
Thirty Minute Mentors
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.
Latest episodes

Apr 25, 2023 • 36min
Episode 172: Harry's Co-Founder Jeff Raider
Jeff Raider co-founded multiple multi-billion dollar businesses. Jeff is the co-founder and co-CEO of Harry’s, one of the leading men’s shaving brands, and is a co-founder of Warby Parker, a leader in eyewear. Jeff joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Jeff and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal and professional discovery and development, leadership, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, customer-centricity, differentiation, and more.

Apr 18, 2023 • 31min
Episode 171: College Football Legend Danny Wuerffel
One of the greatest college football players of all time, Danny Wuerffel is a Heisman Trophy winner, a College Football Hall of Famer, and the namesake behind the Wuerffel Trophy, college football's premier award for community service. The Executive Director of Desire Street Ministries, Danny played for four NFL teams before pivoting to a career in nonprofit leadership. Danny joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice.

Apr 11, 2023 • 34min
Episode 170: Fitness Guru Autumn Calabrese
The creator of a number of highly popular workout programs, Autumn Calabrese is a leading fitness influencer. Autumn has trained many of America’s biggest names and her programs have been viewed more than 140 million times on BODi’s on-demand platform. Autumn joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons and advice. Autumn and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal discovery and development; motivation; health, fitness, and nutrition; the keys to a winning routine; communication; and more.

Apr 4, 2023 • 35min
Episode 169: YMCA CEO Suzanne McCormick
The leader of one of America’s oldest, largest, and most prominent non-profit organizations, Suzanne McCormick is the CEO of YMCA of the USA, with more than 2,500 locations serving 13 million people across the country. Suzanne joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons and advice. Suzanne and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, mentorship, career development, navigating change, relationship-building, communication, and much more.

Mar 28, 2023 • 36min
Episode 168: AFI Founder George Stevens Jr.
The founder of the American Film Institute and the co-founder of the Kennedy Center Honors, George Stevens Jr. has won 15 Emmys and an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. George joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. George and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal discovery and development; leadership, mentorship, and success; takeaways from time spent with John F. Kennedy, Edward R. Murrow, Steven Spielberg, and Sidney Poitier; and much more.

Mar 21, 2023 • 32min
Episode 167: Brex Co-Founder Henrique Dubugras
Henrique Dubugras is the co-founder and co-CEO of Brex, most recently valued at $12.3 billion. Henrique joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Henrique and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, mentorship, pivoting as a business and in your career, growth and scale, raising money, building winning teams and cultures, and more.

Mar 14, 2023 • 33min
Episode 166: Software Pioneer Mitch Kapor
A pioneer in the fields of software, personal computing, and the internet, Mitch Kapor is the founder of Lotus and the creator of Lotus 1-2-3, the "killer application" that led to the widespread adoption of the personal computer in the business world. Mitch is also the co-founder of the Mozilla Foundation - best known for developing the web browser Firefox - and is a leading technology investor. Mitch joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice.

Mar 7, 2023 • 35min
Episode 165: Former BET CEO Debra Lee
Debra Lee was the CEO of BET, the largest company in the world dedicated to African-American programming. The first Black company traded on the New York Stock Exchange, BET reached more than 100 million homes while Debra was CEO. Debra joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Debra and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal and professional development; leadership; building winning teams and companies; diversity and inclusion; managing difficult experiences; and more.

Feb 28, 2023 • 29min
Episode 164: Basketball Legend Tony Parker
Tony Parker was one of the best players in basketball over the course of his 18-year career and is one of the greatest European players of all time. A 6-time NBA All-Star and 4-time NBA champion, Tony is the first European-born player to win the NBA Finals MVP. Tony joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Tony and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: teamwork, leadership, culture, mentorship, basketball, the wine business, Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich, Kobe Bryant, and more.

Feb 21, 2023 • 34min
Episode 163: Lieutenant General Jeff Buchanan
Over the course of his 37-year military career, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan led troops at every level in adverse environments across the country and around the world. LTG Buchanan led the military response for five major hurricanes - Matthew, Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Florence; served four combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan; and commanded nearly 6,000 federal military troops deployed to the Southwest border. LTG Buchanan joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice.