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Distilling Philanthropy: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Josh Stamer
Distilling Philanthropy is a guest-driven, conversation-led podcast that explores philanthropy through the lived perspectives of the people who engage with it through their own work and lives. Set in a speakeasy, not a boardroom, the podcast dispels convention and leans into the moment. Each episode features honest, long-form conversations with guests who share how they personally view philanthropy. By understanding how they define it, wrestle with it, and experience its impact, they are able to move beyond traditional narratives. The podcast looks at the real opinions, trade-offs, and moments that shape meaningful change. Distilling Philanthropy creates space for open dialogue around responsibility, generosity, and the complexities that sit at the intersection of impact and intention.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 5 days ago56 min
Preserving Your Family's Legacy
Mike Sontag has spent decades as a trust and estate lawyer, but he'll tell you the real work is closer to counseling than tax. In this conversation he explores the complexities of generational wealth, why the deployment of wealth deserves as much intention as building it, and how teaching heirs to give may matter more than what you leave them. Along the way: why he asks every successful client what's enough, and the hard cases where money can't fix what a family is facing. A candid hour for donors, families, and advisors thinking about legacy, stewardship, and how wealth actually passes down.
- 1 weeks ago56 min
Why He Thinks Generational Wealth Is a Myth
Mike Sontag has spent decades as a trust and estate lawyer, but he'll tell you the real work is closer to counseling than tax. In this conversation he makes the case that generational wealth is largely a myth, that the deployment of wealth deserves as much intention as building it, and that teaching heirs to give may matter more than what you leave them. Along the way: the number he says makes a family bulletproof, why he asks every successful client what's enough, and the hard cases where money can't fix what a family is facing. A candid hour for donors, families, and advisors thinking about legacy, stewardship, and how wealth actually passes down.
- 3 weeks ago44 min
Why the Least Valuable Thing a Donor Gives Is Money
Steve French leads The Signatry, a faith-based donor advised fund sponsor built to help people solve some of the world's hardest problems, and he brings four decades of building and selling companies to how he thinks about giving. In this conversation he makes the case that the least valuable thing a donor offers is money, that comfort erodes organizations more than apathy, and that fear is what keeps most charitable capital from ever being deployed. Along the way: the difference between being an owner and a steward, the venture that cost him his entire liquidity, and the three things he measures before partnering with anyone. A candid hour for donors, families, and philanthropic advisors thinking about impact, stewardship, and giving with real purpose.
- Sep 29, 202654 min
Why Philanthropy Is Really Just Love of Mankind
Simone Devenny has spent her career as a wealth strategist at the intersection of money, family, and meaning. After a profound loss, she speaks about giving with rare depth. In this conversation she makes the case that philanthropy is "love of mankind" put into action, and that our deepest wounds can become the roadmap for how we help others. She shares how a community of grieving mothers turned unimaginable loss into purpose, why the summit of wealth is a vantage point rather than a destination, and what it means to simply show up for people. A moving hour for donors, families, and philanthropic advisors thinking about legacy, intention, and giving so the next person suffers less.
- Sep 15, 202656 min
The Dollar Taylor Lewan Gives Before He Writes the Check
Taylor Lewan, former NFL offensive lineman and co-host of Bussin' With The Boys, joins Distilling Philanthropy with unusual honesty about how he came to giving. He admits he was long suspicious of athlete charity and hard-wired to protect what he'd earned, until his wife reframed what it means to help and why fulfillment follows generosity. Along the way: giving a hand up rather than a handout, teaching his kids gratitude at every red light, and saying yes to everything until you earn the right to say no. A candid hour for donors, families, and philanthropic advisors thinking about how giving actually starts and how it gets passed to the next generation.
- Sep 1, 202655 min
Why So Much Money Just Sits There
Marisa Swystun spent her career in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector before moving into wealth management, and that crossover shapes how she counsels donors. She makes the case that giving well starts with understanding your catalysts, the reasons you actually let go of money, long before you get to values or causes. Along the way: why the rules of wealth creation don't apply to giving, why so much charitable capital sits idle at the 5% minimum, and what she means when she says giving buys happiness. A grounded hour for donors, families, and philanthropic advisors thinking about intention, impact, and how to give with clarity.
- Aug 18, 202652 min
Why Smart Giving Starts With the Outcome
Ali Harnell, founder of Live Nation Women, joins Distilling Philanthropy for a candid conversation about giving when you have the means to solve problems, not just fund them. She makes the case for starting with a desired outcome instead of a legal vehicle, and for recognition when it serves a cause better than anonymity. Along the way: the nonprofit she started and why it stalled, and the four-second decision behind her first donor advised fund. A useful hour for donors, wealth managers, family office leaders, and philanthropic advisors thinking about impact, legacy, and intention.
- Aug 4, 202648 min
Why Shawn and Andrew East don't find the best charity – they find the best problem solver
Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East built a large platform through athletics, relationships, and years of storytelling, and in this conversation they turn that lens on giving. They make the case that seeing the work firsthand beats writing a check, that charities lose people when they sound like commercials instead of humans, and that the real task is finding the best problem solver rather than the best charity. Along the way: the "beautiful guilt" of getting more than you give, why they take their kids to build homes in Tijuana, and how proximity to a problem shapes the causes you choose. A warm hour for donors, families, and philanthropic advisors thinking about impact, storytelling, and how giving gets passed to the next generation.
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About Distilling Philanthropy
Distilling Philanthropy is a guest-driven, conversation-led podcast that explores philanthropy through the lived perspectives of the people who engage with it through their own work and lives. Set in a speakeasy, not a boardroom, the podcast dispels convention and leans into the moment. Each episode features honest, long-form conversations with guests who share how they personally view philanthropy. By understanding how they define it, wrestle with it, and experience its impact, they are able to move beyond traditional narratives. The podcast looks at the real opinions, trade-offs, and moments that shape meaningful change. Distilling Philanthropy creates space for open dialogue around responsibility, generosity, and the complexities that sit at the intersection of impact and intention.
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Distilling Philanthropy covers topics including Business, Non-Profit. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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