MENTOR dna: Recent Episodes
meesh pierce
MENTOR dna is hosted by Meesh Pierce, a former tech executive, who brings you into personal conversations with her c-suite friends. They discuss what makes them tick, lessons they’ve learned through their successes and failures, and memories shared through the decades spent growing up in their careers. MENTOR dna is your backstage pass to learning from these inspirational leaders. https://mentordna.io
Pilar Ramos serves as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of TelevisaUnivision, Inc. In this role, she leads the Law, Compliance, Government Affairs, Business & Legal Affairs, Standards & Practices, and Rights Management functions. She is a core member of the company’s executive leadership team and serves as secretary to the Board. Ms. Ramos joined the company during a pivotal moment, navigating a major strategic merger that resulted in the creation of TelevisaUnivision, now recognized as the world’s leading Spanish-language media and content company.
Before joining TU in 2021, Ms. Ramos held several senior positions at Mastercard, most recently as Executive Vice President & General Counsel, North America—the company’s largest business unit. Prior
to that role, she served as Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy & Regulatory Strategy Counsel, leading a global advocacy team on public policy and regulatory matters across diverse markets, spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, and Latin America. In that role, Ms. Ramos played a key role in addressing global trade in data and services, market access and competition law issues, and financial regulation matters. Prior to her long tenure at Mastercard, she served as General Counsel of a start-up marketplace, residing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and as corporate counsel at DIRECTV Latin America.
Ms. Ramos began her legal career as an associate in the corporate group at Simpson Thacher, in both the New York City and London offices.
Ms. Ramos earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as an Executive Editor of The Law Review. She earned her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in International
Relations and French from Penn. As part of her undergraduate work, she studied at l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques & Sciences in Paris, France.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ms. Ramos is deeply committed to leveraging diversity for the betterment of business and society. She is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, serves as Co-Chair of the Penn Law Alumni Advisory Board on Equity and Inclusion, and holds positions on the Board of LatinoJustice and the Board of Advisors of the University of Miami Law School’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Program. She also remains an advisor to the Board of the YWCA Greenwich, on which she previously served. A passionate and practical leader, Ms. Ramos serves as a generous mentor through various channels, including The 30% Club, and advocates for diversity in the legal profession, particularly in leadership roles, including through her involvement in The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.
Ms. Ramos has been honored with leadership recognitions, including the Legal Momentum Aiming High Award, Council of Urban Professionals Change Agent Award, Corporate Counsel National
Transformational Leadership Award, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Legal Champion of the Arts Award, Latino Justice Lucero Award, Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award, and Penn Law Women’s Association Award.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Pilar Ramos serves as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of TelevisaUnivision, Inc. In this role, she leads the Law, Compliance, Government Affairs, Business & Legal Affairs, Standards & Practices, and Rights Management functions. She is a core member of the company’s executive leadership team and serves as secretary to the Board. Ms. Ramos joined the company during a pivotal moment, navigating a major strategic merger that resulted in the creation of TelevisaUnivision, now recognized as the world’s leading Spanish-language media and content company.
Before joining TU in 2021, Ms. Ramos held several senior positions at Mastercard, most recently as Executive Vice President & General Counsel, North America—the company’s largest business unit. Prior
to that role, she served as Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy & Regulatory Strategy Counsel, leading a global advocacy team on public policy and regulatory matters across diverse markets, spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, and Latin America. In that role, Ms. Ramos played a key role in addressing global trade in data and services, market access and competition law issues, and financial regulation matters. Prior to her long tenure at Mastercard, she served as General Counsel of a start-up marketplace, residing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and as corporate counsel at DIRECTV Latin America.
Ms. Ramos began her legal career as an associate in the corporate group at Simpson Thacher, in both the New York City and London offices.
Ms. Ramos earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as an Executive Editor of The Law Review. She earned her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in International
Relations and French from Penn. As part of her undergraduate work, she studied at l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques & Sciences in Paris, France.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ms. Ramos is deeply committed to leveraging diversity for the betterment of business and society. She is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, serves as Co-Chair of the Penn Law Alumni Advisory Board on Equity and Inclusion, and holds positions on the Board of LatinoJustice and the Board of Advisors of the University of Miami Law School’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Program. She also remains an advisor to the Board of the YWCA Greenwich, on which she previously served. A passionate and practical leader, Ms. Ramos serves as a generous mentor through various channels, including The 30% Club, and advocates for diversity in the legal profession, particularly in leadership roles, including through her involvement in The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.
Ms. Ramos has been honored with leadership recognitions, including the Legal Momentum Aiming High Award, Council of Urban Professionals Change Agent Award, Corporate Counsel National
Transformational Leadership Award, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Legal Champion of the Arts Award, Latino Justice Lucero Award, Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award, and Penn Law Women’s Association Award.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
This episode was recorded in Sept 2022 with my high school friend Dr. David Deyhimy, an anesthesiologist who specializes in addiction medicine. He's Founder and Medical Director of MyMATClinic and also practices in private practice as an anesthesiologist in Orange County, CA. We walk through his career path as I do with all of my MENTOR dna guests. We also spend some time discussing opioid usage disorder, more commonly known as opioid addiction.
Dr. Deyhimy got into medical school and thrived. As a thoracic anesthesiologist, he earned his spot as chief resident and moved his young family to start life in private practice. After a few years, Dr. Deyhimy was making great money but was stumped as to why he wasn't feeling fulfilled. He realized that his day-to-day grind wasn't totally aligned with what really drove him to be a doctor. He wanted to do more.
During a late night in the pperating room with a nurse friend, he listened to her chat about her son's heroin addiction and the medications he was using to stay sober. Dr. Deyhimy's interest was piqued.
His research led to studying the neuroscience of addiction. Brain chemistry and connections change, quickly transforming people from being casual users to those who will do anything to simply feel "ok."
Sadly, the illicit drug distribution landscape has changed dramatically in the past 5 years, so Dr. Deyhimy walks us through how to prepare to keep our family and friends safe from the recreational drugs that are almost all laced with fentanyl.
Dr. Deyhimy is an incredible leader in the addiction medicine space and we also chat about how a slight change in mindset can take a seemingly bad experience into one that unlocks tremendous learning and growth.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
This episode was recorded in Sept 2022 with my high school friend Dr. David Deyhimy, an anesthesiologist who specializes in addiction medicine. He's Founder and Medical Director of MyMATClinic and also practices in private practice as an anesthesiologist in Orange County, CA. We walk through his career path as I do with all of my MENTOR dna guests. We also spend some time discussing opioid usage disorder, more commonly known as opioid addiction.
Dr. Deyhimy got into medical school and thrived. As a thoracic anesthesiologist, he earned his spot as chief resident and moved his young family to start life in private practice. After a few years, Dr. Deyhimy was making great money but was stumped as to why he wasn't feeling fulfilled. He realized that his day-to-day grind wasn't totally aligned with what really drove him to be a doctor. He wanted to do more.
During a late night in the pperating room with a nurse friend, he listened to her chat about her son's heroin addiction and the medications he was using to stay sober. Dr. Deyhimy's interest was piqued.
His research led to studying the neuroscience of addiction. Brain chemistry and connections change, quickly transforming people from being casual users to those who will do anything to simply feel "ok."
Sadly, the illicit drug distribution landscape has changed dramatically in the past 5 years, so Dr. Deyhimy walks us through how to prepare to keep our family and friends safe from the recreational drugs that are almost all laced with fentanyl.
Dr. Deyhimy is an incredible leader in the addiction medicine space and we also chat about how a slight change in mindset can take a seemingly bad experience into one that unlocks tremendous learning and growth.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Since January 2016, Ms. Lowe has been the CEO of CLowe Advisors, LLC, a strategic consulting firm specializing in capital strategy for consumer focused business. Prior to founding CLowe Advisors, LLC, Ms. Lowe was a Managing Director at Imperial Capital, LLC from 2007 to 2015. At Imperial, she founded the annual Imperial Capital Consumer Conference in 2009 which featured branded consumer companies and consumer focused private equity investors. Prior to Imperial, Ms. Lowe was the Co-Founder & Head of Consumer Practice at USBX Advisory Services, LLC from 2000 to 2007.
Ms. Lowe was a Corporate Finance Associate at Goldman, Sachs & Co from 1998 to 2000 and a Financial Analyst in Investment Banking and Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs from 1993 to 1996.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Burch Barrell, she is an Advisory Board member at Clare V., a Board Member and Finance Chair of the Pacifica Christian High School; and Finance Committee Member of the Park Century School. Ms. Lowe received a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, a BS in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Since January 2016, Ms. Lowe has been the CEO of CLowe Advisors, LLC, a strategic consulting firm specializing in capital strategy for consumer focused business. Prior to founding CLowe Advisors, LLC, Ms. Lowe was a Managing Director at Imperial Capital, LLC from 2007 to 2015. At Imperial, she founded the annual Imperial Capital Consumer Conference in 2009 which featured branded consumer companies and consumer focused private equity investors. Prior to Imperial, Ms. Lowe was the Co-Founder & Head of Consumer Practice at USBX Advisory Services, LLC from 2000 to 2007.
Ms. Lowe was a Corporate Finance Associate at Goldman, Sachs & Co from 1998 to 2000 and a Financial Analyst in Investment Banking and Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs from 1993 to 1996.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Burch Barrell, she is an Advisory Board member at Clare V., a Board Member and Finance Chair of the Pacifica Christian High School; and Finance Committee Member of the Park Century School. Ms. Lowe received a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, a BS in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Confident. Striking. Caring. Expert. These are words that come to mind when describing Kristin Halton, a leading residential real estate broker in the US. Her 6' stature, paired with her striking blue eyes and platinum hair can throw you off, but don't let it. She's sharp, driven, hard working, and cares for her clients. She's built a team which now leads the US as one of Douglas Elliman's 1% top producers.
Kristin hails from the Pacific Northwest, worked her way through high school and college, then found herself traversing the United Sales training fitness facilities on how to open and run their businesses. By the time she reached Cincinnati, she'd opened a coffee shop, had her own personal training business, and continued consulting to fitness center operators. But she was cold and knew that Cincinnati wasn't the place she wanted to stay.
On a whim, she took a mid-winter flight to vacation in Newport Beach and within 3 months, divested her businesses in Cincinnati and moved to start a career in real estate. 22 years later, Kristin and her team are recognized in the top 1% of residential real estate producers in the U.S.
You're going to love this episode of MENTORdna. Thanks for tuning in!
Danny Sonenshine is the founder and CEO of Far West Services, the developers and operators of Wingstop restaurants on the west coast, as well as a developer and operator of Dunkin Donuts in Southern California. He had me at doughnuts! We chat about his undergrad days where he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, which led to law school and then a job at a law firm, which he disliked from day 1. He married his college sweetheart and she's been his cheerleader all along, encouraging him to try something different than being a lawyer.
So, 5 years later, with no restaurant experience, Danny joined his dad into the world of franchise restaurants. And he didn't just traipse into a business that was already stood up. Danny had to get dirty and have patience. He learned everything from cleaning toilets to supply chain management, but the biggest lesson he's learned comes from his days at the law firm.
Danny has learned a ton about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and shares his advice and stories, one which includes standing up for himself by telling off a landlord, thereby earning his respect.
You'll love this episode of Mentor DNA. Thanks for tuning in!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Danny Sonenshine is the founder and CEO of Far West Services, the developers and operators of Wingstop restaurants on the west coast, as well as a developer and operator of Dunkin Donuts in Southern California. He had me at doughnuts! We chat about his undergrad days where he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, which led to law school and then a job at a law firm, which he disliked from day 1. He married his college sweetheart and she's been his cheerleader all along, encouraging him to try something different than being a lawyer.
So, 5 years later, with no restaurant experience, Danny joined his dad into the world of franchise restaurants. And he didn't just traipse into a business that was already stood up. Danny had to get dirty and have patience. He learned everything from cleaning toilets to supply chain management, but the biggest lesson he's learned comes from his days at the law firm.
Danny has learned a ton about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and shares his advice and stories, one which includes standing up for himself by telling off a landlord, thereby earning his respect.
You'll love this episode of Mentor DNA. Thanks for tuning in!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
When I talk to people about getting their MBAs, most of their focus is around gaining new technical skills like financial modeling or something similar. I strongly believe that connecting with classmates and creating new memories with those friends is more important than learning how to be an excel jockey. Bill Schlough is a perfect example of this as we never took a class together, but share fun memories from our days playing volleyball at Wharton - hours spent on the courts and traveling up and down the New England corridor for tourneys. Bill's held the role of Chief Information Officer for the San Francisco Giants since our graduation 25 years ago. It's no surprise that we chat a lot about the importance sports plays in the lives of our children and communities across the US.
I incorrectly assumed that Bill, a former collegiate two-sport athlete and Olympics employee, seeks athletes in his hiring, so he fills me in on what he seeks in candidates. His hilarious story about the real life challenges Covid presented as he simultaneously navigated keeping his kindergartener on task during Zoom classes while dialing into his executive staff meetings amidst flying Nerf darts are sure to make you laugh.
I've had a hunch about the long-term effects of innovation with remote work. The US boasts some of the most innovative companies in the world, but my experience is that ideas occur in serendipitous moments in the break room during your afternoon chocolate break. Bill says that being back at work breathes lives back into his work day, and he supports my thesis that being in-person is critically important to keeping the flywheel of innovation spinning.
Bill's an incredible mentor and reveals that he loves giving back and particularly expressing his gratitude with the mentors in his life. With 600+ mentees over his career, Bill demonstrates a servant's heart and desire to help and guide others. This episode is truly inspirational as Bill is a down-to-earth executive with such rich and deep insights to share with anyone looking to break into the C-Suite. Thanks for tuning in! https://mentordna.io/bill-schlough
When I talk to people about getting their MBAs, most of their focus is around gaining new technical skills like financial modeling or something similar. I strongly believe that connecting with classmates and creating new memories with those friends is more important than learning how to be an excel jockey. Bill Schlough is a perfect example of this as we never took a class together, but share fun memories from our days playing volleyball at Wharton - hours spent on the courts and traveling up and down the New England corridor for tourneys. Bill's held the role of Chief Information Officer for the San Francisco Giants since our graduation 25 years ago. It's no surprise that we chat a lot about the importance sports plays in the lives of our children and communities across the US.
I incorrectly assumed that Bill, a former collegiate two-sport athlete and Olympics employee, seeks athletes in his hiring, so he fills me in on what he seeks in candidates. His hilarious story about the real life challenges Covid presented as he simultaneously navigated keeping his kindergartener on task during Zoom classes while dialing into his executive staff meetings amidst flying Nerf darts are sure to make you laugh.
I've had a hunch about the long-term effects of innovation with remote work. The US boasts some of the most innovative companies in the world, but my experience is that ideas occur in serendipitous moments in the break room during your afternoon chocolate break. Bill says that being back at work breathes lives back into his work day, and he supports my thesis that being in-person is critically important to keeping the flywheel of innovation spinning.
Bill's an incredible mentor and reveals that he loves giving back and particularly expressing his gratitude with the mentors in his life. With 600+ mentees over his career, Bill demonstrates a servant's heart and desire to help and guide others. This episode is truly inspirational as Bill is a down-to-earth executive with such rich and deep insights to share with anyone looking to break into the C-Suite. Thanks for tuning in! https://mentordna.io/bill-schlough
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
David Liu is a retired tech investment banker who now advises CEOs and makes strategic investments to support Asian content creators. A mutual friend introduced us and I was surprised to have met someone else with so many shared interests and passions, while never crossing paths!
His personal journey includes moving from China to the US and having to pay for everything on his own, including a college degree from an Ivy League university.
After seeing the long list of job openings for investment banks, he applied and made it through the rigorous hiring process to land his first Wall St. internship.
Dave learned a LOT about cultural differences and became an astute observer of people, learning what nuanced behaviors made for great success in high-powered environments.
And he continued to study and learn…
At the pinnacle of his career as the youngest person to have made Managing Director, Dave made a seemingly crazy decision; he left after 25 years and decided to write his observations and notes as a way to share his learnings with his sons. Anyone interested in working on Wall Street will find tremendous value reading The Way of the Wall Street Warrior.
David Liu is a retired tech investment banker who now advises CEOs and makes strategic investments to support Asian content creators. A mutual friend introduced us and I was surprised to have met someone else with so many shared interests and passions, while never crossing paths!
His personal journey includes moving from China to the US and having to pay for everything on his own, including a college degree from an Ivy League university.
After seeing the long list of job openings for investment banks, he applied and made it through the rigorous hiring process to land his first Wall St. internship.
Dave learned a LOT about cultural differences and became an astute observer of people, learning what nuanced behaviors made for great success in high-powered environments.
And he continued to study and learn…
At the pinnacle of his career as the youngest person to have made Managing Director, Dave made a seemingly crazy decision; he left after 25 years and decided to write his observations and notes as a way to share his learnings with his sons. Anyone interested in working on Wall Street will find tremendous value reading The Way of the Wall Street Warrior.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Will O'Neill is a Stanford-educated attorney and small businessman who has served the City for five years on the Newport Beach Finance Committee (currently Chair). A California native, he received his BA from Stanford University where he lettered on the track and field team. He then received his JD from U.C. Hastings College of the Law, where he was President of his class and later President of the U.C. Hastings Board of Governors (alumni association).
Will is a Partner at Ross, Wolcott, Teinert & Prout LLP, previously working at the California Supreme Court for Associate Justice Marvin Baxter (Ret.). He is also a member of the Newport Harbor Exchange Club, Director of the Transportation Corridor Agency (San Joaquin Hills), Board Member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, past Trustee of the Celtic Bar Association, and an active member of Mariners Church.
In 2020, Will became the youngest person to be Mayor of Newport Beach. He renewed the Council's focus on family-friendly community features like parks, libraries, and increased school safety. He has also been proud to serve alongside our families with special needs by ensuring access to first-ever classes offered through our Newport Navigator and by helping the installation of an ADA swing at Coastal Peak Park (thanks to the leadership of a sixth-grade student at Newport Coast Elementary School!).
While Mayor, Will fought to reopen Newport Beach's world-famous beaches after the Governor shut them, helped oversee Newport Beach's successful response to COVID, and kept a steady focus on helping small businesses in the community.
Will's wife, Jenny, is a former elementary school teacher and USC graduate. Their two children, ages 8 and 6, serve as constant inspiration to model service, integrity, and determination.
Will O'Neill is a Stanford-educated attorney and small businessman who has served the City for five years on the Newport Beach Finance Committee (currently Chair). A California native, he received his BA from Stanford University where he lettered on the track and field team. He then received his JD from U.C. Hastings College of the Law, where he was President of his class and later President of the U.C. Hastings Board of Governors (alumni association).
Will is a Partner at Ross, Wolcott, Teinert & Prout LLP, previously working at the California Supreme Court for Associate Justice Marvin Baxter (Ret.). He is also a member of the Newport Harbor Exchange Club, Director of the Transportation Corridor Agency (San Joaquin Hills), Board Member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, past Trustee of the Celtic Bar Association, and an active member of Mariners Church.
In 2020, Will became the youngest person to be Mayor of Newport Beach. He renewed the Council's focus on family-friendly community features like parks, libraries, and increased school safety. He has also been proud to serve alongside our families with special needs by ensuring access to first-ever classes offered through our Newport Navigator and by helping the installation of an ADA swing at Coastal Peak Park (thanks to the leadership of a sixth-grade student at Newport Coast Elementary School!).
While Mayor, Will fought to reopen Newport Beach's world-famous beaches after the Governor shut them, helped oversee Newport Beach's successful response to COVID, and kept a steady focus on helping small businesses in the community.
Will's wife, Jenny, is a former elementary school teacher and USC graduate. Their two children, ages 8 and 6, serve as constant inspiration to model service, integrity, and determination.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Andrew Cherng is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Panda Express. He and his wife Peggy started the business a few years out of graduate school and have since grown it to nearly 2400 locations; mostly privately held and not franchised. Uncle Andrew, as I know him, was an investor in my company, snacki, in the early 2000s and I learned a lot about management and operations from him as he mentored me through that exciting chapter of my career. He's always had a deep passion for people whether guests or employees.
What strikes me about Panda is that they're known for cultivating talent from within. They care for their teams and train people in all aspects of the business. We talk about how his hiring philosophy has changed over the years. Andrew truly believes that people who develop good work habits can take that with them everywhere.
I just KNOW you're going to learn so much from Andrew. He started in the kitchen and now delights us with fresh, delicious food, as well as fantastic leadership and management insights on this episode of MENTOR dna.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Andrew Cherng is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Panda Express. He and his wife Peggy started the business a few years out of graduate school and have since grown it to nearly 2400 locations; mostly privately held and not franchised. Uncle Andrew, as I know him, was an investor in my company, snacki, in the early 2000s and I learned a lot about management and operations from him as he mentored me through that exciting chapter of my career. He's always had a deep passion for people whether guests or employees.
What strikes me about Panda is that they're known for cultivating talent from within. They care for their teams and train people in all aspects of the business. We talk about how his hiring philosophy has changed over the years. Andrew truly believes that people who develop good work habits can take that with them everywhere.
I just KNOW you're going to learn so much from Andrew. He started in the kitchen and now delights us with fresh, delicious food, as well as fantastic leadership and management insights on this episode of MENTOR dna.
My husband and I met former pro surfer Damien Hobgood through a mutual friend. On a whim, Damien agreed to surprise my husband for our wedding anniversary with some friends at Amor Boutique Hotel in Sayulita MX. Damien had big dreams of surfing professionally in high school, when that wasn't even a thing. He chased that dream and surfed on the tour for 14 years, then followed that up riding big waves in the World Surf League.
We talk about the early days of pro surfing…when no one even thought it was possible to earn a living chasing waves. Damien has deeply-held convictions about integrity and being true to yourself and your family's beliefs. As a Christian man, he learned life's most important lessons from his mom.
Throughout his career, he's dealt with big brands, sponsors, and promoters, which gave him plenty of opportunities to learn about the corporate world, which he's now taken into his career in wealth management.
Damien shares the many transferable lessons from sports to the corporate world. If you love surfing, are curious about what it was like growing up in that culture, or want to hear Damien's perspective of meeting challenges head on, you'll learn so much and more on this interesting episode of MENTOR dna!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
My husband and I met former pro surfer Damien Hobgood through a mutual friend. On a whim, Damien agreed to surprise my husband for our wedding anniversary with some friends at Amor Boutique Hotel in Sayulita MX. Damien had big dreams of surfing professionally in high school, when that wasn't even a thing. He chased that dream and surfed on the tour for 14 years, then followed that up riding big waves in the World Surf League.
We talk about the early days of pro surfing…when no one even thought it was possible to earn a living chasing waves. Damien has deeply-held convictions about integrity and being true to yourself and your family's beliefs. As a Christian man, he learned life's most important lessons from his mom.
Throughout his career, he's dealt with big brands, sponsors, and promoters, which gave him plenty of opportunities to learn about the corporate world, which he's now taken into his career in wealth management.
Damien shares the many transferable lessons from sports to the corporate world. If you love surfing, are curious about what it was like growing up in that culture, or want to hear Damien's perspective of meeting challenges head on, you'll learn so much and more on this interesting episode of MENTOR dna!
When I returned to Philly for my graduate work, I was a seasoned executive assistant with deep experience answering phones, sending faxes, and managing schedules for overly-busy Disney and Sony execs. Ok, so maybe I did slightly more than that, but I was at the bottom of the totem pole and had big goals of climbing my way up.
Jeff Stotland was my classmate in business school and was the only other person with Disney experience, albeit much different than mine. We became fast friends. He and I are kindred in our entrepreneurial spirit, both having run start-up like businesses within giant companies.
Jeff has bought and sold several companies, worked at Disney as Vice President, Strategy & Global Development, and is now Executive Vice President of Global Studios and Production Services at Hudson Pacific, a joint venture with Blackstone, the world's largest industrial real estate owner.
He's always been a big picture guy, moving to where the puck is headed. At Hudson Pacific, he leads a team buying up content production space which has exploded in the past several years, and we chat about the human resource crunch to produce all this content.
He and I agree that success requires taking risks and being bold, but most of the time, people are optimizing to preserve their own jobs.
Jeff's always taken risks, yet he's learned how to be more calculated in his bets. He learned a lot during his stint trying to privatize companies in Eastern Europe and operating a handful of companies he bought or started.
This episode covers a lot of ground…from working at start-ups in eastern Europe in the late 90s, to Disneyphiles, to the extreme competition for industrial real estate worldwide and the macroeconomic impacts of building production studios in cities around the world.
When I returned to Philly for my graduate work, I was a seasoned executive assistant with deep experience answering phones, sending faxes, and managing schedules for overly-busy Disney and Sony execs. Ok, so maybe I did slightly more than that, but I was at the bottom of the totem pole and had big goals of climbing my way up.
Jeff Stotland was my classmate in business school and was the only other person with Disney experience, albeit much different than mine. We became fast friends. He and I are kindred in our entrepreneurial spirit, both having run start-up like businesses within giant companies.
Jeff has bought and sold several companies, worked at Disney as Vice President, Strategy & Global Development, and is now Executive Vice President of Global Studios and Production Services at Hudson Pacific, a joint venture with Blackstone, the world's largest industrial real estate owner.
He's always been a big picture guy, moving to where the puck is headed. At Hudson Pacific, he leads a team buying up content production space which has exploded in the past several years, and we chat about the human resource crunch to produce all this content.
He and I agree that success requires taking risks and being bold, but most of the time, people are optimizing to preserve their own jobs.
Jeff's always taken risks, yet he's learned how to be more calculated in his bets. He learned a lot during his stint trying to privatize companies in Eastern Europe and operating a handful of companies he bought or started.
This episode covers a lot of ground…from working at start-ups in eastern Europe in the late 90s, to Disneyphiles, to the extreme competition for industrial real estate worldwide and the macroeconomic impacts of building production studios in cities around the world.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Growing up, I was a tomboy through and through and spent more time with guys than girls. It wasn't until college that I truly appreciated the importance of having a support group of women. Cut to 25 years later when I finally felt comfortable attending an all-women's conference, where I met Jane Mosbacher Morris, author of Buy the Change You Want to See. It was evident Jane would be an entrepreneur from her early days as a Girl Scout.
Though the entrepreneurship seeds were sown, through elementary and middle school, Jane really aspired to be a professional actress. Her story as an entrepreneur continues after 9/11 during Jane's high school years, stirring a strong passion to help others. It led her to study at Georgetown, landing an internship at the U.S. State Dept and turning that into a full time gig during her senior year. Working in Counterterrorism eventually led to Jane to find her true passion of empowering women around the world to have dignified work.
She's since started To the Market, a digital supply chain management tool for ethically and sustainably sourced goods, matching retailers with makers around the world.
Jane is an inspirational young leader and you're going to love our conversation on MENTOR dna.
Growing up, I was a tomboy through and through and spent more time with guys than girls. It wasn't until college that I truly appreciated the importance of having a support group of women. Cut to 25 years later when I finally felt comfortable attending an all-women's conference, where I met Jane Mosbacher Morris, author of Buy the Change You Want to See. It was evident Jane would be an entrepreneur from her early days as a Girl Scout.
Though the entrepreneurship seeds were sown, through elementary and middle school, Jane really aspired to be a professional actress. Her story as an entrepreneur continues after 9/11 during Jane's high school years, stirring a strong passion to help others. It led her to study at Georgetown, landing an internship at the U.S. State Dept and turning that into a full time gig during her senior year. Working in Counterterrorism eventually led to Jane to find her true passion of empowering women around the world to have dignified work.
She's since started To the Market, a digital supply chain management tool for ethically and sustainably sourced goods, matching retailers with makers around the world.
Jane is an inspirational young leader and you're going to love our conversation on MENTOR dna.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Gary Addeo is a mentor that’s poured into my life in such rich and impactful way, that I struggle to understand how he does it for so many other people, too. He came into my life as a bible study leader when my husband and I first met and has since been such an incredible friend to our entire family, guiding us in spiritual matters, helping with parenting questions, and acting as a sound board for some of life’s biggest decisions.
Gary truly has a servant’s heart and has touched thousands of lives; church members, clients from his printing days, and homeless people he meets and shepherds. Tune in as he shares stories about his start in the minor leagues as a pitcher, having to walk away from his life’s dream to play in the MLB, to his 4th career buying land for a regional logger and developer in the Pacific North West.
Gary Addeo is a mentor that’s poured into my life in such rich and impactful way, that I struggle to understand how he does it for so many other people, too. He came into my life as a bible study leader when my husband and I first met and has since been such an incredible friend to our entire family, guiding us in spiritual matters, helping with parenting questions, and acting as a sound board for some of life’s biggest decisions.
Gary truly has a servant’s heart and has touched thousands of lives; church members, clients from his printing days, and homeless people he meets and shepherds. Tune in as he shares stories about his start in the minor leagues as a pitcher, having to walk away from his life’s dream to play in the MLB, to his 4th career buying land for a regional logger and developer in the Pacific North West.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Meesh Pierce is a former tech executive who started her career in entertainment during the heyday of grunge rock. Her early days at Disney and Sony Music introduced her to the corporate world and importance of connectedness.
She worked long hours answering phones, faxing Winnie the Pooh and Lion King toy concepts to China, and sneaking into hole-in-the-wall concerts until the wee hours. During the early internet days, Meesh bet that tech was going to materially change the entertainment world, so she headed back to Philly for her 2nd stint at Wharton.
As a freshly-minted business school grad, she stepped into product management gigs for the likes of NBC, Sony Digital Entertainment, and Ticketmaster.
A risk taker, Meesh started an early dot com custom merch company, snacki, in the late 90s. A few years later, she took an opportunity to learn commercial and residential real estate development from a seasoned investor.
She spent 15 years as a hired gun consultant stepping into difficult 1-2 year projects; those that needed someone adept at strategy, product and marketing, and comfortable navigating across divisions and up to the c-suite and board. As an independent consultant, she’s worked with Epson, Mercedes (AutoGravity), Fandango (NBC), and Amor Boutique Hotel amongst others.
Meesh now serves on boards, as advisor to several organizations, and mentor to many. She loves using her experience to make connections between people and ideas.
Meesh is equally left and right-brained. She drives an F-150 to support her furniture painting habits as there’s rarely an abandoned roadside furniture piece she doesn’t stop to investigate. She started documenting her furniture painting techniques at imeeshu.com and learned a great deal about SEO through her personal journey as a blogger.
She’s also an avid gardener and has built her own hydroponics greenhouse with a fully-functioning set-up for tomato and lettuce farming.
Meesh loves people and mentoring. She has many mentees stretching across all walks of life; from Broadway stars, to growth-minded entrepreneurs, to people in career or life transitions.
Meesh Pierce is a former tech executive who started her career in entertainment during the heyday of grunge rock. Her early days at Disney and Sony Music introduced her to the corporate world and importance of connectedness.
She worked long hours answering phones, faxing Winnie the Pooh and Lion King toy concepts to China, and sneaking into hole-in-the-wall concerts until the wee hours. During the early internet days, Meesh bet that tech was going to materially change the entertainment world, so she headed back to Philly for her 2nd stint at Wharton.
As a freshly-minted business school grad, she stepped into product management gigs for the likes of NBC, Sony Digital Entertainment, and Ticketmaster.
A risk taker, Meesh started an early dot com custom merch company, snacki, in the late 90s. A few years later, she took an opportunity to learn commercial and residential real estate development from a seasoned investor.
She spent 15 years as a hired gun consultant stepping into difficult 1-2 year projects; those that needed someone adept at strategy, product and marketing, and comfortable navigating across divisions and up to the c-suite and board. As an independent consultant, she’s worked with Epson, Mercedes (AutoGravity), Fandango (NBC), and Amor Boutique Hotel amongst others.
Meesh now serves on boards, as advisor to several organizations, and mentor to many. She loves using her experience to make connections between people and ideas.
Meesh is equally left and right-brained. She drives an F-150 to support her furniture painting habits as there’s rarely an abandoned roadside furniture piece she doesn’t stop to investigate. She started documenting her furniture painting techniques at imeeshu.com and learned a great deal about SEO through her personal journey as a blogger.
She’s also an avid gardener and has built her own hydroponics greenhouse with a fully-functioning set-up for tomato and lettuce farming.
Meesh loves people and mentoring. She has many mentees stretching across all walks of life; from Broadway stars, to growth-minded entrepreneurs, to people in career or life transitions.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
I’ve always had a proclivity for marketing and curiosity for patterns. When I met marketing Professor Pete Fader, I didn’t realize what a big impact he would have on my career. At 26, he was one of the youngest professors at the Wharton School, and 10 years later had become one of the school’s favorites - teaching undergrad, MBA, and pHd students.
His research first focused on consumer products, but then shifted into the music and entertainment industry where he served as an expert testifying on behalf of Napster in the late 90s.
As a professor, he engages his students to really think about customers in a way that most people don’t - NOT every customer is the same. Some are far more profitable than others. So how do you lead your organization to truly understand and focus on customer centricity? Pete collaborated with some of his pHd students to help companies do just that.
With two successful data-driven businesses under his belt and 35 years at the finest business school in the world, we have much to learn from this humble leader who likely will never forget your phone number. coolnumbers.com
Mark Bogh is President of Bogh Engineering, a construction and engineering company focused on public works projects, particularly in educational facilities. He started his career at the City of Redlands, then to IWA Engineers, an firm that worked on a multitude of projects for Universal Studios and Knott's Berry Farm. He quickly rose the ranks to become President of IWA, but felt a different calling.
Mark decided to go back to his roots and build schools with his dad, so he joined Bogh Engineering, growing the firm from $1M in gross revenues to $60M over 20 years. The firm's key distinction is most of its key tradespeople are full-time employees. This allows them to quickly shift gears and place people where needed in order to finish school construction projects that are inherently designed around very tight deadlines.
Mark remains very involved with his community church and ministries throughout Southern California.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Mark Bogh is President of Bogh Engineering, a construction and engineering company focused on public works projects, particularly in educational facilities. He started his career at the City of Redlands, then to IWA Engineers, an firm that worked on a multitude of projects for Universal Studios and Knott's Berry Farm. He quickly rose the ranks to become President of IWA, but felt a different calling.
Mark decided to go back to his roots and build schools with his dad, so he joined Bogh Engineering, growing the firm from $1M in gross revenues to $60M over 20 years. The firm's key distinction is most of its key tradespeople are full-time employees. This allows them to quickly shift gears and place people where needed in order to finish school construction projects that are inherently designed around very tight deadlines.
Mark remains very involved with his community church and ministries throughout Southern California.
In 2015, I took my kids to see Aladdin on Broadway. Between the sword fights, the spooky voice, and 8 minute “Friend Like Me” dance extravaganza which included tap dancing and fireworks, I was particularly captivated by Courtney Reed’s Jasmine performance when she says “Why can’t a woman lead the kingdom?” Courtney originated Jasmine for Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway, leading in that role for 5 years in NY, on the West End in London and on tour in Los Angeles. She started her Broadway career in Mama Mia, then Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In the Heights on Broadway. Next up, Courtney’s headlining Disney Princess the Concert’s US Tour, and will also take the lead role as Satine in the US Tour of multiple Tony-winner Moulin Rouge.
As an entrepreneur and lead actor across multiple Broadway companies, Courtney shares some really fun and insightful stories about what it takes to be successful on and off stage. Thanks for listening to MENTOR dna.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
In 2015, I took my kids to see Aladdin on Broadway. Between the sword fights, the spooky voice, and 8 minute “Friend Like Me” dance extravaganza which included tap dancing and fireworks, I was particularly captivated by Courtney Reed’s Jasmine performance when she says “Why can’t a woman lead the kingdom?” Courtney originated Jasmine for Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway, leading in that role for 5 years in NY, on the West End in London and on tour in Los Angeles. She started her Broadway career in Mama Mia, then Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In the Heights on Broadway. Next up, Courtney’s headlining Disney Princess the Concert’s US Tour, and will also take the lead role as Satine in the US Tour of multiple Tony-winner Moulin Rouge.
As an entrepreneur and lead actor across multiple Broadway companies, Courtney shares some really fun and insightful stories about what it takes to be successful on and off stage. Thanks for listening to MENTOR dna.
I’d never given much thought to intellectual property law until one of our investment portfolio companies ran into lawsuits by trademark trolls. I’ve since learned about the subtle nuance of protecting and defending your ideas. Susan Natland is a partner at Knobbe Martens, a law firm specializing in intellectual property and also serves as Vice Chair of the USPTO Trademark Advisory Committee and we had a fantastic chat about staying true to yourself.
We chat about Susan’s experience on her first Chinese factory raid to reclaim fake handbags and much more on this fun episode of MENTOR dna!
I’d never given much thought to intellectual property law until one of our investment portfolio companies ran into lawsuits by trademark trolls. I’ve since learned about the subtle nuance of protecting and defending your ideas. Susan Natland is a partner at Knobbe Martens, a law firm specializing in intellectual property and also serves as Vice Chair of the USPTO Trademark Advisory Committee and we had a fantastic chat about staying true to yourself.
We chat about Susan’s experience on her first Chinese factory raid to reclaim fake handbags and much more on this fun episode of MENTOR dna!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
I’ve noticed a few trends as I speak to my guests. One that shouldn’t surprise me, but hadn’t occurred to me, is that great leaders make career choices while also carefully considering their family’s needs. Whitney Gomez is a former finance executive who spent 11 years at Morgan Stanley, then 10 years at PAAMCO before choosing a more flexible schedule with non profit board work to focus on her family.
Whitney is an inspiration to me with her east coast, no-nonsense, direct approach. She’s honest, confident, and leads with an open ear. Our chat on MENTOR dna will be insightful to hear how a busy executive can have it all...just not all at the same time.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
I’ve noticed a few trends as I speak to my guests. One that shouldn’t surprise me, but hadn’t occurred to me, is that great leaders make career choices while also carefully considering their family’s needs. Whitney Gomez is a former finance executive who spent 11 years at Morgan Stanley, then 10 years at PAAMCO before choosing a more flexible schedule with non profit board work to focus on her family.
Whitney is an inspiration to me with her east coast, no-nonsense, direct approach. She’s honest, confident, and leads with an open ear. Our chat on MENTOR dna will be insightful to hear how a busy executive can have it all...just not all at the same time.
This episode is in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania's Momentum Conference, an all-women's conference Oct. 1-3, 2021.
Coco Brown is an aspirational entrepreneur who's served on boards and lead teams through tough economic downturns. She now is living her life's passion to help women in the latter stages of their careers; whether they're seeking board seats or wanting to start their own businesses. The Athena Alliance is a powerful network serving women across the US to network, learn, and support each other in their professional endeavors.
Coco is a CEO and board member, actively leading Silicon Valley based professional services and tech companies since 1997. From 2002 to 2012 Coco was President and COO of Taos, a Gartner top 20 global IT professional and managed services company servicing hundreds of F1000 and top tier private growth companies nationally. She was also on the board of Taos for 12 years, leading the company through massive economic cycles and business model evolution and growth. Coco led the company to $54m in revenue, and the company has subsequently been sold to IBM.
In 2016 Coco founded Athena Alliance, a digital platform for learning and agency for top business women striving for the c-suite and the boardroom. Athena has seen 2.8x growth in membership in the last 12 months since launching as a true subscription model and hosts over 1,000 women leaders today. Coco is a well-published expert and speaker on The Modern Boardroom. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Coco serves on the commercial boards of Athena Alliance, Inc and Archerpoint (an ESOP), as well as the non-profit board of Athena Rising Foundation.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
This episode is in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania's Momentum Conference, an all-women's conference Oct. 1-3, 2021.
Coco Brown is an inspirational entrepreneur who's served on boards and has led teams through tough economic downturns. She now is living her life's passion to help women in the latter stages of their careers; whether they're seeking board seats or wanting to start their own businesses. The Athena Alliance is a powerful network serving women across the US to network, learn, and support each other in their professional endeavors.
Coco is a CEO and board member, actively leading Silicon Valley based professional services and tech companies since 1997. From 2002 to 2012 Coco was President and COO of Taos, a Gartner top 20 global IT professional and managed services company servicing hundreds of F1000 and top tier private growth companies nationally. She was also on the board of Taos for 12 years, leading the company through massive economic cycles and business model evolution and growth. Coco led the company to $54m in revenue, and the company has subsequently been sold to IBM.
In 2016 Coco founded Athena Alliance, a digital platform for learning and agency for top business women striving for the c-suite and the boardroom. Athena has seen 2.8x growth in membership in the last 12 months since launching as a true subscription model and hosts over 1,000 women leaders today. Coco is a well-published expert and speaker on The Modern Boardroom. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Coco serves on the commercial boards of Athena Alliance, Inc and Archerpoint (an ESOP), as well as the non-profit board of Athena Rising Foundation.
Episode drops 9/14/21
I started my tech career in the late 90s with Braxton Woodham, now Founder and President of Unfinished Labs. His rigor for pushing intellectual thinking means he’s a lifelong learner and an extraordinarily deep thinker. He’s repeatedly identified important truths that lead to the creation of new businesses, impacting people worldwide. Braxton’s now stitching all of these experiences together into an important and beautiful passion project called Project Liberty.
Braxton is truly an inspirational leader and if I’m honest, was who really the reason I started this podcast. Stories of amazing leaders like Braxton need to be told!
We discuss the importance of taking risks, experiencing failures, and protecting our freedoms by giving people control of their own personal data. This episode of MENTOR dna will knock your spurs off!
I started my tech career in the late 90s with Braxton Woodham, now Founder and President of Unfinished Labs. His rigor for pushing intellectual thinking means he’s a lifelong learner and an extraordinarily deep thinker. He’s repeatedly identified important truths that lead to the creation of new businesses, impacting people worldwide. Braxton’s now stitching all of these experiences together into an important and beautiful passion project called Project Liberty.
Braxton is truly an inspirational leader and if I’m honest, was who really the reason I started this podcast. Stories of amazing leaders like Braxton need to be told!
We discuss the importance of taking risks, experiencing failures, and protecting our freedoms by giving people control of their own personal data. This episode of MENTOR dna will knock your spurs off!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Each Sunday as a kid, my Dad and I would go to church then head to a doughnut shop to get what was called a Texas doughnut. I’ve also spent hours riding bikes around NYC in search of the best doughnut the city has to offer. But when my friend Sumter Pendergrast, Founder of Sidecar Doughnuts approached my husband and me with his idea to open a gourmet doughnut shop in Orange County, we both poo poo’d the idea. Boy were we wrong!
Sumter is a serial entrepreneur who followed his passion and thankfully brings his creativity and leadership to doughnut lovers across Southern California. We discuss lessons he’s learned that set Sidecar Doughnuts apart from its competitors.
Each Sunday as a kid, my Dad and I would go to church then head to a doughnut shop to get what was called a Texas doughnut. I’ve also spent hours riding bikes around NYC in search of the best doughnut the city has to offer. But when my friend Sumter Pendergrast, Founder of Sidecar Doughnuts approached my husband and me with his idea to open a gourmet doughnut shop in Orange County, we both poo poo’d the idea. Boy were we wrong!
Sumter is a serial entrepreneur who followed his passion and thankfully brings his creativity and leadership to doughnut lovers across Southern California. We discuss lessons he’s learned that set Sidecar Doughnuts apart from its competitors.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
I can’t say I know anyone else who’s just had 2 jobs since college graduation. Casey Courneen, CEO, President & Founder of Blackstone Technology Group is the only person I know who’s only worked for one other company before starting his own tech consulting business 23 years ago. He and his partners set out with a very specific mission for their new business, and have shown tremendous discipline to stay the course over 2 decades.
Casey is an incredibly loyal and dedicated leader and mentor. Tune into this episode of MENTOR dna to learn about his approach to leading his company to being the gold standard for tech consulting firms.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
I can’t say I know anyone else who’s just had 2 jobs since college graduation. Casey Courneen, CEO, President & Founder of Blackstone Technology Group is the only person I know who’s only worked for one other company before starting his own tech consulting business 23 years ago. He and his partners set out with a very specific mission for their new business, and have shown tremendous discipline to stay the course over 2 decades.
Casey is an incredibly loyal and dedicated leader and mentor. Tune into this episode of MENTOR dna to learn about his approach to leading his company to being the gold standard for tech consulting firms.
Steve Scalia and I became fast friends during our days at Penn. I considered him my ride-or-die and through the years we've been by each other's side through highs and lows in career and life.
Steve's ability to listen...and I mean truly LISTEN, set him apart from most. He remembers seemingly minutiae details through our conversations and brings them back around years later when I'm on the phone late night with him discussing business strategy, career moves, or the challenges of raising kids.
He's incredibly talented at learning through the eyes of others. He's a consummate student and takes lessons learned from everyone around him and applies them to his own teams and businesses. You won't find anyone more loyal than Steve, as evidenced by his partnerships with friends he's known since elementary school days.
We share some good laughs and you'll see that this charming Southern man delivers what he says to his team at Tanner Pharma Group.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Steve Scalia and I became fast friends during our days at Penn. I considered him my ride-or-die and through the years we've been by each other's side through highs and lows in career and life.
Steve's ability to listen...and I mean truly LISTEN, set him apart from most. He remembers seemingly minutiae details through our conversations and brings them back around years later when I'm on the phone late night with him discussing business strategy, career moves, or the challenges of raising kids.
He's incredibly talented at learning through the eyes of others. He's a consummate student and takes lessons learned from everyone around him and applies them to his own teams and businesses. You won't find anyone more loyal than Steve, as evidenced by his partnerships with friends he's known since elementary school days.
We share some good laughs and you'll see that this charming Southern man delivers what he says to his team and businesses.
He went up for the kill and left Tachikara emblazoned in reverse on the guy’s forehead. Volleyball...I’m talking trash-talking, business school, indoor volleyball! We were a motley crew of a team with players from Army, Stanford, UC San Diego, and Princeton. Somehow I finagled my way onto the team with these guys!
Jason Hodell is CEO of Skullcandy. He and I played volleyball together in business school. He’s a former Army Ranger and truly an inspirational leader.
Jason chats about the importance of a personal board, how people are what make and break M&A deals, and truly listening to your customers. You'll absolutely love this episode on MENTOR dna!
He went up for the kill and left Tachikara emblazoned in reverse on the guy’s forehead. Volleyball...I’m talking trash-talking, business school, indoor volleyball! We were a motley crew of a team with players from Army, Stanford, UC San Diego, and Princeton. Somehow I finagled my way onto the team with these guys!
Jason Hodell is CEO of Skullcandy. He and I played volleyball together in business school. He’s a former Army Ranger and truly an inspirational leader.
Jason chats about the importance for executives to:
- truly know their business' data
- have a personal board to bounce ideas from time to time
- realize that people are what make or break teams and M&A deals
- truly listening to his/her customers.
I love this episode of MENTOR dna and know that you will, too!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
As an only child, I always yearned for a sibling. When my husband introduced me to his childhood friend, Jed Weinstein, I was immediately drawn to him. He’s one of the most kind and authentic gentlemen I’ve ever met. Truly, a mensch. And while this sounds weird because he’s younger than I am, he reminds me of my Dad – gentle, well-read, interesting, interested, creative.
I’m in Philly a few times a year for meetings so I also scoot up to NYC to see some shows and visit with friends. Jed and his wife always oblige and you’ll find me on their couch enjoying the vibrant energy of their Wall St. neighborhood.
On one visit, Jed invited me to a Hublot launch event his company, RISE & SET, was hosting in a non-descript warehouse walking distance of the High Line. Not thinking much about what I was doing or what to expect, I walked in and was immediately transported to a different world. His team had perfectly captured the brand’s uber-luxurious essence. Product was perfectly displayed for guests to try. The setting was very intimate, yet oozed grandeur. I’m not surprised that uber-luxury brands want to work with Jed’s team. He truly understands that aesthetic and what the customer wants.
As an only child, I always yearned for a sibling. When my husband introduced me to his childhood friend, Jed Weinstein, I was immediately drawn to him. He’s one of the most kind and authentic gentlemen I’ve ever met. Truly, a mensch. And while this sounds weird because he’s younger than I am, he reminds me of my Dad – gentle, well-read, interesting, interested, creative.
I’m in Philly a few times a year for meetings so I also scoot up to NYC to see some shows and visit with friends. Jed and his wife always oblige and you’ll find me on their couch enjoying the vibrant energy of their Wall St. neighborhood.
On one visit, Jed invited me to a Hublot launch event his company, RISE & SET, was hosting in a non-descript warehouse walking distance of the High Line. Not thinking much about what I was doing or what to expect, I walked in and was immediately transported to a different world. His team had perfectly captured the brand’s uber-luxurious essence. Product was perfectly displayed for guests to try. The setting was very intimate, yet oozed grandeur. I’m not surprised that uber-luxury brands want to work with Jed’s team. He truly understands that aesthetic and what the customer wants.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
I walked onto the volleyball court at the Malibu pier in 1990 and Deanna Lyn immediately and unconventionally welcomed and invited me into the group of locals. We became fast friends and spent most of our early 20s learning the corporate ropes. Deanna leveraged her street smarts to get past #metoo moments she experienced early in her career which has led to being a compassionate and strong mentor and leader to others on her teams. When I was looking to start my own company, Deanna, now Head of Commercial Sales at Descartes Labs, was my first pick for a top notch enterprise software sales executive. In this episode on MENTOR dna, Deanna shares important lessons about how she handles difficult situations when people feel threatened by her tenacity and direct approach.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
I walked onto the volleyball court at the Malibu pier in 1990 and Deanna Lyn immediately and unconventionally welcomed and invited me into the group of locals. We became fast friends and spent most of our early 20s learning the corporate ropes. Deanna leveraged her street smarts to get past #metoo moments she experienced early in her career which has led to being a compassionate and strong mentor and leader to others on her teams. When I was looking to start my own company, Deanna, now Director of Strategic Accounts at Invoca, was my first pick for a top notch enterprise software sales executive. In this episode on MENTOR dna, Deanna shares important lessons about how she handles difficult situations when people feel threatened by her tenacity and direct approach.
Have you ever met a recent college grad and immediately knew they’d be a rockstar? That’s how I felt with Alli Hillgren Warner. She was an intern at my husband’s company, Beacon Pointe Advisors, and I knew that her collegiate volleyball career at USC, zest for life, and collaborative, can-do attitude would lead her into the c-suite quickly.
Alli is now CMO of Beacon Pointe, a Newport Beach-based registered investment advisor with 22 offices across the US. She shares great lessons and how they’ve led her where she is today. All this on MentorDNA!
Have you ever met a recent college grad and immediately knew they’d be a rockstar? That’s how I felt with Alli Hillgren Warner. She was an intern at my husband’s company, Beacon Pointe Advisors, and I knew that her collegiate volleyball career at USC, zest for life, and collaborative, can-do attitude would lead her into the c-suite quickly.
Alli is now CMO of Beacon Pointe, a Newport Beach-based registered investment advisor with 22 offices across the US. She shares great lessons and how they’ve led her where she is today. All this on MentorDNA!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Dan Smith and I served together on the board for the Wharton Club of Southern California for many years. He's a former executive at Playboy, Fox and American Gladiators and is a digital marketing expert. He's parlayed his learnings from his TV days into consumer product ventures like phone case/wallet company JIMMYCASE, and also advises companies on digital marketing through his venture, ALT-CMO. Dan's a consummate connector connector as he leads Marketing Mondays, a flourishing networking group for Wharton SoCal.
Dan Smith and I served together on the board for the Wharton Club of Southern California for many years. He's a consummate connector and now runs Marketing Mondays for Wharton SoCal as a way to give back to the community. Dan's a former executive at Playboy, Fox and American Gladiators and honed his digital marketing expertise as one of the last executives of the old Playboy regime. He's parlayed his learnings from his TV days into consumer product ventures like JimmyCase and a digital marketing consultancy ALT-CMO.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Grad school can often feel intimidating and competitive, so when I met Matt Laessig, it was clear that I’d met my long-lost 13 year old twin brother. He affirms my silly side and instinct that levity and fun are important in a working environment. He was Chief Marketing Officer for my start-up, snacki, in the late 90s and I was there with him at Venice Beach when he tried out for the very first season of American Ninja Warrior where he subsequently competed for 8 additional years!
Entrepreneurs often have non-linear and seemingly disjointed paths, and I think Matt’s in the exact place he should be as COO of data.world as the Austin tech scene explodes. Tune in as we take a walk down memory lane on MENTOR dna.
explicit notice: mild language
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Grad school can often feel intimidating and competitive, so when I met Matt Laessig, it was clear that I’d met my long-lost 13 year old twin brother. He affirms my silly side and instinct that levity and fun are important in a working environment. He was Chief Marketing Officer for my start-up, snacki, in the late 90s and I was there with him at Venice Beach when he tried out for the very first season of American Ninja Warrior where he subsequently competed for 8 additional years!
Entrepreneurs often have non-linear and seemingly disjointed paths, and I think Matt’s in the exact place he should be as COO of data.world as the Austin tech scene explodes. Tune in as we take a walk down memory lane on MENTOR dna.
explicit notice: mild language
Dan Beldy and I went to business school together after he served as a Navy fighter pilot for 8 years. During our 2nd year in the late 90s, we both had a sense that something big was about to happen with the internet and found our way into the early tech scene after graduation. He went into venture capital starting at Hummer Winblad in Silicon Valley, then led Disney’s Steamboat Ventures. He’s now running a variety of funds through Powerplant Ventures (focused on good for you foods), Airwing Ventures (focused on high growth companies), and Canapi focused on fintech). Dan is part of my inner circle for potential investment opportunities.
Dan’s a dynamic leader and he even shares a funny story about his first tech investment buying an 8-track stereo system. All this, on MENTOR dna!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Dan Beldy and I went to business school together after he served as a Navy fighter pilot for 8 years. During our 2nd year in the late 90s, we both had a sense that something big was about to happen with the internet and found our way into the early tech scene after graduation. He went into venture capital starting at Hummer Winblad in Silicon Valley, then led Disney’s Steamboat Ventures. He’s now running a variety of funds through Powerplant Ventures (focused on good for you foods), Airwing Ventures (focused on high growth companies), and Canapi focused on fintech). Dan is part of my inner circle for potential investment opportunities.
Dan’s a dynamic leader and he even shares a funny story about his first tech investment buying an 8-track stereo system. All this, on MENTOR dna!
In 2007, I was working long hours in a new industry that didn’t inspire me and my stress levels were through the roof. So I start my own consulting business to have more control over my schedule. Liz Leung was my first client, hiring me for a new printer launch at Epson. She turned out to be such an incredible mentor and team leader, teaching me the importance of the meeting before the meeting, seeking out all perspectives prior to big decisions, and authentically building consensus and buy-in across an organization.
I loved working with Liz so much that I worked until the day I gave birth to my first son! Liz shares important team management insights and I know you’ll appreciate her perspective on MENTOR dna.
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Fred Croshal is one of the most positive, encouraging and charming people I know. He led the sales team at the WORK Group at Sony Music while I was an assistant for the Product Management team. He graciously wrote my business school reference letters and then he went on to be General Manager at Madonna’s Maverick Records. During my 2nd year at school, he spoke at the Media & Entertainment conference I produced and blew peoples’ minds when he gave a sneak peek at Madonna’s new song, Music.
Fred and I discuss sports, leading teams vs. telling teams, and thoughts on long-term mgmt and innovation effects due to the pandemic. You’ll love this behind-the-scenes conversation on MENTOR dna!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
In 2007, I was working long hours in a new industry that didn’t inspire me and my stress levels were through the roof. So I start my own consulting business to have more control over my schedule. Liz Leung was my first client, hiring me for a new printer launch at Epson. She turned out to be such an incredible mentor and team leader, teaching me the importance of the meeting before the meeting, seeking out all perspectives prior to big decisions, and authentically building consensus and buy-in across an organization.
I loved working with Liz so much that I worked until the day I gave birth to my first son! Liz shares important team management insights and I know you’ll appreciate her perspective on MENTOR dna.
Fred Croshal is Founder and CEO of Croshal Entertainment Group. He and his team use their music industry expertise to help artists start their own record labels, working with legendary artists like Herb Alpert, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt through the past 2 decades.
Fred's one of the most positive, encouraging and charming people I know. In the mid 90s, he graciously wrote my business school reference letters when we worked at Sony Music, and then he went on to be General Manager at Madonna’s Maverick Records.
Fred and I discuss sports, leading teams vs. telling teams, and thoughts on long-term mgmt and innovation effects due to the pandemic. You’ll love this behind-the-scenes conversation on MENTOR dna!
Jeff Ayeroff is a music industry legend. He started and was Co-Presidnet of Virgin Records before becoming my boss’ boss at the WORK Group at Sony Music. Jeff is unique, not only being known for his trademark long white hair and beard, but also as the founder of Rock the Vote. I was summoned to his office just before shipping off to business school and I was so nervous! The BIG boss wanted to tell me!?! What’ve I done?!
He said “I heard you’re leaving us. Where are you going?”
Yes, I’m getting my MBA.
Where?
Wharton.
Fine, that’s approved, but you come back to us ok?!
While he may not have realized it, I learned so much from observing how he treated his teams and artists, how passionate he was about the work he did, and how he still encouraged me to volunteer at Rock the Vote b/c “they needed at least one young republican over there!” We had a fun conversation and I hope you find it as interesting as I did on MENTOR dna!
Jeff Ayeroff is a music industry legend. He started and was Co-Presidnet of Virgin Records before becoming my boss’ boss at the WORK Group at Sony Music. Jeff is unique, not only being known for his trademark long white hair and beard, but also as the founder of Rock the Vote. I was summoned to his office just before shipping off to business school and I was so nervous! The BIG boss wanted to tell me!?! What’ve I done?!
He said “I heard you’re leaving us. Where are you going?”
Yes, I’m getting my MBA.
Where?
Wharton.
Fine, that’s approved, but you come back to us ok?!
While he may not have realized it, I learned so much from observing how he treated his teams and artists, how passionate he was about the work he did, and how he still encouraged me to volunteer at Rock the Vote b/c “they needed at least one young republican over there!” We had a fun conversation and I hope you find it as interesting as I did on MENTOR dna!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
At 18, just after my freshman year in college, I interned for Barbara Jones, then Barbara Bausman, at Universal Music Distribution. After my graduation, I went to the Disney Stores and then followed Barb to Sony Music. We've since worked on tons of projects together and she’s now THE social media marketing guru, running Outshine Talent. Her roster includes Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, Frankie Jonas, My Nguyen of My Healthy Dish, and so many talented creators. Barb’s an important part of my life as my lifelong mentor and I’m thrilled for you to learn a nugget or two from our fun conversation on MENTOR dna!
Amor Boutique Hotel is a beautiful and secret spot in Sayulita Mexico. Our family and friends love it and you will, too! This spot is a safe and family-friendly spot 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport.
Amor Boutique Hotel - Sayulita Mexico
Hey! I'm so stoked to launch MENTOR dna. Hop in with this backstage pass to learn from some of the most interesting and inspirational leaders I know!