The Best 2 Podcast

You might know this guest from some oft-quoted lines among Latter-day Saints, such as: “Jesus doesn’t make up the difference. Jesus makes all the difference”; or “it is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch”; or perhaps this one: “don’t let the world change you when you were born to change the world.” The author of each of these pithy and inspiring mantras–and today’s guest–is Brad Wil...

Steven Sharp Nelson is best known for his role as the "Cello Guy" in The Piano Guys, a musical group famous for their unique blend of classical and contemporary music. They’ve released 13 albums, eight of which have reached number one on Billboard’s Classical or New Age Albums charts. The Piano Guys are renowned for performing in breathtaking locations around the world, including atop the Great Wa...

Seth Christensen (no relation) is a good, fun dude who just got back from his mission to Neuquén, Argentina. In this episode, Seth and his dad Justin join me to share four of the biggest things Seth learned from his mission that he didn’t know prior to leaving. Should be a good listen.

Today’s guest, the inimitable Terryl Givens, is a career-long academic, scholar, and public intellectual. He did his undergraduate studies at BYU in Comparative Literature before doing graduate work at Cornell in Intellectual History and later earning a Ph. D. in Comparative Literature at UNC Chapel Hill. As a professor, he taught courses on Religion and Literature at the University of Richmond fo...

Mark Wiest is a former VP of Sales at KSL TV and Bonneville International where he worked for 35 years after receiving an undergraduate and MBA degree from BYU. Today, Mark serves the Church in several capacities: first, with his wife as assistant directors of Church VIP Hosting; and second, as a member of the Church’s Young Men Advisory Board. Mark served his mission to Rosario, Argentina from 19...

After a summer hiatus, we’re back with today’s guest, Mark Gottfredson. Mark is a strategy consultant who has worked for global management consulting leader Bain & Company for over 40 years. At the beginning of his career, Mark graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA degree. In 2008, Mark published a book called The Breakthrough Imperative: How The Best Managers Get Outstanding Resu...

A short episode with my cousin, Isabelle, who recently returned from her mission to California, to debrief on the 5 most important things she learned on her mission that she didn't know after graduating from high school. Theme Music Adventures by A Himitsu ⁠  / a-himitsu  ⁠ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: ⁠http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT⁠ Music released by...

Creating a commercial airline is incredibly hard. Our guest today, David Neeleman, has founded not one but five commercial airlines, including JetBlue, WestJet (the second-largest airline in Canada), Azul Airlines (Brazil’s fastest growing airline), and, most recently, Breeze Airways in the United States. He was even listed by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in...

Our biggest guest yet! Spoiler alert: he’s 6’10.” I’m talking about former BYU basketball star, Eric Mika. Mika’s had a long and winding basketball career beginning at Lone Peak High School in Utah where his team won the Utah State Championship and was subsequently named the 2013 National Champions by MaxPreps, a stunning outcome for a basketball team from Utah Valley. After high school, Mika atte...

Quick solo episode to discuss intentions with the podcast and share a tip for mission preparation in conjunction with Mother's Day. Theme Music Adventures by A Himitsu   / a-himitsu   Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT Music released by Argofox    • A Himitsu - Adventures [Royalty Free ...   Music promoted by Audio Library    • ...

On the eve of the Cambodian New Year, we’re bringing in two former Cambodian missionaries, Kenny Matthews and Bronzson Woods. Kenny and Bronzson both served their LDS missions to Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 2009-2011.  Following the conclusion of their missions, they both returned to Cambodia to found social ventures in the country. Bronzson founded an outsourced breast milk production company calle...

Tim Clark is an Oxford-trained social scientist, CEO, and leadership expert who served his mission in Seoul, South Korea from 1983-1985. In this episode, Tim shares about playing on a Lavell Edwards-led BYU football team, the challenges and satisfaction of learning a language, contingent self-esteem, the spectrum of influence in leadership, and how breaking down ethnocentricity leads to personal a...

This episode features Levi Lindsay, a Chief Marketing Officer and entrepreneur, who served his mission in Arcadia, California from 2011-2013. In this episode, Levi shares about the role of a Chief Marketing Officer and how a young person might build toward that career, the unexpected impact that a mission had on his life, a potentially life-saving evening and other faith-promoting experiences, and...

Join us as we sit down with retired federal judge Thomas B. Griffith, who previously served on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and undertook an LDS mission to South Africa from 1973-1975. In this episode, Judge Griffith discusses his time on 'the second-highest court in the land,' reflects on his experience preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Apartheid-era South Africa, underlines th...

In this episode, Spencer Jan, co-founder of Solo Stove fire pits, hops on to join us. With Solo Stove's 2021 IPO reaching a whopping 2 billion dollars, Spencer's entrepreneurial journey is truly remarkable. From his mission in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from 1999-2001, to his pursuit of financial freedom, Spencer shares insights on resilience and the invaluable lessons of "grit" learned f...

Kyle Welch, a successful entrepreneur and accounting professor with a PhD from HBS, kicks off the inaugural episode of "The Best 2 Podcast" by reflecting on his LDS mission to Detroit from '98-'00. In this episode, we discuss Kyle's successful business career, having fun on the mission, and the lasting impact missions have on others as well as oneself. Kyle wrote the followin...

Welcome to "The Best 2 Podcast"! This upbeat podcast explores the secular benefits of LDS missions, emphasizing practical lessons and valuable advice. Join accomplished individuals from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they share how missions catalyze personal, professional, and vocational triumphs, revealing profound impacts on careers, relationships, and life's pu...