The Tension
If you’re a builder, leader, or change-maker, you already know the tension: the push and pull between where you are and where you want to be. It’s the moments when success doesn’t feel like you expected, when growth forces hard decisions, or when challenges test your limits.
Hosted by Travis Penfield, The Tension explores how high-performing leaders navigate these pivotal moments. You won’t find simple solutions here—because the tension isn’t something to be solved. Instead, you’ll hear stories, strategies, and insights to help you manage the tension and turn it into fuel for your personal and professional success.
The Tension
The Tension of Stewardship
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If you've ever felt guilty for keeping or burned for giving, this one's for you.
Travis sits down with his longtime friend Justin Lopez, President of 25 Giving, for a conversation about why stewardship and generosity aren't the same thing…and why getting that wrong can cost you more than you expect.
Justin shares how growing up in a family where radical giving was simply the culture shaped a black-and-white worldview that eventually got put to the test. When his family moved into a struggling East Austin neighborhood to love their community in proximity, what felt like obedience turned into some hard, expensive lessons. The experience sent him swinging to the other extreme until one question reoriented everything: What is the most loving thing I can do with what I've been given?
