Eddie Ndopu was just featured on ABC News, wrote an incredible piece in Time and his debut book Sipping Dom Perignon Through A Straw is already Apple’s best book of the month and in the Top 10 on Amazon. His story is fascinating but I’ll let him tell it in his own words. He attended Oxford on a scholarship, has a masters in public policy and is one of seventeen global advocates appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Sustainable Development Goals. Eddie was commissioned by the World Economic Forum, at the behest of Professor Klaus Schwab, to produce a White Paper on the role of the private sector in addressing the global youth unemployment crisis. In short, Eddie Ndopu is a badass and he’s just getting started.

Dr. Marcus Collins is the architect of some of the most famous ad campaigns of the last decade. Cliff Paul for State Farm, Nike, Apple, Google’s Real Tone Photography. Oh and digital strategy for Beyoncé. He’s a clinical professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and was most recently the head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy, New York. His new book For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be is different. It takes something omnipresent yet complex and makes you feel it, with examples and context and nuance and imagination and personality. This conversation is fascinating and goes in a ton of different directions but I promise by the end you’ll feel like you have a better understanding of why we do so many of the things we do. He did an amazing episode on The Bakaris Sellers Podcast recently so check that out too.

Justin Wu has a story everyone should hear. The multi award-winning Toronto-based Director, Photographer, Creative Director, and Speaker began his career as a photojournalist. He worked with Vogue, Elle, GQ, and a long list of blue chip brands as an internationally recognized artist in the fashion industry, with a keen eye for visuals and storytelling. He then transitioned from photography into filmmaking, known for directing TV series such as Popularity Papers and Kim's Convenience. We talk about his big breaks, how to make it in the film industry, WGA Strike, and the one-word response to rejections that will flip the script. He is currently working on multiple directorial projects, including Hulu and SyFy’s Reginald The Vampire. Justin is passionate about giving back: he's a Global Citizen Champion of Change Ambassador, and if you are curious about how to break into the film industry without actor/director parents, follow his IG video series that answers all your burning questions about filmmaking.

Rani Mani is not just respected, she’s loved by the thousands of lives she has changed with an unwavering kindness. Plenty of people have contacts, Rani makes connections. She has led social influence, employee advocacy and now Digital Media Customer Communications at Adobe. And is one of this year’s judges for Wave and The Shorty Awards’ Elevate Creatives Fund. So many people view kindness as a sign of weakness but Rani – views it as the greatest strength you can possess. This is episode is different, it will change your perspective on how you interact, how you get through the day and what keeps you going. She works across Adobe teams to elevate voices and highlight customer stories, especially with her series Changemakers. 

Cathy Hackl is one of the Top 10 most influential women in tech, a trailblazer featured on 60 Minutes, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and more as the “Godmother of The Metaverse.” Cathy is the first person in the room with her agency Journey at every big company consulting, guiding, shaping Web3 strategy, creating immersive experiences and always with an eye forward, not down at her phone like most of us. That’s a spatial computing joke you’ll get later. She’s honed her skills as a top executive for HTC VIVE, Magic Leap and AWS. She wrote this year’s bestseller Into The Metaverse, she hosts Adweek’s Metaverse Marketing podcast and she’s already thinking beyond the term and what’s next.

Two guests. No time to waste. This conversation is all about unlocking creativity, what holds us back, what can propel us forward and what we would tell our 15 year old selves if given the chance now.  Elliot Kotek is a shockingly humble creative legend with 7 Emmy nominations, 5 Cannes Lions, 2 Clios, multiple Webby honors and the Shortys' Audience Award for Best Brand Awareness Campaign in 2023 with First Robotics. He is the producer of award-winning festival-favorites such as Queen Mimi, the NBC Peacock Original Black Boys, and the Netflix Original Little Miss Sumo. The Hidden Power of Purpose, made with AARP, is set for release in October 2023. Sarah Hernholm is a former elementary school teacher turned entrepreneur and the creator of the international non-profit WIT — Whatever It Takes - creator of the first college credit social entrepreneur and leadership course in the country for high school teens. Their hackathons partner with big names like Google and Toyota and empower kids to launch businesses that make a national impact. Sarah is also a speaker and writer for Forbes and Today. She’s currently writing her book 11 Tips for Doing WIT.

Murray Hill is the hardest working man in showbiz. The New York Times profiled him this week. Good Morning America, Today as well. After 25 years of being the best kept secret in comedy, America’s best Drag King is now an overnight success. There’s a warmth, a perseverance, a vulnerability and of course a ton of humor behind everything Murray does. You can currently see him on Hulu’s Life and Beth, as the host of the new drag queen dinner party competition show Drag Me to Dinner and most notably as Doctor, Professor, Fred Rococo on HBO’s Somebody, Somewhere. An ensemble breakout hit already picked up for a third season. I dare you to spend 60 minutes with Murray and not immediately become a fan, if you aren’t already. 

It’s time for a wild ride with Peter Shankman. The New York Times calls him “a rock star who knows everything about social media." Disney, Google, Adobe, SAP and three dozen more of the biggest companies in the world work with him to guide customer experience and the neurodiverse economy. He is a 6x best selling author - including the insanely popular Faster Than Normal. His first children's book The Boy With The Faster Brain is out now. He created and sold Help A Reporter Out in just three years. But those are accolades, the real Peter is even more fascinating. He gives out 200,000+ airline miles in a year to send needy families home for the holidays. He sleeps in his workout clothes so he can jump on the Peloton at 4am. And he’s never once turned down one of my crazy ideas, including being on this podcast. He’s one of the most fascinating people I know and I’m excited for you to meet him, if you haven’t already.

Today we welcome Zahir Khoja, CEO of Wave. He’s not your average CEO having spent time in Afghanistan bringing banking and financial education to underserved communities. In this role, he is focused on enabling small business owners to manage their money management; allowing them to do what they do best; But that starts by understanding their needs as a whole. And he gets it. It’s not just getting paid faster or uncomplicating money management. His passion for giving back continues with the launch of the Wave and Shorty Awards Elevate Creatives Fund, which we’ll talk about more in this episode.

Tiffani Bova is a global growth evangelist at Salesforce and bestselling author of the new book, The Experience Mindset, Changes the Way You Think About Growth. She's one of the most sought after speakers in the world, giving over 750 keynotes in six different continents. This episode is all gas, no breaks. We dig into why employee experiences become collateral damage when improving customer experience and user convenience. And we talk about the right questions to ask to lead people to the right changes.

Tejas Hullur isn’t your average 22 year old content creator. He dropped out of a top business school with one year to go to move to LA, then New York and become a full time creator. Business Insider, Fortune and others have done great profiles even calling him the next Tony Robbins. He’s attracted brand deals with Venmo, Robinhood, countless others and is now a correspondent on Nick News. But you know what was refreshing about this conversation? There’s no ego. Tejas rolled up in his skateboard, answered every hard question with earnest consideration and made this hour the most important hour of his day. It’s the same quality I’ve experienced in interviews with Mark Cuban or Gary Vaynerchuk and it’s impossible to teach. The art of being present, no matter with who, no matter the situation. Expect big things from Tejas. Follow @TejasHullur on YouTube.

Deja Foxx made national headlines as a 16-year-old, standing up proudly to then senator Jeff Flake at a town hall. Now she's a reproductive rights activist, political strategist, badass and blogger known for being the youngest staffer and first Influencer and Surrogate Strategist on U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, and for her work with Planned Parenthood. Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21, a digital creator for Ford Models and a fresh graduate of Columbia University. We talk about both creating and seizing opportunities, why representation matters (double meaning there) and why the messages we put out and the messages we take in matter so much. This chat will leave you inspired.