The Fuqua Show

A year of stories.  A season of growth.  And now — a handoff. In this bittersweet season finale, host Aaliyah Brown and outgoing co-host Philip sit down to do what The Fuqua Show does best: reflect honestly, celebrate boldly, and look forward with intention. Together, they revisit the themes that defined this past year — resilience, community, clarity, courage, and the art of humanizing the profes...

What if the ladder you've been climbing is leaning against the wrong wall?  Most of us were handed a blueprint for success. Climb the ranks, check the boxes, keep moving. But what happens when you're excelling on paper and still feel completely hollow inside? According to Gallup, 79% of professionals are operating on autopilot, present in body but absent in purpose. For high-achieving pr...

On this episode of The Fuqua Show, we sit down with Gil Vazquez (Class of '26) for a masterclass in resilience, gratitude, and the audacity to bet on yourself. Gil’s story isn't your typical polished resume; it is a raw look at what happens when the institutions you rely on say "no," and you refuse to accept it.  From his early years moving from Puerto Rico to the U.S. with his...

In this episode, we explore what it means to truly use business as a force for good. We sit down with Jessica Yinka Thomas, a proud Fuqua alumna (MBA '04), the Director of the Business Sustainability Collaborative at NC State University's Poole College of Management, and a founding force behind the B Academics movement.  Jessica shares her fascinating life of "redirects." She t...

What does it look like to move through an MBA with both strategic clarity and genuine heart? In this episode, host Aaliyah Brown sits down with Elisabeth Scott: second-year MBA, future Kearney consultant, and a leader who has never treated ambition and authenticity as opposites.  Elisabeth's path spans global supply chains in the power tool and sports industries, a GATE trip to South Africa,...

In this episode, host Sam Shain sits down with Jon Valdez to discuss his transformative journey of self-discovery, identity, and leadership. Jon shares his story beginning with his early childhood in Miami's Little Havana with his Cuban immigrant family, to an abrupt move to rural South Carolina. He opens up about the bullying he faced, the pressure to hide his authentic self, and the challen...

In this episode of The Fuqua Show, Marketing Chair and first-time host Jade Tsai interviews Shafiq Motiwala (MQM ’25), who grew up in Karachi, Pakistan and traces how his parents, sister, and a formative economics teacher shaped his passions for economics and teaching. He recounts playing cricket, learning to DJ in undergrad at LUMS, and pursuing diverse ventures after graduation including leading...

In this episode of The Fuqua Show, host Aaliyah Brown sits down with Nikin Shah, the Founder and General Partner at Front Porch Venture Partners, to explore the intersection of operational excellence and strategic investment. Based in the heart of Durham, Nikin offers the rare and valuable perspective of a seasoned operator turned venture capitalist, drawing from his transformative tenure as Co-CE...

Professor Scott Dyreng returns as the first repeat guest on  The Fuqua Show ; this time not to talk about where he came from, but where Fuqua is going. Now serving as Senior Associate Dean for Innovation, Scott takes us inside the launch of Fuqua’s first AI-powered classroom, an experiment designed not to replace human interaction but to strengthen it. We unpack how AI is being used to analyze cla...

In this episode of The Fuqua Show , we sit down with second-year MBA Eliot Digby-Jones, British Army veteran and medical services officer, whose career has taken him from Ukraine to Somalia and the early days of COVID response in the UK.  Eliot shares how early exposure to medicine, adventure, and service shaped his path from studying biomedical sciences in London to leading high-stakes training m...

Sean Wilson, Daytime MBA and MPP alum from the class of 2000, joins The Fuqua Show to reflect on an unconventional path through Durham, Fuqua, public policy, and entrepreneurship. Sean shares how his early years in the restaurant industry, time at Duke, and experience in the tech sector eventually led him into craft beer advocacy and the founding of Fullsteam Brewery. Along the way, he discusses h...

 In this episode of The Fuqua Show , host Aaliyah Brown sits down with Akinwole “Aki” Garrett, President and COO of BlackDoctor.org, to explore a career defined by the powerful fusion of corporate excellence and community mission. As the leader of the world’s largest digital health platform dedicated to Black wellness, Aki shares how he transitioned from the high-stakes world of investment banking...

Celebrate Women's History Month with us on The Fuqua Show. We're joined by daytime MBA program second year, Olivia Termini. Olivia shares about her childhood growing up in Pennsylvania, her passion for playing and coaching soccer, her work experience in politics and consulting, and how she used her undergrad and MBA to experiment with different careers. At Fuqua, she's known for bei...

We continue our celebration of Women's History Month on The Fuqua Show. We're joined by Global Executive MBA class of 2026 student, MJ Merkley. Hear MJ share about her childhood growing up in Utah and her adult life of wandering that's taken her to graduate school for counseling in Northern California, an Art Academy in Florence, Italy, and raising two young children with her husban...

Celebrate Women's History Month with us on The Fuqua Show. We're joined by Daytime MBA Class of 2019 alumna, Emilia Hull.  Emilia shares about her childhood growing up as a Third Culture Kid in Belgium, her early career as a Marine Biologist, and how she used a dual Master of Environmental Management and MBA at Duke to pivot into sustainability consulting. Host: Philip Coale More informa...

In this special Lunar New Year episode of The Fuqua Show , host Aaliyah Brown sits down with Katherine Zhu and Jiaqi Jiang to explore global journeys, cultural identity, and the power of community at Fuqua. Both serving as Presidents of the Greater China Club, Katherine and Jiaqi are deeply committed to fostering connection and cultural exchange across campus. Katherine, an international MBA stude...

In this Black History Month episode of The Fuqua Show, we sit down with systems-focused leader and first-generation HBCU graduate Patti Kamara to reflect on leadership shaped by legacy, service, and global perspective. Patti shares how her early foundations, international experiences, and work across engineering, operations, and healthcare inform her people-centered approach to building systems th...

Our very own MBAA Co-President, Gabby Sims, joins The Fuqua Show to chat about her life before Fuqua, her experience at Duke so far, and how the MBA experience is shaping her path going forward. Listen in to learn about entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities at Fuqua and hear the perspective of one of our campus leaders. Host: Philip Coale More information about applying to Duke's Fuqu...

Bob Kulhan joins The Fuqua Show to share about his company Business Improv which has hosted a week-long managerial improvisation workshop at Fuqua for the past 27 years. This workshop lasts 5 days and encompasses 33 hours of improv training. All Fuqua students are eligible to participate for free and the workshop counts for course credit. Bob explains how he got his start in improv, learning from...

In this episode, co-hosts Aaliyah and Philip introduce The Fuqua Show 's newest team members, Head of Content Sam Shain and Head of Marketing Jade Tsai, while reflecting on lessons learned from the show's season so far. Happy Holidays from the entire team! Host: Aaliyah Brown and Philip Coale More information about applying to Duke's Fuqua School of Business can be found at https://...

In this episode of The Fuqua Show, we sit down with Teniola "Teni" Tayo, a renowned policy advisor and global strategist, and a Fuqua MBA, to explore how global policy shapes economic development and leadership in an increasingly interconnected world. Teni shares her journey across Africa, Europe, and the United States, drawing on her work with institutions such as the UN Development Pro...

Caty Stanko joins The Fuqua Show to share how earning her MMS degree helped launch her career at Deloitte in New York, but even more, how her mother’s dementia diagnosis inspired her to channel grief into action. She recounts training for the NYC Marathon alongside her brother to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research, transforming personal pain into advocacy and hope. Along the way, s...

Devery Hamilton, Jr. is a student in Fuqua's one-year Accelerated MBA program, but this is not his first degree from the school of business. After playing college football at Stanford and Duke, Devery spent several seasons playing football professionally in the NFL. After injuries led to an early retirement, Devery has returned to Fuqua to pursue a future career in the business of sports and...

In this inspiring episode of The Fuqua Show , host Aaliyah Brown sits down with Lieutenant Commander Whitney Koenigsknecht, a proud Michigan native, U.S. Naval Academy graduate, and Supply Corps Officer whose career has been defined by resilience, service, and leadership. Whitney shares her journey from growing up in Grosse Pointe Shores to serving aboard the USS KEARSARGE, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON,...

In this heartfelt episode, we sit down with Bianca Valladares, a second-year MBA student at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, to explore her journey of identity, resilience, and belonging. As Co-President of the American Latinx Management Association (ALMA) and Development Lead for the Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE), Bianca has played a vital role in advancing belonging...