Health matters too – The Mentors Radio

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 Robert Spetzler, M.D., a world-renown neurosurgeon specializing in cerebrovascular disease and skull base tumors. He served as the J.N. Harber Chairman Emeritus of Neurological Surgery, and Director Emeritus, as well as President and CEO Emeritus, of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Under Dr. Spetzler’s leadership, the Institute grew from a regional center to a global destination for the treatment, education, and research of neurological conditions. He is also emeritus chair of neurosurgery at the Phoenix campus of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Spetzler was involved in pioneering the technique of hypothermia and cardiac arrest (‘cardiac standstill’) for the treatment of difficult brain lesions, which, as he explains, “has allowed us to treat patients who otherwise had absolutely no other option.” He performed more than 6,000 aneurysm surgeries during his career, treating some of the most complex cases in the world. Just over 100 of those patients underwent cardiac standstill. Dr. Spetzler’s desire to pursue a medical career, and to treat all—especially patients—with dignity, took root when he was age 5, when he had contracted tetanus from a rusty nail. Tetanus at the time was usually fatal. In the middle of the night his parents rushed him to the hospital, doing what they could to make sure he stayed awake on the way (to avoid falling into a tetany attack). At the hospital, he became one of the first people to receive a new drug, penicillin, which saved his life. Later, during a medical teaching presentation of his case, with the young Spetzler included in the presentation, the doctor failed to treat his young patient with even the slightest degree of dignity. Dr. Spetzler never forgot what that felt like and treating others, especially his patients, with dignity remained first and foremost the rest of his life, including in his practice and in his leadership. Honored many times by professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, in 1994, Dr. Spetzler was chosen to be the Honored Guest of Congress of Neurological Surgeons. At age 49, he was the youngest recipient of this prestigious honor. Five years later, he received the Herbert Olivcrona Award (the “Nobel Prize of Neurosurgery”), among many other awards listed in his biography. Born in Stierhoefstetten, Germany, Dr. Spetzler moved with his family to the United States at the age of 11. He received his B.S. from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his doctorate of medicine from Northwestern Medical School in Chicago. His postgraduate training was completed at Wesley Memorial Hospital, Northwestern in Chicago. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He received board certification in September 1979 from the American Board of Neurological Surgery. In 1983 Dr. Spetzler left his position as associate professor of neurosurgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland to assume a position as chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. He served as president and CEO of Barrow from 1986 to 2017. Also a prolific writer, Dr. Spetzler has published more than 300 articles and 180 book chapters and has co-edited multiple neurosurgical textbooks, including The Color Atlas of Microneurosurgery (2000).  

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!

ROBERT F. SPETZLER, M.D.

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 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 Dan Hesse talks with Sahil Bloom, author of The 5 Types of Wealth—A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life to describe how important Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial wealth are to leading one’s dream life, and how important it is not to sacrifice one kind of wealth in pursuit of another.  In addition to his debut book, Sahill captivates millions of people every week through his insights and biweekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle. Sahil is a successful entrepreneur and the managing partner of SRB Ventures, an early-stage investment fund. He holds bachelors and masters degrees from Stanford University, where he was a four-year member of the baseball team.

SAHIL BLOOM:

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse discusses the AI spectrum with Nick Thompson, who is the host of “The Most Interesting Thing in AI” podcast and CEO of The Atlantic magazine. Thompson also discusses his just-released book The Running Ground, where Nick, the #1 long distance runner in the world at his age, tells the story of how running both bonded him with, but also kept him from becoming, his father. Nick was previously the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and editor of NewYorker.com. In addition to being a successful CEO, husband and father, Nick set the U.S. record at 50-Kilometers in the Over 45 age group and this year became the top-ranked runner in the world for his age group in the 50-Mile distance. 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!

Nick Thompson:

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Daniel Levintin, PhD, a neuroscientist, cognitive psychologist, musician and best-selling author whose newest book, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, explores how music changes the brain, strengthens memory and restores joy. Dr. Levitin’s research explains why that happens. He’s a Founding Dean of Arts and Humanities at Minerva University in San Francisco, James McGill Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal, and the author of ten acclaimed books, including This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind. Before turning to science, he spent years as a studio musician and producer, working with artists like Sting, Joni Mitchell, and Steely Dan—so he understands music from the inside out. Today, we’ll explore why music is remembered when everything else fades, how it reduces pain and loneliness, and how we can use it as a form of service — to comfort others, strengthen connection, and even rediscover ourselves. 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!

DANIEL LEVITIN:

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ed Kopetsky, retired and award-winning Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Stanford Health’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford’s Children’s Health. Kopetsky now focuses on mentoring families whose lives have been turned upside down due to drug addiction. In 2017, Kopetsky tragically lost his 31-year-old son to an opiod overdose. In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Ed shares 17 years of frontline experience, including invaluable insights on addressing addiction within families and communities. “There is no one I know who is better to provide guidance on dealing with addiction within a family than Ed,” says host Tom Loarie. Kopetsky has served as the Board Chair for the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and he is the founder and serves today as the Co-Chair of the CHIME Opiod Task Force. He was awarded the John Gall “CIO of the Year Award” by CHIME and HIMSS. CHIME CEO Russell Branzell describes Ed Kopetsy as “one of the most courageous people I know.” HIMSS CEO Hal Wolf adds that Kopetsky “epitomizes values and traits all in health strive to achieve.” This episode showcases the epitomy of ethical leadership and human compassion, honed from deeply held principles and clear leadership that transforms lives, companies, families and communities. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here! We are always grateful for your review on Spotify and Apple podcasts, which helps us reach even more people!!

ED KOPETSKY:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Mai Nguyen, PhD, the remarkable 36-year-old neuroscientist who is the co-founder and CEO of OptoCeutics and the inventor of EVY LIGHT®, a breakthrough light-based therapy aimed at slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders. Her journey is anything but ordinary. Born in Vietnam, raised in California as the youngest of nine children in a struggling family, she spent her childhood at a local Flea Market and then went on to earn a PhD in neuroscience. But it was a “chance” conversation with a Danish professor that changed her life, and quite likely the lives of millions who will benefit from her decision. In this episode, you’ll explore the science behind Dr. Mai Nguyen’s light therapy innovation, her deeply personal and unlikely entrepreneurial journey and the powerful values that have guided her. This is a conversation about courage, healing and what it means to be a leader with heart and grit.  Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here! Of course, we are always grateful for your 5-star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts, which helps us reach even more people!!

MAI NGUYEN, Ph.D.:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, host Tom Loarie talks with Justin Stebbing, M.D., a London-based, world-renown scientist, cancer researcher, medical journal editor and author. Dr. Stebbing talks about the excitement and rewards of a STEM career, the life of a scientist, and about his own journey to becoming a world-renown clinician and scientist. He also about the tremendous wonder of discovering improved therapies for cancer and for treating covid. Professor Justin Stebbing, M.D., is also a professor of biomedical sciences at ARU, Cambridge, and a visiting professor at Imperial College where he has an active and widely known translational laboratory. He is the author of more than 700 peer-reviewed papers published in The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine and elsewhere. Dr. Stebbing is the co-chief editor of Oncogene and author of the book, Witness to Covid. Find Show Notes below. Listen to this episode below and on ANY podcast platform (from Apple to Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, etc) by typing in “THE MENTORS RADIO” … even easier, Subscribe HERE to listen on any podcast platform!!!

JUSTIN STEBBING, M.D.: