Kyle Mumma (Class of 2018) never thought about starting a company during his MBA. But in Year 2, he started a project to support career outcomes for student-athletes, like the ones he'd worked with on Duke's basketball and football teams. He turned down a high-paying consulting job to become a full-time founder, scaling the business (NextPlay) and selling it after only four and a half years. In this episode, Kyle shares what he's picked up along the way - working with Coach K, learning as a first-time founder, and taking risks to pursue your passion.

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Jacob Smith (Class of 2025) takes "non-traditional background" to a whole new level. He joined the workforce after high school, stocking grocery shelves at his local Florida Walmart. He rose up the ranks, becoming an assistant manager in his early 20s and running a store with $80 million annual revenue. He then joined the U.S. military, where he ended up leading HR wartime planning for all of South Korea. No matter who you are or where your path has led you, we hope Jacob's unique yet relatable story offers lessons, inspiration, and humor.

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Cathy Clark (Faculty Director, CASE Center) is now one of the leading experts in social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and "business for good"...but this career path was mostly unplanned. After people literally laughed at the idea, she helped develop the standards for B Corps, now the global certification measuring companies' social and environmental impact. She has since launched courses, co-authored a bestselling book on impact investing, and advised the White House and G7. In this episode, Cathy shares lessons from her personal journey, insights from the field, and why she's hopeful for a better future.
 
This episode features questions from Lauren Bartels ('24), Varun Chintalapati ('24), Raiven Greenberg ('24), Marielena Octavio ('24), Herme Santiago ('24), Ryan Van Slyke ('24), and Saksham Khosla (Prospective).
 
 Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned. 

Stephen Ezekoye (Class of 2024) rarely passes up a chance to advocate for others. As he steps up to co-lead the MBA Association, he hopes to tap into his identities - a college football player at University of Pittsburgh, a teacher in rural North Carolina, and a "U.S. presidential history nerd" - to better serve the student body at Fuqua. In this episode, Stephen shares how he developed this passion, as well as his ideas on leadership for the common good.

Stephen: "That is what great leaders do...they paint a vision of a better future for us and they put the pieces together for people to bring out their best selves to do that very bold and audacious thing."

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Runo Obafemi (Class of 2025) turned tragedy into a tool to help her community. After witnessing firsthand the failures of healthcare in her home country, she and her husband founded telehealth startup Betacare, whose long-term vision is democratizing healthcare across the African continent. In this episode, Runo shares about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, working with your spouse, and running a startup with a newborn baby.

Runo: "Growing up in a developing country, you see there's more problems than solutions. I wanted to make sure I was doing something that could be alleviating the suffering a lot of people experience in that part of the world."

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Medha Bhardvaj (Class of 2025) helps people find their voice...literally. After working with children during high school, she pursued a career as a speech therapist, working first in Texas schools and then in home health. In this episode, Medha describes her unconventional path from speech language pathology to MBA. She also shares about teaching her dogs to communicate and reaching a breakthrough with a student after 8 years of speech therapy.

Medha: "One of the biggest things that my [school community] taught me was to lead with empathy. Understanding and accepting other people's backgrounds, and understanding and accepting people for who they are, goes a long way."

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Stiv Fico (Class of 2025) fought (mostly) metaphorical fires as manager of his family's Italian restaurant. He then fought real ones as a firefighter in Phoenix, Arizona. Through both experiences, he learned a great deal about leadership, teamwork, and managing high-pressure environments. In this episode, Stiv reflects on lessons from his immigrant parents, his appreciation for life, and doing things he once thought were humanly impossible.

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Kareem Ragab and Joyce Akanbi (Class of 2024) wanted to pay it forward, so they stepped up to serve as Orientation co-chairs. They both experienced many ups and downs during their first year - pursuing their passions (sports and travel), recruiting until June, and stepping up to lead. In this episode, Kareem and Joyce offer advice, encouragement, and humor for all Fuquans, in Class of 2025 and beyond.

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Dr. Dan Vermeer (Founder and Director, EDGE Center) began his professional journey in rural Nepal and India, where he saw the impacts of big companies on the "powerless periphery". He made his way to Coca-Cola, advising corporate leaders on "wicked problems" in water and sustainable agriculture, before ending up at Fuqua. In this episode, Dan discusses his winding career and life path, as well as his perspectives on current environmental issues (climate tech funding, public-private partnerships, energy transitions for developing countries, ESG, greenwashing, environmental justice).

This episode features questions submitted by Ayushi Jain ('24), Breanne Leakey ('24), David Shang ('24), Marielena Octavio ('24), Raiven Greenberg ('24), and Ross Fly ('25).

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.

Dr. David Ridley (Faculty Director, Center for Health Sector Management) has taught at Fuqua for 20 years. He has spent his career working to foster innovation and expand access to healthcare, culminating in new policies passed at the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. In this episode, David discusses his professional journey, passing the priority review voucher at the FDA, and his experience sleeping in the Fuqua building. He also shares his insights on current healthcare issues, covering economic incentives, policy ideas, rural health, the future impact of AI, and more.

This episode features questions submitted by Adam Valeruz ('24), Annie Forrest ('24), Fei Su ('24), Jocelyn Wang ('24), Julia Liu ('24), and Vidhula Pednekar ('23).

Note: This is a student-run production. The opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own and do not reflect the official view of Duke University, the Fuqua School of Business, or any organizations mentioned.