Nate Kirk is the co-founder of Everside Capital Partners, a private credit fund focused on the lower-middle market based in New York City. He founded the firm together with Moritz Poehl in 2016, and was previously a portfolio manager at Third Avenue Management, where he focused on stressed and distressed credit, special situations and flexible credit, and prior to that worked as a Trader and High Yield Credit Researcher at J P Morgan. Our conversation starts with Nate’s early education and the passion that he developed for rowing in his teens and beyond. While he admits that he didn’t always have the “best form” as a rower, his passion, discipline and dedication to the sport distinguished him and taught him the characteristics of grit and perseverance that proved to be useful in the corporate world. We hear about how he had to channel that grit to find his first entry into the world of finance, and about the lessons that the volatility in the financial world presented. These lessons related to client treatment – particularly in times of challenge, dealing with counterparties and seeking pockets of return along the road less traveled. We conclude with reflections on how personal setbacks can lead to a reckoning of what it is that truly matters in life and on the challenges – and rewards of finding a solid work/life balance. Alvine Talks Podcasts are co-hosted by Tom Raber and Aoifinn Devitt and aim to bring a deeper understanding of the people and processes behind the strategies that drive differentiated returns.