HeadRoom with Dr. Rod Berger: Recent Episodes
HeadRoom with Dr. Rod Berger
HeadRoom explores deep into the minds of those on the frontiers of our society. Uncovering the 'why' behind acclaimed contributors forging their path through life and those new souls just stepping beyond the crowd.
Investigating the source of inspiration that drove those who have gone before us, Headroom hopes to inspire the 'next' in us. Join Dr. Rod Berger, PsyD, uncover the stories seldom told and add richness to the narratives within our own lives.
HeadRoom with Code.org's Hadi Partovi
Hadi Partovi is a tech entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of the education nonprofit Code.org. Partovi discusses AI 101 for Teachers and how the world might change due to the power of technology across the globe.
Born in Tehran, Iran, Hadi grew up during the Iran-Iraq war. His school did not offer computer science classes, so he taught himself to code at home on a Commodore 64. After immigrating to the United States, he spent his summers working as a software engineer to help pay his way through high school and college.
Upon graduating from Harvard University with a Masters degree in computer science, Hadi pursued a career in technology, starting at Microsoft, where he rose into the executive ranks. He founded two startups: Tellme Networks (acquired by Microsoft) and iLike (acquired by Newscorp). Hadi now invests and advises other technology startups.
In 2013 Hadi and his twin brother Ali launched the education nonprofit Code.org, which Hadi continues to lead full-time as CEO. Code.org has established computer science classes reaching 30% of US students, created the most broadly used curriculum platform for K-12 computer science, and launched the global Hour of Code movement that has reached hundreds of millions of students spanning every country in the world.
Hadi has served as an early advisor or investor at many tech startups, including Facebook, Dropbox, airbnb, and Uber. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Axon and MNTN.
HeadRoom with Conrad Wolfram
Conrad Wolfram is the younger Wolfram of Wolfram Research—it's the brothers who started Wolfram|Alpha, Demonstrations, and the core underlying technology—Mathematica. Conrad founded the European Wolfram Research in 1991 after his brother Stephen set up the headquarters in the US.
Since 1997 Conrad has also been strategic director of the worldwide group and initiated and directed their business, marketing, design, and a variety of strategic technical projects - everything from the CDF Player concept to webMathematica (which underlies Wolfram|Alpha) to conceptualizing wolfram.com. In doing this, Wolfram has formed new concepts of management, including the early use of website design to define strategy, "strategic bundles," and industry solutions sites as a way to verticalize activities.
Wolfram is interested in how technology and computation can move our lives and economies forward and, in turn, how this affects education. In particular, Wolfram realized that the school subject of maths has become almost totally discrepant from its real-world application, and in 2010 founded computerbasedmath.org to address this worldwide.
In 2020, Wolfram released The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age. It exposes why maths education is in crisis worldwide and how the only fix is a fundamentally new mainstream subject—not only identifying the problem but also proposing a detailed solution and suggesting some of the ways we might get there.
Wolfram has an MA from Cambridge University, UK, where he studied physics and mathematics.s
HeadRoom with Chris Brickley - With nearly 60 NBA players as clients and a viral online following, Chris Brickley is one of the most sought-after NBA skills trainers. Based in New York, his off-season workouts attract NBA titans and up-and-comers as well as music icons. Chris shares his training moments with his 1.5 million Instagram followers - blurring the lines between coaching, social media influence, and hoops culture.
After cultivating a strong relationship with stars like Carmelo Anthony while serving as a player development coach for the New York Knicks, Brickley eventually left to pursue his own lane.
Since then, he has carved himself a niche as an influencer at the intersection of fashion, music, and lifestyle. His gym’s All-Star open runs receive millions of impressions. Brand partners include Puma, Wilson, NBA2K, Bose, BODYARMOR, Lids, Google Pixel and Therabody.
HeadRoom with Dr. Lee Berger
Paleoanthropology, Research, Human Ancestors
Dr. Berger and Dr. Berger (yeah, that's right) discuss Lee's Netflix documentary about his book, Cave of Bones, and his perspective on life and the big questions still remaining about our species.
Lee Berger is an award-winning paleoanthropologist whose explorations into human origins on the African continent, Asia, and Micronesia for the past three decades have resulted in many new discoveries, including the discovery of two new species of early human relatives – Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi. These discoveries were recognized by the Smithsonian as among the ten most important scientific discoveries of the decade in 2020. A current National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Berger won the first National Geographic Society Research and Exploration Prize in 1997. He was also named the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year in 2016 and, two years later, became an Explorer at Large. In 2016 he was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Berger has held positions at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa since 1991, where until recently, he served as the Phillip Tobias Chair in Human Evolution. He has also served in a number of advisory roles, including the Global Young Academy, the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa, and has chaired the Fulbright Commission. As an Explorer in Residence, Berger leads National Geographic’s “Rising Star” project, named for the cave system and fossil site in southern Africa, where he conducts his research. Teams under his leadership have recovered more individual hominid remains in sub-equatorial Africa over the last decade than were recovered in the previous 90 years. The 2015 PBS Nova National Geographic documentary "Dawn of Humanity," about Berger’s discovery of Homo naledi and the Rising Star expedition was nominated for an Emmy. Berger’s curiosity and passion for understanding the roots of humanity powers his work to advance knowledge about the origins of our species.
Bobby Bones (born Bobby Estell; April 2, 1980)[1] is an American radio and television personality, best known for hosting the nationally syndicated The Bobby Bones Show, originating from the iHeart Studios in Nashville, TN, and for his role as a full-time mentor on American Idol on ABC. He was the winner of season 27 of Dancing with the Stars with partner Sharna Burgess. He has also written two New York Times best sellers. Bones has also released a number of country music albums through Black River Entertainment.
On this episode of HeadRoom, host Dr. Rod Berger invites Rich Tu, a first-generation Filipino American, onto the show to discuss his current exhibit 'Human Response'. Rich is an award-winning designer and artist based in Brooklyn who has worked with several high-profile clients and has exhibited around the world. Dr. Berger delves deep with Rich to ask him about his vulnerability as an artist and how his personal experiences have influenced his work.
They explore the convergence of technology and traditional art and discuss the importance of human experiences in AI. The episode also explores the speaker's personal journey of coping with the loss of a loved one, his struggle with taking time off, and his journey toward producing his current exhibit.
Key Moments [00:05:02] A humorous approach used to tap into the zeitgeist. Commercial interests involve risk, players, and scope. Showing his work, "Human Response," inspired by his father's passing a year ago.
[00:06:51] Using AI for mental health therapy, assembling conversations into a narrative, quantifying emotional responses, creating typographic compositions, and augmented reality filters.
[00:13:16] Tu discusses personal insecurities & vulnerability in creative work and how it impacts his relationships.
[00:14:27] The process of creating a show and exhibit about one's father, with the help of a curator. The exhibit includes emotional and vulnerable prompts, also including the obituary displayed at the beginning of the exhibit.
[00:20:05] A personal mission is to maximize creative skills and push tech in augmented reality and AI, inspiring peers and wanting to make an impact on the creative industry.
[00:25:04] Tu seeks authorship through new experiences and learning from great educators. Marshall Arisman's iconic work and emotional energy is mentioned as an inspiration.
[00:29:21] The struggle to take vacations even though Tu won a sabbatical and intended to travel but remained working on the show.
[00:33:23] Details about the exhibit include: it is open to the public until June 24th, at Dot Gallery located at 370 Broadway in SoHo.
Connect with Rich Tu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rich_tu/ Website: https://richtu.com/
About Rich Tu:
Rich Tu is a first-generation Filipino-American and award-winning designer and artist residing in Brooklyn, NY. He is a Partner and Executive Creative Director at Sunday Afternoon. Previously, Rich has held creative leadership roles at Jones Knowles Ritchie, MTV Entertainment Group, and Nike Inc.
In addition, he hosts the Webby Honoree podcast First Generation Burden, which focuses on intersectionality and diversity within the creative industry, and is co-founder of the COLORFUL awards with the One Club for Creativity, dedicated to creating opportunities for early career BIPOC creatives.
Tu's recent work, "Human Response," is an interactive exhibit about processing grief in the era of artificial intelligence, consisting of dynamic typographic compositions, augmented reality, and an animated short. The exhibit is open to the public until June 24th at Dot Gallery, located at 370 Broadway in SoHo. Curated by Ché Morales and presented by Sunday Afternoon.
Awards and honors include ADC Awards, D&AD, Webby Awards, Telly Awards, CLIOs, Cynopsis D Awards, PromaxBDA, The Shorty Awards, Power of Purpose Award, New York Festivals, ADC Young Guns, PRINT Magazine, American Photography, American Illustration, and The Society of Illustrators among others.
Clients and collaborators include The New York Times, The New Yorker, MINI, NIKE, A24, Budweiser, Paramount, Adidas, Converse, G-Shock, American Express, NPR, NorthFace Purple Label, Coca-Cola, Verizon, Skype, Fuse TV, Alfa Romeo, Bombay Sapphire, and Hamilton The Musical, among others. Also, he has exhibited at galleries and festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Miami.
HeadRoom with Karl Liapunov
This is one of Berger's favorite episodes of the year - go behind the scenes with a leading entrepreneur who left the U.S. for Norway to become the Head of Energy at one of the world's most prolific incubators. Karl is transparent, inspiring, and just downright likable.
Karl Liapunov grew up in Ridgefield, CT, with an American father and a Norwegian mother. During his time in high school, he was an avid volleyball player - winning two state championships and finishing his last season as the Player of the Year.
Upon graduating high school, he moved to Los Angeles, where he received his degree in International Relations and Global Business at USC and also spent time working for a number of startups. After 4 years in LA, Karl moved to Houston, Texas, to join the Energy Tech team at Tudor, Pickering, Holt - an energy-focused investment bank. While at TPH, Karl worked closely with companies that were developing new technologies to revolutionize the energy industry on M&A transactions and capital raising.
In 2021, Karl decided he wanted to work with startups that were focused on the energy transition and climate tech, and there was no better place to do that than in his mother's home country. So in August of 2021, Karl moved to Oslo. Today, he is the Head of Energy at Startuplab - Norway’s premier startup incubator and early-stage investor.
Outside of work, Karl continues to nurture his love of volleyball by playing on the Norwegian Beach Volleyball Tour and has found a new passion for exploring Norway’s natural beauty on a mountain bike.
Prior to joining GII, Preston held leadership positions in the public and private sectors. Preston served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and as the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, leading both federal agencies during times of national crisis.
He orchestrated successful turnarounds as the CEO of two private corporations, Oakleaf Global Holdings and Livingston International. He was also the CFO of two Fortune 500 companies — Waste Management and ServiceMaster — during times of significant change and restructuring for each company.
Preston is a member of Fast Company’s Impact Council and has been featured in the Associated Press, Forbes, The New York Times, and in The Wall Street Journal. He has also appeared on ABC’s “Pandemic,” Bloomberg TV, Cheddar, CNBC, C-SPAN, FOX Business‘ “Varney & Co.,” and Yahoo! Finance Live in addition to appearing on numerous radio shows, podcasts and YouTube series, including AEI‘s Hardly Working, Working Nation, Future of Work, Indeed‘s Here to Help, Partnering Leadership, and Accenture’s Change Conversations. Preston is a sought-after speaker on workforce development and skills for the future and has served as a keynote speaker for the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Corporate Citizenship Conference: Business Solves, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Talent Forward Conference, the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week, and the Tugboat Institute Summit.
Preston graduated with Highest Distinction from Northwestern University and holds an MBA from The University of Chicago. Preston currently serves on the Partnership for Public Service and Wheaton College Board of Trustees.
Follow @StevenCPreston on Twitter.
Jessie James Decker - Singer, songwriter, TV personality, fashion designer, beauty and lifestyle influencer/entrepreneur, and 2x New York Times best-selling author, Jessie James Decker has emerged as a multi-platform juggernaut juggling fashion brands like her personally designed Kittenish line with four retail stores and growing, along with her television hosting duties. Signed to Warner Music Nashville, Jessie’s passion for music has made the multi-talented artist one of music’s true breakout firebrands. The singer’s authentic style immediately captivated listeners everywhere on her 2009 self-titled debut. She continued to keep it real with her second studio album, 2017’s Southern Girl City Lights, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Now it’s onto a new musical chapter of growth and empowerment with The Woman I’ve Become EP. This year, Jessie was a fan favorite competing on the most recent season of Dancing With Stars, proving she really can do it all. Jessie lives with her husband, retired NFL player Eric Decker, and their three children, in Nashville, Tennessee.
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw spends time with Dr. Rod Berger to discuss life after football, his time in front of the camera, retirement, horses, family, and entrepreneurship. Bradshaw is his usually affable self engaging Berger in an in-depth and revealing conversation. The interview takes twists and turns to land on his role as a brand, his products, and his vision for a good life.
HeadRoom with Aubrey Flynn - Aubrey Flynn, who after 15 years of working across A-listers’ brand portfolios including Diddy (Ciroc), Snoop Dogg (Indoggo), Charles Barkley (Redmont), etc. is excited to announce the launch of his own streetwear brand, Goals Supply. The collection features headwear, hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts, joggers, shorts, and footwear which includes a QR code on the clothing tags. The QR codes bring users to the Goals App, which offers up-and-coming entrepreneurs a roadmap to success. Flynn is looking to inspire up-and-coming entrepreneurs through this platform by offering tech, tools, and training under one roof, allowing them the freedom to grow their businesses on their own terms, quickly and affordably. Goals stands for “Get Over All Limits Successfully” and incorporates streetwear staples with accessibility to software, technology, tools, and training for brand building, which allows users to schedule social media posts, send SMS messages and emails to customers, revamp their website with WordPress, and list their business on search engines such as Google, and more. The Goals Supply collection features a sustainable, relaxed fit, and moisture-wicking garments are crafted from organic materials, recycled materials, or made in the USA and are great staples for everyday wear. The Goals Supply apparel is available for purchase exclusively at goalssupply.com. The Goals Supply App is available for download on the Google Play and App stores.
Rogers Sithole & Hardeep Gulati join Dr. Rod Berger for this episode of HeadRoom. Gulati, the CEO of PowerSchool, and Sithole, the Chairman and Education Managing Director at OneConnect, stop by to talk about education across the African continent and the collaboration that aims to change the trajectory for millions of young people.
Gulati was recently named 2021 EdTech Company CEO of the Year by EdTech Breakthrough, and The Software Report recently ranked Gulati number five on its list of 50 SaaS CEOs, where he was honored as the top-ranking education software CEO within the list of prestigious executives. Gulati has also been the recipient of EdTech Digest’s EdTech Leadership/CEO Award and named executive of the year for two consecutive years by the Business Intelligence Group’s BIG Awards for Business.
Sithole, armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and in Computational & Applied Mathematics, furthered his studies at Wits University, where he attained an Honours Degree in Computer Science and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management.
With over 13 years of experience managing high-level, multi-national organizations, he is an incredible communicator, capable of building long-lasting relationships with management, clients, and partners.
Background information on the partnership:
PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC), the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America, today announced the expansion of its Global channel partner initiative, the PowerPartner Program, with the program’s first channel partner in Africa, OneConnect. OneConnect is an innovative provider of turnkey technology services and solutions in South Africa and throughout the African continent.
The PowerPartner Program leverages PowerSchool’s regional channel partners to support localized marketing, sales, and customer deployment efforts. As the first channel partner in Africa, OneConnect will help grow PowerSchool’s customer base in South Africa and throughout the region and is expected to help the company serve more than 500,000 students across the continent in the next year.
“We are excited to announce our partnership with OneConnect,” said Hardeep Gulati, CEO of PowerSchool. “We’ve seen the innovative impact of OneConnect’s technology services and solutions and know they are the right partner to expand our support to the over 240 million students enrolled in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.”
Read more about the collaboration!
HeadRoom with Zaid Tahabsem. A very poignant look at educational leadership through the lens of a father-son relationship from Amman, Jordan. Tahabsem is the Chief Business Development Officer at ITG and a part of the leadership team at the World Refugee School. I got an inside look at a man beyond his years committed to making a difference not just in his homeland but across the globe. I hope you enjoy this conversation - one of my favorites of the last year. -Rod
Mozverse Background
Our Values
We believe that web3 should be fully transparent and open to everyone. Recent high-profile failures in the crypto industry have demonstrated the dangers of small, centralized groups operating in secrecy. While incumbent players with deep pockets try to replicate the walled-garden approach of web2 in web3, we believe that web3 requires a more level playing field.
What We Do
We provide the tools businesses need to deploy web3 products and services to their target market.
Who We Serve
We do not limit ourselves to a specific size of the organization. Our target firms could be startups or Fortune 500 companies. What connects them is a desire to solve problems such as building products and engaging customers in the meta-economy, or adapting their existing business to web3.
Check out Dr. Berger's Recent Article in Forbes about the Mozverse HERE
HeadRoom with Halle Stanford, President of Television at The Jim Henson Company.
Stanford joined The Jim Henson Company in 1993 and worked on beloved Muppet projects like Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets Tonight, Bear in the Big Blue House, Animal Jam, and The Hoobs, as well as the sci-fi cult classic Farscape. In 2000, Stanford founded 7 Crow Stories, her own company specializing in original children’s content, fantasy storytelling, and rebranding classic franchises. Some of her clients over the next three years included Disney Junior, Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers Studios, Classic Media, and The Jim Henson Company. She created and produced Jim Henson’s Animal Jam and Classic Media’s Pat the Bunny, as well as overseeing the production of Krypto the Super Dog and Baby Looney Toons for Warner Brothers Animation. In 2003, Stanford returned to The Jim Henson Company to build up the television and digital franchises of the Company and establish its creative culture following the sale of the Muppets brand to The Walt Disney Company.
Stanford is a Primetime Emmy Award-winning, eleven-time Emmy-nominated children’s television producer, recipient of the Cynopsis Top Women In Media Award C Corporate Visionary, Cynopsis Kids !magination Award in Content Leadership, and for the last sixteen years has garnered over 100 honors around the globe for the Company’s programming, including Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Emmy Awards, The Norman Lear Center’s Sentinel Awards, NAPPA Honors Award – National Parents Publications Awards, Parent’s Choice Awards – Gold Honor, Banff World Media Festival – Rockie Award Grand Prize, Kidscreen Awards – Finalist, Prix Jeunesse Catalogue, Cynopsis Kids – !magination Awards, The Humane Society of The United States – Genesis Awards, Japan Prize, CINE – Golden Eagle Award, and Common Sense Media – 10 Best TV Role Models. She has also judged the International Emmy Kids Awards and the Rockie Awards for Preschool Programming for the Banff World Media Festival.
In addition to creating children’s media, Stanford has co-authored the children’s book series Jim Henson’s Enchanted Sisters, a collection of fantastical comedy-adventure stories published by Bloomsbury. She has written numerous articles on kids and family entertainment for publications such as TBI, PBS Parents, Cynopsis Kids, NAPS, and Mother Magazine. She is a proud mom to two sons (ages 11 and 24!), holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Theater from Wesleyan University, is on the board of directors for the Independent Shakespeare Company, proud of her Jewish heritage and on the Advisory Board for the Creative Community for Peace, and is on an endless quest to enrich the lives of children and families around the globe.
Slumberkins is a wonderful show for children streaming on AppleTV+. By emphasizing positivity, connection, and authenticity, Slumberkins supports a strong foundation for lifelong emotional wellness.
Get the inside scoop on two moms, a dream, and countless trips to find material. Slumberkins is produced by the Jim Henson Company and extends resources beyond the show and into the hands of parents and educators across the country.
Songwriter and producer Scott Storch sits down with Berger in Miami at his home studio. Storch joined up with Roots in 1994. The group’s first album Organix leaned heavily on Storch’s distinctive use of the Fender Rhodes and would help define their sound. Storch’s playing eventually led him to Dr. Dre, for whom he came up with the classic piano riff that propels the 1999 hit “Still D.R.E.” Storch went on to produce hit records for the likes of Beyoncé, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, and Justin Timberlake, becoming one of the most sought after producers of the mid-’00s. His infamous party lifestyle eventually led to Storch entering rehab in 2009 and filing for bankruptcy in 2015. He has returned to the music industry with more drive and inspiration than ever, working with some of the most exciting names in modern rap, including Young Thug, Russ, and Trippie Red.
HeadRoom wtih Yousef Hamidaddin is a special episode of HeadRoom. Dr. Rod Berger visited with Hamidaddin in Jordan to discuss family heritage, culture, and the evolution of technology and inspiration around the globe. Hamidaddin is a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad the founder of Islam. Sit back, relax and enjoy one of Dr. Berger's favorite interviews over the last year.
Yousef Hamidaddin has worked as an advisor to The World Bank, The Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund (“ISSF”) which managed a $98 million fund, making investments in innovative startups and early stage SMEs. He was a board member of ICTAC (ICT Advisory Council) to the Minister of ICT in Jordan, a board member of Int@j (Information & Communication Association of Jordan) which is a voluntary non-profit, private organization representing, promoting and advancing the Jordanian software and IT services industry in the global market.
An advisor, and frequent speaker on innovation, entrepreneurship, & acceleration, with a love for curating photo exhibitions, and collecting photos on his region, Yousef has made an incredible impact not only on Jordan, but the world as a whole.
Tappan Collective co-founder, Chelsea Neman Nassib, launched her business in 2012 with a unique vision - to connect leading, emerging artists to new and seasoned collectors across the world while supporting artists to explore and evolve their practice fully.
Her mission is to reinvent the approach to discovering and collecting contemporary art, going beyond the traditional art paradigm to showcase exceptional emerging talent through digital content, art exhibitions, and strategic partnerships.
Transparency in price and availability of the work are the two key cornerstones of Tappan's business model.
To view their collection or to buy a new piece, visit their website here: www.tappancollective.com
HeadRoom with Walid Tahabsem
After receiving his B.Sc. in Computer Science from Yarmouk University in Jordan, he founded Integrated Technology Group back in 1989. Today, as ITG President & CEO, Mr. Tahabsem leads one of the most successful IT companies offering quality end-to-end products and services for the education and public sectors worldwide.
Over the years, Mr. Tahabsem has been an active member of a number of key national boards, councils, and associations, including; Jordan’s National Agenda, Jordan’s Board of Education, Jordan University for Science and Technology (JUST) Advisory Council, German Jordan University (GJU) Advisory Council, Information Technology Association of Jordan (INT@J) Board, and Jordan’s Youth Development Program INJAZ. Mr. Tahabsem currently serves on the Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein School Board and Jordan’s ICT Advisory Council and is also a member of the Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF).
He also serves on the “Endeavor” Board of Directors due to his belief in the active role they play in enhancing the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He is also a co-founder and a board member of the Oasis500 (now VentureX), the region’s premier education and counselor-driven seed investment program. In addition, he is an active member of Saudi Al-Aghar Thinktank, a nonprofit and independent Think-Tank aiming to transform Saudi Arabia into a Knowledge Society.
Mr. Tahabsem is a Board Member of Naua, an initiative run by the Crown Prince Foundation, designed to increase charitable work and develop a sense of community responsibility. He is also a board member of the National Tourism Council and the Military Credit Fund.
In recognition of his outstanding efforts and leadership in the Information Technology and Education sectors in Jordan, Mr. Tahabsem was awarded the Order of Independence by His Majesty King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein in 2015, becoming the first Jordanian honored in this category. He has also been granted a membership certificate from the Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in recognition of his scientific and technical efforts.
Alexander Albon is a Thai-British racing driver for Williams Racing in the 2022 Formula One World Championship.
Alex started racing at the age of 8, racing karts in the Honda Cadet class from 2005. His karting success snowballed from the off, Albon had the remarkable record of not finishing outside the Top 3 in any championship he competed in from 2006 - 2011.
From the 2012 season onwards, he graduated to single-seaters. Alex's highlights in Formula car racing have come in the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, where he was 3rd overall and the 2016 GP3 Series, which saw him finish 2nd overall - just behind Champion Charles Leclerc.
Alex joined Williams Racing for the 2022 season.
At the YPO I had the opportunity to meet up with many of the worlds leading entrepreneurs and CEOs. Today I talk to Harry Sanders, the Founder and Director of Studiohawk, a London based SEO specialist agency.
Founded in 2019, StudioHawk London is dedicated to search engine optimisation. Their SEO services are responsive, ethical, authentic, and delivered by a genuinely passionate and diverse team of SEO specialists in Melbourne and London. The journey of StudioHawk has been on BBC World News, Forbes, SmartCompany, and dozens of other publications.
The YPO is an organization that was founded in the 1950's, with over 30,000 members globally across 142 countries. They are a global leadership community of extraordinary chief executives that share their experiences and learnings in order to become better leaders and better people.
Simon Cohen, President, and CEO of Henco Global sat down with Dr. Rod Berger at YPO in New York this month. The man who famously quips people over profits talks about his history as a leader and the events that led to his overt affection for the role happiness plays in our personal and professional lives.
“When you press the pause button on a machine it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings, they start.” -Dov Seidman
Dov Seidman is a successful entrepreneur and CEO, best-selling author and writer, and a teacher.
He has devoted his life and professional career to making philosophy and philosophical frameworks practical in the business arena and across all sectors of society on a global scale.
Seidman is the author of the New York Times best-seller “HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything,” which offers a philosophical framework for individual and organizational behavior in a world that is increasingly interconnected and interdependent.
Jost Capito is the current CEO of Williams Racing and their F1 Team Principal.
Jost Joined Williams Racing as their CEO in December 2020, and was appointed Team Principal in June of 2021 after the team had a hard run and was struggling to produce results.
He has come in with the mindset that "Second is just the first loser." in order to produce drive within his team.
Dominance MMA Founder and President, Ali Abdelaziz, can be seen at almost every UFC event, representing many top athletes in MMA, and has been for the past couple of decades.
He has been representing Khabib Nurmagomedov up until Khabib's retirement and he has a plethora of contacts throughout the industry and has formed some amazing relationships throughout his journey.
If Ali isn’t with his family or negotiating contracts, you will find him on the mats rolling with his clients. Not often do you see a manager on the mats, but Ali isn’t your typical manager. He can relate to his clients on a different level, which has given Dominance a family-like culture.
DJ Cassidy has been at the nexus of culture for over half his living years as the definitive deejay of music impresarios, entertainment moguls, fashion icons, nightlife innovators, and world leaders.
When President Barack Obama wanted a deejay for both his Inaugurations, his fiftieth birthday, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s fiftieth birthday at The White House, there's only one person he called.
When Oprah Winfrey opened her school on New Year's Eve in South Africa, there’s only one person she called.
When Jay Z and Beyonce hosted their wedding, there's only one person they called.
When Sean “Diddy” Combs celebrated his 50th birthday, there’s only one person he called.
When Jennifer Lopez celebrated her 50th birthday, there’s only one person she called.
And when Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Robin Thicke toured the world, there’s only one person they called.
There is a reason why DJ Cassidy is at the forefront of his field and he speaks to me today on the ways that he leaves space to create something unique.
Brad Woodgate, Founder & CEO of No Sugar Co and Joyburst sits down with Dr. Rod Berger to discuss the 5:00 a.m. meeting that changed the trajectory for this no-nonsense, endlessly optimistic entrepreneur. After building two companies with meteoric growth Woodgate took a professional leap and landed on stage. Woodgate shares what family life was like growing up and what he learned about sharing a stage with 90s iconic music legend, Vanilla Ice.
Pete Hall s the author of 10 books on education and leadership, and has recently published his Young Adult novel, Chasing The Show.
Chasing The Show follows the ups and downs of 18-year-old Anthony Sumner’s quest of becoming a professional athlete.
For young adult readers, it’s relatable. The dream, the relationships, the successes, the failures…all part of the messy reality of growing up. The fun, the awkwardness, the uncertainty…it’s all there.
For grown-up readers, the author brings his educational background to use by weaving in discussions and interactions with educators, coaches, parents, and Anthony’s peers to help him navigate his path, to embrace a Plan B, and to better understand himself.
As an added bonus, Chasing the Show comes with a link to free online discussion guides – one for young adult readers, one for not-so-young adult readers – to facilitate the communication, dialogue, and reflection needed to take the many lessons life teaches us and put them to use.
No matter what your entry point is, this story is sure to leave you entertained and equip you for the journey ahead.
In this special episode I speak with Moussa Sene, who has seen the impact that Thread has had on the surrounding area, acting as both an artist residency and socio-cultural center.
Moussa talks on the good that Thread has brought with it since its inception in 2013. It's creator had the idea that Art is everywhere, not just in Western, urban capitals.
Thread has created an independent culture where local and international artists can live and work in Sinthian, a rural village in Tambacounda, the southeastern region of Senegal.
Deepak Chopra is a very well known figure in the health and wellness space.
He is the founder of the Chopra Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization whose aim is to improve the health and well-being, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, expansion of the consciousness, and promoting world peace to all members of the human family.
He is a world renown pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation and Author of over 90 books, 23 of which are New York Times bestsellers, that have been translated into 43 languages. Time magazine has described him as "One of the top 100 heroes or icons of the last century."
The conversation today hits so hard and so differently.
Listen in as I speak to Deepak and he expands my mind, and yours.
Today is a special one, I speak with both Metta World Peace and Alex Bayer.
Alex Bayer is the CEO of Genius Juice, a brand of organic drinks made with only the ingredients in their names.
The brand may sound familiar. That's because Alex managed to bag an incredible deal on The Shark Tank back in 2020, but eventually turned it down in order to crowd fund. Now Genius Juice can be found in Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Natural Grocer's and many more.
Metta World Peace is an NBA champion, having played with the biggest teams since 1999 where he played for 2 and a half years with the Chicago Bulls, moving on to the likes of the Lakers, Knicks, and Kings to name a few. Metta World Peace joined Genius Juice as an investor and ambassador, and in turn, Genius Juice are sponsoring the XvsX sports basketball league, providing drinks to teams and guests alike.
Gustavo Gutierrez is paving the way to combine the financial sectors in North America with his incredible new FinTech business, Broxel.
Broxel is changing the way that Mexico and The United States interacts, by allowing its users to have accounts in both Mexico and in the US within one app, with no fees from transferring money between the two, as if transferring between your own checking accounts.
His goal is to remove barriers, to allow new companies to enter the market and to take advantage of this tech revolution he forsees.
Guy Fieri talks to be today, beginning with his partnership with a previous guest, Sammy Hagar, in creating a gourmet and high quality Tequila business. Starting off with a Kool-Aid stand, and hustling sweets from his own little store as a child, Guy has always been in the business of food. From starting his TV career, to going into the alcohol business, if it is to do with a culinary experience then Guy has been there and been a part of it.
I talk with Charles Barkley today, a former NBA player known as "The Round Mound of Rebound". Charles Barkley is on of the NBA's most dominant rebounders. In the 1986-87 series, Barkley led the season with the highest rebound average earning him his first NBA rebound title.
Barkley then went on to compete in two Olympic games for the USA in basketball, earning gold medals in both.
He retired in 2000 as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists. Only 3 more players in the last 22 years have joined the elusive 20k/10k/4k club.
A big thank you to Sammy Hagar for this interview.
Sammy Hagar is the second lead vocalist for the Rock band Van Halen for 11 years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. In this interview he talks about transitioning from Rock Star fame into making top shelf spirits starting with Cabo Wabo Tequila.
Hagar founded the Cabo Wabo tequila brand and restaurant chain, as well as Sammy's Beach Bar rum shortly after.
His current musical projects include being the lead singer of "Chickenfoot" and "Sammy Hagar and the Circle." Hagar also is the host of Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar on Mark Cuban's cable network AXS TV.
Natasha Graziano is the 'number 1 female motivational speaker under 40' as seen in Forbes Magazine, a top female mindset coach by Business Insider and named ‘a leading mindset coach and inspirational speaker’ by Kourtney Kardashian’s Poosh Magazine.
Today I speak with her about her incredible growth to 15 million followers on social media, her transformation from a broke, single mother to best-selling Author and motivational speaker, and her perception of what success REALLY means.
In this episode I am joined by Divya Gokulnath, an Indian entrepreneur, an educator who co-founded BYJU'S, an educational technology company, and one half of the incredible power couple that is Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath.
At first, the company offered in-person education to support school education, and in 2015, launched an online app with video lessons.
Divya has appeared in videos as a teacher and during the COVID-19 lockdown in India, Divya managed user experience, content, and brand marketing for BYJU'S.
She led BYJU's free access to its educational content so students could continue learning from home during the pandemic.
BYJUs reportedly added 13.5 million users in March and April 2020, for a total of 50 million, and reached 70 million students by September 2020, with 4.5 million subscribers.
Check out the story in Forbes that originated from my in-depth interview with Divya Gokulnath of BYJU'S.
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Today I talk with Vanilla Ice, a rapper that has managed to stay relevant for the past 30 years.
Everyone knows the name somehow, and different generations react to the name in different ways, how about you?
Listen in to my conversation with Vanilla Ice to get a insight into his childhood and to hear his viewpoints on the rap industry, ego in artists, overuse of tech, and his view on the erasure of current pop culture.
Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Ice's debut album "To The Extreme" became the fastest selling hip-hop album of all time, spending sixteen weeks and his explosive success has meant he has been credited with helping to diversify hip-hop by introducing it to a mainstream audience.
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Dr. Rod Berger speaks with Graham Bensinger, American journalist and entrepreneur known best for his eponymous show In Depth.
Graham epitomises entrepreneur although the label doesn't fit comfortably. Having found his path at the age of 14, he's just kept going and hasn't looked back. That doesn't mean its been easy. Recounting moments where it was do or die, he managed to maintain composure and steer his own ship through wild seas.
Dr. Berger dives into the story behind Graham, from how he formed a brand around himself, how he manages stress and learned to build resilience, and how, ultimately, he set his own path to success.
HeadRoom with Mario Lopez
Check out the full interview with Mario Lopez that prompted my Forbes article on his involvement with Broxel.
"I'm a child of immigrants, my parents are from Mexico, and they instilled a solid work ethic. They were blue-collar folks, my dad worked for the city, and my mom worked for the phone company. I was a border town kid in Chula Vista. I used to see Tijuana from my yard, and I loved it. I wouldn't change a thing. It's like I had a foot in both worlds," says Lopez.
Jermaine Dupri, Hall of Fame songwriter, Grammy award winner, and producer, knows that his 'next' will require even more effort if he is to succeed. Dupri has worked with the Mount Rushmore of hip-hop, R&B, and pop for over two decades, and a fateful conversation with the artist Babyface served as the ignition point for him to try something entirely different: JD's Vegan, a line of vegan desserts. We spoke at length about his company and how he approaches challenges whether he is in the boardroom or the recording booth.
HeadRoom with Khabib Nurmagomedov
The Eagle and UFC Hall of Famer sits down with Dr. Rod Berger to discuss life outside of the octagon, starting his own league, and what home means to him.
HeadRoom with Naveen Jain - the backstory to my Entrepreneur Mag article.
Founder & CEO, Viome
Naveen is an intensely curious entrepreneur who is not afraid to take on the audacious ideas that will push humanity forward. He is the author of the award-winning book Moonshots: Creating a World of Abundance. His current moonshot adventures are Viome and Moon Express. As a serial entrepreneur, he previously founded InfoSpace, Intelius, and TalentWise.
Viome’s singular mission is to “make illness optional.” Viome has built an AI-driven platform that analyzes the interaction between food, our microbiome, and our human cells in order to develop precision nutrition to prevent and reverse chronic diseases.
In addition to his current moonshots, he is the Vice-Chairman of the Board at Singularity University, where he focuses on educating and inspiring leaders to utilize innovative technologies to address humanity’s greatest challenges. He is also on the Board of the XPRIZE Foundation, an organization that uses incentivized prize competition to push the limits of what’s possible — to change the world for the better.
Naveen has been the recipient of many honors for his entrepreneurial successes. These include: “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young, “Most Creative Person” by Fast Company, “Top 20 Entrepreneurs” & “Lifetime Achievement Award” for leadership by Red Herring. “Medal of Honor” by Ellis Island, and “Top 50 Philanthropists” by Town & Country Magazine.
HeadRoom with Jenson Button
Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button MBE began his racing career on the karting track where he achieved instant success, Winning the British Super Prix in 1989, aged nine. The following year he made the step from karts to cars. He won the British Formula Ford championship, with nine wins for Haywood Racing, and triumphed in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival ahead of Dan Wheldon and Nicolas Kiesa. After such a successful transition to racing cars, he won the 1998 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. At 19 he entered the British Formula Three championship with Promatecme and won three races, finishing the year as the top rookie, third overall behind Marc Hynes and Luciano Burti. Jenson got his big break in Formula 1 in 2000 with Williams Racing. He became the youngest British driver to start an F1 race, aged just 20 years and 53 days, as he made his debut in Australia. That year, he produced some standout performances including finishing fourth at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, in addition to stunning the Formula One paddock by qualifying third for the Belgian Grand Prix. Jenson’s maiden Grand Prix victory came in 2006 as he won a remarkable Hungarian Grand Prix after starting 14th on the grid. Jenson arrived at McLaren as reigning world champion in 2010 and immediately got off to a great start with wins in Australia and China. He continued with McLaren Honda until the end of the 2017 season, where he played a critical part in developing and improving the technical package. In January 2021, Jenson joined Williams Racing as Brand Ambassador on a multi-year deal, 21 years after he first raced for the team. Jenson also launched JBXE to compete in the all-electric SUV off-road racing series Extreme E from the 2021 season.
HeadRoom with Gibson Guitar's CEO James 'JC' Curleigh. JC takes us back to the early days of his career describing the moments that transformed iconic, global brands, and his life. An incredibly thoughtful leader who isn't afraid to have an opinion or pick up a guitar and play - a treat of an interview for music fans, entrepreneurs, and lovers of story.
Last year I had the opportunity to spend time with Byju & Divya. I share their first names because they are becoming the leaders of global education as a power couple and leadership of the ever-growing BYJUs. I had readers ask to hear the story, so I decided to go down memory lane and read the original Forbes article for HeadRoom. I hope you enjoy it! -Rod
A MacArthur Fellow and Fields Medal winner, Terence Tao, Ph.D., was studying university-level math by age 9. The Australian mathematician known as the most accomplished mathematician in the world received the Fields Medal in 2006 “for his contributions to partial differential equations, combinatorics, harmonic analysis, and additive number theory.” Tao now has his own MasterClass to teach the masses what it is like to be in his mind.
HeadRoom with Irshad Manji - a behind-the-scenes conversation that spurred the recent Forbes article, Corporate First Responders Go Back To School
Irshad is the founder of the Moral Courage Network. A prize-winning leadership professor at New York University for many years, she now teaches with the Oxford Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights.
The recipient of Oprah's "Chutzpah Award" for boldness, Irshad is also a New York Times bestselling author. Her latest book is Don't Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars. (Fun fact: Chris Rock calls the book "genius." Another fun fact: Not everybody agrees with Chris Rock.)
Irshad lives in New York City.
HeadRoom with Ellen Sigal
Ellen V. Sigal, PhD, is Chairperson and Founder of Friends of Cancer Research (Friends). Friends is an advocacy organization based in Washington, DC that drives collaboration among partners from every healthcare sector to power advances in science, policy, and regulation that speed life-saving treatments to patients. For more than two decades, Friends has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of policies ensuring patients receive the best treatments in the fastest and safest way possible.
Dr. Sigal is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Reagan-Udall Foundation, a partnership designed to modernize medical product development, accelerate innovation and enhance product safety in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She serves on the Board of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, where she chairs its Public Private Partnerships Committee.
In 2010, Dr. Sigal was appointed to the inaugural Board of Governors of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) as a representative of patients and health consumers and was recently reappointed to another six-year term.
Additionally, in 2016 Dr. Sigal was named to Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel, to the Parker Institute for Immunotherapy Advisory Group and joined the inaugural board of advisors for the George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health.
She also holds leadership positions with a broad range of cancer advocacy, public policy organizations and academic health centers including: MD Anderson Cancer Center External Advisory Board, the Duke University Cancer Center Board of Overseers, and The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center Advisory Council.
HeadRoom with Aaron Rasmussen
Aaron Rasmussen is the co-founder of MasterClass and founder and CEO of Outlier.org. He is an entrepreneur, inventor, and game designer who has founded and led successful companies across the robotics, beverages, gaming, and education industries.
Having grown up in a Brooklyn tenement, Gerry Sigal knows what it’s like to be disadvantaged and discounted. As a boy, he delivered groceries to earn money. He put himself through school, went to work for a New York construction company, and eventually settled in Washington, where he started his own successful business, Sigal Construction Corporation.
In 1995, he read in the paper that the bathrooms at many DC schools were unusable, and he was instantly returned to his roots. He contacted colleagues, clients, and friends, and Operation Spiffy John was born. By the time they were done, Sigal and company had rehabbed restrooms in 14 schools.
He also realized that while unemployment in the District was a chronic problem, public schools didn’t offer a vocational program to train kids for jobs in his own field. So he helped found DC Students Construction Trades Foundation and the public/private partnership that created the Academy of Construction & Design at Cardozo Education Campus. “Lots of young girls who didn’t think of this before are in the program,” Sigal says. “We’ve taught them to be carpenters, plumbers, electrical workers. Some have gone on to college.”
This year, he established an annual award for the outstanding Career and Technical Education student at the academy. The first winner, Treymane Chatman, was hired by Sigal’s company on graduating from Cardozo and became a registered apprentice after just 90 days.
Sigal also awards a scholarship to one District student to attend Parsons design school in New York. He’s on the National Building Museum board and helped rally support for constructing the BIG Maze that delighted museum visitors last summer. In addition, Sigal organized a relief fund to help families of 9/11 victims at the Pentagon. Appointed by President Clinton to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, he’s now co-developer of the new Holocaust archival-research-and-scholarship building to be built in Prince George’s County.
“I’m from the streets of Brooklyn,” Sigal says. “I’m very fortunate. I believe people have to give back.”
HeadRoom with Alvy Ray Smith explores the early days of Pixar, the heated exchanges with Steve Jobs and the incredible lengths Smith and others took to bring us digital in ways previously unimagined.
Del Reid, the co-founder of the famed Bills Mafia and founder of 26 Shirts, sits down with Dr. Rod Berger to talk about the origins of the phenomenon and impact he and others have made in and around Buffalo.
Bill's Mafia is the largest unofficial social movement around the Buffalo Bills team, even getting the team twitter to use the hashtag #billsmafia
26 Shirts is a social project that Del Reid has created in order to benefit families and charitable foundations in need. Their primary focus is needs associated with health/medical concerns, or unexpected family emergencies. 26 Shirts has raised over $1.4 million for charitable causes since launching.
Dr. Rod Berger speaks with Michelle Beadle, former host of popular ESPN programming such as SportsNation, about the transition to becoming an entrepreneur with her own podcast What Did I Miss? With Michelle Beadle.
Michelle recognizes the opportunities she's been presented in life, and when the Atlantic came enquiring about a joint venture podcast network, along with an associated homecoming to Texas, she seized it.
Dr. Berger investigates where Michelle's entrepreneurial spirit emerges from and how she navigates the anxiety that comes from doing it 'alone'. Ultimately, it's the passion Michelle has for sport and conversation and her desire to amplify those voices not being heard that drives her forward. The trust she holds within herself and her own abilities are what keeps her clear and focused on the path ahead.
Dr. Rod Berger speaks with Nick Swinmurn, the founder of Zappos, about the relationship we all have with success.
Success means different things to different people. For Nick, however, its purely doing what he wants to do. True entrepreneurship, for Nick, comes from chasing the spark ignited from within your authentic self. Not money, nor notoriety, but meaning.
Dr. Berger uncovers the realities of being an entrepreneur where Nick has been forced to pivot his plans, trust his gut, and continue forward despite being beset by the pressures of expected, continual success. With his wealth of experience to pull on Nick explains how he is approaching his new venture Moons of Mars and how he is living his own advice to budding entrepreneurs by not getting too attached to the project and growing the confidence within, detached from output.
Welcome to HeadRoom
HeadRoom explores deep into the minds of those on the frontiers of our society. Uncovering the 'why' behind acclaimed contributors forging their path through life and those new souls just stepping beyond the crowd.
Investigating the source of inspiration that drove those who have gone before us, Headroom hopes to inspire the 'next' in us. Join Dr. Rod Berger, PsyD, uncover the stories seldom told and add richness to the narratives within our own lives.