Sandy on Talent - Insights and Strategies for Leadership Excellence and Talent Optimization

Stuck between a "good enough" job and the work you're actually meant to do? We sit down with longtime player, coach, and Mystic Schooners owner and GM Dennis Long to unpack how he found his click and built a life around the game he loves. We follow his journey from UConn scholar-athlete to pro baseball, then through procurement and banking, and finally into full-time coaching and entrepreneurship....

Step into the world of international education with Andrew Fitzmaurice, the dynamic CEO of Nord Anglia Education, whose strategic vision has taken the organization from four schools to an impressive global network of 89 institutions. Andrew shares his unique insights into how his varied career experiences have shaped his approach to leadership, emphasizing the importance of balancing commercial su...

What does it take to find work that truly fits? Sandy sits down with friend and defense technology leader Sean Plankey to explore the persistence, self-awareness, and purposeful decision-making behind a meaningful career. Sandy and Sean discuss why finishing what you start, betting on yourself, and seeking work with a clear mission can shape a career. Sean shares candid lessons from a poorly struc...

Listeners get something special here! We're sharing a conversation Sandy had as a guest on the Buying Sandlot podcast, and they were kind enough to let us bring it to you because the discussion is so rich and informative.  In this episode, Sandy shares how he plans to build 30 youth baseball "super clubs" across the country by partnering with local leaders rather than buying them out. He breaks do...

Finding work that truly "clicks" is at the heart of this conversation with Sameer Ahuja, President of GameChanger and Senior Vice President at Dick's Sporting Goods. We explore how his father's refugee story, relentless work ethic, and quiet sacrifices shaped Sameer's drive to build organizations where people are treated with dignity and respect. We walk through his path from consulting and bankin...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mark C. Thompson, founding CEO and chairman of the Chief Executive Alliance, to explore how growing up amid the space race and tech booms shaped his obsession with pace, reinvention, and value creation. He shares stories from working alongside Charles Schwab, witnessing the birth of online trading, and brushing up against legends like Steve Jobs and Richard Br...

From working in sales for his family's gumball machine venture as a teenager, to advising CHROs at Fortune 500 companies, JP Elliott's career is anything but linear. Sandy and JP unpack how early lessons from an entrepreneurial father and counselor mother created a powerful blend of commercial acumen and empathy, and how the mantra "one gumball at a time" became JP's lifelong playbook for persever...

Great careers rarely follow a straight line, and Drew Weatherford's journey proves it. Drew is a rare blend of scholar-athlete and builder: former Florida State quarterback, co-founder and partner at Weatherford Capital with over $1.2B AUM, and board member across a range of sports, tech, and services companies.   We walk through how Drew's foundation was formed long before private equity and boar...

Some careers follow a plan. Guy Schory's followed people. In this episode, Sandy sits down with Guy Schory, board director and former public company executive, to explore what it actually takes to build a career at the edge of technology, purpose, and calculated risk. Guy spent a decade at eBay and PayPal under CEO John Donahoe, then crossed into sports media and entertainment as President of Digi...

Some careers follow a straight line. Shefali Salwan's crossed five countries, three industries, and thirty years of hard lessons before it all clicked. Sandy sits down with Salwan, founder of FulcrumQ and a globally respected executive coach and HR innovator, to dig into the science of talent to value and what it actually takes to build a career that connects your skills to outcomes that matter. S...

Projects aren't just how work gets done. According to Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, they're how the future gets built. In this episode, Sandy sits down with the world's leading authority on project management, a Thinkers 50 honoree, six-time author, and the originator of the project economy concept, to talk about why most organizations are running too many projects, finishing too few, and paying a stee...

Jan Zijderveld has run businesses on five continents, fixing broken ones, growing strong ones, and inheriting everything in between. In Part 2 of this conversation, he picks up where the strategic playbook left off: leading leaders across Southeast Asia and Europe, then walking away from 30 years at Unilever to take the top job at a company most people had written off. That company was Avon. Share...

In part one of this two-part episode of Sandy on Talent, Sandy sits down with Jan Zijderveld, a rare breed of truly global executive who built an extraordinary career spanning eight countries across three continents. From brand manager in New Zealand to President of Unilever Europe — a $14 billion business across 34 countries — Jan shares the leadership lessons, hard-won instincts, and pattern rec...

What does it take to lead at the highest levels — in war, in business, and beyond? In this episode, Sandy sits down with Shlomo Yanai, a man who has done exactly that. From commanding forces in the Yom Kippur War to transforming Teva Pharmaceuticals into an $18 billion global powerhouse, Shlomo's journey is unlike anything you've heard before. Born to Holocaust survivors, Shlomo brings a rare dept...

What if you could transform a personal setback into an extraordinary career in collegiate sports? Tracy Smith, the head baseball coach at the University of Michigan, did just that. From his modest beginnings in Kentland, Indiana, to climbing the ranks in university baseball coaching, Tracy's story is one of resilience and strategic thinking. Listen as he shares how a life-changing car accident red...

In this episode, Sandy sits down with Lord David Puttnam—Academy Award–winning producer of Chariots of Fire, The Killing Fields, and The Mission—to explore what it truly takes to build a life of meaning, impact, and excellence. From being born during the Blitz to reshaping British film, education policy, and environmental legislation, Lord Puttnam reveals the through-line that connects his remarka...

In this episode of Sandy on Talent, Sandy sits down with Sam Miller, founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer of Proteus Motion, to explore what it really takes to turn a powerful idea into a meaningful, world-changing business. Sam shares his journey from growing up around a half-finished invention in his basement to building a company that is redefining how human strength and power are m...

In this episode of Sandy on Talent, Sandy is joined by Matt LaPorta — former Major League Baseball player, Olympic bronze medalist, and partner at True Up Capital Advisors — for a candid conversation on what it takes to sustain high performance through success, setbacks, and major career transitions. Together, they explore the difference between confidence and arrogance, why talent alone isn't eno...

Join us for an engaging conversation with the dynamic Chris Gagnon, CEO of CURVE Test Centers, a Senior Partner at CEO.works, and ex McKinsey alum, who brings a treasure trove of insights and experiences to our latest episode. From his formative years at Dartmouth to his leadership roles in McKinsey and later in private equity, Chris's career journey has been anything but conventional. Explore the...

In this episode, Sandy sits down with longtime friend, the Co-Founder and Chairman of Onyx Canyon Partners, Jim Hirshorn for a wide-ranging conversation about careers, leadership, and what actually drives long-term success. Jim shares his journey from a quiet, analytically minded childhood through engineering, consulting, private equity, and executive operating roles, offering a rare behind-the-sc...

In this episode, Sandy sits down with Mike Zafirovski, founder and chairman of The Zaf Group (TZG), to explore a remarkable leadership journey that spans continents, industries, and decades. From growing up in communist Yugoslavia to leading some of the world's most complex global businesses, Mike reflects on the experiences that shaped his leadership philosophy and personal mission. Together, San...

In this wide-ranging and deeply personal episode of Sandy on Talent, Sandy Ogg sits down with world-renowned executive coach Alisa Cohn to explore the leadership traits, career decisions, and personal instincts that shape high-impact executives. Cohn, recognized globally for her work with CEOs and founders—from Foursquare to Google—offers a rare look into the forces that shaped her own career and...

Global business leader Harish Manwani shares his incredible journey from a management trainee to Unilever's Chief Operating Officer, revealing his passion for teamwork and strategic execution in the world of business. Harish's story is not just about climbing the corporate ladder but discovering the "joy of business" through leadership roles across diverse markets like India, Argentina, and North...

Molly Tschang—the mastermind behind Say it Skillfully and Abella Consulting—shares her journey in guiding executives through complex changes and fostering team cohesion. Her work in over 80 mergers and acquisitions at high-profile companies like Cisco and US Filter underscores her expertise and passion for effective communication. Molly's bestselling book, co-authored with Marshall Goldsmith, "Say...

From the bustling boardrooms of McKinsey to the innovative frontiers of entrepreneurship, Ruxandra Tentis CEO of YELO software, shares an extraordinary story of resilience and reinvention. Growing up in communist Romania, Ruxandra's journey is a testament to the transformative power of education and opportunity, highlighted by a pivotal scholarship from the George Soros Foundation and an MBA from...