Thirty Minute Mentors

Candace Nelson is a New York Times bestselling author, TV personality and entrepreneur. The co-founder of Sprinkles - the world's first cupcake bakery and ATM - Candace is a judge on Cupcake Wars and Sugar Rush and is the co-creator of Best in Dough. Candace joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Candace and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal and professional discovery; entrepreneurship; pivoting in your career and in your business; health; success; and much more.

A star in the NFL over the course of his 14-year career, Donald Driver is the Green Bay Packers' all-time leading receiver, a 4-time Pro Bowler, a New York Times bestselling author, and an entrepreneur. Donald joins Adam to share his journey - from homelessness to the height of success - and best lessons learned along the way. Donald and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: overcoming obstacles, leadership, mentorship, mindset, motivation, and much more.

One of the greatest poker players of all time, Phil Hellmuth has won a record sixteen World Series of Poker bracelets. Phil is also a New York Times bestselling author and an advisor to ten different companies. Phil joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Phil and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: ego and confidence; decision-making and managing emotion; performing under pressure; negotiation strategies and tactics; how to improve as a poker player and in any endeavor; and much more.

A founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Stevie Van Zandt has enjoyed success as a musician, an actor, an activist, a writer, and an entrepreneur. Stevie is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and a New York Times bestselling author, was a star on The Sopranos and Lilyhammer, and is the founder of numerous businesses, including Little Steven's Underground Apothecary. Stevie joins Adam to share his unique journey and best lessons learned along the way.

Joe Moglia reached the apex of success in two completely different fields: finance and college football. Joe was the CEO of TD Ameritrade, leading the company from a market cap of $700 million to more than $12 billion. Before and after his career in finance, Joe coached college football, winning the Eddie Robinson Award as the top FCS head coach. Joe joins Adam to share his best lessons in leadership and in life.

The rare entrepreneur to take a startup from idea to IPO, Mike Evans is the co-founder of Grubhub, a multibillion business that has changed the way that millions of people order their meals. Mike joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Mike and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, customer acquisition and sales, growth and scale, defining and attaining success, and much more.

A Fortune 500 CEO, Joyce Mullen is one of the most successful women in the world of technology. Joyce is the CEO of Insight, a $9.4 billion business with more than 12,000 employees across 19 countries. Joyce joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Joyce and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal and professional development; leadership; building winning teams and cultures; diversity and inclusion; managing competing priorities; learning from failure; and more.

Bill George was the CEO of Medtronic, the world's largest medical technology company. Under Bill's leadership, Medtronic grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion in market cap. Bill joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Bill and Adam discuss a wide range of topics, including how to lead people, teams, organizations, and yourself.

A three-time Major League Baseball Manager of the Year and two-time World Series champion, Joe Maddon is one of the most successful managers in modern baseball history. Joe joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Joe and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leading people and teams, building winning cultures and relationships, success and failure, developing a winning mindset, mentorship, communications, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, and much more.

Jimmy John Liautaud is the founder of Jimmy John's, one of America's largest and most successful sandwich chains, with more than 2,700 locations across the country. Jimmy joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Jimmy and Adam cover a wide range of topics: the ins and outs of building a multibillion-dollar business; navigating obstacles, setbacks, and challenges; leadership; branding; personal development; and much more.

Mike Armstrong was the leader of one of the largest companies in the world as CEO of AT&T. Mike was previously the CEO of Hughes Electronics, where he led the launch of DirecTV. A three-time cancer survivor, Mike joins Adam to share his biggest takeaways and best advice from the ups and downs of his personal and professional journeys.

Over the course of a coaching career that spanned more than fifty years, Romeo Crennel won five Super Bowls - two with the New York Giants and three with the New England Patriots - and was the head coach of three different NFL teams. Romeo joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Romeo and Adam discuss leadership, motivation, mentorship, building winning teams and cultures, building winning relationships, lessons from Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, and Tom Brady, and much more.

A member of the Boxing Hall of Fame, Laila Ali is one of the greatest female boxers of all time, going undefeated over the course of her career. Laila joins Adam to share her unique journey and best lessons learned along the way, including the best lessons she learned from her father, Muhammad Ali. Laila and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: overcoming failures, setbacks and challenges, personal discovery and development, leadership, motivation, mindset, and much more.

The leader of one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world, Mary Davis is the CEO of the Special Olympics, serving more than 6 million athletes across 172 countries, with more than a million coaches and volunteers and more than 100,000 competitions a year. Mary joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons and advice. Mary and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leading people and organizations; building winning relationships; what anyone can learn from Special Olympians; and much more.

Ambassador Howard Gutman served as the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and was recognized as the most popular ambassador in Belgium ever. Ambassador Gutman joins Adam to share his unique journey, his best advice on topics ranging from negotiations to leadership to recruiting, and his best lessons learned along the way, including lessons learned from his time around former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, Studio 54 Co-Founder Steve Rubell, President Barack Obama, George Clooney, and Kevin Bacon.

Frank Blake was the CEO of Home Depot - the largest home improvement retailer in America and one of the largest companies in the world - where he led the turnaround of the customer experience, the employee experience, and not uncoincidentally, Home Depot's stock price. Frank joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Frank and Adam discuss leadership, management, culture, customer-centricity, career development, takeaways from Jack Welch, George H.W. Bush, and Bernie Marcus, and more.

Jonathan Johnson is the CEO of Overstock, where he oversees a business that generated more than $2.7 billion last year. Jonathan joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Jonathan and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leading in times good, bad, and uncertain; reinventing yourself and your business model; building winning teams and cultures; attaining success personally and professionally; and much more.

Deb Liu is the CEO of Ancestry, the largest genealogy company in the world. Deb was previously a senior executive at Facebook, where she founded and oversaw Facebook Marketplace. Deb joins Adam to share her personal and professional journey and best lessons and advice from her experiences leading a multibillion-dollar company, creating and building a product used by more than a billion people a month, and developing the skills, relationships, and mindset required to rise to the top.

One of the greatest swimmers of all time, Gary Hall Jr. is a five-time Olympic gold medalist with ten Olympic medals in total. Gary competed in three Olympic Games - two after being told by doctors that his career was over - and won gold medals in each. Gary joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Gary and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: reaching peak performance, managing pressure and expectations, overcoming obstacles, motivation, mentorship, mindset, and more.

Jeh Johnson served as Secretary of Homeland Security, where he led almost a quarter of a million employees and managed a budget of nearly $65 billion. The first African-American partner at Paul, Weiss, Secretary Johnson previously served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense and GC of the Air Force. Secretary Johnson joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons on a wide range of topics, including leadership, personal and professional development, decision-making, managing pressure, and more.

The leader of one of America's largest wireless communications companies, Laurent Therivel is the CEO of UScellular, where he oversees a business that serves more than 5 million customers and generates more than $4 billion annually. Laurent joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Laurent and Adam discuss leadership and management; personal discovery and development; career development; overcoming failures, setbacks, and challenges; and much more.

Simon Allen is the CEO of McGraw Hill, a multibillion-dollar educational publishing business that serves millions of educators and students across more than 100 countries. Simon joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Simon and Adam discuss personal discovery, professional development, leadership, communications, hiring, building winning teams and relationships, navigating times of crisis, international business, and much more.

Lieutenant General Lori Reynolds was the highest-ranking woman in the Marine Corps for almost a decade. One of only three female three-star generals in Marine Corps history, General Reynolds spent more than 35 years serving and breaking barriers in the Marines. General Reynolds joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons and advice. General Reynolds and Adam discuss personal and professional development; leadership; building winning teams and cultures; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and much more.

Michael Einziger is the lead guitarist and songwriter for Incubus, which has sold more than 23 million albums around the world. Mike has also co-written, produced, and collaborated with a wide range of top artists, including Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Avicii, and is the co-founder of two technology companies, Mixhalo and Versicolor Technologies. Mike joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice.

The co-founder and CEO of Eventbrite, Julia Hartz built and leads a business that disrupted the world of events. Julia joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Julia and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, growth and scale, hiring, self-care, gender equity in technology and male-dominated industries, the future of events, and much more.

The former CEO of Skype, Tony Bates has served in leadership roles at several of America's best-known technology companies. Now the CEO of Genesys, a multibillion-dollar customer experience software business, Tony joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Tony and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal and professional development, leadership, mentorship, customer centricity, the power of empathy, lessons from the former CEOs of Microsoft, Cisco, and eBay, and much more.

Over the course of a fifteen-year career, Shawn Green was one of the best players in baseball. Shawn is also the co-founder of Greenfly, a leader in digital media monetization. Shawn joins Adam to share his journey on and off the field and his best lessons learned along the way. Shawn and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: failure and success, leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurship, decision-making, identity, and much more.

Neil Blumenthal is the co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a multibillion-dollar business that disrupted the world of eyewear. A model in social entrepreneurship, Warby Parker is a leader in the direct-to-consumer space. Neil joins Adam to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and best lessons learned along the way. Neil and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, teamwork, leadership, marketing, branding, retailing, hiring, and much more.

The co-founder of SoulCycle, Julie Rice built a company that reshaped the world of fitness. Julie joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Julie and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: the value of a non-traditional background; how and when to pivot; the keys to creating and building a highly successful business; how to approach hiring and relationship building; and much more.

An NFL Hall of Famer, Jason Taylor was one of the best defensive players in football in his day. A 6-time Pro Bowler, 3-time First-team All-Pro, former NFL Defensive Player of the Year and former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Jason was a team leader through times good and bad. Jason joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Jason and Adam discuss teamwork, leadership, mentorship, organizational culture, overcoming obstacles, success, and much more.

A New York Times bestselling author and Senior Political Analyst for CNN, David Gergen has been an adviser to four U.S. presidents. David was White House Director of Speechwriting in the Nixon administration, White House Communications Director in the Ford and Reagan administrations, and Counselor to the President in the Clinton administration, serving presidents of both parties at the highest levels. David joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice on leadership and success.

Marshall Goldsmith is a #1 New York Times bestselling author regularly named as the world's #1 executive coach. Marshall has worked with more than 200 major CEOs and has written or edited 43 books. Marshall joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Marshall and Adam discuss personal and professional development, leadership, mentorship, relationship building, feedback, transformation, learning from mistakes, happiness and fulfillment, and much more.

Susan D. Page served as the first U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan. Honored by the State Department for her leadership in crisis, Ambassador Page spent close to thirty years in the foreign service serving in leadership roles around the world. Ambassador Page joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned on a wide range of topics, including personal and professional development, negotiations and deal-making, and leading in high-stakes situations.

A Fortune 500 CEO and a former Fortune 500 CEO, Ravi Saligram is the CEO of Newell Brands, the parent company of some of America's best-known brands, including Rubbermaid, Sharpie, and Crockpot. Ravi was previously the CEO of OfficeMax. Ravi joins Adam to share his journey and best advice on a wide range of topics. Adam and Ravi discuss career development, leadership, branding, personal branding, turnarounds, trust, diversity and inclusion, hiring, and much more.

Janet Foutty was the first female CEO of Deloitte Consulting, where she led a $10 billion business. Now the Executive Chair of Deloitte US, the largest professional services company in America, Janet joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Janet and Adam discuss a wide of topics, including personal and professional discovery and development; leadership, communications, and organizational culture; diversity and inclusion; work-life balance; and much more.

Evan Goldberg is the founder of NetSuite, which was acquired by Oracle for $9.3 billion. The first cloud computing company, Oracle NetSuite currently serves more than 28,000 customers across 215 countries and territories. Evan joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Evan and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, mentorship, failure, growth, hiring, culture, and more.

A retired four-star general, General Joseph Votel oversaw the War on Terror and led the coalition that liberated Iraq and Syria from ISIS. Over a military career that spanned nearly four decades, General Votel served as commander of United States Central Command and as commander of the United States Special Operations Command, where he oversaw all Special Operations forces. General Votel joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way.

James White is the former CEO of Jamba Juice, where he led the turnaround of one of America's favorite brands. James joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. James and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: personal and professional development, leadership, diversity and inclusion, hiring, culture, branding, failure, and success.

One of the greatest safeties in NFL history, Brian Dawkins is a 9-time Pro Bowler, 4-time First-team All-Pro, and member of the NFL Hall of Fame. Undersized but one of the most feared players in the league, Brian was a team leader and a mentor to many. Brian joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice across a wide range of topics. Brian and Adam discuss how to defy odds and overcome obstacles, how to understand and fight fear, leadership, mentorship, motivation, and much more.

A star on the hit TV show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, James Harris has sold more than $2 billion of real estate since 2017. James joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. James and Adam cover a wide range of topics: personal and professional development; sales; success; managing rejection; navigating failure; building a successful partnership; reality television; and much more.

Payal Kadakia is the founder of ClassPass, a billion-dollar business that disrupted the world of fitness. Payal joins Adam to share her entrepreneurial journey and best lessons learned along the way. Payal and Adam discuss how to understand and attain success; how to explore and develop new ideas; how to grow and scale a business; how to lead in times of uncertainty, crisis, and change; how to find balance; and much more.

Gary Friedman is the Chairman and CEO of RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, which he took over when it was on the verge of bankruptcy and transformed into one of America's most successful retailers. Gary joins Adam to share his unique journey - from community college dropout to the Forbes 400 - and best lessons learned along the way. Gary and Adam discuss personal and professional development, leadership, mentorship, hiring, branding, retail, and much more.

One of the greatest players in basketball history, James Worthy is a 3-time NBA champion, 7-time NBA All-Star, and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. James joins Adam to share his journey - from playing with Michael Jordan at UNC to Showtime and the Lakers and beyond - and best lessons learned along the way. James and Adam cover a wide range of topics, including leadership and teamwork; the key to performing in big games; and takeaways from time spent with Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James.

A former Fortune 100 CEO, Hubert Joly was the leader of America's largest consumer electronics retailer. As CEO of Best Buy, Hubert led the company's turnaround by implementing a distinct leadership philosophy and contrarian strategic decisions. Hubert joins Adam to share his journey and best advice across a wide range of topics. Hubert and Adam discuss leadership, motivation, strategy, hiring, culture, optimizing performance, success, and much more.

One of the best-known women's volleyball players of all time, Gabrielle Reece is a New York Times bestselling author, an entrepreneur, and a leader in the fields of health and fitness. Gabby joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Gabby and Adam cover a wide range of topics: health, fitness, and nutrition; overcoming challenges; building successful relationships; leadership; motivation; balance; and much more.

Carl Daikeler is the co-founder and CEO of Beachbody, a business that has changed the way that millions of people exercise. Carl joins Adam to share his best advice across a wide range of topics, including sales, marketing, product development, leadership, fitness, and motivation. Carl and Adam discuss how to understand, communicate with, and attract new customers; how to get into and stay in great shape; how to lead winning teams and your own life; and much more.

A 6-time All-Star and 4-time Gold Glove winner, Kenny Lofton was one of the best players in baseball in his era. Raised by his grandmother in poverty, Kenny emerged to star as a basketball player at the University of Arizona before finding success in baseball. Kenny joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Kenny and Adam cover a wide range of topics: teamwork, leadership, motivation, organizational culture, mindset, Lute Olson, Steve Kerr, Dusty Baker, and much more.

A former Fortune 500 CEO, Gary Loveman was the leader of the largest casino operator in the world. Gary joins Adam to share his unique journey - from working-class Indianapolis to business school professor to CEO of Caesars Entertainment to launching and leading the healthcare company Well - and best lessons learned along the way. Gary and Adam discuss leadership and management; analytics and customer behavior; hiring and culture; gaming and sports; and more.

An Emmy Award winner, Adrienne Bankert is the first woman of color to serve as the solo host of a national morning television show. Adrienne is the host of NewsNation's Morning in America and was previously a weekend anchor for Good Morning America. Adrienne joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons learned along the way. Adam and Adrienne discuss career development, mentorship, communications, mental health, leadership, relationship building, overcoming obstacles, and more.

One of the greatest swimmers of all time, Ryan Lochte is a 6-time Olympic gold medalist. Ryan's 12 Olympic medals rank second among American men across all sports. Ryan is also known for his role at the center of a major international controversy during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Ryan joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Ryan and Adam cover a wide range of topics, from how to reach peak performance to how to navigate and bounce back from the most challenging experiences.