At her core, Glynnis MacNicol has always known writing was her passion. She still remembers her first journal from when she was only 6 years old. Glynnis has translated that fierce need for independence into her role as the co-founder of TheList, a women only social network that seeks to bring professional women together for camaraderie, business connections and a space for open conversation. Glynnis loves to write about the intersection between media, pop culture, and politics. Her work has appeared in print and online for publications including Forbes, The Cut, Elle.com, New York Daily News, Marie Claire, Capital New York, but also for publications like Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, and CBC. Over Bloody Mary’s at Fool’s Gold in Manhattan, she talks about her new memoir, No One Tells You This, about living through her 40th year, her colorful journey as a journalist in New York and how she struggled to learn the media world and how she continues to push what she can do in it. What You’ll Learn: - Culture of the modern day woman (its at the beginning) - Was media a large part of Glynnis’ life as a kid (28:47) - Why she wanted to be the voice (50:00)

Ross Asdourian spends his day to day solving problems. According to him, that is one of the main qualities that makes a great producer. From starting as a freelance producer after college, to getting his first big break as the NBC News Creative Digital Product Manager, Ross paid his dues to get to where he is today, including roles as a Creative Director for NBCUniversal and a Producer for Red Bull. His second big break wasn’t quite as positive. To be blunt, Ross broke his penis. Over Knob Creek Rye at Fool’s Gold, he talks through his fascinating career journey and how one hook up lead to one of the most painful and hilarious experiences of his life, all documented in his book Broken Bananah. What You’ll Learn: - The life of a college mascot (7:23)- Why producing is about problem solving (23:30)- The exciting world of Red Bull (41:00)- The story of the Broken Bananah (59:00)

Every choice you make in life can be a calculated decision. For Stephanie Vaughan, that is the way she let her career evolve. She was originally in the United States Marine Corp after attending the Naval Academy where she studied quantitative economics. Once her tour in Afghanistan was over, she went back to school where she received her MBA from Columbia Business School in order to further everything she already knew about finance and investment banking. She then pushed herself into the world of venture and now is Vice President of Block X Ventures. Over Sierra Nevada Kellerweis at Fool’s Gold in Manhattan, she shares with us how she went from navigating the challenges of a war to navigating the world of bitcoin and venture capital.   What You’ll Learn: - What is Block X Ventures and the basics of investing in blockchain companies (1:44) - Why study quantitative economics at the Naval Academy in the first place? (23:11) - Is there a method to her madness? The plan to go from the Marines to finance (40:22)

Zach Mach’s original dream of working in the world of media has finally come to fruition, but not in the way he expected. Zach moved to New York right after he graduated college, in hopes of becoming a writer and even though he did have gigs at places like Gawker, he soon realized that a full time career in that world wasn’t his passion. His greater love in life was beer. And he has turned that into a career but opening ABC Beer Company on Avenue C in the Alphabet City and, now, as a writer covering the beer world for publications like Thrillist and GQ. Over local craft beers at ABC, he walks us on his journey of how he became a bar owner and what he has learned about running your own company...especially the unique aspects of bar life. What You’ll Learn: - What does it take to get involved in the bar owning business (3:50) - The true experience of life in the bar world  (19:00) - The deterrents to a career in writing and media (1:01:00)

When you start your career in a complicated industry and are able to realize how much experience you don’t have in order to do it well, that’s admirable. To actually gather that knowledge and then come back is exemplary; that is exactly what Melody Kohdid. After starting in venture capital after college, she didn’t think she was fit for the job just yet and wound up founding her own start up and, later, as head of product for Blue Apron. Now she is finally back to where she started, in VC, as a Venture Partner at NextView Ventures. Over Negronis at Fool’s Gold in Manhattan, she explains how each part of her career shaped who she is now and how it all prepared her for the dream career she would eventually have. What You’ll Learn: The NextView Ventures thesis Melody’s role on the team? Running a business isn’t about you, so what/who is it about? The best qualities for a founder/CEO Why VC? And Melody found her way into technology.

When Chris Maddern discovered his passion for technology, he knew he was hooked. His addiction to it lead to a career that started with pioneering the early days of app development with his company AppLaunch, but quickly lead to a passion that has permeated his career since: solving the challenge of making transactions easier everywhere and anywhere. His work on Venmo revolutionized peer to peer payments and after that success he co-founded Button, which created a marketplace allowing publishers and merchants to make it easier for users to quickly buy, well, anything. Over Sidecars at Fool’s Gold in Manhattan, Chris discusses where his love of technology came from and how he translated that into a life. What You’ll Learn: What is Button and examples of where people would have used it? 4:12 How did Chris start up this kind of company? 7:40 Did Chris always want to be in the computer science world? 22:27 Inside perspective of what the early days of the app store was like 40:40

Melanie Cristol has always let her passions drive her career. Those passions lead her to become a lawyer and, now, to become an entrepreneur. As a founder, she’s launched her most personal product yet: Lorals. Lorals are lingerie worn during oral sex, for when you love the idea of oral and you want to love the reality. This latex underwear will block anything you don't want transferred, whether it's an intimate view, menstrual or other fluids, or scents. And soon, Melanie hopes for Lorals to block STIs too. Over a shot of Maker’s Mark and some coffee on the side at Fool’s Gold in Manhattan, Melanie discusses her drastic career change and what it takes to create a new sex product line for women.   What You’ll Learn: How do orgasms lead to physical benefits (4:40) What does the name “Lorals” mean and what is their goal (6:50) Types of products for oral sex that are already out on the market, so what makes Lorals different (8:00) How did Melanie start this company and where did she get her inspiration (11:22) What was Melanie’s approach in starting her company (24:53)

We all have a lost feeling after college life, even astrophysicists! Andrew Fleming originally went to Michigan Tech for physics and then took it one level higher to study astrophysics at Columbia University in New York. He realized before he was officially done with all school that the prospect of him spending the  rest of his days studying the stars and universe wasn’t in the cards if he didn’t commit himself to academia in perpetuity. So, he made a choice. Instead of the challenging and uncertain world of science and academia. He chose a totally different route: the challenging and uncertain world of media. . He went on to work as a content strategist and senior producer at Conde Nast and, later, VP of Product for Business Insider. Now, Andrew is the Head of Content Platforms at Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal. Andrew loves his media world and wouldn't trade it for all the stars in the universe.   What You’ll Learn: - What is “Moneyish” (7:40)- How does a pop culture moment tie into these financial education moments (16:09)- What drove him into the world of astrophysics? (26:17)- How does product work and scientific research equate to each other? (41:57)- The challenges of journeying from freelancer at Conde Nast to senior-level staffer at Business Insider when it was just starting out (55:40)

Courtney Boyd Myers has always been a multitasking mover. She was born in Connecticut and grew up playing in multiple sports at one time, and in a family that moved around a lot. Both of those qualities has molded her into the person she is today. Courtney is the founder of AKUA, a company that creates sustainable, seagreens-based foods, an adviser of GreenWave, a nonprofit that supports the regenerative ocean farming industry, has invested in an ice cream store based out of Cape Town, South Africa called Unframed Ice Cream which focuses on the perfection of vegan ice cream, AND she is a Global Community Ambassador for the leadership event company, Summit. At just 33, she has accomplished so much in her life and continues to grow and love all of her personal and professional endeavors.   What You’ll Learn: How did Courtney get started with her business, AKUA? (2:30) When and where did media and tech businesses come into her life? (11:08) How she got into the technology and startup world? (19:11) Is mingling and being friendly in the journalism world a good thing? (21:00) What a weekend through Summit is (34:35)

Daniel Kibblesmith grew up loving comedy and always found himself gravitating towards writing, but it took him awhile to realize he was actually writing comedy as a career. Starting off his career in Chicago after college, Daniel worked for Groupon as an in-house comedian and wrote humorous ad copy. This lead to him becoming one of the founding editors of ClickHole which eventually lead him to Buzzfeed in New York City and now as a staff writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Today, he is a published author with his book Santa’s Husband and just launched a comic book, Lockjaw, for Marvel. Daniel is doing what he loves everyday and happy to share his comedy with the world. What You’ll Learn: How does Daniel take in all the horrible events and news of each day and turn it into comedy on a deadline (24:20) What made him get into comedy writing (27:00) When your day is surrounded by comedy for a job, does it ever get overwhelming (50:00) How to create a packet to become a tv writer (1:02:06) What is the hardest parts of Daniel’s dream job (1:09:11)