The most powerful people I know are also the most decent. Wait until you meet the one I sat down with this week.
Steve Steinour runs one of the largest banks in America. He has the kind of access most people only read about — Republican governors, Democratic presidents, Federal Reserve chairs, the Urban League, the boardroom and the block. Somewhere along the way, he also became a friend, a mentor, and a quiet force behind the work we are doing at Operation HOPE.
This episode is not really about banking. It is about what becomes possible when a man with that much power decides to use it for good — and what that means for you, your business, and your future.
In this episode:
- The day Steve walked me down a hallway few people get to see — and what happened next changed how I understood access in this country.
- The one piece of advice he gave me that reset the standard for every board I have built since.
- The small town, the blue-collar family, and the father whose struggle shaped one of the most thoughtful CEOs in America today.
- The cheat code most Americans never learn for getting a bank to actually say yes.
- What “Lift Local” really means — and why Steve and I have quietly moved capital into neighborhoods that everyone else overlooked.
If you have ever wondered what it actually takes to get capital — not in theory, but from the person who can sign the check — you need to hear this one.
