Cornell (thank) U

What does it actually mean to “control the narrative” in Hollywood? Liz Mahoney ’99 is the publicist behind some of Hollywood’s biggest stars—and in this episode, she pulls back the curtain on a world most people never see. From traveling the world with Ben Stiller to co-founding a top-tier PR firm, Liz shares how careers are built, protected, and sometimes…saved. She is trusted, admired, and soug...

What is life in the operating room really like? And for women in surgery, how much has actually changed for the better? In this episode, we talk withDr. Sarah Temkin '93 - gynecologic oncologist, physician-scientist, filmmaker, and now a leader at the American Cancer Society — about her path from Cornell to medicine, what drew her to surgery, and the hidden realities of working in the OR as a...

He’s back—and a lot has changed. Since we last spoke with Ex-CIA Officer Marc Polymeropoulos, he’s gone from a somewhat private recovery to national headlines, including a powerful appearance on 60 Minutes . In this episode, we catch up on everything: what really happened behind the scenes of that 60 Minutes story his unfiltered take on Iran and where things stand now how his experience with Havan...

The headlines say women’s sports is booming. Digit Murphy isn’t so sure. We brought back hockey legend, Cornell alum, and one of the most well-spoken and outspoken voices in sports for our first Since We Last Spoke episode—and she came in with takes. Not just on the Olympics, the gold medal, and the controversial phone call that followed… but on what’s actually happening behind the momentum everyo...

78% of Cornell students left campus for spring holidays. But what about everyone else? From sorority house seders… to Easter traditions… to surviving on matzah and tuna — we realized we all experienced this time differently. So we turned it into a game. Matzah ball soup: essential or no one's gonna miss it? Honey baked ham: yes or no? Peeps vs healthy candy. And the afikoman… should everyone...

When Ken Kunken took the field for a Cornell football game, he had no idea his life was about to change in an instant. That moment left him a quadriplegic. What happened next is hard to comprehend—because the life he went on to build wasn’t supposed to be possible. This isn’t just a story of resilience. It’s a story of defying every expectation, again and again, in ways that feel almost impossible...

We had a great time with Ivy Woolenberg — a freshman at Cornell’s Hotel School, Disney Bake-Off winner, and the creator behind the viral baking account Baked With Love by Ivy. Ivy shares the baking fail that somehow turned into a 40-million-view video, how she started her baking business at just 11 years old, and what it’s like balancing Cornell life with a fast-growing social media brand. Plus: b...

Why are New Yorkers lining up for gelato in SoHo? In this episode, we talk with the entrepreneur behind RivaReno Gelato about the moment in Italy that sparked an obsession—and ultimately led him to bring authentic Italian gelato to New York City. From discovering what real gelato tastes like, to opening a shop in one of the toughest restaurant markets in the world, he shares the story behind the s...

We had the joy of sitting down with Bill Nye the Science Guy to hear the story behind how he became the person who made Science feel fun, approachable, and even a little bit cool.  Long before the bow tie and the TV shows, Bill was a Cornell student taking a transformative class with Carl Sagan, playing Ultimate Frisbee, and discovering how humor and critical thinking could live in the same space....

Hayley Paige created the kind of wedding dresses brides pin, save, and dream about. By her mid-20s, she was leading a global bridal brand with her name on every gown. And then, after signing a contract at 25, everything shifted. In this episode, Hayley shares what it felt like to suddenly lose control of her own name and how she navigated a chapter that could have ended her career. We rewind to he...

Meet our new idol, Rebecca Rutstein ’93, an artist whose creative process takes her somewhere almost no one else has ever been: more than 2,000 meters beneath the ocean’s surface. Rebecca collaborates closely with scientists, joins deep-sea research expeditions, and climbs into a six-foot submersible to explore the hidden landscapes of the ocean floor — from bioluminescent life in total darkness t...

Roy Danis ’78 never took Cornell’s famous wine tasting class — and yet he went on to build a 40-year career at the top of the wine and spirits world. Roy takes us from Oceanside, Long Island to Cornell, where he captained the men’s gymnastics team, and into an extraordinary professional journey including Seagram, Campari, start-ups, and his newest venture, Revival Spirits — alongside business part...

Dr. Nicole McNichols ’97 is a professor whose work explores sex, intimacy, and how people connect. In this episode, Nicole breaks down what’s actually happening in modern dating and relationships — why so many people feel disconnected, how expectations around sex have shifted, and what the research really says about pleasure, desire, and communication.  Drawing from both her classroom and her own...

Asian Americans make up a small percentage of artists on major stages — and Lily Tung Crystal is actively changing that. Lily is the Artistic Director of East West Players, the nation’s largest and longest-running Asian American theater company. She shares her journey from Cornell to Shanghai to Minneapolis to Los Angeles, and how her work is reshaping who gets hired, who gets supported, and whose...

Meet Dr. Eric Kusseluk ’97, a board-certified dermatologist, former Cornell soccer player, and a true example of persistence. "Dr. K" (to us) shares the remarkable story of how sheer tenacity got him into Cornell off the waitlist, onto the soccer field as a walk-on, and eventually helped transform the program into an Ivy League championship team. That same determination followed him thro...

Some people build careers. Others build trust (and an incredible career). Beloved return guest Dave Price joins us for a deeper conversation about what it means to show up — not just on television, but for people who need connection most. From decades as a trusted television weather forecaster to traveling overseas to entertain U.S. troops, Dave reflects on service, consistency, and why presence m...

This episode is a reset. Lainie returns for a rare, mostly unedited conversation that unfolds like a masterclass in letting go. Her new book, Hold Nothing: An Invitation to Let Go and Come Home to Yourself , left us reflecting (and crying!) long after we finished — and questioning what we carry that no longer serves us. We explore what it really means to “hold nothing,” how presence and stillness...

What actually happens when companies run out of ideas—and who do they call next? Beth Yancey Storz ’92 Beth is an innovation leader, creative strategist, and co-author of Outsmart Your Instincts . For decades, she’s helped teams break through stuck thinking and lead better brainstorms. In this episode, she takes us inside the room where ideas are really made. Do you know why “no idea is a bad idea...

We kick off the episode with the upbeat song from Looking Up , because it’s exactly the Monday energy you need. Elena Neuman ’88 joins us to share how a 10-minute video unexpectedly became a full feature documentary—filmed on the face of El Capitan in Yosemite. Elena reflects on her Cornell experience, the professor who changed her path, and what it really takes to tell a powerful story—from creat...

This week we sit down with Dr. Shari Brasner, a (semi famous!) OB/Gyn, widely respected for her approach to patient care. Dr. Brasner reflects on how her time at Cornell shaped her path in medicine and shares why the relationship between doctor and patient matters so deeply. Through honest, funny, and sometimes emotional stories, she highlights the impact of trust, communication, and compassion in...

Cornell-trained veterinary surgeon Dr. Jared Baum shares the unbelievable story of how he saved Steph’s dog Buddy from emergency surgery—using skill, compassion, and one very brave hand. We talk about his Cornell Vet residency, the compassion award created in his honor, the night he drove 90 minutes to save a senior Chihuahua named Mabel, and his exciting new surgical clinic, PEAK Veterinary Surgi...

Cornell Hotelie and former Big Red football player Jesse Baker ’09 joins us to share the path that took him from a blue-collar upbringing to founding JET Hospitality, a company transforming distressed RV parks and motels into boutique outdoor destinations. Jesse talks about discovering entrepreneurship early, finding his footing at Cornell, getting into real estate, and how flipping houses and exp...

Celebrating four years of the Cornell (thank) U Podcast with a special anniversary episode full of gratitude, laughter, and reflection. We share what it’s really been like building the show, touch on a few behind-the-scenes moments, answer your most-asked questions, and look ahead to what’s coming (and who we’re dreaming of) in Season 5. Thank you to our families, listeners, friends, and the entir...

David Gura tells us how a kid from Chapel Hill found his way to Cornell and into some of the most respected newsrooms in the country. He shares how writing for the Cornell Daily Sun, spending a semester with Cornell in Washington, and an early internship at NPR sparked his love for journalism.  From NPR to MSNBC to Bloomberg, David has built a career telling stories across radio, TV, and podcastin...

If you’ve ever dreamed of going back to Cornell for “just one more class,” this episode will take you there. Our guest, Corey Ryan Earle ’07—Cornell’s ultimate storyteller and fourth-generation Cornellian—teaches the legendary AMST 2001: The First American University , a one-credit Monday night class with hundreds of students on the waitlist known as “Storytime with Corey.” Corey shares what makes...