12 Geniuses Podcast

Somebody has to go first. It’s an unwritten rule of progress. Somebody has to be a pioneer who blazes the trail for others to follow. It’s rare that the responsibility of being a pioneer for great social change falls on the shoulders of an innocent, unassuming 15-year-old. Regardless, that’s the situation in which Elizabeth Eckford found herself.Elizabeth was one of the Little Rock Nine. These were the nine African American students who would be the first non-white students to attend prestigious Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. As fate would have it, Elizabeth was separated from the other eight African American students on the first day of school. She was left alone to face a gauntlet of scorn, vitriol, and hatred…

There are times in life when many of us will question faith, hope, and humanity. The trigger can be a devastating natural disaster, a terror attack, a vicious act of war, a senseless crime of hate. Situations like these require a special leader.Maximilian Kolbe was one of those leaders.Kolbe was a Franciscan Friar who lived in Poland during the first half of the 20th century. Because his father was German, Kolbe was given the opportunity to receive preferential treatment by the Nazi occupiers. He refused, not wanting to categorize himself as superior to his neighbors.Kolbe was eventually arrested by the Gestapo…

“If you could trade lives with any other person in the world, who would it be?” I was curious to hear his response. I suspected it would fall in line with the average response from any other 12-year-old.I had been Shakeel’s Big Brother for about three years at this point. We would get together two or three times a month spending our time playing basketball or cooking meals. Early on, I made a deal with him that he could ask me anything he wanted. He didn’t hesitate to explore all kinds of topics which led to a very candid relationship.On this particular Sunday morning, Shakeel and I were driving to a gym to play basketball. Our conversation had varied throughout the drive and as we approached our destination I asked him the question I’d wanted to ask for a long time.I could see the wheels in his head turning. He really processed the question. I was impressed. I thought he would choose to trade lives with an athlete or entertainer. Those were the people he and his friends talked about frequently.After a minute, Shakeel looked at me. His head was slightly tilted to one side, one eye was closed and the other squinted at me with a slight bit of skepticism. He slowly and rather sheepishly gave his answer…

Keynote speaker and writer Ryan Estis interviews 12 Geniuses CEO Don MacPherson for a recap of the podcast’s first season. They discuss why Don chose the theme of “Change” for Season One, what was learned during the 13 episodes, and who makes up the podcast audience.Ryan and Don cover how the podcast got started, the differences in interviewing someone you know versus someone you have never met, the importance of doing interviews in person, and some of Don’s favorite episodes. They also discuss what surprised Don while creating Season One.Finally, Ryan and Don dive into what is ahead for the 12 Geniuses podcast. Season Two will feature 12 more geniuses with insights to share on topics such as cybersecurity, designing more humane jails, carbon capture techniques, the creative process in art, disruptive transportation, and how human resources is using data to improve employee performance. They also talk about why Don created the “12 Geniuses Leadership Moments” (three-minute profiles of historic leaders - that are airing as mini-podcasts over the summer).Confirmed Season Two guests include NYT and WSJ bestselling author Daniel Pink, cybersecurity expert Max Heinemeyer, rocket scientist and aerospace engineer Dr. Anita Sengupta, legendary hip hop artist Brother Ali, correctional facilities architect Ken Ricci, and people analytics expert Ben Waber. Episode One of Season Two will be available on 9/9/2019.

You can’t imagine a more unlikely leader to take the national spotlight. The youngest of 20 children born to sharecropper parents, she defied the odds and terrified a sitting president. This was during a time when women didn’t have a voice and African Americans were second-class citizens. Fannie Lou Hamer was both. What she lacked in formal education, privilege, and experience, she more than made up for in effort, courage, and a healthy dose of resilience.Fannie Lou was born in 1917 in the segregated south. She was picking cotton by the age of six. By the time she was 13, she could pick hundreds of pounds a day despite having a leg ravaged by polio. Fannie Lou would have been an excellent student in high school and college, but those doors were not open to African American girls from rural Mississippi.Her hard labor as a child prepared her to be a fighter as an adult. The catalyst that propelled her to national prominence was…Her hard labor as a child prepared her to be a fighter as an adult. The catalyst that propelled her to national prominence was…

The streets were filling with people enjoying the warm Parisian air. Cafés and restaurants bustled. Didi finished his prayers and stepped into the night. Even for The City of Light, the atmosphere was electric and the revelers were taking full advantage of it.Didi arrived at work and began to inspect the crowd as they filed into the theater. Smiles greeted him as the headline act took the stage. The audience roared their approval.No one needs to bestow the role of leadership upon someone. Sometimes it is simply snatched in time of need. That is exactly what happened next.On November 13th, 2015, a series of attacks hit Paris. One happened to be at the Bataclan. Hundreds of people who were there that night owe their lives to Didi and his willingness to shepherd them to safety. The first shots fired that night interrupted the music. Chaos ensued...

Laurie Ruettimann, host of the Let’s Fix Work podcast, interviews 12 Geniuses CEO Don MacPherson about the second quarter of 2019. They discussed what 12 Geniuses is following, the Leadership Moments 12 Geniuses is producing, goals for the rest of 2019, and what to look forward to in Season Two of the 12 Geniuses podcast.The two friends explore advancements in medicine, complications in adapting to new technology (children becoming more rude and drivers interacting with driverless cars), and the strange difficulty in getting female guests to be guests on podcasts. They also cover Don’s new position on the Board of Directors for the Harmony Foundation, creating the Inner City Ducks organization in Minneapolis, and parenthood.Finally, Laurie and Don discuss what is ahead for the 12 Geniuses podcast. New interviews on the topics of cyber security, architecture for rehabilitation, carbon capture techniques, the creative process in art, and human resources are coming soon. They also talk about the “12 Geniuses Leadership Moments” - three minute profiles of historic leaders - that are airing as mini-podcasts over the summer.

What is the most memorable recognition you’ve ever received? The chances are it came from someone you respect greatly, there was probably little or maybe no monetary value associated with it, and it felt exceptionally validating.Many great leaders know that recognition is one of the most powerful motivators. Army General Lucian Truscott was one of those leaders.On May 30th, 1945, the United States solemnly celebrated Memorial Day. World War II had just ended in Europe and the war raged on in the Pacific. Sacrifice and loss had been dreadful but victory was becoming reality. A small gathering of dignitaries arrived to officially dedicate an American cemetery in Italy. General Truscott was slated to speak…

In a moment, John Kriesel’s entire life changed. While serving in Iraq, John’s vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. After being thrown from his vehicle, he regained consciousness to find himself with a badly broken arm, both legs twisted and severely damaged, and numerous shrapnel wounds. Three times John died on operating tables only to be resuscitated by doctors. In the months of recovery that followed, John persevered through challenges with his family. He learned to walk again. He adapted to his new lifestyle. He redefined his goals as he put his life back together. All this was made possible by John’s endless optimism and an incredible amount of physical and mental toughness.In this interview, John shares his experience of serving in the military, his challenges in returning to civilian life after enduring 35 surgeries, what it was like to have the United States President award him the Purple Heart, and the power of optimism. John also discusses his decision to run for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2010 and how he built the beautiful life he lives today.John joined the military when he was just 17 years old. As a young man, he elected to serve a tour of duty in Iraq in 2006. Following his return to civilian life, John won a position as a representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives where he was one of few Republicans to oppose legislation that would have made same-sex marriage illegal. As an advocate for the veteran community, John now works as Veteran Services Director for Anoka County in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. John also regularly shares his story as a motivational speaker and has authored a book called Still Standing which details his time in Iraq and his amazing recovery.You can find John Kriesel’s Book, Still Standing at https://itascabooks.com/still-standing/To learn more about John, visit his site at https://www.johnmkriesel.com/Follow John on social media @JohnKriesel (Twitter and Instagram)Resources for veterans:Resources for employment - https://www.militaryonesource.mil/education-employment/for-service-members/employment/employment-resources-and-servicesResources for lifestyle and mental health - https://www.militaryonesource.mil/military-life-cycle/veterans/help-for-veterans

Dark, dusty, and dangerous. Those are the words that could have described the Soudan Iron Mine in Northern Minnesota during its operation. Each day workers would take elevators thousands of feet below the surface of the earth to roam the 54 miles of tunnels and mine its rich veins. My grandfather was one of those workers.When she was an adult, and after my grandfather had retired, my mom toured the mine. At one point, the tour guide extinguished his light putting Mom and the other tour members in complete darkness…