Episodes
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Mike Whan: Commissioner, LPGA
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Mike Whan, the Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), was a wonderful guest as we make our return to Beyond High Street after a hiatus. The conversation starts with a question I have been asking many – “what have you learned the most about yourself the past six months during COVID-19?” The conversation goes deeper into the value of mentorship (and who he still calls on weekly for guidance), balances comfort and challenge and how to embrace the undecided. He also credits many of his successes to the learnings from mistakes. I really enjoyed the part about how Mike and a Miami classmate created the London exchange program when he was a student in Oxford. To the students he says – “be adaptive, listen and continue to learn.”
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Andrea Saia: Board Member, LivaNova PLC
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Andrea Saia is a Miami University alum, member of the school’s Business Advisory Council and a must-listen. She has had a wealth of business success yet she credits the most important decision and job to her first at Proctor & Gamble – learning the consumer and satisfying the customer need. It’s this statement that has guided much of her career. We jump from business challenges (like a product recall as a company CEO) to the power of mentorship and paying forward. Andrea shares plenty of tips for college-age and others in the work force, especially about getting a job in sales or marketing to learn about the customer journey.
Thank you Andrea for the time. Your continued commitment to Miami is fantastic and our conversation re-focused my attention to the customer journey. See you all at Skipper’s real soon.
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
Megan Fischer: Founder & CEO, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
Megan Fischer is the CEO and Founder at Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, a non-profit donating more than 175,000 diapers to needy families monthly (serving more than 3,500 babies). We have a great discussion about filtering out areas of “no-interest” to ultimately get you to the passions that drive your every day. From her Pre-Med major to Journalism and from textbook publishing work to non-profit, each of these paths had a reason for Megan, and that windy road narrowed especially during her second pregnancy. Five years into Sweet Cheeks and she is still the only full-time employee – it’s an incredible testament to her work ethic and willingness to do whatever it takes. Please donate diapers here.
Wednesday Feb 19, 2020
Eric Lange: Actor
Wednesday Feb 19, 2020
Wednesday Feb 19, 2020
Eric Lange is a Critics Choice nominee (Escape at Dannemora), 20-year+ professional actor and he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Miami. He has appeared in dozens (and dozens) of television shows, feature films, Broadway and brand ads; most notably as villain Stuart Radzinksy in LOST and Erwin Sikowitz in Victorious (as my kids remind me often). Our conversation bounces from ‘learning how to learn’ and how he would spend time at Miami if he could do it all over again to understanding and capitalizing on knowing you are and the confidence that comes with. He remembers his time at Miami fondly and the program, peers and professors that helped guide his way. If you get a chance, read his 2015 Miami University College of Creative Arts commencement address here.
Wednesday Feb 05, 2020
Kurt Donnell: President, Freestar
Wednesday Feb 05, 2020
Wednesday Feb 05, 2020
Kurt Donnell is a President of Freestar, one of the fastest growing private business in the States and a self-professed deal junkie. He comes from a full Miami family – parents, brother, sister and uncle. That’s right. All Miamians. As an accounting major, turned lawyer, turned entrepreneur, Kurt credits his entrepreneurial spirit to growing up in Ohio and living in-and-around small business owners. We discuss curiosity and the thirst to learn; understanding customer service and how people are motivated; and the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone. He’s navigated a business career taking on challenges and focusing on his passions. He continues to thrive.
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Kevyn Adams: Senior VP of Business Administration, Buffalo Sabres
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Kevyn Adams is the real deal and he has also come full circle in life. A Miami student-athlete and alum, a merger, Stanley Cup winner, business man and now, a father of a Miami student living in the same dorm he did 20+ years ago. As you’ll hear, the journey wasn’t straight and certainly not easy. But grit, perseverance, putting your work every day helped push him forward. You need to back it up and earn everything. They are more than mottos, they are a way of life that he learned as a student-athlete and hockey player at Miami. It’s a wide ranging pod from the impact Miami has on the NHL, to what he did when he had the Stanley Cup for a day to putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, learning and working with good people.
Wednesday Jan 08, 2020
Spencer Stiles: Group President, Stryker
Wednesday Jan 08, 2020
Wednesday Jan 08, 2020
Spence Stiles oversees Stryker’s Joint Replacement, Trauma, Extremities and Spine business. But the title doesn’t do him justice. He is laser focused on helping people get healthier, developing leaders and giving back. We spend a lot of time in the pod talking about the power of Miami and what it meant to him personally and with the 70 plus alumni that are working today at Stryker. He is passionate about being fully present in what you do, taking risks and adventures, finding a passion and chasing what matters. I am thankful that our dear mutual friend and fellow Miami alum John Heinrichs connected the dots. The Miami network continues to thrive.
Wednesday Dec 18, 2019
Katie Quinn: Food Journalist & Author
Wednesday Dec 18, 2019
Wednesday Dec 18, 2019
Katie Quinn is a video creator, host and soon to be Harper Collins published author….and as you hear in her own words, quite quirky. She thinks there’s a story to be told everywhere, especially in the connection between food and people. Our conversation jumps from balancing her brain’s quirkiness and entrepreneurial spirit to figuring out what she wanted to do in life via a process of elimination. Her path from Miami to London isn’t a straight line but as you will hear, it’s with purpose and always advancing….including a side hustle internship that accelerated her career. As a creator, she shares her passion of building a community and how to take advantage of the digital age. And like many, she got her first job because of a Miami professor.
Wednesday Dec 04, 2019
Johnny Sirpilla: Founder, Encourage LLC
Wednesday Dec 04, 2019
Wednesday Dec 04, 2019
Johnny Sirpilla is a fast, new friend. His story from the days in the accountancy program at Miami and becoming a Miami Merger, to working for, running and ultimately selling and IPO’ing a business are fascinating, touching and meaningful. As he says in the conversation, life will be hard but it will be OK is not only a lesson for students but for himself and everyone listening (including me!). He shares the challenges and tragedies in detail but also how to recover and keep a positive outlook on family, community, life. His current business endeavor Encourage is centered around making a difference in the areas of healthy living, leadership and adoption. Words cannot describe the depth of the chat, so simply press play.
Wednesday Nov 20, 2019
Maria Casey: Founder & CEO, BUHO
Wednesday Nov 20, 2019
Wednesday Nov 20, 2019
Maria Casey is the CEO and Founder of BUHO, the first sustainable e-commerce hub offering ethical, sustainable and vintage products for women, men, kids and home. She is a fascinating woman and a great storyteller. We swiftly move in the pod from starting a business at Miami to entering the peace corps in Bangladesh. We then jump to her time as a bartender in New York and how that job changed her life and business career. It's a can't miss episode (Maria is also the only person who has ever told me how working at Bagel n Deli helped shape how she thinks about business and puts it into practice).