Thirty Minute Mentors

Adam Mendler

Leadership guru Adam Mendler goes one on one with America’s most accomplished and insightful people on how they made it to the top and how you can too. Each episode features a wealth of practical, actionable advice from a leading CEO, founder, athlete, celebrity, influencer or general / admiral. Learn how to lead in today’s landscape, become your best self and excel personally and professionally – in thirty minutes. read less

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Episode 254: Vice Admiral Ted Carter

Episode 254: Vice Admiral Ted Carter

Vice Admiral Ted Carter led at the highest levels in the United States Navy and currently serves as President of Ohio State University. A Top Gun graduate, VADM Carter flew on 125 combat missions around the world and previously served as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy and President of the University of Nebraska System. VADM Carter joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. VADM Carter and Adam discuss leadership, career development, performance, trust, and much more.

Episodes

Episode 254: Vice Admiral Ted Carter

Episode 254: Vice Admiral Ted Carter

Vice Admiral Ted Carter led at the highest levels in the United States Navy and currently serves as President of Ohio State University. A Top Gun graduate, VADM Carter flew on 125 combat missions around the world and previously served as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy and President of the University of Nebraska System. VADM Carter joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. VADM Carter and Adam discuss leadership, career development, performance, trust, and much more.

Episode 253: Former Olympic Gold Medalist Marion Jones

Episode 253: Former Olympic Gold Medalist Marion Jones

Marion Jones was considered by many to be the greatest female athlete in the world. Marion won an unprecedented five Olympic medals in track and field - three gold and two silver - at the 2000 Summer Olympics before returning them amid a historic doping scandal. Marion joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons learned along the way. Marion and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: navigating the highest of highs and lowest of lows; failure and success; resilience; influence; mindset; and more.

Episode 252: TruStage CEO Terrance Williams

Episode 252: TruStage CEO Terrance Williams

Terrance Williams is the CEO of TruStage, one of the largest insurance companies in America. TruStage generated nearly five and a half billion dollars in revenue last year. Terrance joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Terrance and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, personal and professional development, culture, hiring, purpose, and much more.

Episode 251: Whole Foods Founder John Mackey

Episode 251: Whole Foods Founder John Mackey

John Mackey is the founder and former CEO of Whole Foods, one of America’s most successful and popular supermarket chains. Under John's leadership, Whole Foods grew to 540 stores, 105,000 employees, and $22 billion in annual sales, and was acquired for $13.7 billion. John joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. John and Adam discuss entrepreneurship; leadership; growth and scale; culture; recruiting, retaining, and motivating talent; personal and professional development; and more.

Episode 250: Basketball Legend Muggsy Bogues

Episode 250: Basketball Legend Muggsy Bogues

Muggsy Bogues is a basketball legend and the shortest player in the history of the NBA. Muggsy played for 4 years over 14 seasons and set the Charlotte Hornets franchise record for steals and assists along the way. Muggsy joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Muggsy and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, teamwork, mentorship, overcoming adversity, attaining greatness, and much more.

Episode 249: Thrivent CEO Teresa Rasmussen

Episode 249: Thrivent CEO Teresa Rasmussen

The leader of one of the largest financial services companies in America, Teresa Rasmussen is the CEO of Thrivent, which generated $9.7 billion in revenue last year. Terry joins Adam to share her unique journey - from dental hygienist to Fortune 500 CEO - and her best lessons learned along the way. Terry and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, personal and professional development, feedback, managing transformation and change, ethics, and more.

Episode 248: General John Allen

Episode 248: General John Allen

The first Marine ever selected to command a theater of war, General John Allen led the multinational military campaign in Afghanistan and upon retiring from the military led the international effort to combat ISIS. General Allen joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. General Allen and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership; personal, professional, and career development; motivation; resilience; and much more.

Episode 247: Olympic Gold Medalist Bryan Clay

Episode 247: Olympic Gold Medalist Bryan Clay

Bryan Clay was considered the greatest athlete in the world, winning an Olympic gold medal in the decathlon. Bryan joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons learned along the way. Bryan and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: attaining greatness and peak performance; mentorship and influence; health and wellness; and more.

Episode 246: 1-800-Flowers Founder and CEO Jim McCann

Episode 246: 1-800-Flowers Founder and CEO Jim McCann

Jim McCann is the founder and CEO of 1-800-Flowers. A pioneer in the world of retail, 1-800-Flowers generates more than $2 billion a year in revenue, consists of over a dozen brands, has more than 3,000 employees, and delivers more than 30 million gifts a year. Jim joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Jim and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, career development, marketing, customer centricity, self-deprecation, growth and scale, and much more.

Episode 245: Broadcasting Legend Lesley Visser

Episode 245: Broadcasting Legend Lesley Visser

A trailblazer in the worlds of journalism and broadcasting, Lesley Visser is the only sportscaster in history who has covered the Final Four, the NBA Finals, the World Series, the Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Figure Skating Championships, and the U.S. Open on network television. Among her many firsts, Lesley is the first woman to receive the Sports Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award. Lesley joins Adam to share her journey and best lessons and advice.

Episode 244: Former Tropicana CEO Willie Pietersen

Episode 244: Former Tropicana CEO Willie Pietersen

Willie Pietersen was the CEO of four different multibillion-dollar businesses, including Tropicana and Seagram USA. Willie joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons on leadership and career success. Willie and Adam discuss lessons from growing up in South Africa when apartheid began; navigating a nontraditional path to the c-suite; keys to growing and excelling as a leader; the importance of ethics in leadership and business; and much more.

Episode 243: Cvent Founder and CEO Reggie Aggarwal

Episode 243: Cvent Founder and CEO Reggie Aggarwal

Reggie Aggarwal is the founder and CEO of Cvent, the largest event software company. Reggie has led Cvent through numerous highs and lows - from the brink of bankruptcy to getting acquired by Blackstone last year for $4.6 billion. Reggie joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons learned along the way. Reggie and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, team-building, career development, crisis management, culture, and much more.

Episode 242: Principal CEO Dan Houston

Episode 242: Principal CEO Dan Houston

A Fortune 500 CEO and the leader of one of America’s largest financial services companies, Dan Houston is the CEO of Principal Financial Group, where he leads nearly 20,000 employees and a business that generates more than $13 billion a year and serves more than 62 million customers. Dan joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Dan and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, teamwork, trust, career development, customer centricity, and much more.

Episode 241: Lieutenant General Mary O'Brien

Episode 241: Lieutenant General Mary O'Brien

Lieutenant General Mary O’Brien is in a rare group of women who have ascended to the highest levels of leadership within the military, most recently leading one of the Defense Department’s most important modernization initiatives. Lieutenant General O’Brien joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons and advice. Lieutenant General O’Brien and Adam discuss a wide range of topics, including leadership, building and managing high-performance teams, overcoming obstacles and blind spots, and much more.

Episode 240: Celebrity Chef Andrew Zimmern

Episode 240: Celebrity Chef Andrew Zimmern

The creator, host, and star of numerous highly popular food television, web, and radio shows, Andrew Zimmern is a celebrity chef, an Emmy Award winner, and the recipient of four James Beard Awards. Andrew joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Andrew and Adam discuss a wide range of topics, including attaining greatness, navigating a nonlinear path to success, resilience, humility, leadership, and more.

Episode 239: Panera Founder Ron Shaich

Episode 239: Panera Founder Ron Shaich

Ron Shaich is the founder and former CEO of Panera Bread, which he sold for $7.5 billion and was the best-performing restaurant stock under his leadership. Ron helped define the fast-casual restaurant segment: he was also the CEO of Au Bon Pain and is the Chairman of and lead investor in Cava, Tatte, Life Alive, and Level99. Ron joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Ron and Adam discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, personal and professional development, and much more.

Episode 238: Regus Founder Mark Dixon

Episode 238: Regus Founder Mark Dixon

Mark Dixon is a pioneer in the world of coworking. Mark is the founder of Regus, now known as IWG - which has more than 4,000 locations across more than 120 countries - and where he serves as CEO. Mark joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Mark and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: entrepreneurship, leadership, growth and scale, innovation, hiring, the future of work, and much more.

Episode 237: BILL Founder and CEO René Lacerte

Episode 237: BILL Founder and CEO René Lacerte

A leading entrepreneur in the world of fintech, René Lacerte is the founder and CEO of BILL. Valued at more than $5 billion, BILL helps hundreds of thousands of businesses manage their financial workflows. René joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. René and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, entrepreneurship, EQ, growth and scale, culture, and much more.

Episode 236: CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen

Episode 236: CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen

Dr. Mandy Cohen is the Director of the CDC, where she leads the federal agency responsible for protecting America's health. Dr. Cohen was North Carolina’s Health and Human Services Secretary during the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Cohen joins Adam to share her journey and her best lessons learned along the way. Dr. Cohen and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: leadership, crisis management, communication, trust, career development, balance, and much more.

Episode 235: Award Winning Actor Beau Bridges

Episode 235: Award Winning Actor Beau Bridges

A three-time Emmy Award winner, two-time Golden Globe Award winner, and Grammy Award winner, Beau Bridges has spent more than 75 years acting in television and movies and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame along the way. Beau joins Adam to share his journey and his best lessons and advice. Beau and Adam discuss a wide range of topics, including leadership, mentorship, building successful relationships, enjoying professional longevity, and much more.