The Most Fascinating Podcast in the World

In this episode, Pat sits down with Dr. Harris Stratyner, a clinical psychologist who grew up in Yonkers, New York, surrounded by an extraordinary cast of characters; his godfather was jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, his godmother was Monica Getz (wife of saxophonist Stan Getz), and childhood dinners at his family's table included guests like Stokely Carmichael. Harris shares stories of meeting Malco...

In this episode, Pat sits down with Scott Ashline, a longtime friend and colleague. Scott grew up outside Boulder, Colorado, the son of avid mountaineers, and traces his path from a public high school and competitive soccer, to Boston College (chosen partly because his dad banned him from schools on the West Coast), to an unlikely detour: turning down a Wall Street job offer to spend a year and a...

In this episode, Pat sits down with Nathaniel Philbrick, an eight-time New York Times bestselling author known for narrative histories like In the 'Heart of the Sea', 'Mayflower', and 'The Last Stand'. The conversation traces Nat's path from a competitive sailing career at Brown University, through a year in an English PhD program at Duke that convinced him academia wasn't his calling, to four for...

In this episode, Pat sits down with Jerry Snover, a friend since freshman year at Union College in 1985, for a wide-ranging conversation about fear, creativity, and reinvention. Jerry grew up on Long Island in Bayshore, was a shy, quiet kid who came out of his shell as a runner and later as a musician, and eventually built a career in wealth management and real estate while quietly nurturing a par...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Alan Richer, famously known as the 'Potato Chip Historian,' for a captivating journey through his diverse life experiences. Alan vividly recalls his upbringing in Central New Jersey, shaped by his Aunt Laura's unconditional love and his parents' deep commitment to community service. He shares remarkable stories from his time at Syracuse University, including an exclusive...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with entrepreneur Jessica McCarthy, who shares her unique journey from growing up on the Rhode Island coast to founding her own marketing firm, Brand Energy. Jessica recounts her early life, including her family dynamics, her academic pursuit of neuroscience, and the profound impact of her husband's military career, which led to frequent moves and exposure to diverse cultures...

In this episode, Pat sits down with John Stiegelmeier, who spent 25 years as head football coach of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, capping off a legendary career with a national championship before retiring. John grew up on a wheat farm in South Dakota, where his father instilled a work ethic and set of values that would end up shaping his entire coaching philosophy decades later. The convers...

In this episode, Pat sits down with Whitney Pierpont, a chance airport acquaintance turned fascinating conversation, who trains horses and riders at her farm in Aiken, South Carolina. Whitney is an eventing and dressage specialist with a quiet reputation as something of a horse whisperer, able to take anxious, unruly, or rehabbing horses and transform them into calm, confident partners. On a typic...

In this episode, Pat sits down with a longtime friend, Alan Tinsmon - someone he's known since they were twelve-year-old wrestlers riding a bus together to summer camp at St. Lawrence University. Alan grew up in the Albany area after an early childhood in Rochester, New York, and shares how a middle school gym teacher first pointed him toward wrestling - a sport neither Pat nor Alan competes in an...

In this episode, Pat sits down with Bob Latham, longtime executive of a Pennsylvania trade association representing highway and road contractors, with a career spanning nearly five decades in construction industry advocacy at the state, regional, and national levels. Bob shares stories from his childhood split between Camp Hill, Pennsylvania and summers at the Jersey Shore in Ocean City, including...

In this episode, Pat sits down with acclaimed author Ross King, whose book Brunelleschi's Dome has captivated readers for over two decades (and inspired Pat to give away more than 100 copies to friends). Ross opens up about his childhood in a tiny Saskatchewan border town, his winding academic path through three universities and a failed bid at a professorship, and how a novel-in-progress abou...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Sam Mushaw - President of Dimension Fabricators, Navy Seabee veteran, and a leader who built his career the hard way: through responsibility, consistency, and respect for people. From growing up in Clifton Park to serving in the U.S. Navy - building in some of the toughest conditions in the world - Sam brought that same mindset into business. Starting in a small, struggl...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Larry Kittelberger - former top executive, corporate fixer, and one of the rare leaders who has operated at the highest levels of American industry during moments of real crisis. From growing up in small-town Pennsylvania to helping reshape companies like Honeywell and Lucent Technologies, Larry’s career wasn’t planned - it evolved through adaptability, pressure, and a r...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Robert “Max” Maxfield for a wide-ranging conversation about curiosity, confidence, storytelling, travel, creativity, and learning how to fully show up in life. Max grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri, shaped by a veterinarian father, an interior designer mother, sports, golf, fraternity life, travel, and a lifelong pull toward adventure. From Mexico to Shanghai, from film se...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Hugh Rice, who spent nearly five decades with FMI helping shape the modern construction industry. Hugh shares how a kid from rural Alabama—originally planning to be a farmer or Air Force officer—found his way into consulting and never left. What started as “a couple years before a real job” turned into a career advising contractors across the country on strategy, success...

In this episode, Pat DiCerbo sits down with Alexandra Phillips for a wide-ranging conversation on purpose, change, and what it really means to do work that matters. Alexandra shares her journey from growing up on the Upper West Side, to Brown University, to a career in the performing arts—and ultimately walking away from it all after becoming a mother to pursue a more aligned path. Today, she lead...

In this episode, Pat DiCerbo sits down with Rob Tortorella for a conversation about resilience, family, friendship, faith, business, and purpose. Rob shares memories of growing up in Camillus, New York in a tight-knit Italian family, the influence of his parents, and the role sports played in shaping his character. He talks about playing lacrosse at Holy Cross, the life-changing car accident that...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Frank Famiano - Schenectady native, Olympian, NCAA Division I All-American, and one of the toughest competitors to come out of Section 2 wrestling. Frank opens up about being adopted and raised by his grandfather, getting cut from basketball and pushed into wrestling, and the coaches who shaped his mindset. He talks about making the leap from Division III to Division I,...

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Adrian Comstock, founder and CEO of Comstock Realty Partners, for a fast‑moving conversation covering Adrian’s path from Southern California to Russia in the 1990s, his pivot into real estate, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, and building a development business through challenge and uncertainty. They also explore how strategy, endurance, and mindset shape everything...

Gene Bolger is one of those people who doesn’t fit neatly into a single label - and that’s exactly what makes his story compelling. In this episode, Pat DiCerbo reconnects with a longtime friend whose life has unfolded across countries, cultures, and careers. From studying abroad together in Mexico to traveling through Spain decades later, their conversation weaves through childhood memories in Ne...

Rodney Schultz has lived multiple careers inside one remarkable life - contractor, executive, operator, author, and quiet industry transformer. In this wide-ranging conversation, Rodney reflects on growing up in St. Joseph, Missouri, in a fourth-generation electrical contracting family shaped by grit, discipline, and Depression-era work ethic. He shares how a promising football career ended abrupt...

Jeffrey Zorn and Pat DiCerbo go way back...Union College rugby days, decades of friendship, and a whole lot of life lived in between. Jeff opens up about growing up in the Bronx and Long Island, including an early childhood incident rooted in anti-Semitism that helped push his family out of the city. He shares the complicated story of his biological father, being adopted by his stepfather, and the...

Simon Balint is an entrepreneur, world traveler, and builder...of companies, experiences, and second chances for old places. In this conversation, Simon shares how a childhood spent on a rundown farm outside Albany shaped his independence, curiosity, and work ethic. At 17, with $3,000 in his pocket, he deferred college and took a one-way ticket to Europe, backpacking through Scandinavia, Eastern E...

Daniel Byrne is a Johns Hopkins professor and one of the earliest pioneers working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare, with more than 40 years of experience inside the medical system. In this conversation, Daniel shares how his early work helped make surgery safer for older patients long before AI was a buzzword…and why today’s AI moment risks being driven more by hype t...

John Robinson was born a quadruple congenital amputee, and from the start his life required problem-solving most of us never think about. But this conversation isn’t about limitation...it’s about the way he built a full, grounded, meaningful life in a world not designed for him. John talks about growing up in a small New York town, summers on his grandparents’ dairy farm, and the role his parents...