The Ardent Approach

Ardent Mentoring
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The Ardent Approach features conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, and investors building organizations that matter. Hosted by Ryan King, CEO of Ardent Mentoring, the show explores the leadership decisions, strategies, and convictions behind ventures that scale impact and endure. Each episode offers practical insight and honest reflection on leadership, faith, identity, and work. If you are a founder, executive, or leader building something that matters, this show will equip and encourage you to grow organizations that serve, flourish, and last.

Episodes

  1. 30 Jun

    Jessica Jackley on Kiva, Entrepreneurship Without Resources, and Centering Dignity at Scale

    In this episode, Ryan King, CEO of Ardent Mentoring, interviews Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva and CEO of Vow for Girls, about scaling social impact while keeping human dignity central. Jackley describes launching Kiva despite expert regulatory objections by keeping the model simple and “trying anyway.” Drawing from her book Clay Water Brick, she highlights entrepreneurs living with extreme scarcity and Howard Stevenson’s definition of entrepreneurship as pursuing opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled. She argues there’s no real tension between serving people and scaling if founders start humbly, listen deeply, avoid vanity metrics, and keep returning to user needs. The conversation covers being willing to be wrong, respecting customers as experts, valuing nonprofit structures, and her focus at Vow for Girls on preventing child marriage by supporting grassroots organizations. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 01:23 Meet Jessica Jackley 02:53 Launching Kiva Anyway 05:53 Kiva Model Explained 09:05 Entrepreneurship Definition 11:11 Clay Water Brick Story 15:42 Scaling With Dignity 20:43 Power of Being Wrong 25:23 Rethinking Nonprofit Value 28:40 From Kiva to VOW 33:56 Privilege and Allyship 38:28 What Changed Over Time 41:39 Closing Thanks Links & Resources MentionedClay, Water, Brick: Finding Inspiration from Entrepreneurs who Do the Most with the Least - Jessica Jackley https://a.co/d/0jkaHp9cHoward Stevenson - Definition of Entrepreneurship https://bigthink.com/videos/a-new-definition-of-entrepreneurship/ Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great - Eric Ries https://a.co/d/06CICwBb The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses - Eric Ries https://a.co/d/055sOIxS The Why and How of Effective Altruism - Peter Singerhttps://a.co/d/0a8jQl8j https://www.effectivealtruism.org/peter-singer-tedJessica Jackley:jessicajackley.comVOW for Girls: vowforgirls.org/Kiva: https://www.kiva.org/ Ardent Mentoring:At Ardent, we would be excited to meet with you to explore finding a high-quality mentor who can help you scale your enterprise and multiply your impact. You can view a brief overview of Ardent Mentoring and our work supporting high-capacity entrepreneurs at https://www.ardentmentoring.org/mentees, and learn even more about us from our testimonial and vision videos on our homepage or impact page. If you would like to be notified about our upcoming live podcast recordings, join live, and participate in the Q&A, you can sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/34f4f5e9413e/subscribe.

    43 min

  2. 19 May

    Peter Greer on Constellation Mentoring, Mission Drift, and Finishing Well

    In this episode, Ryan King, CEO of Ardent Mentoring, sits down with Peter Greer, CEO of HOPE International, to explore the constellation of relationships leaders need to thrive, how to guard against mission drift, why success can be more dangerous than failure, and the daily habits that help leaders finish well. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 02:19 Building Support Constellations 07:41 Identity Beyond Metrics 14:31 Spotting Mission Drift Early 21:12 When Success Becomes Risky 25:40 Rooting for Rivals 33:03 Speed, Habits, and Guardrails 40:41 Vision Beyond Microfinance 42:51 Prayer Requests and Closing Resources Mentioned Books & Articles Connecting: The Mentoring Relationship You Need to Succeed in Life – NavPressConstellation of Relationships – Peter Greer (Medium)Eulogy Virtues – David Brooks (NYT)The Second Mountain – David BrooksThe Making of a Leader – Robert ClintonFinishing Well – Robert Clinton (Free PDF)How the Mighty Fall – Jim Collins3 Ways to Pass Faith to the Next Generation – Tim KellerPeter Greer's Books Rooting for RivalsMission DriftHow Leaders Lose Their WayAll of Peter Greer's BooksTools & Worksheets How Leaders Lose Their Way – Worksheets & Tools Connect HOPE InternationalArdent Mentoring About Ardent Mentoring At Ardent, we would be excited to meet with you to explore finding a high-quality mentor who can help you scale your enterprise and multiply your impact. You can view a brief overview of Ardent Mentoring and our work supporting high-capacity entrepreneurs at ardentmentoring.org/mentees, and learn even more about us from our testimonial and vision videos on our homepage or impact page. If you would like to be notified about our upcoming live podcast recordings, join live, and participate in the Q&A, you can sign up here. Topics Covered Building a constellation of mentors using the Two-Two-Two PlanSeparating identity from title: eulogy virtues vs. resume virtuesEarly warning signs of mission drift — and how mentors can helpWhy success breeds hubris, isolation, and exceptionalism (the three H's)Commitment → Complacency → Compromise (Tim Keller's three C's)Rooting for rivals and moving from a scarcity to an abundance mindsetDaily rhythms and guardrails for leaders building something meaningfulWhy only 1 in 3 leaders finish well — and how to beat those odds

    45 min

  3. 17 Apr

    Building Purpose-Driven, “Glocal” Brands: Sheeba Philip on Oreo, JCPenney, and Redemptive Entrepreneurship

    In this episode, Ryan King, CEO of Ardent Mentoring interviews Sheeba Philip, founder and CEO of the IMPART Group in a live podcast episode recording, about shaping purpose-driven brands and leaders. Sheeba explains Oreo’s “glocal” approach and shares lessons from helping JCPenney shift toward digital by overcoming internal fear and listening to consumer insight. She also recounts her transitions into IJM and Akola as a journey of obedience and identity in Christ, and encourages women leaders to pursue opportunities with confidence in God’s calling. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 02:25 Oreo “Glocal” Branding 08:17 Local Innovation Lessons 10:38 JCPenney Digital Shift 16:00 Consumer Insight Culture 18:14 Calling Beyond Corporate 24:36 Redemptive Entrepreneurship 28:30 Faithfulness Over Outcomes 32:10 Women in Leadership Advice 37:13 How to Support Sheba 39:26 Ardent Mentoring Invitation 40:36 Final Thanks and Close Links & Resources Mentioned: Terry Looper — Sacred Pace: https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Pace-Hearing-Aligning-Yourself/dp/0785223371Additional Research/Discussion on Women Applying for Roles:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.3109https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/breaking-through-the-self-doubt-that-keeps-talented-women-from-leadinghttps://www.bi.team/blogs/women-only-apply-when-100-qualified-fact-or-fake-news/ Sheeba Philip:https://www.sheebaphilip.com/ IMPART Group: https://impartgroup.co/ Ardent Mentoring:At Ardent, we would be excited to meet with you to explore finding a high-quality mentor who can help you scale your enterprise and multiply your impact. You can view a brief overview of Ardent Mentoring and our work supporting high-capacity entrepreneurs at https://www.ardentmentoring.org/mentees, and learn even more about us from our testimonial and vision videos on our homepage or impact page. If you would like to be notified about our upcoming live podcast recordings, join live, and participate in the Q&A, you can sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/34f4f5e9413e/subscribe.

    41 min

  4. 23 Mar

    From Launch to Legacy with Tiger Dawson

    In this episode, Ryan King, CEO of Ardent Mentoring, sits down with Tiger Dawson, co-founder of Edify, in a live podcast episode recording to discuss building organizations that serve, grow, and last. Tiger shares lessons on finding a niche in the marketplace, scaling through COVID, maintaining culture and mission, fundraising with integrity, and his deeply personal journey with cancer and faith. Shortly after this recording, Tiger went to be with the Lord. We invite you to continue to pray for his wife Leslie and the Dawson family during this tender time. Timestamps: 0:00 — Introduction1:45 — Finding the Gap in the Market4:43 — The Three-Part Model7:05 — Listening Well and Cultural Adaptation9:54 — Scaling Through COVID10:56 — Maintaining Culture While Scaling15:51 — Fundraising and Donor Relationships20:10 — Advice for Young Entrepreneurs24:07 — Journey with Cancer and Faith32:50 — Closing Prayer Links & Resources: Ardent Mentoring — ⁠https://www.ardentmentoring.org/⁠When Helping Hurts — ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802409989⁠Sacred Pace by Terry Looper — ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785223371⁠Rooting for Rivals by Peter Greer — ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/0764231251⁠A Dream and a Coconut Tree — ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578480603⁠ Ardent Mentoring: At Ardent, we would be excited to meet with you to explore finding a high-quality mentor who can help you scale your enterprise and multiply your impact. You can view a brief overview of Ardent Mentoring and our work supporting high-capacity entrepreneurs at https://www.ardentmentoring.org/mentees, and learn even more about us from our testimonial and vision videos on our homepage or impact page.

    34 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

The Ardent Approach features conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, and investors building organizations that matter. Hosted by Ryan King, CEO of Ardent Mentoring, the show explores the leadership decisions, strategies, and convictions behind ventures that scale impact and endure. Each episode offers practical insight and honest reflection on leadership, faith, identity, and work. If you are a founder, executive, or leader building something that matters, this show will equip and encourage you to grow organizations that serve, flourish, and last.

Information

  • Creator
    Ardent Mentoring
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ardent Mentoring
  • Show Website
    The Ardent Approach