Coming out of retirement after a longtime, successful career as a researcher, scientist and biopharma executive takes a certain kind of dedication. But that’s what former Global Blood Therapeutics’ CEO Dr. Ted Love did. His decision has helped people around the world who are suffering from sickle cell disease.

But most people don’t know that Ted comes from a humble farming background in Alabama. Inspired by his childhood physician, Ted went on to reach the highest levels in his field and help break down some of the barriers facing people of color in this industry. Last year, Global Blood Therapeutics was acquired by Pfizer for $5.4 billion.

Not too many biotech leaders have movies made about them starring people like Harrison Ford. But John F. Crowley, founding CEO and executive chairman of Amicus Therapeutics, a company focused on advancing novel therapies for rare and devastating diseases, has such an inspiring story, that is precisely what Hollywood did.

John didn’t set out to be a biotech entrepreneur until both of his children were diagnosed with a fatal rare genetic neuromuscular disease. In a quest to save his children’s lives, John created his own biotech company, and the results profoundly changed the lives of everyone involved.

When things go wrong with your brain, either by way of injury, disease, genetics, or aging, it can have a debilitating and profound effect on the individual and those around them. World renown neuroscientist and CEO of Muna Therapeutics, Rita Balice-Gordon, learned early in her scientific career the best way to find answers lay in how you formulate the questions in the first place.

Your skin is your calling card, according to Arcutis CEO Frank Watanabe. That’s why skin disease has such a big impact on patients’ lives. Unlike diseases like high cholesterol, hypertension, and even to a degree, cancer, when you suffer from a condition like eczema or psoriasis, everyone knows it. That’s why his company is innovating topical dermatology products that can help manage these types of complex skin diseases.

But what most people don’t know about Frank is that he was a commander in the Navy, where during his 25-year career, he learned the difference between obedience and loyalty, which has had a profound impact on his career.

Peter Anastasiou is an accomplished executive and CEO, with more than 30 years of experience managing diverse, global organizations of up to 1,200 people with net revenues of $1.5 billion. As CEO of Capsida Biotherapeutics, Peter is helping build an industry-leading gene therapy platform company creating a new class of targeted, non-invasive gene therapies for patients with debilitating and life-threatening disorders.

But most people don’t know that Peter had a cancer at the age of three which profoundly affected his career choice. His Greek heritage also taught him a lot about overcoming the travails of life and the importance of family.

Veteran biotech executive and neuroscientist, Nancy Stagliano, PhD, has always been fascinated by how the brain works, which is a good thing considering she is CEO of Neuron23, a Bay Area biotechnology company developing personalized medicines for genetic disorders. During her career, Nancy has been CEO of three successful biotech companies and is passionate about finding new therapies that make a difference for patients.

But most people don’t know that Nancy also has another passion: horses. And they have taught her some surprising lessons about the human condition.

Named by Time as one of the 50 most influential people in healthcare, Sean Harper, MD, is a luminary in the biopharma industry, having spent his career creating life-changing medicines for millions of patients. Before his current role as founding managing director of Los Angeles-based VC powerhouse Westlake Village BioPartners, Sean headed R&D at Amgen, investing more than $3.5 billion annually in new medicines.

But there is another side to Sean. His passion is fly fishing and in today’s episode, he shares his obsession with reeling in that perfect catch.