Innovate or Evaporate with Toph Day

Explore the relentless pace of change and the innovators who drive it. Each episode, we dive deep into the world of cutting-edge ideas, breakthrough technologies, and fearless pioneers who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

  1. How David Meltzer Lost Everything — and Found Purpose

    May 27

    How David Meltzer Lost Everything — and Found Purpose

    David Meltzer lost over $100 million, his mother's home, and nearly his marriage before rebuilding his life around faith, gratitude, and intentional living. The chairman of the Napoleon Hill Institute and former CEO of Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, the agency that inspired the film "Jerry Maguire," Meltzer joins host Toph Day at the Rally conference to discuss the turning points that reshaped his life and business philosophy. Meltzer traces his path from a working-class upbringing in Akron, Ohio, through early success selling legal research on the internet in 1992, to becoming CEO of Samsung's first data phone division. He speaks candidly about the moment his wife told him she was leaving, the day he had to tell his mother he had lost her home to foreclosure, and how both moments forced a reckoning with who he had become. The conversation covers the role faith plays in daily decision-making, the difference between seeking equality and appreciating difference, and the framework Meltzer uses to structure his time around non-negotiable behaviors: sleep, movement, nutrition, family, finance, and faith. He also shares the philosophy behind his mission to empower more than one billion people to be happy, a goal rooted in his belief that generosity and receiving are both acts of faith. Meltzer's book "Connected to Goodness" is available at no cost, including shipping, by emailing david@dmeltzer.com. #BusinessPodcast #DavidMeltzer #PersonalDevelopment

    49 min
  2. Mark Miles on the Indy 500, Roger Penske, and Building Big

    Apr 29

    Mark Miles on the Indy 500, Roger Penske, and Building Big

    Mark Miles, President and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp., built a career out of pulling off events that other cities couldn't. From negotiating with Fidel Castro to land Cuba's athletes at the 1987 Pan American Games to restructuring global television rights for the ATP Tour to chairing Indianapolis's 2012 Super Bowl bid, Miles has spent four decades turning civic ambition into international spectacle. Miles traces the through line of his career: a restless curiosity that led him from Senate campaigns alongside Mitch Daniels and Dick Lugar to the boardrooms of professional sports. He explains what made Indianapolis's volunteer-driven model for major events unlike anything else in the country, why fragmented television rights were strangling professional tennis, and how a billion-dollar rights deal with a sports marketing agency nearly collapsed into bankruptcy before a letter of credit saved the day. The conversation turns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar, where Miles describes working alongside Roger Penske and the obsessive attention to detail that defines Penske's leadership style, from restroom paint schemes to full-scale styrofoam mockups of a yacht's interior. Miles also addresses how the sport is building community, both physically in the infield and digitally among fans who argue, connect, and pass traditions across generations. His advice for anyone preparing for a high-stakes negotiation: walk in more prepared than anyone else in the room, think as big as the idea can realistically go, and never accept the first framing of a problem. #IndyCar #Indy500 #InnovateOrEvaporate 0:00 Introduction and Guest Background 2:05 From College to Political Campaigns 6:45 Building Relationships Through Campaigns 8:10 Landing the Pan American Games 13:45 Negotiating with Fidel Castro 18:30 Lessons from the Castro Meetings 21:00 Running the Indianapolis Tennis Tournament 23:30 Restructuring the ATP Tour's TV Rights 27:00 Indianapolis and the Super Bowl Bid 30:45 The Indianapolis Volunteer Model 36:30 Joining Penske Entertainment and IndyCar 40:00 Fan Experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 44:30 Roger Penske's Attention to Detail 48:30 Rapid Fire Questions

    51 min
  3. How Innovation Became Core to Running an NBA Team with Mel Raines and Joey Graziano of Pacers Sports & Entertainment

    Apr 1

    How Innovation Became Core to Running an NBA Team with Mel Raines and Joey Graziano of Pacers Sports & Entertainment

    Pacers Sports & Entertainment is building far more than a basketball team. Under CEO Mel Raines and Chief Commercial Officer Joey Graziano, the organization is reimagining what a modern franchise can be: part sports business, part real estate developer, part performance company, part media brand, and part civic engine. In this conversation, Toph Day sits down with Raines and Graziano to explore how PS&E is helping reshape downtown Indianapolis through the ongoing evolution of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a planned Ritz-Carlton, a Live Nation music venue, and a new Fever Performance Center designed to be the biggest and best purpose-built performance center for female athletes in the world. They also discuss why the old definition of a “small market” is breaking down, how data and digital reach are changing the economics of sports, and why the Indiana Fever’s audience has become one of the most geographically diverse fan bases in professional basketball, with fans from all 50 states and 44 countries attending games last year. Along the way, Raines reflects on her path from the White House back to Indiana, while Graziano shares how he left a legal career to help rebuild a startup and ultimately help lead one of the most ambitious franchise transformations in sports. From mixed-use development and women’s sports to global brand building, the NBA bubble, and the future of fan experience, this episode is a look at the innovative, multidimensional work it now takes to run a franchise at the highest level.

    1h 2m
  4. Julie Roe Lach on NIL, Women's Sports, and the Pacers

    Mar 25

    Julie Roe Lach on NIL, Women's Sports, and the Pacers

    Julie Roe Lach spent 15 years at the NCAA running enforcement before becoming Horizon League commissioner. Now she's joining Pacers Sports & Entertainment as executive vice president, and her career arc explains as much about where college sports is headed as any single conversation can. Roe Lach breaks down the three distinct layers of the NIL landscape: direct athlete deals, booster-funded collectives, and the new school-level revenue sharing capped at $20.5 million per institution under the House settlement. She explains how the Collegiate Sports Commission is attempting to bring legitimacy to third-party deals and why the jury is still out on whether it will work. She also addresses conference realignment, the future of mid-major leagues like the Horizon League, and the financial literacy gaps facing college athletes who are suddenly earning significant income without the infrastructure to manage it. Beyond college sports, Roe Lach discusses Indianapolis's ambition to become the capital of women's sports, including the WNBA All-Star Game takeover, the Marvella youth sports campus planned near Fair Oaks Farm, and the Indiana Sports Corp's 2050 vision built around five pillars. She also reflects on what it takes to earn trust when leading organizations governed by multiple university presidents and coaches who are skeptical from the start. Roe Lach earned her J.D. cum laude from IU McKinney School of Law in 2004 and is an active member of the Indiana bar. 0:00 Introduction and Julie Roe Lach's Background 1:45 Playing Basketball at Millikin University 3:10 Why She Went to Law School and Joined the NCAA 6:00 How NCAA Enforcement Investigations Worked 9:30 NIL: From Prohibition to the House Settlement 15:45 Collectives, the CSC, and the $20.5 Million Cap 21:30 Conference Realignment and the Future of Mid-Majors 25:30 From NCAA to Law Practice to Horizon League 28:00 Managing 11 University Presidents as a Board 30:15 Enrollment, Federal Policy, and Campus Pressures 34:00 Financial Literacy for College Athletes 38:00 Joining Pacers Sports and Entertainment 39:30 The WNBA All-Star Game and the BOSS Summit 42:00 Marvella and the Women's Sports Campus 44:30 Indiana Sports Corp and the 2050 Vision 51:00 Earning Buy-In From Skeptical Coaches 54:30 Rapid-Fire Questions

    57 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Explore the relentless pace of change and the innovators who drive it. Each episode, we dive deep into the world of cutting-edge ideas, breakthrough technologies, and fearless pioneers who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

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