Sam speaks to Ted Coine, a man who made his fortune as a CEO but has the heart of a teacher. Ted Coine has spoken at Ted Talks and inspired countless students young and old with his teachings. Now he's sitting down with Sam to share the secrets of his success and why he's able to do the things he can. Sam asks Ted about what he needs from his students, how business helped him even after he left to become a teacher and why he's a capitalist even if no-one believes him. This is Ted’s story...

Sam speaks to Gary Vaynerchuk, arguably the most prolific content provider on the planet. His GaryVee brand helped him establish himself as one of the most prolific social media users on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Sam spent weeks preparing for the interview. One thing that’s stayed consistent across all of Gary V’s 20 year body of work is his overall message. Sam and Gary discuss the reasons why he’s kept the same underlying message for all this time. Plus it turns out the...

I sincerely appreciate the art of storytelling. I view this as a lost art, one in the digital age we are desperately seeking to reinvest in. This is why I’ve enjoyed getting to know Scott Monty so much. Scott is a master storyteller. He can “spin a yarn” as my grandmother used to say. Authenticity is at the core of Scott’s approach, not only to storytelling, but in everything. You’ll hear this theme repeated throughout this interview. Scott learned the importance of authenticity during...

I love Kabbage, the incredibly popular small business lending company based out of Atlanta. To be fair, I also love cabbage, a highly underrated vegetable in my opinion. One of the key reasons I love Kabbage, besides their outstanding product, is their founders. Both Rob Frohwein and Kathryn Petralia are inspiring leaders; both extremely funny, extremely bright, and extremely personable. I will be interviewing Kathryn (recognized by Forbes in 2017 as the 9th most powerful woman in...

I first learned about Aaron Foley when I came across a CNN story on his role as the official Chief Storyteller for Detroit. I love the art of storytelling and I’m originally from Detroit so this profile on CNN resonated with me. I added Aaron to my list of targeted interviews and began my research. It didn’t take long for me to realize Aaron is a kindred spirit. We both have a complicated relationship with our hometown, we are both a bit of a smart ass (take a look at his book How to...

On October 25th, 2017 Javad Khazaeli wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times titled I Prosecuted Terrorists for President Bush. Now My Family in Iran May Be Banned From Visiting. Javad, one of the early hires for Homeland Security and who spent nine and a half years with the organization, wrote of his own family’s personal experience with President Trump’s travel ban. Dr. Sadegh Khazaeli; Javad’s father, American Citizen, and hero to the many students he influenced over the years; had...

I will personally pay anyone a finder’s fee of $50 if they can tell me what Bollywood movie Devika danced in when she was 17 years old. I couldn’t get her to tell me no matter how hard I tried during our interview. This is why I admire Devika so much. Her love of the arts and science is such a refreshing blend. Yes, she is an incredibly accomplished executive with IBM’s Watson team in NYC, but she also has channeled her love of dance and passion for working with kids in her support of...

I’ve know that Mary-Catherine Chambliss has “IT” since she was a child. “IT” being that special spark, that inner drive, that talent at the next level, that personality the size of Texas. Full disclosure - I’m Mac’s uncle. Yes, that does mean she calls me Uncle Sam. Both Mac and her boyfriend Ross Daniel are two of the most talented artists I personally know. Mac is the entire package: she can sing, dance, act, teach, choreograph, and make you laugh with a simple glance. Ross is one...

I’d only briefly met Kate O’Neill in person once before doing this interview. We’ve “known” each other for a while now on social media channels but had never really spent a lot of time taking in real life prior to sitting down for this interview. My loss… It's easy to see why Kate, the founder of KO Insights, is such a popular speaker, author, mentor, and consultant when it comes to human centric marketing and design. It's because she’s so, well, human. She’s real. No pretences, no BS,...

Computer scientist Dr. Sue Black is a force of nature. From working her way out of public housing with three young kids in tow, to earning a PhD in Engineering and becoming a professor at the University of Westminster in London, to publishing a book about how she helped save WWII code-breaking site Bletchley Park from ruin, to working tirelessly as an advocate for women in tech, she has accomplished more than most of us could hope to achieve in a lifetime.” This is the opening paragraph of...

I first heard about Divine through Scarlet Sieber, a good friend of mine who said “you have to hear his story.” And I’m so happy I listened to Scarlet. Divine’s story is so unique and so compelling that he is actually the inspiration for this podcast. I’ve had the chance to interview Divine before and I realized his story was worthy of so much more than just ten minutes of my time. I’m not the only one who feels this way. Divine has been interviewed and profiled in multiple publications...

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” - Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789. This famous idiom summarizes the only to certainties in life; however, based on the never ceasing news lately, I recommend we edit this to state “… except death and taxes and any number of men in power positions harassing / coming on to women.” I originally described this concept of this podcast as a “Charlie Rose roundtable interview format”; a...

The Baldwins were the classic American family living the classic American dream. John and Stephanie Baldwin raised their kids in the right neighborhood, attended church, were active in their community in Plano, Texas; and most importantly, were close to their kids. This isn’t a fictional setting either. I knew this first hand. John is a friend of mine and had been an active co-worker of mine for several years. If you asked me to describe someone that exemplified middle-class America I...

I first learned about John when he was named Innovator of the Year for 2016 by American Banker. We’ve got to know each other over the course of a few phone and podcast interviews but never had the chance to meet in person until this interview which we recorded in his Atlanta Operation Hope office. John was running a little late so I had the opportunity to wander around the room a bit, peruse through the many pictures and awards presented to him over the years, check out the different books...