Podcasts about stanford gsb

What it takes to lead as a communicator and communicate as a leader.Leadership isn't just about making decisions — it's about how you communicate them. As Matt Abrahams puts it, “Communication is operationalized leadership.”At a recent Me2We event, in connection with Stanford GSB's Executive Education LEAD program, Abrahams held a live discussion with four of the podcast's most popular guests: Celine Teoh, facilitator of the GSB's famous Interpersonal Dynamics course; Huggy Rao, organizational behavior professor and co-author of The Friction Project; legendary Stanford basketball coach Tara VanDerveer; and Dave Dodson, lecturer and author of The Manager's Handbook.In this special live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the panel shares frameworks and lessons for leading and communicating more effectively. From Teoh's five A's for inviting dissent to Rao's warning against “jargon monoxide,” from VanDerveer's relationship-first approach to Dodson's case for leading like a teacher, this conversation explores what it takes to communicate as a leader — and lead as a communicator.Episode Reference Links:Celine TeohTara VanDerveerHuggy RaoHuggy's Book: The Friction ProjectDavid DodsonDavid's Book: The Manager's HandbookEp.194 Live Lessons in Levity and Leadership: Me2We 2025 Part 1 Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn Chapters:(00:00) - Introduction (04:18) - Encouraging Dissent (06:40) - The Addition Bias (09:57) - Coaching Through Encouragement (12:12) - Leadership in the AI Era (16:24) - Teaching vs. Managing (17:46) - Making People Feel Appreciated (19:06) - Slowing Down Decisions (21:24) - Listening More (24:24) - Avoiding Jargon (26:31) - Giving Better Feedback (28:53) - Preparing for Communication (29:44) - Using Communication Frameworks (31:15) - Skills for Future Leaders (37:47) - Conclusion

“Friction for us has to do with obstacles,” says Hayagreeva “Huggy” Rao, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “Obstacles can disable you. Obstacles can enable you.”Rao compares friction to cholesterol: Some is good, but some is bad. “Good friction actually slows you down, gets you to pause, and most of all, gets you to reflect,” he explains. “But there's also friction that overwhelms you, exhausts you, confuses you.” On this episode of If/Then, Rao explores how to cultivate the productive kind of friction, reduce the unhelpful kind, and manage your team's most precious resource. “Great leaders are people who think of themselves as trustees of other people's time,” he says. Do you have any favorite examples of good or bad friction? Share one with us at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.Related Content:Huggy Rao faculty profile The Friction ProjectHow to become a friction fixerChapters:00:00:00 Airport baggage claim, waiting, & good friction00:03:20 Introduction00:03:48 What friction means in organizations00:05:42 Where friction comes from00:07:52 Scaling through smart subtraction00:08:24 DropBox's approach to meetings00:10:45 The problem with meetings00:13:53 What good friction looks like00:16:56 Friction, trust, & institutional legitimacy00:19:31 Why Huggy Rao started studying friction00:22:20 ConclusionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Tiger Sisters share the keys to collaborative communication.Good marketing communication doesn't just go one way. As the Tiger Sisters know, building a brand is about bringing your audience into the conversation.Cherie and Jean Luo are sisters, tech and finance experts, and co-hosts of the Tiger Sisters Podcast, a show about money, power, and love. Their approach to content creation mirrors how they think about communication: know your audience, stay curious, and embrace feedback. “We often think about our community as the co-producers of our episodes,” Cherie says. “Each episode we put out is like a mini product. Once we put it out, we can get feedback on whether or not people are resonating.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the Tiger Sisters join host Matt Abrahams, sharing how they've built a thriving brand through collaboration — with each other and with their audience. From simplifying complex topics to crafting messages that resonate, the Luo's insights show why the best communication is about healthy back and forth.Episode Reference Links:Jean LuoCherie Brooke LuoTiger Sisters PodcastConnect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (02:34) - The Tiger Sisters Mission (04:10) - Going Viral on TikTok (06:00) - Explaining Complex Topics (07:56) - Learning from the Audience (10:05) - Working as Sisters & Co-Founders (13:05) - Reinventing Careers (14:31) - Family Expectations (16:20) - Personal Branding (18:57) - Teaching Through Storytelling (21:02) - The Final Three Questions (26:23) - Conclusion ********Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.Strawberry.me. Get 50% off your first coaching session today at Strawberry.me/smartJoin our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be. 

“I don't see things like anybody else,” says Jonathan Berk, a professor of finance at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “And so I can see things people don't see.” On this episode, Berk explores recent research that pushes against conventional wisdom, from questioning the utility of the debt-to-GDP ratio to asking whether regulation is actually in the best interests of the consumer. “If you disagree with me… You have to write down a convincing theoretical model and analyze [it].”Berk admits his unique lens doesn't always make life easy. But on the other hand, “it confers an enormous advantage” — and he believes that organizations which are able to harness the power of unconventional thinking can gain a competitive edge.“It's allowed me to solve problems that other people couldn't solve,” he says. Has seeing the world differently helped you resolve a conundrum? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.Related Content:Jonathan Berk faculty profile What If We're Looking at the National Debt All Wrong? Chapters:00:00:00 The Fosbury Flop, innovation, & unconventional thinking00:03:18 Introduction00:04:24 Questioning conventional wisdom00:04:57 Rethinking the debt-to-GDP ratio00:08:21 A finance perspective on national debt00:10:36 Why theory matters before alarm00:12:38 Regulation, charlatans, & consumer interests00:16:22 Licensing, certification, & competition00:19:51 The cost of pushing back00:21:16 Building organizations that welcome dissent00:24:59 ConclusionIf/Then, from Stanford GSB, features conversations with faculty that explore how their research deepens our understanding of business and leadership.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

These episodes of #thePOZcast, live from Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, are proudly brought to you by our friends at Overalls What if your employees had one central hub to handle real life? Meet Overalls. A smarter way to support your team, combining expert human LifeConcierges™ with AI to solve everyday challenges across healthcare, caregiving, benefits, insurance, finances, life admin, and more. From start to finish, Overalls handles the details — using existing benefits where they fit, and filling in the gaps where they don't. So employees save time, reduce stress, and stay focused at work, while employers boost engagement and get more value from their benefits. Overalls is redefining how work supports life, helping employee teams from Reddit, Patreon, BeatBox, and more cross pesky to-dos off their lists every day. Learn more at https://getoveralls.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=pozcast Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and www.youtube.com/thePOZcast For all episodes, please check out www.thePOZcast.com   ABOUT: Lucia is a Chief People Officer working at the intersection of talent, technology, and strategy, helping organizations navigate transformation and scale intentionally. Over the past decade, she has partnered with leadership teams at public and high-growth companies to build operating models that support distributed work, enable durable growth, and strengthen resilience. At Virta Health, she built and scaled a fully remote organization recognized by Inc. as a Best Place to Work during a period of rapid expansion. At Patreon, she led the team through hypergrowth, M&A integration, and cultural evolution. Earlier in her career at Yahoo, Lucia designed and implemented analytics and decision-making infrastructure across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. She holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Stanford GSB and brings a systems-driven approach to how organizations operate and evolve at scale.  Takeaways: 1. Honesty Is the Most Underrated Employee Benefit Lucia's diagnosis of broken cultures is blunt: a lack of honesty. In an era defined by uncertainty — AI, economic volatility, global instability — employees want leaders and organizations that will be straight with them. Transparency isn't a communication strategy; it's a cultural foundation. 2. Bring Your Customers Into Your Culture Virta Health keeps honesty alive by bringing its patients — the people receiving its treatment — into all-hands meetings, offsites, and board meetings. It's a radical form of accountability that makes it impossible to lose sight of what the organization is actually for. 3. Remote Done Right Is About Trust, Not Tools Flexibility is a genuine benefit — but only if it comes with trust, clear expectations, and a genuine output-over-hours mentality. Lucia's philosophy: I hired you to do a job from anywhere. Get it done. The moment you start monitoring screen time or sending 3 AM emails, you've broken the contract. 4. Know Your Population Before You Design Your Benefits Virta's benefits strategy starts with a simple question: who are our people and what do they need? Their workforce is majority women in their 30s — so fertility benefits aren't a nice-to- have, they're a core part of the value proposition. Benefits designed without demographic insight don't land. 5. Compensation Comes First — Then Benefits Can Differentiate You cannot win a talent war on benefits alone. Market-rate base, bonus, and long-term incentives have to be in place first. Once they are, benefits become the layer that signals culture and meets employees where they are in their lives. 6. Engagement Is the Proxy Metric for Peace of Mind How do you quantify something as qualitative as peace of mind? Lucia's answer: Track engagement before and after benefits changes. Employees who feel supported show up more connected to the organization. That connection is measurable — and it ties directly to retention and performance. 7. The Attrition Argument Wins the Benefits Budget Conversation When employees are in a high-stakes life phase — fertility, family planning, caregiving — and the company doesn't meet them there, they leave. The cost of replacing them is almost always higher than the cost of the benefit. Lucia builds her ROI case on that math, and it works. 8. AI Is Forcing Leaders to Lead With Meaning As AI automates the transactional parts of management, leaders are left with the one thing AI can't provide: genuine human connection and meaning. Lucia sees this as a cause for optimism — organizations that were coasting on process are now being pushed to actually invest in their people. 9. 3 AM Emails Are a Leadership Failure, Not a Work Ethic Signal Managers who send late-night or weekend messages aren't demonstrating dedication — they're demonstrating poor planning and setting a cultural expectation that others shouldn't have to absorb. If urgency is manufactured, the fix is upstream, not a Sunday Slack message. CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Introduction Adam welcomes Lucia Guillory, CPO at Virta Health, and gets a quick overview of what the company does — including their recent breakthrough linking their treatment to extended survival in pancreatic cancer patients. 02:00 – From Isolation to PhD: How Lucia Got Into People Lucia traces her path into organizational behavior through a personal lens — growing up dyslexic and with ADHD, studying people as a way to understand belonging, and ultimately earning a PhD to drive change in organizations. 05:00 – What's Most Broken in Bad Cultures Lucia's direct answer: a lack of honesty. In a world of tariffs, AI anxiety, and geopolitical turbulence, employees want authenticity and transparency above everything else — and it's rarer than it should be. 07:30 – How Virta Bakes Transparency In Virta's unusual approach to keeping honesty at the forefront: bringing patients (members) into all-hands meetings, offsites, and even board meetings — making it impossible to hide what's working and what isn't. 10:30 – Remote Done Right What it actually means to be a fully remote organization: output over hours, trust over monitoring, flexibility as a genuine benefit, and clear communication as the operating system that holds it all together. 13:30 – The 3 AM Email Problem Lucia's take on managers who send emails at 3 AM or on weekends: it's a leadership failure, not a badge of honor — and employees have to vote with their feet if that's the culture. 16:00 – Total Comp: Where Benefits Fit In You can't win on benefits alone — market compensation has to be there first. But once it is, benefits become the differentiator. Lucia's framework: know your population and design accordingly. 18:30 – Fertility Benefits & Knowing Your Workforce Why Virta chose Carrot as their fertility benefits platform — and how understanding that their workforce is majority women in their 30s made this an obvious, high-impact investment across the full spectrum of family planning. 21:30 – Measuring the ROI of Peace of Mind How do you put a number on peace of mind? Lucia's answer: track engagement. Benefits that reduce stress and meet employees where they are show up directly in engagement scores — and engagement ties to retention and performance. 24:00 – Linking Benefits to Attrition The business case Lucia makes to finance: when employees are in a critical life phase — fertility, family planning, caregiving — failing to meet them there drives attrition. The cost of that attrition is measurable. The cost of the benefit usually isn't. 26:30 – What's Lighting Lucia Up: AI & the Return of Meaning Lucia's optimistic take on the AI moment: as transactional management gets automated away, leaders are being forced to show up with something AI can't provide — meaning, connection, and genuine investment in their people.    

(0:00) Intro (1:24) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:11) Start of interview *reference to the BRI from LCDA (3:54) Eddie's origin story (6:27) Eddie's investment focus  (7:44) The rise of AI and its impact on him (9:06) Eddie's roles in investment over the past 35 years (as GP and LP). (8:32) His current endeavors: 1) Board member in mutual funds (Calvert Funds); 2) Independent director and Chair elect of Global X Venture Fund; 3) Chief Strategy Officer at Leadview Capital; and 4) Advisor at Bullpen.ai (19:38) Dealing with AI hallucinations (e.g. Sullivan & Cromwell example) (23:13) Convergence of AI, ESG, and Governance: "It's dramatic" (25:00) "Stocks will be tokenized, markets will be much more liquid." "Wall street is trying to put liquid claims on illiquid investments" *WSJ Nasdaq's Plan for 24/7 Tokenized Stock Trading (31:20) Geopolitical Challenges in Investing and for Boards. *Example of Meta-Manus breakup. "We live in a selectively connected world." (34:00) Politicization and social issues in corporations. Board Adaptation to Rapid Changes (38:19) AI and Audit Committee Responsibilities (40:30) Bridging the AI Knowledge Gap "Boards are under prepared." *References to Stanford GSB cases: Netflix Approach to Governance and the Artificially Intelligent Boardroom (46:10) Changing Dynamics in Board Practices. "It's a matter of time before companies like SAP or Microsoft move into corporate auditing, or Amazon starts offering mutual funds. The incumbents just don't see it coming." (47:10) Power Laws and Growth in Private Markets. (50:31) Books that have greatly influenced his life: The Power Broker, by Robert Caro (1974) The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell (2000) U2 by U2, by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr. with Neil McCormick (2006) (52:56) His mentors. (53:56) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives her life by: "Prioritize by impact" "Recognize the good in everyone" (55:10) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves: obsession with curating music playlists. (55:06) The living person he most admires: Bono and Bad Bunny. Eddie Ramos is the Chief Strategy Officer for Leadview Capital. He is also currently on the board of Morgan Stanley's Calvert Mutual Funds and Global X Venture Fund, serving as the Chairman of the Audit Committee for both. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

“When people come to view attitudes and opinions towards, say, political policies or issues as relevant to their identities, they become more extreme in their attitudes,” says Christian Wheeler, the StrataCom Professor of Management and Professor of Marketing at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “I become more positive or negative towards an issue the moment it becomes relevant to who I view myself as being.”Wheeler's research offers insight into our increasingly polarized politics. However, his work has also yielded ideas for bridging divisions — beginning with how we listen to each other and how we see the people we disagree with.The moment we see someone as an individual rather than a category, we become more likely to find common ground. “Instead of viewing you as a Democrat or a Republican, I can view you as an individual,” Wheeler recommends. “Anything that humanizes you and moves you away from this simple category will help me to view you as an individual and less as just an interchangeable member of a category.” How much do your opinions define who you are? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.Related Content:Christian Wheeler faculty profile In a Polarized World, an Open Mind Can Hurt Your ReputationYou May Not Be Who You Think You AreClass Takeaways — How to Build Connection Through Better ListeningChapters:00:00:02 Tattoos, identity, & personal evolution00:03:26 Introduction00:03:59 Why identity matters00:04:56 Identity relevance & its implications00:08:03 Why openness to the other side gets punished00:10:57 Identities vs. opinions00:13:53 The power of individuation00:15:53 How to break the cycle of polarization 00:19:41 Organizational applications00:23:26 ConclusionIf/Then, from Stanford GSB, features conversations with faculty that explore how their research deepens our understanding of business and leadership.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Audrey AI, the Dublin-based startup building AI purpose-built for financial auditors, has closed a $1.8 million pre-seed funding round. The round is led by SVV (Sure Valley Ventures) and Delta Partners, with participation from Enterprise Ireland, Donnchadh Casey (ex-CEO Calypso), Conor Jones (ex-CBO Wayflyer) alongside former Big 4 auditors. Financial auditing is a global market worth more than $100 billion, yet it remains one of the most manual professions in financial services. Qualified professionals spend the majority of their time in spreadsheets, chasing documents and testing evidence – manual work that drives up costs, squeezes time for higher value work and pushes talented professionals out of the industry. General-purpose AI tools have struggled with the messy tabular data and complex evidence workflows that define the profession. Audrey AI was founded in 2025 by Ryan Loughran and David Burke, who met on the Founders programme at Dogpatch Labs.Loughran, who holds a degree in Accounting and an MBA from Stanford GSB, previously worked at McKinsey & Company and Qualtrics. Burke, formerly VP of Engineering at Inscribe, built document and data automation technology for regulated financial institutions. The platform automates the most time-intensive, manual parts of an audit engagement; evidence gathering and testing. Purpose-built as an agentic system, it orchestrates messy client data and applies audit procedures end-to-end, eliminating context switching. Crucially, it learns how each firm audits, compounding in value the more it is used. Audrey has piloted at top-10 and top-20 audit firms, delivering 85%+ time savings on client data collection, validation, and tests of detail, alongside measurable improvements in audit quality. The investment will fund growth across engineering and audit specialists as the company expands with firms across Ireland, the UK and beyond. "Developers have Copilot, lawyers have Harvey, but auditors still primarily work in Excel," said Loughran. "We're building AI that understands auditing deeply enough to raise the bar on quality, not just speed, freeing auditors to focus on the judgment and oversight that matters most." Liam Te-Wierik, Partner and Head of Digital Assurance at Grant Thornton Australia, echoed the focus on quality: "The value of Audrey lies in how it enables a step change in audit quality by redesigning the execution of manual procedures – not by changing our methodology, but by strengthening how it's applied in practice. That's the kind of innovation we believe will define the next generation of audit." Barry Downes, Managing Partner at SVV, described the investment as addressing "a critical pressure point for audit firms – chronic talent shortages and margin pressure in a heavily regulated industry," adding that Audrey's ability to "save 80-90% of time on repetitive work and tailor to each firm's methodology gives it the unique ability to scale capacity and dramatically improve margins." Dermot Berkery, Partner at Delta Partners and a former auditor himself, added: "Ryan and David have built something that doesn't just automate tasks but raises the bar on audit quality across the profession. We're excited to back them." About Audrey AI Audrey AI is building agentic AI purpose-built for financial auditors. Its platform automates the manual workflows that dominate the audit process, from intelligent data requests and evidence gathering to automated review and transaction testing, allowing auditors to focus on judgment and client relationships rather than spreadsheets and document chasing. Audrey AI generates smart, context-aware requests for client data, reviews submissions in real time and provides instant feedback, eliminating the back-and-forth that consumes a disproportionate share of audit hours. The platform adapts to each firm's methodology, compounding in value the more it is used. Audrey AI is headquartered in Dublin. For more information, visit tryaudrey.ai. See mo...

“Masculinity is my new frontier,” says Ashley Martin, an associate professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Martin, whose work examines why gender plays such a central role in how we perceive and make sense of others, has been looking at how traits associated with masculinity are simultaneously organizationally rewarded even as they're personally harmful to men. “We spend a lot of time talking about gender inequality through the lens of women's disadvantage,” she says. “I think that many of the problems that we're seeing today… are actually bound up in masculinity.” What impact do you think masculinity and femininity have on our work and our world? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.Related Content:Ashley Martin faculty profile Is that Self-Driving Car a Boy or a Girl? Why Taking Gender Out of the Equation Is So DifficultChapters:00:00 How movies shape our ideas about masculinity04:02 Introduction05:15 How Ashley Martin got into studying gender05:58 When gender is removed from hiring07:10 The “pet rock” study10:35 The universal use of gender13:02 Gendering objects15:12 How masculinity affects men18:13 The current implications of Martin's research20:41 What healthier models of masculinity might look like23:47 Ashley's next frontier: masculinity, material culture, and social problems25:07 ConclusionIf/Then, from Stanford GSB, features conversations with faculty that explore how their research deepens our understanding of business and leadership.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You're driven, you're accomplished, and you've got no shortage of people in your life. So why do your closest friendships still feel like something's missing? In this episode, Danielle sits down with executive coach Monique R. Shields to unpack the ways ambition can quietly erode the depth and quality of women's friendships, even when your social calendar is full.Together, they explore three areas where high-achieving tendencies show up in our platonic relationships: vulnerability (and how self-reliance can block intimacy), identity (and the trap of leading with your "utility" in friendships), and presence (and why getting still with a friend feels so uncomfortable when you're wired to always be doing). Monique also shares a practical reframe for the woman who wants deeper connection but doesn't know where to start.

In this installment of our Paths Less Traveled series, Stacy Blackman talks with both the CEO of AI firm Woz (withwoz.com) and Woz's intern. Ben Collins, the CEO and co-founder of Woz, is also a Stanford GSB alum and discusses the details of his career, how Woz differentiates itself, and why he chose current GSB student George Lankas to intern at his firm despite George's lack of technical background. And George shares why he was interested in working at Woz in parallel with his MBA studies, as well as how his Stanford experience is going so far. This episode also includes details about Stacy Blackman Consulting's new Woz-powered service -- SBC Lab -- and how 5 lucky applicants can pilot this AI-driven MBA-applicant differentiator. Apply before April 13 at https://www.stacyblackman.com/Lab/ !

In the second installment of our Paths Less Traveled series, Stacy Blackman interviews Terry Cumes and Tristen Langley, a married couple who share how the same Stanford GSB foundation led one to global wellness entrepreneurship and the other to top-tier technology investing — and what this says about career optionality, partnership, and long-term impact. Here are the full bios for these amazing interviewees: Tristen Langley has over twenty-three years of experience in venture capital, operations, M&A and equities research with leading international investment and technology companies. Langley sourced, led and was operationally involved with private investments that have returned over $5 billion to investors. Tristen Langley holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She completed her graduate studies in software engineering at the Fraunhofer IESE, Germany. She earned a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honors) from the University of New South Wales and was the recipient of the University Medal. Tristen is now the Executive Director and Cofounder of Amalfi Capital Management, Limited. Terry Cumes is an international executive who has built, launched, and managed several global travel and education businesses. Terry is currently the CEO of Willka T'ika Essential Wellness, Peru's original luxury wellness center located in the Sacred Valley. Under Terry's leadership, Willka T'ika welcomes scores of groups each year from around the world. Each group is unique with programmatic themes ranging from yoga and mindfulness to transformative leadership in business. In 2022, Willka T'ika was included in "9 of the World's Best Wellness Retreats" by CNN and nominated "Best Digital Detox Retreat" by Vogue Magazine.

Steven Callander has spent years building a mathematical framework to answer the question of how people learn from experience. “Here in Silicon Valley, the expression that you learn from failure is very widespread and very intuitive. But the question is… what do you learn? How do you optimally learn from that experience?”In this episode, Callander, the Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private Management and Professor of Political Economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business, explains the hidden, deceptively simple logic of correlated learning — and it may change how you think about finding the right job, the right market, or the right strategy. “It fascinates me and I can't stop thinking about it,” he says. Has theory made an impact on your life? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.Related Content:Steven Callander faculty profileHow to Turn Old Ideas Into Creative Solutions to Modern ProblemsWhat We're Still Learning from Silicon Valley's Bank CollapseChapters:00:00 Ann Miura-Ko on learning and the search for patterns in Venture capital02:51 Introduction05:23 What is correlated learning?06:40 Where does this research apply in the real world?09:28 Brownian Motion12:45 Steven Callander's Framework15:25 Examples of correlated learning when seeking expert advice20:53 Applying correlated learning23:57 Why correlated learning research?24:51 ConclusionIf/Then, from Stanford GSB, features conversations with faculty that explore how their research deepens our understanding of business and leadership.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How to communicate for deeper connection—and greater happiness.Happiness isn't just a feeling—it's something you can actively shape through how you think, connect, and communicate.Sonja Lyubomirsky, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside and co-author of How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most, defines happiness as two key components: “being happy in your life and being happy with your life.” And while many people separate happiness from meaning or purpose, she explains that “they almost always go together.” Her research shows how the small habits we practice—like gratitude—can have a powerful effect, helping to “neutralize negative emotions” and shift how we see our lives. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Lyubomirsky and host Matt Abrahams explore the science of wellbeing and the habits that help us feel more fulfilled. From gratitude practices to breaking free from the comparison trap, they share practical strategies for boosting happiness and explain why connection isn't just about being loved, but truly “feeling loved.”Episode Reference Links:Sonja LyubomirskySonja's Book: How To Feel Loved179. Finding Positive in Negative Emotions: Communication, Happiness & Wellbeing180. Unlocking Your Future Self: Communication, Happiness & Well…181. Why Happiness is a Direction, Not a Destination: Communicat…182. Stop Chasing Time and Start Owning It: Communication, Happiness & Wellbeing  Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (04:50) - Defining Happiness (07:02) - Gratitude in Practice (07:45) - Acting Extroverted (09:42) - The Comparison Trap (11:40) - Reflection vs. Rumination (12:27) - Best Self Exercise (13:51) - Building Positive Psychology (15:16) - Happiness Drives Success (16:44) - Relationships as a Seesaw (19:04) - Being Known vs. Impressive (21:45) - The Final Three Questions (26:18) - Conclusion   ********Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners can get started on your language learning journey today- visit Babbel.com/Thinkfast and get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription.Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be. 

In this episode of Leading Through Crisis, host Céline Williams sits down with Ernesto Gómez, founder and CEO of Aspen Mindset1 and author of Regrowth: How Organizations Can Overcome Stalling by Unlocking Their People's Potential. Together, they explore how leaders can navigate today's complex landscape—where crises are no longer occasional events but an ongoing reality. Ernesto shares powerful insights on why organizations stall, how culture can either enable or block change, and why the real driver of performance lies within teams. He introduces the concept of “push vs. pull leadership” and explains how great leaders unlock potential not by applying pressure, but by creating the right conditions for people to thrive. Through real-world examples and practical frameworks, the conversation explores how leaders can rethink their approach to decision-making, innovation, and team development in an era of accelerating change. You'll learn: • Why crisis is becoming the new normal for leaders • The three layers of organizations: products, capabilities, and culture • How team dynamics drive organizational performance • The difference between push leadership vs pull leadership • Four cultural pillars that unlock team performance • Why humility and psychological safety are critical leadership traits • A practical framework for moving from stagnation to regrowth If you're a leader navigating uncertainty, building high-performing teams, or trying to drive change in a rapidly evolving world, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on how leadership must evolve. — Ernesto Gómez is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience, having built and led successful ventures across the food service industry in both the US and Mexico. Transitioning from a dynamic serial entrepreneur to a high-level corporate leader, he served as VP of Human Capital at Grupo Alfa, a major Mexican conglomerate with 83,000 employees, before becoming Chief Human Resources Officer at Sigma Alimentos, a global consumer packaged goods company with 43,000 employees. In these roles, he spearheaded global talent and cultural initiatives, playing a pivotal role in organizational transformation.  Ernesto is the author of Regrowth: How Organizations Can Overcome Stalling by Unlocking Their People's Potential. Ernesto is a lifelong learner.  He studied social communications and has completed executive programs at leading institutions, including Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan School of Management, Wharton Business School, Kellogg School of Management, Chicago Booth, London Business School, and IMD Business School.  He is the founder and CEO of Aspen Mindset1, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations and individuals reach peak performance. In 2024, Ernesto was invited as a guest speaker in the "Lead through Ambiguity" course at MIT Sloan School of Management. To learn more about Ernesto's work, head to aspenmindset1.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn (Ernesto Gómez Arzapalo) or Instagram (@aspenmindset_1).

Seemingly unrelated activities — like taking a soccer penalty kick or crafting an online dating profile — involve an embedded economics. “Understanding and applying economic logic can be valuable in pretty much any job or any other endeavor in your life,” says Paul Oyer, a professor of economics at Stanford Graduate School of Business. On this episode, Oyer digs into the shared economic logic of online dating and the labor market, explains why pro athletes and sports fans think like economists, and explores how AI has reduced the beneficial friction that was once a part of job searches. Got a question about the economics of dating, sports, or the job market? Ask us at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.Related Content:Paul Oyer faculty profileUtility Player: Paul Oyer Explains How Economics Can Make Sports More FunIf/Then, from Stanford GSB, features conversations with faculty that explore how their research deepens our understanding of business and leadership.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When should we leap instead of take the obvious next step? Why do we instinctively see gender everywhere? When do our opinions begin to feel less like ideas and more like our identity?If/Then, from Stanford Graduate School of Business, is back with a new season of sharp, surprising conversations that deepen our understanding of business and leadership.Each episode brings you into the room with a Stanford GSB faculty member as they discuss their research and how it challenges conventional wisdom, sharpens judgment, and reframes the way we approach complex decisions. Join us on Wednesdays for a new season of If/Then.What do you want to hear on If/Then? Email us at ifthenpod@stanford.edu.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stanford GSB professor Jeffrey Pfeffer breaks down his 7 rules for taking power. --- Sponsors:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠David Senra Podcast⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zashi Wallet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Speechify⁠⁠ ⁠The Classical Society⁠ ⁠Premium Version

This week, we chat with Terri Burns! Terri is the founder of Type Capital, an early-stage venture firm focused on being the first check for ambitious founders at pre-seed and seed. Most recently, she was a partner at GV, where she made history as the firm's youngest partner and its first-ever Black female partner, with a focus on digital consumer and emerging technology.During her time at GV, Terri led and supported investments that went on to raise follow-on capital from top-tier firms and achieve meaningful exits, including the social app HAGS, which was acquired by Snapchat. She's also an active angel investor and cofounder of an angel collective that has backed companies like Clubhouse.Terri's impact extends well beyond investing. She's a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee for Venture Capital, a three-time co-chair of Fortune Magazine's Brainstorm Tech Conference, and a frequent speaker at institutions like Stanford GSB and Harvard Business School. Her work has been featured in publications including Vogue, Fortune, and TechCrunch.Before venture, Terri began her career as an associate product manager at Twitter, studied computer science at NYU, and today serves on NYU's Board of Trustees.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazersGusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Terri Burns: @tcburning @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger

Your host, Sebastian Hassinger, talks with Alumni Ventures managing partner Chris Sklarin about how one of the most active US venture firms is building a quantum portfolio while “democratizing” access to VC as an asset class for individual investors. They dig into Alumni Ventures' co‑investor model, how the firm thinks about quantum hardware, software, and sensing, and why quantum should be viewed as a long‑term platform with near‑term pockets of commercial value. Chris also explains how accredited investors can start seeing quantum deal flow through Alumni Ventures' syndicate.Chris' background and Alumni Ventures in a nutshellChris is an MIT‑trained engineer who spent years in software startups before moving into venture more than 20 years ago.Alumni Ventures is a roughly decade‑old firm focused on “democratizing venture capital” for individual investors, with over 11,000 LPs, more than 1.5 billion dollars raised, and about 1,300 active portfolio companies.The firm has been repeatedly recognized as a highly active VC by CB Insights, PitchBook, Stanford GSB, and Time magazine.How Alumni Ventures structures access for individualsMost investors come in as individuals into LLC‑structured funds rather than traditional GP/LP funds.Alumni Ventures always co‑invests alongside a lead VC, using the lead's conviction, sector expertise, and diligence as a key signal.The platform also offers a syndicate where accredited investors can opt in to see and back individual deals, including those tagged for quantum.Quantum in the Alumni Ventures portfolioAlumni Ventures has 5–6 quantum‑related investments spanning hardware, software, and applications, including Rigetti, Atom Computing, Q‑CTRL, Classiq, and quantum‑error‑mitigation startup Qedma/Cadmus.Rigetti was one of the firm's earliest quantum investments; the team followed on across multiple rounds and was able to return capital to investors after Rigetti's SPAC and a strong period in the public markets.Chris also highlights interest in Cycle Dre (a new company from Rigetti's former CTO) and application‑layer companies like InQ and quantum sensing players.Barbell funding and the “3–5 year” viewChris responds to the now‑familiar “barbell” funding picture in quantum— a few heavily funded players and a long tail of small companies—by emphasizing near‑term revenue over pure science experiments.He sees quantum entering an era where companies must show real products, customers, and revenue, not just qubit counts.Over the next 3–5 years, he expects meaningful commercial traction first in areas like quantum sensing, navigation, and point solutions in chemistry and materials, with full‑blown fault‑tolerant systems further out.Hybrid compute and NVIDIA's signal to the marketChris points to Jensen Huang's GTC 2025 keynote slide on NVIDIA's hybrid quantum–GPU ecosystem, where Alumni Ventures portfolio companies such as Atom Computing, Classiq, and Rigetti appeared.He notes that NVIDIA will not put “science projects” on that slide—those partnerships reflect a view that quantum processors will sit tightly coupled next to GPUs to handle specific workloads.He also mentions a large commercial deal between NVIDIA and Groq (a classical AI chip company in his portfolio) as another sign of a more heterogeneous compute future that quantum will plug into.Where near‑term quantum revenue shows upChris expects early commercial wins in sensing, GPS‑denied navigation, and other narrow but valuable applications before broad “quantum advantage” in general‑purpose computing.Software and middleware players can generate revenue sooner by making today's hardware more stable, more efficient, or easier to program, and by integrating into classical and AI workflows.He stresses that investors love clear revenue paths that fit into the 10‑year life of a typical venture fund.University spin‑outs, clustering, and deal flowAlumni Ventures certainly sees clustering around strong quantum schools like MIT, Harvard, and Yale, but Chris emphasizes that the “alumni angle” is secondary to the quality of the venture deal.Mature tech‑transfer offices and standard Delaware C‑corps mean spinning out quantum IP from universities is now a well‑trodden path.Chris leans heavily on network effects—Alumni Ventures' 800,000‑person network and 1,300‑company CEO base—as a key channel for discovering the most interesting quantum startups.Managing risk in a 100‑hardware‑company worldWith dozens of hardware approaches now in play, Chris uses Alumni Ventures' co‑investor model and lead‑investor diligence as a filter rather than picking purely on physics bets.He looks for teams with credible near‑term commercial pathways and for mechanisms like sensing or middleware that can create value even if fault‑tolerant systems arrive later than hoped.He compares quantum to past enabling waves like nanotech, where the biggest impact often shows up as incremental improvements rather than a single “big bang” moment.Democratizing access to quantum ventureAlumni Ventures allows accredited investors to join its free syndicate, self‑attest accreditation, and then see deal materials—watermarked and under NDA—for individual investments, including quantum.Chris encourages people to think in terms of diversified funds (20–30 deals per fund year) rather than only picking single names in what is a power‑law asset class.He frames quantum as a long‑duration infrastructure play with near‑term pockets of usefulness, where venture can help investors participate in the upside without getting ahead of reality.

Dating apps are broken — and AI matchmaking might be the next platform shift.Dini (Nandini) Mullaji, co-founder of Sitch, joins Whitney Hazard (M13) to explain how conversational AI and LLMs are replacing swiping with a matchmaker-style experience: deep onboarding, memory, non-negotiables, and curated introductions.We cover consumer AI defensibility, why Sitch avoids subscriptions (pay-per-setup), growth through referrals + branding, what dating data reveals (politics > height), and why AI should scale the matchmaker — not replace human connection.Keywords: AI dating, matchmaking, dating apps, consumer AI startups, venture capital, M13, Sitch, LLMs, OpenAI, relationship tech, seed investing, Stanford GSB, growth marketing.GuestsNandini Mullaji — Co-founder, SitchWhitney Hazard — Investor, M13 (Seed + Series A)Follow the PodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfmLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&nd=1&dlsi=7b868f1b72094351Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/Follow Jon BradshawLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshawFollow Peter HarrisLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudentInstagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpeteYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812

In this bonus episode, Thoma Bravo founder and managing partner, Orlando Bravo joins View From The Top from Stanford GSB for a candid conversation on his nonlinear journey—from leaving a small town in Puerto Rico to building one of the world's leading software investment firms. Orlando opens up about early career setbacks—including rejection, failed deals, and the mentors who shaped his investing and leadership philosophy. He shares why discipline, humility, strong partnerships, and “doing your own thing” became the foundation of Thoma Bravo's approach, as well as his long-term commitment to entrepreneurship and impact in Puerto Rico. This conversation offers rare insights on leadership, resilience, mentorship, and what it really takes to build enduring software companies. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Learn more about View From the Top: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/view-top-podcast

We're here to wish you a very happy New Year! We hope you're ringing in the new year in good health and looking forward to what's ahead in 2026. As people are setting goals and making resolutions, we're re-running an episode today on the future of motivation. Last year, we sat down with Szu-chi Huang, an expert in motivation. She explained how science is changing our understanding of goal-setting and achievement, and offered a few tricks you can try when you feel stuck. We hope you'll tune in again today and pick up a few insights on how to sustain enthusiasm for your goals over time.Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu.Episode Reference Links:Stanford Profile: ​​Szu-chi HuangConnect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionRuss Altman introduces Szu-chi Huang, a professor of Marketing at Stanford GSB.(00:02:13) Studying MotivationSzu-chi shares what led her to study motivational science.(00:02:45) Defining MotivationMotivation as the drive to close the gap between current and ideal self.(00:03:39) The Science of MotivationStudying motivation through behavioral and neurological data.(00:04:30) Why It Matters in BusinessHow motivation science applies to leaders, teams, and customers.(00:05:21) The Motivation FrameworkThe strategies needed in order to stay motivated over time.(00:06:24) Journey vs. Destination MindsetThe different mindsets needed throughout the stages of motivation.(00:08:03) Motivating Kids to Choose HealthyCollaborating with UNICEF to study what motivates children.(00:09:37) Gamified Coupons in PanamaA study using gamified coupons to influence children's food choices.(00:13:08) Loyalty Programs as MotivationHow customer reward programs act as structured goal journeys.(00:15:29) Progress Versus PurposeThe different incentives needed in each stage of loyalty programs.(00:17:11) Retirement Saving LessonsHow financial institutions apply motivational science to long-term goals.(00:19:54) Motivation in Social ContextThe role of social connections in goal pursuit and sustaining motivation.(00:21:20) Support vs. Competition in Shared GoalsThe benefits and drawbacks of sharing goal journeys with others.(00:24:52) Designing Apps for MotivationHow redesigning user interfaces can help users stay motivated.(00:26:02) AI as a Motivation CoachUsing AI to personalize feedback across all stages of goal pursuit.(00:28:50) Starting and Sustaining a GoalPractical strategies for launching and sustaining a goal.(00:30:59) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on View From The Top we're sharing an episode of GSB at 100, a limited audio series created especially for Stanford Graduate School of Business's Centennial. GSB at 100 presents a scrapbook of memories, ideas, and breakthroughs as Stanford GSB celebrates its first century and looks around the corner to what the next 100 years may hold. On this episode of GSB at 100, you'll experience Centennial Day, hear Dean Sarah A. Soule honor the past, celebrate the present, and look to what the future may hold. GSB at 100 depicts a school defined not only by its innovation and impact, but by its people: curious students, devoted faculty, and accomplished staff — a community of thinkers, dreamers, and doers.Learn more about the Stanford GSB CentennialSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on If/Then we're sharing an episode of GSB at 100, a limited audio series created especially for Stanford Graduate School of Business's Centennial. GSB at 100 presents a scrapbook of memories, ideas, and breakthroughs as Stanford GSB celebrates its first century and looks around the corner to what the next 100 years may hold. On this episode of GSB at 100, you'll experience Centennial Day, hear Dean Sarah A. Soule honor the past, celebrate the present, and look to what the future may hold. GSB at 100 depicts a school defined not only by its innovation and impact, but by its people: curious students, devoted faculty, and accomplished staff — a community of thinkers, dreamers, and doers.Learn more about the Stanford GSB CentennialSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on View From The Top we're sharing an episode of GSB at 100, a limited audio series created especially for Stanford Graduate School of Business's Centennial. GSB at 100 presents a scrapbook of memories, ideas, and breakthroughs as Stanford GSB celebrates its first century and looks around the corner to what the next 100 years may hold.On this episode of GSB at 100, you'll step inside the classrooms where teaching sparks transformation.Learn more about the Stanford GSB CentennialSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Writing the "Why Our School?" essay is one of the toughest—and most overlooked—parts of the MBA application. In this episode, GMAC Zach sits down with Jeremy Shinewald, founder of MBA Mission and one of the most trusted voices in MBA admissions, to break down how to turn this high-stakes prompt into a powerful statement of fit. Jeremy explains why this essay is far more than a formality, where most applicants go wrong, and the three core components every strong response must include: your context, your goals, and a bridge that connects those goals to the school's specific resources. He also shares insider tips from two decades of advising thousands of candidates, including how to avoid sounding generic, why authenticity matters more than perfection, and how to demonstrate conviction that resonates with admissions committees. If you want to tell your story with clarity, purpose, and genuine fit, this episode is your roadmap. Featured Resources: mbaMission: https://www.mbamission.com onTrack by mbaMission: https://ontrack.mbamission.com About Our Guest: Jeremy Shinewald is the founder of mbaMission (Poets and Quants 4x top-ranked MBA admissions consulting firm) and is an industry founder, innovator and driver. He is the author of the Complete Start to Finish Guide to MBA admissions and "'What Matters?' and 'What More?': 50 Successful Essays for the Stanford GSB and HBS (and Why They Worked)". He is the creator of onTrack by mbaMission, an asynchronous MBA admissions course and platform which Poets and Quants called, "the most comprehensive MBA admissions resource ever created." Jeremy's thought leadership has led to him being quoted in the WSJ, NYT and many other media outlets. Takeaways: The 'Why Our School' essay is crucial for MBA applications. Applicants often make the mistake of pandering to schools. Authenticity is key; don't try to be someone you're not. Understanding your goals before applying is essential. Researching schools thoroughly can enhance your application. Your personal statement should reflect genuine fit with the school. Communication skills are vital in the application process. Context in your essay should lead to your goals. Don't leave your application to the last minute. Chapters: 00:00 The Journey of Entrepreneurship 00:35 Understanding the MBA Admissions Process 05:25 The Art of Personal Statements 08:19 Crafting the 'Why Our School' Essay 10:36 Crafting Your MBA Goals 15:07 Understanding the School's Fit 18:19 The Importance of Clarity in Goals 20:20 Valuing the 'Why This School' Essay 22:07 Final Thoughts on the Application Process

The Benefits of an MBA During Uncertain Times Today's guest, Dawn, graduated as a PepsiCo Scholar from Harvard Business School with concentrations in finance and marketing. Dawn was also admitted to the Stanford GSB. Dawn is a full-time advisor and senior consultant with SBC who has 18+ years of experience getting clients from around the world admitted into full-time, deferred and executive MBA programs. Dawn has a high success rate having clients admitted every year. 99% of clients who work with her on four or more schools have gained admission. She has had several double admits to Harvard and Stanford. Outside of her work in admissions consulting, Dawn has experience at companies such as: Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Pepsi, the Carlyle Group and Warner Bros. In this episode Chandler and Dawn talk about a range of topics related to the value of an MBA during uncertain times, including: The value of an MBA in today's changing world, Whether or not an MBA really matters if you are doing well in your current career, The benefits of earning an MBA for mid-career professionals, How AI will influence job and career opportunities in the coming years, and a range of other topics. Chandler and Dawn will also share a number of specific client examples and lessons learned from recent application cycles. Listening to this episode is a must for any applicant considering the value of an MBA in today's rapidly evolving world.

This week on If/Then we're sharing an episode of GSB at 100, a limited audio series created especially for Stanford Graduate School of Business's Centennial. GSB at 100 presents a scrapbook of memories, ideas, and breakthroughs as Stanford GSB celebrates its first century and looks around the corner to what the next 100 years may hold.On this episode of GSB at 100, you'll step inside the classrooms where teaching sparks transformation.Learn more about the Stanford GSB CentennialSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this episode Chandler and SBC consultant Dawn talk about key questions to consider when applying during Round Two. Dawn graduated as a PepsiCo Scholar from Harvard Business School with concentrations in finance and marketing. Dawn was also admitted to the Stanford GSB. Dawn is a full-time advisor and senior consultant with SBC who has 18+ years of experience getting clients from around the world admitted into full-time, deferred and executive MBA programs. Dawn has a high success rate having clients admitted every year. 99% of clients who work with her on four or more schools have gained admission. She has had several double admits to Harvard and Stanford. Outside of her work in admissions consulting, Dawn has experience at companies such as: Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Pepsi, the Carlyle Group and Warner Bros. In this episode Chandler and Dawn talk about a range of topics to help applicants stand out during the Round Two, including: Why do business schools have more than one round for admissions? Do you think there is a difference in applying round one or a later round? Is there any advantage in applying in Round Two? Chandler and Dawn will also share a number of specific client examples and lessons learned from Round Two applications. Listening to this episode is a must for any applicant applying during Round Two.

This week on [If/Then or View From The Top] we're sharing an episode of GSB at 100, a limited audio series created especially for Stanford Graduate School of Business's Centennial. GSB at 100 presents a scrapbook of memories, ideas, and breakthroughs as Stanford GSB celebrates its first century and looks around the corner to what the next 100 years may hold.On this episode of GSB at 100, you'll hear from the dedicated and accomplished staff members who work behind the scenes to make Stanford GSB a community unlike anywhere else in the world.Learn more about the Stanford GSB CentennialSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  Sanjay Tripathy | Co-Founder & CEO,BRISKPE-  Sanjay Tripathy, a distinguished Stanford GSB alumnus, is the Co-Founder and CEO of BRISKPE, a pioneering cross-border payment startup specializing in serving MSMEs. As a seasoned fintech entrepreneur, his core mission revolves around revolutionizing B2B cross-border payments through the strategic deployment of cutting-edge technologies, including AI, and innovative payment pathways. His vision encompasses the delivery of cost-efficient, rapid payment solutions coupled with seamless accessibility, comprehensive payment tracking, and robust compliance mechanisms.With over 30 years of illustrious experience spanning six diverse industries, Sanjay stands as one of India's most decorated marketers. His expertise spans the realms of Marketing, Sales, E-commerce, Digital, Partnerships, and Strategy, making him a versatile leader. His influence extends across various industry verticals, including FMCG, Consumer goods, Telecom, and financial services, across multiple regions including India, South Asia, and North America.Sanjay is a renowned thought leader, particularly in the Digital, Marketing, E-commerce, FinTech, and Insurtech domains. He is a frequent keynote speaker at industry gatherings and startup events. Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, he has also thrived as a successful Angel Investor, with investments in over 20 startups.His contributions extend to nurturing more than 30 startups, aiding them in scaling up and establishing sustainable business models. During his tenure at Agilio, his previous company, he executed disruptive strategies, collaborated with government entities, and ensured 100% regulatory compliance across diverse domains. Moreover, Sanjay has lent his expertise as an InsurTech and FinTech consultant to prominent firms such as McKinsey, BCG, and various analyst and venture capital funds. 

This week on [If/Then or View From The Top] we're sharing an episode of GSB at 100, a limited audio series created especially for Stanford Graduate School of Business's Centennial. GSB at 100 presents a scrapbook of memories, ideas, and breakthroughs as Stanford GSB celebrates its first century and looks around the corner to what the next 100 years may hold.On this episode of GSB at 100, you'll hear from the dedicated and accomplished staff members who work behind the scenes to make Stanford GSB a community unlike anywhere else in the world.Learn more about the Stanford GSB CentennialSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on If/Then, we're sharing an episode of What's Your Problem?, a show from Pushkin Industries where entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists talk about the future they're trying to build—and the problems they must solve to get there. Hosted by former Planet Money co-host Jacob Goldstein, each conversation explores the challenges and breakthroughs shaping the next wave of innovation.In this episode, Goldstein speaks with Fei-Fei Li, Stanford computer scientist, former Chief Scientist of AI and Machine Learning at Google, and one of the most influential figures in the field of computer vision. Li reflects on her pioneering work developing ImageNet, the massive dataset that helped spark the modern AI revolution, and the “north star” questions that have guided her research from neuroscience to machine learning.Together, they trace how a single insight about how humans see the world led to a paradigm shift in artificial intelligence—and how Li's vision continues to shape the way we teach machines to see, learn, and collaborate with us.More Resources: • Fei Fei Li • Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) • ImageNet • What's Your Problem?If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society.Chapters: (00:00:00) Introducing “What's Your Problem?” Kevin Cool introduces the Pushkin Industries podcast hosted by Jacob Goldstein.00:00:45 — What Is Computer Vision? Jacob Goldstein and Fei-Fei Li explain how machines learn to see and interpret images.00:03:18 — Real-World Uses of AI Vision Li shares examples from healthcare, robotics, and environmental science.00:05:06 — Discovering the Science of SeeingHow human vision research inspired Li's lifelong “north star” in AI.00:09:56 — Creating ImageNet Li builds a massive image database that transforms computer vision research.00:13:29 — Defining 30,000 Visual Concepts How cognitive science helped shape ImageNet's massive scale.00:16:41 — Building the Dataset by HandLi's team uses global crowdsourcing to label millions of images.00:19:38 — The 2012 Breakthrough Jeff Hinton's neural network shatters records and sparks the deep learning era.00:22:19 — Data Meets Hardware Li reflects on how big data and GPUs converged to power modern AI.00:24:55 — Lightning Round with Fei-Fei Li Quick insights on resilience, mentorship, and the future of human-AI collaboration.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kanishka Narayan isn't your typical politician. A Stanford GSB grad, he's now the United Kingdom's Minister for Artificial Intelligence — a job that didn't even exist a few years ago. In this episode, Narayan talks about how Britain is using AI to drive both prosperity and dignity, why the UK just signed a “Technology Prosperity Deal” with the U.S., and how his Indian-Welsh roots and time in Silicon Valley shape the way he thinks about innovation, energy, and risk-taking. Plus, what it's really like to grumble in Parliament. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Overcoming MBA Anxiety With The Help of an HBS Admissions Officer Part Three: Three Meditations For Your MBA Application Journey For the final episode of this very special three-part series, we are joined by SBC Consultant Pauline. Pauline holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, worked for years as an HBS Admissions Officer, and has presented/lectured at Stanford, Tufts and Villanova. Pauline is uniquely positioned to speak about anxiety as it relates to the MBA application process. Pauline is passionate about Business, Education and Spirituality and worked as a Level 1 Hospital Trauma Chaplain. She also holds a Divinity degree in Pastoral Counseling and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.  In episode one of this series we talked about anxiety in the MBA context: what anxiety is, where it comes from, and discussed very specific strategies for what to do when anxiety strikes in the present moment. In our second episode we dug deeper and talked about how you can HARNESS this worry and anxiety in healthy and productive ways to IMPROVE your application.  In today's episode we talk about how meditation can help you release worry and anxiety as well as tap into deeper parts of your own lived experiences. In this episode Pauline: Talks about how meditation can be helpful to anyone during times of worry and anxiety (or anytime, really). Chandler and Pauline also share specific suggestions about how meditation can be a useful aspect of your MBA application journey. Walks our listeners through three meditations specifically centered around the MBA application process: Getting into a positive state of mind The use of mantras in meditation And a breathing excercise Shares her own advice about how her clients have used meditiations Suggests other free online meditation resources our listeners might be interested in. Chandler and the entire SBC team would like to thank Pauline for this very special three-part series; a must for anyone facing worry or anxiety as a part of their MBA journey. Additional gratitude to Tiana McCaskill for composing and recording the special music for these meditations.

AI Deployment Reality Check: From Pentagon to Wall Street with AI Squared CEO | Top Global StartupsMost AI projects fail in production. Darren Kimura has deployed AI for the Pentagon and Intelligence Community while investing in 18 startups with 3 IPOs. Tomorrow, he reveals what actually works vs. what's just hype - and why most enterprises are getting AI completely wrong.Join Darren Kimura, CEO of NEA-backed AI Squared, serving the U.S. Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and major financial institutions. Get unfiltered insights on AI's production realities, leadership transformation, and investment trends from someone who's both built and funded the ecosystem.

This week on If/Then, we're sharing an episode of GSB at 100, a limited audio series created especially for Stanford Graduate School of Business's Centennial. GSB at 100 presents a scrapbook of memories, ideas, and breakthroughs, as the GSB celebrates its first century and looks around the corner to what the next hundred years may hold.The first episode of the series begins where the GSB begins: in 1925, Herbert Hoover, a Stanford alum and future U.S. president, had an idea. “A graduate School of Business Administration is urgently needed upon the Pacific Coast,” he wrote. One hundred years later, what has Stanford Graduate School of Business accomplished, and what might its future hold? Listen in as professors reflect on founding principles, frontier technologies, and the magic that makes the GSB the place it is — and shapes what it aspires to be.If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member.Learn more about the Stanford GSB CentennialSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Discover how emotional intelligence shapes leadership, business, and relationships in this powerful conversation between Aaron Velky and Dr. Carole Robin, coauthor of Connect and longtime Stanford Graduate School of Business professor.Carole is known for teaching the legendary “Touchy Feely” course on interpersonal dynamics at Stanford GSB. In this episode she explains how leaders can move beyond contact into real connection, why the 15% rule transforms relationships, and how feedback done right builds trust instead of resentment.Aaron and Carole dive into:Why people do business with people, not productsThe question every leader must ask: “Why should anyone follow you?”The difference between independence and interdependence in teamsHow to practice authenticity at work without oversharingFeedback frameworks that create stronger teamsWhat emotional intelligence (EQ) really means and how to develop itIf you want to lead with clarity, inspire others, and build exceptional relationships at work and at home, this episode is for you.

In this week's MBA Admissions podcast we began by discussing the upcoming new MBA admissions season. This week, Duke / Fuqua, UVA / Darden and Notre Dame / Mendoza have their Early Action deadlines. Harvard, UPenn / Wharton, Columbia and London Business School have their round 1 deadlines, and Oxford / Said has its Stage 1 deadline. Graham highlighted the upcoming September series of admissions events, where Clear Admit will host the majority of the top MBA programs to discuss Round 2 application strategy. The first session is on Wednesday, and includes Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Georgia Tech / Scheller, UPenn / Wharton and UVA / Darden. Signups for this series are here: https://bit.ly/cainsidemba Our second livestream AMA is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23rd on YouTube; here's the link to Clear Admit's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/cayoutubelive Graham then noted two stories covered on Clear Admit this week. The first looks at the ever-evolving picture of DEI in MBA admissions. The second focuses on a new climate-related program from Duke / Fuqua. Graham also highlighted three MBA admissions tips. The first focuses on the constraints of word and character counts, the second focuses on the optional essay, and the third tip focuses on the importance of avoiding the “comparison trap”. We continue our new series that Clear Admit is publishing this season, which focuses on profiling some of the leading MBA faculty at the top MBA programs. For this week, we have profiles on two faculty from Stanford GSB. We continue our series of Adcom Q&As; this week we hear from Berkeley / Haas and IESE. For this week, for the candidate profile review portion of the show, Alex selected three ApplyWire entries: This week's first MBA admissions candidate is from South Korea, with an undergraduate degree from the London School of Economics. They have a 685 GMAT score and several years of work experience. This week's second MBA candidate is debating on whether to take the GMAT or try to waive the GMAT. The final MBA candidate is a tech product manager, based in New York. They have a 330 GRE. This episode was recorded in Philadelphia, USA and Cornwall, England. It was produced and engineered by the fabulous Dennis Crowley in Philadelphia, USA. Thanks to all of you who've been joining us and please remember to rate and review this show wherever you listen!

This week on If/Then, we're sharing an episode of View From The Top: The Podcast, an audio series featuring leaders from around the world in conversation with MBA students. Recorded live at the CEMEX Auditorium at Stanford Graduate School of Business, episodes feature insights on effective leadership, the values that guide it, and lessons learned along the way.Lisa Su, the chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), leads one of the world's most influential technology companies, a pioneer in high-performance computing and designer of chips that power everything from cellphones to supercomputers.Su joins Michael Liu, MBA '25, to talk about what it takes to stay on the cutting edge of technology, the tremendous potential of artificial intelligence, and why her superpower may be her commitment to learning.“Careers are very much by chance,” Su says. “The nice thing about my early career is I was lucky enough to have bosses who asked me all the time, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?' And I was like, ‘I don't know. Let me think about [it]...what I like to believe is the ability to learn at each step was what really helped me in my career.”This conversation was recorded on February 24, 2025. More Resources: • Lisa Su • GSB Insights • View From The Top If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society.Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Kevin Cool introduces a summer spotlight on other podcasts, featuring View from the Top.(00:00:59) Meet Lisa Su Michael Liu introduces Lisa Su, AMD CEO, and highlights her career transformation.(00:04:13) Growing Up & MIT Years Lisa reflects on her immigrant upbringing and her journey through three degrees at MIT.(00:05:43) Discovering Semiconductors A part-time lab job at MIT ignites Lisa's passion for chip technology.(00:07:21) From Engineer to Leader Lisa describes her transition from technical work to managing people and projects.(00:11:19) Tackling Hard Problems How curiosity and teamwork help Lisa embrace high-stakes technical challenges.(00:13:40) Betting on Talent Lisa recounts moments when she was given a chance—and how she now pays that forward.(00:17:03) Becoming CEO at AMDWhat brought Lisa to AMD and the unexpected call to lead the company.(00:21:51) Strategy in a TurnaroundHow AMD focused on high-performance computing and long-term bets.(00:25:41) Cultural Shift at AMD Lisa outlines how AMD's culture became collaborative, ambitious, and learning-driven.(00:27:19) AI & Global Tech PoliticsThe complex intersection of AI innovation and geopolitical regulation.(00:32:37) Open vs. Closed AI PlatformsAMD's open-source AI approach with NVIDIA's more vertical model.(00:38:54) Future Vision & Final ReflectionsLisa offers advice to MBAs and shares what she wants her legacy at AMD to be. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Robert E. Siegel, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor, venture capitalist, and former executive, shares the leadership lessons he learned working with Intel's legendary CEO, Andy Grove, and other amazing leaders, and how to thrive in today's era of conflicting pressures.   In this in-depth conversation, we explore the concept of the systems leader, someone who can innovate while delivering results, balance global and local priorities, and combine decisiveness with humility. Drawing from his work with leading CEOs, his investing career, and his experiences in fast-moving industries, Robert explains how leaders can adapt and stay relevant, even as AI, economic shifts, and political uncertainty reshape the business world.   What you'll learn in this episode: How Andy Grove influenced Robert's approach to leadership and decision-making Why the most effective leaders thrive in environments of “cross-pressures” Practical steps for staying relevant as technology and AI transform industries The importance of balancing execution with long-term vision Stories from Robert's career as an operator, investor, and Stanford professor   About Robert Siegel: Robert is a Lecturer in Management at Stanford GSB, a venture capitalist, and a board member for multiple technology companies. His work blends academic research with real-world experience, guiding executives at the highest level.   Get Robert's new book here: https://shorturl.at/Zhv9N The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross-Pressures That Make or Break Today's Companies   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

As we celebrate the conclusion of the second season of the If/Then podcast, we present a bonus episode featuring Deborah H. Gruenfeld, the Joseph McDonald Professor and Professor of Organizational Behavior and a Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Gruenfeld, who appeared on the first season of If/Then in an award-winning episode about hierarchies and the nature of power, returned to the studio to share her thoughts on the value of academic research and its impact on individuals and organizations. “The nice thing about research is that it provides tools and methods and an approach to learn about what's true in the world, taking into account that what we learn from firsthand experience is not reliable,” she says. “Research helps us build a body of knowledge about what's actually true that we can trust.”This episode was recorded on July 16, 2025.Related Content:Deborah H. Gruenfeld, faculty profileWhy Research MattersWhy I Research: Findings Fueled by the Head and the HeartIf/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Three simple questions plague every American seeking healthcare: Where should I go? When can I be seen? And how much will it cost me? Despite seeming basic, these questions have remained largely unanswerable—until now.In this episode, we explore how Heather Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of Solv, is building the infrastructure behind same-day care for 210 million Americans. We discuss how AI is finally cracking the code on price transparency and why workflow complexity can be a competitive moat in healthcare.We cover:

Real connection means understanding your audience, staying true to yourself, and creating space for others.How do you communicate who you are, what you stand for, and leave space for others to do the same? At the Stanford Seed Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, three GSB professors explored why real connection is built through authentic communication.For Jesper Sørensen, authentic organizational communication means talking about a business in ways customers or investors can understand, like using analogies to relate a new business model to one that people already know. For incoming GSB Dean Sarah Soule, authentic communication is about truth, not trends. Her research on "corporate confession" shows that companies build trust when they admit their shortcomings — but only if those admissions connect authentically to their core business. And for Christian Wheeler, authentic communication means suspending judgment of ourselves and others. “We have a tendency to rush to categorization, to assume that we understand things before we really do,” he says. “Get used to postponing judgment.”In this special live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, host Matt Abrahams and his panel of guests explore communication challenges for budding entrepreneurs. From the risks of comparing yourself to competitors to how your phone might undermine genuine connection, they reveal how authentic communication — whether organizational or personal — requires understanding your audience, staying true to your values, and creating space for others to be heard.Episode Reference Links:Jesper SørensenChristian WheelerSarah SouleEp.194 Live Lessons in Levity and Leadership: Me2We 2025 Part 1 Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (01:04) - Jesper Sørensen on Strategic Analogies (04:06) - Sarah Soule on Corporate Confessions (08:46) - Christian Wheeler on Spontaneity & Presence (12:06) - Panel Discussion: AI's Role in Research, Teaching, & Life (17:52) - Professors Share Current Projects (22:55) - Live Audience Q&A (32:53) - Conclusion *****This Episode is sponsored by Stanford. Stay Informed on Stanford's world changing research by signing up for the Stanford ReportSupport Think Fast Talk Smart by joining TFTS Premium.       

For this two-part conversation, Chandler sits down with SBC Consultant Dawn Clare to discuss her "One Minute Method" for identifying underrecognized individual strengths.  As many of you know, Dawn is no stranger to the podcast and brings so much to this conversation. Dawn graduated as a PepsiCo Scholar from Harvard Business School with concentrations in finance and marketing. Dawn was also admitted to the Stanford GSB. Outside of her work in admissions consulting, Dawn has experience at a wide range of companies, including Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Pepsi, the Carlyle Group and Warner Bros. In part one of this conversation, Dawn described her “One Minute Method” for identifying strengths. This methodology really is about focus – helping you to identify and focus on your own superpowers and how best to make these central to your MBA application. In part two of this conversation, Dawn shares how to apply this methodology to application time management especially during periods of stress or anxiety. In this segment Dawn focuses specifically on: Helping you improve your own productivity, Managing your workload during times of stress and anxiety, Figuring out what to do when you get stuck on essays and/other parts of their application, Using this methodology to "stand out from the crowd" -- especially if you are a part of an over-represented demographic, Moving from overwhelm to productivity when the application becomes too daunting; breaking down big application elements into smaller manageable pieces in order to move forward. Dawn and Chandler also discuss how many applicants are currently overwhelmed by all that is going on in the world… and how to use this methodology to move from overwhelm to excitement by identifying new strengths they hadn't thought about before.

For this two-part conversation, Chandler sits down with SBC Consultant Dawn Clare to discuss her "One Minute Method" for identifying underrecognized individual strengths.  As many of you know, Dawn is no stranger to the podcast and brings so much to this conversation. Dawn graduated as a PepsiCo Scholar from Harvard Business School with concentrations in finance and marketing. Dawn was also admitted to the Stanford GSB. Outside of her work in admissions consulting, Dawn has experience at a wide range of companies, including Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Pepsi, the Carlyle Group and Warner Bros. In part one of this conversation, Dawn shares her framework the "One Minute Method" for identifying individual strengths and how she uses it with her clients. This exercise focuses on taking one minute to focus on what they do that is AMAZING. This exercise sounds simple, but when done correctly a series of times is incredibly powerful.   This exercise is designed to be simple to support you with limited time. You can do it as many times as you would like and it is incredibly powerful. In this segment Dawn focuses specifically on: helping applicants who might be stuck on essay topics, potential interview questions, or other elements of the MBA application, focusing on your instinct and intuition for a brief time rather than over-analyzing or comparing yourself to others, centering who you are at core, clarifying your own internal intrinsic value, and harnessing that to make your application as strong as possible, offering specific and actionable tips on how to think about yourself in new ways or “break out of the box” that others might have put you in. Numerous applicants have found this exercise to be especially useful, when “stuck” or during times of application stress and anxiety. If you enjoy this conversation, we hope you will join us next week for part two of this series.

How to turn doubt and suspicion into hopefulness and trust.There's a lot in the world to make us cynical about other people and their motives and intentions. But by “trusting loudly,” Professor Jamil Zaki believes we can renew our faith in one another.Zaki is a professor of psychology at Stanford, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience lab, and author of several books, including his most recent, Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness. While many people feel suspicious of others and are reluctant to trust them, Zaki finds that relying on other people is a necessary part of forming relationships.“Acts of trust are the bedrock on which relationships are formed,” Zaki says. “The only way that strangers become friends and friends become best friends, the only way that we can build partnerships is through a willingness to count on one another.”In this Rethinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Zaki joins host Matt Abrahams to discuss practical strategies for fostering trust and challenging our cynical assumptions, offering a hopeful perspective on human nature, backed by surprising scientific insights.Episode Reference Links:Jamil ZakiJamil's Lab: Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab Jamil's Book: Hope for CynicsEp.158 Hope for Cynics: Building Trusting Relationships through Communication Ep.84 Quick Thinks: How Others Define UsEp.129 Connect Deeply: How to Communicate So People Feel Seen and Heard Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (03:26) - Defining Trust and Its Importance (04:17) - Building Better Trust (05:48) - Understanding Cynicism (08:10) - The Cynicism Spectrum (10:30) - Fostering Hopeful Skepticism (12:44) - Challenges of Overcoming Cynicism (14:36) - Positive Gossip and Positive Noticing (17:34) - Self-Fulfilling Prophecies (20:30) - The Final Three Questions (29:16) - Conclusion  ********This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Let Grammarly take the busywork off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free today Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.    

Hilary Gridley is the Head of Core Product at WHOOP and a passionate thought leader in leveraging AI to elevate product teams and management practices. With extensive experience tackling challenging problems in regulated industries and high-stakes environments, Hilary emphasizes the importance of building resilience and adaptability within teams. Previously, she was a senior director of product at Big Health and a senior product marketing manager at Dropbox.In this episode, you'll learn:• How to teach your team to be able to “take a punch”• Specific tactics to counter negative perceptions and reframe setbacks productively• Powerful behavioral strategies to form positive habits• Practical approaches for creating space in your workday to encourage creativity and deep thinking• The underestimated potential of AI in accelerating your personal and professional growth• Why you're not the protagonist at your company (and why that's liberating)• How WHOOP uses reward loops to drive real behavior change—Brought to you by:WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUsPersona—A global leader in digital identity verificationAttio—The powerful, flexible CRM for fast-growing startups—Where to find Hilary Gridley:• X: https://x.com/yourgirlhils• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarygridley/• Newsletter: https://hils.substack.com/• Maven course: https://maven.com/hilary-gridley/ai-powered-people-management—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Hilary's background(04:31) Teaching teams to handle criticism and setbacks(17:57) Behavioral activation and mental health in the workplace(22:59) The importance of putting yourself out there(27:51) Transparency and communication in leadership(38:10) How to respectfully disagree with your manager(41:49) How to use “magic questions” to decode how people think(49:54) Why you're not the protagonist at your company(52:48) Aligning with the CEO's vision(01:01:02) Building effective habits(01:11:14) Promoting team well-being(01:14:28) Creating space for creativity(01:20:45) AI's role in accelerating learning(01:30:35) Pivotal career moments(01:37:21) Lessons from failure(01:39:49) Exciting new features of WHOOP 5.0(01:44:19) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• How to become a supermanager with AI: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-become-a-supermanager-with• How custom GPTs can make you a better manager | Hilary Gridley (Head of Core Product at Whoop): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-custom-gpts-can-make-you-a-better-manager• WHOOP: https://www.whoop.com/• Big Health: https://www.bighealth.com/• What is behavioral activation?: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/behavioral-activation• Will Ahmed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willahmed/• Joe Gebbia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgebbia/• Zach Abrams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyabrams/• Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/• Bridge: https://www.bridge.xyz/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• The paths to power: How to grow your influence and advance your career | Jeffrey Pfeffer (author of 7 Rules of Power, professor at Stanford GSB): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-paths-to-power-jeffrey-pfeffer• Paths to Power course: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pfeffer-OB377-Course-Outline-2018.pdf• VO₂ max: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max• Peter Attia on X: https://x.com/PeterAttiaMD• Hilary Gridley's 30 days of GPT: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zJ4rbi9YcQuGqGxc6-AQD0-44oT9l4Eyono0AdpgJbA/edit?gid=0#gid=0• The Handle Bar in Boston: https://www.thehandlebarstudios.com/ourstudios/charlestown• From chalkboards to chatbots: Transforming learning in Nigeria, one prompt at a time: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/From-chalkboards-to-chatbots-Transforming-learning-in-Nigeria• Product Management Logic Coach GPT: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-673290301700819084afa36bdbcdfa3b-product-management-logic-coach• Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/• WHOOP Advanced Labs: https://www.whoop.com/us/en/waitlist/?srsltid=AfmBOor2pP5qC3n7I23Z0ZIrYE99CjAKT9xSHQxbuyxmz_wFUBGH3e-n• Negative capability: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_capability• John Keats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats• The Rehearsal: https://www.hbo.com/the-rehearsal• Zwift: https://www.zwift.com/• Beavis and Butthead Do ‘Creep': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv_gSmH0Ieg• “Sea Grapes” by Derek Walcott: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57111/sea-grapes• Free month of WHOOP: https://join.whoop.com/us/en/hilary/—Recommended books:• 7 Rules of Power: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/books/7-rules-of-power/• Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity: https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599• East of Eden: https://www.amazon.com/East-Eden-John-Steinbeck-Centennial/dp/0142004235• The Sun Also Rises: https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Also-Rises-Hemingway-Library/dp/1501121960/• Anna Karenina: https://www.amazon.com/Anna-Karenina-Leo-Tolstoy/dp/0143035002—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Amidst constant change, clear communication is the key to navigating uncertainty.How do you communicate with others when you're confused yourself? For Rob Siegel, leadership isn't about avoiding uncertainty, it's about embracing the clarity that ambiguity can bring."What if ambiguity is the new normal?" asks Siegel, a venture investor and lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business. From rapidly evolving AI to ratcheting geopolitical tensions, every day brings a “crisis du jour,” he says. “I may like it, I may not like it. That doesn't really matter, but I've gotta get my team through it."In his latest book, The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross Pressures That Make or Break Today's Companies, Siegel explores how leaders today are “living in dualities,” caught between managing existing processes and adapting to emerging disruptions. “The sooner we get comfortable with [change] in the sense of ‘I don't have to like it, but I can deal with it,' then [we can] lead our teams and give them the calm to know they can get through this.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Siegel and host Matt Abrahams explore how to communicate effectively amidst constant change. From preparation strategies for spontaneous speaking to building trust through candid conversations, Siegel offers practical tips for communicating with clarity when nothing is certain but change.To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premiumEpisode Reference Links:Robert SiegelRob's Book: The Systems LeaderEp.35 Leading From The Hot Seat: How To Communicate Under PressureEp.37 Be Better: How Communication Catalyzes Business Transformation  Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (01:49) - Adapting Leadership for Uncertainty (03:18) - Systems Leadership and Cross Pressures (04:40) - Communication and Context (05:26) - Framing Complex Ideas (06:21) - Innovation vs. Execution (08:11) - Leading Through Ambiguity (09:33) - Short-Term vs. Long-Term Focus (12:44) - Balancing Strength and Empathy (15:26) - Leadership with Humanity (16:42) - Engaging Students Effectively (20:00) - The Final Three Questions (23:41) - Conclusion    *****This Episode is sponsored by Stanford. Stay Informed on Stanford's world changing research by signing up for the Stanford ReportSupport Think Fast Talk Smart by joining TFTS Premium.