Never Been Asked That

BeTold

Most leadership interviews ask the same questions. Never Been Asked That doesn't.This show goes looking for the question nobody thought to ask, and sits inside the answer. Guests are leaders who have navigated real stakes, made decisions in the dark, and learned things they couldn't have predicted. The conversations are honest, unhurried, and often surprising, No highlight reel. No polished talking points. Just the moment behind the moment. Produced by BeTold. New episodes available wherever you listen.

Episodes

  1. Episode 3 • You Won't Ever Feel Ready, So Start Now

    Jun 12

    Episode 3 • You Won't Ever Feel Ready, So Start Now

    He's spent eight years convincing nonprofits to believe in themselves. The harder sell has always been himself. Patrick is one of those people who walks into rooms radiating certainty. But the version of him that wakes up before a keynote, quietly running through every reason it could fall apart, is just as real... and he thinks that version is actually the better one. Patrick Kirby is a fundraising consultant, speaker, and author based in Fargo, ND. Over nearly a decade, he has helped hundreds of nonprofits raise more money, build better cultures, and stop doing things the way they have always been done. In this episode of Never Been Asked That, we get into: Why the most confident person in the room is usually fighting the hardest internal battleHow theater, Les Miserables, and a hallway at Anne Carlson Center permanently rewired how he sees the workThe moment a new boss asked 'Is this a bit?' and accidentally handed Patrick his exit rampWhy donors are exhausted by tragedy and what joy has to do with fundraisingWhat Rick Rubin got right about audiences, and why Patrick stopped writing for anyone but himselfKey moments: (01:00:00) Intro(01:00:40) Presence Over Pitch: What people get wrong about Patrick first(01:03:08) The Introvert Few People See: The reset time behind the stage(01:09:02) Story Is the Strategy: Theater, musicals, and learning to be uncomfortable(01:13:10) Losing the Race, Finding the Gift: From sales rep to healthcare recruiter to nothing(01:19:24) The Humor and the Edge: When personality became the differentiator(01:23:36) The Discipline Behind the Energy: Standards, curiosity, and letting clients go(01:47:58) The Hallway Moment: Anne Carlson, the kid who wasn't supposed to walk, and the boss who asked the wrong question(01:55:00) People Are the Real Work: The obsessive balance between care and business(02:01:38) The Audience Comes Last: Joy, storytelling, and why sad isn't a fundraising strategy(02:14:53) Audacity and Self-Belief: Rick Rubin, unreasonable confidence, and what happens when you stop caring what people think(02:35:45) Leading beyond motivation into actionCurious what you think we should have asked. Follow Patrick Kirby: Patrick Kirby’s WebsiteGet one of Patrick’s BooksPatrick Kirby on LinkedInDoGoodBetter on YouTubePatrick Kirby on Instagram

    1h 56m
  2. Episode 2 • You're Not Supposed to Love it First

    Jun 9

    Episode 2 • You're Not Supposed to Love it First

    He built one of the most recognizable brand universes in his city... but nobody asked him to. Nathaniel Navratil is a designer, creative director, and equity partner at Drekker and Brewhalla in Fargo, ND. He's the hand behind the identity, the merch, the labels, and the culture that turned a hotel and brewery into a destination. In this episode of Never Been Asked That, we get into: Why "follow your passion" might be the worst advice you've ever been givenWhat it actually feels like to walk into a room and know you've outgrown itThe difference between building your castle and building someone else'sHow he landed one of the most creatively ambitious projects in his city before anyone else even triedWhy the through line across everything he's made isn't skill or strategy. It's fun.Key moments: (00:00) Intro(00:42) Identity Before the Work(00:20:09) Skill Over Passion(00:57:29) The Work Ethic Origin Story(01:00:17) When Effort and Skill Weren't Enough(01:04:38) Misalignment & Environment(01:07:22) The Reset Year(01:28:41) The Craft Behind the "Goofy"(01:33:31) Alignment(01:37:06) The Universal Lesson(01:48:26) The Brewhalla MomentCurious what you think we should have asked. Follow Nathaniel: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanielnavratil/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/studio.foley/⁠ ⁠https://dribbble.com/nathaniel-navratil⁠ ⁠https://www.behance.net/nathaninavrati⁠

    2h 2m
  3. Episode 1 • You've Celebrated His Work and Never Knew His Name

    Jun 9

    Episode 1 • You've Celebrated His Work and Never Knew His Name

    He reaches a billion people a day from a small town in North Dakota… but most of them have no idea he exists. Marlo Anderson is the founder of National Day Calendar, the platform behind nearly every national day you've ever seen trending, shared, or celebrated. They've grown from 20–30 national days in 2013 to over 1,700 on the calendar today, with a reach that's been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, cited by the Today Show, and built without a single dollar of outside funding. In this episode of Never Been Asked That, we get into: • How a curiosity about National Popcorn Day became a billion-person platform • What the "school of hard knocks" actually taught Marlo about failure, risk, and timing • Why AI has completely reinvigorated him and what it means for small business • The real reason people celebrate national days (it's not about the food) • What it felt like to get a late-night call from someone in crisis who dialed National Day Calendar Key moments: (00:00) Intro (00:49) Who is Marlo? Curiosity, failure, and the “can-do” spirit (10:39) Artificial photosynthesis, AI, and the falling cost of big ideas (27:22) How National Day Calendar started and almost didn't survive (53:39) What celebration really does for people in a divided world Curious what you would have asked. Follow Marlo Anderson: ⁠National Day Calendar⁠ ⁠Marlo Anderson on Instagram⁠ ⁠Marlo Anderson's Website⁠ ⁠Marlo Anderson on LinkedIn

    2h 12m
  • 3 Episodes

About

Most leadership interviews ask the same questions. Never Been Asked That doesn't.This show goes looking for the question nobody thought to ask, and sits inside the answer. Guests are leaders who have navigated real stakes, made decisions in the dark, and learned things they couldn't have predicted. The conversations are honest, unhurried, and often surprising, No highlight reel. No polished talking points. Just the moment behind the moment. Produced by BeTold. New episodes available wherever you listen.

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