In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Mai Nguyen, PhD, the remarkable 36-year-old neuroscientist who is the co-founder and CEO of OptoCeutics and the inventor of EVY LIGHT®, a breakthrough light-based therapy aimed at slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders. Her journey is anything but ordinary. Born in Vietnam, raised in California as the youngest of nine children in a struggling family, she spent her childhood at a local Flea Market and then went on to earn a PhD in neuroscience. But it was a “chance” conversation with a Danish professor that changed her life, and quite likely the lives of millions who will benefit from her decision. In this episode, you’ll explore the science behind Dr. Mai Nguyen’s light therapy innovation, her deeply personal and unlikely entrepreneurial journey and the powerful values that have guided her. This is a conversation about courage, healing and what it means to be a leader with heart and grit.  Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here! Of course, we are always grateful for your 5-star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts, which helps us reach even more people!!

MAI NGUYEN, Ph.D.:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Kate Darling, PhD, an expert on robots and their impact on humans. Just as animals have become helpers and companions over the centuries, so will robots, according to Dr. Kate Darling, a Research Scientist at the MIT Media Lab, where she leads the robotics, ethics & society research team at the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI). She is the author of The New Breed: What Our History With Animals Reveals About Our Future With Robots. Kate’s work explores the intersections of robotic technology and society, with a particular emphasis on legal, economic, social, and ethical issues. She runs experiments, holds workshops, writes, and speaks about some of the most interesting developments in the world of human-robot interaction, and where we might find ourselves in the future.  Kate joins Dan Hesse to discuss the implications of robots on job design and their future role as our close companions. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here! And just fyi, We are always grateful for your 5-star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts, which helps us reach even more people!!

KATE DARLING:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Norman Hall, an actor and the last of the Fuller Brush salesmen in America. If you’re under 50, you might not know just how iconic the Fuller Brush Company once was. At its peak, Fuller Brush salesmen were household names, trusted faces at the door, and symbols of professionalism and perseverance.

 For more than 50 years, Norman walked the streets of San Francisco—not just to sell products, but to build relationships. His extraordinary life and legacy were captured by bestselling author Daniel Pink in the book To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, as the embodiment of what ethical, effective shoe-leather selling looks like.

 But Norman’s story doesn’t end there. He’s also a trained stage actor, a storyteller with grit and grace, and a man who reminds us of what resilience really means in an “ocean of rejection.”

 Whether you think of yourself as a salesperson or not, today’s conversation will challenge how you think about influence, listening, and the power of presence. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here!

NORMAN HALL:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Patrick McGee, author of the best-selling book Apple in China, who tells a riveting story about how Apple almost single-handedly built the advanced electronics industry in China only to find itself trapped in a relationship with an authoritarian state making ever-increasing demands, and giving Beijing power that could be weaponized. Even though China’s immense domestic market is hard to resist, this is a cautionary tale for listeners thinking about doing business in China and helps explain how China made progress competing against American tech companies so quickly.   Patrick was the Financial Times’ principal Apple reporter from 2019 to 2023, where he won a San Francisco Press Club Award for his coverage. He joined the newspaper in 2013, in Hong Kong, before reporting from Germany and California. Previously, he was a bond reporter at The Wall Street Journal. He has a master’s degree in global diplomacy from SOAS at the University of London, and a degree in religious studies from the University of Toronto.  Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here!

PATRICK McGEE:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential and versatile musicians in history. Young could be the most difficult artist to categorize as he plays rock, folk, country, rockabilly, blues, new wave and electronic music, plus he’s been recognized as the Godfather of Grunge. Neil Young has released more than 60 albums, received multiple Grammy Awards, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame TWICE, and he’s influenced and inspired countless artists. Rolling Stone magazine includes Neil on their lists of the greatest guitarists of all time and the greatest artists of all time. He continues to be very active in supporting important causes, and he continues to provide us with both new and previously unreleased music such as the Neil Young Archives, Volume III. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here!

BIO: https://www.biography.com/musicians/neil-young

BOOKS:

WEBSITE: Neil Young Archives

VIDEO CLIPS:

PHOTOS:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Mark C. Thompson, the Founding CEO and Chairman of The Executive Alliance. For more than 30 years, Mark has been scaling companies and coaching CEOs and entrepreneurs. He has been named the World’s #1 CEO Coach. Success is a funny thing. For many, it means wealth, fame, power, or position. But what if those things aren’t success at all? That’s the question today’s guest, Mark C. Thompson, set out to answer in the bestselling book Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters, by Mark C. Thompson and Stanford’s Jerry Porras. Mark has spent his career learning about and teaching others how to align their lives with what matters most. What he offers is how to build a life with meaning, resilience, and when on your death bed, having no regrets. It’s not about success money, applause or titles. It’s about purpose. It’s about aligning what you care deeply about with what you do every day. And it’s about the courage to keep going when others quit. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO broadcast on Salem Radio in San Francisco, via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide or anytime, on ANY podcast platform, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, iTunes, TuneIN, Stitcher, Google Play and all the others. Sign up for the podcast here.

MARK C. THOMPSON, PhD:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Dr. Paul Christo, author and award-winning physician renown for his cutting-edge work as a pain specialist. Pain, if left untreated, can impact our performance and productivity, and even our enjoyment of life. In this episode, Dr. Christo discusses breakthrough techniques and therapies that can relieve even the most severe chronic pain. One of the world’s leading pain specialists, Dr. Christo is the author of Aches and Gains, A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming Your Pain. He is the Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Paul is also a frequent contributor on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and PBS television regarding pain and addiction. He hosts an award-winning, nationally syndicated SIRIUS XM radio talk show called Aches and Gains®. The show provides hope and treatment options for those suffering from medical illnesses, diseases, and the pain that often results from these conditions. Dr. Christo is an invited lecturer both nationally and internationally, serves on four journal editorial boards, has published more than 100 articles and book chapters, co-edited five textbooks on pain, and actively teaches medical students, residents, and pain fellows. Paul also earned an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Health Care Management.  This conversation can change how you show up—in every area of life, including business, family and work. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO broadcast on Salem Radio in San Francisco, via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide or anytime, on ANY podcast platform, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, iTunes, TuneIN, Stitcher, Google Play and all the others. Sign up for the podcast here.

DR. PAUL CHRISTO:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Sabina Nawaz, a former Microsoft executive who worked closely with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer—and who now coaches leaders at Amazon, Google, the United Nations and beyond. Nawaz’ heavily-researched book, You’re the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need), goes far beyond the boardroom.
 It is a practical guide to navigating pressure, power and personal blind spots—whether you are leading a company, raising a family, managing a team, or simply trying to be your best self. You’ll learn how to identify what’s holding you back. You’ll be exploring how pressure corrupts, how power divides, how unmet emotional hungers can derail our best intentions, and you’ll learn what you really need to know about delegation, communication, power gaps and much more. This conversation can change how you show up—in every area of life. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO broadcast on Salem Radio in San Francisco, via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide or anytime, on ANY podcast platform, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, iTunes, TuneIN, Stitcher, Google Play and all the others. Sign up for the podcast here.

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse talks with Cecilia Kang, an award-winning journalist and author who discusses the enormous implications of the Meta antitrust trial for the Tech industry, damage wrought from “news” people consume on social media, and what business leaders might consider in order to ensure employees are well-informed.  In this episode, Cecilia Kang discusses the history of Facebook, the U.S. Government’s antitrust trial against its parent, Meta, and the impact this company has on our privacy and on the news that its users receive.  Cecilia is an award-winning National Correspondent at The New York Times where she reports on the intersection of technology and public policy. She is the co-author of the best seller, “An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination” which she discusses in this episode. She was part of a team that won the Gerald Loeb and George Polk awards for their coverage of Facebook and were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Cecilia frequently appears on national television and radio as a commentator on technology and entertainment, and she’s passionate about exposing the impacts and implications of technology on society, politics and culture. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO broadcast on Salem Radio in San Francisco, via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide or anytime, on ANY podcast platform, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, iTunes, TuneIN, Stitcher, Google Play and all the others. Sign up for the podcast here.

CECILIA KANG:

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ashley Goodall, outstanding leadership expert, former Fortune 50 executive, former Senior VP at Cisco, former senior executive at Deloitte and author of The Problem with Change, one of Financial Times‘ top business books of 2024. As a thought leader, his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, and more. In this episode, you’ll learn why nonstop disruption drains performance–and how to fix it. You’ll learn how predictability fuels innovation, why “check-ins” beat “performance reviews” and the four questions that make check-ins work. You’ll discover how to create real belonging at work, why corporate vision and value statements often backfire, and you’ll learn what actually does drive engagement. If you’re navigating change—or leading others through it—this episode is for you! Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO broadcast on Salem Radio in San Francisco, via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide or anytime, on ANY podcast platform, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, iTunes, TuneIN, Stitcher, Google Play and all the others. Sign up for the podcast here.

ASHLEY GOODALL: