Meikles & Dimes

Harry Reynolds has negotiated and drafted deals and contracts for A-list celebrities, Grammy-award winning artists, YouTube stars, music producers, record labels, video game companies, television and film writers, directors, and actors. Prior to coming to Reynolds & Associates, Harry worked in Los Angeles as an entertainment associate at Greenberg Glusker. Harry received a perfect score on the ACT college admissions test, attended college on a full-ride academic scholarship, and graduated from Stanford Law School. In this episode we discuss the following: Harry didn’t want to be a famous artist for a living, so he chose a career that allowed him to be adjacent to creativity. And now he represents some of the top artists in the world. Being an entertainment attorney is like reading instruction manuals for board games and looking for ways to cheat. Many industries are not as large as people might expect. So, reputation and relationships matter. By looking for win/win deals, not only will people want to keep doing business with you, but also you’re likely to get better performance on the deals.   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Craig Lavoie is a trial lawyer and litigation partner who has been recognized as one of the leading litigators in America, and as a top lawyer under 40. Craig served as trial counsel for Vanessa Bryant in her landmark civil rights victory against the LA County Sheriff’s and Fire Departments for their improper photos of the victims of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and seven others.  Following Craig’s closing argument, the jury delivered a verdict in favor of Vanessa Bryant and awarded her and a co-plaintiff $30 million in damages for their emotional distress. Other significant representations for Craig include: Lead counsel for Berkshire Hathaway in a billion-dollar dispute with Pilot Corporation  The LA Clippers in litigation against Madison Square Garden Company Hume Street Management Consultants—a world-renowned developer of luxury hotels—against members of the Qatari royal family—including the former emir of Qatar and a former prime minister of Qatar. In this episode we discuss the following: Litigation is like the debate Olympics. It’s a team sport. It’s often irrational to take cases to trial. And there’s nothing like giving a closing argument. The case Craig is most proud of, defending Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, in her landmark civil rights case. Craig’s advice about authenticity. He doesn’t try to act how he thinks a trial attorney should act. He doesn’t try to impress the jurors. Rather, he tries to connect with them by being himself and conveying information clearly. Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Justin Tozer is a math and science prodigy who grew up on a farm where formal education was all but prohibited. Yet, somehow Tozer would make his way to the world’s most prestigious firms, first in Silicon Valley and later in Los Alamos at the world’s preeminent scientific lab. Yet no professional accomplishment compares to the countless lives Tozer has saved, changed, and enhanced. In this episode we discuss the following: How Tozer tutored college students How Tozer started funding the education of someone he met online How Tozer has an amazing knack for recommending books that change peoples lives   Follow Me: Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

In this episode we discuss several families in Idaho Falls that Tozer impacted, many of which he impacted profoundly and privately, in ways that I had never heard of until now.

In this episode we discuss one of Tozer’s favorite topics: nuclear power. And though we talk about fission, radiation, criticality, positive reactivity, and other topics that many of us aren’t familiar with, Tozer describes everything in plain English, because he’s a master teacher. And the episode is fascinating. I learned more about nuclear in this one hour interview than I’d learned in my whole life. Connect on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

In this episode, Tozer and I talk with Ryan Meikle, who is general counsel for Brad Hall Associates, one of the nation's largest fuel brokers. Ryan is also my brother, and one of the greatest role models a younger brother could hope for. We discuss how Tozer impacted Ryan in scouting, school, and church, in ways that Ryan will never forget. Connect on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter and the author of The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on New York Times bestseller lists. His second book, Smarter Faster Better, was a bestseller, as is his most recent book Supercommunicators. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School, Charles has been a frequent contributor to This American Life, NPR, The Colbert Report, PBS’s NewsHour, and Frontline. Charles currently writes for The New Yorker magazine. In this episode we discuss the following: One of the skills that Charles most wants to teach his kids is how to ask questions, and specifically deep questions that get at peoples’ values, beliefs, or experiences. Rather than ask someone, “Where do you practice law?” we can ask, “Did you always want to be an attorney?” Nick Epley plays a game with strangers of trying to get people to talk about their hopes and dreams within three questions. He usually gets there in two questions (What do you do? Did you always want to do that?). We often hesitate to ask deep questions, when in reality people love to answer deep questions. When Charles speaks to large groups, he has people share with their neighbor the last time they cried in front of someone. People predict they’ll hate the activity, but then they do the activity and love it. Supercommunicators don’t have superpowers. They’re just a little more thoughtful about communication. Supercommunicators ask deep questions, they show people that they want to connect, and they’re aware of the different types of conversations such as practical, emotional or social conversations. Follow Charles: Twitter: https://x.com/cduhigg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesduhigg/ Website: https://www.charlesduhigg.com/ Follow Nate: Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Karl “Gus” Gustavson served in the US military as a Navy SEAL and as a member of the elite SEAL Team Six. Back in 2001, Gus was attending college when planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Gus dropped out of college, joined the military, and then served our country for 22 years, completing multiple tours of duty in the Middle East. And now a quick word about SEAL Team Six. Most information concerning SEAL Team Six is classified. Their activities generally aren’t commented on by the Department of Defense or the White House. But they are the U.S. Military’s primary Tier 1 special mission unit, and are responsible for carrying out the most complex, classified, and dangerous missions, as directed by the President of the United States or the Secretary of Defense. In this episode we discuss the following: Over and over again, Gus saw that his leaders were willing to do everything that they asked their men to do. Secretary Mattis taught the SEALs to ask three questions when making a decision: Does this decision make us more efficient? Does it make us more effective? And does it make us a more lethal fighting machine? Gus noticed that the best leaders delivered information clearly, concisely, and in a timely manner. “Here’s the info you need to know. Here’s what you’re going to do with it. Now go execute.” I was impressed by how Gus controlled his thoughts, whether in combat, on a dive, or even during BUDs. He focused only on the things he could control, in manageable chunks. Sometimes that meant that all he was thinking about was how he could make it through the next hour, or just make it to chow. As a member of SEAL Team Six, Gus is the most elite of the elite. And yet the lessons he shared are lessons that we can all apply. Lessons on leadership, decision making, communication, and mental toughness. All simple, yet profound, practical ideas.    Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

General George W. Casey Jr. is a four-star general who served as the 36th Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Nominated by President George W. Bush, General Casey led what is possibly the world’s largest, and most complex organization--more than one million service members with a $200 billion annual budget. As Chief Executive Officer of the Army, General Casey was a strong advocate for military families, wounded soldiers, and survivors of the fallen, and he also took on the tough issues of suicide and the stigma attached to combat stress. General Casey served 41-years as an American soldier, following graduation from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. In this episode we discuss the following: General Casey’s grandpa taught him: You’re no better than anyone. And no one’s better than you. So, treat everyone with respect. But don’t take any guff from anybody. General Casey’s father taught him: Never be afraid to try to be the very best. Vince Lombardi taught General Casey: Insist on disciplined execution of the highest standards. The higher General Casey rose in the hierarchy, the more he realized he needed to influence the people outside his organization rather than just look down inside his own organization. The more experienced General Casey got, the more comfortable he got saying, “I don’t know.” “Be a man or woman of your word. If you tell someone you're going to do something, you either do it or you tell them why you're not going to do it.” There are only two kinds of plans: those that might work and those that won’t work. Family is everything.   Follow Me: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/

Kevin Worthen was the 13th president of Brigham Young University and is a “BYU guy through and through” as he says. Kevin earned both his bachelor’s and law degree from BYU, graduating summa cum laude. After graduating from law school, Kevin clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White, and later spent a year at the University of Chile as a Fullbright Scholar. Kevin also served as Dean of the BYU Law school and as Advancement Vice President of BYU before serving as President. Most recently, Kevin spent a year at Yale Law School as a distinguished visiting professor. In this episode we discuss the following: As Ken Burns said, “Leadership is humility and generosity squared.” Leadership is admitting we don’t know everything and then giving credit to others for their success. When Kevin played basketball in college, his coaches would use every second of the timeouts to coach the players. But as the years passed, he noticed that coaches started using the timeouts to counsel with the other coaches. There’s power in admitting you don’t see everything and in getting advice from others. As the President of BYU, Kevin learned to say “yes” as often as he could, because there are so many times as a leader that you have to say “no.” It’s important to be generous and kind when saying “no,” especially because saying “no” typically doesn’t persuade anyone. I love two of the quotes Kevin shared: “Anger never persuaded anyone” and “The law of love is undefeated.”   Follow Me: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/