Give ideas a seat at the table (with professional innovator and ThinkBIG keynote Kyle Scheele)

This episode's guest is author, speaker, and "patron saint of crazy ideas" Kyle Scheele. Listen in as he makes the case that creativity at financial institutions isn’t confined to marketing teams—it’s simply problem-solving, and it belongs to everyone at your organization. He shares why “culture eats strategy,” explains the importance of making space for innovation in a traditional industry, and suggests practical ways leaders can experiment to reduce the big risk that all community FIs face: losing customers to more innovative competitors.

We'll explore:

• The risk of losing customers to fintechs and how creativity helps you win trust.
• “Commit to the bit”: the surprising power of shared enthusiasm to build culture and collaboration.
• Two questions leaders should ask to unlock hidden solutions already inside the organization.
• Lightweight systems to surface employee ideas and how strong cultures act like magnets for attracting new talent.

About the guest: 

Whether he's holding a Viking funeral for the regrets of 21,000 people, hosting the world's first fake marathon, or gaining a million TikTok followers in just 25 hours, Kyle Scheele is always on the lookout for crazy ideas that produce wildly outsized outcomes. Over the last decade, his projects have been featured in prominent outlets Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, and Goalcast, among others. His videos have been viewed over 250 million times, and he has spoken to hundreds of thousands of audience members across the United States. More than anything, Kyle hopes that his story can inspire others to chase their own crazy ideas and become the people they were meant to be.

Helpful links:

Read about one of Kyle's projects: Home Run Marathon attracts more participants than Boston Marathon on TikTok - The Washington Post

Hear more from Kyle at Abrigo's 2026 ThinkBIG Conference.