Best Walt Rakowich Podcasts (2025)

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Rak Rewind: Turning Adversity into an Opportunity to Help Others with LPGA Pro Stacy Lewis 32:10

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7h ago32:10

32:10

Learn what it’s like being a professional female athlete from the recently retired LPGA golfer and two-time U.S. team captain. Lewis announced that she will be stepping away from full-time competitive golf at the end of the 2025 season — let's look back at her conversation. Can adversity help you find your greatest strengths? That’s just one of the…

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Josh Huston Discusses Why 75% of AI Projects Fail: A Non-Technical Guide to Scaling Adoption 54:13

12h ago54:13

54:13

In this episode, we talk to Josh Huston, an AI adoption consultant and the founder of Quick AI Wins, about bridging the gap between purchasing AI technology and actually getting teams to use it productively. Josh shares his expertise on helping teams develop "AI intuition" without needing to become technical programmers. Faced with a landscape wher…

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Turning Personal Crisis into a Drive for a Cure with Dr. David Fajgenbaum 27:43

22d ago27:43

27:43

How do you make the journey from being given last rites in a hospital bed to founding an organization that has saved thousands of lives through medical innovation? Dr. David Fajgenbaum is a physician-scientist, Castleman disease survivor, and the co-founder of Every Cure. From medical student to patient to leader, David shares how he turned persona…

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Rak Rewind: Fostering More Human Connection and Empathy Through Leadership with Michael Lee Stallard 39:32

23d ago39:32

39:32

Michael Lee Stallard is president of E Pluribus Partners, and a speaker, teacher, and consultant on leadership, employee engagement, productivity, and innovation. He is the primary author of "Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity and Productivity" and a contributor to The ASTD Management Development Handbook. He jo…

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Coaching Leaders to Flourish in Life and Work with Steve Graves 48:40

1M ago48:40

48:40

Ready to discover what separates truly effective CEOs from those who just look good on paper? Seasoned CEO advisor Steve Graves shares hard-won insights from three decades of coaching executive leaders. With 20 books on strategy and leadership under his belt, Steve has developed over 100 frameworks specifically designed for CEOs navigating the comp…

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Rak Rewind: What Does the Future Hold? Higher Education, Loyalty, and Impact with Neeli Bendapudi 36:17

2M ago36:17

36:17

“When I think about the value proposition of higher education… I think about the essence of leadership where they call it the knowing, being, and doing.” Featuring the first female president of Penn State University, Neeli Bendapudi, we discuss what it means to be a Nittany Lion, how to create “customer” loyalty, and three time-tested leadership pr…

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Eradicating Entitlement: A Path to Higher Purpose with Dr. Joe Sanders 34:56

2M ago34:56

34:56

By Walt Rakowich

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Off the Rak Rewind Minisode: LPGA Pro Stacy Lewis 10:18

3M ago10:18

10:18

In honor of Stacy Lewis' retirement at the end of the 2025 LPGA season, Off the Rak rewinds to a special minisode from September 2024 honoring TEAM USA's win in the Solheim Cup — the first since 2017! You don't want to miss these two inspirational stories from a Season 3 episode about success and influence with team captain Stacy Lewis — LGPA pro a…

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Leading Diverse Teams On and Off a Baseball Diamond with Clint Hurdle and Dan O’Dowd 56:24

3M ago56:24

56:24

Two good friends and two icons in the world of baseball talk creating a positive culture Colorado Rockies legends Clint Hurdle and Dan O’Dowd join Off the Rak to share their experiences leading diverse teams, the Colorado Rockies trip to the 2007 World Series, leadership lessons learned on the diamond and beyond, and more! About the Guests Clint Hu…

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Rak Rewind: How to Build High-Trust Organizations with Joel Peterson 31:06

4M ago31:06

31:06

What does it take to build high-trust organizations and cultures through your leadership? The former chairman of JetBlue Airways and professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Joel C. Peterson tells us that the high trust leader is one who can be influenced. In this look back at season one, Off the Rak features an insightful discussion ab…

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How Collaborative Disruption Can Grow a Business with Tom Muccio 44:16

4M ago44:16

44:16

Exploring what collaboration and positive influence look like in the workplace with a former P&G executive! Can collaboration and disruption unite to positively influence a workplace and grow the bottom line? This Off the Rak guest built a venerated career at P&G doing just that. As the sales lead to Walmart, Tom Muccio and his team revolutionized …

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Rak Rewind: Invest in People to Defeat Tech Disruption with Deanna Mulligan 35:32

5M ago35:32

35:32

"Some occupational categories might disappear, but many more will simply evolve, requiring new sets of skills over time and providing new opportunities for workers." Named by Fortune as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business,” former Guardian CEO / Board Chair Deanna Mulligan joins Off the Rak in this look back to season one for a chat on p…

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Rak Rewind: How Influence is a Gift with Tommy Spaulding 36:42

5M ago36:42

36:42

You’ll influence approximately 80,000 people in your lifetime, according to this bestselling author, leadership speaker and coach. World-renowned keynote speaker and bestselling author Tommy Spaulding estimates that you’ll influence about 80,000 people in your lifetime — that’s 2 or 3 people you interact with every day. How you choose to interact w…

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Rak Rewind: Loving What You Do and Those You Lead with Steve Farber 45:45

6M ago45:45

45:45

Bestselling author of “Love Is Just Damn Good Business,” “The Radical Leap,” and “Greater Than Yourself” and founder of The Extreme Leadership Institute Steve Farber talks leadership, empathy,and influence. The Extreme Leadership Institute is an organization devoted to the cultivation and development of extreme leaders in the business, nonprofit an…

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Rak Rewind: Shaping Next Generation Servant Leaders with Lorii Rabinowitz & Joseph Sanders 45:28

6M ago45:28

45:28

In this look back from season 2, Off the Rak sits down with the CEOs of Denver Scholarship Foundation and Colorado UpLift to explore what makes their partnership tick, how they’re teaching servant leadership fundamentals and the subtle practices that fuel their motivation every day. About the Guests Lorii Rabinowitz is the CEO of Denver Scholarship…

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Rak Rewind: Getting Passionate About Servant Leadership with Cheryl Bachelder 45:51

7M ago45:51

45:51

Off the Rak welcomes Cheryl Bachelder, restaurant industry executive and former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. She’s the author of “Dare to Serve,” and a passionate advocate of servant leadership. When she took over the company in 2007, the company had been through four CEOs in the previous seven years. And the stock had slid by over 60% d…

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Rak Rewind: Perseverance in Action: How to Become a Bridge Builder with Garry Gilliam, Jr. 43:55

7M ago43:55

43:55

Garry Gilliam played football for the Nittany Lions, the Seahawks and the 49ers before putting his Penn State degree to work by launching The Bridge Eco-Village, a purpose-driven organization that transforms abandoned commercial properties in urban centers into self-sustainable mixed-use communities. They’re building bridges to opportunity by integ…

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Soar Like a Top Gun: How An Elite Pilot Inspires Excellence with John Foley 37:15

8M ago37:15

37:15

As lead solo pilot for the legendary Blue Angels flight team, John “Gucci” Foley mastered the art of flying at an elite level — flying among the top 0.01% of US military pilots and earning recognition as a “Top Ten Carrier Pilot” six times. He brings that same elite energy to his keynote presentations and coaching major organizations on exceptional…

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Rak Rewind: How People-First Leaders are Navigating Change with Brad Deutser 35:32

8M ago35:32

35:32

Clarity is a process that helps make sense of the chaos, change, the ambiguity that we’re leading from. We’re joined today by Brad Deutser, the founder and CEO of Deutser, an award-winning management consulting firm and the Deutser Clarity Institute, a think tank, an idea accelerator, and an innovative learning center. He’s helped individuals and o…

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Communication is a Team Sport with Mollie Plotkin 32:58

9M ago32:58

32:58

Finding and recruiting talent is an art. Mollie Plotkin founded her namesake keynote speaker and entertainment booking agency in Philadelphia in 2005 within a day of discovering a gap in the market. She cultivated that art into a successful business representing some of the biggest names in the sports, media, and entertainment industries. With inno…

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Rak Rewind: How Women's Leadership Styles Help Solve Challenges with Sally Helgesen 37:22

9M ago37:22

37:22

On radar, mentors, and accountability with the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership Cited in Forbes as the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership, Sally Helgesen is the bestselling author of “How Women Rise.” She has been inducted into the Thinkers 50 Hall of Fame, which honors those whose ideas have shaped the field of leadership wor…

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Why Character Counts with Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald 43:14

10M ago43:14

43:14

“My life’s purpose has been to improve the lives of others.” Bob McDonald spoke those words after being nominated to become the 8th U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Bob’s career exemplifies service-driven leadership as a distinguished graduate of West Point, a U.S. Army captain, and the former Chairman, President, and CEO of Procter & Gamble thr…

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The Art of Making It Possible Through Purpose with Filmmaker Elliot Kotek 47:12

11M ago47:12

47:12

Filmmaker Elliot V. Kotek first came to our attention by being the writer and director of “The Hidden Power of Purpose,” a moving documentary that affirms living with purpose can improve your health and longevity. Since then, we’ve learned about a career that’s stretched from mergers and acquisitions law to tech innovation and storytelling, driven …

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Where Gratitude and Purpose Connect 8:38

11M ago8:38

8:38

For the last few years Off the Rak podcast interviews have ended with the same question: What in life are you most grateful for? The answers have been so revealing, encouraging, inspiring, and thought-provoking that they led to a new capstone question for all Off the Rak as a new season launches: What purpose are you most passionate about pursuing?…

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Welcome to Off the Rak: Highlights from Conversations on Transformative Leadership 3:39

11M ago3:39

3:39

Walt Rakowich's passion to help shape a generation of leaders who lead with honesty, humility and heart inspired him to launch Off the Rak: Conversations on Transformative Leadership. Featuring rich and raw conversations with notable leaders across different industries, every episode inspires curious leaders to embrace challenges, seize opportuniti…

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From Setback to Startup with Randy Pulayya of West Indies Peppa Sauce 52:39

1y ago52:39

52:39

In this episode, we talk to Randy Pulayya, the founder of West Indies Peppa Sauce, about his journey from navigating a sudden career layoff to building a thriving business rooted in his Caribbean heritage. As part of our "Laid Off To Paid Off" series, Randy shares how he transformed his grandmother's four-generations-old recipe into an award-winnin…

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The Warrior Champion Mindset with Costas Theocharidis 41:03

1y ago41:03

41:03

In this powerful episode, NCAA champion and ex-Wall Street professional Costas Theocharidis shares his remarkable journey from a small Greek village to becoming a Division I athlete, corporate consultant, and successful real estate entrepreneur. A silver medalist in world championships, Costas reveals how the warrior mindset he developed in volleyb…

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Fearlessness and Creativity with John B. Dutton 1:02:59

1+ y ago1:02:59

1:02:59

In this episode of The Bulletproof EntrepreneurTM, we sit down with John Dutton, a creative brand strategist, writer, and author of the novel "2084." John shares his journey from studying film in England to becoming a successful multi-faceted entrepreneur in Montreal. He discusses the importance of fearlessness in pursuing opportunities, the value …

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This Founder Runs A $100K Per Year Remote Paternity Testing Business While Serving In The US Army 38:41

1+ y ago38:41

38:41

In the bustling city of El Paso, Texas, a full-time U.S. Army officer named Royal Banks is making waves, not on the battlefield, but in the realm of paternity testing. Balancing his duties as a public affairs officer with his entrepreneurial spirit, Royal is the founder and business development officer of AssuranceDNA, a company dedicated to provid…

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Dakota Robertson Teaches You How To Build A $200K A Year Twitter Ghostwriting Business 55:28

2y ago55:28

55:28

Robertson’s Twitter ghostwriting business, Growth Ghost, has made over $250K in 2023, much of it from sliding into people’s DMs. The young professional enrolled in college for English, and eventually found his way into social media ghostwriting, an online service he says is an underrated side hustle. Two out of three employees feel disengaged or di…

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Marcus Gram Talks About Going From Broke to $35K per month with Vending Machines 54:50

2y ago54:50

54:50

Marcus Gram wanted to become a real estate investor but he didn't have enough money to get get started. Based on the advise from his uncle he decided to get into real estate and partnered with a friend. Marcus needed to raise extra cash for the real estate business so started a vending machine business and the rest is history. today, his vending ma…

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The $2 Million Pandemic Side Hustle with Mohit Asthana 46:01

3+ y ago46:01

46:01

Mohit Asthana a 27-year-old with 9 to 5 job built a 37-unit real estate portfolio worth $2 million during the 2020 lockdown. He did it 2,642 miles away from his home in San Francisco, CA. In this podcast we talk about the strategies he used to build real estate empire and how anyone can build a remote real-estate portfolio from anywhere in the worl…

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From $35K debt and broke to a $76K net worth and abundance. Here’s how she did it. 37:56

3+ y ago37:56

37:56

Dyana is a black single mom of 2 beautiful kids who built a $76k net worth, a 6 month emergency fund and paid off all her debt without ever making a six figure income. In this podcast we talk about the strategies she used to get out of debt and stay on track to build a cash flow positive business. Learn more about her here - https://www.businessins…

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Fortune 500 CEO Walt Rakowich Shares Unconventional Lessons For Leading In Tough Times 43:28

5y ago43:28

43:28

Walt Rakowich is a leadership speaker,thought leader and former Chief executive officer of Prologis, a global real estate company. He assumed the role of CEO in 2008. When the company was at a very challenging point in its history. He sits on the boards of several non profit organizations and is the author of the new book Transfluence - how to lead…

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Andrew Lassise Teaches How Accountants Can Turn Their Tech Into A Profit Center 50:09

5y ago50:09

50:09

Andrew Lassise is a business coach and the founder of Rush Tech Online, an I.T company that provides tech support services for accounting firms. Andrew took an unusual path to entrepreneurship and now runs an I.T company that provides services to the accounting industry. He’s been featured in several publications and podcasts. Andrew received a bac…

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Bob Bethel Teaches You How To Fix A Failing Business 1:15:59

5+ y ago1:15:59

1:15:59

Robert Thomas Bethel is the orchestrator of 80 business turnarounds over the past fifty-five years. Early successes and troubles in his own professional career inspired his passion for taking over struggling businesses and guiding them towards the road of profitability. Bethel has turned around companies in various industries—from restaurant chains…

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The Art of Networking with Kymberli Speight 32:07

5+ y ago32:07

32:07

In this episode, we talk to Kymberli Speight and learn about the power of networking and forging meaninful relationships. Kymberli Speight is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, a prior military officer, and a speaker and executive coach. She wrote the book 'I Need to Know You: How to Meet Ordinary, Extraordinary People, and Improve …

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How to Ask for More with Alex Carter 36:10

5+ y ago36:10

36:10

Alexandra Carter is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School, where she has spent over a decade helping thousands of people improve their negotiation skills. She is a world-renowned negotiation trainer for the United Nations, where she has taught dozens of negotiation workshops to hundreds of diplomats…

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Engineering Sales Success In Challenging Times With Matthew Hunt 1:18:00

5+ y ago1:18:00

1:18:00

Matthew Hunt is the founder of Automation Wolf and Summit Beast, a virtual summit agency. He built 3 profitable B2B companies in the last 13 years on the back of smart marketing & sales. In his career as a sales and marketing expert, he’s helped hundreds of companies implement sophisticated marketing & sales strategies that have generated consisten…

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How To Solve The Right Problem with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg 45:09

5+ y ago45:09

45:09

Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg is a management consultant, executive advisor and keynote speaker. He is the author of What’s Your Problem? (Harvard Business Press, 2020), a book on how to solve the right problems. He is also the co-author (with Paddy Miller) of Innovation as Usual, a Harvard Business Review Press book on the art of driving innovation in…

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Redefining Business Crises with Ramia El Agamy 36:15

5+ y ago36:15

36:15

Ramia Marielle El Agamy is the Co-Founder of Orbis Terra Media an international Content Studio and Publishing House based in Switzerland as well as the Editor-in-Chief of Tharawat Magazine, the global publication for family businesses and a product established by her family. As a Director of her family's enterprise, she has helped expand its activi…

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Confessions Of A Hollywood Insider with Trista Jordan 28:54

5+ y ago28:54

28:54

Trista Jordan has worked with thousands of celebrities and contributed her expertise to over 50 feature films, staged events, live shows, television series, national commercials, and music videos, most notably the Macklemore hit "Downtown," watched over 144 million times on YouTube. Her clients include: NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and every imaginable produ…

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Building Generational Wealth For Entrepreneurs with Dr. Dennis Jaffe 30:51

5+ y ago30:51

30:51

Dr. Dennis T. Jaffe, is a San Francisco-based advisor to families about the family business, governance, wealth and philanthropy. Dennis helps large and global families manage personal and organizational issues that lead to a successful and fulfilling transfer of businesses, wealth, values, commitments, and legacies between generations. Dennis is t…

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How To Become Recession Proof with Jonathan Slain 26:51

6y ago26:51

26:51

Jonathan Slain is the Founder and CEO of Recession.com, an author, a highly respected keynote speaker, and an expert on recessions & why business owners don’t need to fear them. Jonathan understands not only how to prepare your business for the next major recession, but also how to turn it into a profitable opportunity. Jonathan believes that the s…

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Creating Systems That Drive Business Growth with Josh Fonger 34:25

6y ago34:25

34:25

Josh Fonger is a consultant, coach, and speaker. He has earned a reputation as being one of the world’s top consultants and coaches who has the unique ability of developing, and implementing, systematic solutions to complex business problems. His consulting firm, Work the System (WTS) Enterprises, has attracted over 100,000 business owners from ove…

1
The Power Of Connection with Bobby Umar 29:11

6y ago29:11

29:11

By Chi Odogwu

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Brock Shinen Shares You Can Dream, Plan, Execute and Grow As A Christian Entrepreneur 50:30

6y ago50:30

50:30

Brock Shinen is a lawyer and strategy consultant, a speaker, an author, and the founder of the Law Office of Brock Shinen, Inc., which represents some of the largest churches and ministry organizations in America. Brock is a highly sought-after business adviser and strategist to globally recognized organizations and ministries. His writing has been…

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Brian Buirge Teaches You How To Spark Creativity At Work 40:56

6y ago40:56

40:56

Brian Buirge is the Co-founder of Good Fucking Design Advice. He is an international speaker and consultant for brands looking to embrace a culture and mindset of risk-taking and innovation. He has worked with a range of organizations from Fortune 100 companies to brands small and medium-sized companies. His work has been awarded and featured in nu…

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Advice To My Younger Self with Jeff Fleischman 39:31

6y ago39:31

39:31

Jeff Fleischman is the CMO of Altimetrik, a digital transformation accelerator that helps clients deliver great products and services that accelerates financial profitability. He is also an advisor, speaker, and columnist for Forbes.com. He is the author of the personal & professional development book titled “Advice to my younger self. In his long …

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How To Become A Master Of One with Jordan Raynor 26:53

6y ago26:53

26:53

Jordan Raynor is the author of the soon-to-be-released Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do andthe national best-seller Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk. He leads a growing community of Christians seeking to more deeply connect to their faith with their work. Jordan serves as the Exec…