Venture capital is often misconstrued as a high-stakes moonshot lottery, but underneath the bold ambitions lies a deeply rational framework of risk management and business building. In this episode of At Depth, Winter Mead (Founder & CEO of Coolwater Capital) breaks down the mechanics of venture investing, from farm-grown diversification principles to power law returns, liquidity paths, and the crucial distinction between invention, innovation, and investment.

What does it truly mean to combine the discipline of a mathematician with the empathy of a therapist when managing high-stakes capital? In this episode of At Depth, host Ben Rodgers speaks with Colin Kampfe, Principal and Portfolio Manager at Brown Advisory, to uncover the human realities behind modern wealth management.

From applying poker-inspired decision trees to separate luck from skill, to managing emotional dynamics during market volatility, Colin breaks down why capital allocation is as much about human behavior as it is about spreadsheets. Tune in for an engaging discussion on finding clarity under uncertainty, maintaining bandwidth for relationships, and navigating complex private and public markets.

In early-stage venture, you're taking a ton of technology and market risk—you accept that half your portfolio might go to zero because you're hunting for that one massive outlier. But when you transition into growth equity and late-stage venture, the playbook changes entirely. You're no longer asking, 'Is this a real product?' You're asking, 'How efficiently can this team deploy $20 million to capture market share?'

In this conversation, John Chadwick shares how Claritas Capital shifts the paradigm from speculative venture bets to a disciplined, risk-adjusted dollar strategy. We unpack the power of staying private, navigating multi-generational platform growth in regional hubs like Nashville, and what it really takes to partner with founders taking companies from $5 million to $25 million-plus in revenue.

Stephen Lowery built Redbeard Capital on one hard rule: no leverage, ever. He breaks down why an all-cash approach lets him sleep at night, how he handles conflict with business partners, and what a college gopher-extermination business taught him about starting small before you scale.

Executive coach Greg Taylor grew up in a Kentucky coal mining camp, built and lost a $20M trucking company, and spent the next twenty-five years learning he can't fix anybody but himself. In this episode, he breaks down the difference between a volcano and a missile, why success and fulfillment aren't the same thing, and why the whole game comes down to finding just one domino.

Financial planning isn't just about spreadsheets—it’s about aligning your money with your actual life. In this episode, Compass Planning founder Jennifer Lee breaks down the fee-only advisory model, why tracking expenses brings up so much shame, and how to build a clear, bias-free road map for your future without the high-pressure sales pitch.

Paige Good joins Ben Rodgers to break down the mindset-first framework behind high-performing sales careers, from the thinker-believer-tie-breaker model to building a blueprint for growth. Learn how to reframe fear, smooth lumpy income, and turn authentic connection into your biggest business asset.

Alex Feldman joins Ben Rogers to break down the mechanics of organizational scaling, the solopreneur shift, and managing your attention budget. Learn how to navigate corporate breaking points and cross-border investments.

Most successful companies don't look obvious in the beginning — they look uncomfortable. Nadav Eylath, venture investor and founder of At Inc., joins Ben Rodgers to explore what separates the founders who build something lasting from the ones who don't, and why creating the conditions for extraordinary outcomes matters more than predicting them.

Why do most business relationships stay on the surface — and what does it actually cost us when they do? In this episode, Ben sits down with his longtime collaborator Danny Burbeck for an honest, unscripted conversation about depth in business relationships. They explore why workplaces quietly reward superficiality, what it looks like to assess a business partner by asking "would I want to fail with this person?", and how the best leaders learn to carry the weight of leadership without losing their humanity. Raw, practical, and genuinely refreshing.

What does it look like when a molecular geneticist, global policy builder, and ultra-runner converges on a single investment thesis? In this episode, Ben sits down with Natalya Wallin — founder of Vitality Venture Fund — to trace one of the most unconventional through-lines in venture capital. From a PhD lab in molecular genetics to deploying $75M against forced labor in global supply chains to building a nature-inspired fund rooted in biomimicry, Natalya's story is a masterclass in following the spark. Together they explore systems thinking, somatic intelligence in high-stakes decision making, and why nature's 3.8 billion year R&D lab holds the investment thesis of our era.

Join Ben and his father, Ray Rodgers, as they explore the journey from high-stakes commercial real estate to the quiet clarity of true stewardship. Discover the philosophy behind Covepilot, the 80/20 rule of passive income, and the power of investing real, small, and away from the herd.

In this episode of At Depth, Morgan Keim discusses his personal and professional evolution from living an "inherited life" to building a career centered on intentionality and conscious capitalism. He shares how his background in value-add real estate—identifying underperforming assets and improving them—became a vehicle for building "quiet wealth" .

Growth rarely happens in comfort. This conversation explores leadership, accountability, and the discipline required to operate well when the stakes are real.

What starts as a story about building a fund from a basement becomes a wider conversation about trust, time, and intentional investing. This episode reflects on what it means to build something that lasts.

Most investment decisions are potentially more emotional first and rational second. Marc Bathgate explains why alternatives, storytelling, and restraint can matter more than chasing performance when the ground starts to move.

Steven Hatcher joins Ben Rodgers for a candid conversation on mineral rights, oil and gas, and the work of building trust in a skeptical industry. It’s a story about transparency, integrity, and choosing the harder path when shortcuts are available.