Ask For An Answer

Bruno Gavino built a 30-person global digital agency from Lisbon. Then he started asking whether AI was quietly making everything his agency did irrelevant. His answer wasn't to panic. It was to build. What Happens When an Introvert Becomes the Face of an AI Company? Bruno Gavino is the CEO and founder of CoDesign, a digital agency based in Lisbon, Portugal, with offices in Boston, Singapore, and...

Most people know they want more connection in their lives. What they don't have is a simple, honest practice for building it, one that starts with themselves and radiates outward. Timothy Hunter Mathews has been building that practice for years, and in this episode, he shares exactly how it works. What Does Relational Kindness Actually Look Like in Practice? Timothy Hunter Mathews wears a lot of h...

When every other brand raised prices and chased scale, Ingrid Nilsen and Erica Anderson did the opposite. They listened to their community and lowered theirs. That's not a marketing strategy. That's a values decision, and it changed everything. What Does It Actually Take to Build a Brand on Your Own Terms? Ingrid Nilsen and Erica Anderson are back. Co-founders of New Savant, a Brooklyn-born fragra...

What if the future of leadership is being built by people courageous enough to be fully themselves? In this Pride Month conversation, Jim Fielding sits down with educator, scholar, and queer leadership pioneer John Weinstein, Provost of Bard Academy and Simons Rock at Bard College and founder of the Bard Queer Leadership Project. Together they explore how far the LGBTQ+ community has come, why Pri...

What does it take to build a global live entertainment company from scratch at age 21, with no investors, no loans and two roommates answering your phones for $3 off the utility bill? In this episode, Jim Fielding sits down with Ryan Stana , founder and CEO of RWS Global , the world's premier one-stop shop for live entertainment, to tell the full founder story from a living room in New York City t...

What does it take to build a $100 million beauty brand from a single bar of goat milk soap on a farm in upstate New York? In this special Pride Month episode, Jim Fielding sits down with both halves of the duo behind Beekman 1802, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell , for one of the most honest, joyful and wide-ranging conversations the show has ever had. From the 51% rule that saved their busines...

Only 4% of LGBT people live in the United States. So what is happening to the other 96%? In this special Pride Month episode, Jim Fielding sits down with Fabrice Houdart , former World Bank and United Nations human rights officer and one of the most respected global voices on LGBTQ economic empowerment, to take an honest, unflinching look at where the community stands right now and where it needs...

What if the key to success at work and in life has nothing to do with how smart you are? In this episode, Jim Fielding sits down with Harvey Deutschendorf , emotional intelligence expert, speaker, and author of Emotional Intelligence Game Changers: 101 Simple Ways to Win at Work and Life , for a deeply personal and powerfully practical conversation about EQ, resilience, and what it means to lead w...

What does it actually take to pursue excellence without burning out? In this episode, Jim Fielding sits down with Brad Stulberg, 3x bestselling author and performance coach, to unpack the ideas behind his most successful book yet, The Way of Excellence. Brad shares the exact content system he uses to go from a single idea to a social media post, a newsletter, and eventually a bestselling book. Plu...

What if the life you built to survive is no longer the life you want to live? In this episode of Ask For An Answer , Jim Fielding sits down with leadership coach, speaker, and author Erin Coupe for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, emotional resilience, childhood trauma, parenting, corporate leadership, and the long process of learning how to stop abandoning yourself. Erin shares the pow...

Three years after All Pride, No Ego first hit shelves, Jim Fielding sits down alone behind the microphone to reflect on everything that happened next and none of it went the way he expected. In this deeply personal solo episode of Ask For An Answer, Jim shares the real story behind the paperback release of his bestselling book, the emotional impact of being truly seen by readers, and how one vulne...

​​What does it actually take to build a lasting career in retail and leadership? In this episode of Ask For An Answer, Jim Fielding sits down with longtime retail executive Ken Pilot for a candid conversation about the realities behind leadership, brand building, and staying relevant in a constantly evolving industry. From their early days in the denim business to navigating decades of change acro...

At what point do you stop pushing through and start listening to yourself? In this episode of Ask For An Answer, Jim Fielding sits down with Kristen Shelt for a grounded and deeply personal conversation about burnout, identity, and what it actually takes to make a real change in your life. Kristen shares the experience of reaching a point where doing more, achieving more, and holding it all togeth...

What happens when service is taken from you and you choose to serve anyway? In this episode of Ask For An Answer , Jim Fielding sits down with Bree Fram , former U.S. Space Force Colonel turned congressional candidate, to explore leadership, identity, resilience, and what it means to stand up for democracy in a moment of uncertainty. After more than two decades of military service, Bree was forced...

In this episode of Ask For An Answer , host Jim Fielding sits down with 20-year unscripted television veteran and creative entrepreneur Liza Keckler . Liza has navigated the complex world of alternative TV, from producing home improvement shows to leading development for major networks and production companies. Jim and Liza dive deep into their time working together at Archer Gray , where they foc...

What does it take to keep chasing your dream — even after setbacks, reinvention, and unexpected career turns? In this episode of Ask For An Answer , Jim Fielding sits down with Eva Steortz , executive coach, author of From the Outhouse to the Mouse House , and a longtime entertainment marketing leader, for a conversation about bold moves, career growth, resilience, and the relationships that shape...

What does it take to build a global entertainment brand from scratch and sustain it for over three decades? In this episode of Ask For An Answer , host Jim Fielding sits down with legendary entertainment executive Luis Balaguer , CEO and founder of Latin World Entertainment (LatinWE) . As the longtime business partner of Sofía Vergara , Luis has been the strategic architect behind one of the most...

What happens when storytelling moves beyond the stage and becomes a fully immersive experience? In this episode of Ask For An Answer , Jim Fielding sits down with Vance Garrett , one of the creative minds behind groundbreaking immersive experiences like Sleep No More , 29Rooms , and the Museum of Ice Cream . Together they explore how experiential storytelling is transforming entertainment, retail,...

What happens when the spotlight fades and the crown comes off? In this episode of ASK FOR AN ANSWER, host Jim Fielding sits down with former Miss USA Olivia Jordan to discuss the raw reality of life after the title. Known for her grace during one of the most infamous moments in Miss Universe history, Olivia opens up about the "evolution behind the headlines." From the high-pressure world of pagean...

What if a school bus could change lives? On this episode of ASK FOR AN ANSWER , Jim Fielding sits down with Adam Powell, co-founder of the LGBTQ+ book platform Our Story (formerly Shop Queer), to talk about turning a 10-book idea into a thriving national movement. From launching a bookshop out of their apartment in 2022 to building 30+ book clubs and taking the Rainbow Book Bus across the country,...

What happens when an untold American legacy becomes a modern business movement and a masterclass in leadership, culture, and brand truth? In this episode of Ask for an Answer , Jim Fielding sits down with Katharine “Kate” Jerkens , Chief Business Officer of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey , to explore what it takes to build an iconic brand in uncertain times—without hiding behind “having all the ans...

What if success doesn’t arrive all at once, but shows up quietly when you finally stop running from who you are? Actor Gerardo Celasco opens up about growing up between cultures, being “othered” in El Salvador, chasing an acting dream without a safety net, and enduring years of near-misses before landing career-defining roles like The Waterfront . In a deeply personal conversation with host Jim Fi...

What really happens when leaders stop playing it safe—and start trusting their people? In this live Los Angeles episode, Jim Fielding is joined by former direct reports Launi King, Elizabeth Litten Miller, and Erin Morris to unpack the real story behind building a high-performing team during a period of massive change at 20th Century Fox. From career pivots and creative freedom to empathy-driven l...

What if the real competitive advantage in business isn’t technology, talent, or capital — but belief? In this kickoff episode of the 2026 Leading With Pride Book Club, Jim Fielding sits down with retail and leadership veteran Matt Marcotte to explore the ideas behind his book Built on Belief: Why Cultures of Commitment Are the Competitive Advantage . From Gap and Apple to Tory Burch and Salesforce...

What happens when curiosity, courage, and otherness collide into a life of impact? In this Los Angeles Sessions episode of Ask For An Answer , Jim Fielding sits down with pioneering media strategist and XR visionary Wadooah Wali for a deeply human conversation about identity, creativity, and carving a non-linear career path. From growing up feeling “othered” in Gainesville, Florida, to riding the...