Going Deep with Aaron Watson

Kelauni Cook transformed her life by learning to code. She came to Pittsburgh to attend a 12-week coding bootcamp called The Academy.

Now, she heads Black Tech Nation and is developing on the Ethereum network. We discussed race and access in tech. We also profiled her story and eclectic collection of job titles. Kelauni grew up in Chicago and attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., before moving to North Dakota, where she studied to get into a program for sociocultural anthropology.

We end up talking about blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.

Kelauni’s Challenge; Invest in Bitcoin!

Mentioned

Blockchain TED Talks

If you liked this interview, check out my previous episode 195 with Felix Hartmann or any of my blockchain related interviews.

Taylor Monahan is building MyEtherWallet, an open-source, client-side interface for generating Ethereum wallets & more. Her technology is making it easier to interact with the Ethereum blockchain securely.

We had a great discussion about ICOs, early stages of learning about blockchain, and how to stay secure in the Wild West of crypto.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh.

Taylor’s Challenge; Don’t be dismissive of someone asking for help. Self-awareness will make this easier.

If you liked this interview, check out all of my interviews with people building the future of blockchain technology projects.

Since 2007, Audrey Russo has served the technology business sector for southwestern PA as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the oldest and largest technology trade association in North America.

With a background in information technology, operations and finance, Audrey facilitates interaction across all sectors of the regional economy, which she believes will only succeed and grow through technology innovation and commercialized disruptions across every platform and experience.

She previously worked for large multinational Fortune 500 companies (Alcoa, Reynolds Metals), as well as at MAYA Design.

Russo earned her Bachelor of Science from Ohio State University. She also has a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public Affairs. Russo also co-hosts TechVibe Radio on KDKA 1020 AM Friday nights at 7 to explore technology companies and entrepreneurial issues.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.

Audrey’s Challenge; Open the door for someone else to get a customer. Use your contacts, influence, and buying power to make a meaningful difference for someone’s business.

Books Mentioned

Nudge by Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Ayn Rand

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

1984 by George Orwell

Remaking Post-Industrial Cities: Lessons from North America and Europe by Donald K. Carter

CEO Steven Clausnitzer, prior to Forever Labs, spent 15 years mentoring and developing top-talent at fortune 500 companies including American Express and Wolters Kluwer. He has extensive experience in strategic growth, commercialization, and team leadership.

Dr. Mark Katakowski received his Ph.D. in Medical Physics from Oakland University. He has over 15 years experience investigating bone mesenchymal stem cell therapies for neurological disease, and an extensive scientific publication record.

Dr. Katakowski was first to demonstrate that microRNA functions as an intercellular communication molecule between brain tumor cells. This work led to his finding that bone marrow MSCs communicate with the nervous system via blood-born exosomes. Dr. Katakowski's hypothesis that bone marrow cell degradation contributes to aging and age-related disease is the founding principle of Forever Labs.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.

Steven’s Challenge; Find someone over the age of 70 and ask them if they’d be interested in accessing their 35 year old biology.

Mark’s Challenge; Be mindful of your physical existence and your body’s natural processes.

Tren has studied the most successful people on Earth and distilled their wisdom into a new book. I love reading his blog posts and his commitment to concise communication.

Tren Griffin is an executive at Microsoft. Before joining Microsoft, Tren was a partner at the private equity firm Eagle River which makes investments telecommunications businesses and startups. He previously worked as a consultant in Australia and Korea. He writes a weekly blog and has published 7 books.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.

Tren’s Challenge; Study Charlie Munger and be a learning machine. Any year that you don’t reject a view you held, is a wasted year.

Tren’s Book

A Dozen Lessons for Entrepreneurs by Tren Griffin

Connect with Tren

Twitter

Website

If you liked this interview, check out previous episodes with Wealthfront founder Andy Rachleff  and Li Jiang, and angel investor and venture capitalist.

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So excited to share this mix with you. Totally Normal is a young DJ on the rise in the Pittsburgh scene.

Make sure to stick around to the end for our interview about his development as an artist.

Connect with Totally Normal

Soundcloud

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

If you liked this interview, check out the last time we went in the mix, featuring DJ JRod.

Amy‘s dating app, MeetMindful, has almost 1 million members. It is one of the fastest growing dating sites in the world, and is connecting like-minded singles interested in mindful living, health and wellness, and personal growth (unlike the typical swipe dating apps).

Based in Denver, MeetMindful is a Techstars Boulder alumni, has grown to 16 employees, and has raised $3.7 million in capital from top investors, and world-renowned mindfulness teacher, Tara Brach.

Amy's journey towards mindful living started after years of growing early-stage startups in New York. She wanted to put that same ambition and drive inwards towards herself, so she quit her job, sold all her possessions, and bought a one-way ticket to travel through India, Thailand, Bali, and Cambodia for an entire year to expand her mind, body, and spirit.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh.

Amy’s Challenge; Look up and start paying attention to the world around you. See if it makes you feel more connected to the world around you.

Books

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

Lean Startup by Eric Ries

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

Feminine Genius by LiYana Silver

Mating in Captivity & The State of Affairs by Esther Perel

Come As You Are by

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success by Jim Dethmer & Diana Chapman

Connect with Amy

2-Day Free Trial

If you liked this interview, check out my other top episodes.

Nomiku launched its first Kickstarter campaign in 2012 after Lisa and Abe Fetterman, Nomiku co-founders, decided to create their own sous vide machine that was affordable, well-designed, and powerful. Nomiku had a total of two successful Kickstarter campaigns raising over $1.3 million and are proud to manufacture our product locally in San Francisco.

Sous vide technology, before Nomiku came along, was expensive and unwieldy, which in itself made it very limiting to who could actually experience sous vide. Only those who could afford to the tech could replicate their experiences at the restaurants at home, and even then, they had to work with industrial grade equipment that was unnecessary for home use. And those who couldn’t afford the tech - which was upwards of $1,000 at the time - would only be able to enjoy sous vide cooking to restaurants (and only restaurants that they knew used sous vide).

Today, Nomiku has developed an easy to use and affordable product that lets anyone cook like a professional chef and experience a new way of cooking alongside a community that makes cooking better together.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.

Lisa’s Challenge; Do one small thing that pushes your company forward TODAY.

Connect with Lisa

Twitter

Instagram

Website

If you liked this interview, check out all of my top interviews.

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John Rosso is the CEO of Sandler Training by Peak Performance Management. He is recognized nationally as a business-development expert, specializing in executive-sales consulting and sales-productivity training as well as the best-selling author of Prospect The Sandler Way.  

John is a dynamic, enthusiastic speaker who informs, entertains, and motivates presidents, CEO's, other senior managers and sales professionals. More than 50,000 sales professionals have listened to John speak, and more than 95 percent rate his content and presentation of sought-after selling solutions the best they've ever heard.   His authentic, real-world approach to the sales process speaks to visionary business leaders who want the freedom success brings.

In 1994, John founded Peak Performance Management, Inc. an authorized Sandler Training Center. With 250 offices worldwide, Sandler is the global leader in sales and sales management training.

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.

John’s Challenges; 1. Be an ongoing learner. 2. Find 2 or 3 business mentors that you can talk to regularly.

Books Mentioned

To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink

Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty by Patrick Lencioni

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute

Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities by Paul Stoltz

Connect with John

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

If you liked this interview, check out the rest of my interviews with sales trainers and masters.

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Dan Munro is a writer and speaker on the topics of innovation, cybersecurity, and policy as they intersect with one of America’s largest industries – healthcare.  Starting as a Forbes Contributor in 2011, Dan has since appeared in a wide range of globally recognized publications.  

His first book was published in 2016 and he is also a Top Writer on Quora (five consecutive years).

Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.

Dan’s Book

Casino Healthcare: The Health of a Nation: America's Biggest Gamble by Dan Munro