When Giving Matters More Than Keeping

Greg Ham has spent decades managing some of the most awarded artists in music, but this conversation is about what he learned watching his parents give, and what he now teaches his own family and staff. He makes the case for giving as a shared experience, for outcome over activity, and for teaching generosity long before there is wealth to give. Along the way: the one rule behind the cash he handed his staff, why he wanted hard bills instead of gift cards, and the difference between joy and happiness in the work. A grounded hour for donors, family offices, and philanthropic advisors thinking about stewardship, legacy, and how giving gets passed down. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this conversation, Tony talks about what it actually takes to move philanthropy from obligation to intention — why the standard "know your client" framework falls short, what advisors are still afraid to ask, and how the most meaningful giving rarely begins with a check. He also shares the personal experience that reoriented his entire relationship with generosity, and what he believes is at stake as the wealth management profession faces a generational reckoning. This is a candid, behind-the-bar conversation about perspective, legacy, and what it means to serve a client well across every stage of their wealth journey. Tony Guinane spent more than two decades managing wealth for some of the most successful families in the country before co-founding Dial Square Private Wealth with approximately $1.2 billion in client assets.

In this conversation, Ty talks about what a decade on the road with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition taught him about genuine service, why the skilled trades represent one of the most overlooked philanthropic opportunities of this generation, and how a four-day boat build with a father he barely knew changed everything he believed about what he was capable of. He also shares what he's learned partnering with Anonymous Philanthropy and the Skilled Careers Coalition about reaching young people who are ready to do something with their hands and their lives — they just need someone to show them the door. This is a warm, honest, behind-the-bar conversation about fulfillment, purpose, and what it looks like when giving stops feeling like a "should" and starts feeling like the whole point. Ty Pennington has built over 240 homes across the country, traveled to every state, and stood in front of more families at their lowest points than most people will encounter in a lifetime. What he found on the other side of all of it is that the work that mattered most wasn't about the build. It was about what happened to the people on both sides of it.