The Culture Matters Podcast

Is culture something organizations measure after success... or is it the very thing that creates it? In this solo episode, Jay Doran challenges the common belief that culture is simply a byproduct of business performance. Instead, he argues that in today's world, culture has become a leading indicator of organizational success. As technology, workforce expectations, and society continue to ev...

What happens when a leader stops paying attention? In this thought-provoking solo episode, Jay Doran explores one of the most overlooked realities of leadership: organizations rarely collapse overnight. They drift. Communication fades. Trust weakens. Purpose becomes unclear. And eventually, culture follows.  Drawing from philosophy, mythology, and timeless stories like The Lord of the Rings and St...

What gives an organization its spirit? According to Jay Doran, it isn't the logo, the mission statement, or the office. It's the people. In this solo episode, Jay explores one of the deepest leadership conversations of the series: if organizations borrow their spirit from the people inside them, then what responsibility do leaders have in protecting, restoring, and strengthening that spi...

What separates discipline from obsession? And is love actually higher than both? In this thought-provoking and deeply personal conversation, Jay Doran sits down with entrepreneur, speaker, innovator, and longtime mortgage industry leader Jason duPont for a discussion that spans business, human potential, leadership, fatherhood, personal growth, and the meaning of life itself.  From his early days...

Why do organizations lose their spirit? It happens to startups. It happens to family businesses. It happens to Fortune 500 companies. It happens to institutions that once seemed unstoppable. In this solo episode, Jay Doran explores one of the most important questions in business, leadership, and culture: what causes an organization to lose the very thing that made it special in the first place?  D...

Most people think a business is its product or service. They're not wrong. But they're not seeing the whole picture. In this thought-provoking solo episode, Jay Doran explores the idea that every organization operates through an unseen system beneath the surface—a hidden architecture that determines whether a business grows, stagnates, evolves, or slowly decays.  Drawing connections betw...

What if your word of the year isn't just a goal, but a reflection of who you're becoming? In this deeply personal solo episode, Jay Doran explores the connection between his word for 2025, Intensity , and his word for 2026, Love , uncovering how one became the necessary foundation for the other.  Jay reflects on the evolution of his journey through reading, writing, speaking, and listeni...

In the first installment of a new solo series, Jay Doran steps away from interviews and into something far more vulnerable: an unfiltered exploration of the thoughts occupying his mind when no one else is in the room.  What begins as a reflection on the internal battle between good and evil quickly evolves into a philosophical journey through leadership, capitalism, influence, identity, social med...

Some conversations aren't planned. They're lived. In this special episode, Jay sits down with one of the most familiar voices in Culture Matters Podcast history, Andrew Berman, for what may be their most personal conversation yet. A longtime friend, collaborator, and recurring guest, Andrew opens up about his recent cancer diagnosis, the lessons he's learning through treatment, and...

“What is to give light must endure burning.” — Viktor Frankl In this deeply meaningful episode, Jay sits down with Chuck Hyde, President and CEO of Hope Cancer Resources, for a conversation about leadership, systems, compassion, culture, and what it truly means to serve people during some of the hardest moments of their lives. Chuck’s background spans chemical engineering, Fortune 100 operations,...

“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” — Warren Buffett In this episode, Jay sits down with Ryan Chiodo, one of the top luxury real estate advisors in Naples, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, trust, service, relationships, and what it actually takes to build a reputation at the highest level. Ryan’s story is not a straight line. From bartending in his family’s Italian restaurant...

“You can’t manage other people unless you manage yourself first.” — Peter Drucker What if the biggest thing holding people back in their careers… is that they don’t even know the real game being played? In this episode, Jay sits down with Booker Farrior—former enterprise operator, executive coach, systems thinker, and founder of Coaching By The Book. With experience leading inside organizations li...

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Viktor Frankl Some conversations don’t just teach you something… they change how you see everything. In this episode, Jay sits down with Rob McCord—a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, public servant, and now a voice in resilience and post-traumatic growth. But this isn’t a highlight reel. This is a real co...

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein What if the biggest gap in the mortgage industry isn’t rates… but understanding? In this episode, Jay sits down with returning guest Brian Vieaux to unpack one of the most overlooked yet foundational elements of the industry: standards. As President of MISMO, Brian pulls back the curtain on the invisible infrastructure...

“The way people behave is a reflection of what leaders tolerate.” — John C. Maxwell What if the biggest problem in sales isn’t the product… but the experience? In this episode, Jay sits down with Drew Pearlman, a lifelong operator in the automotive industry who has built winning cultures in one of the most high-pressure environments in business. From starting on a car lot at 14 years old to leadin...

"Out of every 100 men, 10 of them should not be there. 80 are nothing but targets. Nine of them are real fighters and we are lucky to have them for they make the battle. Ah, but one, one is a warrior and he will bring the others back." Back again like we never left, we have the founder of Arena Securities and co-host of our ongoing Value Investor Series, Aleck Arena , and if you are in t...

"When you are finished changing, you are finished." - Benjamin Franklin Everybody's favorite mortgage expert, leader of the Bill Mervin Mortgage Team, and frequent guest here on The Culture Matters Podcast Bill Mervin is back on the program again and we're looking forward to another fantastic round of conversation with the man himself.  On today's episode, Bill and Jay are...

"Anyone who wants to learn the human psyche will learn next to nothing from experimental psychology He would be better advised to abandon exact science, put away his scholar's gown, bid farewell to his study, and wander with human heart throughout the world. There, in the horrors of prisons, lunatic asylums, in drab suburban hubs, brothels, and gambling halls; in the salons of the elegan...

"You can't think yourself out of writing block. You have to write yourself out of a thinking block." Our guest today the Chief Marketing Officer of Paramount Residential Mortgage Group and a frequent contributor on the show, Paul Lucido , and we've got him back for yet another conversation surrounding our very own Jay Doran's work, Thirty Days of Thought.  The discussion f...

"If you want to make a lot of money, solve big problems." - Elon Musk Our guest today is an early supporter Culture Matters and Senior Loan Officer with NJ Lenders Corp., Jeff Winick , and we're very excited to have him back for his sophomore appearance on the show.  There is a lot to cover in this episode, so buckle up and get ready to ride!  Jeff and Jay are unpacking the power of...

"When Zarathustra was 30 years old, he left his home and lake of his home, and went into the mountains. Here, he had the enjoyment of his spirit and his solitude and he did not weary of it for 10 years. But at least, his heart turned and one morning he rose with the dawn, stepped before the sun, and spoke to it thus: Great star! What would your happiness be if you had not those for whom you s...

What if everything you’ve been told about AI is wrong? In this thought-provoking episode, Jay sits down with Scott Schang to explore a perspective far deeper than tools, automation, or productivity. This is a conversation about a paradigm shift—a true renaissance. Drawing inspiration from Nikola Tesla’s vision of a connected world, Scott reframes AI not as a replacement for human intelligence, but...

What if everything in your business comes down to one thing: incentives? In this episode of the Culture Matters Podcast , Jay Doran sits down with Nick Brignola , Chief Financial Officer of Informative, for a powerful conversation on leadership, culture, compliance, and the hidden forces that drive behavior inside organizations. Starting with a quote from Charlie Munger—“Show me the incentive and...

What does it actually take to build something meaningful—and is it worth it? In this episode of the Culture Matters Podcast , Jay Doran sits down with returning guest Mark Perkins , founder of Pivot Realty and creator of the Are You Worth It? Conference , for a powerful and honest conversation on entrepreneurship, execution, and what separates those who grow from those who stay stuck. Mark shares...

In this episode of the Culture Matters Podcast , Jay Doran sits down with Doug Bertram , founder and CEO of Structural Elements , for a deeply thoughtful conversation on the body, stress, healing, performance, and what it really means to create health before crisis ever arrives. Doug shares his unique journey from psychology and manual therapy into traditional Chinese medicine, systems thinking, a...