Drew is Co-Founder and CEO at Acorn Biolabs.  He has a diverse background including biomedical engineering and molecular biology, healthcare venture investing, and professional athletics. He attended the University of Michigan where he did his bachelor's and also his Masters in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology, where he also played baseball.    

He then completed his PhD with the University of Toronto in Biomedical Engineering while playing professional minor league baseball as a pitcher for both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies.   

Acorn is a Toronto-based healthcare technology company focused on giving everyone access to the future of cell-based medicine with the world’s first non-invasive follicle-based cell collection and cryopreservation service. Acorn's services are offered directly to consumers via at-home and in-clinic collections, with availability across Canada through our network of clinic and pharmacy partners. It also offers cell banking services as a part of employee benefits programs for a growing list of businesses and organizations.  

Some of the things we discuss in this episode: 

- Drew's early life and baseball career 

- The influence his dad as an MLB player had on Drew's baseball career 

- How Drew managed to complete his PhD while playing for the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies 

- How Drew hires and manages his team as a CEO 

- How he founded Acorn and how it's changing the landscape for future medicine

🏈 WEBSITE 🏈 http://tanvirbhangoo.com/

🎙PODCAST🎙 https://tanvirbhangoo.com/podcast/

Let's Connect:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tanvir.bhangoo/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanvirbhangoo/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tanvirbhangoo

What do you ask in your interviews? 

Tell me about your accomplishments?   

or  

How would you solve this problem?  

In a world full of change, disruption, and skills commoditization, we as leaders must hire for potential and adaptability, maybe even more so than past success.

How do you remove chaos from a fast-paced business? You look inwards. 

Here's a short video from our CEO on how your processes and teams can make a fast-paced environment more balanced.

Lauren Lee is a VP at JPMorgan Asset Management and a former NCAA Field Hockey Player.  

A tech innovation, transformations, and operations leader, Lauren is motivated by data-driven decisions that enable businesses to run more efficiently, reliably, and sustainably. Lauren focused on strategy and transformation, including regional and global target operating models, large-scale technology innovation, and industry change.  

Prior to JP Morgan Asset Management, Lauren was a VP at Goldman Sachs.   

In this episode, we discuss:         

- Why Lauren chose field hockey as her favourite sport coming out of high school        

- How she made the decision to choose Hofstra University when deciding on her NCAA playing career         

- Why Lauren believes digital transformations are all about people         

- One trick we can all use when we feel like not giving our best in a certain role         

- How Lauren hires her team in a large organization        

- And one thing every executive can do to come out of this pandemic stronger

🏈 WEBSITE 🏈 http://tanvirbhangoo.com/

🎙PODCAST🎙 https://tanvirbhangoo.com/podcast/

Let's Connect:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tanvir.bhangoo/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanvirbhangoo/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tanvirbhangoo

Fast Pace and Chaos are not the same.  

Tanvir walks through competitive rivalry as a driver of chaos, and how leaders can still move fast without sacrificing balance.

Fast-Paced and Chaos are not the same thing.  

Chaotic environments are usually fast-paced, but not all fast-paced environments need to be chaotic.  

Speed and chaos are a result of, and can be controlled by addressing:  

1- The Customer: A highly volatile environment with fickle customers  

2- Competitive and Industry environment: A disruptive environment with the threat of new entrants  

3- Internal Process: Subpar internal response and gaps in operations from a company standpoint   

🏈 WEBSITE 🏈 http://tanvirbhangoo.com/  

🎙PODCAST🎙 https://tanvirbhangoo.com/podcast/  

Let's Connect:  

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tanvir.bhangoo/  

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanvirbhangoo/  

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tanvirbhangoo

Alan Stein Jr. teaches proven strategies to improve organizational performance, create effective leadership, increase team cohesion and collaboration, and develop winning mindsets, rituals, and routines.  

A successful business owner and veteran basketball performance coach, he spent 15 years working with the highest-performing athletes on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant).   

In this episode, we discuss:          

- Alan's upbringing and the key ingredients that built his value system over the years         

- How he found a niche in performance coaching and worked with superstars such as Kevin Durant and Steph Curry         

- Importance of positive self-talk and advice on dealing with self-doubt         

- How we as leaders must separate the results from the process and be objective         

- How to deal with failure in your journey         

- What you can learn about enabling teams from the sport of basketball

🏈 WEBSITE 🏈 http://tanvirbhangoo.com/

🎙PODCAST🎙 https://tanvirbhangoo.com/podcast/

Let's Connect:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tanvir.bhangoo/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanvirbhangoo/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tanvirbhangoo

In the world of chaos and ever-changing environments, how can we as leaders of tomorrow take ourselves and our teams to new heights? Focus on the promise lands.  

Here's a short story about a coach and a team that turned around their performance because they simply set their eyes on the peak of the mountain. It's all about where you want to go, not where you are today. 

[Music provided by bensound.com]  

🏈 WEBSITE 🏈 http://tanvirbhangoo.com/​ 

🎙PODCAST🎙 https://tanvirbhangoo.com/podcast/​ 

Let's Connect:  

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tanvir.bhangoo/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanvirbhangoo/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tanvirbhangoo

Everyone has become "digital-first," and the playing field is leveled, tech continues to grow exponentially.

Consumer demands continue to rise. 

AI continues to commoditize tech and skill-set. 

What does the future of digital transformations entail?  

It's about constant change and people-first leadership.  

[Music provided by bensound.com]  

🏈 WEBSITE 🏈 http://tanvirbhangoo.com/

🎙PODCAST🎙 https://tanvirbhangoo.com/podcast/

Let's Connect:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tanvir.bhangoo/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanvirbhangoo/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tanvirbhangoo

Kyle Blaney is a professional ice hockey player, who most recently played for the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL. He is a graduate of Ryerson University where he played 4 seasons in the CIS. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

- His younger years growing up playing hockey and some street hockey stories 

- How Kyle was cut 3 times from 3 different teams, and always found a way to battle every single time and become a leading goal scorer 

- Lessons Kyle learned when he found himself in the face of adversity 

- Why setting goals and being vocal about them will boost your performance 

- The influence Kyle's family and support system have had on his career

🏈 WEBSITE 🏈 http://tanvirbhangoo.com/

🎙PODCAST🎙 https://tanvirbhangoo.com/podcast/

Let's Connect:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tanvir.bhangoo/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanvirbhangoo/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tanvirbhangoo