Thirty Minute Mentors

Amy Van Dyken is a six-time Olympic gold medalist and the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Amy is also a leading disability advocate. Amy joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Amy and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: achieving greatness and peak performance, resilience, navigating highs and lows, leadership, motivation, mindset, and more.

The co-founder and CEO of Skybound Entertainment, David Alpert is the executive producer of The Walking Dead, the most successful cable television show of all time, and Invincible, the number-one revenue-generating show on Prime Video. David joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. David and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, entrepreneurship, building successful relationships and partnerships, accountability, negotiations and dealmaking, and much more.

One of the top bipartisan dealmakers during his time in the United States Senate, Senator John Breaux represented Louisiana in Congress for more than three decades, including three terms in the Senate. Senator Breaux joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Senator Breaux and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, career success, relationship-building, dealmaking, decision-making, and much more.

A Fortune 500 CEO, Andrew McMahon is the CEO of Guardian Life, one of the largest insurance companies in America. Andrew joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Andrew and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, career success, managing risks and navigating uncertainty, decision-making, impact, pressure, change, and more.

Carly Pearce is a Grammy Award-winning country music star who has won both CMA Female Vocalist of the Year and ACM Female Artist of the Year. Carly joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Carly and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: high performance, leadership, self-awareness, coachability, authenticity, creativity, resilience, balance, and more.

Terry Lundgren, former CEO of Macy’s and Neiman Marcus, shares stories from a remarkable retail career. He discusses overcoming early setbacks, starting at the bottom, building high-performing teams, winning over skeptics, and leading through transformation. They explore situational management, psychological safety, clear communication, e-commerce, and why even successful organizations must keep reinventing themselves.

General CQ Brown, Jr. is a retired four-star general who served as the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking officer in the United States military. General Brown previously served as Chief of Staff of the Air Force, becoming the first African American to lead a branch of the United States Armed Forces. General Brown joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. General Brown and Adam discuss leadership, career success, approachability and relatability, crisis management, innovation, trust, and much more.

Rick Rosenfield is the co-founder and former CEO of California Pizza Kitchen, a global restaurant company that generates nearly a billion dollars a year in revenue. Rick joins Adam to share his unique journey - from criminal defense lawyer to one of the restaurant industry's most successful entrepreneurs - and his best lessons and advice. Rick and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, hiring, culture, resilience, partnership, and much more.

Sebastian Thrun is the founder of Waymo, the market leader in the United States in autonomous driving. A pioneer in the fields of computer science, robotics, automation, education, and artificial intelligence, Sebastian is recognized as the godfather of the self-driving car industry. Sebastian is also the founder and former CEO of Udacity. Sebastian joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Sebastian and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: innovation, purpose, trust, decision-making, team building, AI, leadership, success, and much more.

Chris Peterson, CEO of Newell Brands and leader behind brands like Sharpie, Rubbermaid, and Crock-Pot, discusses the making of a modern executive. He explores career growth, CEO time management, stakeholder tradeoffs, and servant leadership. He also breaks down Newell’s multi-year turnaround, consumer-led innovation, hiring collaborative leaders, and making smart decisions amid uncertainty.