The Jeffrey van Leeuwen Podcast aims to engage in thoughtful conversations, exploring diverse topics and speaking with people who have unique stories to tell and valuable knowledge to share across various fields.
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Jeffrey P Van Leeuwen Podcasts
On Masters of Scale, iconic business leaders share lessons and strategies that have helped them grow the world's most fascinating companies. Founders, CEOs, and dynamic innovators join candid conversations about their triumphs and challenges with a set of luminary hosts, including founding host Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner). From navigating early prototypes to expanding brands globally, Masters of Scale provides priceless insights to help anyone grow their dream ent ...
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How do you create authentic partnerships to build scale? In this archival episode, Reid Hoffman talks with the iconic entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Daymond John about how he built FUBU from scratch. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo…
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#47 - FBI Sleep Expert: How to Get Better Sleep & Beat Insomnia and Sleep Apnea | Dr. Leah Kaylor
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1:40:30By Jeffrey P. van Leeuwen
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OLIPOP’s gutsy play to dethrone Coke and Pepsi, with Ben Goodwin
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How to sell a billion dollars of snacks, with the founders of Chomps
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32:10Chomps co-founders Rashid Ali and Pete Maldonado had an unusual side hustle: selling meat sticks online. The co-founders join host Jeff Berman to reveal the phone call from Trader Joe’s that changed everything, how they used lessons from failed startups, and how they built Chomps into a snack empire. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newslet…
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Design dominance sparks a blockbuster IPO, with Figma’s Dylan Field
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26:51Figma burst into the public eye in 2022 after Adobe was blocked from buying the design startup for $20 billion. This chapter set the stage for an even bigger milestone at Figma: a splashy IPO this summer at nearly double that valuation. Dylan Field, Figma’s co-founder and CEO, joins Rapid Response to share what distinguishes Figma from competitors,…
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Pioneers of AI: The power of storytelling in VCs, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and ChenLi Wang
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44:56In this episode of Pioneers of AI, Jeffrey Katzenberg and ChenLi Wang of the venture capital firm WndrCo share why storytelling is essential for building transformative companies and how AI shapes their work. Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https…
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Build stronger trust on your teams, with Rachel Botsman
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30:04What happens when your team doesn’t trust each other? How can you repair damaged trust at work? How has technology changed the way we decide who to trust? Author and trust researcher Rachel Botsman joins host Jeff Berman to tackle these questions and more. Her latest book is How to Trust and Be Trusted: https://www.rachelbotsman.com/work/how-to-tru…
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After devastating aid cuts, Mercy Corps keeps fighting, with Tjada D’Oyen McKenna
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31:10For an organization built around responding to crises around the globe, Mercy Corps now finds itself at the center of its own trauma. Following the Trump administration’s aid cuts, two-thirds of Mercy Corps’ US-funded programs have been rescinded. CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna joins Rapid Response to share how she’s leading her team amid immense pressur…
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How to find your next mentor, with Janice Omadeke
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32:50A great mentor can supercharge your career. That’s why author and entrepreneur Janice Omadeke wanted to make it easier for people to connect with the best possible mentors. She joins host Jeff Berman to reveal the insights from her book, Mentorship Unlocked, and lessons from her own journey as the founder of a tech platform for corporate mentorship…
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Historic changes across high fashion, with WSJ. Magazine’s Sarah Ball
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26:33As the fashion world navigates an unprecedented wave of turnover from Chanel to Dior, WSJ. Magazine’s Editor in Chief, Sarah Ball joins Rapid Response to explore the most closely watched New York Fashion Week in years — what she calls "a September to remember." Ball also shares insights about how Vogue is poised to take shape post-Anna Wintour, the…
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Possible: Stephen Colbert isn’t so sure about AI (with Reid Hoffman)
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55:20On the latest episode of Reid Hoffman’s Possible podcast, he and Aria talk with comedian Stephen Colbert. They discuss how J.R.R. Tolkien helps The Late Show host make sense of AI, whether technology will ever be able to replicate the ‘micronutrients’ of human interaction, and more. You can find this episode and more on the Possible podcast feed: h…
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How a near-death experience changed this founder’s approach to fear
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30:24Matthew Pohlson’s dreams of building a company were almost cut short by a near-death experience. The CEO and co-founder of Omaze reveals how it changed his mindset, and unlocked new ways to scale his business. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an…
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#46 - Psychotherapist: Rethinking Autism, Education, and Mindfulness | Michael Ostrolenk
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2:01:42At nine, Michael Ostrolenk refused a psychiatrist’s quick-fix, walked out, and followed a different map: guided imagery, biofeedback, meditation, and martial arts. That choice shaped everything. Years later, a brutal one-two of loss during an MBA program forced a pivot into transpersonal and somatic psychology, coaching, and a decade building progr…
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Music biz at a crossroads: from Taylor Swift to AI, with Sowmya Krishnamurthy
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30:09Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards shone a light on some of the biggest storylines in the music business today – from the TikTokification of newly minted stars, to the evolving relationship between artists and brands. Music journalist and author Sowmya Krishnamurthy joins Rapid Response to break down business and cultural lessons from the show and wha…
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Betting on product to win in fantasy sports, with Underdog’s Jeremy Levine
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35:02As the NFL season kicks off this week, host Jeff Berman talks with a serial entrepreneur known for innovating in fantasy sports. Jeremy Levine is the founder and CEO of Underdog, a rapidly scaling unicorn. Levine reveals how a relentless focus on product helps his company break through entrenched competition. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekl…
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Grab’s rise from rideshare to superapp in Asia, with Anthony Tan
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28:35Grab is a rideshare service-turned superapp, not available in the US but rapidly growing in Southeast Asia. It’s even outmaneuvered global players like Uber to reach a valuation north of $20 billion. Grab’s co-founder and CEO Anthony Tan joins Rapid Response to share how the platform has successfully expanded into food delivery and fintech, while a…
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Reid Hoffman & Kickstarter’s Everette Taylor take your questions
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28:44For our latest Strategy Session, Reid Hoffman and Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor answer questions from entrepreneurs about how to build more resilient businesses. They share frameworks for taking smarter risks, finding co-founders, and more. Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Polic…
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#45 - High-Conflict Divorce Coach: How to Fight Legal Abuse & Coercive Control | Lisa Johnson
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1:48:53Is family court protecting you or enabling abuse? In this episode, high-conflict divorce coach Lisa Johnson of Been There Got Out breaks down how “legal abuse” and coercive control play out in real cases, and why smart strategy (and not just righteousness) wins in court. Drawing from her own litigation (including arguing an appeal herself that resu…
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Hollywood’s hottest AI partner, with Runway’s Cristóbal Valenzuela
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33:11AI tools are disrupting all types of creative content, and Runway AI is a pioneer making major waves in Hollywood. It’s partnering with the likes of Disney and Netflix to revolutionize production. Runway’s co-founder & CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela joins Rapid Response to dissect the company’s breakneck growth, the risks and responsibilities of AI tool …
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How design drives successful companies, with Sarah Stein Greenberg
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34:19Whether you’re building a new product from scratch, growing your team, or trying to find product market fit, every part of scaling a business has one thing in common. It needs to be well designed. That’s why we’re headed back to school this week – and learning from Stanford d.school executive director Sarah Stein Greenberg. She reveals strategies f…
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#44 - Christian Apologist: Morality, Meaning, and the Case for God | Joshua Spatha
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2:37:12Joshua Spatha majored in anthropology with a minor in Old Testament studies and has served in full-time missions since 2006, primarily across the Middle East and Asia. An ordained minister and disciple‑maker with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Joshua blends frontline ministry with academic insight, as he prepares for long-term ministry in Central Asi…
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Dating is down. So why is Hinge thriving? with CEO Justin McLeod
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26:07As young people report feeling lonelier and less connected than ever, the dating app Hinge is driving its users into real life, human experiences. CEO Justin McLeod returns to Rapid Response to share how the platform is combating digital fatigue amongst users, as well as navigating the risks and opportunities of AI in online dating. McLeod also exp…
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The bromance that rebuilt Detroit: Dan Gilbert and Mayor Mike Duggan
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24:24As we gear up for our 2025 Masters of Scale Summit, we’re revisiting one of the stellar on-stage conversations that happened at the 2024 event. Hear Rocket Companies’ Dan Gilbert and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan reveal how their unique public-private partnerships have transformed the struggling city into a growing hub for everything from tech companie…
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The insights that fuel SharkNinja’s biggest innovations
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35:57From humble beginnings selling vacuums on late night informercials, SharkNinja has grown to a 6 billion dollar a year business. CEO Mark Barrocas joins host Jeff Berman to reveal how the company keeps coming up with hits like the Ninja Creami, why “educated consumers” are the backbone of their business, and how they’re navigating the shifting winds…
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#43 - Former Cult Insider: Inside the Dark World of “Love Has Won” | Andrew-Ryan Profaci
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2:00:36Andrew-Ryan Profaci thought he found spiritual truth, but instead became entangled in the bizarre world of a modern cult known as “Love Has Won.” Driven by curiosity and a deep desire for meaning, Andrew-Ryan quickly rose from outsider to insider, witnessing firsthand the manipulation tactics of cult leader Amy Carlson, referred to by members as “M…
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Is it ‘economic Halloween’ in the US? with political economist Mark Blyth
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36:16Zoom out from continuing tariff turmoil and Trump’s recent attacks on the Fed and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and you’ll see a broader new economic order is forming. Political economist and Brown University professor Mark Blyth joins Rapid Response to reveal why outdated models still underpin much of our economic understanding, and what we stil…
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Inside one of the world’s greatest fundraising operations
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35:12When Rick Shadyac Jr. took over as CEO of the fundraising organization responsible for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, it was bringing in about 600 million a year. The recently retired leader joins host Jeff Berman to reveal how he built a fundraising machine that is now approaching 3 billion per year, and how that money will have a global i…
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#42 - Couples Therapist: How to Feel Truly Alive in Your Relationship | Dr. Bruce Chalmer
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2:08:10After decades of guiding couples through their most challenging moments, Dr. Bruce Chalmer understands what truly brings relationships to life. With a deeply personal journey from statistics to psychology, Bruce discovered that helping couples navigate intimacy, stability, and the complexities of forgiveness wasn’t just a profession. It was a calli…
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Employers adapt to ICE raids and a workforce on edge
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28:40As the Trump Administration ramps up mass deportations, the American Business Immigration Coalition is advocating for policy reform. Rebecca Shi leads the organization made up of 1,400 current and former CEOs, trade group leaders and more, who heavily rely on an immigrant workforce. Hear how uncertainty over immigration has disrupted daily business…
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The new art and science of marketing, with Known’s Ross Martin and Kern Schireson
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32:13When Ross Martin and Kern Schireson blended their companies in 2020 to form Known, they knew they wanted to throw out the old rule book about how to succeed in marketing. Now, they’re scaling fast and producing jaw-dropping results for clients. They join host Jeff Berman to reveal how their success relies on innovative AI — and kind humans — workin…
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#41 - Former Secret Service Agent: The Psychology of Interrogating Evil | Brad Beeler
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1:49:25What does true evil look like? And how do you confront it face-to-face? In this raw conversation with Brad Beeler, who served as a Special Agent for the United States Secret Service for 25 years, we explore his extraordinary career confronting humanity’s darkest crimes, especially those involving children. Brad reveals a rarely-seen side of the Uni…
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Blocking AI crawlers to save the internet, with Cloudflare’s Matthew Prince
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33:01Cloudflare recently made headlines with breakthrough technology that stops AI companies from scraping online content with impunity. That’s major impact, since the company is involved in more than 20 percent of all online traffic. Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince joins Rapid Response to share how the new tools are poised to dramatically …
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Strategy Session: Advice from Elan Lee and Sarah Robb O’Hagan
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29:41How do I learn to delegate? When is it time to expand? How can I find the right partners? Hear two iconic leaders – Sarah Robb O’Hagan and Elan Lee – take on real questions from early stage founders in our Masters of Scale Strategy Session. Robb O’Hagan has led iconic brands like Gatorade, Equinox and Exos. Lee is the founder and CEO of the game co…
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How to create a ‘transcendent’ career, with author Suzy Welch
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33:38NYU Stern School of Business professor Suzy Welch has designed a framework – “Becoming You” – to help you figure out how to build a career that aligns with your values. She joins host Jeff Berman to dig into what happens when those values are in conflict and how to navigate the fundamental misalignment between Gen Z and the rest of the workforce. T…
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#40 - Personal Growth Coach: Face the Fear of Being Misunderstood | Kristan Swan
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1:37:23In a vulnerable and deeply reflective conversation, personal growth coach Kristan Swan and Jeffrey delve into a quiet fear that most of us carry: the anxiety about being misunderstood or misrepresented by others. Through candid storytelling and authentic introspection, Kristan shares how the shadows of past experiences and the fear of judgment ofte…
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From Colbert to Trump’s WSJ lawsuit, Axios’ Sara Fischer on media turmoil
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28:30It’s been one of the most consequential weeks ever in the media business, from CBS’ Stephen Colbert cancellation, and Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, to Congress clawing back more than $1 billion in funding from PBS and NPR. Axios’ Media Correspondent Sara Fischer joins Rapid Response to cut through the conspiracy theories and unpa…
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CATAN: Reid Hoffman’s favorite board game for business leaders
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27:11The board game CATAN has sold 45 million copies worldwide since Klaus Teuber invented it 30 years ago. It’s Reid Hoffman’s favorite board game for business leaders. He sat down with brothers Benjamin and Guido Teuber, who now run the business of CATAN, to talk about how they’ve kept the game evolving, why its core philosophy of strategic collaborat…
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How Starbucks’ CEO is revamping the brand
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30:07Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol made waves this week by announcing a new Return-to-Office mandate for corporate workers. It’s the latest in a string of changes the coffee company is making to restore its position in the US and global marketplace. Hear Niccol explain his revamped brand strategy in this conversation from February of 2025. He shares insigh…
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#39 - Philosophy Podcaster: The Paradox of Free Will and Evil | Joel Bouchard
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2:14:41Joel Bouchard, philosophy podcaster and author of From Nowhere to Nothing, joins me for an intellectually intense exploration into some of life’s deepest philosophical dilemmas. In this episode, Joel skillfully unpacks intricate issues like the nature of good and evil, whether humans are inherently moral beings, and if true free will even exists. I…
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Trump’s chilling effect on big business, with Harvard Business Review’s Adi Ignatius
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38:05After 16 years as Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review, Adi Ignatius is handing the role over to a new leader, and he joins Rapid Response for a more-than-an-exit interview. A longtime friend and colleague of host Bob Safian, Ignatius shares some of the most critical lessons he’s learned in decades of covering business and leadership, as well…
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How a summer job grew into an ice cream empire, with CEO Ben Van Leeuwen
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32:44Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is one of the fastest growing dessert brands in the country. It’s known for its seriously delicious classic flavors and its wacky collaborations. (Kraft Mac and Cheese ice cream, anyone?) Co-founder and CEO Ben Van Leeuwen talks with Jeff Berman to reveal how it grew from his love of simple ingredients and driving an ice cream…
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#38 - Narcissism Expert: The Hidden Dynamics of Narcissism and Empathy | Dr. Sterlin Mosley
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1:25:10Is everyone suddenly a narcissist, or are we misusing the term? Dr. Sterlin Mosley, Professor of Human Relations and author of The Narcissist in You and Everyone Else, dives deep into the misunderstood realms of narcissism and empathy. Through an eye-opening conversation, Sterlin reveals why our culture casually labels selfish behaviors as narcissi…
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PBS fights for its future, with President & CEO Paula Kerger
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27:07PBS President & CEO Paula Kerger joins Rapid Response to take us inside the organization’s financial reality if federal funding is stripped, and how she’s battling to protect iconic programming — from Frontline to Sesame Street. Kerger shares the role of corporate philanthropy in PBS’ future, its relationship with streamers like Netflix, and how sh…
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How Baby2Baby stepped up as LA wildfires raged, with co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof
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36:16Devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles at the start of 2025. Nonprofit Baby2Baby was on the ground leveraging its deep knowledge of how to respond to natural disasters to help families in need. Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof joined host Jeff Berman on stage to reflect on what it was like to use everything they’d learned s…
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#37 - Clinical Psychologist: Why Everyday Emotions Aren’t Disorders | Dr. Alison Greco
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2:31:42In this heartfelt conversation, clinical psychologist Dr. Alison Greco challenges modern assumptions about emotional distress, uncovering why our everyday struggles with grief, anxiety, and life transitions shouldn’t be hastily labeled as disorders. Drawing on her experiences from prisons to college counseling and community mental health, Alison re…
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Canva’s $35B design biz is quietly taking over the workplace, with co-founder & COO Cliff Obrecht
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29:40For over a decade, Canva has made design and publishing more accessible than ever. Now, the company is wrestling with how to harness AI while staying true to its mission of empowering individual creators. Co-founder and COO Cliff Obrecht joins Rapid Response to reveal how Canva is navigating this shift—and why the stakes are so high when it comes t…
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Building a $1.5B real estate empire, with Spencer Rascoff and Austin Allison
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32:53Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff and Dotloop founder Austin Allison both knew that owning a vacation home was a great privilege — and an expensive hassle. They’re leveraging their decades of experience in real estate to reshape how owning a vacation home works with a new business: Pacaso. They join host Jeff Berman to reveal how it became the fast…
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#36 - Military Broadcaster: Escaping Burnout & Finding Meaning | Paul Hughes
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1:14:40From a restless boy in Swindon who dreamt of cockpit horizons, Paul Hughes has spent twenty-five years insisting on forward motion. He sprinted through call-centre headsets, warehouse night shifts, and blue-chip project boards; earned stripes with the Royal Air Force Reserve under Basra’s rocket-lit sky; then reinvented himself as a military broadc…
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Empowering frontline leaders amid Trump’s massive global aid cuts, with War Child’s Dr. Samantha Nutt
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29:05Even after the fighting stops, the impact of war is felt for generations. Dr. Samantha Nutt, President of War Child USA and Canada, joins Rapid Response to share how the nonprofit is serving families in conflict zones around the world — from Sudan to Afghanistan, utilizing local leaders and community organizers to spark meaningful and long term cha…
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How to raise $172M for the underinvested, with Stacy Brown-Philpot
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33:00After wildly successful stints at Google, as CEO of Taskrabbit, and on prominent boards, Stacy Brown-Philpot decided it was time to start her own venture capital fund. She talks with host Jeff Berman about how she raised $172 million for Cherryrock Capital, why she’s focusing on underinvested founders, and how she owes it all to a six-day silent re…
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