This episode’s guest is Brooke Elliott, the Executive Associate Dean of at the University of Illinois Gies College of Business. Brooke has been involved in the Gies College of Business for over 18+ years, and has seen first-hand the rise of online business education globally, as well as at the Gies College of Business, which offers a number of masters business degrees, including it’s iMBA program.During our conversation, Brooke spoke about the value proposition of the iMBA, and why the degree appeals to a diverse range of students. She also shared her thoughts on what the graduate business education industry needs to do to stay relevant with the future of work, and what she is excited about with the future of the iMBA.Listen today on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyLinksBrooke Elliott’s ProfileGies College of Business iMBA

David Siegel is the CEO of Meetup, the Author of Decide and Conquer, and well as a Wharton MBA Graduate. After a number of executive roles at companies including 1-800 Flowers, Investopedia and Seeking Alpha, David got his first CEO job as the CEO of Meetup in November of 2019. During our conversation David spoke about his career journey, leadership lessons and some of the more memorable moments of his journey and decision making that he had to make while leading Meetup through it’s journey during a global pandemic and the challenges it faced along the way. David also spoke about some of the memorable moments from his journey at Meetup, his experiences dealing with leaders like Adam Newman (Former WeWork CEO and Founder) and the importance of relationships and communities in the future of work.Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!Links:Twitter LinkedIn Decide and Conquer (Amazon)

This episode features guest Host and Friend of the MBA Insider Podcast, Jodi Innerfield.In this episode, Jodi spoke to her fellow Michigan Ross MBA Alumni classmate Ryan Bouchard. Prior to attending Ross, Ryan spent almost five years in the United States Army before getting an MBA from the University of Michigan. During the conversation, Jodi spoke to Ryan about his experience in the U.S. Army and his motivations for going to get an MBA. Ryan also spoke to Jodi about his career transitions he’s made so far, how he’s looked for opportunities to take on leadership experiences in his roles after graduating from business school, and additional insights and learnings from Jodi and Ryan on leadership and management that they’ve both learned through their post-MBA careers. Listen today on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyRyan’s Linkedin ProfileEp 106: Jodi Innerfield: Life After Business School

Experiential learning opportunities facilitate hands-on skills application and growth for MBA students, while setting them up for new career opportunities. To talk about how experiential learning facilitates development and growth, we spoke with two UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA students, Jeryon Davis and Olivia Koziol, as well as Karin Cochran, Executive Director of the STAR Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler. During our conversation, Jeryon and Olivia, MBA students who participated in the STAR Program, spoke about how experiential learning helped them expand their knowledge and skillsets in the short term, while also giving them the confidence and capability to make major career transitions into new functions and industries. Karin also spoke about the value of experiential learning programs like STAR. Having worked with hundreds of students and countless employers who have hired UNC MBAs, she discusses how programs like STAR prepare MBA students to navigate the complexities of the fast-changing world of work.LinksUNC Kenan-Flagler Business School: STAR Program

Right now, many MBA students are in the thick of internship interview season, navigating preparing for interviews, finding opportunities and building relationships with hiring managers and recruiters all while managing all the other academic components of business school is no easy task! In this episode, Al Dea, walks through some common challenges that MBA students face during internship recruiting season, and provides some tips and best practices for staying on course and focusing on your own personal goals.Listen Today on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyLinksHow to Navigate the MBA Management Consulting Interview ProcessNavigating the MBA Internship SearchNavigating The First Year MBA Internship Recruiting Process

Paul Millerd is an MIT Sloan MBA Graduate, and the Author of the Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Life and Work. Like many hard-working and driven college graduates, Paul entered the corporate world after college ready to work hard, achieve success and climb the corporate ladder. But through a series of events before and after business school, Paul ended up taking an alternative path, and evolving his views on life and work. Much of which is written about in his book The Pathless Path as well as his newsletter, Boundless.During our conversation, Paul spoke about his career journey after graduating from MIT Sloan and with an MBA, and what ultimately led him to leaving his corporate career for a path of exploration, as well as the many learnings, lessons, and experiences Paul got along the way. We also spoke about his book, and the applications and insights that can be relevant to those who are reflecting on their career aspirations.Listen today on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyAdditional LinksLinkedInTwitterWebsite/NewsletterThe Pathless Path Book

Christine Tao is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sounding Board, a leadership coaching platform focused on providing leadership and executive coaching to companies in a scalable way. After graduating with an MBA from Wharton in Marketing and Operations, Christine began her own journey in the startup and media world, with stints at growth-stage companies. Through these experiences, Christine learned about leadership and executive coaching, and witnessed the power of it herself, and as a result, was able to navigate many different challenges and opportunities throughout her career.During our conversation Christine spoke about her journey and learnings from her experiences in the workplace and in her career. She also shared her lessons of leadership, why she Co-Founded Sounding Board, and why she believes in the power of leadership coaching.Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!LinksSounding Board WebsiteChristine’s LinkedIn Profile

Breanna Atkinson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kokada, whose mission is to create good-tasting and healthy food with ingredients from around the world. After her undergraduate career, she spent some time in consulting. She was inspired to pursue her MBA early on, and applied to Wharton while launching her first company. Another large influence has been in her time as an athlete, playing as a student athlete at Duke, and then going on to be a member of the Jamaican national women’s volleyball team. In this conversation, we discuss her journey as a student-athlete, developing her pitch, the value of an MBA for an entrepreneur, and the challenges of starting your own business. Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!LinksWebsite Breanna’s LinkedInInstagram

Jake Singer is the Co-Founder of Swapstack, and an NYU Stern MBA Alum. Prior to Co-Founding Swapstack, Jake spent his post-MBA career at Amazon, and after a few years left to pursue new career opportunities. During his exploration, Jake started a number of side projects, including his newsletter (The Flywheel) while also participating in On Deck, a Learning Cohort and Online community that connected him with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, which was a catalyst to Co-Founding Swapstack. During our conversation, Jake spoke about his post-MBA journey, founding Swapstack and some of the comparisons and differences between his learning experience with Swapstack and his MBA experience. We also spoke about some of the benefits of cohort learning experiences, and some of the valuable aspects of new forms of professional development in programs like On Deck. Listen today on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyLinksThe Flywheel Newsletter: Disrupting The MBASwapstackJake’s LinkedIn ProfileJake’s Twitter

Alex Brandwein (UNC Kenan-Flagler, ‘20) is a UNC Kenan-Flagler Graduate and the Founder of Brandwein’s Bagels, a bagel shop located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After working in the Investment Banking industry to start his career, Alex came to business school with a desire to pivot into a new career. Through reflection and exploration and the use of the many entrepreneurship resources at UNC Kenan-Flagler, Alex decided to open a bagel shop, right in the heart of Chapel Hill during the spring of 2020. During this conversation, Alex spoke about his journey to business school, and how he came up with the idea for Brandwein’s Bagels and how he used his time at UNC Kenan-Flagler to build his business.Listen today on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyLinksLinkedIn Brandweins BagelsAlex’s Background