Episode Summary In this final episode of Season 4, I bring you Rob Kapilow. A musical savant, innovator, and global presence, listening to Rob is like taking a master class in music, and in life. From Duke Ellington to Joseph Campbell, from Beethoven to the Beatles, and from Yale to Paris to Native American reservations, Rob Kapilow will take you on the classic Sydcast journey of discovery, creativity, and learning. Sydney Finkelstein Sydney Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management...
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 154
Episode Summary How does it happen that an English teacher and sports coach becomes a renowned actor? Ben Koldyke – who played Don Frank on How I Met Your Mother and many other roles – tells us, along with cameo insights about Aaron Sorkin, Second City, and Dartmouth College. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia Uni...
Dec 26, 2022•51 min•Ep. 153
Episode Summary What is it like being on the radio? In New Hampshire, that means interviewing would-be Presidents, but for Mike Morin it also means being curious, open-minded, and occasionally even pulling crazy stunts that upset half of his listeners. A life in radio in the “Live Free or Die” state. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and ...
Dec 19, 2022•59 min•Ep. 152
Episode Summary Laurie Wallmark is a pioneer – one of the first women at Princeton, a software engineer, a computer science professor, an entrepreneur who created an online bookstore before Amazon ever did, and now, an award-winning writer of picture book biographies of women in STEM, for kids. Passionate about science, writing, teaching, and learning, Laurie shares her story, on this episode of The Sydcast. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuc...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 151
Episode Summary How do we make it easier for people around the world to learn and get the tools to innovate and become entrepreneurs? In this episode, founder Alejandro Juárez Crawford shares his answer: RebelBase, a company that is helping people understand problems and launch experiments that can become solutions. Erudite and articulate, Alejandro is that unique leader who can share his philosophy about innovation and purpose while grounded in the everyday reality of what works and what doesn’...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 150
Episode Summary Hannah Kearney is an Olympic Gold Medal Winner in freestyle skiing. She’s won 46 World Cup races. And now she’s retired, and ready to reflect on what it’s like to be the best in the world and how you come down from that high to live a productive, and energizing, life. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Colu...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 149
Episode Summary How’s life growing up in a neighborhood where no one looks like you? In this episode, I talk to a former student, Wendy Pease, who grew up overseas and learned to adapt to life where she was the one who stood out. Now, many years later, perhaps unsurprisingly, she runs a business focused on managing cultural and language barriers. From melting pots to immigration, on this episode of The Sydcast a deep dive into an entrepreneurial life set in motion long ago. Sydney Finkelstein Sy...
Nov 21, 2022•57 min•Ep. 148
Episode Summary John Carreyrou literally wrote the book on Theranos – the bestseller “Bad Blood,” which built on his earlier writing at the WSJ that broke the story. With Elizabeth Holmes scheduled to be sentenced this week, I sat down with John to get the inside scoop on how he uncovered the Theranos fraud, his take on Holmes, what went wrong and why, and what her sentence is likely to be. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Busine...
Nov 14, 2022•50 min•Ep. 147
Episode Summary What’s it like to work at the top levels of marketing in major companies? Kenny Mitchell – an Emmy Award nominated leader who combines creativity with business smarts – describes his move to Big Tech, life at Snapchat (he's the CMO there), augmented reality, and what he wished he knew when he was 20 years old that he knows now. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s deg...
Nov 07, 2022•55 min•Ep. 146
Episode Summary Dave Johnson is a Silicon Valley attorney and climate change activist whose attention to design thinking suggests a less well-traveled approach to dealing with global threats. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the ...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 145
Episode Summary Climate change is here, from wildfires to hurricanes and a gradual rise in temperatures. Carbon offsets have become prominent weapons in the war against climate change, but what does it really mean in practice? And on the ground in Brazil? Maron Greenleaf is an anthropologist studying these very questions. What is she learning about the economics, science, and politics that underpin the battle for global sustainability? Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Profes...
Oct 24, 2022•48 min•Ep. 144
Episode Summary Two women – one studying economics with her own fashion line (Avalux) and a member of the US 2020 Olympic team in rugby, the other a first-generation low-income Latina college student in bioengineering looking to increase representation in academia while studying developmental genetics in women’s health. An up-close conversation with Olympian Ariana Ramsey and aspiring PhD student Samantha Carranza, on The Sydcast. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor o...
Oct 17, 2022•46 min•Ep. 143
Episode Summary University students and Covid. Scholar-athletes fighting to preserve their sport in a diminished resource environment during Covid. African-American students willing to have the “uncomfortable” conversations with classmates, professors, and administrators. Competing to get better every day. Kevin Boyce from Brown University, on The Sydcast. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a...
Oct 10, 2022•54 min•Ep. 142
Episode Summary Diversity in the workplace is top-of-mind for my MBA students and senior leaders alike. In this episode of The Sydcast, I want to profile one organization that’s on the front lines, creating opportunities for women in particular to fulfill their career potential. Kristy Wallace, up until very recently head of the Ellevate network, talks about unequal pay between men and women, transparency at work, imposter syndrome, and how to help women in the workforce break through these barr...
Oct 03, 2022•57 min•Ep. 141
Episode Summary Cannabis is booming. Whether for medicinal or recreational purposes, more and more US states have legalized the business. How did we get here and where are we going next? A conversation with cannabis insider Chris Walsh on regulation, public policy, market growth, and which established industries will be the first to enter the game. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 140
Episode Summary The Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University is where researchers study why we love music, how we process while listening, why we like what we like, and countless other creative questions that combine music, cognitive science, and neuroscience. Our guest on this episode of The Sydcast is the scholar and creative force behind the Lab, Professor (and pianist) Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck Sc...
Sep 19, 2022•53 min•Ep. 139
Episode Summary Gina Bianchini is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and founder of Mighty Networks, a platform for creators (of anything) to build out and monetize their content. As a past business partner with legendary entrepreneur and investor Marc Andreessen, Gina has deep roots in startup culture. Who is Gina Bianchini, what is Mighty Networks, and what’s it like to be a female entrepreneur in Silicon Valley in the age of Elizabeth Holmes? Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth P...
Sep 12, 2022•52 min•Ep. 138
Episode Summary Boarding school. Enrichment and personal growth experiences. A supportive community. Natalie Tung is creating all of this … for black and brown high school girls in Trenton. The idea took shape while Natalie was at Princeton and reflected on her own experience growing up in Hong Kong. Now, just a few years later, she’s hit the tipping point. Meet the budding “Sal Kahn” for minority high-school girls. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at...
Sep 05, 2022•49 min•Ep. 137
Episode Summary “Knowing the history of my family, knowing what my grandparents decided to do, changed my life.” On this episode of The Sydcast, a story of Hispanic culture in America and how Marcela Gómez connected the dots in a way that others seldom did. Her journey, from Bogota, Colombia to Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, and New York City. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree ...
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 136
Episode Summary A wide-ranging discussion with the multi-talented Gautam Mukunda. Leadership, Theranos, Failure and Learning, Luck, Russia and Ukraine, the Financial Crisis, Inequality, Innovation. Bezos, Jobs, Holmes, Neumann, Sackler, Putin. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein ha...
Aug 22, 2022•54 min•Ep. 135
Episode Summary John Pepper is a restaurant entrepreneur, angel investor, and a hands-on advocate for the rights of low-wage workers. He’s been an Uber driver, confronted small-town Vermont politics, and turned a banned college fraternity house into a shared work space for startups. Motivated by social justice, sustained by business, he shares his story, on this episode of The Sydcast. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at...
Aug 15, 2022•53 min•Ep. 134
Episode Summary Careers zig-zag, they don’t go in straight lines. But yet there is a thread that connects our paths over time. This is true if you run for Governor of New Hampshire, grow one of the top online education universities in the US, or lead the biggest collection of angel investors in the country. And it’s true if you’ve done all of these things, as we’ll find out in this conversation with Colin Van Ostern. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management a...
Aug 08, 2022•53 min•Ep. 133
Episode Summary Lowey Bundy Sichol writes books about entrepreneurship for kids. Think Google, Lego, and Disney. A multiple award-winner who used to write business school case studies, Lowey has figured out how to communicate to children in a way that makes them want to keep reading. On this episode of The Sydcast, Lowey tells her story. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree fr...
Aug 01, 2022•53 min•Ep. 132
Episode Summary Diane Brady is one of the top business journalists in the world, with writing and editing gigs at the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business Week, and Forbes. And also an old friend. She’s wise (“nobody needs more content, they need more intelligence”) and she’s a pro (“the best interviews are about listening”). In this episode, Diane and Syd on curating content, the future of journalism, and Elizabeth Holmes. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Ma...
Jul 25, 2022•57 min•Ep. 131
Episode Summary Ukraine is Ground Zero for war, but also all manner of newer technologies, from cyber to AI. What is NATO seeing, and learning, and what are the implications of the war for global security, technology, and innovation? James Appathurai has a front-row seat at NATO HQ, on this episode of The Sydcast. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of ...
Jul 18, 2022•56 min•Ep. 130
Episode Summary What happens when a tech-savvy entrepreneurial young man from Africa comes to America for school? It’s his first time in the US and what does he learn? As he describes on this episode of The Sydcast, George Boateng learns that he is black. That simple, and powerful, observation will strike many listeners as profound, yet George understands that his identity is what he makes it to be. As we will hear, that includes an EdTech start-up that is teaching young people in Africa to code...
Jul 11, 2022•48 min•Ep. 129
Episode Summary Scholar, leadership guru, author, speaker, and influencer, for the last 7 years Christine Riordan has been President of Adelphi University in New York. How did she get there? How did her leadership work translate to when she was sitting in the corner office? How did she navigate running a large university during Covid? And how does she think about women and leadership? A master class on leadership, with Christine Riordan. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Prof...
Jul 04, 2022•56 min•Ep. 128
An Athlete's Life, with Anouk Patty Episode Summary: So many people are afraid of change, but sometimes we get to talk to someone whose life is a case study of change. When it was clear that Anouk Patty – an NCAA champion ski racer – would not be good enough to reach Olympic medal heights, she changed. Business school and a successful career in tech strategy and deal-making followed. When Anouk realized that she was not living her true self, this mother of two came out as gay, at age 40. When sh...
Jun 27, 2022•53 min•Ep. 127
Dr. Lucy Gilbert: The Cancer-Curing Doctor Episode Summary: Dr. Lucy Gilbert – an oncologist at McGill University – has developed a genetic AI-based test to detect early stage ovarian and endometrial cancers, the third highest cancer-killer of women. In this episode of The Sydcast, Dr. Gilbert shares her journey from Singapore to London to Montreal, one of six physician sisters, now closing in on a revolutionary advance in cancer treatment. Sydney Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth P...
Jun 20, 2022•53 min•Ep. 126
Episode Summary: Every once in a while our guest on The Sydcast seems to do everything well. Jay Rosenzweig, this week’s guest, is a great example. Entrepreneurial “breathing” is in his bones, whether that means building a major executive search firm, investing in dozens of Web 3.0 startups, or spearheading major initiatives at multiple non-profit organizations (including the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights). Add in music recording artist, publisher of the most important report in Canad...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 125
