The LIV Lab

We hear a lot about success. The title. The promotion. The company. The money. But we hear a lot less about what actually builds it: The mentor who believed in you. The relationship that opened a door. The risk you took before you felt ready. The courage to ask for more. This week on The LIV Lab, Jeff Burgess and Kelly Nagel take over the mic. Jeff built BCD Video into a $100 million company. Kell...

You finally get the thing you wanted… and somehow, it still doesn't feel like enough. The new gym set. The hoodie. The car. The house. The "this is gonna change everything" purchase. For a moment, it does feel exciting. And then… it fades. And suddenly, you're onto the next thing. So what's actually going on? This week on The LIV Lab , I sit down with John Lanza , author of The Art of Allowance an...

What do a maxed-out credit card, a gas station meltdown, and one of the biggest money podcasts in the country have in common? Joe. This week on The LIV Lab, I sit down with Joe Saul-Sehy , host of Stacking Benjamins , to talk about the story he doesn't hide: the messy one. Before the awards. Before the financial advice. Before helping millions of people feel confident about money. There was confus...

What if the problem isn't your ideas, but just how they're landing? You can be smart, prepared, and genuinely onto something… and still watch your message float right past the room. Painful. Confusing. Weirdly common. In this episode of The LIV Lab, I sit down with Carmine Gallo, who's spent decades studying why some messages stick—and others quietly disappear, no matter how good they are. This is...

What if you ran your life the way great founders run their companies? In this episode of The LIV Lab, I feature a blogcast by Jeff Burgess , founder of BCD Video and author of It Worked for Me . Jeff shares ten business principles that helped him build a $100 million company — from trusting your gut to holding yourself accountable. Throughout the episode, I connect these ideas to everyday life thr...

When you're standing at a fork in the road, it's tempting to wait for certainty — the "perfect" sign that you're making the right choice. But what if the people who build the most meaningful careers aren't the ones who feel 100% sure… but the ones who learn how to take smart risks without losing their purpose ? In this episode, I sit down with Charles Levin — founder of Mu Avenue Press, novelist,...

What if the thing you've spent your whole life trying to hide… is actually the thing that makes you powerful? In this episode, I talk with Maya Chupkov. She is a podcast host, storyteller, documentary director, and lifelong stutterer. Growing up, Maya's stutter shaped the classes she was placed into, the way adults perceived her, and the confidence she carried into college and her career. But inst...

What if the real mark of a great leader isn't how much they know — but how willing they are to listen? In this episode, I talk with Nelson Mattos, former Vice President at IBM and Google, whose career has spanned continents, industries, and leadership styles. From managing billion-dollar global teams to now running Karimu, a nonprofit that's transforming rural communities in Tanzania, Nelson has s...

What if success isn't about climbing the ladder faster, but about how you climb it? In this episode, I sit down with Natalie Abou-Alwan, a lawyer, mentor, and author of How to Navigate Your Career Like a Legend . With over 25 years in global law and energy, Natalie shares what true "legend status" really means—why respect, integrity, and human connection matter far more than titles or promotions....

What if getting fired—or dropping out—wasn't a setback, but the start of something bigger? In this episode, we dive into the story of Jeff Burgess, who went from a college dropout with no direction to the founder of a multimillion-dollar tech company. His journey isn't about luck—it's about grit, self-belief, and learning how to sell yourself long before selling any product. From his father's toug...

College applications don't have to control your life. If you're anything like me, this season feels overwhelming — essays, deadlines, decisions, and the constant chatter of where everyone else is applying. It's easy to feel like your future depends on every choice you make right now. But what if it doesn't? In this solo episode, I share my honest reflections as a high school senior in the middle o...

What really drives a career forward—raw talent, perfect timing, or sheer determination? In this episode of The LIV Lab , Dr. Daniela Seabra Oliveira reveals how all three shaped her journey from a math-loving student in Brazil to receiving the Presidential Early Career Award at the White House. Daniela opens up about the challenges of moving to a new country, navigating language barriers, and find...

We're always told to dream big: land the perfect job, get into the most prestigious school, or chase the ultimate achievement. But what if those big goals — the ones meant to drive us forward — are actually holding us back? In this episode of The LIV Lab , I sit down with Jordan Grumet — a hospice doctor, author, and personal finance podcaster — to talk about something we all feel pressure around:...

What happens when you stop waiting for opportunities and start creating them? In this episode, I sit down with Libardo Lara Peñaranda, Principal Partner Technical Specialist at IBM, whose story shows how taking agency can transform your career and your life. Growing up in Colombia, Libardo began in mechanical engineering but made the bold choice to add a second degree in systems and software. That...

How do you carve your own path when the well-worn ones don't fit? For Anna Harutyunyan, the answer started with walking away. She stepped back from a corporate software career that didn't excite her, held out for the right role in a competitive analog mission, and embraced the unknown until she became Armenia's first analog astronaut. Anna's journey spans robotics engineering studies in Germany, l...

Could following your passions—not a checklist—be the real secret to getting into your dream school? In this episode, I talk with Abhinav Agarwal, a Stanford graduate with a master's in artificial intelligence and the CTO of KOS AI. Guided by his core value of technology for social change , Abhinav's journey spans founding an education nonprofit in high school, writing a book to demystify the schol...

What separates those who dream of becoming doctors from those who actually make it? In this episode of The LIV Lab, host Livia Roder sits down with Dr. Ravi Kumar, a neurosurgeon whose journey combines years of rigorous training, an insatiable curiosity about the human brain, and a deep commitment to healing. Dr. Kumar shares how he went from studying marine biology to discovering his passion for...

What does it take to go from a curious kid in Cameroon to a PhD candidate at Stanford, shaping the future of brain tech? In this episode, I talk with Favour Nerrise, an electrical engineering PhD student at Stanford who's using AI to tackle neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Favour shares how her early love for science—sparked by her mother in medicine and her father in engine...

Season 2 is here —with a new name and an even bolder mission. What began as STEMCast is now The LIV Lab: Learn. Innovate. Venture. This season spotlights founders, researchers, and trailblazers who aren't just navigating careers—they're redefining them. It's all about innovation, purpose, and building a path that truly matters. Tune in to hear what's new, what's evolving, and what it means to crea...

Ever wondered what life is like as an undergrad at a top university? In the season one finale of Stem Cast, we wrap up with part two of an in-depth conversation with David Cooper, a biophysics and chemistry student at the University of Michigan. David delves into the intricacies of student life at a large university and gives us a window into the highs and lows. He talks about balancing intense wo...

Ever wondered what biophysics actually is—or how undergrads find their place in cutting-edge research? In this insightful episode of StemCast, we sit down with David Cooper , a biophysics and chemistry student at the University of Michigan, who shares his candid journey of choosing (and re-choosing) the right path. David explains what biophysics really involves—from studying protein crystal struct...

College isn't just about lectures—it's about impact. To kick off our mini series, College, Unfiltered , we sit down with Grace, a recent University of Michigan graduate in biomedical engineering, who turned her degree into a platform for innovation, leadership, and global health design. From building low-cost medical devices for underserved communities to leading a 200-member global health organiz...

Can you go from strumming guitar chords to writing production-ready code at Big Tech? Matthew Martinez did just that—and more. In this inspiring episode of StemCast, we sit down with Matthew, a former elementary school teacher and music major who pivoted into software engineering through a 12-week coding boot camp. He opens up about the challenges of breaking into tech without a traditional CS deg...

Wonder what it takes to get into Cornell and which path it will lead you down? In this episode of StemCast, we sit down with Emily Vick, a Cornell electrical and computer engineering grad who now works as a software engineer at YouTube. Emily shares how her high school love for STEM led her to Cornell, how she navigated Google internships, and why trying different classes and experiences helped sh...

Have you ever wondered how scientists bring damaged ecosystems back to life? In this episode, we dive into the world of ecological restoration with Claire Wilhelm Safian, a restoration ecologist at UC Santa Barbara. Claire takes us behind the scenes of North Campus Open Space, a once-degraded wetland that has been transformed into a thriving habitat. From reviving endangered plant species to monit...