Key Takeaways
🏙 Austin’s rapid transformation and challenges ahead
⚡ Innovation and energy policy shaping the city
🌉 Building bridges between business, policy, and community
🎤 Lessons from being on stage that translate into business leadership
🍻 Creating casual spaces where politics meets community
🎨 Creativity as a lifelong driver of business and civic impact
Meet the Guest – Nathan Ryan
Nathan Ryan is a serial entrepreneur and civic leader based in Austin, Texas, who helps ideas—and the teams behind them—scale with clarity, purpose, and momentum. As Managing Director at Goff Policy, he leads strategy, marketing, and partnerships for a fast-growing policy consulting firm focused on energy, infrastructure, and innovation. Previously, he was the founding CEO of Blue Sky Partners, where he helped launch and scale over 100 initiatives across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
Nathan recently served as board chair of the Austin Monitor, which was acquired by the Texas Tribune in 2025, and has held multiple city-appointed leadership roles, including chair of the City of Austin’s Economic Prosperity Commission. He’s been recognized by Leadership Austin, the Austin Chamber, and Austin Under 40 for his business and civic impact.
Nathan lives in Austin with his two dogs, Max and Rory, and is always up for talking policy, bold ideas, and where to find the best tacos in town.
Connect with Nathan and Goff Policy
Show Notes
In this episode, Adam sits down with Nathan Ryan, an entrepreneur, civic leader, and Managing Director at Goff Policy. From his roots as a pastor’s kid to touring with a Christian rock band, Nathan’s journey has been one of reinvention: moving from the stage to the world of design and business, where he worked with Disney, and ultimately into leader-ship roles shaping Austin’s civic and business landscape. Along the way, he’s launched and scaled companies, chaired the Austin Monitor (now part of the Texas Tribune), and advised on energy, infrastructure, and innovation. At the core of it all, Nathan has stayed guided by one throughline: harnessing creativity to strengthen community. But as you’ll hear, his story isn’t just about career pivots, it’s about finding purpose at every turn.
Nathan also opens up about what first drew him to Austin and why the city continues to fuel his work today. He takes us through a journey from fixing Texas’s fragile power grid to creating casual spaces, where citizens and candidates can meet over a beer. He also reflects on what business can learn from policy (and vice versa), how lessons from the stage still shape his leadership, and what Austin’s rapid growth means for its future identity.