Finances – The Mentors Radio

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, HOST DAN HESSE talks with CECILIA KANG, award-winning journalist and co-author of An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination. In this book, Kang takes us inside Meta (Facebook’s parent company), explains the company’s decisions over the years and the impact Meta has had—and still has—on our privacy, on the news users receive, and on the mental health of young people. The conversation in this episode took place before the $17 billion settlement between Meta and many State Attorney Generals.  Cecilia is an award-winning National Correspondent at The New York Times where she reports on the intersection of technology and public policy. She was part of a team that won the Gerald Loeb and George Polk awards for their coverage of Facebook and were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Cecilia frequently appears on national television and radio as a commentator on technology and entertainment, and she is passionate about exposing the impacts and implications of technology on society, politics and culture. Listen to episode below, or on ANY PODCAST PLATFORM here. BE SURE TO LEAVE US A GREAT REVIEW on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share with friends and colleagues!

CECILIA KANG:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Bengt Holmström, the Emeritus Paul A. Samuelson Professor of Economics at MIT, to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of receiving the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economics for his contributions to contract theory. His research has advanced the understanding of incentives, organizations, corporate governance, and financial liquidity. Bengt is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society, and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford and before MIT, he held faculty appointments at Yale and Northwestern. Dr. Holmstrom explains why factors that are hard to measure usually drive better behavior in incentive plans than those that are easy to measure.  He mentors his students that asking the right questions is far more important than answering questions. A self-described “AI optimist,” he considers the AI companion he has created, Charlie, clever and life-enriching.  LISTEN TO this radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or go to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

BENGT HOLMSTRÖM:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Vienna Pharaon, a highly regarded licensed marriage and family therapist practicing in New York City and author of an off-the-charts best-selling book, The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love. This episode addresses some of the most fundamental and powerful forces in each of our lives that directly affect our individual ability to reach our full potential, in life, relationships, athletics, and in literally any endeavor we pursue, including business. Vienna Pharaon’s insights on human behavior and a common “why” behind what we individually choose, can be—and often are, literally, transformative and life-changing. Her book, The Origins of You, has become a global phenomenon, a national best-seller, and already has been translated into 24 languages. In the book, Vienna offers a profound analysis of how unresolved childhood wounds fundamentally reshape our relationship and our professional trajectories… and if not addressed, can put our career or lifestyle at risk. We may discover we are living a story we never actually chose. In this episode, you’ll uncover the hidden forces and childhood patterns that are secretly threatening our leadership, our organizations and our personal lives. Learn how to get the wisdom YOU need to protect YOUR future and break any destructive cycles. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

VIENNA PHARAON:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with global advisor Ram Charan on whether your career and lifestyle are at risk from China’s “90% Strategy”. Ram Charan has been a foundational force in global business strategy for more than six decades, sought after for growth strategy and advice by CEOs including Jeff Bezos and more. Widely recognized as the advisor who tells you what you need to hear—not what you want to hear—Ram joins us for his sixth appearance to deliver a message essential for every leader, entrepreneur and citizen. The focus of this episode is on Ram’s new work, China’s 90% Model: China Has America by the Throat: Here’s How to Fight Back and Win. In this book, Ram offers a profound analysis of a systematic strategy of industrial dominance that is fundamentally reshaping the global order. This is not just a conversation about market competition; it is a look at the very survival of Western industrial capacity. While the subject may seem geopolitical, it is vital to understand because these are the forces putting our organizations at risk—the very factors that will shape the world that our children and grandchildren inherit. To protect our legacy and guide the next generation, we must see the road ahead with absolute clarity. This episode exposes the wisdom you need to protect the road ahead, your future.    LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

RAM CHARAN:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Shirin Behzadi, author of The Unexpected CEO and an extraordinary leader who has lived what many would call three lifetimes in one. Shirin’s journey is a masterclass in perseverance, resiliance and what some would describe as anti-fragility. She rose from being alone, as an 18-year-old immigrant, working behind bulletproof glass as an all-night gas station cashier, to becoming the CEO of a billion-dollar home improvement franchise network. Along the way, she navigated a high-stakes, nine-figure private equity exit and overcame a life-threatening health crisis—a brain tumor—that forced her to redefine everything she knew about leadership. In this episode we dive deep into why your point of view—not your ability—is often your greatest limitation and how to transform adversity into your ultimate competitive advantage.  

LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

Key Wisdom from this Episode includes:

SHIRIN BEHZADI:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks withAndy Beckstoffer, named “the most powerful grapegrower by Wall Street Journal and the Wine Spectator. Few people have played a more pivotal, pioneering role in Napa Valley’s evolution into a world class wine region than Andy Beckstoffer, who owns Beckstoffer Vineyards. Beckstoffer Vineyards includes six Napa “Heritage sites” which consistently produce some of the best wines in the world, being awarded 100 point scores year after year. Perhaps most notably, Andy introduced an innovative and radical new grape pricing structure in 1976, which created a major and lasting shift in how the California wine industry views the importance of wine growers and grape quality. The Wall Street Journal and the Wine Spectator have both named Andy Beckstoffer the “Most Powerful Grapegrower.”  In 1975, at age 35, Andy was a founding Director and the second President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association. He and his wife of 60 years, Betty Beckstoffer, were honored as St. Helena’s “Citizens of the Year” and Andy has been named Grower of the Year three times, by three different organizations. He was also named Agriculturalist of the Year twice. In 2007, Andy received the Wine Industry Leadership Award, the first ever United States Congressional Wine Caucus Commendation, and in 2010, he was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame.   LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

SHOW NOTES:

ANDY BECKSTOFFER:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Dr. Eswar Prasad, a Professor of Economics at Cornell, a senior fellow at Brookings, and the former head of the IMF’s China division, to discuss his book The Future of Money: How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Currencies and Finance, which was chosen as a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, The Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, ProMarket, and The Week. In The Future of Money, Dr. Prasad argues that we are at an inflection point where technology is redefining what money is, who issues it, and how it moves—pushing us toward a world with less physical cash, and an ecosystem of fintech and crypto innovations that will reshape everything from household payments to the global monetary order.  LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

ESWAR S. PRASAD:

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Rusty Gaillard, a man who built one of the quintessential “A-student” careers of our time: Princeton engineering, GE under Jack Welch, an MBA from Stanford, and ultimately 14 years at Apple, where he served as Worldwide Director of Finance. By any external measure, he had “made it”. But internally, Rusty hit a wall — a wall many high achievers eventually reach. That crisis led to deep introspection, divorce, reinvention, and ultimately the insights behind his book, Breaking the Code: Stop Looking for Answers and Start Enjoying Life — a guide to upgrading what he calls your code or your “InnerTech,” the internal operating system that shapes your life. Rusty eventually left Apple to become a transformational executive coach, helping leaders navigate transitions and create meaningful, sustainable success. In this episode, they explore what drove Rusty to the breaking point, how he rebuilt his life, and what he has learned coaching others through change. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

RUSTY GAILLARD:

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Thom Weisel, a guest whose influence has not only shaped companies, but also culture. A financier and sports leader, Weisel is both Senior Managing Director and a Director of Stifel, a diversified global wealth management and investment banking company. Previously Thom was Chairman and CEO of Thomas Weisel Partners Group, Inc. and Montgomery Securities, one of Silicon Valley’s famed “Four Horsemen”. Thom helped build the financial infrastructure that fueled Silicon Valley’s explosive rise, often referred to as “Wall Street West”. He led the financings behind companies that transformed medicine, semiconductors, and the internet itself. In addition, Weisel was responsible for raising the iconic KLEINER PERKINS’ first venture fund. Along the way, he also exercised his leadership skills toward something entirely different and arguably just as consequential: rebuilding the governance and funding models behind U.S. skiing and U.S. cycling—helping save those sports and elevate American athletes on the world stage. Growing up, Weisel was a five-time U.S. National Junior Champion in Speed Skating, ranked Third in the 1959 U.S. Olympic Trials for the 500 meter in Speed Skating. He remained athletically active the rest of his life, including ranking Third overall in the 1982 U.S. National Master Alpine Championship, in ’85 he launched the Montgomery Cycling Team, four years later he won 2 Gold Medals in 1989 Cycling Kilo & Sprint in the World Master Games in Finland, the following two years he picked up 5 more Gold Medals and a 6th Gold in World Cup Masters Cycling in Kilo in 1991, the same year he was named Masters Athlete of the Year for U.S. Cycling. In 1999, he received the U.S. Ski Association Julius Blegen Award, its highest honor… his athletic achievements continued and in 2018 he was inducted in the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame…. all while pursuing advanced college degrees and innovative business building and exceptional entrepreneurial leadership. Thom Weisel’s is a story of ambition and resilience; of building institutions, losing them, and building again. It’s about competition, yes…but it is also about patience, stewardship, and meaning. LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don’t miss an episode!

THOM WEISEL:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Patrick McGee, author of the best-selling book Apple in China, who tells a riveting story about how Apple almost single-handedly built the advanced electronics industry in China only to find itself trapped in a relationship with an authoritarian state making ever-increasing demands, and giving Beijing power that could be weaponized. Even though China’s immense domestic market is hard to resist, this is a cautionary tale for listeners thinking about doing business in China and helps explain how China made progress competing against American tech companies so quickly.   Patrick was the Financial Times’ principal Apple reporter from 2019 to 2023, where he won a San Francisco Press Club Award for his coverage. He joined the newspaper in 2013, in Hong Kong, before reporting from Germany and California. Previously, he was a bond reporter at The Wall Street Journal. He has a master’s degree in global diplomacy from SOAS at the University of London, and a degree in religious studies from the University of Toronto.  Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here!

PATRICK McGEE: