Episode 28 brings us Tahmid Khan who was held hostage after 5 guys stormed a cafe armed with AK-47’s and changed his life instantly. Tahmid is an intellectual, he attended Columbia and the University of Toronto. He’s had a career in public health, founded a non-profit, and produces music on the side. To say the least, he’s extremely thoughtful and his breakdown of what happened is heartbreaking and inspiring in the same breath. His story has been covered by The New York Times, Vice, TED, and he ...
Apr 16, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Wende Valentine serves as Executive Director of the dZi Foundation, an NGO dedicated to ensuring basic needs, catalyzing inclusive economic growth, and creating an environment for lasting impact in the most rural parts of Nepal. Think schools, farms, and new businesses created by locals, as a result of training and resources provided by dZi. Wende has an incredible history of non profit leadership formerly at Water For People (sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South America) and MAIA, a Guatem...
Mar 28, 2024•48 min
NJ Falk is Managing Partner at Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL). NJ Co-Founded and serves as Chief Mentorpreneur™ ( a term she trademarked) of The Forward Female. She's founder of the Webby Award winning blog, The Blonde and The Brunette. She previously help leadership roles at American Express, Universal Studios and MGM. She holds a BFA in Film/Television/Journalism and an MBA from NYU. We discuss: -Why APL become the #1 story in the world when they got banned from the NBA. -Productivity tips and...
Mar 11, 2024•48 min
Mandy Ginsberg is a force. She served as CEO of Match Group (owner of 45 brands including Match.com, Tinder, Hinge) when it was a $25B company, currently serves on the board of directors at Uber, former board member at JC Penney's, and current director at thredUP. Mandy famously served as the first female CEO to conduct a pay audit amongst her entire organization, exposing the pay gap between genders. She discusses the right balance of sharing your personal life, and gives specific examples of h...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 10 min
After being given up at birth, and rotating through 22 different foster care homes, Dr. Loren Michaels Harris went on to win the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in giving back to others. He is an entrepreneur, author, and professional speaker. Dr. Loren serves as CEO of Trajectory TV Network, Executive Producer and Talk Show Host of e360tv, and the Founder @ Power of We Symposium which will gather 750 kids at their annual event this October in Chicagoland. He is a force of n...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 23 min
Dan & Chris Powers took a leap of faith when they moved across the country to Los Angeles 10 years ago to pursue their dream in the entertainment business. Since then, it's paid off. They run the famous Empty Netters Podcast (an Almost Friday Media/Friday Beers affiliate) and have made a name for themselves as screenwriters. It didn't come without a few "kicks to the teeth" -- being rejected for jobs on the front line at Chipotle (after completing a Masters in Electrical Engineering at Duke)...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Janice is the CEO of Ellig Group, where she was named one of the world's most influential headhunters by Bloomberg Business Week. She has a specific focus on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace by placing women and underrepresented executives onto boards and into C-suites. Janice is a philanthropic titan having chaired the University of Iowa Center for Advancement board, Past Director of the National YMCA, and Past President of the Women's Forum of New York. She received ...
Jan 30, 2024•47 min
Dr. Austin Chiang is a world-renowned expert on gut health. He attended Duke, Colombia, Harvard (and more!) to obtain his MD and beyond. Dr. Austin Chiang serves as Chief Medical Officer of the Endoscopy business at Medtronic, the worlds largest medical device company. He's created an immense social media following where he spreads accurate health information to his 570,000 followers. He is author of "Gut: An Owner's Guide" which will be released in April of 2024.
Jan 16, 2024•54 min
Robert Jordan served as the 25th U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the 9/11 attacks. Having served as President George Bush's personal attorney, and close friend, Robert was tapped to lead Saudi relations in a tumultuous time. Tune in to hear stories from the Oval Office, Saudi Palaces, and advice on improving the Israel/Palestinian conflict. Robert was a partner in the international law firm Baker Botts L.L.P. for many years and headed the firm’s Middle East practice based in Dubai until h...
Jan 02, 2024•59 min
Enjoy this fascinating conversation with Almost Friday Media President, Andrew Kenward. Conversation starts at time stamp 3:30. Andrew landed his first job in entertainment with C3 Presents, hosting Austin City Limits. From ACL, he went on to become an Agent in Hollywood at William Morris Endeavor for 8 years before joining the rocket ship Almost Friday Media as their President. Almost Friday Media is a media conglomerate and production company of 20 brands; including notable Friday Beers and Em...
Dec 19, 2023•51 min
Andy Warren is an accomplished business leader with experience in film and entertainment, investment banking, insurance, and several entrepreneurial endeavors (like owning 22 pubs!). Andy gives advice on the art of relationship building, decisive thinking, and risk taking. "Don't break rules, bend them!" We recorded this episode at a vineyard in Napa -- please visit our YouTube page to watch the video. Hit the "Follow" or "Subscribe" button wherever you listen to your podcast -- it helps me brin...
Dec 05, 2023•55 min
Permission to Shine Episode 17 is live and it's a big one! Jim Moore, creative director at GQ for 40 years and now leading his own efforts, has worked with President Obama, Jay-Z, Lebron James, Denzel Washington and more. Jim has lead or been involved with over 500 GQ front cover shoots. From growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota to making it big in New York City, Jim's story is remarkable. His work ethic is insane, and his humility is inspiring. I randomly met Jim on the sidewalk in NYC where we qu...
Nov 21, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Interested in living a more purpose driven life? Dr. Sanjiv Chopra will give you the tools to do so. In his 12th book, The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose - and Live a Happier, Healthier Life, Dr. Chopra details what the happiest people in the world have in common. This is an incredibly enlightening conversation that I know you will enjoy.
Nov 06, 2023•56 min
Brandon Marcel, a musician based out of Fort Worth Texas, has been touring with Grammy winning Leon Bridges since 2018 . His thoughtfulness, zest for intense experiences, calm demeanor, and thoughts on courage being more important than confidence make him a special person. Please enjoy this conversation with Brandon Marcel!.
Oct 25, 2023•29 min
Daniel Pidgeon, CEO of McIntosh Group, and I sat down at the House of Sound NYC -- a $30 million condo in Chelsea they converted into an audio experience house, to showcase their legendary speaker line that's been leading the industry since the 1940's. Dan previously served as CEO of Sears Home Services (leading 7,000 employees) and has helped lead the Consumer Electronics Show, the largest tech conference in the world... think all of the new gadgets like robots. Please enjoy this inspiring conv...
Oct 13, 2023•38 min
This week I sat down with Ben Freeberg in NYC to talk about his road to overcoming cancer, his stand up comedy career, his efforts to promote wholistic care within the healthcare industry, and so much more (dating life, peer pressure of drinking, running marathons, etc). This is the longest episode to date and for good reason… Ben has so much wisdom to share with the world! I’m excited for you all to experience it. Let me know your takeaways!
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr
Susan Fisher Sterling serves as director for the National Museum of Women in the Arts located at the center of power — two blocks from The White House. The NMWA is the first museum dedicated to highlighting women artists. Most museums/galleries display ~10% female artistry. Since it’s opening in the 1980’s, it’s had the pleasure of hosting every President and First Lady. They are currently undergoing a 2 year, $67.5M renovation to bring the building to current times. I felt so lucky to get a beh...
Sep 12, 2023•28 min
Aman Khan has worked on some of the coolest things in the world, all while being incredibly kind and humble. He’s worked at: -Apple designing the Apple Watch and iPhone -Spotify working on the artificial intelligence algorithms that generate the recommendations/playlists you see -Self driving cars at Cruise -Drone delivery for medical supplies in Rwanda Tune in to learn about: -What it’s like to grow up between Pakistan and America -The future of self driving cars -Why we get stuck in Spotify AI...
Aug 28, 2023•42 min
Our first double digit episode does not disappoint! From growing up as 1 of 11 kids helping run the family salvage yard, to becoming one of the youngest executives at a massive healthcare organization, this is the fascinating story of Peter Lindquist. Peter is a leader that puts his people first and it's evident throughout our conversation. Fun fact, he helped build a children’s hospital in Haiti and the series of events that lead to it.... WOW 🤯 As always, please share your thoughts and feedba...
Aug 15, 2023•25 min
Can you imagine moving across the world and taking over a business/restaurant by age 24? That’s exactly what Romain did. Romain and his partners are now running one of the best restaurants in Kansas City — Westport Cafe. We discuss: -growing up in France & his desire to come to America -the process of acquiring and running a restaurant (the cafe is truly incredible!) -how and what to value in business partners Please enjoy my conversation with Romain — I feel lucky to know him, his partners,...
Jul 19, 2023•22 min
Brad and I sit down to discuss: -Taking care of yourself first, so you can consistently take care of others -Why he prioritizes BEHAVIORS over VALUES -Becoming an entrepreneur at age 19 & losing the support of a parent as a result -Achieving ~$300M in revenue since -The importance of getting your blood work frequently Brad is a man with focused purpose and a discipline to make anything happen. Hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation! As always, if you are enjoying the show please hit the ...
Jul 13, 2023•28 min
Julia Enthoven , Co-Founder & CEO Kapwing Julia is one of the most humble and talented people, which thrills me to bring this conversation to life. She's a Stanford, Google, and Apple alum — talk about a trifecta! We discuss: -Being a tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley -Growth mindset & how Carol Dweck became Julia’s mentor -How to focus on mental health amidst the chaos of growing a company Hit the “FOLLOW” button to never miss an episode. Hope you enjoy the humble and inspiring, Julia...
Jun 27, 2023•14 min
In this inspiring conversation with Johnathan, you’ll learn about: -Traveling all 7 continents -Building a successful career through intentionality -Overcoming obstacles growing up in Chicago -The power of practicing breath work daily (hey you… stop and take a deep breath right now… I bet it helps!) If you want to practice breath work with us, tune in at 14:15! Johnathan has an incredible work ethic, growth mindset, altruistic soul, and a legacy that will remain. He inspires everyone around him ...
Jun 20, 2023•20 min
Treating Brain Cancer with Geminii Co-Founders Calvin Carter & Sunny Huang Brain cancer (GBM) has a post 5 year survival rate of 5%. Luckily for all of us, Calvin and Sunny are working hard to change this. They hold a PhD in Neuroscience and an MD/PhD in molecular medicine respectively. Perfectly positioned to make a HUGE shift in the future of medicine. In episode 5, you’ll hear about: -Turning down Yale Medical School to pursue a calling -Immigrating from China to America and the opportuni...
Jun 13, 2023•21 min
A rare opportunity to hear from one of the brightest business minds in the WORLD. From towing company, to global $38B enterprise… this is the story of Copart and Jay Adair who became president at the young age of 26. Copart had 30 employees at the time… it has 9,000 today! If you invested $1,000 in Copart when it went public, it’d be worth $360,000 today. Throughout the conversation, Jay details: -Building a team that’s better than you -The importance of generosity & purpose -Not letting age...
May 31, 2023•29 min
Brent Bishop has summited Mount Everest 🏔 Three and 9/10 times! It was powerful to learn about the "9/10" and it's exactly why I was excited to talk to Brent and bring you all with. 🎙 P.S. The first 3 episodes of Permission to Shine have been dedicated to Nepal and dZi Foundation . Next week, we'll be expanding a bit but remaining with the humble and inspiring mission. It's a big one 👀 ... stay tuned! Brent Bishop content starts @ :40....
May 23, 2023•4 min
The Dos Equis man is done. Matthew Weatherly-White has officially taken the crown as the most interesting man. Matthew: -Sent himself to boarding school as a young teenager on the east coast -Ran a multi-BILLION $$ dollar impact investment fund (yes please!) -Hobbies include 5-10 day adventure races through Vietnam -Lives in wonderful Sayultia, Mexico where he owns and operates a hotel (who’s coming with?) -Please enjoy… the most interesting man… Matthew Weatherly-White. Leave your thoughts!...
May 15, 2023•4 min
Meet the humble and accomplished, Karin Lapping. She: -Works for the Gates Ventures -Has worked & lived in Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria -Strives to solve the world’s most pressing problems through development work The most humble, are the most inspiring. Please enjoy & feel free to leave your thoughts.
May 09, 2023•4 min
