Awesome Office: Lead. Create. Inspire

At Awesome Office, we think that education is magic. If you've heard the show, you know we're big on personal growth, and there are few things as crucial to growth as investing in yourself via education. But our current system of higher education isn’t without its flaws - in fact it’s been in the midst of massive disruption for the last ten years or so. And while a ton of ed-tech companies have sprung up to solve many of the challenges that our system faces, there’s one area that has remained largely untouched - the college admissions process. (If you just shuddered thinking back to the stress of getting into college... we're right with you on that). Luckily this week’s guest Avriel Epps is here to change that.  

Sometimes Virtual Reality gets a bad rap. Everything new is a little scary, and there’s a fear on the part of some that widespread adoption of VR means that we’ll somehow get “lost in the Matrix.” But as this week’s guest James Iliff tells us, that isn’t likely. Why? Because virtual reality isn’t about cutting yourself off from the world, it’s about expanding your experience of the world, and enhancing our understanding of who we are as human beings. James is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Survios, an “active VR” company based in Los Angeles. James and his team create groundbreaking interactive content powered by their cutting edge immersive technology. Translation - they make super fun VR games like Sprint Vector and Raw Data. And the best part - these games actually get you off the couch and moving. In this interview, James provides a deep dive on the world of virtual and augmented reality, which he believes will massively change the way we live in the very near future. As he describes, gaming and entertainment are only the first movers for VR. The platform has the potential to transform a wide variety of fields, including education, psychology, real estate, and travel. James also tells us about the genesis of Survios, the company’s awesome LA headquarters, and the unique culture that they’ve developed to support Survios’ groundbreaking work. Links Survios James on LinkedIn @Survios on Twitter @Survios on Instagram Ancient Aliens Recommended Reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

We’ve talked a lot about why your work environment is so important when it comes to maintaining an outstanding company culture, but no one has summed it up as succinctly as this week’s guest, Russell Shubin: “Form follows intention.” These three simple words are a guiding principle for Russell, and in the context of his life’s work, they point to creating spaces where companies can innovate and individuals can thrive. Russell is the co-founder of and a partner at Shubin Donaldson, a leading architecture and design firm that create awe-inspiring commercial interiors. In other words, he builds Awesome Offices for a living. In this episode, Russell discusses how the firm’s residential work has informed how they design commercial spaces, how your office environment can actually set your company up for growth, and why the Shubin Donaldson internal culture has been so crucial to their success. Russell also walks us through the firm’s “Occupy” series, a weekly employee-led teaching and learning session that takes place in the firm’s onsite metal- and woodshop. Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.  

How do you start a global philanthropic movement? If this week’s guest is any indication, all it really takes is a few beers and about 30 mustaches. Seriously. According to Adam Garone, that’s exactly how The Movember Foundation was born way back in 2003. Adam is the co-founder and Chief Mo Bro at The Movember Foundation, the only global charity focused solely on men’s health. Since 2003, Movember has empowered millions of men and women to join the global men’s health movement, raising more than $850 million and funding 1,200 breakthrough men’s health projects in 21 countries focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. And it really did begin with 30 friends throwing a party and growing some sweet ‘staches. In this interview, Adam talks with co-host Sean Spear about Movember’s humble origins, how his experience in the Australian military inspired a “life of service,” and why Movember’s internal culture is central to maintaining their brand and furthering their mission. Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.  

Rarely do you meet someone who exudes as much positivity, joy, and generosity as today’s guest, Roman Tsunder. Roman is the CEO and co-founder of PTTOW! and Worldz, two premier events that unite the top business leaders from around the globe. What started as a dream among a few friends with a one year “serendipity plan” has evolved into a powerhouse event series that has featured speakers like Tony Robbins, Kelly Slater, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We caught Roman just as he's finalizing the last details for the next Worldz, which is being held July 31 and August 1st in Hollywood, CA. Worldz brings the most influentials minds and brands in the world together to learn elite leadership strategy and tactics from top CEOs and CMOs. It’s going to be an unbelievable event with the likes of Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Shaun White, will.I.am and other legends speaking and hanging out. (And after a little arm twisting, we convinced Roman to agree to a buy one get one free offer just for Awesome Office listeners - see below.) According to Roman, the driving force behind it all has been his belief in “irrational generosity.” It’s something he’s experienced personally in the most successful leaders, and that he believes might actually be the key to their success. We dive into this topic and a whole lot more in the interview, including why he believes every single moment is a chance to change your life, how he convinced the Dalai Lama to speak at PTTOW!, and why entrepreneurs need to be obsessed, not just passionate, about their ideas. Links Worldz - July 31st and August 1st in Hollywood, CA (use code "SNACKNATION" for a free ticket with purchase of one regular price admission) PTTOW! Roman on LinkedIn Special Offer for AO Listeners -  Buy One Worldz Ticket and Get Another Free with the Code "SNACKNATION" WORLDZ (from the creators of PTTOW!) is a year-round cultural marketing summit & community uniting leaders from global brands, start-ups, and tech companies (Coca-Cola, Samsung, 20th Century Fox, Red Bull, Apple, VICE, Facebook, Youtube, Warby Parker and L'Oreal, etc.) along with artists and creators. At WORLDZ you will experience:  Unique access to 150+ WORLDZ Masters and Speakers Elite leadership, strategy, and tactics taught by global CEO's and CMO's Personal development life-hacks from the world's foremost performance coaches Diverse connections through Master Courses, Town Halls, In Conversations, Experiential engagements & Mentorship Sessions  Speakers Include: will.i.am, 7X Grammy-Winning Artist & Entrepreneur Deepak Chopra, Founder of the Chopra Foundation Cristina Mancini, EVP, Technology & Creative Strategy, 21st Century Fox Shaun White, CEO, Shaun White Enterprises & 2x Olympic Gold Medalist Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO, VaynerMedia Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder, Reddit Sophia Amoruso, CEO & Founder, GIRLBOSS Kelly Slater, 11x World Champion Surfer & Entrepreneur Awesome Office has partnered with WORLDZ to bring you the best offer possible for our listeners. Use our code: SNACKNATION at checkout to receive 2 passes for the price of 1! (Please note, the WORLDZ membership team will follow up after your purchase for approval and registration of your guest spot.)   REGISTER NOW  

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Awesome Office show. Yep, you read that correctly - 100 episodes. (Crazy, right?) Those of you who have been on this journey with us from the beginning know that the show has evolved a bit over these past 99 episodes. Since launching back in 2015, we’ve interviewed bestselling authors, learned from CEOs of some of the fastest growing companies in the country, recorded in front of live audiences, and of course, added a co-host - the lovable Sean Spear of Hughes Marino. But we believe - and I hope you agree - that as much as we’ve changed, the core mission has stayed the same: to provide meaningful insights on culture and leadership that will help you improve your business or just become a better version of yourself. With that in mind, for our 100th episode we’re taking a look back at the top ten clips from the past fifty episodes. (Reminder: if you like this, also check out our 50th episode which is a mash-up of our first 50 recordings.) You’re about to hear the concepts, insights, and stories that will help you become a better leader, improve the relationships and culture of the communities with which you’re involved, or perhaps just see things in a new and more evolved light. Key Takeaways Author Ryan Holiday dispels a Millennial myth about the need to "find yourself" before you can start meaningful work. 2:05 Author Diana Chapman reveals how to tap the hidden power of our emotions. 4:57 Brit Gilmore of the Giving Keys talks about leading a workforce who is transitioning out of homelessness. 7:48 Los York founder Seth Epstein shares the Zen parable that informs his leadership style. 12:34 Hawke Media CEO Erik Huberman reminds us that sometimes life just happens. 17:01 MeUndies CEO Bryan Lalezarian tells us why he believes just getting started is the key to success. 18:40 Hippeas CEO Livio Bisterzo makes the brand-culture connection in front of a live audience. 21:52 SunBasket CEO Adam Zbar breaks down why "solving the people" is better than "solving the problem." 25:40 Henco CEO Simon Cohen described the moment that changed everything for him. 28:24 Neuroscientist Dr. Robert Cooper reminds us what it's really all about. 37:52 Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.

Food for thought - what we eat matters. It might seem obvious, but the daily decision about what we eat has implications that ripple through our lives in unexpected ways. It’s not just about how our food choices affect things like our mood and overall health and well-being (although that’s obviously super important). The seemingly trivial question of what we eat and how we eat it defines our relationship to the global food supply, and in this way shapes our impact on the world we all share. No one understands this better than Erik Oberholtzer, the co-founder and CEO of Tender Greens. A classically trained chef, Erik cut his teeth in fine dining establishments in places like San Francisco, cooking for the city’s wealthy elite. Fed up with “cooking for the 1%,” Erik moved south to LA and launched Tender Greens, a “fine casual” concept specializing in healthy, delicious, and sustainable food at a price point anyone can enjoy. But that’s not all. Embedded in the Tender Greens concept is the importance of making a positive impact on the community. That’s why they work directly with local farmers and ranchers, and hire homeless youths in their restaurants through their Sustainable Life Project. It’s all part of what Erik calls “conscious capitalism,” the idea that you can create a business where all stakeholders can win - consumers, shareholders, and society at large. Erik joined co-host Sean Spear in the Awesome Office studio to talk about the origin of the Tender Greens brand, Erik’s leadership style, and how travel has impacted his view on life and business. Erik also revealed an early fundraising strategy that is both ingenious and pragmatic - enabling local family farms to invest in the business by trading stock for things like heirloom tomatoes and butter lettuce. Links Tender Greens Sustainable life project Simon Sinek TED Talk Erik on LinkedIn Recommended Reading Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance Setting the Table; The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss Thank You for Being Late by Thomas L. Friedman Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.

Did you ever wonder why we’re so passionate about creating awesome offices? It’s really pretty simple - Where you work often determines how you work. And how you work ultimately determines your success.  This week’s guest is Brendan Wallace, the co-founder and managing partner of Fifth Wall, and the perfect person to break down how our physical environment impacts our work and lives. Fifth Wall is a venture capital firm focused on technology solutions for the “Built World.” What does that mean? The “Built World” is the canvas of human existence - where we live, work, sleep, consume, and play. Brendan and Fifth Wall’s goal is to transform and optimize these physical spaces, so that we can more fully realize our potential - both in business and in life. Co-host Sean Spear sat with Brendan in our Awesome Office and SnackNation HQ to get to the heart of how Brendan and his firm are reimagining the spaces where we work, live, and play. Brendan brought a ton of futuristic insight to this interview, exploring why the real estate industry is so rife for disruption, and diving deep into how self driving cars will fundamentally change our lives. A man of many talents, Brendan also just launched his own podcast, The Fifth Wall Podcast. Be sure to check it out!   Links Fifth Wall Brendan on LinkedIn The Fifth Wall Podcast Have an idea for the Fifth Wall team? Send them to ideas@fifthwall.vc . Recommended Reading Accidental Superpower by Peter Zeihan. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari Dan Carlin's Hardcore History (podcast) Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.

Hmbldt CEO Gunner Winston doesn’t want to settle for best-in-class. In part, that’s because hmbldt’s space - the cannabis industry - is so nascent, that beating their competitors just isn’t a big enough challenge. But more than that, Gunner sees medical marijuana as simply a consumer product, no different than a lot of other CPG brands. And in the CPG space, a superior brand is a gigantic competitive advantage. So Gunner and the hmbldt team are setting their sights higher. They’re not on a mission to build a best-in-class brand, but a world class one. Picture the Coca-Cola of Cannabis. By all measures, hmbldt is on a path to do it. TIME magazine named their dose pen - a revolutionary design that regulates the amount of THC patients ingest based on their needs - one of their top 25 inventions of 2016. In this interview, co-host Sean Spear goes deep on these ideas and a ton more, learning about Gunner’s background as a hedge fund investor in consumer products, his introduction to the medical marijuana industry, and the personal habits that have helped him transition from Wall Street to the wild west of cannabis.   Links Hmbldt.com TIME’s Best Inventions of 2016 Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.

This week we’re going back to the archives, to bring you one of our earliest and best guests, Hank Fortener. Hank Fortener is an adoption expert, speaker, and sought-after authority on culture and leadership. As the founder of AdoptTogether.org and World Adoption Day, Hank has dedicated much of his life to helping young people who are “without a tribe” feel a sense of family and belonging. AdoptTogether’s mission is simple but powerful - to create a world in which there is a family for every child. Through his organizations, Hank has helped thousands of families raise literally millions dollars towards adoption expenses to help bring their children home. Luckily for us, Hank has applied much of his learning around human behavior and belonging to the business world. In our conversation, Hank talks about the importance of empathy in organizational cultures; why solving problems is the most important job of any individual, team, or company; and why storytelling is at the heart of great leadership. Because of the way we launched our first five episodes, not as many people heard this episode as probably should have - which is why we’re resurfacing this episode now. Hank really set the standard of excellence for AO guests. Here is the full, unedited interview, all in one episode. Enjoy. Key Takeaways Hank explains the “Why” behind his organizations AdoptTogether.org and World Adoption Day. Hank tells us why he prefers the word “tribe” or “team” over “family” when describing relationship dynamics in the business world. Hank explains why empathy is the key to effective communication and how to cultivate empathy in your preparation before public speaking. Hank talks about why solving problems is more important than being right, and how to set aside your own ego in order to do so. Hank tells us how companies and leaders can (and should) become better story-tellers. Hank explains why leaders should make a place for charity, goodwill, and community in their organizations. Hank explains why he believes that profit-only business leaders will age out of the majority of the world’s most successful companies in the coming years. Hank explains what he means by “real-time clear thinking,” and explains why this, in combination with an overwhelming sense of empathy, is the key to great communication. Hank walks us through the tactics he uses to put himself in the mind of his audience before he speaks. Hank breaks down what he calls the “magic of communication.” Hank tells us why storytelling is at the heart of great leadership and great companies, and explains why listening and observation are actually the most important traits of great storytellers. Hank breaks down the difference between actual meaningful communication and mere self-expression. Hank tells us why the most successful people say no to most things, and yes to only a few. Finally, Hank explains why maximizing your team’s capabilities is the mark of a great leader. Links AdoptTogether World Adoption Day Mosaic @HankFortener on Twitter Hank on Instagram Hank on LinkedIn Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.