Co-hosts Will Holbrow and Ari Levine turn the mic on themselves and share their personal journeys through college, consulting, and business school, offering insights into career decision-making, academics, and the realities of life in consulting.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast Journey

05:54 Navigating Career Choices in Business School

11:27 Reflections on College Applications and Decisions

16:29 The Role of Student Organizations in Career Development

21:40 Deciding on Consulting as a Career Path

28:01 Experiences in Consulting: The Reality vs. Expectations

35:05 Understanding the Staffing Model in Consulting

41:16 Navigating Career Transitions

49:01 Reflections on Career Intentions

54:43 The Decision to Pursue Business School

59:40 Exploring the One-Year MBA Experience

In this episode, Will and Ari sit down with Alden Sulger to trace his career path from college to investment banking and beyond. They cover what it was like to break into finance during a global pandemic, the reality of investment banking grind versus his expectations, and the skills that carry over transitioning to the buy side. Alden shares his experience in the energy industry, corporate development , and how AI is starting to reshape the apprenticeship model of finance. Alden dives into his experience with intentional networking, knowing when it's time to make a move, and how to maintain balance in a demanding career.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Alden Sulger

03:11 Navigating Investment Banking During a Pandemic

10:47 The Realities of Investment Banking Culture

17:39 Key Skills and Learnings in Banking

24:48 The Two-Year Analyst Experience

30:23 Transitioning to Corporate Development in Energy

35:38 Building an Operating Model for Synergies

37:11 Transitioning from DCC to Energy Exemplar

40:26 Team Dynamics in Corporate Development

41:51 The Impact of AI on Corporate Development

46:11 AI Disruption in Investment Banking

49:50 Networking Strategies for Career Advancement

57:26 Balancing Career and Personal Life

In this episode, Iann Karamali traces an unlikely path: from helping his family get Monarch Liquor off the ground during undergrad to consulting at Deloitte to exploring the future of AI through entrepreneurship. He gets into what early reps as a small business owner taught him about operating a business, why growing up inside an entrepreneurial family gives you an instinct for opportunity that's hard to replicate in a classroom, and what it looks like to run something as a fresh college graduate. He also talks about what his time in consulting added to the way he thinks about business, how he used Kellogg as a launch pad rather than a safety net, and his candid take on where AI is headed and what it means for small business owners trying to keep up.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Ian Karamali

00:29 Background and the One-Year MBA Program

04:02 Growing Up First-Gen and the Optionality Trap

08:25 Navigating the Prestige Treadmill

12:11 Founding Monarch Liquor in East Austin

16:04 Betting on Delivery and Surviving COVID

21:22 What Entrepreneurship Actually Teaches You

27:44 Joining Deloitte and Early Client Lessons

35:22 Becoming an AI Lead at the Firm

37:22 Why Kellogg, Why Now

42:15 Entrepreneurship at Kellogg and the Levy AI Track 50:23 Being a Dad in Business School

58:51 The Future of AI: Two Frameworks

01:05:51 Lightning Round

In this episode, former Marine Corps officer Daniel Medina joins The Path That Makes Us to talk about one of the harder transitions a person can make: moving from the structure and clarity of military service to the uncertainty of building a business from the ground up. He shares what resilience actually looks like when the stakes are real, how the leadership lessons forged in the Corps shaped his approach to entrepreneurship, and what the path into founding Restless taught him about pivoting without losing sight of the mission. Daniel also weighs in on a question a lot of people in transition are sitting with right now: whether entrepreneurship, business school, or some combination of both is the right next move, and how to tell the difference before you commit.

Restless Website: https://restlessco.co/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Daniel Medina

03:13 Military Background and Leadership Lessons

06:22 Transitioning from Military to Business

09:13 Entrepreneurship Journey and Community Impact

12:22 Building Confidence and Credibility

15:19 Choosing Business School and Career Paths

18:11 Identifying Problems to Solve

21:01 Unexpected Challenges in Entrepreneurship

24:12 Formulation and Building Restless

25:39 The Journey of Restless: From Concept to Launch

28:22 Overcoming Challenges and Staying Motivated

31:05 Prioritization and Balancing Life at Kellogg

35:33 Strategic Vision for Restless: Future Goals

42:07 Navigating Life's Pressures and Finding Fulfillment

45:29 Rapid Fire Round: Insights and Favorites

Neil Meehan didn't take the obvious road into tech or legal consulting, and in this episode, he describes exactly how he got in anyway. He tells the story of how luck played a role in his journey, the networking moves that actually moved the needle, and what it really took for him to walk away from a stable job and start over. Neil also speaks on his relationship with AI, productivity, and the decision to prioritize a balanced life in the midst career pressures.