Forged in America

Orthopedic surgeon and entrepreneur Dr. Ben Domb joins Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of medicine, AI, longevity, GLP-1s, robotics, healthcare innovation, and the psychology behind healing. The discussion explores where artificial intelligence will—and won't—replace physicians, why personalized medicine may finally become reality, and why one of Ame...

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Pete Kadens joins Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein for one of the most candid political conversations we've had. A lifelong Democrat, Pete doesn't shy away from criticizing his own party, while also challenging conservatives on issues ranging from democracy and immigration to education, meritocracy, and the future of America. This isn't a shouting match—it's three long...

Michael Ramlet is the co-founder and CEO of Morning Consult , one of the world's leading decision-intelligence companies. What began with just $30,000 of angel capital has grown into a company generating more than $100 million in annual revenue, serving many of the world's largest corporations, financial institutions, and governments. In this episode of Forged in America , Michael sits dow...

In this episode of Forged in America , Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with Rob Skinner , Founder and Managing Partner of IEQ Capital , a wealth management firm overseeing more than $50 billion in assets . Rob has spent decades advising founders, entrepreneurs, and some of the most successful families in America. The conversation ranges from AI and SpaceX to wealth psychology, raising motiv...

In this episode of Forged in America, Victor Ciardelli tells Ravin and Al didn't grow up looking like a future CEO. He describes himself as an angry kid with a chip on his shoulder, a problem with authority, and an unshakable belief that he was destined for something bigger. That mindset helped him survive near-bankruptcy, the dot-com crash, the 2008 financial crisis, COVID, and every challenge in...

How does a kid with ADD, average grades, and an obsession with persistence build one of the world's most unique growth equity firms? In Episode 40 of Forged in America , Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with Mitchell Green, founder of Lead Edge Capital, a $9B growth equity firm built on an unconventional idea: world-class entrepreneurs and executives can be more valuable than institution...

This week Ravin and Al tackle one of the most important—and uncomfortable—concepts shaping modern society: the idea of the Overton Window. Why do certain topics suddenly become impossible to discuss? Why do cultural norms seem to shift overnight? And what happens when institutions stop rewarding curiosity and start rewarding conformity? The conversation spans AI, economics, politics, media, cultur...

On this episode of Forged in America , Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with venture capitalist, author, and entrepreneur Michael Eisenberg for a wide-ranging conversation spanning venture capital, geopolitics, entrepreneurship, parenting, and the future of America and Israel. Michael shares his remarkable path from growing up in New York to moving to Israel and building Aleph into one of th...

Jenny Just and Matt Hulsizer built Peak6 from a $1.5 million trading bet in 1997 into a multi-billion-dollar fintech empire spanning trading, clearing, insurance, venture investing, esports, and AI. But this episode goes far beyond markets and money. It’s a masterclass in probabilistic thinking, founder psychology, marriage under pressure, and adapting during technological disruption. Jenny and Ma...

On this episode of Forged in America , Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein tackle politics and culture using this lens: the conflict between “kind lies” and “unkind truths.” The conversation spans the economy, AI, tariffs, immigration, media bias, socialism, crime, race, education, and the coming midterms. They debate whether America’s institutions, media, and political parties are increasingly rewardin...

In this episode, David Blumberg shares his wisdom about agentic AI, venture capital, and being politically discriminated not for sexual orientation in SF, but for being a conservative. The power of America, and capititalism is discussed along with breakthroughs in medical science and productivity due to artificial intelligence. Peter Thiel, Jordan Peterson, and many other luminaries are also discu...

This episode features El Salvador's cabinet members, Peter Dumas and Maria Luisa Hayem, discussing the country's remarkable transformation under President Bukele with Ravin and Al. Topics include crime reduction, economic reforms, Bitcoin adoption, and regional geopolitics. The entire geopolitical situation is discussed, and how wokism is seeping into many other major countries. The philos...

Dave Ripley, co-CEO of Kraken joins Ravin and Al to discuss all things crypto. From BTC to ETH to SOL to Coinbase and beyond, Dave believes that adoption of digital assets is at an all time high. He believes we will see 10M/bitcoin at some point in the future (mirroring Michael Saylor from MSTR), and is highly opimistic about the stablecoin adoption rate. He shares the pain of the 2022 crypto wint...

Poker legend Phil Hellmuth shares his poker, life and political musings with Ravin and Al. The state of the Democratic and Republican parties are discussed, along with handicapping both sides from JB Pritzker to Ted Cruz. The destructive power of ego and narcissism is discussed, with Phil sharing vulnerable stories about his personal journey and business ventures. The runaway success of the All-In...

Ravin and Al welcome Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of CrowdStrike and cybersecurity expert, to discuss geopolitics, US-China relations, the Iran conflict, and the future of technology and defense. The values of strategic deterrence, supply chain resilience, and the implications of AI advancements are debated. From the implications of low-quality chips in AI development to the political landscape,...

Alex Krys shares his inspirational journey with Ravin and Al from touring with the Rolling Stones, to managing Evander Holyfield, to doing over $10B in Real Estate. The impact of serendipity and grit are themes of this episode, showing how it is impossible to predict where seemingly random connections will lead. You just can't give up. Alex also opines on the state of Argentina and Milei - to...

Jeff Aronin shares his origin journey with Ravin and Al of becoming passionate about biotech after one of his epilepsy drugs stopped a little girl from an unnecessary surgery. His path to creating many multi-billion dollar drugs is analyzed, as well as the problems with FDA approvals and risk/reward of biotech. Also the future of medicine with potential solutions for cancer and many other conditio...

Sam Yagan shares his inspiring origin story with Al and Ravin, from founding SparkNotes as a senior at Harvard to selling it for 50M just 9 months later. His 8-year journey at OKCupid culminating with a sale to Match Group/IAC is discussed, with the runaway success af Tinder. At peak, the market cap of his company was 50B. Sam also shares his thoughts on immigration, the venture market, and spotti...

ALPHA SCHOOL's Mackenzie Price joins Ravin and Al to discuss the future of education, and how their unique school uses AI to teach K-12 tudents. Kids work with screens and guides for 2 hours, and then transition to projects in the afternoon to foment financial literacy, public speaking, and grit. They also discuss the broken model in modern America for education, and how AI might help the unde...

Jackie Reses shares her inspiring story with Ravin and Al, from attending boarding school at age 14 to get away from an unstable home to starting businesses at the University of Pennsylvania. From Goldman Sachs to sitting on the Alibaba board, to starting a bank at Square to finally creating Lead Bank. She is candid about dealing with impostor syndrome, and the challenges of being an alpha woman w...

Brent Beshore of Permanent Equity shares his unique approach to investing with Ravin and Al, including using no debt, 30 year holdtime, and eschewing the traditional 2/20 PE fund structure. He emphasizes the flexibility that his approach has given him to make long term discussions. The conversation then turns into Brent's deep Christian faith, as he shares his journey from existential dread and ni...

In this episode, investor Steven Taslitz takes Ravin and Al through key deals in his storied career including Black Rifle Coffee, Sylvan Learning, and School of Rock, and discovering Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. He emphasizes the value of the human relationships that are formed under pressure, whether on a competitive sports team or as co-founders. Steven discusses why he never wanted to raise a typic...

Al and Ravin reflect on why they continue doing this podcast, and the lessons gleaned from the stellar roster of guests thus far. They discuss the value of learning to communicate in the "YouTube Era" using podcasting, and how sharing public opinions changes your thinking in interesting and unexpected ways. The value of reading, and lifelong learning is emphasized. As always, a few war stories abo...

Tony Davis shares his origin story with Ravin and Al, from being fired at age 33 to building the worlds largest dedicated healthcare private equity fund LINDEN PARTNERS. He shares the key to being a stellar fundraiser, along with the biggest challenges he faced. The American healthcare system is discussed in depth, from high quality to bad incentives to insurance fraud. RFK's polarizing polici...

Sam Nazarian shares his journey with Al and Ravin from immigrant roots to building a global hospitality empire. He discusses the importance of brand building, ecosystem creation, and navigating the challenges of the nightlife and hotel industries. He discusses his ventures in luxury hotels, restaurants, and his latest focus on longevity and healthcare, offering valuable insights for aspiring entre...