In 2007, Barclays Bank hired Mike Amato to lead a staff of 30,000 employees. When he packed his briefcase and left for the weekend, the BBC informed him that 30 undercover reporters had been embedded in their bank over the past 1½ years gathering audio/visual evidence about how they operate . . . and it would be aired on the BBC's Whistle-blower program that weekend.

When asked what it's like to have the BBC tear your team to shreds on national television, Mike responded, "Honestly, it started as the worst thing that's ever happened in my life. Then, it turned into the greatest gift I've ever received." Mike will be sharing how he confronted reality and was able to shift the organization's focus from short-term financial output to becoming a purpose-led organization.

Mike's obsessiveness with creating a culture of empowerment for his team, along with what he has learned from the power of an aligned culture, is behind his soon-to-be-released new book. "To create organizational energy is to set clear expectations and establish a culture where employees feel empowered to do their best work. When you create an environment like this, profits will flow naturally from there."

Mike has had an incredible journey from working on the floor to becoming a banking executive. He's been through phenomenal growth and transformation, inspiring leaders in his wake. In our discussion, we’ll explore:

✔️ How is focusing solely on profit and loss hurting the bottom line?

✔️ From Mike's experience on the Board of Tandem Bank – what are the most exciting developments in fintech, and what are some possible pitfalls we should be looking out for?

✔️ How leaders can create organizational energy by contributing rather than controlling

Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dr. Asel Sartbaeva, University Research Fellow at the University of Bath to the show this week! Dr. Sartbaeva developed a silica coating that prevents vaccines from degrading at room temperature, potentially simplifying the distribution and reducing the cost of vaccination for millions of people, especially in hard-to-reach communities.

During the show, we discuss Dr. Sartbaeva's journey to the forefront of international science as a world-leading interdisciplinary chemist. Born in Kyrgyzstan before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sartbaeva said science became her escape when there was so much instability around. Sartbaeva has gone on to become a celebrated associate professor in chemistry at the University of Bath.

She has won awards for her work, including a prize at the Royal Society of Chemistry's Emerging Technologies Competition in 2020. She was also named Woman of the Year 2021 by FDM Everywoman in Technology.

Dr. Sartbaeva's drive to tackle gender inequality in STEM came from her experiences studying and growing her career within the patriarchal Kyrgyzstan culture. Appointed UNICEF Ambassador for the 'Girls in Science' program in Kyrgyzstan, Dr. Sarbaeva is a force of nature, an outstanding role model, a tireless advocate for gender equality, and a game-changing scientist whose work will save lives around the world.

Together, we’ll dive into these important questions:

✔️ Post-pandemic - why eliminating the vaccination cold chain is an absolute priority.

✔️ Is competition amongst the scientific community driving or damaging innovation?

✔️ With women making up only 28% of the STEM workforce, what advances are being made to close the STEM gap?

Join us as we discuss these and more!

George Calhoun is the Director of the Hanlon Financial Systems Center and the Founder & Director of the Quantitative Finance Program at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has spent 25 years in the high-tech segment of the wireless communications industry. He is the author of several books on wireless technology, and his latest book "Price & Value" is a guide to equity market valuation metrics. During the show, we will discuss George’s most recent delegation as co-principal at The Center for Research toward Advancing Financial Technologies, or CRAFT. This ten-year program underscores the US’s strategic investment in managing risks and unintended consequences of the emerging – and yet unknown – challenges facing the high-tech financial services industry, with a particular emphasis on China.

With George, we will explore:

✔️ What is the impact of FinTech, and how is this transforming the world?

✔️ How has entrepreneurial culture quickly and innovatively led China to be creative industry disruptors?

✔️ Referring to the strange and curious disappearance of Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma, what is the message that the Chinese government is sending here?

Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

Nolan Bushnell is often referred to as the father of the video game industry. He is best known as the founder of Atari Corporation and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre. Nolan is passionate about enhancing and improving the educational process by integrating the latest in brain science. He truly enjoys motivating and inspiring others with his views on entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and education.

Nolan will be sharing how he has teamed with prominent educators, game designers, venture capitalists, and start-up veterans to lead the next wave of educational gaming as a core technology provider focused on remote learning and gamification-centered learning experiences.

✔️ How does Nolan see the evolution of education, and how does the school of the future look?

✔️ With AI widening the scope of the gig economy, are we ensuring that students today are competent in their respective careers?

✔️ What are Nolan’s predictions for the post-pandemic future of work and have things forever changed?

Join us as we discuss these questions and more.

Over the past 14 years, Max, with his brother, Ben, has built an empire founded on passion and strong partnerships to create jobs in the city where they grew up. Through organic growth, they employed over 750 staff before COVID 19 turned the world upside down. In May 2020, over 52% of U.S. small businesses in the leisure and hospitality industry reported temporarily closing, and over 35% reported a decrease in the number of paid employees. Max discusses how, following the devastating impact the COVID pandemic has had on hospitality, they have reframed their approach for serving their community.

It was a real team effort to navigate the waters and to prioritise what really matters in life. Through supporting employees to stay involved and engaged, they forged ahead as a team to not only thrive in the post-pandemic world but astonishingly to open another restaurant mid-pandemic. The Goldbergs create a culture of pride that translates well with staff “People may not remember what you said or did, but they always remember how they feel.”

During the show, we will discuss Max’s mission to create a better world and how he has formed partnerships to help others achieve their dreams.

✔️ How to exercise the power of resilience and creativity to re-energise your hospitality business?

✔️ What are the core traits, skills, values needed in a post-pandemic world to thrive as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry ?

✔️ Why is it so important to help others no matter where you are in life Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

Our highly acclaimed guest is bestselling author, speaker, organizational theorist, and advisor for start-up companies in the Wildcat Venture Partners portfolios, and established high-tech enterprises, including Salesforce, Microsoft, Autodesk, F5Networks, Gainsight, Google, and Splunk.

So, it is with great anticipation to be discussing Geoffrey's latest release - The Infinite Staircase, that metaphysically asks, "where do I fit in the grand scheme of things?" and ethically, "how should I behave?

Our special guest is co-founder and former CEO of Green Thumb Industries - one of the largest legal cannabis operators in the US. Peter shares his journey of stepping back from his responsibilities as CEO to concentrate on his true passion for philanthropy and social justice for communities that have been impacted by the war on drugs. Peter discusses how he owes it to the people who have lost, where he has won within the cannabis industry, and how he has dedicated the rest of his life to using his wealth for the social good. The cannabis industry is now a multi-million-dollar industry. Cannabis-derived products have gained ground in the market through legalisation in many locations worldwide, and study shows that more than 4000 products are introduced each month. With the increase in this product's popularity, dynamic growth is set to peak this year. Peter explains that he has a profound sense of guilt around his good luck and good fortune. Other people have lost where he has won within the cannabis industry, with many going to jail. Black and Hispanic communities have suffered disproportionately from draconian enforcement of anti-marijuana laws. Living by his mantra "pay it backward," which is the reverse of the well-known proverb "pay it forward," Peter uses his good fortune to help level this playing field. During the show with Peter, we will discuss his journey that is unwavering in authenticity, how he endeavors to tackle social inequality, and more: ✔️ How to think differently about building wealth and giving back to those who need it most. ✔️ Why the concept of winning while others lose is flawed and needs urgent repair - revealing Peter’s personal story and life experiences as evidence. ✔️ What civic responsibilities do the leaders of tomorrow have to own and fulfil to in-turn empower and inspire millions to thrive

We are proud and honored to welcome the genius scientist, author, and multiple Presidents award winner - Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar - on our first StraightTalk.Live show of the year.

Throughout Dr. Mashelkar's career, he has written 25 books, 284 research papers and was awarded honorary doctorates by 44 universities. He has also actively served the Government of India by chairing 12 highly empowered 'Mashelkar Committees.' He has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Dr. Mashelkar's contributions to the nation and science have been honored by many awards. The most significant being the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology and three Presidents Awards - the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Shri. He is the third Indian engineer to be inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society, UK, and the first Indian to be elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, US.

Through a sustained and visionary campaign for balanced intellectual property rights over three decades, Dr. Mashelkar spearheaded the successful challenge to the US patent on the use of turmeric for wound healing and the patent on Basmati rice. These landmark cases have set up new paradigms in protecting India's traditional knowledge base and leading to India's first Traditional Knowledge Digital Library. In turn, at an international level, this has led to the initiation of the change of the International Patent Classification System to give traditional knowledge its rightful place.

So much of western society’s values are centered around consumption and wealth as a measure of success. But global warming, resource shortages, and COVID-19 have been forcing corporate leaders and governments to take a hard look at the inherent pitfalls of unregulated wealth-building. 

One economic concept that may hold the answers to our problems is “sustainable capitalism” Though the ideas behind this concept were first conceived of around 20 years ago, it has only recently begun to gain any traction. 

Our special guest this week is noted historian, commentator, and former financial executive Zachary Karabell. His recently published book, Inside Money, details the fascinating history of Brown Brothers Harriman, the oldest and one of the largest private investment banks in the US. A beacon of sustainable capitalism, the company has set itself up as a stark contrast to many of its competitors. It conducts business in a way that has allowed it to successfully weather numerous catastrophic financial storms since the 18th century, all while maintaining a trustworthy reputation.

With Zachary, we’ll discuss sustainable capitalism, ESG, and more:

✔️Was the global pandemic the wakeup call we all needed? Or will it be “business as usual” as we gradually reopen?

✔️What is sustainable capitalism, in practice? Isn’t sustainability fundamentally in opposition to capitalism?

✔️How can individuals best contribute? Corporations? Governments?

✔️What incentives do companies have to change when their investors have so much control?

Join us as we discuss these questions and more!