Sharon Marcil, Managing Director, Senior Partner and North America Chair of Boston Consulting Group, formerly BCG's Chief Marketing Officer, Board Member of Duke University, named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Consultants by Consulting Magazine, former Goldman Sachs mergers and acquisitions professional, Harvard MBA and Duke economics graduate, joins Personable to reveal why getting the right answer is only where the hard work starts, what the world's biggest CEOs are actually doing with AI right now, and why culture will always eat strategy for lunch.

In this episode, Sharon opens up about why 70 percent of CEOs globally are now personally driving the AI agenda, how BCG went from 12 week diagnostic phases to days, and why the companies winning at AI are starting entirely from scratch rather than adding tools to old processes.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in consulting, leadership, AI strategy, building great culture, navigating organisations at scale, and what it really takes to drive change when the hardest part is never the answer itself.

She discusses:

◽️ Why 70 percent of CEOs are now personally driving the AI agenda and what that number actually means for every organisation

◽️ Why the companies winning at AI are rebuilding processes from scratch rather than layering tools onto what already exists

◽️ Why engaging the skeptics is the only way to know if change is actually happening and how to do it without losing the room

◽️ How to give honest feedback to the most powerful leaders in the world without damaging the relationship you spent years building

◽️ Why do something you love is the only career advice that has ever really mattered and what it looks like in practice

00:00 Introduction and Sharon Marcil background

02:30 Would she do it all again and what success looked like at 20 versus what it looks like now

07:45 Why consulting is still the right move for ambitious young people in 2026 and what AI is changing about the job

14:20 How BCG stays at the forefront of AI and what the best CEOs are doing differently right now

20:45 How the US competes with China on AI energy data centers and adoption while staying safe

27:10 What a great culture actually looks like and why grow by growing others is the principle that scales

34:50 How to advocate for yourself in high performing teams without undermining the people around you

41:30 Why getting the right answer is only where the hard work starts and what comes after

47:55 How to give honest feedback to powerful leaders and what she learned from the best mentors she ever had

54:10 Legacy what is next and one thing every listener should take away

Sharon Marcil:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonmarcil/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Scott Bok, former CEO and Chairman of Greenhill, former Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, senior business advisor to Mizuho, author of Surviving Wall Street, Wharton and Penn Law graduate, and former Chair of the UPenn Board of Trustees, joins Personable to reveal how he scaled from lawyer to CEO of one of Wall Street's most respected independent advisory firms, what it really takes to build a world class culture from scratch, and why every market crisis is actually the biggest career opportunity of your life.

In this episode, Scott opens up about turning down buyers for 25 years before selling Greenhill to Mizuho, why the underdog always has to outwork the favourite, and what four decades on Wall Street taught him about judgment that no AI will ever replicate. From the rise of investment banking out of near obscurity to the fall of Lehman Brothers, this conversation is as honest and historically rich as it gets.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in finance, investment banking, dealmaking, building a career from the ground up, and what it really takes to reach the very top of Wall Street.

He discusses:

◽️ Why doing exceptional work is always the only marketing strategy you will ever need

◽️ How he built Greenhill from a handful of people into a firm generating 20 times its original revenue

◽️ Why every financial crisis cleared the path for the biggest accelerations of his career

◽️ What AI will and will not replace in investment banking and where human judgment still wins

◽️ Why the career you can imagine at 22 is not the career you should actually want

00:00 Introduction and Scott Bok background

02:30 How he got started and what Wall Street looked like before anyone knew what it was

07:45 Moving from Morgan Stanley to Greenhill and what the brand gap really meant

14:20 Building a world class culture and why ego kills deals

20:45 AI, technology and where human judgment will always have the edge

27:10 Selling Greenhill to Mizuho and why he turned down buyers for 25 years

34:50 The five major crises, what history teaches and why downturns create the most opportunity

41:30 Skills, education and what young people actually need to build a great career

47:55 Surviving Wall Street, the book and why he decided to write it

54:10 Legacy, writing and what comes next for Scott Bok

Scott Bok:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-bok/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Michael Dempsey, Managing Partner at Compound, former analyst at Crane Partners and CB Insights, NYU graduate, and one of the most respected research driven investors in frontier technology, joins Personable to reveal how he has 5X every fund he has ever run, why he wrote the first check into Runway ML before anyone knew what it was, and how sitting out the biggest bull run in venture history in 2021 turned out to be one of the best decisions he ever made.

In this episode, Michael opens up about why he only makes six to eight investments a year and why that restraint is the entire strategy, how he called AI in 2016 when his LPs thought crypto was just for buying drugs on the internet, and why tech has gone from the coolest industry in the world to one of the most hated. From why pure capitalism is not the answer right now to why writing on the internet is the most important thing he has ever done in his career, this conversation is as intellectually sharp and honest as it gets.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in venture capital, frontier technology, AI, deep tech investing, building conviction in a noisy market, and what it really takes to back the right companies before the rest of the world catches up.

He discusses:

◽️ How he wrote the first check into Runway ML and why being early is the only edge that truly compounds over time

◽️ Why he sat out the entire 2021 bull run when every other firm was deploying at record speed and why that was the right call

◽️ How he built a research driven firm that treats thesis building as the first class citizen and why most VCs get that completely wrong

◽️ Why tech went from the coolest industry in the world to one of the most hated and what needs to change

◽️ Why writing on the internet is the most important thing he has ever done and what it has taught him about himself

00:00 Introduction and Michael Dempsey background

02:30 Why investing and how public markets shaped the way he thinks

07:45 Compound the thesis driven approach and why research is everything

14:20 How he wrote the first check into Runway ML and what he saw that others missed

20:45 Why he sat out 2021 refused to deploy and how he stayed disciplined under pressure

27:10 How VCs find edge in 2026 and why the old playbook no longer works

34:50 Ethics responsibility and why tech is becoming the most hated industry in the world

41:30 Passive investing dispersion and how retail investors should be thinking about the next decade

47:55 Why writing online is the most important thing he has ever done in his career

54:10 Legacy predictions for 2036 and one thing every listener should take away

Michael Dempsey:

◽️ Website: https://www.michaeldempsey.me

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/mhdempsey

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Kirk McKeown, former Head of Proprietary Research at Point72, former Head of Proprietary Research at Glenview Capital, analyst at Tudor Investment Corporation and Hunter Global Advisors, co-founder of Carbon Arc, and holder of degrees from Harvard and MIT, joins Personable to reveal what it actually takes to reach the top of Wall Street, why he never picked a single stock in his entire career, and why taking thousands of at bats is the only thing that separates the elite from everyone else.

In this episode, Kirk opens up about getting sober at 26 and rebuilding himself from the ground up, why knowing yourself is the only competitive advantage nobody can take away, and how he went from a chip on his shoulder kid to running proprietary research at one of the most respected hedge funds on the planet. From the democratisation of data to the fourth turning and why a recession is actually good for the world, this conversation is as intellectually sharp and honest as it gets.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in hedge funds, proprietary research, data, building a career in finance, self awareness, and what it really takes to compete at the highest level on Wall Street.

He discusses:

◽️ Why he never picked a single stock and still built one of the most respected research careers on Wall Street

◽️ How taking thousands of at bats rather than ten is the only thing that separates elite performers from everyone else

◽️ Why knowing yourself is the single competitive advantage that no technology, no AI and no competitor can ever take away

◽️ How Carbon Arc is democratising data so that small businesses can compete with the giants that have owned it for decades

◽️ Why he believes we are in a bubble right now and says if people are debating whether we are in one that confirms it

00:00 Introduction and Kirk McKeown background

02:30 What it takes to become elite and why the journey never really ends

07:45 Night vision goggles for investors and how he built his research process

14:20 Frameworks, rubrics and why multiple weak inputs beat one strong one

20:45 Self awareness, sobriety and why the best research project he ever did was himself

27:10 Work as identity, external validation and how he figured out who he actually was

34:50 Misinformation, the fourth turning and how to be a critical consumer of information

41:30 Carbon Arc, data sovereignty and democratising decisioning for small businesses

47:55 Bubbles, recessions and why weaker hands need to be shaken out

54:10 The one competitive advantage nobody can ever take away

Kirk McKeown:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-mckeown-400607214/Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Rob Carver, former Head of Fixed Income at AHL Man Group, independent systematic futures trader, visiting lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, research advisor to Stylus Capital, and author of Systematic Trading, Smart Portfolios and Leveraged Trading, joins Personable to reveal how AHL made a billion dollars in a single day during the 2008 financial crisis without changing a single line of code, why he walked away from managing billions to walk his daughter to school every day, and why almost everyone giving you trading advice online has a financial reason to lie to you.

In this episode, Rob opens up about why he trusts his system enough to not check his PNL for an entire month, how human psychology creates the exact conditions that make momentum trading work, and why the best trading decision he ever made was to stop making decisions himself.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in systematic trading, quantitative finance, building robust systems, understanding markets, and what it really takes to compete at the highest level and then walk away from it all.

He discusses:

◽️ How AHL made a billion dollars in a single day during the 2008 crisis by doing absolutely nothing and letting its system run

◽️ Why almost everyone giving trading advice online has a financial incentive to make you trade more and lose more

◽️ How human psychology creates the exact market conditions that systematic momentum strategies are designed to exploit

◽️ Why he walked away from managing billions at Man Group and what success actually meant to him by the end

◽️ Why the simplest trading system possible still works and what that says about markets and human nature

00:00 Introduction and Rob Carver background

02:30 What it takes to compete at the highest level of quantitative hedge funds

07:45 High frequency trading versus systematic slow trading and why the two worlds are completely different

14:20 Market manipulation spoofing and where the line between edge and illegal actually sits

20:45 How he built a system he trusts enough to not check his PNL for a month

27:10 The 2008 crisis making a billion dollars in a day and why the system did not care

34:50 How human psychology creates the conditions that make momentum trading work

41:30 Why he walked away from Man Group and what his father taught him about success

47:55 How quantitative finance changes the way you see uncertainty in every area of life

54:10 Legacy writing teaching and one thing every listener should take away

Rob Carver:

◽️ Website: https://www.systematicmoney.org

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/investingidiocy

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-stuart-carver/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Joseph Mezrich, founder of Metafoura, former Managing Director and Head of Quantitative Equity Research at Nomura, former Managing Director and Head of US Quantitative and Derivatives Research at UBS, former Head of Quantitative Strategies at Morgan Stanley, former Deputy Head of Equity Portfolio Analytics at Salomon Brothers, and holder of a PhD in Mathematical Psychology and degrees from Michigan and MIT, joins Personable to reveal why AI can give you the answer but never the understanding, what four decades on Wall Street taught him about uncertainty, and why the models always break eventually and what you do when they do.

In this episode, Joe opens up about publishing one of the earliest applications of machine learning in finance in 1994 when nobody else was even thinking about it, what the culture of Salomon Brothers was really like from the inside, and why humility is still the most important tool any quantitative researcher can have.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in quantitative finance, machine learning, AI, Wall Street culture, building edge in markets, and what it really takes to spend four decades at the frontier of financial research.

He discusses:

◽️ Why AI can give you the answer but cannot give you the understanding and why that gap will define the next decade of finance

◽️ How he published one of the first machine learning papers in finance in 1994 and what he sees coming now

◽️ Why the models always break eventually and what you need to have in place for when they do

◽️ What the culture of Salomon Brothers was really like and why nothing on Wall Street has been quite like it since

◽️ Why uncertainty is the central feature of life and how quantitative thinking teaches you to navigate it

00:00 Introduction and Joseph Mezrich background

02:30 Why he left science for Wall Street and what he found when he got there

07:45 The culture of Salomon Brothers and what made it unlike anywhere else on Wall Street

14:20 How quant finance has evolved and where the crowd is not going right now

20:45 Why AI can give you the answer but not the understanding and what that means for finance

27:10 How to build models that survive black swan events and what the 2007 quant crisis taught him

34:50 How quantitative thinking changes the way you see uncertainty in every area of life

41:30 Government regulation AI safety and why the question nobody is answering is the most important one

47:55 Metafoura what he is building and why he started it after four decades on Wall Street

54:10 The wow factor legacy and one thing every listener should take away

Joseph Mezrich:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-mezrich-5248b76/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donatePersonable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Alex Monahan, former quantitative trader at Susquehanna International Group, Stanford graduate, and founder of OddsJam, joins Personable to reveal how he walked away from one of the most prestigious quant firms in the world, turned a sports betting edge into the Bloomberg Terminal for sports betting, and sold it for $160M at just 28 years old.

In this episode, Alex opens up about what SIG taught him about markets and edge that nobody else was teaching, why sports betting is one of the only remaining markets where an individual can genuinely beat the house, and why risk is almost always overestimated in your head. From bootstrapping OddsJam from zero to why he now visits college campuses and helps the next generation of founders build what he built, this conversation is as honest and practically useful as it gets.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, quant trading, sports betting, building a personal brand, finding product market fit, and what it really takes to go from a corporate job to a nine figure exit before 30.

He discusses:

◽️ How he used everything he learned at SIG to turn a sports betting edge into a $160M company

◽️ Why sports betting is one of the only markets left where an individual can genuinely get a mathematical edge

◽️ How he bootstrapped OddsJam from zero to a $160M acquisition in just four years with no outside investment

◽️ Why risk is almost always overestimated in your brain and what that is costing you right now

◽️ Why building a personal brand before you launch your business is no longer optional it is the only edge that scales

00:00 Introduction and Alex Monahan background

02:30 Why he left SIG and what made him bet everything on OddsJam

07:45 The math behind sports betting and why most people lose for the wrong reasons

14:20 Building OddsJam from zero product market fit content and the first customers

20:45 Personal brand social media and why he wishes he had started posting in college

27:10 What makes the best founders and why risk is almost always overestimated

34:50 The $160M sale to Gambling.com what he learned and why he walked away

41:30 AI edge in quant and betting and how non technical people can still compete

47:55 What is next campus tours mentoring and why he cannot stop working

54:10 Legacy purpose and one thing every listener should do before this episode ends

Alex Monahan:

◽️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexmonahan

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/Amonahan

◽️ OddsJam: https://oddsjam.com/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Emmet Savage, Chief Investor and Co-Founder of MyWallSt, joins Personable to reveal the common set of rules he discovered after the dot com crash wiped him out, how he went on to generate returns of 57,000% on Netflix and 250 fold on Tesla, and why the six golden rules shared by every great investor in history are embarrassingly simple and almost nobody follows them.

In this episode, Emmet opens up about watching Dell grow 1,600 fold and dedicating his life to finding the next one, why the dot com crash was the best thing that ever happened to him, and how a phone call from Australia in 1963 started a lifelong obsession with stock investing that changed everything. From why inertia is the biggest enemy of every investor to where the returns of the next decade actually lie, this conversation is as honest and practically useful as it gets.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in stock investing, building long term wealth, understanding the stock market, avoiding common mistakes, and what it really takes to generate life changing returns over time.

He discusses:

◽️ The six golden rules shared by every consistently successful investor and why most people break all of them

◽️ How the dot com crash wiped him out and sent him on a mission to read every investing book ever written

◽️ Why he has held Netflix for 25 years and is up 57,000% and still has no plans to sell

◽️ The biggest mistakes young investors make and the simple mindset shift that changes everything

◽️ Where the returns of the next 10 years actually lie and what AI means for the future of investing

00:00 Introduction and Emmet Savage background

02:30 A phone call from Australia in 1963 and how a family missed a life changing investment

07:45 The dot com crash, Dell growing 1600 fold and the obsession that followed

14:20 The six golden rules every great investor shares and how to apply them today

20:45 Index funds versus picking stocks and how to know which is right for you

27:10 Buy what you believe in and why young people have an edge Wall Street does not

34:50 AI, the Blue Ocean Strategy and how MyWallSt found a method returning 19.8% per year

41:30 The Magnificent Seven, SpaceX and where the next decade of returns actually lies

47:55 Why winners will win and the biggest mistake investors make is selling them too early

54:10 Legacy, music and one thing every listener should do before this episode ends

Emmet Savage:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmet-savage-7438203/

◽️ MyWallSt: https://mywallst.com/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

John Fareed, Global Chairman of Horwath HTL, former professional magician, former Marine, and author of From Invisible to Icon, joins Personable to reveal how he went from growing up on food stamps in a small town in Georgia to advising some of the wealthiest individuals on the planet, why being interested will always beat being interesting, and what three completely different careers taught him about preparation, recovery and building relationships that last.

In this episode, John opens up about performing magic on stage to thousands of people, what the Marines taught him about discipline and commitment, and why your personal brand already exists whether you manage it or not. From working with billionaires to recovering from a dead bird on stage, this conversation is as honest and wide ranging as it gets.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in personal branding, building relationships at the highest level, hospitality and leisure consulting, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself again and again across an entire career.

He discusses:

◽️ Why being interested in others will always outperform trying to be the most interesting person in the room

◽️ How he went from food stamps in rural Georgia to advising billionaires across the globe

◽️ Why your personal brand already exists and what happens when you do not manage it yourself

◽️ What the Marines and professional magic taught him about preparation, recovery and reading the room

◽️ Why being open to everything around you is the single greatest competitive advantage you can have

00:00 Introduction and John Fareed background

02:30 Growing up in rural Georgia, the dream of magic and how it all began

07:45 What magic teaches you about preparation, connection and leaving them wanting more

14:20 Reading the room, recovering from mistakes and why entertainment beats perfection

20:45 The Marines, his grandfather and why he made one of the biggest commitments of his life

27:10 Graduate jobs, big dreams and how to take the first step toward what you actually want

34:50 Horwath HTL, billionaire clients and how to build trust at the highest level

41:30 Economic uncertainty, the hotel industry and how to advise clients when everything is on fire

47:55 From Invisible to Icon, personal branding and why everyone already has one

54:10 Legacy, openness and one thing every listener should take away

John Fareed:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfareed/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/

Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Dave Kitson, former Premier League striker with over 400 professional appearances, anonymous author behind The Secret Footballer, the groundbreaking Guardian column and bestselling books that exposed the realities of elite football, twice named Reading Player of the Year, 5.5 million pound club record signing for Stoke City, and now motivational speaker and manager of Maidenhead United Women, joins Personable to reveal how he went from playing pub football at 18 to the Premier League, what he really saw from inside the dressing room, and why culture is the only thing that truly separates great teams from average ones.

In this episode, Dave opens up about why he scored 22 goals for Reading and said he should have stopped right there, what the Secret Footballer column taught him about the realities of elite sport that nobody talks about publicly, and why the average manager lasting 14 months is destroying the culture of English football from the inside out.

This is an essential listen for anyone interested in football, elite sport, leadership, building culture, management, mental health in sport, and what it really takes to get the best out of people when the pressure is on.

He discusses:

◽️ How he went from a pub team at 18 to a 5.5 million pound Premier League transfer and what it really cost him

◽️ Why over 90 percent of academy players never make it and what nobody tells them before they drop out

◽️ Why the best culture cannot be written down and how you always know it when you see it

◽️ How Brentford are consistently beating clubs with ten times their budget and why most clubs will never understand how

◽️ Why effort always beats talent when the culture gets it right and what that looks like in practice

00:00 Introduction and Dave Kitson background

02:30 From pub football to the Premier League and why the level hit him like a slap in the face

07:45 Reading versus Stoke why culture made all the difference and what he lost when he left

14:20 Why the average manager lasts 14 months and what that does to every player around them

20:45 Brentford Brighton and the moneyball approach that is quietly changing English football

27:10 How to build a culture that wins when you have nothing and why most clubs get it completely wrong

34:50 The Secret Footballer what he saw from inside the dressing room and why he finally revealed himself

41:30 Mental health in elite sport the harsh realities and what clubs are still getting badly wrong

47:55 Maidenhead United Women building culture without wages and why not one player has left

54:10 Mentors leadership and one thing every listener should take away

Dave Kitson:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-kitson-54ab75202/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith

◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_

◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/Personable Podcast:

◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast

◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast

◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips

◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api

◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:

◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.