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. 3d ago

    Greg Enas and Don Palmer on Citizen 7 and Men's Friendship on Innovate or Evaporate

    Citizen 7 co-founders Greg Enas and Don Palmer were guests on Innovate or Evaporate, a podcast hosted by Toph Day. Enas and Palmer share their own story and explain why strengthening friendships has become part of their mission for Indianapolis. Day asks how two men from different professional backgrounds came together around mentoring, service and a commitment to building a more connected city. Enas, who spent his career at Eli Lilly, and Palmer, who worked in the automotive industry, describe how their friendship deepened while mentoring students at an Indianapolis charter school. That experience helped lay the foundation for Citizen 7, a community that places authentic relationships ahead of conventional business networking. The conversation explores men's isolation, the ways technology has changed daily interaction and the value of making the first call, asking meaningful questions and listening without rushing to offer advice. Enas and Palmer explain how Citizen 7 brings together men across generations, creates opportunities for service and makes room for honest conversations. They also discuss Wellspring 7, an emerging community for women. Day also talks with Enas about Polk Stables, a restored former milk company building in Indianapolis that now brings entrepreneurs and nonprofits together. The discussion turns to neighborhood investment, retaining Indiana talent and Enas' vision of making Indianapolis the joy capital of the world. Learn more at citizen7indy.com and wellspring7.com.

  2. Oct 3

    Brian Shutt and Bill Taft on Rebuilding Indiana, One Neighborhood at a Time

    What does it take to revive a neighborhood—and help an entire state thrive? It starts with people willing to show up, build trust, and invest in the place they call home. On this episode of Big Hearted Indy, Brian Shutt and Bill Taft join Greg Enes, Don Palmer, and Chris Spangle to explore how entrepreneurship, genuine relationships, and service can strengthen communities across Indiana. Brian shares lessons from co-founding Refinery46 and his work with Indiana’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Bill draws on his experience revitalizing Fountain Square, putting down roots in Herron-Morton, and helping communities through Interurban at the Sagamore Institute. Together, they discuss buying existing businesses, supporting the next generation of owners, finding entrepreneurial peer networks, and putting relationships before transactions. They also explore South Bend’s approach to neighborhood development, the potential of opportunity zones, and why a thriving Main Street matters alongside major employers. Throughout the conversation, Brian and Bill connect faith with hope, hospitality, and practical service. Their challenge: You don’t have to buy a business or develop real estate to make a difference. Start by knowing your neighbors, sharing your gifts, and becoming part of the community around you. Share this episode with someone who cares about their community, and connect with Citizen 7 for opportunities to build friendships and serve in Indianapolis.

  3. Sep 9

    Marcus Hall and Zach Garrett: Growing a Business Without Making Family an Afterthought

    Zach Garrett built Liftify at night until it earned more than his corporate job. Faith and work shaped how he took that risk. The founder and CEO spent nine months building it on the side, initially charging Marcus Hall about $27 to test a service that helps local businesses generate online reviews. Hall, president and partner at California Closets, part of Threefold, describes leaving Salesforce for the trades and making closets at 11:30 p.m. on a Sunday. The conversation centers on a distinction that can get lost in an ambitious career: Work matters for eternity, but it is not your identity. Garrett and Hall discuss what their corporate roles taught them, why mentors matter and how to surround yourself with people whose skills fill your gaps. Garrett also explains why he declined an acquisition offer and how a hire who backed out a week before starting pushed him to pursue a more experienced leadership team. At home, both men describe specific routines that protect their relationships. Garrett avoids evening events, prioritizes nightly family devotions and makes time to play with his four children, even when it is just 15 minutes of freeze tag. Hall protects a morning routine of exercise, devotions and reading, and takes each of his twin daughters on a separate trip to spend time together. Hosts Jackson Troxel and Drew Kelley lead the conversation at Citizen 7's Honor God in the Grind event.

    Marcus Hall and Zach Garrett: Growing a Business Without Making Family an Afterthought

  4. Sep 1

    Speed City: Why Indianapolis Wins by Moving Fast

    Speed City gives Indianapolis a broader claim than racing: a city where ideas, careers and businesses can move quickly because people reduce friction and act with conviction. Moderator Dave Neff leads a panel with Kristian Andersen, co-founder and partner at High Alpha; David McKissic, founder and CEO of Cerebro Creative House; and Matt Mindrum, president and CEO of the Indy Chamber. They trace the idea from Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the city's racing identity to a larger argument about civic culture, entrepreneurship, creativity and regional competitiveness. The discussion points to Indianapolis' history of bold bets, from major sports infrastructure to the rapid execution of the NCAA tournament bubble. Andersen argues that speed should become part of the city's operating system, including faster decisions from investors, businesses and public institutions. McKissic describes Indianapolis as a place where proximity and relationships can remove barriers for creatives and entrepreneurs. Mindrum reframes affordability as speed, from paying off student loans to buying a first home, while stressing that roads, education, public safety, housing and other basics remain essential to attracting talent. The panel also looks at Downtown West, a proposed vision connecting major health care, higher education, tourism, sports and development assets, and at Eli Lilly and Company's role in setting a pace for innovation and wealth creation. The conversation closes with a shared test for the Speed City idea: it succeeds when residents embrace it as culture, not just a campaign, and when Indianapolis becomes the place people choose to build their lives, careers and businesses.

  5. Aug 31

    Bill and Taylor Moore on How Men Can Build Deeper, More Honest Friendships

    Male loneliness is leaving young men isolated behind phones, pornography, gambling and shallow digital connection. Bill Moore and Taylor Moore say the answer starts with men who stay, listen closely and build trust face to face. Bill Moore, CEO and co-founder of Heart of a Man, traces his approach to fatherhood and mentoring to a childhood marked by his father's departure when Bill was 2. He explains how Bible study and friendships with Christian men reshaped his life, then became the foundation for how he led his family and the food manufacturing company PacMoore. Taylor Moore, president and co-founder of Heart of a Man, describes the opposite childhood experience: a father who was present, taught Scripture, welcomed friends into the family home and made time for his sons. After work at Procter & Gamble, Vanderbilt, Microsoft and PacMoore, Taylor returned to Indiana and found himself deeply lonely. Backyard gatherings with other men helped reveal the need that eventually became Heart of a Man. The conversation turns practical as Bill and Taylor explain how men can earn trust through eye contact, questions, confidentiality, emotional vocabulary and specific vulnerability. They also discuss fatherlessness, the despair they see among unmarried young men, the effects of phones and online isolation, sports betting, pornography, marriage, and the role older men can play by mentoring younger men without pretending to have every answer. Heart of a Man: heartofaman.org Citizen 7: citizen7indy.com

  6. Aug 27

    More Love, Less Contempt: Civil Discourse With Scott Fadness and Chris Lowery

    Civil discourse works best when leaders can disagree without dividing. Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and former commissioner of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education Chris Lowery share how they approach conflict with humility, restraint and conviction. The conversation is hosted by  Marlon Webb and introduced by Kraig Kinchen. The Citizen 7 ACT Series event, "More Love, Less Contempt: A Civil Discourse Discussion," centers on whether people can listen with curiosity, preserve dignity and still hold firm to what they believe. Fadness recounts meeting privately with a resident who had repeatedly criticized him, and how asking about her life changed the conversation. He also defines political courage as staying focused on a constructive outcome rather than adding to the noise. Lowery describes four values he tries to bring into difficult conversations: honor, trust, grace and gratitude. He recalls a contentious Indiana Senate committee hearing and explains why he chose a direct phone call instead of public retaliation. He also argues that complex problems require more than isolated information, and that stronger solutions emerge when people from business, education, government, nonprofits and philanthropy are brought to the same table. The discussion turns to lived experience after flooding damaged homes in Fishers, the difference between civility and passivity, and the role of truth in productive disagreement. Both speakers make the case that respectful dialogue does not require surrendering deeply held beliefs. It requires knowing where common ground exists, when to keep listening and when continued argument is no longer useful. Presented by Citizen 7's ACT Series, Advancing the City Together.

  7. Aug 15

    Jackson Troxel and Drew Kelley on How to Honor God in the Grind

    Honor God in the Grind reframes work as something that matters for eternity without becoming a man's identity, especially when career, fatherhood and faith collide. Drew Kelley and Jackson Troxel, hosts of Honor God in the Grind, sit down with Big Hearted Indy hosts Greg Enas and Chris Spangle to explain how their friendship grew through Indianapolis technology circles and deeper conversations about marriage, ambition, purpose and faith. Kelley traces his path from Marian University athletics and technology sales to marriage, three children and the challenge of staying motivated while working remotely. Troxel reflects on growing up on a dairy farm near LaCrosse, studying at Purdue University, joining Orr Fellowship and building a career that included venture capital, Springbuk and software leadership. Their central tension is familiar to ambitious professionals: work can matter deeply without becoming the source of worth. They discuss comparison, achievement, remote work, the pressure to provide, the desire to be present fathers and the need for habits that protect time at home. The conversation also turns to vulnerability and friendship, including why men need a community broad enough to remind them they are not alone and a smaller circle capable of carrying honest struggles. Kelley and Troxel describe Honor God in the Grind as a place to examine how faith shapes work, family, service and identity while they are still learning those lessons themselves.

  8. Jun 29

    Todd Maurer and David Morgan on Jewish & Christian Common Ground and Repairing the World

    Todd Maurer, interim CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis and founder of a commercial real estate firm, and David Morgan, founder and CEO of Senior Home Companions and Story Cottage memory care, join hosts Don Palmer, Greg Enas, and Chris Spangle for a conversation that covers tikkun olam, the Jewish concept of repairing the world, and how that principle connects to Christian ideals of service and generosity. The discussion ranges from how parents shape character in children of successful families, to how the Jewish Federation engages younger generations through programs like Koach and Atid, to what both traditions teach about hospitality, mourning, and genuine friendship. Maurer also discusses the September 1 Indianapolis appearance of Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the American-Israeli hostage killed following the October 7 Hamas attacks. The event is open to the full Indianapolis community. - https://www.jewishindianapolis.org/a-mothers-voice-a-communitys-strength Morgan and Maurer reflect on what it means to build friendships that cross faith lines, how to cultivate vulnerability in men's groups, and why the word mensch may be the highest compliment one person can give another.

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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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