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Big Hearted Indy - The Citizen 7 Podcast

Big Hearted Indy - The Citizen 7 Podcast

Written by: Citizen 7
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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.All Rights Reserved Economics Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Greg Ballard and Joe Loftus on Friendship within Leadership, Indianapolis and the Secretary of State Race

    Greg Ballard and Joe Loftus on Friendship within Leadership, Indianapolis and the Secretary of State Race
    May 25 2026
    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.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Too Busy for Purpose: Peter Greer and Scott Pothoven on Comfort, Calling, and Showing Up

    Too Busy for Purpose: Peter Greer and Scott Pothoven on Comfort, Calling, and Showing Up
    May 12 2026
    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.
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    57 mins
  • What Are People For? With Pastor Chris Henry

    What Are People For? With Pastor Chris Henry
    May 11 2026
    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.
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    30 mins
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