

Thirty Minute Mentors
Adam Mendler
Leadership guru Adam Mendler goes one on one with America’s most accomplished and insightful people on how they made it to the top and how you can too. Each episode features a wealth of practical, actionable advice from a leading CEO, founder, athlete, celebrity, influencer or general / admiral. Learn how to lead in today’s landscape, become your best self and excel personally and professionally – in thirty minutes.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 7, 2025 • 36min
Episode 300: NBA Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief
An NBA legend and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Sidney Moncrief was a five-time NBA All-Star, five-time member of the All-NBA team, and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Sidney joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Sidney and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, teamwork, the keys to individual and collective greatness, adaptability, resilience, lessons from competing against Michael Jordan and the NBA’s best, and much more.

Sep 30, 2025 • 33min
Episode 299: Admiral Bill Lescher
A retired four-star admiral and the former Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Bill Lescher was the second-highest-ranking commissioned officer in the United States Navy. Admiral Lescher joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Admiral Lescher and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: core leadership principles universal to success, the keys to enterprise-wide leadership, barrier removal in leadership, building a learning culture, motivation, performing under pressure, and more.

Sep 23, 2025 • 36min
Episode 298: Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy is the CEO of Xero, one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the world, with 4.4 million customers and a market cap of roughly $20 billion. Sukhinder was previously the President of StubHub, an executive at Google and Amazon, and an entrepreneur who founded a public company. Sukhinder joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Sukhinder and Adam discuss leadership, career success, building winning organizations and cultures, and much more.

Sep 16, 2025 • 33min
Episode 297: Rotary CEO John Hewko
John Hewko is the CEO of Rotary International, one of the largest service organizations in the world, with more than 1.2 million members across 46,000 Rotary Clubs. John joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. John and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: adaptive leadership, consensus building, communication, mentorship, leading and working internationally, leading a service organization, and much more.

6 snips
Sep 9, 2025 • 35min
Episode 296: Former Sonic CEO Clifford Hudson
Clifford Hudson, former CEO of Sonic, transformed the drive-in chain from $800 million to $4.5 billion in revenue. He shares his journey from law to corporate leadership, emphasizing the principles of effective leadership like integrity and authenticity. Hudson discusses mastering communication to resonate with diverse audiences and the importance of supporting franchisees for sustainable growth. He also explores how Sonic adapted to digital trends and the balance between brand authenticity and innovation, especially during the challenges of the COVID pandemic.

Sep 2, 2025 • 39min
Episode 295: Montel Williams
An Emmy Award winner and a New York Times bestselling author, Montel Williams was the host of The Montel Williams Show and is the host of The Balancing Act and Military Makeover with Montel. Montel joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Montel and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, career success, navigating challenging times, pivoting, goal setting, self-awareness, communication, and much more.

Aug 26, 2025 • 40min
Episode 294: Principal CEO Deanna Strable
A Fortune 500 CEO and the leader of one of America’s largest financial services companies, Deanna Strable is the CEO of Principal, where she leads nearly 20,000 employees who serve more than 62 million customers around the world. Deanna joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Deanna and Adam discuss leadership, career development, mentorship, and much more.

Aug 19, 2025 • 41min
Episode 293: Booking CEO Glenn Fogel
A Fortune 500 CEO and the leader of a company valued at more than $180 billion, Glenn Fogel is the CEO of Booking Holdings, the world’s leading provider of online travel and related services and the parent company of Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK, and OpenTable. Glenn joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Glenn and Adam discuss leadership, business strategy, career success, and much more.

Aug 12, 2025 • 32min
Episode 292: Lieutenant General Jack Gardner
Lieutenant General Jack Gardner spent 35 years serving in the United States Army, with tours in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Bosnia, Iraq, and multiple locations inside the U.S. LTG Gardner was the commander of the United States Army South, the deputy commander of the United States European Command, and in charge of detainee operations during part of the Iraq War. LTG Gardner joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice on leadership, leadership development, leading through adversity and change, motivation, and much more.

Aug 5, 2025 • 31min
Episode 291: barre3 Co-Founder and CEO Sadie Lincoln
Sadie Lincoln is the co-founder and CEO of barre3, the largest omnichannel boutique fitness brand independently owned and operated by women. Sadie joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Sadie and Adam cover a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, growth and scale, franchising, accountability, cultivating self-confidence, excelling as a woman in a male-dominated industry, and much more.