Secret Sauce

How do certain companies succeed where others have failed? What’s their “secret sauce”...and how can we get our hands on their recipes? From Wondery, the makers of the hit podcasts Business Wars and WeCrashed, comes SECRET SAUCE. Co-hosts Samuel Donner and John Frye take you behind the scenes of the most innovative leaders, trailblazing companies, and thriving cultures to learn what they have done to become a success. From how design guru Jony Ive worked with Steve Jobs to create some of Apple’s most iconic products, to how Warren Buffett invests better than just about anyone else. These are the unique recipes for what it takes to get to the top and stay there.

Binge all episodes of Secret Sauce exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/secret-sauce/ now.

Last refreshed: June 30th, 2025 at 9:31 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Listen Now: Liberty Lost

In Evangelical homes across the United States, sex outside of marriage is a sin against God. So, when Abbi becomes pregnant at 16, her devout parents hide her away at the Liberty Godparent Home, a little-known facility for pregnant teens on the campus of Liberty University. The Home says it helps girls decide what comes next – whether that’s parenting their babies or placing them for adoption. But inside the facility, the girls hear a different message: God wants their babies to go to more “dese...

Jun 23, 2025•6 min

The Secret Sauce of Warren Buffett | Ingredient #1: Trusting Your Inner Scorecard | 1

Warren Buffett, like most hyper-successful business people, wasn't born a billionaire. Buffett was born during the Great Depression and watched his country suffer financially. At an early age, the business magnate begins studying financial trends and pinches pennies on his way to becoming one of the world’s wealthiest people. But his interest in the stock market doesn’t cement his success. Warren isn’t the best student, and he most certainly isn’t winning any popularity contest. To grow his own ...

Jun 29, 2021•41 min•Season 4Ep. 1

The Secret Sauce of Jony Ive | Ingredient #1: Fragile Ideas | 1

There might be no other product in the world more ubiquitous than one designed by Apple. Known for products with sleek features, classic design elements, and of course, their signature logo, Apple has a cult of fans that brandish their beloved purchases with a great deal of pride. The tech company's product line has evolved from computers to mobile devices to wearable technology and continues to set trends. Apple's success is undeniable. However, that wasn't always the case. In the 90s, Steve Jo...

Jun 01, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 1

The Secret Sauce of The NBA Bubble | Ingredient #1: Authenticity | 1

An NBA game is canceled just moments before tip-off. As the thousands of fans file out of the stadium, It’s the first moment for many of the impact the global pandemic will have on the sports world. Enter NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, superstar LeBron James, and a group of problem solvers determined to keep the season alive safely. Will they succeed -- or will the coronavirus and massive social justice protests burst the NBA Bubble? The first of our three part series. You can binge all episodes ...

May 04, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 1

The Secret Sauce of Airbnb | Ingredient #1: Shameless | 1

Imagine a world where you show up at a stranger’s house and ask to sleep on their bed in exchange for a few bucks. Strangely enough, millions of people around the globe have done just that with AirBnB. In this three-part series, Sam and John seek the recipe for how a couple of design students overcame the odds to create a billion-dollar tech “unicorn.” In this first episode, it all starts with two founders with an air mattress and a dream, who are rejected by just about every investor in Silicon...

Apr 13, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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