A Random Walk with Ben Kohlmann

This week, the United States government delared a new federal holiday: Juneteenth.  But many Americans don't know the backstory behind this momentous day. 

On June 19th, 1865, a Federal General leading the occupation of Galveston issued an order setting all enslaved people free in the state of Texas - and beyond.  This was the true end of slavery in the United States. 

Historian Ed Cotham, who also serves as the President of the Terry Foundation, walks us through the history Juneteenth from 1865 to the present day.  He is the recent author of "Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration"

Benjamin Fernandes grew up in humble circumstances in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  His life changed when he was given a scholarship to Haven of Peace Academy, but struggled academically.  His sister, however, found her way to an American university, and Benjamin knew he had to follow in her footsteps.  Initially denied entrance to Northwestern College in Minnesota, he called the admissions director.  The director was so impressed, he let Benjamin in...and Benjamin achieved a 4.0, graduating in 3 years. 

He soon found himself at Stanford where he was inspired to build a company to solve financial access for his fellow Tanzanians.  After a stint at Harvard, then as one of the first African founders to be accepted to the prestigious Y Combinator accelerator, Benjamin now runs Nala out of Tanzania.  He is one of the leading lights in the African entrepreneurship scene, leveraging his former career as a television personality to inspire thousands.

On this episode, we discuss:

+How making cold calls and being determined can unlock opportunity

+What African retail finance looks like now and what Nala hopes to accomplish

+Why Africa may be poised to be a breakout star in the coming decades when it comes to new technology

+How rejecting high paying jobs in pursuit of a God-given passion can change your life

After spending most of his 20s as a Navy SEAL deploying overseas, George Hodgin found himself at Stanford Business School. While helping a fellow veteran navigate challenges with PTSD, despite significant anecdotal evidence touting marijuana's benefits to those recovering from mental illness, George discovered there was little scientific research related to marijuana and PTSD recovery.

It turns out there was a significant gap in the market for cannabis.  Inspired by his friend and a class project, George created the Biopharmaceutical Research Company to create a pathway for academic researchers to access cannabis for medical research. After years of regulatory uncertainty, BRC is now poised to be a leading provider of cannabis to medical research facilities across the United States. In this episode, we discuss:

+The challenges veterans face in transitioning from the military to civilian occupations

+How serendipity and a sense for untapped markets can lead to unimagined outcomes

+The history of marijuana legislation in the United States

+What BRC brings to the table, and what peer-reviewed medical research could to create more nuanced federal regulation related to marijuana

In late January, SpaceX announced that they would launch the first civilian-only commercial flight no earlier than Q4 2021.  Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 Payments, was named as the mission commander and sponsor.  

Dubbed Inspiration 4, Jared is crewing his mission with 3 other individuals.  The first is a front-line medical worker.  The second will be drawn from donors to St Jude Children's Research Hospital.  And the 3rd will be selected from an inspiring group of entrepreneurs who leverage the Shift4Shop platform.

In this episode, Jared takes us deep into his background as a civilian fighter pilot, entrepreneur, the inspiration behind Inspiration 4, and why commercial space flight matters as humanity reaches deeper into our solar system. 

You can register for your chance to head into space at https://inspiration4.com/ - where you can also contribute to the fantastic lifesaving work of St. Judes.

In 2016, a young Baggio Leung was elected to the Hong Kong Legislature on a Pro-democracy platform.  After modifying the oath of office during his swearing in, he was expelled from the body shortly thereafter.  His advocacy became a thorn in the side of the Chinese Communist Party.  Baggio was imprisoned, followed, and ultimately left HK to seek asylum in the U.S. in December 2020. 

Along with his fellow activist Daniel Wong, Baggio takes us into the heart of a city that has gone from beacon of freedom to repressed metropolis in the span of 20 years. In this episode, we discuss:

+What running an election as a pro-democracy candidate is like in modern day Hong Kong

+How the 2019 Extradition Law launched a wave of protests in Hong Kong

+What the personal cost of being a pro-democracy activist is under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party

+What true authoritarianism looks like on the ground...and how America remains a beacon of hope despite our deep partisanship

30-40% of freshmen who start college don't return for their second year.  And in the process, many accrue debt without the degree to bolster future earnings.  Even those who do get a degree end up with tens of thousands in debt that takes an average of 21 years to pay off.  Colleges don't guarantee salaries, occasionally exacerbating financial burdens rather than relieving them. 

Wade Eyerly and Dennis Murashko have a plan to level the playing field.  Through Degree Insurance, Wade and Dennis have created a model that pays out to college graduates who don't make a certain income threshold by their 5th working year.  These insurance policies are paid for by the colleges themselves. 

In this episode we discuss:

+How Wade's background in the highly regulated airline industry prepared him to tackle the insurance market

+How Dennis' legal and actuarial background made him the perfect fit to co-found Degree Insurance

+How insurance for college graduates works

+How the higher ed landscape is evolving

Rob Henderson grew up in poverty, foster care, and was a poor student.  To escape, he joined the Air Force at 17, getting a top score on the military entrance exam, and discovered a love for understanding what makes people tick.  A few years later, he was at Yale, and is now a Gates Cambridge scholar working towards a PhD in psychology. 

More impressive than his secular credentials are the ways he distills insights about human behavior, rooted in his own experiences finding himself in unexpected situations.   His popular twitter feed (@robkhenderson) is one of the highest signal to noise accounts on the platform.  His writings in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Quillette have captured the imagination of those seeking to better understand the trends shaping our world.  And his discovery of "luxury beliefs" reveals that the currency of the elite is no longer materialistic, but rather what you outwardly say you believe.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss:

+How growing up in poverty shaped his perception of the world

+How standardized testing can help talented people in poverty get otherwise unavailable opportunities

+How his upper-class Yale classmates gave him a taste of what drove elite culture

+How he inadvertently grew his twitter following to tens of thousands of followers by tweeting screenshots of the books he voraciously reads

After getting her first job offer out of college, Stephanie Young didn't even think to negotiate her initial salary offer.  She was grateful to have a job and didn't want to offend the hiring manager.  Yet, it turns out she left thousands of dollars on the table that compounded over time. 

Learning from this experience, Stephanie built Riva Negotiations with the aim of helping young professionals negotiate top dollar for new positions. Utilizing artificial intelligence, a vast repository of data, Stephanie and Riva create automated scripts that help professionals in a number of fields understand the market and where they can push salary offers higher.  

In this episode we discuss:

+Why recruiter and hiring managers expect new hires to negotiate starting pay

+The challenges employeers face in hiring the right talent, and how prospective employees can use that to their advantage

+What levers are useful to negotiate before accepting an offer and which ones aren't

+How to use coaching resources to ensure you get the salary you deserve

What kind of man hikes 80 miles in 3 days from the middle of Burma to fly to Iraq and provide humanitarian assistance to ISIS-besieged populations?  Dave Eubank, the founder of the Free Burma Rangers.

After a career with U.S. Special Forces, Dave heard a calling to help the people of Burma.  He uprooted his family, moved to the middle of a civil war, and began building relationships to bring them hope.  His group, The Free Burma Rangers goes where other NGO's wont, bridging the space between the front lines of combat and "safe zones."

In this remarkable conversation we discuss:

+How he and his team saved a 2 year old girl in the middle of a firefight in Mosul, Iraq

+What it's like to raise a family of 5 amidst the world's most challenging geopolitical situations

+How his faith in Jesus drives him to love his enemies...and protect them

+A special guest appearance by his 14-year old son, and the lessons this young man has learned living in Burma, Syria, and other hotspots

After a nearly 20x run up in 2017, the digital currency Bitcoin hit all time highs and was valued at nearly $20,000 per coin.  It quickly collapsed down to ~$4000.  Yet, as we approach the end of 2020, it's value is back to the 20k level, and mainstream adoption is increasing. 

What does the rise of bitcoin mean for our financial system?  What are the regulatory and legal implications of decentralized, digital currencies?

Lawyer and law professor Nelson Rosario joins us to explore these topics.  His fascination with the topic led him to create one of the first law school classes exploring digital currencies.

In this episode, we explore:

+What bitcoin and digital currencies are

+Who is investing in and using these currencies

+What money is - and what it says about society

+The regulatory and legal challenges posed by Bitcoin

Who hoists the banner for conservatives following Donald Trump's 2020 election loss?   David Azerrad, current Hillsdale College professor and former Heritage Foundation scholar, explores the history of American conservatism and what the future may hold. 

In this episode, we discuss:

+The shift in policy tone the Trump Presidency brought, and the realignment of voters he established

+What "nationalism" really means and how a rebranding of the term - but not the substance - may drive more meaningful conversations

+Who may emerge as leaders of the Republican coalition in the coming years

+How the topics of immigration, great power competition, and backlash against the elites will continue to matter even more following the election of Joe Biden

Mike McClellan had a vision.  Inspired by his love of late-19th century history, he wanted to a write a story the brought forth a clash of civilizations amidst rapid technological change. 

Twelve years, and 1.2 million words later, "The Sand Sea" was published. Mike's debut novel is a smashing success. 

In this episode, we discuss:

+What it takes to create a new universe

+The power of mentors - and how Steven Pressfield (of "Gates of Fire" fame) took Mike under his wing

+How discipline and compounding over time can lead to exponential results in writing and life

+Themes from historical fiction that translate into everyday life, especially as it relates to the creation of heroes

Just before the great recession in 2008, Julissa Carielo decided to start a construction company.  During the decade prior, she had internalized the lessons of project management and knew she could build something better on her own.  She had a vision and executed. 

12 years later, Julissa has a thriving construction business focused on government contracts in the San Antonio area.  She is also a community leader, using her influence to build an entrepreneurship center and driving other social impact.  She was also a 2018 Presidential Leadership Scholar. 

In this episode, Julissa and I discuss:

+What it takes to build a successful business in the midst of a recession

+The impact of her upbringing on her career choice

+What trends will define construction in the coming decade

+How she found a unique, and successful, path in a male-dominated industry

Jason Ray went from Navy Supplier officer to CEO of a company dedicated to bringing American manufacturing into the 21st century.  

In this episode we discuss:

+How lessons from the military supply chain apply to metal workshops

+Where American manufacturing stands out in a competitive world market

+The tools and techniques used to build today's physical products

+How PaperLess parts takes 2D rendered models and creates 3D versions for their customers

+Why 3D printing continues to be overhyped

As Veterans Day 2020 approaches, how are our nation's Veterans faring? 

In this episode, I speak with Navy veteran and Student Veterans of America President Jared Lyon.  We explore a number of issues related to veterans including:

+How veterans compare to the general population in achievement

+What impact the original and post-9/11 GI Bill has had on the veteran population

+Mental health challenges facing the veteran community...and American society at large

+How veterans are thriving in our society

Calls to abandon the Electoral College are increasing.  Is this core part of the American experiment still relevant?

Tara Ross is a historian and author who has written extensively in defense of the Electoral College.  In this episode, we discuss:

+Why our Founding Fathers selected this method to elect our President

+Why the leaders of the Civil Rights movement defended it

+Historical challenges to the Electoral College and their outcomes

+How the Supreme Court and various State Legislatures are influencing it

+How our two party system is bolstered because of the Electoral College

Beset by disruption, falling revenues, an exploding number of platforms, and a faster-than-ever news cycle, journalism in the 21st century is undergoing a revolution.

Isabel Gonzalez Whitaker, an accomplished freelancer and former Features Editor at InStylw, dives into what it means to be a journalist - and what impact they have on society.

In this episode, we explore:

+How journalism has changed over the past 25 years

+What goes on behind the scene in newsrooms between editor and reporter

+Whether the explosion of outlets adds or detracts from understanding reality

+The different values the upcoming generation of journalists have compared to their senior counterparts

Will Long is the CEO of Numinar Analytics, a political data-aggregation firm focused on providing voter insights to state house and Congressional races.  He is a recent graduate of Harvard College. 

In this episode we discuss:

+The types of personal data campaigns have access to for individual voters

+How campaigns make use of this data for targeted advertising and get out the vote efforts

+The differences between the Republican and Democratic Party strategies to data

+What his on-the-ground polls are telling him about the 2020 race

The combination of social media and partisan tribes is creating movements at a pace far beyond anything humanity has ever imagined.

John Robb has been thinking about the impact of social networks since early 2000, when he saw the implications for warfare.  John is a rare thinker - prescient, contrarian, and always insightful.  We discussed:

+What it was like to be one of the first financial analysts covering the Internet in the mid-1990s

+How augmented reality may be the next big thing...and why it may accelerate confirmation bias

+International models of network adoption, arguing the US is closer to the chaos of Russia and the fascism of China rather than the traditionalism of Europe

+How virtual networks impact perceptions of physical space

+An exploration of "exaptation" 

Award winning Cotopaxi CEO Davis Smith is a life-long entrepreneur.  From going on Mission to South America to selling pool tables, he's driven impact throughout his life.  His current, and most successful venture, is a B-Corp that creates unique outdoor gear, while giving back to the community.  We dive into:

+What's it's like with a cousin as a co-founder...and the challenges it can bring

+How empowering Philippine seamstresses led to Cotopaxi's best selling product

+What giving back really means in crisis, from COVID to racial justice

+What the future of Capitalism might look like  

Josh Marcuse is a serial entrepreneur - within government.  As the young founder of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, he sought to give emerging leaders a voice and network they previously lacked.  Within a decade, he was the inaugural director of the Defense Innovation Board, helping the likes of Eric Schmidt, Jennifer Palka, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and other luminaries navigate the byzantine language of the world's largest bureaucracy.  

On this episode, we discuss:

+What Josh learned as a part-time founder of a non-profit aimed at young professionals

+What it takes to be an intra-preneur in government

+Unheralded DoD success stories of moving the needle

+One area to keep an eye out for in the coming years as defense innovation hits its stride

Charlie Olson and Eric Lax founded Pando with the idea of smoothing individual earnings within winner-take-all industries.   Just as venture capitalists and sports agents spread their bets across numerous assets, individuals can now do the same with self-selected peers.  In this episode, Charlie and I discuss:

+What income pooling is and how it differs from income sharing

+Why they chose Major League Baseball prospects as their first market test

+What a pooling agreement looks like

+What industries and communities could next adopt income pooling

Universities faced a monumental task this summer as they debated whether to re-open.  As school kicks off, a number of institutions have made hard choices to move back to remote.  Stanford Business School Dean Jonathan Levin gives us the inside scoop.

Levin took over the helm at Stanford's Business school in 2016.  Prior to that he was a distinguished professor and head of the economics department at Stanford.  In this episode we cover:

+How graduate school leaders make re-opening and closure decisions

+The real time innovations professors are making to educate their students

+Post-COVID business school implications

+Economic implications of the increasing divergence between America's largest companies and the rest

Tom Cruise made the school famous, but the real action at TOPGUN is with the pilots who actually graduated in real life.  Retired F/A-18 pilot and TOPGUN instructor Guy Snodgrass gives us an inside look at what makes TOPGUN tick - from both the student and instructor perspective.  In our conversation, Guy and I discuss:

+What it takes to get into and thrive at TOPGUN

+How aviation debriefs apply to the civilian world

+Artificial intelligence's future (?) role in fighter aviation

+How an engineer and fighter pilot becomes a writer for the Secretary of Defense

Jordan is conservative.  Chris is liberal.  At Yale Law School in 2016, they struck up an unexpected friendship. 

Since then, they've made 5 joint road trips across the United States, spending time with truckers, prisoners, day laborers, and everyday Americans trying to get a better sense of our vast country.  Their journeys are now chronicled in their new book "Union: A Democrat, A Republican, and a Search for Common Ground."

In this episode we explore:

-How to build friendships across political divides

-What it's like to ride with a professional trucker for weeks on end

-Widespread nuance in individual beliefs, despite outward appearances

-How to scale intentional relationships in a winner-take-all social media age

David and Mikaela Pearson are the husband and wife powerhouse behind the architecture and design firm PALO in San Diego. Both graduated with honors from Harvard Graduate School of Design, with David focusing on physical buildings and Mikaela on landscape architecture. In this episode we discuss:

-Architecture as a discipline within the humanities AND STEM

-How the space around your home is just as important as within it

-How to work with an architect and what to expect

-The impact of COVID on personal home design choices

Attorney Philip Williamson discusses race in America, and along the way we explore:

+How faith informs racial conversations

+The forgotten history of the 1880s and the rising prospects of black Americans during Reconstruction

+How to cultivate consistency in political and ethical views

+How to bridge racial divides in America

Globally, hundreds of thousands of children need good homes.  Matching them with suitable parents is a significant challenge.  

In today's episode, I sit down with "Robert" to discuss his family's journey in adopting two children from China - one of whom had an unexpected special need.  We explore the Texas foster system, domestic and international adoption routes, and how parents think about integrating a child from a different culture into their own home - while also being mindful of preserving the child's home culture. 

In two months, along with 3 other astronauts, Navy Commander Victor Glover will pilot the first operational Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. When he arrives, he will become the first African-American to live on the ISS.

Join us as we discuss the path to becoming an astronaut, what his training is like, and what the future of manned flight into space might hold. In addition to being an F/A-18 and U.S. Navy Test pilot, Victor was also an aide to the late Senator John McCain.

In February 2020, the newly revamped XFL kicked off its inaugural season. Fan enthusiasm was high across the country.

Then COVID-19 hit, the league collapsed, and the XFL filed for bankruptcy.

What does it take to build a major league sports team from scratch? What does it take to bring one down?

We'll explore these topics with John Scheler, employee number one at the XFL. Prior to that role, he worked with the WWE for a number of years and served as a Marine Corps officer.

With the return of Americans to space aboard an American-built platform, enthusiasm for the space program is rebuilding.   

We will engage Ezinne Uzo-Okoro on a wide ranging conversation about the role of NASA in our modern society, what the next frontiers of space travel might reveal, and discuss how the growth of private-sector entities will impact global space travel.   

Ezinne is a seasoned NASA engineer, who has contributed to over six large spacecraft missions and last served as the Chief of the Small Spacecraft Mission Design Division. When she is not working on food systems for use in space, she explores the robotic assembly of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit. She is currently an MIT Media Lab graduate student.

Colleges fear reduced enrollment - and the cascading budget implications.  Some high schools have thrived under a Zoom classroom, while other students are left behind.

What does the post-COVID educational landscape look like?  What tools are emerging to reach remote students?  Will homeschooling become more popular than ever? 

We will discuss these topics, and others, with Stephanie Saroki.  Stephanie is the co-founder and managing director of Seton Education Partners.  Prior to founding Seton, she launched and led K-12 programs for the Philanthropy Roundtable.  She is a Teach for America alum, was previously a Dean's Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and is an Iraqi immigrant.

What happens when the government mandates social distancing, but you're homeless?  What would you do if you lost your job in the midst of a pandemic and could no longer feed your kids?  

John Siburt is the CEO of Dallas-based CitySquare, a non-profit dedicated to alleviating four persistent challenges of poverty: hunger, health, housing, and hope.  While they normally touch 50,000 folks a year, the current crisis has caused significant challenges. John will help us understand what's happening among populations that are often overlooked.

The physical distancing required to prevent community spread of COVID-19 has devastated small businesses across the country. 

Come hear from two small business owners about their journey over the past few months and how they are preparing for the future.  We'll talk about the heartwrenching decisions they've had to make, navigating recent government support efforts, and what leadership in crisis means. 

Derek Turner owns and operates a 50-person infrastructure company out of Phoenix, AZ, serving municipalities nationwide on road maintenance projects. 

Buddy Bengal is a minor league baseball owner and runs numerous restaurants in North Carolina.  He was formerly a candidate for LtGov in his state.

Whether the current crisis has you involuntarily looking for your next job you're happy where you are, knowing what employers look for and how to market yourself is an evergreen skill.   

Tina Tran joins us to talk about strategies for making your profile stick out among the crowd. Her techniques have gained wide praise and are making the rounds in Silicon Valley circles.   More importantly, she has a remarkable story of her own that we will explore.   

Before running part of Facebook's Oculus team and her current role as a Director with Microsoft, Tina came to the United States as a child, fleeing Southeast Asian strife in the mid-1970s.

With our economies opening up, and folks potentially headed back into the office, what should employers and employees be thinking about?  What safety and legal protocols must be followed?  How should organizations think about different requirements across different state and local jurisdictions?

This week, we will speak with Paloma Ahmadi, counsel at Hayes and Boone.  She has extensive experience navigating labor and employment disputes, most recently spending time with Major League Baseball in the Office of the Commissioner.

Two years ago, I peered over the shoulder of a world-renown cardiac surgeon as he made precise incisions into a still-beating heart. My guest this week, Brian Ferguson, facilitated the observation.    

 Brian and I will  explore the mental models and habits that enable people to thrive in the midst of challenging circumstances. He is a former SEAL and is currently the founder and CEO of Arena Labs.    Brian currently works with the leadership team at the world-renown Cleveland Clinic, developing techniques alongside surgeons and nurses to help them succeed in time-sensitive, life-threatening situations. He's assembled a team of world class musicians, military special operators, and athletes to teach the techniques of high performance to those in the Arena.  

 He also moonlights as a faculty member at Singularity University, has worked with Red Bull performance experts, and is a thought partner and coach to numerous senior executives.    

More than anything, Brian is a deeply intentional friend who improves the lives of all he touches.  Our journeys were intertwined during our military days, and he continues to be a trusted confidant.

Our inaugural guest is my friend Dan Rasmussen, who runs Verdad Capital - an actively managed investment fund that provides incisive weekly commentary on markets and risk.  Dan frequently writes about investing in the midst of crisis and preparing for the unimaginable.

In this conversation, we explore the COVID-19 outbreak and the global response through an investing lens.