Leeds Business Insights

On this episode of the Leeds Business Insights podcast, host Claire Stewart speaks with Spencer Rogers, hospitality entrepreneur, founder/CEO of Third Place Hospitality, and an alumnus of the Leeds School of Business, about entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) and his career path from product management at Apple to a PTSD-recovery app startup, then full-time hospitality. Spencer explains how...

On this episode of the Leeds Business Insights podcast, host Claire Stewart speaks with Ying Zeng, assistant professor of marketing at the Leeds School of Business, to unpack the hidden biases and mental shortcuts that shape consumer decision-making. Ying explains why tasks feel most exhausting near completion—because people track percentage completed rather than total effort—and suggests batching...

On this episode of the Leeds Business Insights podcast, host Claire Stewart talks with Dave Allen, the CEO of Pure Fishing for Sycamore Partners as well as a Leeds alumnus and Dean’s Advisory Board member. Dave describes his career path from landing his first job with Unilever to leading turnarounds, emphasizing a strategy of cutting invisible costs, reinvesting in brand building and innovation, s...

On this episode of the Leeds Business Insights podcast, host Claire Stewart talks with Mallory Decker, a Leeds School of Business doctoral candidate in organizational behavior and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot who served 11 years on active duty, including tours in the U.S. House of Representatives and at NATO. Mallory explains how being one of the few women in naval aviation and often the only...

Today on the Leeds Business Insights podcast, our host, Claire Stewart, sits down with Shay Har-Noy, the managing director of Techstars Boulder. Shay’s enthusiasm for entrepreneurship is undeniable, and he is responsible for raising the fund, recruiting companies, and working with the world's best founders. Shay and Claire discuss Shay’s path from his education through founding his first compa...

Welcome back to Season 5 of the Leeds Business Insights podcast! This season, we welcome Claire Stewart to the hosting chair as she continues to bring you conversations with some of Leeds and Colorado’s brightest voices. Today, Claire sits down with Tony Kong, professor of organizational leadership and information analytics at the Leeds School of Business. His research examines how we can enable p...

What are the societal benefits of whistleblowing? What practical advice is there for those considering speaking up within their own organizations on how to best shed light on an issue without exposing themselves to retaliation? How do people become whistleblowers without even knowing it at the time? Meghan Van Portfliet is an assistant teaching professor at the Leeds School of Business. Her resear...

What implications do consumer business and confidence have on the future of economic growth? How does fear of the unknown come into play with tariffs taking effect, and how will that play into the Federal Reserve’s stance on interest rates? Richard Wobbekind is the Associate Dean for Business and Government Relations at Leeds School of Business, and Brian Lewandowski is the Executive Director of t...

AI is everywhere, sparking both excitement and anxiety, especially in education. But what if we shifted our perspective from fear to partnership? Jeremiah Contreras is an assistant teaching professor and the Kala and Shiv Khatri Endowed Faculty Scholar at the Leeds School of Business. Jeremiah is also at the forefront of incorporating the newest AI technologies into business school education acros...

2025 has been designated the International Year of Quantum by UNESCO, marking 100 years since the creation of quantum mechanics. In that century, the ideas have moved from laboratories and lecture halls to everyday products and a wide general understanding of some principles. How can businesses position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities quantum will create going forward? Scott Ster...

What does it look like to move from a life of intense athletic competition into the realm of business? What aspects of being an athlete translated well into entrepreneurship, and what strong career motivation can be derived from understanding a simple bell curve?  Ryan Heckman is a two-time Olympian, Leeds Business School Alumnus, and a longtime entrepreneur.   Ryan co-founded Rallyday Partners, a...

Recent events have put more of a spotlight on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and its role in all organizations. What can research tell us about how these initiatives affect institutions, and what could change were they not in place?  Dr. Rebecca (Becca) Mitchell an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder.  Her researc...

It’s never too early to start building your personal brand and to be aware of the social footprint you are creating. Why does it pay to get specific when it comes to your own branding, and what ways can you maximize your brand for your professional growth? Olivia Omega is a personal branding specialist, author, and the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at the Denver Scholarship Found...

Technology is an integral part of work for most of us, but it’s also an undeniable cause of workplace stress. So how can we avoid burnout and start trying to find balance? Jason Bennett Thatcher holds the Tandean Rustandy Esteemed Professorship at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder and researches how the interaction of people and technology change the world we work...

This episode is all about attainable housing, and how innovation may be able to help first-time home buyers with new options. Jamie Saunders is a Leeds MBA alumna and the founder of Affix Communities, a startup with a mission to create new ways for potential home buyers to become homeowners. Jamie was inspired by her sister's struggles with fluctuating income and rent increases, shifting from...

Our guest’s latest research is focused on how voters relate to the concepts of truth and factuality, and how personal moral values tend to drive voters more than facts. Ethan Poskanzer is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. Ethan studies how organizations can select and connect people to develop innovative i...

The fall semester is well underway and we are BACK with a brand-new season of Leeds Business Insights! We know it’s been a minute since we gave you new episodes, and we’ve made a few changes. First, we have a new host, Maria Kuntz! Maria is an inclusive communications and marketing professional, storyteller, and now—podcast host!  In Season 4, we’ll continue to explore the challenges and opportuni...

Our guest today says sales is all about helping buyers make informed purchase decisions and giving them the information they need. But there is so much more nuance behind that simple definition, and what goes on in the day to day of a salesperson.  So we are thrilled to be discussing applicable lessons from sales that can be useful for any professional with Brian Higgins, a Teaching Assistant Prof...

Brock Weatherup is a Leeds alumnus and consumer growth board executive, three-time Exit Startup CEO founder, multi-billion dollar C-suite leader, an active early-stage investor. He was a dedicated startup guy, who went from churning out successful businesses in the pet food & wellness industry, to receiving a diagnosis that changed the entire course of his life.  In this episode, he sits down...

So much of our free time is consumed with posting on social media, sharing our day to day lives and crafting a personal narrative or brand online. But how is the effecting our day to day lives, and is it effecting our possibility to truly live in and experience the moments were in? Today we are discussing the intersection between technology and consumer experiences with Alexandra Barasch, an assoc...

In this episode, we are discussing innovation and inclusivity in entrepreneurship with Ethan Poskanzer. Ethan is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship in the Leeds School of Business, and studies how organizations can select and connect people to develop innovative ideas and how the opportunity to innovate can be democratized and made more inclusive. Host Amanda Kramer sits down...

Commercial construction and real estate development is a difficult space to break into, and building plans can change at the drop of a hat, forcing you to be flexible and nimble with clients.  So joining us to talk about this dynamic and ever-growing industry is Case Swenson, alumnus and president/CEO at Swenson in the San Francisco Bay area. Case joins host Amanda Kramer to share the trends and c...

Crowdfunding and volunteer mobilization are at the heart of how non-profits function on a day-to-day basis. But how does this work in an ever-growing remote workforce? And how can this ethos transfer to the business sector and for-profit organizations? Joining us to answer some of these questions and more is Gloria Urrea, an Assistant Professor of Operations Management in the Strategy, Entrepreneu...

If we look at the events that have unfolded in the first part of the year, our guests believe likelihood of a recession has increased, and changed expectations for the economy. Joining us today for this discussion on the economy and a look ahead, are Rich Wobbekind, the Dean for Business and Government Relations and Senior Economist at Leeds as well as Brian Lewandowski, Executive Director of the...

Everything on paper was perfect for Ashish. A successful job with McKinsey, a beautiful wife and baby, a happy and peaceful life in Boulder. But everyday, he would wake up with intense anxiety, nausea, and an overwhelming sense of doom. Where was this coming from, and what could it be pointing to?  This is when the real journey began, and Happiness Squad was created. With a goal to help enhance jo...