for Indiana Secretary of State as an independent, and the coalition that helped him govern is rallying behind him again. Ballard, a 23-year Marine Corps veteran and author of "The Last Urban Republican Mayor," joins attorney and political strategist Joe Loftus for a candid conversation about how they built a city government from scratch, why Indianapolis punches above its weight on civic collaboration, and what has gone wrong in Indiana's political system. Loftus, who previously served under Mayor Steve Goldsmith and spent decades at Barnes & Thornburg, explains how he assembled a transition team, recruited talent, and handed Ballard a complete governing blueprint two days after an election almost no one expected him to win. The two discuss pre-K funding, the water and wastewater transfer to Citizens Energy, the city's long-running sports strategy, transit equity, and why cross-partisan relationships, not ideology, define effective local government. Ballard also lays out his case for opening Indiana's ballot access, ending straight-ticket voting, and pursuing a Voter's Bill of Rights as part of his Lincoln Party candidacy. For information on signing the ballot petition, visit gregballard.com or ballardontheballot.com. To get involved with Big Hearted Indy and the Citizen 7 community, visit citizen7indy.com.

    1h 5m

  2. May 12

    Too Busy for Purpose: Peter Greer and Scott Pothoven on Comfort, Calling, and Showing Up

    Peter Greer, president of HOPE International, and financial advisor Scott Pothoven join the Big Hearted Indy hosts to discuss what it takes to stay on mission, personally and organizationally, in a world designed for distraction and comfort. Greer traces his path from studying in Moscow to leading one of the world's leading Christ-centered microfinance organizations, now serving more than 3.8 million families across 30 nations and approaching its two-billionth dollar of investment. He reflects on the lessons behind his books "Mission Drift" and "Lead With Prayer," including why organizations and individuals drift, and why a culture of prayer is the first defense against it. Pothoven shares what a trip to Rwanda revealed about relationship-driven development, including a Rwandan entrepreneur who grew from a $20 loan to a $20,000 loan over a decade, and savings groups where members contributing the equivalent of 30 cents pooled resources to care for one another. Both guests speak candidly about the tension between striving and Sabbath, the danger of comfort, and what the global church can teach communities in Indianapolis about shared meals, generosity, and genuine belonging. Join the email list and find upcoming events, including the Restored Family cohort and the May 13 Coffee and Connection on mentoring, at citizen7indy.com.

    57 min

  3. May 11

    What Are People For? With Pastor Chris Henry

    Human connection is eroding quietly, and the tools promising to replace it cannot deliver what people actually need. Chris Henry, senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church, makes the case that presence, usefulness, and committed community are not optional features of a well-lived life but its essential structure. Henry draws on thinkers including Wendell Berry, theologian David Bentley Hart, sociologist Mark Dunkelman, and researcher Jennifer Wallace to diagnose what he calls the anti-social century: a moment when convenience has become a substitute for commitment, digital companions simulate belonging, and young men in particular are being sold connection in forms that cannot deliver it. The talk moves from personal vulnerability, Henry's own reckoning over whether to attend his grandmother's funeral, to a theological argument rooted in the concept of the Imago Dei, to three direct pieces of pastoral advice for leaders: guard your experiences of deep formation, rebuild your middle ring of relationships, and find tangible ways to be useful to others. Henry closes with a question he refuses to leave rhetorical: there is someone in your life right now waiting to hear that they matter. Go find them. Chris Henry is senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church.

    30 min
  4. Honor God in the Grind: Faith, Failure, and Entrepreneurship With Phil Daniels and Darrian Mikell

    Apr 16

    Honor God in the Grind: Faith, Failure, and Entrepreneurship With Phil Daniels and Darrian Mikell

    Two Indianapolis entrepreneurs share what surrendering business outcomes to God actually looks like, including the failures they didn't see coming and the peace they found afterward. Phil Daniels, a founder, investor, and co-author of "Spiritugraphics" and Darrian Mikell, co-founder of Qualify, an HR tech startup he recently sold, join host Drew Kelley for a candid panel conversation on identity, ambition, and vocational faithfulness. Daniels reflects on building a company steeped in Christian values that still ended in disappointment for employees and investors, and how that experience now equips him to guide founders through their own difficult chapters. Mikell opens up about a brutal 2023 that included personal failings, a serious car accident, multiple rounds of layoffs, and the moment he stopped trying to control the outcome. Together, they discuss what it looks like to root identity in Christ rather than in professional accomplishment, the discipline of documenting God's faithfulness in real time, how the Lord's Prayer shapes daily decision-making, and why the path to meaningful work is rarely linear. Both men are wired for ambition. The conversation is about what happens when that ambition gets submitted to something larger than a business plan. Recorded live at Meridian Hills Country Club as part of the Honor God in the Grind Growth Session series, this gathering is designed for men in sales, business development, ministry, fundraising, and entrepreneurship.

    37 min

  5. Apr 12

    Mark & David Muselman on Brotherhood, Faith, and Building Indiana

    Two brothers building workforce housing across Indiana share how faith, family, and friendship shape every aspect of their work and lives. Mark Muselman, president and CEO of M2 Investments, and David Muselman, president of DJM Investments, grew up in Bern, Indiana, attended Taylor University, and have both planted roots in Indianapolis with a clear mission: provide attainable, quality housing in markets that need it most. In this conversation with host Greg Enas and Chris Spangle on Big Hearted Indy, the brothers trace their upbringing in a Swiss-heritage small town, the founding of a church that now draws 1,500 people weekly, and how their parents modeled open-handed generosity from the start. They discuss how they use apartment communities as a mission field, why they pursue what Mark calls "attainable luxury" housing in secondary Indiana markets, and how proximity, compounding relationships, and unreasonable hospitality have defined their lives in Indianapolis. The conversation also covers the state of young men, marriage, and community, including why brotherhood requires intentional effort, why loneliness is a growing threat, and why both brothers believe Indianapolis offers a rare combination of opportunity and accessibility that few cities can match. Mark and David Muselman are under 35, bullish on Indiana, and convinced that relationships are life's greatest currency.

    1h 6m

  6. Mar 17

    Andrew Hart and Glenn McDonald on Leadership Across Church, School and Business

    Glenn McDonald and Andrew Hart discuss how their unlikely friendship has shaped their leadership across Indianapolis's nonprofit, business and faith communities. McDonald, who founded Zionsville Presbyterian Church and served there for 28 years, and Hart, who leads Oaks Academy after starting at Eli Lilly and Company, explore how relationships between clergy and lay leaders can enhance both personal growth and community impact. The two men talk about their shared commitment to serving underresourced communities, the importance of intentional friendships, and practical ways to cultivate joy and purpose in leadership. This episode of the Big Hearted Indy podcast features hosts Greg Enas, Don Palmer and Chris Spangle in conversation about friendship, service and forming whole leaders in Indianapolis. Sign up for Glenn's morning reflections here: https://glennsreflections.com/

    57 min

  7. Mar 13

    Staying Human with AI: A Practical Workshop for Business Leaders with Jayson Manship

    Jayson Manship, founder of Generation Moonshot and host of the Authentic and Agentic podcast on the IBJ Media Podcast Network, leads a hands-on workshop for Indianapolis-area business leaders on using artificial intelligence practically and responsibly. Manship draws on his background in national politics, digital marketing and entrepreneurship to walk attendees through real-world AI tools including Claude, ChatGPT, Replit and Cursor. He demonstrates how to build custom business applications, automate daily workflows and use AI agents to handle tasks ranging from financial transaction tracking to email management, all with minimal technical experience. The session also tackles the harder questions: job displacement, data privacy, AI ethics and what it means to stay human as these tools grow more powerful. Manship references the Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good's Delta framework as a guide for thinking through AI's impact on dignity, relationships and human agency. It was hosted by Citizen 7 at Polk Stables in Indianapolis, and Jayson is introduced by Greg Enas.

    1h 24m
  8. Honor God in the Grind: Ben Lacher on Faith, Failure and Building Ben's Garage in Brownsburg, Indiana

    Mar 12

    Honor God in the Grind: Ben Lacher on Faith, Failure and Building Ben's Garage in Brownsburg, Indiana

    Ben Lacher, founder of Ben's Garage in Brownsburg, Indiana, joins Drew Kelley and Jackson Troxel on the Honor God in the Grind podcast. Lacher shares how he went from fixing junk dirt bikes as a homeschooled kid to working on a top fuel NHRA race team, flipping houses, going broke after a failed online business and driving a semi-truck on the midnight shift while his wife had their first child. He talks about how that difficult season crushed his ego and deepened his relationship with God, leading him to open Ben's Garage in May 2021 with one lift and his own tools. Now with 12 employees and up to 500 cars a month, Lacher discusses the leadership lessons he learned after firing around 30 people in his first two years, the mindset shift from using people to grow his business to using his business to grow his people, and how his faith and his wife Katie keep him grounded. He also shares how his involvement in the Praxis program and the C7 community shaped his view of redemptive entrepreneurship and kingdom impact in the automotive industry. Ben is also the author of a children's book, “Ben Does An Oil Change” available at https://www.bensgarageautomotive.com/about-us/.

    40 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Big Hearted Indy is the Citizen 7 podcast about genuine friendship, big-hearted service, and forming whole leaders in Indianapolis. Hosts Greg Enas, Don Palmer, and Chris Spangle sit down with men who are building, mentoring, serving, and leading across Indianapolis. If you want deeper friendships, a clearer sense of purpose, and practical examples of leadership shaped by service, you’re in the right place. Visit our websitefor more: www.citizen7indy.com Also included are special talks given at C7 events.

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