Straight to It

In this episode, I interview Barrington Irving, pilot and Founder of Experience Aviation and The Flying Classroom. Barrington became the youngest person and first African-American to fly around the world solo. Barrington flew 30,000 miles around the globe, with 27 stops, moving through monsoons, blizzards and sandstorms in a single-engine plane. He went on to start Experience Aviation and The Flying Classroom, programs dedicated to helping teens get interested in STEM by doing exciting projects like building an airplane or a race car. We discuss his legendary flight, how he makes STEM fun for young people and what he hopes his legacy will be.

In this episode, I interview Nancy Coupal, founder of Coupa Café. Nancy moved with her family from Venezuela to Palo Alto, and saw the need for an authentic, delicious café. Coupa has become a Palo Alto institution, with nine locations (and appearances in The Social Network, The Dropout and 60 Minutes). We discuss Nancy's story, what it takes to run a successful café and why Coupa is so iconic. I loved speaking with Nancy and hope you enjoy the episode.

In this episode, I interview Sunny Vanderbeck, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Satori Capital. Sunny Vanderbeck and his partner Randy Eisenman founded Satori in 2008. Satori invests into companies with outstanding leadership and sustainability practices. After serving as an Army Ranger, Sunny founded his own company, Data Return, one of the first web hosting businesses, and led the company to a highly successful IPO. We speak about Satori's purpose, why companies that are sustainable and treat employees well do better, and his highest hopes for Satori in 20+ years. I truly enjoyed speaking with Sunny - and I hope you enjoy the episode.

In this episode, I interview Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, a company dedicated to keeping man's best friend around for longer. Loyal is developing drugs to slow aging in large and small dogs, and has done a number of pilot studies. They aim to release their first drug in 2025. Celine studied Neuroscience at UT Austin and the health economics of gene therapy at Oxford. We discussed how Loyal's drugs work, why big dogs live shorter lives and her vision and goals for Loyal. I learned so much from this conversation, and I hope you will too! Enjoy!

In this episode, I interview Dr. Robert Cialdini, Emeritus Professor of Marketing and Psychology at Arizona State University. In his bestselling book, Influence, Dr. Cialdini draws on his experience studying the principles of influence and simplifies them in seven universal principles. Robert shares his stories from over 40 years of research and what he is must proud of from his career. 

In this special (50th!) episode, I am very lucky to be interviewed by my dad, Zac Zeitlin. Zac has been my mentor and guide on my podcastsing journey and has helped me from day one! I really enjoyed being the guest this time, and Zac did a great job preparing questions. We have the opportunity to discuss the vision for the podcast and process of doing the interviews, and we talk about guests we would love to have on future episodes. Enjoy!

In this episode, I interview Erin Thorkilsen, former teacher at Greens Farms Academy in Connecticut, and founder of Heart in Education. Erin has be teaching in the classroom for over 20 years and started Heart in Education to train and inspire teachers to fill their classrooms  with joy, enthusiasm and mindfulness. I was lucky enough to have been taught by Erin, and I really enjoyed catching up and hearing more about her amazing work today. 

In this episode, I interview Josh Balk. Josh started working at the Humane Society in 2005, and has successfully led many companies like McDonalds and Walmart to treat animals better. He also was instrumental in helping pass Prop 12 in California, which prohibits cruel confinement for mother pigs. Josh is the Co-Founder of Eat Just, the makers of Just Egg, an incredibly popular egg substitute, as well as the first government-approved cultured meat. Josh recently left HSUS to start The Accountability Board, dedicated to ensuring companies fulfill their ESG commitments. We discuss the state of animal welfare, his work at HSUS and how The Accountability Board holds companies accountable for their actions. I really enjoyed this interview, and I hope you do too! 

In this episode, I interview Pete Shadbolt, the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of PsiQuantum, a company working to build the world's first one million qubit quantum computer. We discuss how quantum computing works, its real world applications, and Pete's story of moving to America to start PsiQuantum. I enjoyed talking to Pete, who really knows how to explain a complex topic! Enjoy the interview!

Over the past two years, we’ve been lucky to interview over forty amazing leaders, from the worlds of sports, entertainment, food, healthcare, social impact and technology. After many conversations with these entrepreneurs and new ones you will hear from soon, I’m happy to announce a new, short-form version of Explain it to me like I’m a ten year old. In this case, I focus entirely on helping founders and CEOs tell the story of their businesses. Though this product is just getting started, I’m excited about the possibility of helping companies all around the world better communicate their mission to the world. Please get in touch with me at [email protected] if you’re interested in making an episode.