The Pre-Made Podcast

What is it about Jean-Luc Charles that keeps him looking so young, like he could hit the track and give the 21-year-old version of himself a decent race? I'm sure diet and exercise play a role, but he's also figured out what makes him happy. Jean-Luc is the Vice President of Human Resources, People and Culture, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at fashion brand Eileen Fisher. He's also the past...

Jay Dickerson, Amherst Class of 1994, could give the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man In The World a run for his money. With a career in the sciences that spans not one but two tenured faculty positions, the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Consumer Reports as Chief Scientific Officer, Jay is as skilled at helping the rest of us understand science as he is at practicing it. Jay has a PhD in physi...

Listen to Ramya Swaminathan, CEO of energy storage company Malta, and you'll understand what it means to have learned how to think. With degrees in anthropology and economics from Amherst College, Ramya is the CEO of her second renewable energy company. Her superb logic, ability to understand and weigh options and tradeoffs, and ask the right questions at the right time all have not only earned he...

Andy Liu plans to live to be at least 100 years old and has no intention of easing into retirement. His 30+ year career in healthcare has him feeling confident that he'll not only live to see 100, but that he'll remain healthy and active in his elderly years. In fact, he's ditching the typical, first-world plan of working into his 60s and then spending the rest of his days living a life of leisure...

Justin Neely may be the most liberal arts-y person you'll ever know. A polyglot (I had to look it up, too; it means one who is fluent in speaking and/or writing many languages), Justin has achieved impressive things in both the world of business and in the arts. As with many guests on Pre-Made, Justin is navigating a significant life pivot, in this case from a career defined mostly but not entirel...

The more you listen to Hector Caraballo M.D., Amherst College Class of ’94, the less you’ll believe in coincidences. In this episode, you’ll learn about: His extraordinary single mother and the heart-to-heart conversation she had with Hector that resulted in him applying to medical school The harrowing event that nearly prevented him from attending a med school admissions interview – and how he ea...

Howard Chung talks about his life as a main street entrepreneur, a streaming and digital video producer-promoter - and how Amherst College prepared him for his career. In the last 20 or so years, Howard has owned or co-owned restaurants, a construction company, and even a concert promotion outfit. These days, Howard runs a bike shop and a business built around famed maker, YouTube personality, and...

"It matters less where you go than what you do when you're actually there." So says my guest, Marisa Gonzales Silverstein. She said it in the context of deciding on where to go to college. She should know. After all, she's the founder of MGS Educational Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping prospective college students design their own path, no matter where it takes them and especially if it lea...

Mo Said is the co-founder and chief creative officer of Mojo Supermarket, an award-winning creative agency that has had an extraordinary run of acclaimed campaigns for the likes of Adidas, Netflix, and Savage x Fenty. That's not a fluke. Said and Mojo Supermarket are selective. They work only with brands that are willing to go on a journey to address a few simple but potentially uncomfortable ques...

Unless you subscribe to This May Sting, a website and daily newsletter that analyzes Covid-19 data not as a medical doctor, virologist, or epidemiologist would, but with the rigor of a seasoned analyst, chances are you’re not getting the most useful data on the pandemic. Matthew Scott Goldstein, or msg as he’s known in the media industry, is out to change that. Covering Covid represents a pivot fo...

Andrew Heyward has had a career that I envy. The one-time president of CBS News now has two jobs in academia. He's a Senior Research Professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He's also a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Media Lab’s Laboratory for Social Machines and a Senior Advisor at its non-profit spinoff Cortico, where he is working on artificial-intelligenc...

With Covid restricting so much of the way we work and relax, finding new ways to express our creativity can help make this time more bearable. In this episode of the Pre-Made Podcast, I talk to Meryl Draper, the CEO and co-founder of Quirk Creative, an award-winning agency that especially direct-to-consumer brands are hiring to help make their first big splash in TV advertising. In this episode, D...

've traveled the world and enjoyed coffee in some of the world's finest cities. None of it matches the coffee and espresso served at Antoinette's Patisserie right here in my hometown of Hastings on Hudson, NY. Kus Beham is Antoinette's captain of the caffeine, a flavor visionary who buys his own beans, roasts them in his own facility, and serves them in an atmosphere that blends people of every so...

Jenelle Manzi is an elite performer who dances professionally with the New York City Ballet. She's also an entrepreneur with big ambitions and a passionate team behind her. I've been eager to share Jenelle's story ever since I heard it for the first time. I think that's because there are so many different ways to connect and relate to it. She touches on universal themes that include chasing down a...

he video game business yields billions of dollars annually, but generally it has lacked the mainstream acceptance and respect that film, television, and theater command. Entrepreneur and filmmaker Jeremy Snead is out to change that. He has directed and produced both an original documentary and television series that reveal how video games have shaped American culture over the last 50 years. His wo...

Following the 14th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and as we anxiously watch Hurricane Dorian looming off the southeastern coast of the United States, I speak to Kenny Bellau, who has an inspiring story to share. That's because he rescued over 400 people in New Orleans in the chaotic aftermath of Katrina. It's a portrait in resilience, courage, resourcefulness, with a surprisingly optimistic out...

In my first-ever podcast episode, I speak to Linden Griffith, a life coach who helps girls and women tame anxiety and find their best selves. In so doing, she presents a viable alternative to psychological or psychiatric care, one that is centered on our strengths, not our flaws. Linden knows a thing or two about bouncing back from life's obstacles. That's because in addition to being a recovering...