Learning Out Loud

Rachel Edwards is the Vice President of Digital Private Markets and heads the development of internal startup, Capital Connect . Capital Connect brings together entrepreneurs, VCs, and LPs to help them find new opportunities and get deals done. Rachel is a graduate of the University of Maryland and a 2022 UVA Darden School of Business graduate. She founded several fashion companies before her time...

*Note: this episode was recorded at one of Thompson's restaurants, The Ridley in Charlottesville.* Warren Thomspon is the founder of Thompson Hospitality , the largest minority-owned food service, and one of the largest retail food and facilities management companies, in the country.  The company serves diverse clients, including Fortune 100 companies, universities, medical centers, and school...

Justin, Marlee, and Chapin discuss the lessons they learned from each of the guests in Season 2 (episodes 12-21) in this quick season recap.

Rooney Lee is the founder of NewSublease ,  the largest housing network for MBA/Law/Med students, focused on a hassle-free and affordable option for graduate students to rent a property or become a host with full confidence. Rooney is a former Product Strategy & Operations MBA Intern at Google, and also served as Product Manager and Analytics Lead, among other roles, at Cummins, Inc. Rooney al...

Caitlin Anderson (UVA ‘12) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about Co-Founding Thinkly Solutions , a consulting company focused on reducing wasted time in meetings, and why she decided to make the leap from the corporate world to tackling one of its largest issues. Follow us on  Instagram !

Michael Baer (UVA) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about his work as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer with TechCXO, his thought process in designing effective ad campaigns, and the benefits of working with multiple companies simultaneously. Follow us on  Instagram !

Dolores Stevens (UVA ‘07) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about leaving the corporate world at WeWork and Hello Alfred to become a conscious leadership coach, and how she helps clients frame the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship and business. Follow us on  Instagram !

Alex Russell (McIntire ‘16) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about his time in Investment Banking, his discovery of Kava, and pulls back the curtain on spearheading the introduction of a new drink to the United States through his Kava brand, Nothing Special .  Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Professor Chip Ransler speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about a near death encounter with a poisonous snake, redesigning the inside of a Navy nuclear submarine, backpacking through the Swiss Alps, and running multiple million dollar companies.

Erika Bahr (BYU ‘09, Harvard Business Analytics ‘22, UVA Darden ‘23) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about her company, Invest Capital AI, which uses AI to predict the success of startups for founders and VCs alike. Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Alex Zorychta (UVA Engineering ‘13, Darden MBA ‘21) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about what’s wrong with the way we approach entrepreneurship in colleges today, and the system he’s developed to help fix it. Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Brendan Richardson talks to Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about the chance encounter that made him a VC, his time working in Europe, and his current company, Astraea , which uses AI and satellite imagery to tackle some of the world’s largest problems. Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Rich Diemer (UVA McIntire ‘80) talks to Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about winning the lottery, managing risk in angel investing, and the patterns of successful entrepreneurs he’s seen as the Co-Chair of CavAngels.  Check out CAV Angels at https://cavangels.com Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Professor Tim Davis (Indiana University ‘89, ASU ‘97, University of Maryland ‘01) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about building resilience, advice for young students, and his “bathtub moment”. Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Justin, Marlee, and Chapin take a few minutes to reflect on and summarize the first 10 episodes of Learning Out Loud, and the lessons we took from each of our first guests. Thanks to everyone who has spoken with us and listened so far. We're looking forward to many more episodes to come. Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Attorney Rob Kaplan - litigator turned nationally recognized mediator - speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin, and distills "success" down to just 8 words. Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Chaitenya Razdan (UVA McIntire '05, UChicago Booth '11) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about the importance of caring for others, curating a positive company culture and what lead him to his current venture, Care+Wear . Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on  Instagram !

Walt Guidice speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about his many experiences across Healthcare, Finance, and Minerals and Mining, and what lead him to his current venture, NeuroStim TMS . Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off! Follow us on Instagram !

Sophie Smith (UVA McIntire '23) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about the overnight TikTok which started her business, College Contact , her decision to pursue it full time post-grad, and her advice for other student entrepreneurs. *NEW*: Use code LEARNINGOUTLOUD at https://www.yourcollegecontact.com/ for 20% off!

Jordon Durst (UVA McIntire '15) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about co-founding an AI-powered data and marketing company, Ask Alex , with his college roommate, raising capital from early-stage VC, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will push you to succeed.

Elizabeth Blankenship (Poets and Quants Most Disruptive MBA Startups 2022) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about her background in fashion, pursuing an MBA at UVA, founding her own zero-waste fashion startup ( By Eilly ), the importance of the KPI community in creating accountability, and her latest ventures in angel investing and VC. Saras Sarasvathy's book Elizabeth mentioned.

Mark Christensen speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about running a $100MM commercial construction company, a unique educational experience, and explains the meaning behind the phrase "Taxi Low, Fly High".

Jordan Geller speaks with Justin, Marlee and Chapin about setting the world record for largest shoe collection, selling a pair of sneakers for $560,000, and lending his shoes to Ben Affleck on the set of Air (2023).

Justin, Marlee, and Chapin speak with Professor Lovelace about systematic accountability, reflection, mentorship, and lessons learned on leadership from his 12 years in the US Army. Jeff Lovelace’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyblovelace Learning Out Loud Instagram: @_learningoutloud

Justin, Marlee, and Chapin introduce themselves and discuss what Learning out Loud will cover going forward.