Finances – The Mentors Radio: Recent Episodes
Tom Loarie and Dan Hesse
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Bengt Holmström, the Emeritus Paul A. Samuelson Professor of Economics at MIT, to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of receiving the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economics for his contributions to contract theory. His research has advanced the understanding of incentives, organizations, corporate governance, and financial liquidity. Bengt is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society, and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford and before MIT, he held faculty appointments at Yale and Northwestern. Dr. Holmstrom explains why factors that are hard to measure usually drive better behavior in incentive plans than those that are easy to measure. He mentors his students that asking the right questions is far more important than answering questions. A self-described “AI optimist,” he considers the AI companion he has created, Charlie, clever and life-enriching. LISTEN TO this radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or go to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:BENGT HOLMSTRÖM:
- BIO:
- BIO: Bengt Holmström
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengt_Holmstr%C3%B6m
- BOOKS:
- Inside and Outside Liquidity, by Bengt Holmström and Jean Tirole — Two leading economists develop a theory explaining the demand for and supply of liquid assets. Why do financial institutions, industrial companies, and households hold low-yielding money balances, Treasury bills, and other liquid assets? When and to what extent can…
- WEBSITE:
- The Nobel Prize: Bengt Holmström
- MIT Economics: Bengt Holmström (includes access to presentations, etc)
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Vienna Pharaon, a highly regarded licensed marriage and family therapist practicing in New York City and author of an off-the-charts best-selling book, The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love. This episode addresses some of the most fundamental and powerful forces in each of our lives that directly affect our individual ability to reach our full potential, in life, relationships, athletics, and in literally any endeavor we pursue, including business. Vienna Pharaon’s insights on human behavior and a common “why” behind what we individually choose, can be—and often are, literally, transformative and life-changing. Her book, The Origins of You, has become a global phenomenon, a national best-seller, and already has been translated into 24 languages. In the book, Vienna offers a profound analysis of how unresolved childhood wounds fundamentally reshape our relationship and our professional trajectories… and if not addressed, can put our career or lifestyle at risk. We may discover we are living a story we never actually chose. In this episode, you’ll uncover the hidden forces and childhood patterns that are secretly threatening our leadership, our organizations and our personal lives. Learn how to get the wisdom YOU need to protect YOUR future and break any destructive cycles. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:VIENNA PHARAON:
- BIO:
- https://www.newyorkcouplescounseling.com/about/vienna-pharaon/
- BOOK:
- The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love, by Vienna Pharaon
- WEBSITE:
- https://viennapharaon.com/
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with global advisor Ram Charan on whether your career and lifestyle are at risk from China’s “90% Strategy”. Ram Charan has been a foundational force in global business strategy for more than six decades, sought after for growth strategy and advice by CEOs including Jeff Bezos and more. Widely recognized as the advisor who tells you what you need to hear—not what you want to hear—Ram joins us for his sixth appearance to deliver a message essential for every leader, entrepreneur and citizen. The focus of this episode is on Ram’s new work, China’s 90% Model: China Has America by the Throat: Here’s How to Fight Back and Win. In this book, Ram offers a profound analysis of a systematic strategy of industrial dominance that is fundamentally reshaping the global order. This is not just a conversation about market competition; it is a look at the very survival of Western industrial capacity. While the subject may seem geopolitical, it is vital to understand because these are the forces putting our organizations at risk—the very factors that will shape the world that our children and grandchildren inherit. To protect our legacy and guide the next generation, we must see the road ahead with absolute clarity. This episode exposes the wisdom you need to protect the road ahead, your future. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:RAM CHARAN:
- BIO:
- Ram Charan, Ph.D. is renowned global consultant, an exceptionally keen observer of future retail and economic ecosystems, how to serve clients better, faster and deliver more satisfaction and brand loyalty and more, and a critical advisor to such corporate founders as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and many, many more. He shares his insights in guiding others and in books and is a prolific, multi-time, best-selling author. You can listen to his story, growing up in India, how he changed his family’s marketplace show-selling business by observing ways to serve clients better, faster and in a way that radically transformed their family business and their customers’ satisfaction in our first episode with Ram Charan here:How to Grow Fast and Make an Impact, with Ram Charan . Regardless of your level of achievement, YOU CANNOT HELP BUT LEARN FROM RAM.
- BOOK – NEWEST BOOK:
- China’s 90% Model: China has America by the Throat: Here’s How to Fight Back and Win, by Ram Charan
- WEBSITE:
- https://ram-charan.com/
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Shirin Behzadi, author of The Unexpected CEO and an extraordinary leader who has lived what many would call three lifetimes in one. Shirin’s journey is a masterclass in perseverance, resiliance and what some would describe as anti-fragility. She rose from being alone, as an 18-year-old immigrant, working behind bulletproof glass as an all-night gas station cashier, to becoming the CEO of a billion-dollar home improvement franchise network. Along the way, she navigated a high-stakes, nine-figure private equity exit and overcame a life-threatening health crisis—a brain tumor—that forced her to redefine everything she knew about leadership. In this episode we dive deep into why your point of view—not your ability—is often your greatest limitation and how to transform adversity into your ultimate competitive advantage.
LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
Key Wisdom from this Episode includes:
- The “North Star” Vision: Why expecting success is a higher level of energy than simply dreaming of it.
- Radical Empathy: How Shirin doubled her company’s value by launching “listening tours” to engage people at every level of the organization.
- The 1.8% Rule: Why you should never let statistics or “naysayers” limit your ambitions.
- Doing Well by Doing Good: Why making your stakeholders successful is the most effective path to financial success. As Shirin puts it, “If the world doesn’t believe in you, that’s terrible, but if you don’t believe in you, that’s tragic”.
SHOW NOTES:SHIRIN BEHZADI:
- BIO:
- https://shirinbehzadi.com/my-story/
- BOOK:
- https://amzn.to/4cMsiKw
- WEBSITE:
- https://shirinbehzadi.com/
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks withAndy Beckstoffer, named “the most powerful grapegrower by Wall Street Journal and the Wine Spectator. Few people have played a more pivotal, pioneering role in Napa Valley’s evolution into a world class wine region than Andy Beckstoffer, who owns Beckstoffer Vineyards. Beckstoffer Vineyards includes six Napa “Heritage sites” which consistently produce some of the best wines in the world, being awarded 100 point scores year after year. Perhaps most notably, Andy introduced an innovative and radical new grape pricing structure in 1976, which created a major and lasting shift in how the California wine industry views the importance of wine growers and grape quality. The Wall Street Journal and the Wine Spectator have both named Andy Beckstoffer the “Most Powerful Grapegrower.” In 1975, at age 35, Andy was a founding Director and the second President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association. He and his wife of 60 years, Betty Beckstoffer, were honored as St. Helena’s “Citizens of the Year” and Andy has been named Grower of the Year three times, by three different organizations. He was also named Agriculturalist of the Year twice. In 2007, Andy received the Wine Industry Leadership Award, the first ever United States Congressional Wine Caucus Commendation, and in 2010, he was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:
ANDY BECKSTOFFER:
- BIO:
- BIO: Andy Beckstoffer
- WEBSITE:
- https://beckstoffervineyards.com/
- OTHER:
- Historical Timeline of Beckstoffer Vineyards
- Guts, Luck and Vision: An Interview with Andy Beckstoffer (by Silverado Farming, December 2022)
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Dr. Eswar Prasad, a Professor of Economics at Cornell, a senior fellow at Brookings, and the former head of the IMF’s China division, to discuss his book The Future of Money: How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Currencies and Finance, which was chosen as a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, The Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, ProMarket, and The Week. In The Future of Money, Dr. Prasad argues that we are at an inflection point where technology is redefining what money is, who issues it, and how it moves—pushing us toward a world with less physical cash, and an ecosystem of fintech and crypto innovations that will reshape everything from household payments to the global monetary order. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:ESWAR S. PRASAD:
- BIO:
- BIO: Eswar S. Prasad
- BOOKS:
- The Future of Money: How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Currencies and Finance, by Eswar S. Prasad
- The Doom Loop: Why the World Economic Order Is Spiraling into Disorder, by Eswar S. Prasad
- Gaining Currency: The Rise of the Renminbi, by Eswar S. Prasad
- The Dollar Trap: How the U.S. Dollar TIghtened its Grip on Global Finance, by Eswar S. Prasad
- WEBSITE:
- https://www.futureofmoneybook.com/
In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Rusty Gaillard, a man who built one of the quintessential “A-student” careers of our time: Princeton engineering, GE under Jack Welch, an MBA from Stanford, and ultimately 14 years at Apple, where he served as Worldwide Director of Finance. By any external measure, he had “made it”. But internally, Rusty hit a wall — a wall many high achievers eventually reach. That crisis led to deep introspection, divorce, reinvention, and ultimately the insights behind his book, Breaking the Code: Stop Looking for Answers and Start Enjoying Life — a guide to upgrading what he calls your code or your “InnerTech,” the internal operating system that shapes your life. Rusty eventually left Apple to become a transformational executive coach, helping leaders navigate transitions and create meaningful, sustainable success. In this episode, they explore what drove Rusty to the breaking point, how he rebuilt his life, and what he has learned coaching others through change. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:RUSTY GAILLARD:
- BIO:
- https://rustygaillard.com/about-rusty-gaillard-corporate-performance-consultant
- BOOK:
- Breaking the Code: Stop Looking for Answers and Start Enjoying Life, by Rusty Gaillard
- WEBSITE:
- https://rustygaillard.com
In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Thom Weisel, a guest whose influence has not only shaped companies, but also culture. A financier and sports leader, Weisel is both Senior Managing Director and a Director of Stifel, a diversified global wealth management and investment banking company. Previously Thom was Chairman and CEO of Thomas Weisel Partners Group, Inc. and Montgomery Securities, one of Silicon Valley’s famed “Four Horsemen”. Thom helped build the financial infrastructure that fueled Silicon Valley’s explosive rise, often referred to as “Wall Street West”. He led the financings behind companies that transformed medicine, semiconductors, and the internet itself. In addition, Weisel was responsible for raising the iconic KLEINER PERKINS’ first venture fund. Along the way, he also exercised his leadership skills toward something entirely different and arguably just as consequential: rebuilding the governance and funding models behind U.S. skiing and U.S. cycling—helping save those sports and elevate American athletes on the world stage. Growing up, Weisel was a five-time U.S. National Junior Champion in Speed Skating, ranked Third in the 1959 U.S. Olympic Trials for the 500 meter in Speed Skating. He remained athletically active the rest of his life, including ranking Third overall in the 1982 U.S. National Master Alpine Championship, in ’85 he launched the Montgomery Cycling Team, four years later he won 2 Gold Medals in 1989 Cycling Kilo & Sprint in the World Master Games in Finland, the following two years he picked up 5 more Gold Medals and a 6th Gold in World Cup Masters Cycling in Kilo in 1991, the same year he was named Masters Athlete of the Year for U.S. Cycling. In 1999, he received the U.S. Ski Association Julius Blegen Award, its highest honor… his athletic achievements continued and in 2018 he was inducted in the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame…. all while pursuing advanced college degrees and innovative business building and exceptional entrepreneurial leadership. Thom Weisel’s is a story of ambition and resilience; of building institutions, losing them, and building again. It’s about competition, yes…but it is also about patience, stewardship, and meaning. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:THOM WEISEL:
- BIO:
- https://thomas-weisel.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Weisel
- BOOK – In 2003, Richard L. Brandt wrote a biography of Thomas Weisel:
- Capital Instincts: Life As an Entrepreneur, Financier, and Athlete, by Richard L. Brandt (author), Lance Armstrong (Foreword) and Thomas Weisel (contributor)
- WEBSITE:
- https://thomas-weisel.com/
- ADDITIONAL IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW:
- Computer History: Weisel, Thom Oral History – interview
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Patrick McGee, author of the best-selling book Apple in China, who tells a riveting story about how Apple almost single-handedly built the advanced electronics industry in China only to find itself trapped in a relationship with an authoritarian state making ever-increasing demands, and giving Beijing power that could be weaponized. Even though China’s immense domestic market is hard to resist, this is a cautionary tale for listeners thinking about doing business in China and helps explain how China made progress competing against American tech companies so quickly. Patrick was the Financial Times’ principal Apple reporter from 2019 to 2023, where he won a San Francisco Press Club Award for his coverage. He joined the newspaper in 2013, in Hong Kong, before reporting from Germany and California. Previously, he was a bond reporter at The Wall Street Journal. He has a master’s degree in global diplomacy from SOAS at the University of London, and a degree in religious studies from the University of Toronto. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here!
SHOW NOTES:PATRICK McGEE:
- BIO:
- https://patrick-mcgee.com/#card-8xuph49kjpjo2xo
- BOOK:
- Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company, by Patrick McGee
- WEBSITE:
- https://patrick-mcgee.com/
In this compelling episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with global strategist Ram Charan who returns with a powerful message for leaders at every level. From AI integration to talent shortages, from critical thinking to cash flow, Ram offers sharp, actionable insights. Ram explains why capital flows matter more than headlines, how humility fuels leadership growth, and why war rooms and curated newsletters are replacing traditional news sources. Most urgently, he reveals China’s economic strategy to undermine democracies—including the U.S.—and why we must understand it now. If you want to lead, adapt, and stay ahead, this conversation is your roadmap. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO broadcast on Salem Radio in San Francisco, via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide or anytime, on ANY podcast platform, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, iTunes, TuneIN, Stitcher, Google Play and all the others. Sign up for the podcast here.
SHOW NOTES:RAM CHARAN:
- BIO:
- Ram Charan, Ph.D. is renowned global consultant, an exceptionally keen observer of future retail and economic ecosystems, how to serve clients better, faster and deliver more satisfaction and brand loyalty and more, and a critical advisor to such corporate founders as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and many, many more. He shares his insights in guiding others and in books and is a prolific, multi-time, best-selling author. You can listen to his story, growing up in India, how he changed his family’s marketplace show-selling business by observing ways to serve clients better, faster and in a way that radically transformed their family business and their customers’ satisfaction in our first episode with Ram Charan here:How to Grow Fast and Make an Impact, with Ram Charan . Regardless of your level of achievement, YOU CANNOT HELP BUT LEARN FROM RAM.
- BOOKS: (partial list)
- NEWEST BOOK – To be released in August/September 2025 – China’s Assault: How to Break It Before It’s Too Late, by Ram Charan
- What the CEO Wants You to Know: Using Business Acumen to Understand How Your Company Really Works, by Ram Charan
- Execution, by Ram Charan
- The High Potential Leader: How to Grow Fast, Take on New Responsibilities, and Make an Impact, by Ram Charan
- The Attacker’s Advantage; Turning Uncertainty Into Breakthrough Opportunities, by Ram Charan
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Mitch Daniels, who was a two-term governor of Indiana, the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush and until recently, the 12th president of Purdue University. He was elected Indiana governor in his first bid for any elected office, and then re-elected with more votes than any candidate in the state’s history. A former top executive at Eli Lilly, he was named to Fortune magazine’s list of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders and elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Purdue named its business school for him. Mitch earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a law degree from Georgetown. Mitch is the author of three books including the recently-released Boiler Up- A University President in the Public Square, and he is a contributing columnist for the Washington Post. Find Show Notes below. Listen to the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here to not miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES:MITCH DANIELS:
- BIO:
- Mitchell E. Daniels (Mitch Daniels)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Daniels
- BOOKS:
- Boiler Up-A University President in the Public Square, by Mitch Daniels
- Leading the Revolution: Lessons from the Mitch Daniels Era, by Eric Holcomb, et.al.
- Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans, by Mitch Daniels
- WEBSITE & VIDEO CLIP:
- Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundaton
- Mitch Daniels interviews fellow classmate and friend, Mark Miles, President and CEO, Penske Entertainment – at the 2024 Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation (MLDF) Annual Event — terrific interview — https://youtu.be/XYk-uo5zj10?feature=shared&t=764
“I will urge that our purpose be bold, that if we err, we err on the side of action, of movement, of experiment. And that our aim be high.” — Mitch Daniels
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Chris Lowney, whose extraordinary journey took him from Jesuit seminarian to top executive at JP Morgan, to Chair of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in the United States. Discover the timeless principles that have shaped the Jesuit order for 450 years and how they continue to inspire 150,000 employees, serving 30 million people today. Tune in to learn how these same values can transform your own life and career! Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, just click here!
SHOW NOTES:CHRIS LOWNEY:
- BIO: https://chrislowney.com/wp/about-2/
- BOOKS:
- Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World, by Chris Lowney
- Heroic Living: Discover Your Purpose and Change the World, by Chris Lowney
- Make Today Matter: 10 Habits for a Better Life (and World), by Chris Lowney
- WEBSITE: https://chrislowney.com
In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ram Charan, Fortune Magazine’s “most influential global consultant alive,” whose client list is literally a Who’s Who of well-recognized global innovators and business titans. His 30 books have sold more than 4 million copies, in more than a dozen languages. As a world-renowned business consultant, author and speaker, hailed by The Economic Times as the world’s most influential business consultant and with a career spanning more than 40 years, Ram continues to provide unparalleled insights and practical solutions globally to top companies, CEOs, and boards, including Toyota, Bank of America and Novartis. Known for his ability to cut through complexity and address core business issues, Ram’s real-world advice is not only relevant but also actionable from Day One. In this episode we delve into Ram’s vision for businesses navigating today’s chaotic landscape, drawing from his extensive experience and unmatched expertise. In this episode you will learn:
- The importance of the U.S. dollar and its impact on costs down to the local shoe shop.
- Why inflation of at least 4% will stick with us.
- The difference between business leaders in India vs U.S.
- Why India is on fire economically.
- What Tik Tok symbolism means to all of us.
- Why we need to focus on the gifts God gave to us.
- The importance of learning and curiosity to success in today’s world.
- AI and why we all should take a one week course to learn the fundamentals.
- The switch from engineering to math.
- The importance of business savvy and why it is lacking in the U.S.
SHOW NOTES:RAM CHARAN:
- BIO:
- BOOKS: Three of Ram Charan’s books were Wall Street Journal bestsellers and Execution, co-authored with former Honeywell CEO Larry Bossidy, spent more than 150 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Here is a list of some of Charan’s books, you’ll find more when you click on any of the books below:
- Leading Through Inflation: And Recession and Stagflation, by Ram Charan and Geri Willigan
- Rethinking Competitive Advantage: New Rules for the Digital Age, by Ram Charan
- Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
- What the CEO Wants You to Know, Expanded and Updated: How Your Company Really Works, by Ram Charan
- Boards That Lead: When to Take Charge, When to Partner, and When to Stay Out of the Way, by Ram Charan, Dennis Carey, Michael Useem
- WEBSITE: Ram-Charan.com
- BLOG: https://ram-charan.com/blog/
- LINKED IN: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/ram-charan-s-corporate-advice-6997950667722006528/
In today’s episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Brandon Steiner, a successful entrepreneur who pioneered the sports collectible industry. He’s a kid from Brooklyn who started from scratch and ended up buying Yankee Stadium (yes, you read that correctly!), ultimately creating a sports empire. Brandon started entrepreneurship young, driven by an absolute love of bagels. At age 14, he invented the “The Everything Bagel”! Today he is the CEO of CollectiblesXChange and The Steiner Agency, and is the author of three books: The Business Playbook; You Gotta Have Balls; and Living on Purpose. In this episode, you’ll hear first-hand how Brandon went from a kid in Brooklyn to creating a sports empire; with lots of AHA! moments for your own life and business along the way. Listen to The Mentors Radio show live in San Francisco or via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide… You can also listen on ANY podcast platform, including Apple podcast, iTunes, Spotify, TuneIN, Stitcher, Google Play and all the others. Sign up for the podcast here.
SHOW NOTES:BRANDON STEINER:
- BIO: https://brandonsteiner.com/pages/about
- BOOKS:
- The Business Playbook: Leadership Lessons from the World of Sports, by Brandon Steiner
- You Gotta Have Balls: How a Kid from Brooklyn Started from Scratch, Bought Yankee Stadium, and Created a Sports Empire, by Brandon Steiner
- Living on Purpose: Stories about Faith, Fortune, and Fitness That Will Lead You to an Extraordinary Life, by Brandon Steiner
- TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/brandon_steiner_find_your_dirt
- WEBSITE: https://brandonsteiner.com/
In this episode, THE MENTORS RADIO Host Dan Hesse talks with Steve Case, one of America’s most influential tech visionaries, the CEO of the investment firm Revolution, the founder and former CEO of AOL, and the author of The Rise of the Rest. In addition to learning how entrepreneurs can make a great pitch to investors, we’ll discuss how innovation is moving to America’s heartland, rejuvenating major cities, and why this is so important to our country’s future. Steve Case co-founded AOL in 1985. Under Steve’s leadership as CEO, AOL became the largest and most valuable Internet company on the planet, driving the worldwide adoption of a medium that has transformed business and society. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Revolution LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm that backs entrepreneurs at every stage of their development. The Rise of the Rest Seed Fund has invested in more than 200 startups in more than 100 U.S. cities, in partnership with many of America’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors. Steve was recently named co-chair of the National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which will advise on the development of a National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to ensure America’s competitiveness.
Listen to episode below, or on ANY PODCAST PLATFORM here. BE SURE TO LEAVE US A GREAT REVIEW on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share with friends and colleagues!
SHOW NOTESSTEVE CASE:
- BIO: Bio: Steve Case
- BOOKS:
- The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream, by Steve Case
- The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future, by Steve Case
- TELEVISION and ARTICLES:
- We cannot allow AI to make Big Tech even bigger (CNBC)
- America’s big mistake in the war for high-tech talent (CNN)
- This Popular Way to Pick Winners can Make You Miss the Biggest Opportunities (Inc.)
- How a Company Becomes a Pillar of Its Local Community (HBR)
- Lessons from a bipartisan economic triumph, 10 years later (The Hill)
- Innovation Moves to Middle America (WSJ)
In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse talks with Mark Tatum, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Tatum oversees the NBA’s global business operations. But Mark didn’t find his ideal career — one he loves — right out of the box. He just never stopped being his best self throughout his career…and his career insights and wisdom is excellent, as you’ll hear. Learn how a young man born in Vietnam during the war to a black serviceman and Chinese mother was educated at Cornell and Harvard – and worked at Procter & Gamble, Clorox and Pepsi, but he found his calling and ideal career in sports management, where he has played a key role in fostering innovation and building the NBA’s global brand. His favorite quote, “Find your passion and pursue your dreams.”
Listen to episode below, or on ANY PODCAST PLATFORM here. BE SURE TO LEAVE US A GREAT REVIEW on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share with friends and colleagues!
SHOW NOTES:MARK TATUM:
- BIO: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/mark-tatum
- ARTICLES:
- Mark Tatum’s life a series of twists and turns, Amsterdam News
- During his ascent in the NBA, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum was inspired to ‘dream big’, Andscape feature story
- NBA Inaugural announcements:
- Inaugural In-Season Tournament, Announcmment
- Inaugural In-Season Tournament, Schedule
- NBA Con Fan Event, Las Vegas
In today’s episode, The Mentors Host Tom Loarie talks with William D. Cohan, a business writer, former investor banker, and best-selling author of “Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon,” which chronicles the strengths and weaknesses of influentical General Electric CEOs Jack Welch and Jeff Immelt, and the the rise and fall of General Electric (GE) over 36 years. The lessons learned are legendary in their impact on anyone’s business—large, mid-sized or small—and legendary in understanding what to really look for when evaluating whether (or not) your or another business is one in which it could be worth investing. Ethics play a role for sure.
At its peak, GE was an industrial empire worth nearly $600 billion. For almost a century its logo branded “just about everything, from wind turbines to submarine detectors, fridges, televisions, toasters and lightbulbs,” as a Nov 2022 article in The Guardian described.
In 2001, GE was considered to be one of the most valuable companies in the world, boasting a rare, triple-A credit score. A mere 20 years later, GE announced it would be broken up into smaller fragments. Its employees numbered less than half those of 20 years earlier. In the 2000s, the company had begun sourcing its lightbulbs from Chinese contractors and branding them as GE products. In 2020, GE sold off it’s lighting business for good. What went so wrong? Find out in this episode of THE Mentors RADIO.
Listen below (podcast posted after Saturday’s radio airing), or listen on ANY podcast device or platform here.
SHOW NOTES:William D. Cohan (“Bill”):
- BIO: https://williamcohan.com/about/
- WEBSITE: WilliamCohan.com
- BOOKS:
- Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of An American Icon, by William D. Cohan
- Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short, by William D. Cohan
- Why Wall Street Matters, by William D. Cohan
- The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, Wall Street Journal and the Power of the Elite, by William D. Cohen
- Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World, by William D. Cohan
- House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street, by William D. Cohan
- The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Fréres & Company, by William D. Cohan
- ARTICLES:
- Power Failure by William D Cohan review – pulling the plug – by Hettie O’Brien, The Guardian
In today’s episode, Host Dan Hesse talks with Bill Zollars, former YRC CEO and a 24-year C-suite veteran of Eastman Kodak during the company’s heyday. The story of how Kodak, the third most powerful brand in the world, lost its way and ended up in bankruptcy remains so shocking on the surface that its journey is studied in business schools worldwide. There have been accounts in academic and business journals written about the demise of Kodak, but none with the anecdotes and insider’s view that Bill shares.
Zollars adds color to Kodak’s journey with personal anecdotes of Kodak Moments and his unique insights into what was really going on behind the camera.
The lessons learned from the Kodak saga are applicable to any company – particularly those that think “this could never happen to us”.
After graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Minnesota, Bill joined Eastman Kodak where he held roles in Finance, Strategic Planning, Marketing, Logistics and General Management during a 24-year career. Bill left Kodak to establish the Integrated Logistics business at Ryder Systems and grew it from $300 million to $1.5 Billion in 3 years. He later became President of Yellow Freight and two years later was promoted to Chairman, President, and CEO of YRC Freight, a company he grew from $1 billion to $10 billion in revenue and into the Fortune 250 during his 12-year tenure as CEO.
He serves on the boards of Cigna, Prologis and several private company boards, and was Chairman of Cerner until it was sold to Oracle in 2022. He is also in his third year as a Governor of the U.S. Postal Service.
SHOW NOTES:BILL ZOLLARS:
- BIO: (see above)
- ARTICLES:
- Fujifilm: Outlasting the “Kodak Moment”
- Kodak’s Downfall Wasn’t About Technology – Harvard Business School Review
- The UnMerger – Forbes
- Your business model can be your biggest enemy: How did Kodak fall? – Capacitor/Partners
- How Kodak Failed – Forbes
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