Voices of Experience

Running a brewery used to be a simple proposition: make great beer, open the doors and let the taps do the talking. But Anne Abrahamson says that model is outdated. As the director of operations at Cerebral Brewing, one of Denver’s most recognizable breweries, Abrahamson helps oversee the business behind the beer. Since joining Cerebral in 2019, she’s helped the company grow from one crowded tapro...

When it comes to the in-stadium experience for the New England Patriots, Abbey Thistle is the quarterback. She calls the plays and puts people in a spot to succeed. But with rising ticket and concession costs, coupled with elevated fan expectations, it can be hard to get people off the couch and into the stadium. As the Senior Director of Fan Engagement and Development for the Patriots, Thistle ha...

When it comes to building a career, titles and promotions only tell part of the story. The real impact often happens behind the scenes, in the way organizations develop people and align strategy. That is where Marisa Midyet thrives. She is a strategic HR leader who has led large-scale initiatives at global organizations like Johnson & Johnson and Apple, and now brings that experience to growing co...

Professional pickleball and professional banking aren't all that different, if you ask Chad Shane. The CEO of Canvas Credit Union builds culture like a coach would: leveraging a team's strengths and weaknesses, stressing collaboration, and finding the balance between cutting-edge technology and good old-fashioned hard work. Amid the rise in artificial intelligence, Shane is proud of the way Canvas...

Dioramas just don't cut it anymore for museums that want to keep new generations of kids interested in their collections. Instead, George Saunders has steered the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in a direction that has kept the 125-year-old institution relevant, in an age when almost anything in the world can be seen on a computer screen. On this episode of the Voices of Experience podcast, Sa...

When it comes to running a sports franchise, wins and losses only tell part of the story. The business side has its own scoreboard, and that is where Jen Millet thrives. She's a seasoned sports executive and now the president of the newest National Women’s Soccer League team, Denver Summit FC. Jen arrives in Denver fresh off helping launch another NWSL franchise, Bay FC, and after leading marketin...

There's what happens on Shark Tank—and what happens after an appearance on Shark Tank. In an episode that aired last March, Chennelle Diong (MBA 2022) pitched her frozen, gluten-free, ready-to-bake biscuits and cinnamon rolls to a group of steely investors. Her savvy netted an investment from Lori Greiner, and an avalanche of orders that felt impossible to dig out from under. On this episode of th...

Depending on who you talk to or what you read, you might think you missed the boat on learning how to use AI. But Nick Machol disagrees. On this episode, he shares his must-have tools, whether the future of AI is boom or doom and how humans fit into that equation. Table of Contents • 2:52 Boom, doom, or somewhere in between? • 4:20 The AI tools Machol uses every day • 6:09 Don’t get married to you...

In this episode of the Entrepreneurship@DU Podcast, host Joshua Ross sits down with DU professors Michael Myers and Aaron Duncan to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education. Together, they explore how AI is transforming the way students learn, faculty teach, and universities prepare graduates for an evolving workforce.  The conversation dives into creating psychological sa...

Has there ever been a more chaotic time to be in business? Subjectivity aside, Matthew Pohl says today's companies need a specific mindset and skill set to push past roadblocks and thrive. He founded ReWild Group to help businesses find the roadmap to resilience. On this episode of the Voices of Experience podcast, Pohl recounts his personal transformation and explains how to prosper through chaos...