12 Geniuses Podcast

When Michael Maddaus came home from school as a boy, he never knew what would be on the inside of his apartment door. It could have been his intoxicated mother, his abusive stepfather, or any degree of chaos in between. As he got older, he avoided being at home. Instead, he broke into homes, stole cars, experimented with drugs and alcohol, and escaped his home life in any way he could. After 24 ar...

Helene Neville was told by a doctor she needed to go home and get her affairs in order. She didn’t have long to live. That was 25 years ago. The mother of two young sons ran from that diagnosis and has been running ever since. Helene has survived three brain surgeries and recurring lymphoma. She has endured chemo, radiation, and, most recently, nearly two years in bed. Yet, she keeps running. When...

When Devin Moore was a 14-year-old student, three classmates posted horrifically racist images of his likeness on social meda. Devin was stunned, angry, and feared for his safety. Fortunately, Devin has a loving family that helped him through that situation. Five years later, Devin just finished his first year of college and has been spending his free time helping young victims of bullying. In thi...

On August 8, 2020, Jamal “Shango” James became the World Boxing Association Welterweight Champion. The win gave Shango the same title and belt previously held by boxing icons like Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. In this interview, Shango discusses the incredible physical and mental resilience required to make a living as a professional boxer....

Ky Furneaux spent much of her early childhood running wild in small rural towns around South Australia, having adventures and riding her horse through the bush with a freedom that only small country towns allowed. When she was 19 years old, a car accident fractured a vertebra in her spine. When she was told she would never be physically active again, a resilience emerged that she didn’t know she h...

Dr. Ann Masten is a professor at the University of Minnesota who has been studying resilience in children and families facing adversity for more than 40 years. In this interview, Dr. Masten shares the factors that contribute to positive development of children, how the pandemic put children at risk during the lockdown and in the months since, and what children who live through stressful circumstan...

In 1972, Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers was recognized as the best college football player in the country and winner of the coveted Heisman Trophy. As a member of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, his teams won two college football national championships. Johnny went on to play six years of professional football before an injury stopped the man that defenders couldn’t. Undeterred, he left behind pro sports and...

In this interview, Fleet Master Chief David Isom discusses the Navy SEAL selection process, the endurance required to survive “Hell Week,” the daily dangers of being a member of a SEAL team and how the stress of that danger is managed, and how the US military approaches resilience at an organizational level. He even talks about his role in the planning and rescue of Private Jessica Lynch when she...

The topics of aging and life extension are getting a lot of attention in the media. Sergey Young believes we are on the brink of a Longevity Revolution, with new scientific discoveries and exciting technological advances now making it possible to reverse aging and treat previously incurable diseases. In this episode, Sergey talks about how humans will be able to extend life to 150 years and beyond...

Do you know someone who has been hurt in the past and can’t let it go? They aren’t able to move forward with their life. Or maybe they wanted something really badly, but they didn’t get it. Either way, they are stuck. This episode is for that person. Dr. Fred Luskin is the author of the book “ Forgive for Good .” He is also the director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. In this inte...

If you are a leader for long enough, your organization is going to face a crisis. It might be a massive weather event, a war that interrupts your supply chain, a cybersecurity breach, or another type of disruption. How prepared you are and how you respond to that crisis will determine if it’s devastating or an opportunity. Dominic Bowen has been working in crisis situations for two decades. A form...

Being able to bounce back from adversity is a critical skill in being successful in business and in living a healthy, fulfilled life. In general, resilient people have better mental and physical health, are more productive, have a greater sense of purpose, and experience greater success. In this episode, Shannon Huffman Polson discusses the challenges she faced as a pioneer in military aviation. S...

Research indicates that showing gratitude helps us improve our health, handle adversity, and create stronger relationships. In this interview, Chester Elton, who co-wrote the book Leading with Gratitude , shares how expressing gratitude can also lead to extraordinary business results. He discusses some of the myths about gratitude that are holding leaders back and Chester shares the most powerful...

When the lights are on and the ball is in play, we tend to forget that athletes are human too. They have families, friends, bills, obligations, and commitments like everyone else. And their jobs are really, really stressful. Failure can lead to the scorn of fans in the arena and on social media. Pundits can be unusually cruel. Coaches and General Managers can be fickle when players underperform an...

This interview is so much more than a discussion about leadership. It’s a reflection on the incredible progress that has been made in the United States and the work that still needs to be done. Born in South Philadelphia, former professional basketball player and coach Ray Scott discusses a formative trip he took as a 12-year-old boy to the segregated South in 1950. He talks about the bravery amid...

Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker joins the show again to discuss the topic of leadership. In his first appearance back in 2020, he shared his thoughts on “The Future of War.” This time, he shares what he has learned about leadership during his nearly three decades as a member of the United States Marine Corps. In this episode, MGySgt Stalker and host Don MacPherson talk about developing cultu...

The United States is more politically and culturally divided than it has been since the 1960s and Americans are fatigued. They are demanding solutions. Tom Fishman believes if curiosity, compassion, and courage can be cultivated into daily habits, we can overcome the polarization, blind tribalism, and dehumanization threatening the social fabric of our communities. Not only does Tom believe teachi...

In the competitive business of professional sports, there is no template or formula for building a winner. It does, however, require effective leadership from ownership, general managers, and coaches all the way down to the trainers, traveling secretaries, and front-office personnel. Lou Nanne has been involved in professional hockey for six decades and has studied the attributes of winning cultur...

Imagine spending a night homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. Now imagine spending two years doing that…as a teenager. When Janae Sergio was 16-years-old, she didn’t realize her homeless odyssey would last two years, but it did. Remarkably, Janae navigated that precarious time and has become an inspiration for young people who feel or have literally been abandoned. Along the way, Janae has deve...

When a situation is at its worst, that's when Matt Gerber rushes in. For more than two decades, Matt has volunteered in danger zones after hurricanes, earthquakes, and even during wars. As you might imagine, during the chaos of a humanitarian crisis, a clear head and great leadership are needed. Those are two of the gifts Matt brings to the table. In this interview, Matt talks about how he has gro...

Musician and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations—her résumé as a musician includes performances at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-compositions for 100-voice choir, performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, and top-200 entries on the Billboard charts. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape and the RBG documentary. As a writer, she’s been publis...

Bret Griess is Executive Partner at the private equity firm Siris Capital. Prior to joining Siris, Bret spent 25 years with CSG Systems International where he rose through the ranks to become President and Chief Executive Officer. He oversaw the development of CSG’s first comprehensive cybersecurity program, introduced the industry’s first public, cloud-based business support solution, and led the...

In this interview, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Ronald Piret discusses his background and why he chose a career in the Navy, the importance of mentorship to his career development, the mission of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the advantages of leading a blend of civilian and uniformed personnel, and the vast amounts of information captured and processed on a daily basis by the Command....

Zach Mercurio, Ph. D. is an author, researcher, speaker, and consultant specializing in purposeful leadership, meaningful work, and positive organizational psychology. He wrote “The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose.” Zach earned his Ph. D. in Organizational Learning, Performance, and Change from Colorado State University where he ser...

In this episode, Daniel Sisson joins the show. With an international business background, Daniel has spent his career in the San Francisco tech industry in a wide variety of roles for startup companies. He is a self-taught developer obsessed with virtual reality. the Metaverse. and the potential those technologies will present to the world. In this interview, Daniel shares some of the newsletter s...