Thirty Minute Mentors

A trailblazer in the worlds of journalism and broadcasting, Lesley Visser is the only sportscaster in history who has covered the Final Four, the NBA Finals, the World Series, the Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Figure Skating Championships, and the U.S. Open on network television. Among her many firsts, Lesley is the first woman to receive the Sports Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award. Lesley joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons and advice.

Willie Pietersen was the CEO of four different multibillion-dollar businesses, including Tropicana and Seagram USA. Willie joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons on leadership and career success. Willie and Adam discuss lessons from growing up in South Africa when apartheid began; navigating a nontraditional path to the c-suite; keys to growing and excelling as a leader; the importance of ethics in leadership and business; and much more.

Reggie Aggarwal is the founder and CEO of Cvent, the largest event software company. Reggie has led Cvent through numerous highs and lows - from the brink of bankruptcy to getting acquired by Blackstone last year for $4.6 billion. Reggie joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons learned along the way. Reggie and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, team-building, career development, crisis management, culture, and much more.

A Fortune 500 CEO and the leader of one of America’s largest financial services companies, Dan Houston is the CEO of Principal Financial Group, where he leads nearly 20,000 employees and a business that generates more than $13 billion a year and serves more than 62 million customers. Dan joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Dan and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, teamwork, trust, career development, customer centricity, and much more.

Lieutenant General Mary O’Brien is in a rare group of women who have ascended to the highest levels of leadership within the military, most recently leading one of the Defense Department’s most important modernization initiatives. Lieutenant General O’Brien joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Lieutenant General O’Brien and Adam discuss a wide range of topics, including leadership, building and managing high-performance teams, overcoming obstacles and blind spots, and much more.

The creator, host, and star of numerous highly popular food television, web, and radio shows, Andrew Zimmern is a celebrity chef, an Emmy Award winner, and the recipient of four James Beard Awards. Andrew joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Andrew and Adam discuss a wide range of topics, including attaining greatness, navigating a nonlinear path to success, resilience, humility, leadership, and more.

Ron Shaich is the founder and former CEO of Panera Bread, which he sold for $7.5 billion and was the best-performing restaurant stock under his leadership. Ron helped define the fast-casual restaurant segment: he was also the CEO of Au Bon Pain and is the Chairman of and lead investor in Cava, Tatte, Life Alive, and Level99. Ron joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Ron and Adam discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, personal and professional development, and much more.

Mark Dixon is a pioneer in the world of coworking. Mark is the founder of Regus, now known as IWG - which has more than 4,000 locations across more than 120 countries - and where he serves as CEO. Mark joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Mark and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, growth and scale, innovation, hiring, the future of work, and much more.

A leading entrepreneur in the world of fintech, René Lacerte is the founder and CEO of BILL. Valued at more than $5 billion, BILL helps hundreds of thousands of businesses manage their financial workflows. René joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. René and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, entrepreneurship, EQ, growth and scale, culture, and much more.

Dr. Mandy Cohen is the Director of the CDC, where she leads the federal agency responsible for protecting America's health. Dr. Cohen was North Carolina’s Health and Human Services Secretary during the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Cohen joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons learned along the way. Dr. Cohen and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, crisis management, communication, trust, career development, balance, and much more.