Stern Chats : Amazing Stories Of The Nyu Stern Community

This week, full time MBA Gal Benron joined Melanie and Lauren to talk about her journey to Stern, how she merged her love of dance and body positivity to start a twerking studio in Israel, and how her fight with cancer inspired her to pursue her passions. Gal is a serial entrepreneur whose most recent business involves consulting for other female entrepreneurs. Hosted by: Melanie Gonzalez and Lauren Marinaro Produced by: Bar Tenenbaum and Daniel Yellin Edited by: Marcin Skok

We are so excited to have world-renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt on the show this week. Daniel and Tiffany talked to Professor Haidt about how a social psychologist wound up teaching at a business school, how we can better engage with the other side of the political aisle, and what we can do to reduce online hate and maybe save Gen Z from their generational mental health crisis. Jonathan Haidt is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (2006), The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012), and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (2018). Hosted by: Tiffany Lin and Daniel Yellin Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: Su Hawn Chung

This week on Stern Chats, Daniel and Mahum spoke with current full-time MBA student Isabel Sheinman. Prior to her MBA, Isabel founded and ran NABU, a non-profit that's working to eradicate global illiteracy. Isabel talked about her experience as a first-generation American, what it's like running an organization right out of college, and how keeping an open mind during recruiting helped her find an incredible job for after graduation. Hosted by: Mahum Jamal and Daniel Yellin Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: Marcin Skok

Did you know that 10% of Sternies marry other Sternies??? In honor of Valentine's Day, this week's episode features three wonderful Stern Couples. Get to know Sanjana Padmanabhan and Krithik Tirupapuliyur, Claire Park and Kidae Hong, and Mariel O'Connell and Sohail Mathur. In the Stern version of the Newlywed Game, we test just how well these couples know each other! Hosted by: Daniel Yellin, Kathleen Dillon and Lauren Marinaro Produced by: Hayley Wilcox and Daniel Yellin Edited by: Su Hawn Chung

For our Season Nine kickoff, New York Times journalist Jeanna Smialek speaks with Lauren and Melanie about her work covering the Federal Reserve and what its been like writing her upcoming book on the new era of the central bank. She also talks about why she chose to get her MBA part-time at NYU Stern and just how close we came to economic disaster in March of 2020. Jeanna has a knack for making complex monetary policy simple and we are so glad she joined us to kick off the season! Hosted by: Lauren Marinaro and Melanie Gonzalez Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: PJ Wyderka

In another special "From the Vault" episode, 2020 MBA graduates Andrea Sease and Nica Langinger talk with Fran Gormley. Professor Gormley is an adjunct professor of marketing at NYU Stern and a serial entrepreneur in branding and innovation. In this conversation, Professor Gormley shares how she got her start in branding, the fundamentals today's marketing experts need to know when thinking about brands, and real life examples of how she brings her expertise to the classroom. Hosted by: Andrea Sease and Nica Langinger Produced by: Daniel Yellin, Ashley Jefferson, and Maria Chavez-Hoenes Edited by: Su Hawn Chung

In this special "From the Vault" episode, 2020 MBA graduates Andrea Sease and Nica Langinger sat down with Kirat Anand. Kirat is a Stern undergraduate alum and sits on the advisory board for the NYU Stern Fashion & Luxury MBA program. Kirat shares his journey into fashion from investment banking, what he believes it takes for a fashion brand to resonate, and how to win over new customers as a young company. This episode was recorded during the 2019-2020 academic year and we're excited to share it with you now. Hosted by: Andrea Sease and Nica Langinger Produced by: Daniel Yellin, Bar Tenenbaum, and Maria Chavez-Hoenes Edited by: Su Hawn Chung

Francine Mends is an NYU alumna who left a 13-year career in medicine to found Evolving Conversations, a consultancy where she coaches business leaders on how to have better, deeper conversations. This week, Kathleen and Lauren talk with Francine to talk about her decision to leave her career in medicine and how we can all use a scientific approach to improve the quality of the conversations we have every day. With interviews around the corner, we thought hearing from Francine could help many of our listeners as they prepare for important conversations of their own. Francine has provided resources specifically for Stern Chats listeners available at: onevolving.com/nyusternchats Hosted by: Kathleen Dillon & Lauren Marinaro Produced by: Daniel Yellin & Kathleen Dillon Edited by: PJ Wyderka

Tara Hankinson is an NYU Stern alumna and the co-founder of TALEA Beer Co., a woman and veteran-owned beer company based in NYC. This week on Stern Chats, Tiffany and Melanie sit down with Tara to discuss what it's like breaking the glass ceiling in the beer industry, creating a brand name, and how a non-linear career trajectory can help you find your passions. Hosts: Tiffany Lin & Melanie Gonzalez Produced by: Daniel Yellin & Hayley Wilcox Edited by: PJ Wyderka

Professor Michael Posner is currently the Co-Director of the Center of Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern. Previously, he served in the Obama administration as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Daniel and Tiffany sat down with Professor Posner to talk about his illustrious career as a lawyer, advocate, and statesman, why he thinks human rights should be a central tenet of a business education, and what to do about Facebook. Hosted by: Daniel Yellin & Tiffany Lin Produced by: Daniel Yellin & Galila Gray Edited by: PJ Wyderka

In this special Veterans Day edition of Stern Chats, Kathleen Dillon talks with three of her fellow Stern MBA veterans, Bennett Adams, Natalie Ashbridge, and Asher Eddy. Kathleen, Bennett, Natalie, and Asher have a wide-ranging conversation about their experiences in the military, mental health, civilian support for veterans, and what it's like making the transition to business school. Kathleen, Bennett, Natalie, and Asher are all part of the Fertitta Veterans Program at NYU Stern. Hosted by: Kathleen Dillon Produced by: Daniel Yellin & Kathleen Dillon Edited by: PJ Wyderka

Megan Fairchild is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, spent a year on Broadway, and is also pursuing her MBA part-time at NYU Stern. This week on Stern Chats, Melanie and Mahum spoke with Megan to discuss the intensely competitive world of professional ballet, balancing academics and motherhood while being at the top of her field, and the power of setting small goals. Hosted by: Melanie Gonzalez & Mahum Jamal Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: PJ Wyderka

Amy Nelson is the CEO of Venture for America, a non-profit mobilizing the next generation of entrepreneurs. This week, Kathleen and Daniel (a Venture for America Fellow himself) speak with Amy about the barriers to entrepreneurship, what it's like to take on the CEO role, and choosing a career that indicates your values. Amy also talks about what it was like being the only single mother in her Stern full-time MBA class and why we should push our institutions to be more equitable and inclusive. Hosted by: Daniel Yellin & Kathleen Dillon Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: PJ Wyderka

Ashwin Chandra and Antonella Tellez were elected NYU Stern Student Government Co-Presidents a few weeks before COVID hit New York. Since then, their tenure has looked much different than in years past. Ashwin and Antonella stopped by Stern Chats to tell us a little more about themselves, why they're still optimistic about the Stern Community, and what it has been like getting an MBA during the pandemic. Hosted by: Tiffany Lin & Daniel Yellin Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: PJ Wyderka

When Ben Sperling arrived at Stern in 2019, he had already made a mark on the world. He had taught high school math as a Teach for America fellow and then, motivated by what he saw in his school, went on to found a non-profit, Next Generation Men & Women, to help close the opportunity gap for under-resourced students. Daniel and Lauren had the chance to talk with Ben about resiliency in the classroom and in business, the smartest way to grow a fledgling organization, and how an office space can cost as little as a banana and a cup of tea per day. Ben also shared the story of the worst meeting he ever had during his early days as a founder and why he decided to leave his organization to pursue his MBA. Hosted by: Daniel Yellin & Lauren Marinaro Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: Frank Varrichio

Vanessa O'Brien is in the Guinness World Records book. She holds the fastest time for a woman to complete the Seven Summits challenge and was the first woman to reach both the highest point on Earth (Mt. Everest) and the lowest point (Challenger Deep). She's also an NYU Stern alumna and had a highly successful career in finance before becoming one of the world's most respected adventurers. Vanessa talked to us about the value of calculated risk, patience, preparation, and what comes next when you've already been on top of the world. Hosted by: Kathleen Dillon & Melanie Gonzalez Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: Frank Varrichio

RJ Rushmore, a second-year MBA at Stern and one of the most creative minds in the current student body, talks to us about his passion for street art, his work as a curator, and why an MBA makes him more valuable to his community. He also shares the one question he asked himself that helped him break into a coveted career in the world of art. RJ's Instagram: @RJRushmore Hosted by: Lauren Marinaro & Mahum Jamal Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: Frank Varrichio

Stern professor Jihoon Rim shares his unexpected advice on choosing your career path, what the US needs to do to truly lead in tech, and how he became the CEO of a multi-billion dollar tech company at the age of 34. Hosted by: Tiffany Lin & Daniel Yellin Produced by: Daniel Yellin Edited by: Frank Varrichio

Drum-roll please... introducing Lauren Marinaro, Mahum Jamal, Daniel Yellin, Tiffany Lin, Kathleen Dillon, and Melanie Gonzalez. These are your Stern Chats Season 8 and 9 hosts. Come to hear about their backgrounds, stay for their embarrassing stories, their favorite spots in NYC, and more in our annual meet the hosts episode. Producer: Daniel Yellin Editor: Frank Varrichio

Stern alumni, Sheri Holt and Frank Varrichio, join our current executive producer, Daniel Yellin, to share the lessons they learned from launching this podcast while at Stern and what it takes to build something you can pass on to the next generation