In this episode of The Unfolding Thought Podcast, host Eric Pratum chats with Adam Wallace, who has spent a career solving the puzzle of why good plans so often fail in execution. Adam’s background spans broadway technical direction, multi-billion dollar oil projects, enterprise software rollouts, and now a family office portfolio. Across these diverse domains, he’s seen the same patterns: people aim for the “promised land,” but hidden assumptions, outdated incentives, and unspoken constraints stop them from acting on what they say they want.

Together, Eric and Adam explore:

• From Corporate Fixer to Family Office: How Adam’s narrow skillset in value creation and alignment has turned into multiple investments.
• Pinpointing the “Why” Behind Stalled Projects: Surfacing the real reasons teams say yes in meetings but fail to follow through.
• The Power of Constraints: That New Mexico oil well story—where a manager wouldn’t buy enough belts because of a $100k monthly budget—reveals how small barriers derail big visions.
• Pricing & “Revalue”: Aligning what you do with what customers truly cherish so you can charge more and still deliver better.
• In-Person Experiences in a Digital Age: Why Adam thinks experiential marketing and live events may be poised for major growth—even as AI transforms how we engage online.

If you’ve ever wondered how organizations can remove “foot on the brake” moments or re-align around value instead of just vision, Adam’s practical stories and insights reveal a path to capturing new opportunities—without the usual friction.

Links:

• Adam’s website: https://adamwallace.com
• TGN (Executive Mobilization): https://www.tgn-consulting.com
• (Re)Value: Raise Your Prices and Build Your Legacy: https://amzn.to/4k5ZFcf
• Episode with Andy Hite: https://unfoldingthought.com/14-andy-hite-from-broadway-to-the-boardroom-empowering-leaders-and-teams/
• Episode with Kevin Hughes: https://unfoldingthought.com/12-kevin-hughes-branding-athletes-and-rewriting-the-rules-of-sports-marketing/
• Execution Certainty: https://lumeri.com/execution-certainty/
• GDX Studio: https://www.gdxstudios.com

For more episodes, visit: https://unfoldingthought.com

Join the conversation by emailing Eric at: eric@inboundandagile.com

In this episode of The Unfolding Thought Podcast, host Eric Pratum interviews Bill Jacobs, who has spent over two decades helping nonprofits use data to drive better fundraising results. Bill explains how donor behavior is shifting—especially in today’s economic and cultural environment—and why many nonprofits find themselves behind the curve when it comes to analytics and innovation.

Together, Eric and Bill explore:

• Fundraising as Both “Art & Science”: Balancing data insights with creative storytelling to grow sustainable donor relationships.
• The Agency Shake-Up: How private equity and cultural mismatches are reshaping the fundraising agency world.
• Changing Donor Landscapes: Why donor file counts have been shrinking since 2008, and the growing dominance of major donors.
• New vs. Established Approaches: Why “testing something new” is so risky in nonprofits—and yet increasingly necessary. Bill: “They support ideas that work. They do not support ideas that fail.”
• Predicting What’s Next: How AI, rising costs, and generational shifts might transform nonprofit fundraising in the near future.

If you’ve ever wondered how organizations can keep donor pipelines strong amid uncertainty, Bill’s data-driven perspective offers both caution and fresh ideas for navigating a rapidly evolving sector.

The quote that Eric was searching for at one point came from Fred Polak: “The rise and fall of images of the future precedes or accompanies the rise and fall of cultures. As long as a society's image is positive and flourishing, the flower of culture is in full bloom. Once the image begins to decay and lose its vitality, however, the culture does not long survive.”

Links

• AnalyticalOnes (Bill’s Company): https://analyticalones.com
• Connect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-jacobs-a617321/

For more episodes, visit: https://unfoldingthought.com

Join the conversation by emailing Eric at: eric@inboundandagile.com

In this episode of The Unfolding Thought Podcast, Eric Pratum sits down with Eliot Frick, founder of Bigwidesky, to discuss how our deeply ingrained, mechanical view of business and culture can actually limit innovation and true leadership. Eliot explains why some challenges can’t be solved simply by adopting best practices, and how leaders can learn to operate effectively in uncharted territory.

Together, Eric and Eliot delve into:

• The tension between reductionist “just give me the solution” thinking and the reality of ever-evolving, complex problems.
• Jobs to Be Done Theory and the famous “milkshake” example—why simply copying best practices misses the mark.
• The importance of vision, foresight, and genuine human meaning—even for businesses that seem ordinary on the surface.
• Why marketing and advertising often fail to create real alignment between companies and their audiences.
• Insights from philosophy, neuroscience, and biology—including references to Iain McGilchrist, Stuart Kauffman, Stephen Jay Gould, and more.

If you’ve ever felt that standard solutions or one-size-fits-all frameworks weren’t enough for the complexities you face, this episode is a must-listen. Eliot offers a refreshing take on how to engage the unknown, inspire grander visions, and rediscover meaning in the process.

Links:

• Bigwidesky: https://bigwidesky.com
• Jobs to Be Done (Milkshake Case Study): https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/clay-christensens-milkshake-marketing
• Iain McGilchrist’s “The Master and His Emissary”: https://amzn.to/40YxfcL
• Stuart Kauffman & Exaptation: https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2010/01/intelligent_design_no_darwinia.html

Connect with Eliot:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliotfrick/
• Bigwidesky: https://bigwidesky.com

For more episodes, visit: https://unfoldingthought.com

Join the conversation by emailing Eric at: eric@inboundandagile.com