Podcasts about International business

A Chinese carmaker. A Japanese factory. A British production line. Could this be the future of the global auto industry? As Chery considers building vehicles at Nissan's Sunderland plant, we examine whether this is simply a business deal or a sign of a new phase in China's automotive globalization? Why are Chinese carmakers shifting from exporting vehicles to building overseas production networks? How likely is this partnership to move beyond an MoU? And amid political, regulatory, and market uncertainties, could this become a blueprint for China's global expansion or a cautionary tale? Host Tu Yun joins John Gong, Professor of Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Mike Bastin, a China observer and Senior Lecturer, the University of Southampton, and Hans-Peter Burghof, the Chair of the Banking and Finance Department, University of Hohenheim for a close look.

Michael Smith—Managing Partner and Founder, Emerald Advisors Michael Smith shares how a client-first philosophy, niche specialization, and independence helped Emerald Advisors grow from $385mm to more than $1B in assets. In Summary What happens when an advisor builds a business around client service rather than operational efficiency? Jason Diamond speaks with Michael Smith, Founder and Managing Partner of Emerald Advisors, about the path from a successful Merrill practice to an independent RIA that has grown from approximately $385mm to more than $1B in assets. Along the way, Michael shares the story of being told he was “overservicing” clients, why that moment became a catalyst for independence, and how a highly specialized service model fueled the firm's growth. Drawing on lessons from a 24-year Navy career, Michael offers a perspective on leadership, specialization, client care, and what it takes to build a durable business in today's wealth management landscape. The Storyline Growth is often viewed as the result of marketing, referrals, acquisitions, or scale. Michael Smith sees it differently. After building a successful practice at Merrill, Michael found himself at odds with the constraints of the traditional wirehouse model. What ultimately stood out wasn't compensation, technology, or platform capabilities. It was a philosophical difference around client service. When he was told he was spending too much time helping clients navigate tax planning, equity compensation, and other financial decisions outside the traditional scope of investment management, he began to question whether the model aligned with the way he wanted to serve families. That realization eventually led him to launch Emerald Advisors in late 2019. The firm started with roughly 85 clients and approximately $385mm in assets. Today, Emerald serves more than 225 families and oversees more than $1B in assets. Throughout the conversation, Michael reflects on the lessons learned from building an independent firm, developing a niche around concentrated stock positions and executive compensation, navigating custodial and technology decisions, and creating a culture rooted in accountability and service. Underlying it all is a simple belief: when firms become highly intentional about who they serve and how they serve them, growth often becomes the outcome rather than the objective. Topics Covered Merrill breakaways and independence Client service as a growth driver Building an RIA RIA growth and scalability Organic growth strategies Concentrated stock positions and equity compensation planning Ideal client personas and niche specialization Schwab and Fidelity custody relationships Advisor succession and enterprise value Navy leadership principles in wealth management The rise of mega RIAs Advisor technology and infrastructure > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors Why did being accused of “overservicing” clients become a turning point? (08:15)Michael explains how a conversation with management revealed a deeper misalignment between his client-service philosophy and the wirehouse model. What does client service look like beyond portfolio management? (11:30)The discussion explores how tax planning, equity compensation guidance, and proactive coordination can deepen client relationships. Why can specialization accelerate growth? (15:45)Michael shares why serving a defined niche often creates stronger referrals, greater expertise, and clearer positioning. How has the RIA landscape evolved since 2019? (20:30)Michael reflects on the rise of mega RIAs, changing technology capabilities, and why he believes independent firms still have significant advantages. What role do custodians really play in an independent business? (23:15)Michael discusses his experience working with Schwab and Fidelity and why he views custodians as strategic partners rather than competitors. Is the wirehouse model still the right fit for some advisors? (26:45)The conversation challenges the assumption that independence is the best path for everyone and explores the realities of running a business. Does reaching $1 billion in assets actually change anything? (32:45)Michael offers a practical perspective on growth, success, and why asset milestones can be misleading. What can advisors learn from the “steamboat” philosophy? (37:15)Drawing on his Navy experience, Michael shares a leadership framework that continues to shape how he approaches business building and decision-making. Key Takeaways Exceptional client service can become a meaningful competitive advantage when it extends beyond investment management. Independence gave Michael the flexibility to build a service model that aligned with his philosophy rather than adapting his philosophy to fit the platform. Developing a niche around executive compensation and concentrated stock positions helped accelerate Emerald's growth. The ability to make technology, custodial, and operational decisions quickly remains a significant advantage for independent firms. Not every advisor should be independent. Running a business requires a different set of skills and responsibilities than serving clients alone. Growth milestones are useful, but they do not define success. Michael believes success existed long before Emerald reached $1 billion in assets. High-performing teams with a clear client focus often find that growth becomes a natural byproduct of execution. https://youtu.be/RjzsMcC2DnY Quotable Moments “I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing.” “Servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today.” “If you serve a niche and you're very good at that niche, that word gets around.” “Growth becomes the outcome.” FAQs Can an advisor really “over-service” clients? The discussion explores the tension between efficiency and depth of service. While some business models prioritize scale and consistency, others are built around solving a broader range of client problems. The right answer often depends on the advisor's philosophy and business model. Does specialization still matter in a relationship business? Michael argues that developing expertise in a specific area can accelerate growth by making referrals easier and helping advisors become known for solving a particular set of problems. What actually changes when an advisor becomes independent? Beyond economics, independence often creates more flexibility around client service, technology, processes, and business decisions. At the same time, advisors assume responsibility for running the business itself. Is full independence the right path for every advisor? No. Michael acknowledges that many advisors benefit from the structure, support, and resources available within traditional firms. Independence offers flexibility, but it also introduces complexity and responsibility. How should advisors think about the $1 billion milestone? Michael views asset milestones as useful benchmarks but not measures of success. In his view, business quality, client outcomes, and sustainability matter more than any specific asset number. What role does an ideal client persona play in growth? Rather than trying to serve everyone, Emerald built its business around a clearly defined client profile. Michael believes that focus improves service, creates operational consistency, and supports organic growth. How can advisors balance growth with client service? One of the central themes of the episode is that growth and service are not necessarily competing objectives. In some cases, a differentiated service model becomes the reason a business grows. The discussion explores the tension between efficiency and depth of service. While some business models prioritize scale and consistency, others are built around solving a broader range of client problems. The right answer often depends on the advisor's philosophy and business model. Michael argues that developing expertise in a specific area can accelerate growth by making referrals easier and helping advisors become known for solving a particular set of problems. Beyond economics, independence often creates more flexibility around client service, technology, processes, and business decisions. At the same time, advisors assume responsibility for running the business itself. No. Michael acknowledges that many advisors benefit from the structure, support, and resources available within traditional firms. Independence offers flexibility, but it also introduces complexity and responsibility. Michael views asset milestones as useful benchmarks but not measures of success. In his view, business quality, client outcomes, and sustainability matter more than any specific asset number. Rather than trying to serve everyone, Emerald built its business around a clearly defined client profile. Michael believes that focus improves service, creates operational consistency, and supports organic growth. One of the central themes of the episode is that growth and service are not necessarily competing objectives. In some cases, a differentiated service model becomes the reason a business grows. Related Resources The Transitioning Advisor's Lament: Things I Wish I Knew Before Freedom vs. Familiarity: Is it Worth Disrupting Comfort for Something That Might Be Better? IBD vs. RIA Revisited: Two Independent Pathways for Advisors to Consider Advisor Transition Report 2026 Guest Bio Michael Smith, CPWA® is the Founder and Managing Partner of Emerald Advisors, an independent wealth management firm overseeing more than $1 billion in assets for affluent families, executives, and business owners with complex planning needs. Mike entered the wealth management industry in 2005 after a distinguished 24-year career in the United States Navy, where he served both as an enlisted sailor in the Submarine Force and later as a Limited Duty Officer aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and on major staffs around the world. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and an MBA with dual emphases in Finance & Accounting and International Business. Throughout his career, Mike has been known for his commitment to comprehensive planning, helping clients navigate complex issues involving concentrated stock positions, executive compensation, tax strategy, estate planning, philanthropy, and multi-generational wealth transfer. His client-first approach and passion for education have helped Emerald Advisors grow from a startup firm in 2019 to a nationally recognized RIA serving more than 225 families. Outside of the office, Mike is an avid ultrarunner, golfer, lifelong learner, and dedicated advocate for children’s health initiatives. He is a current member of the Legacy Council at Seattle Children’s Hospital and has served in leadership and board roles supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, the ALS Association, and the Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center. He is also the proud father of Kat Smith. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story A conversation with Jason Diamond and Michael Smith, Managing Partner and Founder of Emerald Advisors.      Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story. It’s a conversation with Michael Smith, managing partner and founder of Emerald Advisors. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for financial advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Growth is often viewed as the result of better marketing, stronger referrals, a larger team and even acquisition and that’s all true yet growth can be the byproduct of something else entirely. For example, Michael Smith built a successful practice at Merrill then, one day, he was told he was spending too much time with his clients, or his management put it over-servicing clients. For Michael, that wasn’t a warning sign about his approach, it was a signal that he might have outgrown the firm and the model. Today, Michael is the founder and managing partner of Emerald Advisors, the independent RIA he launched in late 2019 with roughly 385 million in assets and 85 client relationships. Less than seven years later, the firm has grown to more than a billion in assets while remaining deeply focused on a highly-specialized client base and an unusually hands-on service model. What makes this story particularly interesting isn’t just the growth, it’s the thinking behind it. Michael’s perspective was shaped long before he entered wealth management. After serving more than two decades in the Navy, he brought a leadership philosophy centered on accountability, discipline and what he calls steamboat people, those who keep moving forward regardless of conditions, that mindset continues to influence how he builds his team, serves clients and evaluates opportunities. In this episode, we discuss the decision to leave Merrill, the realities of launching a fully independent RIA, why specialization can accelerate growth, the evolving role of custodians and technology and why he believes exceptional client service remains one of the industry’s most durable competitive advantages. Because Michael’s experience suggests that growth isn’t always the result of finding more opportunities, sometimes it’s the result of creating the freedom to execute the vision you already had so let’s jump in. Michael, thank you so much for joining us today. For starters, can you walk us through your background and what brought you to the world of wealth management? Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today, I do listen to the podcast a lot especially before I left Mother Merrill. But my background and how I got into financial services is really distinct because I was on the board of JDRF back in the day and the national sponsor for JDRF was UBS PaineWebber and they’re like, “Mike, why don’t you be a financial advisor?” And my master’s degree was actually a finance and accounting in portfolio management because I’ve managed my own portfolio for years and years and so, when I couldn’t get a job, I just fell into it because I couldn’t get a job and I needed a job. That was 21 years ago, Memorial Day so that’s how I got into this industry. Jason Diamond: It’s a unique background, it’s super interesting and I want to talk more about it. You mentioned Mother Merrill, we’ll certainly get there. Before we do, give us a little bit of context on the current business you operate, Emerald Advisors, any context you can share on size, number of staff, types of clients you serve would be great. Michael Smith: Sure. So, we launched Emerald in 2019, November 2019 with about 85 clients and you always talk about this on the podcast how scared it is to launch and go independent. And I would say we took over about 95% of our clients that we wanted to bring over and today we’re at about 230 clients, I think we have some onboarding right now, we have just over a billion of assets. So, we launched with the 85 clients and around 350, 385 million, now we’re over a billion. Jason Diamond: Good for you. Michael Smith: Thank you. And I launched with four employees and we’re now at 11. And I would give a shout-out to one of my key employees because, when I launched, I actually hired somebody that had no experience with us and that was really a good thing because that allowed that person to really focus on operations and back office stuff while my business partner Emily and I were able to focus on bringing on the clients and alleviating any issues that they may have or thought. Jason Diamond: So, meaning you hired somebody basically immediately upon launch to help you with the transition and with this next chapter? Michael Smith: Correct. I hired them before but they started the day we launched. Jason Diamond: Brilliant, I love it. Oh, let’s definitely talk more about that because I think that’s a great strategy for … You’re right, you said it in a joking manner now because you’re seven years past but it’s a very real fear that advisors have and I think it’s worth talking more about. I want to mention too you have, obviously, built this business and grown this business dramatically. I don’t want to make this episode about the pandemic but you moved the business at a, certainly, a unique time. Did it impact your growth at all? Did you feel like you hit a brick wall? Just curious about your thoughts. Michael Smith: No, Jason, that’s a great observation. I would venture to say that the pandemic was actually a good thing for us. Jason Diamond: Interesting. Michael Smith: And I say that because, all of a sudden, you could hit pause because everyone was relearning how to do business, how do we do client reviews, how do we communicate with clients in a environment. So, I think the pandemic allowed us to just really reset our expectations visiting with clients because I used to fly a lot because I have clients in 38 different states so this has actually been, not just good for me, but good for the industry because I think it’s reset our expectations that we don’t have to be every day with a client facing. Jason Diamond: I agree with that largely and it’s true of our business too, by the way, it’s certainly reshaped the way people expect to be communicated with. I think Zoom has become much more mainstream, phone calls and we’ve heard from many other advisors who say something similar. I was just curious because you moved so close to or if there was an impact but I get, honestly, I think you’re right, it allowed you to have this nice natural inflection point and almost like flipping a switch of a clean slate. Michael Smith: It allowed us to learn the processes too. So, we launched in November 1st, by March we were in lockdown and so it gave us the opportunity to take several months of just learning the processes of how to be an RIA, it was pretty good. Jason Diamond: Absolutely. So, one of the things you mentioned in that was the way in which you serve clients and I’d read something funny and I think it was around the time of your move. You were talking about that, Merrill, you had a manager who spoke about that you would overserve your clients, you serve clients too much, tell me about that. Michael Smith: That was such an interesting topic because I got called down to the ops officer’s office and they’re like, “Ugh, Mike.” And it brought my admin down with me and they’re like, “Mike, these reports that you’re taking care of your clients too much,” and I’m like, “What do you mean?” “Well, you’re overservicing them.” Jason, I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing because I was like, “How do you overservice the client? I’m not making their bed.” It was just so funny to me that I got counsel for overservicing clients when we’re in a client-facing job and I think that was part of the catalyst. Jason Diamond: Tell me more about what they meant, you think. Michael Smith: Hindsight, I think they … I like to take care of people which means I’m very intuitive towards taxes, I understand how the tax code works, I understand how everything impacts their bottom line. So, when we’re doing deferred comp enrollments or 401(k) enrollments or I’m a big believer in Roth 401(k)s and backdoor Roths and I’ve been doing them for years, I think what Mother Merrill wanted at that time was us not to do that. And, again, nothing against Merrill, I get it but this is how they wanted us to act and I wasn’t in that mold, I was taking care of clients to a much deeper depth is how I would say it. Jason Diamond: And I think that speaks to you outgrew the model not necessarily the firm. I think Merrill does a lot of things really well, you would agree with that, I think given that you built 85 clients and 350 million in assets is nothing to sneeze at. But the model that it seems like you value client service and an integrated client service experience of that and the wirehouse model oftentimes doesn’t put a premium on that. Tell me about your ethos or your thoughts around client service today and what being independent enables you to do. Michael Smith: So, that’s an interesting observation because one of my clients actually just mentioned to me that the reason we’re growing so much is because of our service model and the fact that we deliver a tremendous amount of value over just portfolio management. I said my managers is in portfolio management, I don’t do that any longer, I have a staff that handles that for me but it’s really the servicing of the clients because they don’t know what we know and I think servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today. Jason Diamond: Give me some examples of what you mean by servicing the client in a more holistic way. I agree with you, by the way, portfolio management, table stakes, financial planning, table stakes, tell me more about what you mean. Michael Smith: By that I mean we do a quarterly review on tax. So, a lot of people don’t understand how taxes work and how estimated taxes work. So, estimated taxes are January 1st to March 31st, January 1st to May 31st, January 1st to August 31st, that’s how you do your estimated tax payments, you figure out what that is. And for compensated employees where they have RSUs that come in at different times of the year or different grants or exercise their options at a different time, that can affect their estimated tax liability and I’m not big on giving Uncle Sam any more money than they have to have until they need it. And then everyone doesn’t understand how the penalties and interest works on the IRS. And I’m big on the tax payments because that’s where we can add a lot of value for not a lot of time and we integrate it with our portfolio so we know what we’re doing with our gains. And I happen to reside in Washington State which has a long-term capital gains tax rate once you surpass about 270,000 of long-term capital gains. So, it’s super important for us to be aware of this and that’s how we service them. We also help them with their rebalancing of their 401(k)s, things that wirehouses cannot supposed to do, we are not supposed to be helping them with some of their aspects of life. Jason Diamond: Yup. That’s what I was alluding to earlier, it’s limitations on the model, not because they’re bad models, it’s just a different way, a different ethos around client service. You mentioned RSUs and corporate employees, I know that’s a niche you have is around concentrated stock positions and equity comp plans. I guess let me ask you two different questions around this. First of all, why that niche? Interested. And then, second of all, do you think a team needs to have a specialization to be competitive these days or do you think it’s okay just to be like, “My job is to be the best advisor and I want to service assets wherever those assets may come from?” Michael Smith: Another great observation. I’m going to address the niche first and foremost. I think, and I talked to R.J. Shook’s staff just recently, and having a niche gives you a specialization and it also accelerates your growth factor. If you serve a niche and you’re very good at that niche, then that word gets around. If you’re a jack of all trades, you can do lots of things but I don’t think you’re focused and you’re not hitting the right numbers that I like to see. And I think that would be my theme is the niche allows you to focus on a very specific type of ideal client, that’s a Schwab thing where you have an ideal client persona and our firm has an ideal client persona. As far as having the equity comp, I absolutely was one of the teams at Merrill Lynch that was equity compensation designated, I managed a couple of plans. My exposure to that, Jason, I haven’t thought about this in a very long time, came from UBS where I had team members that were colleagues that were associated with the Nextel Sprint plan. And I always thought that you’re taking care of the top executives but, really, my background being in the military was how do we take care of the troops, the troops, I call them sailors, and how do we educate those sailors. And one of the things I’ve always said in my entire career in the military and I still say to this day is 50% of every bonus or a promotion or something like that should go to long-term savings. So, I use that same mentality with RSUs, with stock options, with bonuses. Set that aside, let that grow because you’re not used to spending it and you will learn to spend what you make. Jason Diamond: I think that’s a great reason, it’s super smart and I love your explanation, it was a very simplistic way. Honestly, even I hadn’t thought about that around your niche, I think, becomes almost like a force multiplier for your own growth because it’s much easier to become the guy in X, Y, Z vertical than to be the guy in every financial advisor of America, across America. Let me ask you a follow-up question, you mentioned the ideal client persona. I spend a lot of time at our firm thinking about this as well, what does your ideal client persona look like. How do you think about an opportunity though that differs from that persona? So, it’s great. Obviously, everybody, it’s easy, you get somebody who’s your perfect prospect, they walk in the front door, sign me up. But when you get something that’s not down the fairway for you, is it just I evaluate it on a one-off basis or are you super disciplined to that approach because it’s who your firm is? Michael Smith: I truly haven’t given that a whole lot of thought but I will tell you how I would handle that because I am handling it with some one-offs. I like the opportunity because you’re stretching your brain in that you’re thinking about how somebody else is reacting so you’d never know. So, I like it from a learning perspective but I also know it comes with a lot of other baggage, I’ll call it baggage, because, all of a sudden, they want to short the market, they want to go long-short strategies. So, all of a sudden, they’re not in our niche and, all of a sudden, they’re taking a lot of time, they’re draining our time so I think you got to be very careful about what you wish for. And there’s a lot of great advisors out there that will walk circles around these topics that I’m like, “Okay, I would rather refer somebody so they get the right experience than give them the wrong experience.” Jason Diamond: I absolutely love that answer. The bow you just put on it, I think, is the appropriate way in my mind to put a bow. At the end of the day, wouldn’t you rather service somebody more optimally even if you don’t believe it’s yourself, I agree with that. I want to ask you one more point on the client service piece. I was playing around on your website and, on your service model, you have health as a component of the client experience of your diagram. Why do you think health matters in a financial context? Michael Smith: I always believed in a healthy mind and a healthy body will bring so much joy to you and I think health is just part of your persona. If you don’t take care of yourself and your body and your mind, then it doesn’t matter what I do, I think you got to start with health. So, I’m very big on the executive physicals, I routinely require all of our staff to have an annual physical. And, again, they’re young people but you got to have these annual … I live and breathe going to see a doctor every year to do my annual physical, not because I think I’m pretty good health, I still run, I do a lot of things but I think your life starts with being healthy. Jason Diamond: Yeah, it’s refreshing to hear that, no doubt. It’s funny to think about but 2019 is a long time ago now and, in RIA world, I almost think of it like dog years. You’ve been around the block now for a little while so I’m curious how have you seen this space change since you launched in 2019? Michael Smith: In 2019, I didn’t know what I was doing, I could barely get out a wet paper bag but I do think it’s changed dramatically. I would say the biggest thing I’ve seen in just the six and a half, almost seven years is the rise of the mega RIAs and how they’re going to shape the industry. Everyone talked about fee compression at Merrill Lynch. When I was at Merrill, we talked about fee compression, then they talked about robo-advisors and now they’re talking about artificial intelligence replacing advisors, I don’t believe that and I don’t think that’s going to happen in the RIA space. What I see the RIA space maturing is into these very big mega firms as well as these independent RIAs like myself that serve a very niche market where we can walk in our lane. The ability to transact today is so much easier as an RIA than it was at a wirehouse as well because we have instant access to technology. My military background, my Navy background says make a decision right, wrong or different, if you don’t like it afterwards or you get new data, course change. So, in our industry, we can change on a notice. I hired a tech firm last year, I didn’t like the experience nine months into it, guess what, they’re not coming back. So, I can do that but you can’t do that at the bigger firms and even the bigger mega firms would have a hard time navigating a change just like that on a dime. Jason Diamond: You bring up an interesting point. To the extent you face competition, do you find yourself competing more against traditional wirehouse type firms or RIAs like yourself, mega caps RIAs? Are your clients attuned to any of this? Michael Smith: That’s an observation I haven’t thought of either there, Jason. I would say I don’t feel that I have a … I know there’s competition out there but we have a growth issue more than we have anything else so I don’t … I can’t take on the clients that want to become my clients so I’m not competing with people too much. Jason Diamond: A capacity issue, you mean? Michael Smith: Yeah, I have a capacity issue. Jason Diamond: I think you’re not alone in that. How can I even think about competition and the like when … A lot of advisors would probably say that. I want to talk more about the capacity situation but, before I do, let’s talk a little more about the RIA setup. Who do you custody with, remind us, and why or how did you arrive at that decision? Michael Smith: Yeah. So, when I launched, I went with Schwab, Schwab is a phenomenal partner, they helped me get a lot of stuff done, I couldn’t have done it without Schwab. During the pandemic, I realized that I should probably … So, remember, during the pandemic, we had a lot of issues with the banking industry, it was almost like a financial crisis but in a very compressed time. So, during the COVID, I decided to add Fidelity as another custodian so now I have two custodians and I opened accounts on both sides of the house but I like the custodians that are there to help you, they’re very good at what they do. I don’t even consider them a competitor and they aren’t competitors, they have their own branch so I don’t consider them competitors, I think they’re my partners and both Charles Schwab and Fidelity are good partners. Jason Diamond: Yeah, I think that’s the healthy way to look at the custody relationship. That’s a very common approach, I think, is launching with one custodian and then adding a secondary custodian or a tertiary custodian down the line for one reason or another so I appreciate you sharing that because we get those types of nuts and bolts questions a lot so I figured I’d ask you. One last question on the setup and then we’ll shift gears. Has anything been a negative? So, you talked about leaving Mother Merrill behind and, Mother Merrill, we use it facetiously but obviously it implies a degree of comfort and the homeland so I’m curious if you miss anything. Michael Smith: I miss the camaraderie of being with a bunch of other folks. I mentioned this when I first launched, I mentioned it year over year with my team, the one thing that we miss as an RIA and, again, Dynasty has their benefits as well and the mega RIAs have their benefits but, if you’re a true independent like myself, we get to go to conferences that we want to and that’s a timing issue, really, a time constraint. But one thing Merrill and Morgan, JPMorgan, and the other big wirehouses have as well as the megas, they have the ability to put conferences together for their advisors or their administrators and have this education. That’s the one thing that, I think, would evolve in the RIA industry in the future as well. They’re not my competitors, they’re my business colleagues. And if we think of them as competitors, and a lot of people do because I don’t want to share my client information or what I do with my competitor because they may steal them, if you’re that insecure, then you’re probably not the right advisor in the first place. Jason Diamond: I don’t disagree with that. It’s interesting too, I hear two common answers to that question, not about Merrill but just about somebody who’s broken away, what do you miss about the captive firm world. Either on this podcast or just in conversations with advisors, brand comes up a lot and then the point you just raised. I’ll even hear like, “Hey, forget the conferences and the trainings, just being able to have an office where I’ve got eight other advisors on a row for me, it’s a little bit of a different setup than in the independent space,” and I think that’s just a reality of you take the good with the bad. And for other advisors, by the way, one of the things I want to ask you about to this point is do you believe that there are advisors that are just better served in the W2 traditional firm world or do you think that every advisor should be looking at the RIA space? Michael Smith: I think that wirehouse serves a great purpose and- Jason Diamond: Okay, me too. Michael Smith: … there’s a lot of great people that are great advisors in that wirehouse, they need the structure. What I hadn’t alluded to is, and I mentioned this to a former manager from Merrill Lynch of mine just recently, actually, I was like, “I don’t think advisors realize what it takes to run a business.” I’m not trying to sugarcoat it, running an RIA is hard work, it takes a lot of your time day in and day out to run a business as well as taking care of and servicing your clients so I do think the wirehouse venue is the right way to go. And, Jason, I want to go back to one other thing about your identity. I launched as the Smith Group because that’s what I was known at Merrill Lynch. Within three or four months, I changed that name to a firm because I did not want to be associated with it. So, when you’re at one of the wirehouses, you’re known as your team name or something of that sort, I didn’t want to be known as that, I wanted to be known as Emerald Advisors not the Smith Group because, all of a sudden, you have a single point of failure. So, brand identity, it’s not so unique inside the wirehouse because it’s a team name versus Merrill or Morgan Stanley or something like that. Jason Diamond: It’s a good segue because I’ll tell you where my mind goes when you bring that up. My mind goes is you’re smart in a way that you might not even realize or maybe you do realize which is that, if and when it ever comes time to sell this business, it is probably more valuable without your name attached to it or maybe not. But in some way, shape or form, as an RIA, you have an obligation to be thinking about that or it’s probably on your radar, maybe not an obligation. Have you given an ounce of thought to M&A either acquiring businesses, growing in that way or, ultimately, when you succeed out of this business and what the RIA space enables you to do? Michael Smith: To answer that question, yes. Everyone’s thinking about merger and acquisition, I think about succession planning from day one. I actually thought about I’m a big team person, I come from the submarine force where everyone is a key player on a submarine, every single person has a job and responsibility on a nuclear submarine. So, inside the financial services industry, I know Merrill Lynch was very big on teaming, I understand Morgan Stanley is as well because teaming gives them a breadth of responsibility where the responsibilities are shared. So, mergers and acquisitions or selling my business, I think, if you’re not thinking about that … And I’m not thinking about selling my business because that’s a distraction to me. If I needed the money, then I would’ve went to a wirehouse and that’s okay, you monetize your life’s work. Today, I’m all about what’s right for the client, what’s right for my team and what’s right for where I want to be in the next 10 to 20 years. So, I am growing, I do want to grow, I’m looking at opening offices in probably three locations in the next 24 months or so. Jason Diamond: Well, that’s what I was going to say, plenty of advisors I think would say the same, I have a lot of runway. But what about the other side of this equation which is you’ve had tremendous organic growth, you’ve tripled your client base, you’ve more than tripled the asset base, have you thought about acquisition as a mean to jet fuel the inorganic growth side of things? Michael Smith: I have but not in the typical sense that you’re looking at as buying a book of business. I want to partner with like-minded advisors that share that common thread of taking care of clients where you can serve as their trusted counsel and sit in the meetings with their attorneys and sit in the meetings with the accountants and give them sage counsel that you can only do because you’ve been with the family for 20 years. You know this family and that, not always, but I think that’s missed a lot in other firms. Jason Diamond: Yeah, I think that’s fair. I just thought of something else that you brought up. You brought Dynasty so I’m going to ask … I’m going to pull on this thread. That implies to me that you’re at least loosely aware of the supportive independence models that are out there yet you chose a very independent, autonomous path, why? Michael Smith: Because I didn’t know what I was doing. Jason Diamond: Fair. Michael Smith: Let’s be honest, I like Dynasty, I talked with Dynasty when I left. I talked to them all, I talked to Rockefeller, I talked to Morgan, I talked to Dynasty and then, when push came to shove, I wanted to be Mike Smith and launch my own firm and learn. And I will tell you, you learn drinking through a fire hose and we did that, we learned, I know the mistakes. What I didn’t want to do is just go to someplace where this is the stuff you’re going to have to use. So, I think Dynasty is a great launching platform, I think there’s other ones out there that are similar to Dynasty or the Rockefellers or the Morgans, it’s truly what you’re trying to achieve in life. What do you want for you and your clients and I always put my clients before me because I’ve always had this lifelong thing of, you do the right thing, you’re going to get taken care of. Jason Diamond: Yeah. And that’s a very common analysis, by the way, and it’s very common too for big advisors like yourself to say I did my homework across all of those different categories. I looked at the traditional wirehouses and regional firms and boutique firms, I looked at the independent broker dealers, I looked at the support platforms and the aggregators and the roll-ups and here’s ultimately what I landed on and why. Did you always know that though or was that something that it took you a diligence process to figure out? There was plenty of advisors, by the way, who come to us and they’re like, “I knew for the last five years that I was sitting there I was launching an RIA someday.” Michael Smith: Yeah. I did not know that and, to be honest with you, hindsight, I think one of those partners probably could have made me a little bit better at first because then I could have focused on clients versus focusing on, hey, how to open a business, who’s your technology … We talked about custodians and some other things but we didn’t talk about technology, how do you go find that technology. Where’s your email address come from? Who’s your chief compliance officer? When it resides on you, you got to look in the mirror. So, I think those parties out there that provide that for brand-new advisors launching could be very beneficial. I had in my mind what I needed to do and I knew I’m very frugal so mine boiled down to how much money I wanted to spend, to be honest with you. Jason Diamond: I think it is a cost benefit analysis, it is. It’s absolutely … Because if you list the functions of a support platform on paper and you showed it to somebody who didn’t know the industry, they would say, “Why on earth wouldn’t you do this? They’re taking off your plate compliance and tech and custody and the like,” and the answer is because there’s a cost associated with it and plenty of advisors decide what you decide, I wanted … Or I just wanted a greater degree of autonomy and freedom, to your point, the name on the door piece, I wanted this to be mine. Michael Smith: And, Jason, I think it also goes to the uncertainty. I had never done anything since Navy, financial advising and then launching. So, for me, I was launching with four employees I had to take care of and here I was going to hire a third party that I was going to have to spend X amount on and I didn’t even know what my income was going to be. That’s different if you’re a multi-billion dollar FA coming out of a wirehouse, the monetary dynamics are different. Jason Diamond: Agreed. Okay, here’s a good one for you. We get this concept from advisors, from firms, from private equity that a billion dollars in assets is like this magic number in our industry. Do you feel like anything’s changed now that you’re at a billion and what’s the next chapter for Emerald Advisors? Is it just continuing on this steady trajectory and serving clients and trust that everything else comes with that? Michael Smith: I go back and forth on a billion, everyone thinks that’s the right number, the biggest number that you need but I think it’s just an arbitrary numbers because it didn’t define who I was. And a lot of people define success at a billion, they define success that you’re a successful firm at a billion. I think I was a successful firm at 300 million, I was a successful financial advisor with 20 clients in 2005. I would say a billion is a multiplier, what I would tell new advisors out there today is gather assets. The more assets you have, the more revenue you generate. The more revenue you generate, the more money you can put in your pocket which means the longer you can stay in the industry. The problem with the industry is an attrition problem, not anything else. So, assets just give us the ability to have revenue which gives us the ability to grow. Jason Diamond: And is that the plan? Keep adding assets, keep growing one client at a time with the focus though, obviously, on what makes you which is a very client-centric service model. Michael Smith: Correct. There’s a lot of things I want to do in the next couple of years and expanding our footprint is our biggest one with the right partners and then just keep adding. I have a business development officer that I’m probably offer a job to here pretty soon and things are going well. Jason Diamond: Yeah, that’s great. You mentioned the tech stack and the other components of the business and I hear you on the frugal cost-benefit analysis. But who did you turn to for some of those early decisions, was it Schwab primarily who helped hold your hand through that? Michael Smith: Schwab was very good at helping me identify the tech stack at first and the tech stack is actually the one consistent, there’s a lot of things I’ve been consistent on but tech is one that I’ve stayed with them. I launched with RightSize, now they’re Advisory, they’re very good, they do the right job for us and I’m big on cybersecurity. So, tech was helpful from Schwab, Schwab helped us with that. Jason Diamond: So, we spoke a little bit about your naval experience but, I’m curious, can you tell us how has your naval experience shaped your perception or your experience in wealth management? Michael Smith: My Navy path was a lot different than many officers. I served 12 years as an enlisted person before I got my direct commission as a Mustang officer, typically called limited duty officers or loud, dumb and obnoxious as I like to say. But that experience gave me a unique perspective because I was able to be the enlisted side and officer which are the workers and then the management side so I had both experiences which was unique. When I was commissioned, Admiral Jerry Ellis, a submarine admiral that commissioned me, heard this lesson to the podium, he was just talking about me in this point but he said, “There are three kinds of people in every organization. You have rowboat people who need to be pushed, you have sailboat people who move whenever the conditions are favorable and then there’s steamboat people, they move continuously through calm or storm.” And he said, “This is Ensign Michael Smith,” he said, “Make your course.” And that’s always stood with me because you do have those three types of people in life. You got people that are just … They’re robo people, they go until they get tired. You got sailboat people that go wherever the wind blows them and then you got steamboat people that chart their own course. I would say for advisors out there make your course or just be happy with what you’re doing. But for some of us hard chargers, I think that analogy has stayed with me my entire career. Jason Diamond: It’s fantastic. I love the analogy, great naval tie in also. Thanks for sharing that. We got time for one more question. You have a fascinating background, a fascinating path to the industry, obviously, an incredibly disciplined approach around client service, any parting thoughts, words of wisdom especially as it relates to growth? That’s what strikes me most about your story is the growth that your move unlocked and that’s what every advisor who listens to our show is looking for. Michael Smith: I’m going to give another plug to Schwab on this. We actually were fortunate and I got their consulting group to come in right afterwards and I’m a big believer in having offsite. So, I’ve had an offsite, two offsites a year for my team and it’s the entire team unlike the wirehouses where you don’t take your admins and stuff like that. I take my entire team to an offsite and we group up on what we’re trying to achieve and have goals and objectives for the year. Schwab allowed us to use their consultants and we came up with our ideal client persona. Teams or firms that have this model become high performing. When you become high performing, growth becomes the outcome. I couldn’t do anything but grow. Jason, I couldn’t not grow because I had this ideal client persona, I knew how I was going to do it, it was measurable. So, growth becomes the outcome and, if you hold people responsible, then we’re all going to grow together and it’s a fun outcome. Jason Diamond: Fantastic, it’s a great place to end. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for Emerald, this has been a lot of fun. Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much. I appreciate everything you do for the industry as well. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibility seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firms or could a better option exist? Should I Stay or Should I Go? Is a book written with you in mind? It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook. From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story A conversation with Jason Diamond and Michael Smith, Managing Partner and Founder of Emerald Advisors.      Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story. It’s a conversation with Michael Smith, managing partner and founder of Emerald Advisors. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for financial advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Growth is often viewed as the result of better marketing, stronger referrals, a larger team and even acquisition and that’s all true yet growth can be the byproduct of something else entirely. For example, Michael Smith built a successful practice at Merrill then, one day, he was told he was spending too much time with his clients, or his management put it over-servicing clients. For Michael, that wasn’t a warning sign about his approach, it was a signal that he might have outgrown the firm and the model. Today, Michael is the founder and managing partner of Emerald Advisors, the independent RIA he launched in late 2019 with roughly 385 million in assets and 85 client relationships. Less than seven years later, the firm has grown to more than a billion in assets while remaining deeply focused on a highly-specialized client base and an unusually hands-on service model. What makes this story particularly interesting isn’t just the growth, it’s the thinking behind it. Michael’s perspective was shaped long before he entered wealth management. After serving more than two decades in the Navy, he brought a leadership philosophy centered on accountability, discipline and what he calls steamboat people, those who keep moving forward regardless of conditions, that mindset continues to influence how he builds his team, serves clients and evaluates opportunities. In this episode, we discuss the decision to leave Merrill, the realities of launching a fully independent RIA, why specialization can accelerate growth, the evolving role of custodians and technology and why he believes exceptional client service remains one of the industry’s most durable competitive advantages. Because Michael’s experience suggests that growth isn’t always the result of finding more opportunities, sometimes it’s the result of creating the freedom to execute the vision you already had so let’s jump in. Michael, thank you so much for joining us today. For starters, can you walk us through your background and what brought you to the world of wealth management? Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today, I do listen to the podcast a lot especially before I left Mother Merrill. But my background and how I got into financial services is really distinct because I was on the board of JDRF back in the day and the national sponsor for JDRF was UBS PaineWebber and they’re like, “Mike, why don’t you be a financial advisor?” And my master’s degree was actually a finance and accounting in portfolio management because I’ve managed my own portfolio for years and years and so, when I couldn’t get a job, I just fell into it because I couldn’t get a job and I needed a job. That was 21 years ago, Memorial Day so that’s how I got into this industry. Jason Diamond: It’s a unique background, it’s super interesting and I want to talk more about it. You mentioned Mother Merrill, we’ll certainly get there. Before we do, give us a little bit of context on the current business you operate, Emerald Advisors, any context you can share on size, number of staff, types of clients you serve would be great. Michael Smith: Sure. So, we launched Emerald in 2019, November 2019 with about 85 clients and you always talk about this on the podcast how scared it is to launch and go independent. And I would say we took over about 95% of our clients that we wanted to bring over and today we’re at about 230 clients, I think we have some onboarding right now, we have just over a billion of assets. So, we launched with the 85 clients and around 350, 385 million, now we’re over a billion. Jason Diamond: Good for you. Michael Smith: Thank you. And I launched with four employees and we’re now at 11. And I would give a shout-out to one of my key employees because, when I launched, I actually hired somebody that had no experience with us and that was really a good thing because that allowed that person to really focus on operations and back office stuff while my business partner Emily and I were able to focus on bringing on the clients and alleviating any issues that they may have or thought. Jason Diamond: So, meaning you hired somebody basically immediately upon launch to help you with the transition and with this next chapter? Michael Smith: Correct. I hired them before but they started the day we launched. Jason Diamond: Brilliant, I love it. Oh, let’s definitely talk more about that because I think that’s a great strategy for … You’re right, you said it in a joking manner now because you’re seven years past but it’s a very real fear that advisors have and I think it’s worth talking more about. I want to mention too you have, obviously, built this business and grown this business dramatically. I don’t want to make this episode about the pandemic but you moved the business at a, certainly, a unique time. Did it impact your growth at all? Did you feel like you hit a brick wall? Just curious about your thoughts. Michael Smith: No, Jason, that’s a great observation. I would venture to say that the pandemic was actually a good thing for us. Jason Diamond: Interesting. Michael Smith: And I say that because, all of a sudden, you could hit pause because everyone was relearning how to do business, how do we do client reviews, how do we communicate with clients in a environment. So, I think the pandemic allowed us to just really reset our expectations visiting with clients because I used to fly a lot because I have clients in 38 different states so this has actually been, not just good for me, but good for the industry because I think it’s reset our expectations that we don’t have to be every day with a client facing. Jason Diamond: I agree with that largely and it’s true of our business too, by the way, it’s certainly reshaped the way people expect to be communicated with. I think Zoom has become much more mainstream, phone calls and we’ve heard from many other advisors who say something similar. I was just curious because you moved so close to or if there was an impact but I get, honestly, I think you’re right, it allowed you to have this nice natural inflection point and almost like flipping a switch of a clean slate. Michael Smith: It allowed us to learn the processes too. So, we launched in November 1st, by March we were in lockdown and so it gave us the opportunity to take several months of just learning the processes of how to be an RIA, it was pretty good. Jason Diamond: Absolutely. So, one of the things you mentioned in that was the way in which you serve clients and I’d read something funny and I think it was around the time of your move. You were talking about that, Merrill, you had a manager who spoke about that you would overserve your clients, you serve clients too much, tell me about that. Michael Smith: That was such an interesting topic because I got called down to the ops officer’s office and they’re like, “Ugh, Mike.” And it brought my admin down with me and they’re like, “Mike, these reports that you’re taking care of your clients too much,” and I’m like, “What do you mean?” “Well, you’re overservicing them.” Jason, I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing because I was like, “How do you overservice the client? I’m not making their bed.” It was just so funny to me that I got counsel for overservicing clients when we’re in a client-facing job and I think that was part of the catalyst. Jason Diamond: Tell me more about what they meant, you think. Michael Smith: Hindsight, I think they … I like to take care of people which means I’m very intuitive towards taxes, I understand how the tax code works, I understand how everything impacts their bottom line. So, when we’re doing deferred comp enrollments or 401(k) enrollments or I’m a big believer in Roth 401(k)s and backdoor Roths and I’ve been doing them for years, I think what Mother Merrill wanted at that time was us not to do that. And, again, nothing against Merrill, I get it but this is how they wanted us to act and I wasn’t in that mold, I was taking care of clients to a much deeper depth is how I would say it. Jason Diamond: And I think that speaks to you outgrew the model not necessarily the firm. I think Merrill does a lot of things really well, you would agree with that, I think given that you built 85 clients and 350 million in assets is nothing to sneeze at. But the model that it seems like you value client service and an integrated client service experience of that and the wirehouse model oftentimes doesn’t put a premium on that. Tell me about your ethos or your thoughts around client service today and what being independent enables you to do. Michael Smith: So, that’s an interesting observation because one of my clients actually just mentioned to me that the reason we’re growing so much is because of our service model and the fact that we deliver a tremendous amount of value over just portfolio management. I said my managers is in portfolio management, I don’t do that any longer, I have a staff that handles that for me but it’s really the servicing of the clients because they don’t know what we know and I think servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today. Jason Diamond: Give me some examples of what you mean by servicing the client in a more holistic way. I agree with you, by the way, portfolio management, table stakes, financial planning, table stakes, tell me more about what you mean. Michael Smith: By that I mean we do a quarterly review on tax. So, a lot of people don’t understand how taxes work and how estimated taxes work. So, estimated taxes are January 1st to March 31st, January 1st to May 31st, January 1st to August 31st, that’s how you do your estimated tax payments, you figure out what that is. And for compensated employees where they have RSUs that come in at different times of the year or different grants or exercise their options at a different time, that can affect their estimated tax liability and I’m not big on giving Uncle Sam any more money than they have to have until they need it. And then everyone doesn’t understand how the penalties and interest works on the IRS. And I’m big on the tax payments because that’s where we can add a lot of value for not a lot of time and we integrate it with our portfolio so we know what we’re doing with our gains. And I happen to reside in Washington State which has a long-term capital gains tax rate once you surpass about 270,000 of long-term capital gains. So, it’s super important for us to be aware of this and that’s how we service them. We also help them with their rebalancing of their 401(k)s, things that wirehouses cannot supposed to do, we are not supposed to be helping them with some of their aspects of life. Jason Diamond: Yup. That’s what I was alluding to earlier, it’s limitations on the model, not because they’re bad models, it’s just a different way, a different ethos around client service. You mentioned RSUs and corporate employees, I know that’s a niche you have is around concentrated stock positions and equity comp plans. I guess let me ask you two different questions around this. First of all, why that niche? Interested. And then, second of all, do you think

More than 80 years after World War II, why did the crimes of Unit 731 remain largely absent from global public awareness for so long? What does preserving historical truth mean for future generations and the international order? In this edition of The Hub, Wang Guan speaks with Emanuel Pastreich, president of The Asia Institute; Alexis Dudden, professor of History at the University of Connecticut, who was interviewed in the documentary; and Liu Baocheng, dean of the Center for International Business Ethics at the University of International Business and Economics. Together, they examine the renewed attention generated by the documentary "Inside Unit 731" and explore why this history continues to resonate today.

Mexico, the United States, and Canada are hosting the 2026 World Cup, and it isn't clear whether that or the ongoing negotiations over the USMCA free trade agreement is higher stakes for North America. The July 1 deadline for the three North American countries will shape the future of nearly 2 trillion in trade and determine whether the countries renew the agreement for another 16 years or let the clock run down towards expiration in 2036. The stakes are real and the story is more complex than it has ever been with a trade deal.   In this episode, Diego Marroquín Bitar sits down with William Alan Reinsch, senior adviser and Scholl Chair emeritus with the CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business. Together, they unpack the dynamics of the review, and the different negotiation strategies employed by the three countries. They also evaluate some of the most likely scenarios for the review, ranging from the potential risk of withdrawal to a surprise agreement that emerges in the fall of 2026. 

Get in touch - leave me a messageNo one wants to ship water around the world. That one line says a lot about the next phase of energy storage.In this episode of Climate Confident, I'm joined by Min Tang, Director of International Business at Rongke Power, one of the world's leading vanadium flow battery companies. We get into why long-duration storage is moving from climate tech side-story to core grid infrastructure, and why that matters for decarbonisation, energy transition planning, net zero delivery, emissions reduction, and policy.You'll hear why vanadium flow batteries are not trying to replace lithium-ion batteries, and why that matters. Different problem. Different tool. Min explains how flow batteries can run for more than 20,000 cycles, retain capacity over decades, and support grid-scale black start, the kind of resilience that becomes rather important when grids are asked to absorb more renewables, power more electrification, and stay upright while demand from industry and AI data centres grows.We dig into the economics too: why storage duration changes cost, how electrolyte leasing can cut upfront CapEx, and why local supply chains could become a major strategic advantage. You might be shocked to learn that localisation is baked into this technology because the electrolyte is mostly water. Glamorous? No. Important? Absolutely.

International business news headlines with Joe Lynam and Russ Mould from AJ Bell.

 Gunjan Shah | MD & CEO at Bata India Limited Gunjan is an accomplished leader with extensive experience across geographies and diverse industries, including paints, telecom, and food. Prior to joining Bata India Limited, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Britannia Industries.Over the course of his professional journey, he has worked across multiple functions encompassing sales, marketing, and supply chain. He has played a key role in both turnaround and growth initiatives. At Britannia, he also led the International Business and was instrumental in architecting one of the company's most impactful strategy and business transformation initiatives.Gunjan holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kolkata.  

In this episode of On Call with Insignia Ventures, join us on this call with QingGui Huang (Gui), CEO and co-founder of Konvy, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it means to build a health and beauty e-commerce platform for Southeast Asia in 2026. Now in its 13th year of operations and fresh off a Series B round backed by Cool Japan Fund, Konvy has grown from Thailand's leading beauty e-retailer into a regional multi-channel platform with stores and operations across Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The discussion explores how shifting consumer behavior, the rise of TikTok Shop, and the growing complexity of omni-channel commerce are reshaping the competitive landscape. Konvy's “matchmaking” thesis, connecting quality global brands with underserved regional consumers, is also finding new relevance as both inbound and outbound brand flows mature across the region. Gui also shares his perspective on AI's complementary role in e-commerce operations, the challenges of cross-border localization, and what a potential public market listing could mean for Konvy's next chapter.Timestamps(0:00): Introduction(2:00): Konvy's Background and the Evolving E-Commerce Landscape(5:00): Konvy as Southeast Asia's Beauty and Health Gateway(7:00): Pain Points for D2C and E-Commerce Brands(9:00): AI as a Complementary Force in E-Commerce(13:00): The Cool Japan Fund Partnership and Inbound Brand Strategy(16:00): Outbound Strategy: Taking Southeast Asian Brands Global(18:00): Omni-Channel Strategy: Balancing Online and Offline(21:00): Localizing for New Markets: Philippines and Malaysia(23:00): Building Global Infrastructure and the Path to Public Markets(26:00): Advice for Entrepreneurs and FoundersAbout Our GuestQingGui Huang, known as Gui, is the CEO and co-founder of Konvy, Thailand's leading health and beauty e-commerce platform. A US-educated Chinese entrepreneur who received his Bachelor's in Management and International Business from Purdue University, Gui built online fashion businesses in Beijing before returning to Southeast Asia in 2011, spotting the opportunity to create a dedicated beauty e-commerce platform in Thailand, where he had spent some of his childhood. He founded Konvy in 2012 with his co-founders, growing it from a 100,000 baht startup in a single rented room into the country's number one beauty retailer, carrying over 1,000 brands and 20,000 products across its own app, major marketplaces, TikTok Shop, and physical retail stores. Konvy has expanded into the Philippines and Malaysia and raised multiple funding rounds, most recently a Series B led by Cool Japan Fund, reflecting the platform's growing role as Southeast Asia's gateway for global beauty brands, both inbound and outbound.Directed by Paulo JoquiñoProduced by Paulo JoquiñoFollow us on LinkedIn for more updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insignia-ventures/?viewAsMember=trueThe content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.

A national campaign to promote employment for college graduates will run from May to December, targeting the 2026 graduating class as well as unemployed graduates from the classes of 2024 and 2025, according to a notice issued on Tuesday.据周二发布的通知，全国高校毕业生就业专项帮扶行动将于5月至12月开展，帮扶对象涵盖2026届应届毕业生以及2024、2025两届未就业毕业生。The campaign, launched by eight central authorities including the Ministry of Education, urges local governments to make employment for college graduates and other key groups a top priority.本次行动由教育部等八部委牵头部署，要求各地政府将高校毕业生等重点群体就业工作摆在重要位置。The notice calls on local authorities and employers to tap job prospects in industries with a strong growth capacity, including manufacturing and services, and create more positions that fully utilize graduates' knowledge and skills.通知要求各地主管部门和用人单位深挖制造业、服务业等成长性较强行业的就业潜力，开发更多能够充分发挥毕业生学识与专业特长的岗位。Employers from all sectors are encouraged to participate. A centralized job-posting mechanism will be established, with vacancies published across multiple online platforms, the notice said.通知提出，鼓励各行各业用人单位踊跃参与。我国将搭建岗位统一发布机制，在多个线上平台同步发布空缺岗位信息。The campaign will also feature a joint publicity effort, with recruitment and employer-presentation videos released on various platforms to make employment information more accessible to graduates.专项行动同步开展联合宣传推介，在各类平台投放招聘宣讲与企业介绍视频，方便毕业生便捷获取就业资讯。Universities are required to integrate employment education throughout the students' development process. Graduates will be encouraged to participate in online and offline career guidance, skills training and internship programs. The campaign aims to help students develop sound career values, strengthen practical skills and enhance competitiveness in the job market.各高校须将就业育人贯穿学生培养全过程，引导毕业生参加线上线下职业指导、技能实训和实习项目。本次行动旨在帮助学生树立正确职业价值观、锤炼实操本领，提升求职竞争力。Graduates are also encouraged to align their career choices with national development strategies by participating in major national initiatives, serving grassroots communities in urban and rural areas, and working in sectors and regions where they are most needed.同时鼓励毕业生立足国家发展规划择业，投身国家重大项目建设、奔赴城乡基层服务，前往人才紧缺的行业和地区就业。The notice emphasizes strict scrutiny of recruitment information, requiring authorities to verify the authenticity and legality of employer credentials and job postings. Fraud, scams and discrimination — including restrictions based on university prestige, overseas study experience, full-time or part-time status, or previous internships with employers — are strictly prohibited.通知强调从严审核招聘信息，主管部门须核验用人单位资质与招聘信息的真实性、合法性；严禁招聘欺诈、诈骗以及各类就业歧视，不得依托院校档次、海外留学经历、全日制或非全日制学历、过往实习经历等设置招聘门槛。Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications has regularly invited leading and high-tech companies to campus for seminars, internship partnerships and recruitment events, integrating corporate technologies and industry standards into classroom instruction and practical training, said Zhang Yi, head of the university's employment and entrepreneurship guidance center.北京邮电大学就业创业指导中心主任张怡介绍，学校常态化邀约行业龙头与高新技术企业入校开展座谈、共建实习基地、举办招聘会，把企业前沿技术与行业规范融入课堂授课和实操实训。University leaders have visited major companies, including AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group, Lenovo and ByteDance, to expand high-quality job opportunities and deepen cooperation. Leaders from the university and its schools have traveled to 16 provincial-level regions and engaged with 135 employers in key fields such as information technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum communications and aerospace computing to expand employment opportunities for students, Zhang said.张怡表示，校领导带队走访中航工业成都飞机工业集团、联想、字节跳动等优质企业，拓宽优质就业岗位、深化校企合作。学校及各院系负责人先后赴全国16个省级行政区，对接信息技术、人工智能、网络安全、量子通信、空天计算等重点领域的135家用人单位，拓展毕业生就业渠道。In addition, BUPT has developed an AI-powered student growth platform. By analyzing job market trends, student competencies and career preferences, the platform automatically recommends tailored job opportunities and provides personalized career guidance, she said.她补充，北邮搭建了人工智能赋能的学生成长平台，平台通过分析就业市场走势、学生个人能力与求职意向，智能推送适配岗位，提供定制化职业指导。Zhu Qing, deputy head of the employment office at the University of International Business and Economics, said the institution has established talent workstations in Guangzhou, Guangdong province; Sanya, Hainan province and Nanchang in Jiangxi province.对外经济贸易大学就业处副处长朱庆介绍，学校已在广东广州、海南三亚、江西南昌设立驻外人才工作站。The Guangzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau organized 130 employers to participate in a campus job fair, offering more than 6,000 positions, Zhu added.朱庆补充道，广州市商务局组织130家用人单位入校开展专场招聘，提供岗位超6000个。UIBE has also strengthened cooperation with industry associations to improve job matching. The Insurance Institute of Beijing brought 50 insurance companies to campus for a dedicated recruitment fair, while the university's law school hosted a legal-industry job fair featuring more than 20 well-known law firms, he said.学校还深化与行业协会合作，提升人岗匹配效率。北京保险行业协会组织50家保险公司入校开展保险专场招聘，法学院也联合20余家知名律所举办法律行业专场招聘会。"To date, UIBE has held more than 30 job fairs, attracting nearly 2,000 employers and offering more than 70,000 positions on campus, with recruitment presentations held almost daily and job fairs taking place every week," Zhu said.朱庆称：“截至目前，我校已举办30余场校园招聘会，近2000家企业参会，累计提供岗位超7万个，校园招聘宣讲几乎每日开展，每周固定开设专场招聘会。”For unemployed graduates, the university has implemented a "one-student, one-strategy" support program. Measures include establishing individual support records, providing one-on-one follow-up services, pushing targeted job recommendations, offering face-to-face career counseling, providing job-seeking subsidies and organizing regular psychological counseling sessions, he said.针对未就业毕业生，学校落实“一生一策”帮扶方案：建立一人一档帮扶台账、一对一跟踪对接、精准推送岗位、线下职业咨询、发放求职补贴，并定期开展心理疏导。utilize /ˈjuːtəlaɪz/利用，使用vacancy /ˈveɪkənsi/空缺岗位；空位credential /krəˈdenʃl/资质；证件discrimination /dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn/歧视；区别对待subsidy /ˈsʌbsədi/补贴，补助

Prof Albert Wöcke is a Professor and permanent faculty member at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, where he serves as the Faculty Lead for the MPhil in Business Management specialising in International Business. He also heads up the GIBS Case Study Hub, overseeing the development and quality control of local business cases focused on South African and emerging market contexts. He joins us to chat about the Middle East war & how Africa’s multinationals are navigating a live geopolitical shock. Views and News with Clarence Ford is the mid-morning show on CapeTalk. This 3-hour long programme shares and reflects a broad array of perspectives. It is inspirational, passionate and positive. Host Clarence Ford’s gentle curiosity and dapper demeanour leave listeners feeling motivated and empowered. Known for his love of jazz and golf, Clarrie covers a range of themes including relationships, heritage and philosophy. Popular segments include Barbs’ Wire at 9:30am (Mon-Thurs) and The Naked Scientist at 9:30 on Fridays. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Views & News with Clarence Ford Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 09:00 and 12:00 (SA Time) to Views and News with Clarence Ford broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/erjiQj2 or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/BdpaXRn Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The following article of the Trade & Investment industry is: 'US Structural Lumber: Capital Flows Shift to the South' by Felipe Martinez, International Business Director, Independent Contributor.

Tupoka Ogette erzählt vom Aufwachsen in der DDR als Schwarze Tochter einer Regimekritikerin, die 1988 mit der Tochter nach West-Berlin übersiedelte, vom tansanischen Vater, der die DDR zuvor verlassen mußte und in seine Heimat zurückkehrte, von der Suche nach Zugehörigkeit, von einem Leben im Widerspruch, von Flucht, Verlust, Sexismus und Gewalt, aber auch von Liebe, Mutterschaft und Selbstermächtigung. „Meinen Zweitnamen Sibylle habe ich so oft es ging verheimlicht. Ich habe der Geschichte und den damit einhergehenden Zuschreibungen und Projektionen, die andere über mich und meinen Namen hatten, mehr Glauben geschenkt als mir selbst. Diese Zeit ist vorbei.“, schreibt Tupoka Ogette in „Trotzdem zuhause“ und fährt fort, „Tupoka heißt auf Deutsch „Die das Glück ins Haus bringt“. Die Sibyllen sind mythologische Gestalten aus der antiken griechischen und römischen Tradition, die als Prophetinnen oder Seherinnen galten. … Ich bin die Tochter von Camilla aus Gera und Ambonesigwe aus Sange. Ich bin Tupoka Sibylle. Ich bin ein Brückenmensch. Das ist doch was“.Tupoka Ogette wurde 1980 in Leipzig als Tochter eines tansanischen Studenten der Landwirtschaft und einer deutschen Mathematikstudentin geboren. In West-Berlin lebte Tupoka Ogette bis zum Abitur. An der Universität Leipzig studierte sie Afrikanistik mit Schwerpunkt Politik und Wirtschaft Afrikas, sowie Deutsch als Fremdsprache und absolvierte 2007 bis 2009 einen Master in International Business an der Graduate School of Grenoble. Von 2008 bis 2012 arbeitete Tupoka Ogette als Lektorin des Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes an der Université Stendhal in Grenoble. Seit 2012 ist Tupoka Ogette bundesweit als Beraterin und Trainerin im Bereich Rassismuskritik tätig, leitet in Deutschland, Österreich und in der Schweiz Workshops und Fortbildungen, berät Teams und Organisationen. 2017 erschienen ihr Handbuch „exit RACISM“. Rassismuskritisch denken lernen.“ In ihrem podcast „TUPODCAST“ spricht sie mit Schwarzen Frauen über ihr Leben, Wirken und Sein in Deutschland. Zudem gründete sie mit ihrem Team die digitale Akademie „Tupokademie. Die Community“, ein Angebot für Menschen, die rassimuskritisch denken und leben lernen möchten. Tupoka Ogette lebt mit ihrem Mann, dem Künstler und Bildhauer Stephen Lawson, und ihren Kindern in Berlin. Im Penguin-Verlag erschienen zudem die Bücher „Und jetzt du. Rassismuskritisch leben“ und „Tag für Tag aktiv gegen Rassismus“.Moderation Julia HemmerlingRedaktion: Angelika Zapf

China's securities regulator has launched a major crackdown on illegal cross-border securities activities, targeting online brokerages operating outside the country's regulatory framework. Why is Beijing acting now after years of scrutiny? What risks are regulators trying to contain? And does this signal a new era of stronger oversight in China's financial markets? Host Tu Yun joins Professor Hans-Peter Burghof, the Chair of the Banking and Finance Department, University of Hohenheim, Germany, Professor Liu Baocheng, the Director of the Center for International Business Ethics, University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, and Chen Jiahe, the Chief Investment Officer of the Beijing-based Novem Arcae Technologies for a close look.

A must hear, simply marvelous episode of two sisters, Catherine Thomas, Esq and Dr. Claudia Thomas, MD. Catherine Thomas was a Civil Rights and International Business attorney, who was involved in some of the important civil rights cases in America. She is now a realtor in the Maryland area. Her sister, the 1st Black women orthopedic surgeon in the United States, was one of the student leaders of the successful takeover of the Vasser College administration building in 1969. It led to the Board of Trustees acquiescing to the black students 9 demands without getting expelled. Her example and mentoring has lead to now over 100 Black women orthopedic surgeons now in the United States. It is a story of wonderful parenting at a time Black had to breakdown barriers to education... a testament of wonderful, courageous parents of the 50's and 60's. Just a great episode!  Produced, Directed, Edited and hosted by Stephen E Davis Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From new supply chain rules and punitive tariffs to restrictions on Chinese technology in Europe's green transition, Brussels is taking increasingly aggressive steps to reduce dependence on China. But is the EU strengthening its economic security or undermining its own competitiveness? Can Europe really replace China's industrial ecosystem? Will these measures protect European industries, or will they raise costs for businesses and consumers alike? And as tensions rise, how might Beijing respond? Host Tu Yun joins LIANG Linlin, the Director of Communication and Research at the China Chamber of Commerce to the European Union, Dr. John Glen, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, who's also a visiting fellow at the Cranfield School of Management, and Dr. John Gong, a professor with the University of International Business and Economics for a close look.

How do you go from being a student in Charleston to a finance professional in Europe? In this episode of the Biz-eWerk Podcast, Andrew Bartholomey (CofC '23 – International Business, Finance, German) shares his journey building a global career, discusses the impact of his internships, and tells us how those experiences prepared him for life after college. We also get into what it takes to thrive in a foreign workplace, like the challenge of teaching yourself to write Excel formulas in German and mastering SAP on the fly. Whether you're a student wondering how to use your campus resources or a professional curious about the reality of working across time zones, Andrew's story is a fantastic roadmap for building a global career while keeping your professional network strong.

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Philip Luck, Director of the CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business. Phil was previously the deputy chief economist at the U.S. Department of State. Phil and Henrietta discuss the economic and commercial context for the big summit between President Trump and President Xi in Beijing, what it means to have “managed trade,” the trajectory of U.S. tariff rates and export controls, and how soybeans may shape the future of U.S.-China relations. Tune in tomorrow (May 15) for a special bonus episode unpacking the outcomes from President Trump's visit to China, featuring Jon Czin, fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Director for China at the White House National Security Council.

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with David Herer, former CEO of ABC-Amega, for a conversation that spans generations of business, international expansion, family dynamics, and what it really takes to lead through uncertainty. David shares the incredible story of how his family business started during the Great Depression and eventually evolved into an internationally recognized company serving major organizations around the world. From building relationships overseas to navigating leadership transitions inside a family business, David gives an honest look at the highs and lows that came with leading a company for decades. Together, Maggie and David discuss: The challenges of working in a multi-generation family business Growing a company internationally before modern technology existed Building trust and relationships across different countries and cultures Navigating conflict between family and business decisions The importance of bringing in outside advisors and leadership support What happens when major clients suddenly disappear Managing through difficult economic periods and uncertainty Knowing when it is time to step away and sell a business David also shares stories about traveling internationally with his father, building global partnerships, and eventually helping lead ABC-Amega to national recognition, including receiving the President's “E Star” Award for export service excellence. What makes this episode so interesting is how honest it is. It is not just about success. It is about pressure, responsibility, family relationships, and learning how to adapt over time. If you are part of a family business, leading a company through change, or thinking about long-term succession planning, this conversation is full of lessons you can take with you.  

On Episode 870 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Kedia, Director at Kedia Advisory as well as Shyam Kumar, President & Head of International Business at Kotak International.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(00:50) India's austerity appeal is two months late(06:29) Markets lose ground as friction increases on Iran-US talks(09:57) How are gold markets reading the Prime Minister's appeal to cut back on gold spends?(14:34) More options are opening up for astute investors wanting exposure of international markets as opposed to domesticCheck out our Live Earnings tracker: https://earnings.thecore.in/For more of our coverage check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thecore.in⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Looking for a new car? Get ready to pay up. We're seeing record high prices for new vehicles around the country, including here in New England. It's rare to find one that comes in under $30,000, with more luxury vehicles, SUV's, and pickup trucks on the lots than affordable sedans. Why the change, especially when so many Americans are struggling to get by? Nichole spoke with John Marthinsen, Professor of Economics and International Business at Babson College in Wellesley, to get insight and answers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greetings & welcome back to the podcast.  This episode we are joined by Mr. Eric Nuttall - partner and senior portfolio manager with Ninepoint Partners, and the Ninepoint Energy Fund - Canada's largest energy fund with ~$2 billion under management.Mr. Nuttall's views on energy are frequently sought after by BNN Bloomberg, CNBC, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and other media organizations.Mr. Nuttall also earned a Bachelor of International Business degree (High Honours) from Carleton University.Among other things we learned about $200 Oil – A Looming Energy Crisis.Enjoy.Thank you to our sponsors.Without their support this episode would not be possible:Connate Water SolutionsATB Capital MarketsBunch ProjectsWarren ValveKinsted WealthAstro Oilfield RentalsSupport the show

On Monday, we welcomed Dr. Christopher Harben, Associate Teaching Professor of Management, Business & Management, International Business, and MBA programs at Penn State Behrend. Our conversation was about the potential unionization of professors at Penn State, and a broader look at higher education.

Happy Mindful Monday Everyone! What does it look like to stand at the intersection of international business, civil law, and human rights? In this episode, Allie sits down with Joy Wakefield, a powerhouse lawyer and consultant who has dedicated her career to navigating complex systems of justice and equity. From her time as the Director of Human Rights and Equity at a university to leading the Justice Team at a Tribal Council, Joy has seen firsthand how law can be a tool for both systemic change and community healing. We dive into her journey—including her experience as an elected union executive and law professor—to discuss how she integrates a deep understanding of civil law with a heart for youth mentorship and community organizing. Whether you are navigating the corporate world or the non-profit sector, Joy's perspective on governance, leadership, and human rights offers the "Homecoming" we all need toward a more just and sovereign way of working. Meet Joy Wakefield Joy Wakefield is a lawyer and the founder of her own consulting firm. With a background that spans from Legal Aid to teaching at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, Joy holds degrees in International Business, Law, and Droit civil. Her career is a tapestry of service, including an internship with the UN and a clerkship for the Superior Court of Ontario. Beyond her legal practice, she is a dedicated volunteer in healthcare governance and a passionate mentor for the next generation of leaders. In this episode, they discuss: The Roots of Justice: Exploring the initial pull toward criminal law and human rights, and how witnessing the "front lines" of the legal system shapes a foundational worldview on equity. The Catalyst for Change: Identifying the pivotal moment that bridges the gap between a highly structured legal career and the leap into independent consulting and coaching. The Synergy of Service: How extensive volunteer work in healthcare governance and mentorship acts as a fuel source for professional mastery and community impact. The Sovereignty Mandate: Distilling the ultimate lesson in professional ownership—moving from being a "player in the system" to the architect of your own career. Redefining Success: Comparing the early-career definitions of "winning" in criminal law to a more mature, holistic view of what it means to truly succeed today. The Legal Edge in Consulting: Analyzing the unique strategic advantages and analytical perspectives that formal legal training brings to the coaching and consulting world. Dismantling the Success Myth: Addressing the most common misconceptions students and clients hold about what "true" professional achievement looks like in the modern economy.   How To Connect w| Joy Substack LinkedIn The Growth METHOD. FREE Membership◦ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 1:1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GROWTH MINDSET COACHING PROGRAMS!◦ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Application Form ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ What are the coaching sessions like?⁠⁠• Tailored weekly discussion questions and activities to spark introspection and self-discovery.• Guided reflections to help you delve deeper into your thoughts and feelings.• Thoughtfully facilitated sessions to provide maximum support, accountability, and growth.• Please apply for a FREE discovery call with me!• Allie's Socials• Instagram:@thegrowthmindsetgal• TikTok: @growthmindsetgal• Email: thegrowthmindsetgal@gmail.comLinks from the episode• Growth Mindset Gang ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Broadcast Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Growth Mindset Gang ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Growth Mindset Gal ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Better Help Link: Save 10%SubstackDonate to GLOWIGloci 10% off Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The U.S. dollar is the world's most important currency. Trade is priced in dollars, the world's central banks keep U.S. dollars in reserve, some places–including my home of Hong Kong, peg their currencies to the dollar. But what explains the U.S. dollar's success? And why have some challengers, like the Japanese yen or the Chinese yuan, failed to gain traction? Paul Blustein, author of King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency, joins us on the show today; the book was released last year, and is now in paperback. In his book, Paul talks about how the U.S. dollar got to where it is today and punctures some of the myths surrounding dollar dominance–like the idea that the “petrodollar” made a difference. Paul is a senior associate with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the author of several critically acclaimed books about global economic affairs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, he spent much of his career as a reporter at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. A programming note: we recorded this interview on April 4th, about a month after the U.S. first launched its strikes on Iran. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The U.S. dollar is the world's most important currency. Trade is priced in dollars, the world's central banks keep U.S. dollars in reserve, some places–including my home of Hong Kong, peg their currencies to the dollar. But what explains the U.S. dollar's success? And why have some challengers, like the Japanese yen or the Chinese yuan, failed to gain traction? Paul Blustein, author of King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency, joins us on the show today; the book was released last year, and is now in paperback. In his book, Paul talks about how the U.S. dollar got to where it is today and punctures some of the myths surrounding dollar dominance–like the idea that the “petrodollar” made a difference. Paul is a senior associate with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the author of several critically acclaimed books about global economic affairs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, he spent much of his career as a reporter at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. A programming note: we recorded this interview on April 4th, about a month after the U.S. first launched its strikes on Iran. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

The U.S. dollar is the world's most important currency. Trade is priced in dollars, the world's central banks keep U.S. dollars in reserve, some places–including my home of Hong Kong, peg their currencies to the dollar. But what explains the U.S. dollar's success? And why have some challengers, like the Japanese yen or the Chinese yuan, failed to gain traction? Paul Blustein, author of King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency, joins us on the show today; the book was released last year, and is now in paperback. In his book, Paul talks about how the U.S. dollar got to where it is today and punctures some of the myths surrounding dollar dominance–like the idea that the “petrodollar” made a difference. Paul is a senior associate with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the author of several critically acclaimed books about global economic affairs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, he spent much of his career as a reporter at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. A programming note: we recorded this interview on April 4th, about a month after the U.S. first launched its strikes on Iran. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

The U.S. dollar is the world's most important currency. Trade is priced in dollars, the world's central banks keep U.S. dollars in reserve, some places–including my home of Hong Kong, peg their currencies to the dollar. But what explains the U.S. dollar's success? And why have some challengers, like the Japanese yen or the Chinese yuan, failed to gain traction? Paul Blustein, author of King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency, joins us on the show today; the book was released last year, and is now in paperback. In his book, Paul talks about how the U.S. dollar got to where it is today and punctures some of the myths surrounding dollar dominance–like the idea that the “petrodollar” made a difference. Paul is a senior associate with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the author of several critically acclaimed books about global economic affairs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, he spent much of his career as a reporter at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. A programming note: we recorded this interview on April 4th, about a month after the U.S. first launched its strikes on Iran. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. dollar is the world's most important currency. Trade is priced in dollars, the world's central banks keep U.S. dollars in reserve, some places–including my home of Hong Kong, peg their currencies to the dollar. But what explains the U.S. dollar's success? And why have some challengers, like the Japanese yen or the Chinese yuan, failed to gain traction? Paul Blustein, author of King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency, joins us on the show today; the book was released last year, and is now in paperback. In his book, Paul talks about how the U.S. dollar got to where it is today and punctures some of the myths surrounding dollar dominance–like the idea that the “petrodollar” made a difference. Paul is a senior associate with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the author of several critically acclaimed books about global economic affairs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, he spent much of his career as a reporter at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. A programming note: we recorded this interview on April 4th, about a month after the U.S. first launched its strikes on Iran. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

The U.S. dollar is the world's most important currency. Trade is priced in dollars, the world's central banks keep U.S. dollars in reserve, some places–including my home of Hong Kong, peg their currencies to the dollar. But what explains the U.S. dollar's success? And why have some challengers, like the Japanese yen or the Chinese yuan, failed to gain traction? Paul Blustein, author of King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency, joins us on the show today; the book was released last year, and is now in paperback. In his book, Paul talks about how the U.S. dollar got to where it is today and punctures some of the myths surrounding dollar dominance–like the idea that the “petrodollar” made a difference. Paul is a senior associate with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the author of several critically acclaimed books about global economic affairs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, he spent much of his career as a reporter at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. A programming note: we recorded this interview on April 4th, about a month after the U.S. first launched its strikes on Iran. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/finance

April 30, 2026 - Autumn Warren, Director of Development – Leadership Annual Giving and Mark Munoz, Professor of Management & International Business, joined Byers & Co to talk about the Founder's Day celebration. Listen to the podcast now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visit us at Network2020.org. It has been just over a year since President Trump's “Liberation Day” global tariff announcement. Since then, the global trade landscape has shifted as countries hedged against their traditional dependence on the U.S. market. Driven by the increasing use of trade as a political weapon and constant tariff disputes, long-time allies like Canada, the UK, and the EU are now diversifying their trade partnerships as evidenced by landmark moves like the new EU-India trade deal and recent diplomatic pivots toward China. How is the web of trade alliances being re-woven and what are the implications for Washington? How is the U.S. private sector adapting to this complex new reality? And will this move toward strategic autonomy lead to a more stable global equilibrium or simply spark more conflict between competing regional blocs?Join us for a discussion on the changing landscape of global trade, featuring Edward Alden, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Alice Slayton Clark, Senior Vice President of Trade, Investment and Digital Policy at the United States Council for International Business, and Dr. Adam Posen, President of the Peterson Institute for International EconomicsMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

As an international business and life guide, Mel McSherry helps inspired but overwhelmed entrepreneurs honor their lives and become the architects of their own success. Mel uses their spiritual gifts and their 15+ years of business-building experience to slash entrepreneurs' stress and bring their success to life!By merging Human Design with traditional business development tools, Mel coaches others on how to connect with what they want and implement their strengths and strategies to be profitable every day -- mentally, emotionally, energetically and financially.Learn more and follow Mel:Website- https://www.melmcsherry.comLinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/melmcsherryInstagram- https://www.instagram.com/mel_mcsherryFreebie- Complimentary 30 min Virtual Coffee Chat, https://www.virtualcoffeewithmel.com***Please like, comment on and share my new TEDx Talk about my DNA test surprise and risks of taking these tests that are marketed as fun holiday gifts yet upend many people's lives! Here is a link: https://youtu.be/LDl3B-TKSgAThank you!

At a half-marathon in Beijing, humanoid robots stunned spectators by outperforming the fastest human runners and dramatically surpassing last year's robotic champion. What's behind this rapid progress in humanoid robotics in China? How will they evolve in the near future, and what could that mean to our daily lives? Host Dou Hongyu is joined by John Gong, a professor with the University of International Business and Economics, Muhammad Ali Nasir, Professor of Economics at the University of Leeds, and Liu Shaoshan, Director of Embodied Intelligence, Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society, to explore the breakthroughs behind China's humanoid robots and examine how they may change the way we live and work.

Further opening-up seen key to driving high-quality growth of fast-rising sector进一步开放是推动这一快速增长行业高质量发展的关键所在。China will intensify efforts to upgrade its fast-growing services sector, aiming to foster an open, competitive and high-quality ecosystem that benefits both Chinese consumers and global providers, experts and executives said.多位专家和企业高管均表示，中国将加大力度推动快速发展的服务业提质升级，旨在打造一个开放、竞争、高质量的生态系统，使中国消费者和全球服务提供者共同受益。To achieve this vision, the State Council — China's Cabinet — unveiled on Tuesday plans designed to steer producer services toward "greater specialization and higher positions in the value chain", while making consumer services "more quality-oriented, diversified and convenient".为实现这一愿景，国务院于周二发布了一份政策文件，旨在引导生产性服务业向“专业化和高端价值链延伸”，同时推动生活性服务业“向高品质、多样化、便利化发展”。China's services sector has grown steadily over the years, accounting for 57.7 percent of GDP in 2025, and it is expected its total scale will surpass 100 trillion yuan ($14.67 trillion) by the end of the decade — a 23 percent increase from current levels.多年来，中国服务业持续稳步增长，2025年占GDP比重达57.7%。预计到2030年，服务业总规模将突破100万亿元人民币（约合14.67万亿美元），较当前水平增长23%。Further opening-up is seen as key to advancing the high-quality growth of the services sector this year and beyond, evidenced by the Government Work Report's call to "orderly relax market access restrictions in the services sector" and the 15th Five-Year Plan's pledge to "expand high-level opening-up of the services sector".进一步开放是今年及未来推动服务业高质量发展的关键。《政府工作报告》提出“有序放宽服务业准入限制”，“十五五”规划纲要承诺“扩大服务业高水平对外开放”，均印证了这一点。After years of dismantling market access restrictions for foreign investors in manufacturing, China is now setting its sights on the services sector, where experts said the barriers remain relatively higher but the potential rewards for both the domestic economy and foreign firms are larger.在多年逐步取消制造业外资市场准入限制之后，如今，中国将目光投向服务业。专家表示，服务业的壁垒仍然相对较高，但对国内经济和外资企业而言，潜在回报也更大。Unlike manufacturing, services have long been a relative laggard in China's opening-up drive, constrained by complexities that "go far beyond simple market access", said Cui Fan, a professor of international trade at the University of International Business and Economics.对外经济贸易大学国际贸易教授崔凡指出，与制造业不同，服务业长期以来在中国对外开放进程中相对滞后，其制约因素“远不止简单的市场准入问题”，而是更为复杂。Cui said it involves the cross-border movement of data, capital, technology and talent, as well as rules covering environmental standards, intellectual property and professional qualifications.崔凡表示，这涉及数据、资本、技术和人才的跨境流动，以及涵盖环境标准、知识产权和职业资格等方面的规则。"This means that the future focus of services sector opening will be more about aligning domestic rules with international norms," Cui added.他补充说：“这意味着未来服务业开放的重点将更多放在国内规则与国际标准的对接上。”The accelerated opening-up comes as many economies retreat into protectionist shells. China has instead chosen to widen access, particularly in areas such as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, according to the Cabinet's Tuesday policy document.当前，许多经济体正退回保护主义的“壳”中，而中国却加速推进对外开放。根据国务院周二发布的政策文件，中国选择进一步放宽市场准入，特别是在增值电信、生物技术、外商独资医院等领域。The country will also improve the management system covering the cross-border services trade negative list, and strengthen capabilities in data outbound compliance assessment and security certification as highlighted in the document.文件还强调，中国将完善跨境服务贸易负面清单管理制度，并加强数据出境合规评估和安全认证能力建设。Greater openness will speed the inflow of global quality services resources and advanced concepts, driving domestic services to upgrade their technology, business models and standards to align with international best practices, said Xu Shaofeng, senior vice-president of Schneider Electric.施耐德电气高级副总裁徐韶峰表示，更大程度的开放将加快全球优质服务业资源和先进理念的流入，推动国内服务业升级其技术、商业模式和标准，与国际最佳实践接轨。For foreign firms engaged in the services sector, they could gain access to a market of 1.4 billion people, including a middle-income group of 400 million that is projected to reach 800 million over the next decade.对于从事服务业的外资企业而言，它们将有机会进入一个拥有14亿人口的市场，其中包括一个4亿人的中等收入群体，而这一群体预计在未来十年将增至8亿人。"China's continued efforts to open up its services sector and its policies to boost services consumption have greatly enhanced our confidence in the market," said Mao Yibing, president of Marriott International Greater China.万豪国际集团大中华区总裁毛怡冰表示：“中国持续推进服务业开放以及促进服务消费的政策，大大增强了我们对市场的信心。”"Chinese consumers are paying increasing attention to experience," Mao said. "We can clearly see the strong potential of China's leisure travel market, with themes such as weekend getaways, family trips, cultural exploration and sports entertainment becoming key areas of focus."毛怡冰说：“中国消费者越来越注重体验。我们可以清晰地看到中国休闲旅游市场的巨大潜力，周末短途游、家庭出游、文化探索和体育娱乐等主题正成为重点关注的领域。”Marriott will continue to focus its expansion on first-tier and emerging first-tier cities, popular tourist destinations, and various business and leisure travel scenarios, to capture a larger share of one of the world's fastest-growing services consumption markets, she added.她补充说，万豪将继续把扩张重点放在一线及新兴一线城市、热门旅游目的地以及各类商务和休闲旅游场景上，以期在全球增长最快的服务消费市场之一中占据更大份额。Poh-Yian Koh, president of Fed-Ex China, an express transportation service provider, said that as China pushes to open its services sector wider, a more inclusive and sophisticated ecosystem is taking shape.快递运输服务提供商联邦快递中国区总裁许宝燕表示，随着中国推动服务业进一步扩大开放，一个更加包容、成熟的服务业生态系统正在形成。"The enabling development climate in China has been a key reason for the company's steady growth here, and it has further strengthened FedEx's confidence in long-term investment and in growing together with the Chinese market," Koh said.许宝燕说：“中国有利的发展环境一直是联邦快递在中国实现稳健增长的关键原因，这也进一步增强了公司长期投资、与中国市场共同成长的信心。”diversified /daɪˈvɜːsɪfaɪd/多样化的dismantle /dɪsˈmæntəl/逐步取消，拆除opening-up drive /ˈəʊpənɪŋ ʌp draɪv/对外开放进程cross-border movement /ˈkrɒs ˈbɔːdə ˈmuːvmənt/跨境流动intellectual property /ˌɪntəˈlektjʊəl ˈprɒpəti/知识产权protectionist /prəˈtekʃənɪst/保护主义的

Join guest host, Aubrey Zobrist as she chats with a panel of IMSTL representatives, including IMSTL Co-founder and Program Directo, Susan Gobo, about the IMSTL mission of connecting international women and their families with St. Louisans, empowering them to thrive in the region.The St. Louis International Mentoring Program started in late 2017 as a pilot with just ten women - five international mentees and five local mentors. By June 2018, co-founders Susan Gobbo and Annie Schlafly, backed by the St. Louis Mosaic Project, officially launched the program. Originally a complement to the Mosaic Project's Women's Connector Program and the St. Louis International Spouses/Expat Women Group, it quickly grew into a dynamic network, linking international and local families. In 2022, we became our own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and embarked on a rebranding journey in 2024 to reflect our mission with a fresh name, logo, and slogan. In December 2025, we celebrated a new milestone when the World Trade Center St. Louis formally approved bringing International Mentoring St Louis under its international umbrella as a complement to its Mosaic Project initiative. Learn more about IMSTL at their website. https://www.imstl.org/Susan Dealis Gobbo's journey from Brazil to the U.S.A. marked a transformative entry into a new chapter of her life. She navigated and overcame multiple challenges, learned from her setbacks, rediscovered her identity, and rebuilt herself. Transitioning from a successful healthcare professional to an impactful social entrepreneur in a new land, Susan found her calling! Through more 10+ years of her civic work, she's supported many international women to feel heard, recover their identities, find their path, build meaningful relationships, and integrate into their new community while championing diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. Her numerous accolades for her achievements fuel her ongoing commitment to advocating for the international community. By sharing her story with vulnerability, Susan intends to resonate with and uplift other international women who may feel “alone” in a new country. Sarah Stauffer, originally from Philadelphia, moved to St. Louis in 2019 and is a two-time mentor with IMSTL, serving in both 2023 and 2024. She currently assists with initial interviews for the program and setting up new connections.  Donna Eovaldi career in the insurance industry spans 38 years, including time with Midwest Employers Casualty as Senior VP of Underwriting. She currently serves as a mentor for IMSTL.  Magdalena Fiserova, originally from the Czech Republic, move to St. Louis in 2025. She has served in multiple roles with Nestle and is currently a mentee in the IMSTL program. Guest host Aubrey Zobrist is a Brand Manager with Bunzl Distribution NA and is a graduate of SLU's Executive Master of International Business

Hey Voices from the Bench community! Jessica Love here, sending a shoutout from Utah! If you're passionate about creating natural, beautiful smiles—but want to simplify your workflow without sacrificing aesthetics—this is for you. I'm honored to be part of Ivoclar's development team introducing a powerful new stain and glaze system featuring Structure Paste, IPS e.max Ceram Art. Create stunning depth and lifelike color in as little as one firing. Let's continue to innovate, simplify, and create meaningful change—one smile at a time. CAM has been a major topic lately, and a lot of that conversation keeps coming back to hyperDENT. But instead of just talking about the software itself, it's worth looking at real-world experience. Imagine USA has been using hyperDENT in their own lab for over 15 years. That kind of longevity says a lot—they're not just selling and supporting it, they're relying on it in their own production every single day. That's what really sets them apart. This week, Elvis and Barb sits down with Katherine Steinbock-Dyke of Whip Mix to talk legacy, leadership, and the evolution of a family-run powerhouse in the dental industry. As part of the Steinbock lineage, Katherine shares what it was like growing up around the business—from selling Girl Scout cookies on the shop floor to eventually stepping into the CEO role. Her journey wasn't a straight line, starting instead in international business and corporate HR before finding her way back to Whip Mix and working her way through multiple roles across the company. The conversation dives into the realities of running a multi-generational company in a rapidly changing industry. Katherine talks about balancing tradition with innovation, from gypsum and articulators to digital workflows and resin development. She opens up about the challenges of staying relevant, the importance of continuous improvement (hello, WIN program), and what it really means to lead a team she genuinely cares about. Along the way, there's plenty of classic bench banter—everything from assembling pizzas at Papa John's to the chaos of early 3D printing workflows and navigating massive trade shows like IDS. The episode wraps with a look at where Whip Mix is headed, Katherine's focus on reconnecting with labs and customers, and how the next generation is shaping the future of dental manufacturing while respecting its roots.Special Guest: Katherine Steinbock-Dyke.

APRIL IS FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH! What do you get when two late starters hand the mic to two twenty-somethings and let the money questions fly? In this unusually fun follow-up to the University of Tennessee classroom visit, we bring Dr. Karen DeLong and two of her students, Emilie and Britton, onto the podcast to tackle the real questions young adults ask when money stops being theoretical and starts getting personal. Emilie – Majoring in Finance and International Business with a minor in Agricultural Business and will be pursuing a career in Wealth Management. Britton – Interning with Wells Fargo in their Investment Banking - Commercial Real Estate division and will be pursuing a career in that post grad. . This episode covers The real money questions college students are asking before graduation Why Roth IRAs are such a powerful early-start tool How to think about saving for retirement versus nearer-term goals What happens to your 401(k) when you switch jobs Why savings rate matters more than most young adults realize The balance between being responsible and being too frugal How parents, professors, and mentors shape money mindset Why financial literacy needs to be practical, not just theoretical What late starters can teach young adults before they make the same mistakes . === SUPPORT  THE  SHOW ===

Christopher Haylett (aka Nerdy Christian) has a B.A. in Global Development and an M.S. in International Business. Christopher is a popular social media influencer who engages in topics about culture, politics, Christianity, and theology.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In "Smarter Landside Logistics", Joe Lynch and Brian Kobza, Chief Commercial Officer at IMC Logistics, discuss leveraging IMC's asset-based capacity, actionable visibility, and end-to-end services—all underpinned by strong relationships—is essential for achieving greater control and cargo velocity in the critical first and last mile of the supply chain. About Brian Kobza Brian Kobza is the Chief Commercial Officer at IMC Logistics, with over 20 years of experience in the transportation and supply chain industry. His expertise covers various aspects of the sector, including positions at marine terminals, ocean carriers, ports, and landside logistics companies. In his current role, he oversees all commercial activities and new initiatives to ensure profitability and market leadership through a focus on customer experience and cargo velocity. Brian firmly believes that relationships are vital in this industry, and that enterprise growth and supply chain efficiency can be attained through fostering deeper customer relationships and partnerships. Prior to his appointment with IMC Logistics, Brian served in operational and commercial roles at Global Container Terminals, The Port of Virginia, CSX, Hyundai Merchant Marine, and Maersk. In addition to professional roles, Brian holds volunteer positions as the 2025 President for the Traffic Club of New York and as an Advisory Board Member at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Brian is a proud alumnus of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he earned a BS in Marine Engineering and secured his United States Coast Guard 3rd assistant engineer's license. Further enhancing his business acumen, Brian obtained an MBA in International Business from Amberton University. About IMC Logistics IMC Logistics provides smarter landside logistics, giving clients greater control through the first and last mile. Starting as a regional drayage provider with just one truck and one driver, IMC Logistics has grown across the U.S. to be a leading marine drayage operator in the U.S. IMC Logistics provides drayage, container storage, transloading, intermodal rail, chassis provisioning, project logistics, SmartStacks and destination cargo management services. IMC Logistics delivers their clients' supply chains with actionable visibility, asset-based truck capacity, industry leading sustainability, and long-established regional expertise across the nation. Key Takeaways: Smarter Landside Logistics In "Smarter Landside Logistics", Joe Lynch and Brian Kobza, Chief Commercial Officer at IMC Logistics, discuss how to achieve greater cargo velocity, supply chain efficiency, and market leadership by leveraging actionable visibility, asset-based capacity, and deeper customer relationships across the first and last mile. Freight Market Reality: The industry is currently navigating an unprecedented 3.5-year freight recession, emphasizing the critical need for operational discipline and stable partnerships to ensure market survival and cargo velocity. The IANA Imperative: The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) and the IANA Expo 2025 in Long Beach are essential for the intermodal industry, serving as the primary platform for crucial collaboration, shared insights, and showcasing future-focused technology. Relationships Drive Efficiency: Fostering deeper customer and partner relationships is the most vital philosophy for achieving both enterprise growth and significant supply chain efficiency across the first and last mile. IMC's Asset-Based Leadership: IMC Logistics, the largest drayage provider in the USA, demonstrates that true "smarter landside logistics" means leading with asset-based truck capacity, ensuring reliable service and market stability. Actionable Visibility: Modern logistics demands more than simple tracking; the key differentiator is providing actionable visibility—data that enables clients and partners to make immediate, informed decisions, thereby improving predictability. Combating Industry Risks: A major focus must be placed on deploying robust strategies to combat growing threats like freight fraud, cargo theft, and cyber-security vulnerabilities to protect supply chain integrity and valuable assets. Sustainability Leadership: Integrating industry-leading sustainability is a core requirement; IMC, as a market leader, is driving this by investing in EV and Hydrogen drayage vehicles at the Port of Long Beach to significantly reduce emissions. Cargo Velocity Mandate: Smarter commercial strategy must be anchored in two non-negotiable goals: rapidly increasing cargo velocity and maintaining a relentless focus on the superior customer experience. Learn More About Smarter Landside Logistics Brian Kobza | Linkedin IMC Logistics | Linkedin IMC Logistics | YouTube IMC Logistics | Video IMC Logistics (@imclogistics) | Instagram photos and videos IMC Logistics | Facebook Drayage and Landside Logistics | IMC Logistics Cargo Security | IMC Logistics The Intermodal Industry's Next Chapter: A Chat with IMC's Donna Lemm The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has raised urgent questions about diplomacy and the US-Israel alliance. As the truce appears to be unraveling, is this the start of real de-escalation, or simply a pause before renewed confrontation? And how might this moment reshape the global order? In this edition of The Hub, Wang Guan speaks to Anton Fedyashin, associate professor at the American University, and John Gong, professor of Economics at the University of International Business and Economics, to explore what drove the sudden shift from escalation to ceasefire and whether upcoming talks in Islamabad can produce lasting results, as Israel just launched its largest coordinated strikes on Lebanon since the war began.

Interview recorded - 30th of March, 2026On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Danielle DiMartino Booth. Danielle is the CEO & Chief Strategist for QI Research. She is the author of Fed Up and a global thought leader in monetary policy, economics and finance with 9 years experience at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.During our conversation we spoke about the current issues in the economy, energy crisis, how businesses can't catch a break with tariffs, energy costs and higher rates, FED reaction, liquidity shift, Private Credit and impact on markets. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction2:46 - Overview of economy4:49 - Comparing to prior energy crisis?6:29 - Where is the leverage?7:15 - Companies struggling8:56 - Unemployment11:26 - FED reaction14:53- What should FED do?18:13 - Kevin Warsh nomination19:26 - Liquidity shift22:15 - Private Credit Concerns25:20 - Impact on markets27:06 - One message to takeaway?DiMartino Booth set out to launch a #ResearchRevolution, redefining how market intelligence is conceived and delivered to guide portfolio managers and promote financial literacy. To build QI, she brought together a core team of investing veterans to analyze the trends and provide critical analysis on what is driving the markets – both in the United States and globally.Since their inception in 2015, commentary and data from DiMartino Booth's The Daily Feather and The Weekly Quill have appeared in other financial sources such as Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business, Institutional Investor, Yahoo Finance, The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Seeking Alpha, TD Ameritrade, TheStreet.com, and more.A global thought leader in monetary policy, economics, and finance, DiMartino Booth founded QI Research in 2015. She is the author of FED UP: An Insider's Take on Why the Federal Reserve is Bad for America (Portfolio, Feb 2017), a business speaker, and a commentator frequently featured on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox News, Fox Business News, BNN Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance and other major media outlets.Prior to QI Research, DiMartino Booth spent nine years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. She served as Advisor to President Richard W. Fisher throughout the financial crisis until his retirement in March 2015. Her work at the Fed focused on financial stability and the efficacy of unconventional monetary policy.DiMartino Booth began her career in New York at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where she worked in the fixed-income, public equity, and private equity markets. DiMartino Booth earned her BBA as a College of Business Scholar at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Texas at Austin and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University.Danielle DiMartino Booth - Website - https://quillintelligence.com/Twitter - https://twitter.com/DiMartinoBoothYouTube - @DanielleDiMartinoBoothQI WTFinance -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-fatseas-761066103/Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

Yuliya Flynn is a partner at a small business law firm where she acts as concierge legal counsel for small and mid-size companies — handling the kind and breadth of work an in-house lawyer would, but for multiple clients at once. In this episode, she walks through what that role looks like day to day, from drafting employment agreements and reviewing leases to fielding emergency calls about severance. Yuliya explains how she audits new clients for compliance gaps, why she treats compliance as preventative medicine, and how those gaps can tank a purchase when it's time to sell. She also digs into the complexity of structuring employee compensation and retention plans, where equity participation sounds simple but quickly intersects with succession planning and corporate governance. Yuliya Flynn is a graduate of Kostanay State University in Kazakhstan and also earned her Master of Laws from American University with a specialization in International Business and Trade Law.This episode is hosted by Katya Valasek.Mentioned in this episode:Access LawHub today!Loyola Law SchoolLearn more about Loyola Law SchoolLearn more about Juno and private student loansLearn more about Juno and private student loans

Leadership and Cultural Differences with Dawn Stallwood Dawn Stallwood is a Corporate Counsel, Chief Integrity Officer, and the author of Beautiful Leadership, known for her work at the intersection of governance, power, and people. With nearly three decades of experience, she has advised founders, boards, and senior executives across industries and international markets on complex deals, business growth, crisis management, and long-term legacy. Her expertise is particularly relevant in today's global environment, where leadership and cultural differences increasingly shape how organizations succeed or fail. Before founding her current platform, Dawn was a partner at a UK Top 100 law firm and became one of only 770 Notaries Public in the United Kingdom. This background gives her a rare combination of legal precision and strategic insight. Over the years, she has worked with leadership teams navigating not only high-stakes decisions but also the challenges that arise from leadership and cultural differences in multinational settings. Today, Dawn leads Floodlight Business, an integrity-driven platform designed to help leaders build resilient, human-centered organizations. Her work focuses on aligning commercial success with ethical leadership, a balance that is often overlooked in traditional corporate environments. In a world where businesses operate across borders, understanding leadership and cultural differences is no longer optional—it is essential for maintaining trust, cohesion, and performance. At the core of her work is the Beautiful Leadership framework, a proprietary approach that redefines what effective leadership looks like. Rather than focusing solely on results or authority, Dawn emphasizes intention, empathy, and service. This perspective is particularly relevant in organizations dealing with leadership and cultural differences, where misalignment can lead to conflict, inefficiency, and lost opportunities. Her framework equips leaders to navigate these complexities with clarity and integrity. Dawn's approach is also forward-looking. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, she argues that character will become a defining factor in leadership effectiveness. Technical skills and competence remain important, but they are no longer sufficient on their own. Leaders must also demonstrate emotional intelligence and cultural awareness, especially when managing diverse teams. This is where leadership and cultural differences play a critical role, influencing communication, decision-making, and overall organizational culture. Through her advisory work, speaking engagements, and writing, Dawn challenges leaders to rethink their approach. She encourages them to move beyond transactional leadership models and adopt a more human-centered mindset. Her message is clear: organizations that take leadership and cultural differences seriously are better positioned to adapt, innovate, and sustain long-term success. In summary, Dawn Stallwood brings a distinctive voice to modern leadership. By combining deep legal expertise with a strong focus on integrity and human dynamics, she helps leaders navigate complexity in a globalized world. Her work is particularly valuable for organizations seeking to bridge leadership and cultural differences and build cultures that are both high-performing and ethically grounded. Her tip to become more culturally competent is: Make sure you have the right set of hearing aids and contact lenses; it's about tuning in to the other person. To see the things that were meant to be seen and to hear the things that were meant to be heard. Links mentioned in the podcast: https://thebeautifulleader.com/ https://floodlightbusiness.com/ https://companynotary.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/impactwithintegrity/ Want to avoid the most common mistakes when working internationally? Read this article. More stories and culture can be found here. Culture Matters The Culture Matters Podcast on International Business & Management Podcast Build your Cultural Competence, listen to interesting stories, learn about the cultural pitfalls and how to avoid them, and get the Global perspective here at the Culture Matters podcast on International Business. We help you understand Cultural Diversity better by interviewing real people with real experiences. Every episode there is an interview with a prominent guest, who will tell his or her story and share international experiences. Helping you develop your cultural competence. Welcome to this culture podcast and management podcast. To Subscribe to this Management Podcast, Click here. The Culture Matters Culture Podcast. Available on iTunes and Stitcher Radio Click here to get the podcast on Spotify Talk to your Amazon Alexa and listen to the Podcast Listen directly on Amazon If you have a minute, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking here. It will help the visibility and the ranking of this culture podcast on iTunes immensely! A BIG THANK YOU! Enjoy this FREE culture podcast! Music: Song title - Bensound.com More Ways of Listening: Get a Taste of How Chris Presents, Watch his TEDx Talk     Name Email Address Phone Number Message 15 + 11 = Send Call Direct: +32476524957   European Office (Paris) Whatsapp: +32476524957   The Americas (USA; Atlanta, GA; también en Español):  +1 678 301 8369 Book Chris Smit as a Speaker If you're looking for an Engaging, Exciting, and Interactive speaker on the subject of Intercultural Management & Awareness you came to the right place. Chris has spoken at hundreds of events and to thousands of people on the subject of Cultural Diversity & Cultural Competence. This is What Others Say About Chris: “Very Interactive and Engaging” “In little time he knew how to get the audience inspired and connected to his story” “His ability to make large groups of participants quickly and adequately aware of the huge impact of cultural differences is excellent” “Chris is a dedicated and inspirational professional” In addition, his presentations can cover specific topics cultural topics, or generally on Cultural differences. Presentations can vary anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours and are given worldwide. Book Chris now by simply sending an email. Click here to do so. Read more about what Chris can do for you. Percentage of People Rating a Presentation as Excellent 86% 86% Rating the Presentation as Practical 89% 89% Applicability of Chris' presentation 90% 90% About Peter van der Lende Peter has joined forces with Culture Matters. Because he has years and years of international business development experience joining forces therefore only seemed logical. Being born and raised in the Netherlands, he has lived in more than 9 countries of which most were in Latin America. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia (USA) with his family. You can find out more at https://expand360.com/ Or find out what Peter can do for you here.

In her book, Wife, Mother, Spy: An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days, Ms. Ann Butler explores the complexities of balancing a career in the Agency's Clandestine Service while raising five children with a “non-tandem” spouse. This event will offer students unique insights into the realities of operational tradecraft, specifically the discipline required to maintain work-life balance as a wife and mother while navigating often risky high-stakes overseas field assignments as a 24/7 undercover CIA spy. About the Author: Ann Elizabeth Butler was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and grew up in Endicott, New York with her parents and three brothers. At Union-Endicott High School, Ann was editor of the yearbook, played clarinet in the marching and concert bands, often went to Greek Peak with the ski club, and was active in the French and Key Clubs. She majored in Economics at the University of Notre Dame, spending her sophomore year abroad in Angers, France at the Université Catholique de l'Ouest. After graduation, Ann received a Rotary Scholarship to study in Belgium and obtained a Master's in International Trade from the Université de l'Etat à Mons. In 1986, Ann began a 27-year-long career as an undercover officer in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency. Early on, while working full time, Ann attended evening classes at George Washington University and earned an MBA with a concentration in International Business. Before moving to Washington, DC to start her new career, Ann met Joseph Potak, to whom she has now been married for 37 years. They have five children together: Claire, Kyle, Eric, Alexis, and Katrina. Ann's work with the CIA required her family to move every few years to a different city, country, or continent. Her mission was simple - recruit spies and collect intelligence, to help protect the United States. Ann Butler has spent her life striving to find the balance between being a wife, a mother, and a spy. Her story is full of both very challenging as well as very rewarding moments. Now, she has written them all down. With her memoir, Wife, Mother, Spy, she wants others to read her story and know that although it's not easy - they too can have it all." **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

Alison Seibert is the founder and principal of The James Collective, a boutique PR and integrated communications agency that captures the power of attention for leading lifestyle brands. TJC partners with high caliber CPG food and beverage, wine & spirts and travel companies who are dedicated to creating a more delicious and connected world.Founded in 2015, The James Collective has grown to a bicoastal business with a portfolio of luxury, DTC and legacy brands that have included Jacobsen Salt Company, the 1 Hotel, Food52, Joseph Phelps Vineyards (owned by LVMH), Kermit Lynch, Hungryroot, Flowers Winery, Maille Mustard (a Unilever brand), Oishii, and more. Alison holds an MBA in International Business and both invests in and advises growing businesses in the CPG food, beverage, and travel industries, and is especially passionate about ventures led by the next generation of women entrepreneurs.The PR Podcast is a show about how the news gets made. We talk with great PR people, reporters, and communicators about how the news gets made and strategies for publicity that drive business goals. Host ⁠⁠Jody Fisher⁠⁠ is the founder of Jody Fisher PR and works with clients across the healthcare, higher education, financial services, real estate, entertainment, and non-profit verticals. Join the conversation on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ at @ThePRPodcast.The James CollectiveWebsite: https://thejamescollective.coInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejamescollective/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-james-collective/Alison SeibertInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonseibert/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonseibert/The PR Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePRPodcast/Twitter: https://x.com/ThePRPodcast1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprpodcast_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theprpodcast?

How To Use Human Design For Business - Part 5: The Reflector

In this exclusive 5-part series, The Expert Authority Coach™ Christine Blosdale is joined by International Business & Life Guide Mel McSherry to pull back the curtain on how to use Human Design to revolutionize your business.  Whether you're feeling overlooked, exhausted, or just ready for a more "unmistakable" path to success, this series will help you unlock your unique energetic blueprint.  We're breaking down all five types - Projector, Generator, Manifesting Generator, Manifester, and Reflector - so you can stop trying to be someone you're not and start being the authority you were born to be. ----------------------------------- ⚡Part 2: Unlocking Your Human Design Blueprint (Featuring The Generator) Generators thrive in business when they build around what genuinely lights them up. In this episode, we explore how responding - not forcing - creates sustainable success and momentum. For Generators, success isn't about chasing every opportunity - it's about responding to the right ones. Learn how to use your natural energy and satisfaction as your most powerful business strategy. ---------------------------------------------------

How To Use Human Design For Business - Part 3: The Manifesting Generator  In this exclusive 5-part series, The Expert Authority Coach™ Christine Blosdale is joined by International Business & Life Guide Mel McSherry to pull back the curtain on how to use Human Design to revolutionize your business.  Whether you're feeling overlooked, exhausted, or just ready for a more "unmistakable" path to success, this series will help you unlock your unique energetic blueprint.  We're breaking down all five types - Projector, Generator, Manifesting Generator, Manifester, and Reflector - so you can stop trying to be someone you're not and start being the authority you were born to be. ----------------------------------- ⚡Part 3: Unlocking Your Human Design Blueprint (Featuring The Manifesting Generator ) Manifesting Generators are built for speed, variety, and momentum. In this episode, we explore how following what excites you - and allowing yourself to pivot - creates powerful, aligned business growth. Manifesting Generators are here to move fast and build boldly. Learn how to trust your multi-passionate nature, respond first, then initiate - and turn your ideas into aligned action without burnout. ---------------------------------------------------

How To Use Human Design For Business - Part 4:  The Manifestor

Markets not thrilled with tech Mortgage rates dip below 6% Feb ends with a dud Looking at the Fed's next move with our guest – Danielle DiMartino Booth – the “Fed watcher” NEW! DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE'S AI GENERATED SHOW NOTES (Guest Segment) As Founder & CEO of Quill Intelligence, Danielle DiMartino Booth set out to launch a #ResearchRevolution, redefining how markets intelligence is conceived and delivered. To build QI, she brought together a core team of investing veterans to analyze the trends and provide critical analysis on what is driving the markets – both in the United States and globally. A global thought leader on monetary policy, economics and finance, DiMartino Booth founded Quill Intelligence in 2018. She is the author of FED UP: An Insider's Take on Why the Federal Reserve is Bad for America (Portfolio, Feb 2017), has a column on Bloomberg View, is a business speaker, and a commentator frequently featured on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox News, Fox Business News, BNN Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance and other major media outlets. Prior to Quill, DiMartino Booth spent nine years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas where she served as Advisor to President Richard W. Fisher throughout the financial crisis. Her work at the Fed focused on financial stability and the efficacy of unconventional monetary policy. DiMartino Booth began her career in New York at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where she worked in the fixed income, public equity, and private equity markets. DiMartino Booth earned her BBA as a College of Business Scholar at the University of Texas at San Antonio: she holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Texas at Austin and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University. Follow @DiMartinoBooth Looking for style diversification? More information on the TDI Managed Growth Strategy https://thedisciplinedinvestor.com/blog/tdi-strategy/ Stocks mentioned in this episode: (NVDA), (META), (ORCL), (GOOG), (AMZN), (MSFT), (IBM)