Growth & Failure

This is the story of Lake Dai, Entrepreneur, Investor, Professor, and all-around creator. For 20 years, she led the product and engineering teams globally including at Alibaba, Apple, and Yahoo. In this episode, we discuss:- How her Mom didn't want her to be an engineer (even though she was an aerospace engineer!) - Why she switched from economics & marketing to engineering & product creation- What it was like working out of Jack Ma's garage in the early days of Alibaba- How she created Alibaba's first generation of travel products and marketplace- Why she teaches at Carnegie Mellon while expanding to venture capital investing- Her three principles in life: Never Stop Learning, Share the Knowledge, Build a Community - The importance and power of a 'Beginner's Mind'Please enjoy this interview with the remarkable Lake Dai. 

This is the story of Lindsay Benner, performance artist and entertainer extraordinaire. Some have described her as what you would get if Lucille Ball and Charlie Chaplin had a love child ...who likes to juggle!In this episode, we discuss:- Her unique style of cabaret, comedy and juggling- How Lindsay became a popular street performer- Women in Vaudeville- The "Joy of the Drop" in Juggling (and Life) Please enjoy this fun interview with the fabulous Lindsay Benner. To find out more, please visit:Main: https://www.lindsaybenner.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaybenner/ 

In this episode, we discuss:- Becoming a professional dancer - Starting a dancing non-profit called Kalamity - Having five children and THEN being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia - Dancing her way through cancer and covid - Her maxim: Desire, Decide, Do it. For more information on Tia:https://www.instagram.com/thetiabeestokes/?hl=enhttps://www.facebook.com/thetiabeestokes/https://www.tiktok.com/@thetiabeestokes?lang=enPlease enjoy this episode with the beautiful Tia Stokes.

This is the story of Nouria Newman, the incredible French whitewater kayaker.  She is one of the best kayakers in the world and we were able to have this interview just a few days after she made history in Ecuador and rode a 100-foot waterfall descent. In this episode, we discuss with the Red Bull sponsored-athlete:- Love at first kayak sight at the age of 4- Why she left the competitive world and focuses on extreme kayaking- Her fear factor and how that keeps her coming back to the sport- How she almost drowned in her 200+ mile solo kayaking trip in Northern India and the lessons learned- The significance of her tattoo: "Always Remember the Most Important Thing"Please enjoy this episode with the phenomenal Nouria Newman. - Yinh

This is the story of Emily Hyland, the co-founder of the wildly popular restaurants Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared. This was a fantastic conversation and it wasn’t just because we talked about pizza and burgers the whole time. In this episode, we discuss:-        Emily’s journey from poetry and teaching to be a restauranteur-        Starting a pizza restaurant with her husband-        The heartbreak of getting a divorce while expanding the business-        How the restaurant business changed during Covid-19 -        Adding burgers to their menu and creating the most popular burger in New York City To quote one of my favorite food review sites, The Infatuation, "We love everything about Emily. It's the kind of restaurant you walk into and immediately know you're in a place where good things happen...You need to trust us on this one. That Emily, damn is she fine." I couldn't have said it better. Please enjoy this episode with the fantastic Emily Hyland. 

This is the story of Dr. Jessica Ritch, a board-certified gynecologist that is fellowship-trained doing minimally invasive procedures. In this episode, we discuss Jessie's journey from gymnast and teen model to medical school and travels to Africa that would transform her perspectives and amplify her goals to help women.I am inspired by Jessie's positivity. A working mom balancing a high-demanding medical job in a pandemic AND three young kids..! Jessie inspires me to take inventory of all the blessings, reflect, and be grateful. Please enjoy this interview with the remarkable Jessie Ritch.

This is the story of Mei Xu - Founder of Pacific Trade International and it's subsidiary Cheseapeake Bay Candle. On this episode, we discuss how grit, innovation and a dash of good luck ignited a multi-million dollar candle success story. Mei covers:- Growing up in China and aspiring to be a diplomat- How a menial job led to a serendipitous career - The five critical elements in a candle- Logistics and operations working with large retailers like Target - Why candles are so popular in homes today- Reviewing her next venture: Yes She May Please enjoy this interview with Mei Xu. If you're burning (see what I did there) for more information about Mei, please visit:Website: https://www.meixu.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meixu1/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yesshemay/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/YesSheMay/Yes She May:  https://yesshemay.com/

This is the story of TVu, Senior Vice President at Xandr, an innovative ad tech platform and also rapper in the band Magnetic North.This was an incredibly fun interview for me, I'm not sure if it is because Tvu is also Vietnamese or also went to Cal, but I think it's really because she's just awesome. Professionally, she is a successful engineer and also musically as a rapper!In this episode, we discuss:- Her family's immigrant story from Vietnam- How she got hired as the first engineer at AppNexus despite failing in her interview- Her rap group, Magnetic North- How distributed systems embrace inevitable failures- Graceful degradation (aka how to fail gracefully for non-techies)  - Emotional hijackingPlease enjoy this interview with the best Vietnamese engineer rapper TVU. - YinhTo find out more about TVU:https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-vu-486b603/

This is the story of Amanda McCrossin, a certified sommelier and incredible content creator for all things wine related. From the podcast she hosts Wine Access Unfiltered to her YouTube channel and her other social media platforms, Amanda is my favorite wine enthusiast. What I love about her wine style is she makes wine education accessible for the lay person like me who enjoys lots of wine (but seriously has no clue) while keeping up with the likes of Robert Parker when they share a rare bottle of Screaming Eagle!In this episode, we discuss:Amanda's journey from an aspiring Broadway StarHow she pivoted her career to the wine industryAmanda's Maxim: Stay Outside Your Comfort ZoneBeing Head Sommelier at Press in Napa and why she leftHer growth from failure momentsPlease enjoy this conversation with the fantastic Amanda McCrossin. If you'd like to find out more about her, please visit: Website: http://www.amandamccrossin.com/LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-mccrossin-0099684/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sommvivant/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sommvivant/Wine Access Podcast: https://www.wineaccess.com/podcast

On this episode, we discuss:- Why Jane worked in the US Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism- How she created To The Market, a company that connects business and consumers with ethically made products from around the world- Her book: Buy the Change You Want to See- Dealing with rejection- What fuels her growthPlease enjoy this interview with the incredible Jane Mosbacher Morris. Thanks, Yinh!Thanks and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday week!

In this episode, we discuss:- Barbara's journey focused on public education, starting with an encounter with a friend in 6th grade who was deaf- How it feels to be a black woman in the field of deaf education, when you switch from being the minority to the majority- Coaching deaf athletes - What education really means- Being a Mom to three boys AND starting a new school in a pandemic...Please enjoy this conversation with the amazing Barbara Robinson!

This is the story of Jo Riley, CEO and Co-Founder of Censia, a technology platform that was designed to transform the way companies hire talent. In this episode, we discuss Jo's journey with her athletic scholarship to UVA where she speaks about how rowing changed her mindset. When she retired from rowing, we transition the conversation to her time being in the FBI and ultimately why she left the bureau to become an entrepreneur. Jo has traveled to over 110 countries in the last decade as she asks executives around the world three questions: 1) What is your most important asset? 2) What is your biggest problem?and 3)What are you most afraid of? The common theme for all three was what helped launch Censia. Please enjoy this conversation with the remarkable and resilient Jo Riley. 

This episode profiles Candice Myhre and we discuss her ER career starting in LA, why she transitioned to an ER in Hawaii and all of the hardships along the way. We discuss how she got the nickname of Dr. Bikini and why embracing that name will help in her fight to end sexism in the medical profession. It's clear that Dr. Myhre is passionate about saving lives but also about living a balanced life for herself, which ultimately makes her a better doctor to others. Please enjoy this episode with the mer-mazing Dr. Candice Myre. Thanks! YInh 

This is the story of Nikki Foster and her journey to being a combat pilot in the Air Force Academy.  As the daughter to immigrant parents, Nikki shares her journey of being an Air Force recruit, how she got to be an All-American Rugby Player (Two-Time National Champion), discovering her love for flying, and earning EIGHT Air Medals in combat. We discuss how she felt leaving her 18-month old at home while she had to serve for her country, what it was like flying over 3,000 hours in combat and the importance of mental health all along the way. I am grateful for Nikki's service and inspired by her strength and integrity. Please enjoy this episode with the remarkable leader - Nikki Foster. 

In this episode, we travel with Shelley around the world from South Africa to Australia before ultimately landing in Japan. All along the way, Shelley amassed over 40 years experience in early childhood education. We discuss her school's mission which includes teaching children how to embrace differences, be confident in themselves, and also to think about sustainability. One of my favorite education stories is from Shelley as she teaches the kids what it's like NOT to have....This story left me feeling grateful and optimistic. Please enjoy this conversation with Shelley Sacks. 

This is the profile of Jessa Jones, the owner of iPad ReHab. Jessa's story is one of my favorites - she has a PhD in molecular genetics from The Johns Hopkins University and today is a masterful Microsolderer. This episode highlights her journey from slicing up fruitfly eyeballs to fixing logic boards of phones and laptops. We discuss how that transition happened when she smashed open a toilet...I loved hearing about the emotional connection she has in device recoveries and we talk about everything from porn stars and newborn babies to homicide victims. Jessa's profile and mindset makes me question conventional wisdom (and my perspective of pajamas may have changed forever). Please enjoy this profile of the incredible Jessa Jones.

This is the story of Martha Tolles, the best selling author widely known for her Katie and Darci series that have sold over 2 million copies around the world.In this episode, Martha discusses her popular Katie and Darci series which is about a little girl, inspired by her daughter Cindy. From the 70s to the late 90s, Martha's books were some of the most popular in the Scholastic book offerings selling millions of copies around the world. More recently, she has expanded her writing to adult novels as well. Martha turned 99 years young this year, and I am inspired by her kind spirit and positivity. Stick around to the end of the interview to be inspired by her green banana themed birthday parties - I absolutely loved it! I also hope you relay her suggestion, especially to older people, that they write memoires to share precious stories that may not carry forward. Please enjoy this conversation with the marvelous Martha Tolles.____Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Subscribe on Android | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS Feed

Kayla is a professional magician and ultimate storyteller. She is part scientist, part comedian, part bartender and part entrepreneur. In this episode, you'll hear about Kayla's evolution as a magician. We start at the age of 7 when she first discovered a fascination for magic and then spent decades practicing, failing, refining and ultimately dazzling. She has performed on Penn & Teller's Fool Us with Teller falling in love with and went on to win David Copperfield's “Search for the Next Great Magician.”  Please enjoy Kayla Drescher's magical story.____Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Subscribe on Android | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS Feed

This is the story of Tracy Holland, Entrepreneur extraordinaire. Tracy is the co-founder and CEO of HATCHBEAUTY - an incubator for beauty and wellness products. She has won numerous entrepreneur of the year awards all while balancing being a mother of three.On this episode, you'll hear Tracy's journey, the things she learned when she was sent to reform school when she was 15, how she was fired as a waitress only to be promoted to GM of the same restaurant. It was at this restaurant that her life took a different path as she encountered a friend that would encourage her to explore different options. Tracy moved to Spain for a year and her amazing a-ha moments living abroad. From there, her path took a pivot to politics and while she was getting her graduate degree at Colombia she decided to create a business around scented nail polish which grew to be a multi million dollar business in 2 years. Tracy has an incredible mind that mixes innovation and strategy. Over the last ten years, Tracy has built an incredible and successful business with HatchBeaty becoming a multi million dollar business. Tracy's energy is magnetic. For all my listeners, please stick to the end to hear one of my favorite stories ever of a working mom trying to balance it all...and ultimately how that landed her a Costco business deal. Please enjoy this conversation with the supernova Tracy Holland.____Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Subscribe on Android | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS Feed

In this episode, you'll hear Amber Freed's incredible story. She grew up in poverty and was able to escape a very challenging environment. When she was a teenager, she adopted her younger sisters when they were emancipated from their parents. Amber received numerous awards and scholarships to get her college education paid for but still worked three jobs in college to support her sisters. Her story crossed my desk because of her son, Maxwell. While Amber was soaring in her career as an equity research analyst, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a mother. Her twins, Maxwell and Riley turned 3 this year and while her daughter RIley is healthy and thriving, she discovered that her son Maxwell has a rare genetic disorder called SLC6A1. It is so rare that it doesn't have a formal name and is labeled based on it's genetic location. This is the story of Amber Freed fighting like a mother.With Covid 19 affecting her son's treatment and progress, Amber's family is racing against the clock for Maxwell. Thank you for listening to her story and if you can, please get in touch with Amber or me directly to find out how to help. Thank youhttps://slc6a1connect.org/milestones-for-maxwell/____Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Subscribe on Android | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS Feed

This is the story of Holly Mandel. In this episode, Holly and I discuss how improv changed her life.Her journey took her from St. Louis, Missouri to Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA, she worked at Walt Disney Studios and eventually became a Groundlings member. After six wonderful years with The Groundlings as a main company member, she moved to New York and opened up her own improv school called Improvolution. On the back of that success, she also founded iMergence which is a training program that uses the technology of improvisation training corporate clients like Netflix, PBS, Comedy Central and dozens more. Holly helps unpacks the mantra of Improv - the two words; Yes And... This conversation is packed with sociology and psychology, and helped me understand that improv (and Yes, And) is a way of life. Holly inspires people to Let go. Trust. Listen. To learn. And ultimately to grow. I have no doubt you'll enjoy conversation with the wonderful Holly Mandel. Please enjoy - Yinh 

This is the story of Rana Abdelhamid, a human rights organizer, entrepreneur, martial artist, and the ultimate community builder. In this episode, you'll hear about her fascinating story. She was a victim of a hate crime.  At the young age of 16, Rana had the vision to create a movement supporting women’s empowerment through self-defense, entrepreneurship and organizing training. Since then, her non-profit called Melikah has trained over 20,000 women and girls in 20 cities across the globe with four primary pillars ofhealingself-defenseorganizing andfinancial literacy. In addition to leading Malikah's mission around the world, Rana balances a full time job at Google, is actively involved in their diversity and inclusion programs ... she's a black belt in karate and has given an incredible TedTalk. I found it an absolute treat to interview Rana Abdelhamid and I hope you enjoy this conversation.Thanks - Yinh

This is the story of Keren Eldad, an extraordinary speaker, author and coach.  On this episode, we discuss Keren's childhood of traveling the world as the daughter of a diplomat. She grew up living in over a dozen countries and speaks multiple languages. She served in the Israeli Army and got her master's degree from the London School of Economics and also attended Columbia Business School.We talk about her marriage, her divorce and her breakthroughs. It was from this journey that she discovered her passion and her gift in helping others. As an experienced crisis counselor as well as executive coach, Keren Eldad focuses a lot on humility and helping people understand that there's so much we don't know or understand about ourselves. I recommend watching her TedTalk: You don't know what you don't know.  For my superstar listeners, stick around to the end where Coach Keren has a special treat just for my listeners.  Please enjoy this enthusiastic interview with the superstar herself Keren Eldad.

Amanda Rice - Three time cancer survivor and hedge fund marketer extraordinaire.  Yinh and Amanda talk about Amanda's journey into finance and then the non-profit world as she  founded Chick Mission, an organization that helps women with cancer finance and understand fertility preservation after her own insurance claims were denied. When she isn't working on Chick Mission, Amanda is the Director of Investor Relations and Business Development at Maltese Capital Management.

This is the story of Rose Shoen. Founder and Head Coach for the Azteca Football Club.  On this episode, we discuss her journey from starting her own football club, being head coach and how she teaches her players to be a great soccer player on and off the field.

This is the story of Tahira Rehmatullah.  Fortune Magazine listed her as one of the Top 5 Most Powerful Women in Weed. On this episode, we discuss her journey from homecoming queen at Ohio State, her work in subprime mortgages, getting her MBA from Yale and ultimately getting into the world of cannabis.

This is the story of Julie Nguyen, founder and CEO of Methodology - a meal prep service has been on a mission to end autoimmune disease using food as medicine.  On this episode, we discuss her journey of dropping out of law school before heading into finance then to Silicon Valley to finally becoming an entrepreneur. 

This is the story of Tina Lindstrom, a Partner at First NY where she manages an oil volatility portfolio. On this episode, you'll hear a remarkable story of a fighter - literally. Tina talks about fighting in a boxing charity tournament and falling in love with martial arts on the side while balancing a demanding derivatives trading career for the last 20 years. We discuss how she first heard about trading at a career fair in college, why she loved Susquehanna to start her career in trading and how she helped launch a hedge fund only to have to wind it down a few years later. Tina opens up about feeling depressed, feeling like a big failure and how soul crushing it was talking with investors as she had to wind down that hedge fund.Please enjoy this conversation with Tina Lindstrom.

This is the story of Kelly Brennan, Head of ETF at Citadel Securities where she is responsible for the firm's ETF trading business globally. Before that she was head of Goldman Sachs' ETF trading and before that was at Susquehanna International Group. A fun fact about Kelly - while at Susquehanna, she become the only female specialist at SIG on the NYSE.On this episode, you'll hear a story about an exceptional woman who is clearly a very driven and focused person that constantly strives to get better. She admits one of her failures early in her trading career was trying to be something or someone that she wasn't and underestimating her strengths.  I'm grateful to have had a conversation that leveled up my thinking and my pursuit to cultivate what she calls an impactful personal board of directors. Please enjoy this conversation with Kelly Brennan.

This is the story of Sarah Piampiano – a professional triathlete and Ironman champion. On this episode, you'll hear about Sarah's journey from investment banking to being a professional triathlete and the mental strength she built along the way.Like what you hear? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!Thanks for listening - Yinh

This is the story of Grace Reyes. She is the President of the Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM).In this episode, you'll hear about Grace's journey. She immigrated from the Philippines and grew up in California's Central Valley, raised in Stockton by a single mother with her two younger siblings. She got a degree in Economics from UCLA and went on to get her MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Over the last two years, Grace has done such a wonderful job of marketing and strengthening AAAIM's brand and has doubled corporate sponsorships since she joined.She is one of the most self-aware people I’ve encountered. Grace inspires me to not fear judgment from others, to do what I feel passionate about and ultimately to spend precious time with people that genuinely support who I am. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Grace!Like what you hear? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!Thanks for listening - Yinh

This is the story of Lu Zhang, an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and avid learner. On this episode, you'll hear about Lu's journey from Inner Mongolia to Stanford University where she created a medical device for early-stage diagnosis in Type II Diabetes to becoming a venture capitalist and launching her own venture capital firm, Fusion Fund.Like what you hear? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!Thanks for listening - Yinh

In this episode - you'll hear from Shabnam Koirala-Azad, the first female Dean for the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. Another fun fact about Shabnam - she is the FIRST person from Nepal (male or female) to be Dean at ANY university in the United States!We discuss her unique upbringing in Kathmandu - being raised by a Nepalese father and an Iranian mother and how her parents' focus on helping others stayed with her. We discuss some hardships she faced early on including her mother passing away when she was just 10 years old. Her father raised her and her brother to think of others and to be mindful of life’s significance and purpose in connecting and helping others. Despite her position of great responsibility and influence, Shabnam retains the same sense of humility from her upbringing in Nepal with a deep focus on elevating education to the masses.I found Shabnam to be an inspiring teacher in more ways than one.Enjoy!Like what you hear? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!Thanks for listening - Yinh

In this episode - you'll hear from Elizabeth Shaughnessy - Founder of the Berkeley Chess School. Elizabeth is 81 years YOUNG and has no plans on dying...Elizabeth was Women's Chess Champion in Ireland. She has played in seven international chess Olympiads and is active in chess tournaments around the world. She served as President of CalChess and is on the US Chess Executive Board.She cites two main failures in her life relating to playing piano (but not at the level of Beethoven or Mozart) and architecture (a career she held for decades but didn't think she was particularly good at it). And then in 1982....Elizabeth opened the Berkeley Chess School.With nearly 40 years of success at the Berkeley Chess School, Elizabeth has amassed incredible knowledge and insight on how children play the game of chess (and life) differently. You'll hear why she believes chess is so important for kids and adults outside of the game. I have no doubt you'll enjoy this conversation with Elizabeth - the Mies Van Der Rohe of chess....Like what you hear? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!Thanks for listening - Yinh

In this episode - you'll hear from Ellen Chen - co-founder of Mendocino Farms Restaurant, the incredibly popular neighborhood sandwich restaurant and how it all started. It is clear that Ellen and her team want to make a difference in their journey to "Selling Happy" - a difference for Mendocino Farms employees, for the farms and farmers that they partnered up with and for each neighborhood they open a location in. And their guests are eating it up...Mendocino Farms really does sell happy.... but it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows.Ellen and I talk about the struggles - with her start in the restaurant business, about her in-laws taking a second mortgage on their home and loaning them the money and to cleaning bathrooms. Her professional failure included a restaurant in Southern CA and the personal failure she mentions at the end of the show is one that everyone can learn from....Enjoy!Like what you hear? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!Thanks for listening - Yinh

In this episode, you'll hear how Yinh came up with idea for the podcast. And what her goal for the show is...Like what you hear? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!Thanks for listening - YinhYou can connect with Yinh and subscribe to the show at GrowthandFailure.com or email [email protected]