Kate was misdiagnosed. Then she was misdiagnosed again, and the cycle continued. She’s lived through such turmoil and suffering, dealing with suicide attempts, depression, anxiety, and many psychiatric hospitalizations. But after struggling with mental illness for over a decade, Kate broke through. And now she wants to tell her story to everyone, and especially others who have, or are dealing with, some of the same things Kate did. Kate does not back down from speaking openly about what happened...
Oct 14, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 34
Whether it is Tony-award winning theaters, music festivals, university arts administrations, or even business school programs, Mary Lou has been in charge. Her poise and attitude express leadership experience, and her career is the perfect example of how one crafts not just their work, but their life. On this episode of The Sydcast, we learn who Mary Lou Aleskie is, and how she got that way. A journey across professions that are not usually mentioned in the same breath, a journey across the coun...
Oct 07, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 33
From the mean streets of Philadelphia to performance stages around the world and the Ivy League of Dartmouth College, Hafiz Shabazz has been on a powerful journey of discovery, creativity, and learning. He’s traveled the world both studying and performing on every imaginable type of percussive instrument. He has lectured at over 500 schools and has played with Max Roach – one of the best drummers of all time. Whether it’s a call to meeting, a performance in front of thousands, or a university le...
Sep 30, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 32
Jake Sullivan’s public service record is marked with achievements of global proportions. He’s served as Chief of Staff for Hillary Clinton, a top adviser in the Obama administration, and director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department. He brokered both the Iran Nuclear Deal and peace talks between Israel and Palestine. His experience also comes with a keen understanding of the humanness inherent in decision making, both big and small. Through his stories of advising and working with som...
Sep 23, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 31
17 U.S. National titles, 17 U.S. Championships, 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, five-time Winter Olympian, one Olympic gold medal. That’s cross-country skiing star Kikkan Randall’s career in numbers, but there’s so much more to her story than that. Kikkan Randall is the embodiment of achieving your childhood dreams—she knew from the time she was 5 years old that she wanted to be an Olympic skier. Her dream came true 14 years later, when she competed in her first Winter Olympics in Salt Lake C...
Sep 16, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 30
You might not have heard Eric Fossum’s name before now, but you use his invention every day. So do billions of people around the world. The next time you share a photo of your meal on Instagram, watch your favorite YouTuber’s latest upload, FaceTime with family across the country, or like your best friend’s profile pic on Facebook, thank Eric Fossum,“Father of the Selfie,” for the CMOS image sensor he invented in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory 37 years ago. His “camera on a chip” is inside nea...
Sep 09, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 29
Brandon is not your average cop. He’s Ivy League educated, holds two Masters degrees, and is finishing his PhD in philosophy. And as chief of police in Burlington, VT battling an opioid epidemic, he has some pretty powerful ideas to take this on, and the energy to make those ideas happen. The intersection of public health and policing is unexplored territory that holds great promise for communities large and small. And that’s exactly what Brandon del Pozo is exploring himself as chief of police ...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 28
What’s it like to make a career talking to the world’s biggest celebrities, artists, and rock stars about their most vulnerable moments? Marc Meyers, the Wall Street Journal’s “Ink Shrink,” does exactly that. Marc comes from a family of artists—his brother is a pianist, his mother wrote and illustrated children’s books, and his father drew cartoons for The New Yorker. Journalism is Marc’s art form: words are his paint and his columns—“House Call” and “The Anatomy of a Song” in the Wall Street Jo...
Aug 26, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 27
Warwick Fairfax is the scion of a long-time family-controlled media empire in Australia once worth billions of dollars, that is no more. And he’s the one most directly responsible for the collapse of the business. Who is Warwick Fairfax, what did he do, and how has he lived his life since? Have you ever had a bad day at the office? Maybe made a deal that didn’t work out? We all have, but not like our guest today: Warwick Fairfax, a reluctant media mogul if there ever was one, made a deal that ch...
Aug 19, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 26
Who makes admissions decisions at the world’s elite universities? Luke Peña does. He is the Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Luke Peña’s life has been defined by education – whether during homeschooling in his younger years, watching his mom complete both college and medical school, or working in a variety of university admissions departments at Stanford and elsewhere. Luke understands what it takes to get into a top universi...
Aug 12, 2019•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 25
What do an Iraqi prison camp leader, a Naval Officer, a McKinsey consultant, a Tuck Business School graduate, and a single mom by choice all have in common? Meet Jen Tietz. By the time Jen Tietz was 13-years-old she knew what she wanted to do: Go to university at the United States Naval Academy and enter a life of service. Strong-willed, smart, and driven by a need to achieve at the highest level, Jen’s story is a classic one of not settling for good enough. For anyone whose gone down this path,...
Aug 05, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 24
To play a sport is to have fun, whether recreationally or professionally. But competition can also drive us to take risks, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Meet Rick Greenwald, one guy who is out to make sports safer for all. Have you ever seen the aerialists at the Winter Olympics? Those skiers who launch themselves off massive jumps flipping and twisting enough to make the viewer get a little dizzy? Well, Rick Greenwald saw these athletes too, and wanted to know what happens when a la...
Jul 29, 2019•57 min•Ep. 23
Audiobook narrator and pitbull trainer: two careers, one person. How'd that happen? Sarah Mollo-Christensen is unique. She is a vocal performer in a way many people are familiar, but know very little about. She narrates audiobooks - all genres. It’s an art, an acting performance, and Sarah tells us all about it. She even mentions her work in some more risqué books and what it’s like to act under a pseudonym. If you've ever listened to a book on Audible or even the old-fashioned way on CDs (no, I...
Jul 22, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 22
Doctor, Policy Maker, CEO, and President. These are just some of the titles that Joanne Conroy has held during her medical career. Whether she was working as an anesthesiologist in South Carolina or helping to write the Affordable Care Act, she has impacted the world of healthcare in many ways. Now as the leader of the largest employer in the state of New Hampshire, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, she has to figure out how to operate at a world-class level every day. Second tries don't work ...
Jul 15, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 21
When you walk into Toronto Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro's office, you see white boards with notes and lists on leadership, motivation, and winning. Some courtesy of New Zealand's famed All-Blacks Rugby Team and some that Mark has developed himself. Mark is one of those rare leaders who has immersed himself into what works and what doesn't in the wild world of leadership, where anyone can call themselves a guru but few can back it up. And to do so in professional sports, dominated by analytics, wit...
Jul 08, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 20
How, and why, does a military vet flying helicopters in the Middle East transition to owning an iconic diner in rural New England? If your town or neighborhood has a coffee shop, diner, or local hangout that everyone knows then you already know about Lou's. Sometimes a place like Lou's even becomes an institution - local movers and shakers couldn't make a deal without first having breakfast there, Dartmouth College students couldn't imagine spending four years in Hanover, NH and not going there,...
Jul 01, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 19
You know there’s something to Jessica Wolf when you learn she’s entering Columbia’s Executive MBA program only 5 years after graduating college. Then you discover that she started a company designed to disrupt how high-end real estate in New York City is marketed to buyers and that she’s a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30. And don’t forget to add into the mix another venture that curates invitation-only events around the world for entrepreneurs, academics, athletes, artists, astronauts, authors, chefs, e...
Jun 24, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 18
How much does parenting make a difference for a kid's success? Does it really matter which college you go to? How can we get more kids to graduate college? These are the questions my guest on The Sydcast this week has spent years digging into to. Bruce Sacerdote, a prominent economist and professor at Dartmouth College who you may have read about in The New York Times, among other places, goes about answering these questions the old-fashioned way. Like a detective who studies the facts to get at...
Jun 17, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 17
This is Tony Awards season honoring the best on Broadway, so who better to talk to on The Sydcast then the acclaimed author of Wicked – Gregory Maguire. Listen in as I talk to Gregory about the creative process, where meaning and motivation come from, how our past shapes our present and future, and how a book becomes one of the most successful Broadway shows in history (one of the three highest grossing of all time). Gregory is wonderful to talk to because he is not only extraordinarily articula...
Jun 10, 2019•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 16
I’m sitting down with one of New Hampshire’s most distinguished educators: Bill Hammond. He’s worked in the Hanover-Norwich school system for 36 years as a principal and teacher. He has taught thousands of students in multiple academic disciplines, and I bet a crazy number of these alumni remember Bill to this day. That’s impact, and that’s why I wanted to bring Bill’s story to The Sydcast listening community around the world. And what a story it is – growing up with 11 siblings, crafting a life...
Jun 03, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 15
Grace Kelly is about as talented as they come. Whether it was performing live at President Obama’s inauguration, or playing an original composition with the Boston Pops as a teen, this young saxophonist, singer and songwriter has that something special that makes people stand up and take notice. Her improvisational style permeates both her life, and her style of play. While still only 27, Grace has already played with many of the most famous names in jazz, had a regular gig with Stephen Colbert'...
May 27, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 14
Have you heard of Lord of the Rings? And, of course, the character Golem? Or maybe you’ve seen Mulan – one of Disney’s feature productions. Did you ever think about who brought those characters to life via animation and computer graphics? My guest this week might be able to help – because she’s the one who did the work! An accomplished animator, teacher, artist, and even ex-Wall Street banker, Patricia Hannaway’s work has spanned numerous fields. As with so many people I’m fortunate enough to ta...
May 20, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 13
Cartoonist, entrepreneur, school director, artist, designer – all of these describe Michelle Ollie. As the co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont, Michelle has fashioned a cutting-edge and unique MFA program for students to create art inspired stories. She has been the president of the Vermont Higher Education Council, and is a compelling role model as both a female entrepreneur and leader. Listen to Michelle’s story as she developed an ironclad work ethic ...
May 13, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 12
Tim is cool. At least, if you think it’s cool to fly fighter jets in covert operations, head security for New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and become a computer science professor working on big tech challenges. Meet Tim Pierson. Tim Pierson is interesting: Air force Officer, Special Ops, Metropolitan Museum of Art, management consultant at McKinsey, hedge fund manager, and computer scientist. Tim’s done – and is doing – all of these things. Oh, and he has an MBA and Ph.D. too. The Sydcast ...
May 06, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 11
NFL lineman to social worker to musician to tattoo artist. Meet Brian Barthelmes, a most unusual man. After a career in the NFL snapping the ball to Tom Brady, what is the next logical step in life? Brian Barthelmes can’t tell you, but he can tell you about his time as a social worker, musician, and prominent tattoo artist. Brian is an ideal example of someone who has not only crafted a career, but a life. He was able to walk away from what would be a dream job for most people as a professional ...
Apr 29, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 10
Every now and then you come across someone who is the archetypical SydCast guest - mostly known only to friends, exciting aspirations, multiple careers, big opinions, no excuses. Meet Marissa Smith. I’ve known Marisa Smith for a long time, but only recently did we sit down to really talk. On The Sydcast. In fact, one of my favorite things about Marissa is that she is outspoken in, well, how to be outspoken. She’s a playwright and a book publisher, a Mom and a Grand Mom, and an activist and a thi...
Apr 22, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 9
Everyone says that they’d love to open a restaurant, but how many actually do it? How many can actually do it? Meet Nigel Leeming, the man who's opened 37 restaurants, and counting. Murphy’s, the pub, restaurant, and destination in Hanover, NH, is one of those places that just has to be in a college town. But why? In this episode, we talk to Nigel Leeming, the entrepreneur who put the place on the map. Turns out, however, that Nigel is not a one-trick pony. A serial restaurant entrepreneur (open...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 8
Carol Dunne is the embodiment of a leader - revitalizing two moribund theaters into central focal points of their respective communities, championing women in theatre leadership, and showing lots of people what can be done when you really want it. I can’t act, and I can’t sing, but Carol Dunne sure can. She can also resurrect failing regional theatre troupes, manage two organizations at the same time, and recruit and mentor leaders who happen to be women in the artistic world. I learned a lot fr...
Apr 08, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 7
For anyone who ever dreamed of playing professional sports, for the New York Yankees no less, Jim has a story to tell. Meet Jim Beattie, baseball lifer who's done it all - from pitching, to running minor league systems, to scouting, to even being general manager of two major league teams. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate Jim Beattie. True, he did pitch a complete game victory in the World Series for the 1978 Yankees. And he was the general manager of the Montreal Expos for six y...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 6
Running a university is one of the toughest jobs there is. Meet Phil Hanlon, Dartmouth College's 18th President, who will explain just what it takes to run an elite university. Is there any job more difficult than being the President of a major university? Not only are you dealing with students and their parents as your core customers, you’ve also got to manage a group of professors whose tenure makes them remarkably independent of you and anyone else for that matter. As someone who has studied ...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 5
