The Growth Mixtape: Chasing Curiosity and Sharing Boundless Insights from Ideas that Matter

So this is a fun little bonus episode where my producer Amy and I chat about the podcast and explore what we’ve learned from our first 20 episodes. This conversation turned out to be a lot more emotional than I expected.  Since getting sober a couple of years ago, I’ve felt this sense of urgency to make the most of this last season of my career.  I want to do more things that scare me, b...

Today we talk to Andrew Hunt, a history professor and best-selling author of Beatlemania in America: Fan Culture from Below.  As a lifelong music fan, I feel like I’ve been preparing for this conversation my whole life.  The truth is I’ve always been more of a Stones fan than a Beatles guy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate that they changed everything.  I don’t care what kin...

Today, we talk to Dr. Tatiana Gwon, a renowned physicist who, after 20 years, went looking for answers in the most unconventional of places: astrology.  This conversation challenged a lot of my biases and preconceptions of astrology because frankly, I’ve always thought it was gypsy crystal ball readers and Sunday morning horoscopes.  Tatiana does a great job of demystifying astrology as...

Today we talk to Amy Shoenthal, a bestselling author, journalist and marketing consultant for some of the world's largest brands.  We talk about her latest book, The Setback Cycle that explores the personal setbacks of prominent leaders and gives us a 4-step process for navigating our own. Maybe you’re in between jobs or in one that’s just not awesome anymore.  Maybe you’re feeling kind...

Today we talk to Bob London, or as I call him, "Mr. Curious."  Bob is basically a professional listener.  He is an expert in helping people connect and understand one another, and is the mastermind behind the concept of Radically Authentic Discovery. The idea of curiosity is something I’m incredibly passionate about and is the core idea behind this podcast.  So this conversatio...

Today, we talk to Jesse Finkelstein.  Jesse is a book publishing insider and co-founder of Page Two Books , where she works with authors to bring their big ideas to the page. Have you ever said to yourself, ‘I think I might write a book? ' I have dozens of times. And if you’re wondering, no, I still haven’t written one. So I really loved Jessie's demystification of the process for me and her...

Today we talk to Greg Bennick.  He’s a punk rocker, activist, documentary filmmaker, philanthropist, keynote speaker, juggler and expert coin collector.  He’s also written a new book, Reclaim the Moment: Seven Strategies to Build a Better Now . I could have talked to Greg for an hour about any one of these parts of his life - he’s got a way of making everything that interesting.  We...

Today, we talk to Peter Laughter.  Peter is an expert in crafting stories and coaching people to find purpose in their lives and in their work.  Peter talks about how growing up with dyslexia and ADHD drew him to storytelling as a way to cope with the world around him.  He also shares practical tips on building your storytelling muscle to connect emotionally with people in a way the...

Today we talk to Kelsey Ramsden.  Kelsey is an entrepreneur, author and speaker but if you ask her, she’d say she’s a creator.  By 26, Kelsey was running her own construction company and was ranked the top female entrepreneur of the year by Profit magazine -  2 years in a row.  Yet despite the financial success and industry accolades, she had never felt so depressed and alone....

Today, we talk to Sylvia Baffour.  Sylvia is a keynote speaker on emotional intelligence and has worked with leaders in 460 major corporations to help them better connect with their teams and customers.  She was voted one of the top 15 female inspirational speakers alongside Mel Robbins and Oprah.  Sylvia’s early journey was already unique and inspiring but it was a chance meeting w...

Today, we talk with Kerry O’Brien.  Kerry is an expert in how people learn.  He’s also a podcaster and public speaker devoted to helping people build new skills and strong teams.   You’re going to leave this conversation with new ideas on how to ignite engagement in your customers, your teams and the people around you. We talk about the misconceptions about Gen-X, Gen-Z and millenni...

Todd McTavish is a songwriter and it’s all he’s ever wanted to do.  At 23, he left his small town home in Ontario and moved to LA.    And at 53, he just signed his first record deal. Todd’s an old school, rock and roll troubadour.  The stories come fast and hard.  He recorded a Christmas song with Billy Bob Thornton, had one of his songs played at the Superbowl and he owne...

Nicole Ferry is a 26-year veteran of law enforcement who’s on a mission to help others build resilience by sharing her heart-breaking stories of PTSD, trauma and suicide.  Nicole is best known for her talk “What the Hell? The 3 Things I learned in the worst year of my life.”  Nicole has spent her life in law enforcement.  She holds a degree in Criminal Justice, she’s been an executi...

Sensi Graves is a professional kiteboarder, entrepreneur and speaker who’s on a mission to help people build self-confidence and share their amazing uniqueness with the world.  Sensi shares how she used her time chasing summer around the world in kiteboarding competitions as inspiration to launch her swimwear company.  And yet, as she looked back on everything she had achieved, she reali...

Jessica Stone is a Washington-based news correspondent and author of Crossing the Divide:  20 Lessons to Help You Thrive in Cross-Cultural Environments .  Jessica has reported for USA Today, the Washington Times, Fox News, CBS News and the South China Morning Post.  In this episode, Jessica shares stories from 20 years covering the intersection of business and politics - from her ti...

Tricia Mumby is a storyteller, entrepreneur and mentor to early-stage startups.  Tricia is honest and vulnerable as she shares tough lessons from co-founding Mabel’s Labels with three best friends in a basement to selling it to the largest label company in the world.  Tricia shares her take on celebrating failure, keeping your innovative spirit alive as your business grows, being shamele...

Kasey Jones coaches business leaders on the transformative process of building a personal brand.  If you’re not sure what a personal brand is or why you need one, you’re not alone.  Kasey makes the case that by embracing your quirkiness, you’ll stand out and be known for the rockstar that you are. Kasey is a story-teller at heart.  She shares practical tips on being vulnerable witho...

Rob Carli is a multi-award-winning musician, producer and composer for film and television.  Rob has had a storied career in music, from his early days touring the country in an Econoline van to most recently co-founding the Awesome Music Project, a not-for-profit dedicated to delivering practical solutions to mental health through the transformative power of music.   In this episode, Ro...

Hi, I'm Bob Mathers and welcome to the Growth Mixtape, a podcast where I talk to the most interesting people you may not have come across yet. I find that these conversations give me new insights and perspectives about topics I didn’t know existed. Please join me for stories from engaging leaders in business, the sciences, academia and the arts. It is these unexpected collisions that I’m excited t...