Life and work balance – The Mentors Radio

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Shirin Behzadi, author of The Unexpected CEO and an extraordinary leader who has lived what many would call three lifetimes in one. Shirin’s journey is a masterclass in perseverance, resiliance and what some would describe as anti-fragility. She rose from being alone, as an 18-year-old immigrant, working behind bulletproof glass as an all-night gas station cashier, to becoming the CEO of a billion-dollar home improvement franchise network. Along the way, she navigated a high-stakes, nine-figure private equity exit and overcame a life-threatening health crisis—a brain tumo...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Dr. Sunita Sah, national bestselling author, award-winning professor at Cornell University and an expert in organizational psychology. Dr. Sunita Sah joins Dan Hesse to discuss her bestselling book, Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes, which teaches us how to say “No” when saying “Yes” conflicts with our personal values.  Dr. Sah leads groundbreaking research on influence, authority, trust, compliance and defiance. A trained physician, she currently teaches executives, leaders and students in healthcare and business. Dr. Sah is a sought-after international speaker and consultant...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ashley Goodall, former Cisco executive and co-author of Nine Lies About Work, about lies we are told about work. For example, we are told that the best companies cascade goals and the best people are well-rounded. We are told that people leave because of ‘culture’ and that feedback is a gift. But what if every one of those statements is a lie?! In this episode, often-repeated work ‘dogmas’ will be dismantled—including the myth of “Company Culture” and the trap of “Work-Life Balance”. Ashley Goodall culls from two decades workin...

In today’s episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist and the founder of Dementia Careblazers. Did you know that right now, one in four adults in the United States is providing care for someone else? That represents 63 million Americans—a silent army navigating complex medical needs, crushing financial pressures, and heavy legal responsibilities. As our population ages, this role is rapidly becoming one of the most defining experiences of our time. But what if we looked at caregiving differently? What if, rather than just a burden, we viewed it as a...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Jerome Bettis (also known as “The Bus”), who is a Hall of Fame running back and Walter Peyton NFL Man of the Year. Jerome describes how he “broke the cycle” of shunning rookies in the locker room and instead focused on encouraging and mentoring them. He also talks about how the generosity of one pro football player he met as a kid drove him to develop the habit of giving a “hand up” to those in need; a habit that he knows he will continue for the rest of his...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Rusty Gaillard, a man who built one of the quintessential “A-student” careers of our time: Princeton engineering, GE under Jack Welch, an MBA from Stanford, and ultimately 14 years at Apple, where he served as Worldwide Director of Finance. By any external measure, he had “made it”. But internally, Rusty hit a wall — a wall many high achievers eventually reach. That crisis led to deep introspection, divorce, reinvention, and ultimately the insights behind his book, Breaking the Code: Stop Looking for Answers and Start Enjoying Life — a guide to upgrading...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse talks with Sahil Bloom, author of The 5 Types of Wealth—A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life to describe how important Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial wealth are to leading one’s dream life, and how important it is not to sacrifice one kind of wealth in pursuit of another.  In addition to his debut book, Sahill captivates millions of people every week through his insights and biweekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle. Sahil is a successful entrepreneur and the managing partner of SRB Ventures, an early-stage investment fund...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse discusses the AI spectrum with Nick Thompson, who is the host of “The Most Interesting Thing in AI” podcast and CEO of The Atlantic magazine. Thompson also discusses his just-released book The Running Ground, where Nick, the #1 long distance runner in the world at his age, tells the story of how running both bonded him with, but also kept him from becoming, his father. Nick was previously the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and editor of NewYorker.com. In addition to being a successful CEO, husband and father, Nick set the U...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Daniel Levintin, PhD, a neuroscientist, cognitive psychologist, musician and best-selling author whose newest book, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, explores how music changes the brain, strengthens memory and restores joy. Dr. Levitin’s research explains why that happens. He’s a Founding Dean of Arts and Humanities at Minerva University in San Francisco, James McGill Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal, and the author of ten acclaimed books, including This Is Your Brain on Music and The Orga...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ed Kopetsky, retired and award-winning Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Stanford Health’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford’s Children’s Health. Kopetsky now focuses on mentoring families whose lives have been turned upside down due to drug addiction. In 2017, Kopetsky tragically lost his 31-year-old son to an opiod overdose. In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Ed shares 17 years of frontline experience, including invaluable insights on addressing addiction within families and communities. “There is no one I know who is better to provide guidance on dealing...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Dana Gower, Vice President of Talent and Client Services at CareerPro, and co-author of Job Hunting in the AI Era, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the job hunt. Gower is also the founder of JobWorks Career Ministry and co-author of Careering. He has personally lived through three periods of unemployment, each followed by a major rebound. Dana Gower has been guiding people through some of life’s toughest moments—job loss and career transition—for years. His ministry is built around a provocative reminder, as he put...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Randy Hain, founder of Serviam Partners, a nationally respected executive coach, and the author of 16 books—including Essential Wisdom, Becoming a More Thoughtful Leader, and most recently, Practical Virtue An Actionable Guide to Help You Become a Leader Worth Following. In this latest work, Randy makes the case that mastering virtue is not only essential to career success, but even more importantly, to success in life. You’ll discover why there’s a war on virtue today, how to spot the difference between real virtue vs. virtue signal...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ashley Goodall, outstanding leadership expert, former Fortune 50 executive, former Senior VP at Cisco, former senior executive at Deloitte and author of The Problem with Change, one of Financial Times‘ top business books of 2024. As a thought leader, his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, and more. In this episode, you’ll learn why nonstop disruption drains performance–and how to fix it. You’ll learn how predictability fuels innovation, why “check-ins” beat “performance reviews” and the four questions that make check-ins w...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, host Tom Loarie talks with Justin Stebbing, M.D., a London-based, world-renown scientist, cancer researcher, medical journal editor and author. Dr. Stebbing talks about the excitement and rewards of a STEM career, the life of a scientist, and about his own journey to becoming a world-renown clinician and scientist. He also about the tremendous wonder of discovering improved therapies for cancer and for treating covid. Professor Justin Stebbing, M.D., is also a professor of biomedical sciences at ARU, Cambridge, and a visiting professor at Imperial College where he has an active...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Dr. Chris Howard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Arizona State University and former President of Robert Morris University and Hampden-Sydney College, to discuss his diverse career path on the way to discovering his calling in higher education. Elected student body president at Plano High, where 2% of the student body was African American, he helped Plano win the Texas state football championship. Chris received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy where he again excelled in the classroom and on the gridiron and was...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Jerome Bettis (also known as “The Bus”), who is a Hall of Fame running back and Walter Peyton NFL Man of the Year. Jerome describes how he “broke the cycle” of shunning rookies in the locker room and instead focused on encouraging and mentoring them. He also talks about how the generosity of one pro football player he met as a kid drove him to develop the habit of giving a “hand up” to those in need; a habit that he knows he will continue for the rest of his...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Mitch Warner, managing partner of The Arbinger Institute and also an Arbinger author, about how to break free from self-deception to build authentic, thriving relationships. Self-deception is one of the most insidious barriers to success—affecting our leadership, relationships and even our ability to see reality clearly. You will learn how self-deception blinds us to our own impact, fuels conflict, and keeps us stuck in destructive patterns. We’ll explore how shifting our mindset can transform not just our professional lives, but also our families, friendships and comm...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with James Asplund, Chief Scientist at Gallup and one of the world’s leading experts on strengths-based development, diving into one of the most powerful tools for personal and professional growth—CliftonStrengths or more widely known as Strengths-Finder 2.0. Strengths-Finder 2.0 can unlock your own potential, as it has for more than 35 million people worldwide! If you’ve ever wondered why some people thrive while others struggle, the answer often comes down to understanding and using their natural strengths. Asplund spent years researching how focusing on what we naturally do best l...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Doug and Chase Averill of Flathead Lake Lodge, one of the top 2% hospitality businesses in America and a “Best of the Best Dude Ranch.” Discover their unique approach to hospitality and learn how this iconic, multi-generational, family-owned dude ranch builds family bonds, empowers kids, and even hosts world leaders, including Bing Crosby, George Bush, Bill Clinton and Colin Powell, who called it the best place in America to meet real Americans. Located in Bigfork, Montana, just outside Glacier National Park, an Averill family tradition since 1945, the ranch has...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Chris Lowney, whose extraordinary journey took him from Jesuit seminarian to top executive at JP Morgan, to Chair of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in the United States. Discover the timeless principles that have shaped the Jesuit order for 450 years and how they continue to inspire 150,000 employees, serving 30 million people today. Tune in to learn how these same values can transform your own life and career! Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, just click here!

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In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Catherine Harrington, PhD Renown as an innovator in organization psychology, Dr. Catherine Harrington’s work has profoundly impacted countless lives and organizations. That said, her own journey is nothing short of extraordinary. After earning her doctorate, Catherine found her true calling in executive search and organizational psychology, helping organizations and individuals thrive together. Host Tom Loarie, in his role as CEO of a venture-funded medical startup at the time, experienced Catherine’s work first-hand and saw what a profound difference she made in his company. In a simi...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Gladys McGarey MD, one of the world’s great healers and wisest of elders of our time, to share her amazing life story and her six secrets to health and happiness at every age. Dr. Gladys McGarey is known as the Mother of Holistic Medicine. In this episode she shares her remarkable life story and insights from her latest book, The Well-Lived Life: A 103-Year-Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age. With a career spanning over seven decades, Dr. McGarey has been a tr...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Filippo Silvestri and Enzo Rosano, two restaurant entrepreneurs who talk about their journey from Italy to San Francisco, and from nothing to becoming celebrated restaurant entrepreneurs in one of the most competitive and diverse restaurant markets. Today’s topic is about The American Dream and how a group of Italian entrepreneurs are emblematic of it. Theirs is a story of resilience, entrepreneurship, and success. Joining us are Filippo Silvestri and his partner Enzo Rosano, who both immigrated from Italy and have built a thriving restaurant business in th...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with New York Times #1 Best-Selling author Gretchen Rubin as she provides lessons and tips on how to live a better life by being happier and making those around us happier. 

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She’s a highly acclaimed writer, known for her ability to distill and convey complex ideas—from science to literature to stories from her own life—with levity and clarity.
Gretchen has an affinity for new tools and platforms...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with world renown psychologist, Dr. George Simon, who has spent decades understanding and dealing with character-impaired personalities. His best-selling book In Sheep’s Clothing just celebrated its 28th year in print. In this interview, Dr. Simon shares his insights on those people who can suck you dry and sap the joy of life out of you. These people subtly prey on your weaknesses and use clever tactics to gain an advantage over you. These people are underhanded, backstabbing, deceptive and conniving. They may work with you, associate with yo...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Dr. Jim Loehr, the founder of Johnson and Johnson’s HUMAN PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE and best-selling author. They discuss the rarest of human qualities, courage, its costs, and what life will give you in return for a little courage. The insights shared in this episode deliver some of the most powerful, life-changing challenges for any human being, regardless of their work, profession, life or athletic prowess. Dr. Loehr has coached some of the most elite professionals in sports, athletics, business, military and nonprofits. These are professionals who are so...

In today’s episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with one of the greatest baseball players of all-time, Hall of Famer George Brett, the only major league player in history to win batting titles in three decades, and the only player ever with 3000 hits, 300 home runs, 600 doubles, 100 triples and 200 stolen bases. In addition to a  career batting average of over .300, he retired as the American League’s all-time leader in being walked intentionally. During George’s 21-year career with Kansas City, the Royals had 15 winning seasons with seven post-season and two World Series appearances, winning the World Se...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ed Kopetsky, retired CIO for Stanford Health, to discuss the critical issue of addiction, a major career and family derailer today. Ed, who lost his son to an opioid overdose, shares 17 years of frontline experience, sharing invaluable insights on addressing addiction within families and communities. There is no one I know who is better to provide guidance on dealing with addiction within a family. He has been on the front lines of the addiction battle for 17 years. He lost his 31 year old son, Tim, to an overdose...

In today’s episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Patrick Lencioni, the world’s foremost thought leader on organizational health. His 13 best-selling books have sold more than 10 million copies and are translated into more than 30 languages. These books are short, immediately engaging and powerful, focusing on how to reduce organizational politics, silos, confusion and dysfunction while increasing organizational clarity, alignment and productivity. Pat’s current focus is on why some leaders have an unconscious unwillingness to do the difficult tasks and confront the challenging situations required to bring about a healthier and more productive organization. During...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse talks with Manfred Krankl, the successful builder of multiple businesses including the restaurant Campanile and the bakery La Brea, but he is best known as a winemaking icon. Manfred is the founder, owner and winemaker at Sine Qua Non, which has redefined the term “cult wine” and earned 25 perfect 100 point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, more than any winery in the world during this time period according to my research. Krankl is an innovator with unusual wine bottle shapes plus his own art that changes each year. Accord...

In this episode, The Mentors Radio Host Tom Loarie talks with J.W. “Terry” Freiberg III, a social psychologist who became a prominent lawyer. Frieberg went on to write a short series of inspiring and popular books addressing what he calls The Four Seasons of Loneliness. It earned him the 2017 Independent Publishers Gold Prize for best book of the year in psychology/mental heath. You’ll learn as Freiberg talks about his observations and work, his career segue from psychologist to lawyer, the changing loneliness statistics over the past 20 years (alarming!), and the simple and very realistic solution to discov...

In today’s episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Matthew Kelly, one of the greatest thought leaders of our time, an international speaker and a prolific author of more than 45 books—with more than 50 million copies sold, appearing on New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-seller lists. In this rare interview with Matthew, Tom explores Kelly’s remarkable journey from Sydney, Australia, to becoming a global inspiration. In his early-twenties Kelly developed “the-best-version-of-yourself” concept and has been sharing it in every arena of life for more than 25 years. Don’t miss this chance for h...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, Host Dan Hesse talks with Tim Brown, one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history. He is the only receiver in history to win the Heisman Trophy AND be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Tim grew up in Dallas and received a scholarship to play football at Notre Dame.  After winning the Heisman, he was the sixth overall pick in the NFL draft, taken by the LA Raiders, where “Mr Raider” as he was called, played almost his entire 17-year NFL career. He made the Pro Bowl nine times. When he re...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio Show, Host Tom Loarie talks with distinguished psychoanalyst Dr. James Hollis to discuss why a person might achieve what he or she wants in this life and still feel miserable? Hollis is the author of 19 books including Living Between Worlds, What Matters Most, and his top-selling Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life. He is well known for translating the profound teachings of Carl Jung into practical wisdom for our everyday lives. He has a gift for challenging us each to think more deeply and purposefully about our own lives, our...

This week on The Mentors Radio, Host Tom Loarie talks with Greg Harden, M.S.W., a life coach and mentor whose coaching and mentoring has changed more lives than even he imagined possible. Harden is the lifelong mentor to seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady; to the most celebrated and decorated Olympiad of all time with 28 medals Michael Phelps; to Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, to Warde Manuel whose football career-ending neck injury changed his life but not his life’s purpose—to mentor others as an athletic director at Michigan; to Gold medalist swimmer Samantha Arsenault who over...

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Conor Grennan, the head of Generative AI and Dean of Students at New York University’s Stern School of Business, a TEDx speaker and a #1 Inernatonal Best-selling author of Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. In this episode, they discuss how ChatGPT, BARD, BING, their extensions and plug-ins can power your career and make you the go-to person for AI in business and life. … Prior to working at NYU, in search of adventure, a then-29-year-old Conor Grennan traded his da...

In this episode, The Mentors Radio Host Tom Loarie talks with Adam Alter, New York University’s Stern School of Business “Professor of the Year,” TED Talk speaker, and author of Anatomy of a Breakthrough. As a renowned professor of marketing and psychology, Adam Alter has captivated audiences at the intersection of these two disciplines, shedding light on why we all feel stuck at some point in our lives. He’s a TED Talk speaker. Fortune 100 companies and NGOs consult with him. In this exceptional episode, learn what YOU can do to breakthrough when you feel trapped … whether it’s a thankless job...

In this episode of The Mentors Radio, host Tom Loarie talks with Michael Collopy, an award-winning portrait photographer who—early in his career—studied under and worked with Ansel Adams. Collopy recounts what it was like to work with Adams, and what he learned from this master photographer. He also talks about his own journey, wonder, challenges and first-hand experiences….and about the incredible value of “listening.” The gems that Collopy shares in this interview are absolutely engaging, inspiring and applicable to anyone, regardless of their interests and talents.

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In this episode, The Mentors Radio host Dan Hesse talks with Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. An outstanding leader, with one of the most distinguished and eclectic careers imaginable, McGovern rose from being a programmer at AT&T to becoming president of AT&T’s Business Markets group and, later, president of the Consumer Markets group—the communication giant’s two largest business units. McGovern left AT&T at the top of her game to become President of Personal Investments at Fidelity, and then went across town to become a Professor at the Harvard Busine...

In this episode, The Mentors Radio host Dan Hesse talks with guest mentor Paul Hobbs, dubbed “The Steve Jobs of Wine” by Forbes magazine. A third generation farmer, raised in upstate New York, Paul wanted nothing to do with farming as a teen and decided to follow his great-grandfather and pursue a career in medicine. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry at Notre Dame (UND) and was accepted into medical school. That’s the point at which mentors intervened, including his father, ultimately encouraging him to pursue a different path. Their advice made sense to Paul and he moved...