Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Food & Drink

Gabe Kennedy takes an experimental approach to life. His career started after attending the Culinary Institute of America and Cornell University. A private equity firm employed him, but he left to be a contestant on Anthony Bourdain’s reality TV competition - and he won!

Being the winner led him to a variety of experiences in the food industry. But after a traumatic spinal injury from skiing, his focus was on healing his body in non-traditional methods.

That led him to start Plant People and creating a CBD-based supplements brand, plus other plant-based products. The company sells products including infused olive oil, sleep drops, and face masks. They’ve already raised capital from Unilever.

In our conversation, Gabe shares his journey, and answers the question, “How can we be a business and build an industry that stands for equity and access, social justice, climate justice, and embodies all the values and philosophies we truly feel a business should step into.” We discuss:

Holistic science-the inspiration for products.

Make a decision and move forward.

Doing a good job now is better than doing a perfect job later.

Starting on a shoestring budget.

Spend time on what you are good at. Find others with different skill sets.

The purpose of Plant People is to heal and connect people and the planet through the power of plants. Gabe has a coupon offer for you to try one of his products.

Take advantage and enjoy the show!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman. It inspires the way I walk through life.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Investing in myself.

Worst - When I buy an avocado and it’s rotten. 

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - Meditation.  Either breathing or guided.

PM - Cooking my own food. I draw the line between business and personal time before bedtime.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I’d find where I can contribute the most and have an intersection between passion and purpose.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

A King size bed and a good mattress. A full-size computer monitor.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Gabe Kennedy’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Gabe Kennedy - Founder - Plant People

CONTACT: Twitter @gabekennedy, Instagram COMPANY: @plantpeople, PERSONAL: @gabe_kennedy

WEBSITE: www.plantpeople.co

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: "forbes15"

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Asia

Year: 2017

Category: Industry & Energy

Jason Gui, Co-Founder of Vue, had difficulties in finding a target market for the first version of his smart glasses. At one point, he cut back to a skeleton staff and had little in the bank account. He didn’t agree on taking a new direction with his co-founder, but he listened to her, anyway.

With smart pivoting and firm due dates, the second product version of his smart glasses helped him bring in over $2.2-million on Kickstarter. He sold $4-million in its first year of launch, becoming the top eyewear Kickstarter campaign of all time.

Vue smart glasses are stylish and built for everyday use. They track your activities like steps, posture, and calories, taking calls, and listening to music without the intrusive earbuds.

This MIT Innovator Under 35-Asia list winner has a long list of lessons for entrepreneurs. We discussed:

Revising a product to serve a different market than intended.

The value of listening to a co-founder who disagrees with you.

The journey in making quick pivots with due dates.

How to engage media in the early stages of product development.

The importance of asking those outside the inner circle for product and marketing opinions.

Joint ventures and new distribution channels.

Differing from Google Glass.

Jason has offered a discount on a purchase for these fantastic glasses. I hope you give them a look. Enjoy!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson. The book gives me a perspective of how the world works, why there are countries and governments, how things take form etc.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Financial investments.  I watch what goes on in China and then see how things replicate in the U.S.  I especially watch the trends relating to Covid.

Worst - Stock investments where I didn’t understand the fundamentals or the industry where I was putting my money.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - For over 10 years I’ve made it a habit to think about who I am going to help each day.  I try to help someone every day.

PM - I don’t want regrets so I ask if there is something else I want to do.  I think about living my life as if each day was the last.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Before expanding on an idea I would talk to people who are older and more experienced. I’d find people who have different perspectives.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

A co-founder who may not agree with me. I’ve also learned you can’t do everything on your own.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Jason Gui’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Jason Gui – Co-Founder of Vue

CONTACT: Twitter @jason1081 and Instagram @jason1081nz

WEBSITE: http://vueglasses.com/

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: PHILSPODCAST for $30 off

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Games

At age 12, Bonnie Burton became the 1st Female Pro Gamer Ever! It started as a family bonding event, with Bonnie and her brothers traveling from city to city in an unknown phenomenon–playing computer and console games in live tournaments. It was the early stages of Esports that we know today.

The game industry, not always female-friendly, eventually welcomed Bonnie when she pursued one of her passions-working for Bungie. That company has the team that created the famous video game Halo, one of the all-time highest-grossing media franchises.

Today she works at Bungie on the Destiny franchise.

In our conversation, Bonnie shares her journey including:

How she started the journey to playing Halo at home, to competitive tournaments.

Her approach to working in a male-dominated industry.

Using powerful mantras to direct her focus to achieve goals.

How coaching affects her life and those she coaches.

Bonnie also shared how she pursued her goal of being hired in a very competitive industry. I hope you enjoy her story as she continues to expand her goals and inspire other gamers. 

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Coaching for High Performance, Sarah Cook

Learned Optimism, Martin E.P. Seligman

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Coaching programs. I didn’t realize the impact it would have on my life.

Worst - I’d buy a better couch that isn’t cheap. You’re going to spend a lot of time on it.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and the most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

AM - I wake up and immediately drink water.

PM - I use an app to remind me of what I am grateful for that day or in general.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I’d spend time researching more about how health is linked to “gaming” abilities. I’d set up a coaching practice for gamers so they can be their best.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

A digital wellness timer that’s on my phone. It limits the time I can be on social media.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Bonnie Burton’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Bonnie Burton – Video Game Producer of Bungie 

CONTACT: Twitter @BonnieXburton and Instagram @BonnieXburton

WEBSITE: PERSONAL: https://bonnieburtoncoaching.as.me/

COMPANY: https://www.bungie.net/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Europe

Year: 2017

Category: Industry (Energy)

Marek Kubik is a recognized influencer and leader in the energy industry. Early in his career, Marek had an instrumental role in developing the 10MW Kilroot Energy Storage Array. It was the first utility-scale commercial battery energy storage project in Europe, and one of the largest systems in the world.

Marek is a director and founding member of energy storage tech powerhouse Fluence, a company that delivers a fleet of nearly 2000MW of energy storage solutions on six continents.

Marek has a passion for accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy. And he’s great at putting high-tech issues in easy-to-understand terms.

In our conversation we discussed energy storage:

What it is.

How it solves the problem of limited fossil fuels.

How it can quickly reduce emissions leading to climate change.

Understanding grid infrastructure and how to reimagine it.

The joint venture with Siemens and an alternative method of supporting entrepreneurs.

 You can read more of Marek’s thought leadership ideas on LinkedIn. Enjoy the show!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman. It’s a fascinating insight into human psychology.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - My Apple watch. It’s great for data collection.

Worst - A gym membership. I found other tools to exercise that lead to my exercising more.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - I make my bed first thing in the morning because of the science of doing this task every day.

PM - I shut off my phone before bed because I’m a workaholic.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I’d explore my interest in sustainable aviation.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Flight radar. I like how you can track the plane and figure out where it is so I know ahead of time if it’s delayed.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Marek Kubik’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Marek Kubik – Market Director - Fluence

CONTACT: Twitter @mlkubik and Instagram @goodsophism

WEBSITE: http://www.fluenceenergy.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Food & Drink

It was his Asian parents’ dream to send him to the U.S. for higher education so he didn’t end up working in some low paying kitchen. So it’s ironic that this son left Hong Kong, went to Yale, and returned to a Chinese kitchen. Lucas Sin, Chef of Junzi Kitchen, has four locations in NY City and New Haven, Connecticut. Lucas raised over $5-million in funding, including an investment from the co-founder of PF Changs.

Lucas’s recipe for success is based on his curiosity about American Chinese cuisine with a dash of cognitive science!

In our conversation Lucas shares: 

The importance of apprenticing-scrubbing dishes and working your way up.

Searching for nuances of Chinese American food.

Being quick to abandon things that don’t work or improve it, so it does.

Understanding the customer experience.

With ingenuity and quick pivoting, Junzi Kitchen stayed open during the pandemic. Lucas organized a system to work with existing programs and invited other restaurants to feed front-line workers with safe and scalable ways that meet hospital standards. He continues feeding workers by taking donations.

Consider making a donation. And if you get the opportunity, eat more fried noodles–Junzi’s Chow Mein. It’s really good!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Lydia Davis books.  She packs an immense amount of meaning in a few sentences in her short stories.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Exercise resistance bands.

Worst - An air fryer.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

I don’t have a morning or evening routine. I have a coffee machine that wakes me up better than an alarm clock.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I believe in going to school.  It made me a more curious and empathetic being.  I’d also invest in real-life work experience.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Espresso, Aero Press, and drip coffee machines.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Lucas Sin’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Lucas Sin – Chef of Junzi Kitchen

CONTACT: Twitter @chinesechipotle & Instagram @lucas.sin

WEBSITE: http://www.junzi.kitchen/

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: 

MAKE A DONATION:  https://www.junzi.kitchen/shareameal

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Asia

Year: 2020

Category: Social Entrepreneurship

Dear Listeners,

There are a billion people across the world with disabilities and 70-million in India. With compassion and determination for creating a world that’s more inclusive, Alina Alam, CEO Mitti Café has helped people with physical, intellectual, and psychological disabilities to become productive, while showcasing their skills to earn a living.

She won the Mindtree Helen Keller Award, Times of India She Unlimited Award, and India’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

I am so humbled and proud to share Alina’s journey of starting Mitti Café, sponsored and located in corporate offices in four cities in India.  It’s a sustainable non-profit and a model that could be replicated around the world.

It’s incredible how executing a goal of social responsibility is keeping the cafe workers employed, even during COVID-19. The cafes are closed, but the disabled adults are giving back and continuing to work by serving those even more disadvantaged. So far, they have served 274,000 meals and drinking water to daily wage earners who are now unemployed because of the pandemic, and others who are homeless.

There is so much for all of us to take away from Alina’s remarkable cause and story.  Unfortunately, COVID-19 has been devastating to the people Alina has given an opportunity.  The project needs funds to keep operating.

I’m asking all my listeners to help contribute to Alina’s work with a contribution to her outstanding mission that will surely make you feel part of the greater purpose. Your gift will truly make an impact in saving the employees of Mitti Café as they continue to feed and serve others. And you will be part of the movement to create awareness for the cause of equal opportunities in employment.

I am grateful for our conversation.  It’s inspirational.

With gratitude,

Phil Michaels

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie. It presents practical solutions to problems.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - My time and money into the cafe.

Worst - Even in a bad investment you can still learn from the experience.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - Running - a great exercise.

PM - I write everything that was amazing that day to end on a positive note.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Reach out to mentors.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

A paper and pencil to enhance my creativity.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Alina Alam’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Alina Alam – CEO of Mitti Cafe

CONTACT: Twitter @mitti_cafe & Instagram cafemitti

WEBSITE: http://mitticafe.org/

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: MitticafeRETURNturngift

Fundraising campaign: bit.ly/help-mitticafe

Also mentioned in this episode: www.volunteerworld.com

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Art & Style

Mia Park is the co-founder of Sundae School & Sundae Flowers.  Don’t jump to conclusions on what it is they sell!

Sundae School is a boutique fashion smoke wear brand based in NY. “Smoke wear” is a label for high fashion apparel and accessories to wear when you’re smoking weed. Sundae Flower is a cannabis brand that sells cannabis flowers without harmful chemicals.

Mia and her best friend since elementary school were raised in South Korea, then immigrated to the U.S. where they discovered marijuana at boarding school. 

They have combined their longtime love affair with cannabis into a career with a clothing collection that’s been featured at NY Fashion Week, Barneys NY, and is recognized by celebrities including John Legend and Lil Nas X. Their Cannabis Flower sells at some of the biggest California dispensaries, including Eaze and The Apothecarium.  Sundae Flower is known for the slowest-burning, slimmest joint on the market.

It almost seems comical to know their hobby led to a big break that came from an Instagram DM from the high-end store Barneys.

All misconceptions and laughs aside, Mia shared some serious entrepreneurial insights including:

Doing the research to create a quality cannabis product.

Partnering with minority manufacturers, distributors, and flower farms.

Increasing diversity in the cannabis industry.

Staying true to her Korean heritage.

Working with a lean, small team.

Due diligence on the people you may want as a sustainable partner.

Staying true to her values by asking, “What do I like?”

I hope you enjoy the show!  

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide, Kay Redfield Jamison. It gets you to think about life optimistically.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - My sister.  She is my support.

Worst - A Bird of Paradise Tree.  It was expensive, and I don’t know how to take care of them.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and Evening routines?

AM - We start the day with a green tea ceremony.  It helps to clarify my goals.

PM - On Friday nights we smoke joints.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I would call my mentors. They’ll give me the right advice to start anything.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Google Calendar.  It’s an inseparable part of my life.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Mia Park’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Mia Park – Co-Founder of Sundae School & Sundae Flowers

CONTACT: Instagram FASHION: @sundae.school CANNABIS: @sundae.flower MIA: @miamiapark

WEBSITE: Fashion: https://sundae.school/ & Cannabis: https://sundae.flowers/

NEW PRODUCT: Holiday Korean Jesus Collection, New Asian-flavor inspired cannabis gummies

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Europe

Year: 2020

Category: Social Entrepreneurship

I teach entrepreneurs that it’s important to focus on the number one reason your customers want your product or service. Kimeshan Naidoo, CTO, and Co-Founder of Unibuddy is a master at finding out his client’s pain points and knows how to create a product and service based on that.

His product, Unibuddy, helps students select the right university for higher education in a way that updates antiquated university recruiting methods. Over 250-thousand students have used the product with great enthusiasm.

Unibuddy is a fast-rising tech company with 300 universities using the product in 30 countries. Unibuddy has raised $12-million and has offices in London, New York, and Bangalore.

In our conversation we discuss:

How Unibuddy was developed to meet a need that’s an industry disrupter.

The importance of creating a product that solves problems with an easy client interface and deployment.

How Unibuddy speaks the language of Gen Z.

Using peer-to-peer communications to benefit potential students.

How potential student questions (data collection) can benefit university marketing efforts.

Future markets.

Kimeshan keeps improving his product. Recently, a new live video streaming feature was added and is proving to be invaluable to students and universities during the pandemic.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Measure What Matters, John Doerr. The strategies apply to organizations and your personal life. 

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Just starting. I also bought some good cryptocurrency early on.

Worst - I thought investing in Nelson Mandela coins would have more value.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - I started to read philosophy instead of emails first thing. I’m reading Meditations, Marcus Aurelius.

PM - I do non-reactive things such as flossing my teeth.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I would start a think-tank or incubator that would try to figure out how to produce leaders who could improve governments around the world.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Sleep. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Kimeshan Naidoo’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO:  Kimeshan Naidoo – CTO & Co-Founder of Unibuddy

CONTACT: Twitter @kimeshan_ Instagram kimeshan_n

WEBSITE: https://unibuddy.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2014

Category: Marketing & Advertising

By recognizing her skills as a storyteller and marketer, Farryn Weiner positioned herself as the leader of social strategy for Michael Kors. When social media was in its infancy, Farryn took a risk in creating the first Instagram ad ever! That risk paid off and proved that Farryn was ahead of the trend in creating social media and understanding consumer behavior shifts. Farryn has also held social media positions at Jetsetter.com and the Sweet Green restaurant chain.

When the entrepreneurial itch came, she started FarrynHeight. Her work is still about telling stories to build brands while helping companies identify and solve their marketing challenges.

I’m impressed with Farryn’s ability to inspire business leaders to access their core values. It’s also a reflection of how she leads her life and her business.

We discuss:

The excitement of creating the first Instagram ad.

Using critical feedback.

The importance of authenticity in brand building.

Her focus on strengths, not weaknesses.

Self-funding success.

Shedding fear.

Big sister leadership style.

Hiring for strengths and values, and not skills.

Farryn shares valuable work and life lessons.  It’s also a common theme in her new podcast.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon.  Clayton is the first person who got me thinking about how I can be happy and successful in my career at the same time.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Investing in myself.

Worst - Thinking about what I should invest in.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - Concentrate on breathing.

PM - Take a bath when I can as it’s a forced calm.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I would “ask why,” start understanding the why, and look for the problem rooted in the why.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

An infrared sauna and a heated blanket.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Farryn Weiner’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Farryn Weiner - Founder of FarrynHeight

CONTACT: Twitter @jetsetfarryn and Instagram @jetsetfarryn

WEBSITE: https://www.farrynheight.com/

PODCAST:  www.farrynheight.com/podcast

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA & Asia

Year: 2016

Category: Social Entrepreneurs 

In multiple cultures and religions, the fish is a symbol of luck and prosperity. But it took more than just luck to make my guest, Gavin Armstrong a Forbes 30 under 30 list winner in three continents in the same year–a first for anyone mentioned on the Forbes List!

Gavin Armstrong is the founder of Lucky Iron Fish. The “fish” is a small piece of iron that one drops into a pot of boiling water when cooking. As a result, the fish helps reduce iron deficiency, a major cause of anemia and one of the world’s biggest malnourishment problems. 

CNN said, “This little iron fish is fighting a global health problem.” Gavin’s Lucky fish is available in over 80 countries and has improved the lives of a million people around the world.

Gavin created his company while a Fulbright scholar at Auburn University. He was also awarded the prestigious Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award. 

In our fast-paced conversation Gavin shared:

How he learned firsthand about the malnourishment problem of 5-billion people no one talks about.

His path of overcoming being bullied and how it led to his business success.

Research into cultural diversity on making a lackluster piece of iron into a fish icon.

Crafting a communications message to overcome product acceptance obstacles.

How investors invest in leaders, no matter what the product.

The motivation for making the product sustainable and scalable. 

There are so many great lessons to be gained from Gavin’s story. I hope you enjoy it!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World, Jacqueline Novogratz. It actually teaches how a business can help the world.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Hiring my Vice-president of Operations. I paid her even before paying myself. 

Worst - Unnecessary software purchases. 

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - Coffee check-ins with our small team. It’s important to keep up the community aspect. 

PM -There’s a point in the evening where I can’t listen to any news. Decompression and sleep are important.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Build an advisory team. You can’t do it alone.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Friends. A work-life balance is actually going to help you in both your personal and professional life.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Gavin Armstrong’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Gavin Armstrong - Founder - Lucky Iron Fish

CONTACT: Twitter @GavinA09 and Instagram @LuckyIronFish

WEBSITE: https://luckyironfish.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: Europe

Year: 2020

Category: Manufacturing and Industry

Protecting the environment is at the forefront of Parveen Begum’s work and the inspiration for starting Solisco. How she started the company and created portable solar car charging stations is just part of her story.

My admiration for Parveen comes from her courage and strength to follow the beat of her own drum in all her career decisions.  Although education was important to her, she took a leap and left law school to run a retail fashion division.  When she wanted a bigger challenge, she applied and survived the Electric Vehicle (EV) Tesla interview process.  It was the car company’s early entry into the EV world and the UK market. 

Parveen started Solisco in 2016, and just two years later, the company won the UK’s Global Clean Energy’s most innovative EV power tech award.  The company also won the UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Innovate UK competition.

When COVID-19 hit, Parveen was left stranded in St. Lucia. Island life has given her time to reflect, especially how the planet’s health has changed for the better. It encourages Parveen to continue to bring her visions, ideas, and knowledge to contribute towards a sustainable planet.

I know you’ll be inspired by Parveen’s unique journey.  Enjoy the show!

Check out the feasibility study – Smart Energy Transportation & Charging Hub Project.

https://media.solisco.co.uk/setch-study/

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Shift, Dr. Wayne Dyer.  I learned to let go of my ego and things I can’t control.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - My open water diving license.  I overcame my fear of drowning.

Worst - None.  I have no regrets.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and the most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

AM - I do yoga.

PM - I put my phone away a few hours before bedtime.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I’d put together a team of young people to brainstorm all the things wrong with the world.  Then we’d work on those ideas.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

A Tesla.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Parveen Begum’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Parveen Begum - CEO of Solisco

CONTACT: Twitter @SoliscoLtd and Instagram @soliscolimited

WEBSITE: http://solisco.co.uk/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2017

Category: Enterprise Tech

From saving himself from a charging mountain lion to keeping mentally strong while leading a multi-national company, my guest Ryan Disraeli has a great story to share.

Ryan is a co-founder of the online security company Telesign, which started in 2005 when he was a sophomore at the University of Southern California.  Telesign pioneered mobile-phone-based two-factor authentication, a security service protecting millions of online accounts.  The company has raised $78-million in funding. The platform has billions of users in over 200 countries in 87 languages.  Telesign has 300 employees with annual revenues of over $100-million.

We covered a lot of topics including:

The behind-the-scenes of creating two-factor authentication.

The value of finding team members to augment your skill sets.

What it takes to lead a team.

Being authentic and honest with co-founders and team members.

The importance of taking a break mentally and physically.

Insights into how one can benefit from coaches and mentors.

Ryan’s scrappy idea will leave you laughing.  I hope you enjoy our conversation!

You can learn more at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/telesign

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni. It’s humbling to see where you can grow and improve.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - A couple of months ago I bought an air fryer.

Worst - I keep buying needless things online.  I keep buying iPads and chargers and then leave them on planes.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and the most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

AM - I meditate in the morning or later in the day.

PM - I look at the next day’s schedule, put priorities in order, and make sure they align with what has to be completed.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I’d find an idea and make sure I execute it well.  It’s important to identify and build great teams.  Find really smart people that can take ideas and start scaling.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

It’s about being better every day; becoming a better friend, having better relationships, and taking care of my health and well-being.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Ryan Disraeli’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Ryan Disraeli – Co-Founder of Telesign

CONTACT: Twitter @telesign

WEBSITE: www.telesign.com

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: Slovakia

Year: 2018

Category: Science and Education

Dr. Marek Buchman showed his chemistry talents early when he co-authored his first patent at 15. He left his home in Slovakia and studied at the University of Oxford, and to date, he scored the highest in their organic chemistry exams. Dr. Buchman earned his PhD. from the KC Nicolao lab at Rice University, where he co-authored a patent that a pharma company recently licensed.

He currently works as a research scientist and is a postdoctoral fellow at the biopharmaceutical company, AbbVie in Chicago.

Our conversation takes us on his educational journey including:

Crediting his parent’s philosophy of trying things for a week to find his talents.

The advantages of attending a school for gifted children.

Finding a mentor who made the subject of chemistry interesting.

The science prize - having a planet named after him.

The Oxford experience.

The importance of ballroom dancing.

The transition from academia to private industry.

Dr. Buchman has ambitious goals for his role in the drug discovery process. We wish him the best as he continues his contributions to medical science.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

"Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis by Laszlo Kurti & Barbara Czako" (https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Applications-Reactions-Organic-Synthesis/dp/0124297854)

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Learning how to solve problems using chemistry; learning when to switch strategies when something is not working.

Worst - None

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - A quick shower and great Gordon Ramsay breakfast.

PM - Reading for an hour before bed.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I’d find a good way to invest the money. I’d still go to college. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Having good friends and people I can rely on.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Dr. Marek Buchman’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Dr. Marek Buchman – Research Scientist of BioPharmaceuticals

CONTACT: Twitter @MarekBuchman and Instagram @Marek.Buchman

WEBSITE:https://www.abbvie.com/our-company.html?utm_campaign=cc_herenow_2020_rep&utm_medium=psearch&utm_source=google&utm_content=brand%20core&utm_term=abbvie%20biopharmaceutical

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Media

Ever wonder what makes a video go viral?  My guest Lizz Warner is extremely talented at creating social media content that does just that.  Lizz is the creator of BuzzFeed’s first travel brand called “Bring Me!” which became the #1 Travel Publisher on the Internet in under a year with over 4-billion views.

She was also the content creator for NBC’s Snapchat for the 2016 and 2018 Olympics.  On top of that, she was a producer for Joe Biden’s social media campaign while simultaneously working on her app.  Her app is a modern-day dating timesaver called Gleam. It allows people to screen their dates over a video call before meeting them in person. 

Lizz shared some great insights on how to create viral videos including:

Her story on creating content that positively affects people’s lives.

Being a bit of a data scientist to understand who watches a video.

The importance of testing, experimenting, and reiterating.

The first three seconds rule.

Insights into the use of video titles, visuals, audio, and graphics.

Lizz is an expert in knowing how to test both content and products for usability and marketing. She gives a behind-the-scenes view of how she created Gleam and how the app will expand because of consumer research.

I enjoyed how Lizz shared her great takeaways for making her products a success.  I know you’ll be able to implement her strategies right away!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Mom Test, Rob Fitzpatrick.  It shows you how to test an idea without bias.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Buying Tesla stock at the right time.

Worst - Investing in BP.  People don’t want to invest in oil and gas.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - I don’t have a morning routine.  I roll out of bed when I have to.

PM - I tend to get most of my work done late at night when it’s quiet and silent.  I suggest people just do what’s right for them.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I would put the money towards the new dating app I’m creating.  Or I would start a production company that was geared towards saving the planet.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

My Vitamix.  I even make my own almond milk!

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Lizz Warner’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Lizz Warner – Founder of Glean Dating

CONTACT: Twitter @wanderlizz and Instagram @wanderlizz

WEBSITE: GleamDating.com

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Law and Policy

My guest today is in the Law and Policy category and is only the third military member selected for the honor.

Julian Gluck is a B-52 Stratofortress pilot and flight commander for the U.S. Air Force. He has flown combat missions against ISIS and the Taliban and served as the executive officer of the Department of Defense’s largest bomb group. In 2018, the Air Force Times chose him as Airman of the Year, another prestigious honor.

Julian was recently nominated to serve as the next Chairman of the Company Grade Officers Council for all 49,000 captains and lieutenants in the Air Force, and even Space Force. And he has directly advised military leaders at the Pentagon. He is also in the ABC documentary “Everyday Heroes.”  

Julian’s military experiences have contributed to his leadership skills, which are exemplary and impressive. He shares his experiences in his endless hours of volunteer work. One of his projects centers on helping people in the civilian world understand and dispel many of the misconceptions of military life. Through his work with the Civil Air Patrol, Julian encourages and shows civilians how to give service to the community without becoming a member of the military.  

I especially enjoyed our conversation in the “30 under 30 Round,” which has even more insights on how Julian lives his life and excels in leadership.

Julian is a true inspiration. He is so deserving of this Forbes honor. 

*NOTE: The views expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or United States government.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius. I read Stoic meditations every morning. I love philosophy and theology.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Joining the U.S. Air Force.

Worst - Investing in precious metals through mutual funds.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - I wake up and check the news. I read a Stoic mediation and pick a weekly virtue that I think about and meditate on.

PM - I do nonprofit or volunteer work in the evenings. Then I go on a run to clear my mind and listen to music. 

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I would find a group of individuals I trust that represent several life sectors. I’d look for opportunities to aid others, probably through a nonprofit.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Technology such as Zoom. I’ve been able to connect with family and to work with people in all different sectors. It’s amazing what technology can allow us to do.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Julian Gluck’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Julian Gluck – Military Pilot at US Air Force

CONTACT: Instagram @JulianRGluck

WEBSITE: www.JulianGluck.com

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Asia

Year: 2018

Category: Media. Marketing, and Advertising

Milan Reinartz is the CEO of iVideoSmart (iVS). The company is South East Asia’s largest B2B video publishing and monetization platform. It’s like YouTube for business. iVS allows businesses to monetize their video content more effectively with a unique, proprietary process. iVS reaches over 120 million unique views on over 1.3 billion pages each month.

Milan quickly realized that even though he was making a great living working in advertising, he could make even more money being true to his calling as an entrepreneur. He realized through his early experience of flipping “things” over the Internet that he could achieve great profit margins.  More importantly, he didn’t have to work such long hours to reach his financial goals.

Milan explained his first successful venture and the process to get there. I was impressed with what Milan learned from that experience and how his approach has changed as he’s continued to grow his new company.

As a coach, I can clearly see how Milan’s success is a result of hard work and passion. Yet at some point, a successful leader empowers his team to take on more responsibility and ownership for the product or company to really succeed and grow. Milan addressed that in our conversation. He also spoke about the need to listen to his staff, investors, and customers.

We also discussed how he approaches company challenges so that problems can be solved quickly and how to structure the environment for quick pivots.

Milan’s personal story is unique and interesting. His road to continued success is inspiring. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck, Mark Manson.  I think most people's biggest problems are their values, ego, and how they approach things. I think Manson has a good method for entrepreneurs to change their approaches.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Building a house in New Zealand.

Worst - My shoe collection.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and the most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

AM - Yoga - three or four times a week. Bike riding or other exercises.

PM - Cuddling with my fiancé and having a glass of whiskey.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Find out what to do and who to do it with.  Build a team, look for a partner or co-founder.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Time.  Time for myself.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Milan Reinartz’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Milan Reinartz – CEO of iVideoSmart

CONTACT: Instagram @milan_sgp

WEBSITE: ivs.TV

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Europe 

Year: 2017 

Category: Financing

It’s not every day that I get to have a conversation with a fellow coach, especially one who joins me in the Forbes under 30 club!

It took some time for Julius Bachmann to realize he was a working coach and much more than just an advisor to start-up companies needing help in developing the monetary side of their business. He is now breaking new territory as an executive and team coach, plus serving as a venture capital advisor based in Berlin.

As a former Coach at Volate, he worked with European founders on tackling personal, organizational, and business growth topics. He also serves as a VC expert advisor to the European Commission on its Horizon 2020 program.

Phil says, “Not every athlete has a coach, but every Olympian does.” If you want to take your performance to the next level - invest in a coach.

Our conversation covered so many topics including:

• The unique health and happiness company Julius advises
• Overcoming the stigma of coaching in Germany
• The importance of non-judgment and having an open curiosity when meeting people
• Accepting people where they are in their coaching journey
• Appreciation and gratitude
• Acting as a partner to his clients
• The importance of accountability
• How reaching goals accelerates with the guidance of a coach
• Some of the successful people who invested in themselves by investing in a coach
• Julius is someone to be admired for his approach to helping others achieve their goals. He has a great talent for guiding a client’s journey to success. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did and please, take him up on his very generous offer in the notes below.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book?

Mindset - The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck.

2. What’s one of the worst investments you’ve ever made?

Worst - Investing in some companies that went bankrupt.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

I work out and meditate.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Finance work from the operating perspective. CFO software stack is absolutely broken and there is a need to start a company that helps finance professionals, especially small companies.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

An eBook reader with backlight

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Julian Bachmann’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Julius Bachmann

• CONTACT: Twitter @jmbachmann | Instagram @julius_bachmann | Linkedin https://de.linkedin.com/in/jmbachmann
• WEBSITE: https://www.jmbachmann.com
• COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: 3 for 2 offer on founder coaching sessions; go to https://www.jmbachmann.com - use contact form and mention Phil with F30 Podcast for discount.

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

• SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels
• PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com
• PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Asia

Year: 2020

Category: Enterprise Technology

Madhavi Shankar had two career goals – to be on the Forbes list and to succeed as an entrepreneur.  This year Madhavi reached both those goals in her role as co-founder and CEO of the mobile and web app Space Basic.

The app is a platform to manage hostels and student housing matters including attendance, payments, and room allotment.  It may sound simple, but the end results of using this app have incredible benefits and cost-saving implications for a number of stakeholder ecosystems.

Space Basic has had fast growth as a company and in adding app users.  Since launching in 2017, it reached 200,000 users last year and is on target to reach one-million users this year.

In 2019 Madhavi was named one of the Top 60 Women Transforming India by the Indian government and the United Nations.

Madhavi certainly knows how to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way and works both instinctively and methodically.   Some of the many things she shared with me include:

Her unique insights on the value of working at startups before starting her own entrepreneurial journey.

The importance of due diligence to understand ecosystems and opportunities.

How her work in the due diligence phase has created a loyal client.

Understanding how to work with teams and finding ways to inspire them.

The importance of encouraging employees to contribute to the company as well as seeking opportunities for personal growth.

Her own take on the importance of “gut” feelings.

The desire of working to improve her home country of India.

Her love of self-learning using books, podcasts, and tutorial videos.

The importance of mentors.

Her next ambitious set of goals to grow the company.

Madhavi’s leadership skills are impressive.  She shares a number of memorable strategies that helped her to grow her company quickly and successfully.  I hope you’ll be inspired by her unique perspectives.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Lean Startup, Eric Ries.  It gave me a head start on my startup.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - My company.

Worst - Maybe some poor investment in the stock market.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning and Evening routines?

AM - Meditation.  I use the Calm app.

PM - Meditation if I missed it earlier.  I get my “steps” on the treadmill while on the phone.

4. If you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I’d still go to college.  Since I’m passionate about the education space I’d probably start something similar, but sooner.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Patience.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Madhavi Shankar’s story has inspired you and your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Madhavi Shankar – CEO of Space Basic

CONTACT: Twitter @madhavi_shankar / Instagram @madhavishankar

WEBSITE: https://www.spacebasic.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2017

Category: Education

My friend and guest Jordan Levy bridges the gap of bringing Higher Education students to the workplace through unique experiential learning opportunities.

His company, CapSource makes it easy for educators and companies to match skills and needs through hands-on collaborations that expose students to new circumstances with real stakeholders, challenges, and outcomes.

Jordan has started two Ed-Tech companies and today, CapSource has over 200 company partners providing learning experiences to over 3,000 students at 50 different institutions around the globe. Some of his clients include Fordham, the University of Texas at Dallas, University of Illinois, and Notre Dame.

Jordan’s global teams are in the Middle East and Asia with a home base in New York City. It’s our shared belief that it’s important for entrepreneurs to make sure one enjoys life and living surroundings for creativity, physical and psychological safety.

Jordan and I shared mutual philosophies including:

How teams that work virtually may become the new normal.

This is the time to build good processes and great teams; network and keep learning from Fortune 500 executives and their corporate responsibilities.

Being in the fortunate position of team building when other companies are not.

Lessons from Michael Gerber on working on a business instead of becoming an employee of their own business.

The opportunities gained by being a Forbes Under 30 award recipient and the value of mentors.

Jordan also describes his own student journey that lacked real-world applications.

That experience was his inspiration for experiential learning - empowering students to be in a position to solve real problems.

How students build a case study of the company while being mentioned and coached simultaneously.

How it puts students in a position of advantage over those not having practical work experience.

The challenges of integrating new learning techniques into a curriculum.

The unique proposition of CapSource’s ability to onboard clients.

Proving a return on investment to higher education institutions.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Art of Gathering, by Priva Parker. It’s about the importance of people.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Education companies.

Worst - Investing in novelty essential diffusers - haven’t made money, but learning about physical products and supply chains.

3. Guilty Pleasures

Tuna Tartar; the ability to host friends and create relationships.

4. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

I sleep smarter and make it a point to learn every day.

5. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Maybe building a side hustle type school and simple product.

6. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Zen Gardens that I buy as gifts.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Jordan Levy’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

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GUEST INFO: Jordan Levy – CEO of Capstone Source

CONTACT: On Instagram @Lordanjevy

WEBSITE: http://www.capstonesource.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2018

Category: Law & Policy

At 12-years of age, Georges Clement left an all-American small town in Kansas to discover what the world has to offer. He convinced his parents that moving to New York City was the thing to do so he could expand his thinking and world-view. He fell in love with the city and early on observed how his neighborhood was rapidly changing with big developers moving in and landlords changing the rental scene. Although he loved the city, he felt the need to move again. This time it was to get his degree at the University of Wisconsin. Then there was another move when he studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa.

With a degree in sociology, Georges went searching for a career path. He became a generalist at a tech startup and later went to General Assembly as a Product Manager, leading the expansion of GA’s business programs around the world.

Georges is a Cheng Fellow and Kennedy Fellow with a Masters of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. After his fellowships, Georges combined all of his background and skill sets to co-found JustFix.nyc.

Just Fix is a nonprofit that helps NY city renters fight evictions, request repairs, get an apartment’s rent history, and even takes a landlord to court if necessary. The organization won the Justice Innovation of the Year award from the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law. Georges has also been selected as an American Express Emerging Innovator.

Georges really understands the housing issues of NY City and the consequences it has for both property owners and tenants, and its implications for social justice issues being part of mainstream conversations today. I think you will really enjoy his insights, plus how he has the unique ability to look at issues from varying perspectives.

Once again, using all of his entrepreneurial skills, Georges is helping a friend start a new company called Enrich. The firm helps connect talented college graduates from unrepresented backgrounds to get jobs with top companies. Check the show notes below if you are looking to hire and want to diversify your candidate pipeline. It’s a very timely and needed initiative.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization, and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement, Marshall Ganz

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Hair clippers because I can’t get to the barbershop during the quarantine.

Worst - A stand-up desk I bought in quarantine that collapsed.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

AM - Iced coffee and bagel.

PM - Dinner with family, friends, and loved ones whenever possible.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

College is very important. I’d look at companies that examine wealth gap disparities.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

A durable phone case.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

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How Georges Cement’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

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GUEST INFO: Georges Clement – Co-Founder of JustFix.NYC

CONTACT: Twitter @JustFixNYC and Instagram @furiousgeorges

WEBSITE: http://www.justfix.nyc/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2016

Category: Healthcare

Living in N.Y. city to moving in with your parents in the midwest can change life’s perspectives during this readjustment time due to Covid. It’s interesting how each of us has a different method of pivoting and moving forward. I had a wonderful conversation with Dr. Neel Madhukar, CEO of OneThreeBio, not only on his successes so far but where he’s going in the future and why.

Dr. Madhukar earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University designing new machine learning approaches that are better suited for biological problems. While at Cornell, he authored numerous scientific publications in the fields of machine learning, pharmacology, and precision medicine. His work has led to the development of new AI prediction methods, the discovery of a novel class of cancer therapeutics, and the start of new clinical trials.

He then went on to complete his postdoctoral studies at Cornell Tech’s Runway Postdoc program where he started his company. He is an awardee of the PHARMA informatics fellowship and was listed as one of the top 100 AI Leaders in Drug Discovery and Advanced Healthcare.

Dr. Madhukar’s company uses AI and computers to find why cancer is the way it is and using that information to find new treatments.

Our very philosophical conversation covered topics including:

Thoughts on being back “home,” the joy of board games and his being a big fan of satellite soccer.

His time in Pre-Med studies, but how it lacked the science and math that he loved.

The influence of his grandfather’s battle with cancer and the journey of clinical trials.

The challenges of developing a new drug, the time and cost to bring it to market.

A conversation on how genetics were being analyzed led him to use the mix of mathematics, computer science, and biology.

How scientists can use computers and AI leading to better drug discovery and precision medicine.

Biotech entrepreneurship, precision medicine, new methods of partnering, and incubator benefits.

Our conversation continued with great insights on how Dr. Madhukar looks at being an entrepreneur, reflecting on his graduate work and the moments of pivoting and persevering. We even discussed the history and benefits of masterminding!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Disney books to inspire innovative thinking.

Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner is one of my favorites.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Put some money in an IPO. Taking time to look at investments and learning how to make them.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

AM - Walking the dog, de-stressing, getting some fresh air, and reflecting.

PM - Doing something fun like watching TV, playing chess, and just unwinding.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I think school is so important so I’d re-enroll in college.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Tools to keep me organized and productive including apps like Evernote.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Dr. Neel Madhukar’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Dr. Neel Madhukar – CEO of OneThreeBio

CONTACT: Twitter @neelmadhukar

WEBSITE: http://www.onethree.bio/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithF30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020  

Category: Energy

I really enjoyed my conversation with Vaitea Cowan, the co-founder of Enapter, an oil and gas company of the 21st century.  Multilingual, Vaitea connects the leading markets of hydrogen and finds special projects to deploy Enapter's electrolyser technology. Vaitea is an advocate of hydrogen fuel as it does not emit any CO2.  Her company is the first to use electrolyser technology on a large scale.

Vaitea is passionate about the renewable industry in both her personal and professional life.  She is also an advocate for promoting women in technology.  She is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal and a 2020 Forbes 30 under 30(™) USA Energy category.

We shared a great conversation and I hope you will be inspired by Vaitea’s journey to entrepreneurship and being an Elon Musk competitor.

She shares details on working during COVID-19 and how her company’s technology works:

During Covid Vaitea spends time reading a variety of topics.  She takes it one step further by sharing her notes and knowledge to others to spark ideas and debates.

The technology works by taking electricity and water inputs into the Enapter’s hydrogen generator.  The technology basically splits the water into H2 and O2 and the H2 is an energy vector.  The energy vector, the output of the hydrogen generator is then stored in a tank for as long as necessary.

I learned how Vaitea’s background influenced her and the determination for her passion.  She shares a great story on her journey to being involved with Enapter from the ground up to co-founder. She started on the ground level and eventually became a co-founder.

Vaitea dispels the myth that the renewable energy industry is male-dominated. However, there is work to be done to make it better. We got into a great discussion with Vaitea sharing advice to other women, the importance of mentors and coaches.

I think our conversation will benefit both women and men and the importance of diversity in the workplace.

I hope you enjoy our conversation! 

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The Wise Heart, Jack Kornfield - It teaches Buddhist principles and psychology.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best- Lightweight, Samsonite carry-on luggage.

Worst - Not understanding the sound canceling panels I got for our office that don’t work.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

Morning - Exercise and just listening to the birds which running instead of wearing headsets.

Evening - Reading.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Get into the zero waste movement.  I recently started a zero-waste 30-day challenge.  I would research people who are already in the zero waste food movement and get their advice.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Fluffy sole inserts for the inside of my boots to keep my feet warm.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Vaitea Cowan’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Vaitea Cowan – CoFounder of Enapter

CONTACT: On Twitter @CoVaitea

WEBSITE: https://www.enapter.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: Europe

Year: 2020

Category: Science and Healthcare

Kunal Garg’s company is a life-line behind the scenes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within three-weeks, his company developed Plex, an antibody test for the COVID-19 virus. It is the only test that can measure three different antibody responses.

The discussion started with Kunal explaining to Phil how the company was able to transfer skill sets quickly from its main product, TICKPLEX, the first-ever, multi-functional, multiplex test for the clinical diagnosis of tick-borne diseases.

It also enables healthcare providers to test patients for multiple microbes and disease stages simultaneously - a scientific first. The company, TezTed has partnerships in Canada, Germany, Spain, and others. It raised $1.55 million dollars in funding. The Finnish Science Foundation for Technology and Economics has awarded Kunal with the Young Research Entrepreneur of the Year, making him the first foreign national to ever receive the award.

The interview continues with the history of Kunal’s work, the details of his test lab, challenges, Lyme disease, and entrepreneurship. This inspiring interview includes:

Kunal and a friend created a portable water purifier to be used in Africa. A deputy Research Director mentored Kunal. The product went from prototype to product and patents within four-months.

Funding was received for proof of concept in Finland and additional funding came from friends and families.

Phil and Kunal discuss in detail the entrepreneurial journey and making the transition from academia to the real world; lessons learned from an interest to passion, to purpose.

Kunal goes into detail about the unique value of his product - commercializing a test kit that looks for multiple infectious diseases. The industry standard for test kits is to test for one or two viruses.

To learn more about the only COVID-19 antibody test that can measure 3 different antibodies against multiple proteins on the SARS-COVID-2 virus, visit: www.tezted.com/sarsplex

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Wings of Fire, Abdul Kalam - former President of India. It’s the perfect example of a person being persistent and having the right scientific genius to kick off the most successful aerospace program in India.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - To change my mindset to know the importance of practical training more than the theory.
• Worst - A pair of headphones I bought, but don’t want to talk about.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

30-minutes of exercise. Without it, I am probably going to be miserable.

Before I go to sleep I use an app for meditation called Headspace. Book: “The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day”

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I would still start a business in a Nordic/Scandinavian country. It’s a very open culture.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Crocs.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Kunal Garg’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Kunal Garg – CoFounder of TezTed

CONTACT: On Twitter @kunalgargplex

WEBSITE: http://gargkunal.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: Europe

Year: 2017

Category: Health

People impaired by diseases like ALS, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy, or those that may have suffered spinal cord injuries, frequently have no ability to move their arms or legs.

Munevo is a German company that empowers people with disabilities by designing wheelchairs and other supports using new and innovative technologies. Munevo’s core product, Munevo DRIVE gives a person the ability to drive and steer their wheelchair by using head movements.

Claudiu Leverenz founded Munevo in 2018 after his studies at TU Munich. In 2018 he joined Global Shapers Munich, an initiative by the World Economic Forum to support social projects.

In 2017 Claudiu was named to the “Forbes 30 under 30 Europe” list - Science and Healthcare category.

In this episode, Phil goes in-depth with Claudiu on the innovative technology and product development story. Phil also learns about Claudiu’s journey to success before COVID-19 and hopes for future plans.

Claudiu explains how the wheelchair technology works - like a Google Glass with integrated sensors which becomes a gyroscope/accelerometer - a sensor that can detect movements. He gives full details on the concept of movement controlled by the user.

Claudiu speaks about his studies and travels and early exposure to Google Glass in a Master’s course and shared ideas with a classmate.

Claudiu explains the challenges to adopt his product over wheelchairs that have been on the market for 10 - 20 years; convincing healthcare reimbursement systems of his product’s better value.

Phil continues his discussion with Claudiu on revelations regarding the importance of mentors, design thinking approaches instead of academic research. He also gets thoughts about the importance of recognizing gratitude and showing appreciation to valuable coaches, mentors, and early investors.

Claudiu’s future goals include:

Fully integrating into more health care systems around the world 

Upscaling and going to the US to launch; meeting FDA approvals

Looking for more US contacts to help expand

To help the World Economic Forum to upscale more than one-million refugees with digital skills and career help. 

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Holly Black’s three novels

21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - My company

Worst - Some ETF’s. I learned to use people with investing skill sets as I don’t have them.

3. Favorite Guilty Pleasure

In NYC - a great Falafel with tahini and hummus 

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Find a mentor

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

A Frisbee. I didn’t bring things like a soccer ball when I moved to my new apartment.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Claudiu Leverenz’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Claudiu Leverenz – CEO of Munevo

CONTACT: On Instagram @claudiu_lev

WEBSITE: https://munevo.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: Africa

Year: 2019

Category: Business

My guest, Bright Jaja has one of the most unique projects to help empower young Africans.  Around the world people tend not to appreciate or value those that have vocational or basic technical skills.  Bright is changing that perception by rebranding and showcasing the talents of trade workers and their importance in today’s economy.

Bright is the Founder of iCreate Africa, which is a training facility for people to learn new vocational and trade skills.  The facility helps those who do not seek or cannot afford higher education, to be trained in areas such as coding, plumbing, tailoring, barbering, carpentry and more.

The company has also created a unique event called iCreate Skill Fest.  It's one of Africa’s largest technical and vocational skills competitions.  After training at the facility, skilled students are showcased in the competitions where potential employers are invited.  The result helps students obtain jobs or internships.

More importantly, the competition helps to change the perception of people who have opted to attend trade schools. The two-day iCreate Skill Fest competition has featured over 84 competitors from West Africa competing in 14 skill categories.

So far iCreate Africa has helped over 80,000 people who could not afford a traditional education.

The company is active on Social Media and has launched a new service to connect graduates with potential employers at www.skillers.ng

Bright is inspirational in how he has overcome the odds to launch his program.  His goal is to create five-million jobs and to expand curriculum to include skills of the future such as augmented reality or blockchain technology.  

I hope you enjoy this episode and admire Bright’s exceptional ambitions as much as I do.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Psycho-cybernetics, Maxwell Maltz, MD, FICS because it makes people see the possibilities of their mind.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Learning how to use my life-skills.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

AM - Watching our interviews, the videos and documentaries that we create.

PM - I quietly review my day and think about my progress.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

Investing and developing a creative brand image.

5. The next goal?

Focus on empowering young Africans to take the global stage.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Bright Jaja’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Bright Jaja – Founder of iCreate Africa

CONTACT: Twitter @jajazy and Instagram @officialbrightjaja

WEBSITE: http://www.icreateafrica.com/

PROJECT:  http://www.skillers.ng

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: "Phil30"

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Israel

Year: 2016

Category: Filmmaker & Social Activist

As a young girl, Rotem Alima had a vision to become an Executive Producer.  She doesn’t know where that idea came from, but it was a vision that just continued to stay inside her.

Rotem is the epitome of having and keeping that vision, not saying no to obstacles.  Because of her tenacity, a door finally opened leading to opportunities to reach her dream.

During her career she has worked with large, international brands, popular television programs, the highest government offices in Israel and single-handedly built her own successful production business.

She produced six movies which were featured around the world, winning her an Oscar and an  Israeli Academy Award.  Her films include Once There was a Girl and Paris on the Water.

Rotem’s next vision is looking at an Emmy Award. She believes in committing to a goal, believing and investing in yourself because it’s the best investment you'll ever make.

Even in the competitive world of Hollywood, Rotem’s advice is sound. She says, “I truly believe that everything is possible. I honestly believe that I can do anything. And that if you work hard enough, if you believe hard enough, if you try enough times, it will happen.” 

Rotem’s story is uplifting.  I hope you take the time to listen and become inspired.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Dr. Seuss.  That’s my guide.  I give it to everyone that I believe in.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

Best - Taking time to invest in myself.

Worst - I find a silver lining in everything.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

PM - In Judaism we have a gratitude moment before we go to bed.

AM - And when we wake up in the morning we again say thank you God for everything.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I would want my production company to focus on minorities, immigrant women and people who don’t get proper screen time.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Self-love.  The most important relationship I have is within myself.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Rotem Alima’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Rotem Alima – Owner of Rotem Alima Productions

CONTACT: On Instagram rotem.alima

WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/rotem.alima

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2017 

Category: Media

Unlike many of the people I interview on this podcast, Rhonesha Byng is unique in her entrepreneurial journey because she didn’t raise venture capital money.

Through real bootstrapping, Rhonesha developed into a successful entrepreneur, the CEO of Her Agenda, a digital media platform for millennial women. The site provides access to content and community that gives women information and inspiration to help them get started, or to move to the next level of their career. 

She won an Emmy award while she was a field producer with NBC-New York and received an award by the New York Association of Black Journalists.

She was also named one of 50 Founders to watch from ESSENCE magazine and was named One of the People to Know by BET. 

Rhonesha has a passion for journalism and is concerned that the craft of journalism is dying. She works passionately to make sure the reporting and interviews are accurate and professional.

Rhonesha also shares:

• Her journey.
• Her failures.
• How she built social capital.
• The importance of relationships and how through ingenuity she developed them.
• Negotiation skills.

Career advice including:

• Get experience and watch others in the industry you want to be in.
• Learn from your mistakes.
• Build a reputation and a circle of advisors before going out and doing your own thing.

Rhonesha’s story puts her in a position to be a role model for young women, as well as to others who take a different route to starting a business.

I hope you will support her growth by joining her crowdfunding campaign.

Her Agenda Insiders (paid virtual community) and crowdfunding campaign offers a unique opportunity to try the Inside community for one-month without getting into a subscription. Learn more at:

https://ifundwomen.com/projects/her-agenda

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• The Moment of Lift, Melinda Gates. I give it to all my interns.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - My team. It’s small, but they accomplish a lot.
• Worst - Past web designers. Past web developers.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - I begin my day with gratitude and write down three things I am grateful for.
• PM - A yoga routine.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I’d buy a building and create my headquarters there. The bottom would be a community co-working space.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• Discipline

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Rhonesha Byng’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

4. Also mentioned in this episode: angel.co for finding developers

GUEST INFO: Rhonesha Byng – Founder of Her Agenda

CONTACT: On Instagram @neshasagenda and Twitter @neshasagenda

WEBSITE: https://heragenda.com/

WEBSITE: http://www.rhonesha.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: Europe

Year: 2018

Category: Media & Marketing 

How does one go from being a volunteer at an Argentinian soup kitchen to being on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in media and marketing? Amy Williams, the founder of Good-Loop made a transformational life and career pivot when she realized that although she had great appreciation for being in the advertising industry and how it creates and shapes culture, she didn’t care for the negativity in that space. She wanted to leave the world better than she found it.

Today she converts a consumer’s attention and data into funding for good causes around the world. She works with companies such as Nestlé, Unilever, the Co-Op, Coca-Cola and H&M using her “ethical ad platform.” That platform rewards consumers who choose to engage with advertising by donating to their chosen charity, while simultaneously delivering better ROI for advertisers.

Her ethical ad campaigns support front line COVID-19 health care workers, Feeding America and the World Health Organization. And Amy is the face of the United Nations #SheInnovates global campaign.

Amy shares her lessons from her journey including:

The importance of personal values in work

Putting a timeline to goals

Working with the Co-Founders Lab

The use of storytelling in business

The importance of momentum

A leader’s need to create a democratic workplace culture

Amy is candid and vulnerable. I hope you get a kick out of how I went into the role of “coach” during our conversation. There are life lessons in there for all of us to benefit.

Feel free to contact Amy as she wants to connect with more global brands, so they too can create a positive social change and relationship with their consumers.

Also mentioned:

Co-founders lab - a great resource if you're looking for a business partner.

AngelList - a group of people that enjoy supporting startups in the entrepreneurial world.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• Factfulness, Hans Marling. The book helped me navigate how we can improve the world because it feels so overwhelming as a concept.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - The entrepreneur course I did in Chile. It grounded me and gave me the confidence to start my business.
• Worst - I keep booking classes of some stupid fitness regime. Then I don’t go. It’s a waste of money.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - I don’t have a mindful morning.
• PM - I do emails until midnight and watch Netflix shows, way too late.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I would get a Starbucks card. Then I’d offer people I want to connect with a coffee in exchange for 20-minutes of their time to bounce an idea off them. At the end of every meeting I’d ask for a referral to grow my network.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• An app called City Mapper

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Amy Williams’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Amy Williams –Founder of Good-Loop

CONTACT: On Instagram @goodloophq and on Twitter @ala_swimmily

WEBSITE: http://www.good-loop.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2016

Category: Education

Kate Machtiger creates spaces that diversify and enhance our sensory landscape. She brings a strategic vision to complex projects and harnesses her multi-disciplinary design and business background to translate concepts into physical space.

• She was formerly Design Director at Assignment Studios, where she helped clients bring their brand visions to life in the form of retail spaces, pop-ups, and events.
• In 2016, Kate was selected to the Forbes 30 Under 30 for her role in developing emerging technology programs with the federal government.
• Previously, Kate served as a creative consultant on numerous large-scale real estate and hospitality ventures and as an innovation consultant for Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits. She began her career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs where she put her math skills to work.
• Kate is living in NY City and is facing all the COVID challenges. Recently, she has put her efforts into creating rooms using spatial designs for frontline workers. The rooms are unique as they provide sensory relief to reduce stress, anxiety, and even symptoms of PTSD. They have proven to be effective and a great showcase for Mount Sinai to share with other healthcare facilities.
• Kate graduated from Princeton University with a B.S.E. in Civil Engineering and an M.B.A. from Said Business School at the University of Oxford. She began her career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs where she put her math skills to work.
• I am sure you will learn and appreciate how she went from corporate America to doing work that was more personal to her. The transition took a lot of work and hustling, including creating a portfolio of work that was not completed “on the job.” The lessons Kate shares are appropriate for so many people who are reflecting during this time as to what are the next career moves one can make and what it takes to get there.
• During our conversation, she also shared thoughts on mentors and even Instagram influencers. And she is unique in how she looks at a product in relation to how it needs a space that embodies it. You can see the evidence in her pop-up work. Take a look at some of the spaces she has created, pictured on her website. And read her thought leadership piece on the future of physical spaces, retail and brands also on her website.  

• You can read Kate’s HBR article here: https://hbr.org/2020/06/what-will-the-retail-experience-of-the-future-look-like
• To learn more about the hospital design work, check out Kate’s friend, Mirelle on IG @studioelsewhere or https://www.studioelsewhere.co
• And please, think about supporting the Frontline Strong Relief on the GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/frontline-strong-relief-fund

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• Einstein’s Dreams, Alan P. Lightman 

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - Weighted blanket.
• Worst - Overhyped shared house.

3. What is your favorite guilty pleasure or favorite cheat meal?

• New York Pizza

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I’d build a chocolate factory or theme park.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker(™)

GUEST INFO: Kate Machtiger – Founder of Extra Terrestrial Studio

• CONTACT: On IG & Twitter @katetigre
• WEBSITE: www.katemachtiger.com

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

• SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels
• PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com
• PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Education

San Diego native Austin Martin was not considered the best of students, but he was a bright kid. Ironically he earned the Forbes 30 under 30 award in the education category. Austin is the CEO of Rhymes with Reason (RWR), an online vocabulary and literacy centered learning tool that is powered by a student’s favorite music.

• RWR has been used in more than 100 schools and education programs across the United States. The company and product have been covered by Bloomberg, NPR, EducationPost, HuffingtonPost, and other media outlets.
• In 2019, RWR launched a collaboration with Chance the Rapper’s Social Works and was awarded the 2019 Echoing Green Fellowship.
• Austin’s story centers around his good fortune of meeting Cliff Weitzman (another Forbes 30 under 30 interviewed on our very first episode) when he got involved in social entrepreneurship at Brown University. Austin learned the importance of researching and validating his idea and he shares his unique “light bulb” moment that got him started in developing his concept.
• Austin’s inspiration for his company really comes from a high school passion. He was almost addicted to his love of studying rap music, primarily for the art of the lyrics and appreciation of how those words were conveyed in music.
• Austin believes that studying lyrics provided him with a wider vocabulary. He says, “I had a better grasp of figurative language. I understood all the allusions and references that are made in rap music including pop culture and history.”
• RWR program executes a strategic use of “the world’s most popular and equitable word bank” with popular music to engage young people in academics, and to increase access to vocabulary by presenting vocabulary and English language learning within a context (popular music) that most of the world already understands and enjoys. 

Austin’s approach to education certainly is one of a kind. Enjoy the show and be sure to get his gift listed below.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra because of my learning the importance of self-awareness and happiness.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - I bought a domain name, created a website and just went to work.
• Worst - Even if you make a mistake you always learn something.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - I get outside and run or walk to wake up my mind.
• PM - I plan out specific objectives for the next day.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I’d make sure I’d do an inventory on myself and know that the business I am starting is one I believe in and care about. Then I would hire developers and start the marketing plan.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• I’m slowing down because taking a couple of steps back is really taking a couple of steps forward.

GUEST INFO: Austin Martin – CEO of Rhymes With Reason

• CONTACT: On Instagram @rhymeswithreason and @life.withreason
• WEBSITE: http://www.rhymeswithreason.com/
• COUPON CODE DISCOUNT: rhymeswithreason.com/covid-19 and use code "PHIL"

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

• SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels
• PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com
• PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Games

Can you imagine suddenly getting sick and being told you will probably die within hours? You survive and stay in a hospital as every experimental method is thrown at your body to save your life for an illness not identified. You slowly recuperate, continue working at the Federal Reserve and go to college simultaneously. You have lunch with then Chairman of the Federal Reserve Dr. Ben Bernanke, save someone’s life with a computer game you created, get validation on another game from both Bill Nye the Science Guy and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. My guest, Zhenghua Yang did all this before graduating college!

• His story of starting his game development and publishing studio called, “Serenity Forge” is as unique as its purpose of creating games that are a vital part of art, culture and education.
• The studio released its critically acclaimed titles “Where the Water Tastes Like Wine” in 2018, as well as “Lifeless Planet” in 2014, which sold more than a half million copies.
• His team just launched the new psychological adventure game “Neversong,” which is on Apple Arcade, Steam and consoles.
• The projected revenue for the studio’s games for good are projected to reach $1.2 million in revenues this year.
• Zhenghua and I spoke about how his life and death moments as a young man, continues to influence all of his work and life philosophy. And we discussed all the misconceptions of the game industry, which is an-eye opener.

• I hope you enjoy and learn from Zhenghua’s journey to personal contentment and financial success as much as I have. It’s an incredible story.
• Check out his new game: “NeverSong” on Apple Arcade, Steam, and Consoles.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor. That book changed my life.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - There are specific people that I work with today that are just so pivotal to where we are right now as certainly forward. 
• Worst - I drank the Kool Aid and made bitcoin investments at its height.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - I host a little mini Chinese tea ceremony for myself to clear my mind and get the day going.
• PM - I pull up some kind of mobile game and just play in bed and then fall asleep to it. I don’t recommend that to everyone listening.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I would make sure I build lifelong work relationships. That's how you really find success in today's corporate world.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• Bone Conduction Headphones

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Zhenghua Yang’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Zhenghua Yang – Founder of Serenity Forge

• CONTACT: Twitter @ZhenghuaYang
• WEBSITE: http://serenityforge.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

• SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels
• PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com
• PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Venture Capital 

Shawn Xu is an MBA from UPenn and is an early stage investor at Floodgate. Previously, he was the managing partner of the Dorm Room Fund that was famously focused on student-run startups. Shawn made more than 20 pre-seed investments.

Before venture capital, Shawn managed the famous Square payment device and their expansion into Europe. It is now a publicly traded company with a $27 billion market cap. He also managed Vungle’s expansion into Asia, which was eventually acquired by Blackstone for 750M dollars.

His writing on the university startup ecosystem has been featured on Forbes, TechCrunch and Startup Grind.

Shawn is another example of learning from his immigrant family through their experiences and reaching the American dream. In 2016 Shawn started thinking about geopolitics and international affairs. His ultimate goal was to help American technology companies get into Asian, European and Latin American markets.

We start our conversation with Shawn discussing:

• The process of his MBA, the Wharton program and eventually going to North Korea
• His start with Y Combinator
• How his networking led him to Dorm Room Fund and working with student startups.
• Working with Village Global Fund that included Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos
• The benefits of working as a funder as well as a co-founder.
• Understanding the difference of fundraising and building a company and the mistakes made by entrepreneurs not knowing the difference.
• The art and science of getting people to like and buy your product.
• Mike Maples and his framework called back casting.
• The concept of Anchor List

I’m sure you learn valuable lessons from Shawn. And take a look at AnchorList.com for the best great crowdsourced rankings from one of the best startup operators in tech!

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• Mike Maples on Backcasting https://medium.com/@m2jr
• Andrew Chen on Growth and Product Market Fit https://andrewchen.co/
• Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization Book by Parag Khanna

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - What I learned in a deal - Just because everyone else says you’re wrong, doesn’t mean you are wrong.
• Worst - The investment I didn’t make because I missed it.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - I take turns helping my Dad who has Parkinson’s. It humbles me.
• PM - I work out and use FutureFit App https://www.future.fit

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I'd go and find a co-founder. I like working with co- founders who work and live like they are living in the future. I might find someone in the area of climate change.

5 .What’s something you never knew you needed?

• A coach.

RESOURCES: 

• Syrian Refugee video: Yassin Falafel at Square: https://youtu.be/Yz4Q_SlbZgQ
• List of the Best Startup Operators in the World: https://www.anchorlist.com
• Andrew Chen’s Program “Reforge” https://www.reforge.com/growth-series
• Shawn’s writings https://medium.com/@shawnxu

GUEST INFO: Shawn Xu  – Senior Associate of Floodgate

• CONTACT: Twitter @shawnxu and Instagram @shawnxu
• WEBSITE: https://floodgate.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

• SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels
• PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com
• PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2017

Category: Energy

His father immigrated from India to US and was a chemist who when he couldn’t find a job in his field, he ended up working at a pool company. His father started at the bottom and through perseverance became a very successful entrepreneur.

Ravi, working for his father’s pool company, came up with the idea for Sutro. He invented a robot that tests pool and hot tub water for health safety. It’s an automated water maintenance system that saves chemicals, water, and energy.

Ravi has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, MBA in International Finance and a Certificate from Stanford University in Renewable Energy Systems.

Our discussion intertwines Ravi’s upbringing with insights into his entrepreneurship success including:

• Ravi’s unique and genius idea of using the “Next Door” app for getting customers, validating the prototype product and creating product demand.
• Going from private pools to commercial pools.
• The journey of grit and persistence.
• Ravi’s personal habit of doodling and what happens in the process.
• Being proactive versus reactive.
• The importance of rest, relaxation and detaching from technology. 

I continued my discussion and compared the Bill Gross’ Ted Talk on successful startups and how it matches that of Ravi’s journey.

Ravi also shared his thoughts on water technology and where his system can work in the future – everything from consumer consumption to agriculture.

Our conversation flowed into media information, dissemination and even behavioral economics. And I leave you with my final thoughts about building empathy, social and emotional intelligence into children of an early age, so that as adults we ensure the safety of humanity in a positive way.

And Ravi’s philosophy - he believes that being an entrepreneur is an honor he must earn daily. It gives him the ability to solve problems that not only makes money but helps society. The big goal for what’s next - he wants to start impacting the way humanity looks at water.

• Documentary about 3M and Teflon called “Devil We Know” on Netflix
• Movie about Teflon called “Dark Waters” on Netflix

Our conversation is stimulating and insightful. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• Sapiens: A Brief history of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - A Rebel coffee machine – making my own cappuccinos has been amazing
• Worst - A blanket that allows sand to go through it. I saw it on Facebook and it’s the worst purchase ever.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - I don’t use my cell phone first thing and I meditate
• PM - I remember to charge my cell phone OUTSIDE my bedroom.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• Based on my conversation with Phil, something in disruptive media.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• The coffee maker.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Ravi Kurani’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Ravi Kurani – Founder of Sutro

• CONTACT: Twitter @ravihkurani and Instagram @ravi.kurani
• WEBSITE: http://mysutro.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

• SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels
• PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com
• PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Science

Daniel Almeida is a neuroscientist based at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He uses post-mortem human brain samples, coupled with psychological autopsies to understand the molecular impacts of severe childhood abuse on the brains of depressed individuals who died by suicide.

So, before you glimpse over his bio and think this podcast isn’t for me, I want to tell you that my conversation with Daniel was stimulating and exciting. He really knows how to translate neuroscience in a way that we lay people can use it. He shares real-world examples, so we can improve our thinking, brain health and daily life.

Daniel’s inspiration came in high school when his Dad had a stroke. A nurse gave him a book to help him understand what was happening to his Dad and as they say, the rest is history.

As a coach, I find it fascinating that Daniel’s research into brain tissue can

teach us how our habits, routines, life traumas, joys and mindfulness can physically change our brain and how it is wired. Our topics ranged the gamut from microbiomes, learning, use of language, PTSD and social connections.

Daniel shares his own research and that of other scientists on how controlling brain inflammation can help with depression, toxic stress, emotions and brain development.

We also discussed resilience and susceptibility, plus the concept of epigenetics. And, of course, we spoke about mental health and the proper way of speaking about suicide.

My biggest takeaway from this conversation were all the practical approaches we can make in our own brain health for long and short-term goals based on the science and research of Daniel and others in his community. He gave numerous examples of things we can learn from and put into practice immediately.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• My Stroke of Insight, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best and Worst - There were some research projects that weren’t fruitful. But I don’t regret the time investment.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - I practice a mindfulness exercise in the shower.
• PM - Practicing mindfulness when I’m cooking. And I bring mindfulness practices to my everyday routines.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• Mental Advocacy - I’d create some type of organization that reduces the stigma by creating freely accessible workshops. It would be something similar to the international Mental Health First Aid program, or something along those lines.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• Social connection, especially with new friendships is really important to me.

Additional references: “Babies” documentary on Netflix; “Shock and Awe” documentary on psychedelics treatment -- on Amazon Prime Video

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Daniel Almeida’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Daniel Almeida – Neuroscientist at McGill University

• CONTACT: On Instagram @PostmortemPhD and on Twitter @PostmortemPhD
• WEBSITE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmichaelalmeida/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

• SOCIAL: @iamphilmichaels
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels
• PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com
• PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Social Entrepreneurship

I had the privilege of interviewing the two founders of Esusu, a company that helps individuals save money and build credit scores by working with landlords and linking rental payment data to credit unions.

Our conversation includes:

• How Wemimo and Samir met at the Clinton Global Initiative conference
• Sharing the joy of making the Forbes 30 under 30 list which has less than a four percent acceptance rate – even more selective than Harvard.
• Wemimo’s life in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria and her Mom’s insistence on education, immigration to the United States and learning first-hand about predatory lending.
• The beliefs and facts of predatory lending in the United States and the idea of where you come from can determine where you end up.
• Credit scores in the U.S. can hold people back in reaching financial goals.
• Samir’s immigrant family came from New Delhi, India and emigrated to the United States. He shared the same financial obstacles as Wemimo when arriving in the U.S.
• After graduating from NYU and working at the United Nations, Samir wanted to leave bureaucracy and to find out how businesses worked. He later joined LinkedIn.
• Both Wemimo and Samir acknowledge their parent’s journey and their sacrifices and how obstacles made both of them wanting to give back.
• The premise of Esusu is based on when a person pays rent that they should also get a credit score rating like someone who pays a mortgage.
• Esusu has established credit scores for people in the range of 620, which is considered a good credit score, upwards to 722 points which is considered a very good credit score.
• Using landlords as part of the marketing strategy.
• The challenges of hiring the best people and competing with Silicon Valley in the start-up stage; understanding the legal issues of protecting people’s data; protecting the reputation of a startup; finding technology that is scalable.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• ABBEY -- Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi – a great book about networking
• SAMIR -- Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki. It helps to change mindset.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• ABBEY
• Best - Esusu
• Worst - Facebook stocks
• SAMIR
• Best - Investing in Airbnb
• Worst - Investing in Facebook and in the “netflix of China stock.”

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• ABBEY
• AM - Pray, faith reflection and meditation.
• PM - Check the emails before bed so I have a running checklist in my head and I can sleep.
• SAMIR
• AM - Walk and reflect.
• PM - Cook and share a meal.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• ABBEY
• I would find the best co-founder in the world - hopefully Samir. And then I would understand how to best create value for the customers we're going to serve.
• SAMIR
• Find a great partner

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• ABBEY
• Love.
• SAMIR
• I need to believe in myself. And my next goal is to see every country in the world I can.

GUEST INFO: Samir Goel & Wemimo Abbey - Co-CEO’s of Esusu

CONTACT: On Instagram @myesusu

WEBSITE: http://www.esusurent.com/

PROMOTION: Rent Relief Campaign: http://givebutter.com/EsusuRent

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Social Enterprise

I was deeply inspired by my in-depth conversation with David Sudolsky, the founder of Boldr Impact. David took a six-week trip in the Philippines in 2013 and it led him to a six-year quest to make the outsourcing industry less exploitative.

It was through the loss of his best friend and mentor that inspired David to be committed to his company, concentrating on uplifting his employees and their communities. He is also devoting his time and energy to building and supporting purpose-driven NGOs and nonprofits focused on education.

As a coach, I was heartened to know that David was able to take such a loss and grief and turn it around.

Our conversation covers:

• After globetrotting he and his partner decided upon working in the Philippines to start an outsourcing company.
• David came to realize that his outsourcing company, like many others in the country was all about profits.
•  His goal was to change that way of operating and instead - invest in his employees and their communities. He continues to make changes to the business as a legacy to his partner who passed away.
• How the outsourcing market in the Philippines is growing, especially in creative fields.
• By investing in employees, the results are less turnover and better buy-in from employees.
• David’s philosophy of work and life. More can be read on his blog post: https://bit.ly/329YRxF
• David also shares how he wants to change the idea that one should only outsource because it may be less expensive, but because of the growing talent pools and the opportunity for social equity.
• Our conversation continued with the importance of coaches and mentors and being grateful, interspersed with more of David’s incredible commitment to changing and improving the outsourcing business.
• His next goals are expanding to outsourcing from Mexico and South Africa.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• The Great Work of Your Life, Stephen Cope
• Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramhansa Yoganada

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - Coaches
• Worst - Crypto

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• Morning - Ginger and turmeric tea steeped from the actual roots with lemon.
• Evening - 30-minutes of reading before bed - a good Sci-Fi.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I would move to Southeast Asia. I’d like to really understand what startups are booming, what companies are gaining traction and immerse myself in that scene as quickly as possible.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• Noise cancelling headphones - great in a densely populated city like Manila.
• White Noise Machine https://amzn.to/3gL09np

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How David Sudolsky’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: David Sudolsky – Founder of Boldr Impact

CONTACT: Instragram @david.sudolsky

WEBSITE: http://www.boldrimpact.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2018

Category: Social Entrepreneurs

His life is influenced by being raised in two cultures and his father being deported to Mexico. That life changing event got Beto interested in political science, graduating from the University of Texas at Austin and even working with the U.S. Senator John Kerry.

Through government work experience Beto saw the need for creating a technology platform that enabled communication between local municipal governments and its residents.

In 2017 he co-founded Irys (formerly known as City Flag) that developed the first social network for 311 services (customer service for government), which allows residents to easily report issues to local government.

Today, Irys is in more than 15 cities, including the city of San Antonio. There are over 30,000 users on the platform and they have reported over 70,000 city requests on the app.

Throughout the interview Beto explains to Phil:

His interest in social justice issues and has noted that this technology app can help bring awareness to governments to the digital divide in this country and globally.

There are improvements coming in the app to give citizens more choice with how they can stimulate and change their community.

How the app currently works with a citizen reporting a problem to local authorities; how the correct government offices learn of the issues the public wants to report.

A new tool in the app for COVID-19 screening; how to report large social gatherings and additional features.

A personal satisfaction that Beto’s tech platform can help the world especially given the COVID-19 situation.

Beto also shares that if you can connect with someone in your local government about his app and this podcast, he will give your community a one-month free pilot.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• The New Localism by Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - Sweat equity in my company
• Worst - Traveling to unnecessary conferences

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• Staying away from my phone for at least 30-minutes when I wake up, exercising, meditating, getting a healthy, balanced breakfast.
• I try to wind down around 8 or 9 pm. Relax, read a book, refresh and spend time with my wife.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• Surround yourself with folks that can help you grow.
• Travel to universities that focus on areas you need; meet with leaders in those communities and start formulating a plan of action and start teaming up with the right people.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• A head massage tool.
• Traveling - learning about different cultures.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Beto’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!

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GUEST INFO: Beto Altamirano – CEO of Irys

CONTACT: On Instagram @betoaltamirano

WEBSITE: http://heyirys.com/

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: Anyone that works in government or recommends a local government will get a ONE MONTH FREE PILOT for your community if you say you heard of us through "Phil's podcast"

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Forbes List: USA

Year: 2020

Category: Consumer Technology

Anna Lee, is a technical co-founder of Lioness, the women-led sexual wellness startup that built the world's first, and only, vibrator that tracks your orgasm so you can learn how to make them better and better. It uses precision sensors and an app to track your orgasm and see what factors make your orgasm better or worse; stress, alcohol, sleep, partners and more.

Before starting Lioness, Anna was a UC Berkeley engineer at Amazon, launching the Amazon Dash Button’s original concept.

She is an advocate in Lioness’s mission to expand understanding and research in sexual health, while destigmatizing female sexuality.

Phil’s discussion with Anna is conducted with respect, compassion, sensitivity, and a bit of humor. The highlights include:

• Anna’s own expectations to get a corporate job, stay there until it’s time for child rearing years etc. She never expected to be making a “sex toy” or having to explain that to her mom.
• Anna tells of overcoming her own fears and sexual trauma experienced in childhood; trying to understand feelings of self-worth and being unworthy of sexual pleasure.
• A chance encounter with a sex toy founder made her question the intentions of building intimacy products.
• Anna explains how her passion for the product is a way of healing.
• The sensitivities of explaining her career choices to her religious, immigrant parents and the surprising revelations from her mom.
• The lack of research concerning women and their bodies.
• Anna continues with the challenges of speaking on a “taboo” subject, especially in the startup world in the Silicon Valley.
• The difference in presenting sexual health verses sexual pleasure.
• Becoming one of the leaders in creating studies with medical academic researchers; taking a scientific approach to sexual health.
• Anna gives a description of how the technology works; measurements of rhythmic pelvic floor moments; how women differ in orgasms and how the biofeedback works.
• How sex education does not touch on the opportunities to self-explore.
• Anna promotes the product as a self-experiment tool but also thinks it’s great to bring in partners and have fun with it.
• Anna’s advice is to put yourself in the mentality of “if I don’t do it, who will.”

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

• The Toaster Project, Thomas Thwaites

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

• Best - My therapist
• Worst - My 2007 car

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

• AM - A really green smoothie
• PM - Using my product to find tech bugs

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

• I’d still work in sex tech

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

• The Lioness

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Anna Lee’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Anna Lee – CEO of Lioness

CONTACT: On Instagram COMPANY: @lionesshealth PERSONAL: @annaisaverage

WEBSITE: http://www.lioness.io/

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: $20 off vibrators “PHIL20”

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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-- Forbes List: Israel

-- Year: 2018

-- Category: Culture - Fashion

Michal Hidas is an exceptionally creative and forward-thinking global fashion designer from Israel. Her brand, HIDAS, is unique not only for its look, but how the collection aims to shine a light on complex and difficult global issues.

Michal made her professional breakthrough in partnership with a Palestinian architect from Gaza. She used his optimistic architectural freehand drawings as patterns that were then printed on lavish textiles to create the collection.

She’s won New York Fashion Week’s “Fashion Humanitarian Award.” She has been recognized by numerous prestigious magazines including Vogue, Italia, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar.

Michal graduated from the Istituto Marangoni in Milan, one of the world’s most prestigious high fashion academies. During her studies she ranked first among 40,000 contestants in the I-SKOOL digital fashion contest sponsored by ISKO, one of the largest denim manufacturers in the world.

Michal’s latest collection, Bridging, was created in collaboration with her Palestinian partner and a Jewish calligrapher from Jerusalem. Through this collection she hopes to raise awareness, spark conversation and action while giving voice to the desperate plight of Syrians.

Phil and Michal share a good laugh about Michal’s first learning about her inclusion in the Forbes Israel 30 Under 30 list.

Phil compassionately gets Michal to reveal her personal history including:

- How her personal identity struggles led her to learn from others that differ from her during the war between Israel and Gaza.

- Her innovation for developing a new way to look at garment design using beautiful materials that are self-sterilizing, repelling bacteria and viruses.

- Michal’s goal of creating clothes that are inclusive and being inspired by another Forbes member, Ziv Shilon. Ziv is a hero of Israel, IDF who’s disabled, social activist, successful businessman, entrepreneur, and lecturer.

- Michal’s next goal is sharing the incredible documentary from Shreya Patel called Unity.

It’s an amazing documentary about people all across the world, what they are dealing with today and how all our lives are changing. It presents the narrative that we are all united in the same goal of world-wide healing. It goes back to the core fundamentals of relationships; how we enjoy each other’s company, learn and grow from each other. It shares our connection plus the need to help each other because of our common humanity.

Watch the DOCUMENTARY here: https://linktr.ee/UnityDocumentary

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

- The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

a. Best - My friendships and my religion

b. Worst - A bad yoga mat

3. Guilty Pleasures

- Vegan cheese

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

- Invest in a coach, mentor or team member. Business development.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

- A hot bath at the end of the day to calm down.

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

The city / country you’re tuning in from!

How Michal Hidas’s story has inspired you! And your favorite part of this episode.

Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Michal Hidas – CEO of Hidas

-- CONTACT: On Instagram @michalihdas

-- WEBSITE: https://www.hidas.net/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

-- SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

-- YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

-- PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

-- PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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-- Forbes List: Europe

-- Year: 2018

-- Category: Social Entrepreneurship 

Pascal is a first-generation college graduate, social entrepreneur and start-up strategist with significant experience from both sides of the Atlantic. He was named as an emerging European leader by President Barack Obama,

His company, Volunteer World, actively supports 1,600 projects in more than 82 countries across the globe. They're known as the “Airbnb for International Volunteering”. Being the founder of one of the most successful German social start-ups,

In this episode, Pascal shares his incredible story:

• Pascal’s transition from the financial industry to the volunteer travel industry.
• The success of the Costa Rican turtle projects as a result of Volunteer World.
• How Volunteer World matches agencies, NGO’s and various projects with a volunteer’s individual desires, budget, age, skills and goals.
• Pascal’s startup story, pivoting during difficult situations and not taking things personally.
• Phil gives coaching insights as to how Pascal’s negative energy of failure was turned around into positivity, success, and happiness.
• Pascal cites how the company is managing during these globally challenging times; popular projects and the essential asset of Volunteer World’s review system.
• Pascal notes how the project and agency’s vetting process works; how volunteers share information on the web site; how marketing has changed from Google Ads and keywords.
• Pascal’s next goals - Leading his travel start-up out of a crisis so “Volunteer World is ready to strike back and kickass post-coronavirus!”

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

-- Let Me Tell a Story by Jorge Bucay. It’s about 50 or 60 philosophical short stories that give you inspiration and a different perspective on your daily life.

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

a. Best - Tinder Gold Package

b. Worst - I sold “Magic” trading cards. Lesson learned - Take your time for a good deal and have a holistic view on your entire transaction.

3. What’s the most impactful thing you do in your Morning routine and most impactful thing you do in your Evening routine?

-- I’m a big believer in getting enough rest and enjoying life. I sleep in and relax in my free time,

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

-- An affordable solution for parabolic flights. As a science-fiction fan I’d use the money for a dream I have.  

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

-- Volunteer World

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Pascal’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Pascal Christiaens Founder of Volunteer World

-- CONTACT: On Instagram @volunteerworld_com

-- WEBSITE: https://www.volunteerworld.com/

-- COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience: "Phil30" ($30 dollar discount on Volunteer World). AND, separately, you get a 30% discount if you enroll before June 30th

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

-- SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

-- YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

-- PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

-- PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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-- Forbes List: Asia 

-- Year: 2020

-- Category: Social Entrepreneurship

After winning the Startup World Cup in 2017, my guest, Mladen Jovanovic, met his professor Dr. Wright, and together they founded BindiMaps.

BindiMaps is an indoor navigation tool for people who are blind or visually-impaired. His professor, Dr. Wright, conceptualized the idea after being diagnosed with a rare eye disorder where she was destined to go blind.

BindiMaps restores independence to people who are blind, or vision impaired by allowing them to safely and independently navigate indoor spaces.

Since launching in 2019 in Australia Bindimaps has assisted over 1,600 people to safely reach over 2,000 destinations and have raised over $1.5M, with another $5M to be closed soon, valuing the company at $25M.

In this episode, Mladen Jovanovic shares his incredible story:

Mladen Jovanovic and Phil have a lively discussion starting with:

• Phil notes how Mladen uses “Person-First” terminology to address those with a learning difference or physical difference in abilities.
• Mladen talks about migrating to Australia from Serbia and not being the brightest student. 
• Mladen shares his obstacles, challenges and stresses on his journey to success; building his confidence by winning the Startup World Cup in Australia and then Denmark.
• He takes the next steps after reading about a woman’s disappointment in university because she was blind. He contacts her and asks how life can be better. The “aha” moment comes to Mladen that he can change a person’s life instead of just making money for a company.
• They continue with the development of BindiMaps; by creating an accessible solution compatible with iOS devices for voiceover mode. The app gives a complete description of an environment along with prompts, so the user gets a complete assessment along with encouragement to engage with the environment.
• BindiMaps examples are given, explaining how environments are presented in great details. Example – “the juice bar is on the right, it has this and that and this special offer.” Example – “the restrooms are this shape with cubicles on that side and this is how the taps work.”
• They both share their book reading tips, taking notes and how to organize those notes.
• Mladen explains the early days of the startup with how they bumped up analytics with sending out their team members using the app in various places. 
• Phil sited it’s a tactic used by everyone from Reddit to Sarah Blakely.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

-- The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

a. Best - Investment in my first startup which was a failure, but got me to where I am today.

b. Worst - An expensive stand up desk and I never stand up.

3. Favorite Cheat Meal?

-- Extremely cheesy, extremely cheesy, deep pan pizza with a kilo of cheese.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

-- I would definitely go towards the automotive industry as I don’t think there’s a lot of innovation in that space

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

-- NURA headphones. They calibrate how your ears hear music.

GUEST INFO: Mladen Jovanovic – CEO of BindiMaps

CONTACT: on Instagram @themladenjov

WEBSITE: http://www.bindimaps.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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-- Forbes List: Asia

-- Year: 2019

-- Category: Consumer Technology

Alyona Tkachenko is the founder and CEO of a hardware-as-a-service startup, Nommi, that focuses on providing a global secure infrastructure for remote workers, a mobile WiFi hotspot that runs on eSIM that works at home or remotely.

Nommi is one of the most successfully crowdsourced projects in Kazakhstan, raising $142,000 from it’s campaign on Indiegogo and followed with a $435,000 seed round. They recently signed corporate agreements with PWC and Mars.

She has 9+ years of experience in marketing and is originally from Kazakhstan. She’s also leading the largest STEM initiative in the country called “Hour of Code” as a part of her social responsibility effort.

In this episode, Alyona shares their incredible story:

• The culture of Kazakhstan and the Sasha Baron Cohen's “Borat” movie.
•  The reason to visit Kazakhstan with untouched and diverse nature; it’s close to Malaysia and in spirit to New Zealand and Australia.
• Both Kazakhstan and the company embraced the changes that need to be made in the new COVID-19 remote workforce reality.
• Her love of science fiction at an early age and liking math and physics. Her desire to do “something” on a global scale.
• After working in large Corporations, she moved to the start-up area with a technical cofounder.
• The company started with crowd funding and aimed for the largest market – the USA.
• Alyona’s previous global vision started with co-founding Hour of Code. The program grew from 80,000 students to now serving 400,000 students in every school in Kazakhstan.
• Personal philosophy - To tell everyone that you're going to do something and then you should do it.
• Mentors – people including a partner who thinks differently from her. Proctor & Gamble manager who taught her about being in the customer’s shoes and building relationships.
• Alyona expands on the different relationships with B2C and B2B customers.
• She expands how Nommi technology works and how it serves customers.
• She shares the behind the scenes start-up creativity of buying foreign SIM cards and using airline attendants who inadvertently became company sales reps.
• Future goals – the New York and California markets.

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

-- Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman

-- The Innovators by Walter Isaacson

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

a. Best-All investments in people are always the best ones

b. Worst-Worrying about the future, because the future is totally different from what you expect it to be.

3. What’s your guilty pleasure or favorite cheat meal?

-- On the guilty pleasures, it’s stargazing and skygazing. I can waste a lot of time doing this.

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of going to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

-- Find a partner

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

-- Nommi

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Alyona’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Alyona Tkachenko – Founder & CEO of Nommi

CONTACT: on instagram @all.ona42

WEBSITE: https://nommi.net/

COUPON CODE DISCOUNT for audience 20% OFF with CODE “PhilWithForbes30”

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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-- Forbes List: USA

-- Year: 2017

-- Category: Education

My guest, Cliff Weitzman, is the founder of the Speechify App, Text-to-Speech software. It’s the 10th highest grossing productivity app on Apple's App Store and the 3rd ranked app in Apple's Newspapers category. It’s used to read more than a billion words every month.

At 22 he was one of the youngest people named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list. He is a dyslexia advocate, listens to 100 books a year, & has the first chapter of Harry Potter memorized.

I admire my guest Cliff because he has a passion to help 70 percent of the world’s population who have dyslexia. Cliff’s personal dyslexia challenge led him to develop his text-to-speech software that now helps others learn and achieve.

In this episode, Cliff shares his incredible story:

• How his remote teams carry on as business as usual through Covid-19
• His interviewing techniques
• The dyslexia struggle – from Hebrew to English with the help of Harry Potter
• Why his struggle led to the creation of Speechify
• How to use Speechify
• Goal setting and backflips!
• Mentors and pivotal people in his life
• Relationship building methods and people who inspire
• Advice - Build a pipeline for your product and test it
• Goal setting for next year

“Under 30 Seconds Round”

1. What is the book you’ve gifted more often than any other book, and why?

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss 

2. What’s one of the best investments and one of the worst investments you’ve ever made and why?

a. Best - Hiring young hungry engineers.

b. Worst - Not hiring the right people. I hired a senior engineer from Snapchat and a senior engineer from Apple.

3. What’s your guilty pleasure or favorite cheat meal?

No guilty pleasure, only good pleasures: Vega protein powder with frozen blackberries and blueberries, as well as vegan chocolate cake

4. Pretend you won the Peter Thiel Fellowship and you were going to get money to start a business instead of go to college, what’s the very first thing you’d do to start a new business?

I'd explore a bunch of different areas; validate demand and invest time in finding really good people to work with.

5. What’s something you never knew you needed?

Ostrich Travel Pillow

In the REVIEW SECTION, please let me know…

1. The city / country you’re tuning in from!
2. How Cliff’s story has inspired you! And, your favorite part of this episode!
3. Tell me the questions you’d like me to ask future Forbes 30 Under 30 Members!

GUEST INFO: Cliff Weitzman – CEO & Founder of Speechify App

CONTACT: on instagram @cliffweitzman

WEBSITE: https://www.getspeechify.com/

HOST INFO: Phil Michaels

SOCIAL MEDIA: @iamphilmichaels

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/philmichaels

PODCAST WEBSITE: www.philwithforbes30.com

PHIL’s WEBSITE: www.iamphilmichaels.com

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Every year, Forbes names the top 30 young Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Stars in the world, and each week Phil gets one of them to share their story, to help you level up in your life and business!

From sports superstars like Lebron James, to celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Cardi B, to entrepreneurs with companies like Door Dash, Instagram and YouTube, you’re sure to learn from the list!

It’s time to level up!

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