Episode Summary Ken Shropshire is the master of making lemonade when life hands you lemons. Told by his coach that he would never make it as a professional athlete, Ken took what he knew and became a sports attorney and then parlayed that knowledge into a thirty-year career at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His insight to the practical sociology of sports spans the Olympics, college, and professional sports worlds. Today he is an author and consultant in sports and he shar...
Aug 24, 2020•56 min•Ep. 64
Episode Summary From a young security guard at IBM to a white-hat hacker to a titan of technology in Silicon Valley, Maynard Webb has digitally done it all. Serving on the boards of some of the biggest players in the digital corporate world, Maynard has seen the industry rise and evolve and he’s still helping to make the world a safer, better, and more inclusive place. Maynard and Syd discuss how the COVID pandemic has affected the workspace, the insidious effects of systemic racism, and the jou...
Aug 17, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 63
Episode Summary In 1995, Rob Tod poured a Belgian-style white beer into a pint-sized hole in the US craft beer market and sipped his way to success. As the founder of the award-winning Allagash Brewing Company, Rob proves that if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life. Sharing his success with his employees and his community has created a company based on values, not profits. Rob and Syd also talk beer, business, B Corps, and more, in this episode of The Sydcast . Syd Finkelst...
Aug 10, 2020•56 min•Ep. 62
Bees, Business, and Well-Being with Entrepreneur Carly Stein Episode Summary Like bees turning pollen into honey, Carly Stein turned tonsillitis in Tuscany into Beekeepers Naturals, a company with the mission to bring a worldwide natural remedy to the medicine cabinets of North America and save the bees in the process. Overcoming negativity and pushing past anxiety, Carly is an inspiration to find happiness by following your heart and your dreams, in this episode of The Sydcast . Syd Finkelstein...
Aug 03, 2020•58 min•Ep. 61
Episode Summary From inside the hallowed walls of Fenway Park, Sam Kennedy shares how a mediocre baseball player from the South End of Boston who dreamt about playing for the Red Sox instead became their President and CEO. Sam and Syd talk about all things baseball, New England, and what it takes to turn a business into a dynasty when you are surrounded by excellence. Red Sox lovers (and haters) won't want to miss this inside look at how the Sox baseball machine plays the game, in this episode o...
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 60
Episode Summary Experimental musician Mary Halvorson shares her story of how a practical person made the impractical leap to pursue a music career when she met a truly inspiring teacher in college. Mary discusses creating music that is out of the mainstream, finding acceptance by going her own way, and how receiving the prestigious MacArthur Grant has impacted her life. Syd and Mary talk leadership, women in music, quarantine, and more, in this episode of The Sydcast . Syd Finkelstein Syd Finkel...
Jul 20, 2020•48 min•Ep. 59
Episode Summary Historian and optimist Eric Foner grew up through McCarthyism and the Civil Rights Movement and learned that one of the best ways to interpret history is that no matter how things are there is an opportunity to make them better. Syd and Eric talk about how the issues of the past are the issues of today, the dangers of romanticizing our history, and how some things never change. Professor Foner gives an unvarnished primer in American History and you might be surprised at how curre...
Jul 13, 2020•58 min•Ep. 58
Episode Summary Sometimes Western medicine does not have all the answers. Evan Golub discovered this first hand after seeing over 30 different practitioners and receiving numerous misdiagnoses which left him frustrated and alone. This frustration lasted for 4 years until a functional medicine doctor finally got to the root cause of his sickness and properly diagnosed him with Lyme disease. Evan started interacting with other “Lyme buddies” and he realized the world needed a social media platform...
Jul 06, 2020•57 min•Ep. 57
Episode Summary Most people look at the life of the entrepreneur and think, they’ve got it made. You’re your own boss, you call the shots, you’re making money, what a great life. But, the reality is very different. Incredible stress, ultra-long hours, doubts about everything that can never be shared with anyone else, and sometimes much worse. Even with a long lineage of entrepreneurs behind her, start-up founder Cherry Rose Tan found herself underestimating how tough and personal the start-up jo...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 56
Summary of the Show With Father's Day (and Mother's Day) just recently celebrated, it seems a good time to talk about parents and their unwavering role as leaders in the household. That's right, leaders. My friend Professor Stewart Friedman has spent a good part of his career advising leaders on life, and in his most recent book, Parents Who Lead, he connects the dots between parenting and leadership. It’s a fabulous idea, immediately practical and meaningful for so many of us. Stewart and I dis...
Jun 22, 2020•58 min•Ep. 55
Episode Summary Have you heard about "narrative medicine?" On this episode of The Sydcast , Syd talks with Dr. Rita Charon about how the blending of the art of humanity and the science of medicine created a new method for doctors to better treat their patients. It also turns out that the ideas of narrative medicine can be applied in many other contexts beyond medicine, including business, sports, entrepreneurship, parenting, and our lives in the age of COVID. Narrative medicine is tapping into s...
Jun 15, 2020•51 min•Ep. 54
Episode Summary As Major League Baseball gets closer to starting up this season, we visit with the CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mark Shapiro, and his father, the “accidental agent” and sports insider Ron Shapiro. These two baseball lifers tackle the social and economic architecture of the sport, share personal stories of life in and around the game, and discuss the challenges people in baseball are facing to get back on the playing field. And one more thing - listening to the interplay between ...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 53
Episode Summary With dubious news articles clogging the internet it can be difficult to know where to find information you can trust and that’s where the Nerdy Girls come in. A group of ten (and growing) female public health experts, including guests of The Sydcast Alison Buttenheim and Lindsey Leininger, came together to provide evidence-based information on the COVID-19 pandemic to the public. Using their “Dear Pandemic” social media profiles, the Nerdy Girls have gone viral for their fact-bas...
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 52
Episode Summary In this episode of The Sydcast the tables have turned on Syd and he is the featured first guest on the forthcoming podcast from the Tuck School of Business, Office Hours hosted by Kirk Kardashian. Kirk meets Syd at the intersection of psychology and strategy to find out what he has learned about leadership from his interviews, current topics in the business world, and what Syd thinks it takes to be a successful Tuck student and future entrepreneur in this evolving business world....
May 25, 2020•19 min•Ep. 51
Episode Summary When extraordinary events cause extraordinary compensations to be made, Ken Feinberg is the man on the world’s speed dial for action. Ken talks candidly about the emotional toll that comes with administering of some of the largest and most well-known compensation funds and how he established a career of being fair and objective in the face of extreme criticism in this episode of The Sydcast. Syd Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck Sc...
Feb 03, 2020•52 min•Ep. 50
Episode Summary Have you ever wondered how some people seem to have their entire lives in order? They have probably read the works of Cal Newport and learned how to work smarter, not harder by employing deliberate practice theory and avoiding the hyper-active hive mind to work less and relax more. Learn how to up your focus game and find passion in your work, in this episode of The Sydcast. Syd Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business ...
Jan 27, 2020•59 min•Ep. 49
Episode Summary An unusual outfit for an unusual man, Steve Swayne unravels his connections to knitting and jazz and divulges how an almost perfectionist learned to improvise, find his own authentic self, and become an expert on Steven Sondheim all while describing an outfit that few would dare to wear. A pattern emerges of a man who will not be contained by rigid categorization and is leading us by example into a more tolerant, musically rich world, in this episode of The Sydcast. Syd Finkelste...
Jan 20, 2020•53 min•Ep. 48
Episode Summary Everyone loves puzzles, and our guest on this episode of the Sydcast is a master. Pete Winkler is a Dartmouth College professor, author, mathematician, scientist, and puzzle master at the Museum of Mathematics in New York City. He’s playful, engaging, and ingenious. He teaches the art and science of deciphering puzzles in everyday life to students, hedge fund managers, and senior executives, and in this episode of The Sydcast, he teaches all of us a thing or two about puzzles and...
Jan 13, 2020•47 min•Ep. 47
Episode Summary The second golden age of radio is upon us and Michael Lutzky, the first Vice President of Business Distribution, pulls back the curtain on what NPR has in store for their loyal audience and hints at a future that might include a Netflix style news source. Fans of The Tiny Desk and NPR1 will appreciate this look into how NPR plans to survive and thrive far into the future, in this episode of The Sydcast. Syd Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at...
Jan 06, 2020•58 min•Ep. 46
Episode Summary Chuck Blanchard gives us a primer on the relationship between the military and politics by recounting his experience as General Counsel of the Air Force and Army and almost becoming a Congressman. He speaks candidly about being a clerk of the Supreme Court under Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and how the Court functions from an insider's view. If you’ve ever wondered how the government really works then don’t miss Chuck Blanchard on The Sydcast. Syd Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is th...
Dec 30, 2019•49 min•Ep. 45
Episode Summary Dan Richards is the guy to call if you’re stuck – in another country, in a ravine with no one to help, or in a medical emergency. His company, Global Rescue, does just that. Where did the idea come from, why did he bite on it, how did he build it, and how has the whole thing affected his life? Stories from the front line of rescue, on the Sydcast. Syd Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He hol...
Dec 23, 2019•55 min•Ep. 44
Episode Summary Why does a kid just out of college decide to walk across America? Andrew Forsthoefel shares his unusual journey of discovery – what he did and how he did it – unveiling a family history he had refused to come to terms with until deep into his walk. In this episode of the Sydcast, a story of forgiveness, love and hate, and how telling a compelling story can transform culture. Syd Finkelstein Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business ...
Dec 16, 2019•46 min•Ep. 43
Episode Summary Alice Chun is an entrepreneur driven to solve a problem that needed solving: how to provide light to people who have no electricity. Motivated to help in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, Alice changed her career and her life. In this episode of the Sydcast, listen to Alice describe what she did, and felt, and how that momentous occasion when she decided to do something put in motion a series of events that led to Nigeria, Syria, Hillary Clinton, and a start-up calle...
Dec 09, 2019•51 min•Ep. 42
Episode Summary In a seven-year period Jerry Zaks won four Tony Awards for best director. But he wasn’t supposed to even be on Broadway. Getting there meant disappointing his parents, unleashing an innate competitiveness to be the best, and taking giant risks that many others wouldn’t. In our conversation on the Sydcast, Jerry is candid, introspective, and hilarious as he provides a roadmap for young actors and directors – indeed, for anyone crafting a career – by sharing his journey, then and n...
Dec 02, 2019•58 min•Ep. 41
Episode Summary In this episode of The Sydcast, Syd and Adam Gopnik recall the wonders and the tribulations of living in Paris in the pre-9/11 era, the drama of moving to New York City, and what makes these two cities the world capitals they are, no matter how different. Adam talks about writing books, being a writer for The New Yorker magazine, and how the art and writing industries have changed. In typical Adam Gopnik fashion, parenting, marriage, capitalism, education and more are also touche...
Nov 25, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 40
Episode Summary The creator of Seinfeld’s theme music, Jonathan Wolff was a child prodigy, trained in classical and jazz, working 3 jobs as a musician and composer while still in high school in Louisville, Kentucky, and the guy who composed music for dozens of primetime TV shows for decades. Along the way Jonathan amassed a wealth of stories and insights he shares on this episode of the Sydcast – about each of the Seinfeld characters, about Larry David, and about what a career in entertainment r...
Nov 18, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 39
Episode Summary Few modern writers have captured the zeitgeist of the era as eloquently as Jodi Picoult. Small Great Things , A Spark of Light , and more than a dozen others – powerful books with front-page themes such as racism and abortion that touch a nerve, and keep readers turning the pages. Jodi talks about it all, her early years, why she chooses to write what she writes, how she does it, why she loves her readers, and what it felt like the first time she hit #1 on the New York Times best...
Nov 11, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 38
Episode Summary A US marine for decades, Jack O’Toole did what comes naturally to him – he became a leader, an innovator, an entrepreneur. In this episode of the Sydcast, we hear Jack share his story about life in the military and how he managed to navigate around rules meant to stifle creativity to become what most of us never thought possible – an entrepreneur in the military. All the way to his current world as co-founder and president of an innovative clean air tech firm snuffing out tobacco...
Nov 04, 2019•57 min•Ep. 37
The Wall Street Journal has referred to Sally Pinkas’ performances as simply “exquisite,” and she is considered to be in the highest realm of classical musicians. Today, Sally shares how she crafted her life as both a musician and musical creator, while growing up in Israel during a time of tremendous political unrest. One of The Sydcast’s favorite topics is creativity – what it is, where it comes from, and how it’s nourished, or extinguished – and Sally Pinkas turns out to be an excellent and i...
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 36
Do you know the truth about global warming? How bad is it really? Today, we talk to Erich Osterberg, an earth scientist and expert on climate change about the state of the earth’s environment, and how he came to care so much. If Erich Osterberg was just a Dartmouth professor and leading climate change scientist, someone who regularly testifies to Congress on this subject, it would be pretty interesting to talk to him, wouldn’t it? But he’s also a person, with a story and a passion that has taken...
Oct 21, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 35
