The T-Shaped Podcast

Mei Xu. Once the co-founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle, she was originally a child on the fast-track to becoming a Chinese diplomat.  Now, she ignites women’s businesses all over the world because of a realization made while walking through Bloomingdale’s.  How can obstacles beyond our control open unexpected doors that lead to opportunities we never saw before?  

  Rita Gunther McGrath. World-renowned management & innovation expert tells us: How do we see around corners in business and in our own lives?    

Judge Jeremy Fogel. From Federal District Judge to Director of the Federal Judicial Center. And now Director of Berkeley Judicial Institute. How can practicing non-judgmental, present awareness benefit the personal & professional life of someone whose career relies upon rendering judgment?

Janice Marturano. Once a Vice-President and Deputy General Counsel at General Mills, she brought mindful leadership to the company.  Now she is the Founder of the Institute for Mindful Leadership.  How can incorporating mindfulness help us find the space to lead and cultivate fulfillment in our hectic lives?

Rhonda V. Magee. From the small-town south, to corporate law, to professor integrating law and mindfulness.  And now the author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice.  Where do the worlds of mindfulness and racial justice intersect? And how can the practice allow us to examine personal and professional hardship and transform them into something valuable?

David Epstein. Once an Arctic researcher, now an investigative journalist and science writer.  Author of the #1 New York Times best-seller Range:  Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.  Doesn’t the book title say it all?  

Karen Wickre.  Self-described introvert, former Editorial Director at Twitter and early Googler, highly connected person.  Author of Taking the Work Out of Networking. How can all of us – introverts or not – build better professional networks?

Annie Duke.  Retired poker champion and winner of millions at the poker table.  Now a leading decision-making theorist and author of Thinking in Bets.  How do we improve our decision-making in life when things are uncertain?

Allen Gannett.  Forbes 30 Under 30, tech entrepreneur, founder of TrackMaven (now part of Skyword).  And author of The Creative Curve.  Is creativity something we’re simply born with or can all of us cultivate it – and if so, how?  

Brad Stulberg.  Once a McKinsey consultant, now a writer and expert on human performance and mental skills.  Author of Peak Performance and the newly released Passion Paradox.  How can we achieve peak performance and avoid burnout?  And what happens when an expert on performance confronts his own mental-health issues?  

Dr. Barbara Oakley.  Flunked algebra & math as a kid.  Now an engineering professor, multiple-time author, and teacher of the most subscribed course on adult learning at Coursera.  How do we learn how to learn? https://barbaraoakley.com/  

Ian Bogost. Video game designer, cultural critic, author of nine (or so) books, and Contributing Editor at The Atlantic.   Should technical experts aspire to mainstream success, and if so, how to go about it?  And is fun out there, everywhere we look, even when we’re folding the laundry?