Thirty Minute Mentors

Ron Shaich is the founder and former CEO of Panera Bread, which he sold for $7.5 billion and was the best-performing restaurant stock under his leadership. Ron helped define the fast-casual restaurant segment: he was also the CEO of Au Bon Pain and is the Chairman of and lead investor in Cava, Tatte, Life Alive, and Level99. Ron joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Ron...

Mark Dixon is a pioneer in the world of coworking. Mark is the founder of Regus, now known as IWG - which has more than 4,000 locations across more than 120 countries - and where he serves as CEO. Mark joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Mark and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, growth and scale, innovation, hiring, the future of work,...

A leading entrepreneur in the world of fintech, René Lacerte is the founder and CEO of BILL. Valued at more than $5 billion, BILL helps hundreds of thousands of businesses manage their financial workflows. René joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. René and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, entrepreneurship, EQ, growth and scale, culture, and much more.

Dr. Mandy Cohen is the Director of the CDC, where she leads the federal agency responsible for protecting America's health. Dr. Cohen was North Carolina's Health and Human Services Secretary during the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Cohen joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons learned along the way. Dr. Cohen and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, crisis management, communication...

A three-time Emmy Award winner, two-time Golden Globe Award winner, and Grammy Award winner, Beau Bridges has spent more than 75 years acting in television and movies and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame along the way. Beau joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Beau and Adam discuss a wide range of topics, including leadership, mentorship, building successful...

The first female three-star Admiral to lead in a combat branch, Vice Admiral Carol Pottenger spent more than 35 years serving in the United States Navy, leading at all levels and breaking many barriers along the way. Vice Admiral Pottenger joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Vice Admiral Pottenger and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, career development,...

Jason Buechel is the CEO of Whole Foods, one of America's largest, most popular, and most successful supermarket chains. Jason joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Jason and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leading people, teams, and companies; personal and professional development; recruiting, retaining, and motivating talent; building trust; feedback; and much mor...

One of the biggest stars in the world of wrestling, Daria Berenato - also known by her stage name Sonya Deville - is a WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and is the first openly gay female WWE wrestler. Daria joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Daria and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: the keys to an unconventional path to success; relationships; motivation; mindset; a...

Sean O'Keefe was the Secretary of the Navy, the Administrator of NASA, and the Chancellor of LSU. Sean joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Sean and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, career development, motivation, innovation, and much more.  

Julia Stewart was the leader of two of America's best-known restaurant chains. Julia Stewart was the CEO of IHOP, and upon acquiring Applebee's, spent a decade as the CEO of the parent organization of both IHOP and Applebee's. Julia joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Julia and Adam discuss leadership, career development, risk-taking, culture, confidence, navigating se...

Mark Sanford is the former Governor of South Carolina and a former United States Congressman. Governor Sanford joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons learned along the way. Governor Sanford and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: winning and losing elections; leadership; ethics; overcoming obstacles, challenges, and failure; authenticity; personal and professional development; relat...

LeRoy Butler is an NFL Hall of Famer, a Super Bowl champion, and the creator of the Lambeau Leap. LeRoy joins Adam to share his unique journey - overcoming poverty, bullying, and physical and learning disabilities to reach the pinnacle of success in football - and his best lessons learned along the way. LeRoy and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, teamwork, overcoming adversity, buil...

Gary Kusin is the co-founder of GameStop and Laura Mercier Cosmetics and was the CEO of Kinko's. Gary led the turnaround of Kinko's and its acquisition by and integration into FedEx. Gary joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Gary and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, entrepreneurship, building winning relationships, building winning teams and cultures, fe...

Bellamy Young was a star on the hit TV show Scandal, where she portrayed the first female president of the United States and won a Critics' Choice Award. Bellamy joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Bellamy and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: finding personal and professional alignment; pivoting in your career; excelling in a competitive field; leadership; human ri...

Dr. James Downing is the CEO of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, one of the best-known and most impactful hospitals in America. St. Jude has an annual operating budget of roughly $1.4 billion, and among other achievements, has helped raise the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80%. James joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. James and Ada...

Doug Jones was the first Democrat elected to the United States Senate from Alabama in 25 years and was one of the most productive and bipartisan members of the Senate during his time in office. Senator Jones joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Senator Jones and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, mentorship, decision-making, finding common ground, building...

Amy Errett is the founder and CEO of Madison Reed, which disrupted the hair coloring market and has serviced more than 5 million customers since its inception. Amy joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Amy and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal and professional discovery and development, leadership, building winning teams and cultures, diversity and inclusion,...

Dr. Jason Wersland is the founder of Therabody and the inventor of the Theragun. Jason joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Jason and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, team-building, trust, growth and scale, mission, marketing, wellness, and more.

Strauss Zelnick is the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, one of the largest video game companies in the world. Strauss is also the founder and managing partner of the private equity firm ZMC; was previously the CEO of BMG Entertainment, then one of the largest music and entertainment companies in the world; and has earned the nickname "America's fittest CEO." Strauss joins Adam to share his journey and...

Joe Foster is the co-founder of Reebok, one of the best-known and most successful sportswear companies of all time. Joe joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Joe and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, growth and scale, expanding internationally, leadership, marketing, branding, and more.

Patricia Moller was the United States Ambassador to two different conflict-ridden countries: Burundi and Guinea. Ambassador Moller led through numerous significant crises, including helping to avert a civil war. Ambassador Moller joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons learned along the way. Ambassador Moller and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, crisis management, nego...

Chris Todd is the CEO of UKG, one of the largest private software companies in the world, valued at $22 billion. Chris leads 15,000 employees across more than 150 countries and oversees a customer base of 75,000 organizations. Chris joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Chris and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: defining and attaining success, leadership, personal an...

Nick Green is the co-founder and CEO of Thrive Market, a leading social enterprise that has disrupted the way consumers can access healthy food and serves more than a million customers around the country. Nick joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Nick and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, entrepreneurship, personal and professional development, relationsh...

James Keyes was the CEO of two of America's largest and best-known companies: 7-Eleven and Blockbuster. While James was CEO of 7-Eleven, shareholder value increased tenfold and the company was acquired. James joins Adam to share his unique journey - from growing up in poverty to leading two household name companies with opposite fates - and his best lessons learned along the way. James and Adam di...

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo was the CEO of Celebrity Cruises and the first female CEO of a major cruise line, where she led a multibillion-dollar business and more than 20,000 people. Lisa joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Lisa and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, career development, crisis management, customer centricity, culture, gender equity in the workplac...