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Arizona Originals

Arizona Originals, hosted by Jason Isaak, brings you the stories, leadership lessons, and life lessons of the people who make Arizona a great place to live and work.
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Now displaying: November, 2016
Nov 29, 2016

This week our conversation is with Craig Weiss, the Founder and CEO of Aladdin Dreamer - a technology company designing consumer technology allowing people to control their dreams (also known as "lucid dreaming").  Prior to founding Aladdin, Craig was the CEO of NJOY, the world's largest independent electronic cigarette and vaping company which is headquartered in Arizona.

Additionally, Craig is a patent attorney, a published author, an inventor with seven patents, an entrepreneur, and a frequent lecturer at ASU's W.P. Carey School of Business.  He discusses the roles creativity, risk, and the value in getting comfortable with the inevitable failures and setbacks in business.  He discusses the lessons learned while writing "I Am My Brother's Keeper" about the origins of the Israeli Air Force, and tells his story about transitioning from patent attorney, to hedge fund manager, to CEO, to entrepreneur.

Nov 22, 2016

Today's guest is Pam Slim - an award-winning author, speaker and business consultant who has a passion for career and organizational development.  She spent the first 10 years in business as a consultant to large companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab and Cisco Systems, where she worked with thousands of executives, managers, and employees.

In the last 11 years, she helped hundreds of people to start and grow successful businesses.  Through her online presence at Escape from Cubicle Nation, Pam developed and taught business building courses for thousands of entrepreneurs.  In August, 2016, Pam opened K'é, a place to grow small business in downtown Mesa, Arizona.

Pam has written two books, Escape from Cubicle Nation and Body of Work: Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together.  When you pick up Body of Work, you immediately notice the endorsements from some of the leading thinkers in business today: Brené Brown, Daniel Pink, Nancy Duarte and Seth Godin.

In our conversation, Pam covers a wide range of topics, including the value of being uncomfortable, the power of fear, the importance of thinking about your legacy, and how developing connectional intelligence can benefit both you and your business.

Nov 15, 2016
Our guest this week is Mike Nealy - he serves as the executive director of the Arizona Sports Foundation and the Valley of the Sun Bowl Foundation which are community-based organizations who operate the Fiesta Bowl, the Cactus Bowl, and numerous community events across Arizona.
 
A Minnesota native, Mike spent eight years with the Phoenix Coyotes and served as President and COO prior to joining the Fiesta Bowl.  And before that, Mike spent four seasons with the Minnesota Wild and 14 years with the Deluxe Corporation.
 
In our conversation, Mike shares his journey from Minnesota to Arizona and lessons he has learned along the way.  He discusses the challenges of balancing work with family, how hard work today can lead to unexpected opportunities tomorrow, and the lesson of 212 degrees.  He also discusses how he passes his principles and values on to his children and the importance of leading by example at work and at home.
Nov 8, 2016

Today's conversation is with Courtney Klein, co-founder and CEO of SEED SPOT.  This year, Arizona State University honored Courtney as the “Young Alumni of the Year” and Arizona Economic News named her “One of Arizona’s most Influential Millennials.” In 2015, the Phoenix Business Journal named Courtney as one of the “Top 10 Business People of the Year” and in 2013 as one of the “25 Most Dynamic Women in Business.” She has also been recognized by media outlets as one of the nation’s “Top 30 Civic Leaders Under the Age of 30,” one of Arizona’s “35 Entrepreneurs Under 35,” one of “20 Women to Change Arizona by 2020,” and one of “Arizona’s Most Intriguing Chief Executives.”

In the podcast, Courtney shares her passion for people, entrepreneurship, mentoring, and dreaming.  Among other topics, she tells the story of how she discovered her passion, how she chose to cultivate relationships instead of going for the quick dollar, and how having a mentor and being a mentor to others has shaped her professionally and personally.

 

Nov 2, 2016

In today's podcast, we talk to Clate Mask - co-founder and CEO of Infusionsoft.  Clate was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, a Top 100 Small Business Influencer by Small Business Trends, one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2013 by Goldman Sachs, and Business Leader of the Year by the Arizona Technology Council.

In our conversation, Clate talks about the early years at Infusionsoft and how they developed their focus and clear vision to help small businesses.  He discusses how he approaches personal and professional growth, and how he studies the characteristics of the CEOs of billion dollar companies and uses determined discipline to grow as a leader and grow his company.  These topics, among others, will provide you with inspiration and motivation.

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