The Culture Matters Podcast

"There was once a wise spiritual master who was the ruler of a small, but prosperous domain and who was known for his selfless devotion to his people.   As his people flourished and grew in number, the bounds of his small domain spread and with it, the need to trust implicitly the emissaries he sent to ensure the safety of its evermore distant parts. It was not just that it was impossible for him personally to order all that needed to be dealt with, as he wisely saw, he needed to keep his distance from and remain ignorant of such concerns. And so he nurtured and trained carefully his emissaries in order that they could be trusted. Eventually, however, his cleverest and most ambitious Visier, the one he most trusted to do his work, began to see himself as the master and use his position to advance his own wealth and influence. He saw his master's temperance and forbearance as weakness, not wisdom, and on his missions, on his master's behalf, adopted his mantle as his own. The emissary became tempestuous of his master and so it came about that the master was usurped. The people were duped. The domain became a tyranny and eventually it all collapsed in ruins." - Friedrich NietzscheExpert stage presence and story crafter Jon Cook is back on the show today and we are happy to have him back to share his experience and knowledge with our audience once again.  During this discussion, Jon and Jay get into some tips for people who are in or thinking about getting into the public speaking space, the future of AI and what role it is going to play in an advisory capacity, and how AI generated content is being viewed by different generations of people.  We are taking a deep dive into the future on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"How did I get into engineering? Somebody saw something."Chief Marketing Officer of Paramount Residential Mortgage Group Paul Lucido and we've got him back on the show for yet another discussion on our very own Jay Doran's work, Thirty Days of Thought.  Today's conversation is focusing on the section of the book called "Relationships" and Paul and Jay are diving in head first.  The majority of the discussion is centering around hero worship, modeling yourself after the people you admire, and making sure that you stay true to who you are while adding elements from the people who inspire you.  We hope you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn't, pays it." - Albert EinsteinBusiness Development Officer for Wescott Financial Advisory Group Alex Rawdin is joining us on the show today and we are very excited to get into the nitty gritty of finance, so let's get this show on the road.  Alex and Jay are discussing some of the background and history of Wescott Financial, how Alex went from the music industry into his current role in the world of financial advising, and the ways in which culture is a focal point for not only Alex, but for Wescott as a whole.  Alex is bringing a lot of great experience and knowledge to the show today, so we hope you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do." - Mother TeresaFounder and Executive Director of Raise the Bar Family Services Karly Forman Cohen is our guest on the show today and we are very excited to get into philanthropy, nonprofits, and good work by good people in general.  Karly and Jay are digging into what nonprofits actually are and what purpose they serve, the work that she and her team do assisting families with children with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and what the future holds for Raise the Bar.  Karly and her team are putting in the good work and we hope that our listeners are inspired to do so as well after this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." - Friedrich NietzschePersonal trainer and founder of STRONGSIDE Fitness Mitchel Black is hitting the airwaves on our show today and there is a lot of inspiring stuff coming from this conversation.  Mitchel and Jay are digging into Mitchel's journey from bullied kid to fitness aficionado, some of Mitchel's thoughts and insights on his group training sessions, and trusting your gut and your intuition to lead you in the right direction.  Mitchel is a truly inspiring individual with a very positive message and we're incredibly grateful that he shared it with us on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards." - Søren Kierkegaard"The two greatest warriors are patience and time." - Leo TolstoyOn today's show, our very own Jay Doran is pulling back the curtain a bit to give our listeners an update on The Culture Matters Podcast as we see ourselves at the halfway point of 2025.  Jay is discussing how the podcast has evolved, what the motivation was to start it and what it continues to be to keep it going, and what is ahead in the near and not-so-near future.  We want to thank everyone who listens to the show for allowing us to keep doing what we're doing and we are looking forward to a very enlightening and fun rest of 2025.

Dr. Iain McGilchrist, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and neuroscientist, dives deep into the complexities of the human brain and society. He shares his early philosophical inspirations from Heraclitus, emphasizing balance and paradox in life. The discussion explores the contrasting roles of the brain's hemispheres, advocating for a holistic approach to understanding. McGilchrist warns against the mechanistic pursuit of liberty, urging a values-driven leadership for sustainable progress. The conversation wraps up by reflecting on the evolving nature of language and its impact on our perception of the world.

"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." - Friedrich NietzscheChristopher Tighe is a U.S. Navy and NCIS veteran, host of the Caffeinated Contractor podcast, and the founder of Elevation Construction and we've got him back on the show for another round of culture discussion.  For this conversation, Christopher and Jay are digging into what Christopher's focus has been on his own podcast over the last few months and what direction he sees it going, the importance of teamwork and trust in the growth of a business, and the importance of doing all of the little things the right way.  We're always happy to have Christopher on the show and we hope you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"A man of knowledge must not only be able to love his enemies but hate his friends." - Friedrich NietzscheOur guests today are the Head of Engagement and Outreach at American Business Media, Andrew Berman, and the Chief Marketing Officer of Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Paul Lucido, and we've got them back for yet another conversation surrounding our very own Jay Doran's work, Thirty Days of Thought.  The topic for today is "Approachable" and these three culture contenders are diving head first into what it means to be approachable in not only your work, but your personal life as well.  It's always a treat to have these three gentlemen together and we truly hope you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundations of the world." - Matthew 13:35On today's episode of The Culture Matters Podcast, we are bringing you the fourth and final part of a quick series where our very own Jay Doran is using The American Gift (TAG) conference of 2025 held in Atlanta, GA, as a launching pad for further discussion on culture topics.  Today, Jay is using some questions he has written down for his interview with Jordan B. Peterson at this year's TAG as a way to guide this discussion on aiming higher.  There is an expression in sports entertainment that says "If you don't want to be the champ, why are you here?"  In essence, if you aren't always aiming for the next rung of the ladder, why are you even trying to climb?  We'll get into that and a whole lot more on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.