Thirty Minute Mentors

Dara Torres is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes in history: winner of four Olympic gold medals and twelve medals in total, a record among women. Dara competed in five Olympic games, winning a gold medal as a high school student and three silver medals at age 41. Dara joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Dara and Adam discuss reaching peak performance, overcoming obstacles, motivation, performing under pressure, teamwork, leadership, and more.

A pioneer in the world of private equity and member of the Forbes 400, Steve Klinsky co-founded Goldman Sachs' buyout group, was an early partner at Forstmann Little, and is the founder and CEO of New Mountain Capital, which has deployed more than $30 billion. Steve joins Adam to share his journey and best advice. Steve and Adam discuss the evolution of the industry and how to succeed in it; leadership, hiring, culture, and growth; risk-management and decision-making; and how to pay it forward.

Joe Lockhart served as White House Press Secretary during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment and went on to lead communications efforts for Facebook and the NFL. Joe joins Adam to share his best lessons across a wide range of topics: crisis management, performing under pressure, leadership, communications, relationship building, and more.

General Barry McCaffrey is one of the most decorated military leaders over the past half-century: the recipient of two Silver Stars and two Distinguished Service Crosses, a member of the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame, the youngest four star general at the time of his retirement, and the leader of the decisive battle in the Persian Gulf War. General McCaffrey also served as a Cabinet member and U.S. Drug Czar. General McCaffrey joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons on leadership and success.

Tony Hunter is the CEO of McClatchy, one of America's oldest and most prominent publishing companies, with newspapers across 30 U.S. markets catering to 65 million monthly readers. Tony previously served as publisher of the Chicago Tribune and CEO of the parent Tribune Publishing, where he led the company through a record four-year bankruptcy and reinvented its business model. Tony joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned leading and driving turnarounds of major publishing companies.

The co-founder of E!, Alan Mruvka led the fastest growing cable network start-up in television history. Alan joins Adam to share his entrepreneurial journey and best lessons learned along the way. Alan and Adam discuss the inspiration behind E! and the keys to actualizing the vision; leadership, culture, negotiations and dealmaking; how to assess entrepreneurial opportunities in the entertainment industry and in general; and the power of mentorship.

Founder of The Chriselle Factor and the Bumo Enterprise, Chriselle Lim is a leading fashion and beauty influencer and entrepreneur, with more than 5 million followers across social platforms. Chriselle joins Adam to share her journey and best advice on a wide range of topics. Chriselle and Adam discuss how to pursue a non-traditional career; how to build and grow an audience; branding and personal branding; leadership, entrepreneurship, and organizational culture; fashion, skincare, and more.

Tom Ripley is the CEO of Lids, the largest licensed sports retailer in the country, and the co-founder of the private equity firm that owns it. Tom joins Adam to share his best lessons from his journey from Special Operations officer in the Marine Corps to leader of a company doing over a billion dollars in annual sales. Tom and Adam discuss how to turn around a business and a culture; managing relationships with star athletes and sports leagues; leadership, hiring, marketing and deal-making; and much more.

Tony Horton is the creator of P90X, the disruptive workout program that has grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. Before becoming one of America’s leading fitness experts, Tony spent more than two decades working through a long list of less glamorous jobs. Tony joins Adam to share his best lessons learned from his journey and his best advice on a wide range of topics. Tony and Adam discuss personal transformation, disruption, fitness, health, performance, motivation, mindfulness, and more.

The most decorated male skier in U.S. history, Bode Miller is an Olympic gold medalist with thirty-three World Cup wins, two overall titles and four world championships. Bode joins Adam to share his journey and best advice on how to attain and manage success. Bode and Adam discuss Bode’s unique upbringing in the New Hampshire forest; how to understand and manage risk; navigating and performing under pressure; how to develop a winning culture and mindset; and more.