Blazing Trails

When the doctor told world champion Mike Schultz they would have to amputate his left leg, it looked like the end of his career as a professional snowcross racer. But Mike’s not one to take no for an answer. Instead, he took matters into his own hands.

Today, Mike is a two-time U.S. Paralympic medalist and founder of BioDapt a company creating world-class prosthetics for athletes. From supporting wounded veterans to helping Paralympians compete, Mike has transformed his search for the perfect prosthetic into an opportunity to help others. He took home gold and silver medals in snowboarding in the 2018 Paralympics and is competing again this year in Beijing. On Blazing Trails, Mike shares his story, including why mental health training is as important as physical training, and how he and BioDapt are helping revolutionize the prosthetics industry.

For Shaun White, customer connection carries the same thrill as his latest gold-medal-winning trick. The three-time U.S. Olympic snowboard halfpipe champion has spent a lifetime observing every detail that goes into defying gravity. Now, he wants to share his expert knowledge in product design with everyone on the mountain through his new snowboard brand WHITESPACE. Tune in to hear how Shaun built his brand and what he's setting his sights on after he competes in his last Winter Olympics.

As COVID infection rates decline and treatments are more readily available, many people are feeling hopeful. On today's episode, we hear Salesforce Chief Medical Officer Dr. Geeta Nayyar speak with Dr. Leana Wen, Public Health Professor at George Washington University, on the state of the pandemic and how we might be able to safely return to pre-pandemic life.

The profitability that comes from doing the right thing for the environment is evident in the data; data that Carolina Leonhardt, Senior Manager of Environmental Responsibility at Clif Bar, relies on to make critical decisions at every step of their product journey. Joining her in this conversation is Patrick Flynn, Vice President of Sustainability at Salesforce.

In this episode, they outline the thinking behind strategies for improving the conversation with consumers - focusing on the need for clarity around what sustainability metrics actually matter. From material sourcing and supply chain logistics, to greenhouse gas emissions and B2B relationships, they cover the gamut on what details matter in environmental sustainability now. 

The innovations of technology and data in sports are massive and they’re driving athletes to maximize their performances in almost unimaginable ways. From wearables to virtual reality, Olympians know best how fine the edge is between a career-defining gold medal performance and slipping micro-seconds behind your competitors into obscurity.

Each of the champion athletes in this episode have conquered that razor's edge to success and then gone on to use their platform to do good. Our guests this week - Apolo Ohno, Elana Meyers Taylor, Jessie Diggins, and Mike Schultz - use technology not only to improve their performance, but also to promote positive messages around topics like body image and environmental sustainability. Learn more about the different ways each is leveraging tech as a platform for change on this episode of Blazing Trails.

She went from working in the White House for President George H.W. Bush to traveling the world with Elmo, Big Bird, and the cast of Sesame Street - and Sherrie Rollins Westin says she wouldn't have done it any other way. In this week's episode, Sherrie, the president of Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, joined host Michael Rivo at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit to talk about her unique career path. They discuss the importance of brand and core values, why she believes in mentorship, and what CEOs and business leaders can actually learn from watching Sesame Street. All this up next on Blazing Trails. 

Not many people will admit that they “started their life as a geek,” but today’s guest is more than proud of her STEM-focused beginnings. Joining the podcast is Raj Seshadri, a former Phd. physicist and the current President of Data and Services at Mastercard.

Raj shares why she made a career jump from physics to business, and what she loves about the work she does today. She tells us how Mastercard champions the philosophy of “doing good while doing well,” what the company is investing in today to prepare their offices for the workforce of the future, and how they are using data to tease out insights and trends that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. 

“Have at least three mentors in your career. One you work with, one who loves you and a third one who scares the living daylights out of you.” That’s career advice Sarah Friar lives by and credits for her incredible career journey from Wall Street to executive roles at Salesforce, Square and most recently Nextdoor.

On the second episode of our five-part, mini-series on the personal journeys of some of the world’s most innovative CEO’s and business leaders, we’ll be speaking with Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar. She delves into the role of mentorship in a successful career, including how she became a mentee of Marc Benioff, and discusses why she believes slower growth is benefitting Nextdoor. Plus, she and host Michael Rivo touch on the ways that Nextdoor continues to serve communities and address shifting needs to enhance connection, respect, and trust. All this up next on Blazing Trails.

As the news landscape becomes ever more crowded, it takes a straight-shooting, old-school journalist to cut through the din. One like Kara Swisher, who is arguably both the most respected and feared reporter covering tech for decades.

Kara, host of both The New York Times Opinion podcast “Sway” and Vox Media’s "Pivot" podcast, discusses the overarching lack of diversity that still exists in tech, why she's not afraid of anyone, and how being famous isn't such a bad thing. All this up next on Blazing Trails. 

Can we really predict the future?

Today’s guests make future-planning their business… but they will also be the first to tell you that the future is far from predictable.

Peter Schwartz, Mick Costigan, and Niall Ferguson join the podcast to discuss what they call scenario-planning; the process of identifying the most likely outcomes for the future and helping businesses and governments prepare. They reflect on decision-making in the past year, share 2022 trends business leaders should prepare for, and offer advice for individuals who want to apply scenario-planning to their own lives.

About the Guests:

• Peter Schwartz is the Chief Futures Officer and SVP of Strategic Planning at Salesforce.
• Mick Costigan is the Vice-President of Salesforce Futures.
• Niall Ferguson is a historian and author. He is a Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, as well as a senior faculty fellow of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard.