I Made All the Big Events. That's About It.

I Made All the Big Events. That's About It.

From Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher by Bill Gallagher

June 3, 2026 · 13 min · Season 2026 · Episode 689

About this episode

Bill Gallagher reflects on the moments he missed in his children's lives while focusing on work.

This is the most personal episode in the Busy Is Broken series. Bill made all the big events — the graduations, the performances, the big games, the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. He has the photos. He was in the right seat at the right time for every moment that had a date on a calendar and a crowd in the room. That’s about it. What he missed was everything that led up to those moments. The practices before the big game. The rehearsals before the play. The meetings with the rabbi in the weeks before the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. The ordinary Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings that, strung together, make up the actual texture of a childhood. Nobody sends you a calendar invite for “the night your daughter told a funny story at dinner that became a family legend you’ll never know.” You just look up one day and the kids are grown. Bill’s engine was adrenaline. He loved being needed. Every rescue was a hit of proof that he mattered. And it was also what kept him on a plane when his kids were at practice and in a hotel when they were doing homework at the kitchen table. This isn’t self-pity and it isn’t a pitch to feel sorry for the host. It’s recognition. Bill tells the story because he sees…

People in this episode

Host: Bill Gallagher

Topics covered

  • personal reflection
  • work-life balance
  • parenting
  • leadership
  • time management

Keywords

  • big events
  • childhood
  • adrenaline
  • leadership
  • work hard

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