Phil Horvath has been on quite the journey. Nothing like starting a prominent, new job during the thick of the pandemic. Now, almost a year in, Phil shares what it has been like to navigate his organization as the new President of Floyd’s 99 Barbershop. On this episode of The Courageous Podcast, we discuss how Phil has gone about getting to know his team who reside across 114 locations in 13 states from Florida to Texas. This includes the colossal challenge of not being about to travel for face-...
Jan 13, 2022•42 min•Ep. 44
In the world of food, Kraft Heinz is on the hunt for what's next now. In this episode of The Courageous Podcast we are talking transformation and the future of food with VP of Capabilities, Kevin Zidron. Kevin shares how his entrepreneurial spirit took him on a journey which started with stocking shelves. We discuss the importance of understanding the inner workings of an organization at all levels and how to wisely tap into your customer's behavior. We also discuss Kevin’s leadership style; he ...
Jan 06, 2022•36 min•Ep. 43
We are joined by Google’s Head of Industry Dustin Bomar who learned an entirely new category shifting from the travel business to the telecom arena. If not more courageous is Dustin’s backstory. As a father of two adopted African American kids, now 7, we took some time to discuss the impact of these last two chaotic years; including its toll on his family. Dustin shares his concern for the type of country we are creating that his kids will one day grow into. Take a listen on this episode of The ...
May 06, 2021•44 min•Ep. 42
It can share a news report with us in the morning. It can tell our kids a whimsical bed time story just before sleep. Amazon Alexa has become a useful member of many families found in kitchens and bedrooms all across the home. But what goes in to what Alexa says? And are there ways for us to teach Alexa what we best like to hear? Learn from Andrew Turner who is a Senior Manager on the Alexa Artificial Intelligence team. He works on what he calls the Natural Language Understanding team — and will...
Apr 22, 2021•48 min•Ep. 41
Male ego. Testosterone. One Ups. Away from the media, every locker room is a mental war zone that can often mirror the battles taking place on professional fields, diamonds and pitches itself. So imagine Robbie Rogers dilemma when he made the choice to become one of the first openly gay man in pro sports to brave the no holds barred chatter of the locker room. US Men’s National Team player Robbie Rogers, now retired, played for the LA Galaxy from 2013-2017. On this episode of The Courageous Podc...
Apr 15, 2021•48 min•Ep. 40
The Courageous Podcast w/ Shelby Stanger What happens when the tables are turned on an award-winning podcast host? You get badass podcaster, producer and storyteller Shelby Stanger as your guest on The Courageous Podcast. Shelby is a colossal believer that stories can impact substantial change. She has not only covered those stories as a journalist but has lived them herself. On this episode of The Courageous Podcast, Shelby shares how she went about crafting her Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast ...
Apr 08, 2021•52 min•Ep. 39
Eric Toda has had enough. Do you blame him? He is a father who unremittingly thinks about raising his children in a world where hate, fear and profiling is haunting Asian Americans. But why isn’t it haunting all of us? It should. On this episode of The Courageous Podcast, Eric Toda keeps it real on how he feels. We do cover a lot of ground including Eric’s versatile career leading at AirBnB, Snap, Nike and now Facebook. Deeper into the episode we discuss Eric’s frustration over the last year as ...
Mar 25, 2021•55 min•Ep. 38
3:41 - Lili shares the importance of trying new industries and taking on new challenges 4:21 - Lili believes start-ups aren't that different 5:03 - "every company is moving super fast these days." 6:35 - Nudging Wall Street think different about MGM. 9:08 - "Do you have 5 minutes" collision moments... 10:35 - Working for a boss "who wanted to change the world." 11:54 - Being at a start-up now ready for TV (top of funnel) 13:41 - "Each brand I have worked on has been clear on their role on the wo...
Mar 18, 2021•40 min•Ep. 37
3:07 - What's special about Mastermind Toys 5:18 - Sarah shares background on her path to CEO 6:53 - First time CEO navigating the pandemic. 10:12 - Leading when you've only met your team in Zoom. 11:34 - Sarah felt she wasn't just the CEO but the Chief Communicator 13:59 - Sarah shares that she plays to her strengths 16:51 - Sarah shares if her ambition wavered when she became a parent. 18:22 - What International Women's Day Means to Sarah 19:32 - Sarah shares "The Power Gap" 20:18 - Navigating...
Mar 11, 2021•51 min•Ep. 36
4:00 - Background on Julian 5:02 - Moving back to the land down under 5:34 - The path to entrepreneurship 7:50 - What is account planning and why is it important? 9:36 - Looking through the consumers eyes 10:57 - An example of insight and strategy 13:08 - Relaunching PS4 and the opportunity 16:25 - Process from problem to insight to solution 21:57 - Subjectivity and getting past the right and wrong answer - the creative leap and connecting the dots 24:11 - Hallways over boardrooms - a coalition ...
Mar 04, 2021•53 min•Ep. 35
3:24 - Celebrating Micol's tenure in the ad game 3:45 - Background in music and ready to sleep in the airport if need be 4:13 - Moving to Atlanta with only $300 5:38 - I'd rather die, than stay on this rock 7:03 - Not afraid to go down in flames of glory 7:52 - Micol's career and backstory 9:25 - iHeart discovered Micol from one of his rap's online 10:22 - Going from 20% Micol to 100% Micol 11:54 - A realization to just share 'me' 13:24 - You Are Dope introduces us to Micol 13:39 - The Drink, Mi...
Feb 25, 2021•46 min•Ep. 34
4:09 - "This is how we never solve anything" 6:26 - "The worst thing that could happen to advertising was..." 9:13 - What scares Derek about today 12:11 - The power of values 15:21 - Being a believer in the Constitution 15:32 - Derek's concern with the Jeep Super Bowl commercial. 18:54 - Should we be united here in America? 21:04 - The need to address bad behavior of bad apples. 23:41 - Standing together for one single principle 27:27 - Where have the leaders gone? 29:55 - Being more diverse sta...
Feb 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 33
4:50 - Minter's background from the non-traditional jobs to entrepreneurship and corporate life 7:17 - What was tugging at Minter to leave corporate and go back to entrepreneurship 8:42 - Leaning into tie dye...and wearing it to work 10:49 - The one moment that drove Minter to re-evaluate what he was doing with his career 15:07 - Do you know what you stand for? 19:12 - The challenge and the time needed to get to know yourself 19:21 - If you haven't done the work to know who you are, then you are...
Feb 11, 2021•48 min•Ep. 32
3:10 - Brent's background and starting his first company 3:57 - Learning about pivots in entrepreneurship 5:38 - Should every American serve in the military? 7:44 - What do you go through mentally in SEAL training 8:23 - The mental, physical and mindset transformation 8:51- Key attributes - grit, resilience, mental fortitude, passion, and a deep emotional connection to the idea of serving 12:47 - Taking Point - The foundational principles for leadership and organizational development 13:44 - Wan...
Jan 28, 2021•48 min•Ep. 31
5:46 - We believe we have to be the ideal worker 6:25 - Heartwarming to hear the next generation of men stepping up and saying they want to be actively engaged fathers 6:32 - How to be great at your career and your family life 6:52 - The abundance mindset and trends we are seeing 7:10 - Value is not just about shareholders; it's about stakeholders 8:53 - Fears of taking a break from work 9:32 - The profile of productivity will surprise you - it's not about being all in, all the time 10:01 - Huge...
Jan 21, 2021•54 min•Ep. 30
3:59 - Does Marisa feel like she's a courageous leader? 6:03 - We force Marisa to choose 3 words to describe herself. 6:33 - Her thrill in the workplace: finding ways to win creatively 8:12 - "Psychology is the gameplay for what we do" 9:47 - Marisa shares the power of brands and their role in culture. 10:26 - The role of home today. 12:12 - Marisa explains what delights her about jumping into new verticals. 13:18 - Marisa is adamant about not doing things differently for the sake of doing thing...
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 29
4:29 - Life changes that caused me to think about what I wanted out of life 6:20 - I have loved this brand since the day I walked into it - empowering people to have the outdoor experiences they want to have - guiding people toward wellness 6:45 - Coming back into a leadership position enabled me to do some of the things I wanted to accomplish that I was unable to previously 7:06 - The biggest lesson - to really lean into the "hell yeses of life" and stay clear of the "F-no's" 7:59 - There reall...
Jan 07, 2021•51 min•Ep. 28
3:22 - Sam shares his work path from gaming to big tech. 3:52 - Sharing Instagram's latest campaign, "We Make Today" 5:26 - Sam shares his time in Product Marketing at Facebook. 6:31 - Sam's intention through it all: stay in the Bay area. 08:04 - Sam talks about working for creative-led Lucas Films. 9:34 - Thompson shares some Warren Buffett advice 10:58 - The power of working for a great leader 12:13 - If Sam could only pick one boss from previous bosses who would he pick... 14:44 - Sam shares ...
Dec 31, 2020•48 min•Ep. 27
3:09 - How Brandon and Berman first met 3:48 - Brandon's background - GenZ activist, speaker, political activist, and influencer 3:57 - One of 84 people in medical history diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism called metatropic dysplasia 4:36 - Turning point at age 11 when I was close to ending my life...tired of the suffering 5:52 - Opportunity to share my story for the first time through TedX 6:06 - First time I was vulnerable and authentic...through this experience I found my purpose and mis...
Dec 24, 2020•45 min•Ep. 26
3:21 - Tony shares his last company: Life After Hate 4:07 - Tony spent 15 years in the movement 4:37 - Tony didn't grow up in a broken family 5:41 - "The world happens to us and we learn it's not so safe to be open." 8:19 - Tony talks about the coldness of his private school experience 9:35 - Tony talks about the choices he made that harmed other people and himself. 11:32 - Tony shares how the birth of his child changed him. 13:33 - The journey to self acceptance 15:29 - Tony shares his necessar...
Dec 17, 2020•53 min•Ep. 25
4:55 - The Baja 1000 and how Berman meet Nev 6:36 - Van Neistat and the party starters 7:45 - Photojournalism and dancing 8:43 - The 10 year anniversary of Catfish the documentary 9:33 - How the documentary came to life 10:27 - The start of point and shoot content 11:40 - The process of finding out the truth...and filming it 13:31 - "Empathy didn't come naturally for me...most of my actions are motivated by selfishness" 14:37 - New York city upbringing has conditioned me to be head-strong, impul...
Dec 10, 2020•45 min•Ep. 24
3:55 - Serial entrepreneurism, the Navy and new cities 5:42 - Perseverance and getting through adversity. 7:39 - Don't get lost in the plan 7:47 - "Business plans are crap..especially in a start-up. Day 1 your plan changes..." 7:58 - "My philosophy is LAUNCH...something to get started and get feedback" 9:58 - Only had one partner through my successful ventures...a lifelong friend 10:16 - I look for two things in a founder...TRUST...and...BALANCE. 12:24 - We all face fear and risks when starting ...
Dec 03, 2020•46 min•Ep. 23
3:41 - Jason Harris shares some background on Mekanism 5:10 - Bryant Brennan discusses the role his team plays at Peloton 6:07 - What business is Peloton in? Fitness? Self Improvement? Tech? 7:44 - Peloton's investment in Emmy-winning producers to make the class experience top notch for members. 9:23 - We discuss the freedom the Instructors have designing their rides 11:09 - Jason discusses the beginning of the Mekanism + Peloton partnership 12:07- Jason discusses the importance of the growing P...
Nov 26, 2020•51 min•Ep. 22
1:32 - Quarantine Back In March Felt Like a Holiday; Not so much now 2:35 - Does he take pride in his advertising roots? Or does he run from that identity? 4:15 - Eric explains being in his 20's when he started Method 5:15 - Eric shares his two hiring rules back at Method 7:18 - Eric discusses the 3 separate cultures he's currently part of 8:40 - Finding those little ways to keep the team feeling unified 9:40 - Eric explains the "All Welly Wednesday" Zoom call 11:26 - We get Eric's response to a...
Nov 19, 2020•55 min•Ep. 21
3:31- James Brennan's Yankee Teeshirt 3:48 - Growing up in NYC 4:54 - College in San Diego. "I fell in love with the city and the the people." 7:15 - Growing up in NY "grows you up quick" 8:39 - James shares a "Street Smart" NY moment 12:41 - Make my kids aware of the job creation that comes with the job 15:06 - "First of all, I'm a risk taker." 16:52 - James talks about his 2009; a potential BK moment. 18:59 - "I'll make my bet and if I'm wrong I'm wrong." 24:32 - "Every job has its risk factor...
Nov 12, 2020•48 min•Ep. 20
2:31 - A weird time for a world renowned keynote speaker 4:11 - Do business travelers really do their best work on a plane? 5:35 - Who is Convince & Convert 6:53 - The shift to virtual keynotes and the investment in equipment. 8:01 - Jay is a 7th Generation Entrepreneur 8:47 - Jay shares his haunting 8 year gap between wanting to be an Entrepreneur and when he finally leaped 10:34 - Jay shares his process for overcoming what he was afraid of. 13:28 - Jay shares "you do you" during Covid 15:0...
Nov 05, 2020•53 min•Ep. 19
3:58 - The Polarized State of America 4:17 - Johanna shared her conservative roots 5:28 - How far apart are the "red" and the "blue"? 7:14 - Is a Civil War coming? 8:33 - Her Dad's distaste with Johanna registering as a Democrat 9:31 - Johanna's path to politics 10:56 - the importance of global thought leadership without degrading economic leadership 13:49 - the power of good leadership in politics 15:16 - Social media has further divided us 16:38 - Where's our third party? 19:38 - Calling out t...
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 18
4:34 - Life long serial marketer who hates the way we're supposed to do marketing 5:07 - His two daughters: a Producer and a Musician 6:46 - "I hate lazy marketing" 8:15 - Marketers often wake up in the morning assuming people care what you have to say 9:44 - Geoff shares "the twofold" job of the marketer 11:44 - The pain of Covid advertising 13:47 - Incredible passionate about the consumer -- and making sure their voice is considered 14:12 - People confuse growth for a goal: growth is a result....
Oct 22, 2020•52 min•Ep. 17
Amongst us are living, breathing heroes who have not only found their true calling, but are putting their purpose into action. This week on the Courageous Podcast, we are joined by “a real-live” superhero in Ricky Mena who is the founder of HeartOfAHero.org. Ricky is committed to bringing positivity and smiles to children facing life-threatening illnesses, disabilities and more. The way he does so is by dressing up as Spiderman for his visits. We’ll learn how Spiderman came to be, how Ricky had ...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 16
00:02:22 - Meet Katie Decker: Global President of J&J's Essential Health 00:05:32 - How Katie Juggles The J&J Portfolio 00:06:27 - "The Most Uncomfortable Role I've Even Been In Is The One I'm In Right Now" 00:08:32 - Moving Off Old Ways of Doing Business 00:08:42 - "This Massive Leap of Faith Over The Last Year" 00:10:19 - J&J's Commitment to Consumer Health 00:11:01 - Serving a Billion Consumers Daily 00:12:32 - Katie Shares Her Time Allocation Between Essential Health, Sustainabil...
Oct 08, 2020•48 min•Ep. 15
