The Sydcast

Running a university is one of the toughest jobs there is. Meet Phil Hanlon, Dartmouth College's 18th President, who will explain just what it takes to run an elite university.

Is there any job more difficult than being the President of a major university? Not only are you dealing with students and their parents as your core customers, you’ve also got to manage a group of professors whose tenure makes them remarkably independent of you and anyone else for that matter. As someone who has studied leaders in all sorts of organizations, it was so much fun for me to talk to Dartmouth’s President Phil Hanlon. Growing up in a small mining town in upstate New York where hardly anyone went to college, Phil ends up studying mathematics, becoming a professor (yes, a tenured one), and an academic administrator who has now led Dartmouth for almost six years. On the docket: finding great students, enhancing innovation, managing a controversial budget, and improving Dartmouth's culture and social climate.

Have you ever wondered how the money behind political parties actually works? Meet Jane Stetson - Obama fundraiser and philanthropist. 

As the former finance chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jane Watson Stetson understands how to get people behind a cause. She is a master fundraiser and has used her tireless work ethic to help fund numerous political campaigns from local Vermont elections, to the race for the presidency. As it turns out, she’s also the granddaughter of the founder of IBM, something that has brought more challenges than most of us might imagine. In this episode, Jane and I discuss what makes someone qualified to be a parent, the life of an ambassador’s daughter, and how to build relationships so meaningful, that people will help you raise money for a cause.

Entrepreneur, coffee lover, small business owner, emergency room worker, teacher, and mom. Meet Deb Shinlinger owner of Lucky's Coffee Shop in Lebanon, NH. 

The Sydcast loves coffee, so you can imagine how excited we were to discover a world-class espresso joint just down the road. We had to invite the creator of Lucky’s Coffee Garage, Deb Shinnlinger, to be our guest. An entrepreneur, artist, emergency room worker, school teacher, and a mom, Deb has a great story you’ll want to hear about, and learn from. Two added bonuses: One of the top baristas in the country and Deb’s coffee lead, Mark Nunziata, makes a cameo appearance to talk all things coffee. Second, we took a road trip and recorded the episode right at Lucky’s. As you’ll see, caffeine really does fuel some of the best conversations.

An olympic gold medal? - A dream for millions of people. How about 3 gold medals from your native country’s most popular sport? Meet Gillian Apps, world-class athlete and budding businesswoman. 

I grew up watching hockey - I’m a Canadian after all - so having a chance to talk to my guest today is such a treat. Gillian Apps is a three-time Olympic gold medalist for the Canadian women’s ice hockey team. She also happens to be one of my students at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. In her spare time, she’s training for an Ironman competition - of course. But, it hasn’t always come easy for Gillian, despite coming from hockey royalty in Canada. Now, at a crossroads, she needs to redefine herself from being an Olympic caliber athlete to someone ready to make her mark in a brand new way. Listen in as Gillian shares her story, and the many lessons she’s learned and is still learning, along the way.

We all have friends, but Howard has some very interesting friends. Like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, among others. Meet Howard Anderson, the guy who almost single-handedly invented the technology consulting industry.

When Howard was 24 years old, a story broke on the front page of the New York Times about a technology report he had written. There was only one problem: there was no report. His analysis was on the money; the report, well, that came afterwards. Almost 50 years later, Howard has a venture capital firm with billions of dollars in investments and has crossed paths with the most legendary names in tech, including Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. Howard’s numerous anecdotes and insights highlight his contrarian personality and give us a glimpse into the mind of a lifelong entrepreneur with a story to tell. Listen in as Syd introduces the Sydcast and talks to Howard about his life, the world of tech, and even how he met his wife.

The Sydcast is all about intimate and informative conversations with fascinating people you may not know. Until now. Because everyone has a story.

Listen in to meet the professor and hear live clips as Syd talks to a host of community leaders, professional athletes, politicians, academics, authors, musicians, and many more about their personal and professional lives.