Shows
Voyager TalksMoment 1: The REAL Reason Why You Should Be Passionate About What You Do: Adam SelipskyIn this clip from a previous episode, Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky discusses why people should be passionate about what they do, because otherwise it's impossible to compete against people who are. Adam also shares the importance of analyzing your own strengths and weaknesses in what he calls "vocal self-criticism."2024-05-1703 min
Voyager TalksRon Liebowitz, Brandeis University President: Students Should Understand This ONE Thing About CollegeEvery Brandeis student knows his name, but few have heard from the President directly. That changes today, as Zev sits down with President Ron Liebowitz.
Ron Liebowitz has served as the President of Brandeis University since 2016. The former president of Middlebury College, Liebowitz is a recognized administrative leader in higher education, whose academic scholarship centers on political geography, Russia, and higher education.
In this episode, President Liebowitz and Zev cover a wide-range of topics, including:
The easy decision to get a PhD
Why Russian political geography?
Wanting to become a sportscaster
Why leave teaching t...2023-11-2916 min
Voyager TalksBrian Turner, CEO of Point B Consulting: “Curiosity Is How I Survived”Brian Turner is the first to admit that he’s not the smartest person in the room. He’s rarely been the best at anything, whether as a high school baseball player or student or leader. How did he become a strong player, a good student, and the CEO of a $100+ million consulting company? In everything he’s done, curiosity has been his lifeline.
In this unique conversation we get inside the mind of Brian, the person and leader. He speaks about how curiosity is central to his leadership style, using imagination to change his team’s perspect...2023-02-0731 min
Voyager TalksSteve Grossman, Former MA State Treasurer, on decades of business and political leadership, closing the racial wealth gap, and the importance of listeningSteve Grossman, Former MA Treasurer and DNC Chair, and now the CEO of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, discusses running his family business for 25 years, reflections on both failed and successful campaigns, his advice for candidates, building trust as the new DNC Chair, leading the Democratic Party to pick up Congressional seats in the midterms (the first time in a President’s second term since 1822), depositing over $300 million of Treasury funds into community banks, how the ICIC is working to tackle the racial wealth gap, and advice from his grandfather that changed his life at 17.
Li...2022-10-1022 min
Voyager TalksAlan Frazier, Chairman of Frazier Healthcare Partners, on pioneering healthcare venture capital, turning down CFO of Microsoft, and the importance of mentorsAlan Frazier, a pioneer in the healthcare venture industry with $7.1 billion in capital raised, discusses starting his firm in 1991 with a $5 million fund, turning down the role of CFO of Microsoft, going from a CPA to CFO of a fast-growing biotech startup, how his childhood prepared him for life as an investor, the importance of hiring people with the right values, traits of great entrepreneurs, how storytelling allows venture capitalists to help build companies, and reflections on his professional career and community involvement.
Listen to the end to gain insight into spending more time with his foundation...2022-01-0422 min
Voyager TalksRyan Frazier, Co-Founder and CEO of Arrived Homes, on revolutionizing home ownership, the entrepreneurial journey, and lifelong learningAt 33 years old, Ryan Frazier already has an impressive career. After his first company (launched a few years out of college) was acquired by Simply Measured/Sprout Social, he’s back in action with Arrived Homes, which he co-founded and leads as CEO. Speaking with us shortly after announcing a $37 million funding round with participation from Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff, Spencer Rascoff, Arrived is at an exciting point in the startup journey. Ryan discusses the inspiration behind wanting to open real estate investment to the masses with Arrived, doubling in size this year, going through two acquisitions with his fi...2021-11-1625 min
Voyager TalksAdam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services, on returning to AWS, leading with empathy and listening, and vocal self-criticismAdam Selipsky, one of today's top CEOs, joins us this week to discuss returning to AWS, empathetic leadership, his effort to be a better listener and lifelong learner, bringing a heightened sense of mission to AWS, and his advice for young people to be highly observant and vocally self critical. Prior to rejoining AWS in May, he served as CEO of Tableau Software for four years in which the market cap of the company more than tripled, before being acquired by Salesforce for $15.7 billion.
Top Three Takeaways:
#1 The importance of listening is an emerging trend i...2021-10-2617 min
Voyager TalksMatt McIlwain, Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group, on traits of great entrepreneurs and startups, the learning loop, and practicing essentialismMatt McIlwain, one of the northwest’s top venture capitalists, discusses traits of great entrepreneurs and startups, triangulating feedback as part of the learning loop, being there at day one and for the long run, tough decisions along the startup journey, his personal journey of investment, consulting, and operating experience before becoming a venture capitalist, and the importance of curiosity, humility, and listening.
Listen to the end to gain insight into practicing essentialism, as well as his advice to make decisions based on the topics and people that you resonate with.
Top Three Takeaways:
...2021-09-2922 min
Voyager TalksKris Engskov, former president of Starbucks US, on his White House years, servant leadership, and intentional learningKris Engskov, now a healthcare entrepreneur, discusses serving as the personal aide to President Clinton, the transformative experience of being a Starbucks barista for their executive training, pivoting to the health care industry first as President of Aegis Living and now as the cofounder of a venture-backed startup. He has fantastic insight into listening and asking questions, employee-first culture, servant leadership, and amazing stories from his time in the White House.
Listen to the end to gain insight into his deliberate and intentional learning, as well as his advice to get in the door at the right...2021-09-1530 min
Voyager TalksAshleigh Hinde, Founder and CEO of Waldo Contacts, on the startup journey, industry disruption, and the power of visualizationAshleigh Hinde, Founder and CEO of Waldo Contacts, discusses industry disruption, the extreme highs and lows of the startup journey, seeking opportunities to travel, taking time away from the corporate world, traits of great entrepreneurs, and being told her business would be more successful with a male co-founder.
Listen to the end to hear about Ashleigh’s recent focus on training her mind to better serve her by stopping negative thinking, as well as her advice that you don’t need to do something you dislike just for the sake of a career.
Top 3 takeaways:
2021-08-3118 min
Voyager TalksDavid Zapolsky, General Counsel of Amazon, on Amazon’s evolution, lessons learned from Jeff Bezos, and making your own luckDavid Zapolsky discusses being hired as the only litigator at Amazon in 1999, how the legal department has transformed and stayed the same, Amazon’s leadership principles maintaining their culture, how showing ownership and curiosity allow employees to rise in organizations, a typical day at the office, and reminding himself he’s working on some of the most interesting and challenging business problems in the world.
Listen to the end to gain insight into David’s recent effort to sleep more and his advice to make your own luck by choosing roles where you’ll be happier and do your...2021-08-1723 min
Voyager TalksDavid Billstrom, CEO of Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, on transitioning to PPE during the pandemic, being a mediocre investor, and not applying for jobsToday we’re joined by David Billstrom, the CEO of Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, which manufactures 100% of their clothing in Old Fort, North Carolina. David tells us about being forced to shut down his first business, producing 120,000 face masks during the pandemic, a big failure and success with the 45 companies he’s been involved in, being a mediocre investor, why businesses should be involved in their community, and more.
Listen to the end to gain insight into David’s new practice of asking questions rather than making statements, and his 3 step plan for finding a job that includes not ap...2021-08-0317 min
Voyager TalksMary Kipp, CEO of Puget Sound Energy, on being a climate warrior in the utility industry, traits of great leaders, and focusing on something bigger than yourselfToday we’re joined by Mary Kipp, the CEO of Puget Sound Energy, the oldest and largest utility in Washington State with over 3,200 employees and $3 billion in revenue. We discuss Mary’s journey from growing up on a cattle farm to majoring in theater, and being a prosecuting attorney before going in-house at El Paso Electric. She tells us how she rose in the ranks at El Paso Electric to become CEO, about her own leadership style and traits of great leaders, the most challenging parts of her job, and her deep commitment to fighting climate change as well as t...2021-07-2020 min