Power & Impact

What will separate the companies that thrive in the AI era from those that fall behind?

In this conversation, I speak with London Business School professor and author John Mullins about the entrepreneurial mindsets that help people move faster, test ideas, and build businesses around real customer demand. John explains why experimentation is replacing traditional strategic planning and how AI can become a powerful critical-thinking partner.

We also explore the rise of AI-native companies and the growing class of highly skilled independent workers. The lessons we discuss include those from Costco, Amazon, SpaceX, and other...

What happens when artificial intelligence can perform routine tasks faster, cheaper, and better than we can?

In this episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with renowned business strategist Roger L. Martin to explore what will make people valuable in an AI-driven economy. Roger offers a compelling framework: AI excels at finding the most common or predictable answer, while people create value by applying judgment, imagination, and original thinking.

Roger's own career backs it up. He spent years building a global strategy firm, then ran a business school — then walked away from a chance to re...

Most people hope to inherit wealth. At 27, Dr. Silver Kung inherited $10 million in family debt instead. 

That unexpected burden became the catalyst for an extraordinary journey. Today, he leads a $3.3 billion investment firm and has captured his hard-won wisdom in a new book, Silver Linings. In it, he shares the core principles that guided his turnaround, from the rigor of his early aerospace engineering background to pioneering impact investing in global supply chains. 

In this week'

Every business conversation this year seems to circle back to artificial intelligence. This week's episode of Power & Impact circles back to something older: leadership.

 Former Xerox CEO Steve Bandrowczak has spent his career helping organizations navigate massive change. In our conversation, he makes the case that the companies who get AI right will be led by people who know how to help others adapt, learn, and take on new ways of working — not necessarily the ones with the sharpest technology.

Steve also shares the experiences that shaped him decades before he became a CEO: leaving hom...

Young men are facing unprecedented challenges—from loneliness and anxiety to social media pressure and the loss of meaningful friendships.

Young men are facing unprecedented challenges—from loneliness and anxiety to social media pressure and the loss of meaningful friendships. Licensed therapist Austin Cole joins Jim McCann for an honest conversation about what is really happening with men's mental health, why relationships matter more than ever, and how parents, friends, and mentors can help the next generation thrive.

Whether you're a parent, mentor, leader, or someone navigating life's challenges, this conversation offers practical insights and hope...

In this week's Power & Impact, I spoke with Dr. Nathan Bryan, a scientist whose life's work centers on a molecule that most of us have never heard of — but one he believes may hold important clues to how we age and why we get sick. 

Nitric oxide helps regulate blood flow, oxygen delivery, and cellular communication throughout the body. Dr. Bryan says we produce plenty of it when we're young, but much less as we get older. He believes that decline may contribute to many of the conditions we associate with aging, from cardiovascular disease to diminished energy and...

Larry Long Jr. lost his father more than a decade ago. He still hears his voice every day.

As a struggling freshman baseball player at the University of Maryland, Larry found himself mired in a brutal slump. His father sat him down and delivered a message he didn't necessarily want to hear: Fix your mindset and everything else will follow from that.

The lesson stuck: Larry went on to hit .319 in ACC play that season, and the advice has continued to guide him throughout his life and career.

In this week's episode of...

In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I sat down with William Villanova, president of the iconic Frank E. Campbell funeral home in New York City. After more than 25 years in funeral service, William has guided families through some of life's most difficult moments while helping preserve traditions that have endured across generations.

Our conversation explored how those rituals are adapting to a changing world. Technology now allows services to reach loved ones across continents, but the purpose remains the same: creating a space where people can come together and honor a life. If anything, the disruptions...

Most of us step into an elevator without giving it a second thought. That's exactly how Judy Marks likes it.

In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I speak with the CEO of Otis Worldwide Corp. about the invention that helped make modern cities possible — and what it can teach us about another technology now reshaping daily life. Otis moves 2.5 billion people every day, and Judy sees firsthand how trust, safety, engineering, and human judgment all have to work together before people will fully embrace a new way of moving through the world.

Judy believes AI...

In this episode of _Power & Impact_, Eric Ries, creator of Lean Startup, joins Jim McCann to reveal why even the most successful businesses can lose sight of the core values that first propelled them to greatness—insights found in his new book, Incorruptible.

From Costco and Johnson & Johnson to AI, venture capital, Wall Street pressure, and the future of leadership, Eric breaks down the hidden forces that push companies toward short-term thinking, corruption, and cultural collapse. He explains why metrics can become dangerous, why trust is disappearing in modern business, and why the next generation of leaders mu...

In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I speak with Sol Rashidi about one of the biggest questions facing leaders, workers, students, and families today: How do we prepare for a future that is arriving faster than almost anyone expected?

Sol is an AI strategist, board adviser, and former chief AI officer who has spent years helping organizations understand how artificial intelligence is changing business. She brings s deep expertise and real concern to this conversation, especially as companies race to adopt AI before they've fully thought through the implications for governance, security, and the people whose...

In this week's Power & Impact, I speak with John Donovan, the former CEO of AT&T Communications, about what it takes to lead when technology is changing the ground beneath your feet. John had a front-row seat to some of the most important technological shifts of the past several decades, including the rise of fiber communications, smartphones, and cloud computing. 

One of his most important insights is that real innovation happens when an idea reaches customers at the right time and helps them do something better. That lesson feels especially relevant today. As AI reshapes th...

In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I speak with Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage, about a problem almost every leader eventually faces: The more responsibility you have, the fewer people you can be fully honest with.

In this week's episode of _Power & Impact_ , I speak with Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage, about a problem almost every leader eventually faces: The more responsibility you have, the fewer people you can be fully honest with. That is where Vistage comes in. The organization brings CEOs and business leaders into confidential peer groups where they can wrestle with the...

In this week's Power & Impact, I sit down with the Honorable Peter Beshar, whose career has spanned law, corporate leadership, and a deep commitment to public service.

In our conversation, Peter looks back on his early work with former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance during the effort to bring peace to Bosnia — and how that experience shaped his belief in blending private-sector success with public service.

He also shares lessons from his 18 years at Marsh McLennan, where he helped guide the company through crisis, and what he learned about leadership from CEO Dan Glaser.

...

What does it really take to achieve greatness—not just in title or success, but in how you lead, live, and show up every day?

In this week's Power & Impact, I sit down with Alan Guarino, vice chairman at Korn Ferry and author of The Greatness Code, to explore what it takes to build a meaningful and lasting career. Alan draws on a life shaped by an immigrant family, his time at West Point, and decades advising CEOs and serving at senior levels of government.

At the center of the conversation is Alan's framework for gr...

What does it look like when a seasoned business executive brings private-sector rigor to a mission built around human potential?

In this episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with David Landsberg, President and CEO of Goodwill South Florida, to talk about a career that began at the Miami Herald during the upheaval of the early internet era and evolved into leading one of the most ambitious workforce-development organizations in the region.

David reflects on what he learned while navigating the collapse of traditional media, managing change inside a legacy institution, and leading through disruption...

What gives life meaning once the usual markers of achievement are already in place?

That's the question at the heart of my conversation with Joaquin Dulitzky on this week's Power & Impact.

Joaquin advises families on the complexities that come with wealth, including legacy, identity, and responsibility. He has seen firsthand that while money can provide comfort and opportunity, it cannot supply purpose. We talk about the importance of helping the next generation find its own direction, and why the families that endure are the ones willing to have honest conversations about values, expectations, and what...

What if the world's greatest opportunities aren't found in polished systems, but in the messy, broken ones everyone else avoids?

 In this episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with Jeff Sprecher, founder and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, which is the company behind the New York Stock Exchange. Jeff's approach is simple: find what's complex and overlooked, and make it clearer, more efficient, and more trustworthy. That mindset led him to take on the New York Stock Exchange when it had fallen out of favor and rebuild it into one of the most powerful financial and data n...

What can we learn about leadership from someone as unconventional — and as consequential — as Donald Trump?

 In this week's Power & Impact, I sit down with a good friend of mine, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, and his colleague Steven Tian to discuss their new book, Trump's Ten Commandments: Strategic Lessons from the Trump Leadership Toolbox. Jeff leads the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute at the Yale School of Management, where Steven serves as director of research.

 Jeff has spent decades studying leadership at the highest levels, and what I've long respected about his work is that it's grounded in cur...

As artificial intelligence spreads across industries, entire categories of work are beginning to change — and some roles are disappearing faster than expected.

In this week's Power & Impact, I spoke with Jo McKinney of the Board of Innovation, a firm that works with companies on emerging technologies. She shared a piece of advice she's been giving to people trying to navigate this uncertain moment:

Instead of focusing only on which AI tools to learn, re-imagine your profession from scratch. If your field — marketing, law, finance, or something else — were created today with AI already part of the sy...

In this week's Power & Impact, I sat down with venture capitalist Maria Palma. I was struck by the range of her journey — from growing up in Wisconsin to Harvard Business School, leadership training at GE, and startup work across the globe. Today, she invests in some of the most promising AI-driven companies.

While many frame AI as a tool for efficiency, Maria sees a bigger opportunity: entirely new capabilities, businesses, and creative frontiers. She's already watching children use AI to launch projects — even small businesses — offering a glimpse of how dramatically the next generation may reshape the world...

In this week's Power & Impact, I sat down with venture capitalist Maria Palma. I was struck by the range of her journey — from growing up in Wisconsin to Harvard Business School, leadership training at GE, and startup work across the globe. Today, she invests in some of the most promising AI-driven companies. 

While many frame AI as a tool for efficiency, Maria sees a bigger opportunity: entirely new capabilities, businesses, and creative frontiers. She's already watching children use AI to launch projects — even small businesses — offering a glimpse of how dramatically the next generation may reshape the world.<...

Some of the most meaningful decisions we make are about how we give — our time, our resources, and our attention — and the example we set in the process.

In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with George Corton, founder of First Philanthropy, to talk about what thoughtful generosity looks like today. We discuss why giving in America has long been rooted in personal values and family traditions, and how the most effective philanthropy begins with clarity about what matters most.

George shares what he's seeing as new wealth flows into cities like Miam...

AI is changing how we create.

 In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with Elley Cheng, CEO and co-founder of Useful Arts, to examine what happens to creativity when intelligence becomes programmable. Trained as an engineer, Elley now focuses on advancing creative rights in a world where generative AI is built on the work of artists, writers, and musicians.

We discuss how intelligence reflects the systems behind it, shaping whose work is elevated and how value is assigned. As AI shifts from assisting creators to generating content at scale, the stakes center o...

Markets move in cycles. Companies endure — or they don't — based on the decisions leaders make when conditions are uncertain.

In this episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with Marc Cooper, CEO of Solomon Partners, to talk about what the current M&A environment is teaching us about durability. Beneath the headlines about slower deal flow and shifting valuations, there's a more important story unfolding: private equity portfolios aging, capital waiting for clarity, and management teams deciding whether to hold, sell, or reinvest for the long term.

Marc shares what he's seeing across the market — from r...

This week's episode of Power & Impact is a wide-ranging conversation with Perry Ellis International CEO Oscar Feldenkreis about immigration, entrepreneurship, family legacy, and how businesses adapt across generations. 

During our conversation, Oscar draws on his Cuban-American roots and a family history shaped by displacement and resilience to reflect on how that background continues to inform his definition of success, leadership, and responsibility.

He traces the evolution of his business — from early efforts to serve the Hispanic consumer with culturally specific shirts like guayaberas, to building and re-positioning globally recognized brands such as Perry Ellis. Along the...

In this week's Power & Impact, I sit down with Kelly Williamson, a senior leader at the global advisory firm APCO to talk about what actually sustains a career and a company when the world keeps rewriting the rules.

Kelly shares her path from intern to executive at APCO, and why trust and relationships have mattered more than any five-year plan. We talk about leading through uncertainty, navigating AI and geopolitical change, and why empathy, values, and critical thinking are no longer soft now essential leadership skills but soft ones.

The discussion spans the future of...

In this week's Power & Impact, I spoke with entrepreneur and investor Slava Rubin — founder of Indiegogo and a leading voice in alternative investments — about how big changes take shape, and how to recognize them early.

Throughout his career, Slava has developed a habit of paying attention, looking for early signals rather than waiting for change to become obvious. We talked about how new technologies may gradually open access to assets that once felt out of reach, and why shifts like these tend to unfold without many people noticing. As Slava put it, big changes and opportunities rarely anno...

Crypto and blockchain come up everywhere these days — at work, in the news, in conversations that seem to assume everyone else already understands what's going on. If you don't, you're not alone.

In this episode of Power & Impact, I sat down with two people I trust and learn from: Agnes Budzyn, founder of Bluedge Ventures, and David Schamis, co-founder and CIO of Atlas Merchant Capital. Both have spent years inside the world of crypto, and both are unusually good at explaining it without hype or jargon.

What struck me most is how practical the conversation be...

In this episode of Power & Impact , I sit down with business leader Nigel Travis, whose career spans some of America's most iconic brands, including Dunkin', Burger King, Jersey Mike's, and others from Blackstone's global portfolio. From his British roots to leading quintessentially American companies, Nigel reflects on how perspective, people, and disciplined execution shape enduring leadership.

Nigel shares what it takes to turn even struggling brands into growth engines, including the lessons he learned rebuilding Dunkin' during the financial crisis. Together, we explore why great leadership is less about control and more about listening.

The...

In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with Azeem Azhar, a leading expert on the rapid growth of technology, to explore how acceleration itself is shaping the way we work and make decisions. As AI becomes part of everyday life, its influence now extends well beyond business, reaching into education, family life, and the expectations we place on institutions.

Azeem's perspective is shaped by an education at Oxford and years spent studying how technological progress compounds over time. He explains why change often feels sudden, even when it's been building for years, and why...

In this week's episode of Power & Impact, I sit down with Armando Pantoja, an investor, technologist, and thought leader who has spent his career spotting inflection points before they become obvious.

Armando's story is a study in reinvention. He went from playing professional basketball in Puerto Rico to returning to software engineering, and eventually to building businesses at the center of the crypto economy. Along the way, he learned the value of starting early, learning quickly from failure, and staying flexible when the path forward isn't always clear.

We talk about the realities behind cryptocurrency...

Recorded live at Techonomy 25, this week's episode of Power & Impact brings together two voices thinking deeply about where creativity and leadership are headed: Sergio Lopez Ferrero, CEO of Omnicom Production and a global leader in AI-driven brand storytelling, and Dr. Bobbi Wegner, a Harvard lecturer focused on team health, connection, and performance.

Their conversation cuts through the noise around artificial intelligence to focus on what actually matters. Sergio and Bobbi talk about how AI is changing the way we create and lead, the role of craft in an era of rapid automation, and why human connection remains...

In this week's Power & Impact, I sit down with Dr. Gary King, one of Harvard University's most distinguished professors and a leading voice in social science research, for a wide-ranging conversation about learning, leadership, and the power of community.

Joined by my co-host and friend Dr. Bobbi Wegner, we explore why relationships sit at the heart of meaningful education and how community fuels innovation (Dr. Wegner is a psychologist, entrepreneur, and herself a Harvard educator.)

During the conversation, Gary reflects on his work at Harvard, tracing the path from academic insight to its impact in...

In this week's Power & Impact, I sit down with the remarkable thinker, Dr. Barbara Oakley, for a deep look at the science of how we learn, adapt, and tap into abilities we never knew we had.

Barbara shares her extraordinary path from "hating math" to becoming one of the world's leading engineering educators, Together, we reveal what modern neuroscience now proves: the brain can change, heal, and grow at any age.

From Army barracks to the South Pole, from breakthroughs in brain science to lessons from global education reform, this conversation offers a hopeful message...

What does it take to lead under the brightest spotlight in the world?

In this episode of Power & Impact , I sit down with my friend Sally Susman, who recently wrapped up an extraordinary run as chief corporate affairs officer at Pfizer. Few people have been tested the way Sally was during the COVID years, and even fewer managed to lead with the clarity, steadiness, and optimism she brought to every moment.

Sally talks with me about what it was like to help guide Pfizer through a global crisis, how she built trust in a divided...

What would you do if you hit financial independence at 30… and realized the life you built was slowly destroying you?

In this week's episode of Power & Impact , Paul Stamoulis and I sat down with Ryan Renteria, a Stanford grad who rocketed through Goldman Sachs, became a rising star in the hedge fund world, and walked away right as he reached the top. His body was failing, his spirit was exhausted, and he knew he had to choose a different future.

Ryan opened up about work-life integration, emotional health, culture building, the power of service, and wh...

What can business leaders learn from the mindset of a world-class athlete?

In this episode of Power & Impact , I sit down with Austin Ramos, an entrepreneur whose path from All-American long-distance runner at UCLA to private equity leader is filled with lessons on building winning teams. 

Austin shares how his years as a competitive athlete shaped his approach to leadership and navigating high-pressure environments. We explore his decision to forge his own path outside his third-generation family business, the creation of Brand Velocity Group, and why he believes people, culture, and storytelling are just as i...

AI tools are powerful, but misusing them can lead to poor results. How can business leaders avoid "AI slop" and maintain quality as they scale this technology across their organizations?

In this episode, I sit down with Andreas Welsch, an AI strategist, educator, and author of The AI Leadership Handbook

We talk about why 85% of AI projects fail and what practical steps businesses and individuals can take to embrace this transformative technology responsibly.

We also dive into the future of work, the impact of generative AI on creativity, and what skills students and...

Some people chart a course and stick to it. Others let curiosity lead the way. In this week's Power & Impact, I talk with Marc Hodosh, the entrepreneur who revived TEDMED and later co-founded Life Itself with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Marc's path has been anything but predictable — from medical school to inventing a laundry backpack, building breakthrough tech companies, and creating platforms that bring the world's most inspiring minds together.

 Along the way, he's worked with visionaries like Dean Kamen, Steve Wozniak, and Norman Lear — all united by a desire to use creativity and technology to impro...