Is the American Dream alive and well? If you asked Ken Langone, he’d certainly say yes. 

Ken’s grandparents immigrated to the US from Italy, and he grew up in a family that he describes as having “a lot of love, but not a lot of money.” Ken spent time in the US Army and dug ditches for the Long Island Expressway before going to Bucknell University to study economics. After graduation, he began a successful career on Wall Street and earned his MBA at NYU. He then became an early investor and co-founder of The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer with approximately 500,000 associates and 2,300 stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  

After Ken’s business success, he donated $10 million to NYU’s MBA program in 1999.  Then in 2008, in support of advancing medical technology and education, Ken gave $200 million to the university's medical center, which was renamed NYU Langone Health, in his honor.  In August 2018 Ken pledged $100 million to its School of Medicine, a donation that effectively made tuition-free. Today, Ken sits as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at NYU Langone Medical Center.

In this episode, Ken and Jim focus on relationships, covering everything from parenting and affection to building better connections in the workplace and of course touch on that entrepreneurial spirit at the core of both Ken and Jim’s careers.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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In our previous episode with Cynthia Covey Haller, Cynthia shared what it means to live your life in crescendo; the mindset that your most important work is always ahead of you.  In this inspiring second part to our interview, Cynthia shares real life stories of people that have done it! From a father who lost his business and became a lawyer to a wrongfully-convicted death row inmate changing his life. Cynthia shares these wonderful stories of people who chose not to stop contributing and instead search for more ways to give their gifts to the community.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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As we age, we face a choice: do we slow down and stop contributing, or do we take our decades of knowledge and connections and put them towards something meaningful?

Author Cynthia Haller joins me on Celebrations Chatter to discuss how people can live their lives in a crescendo so that their best is always yet to come.

Cynthia is the daughter of Stephen R. Covey, who you may know from his best-selling classic, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Recently, Cynthia co-wrote the book “Live Life in Crescendo” by drawing from some of her father’s unfinished work.Not only is this project a moving tribute to her late father, the result is a beautiful book that will help so many readers live their best lives - including me! I recommend this book to everyone I meet and is my go-to gift this year. 

Let's see how Cynthia Covey Haller shares it forward here on Celebrations Chatter.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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As the holiday season approaches, having that “IT” item is at the top of many people’s minds. Will you be able to buy that perfect gift before it runs out? 

How does scarcity play into this and are companies using it as a tactic to influence consumer habits?

To answer this question and more, we turn to Dr. Mindy Weinstein. Dr. Weinstein has a 20-year career as a successful marketing consultant and educator and earned her PhD in General Psychology. She is also the Founder and CEO of Market MindShift, and a well respected expert on scarcity. Her recent book, The Power of Scarcity: Leveraging Urgency to Influence Customer Decisions, unpacks these tactics and explores why we are more afraid of loss than of gain.

In this episode, Dr. Mindy and Jim unpack recent examples of this economic influencing factor  in the news, exclusivity as a motivator, and how scarcity affects both the market and the shopper.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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As winter approaches, many people begin to experience seasonal depression, anxiety, and other conditions that affect their mental health. On top of these seasonal spikes, uncertain economic conditions have many Americans feeling concerned about their future, all as we head into the new year.

This week, frequent Celebrations Chatter contributor Dr. Chloe Carmichael stops by to discuss anxiety and mental health. Dr. Chloe is a practicing clinical psychologist, author of Nervous Energy: Harness the Power of Your Anxiety, member of the 1-800-Flowers connectivity council, and a close friend of Jim’s.

Hear Dr. Chloe and Jim discuss the importance of sleep for sound mental health, and how being aware of our anxiety is the first step to addressing it.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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Visit 1-800-Flowers.com: https://www.1800flowers.com/ 

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As the US stands on the brink of a potential recession, many Americans are trying to figure out how best to save money and plan for their future. 

Geoff Beattie knows the importance of financial planning and growth. Starting his career as a successful lawyer in Toronto, Geoff spent many years in the legal profession before transitioning to a career in wealth management. Currently a well-respected business leader in Canada and abroad, Geoff is the Chairman of Relay Ventures and CEO of Generation Capital.  

Geoff shares forward his take on current events such as the Twitter Sale, the Recession, and the War in Ukraine as an expert on the global economy here on Celebrations Chatter.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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Visit 1-800-Flowers.com: https://www.1800flowers.com/ 

Visit the 1-800-Flowers.com YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@1800flowers 

Follow Jim McCann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim1800flowers/ 

Follow Jim McCann on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/jim1800flowers (@Jim1800Flowers)

As the US stands on the brink of a potential recession, many Americans are trying to figure out how best to save money and plan for their future. 

Geoff Beattie knows the importance of financial planning and growth. Starting his career as a successful lawyer in Toronto, Geoff spent many years in the profession before transitioning to a career in wealth management. Currently a well-respected business leader in Canada and abroad, Geoff is the Chairman of Relay Ventures and CEO of Generation Capital.  

In this episode, Geoff shares forward his experience as a financial planner and expert on the global economy, here on Celebrations Chatter.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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Listen to more episodes of Celebrations Chatter on Apple Podcasts: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/celebrations-chatter-with-jim-mccann/id1616689192 

Listen to more episodes of Celebrations Chatter on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Yxfvb4qHGCwR5IgAmgCQX?si=ipuQC3-ATbKyqIk6RtPb-A 

Listen to more episodes of Celebrations Chatter on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5saWJzeW4uY29tLzQwMzU0MS9yc3M?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwio9KT_xJuBAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQNg 

Visit 1-800-Flowers.com: https://www.1800flowers.com/ 

Visit the 1-800-Flowers.com YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@1800flowers 

Follow Jim McCann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim1800flowers/ 

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Vicky Ward knows when there is more to the story, as she has built a career covering high-profile events and individuals, always going the extra mile to find the underlying motivations.

Vicky Ward is the New York Times bestselling author of Kushner, Inc. Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.  She is also the host of the popular podcast series “Chasing Ghislaine,” which focuses on Ghislaine Maxwell as an accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein.  

Vicky got her start in the UK press before moving to America to strike out on her own. 

She has a special talent for finding the deeper motives behind an individual’s actions and has written for the Huffington Post, Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Town and Country. Vicky is also the author of two other best-selling books, The Liar’s Ball: The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World’s Toughest Tycoons and The Devil’s Casino: Friendship, Betrayal and the High Stakes Games Played Inside Lehman Brothers.  Vicky also writes the Substack newsletter “Vicky Ward Investigates.”

In this episode, Vicky discusses her recent works, “Chasing Ghislaine” and Kushner Inc., and her methodology that allows her to go deeper than other journalists and uncover the stories beneath the surface.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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Visit 1-800-Flowers.com: https://www.1800flowers.com/ 

Visit the 1-800-Flowers.com YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@1800flowers 

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As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, we at Celebrations Chatter have been thinking a lot about the spirit of giving and gratitude. An important part of building better communities and relationships is helping out those in need, and I can think of few organizations that do this as well as The Gift of Life International.

The Gift of Life International is a Rotary International based organization that has been saving the lives of children with heart disease across the world. Founded in 1975 to help a Ugandan child receive life-saving heart surgery, The Gift of Life’s global network has since treated over 40,000 children in 80 countries. 

In this episode, Jim sits down with CEO Rob Raylman, President/Founder Robert Donno and honoree Dr. Craig Sable, M.D, Healthcare Partner, Pediatric Cardiologist at National Children's Hospital in Washington, DC.  Hear as they share forward how the organization is continuing to impact more and more children worldwide and help sustain future treatments and aftercare in remote communities. 

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

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Listen to more episodes of Celebrations Chatter on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5saWJzeW4uY29tLzQwMzU0MS9yc3M?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwio9KT_xJuBAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQNg 

Visit 1-800-Flowers.com: https://www.1800flowers.com/ 

Visit the 1-800-Flowers.com YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@1800flowers 

Follow Jim McCann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim1800flowers/ 

Follow Jim McCann on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/jim1800flowers (@Jim1800Flowers)

Vicky Ward knows when there is more to the story, as she has built a career covering high-profile events and individuals, always going the extra mile to find the underlying motivations.

Vicky Ward is the New York Times bestselling author of Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.  She is also the host of the popular podcast series “Chasing Ghislaine,” which focuses on Ghislaine Maxwell as an accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein.  

Vicky got her start in the UK press before moving to America to strike out on her own. 

She has a special talent for finding the deeper motives behind an individual’s actions and has written for the Huffington Post, Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Town and Country. Vicky is also the author of two other best-selling books, The Liar’s Ball: The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World’s Toughest Tycoons, and The Devil’s Casino: Friendship, Betrayal and the High Stakes Games Played Inside Lehman Brothers. Vicky also writes the Substack newsletter “Vicky Ward Investigates.”

In this episode, Vicky shares how she found her path as a journalist, the differences between the US and UK press, and some of the dangers she has encountered in her profession.

New podcast episodes released weekly on Thursday. Follow along with the links below:

Sign up for the Celebrations Chatter Newsletter: https://celebrationschatter.beehiiv.com/ 

Subscribe to Celebrations Chatter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@celebrationschatter 

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Listen to more episodes of Celebrations Chatter on Apple Podcasts: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/celebrations-chatter-with-jim-mccann/id1616689192 

Listen to more episodes of Celebrations Chatter on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Yxfvb4qHGCwR5IgAmgCQX?si=ipuQC3-ATbKyqIk6RtPb-A 

Listen to more episodes of Celebrations Chatter on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5saWJzeW4uY29tLzQwMzU0MS9yc3M?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwio9KT_xJuBAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQNg 

Visit 1-800-Flowers.com: https://www.1800flowers.com/ 

Visit the 1-800-Flowers.com YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@1800flowers 

Follow Jim McCann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim1800flowers/ 

Follow Jim McCann on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/jim1800flowers (@Jim1800Flowers)