Bring It In | The Future of Work, Jobs, and Education

We’re back! And who better to join us for our return, than one of the biggest stars on Bring It In: Dr. Jerry Lynch!A former Officer in the U.S. Navy and Nike sponsored competitive runner, Dr. Jerry Lynch is a Founder of Way of Champions, a performance consultancy that combines elite sports psychology, with international philosophy concepts, to generate peak performance. He’s written over a dozen books on his studies on excellence, from “The Competitive Buddha,” “Coaching with Heart,” “Win the Day,” “Let them Play,” “The Mindful Coach,”, and more.Dr. Lynch has worked together with coaches and athletes like Steve Kerr, Nancy Stevens, Anson Dorrance, and Phil Jackson, and a slew of accolades. In total, Dr. Lynch has helped secure 73 Conference Championships, 54 Final Fours, and 39 National Championships so…it’s safe to say, he knows a thing or two about coaching.This time around Dr. J is sharing wisdom from his latest book, “Lead With Love”. In it Dr. J emphasizes the increasing importance of leading and coaching with love, especially in a world where the “human element” of everything from work, to education, art, healthcare, and more are facing massive challenges from AI and automation.This is another episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

It’s fair to say that the robots aren’t coming, they’re already here. Not a week goes by that we don’t see a brand new article about some new self-driving car, another A.I company bursting onto the scene, or full on i-Robot style machines marching down an aisle. It’s hard not to be unnerved by the impact robotics and machine learning can have on the workforce, and there’s a lot of unknown factors we’re going to have to deal with in the not-too-far-off future. That’s where today’s guest Dan Mantz hopes to make things a little easier for us. He’s spent the last 30 years working in the field of robots; for private sector companies such as GM, FANUC America, or Electronic Data Systems, and educational institutes like WPI, Kettering University, and the Forbes Nonprofit Council.  Dan now serves as the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, or the REC. The REC’s mission is to provide every educator with workforce readiness programs to increase student engagement in STEM programs. They hold hundreds of events every year that host over 1 Million students from over 70 countries, leveraging the power of competition and play to educate their students. We caught up with Dan to chat about how we can leverage our schools, private industries, and government to better educate people about robotics, and also how to build a more harmonious relationship between people and robots in the workplace. And finally, Dan shared with us how competition and play is one of the most effective ways to teach, even something as seemingly complicated as robotics. Whether you’re a middle manager or CEO, this is definitely an episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

One major trait for many great leaders is the ability to not just persevere through hard times, but create an opportunity during challenging times. Eric Kapitulik really, really knows something about that. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he was a four year varsity player in D1 Lacrosse, he then went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps, where he served as a Platoon Commander in the elite 1st Force Reconnaissance Division.  In 1999 he suffered a tremendous tragedy, when during a routine training exercise his squad’s helicopter crashed where six of his fellow Marines perished. After recovering both physically and emotionally from the crash, Eric focused solely on the well being of his fallen comrades families: In an effort to raise money for a college scholarship fund set up for the children of his deceased teammates, Eric completed eight Ironman Triathlons, The Canadian Death Race Ultra Marathon, The Eco Challenge, and The American Birkebeiner Ski Marathon, and as a side quest, climbed five of the Seven Summits. On top of all this Eric enrolled in the University of Chicago after he left the Marines, and graduated with his MBA in 2005. Shortly after that in 2008 he founded The Program. The Program pulls from his experience in the Marines, and aims to provide organizations with the best personal, leadership, and culture development services worldwide.  We caught up with Eric to talk about his philosophy on developing a high performing team through grit, communication, and setting standards. We also chatted about his new book The Program: Lessons from Elite Military Units for Creating and Sustaining High Performance Leaders and Teams, which details the lessons learned from his time in the Marines and as an entrepreneur.  This is another episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

2024 is going to be remembered for a lot of things, one of them being that it was the year we finally moved past the COVID-19 Pandemic. Industries everywhere are claiming to ‘be back’ to pre-pandemic functions, with everything from return to office initiatives to the National Restaurant Association boasting that restaurants are back to 2019 rates of turnover. The problem is, the 2019 turnover rate for restaurants was 73%, which is insane. So rather than referencing some not-so-great statistics from the past, today’s guest Corey Mintz is looking forward to the future. Corey is a freelance food writer for everything from Eater to The New York Times, as well as an Operations Advisor for hundreds of restaurants across North America. He’s the author of two books, How to Host a Dinner Party and his most recent one, The Next Supper: The End of Dining as We Know It. In today’s episode Corey shares his experiences embedding himself within various communities revolving around the restaurant industry, from farmers in Florida to the line in high-end LA restaurants. He got to experience first hand, not just how restaurants adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, but how they’ve integrated lessons learned from that time to make a more sustainable, and equitable restaurant industry for all. This is another episode you’re definitely not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

For any long time listeners of the podcast, you know we are firm believers in failure being a positive thing. From D1 coaches to cutting edge researchers, great performers and leaders across the board understand the importance of allowing people to fail well. But, how exactly do you do that? Enter today’s guest Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School and author of the book Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well.  Before her appointment to Harvard, Amy served as Chief Engineer for the architecture and invention firm Buckminster Fuller Institute, and Director of Research at the Pecos River Learning Centers. In both fields, her search for new and innovative techniques led her to a strong ‘trial and error’ approach where she discovered the ins and outs of “failing well”. In our conversation, Amy goes over the types of good failure and how they create better workers, teams, and environments where workers can feel “psychologically safe”, and what the consequences of fostering an environment that punishes failure can lead to. This is an essential listen for anyone looking to develop a welcoming, safe, and winning environment for their employees, so with that…let’s bring it in!

In recent years, the celebrity chef and restaurant has taken the world by storm. The rise of the ‘chefprenaur’ has created a $10 billion dollar industry encapsulating everything from restaurant chains, branded cookware, cook books, television deals, and social media empires.  Despite the glamor, one fact still remains: the restaurant scene is an unforgiving industry. Today’s guest, Kim Reed knows this first hand. In her debut book, “Workhorse: My Sublime and Absurd Years in the New York Restaurant Scene,” Kim dives headfirst into her experience as a hostess at the renowned Babbo, where it was said “the pope would have a hard time getting a table.” Much like Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential,” Kim pulls back the curtain on the hectic day-to-day running of a world class restaurant, but from the position of a member of the staff, rather than the enterprising chef of the restaurant. What she reveals is a frank, often shocking, but still passionate and beautiful exposition about an industry that accounts for over 12 million workers and over $100 billion annually across the country. She dives headfirst into the need for creating a safe space for workers, the role managers have in serving both investors and staff, and what it means to really be part of a high functioning team in a very challenging field. This ones not just for those in the restaurant space, but leaders across the workforce, on how to better empower and support your people, so with that…let’s bring it in!

We’ve had a lot of impressive guests on the podcast, many who have overcome some real challenges in their lives to build something great, but today’s guest has an especially impressive story. Dr. Magie Cook began her life with 68 brothers and sisters in an orphanage in Mexico. Battling abuse, hunger, and poverty, during her high school years she earned a spot on the Mexican Women's National Basketball team, but broke her collarbone before she could fully commit. Despite the injury, the University of Charleston in West Virginia recruited her to their basketball program, and Magie was able to come to the United States. After graduating, Magie struggled to find a job, and slept out of her car until the engine exploded. Staff from the University Charleston vouched for her to stay on campus until she could get back on her feet, which came in the most unlikely of forms: a salsa making competition. Fast forward a decade, and Maggie’s Salsa was sold to Campbell’s Soup for $213 million. On top of that, Magie helped rescue dozens of childrens from the grasp of the Mexican cartels, became a board member at the University of Charleston with an honorary Doctorate in Laws in 2022, and so, so, much more. We caught up with Magie to talk with her about resiliency, team building, and how to be a leader that can inspire a team to go the extra mile. This is an inspiring episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

According to a recent study, about 4-6% of all those incarcerated are considered to be wrongly imprisoned. That’s over 70,000 people who are wrongly incarcerated every year. Today’s guest, Justin Brooks has dedicated his life to representing those who have fallen victim to wrongful incarceration. Justin practiced as a criminal defense attorney in Washington, D.C., Michigan, Illinois, and California in both the trial and appellate courts. He was the founding director of the California Innocence Project at Cal Western Law School from 1999-2023, and under his direction the project freed 40 innocent people from prison (including former NFL player Brian Banks). He’s been recognized several times by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California, and in 2010 and 2012, California Lawyer Magazine honored him with the “Lawyer of the Year” award. He was named “International Lawyer of the Year” by the California Bar International Section in 2020 and in the same year was named “Champion of Justice” by the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. In his latest book, “You Might Go to Prison Even Though You’re Innocent” he details the causes of wrongful convictions based on his experience of more than three decades as a criminal defense attorney and innocence organization director.  Justin took time to share his experience with us writing the book, over 30 years of legal work, and why everybody should care about wrongful convictions and the ramifications it has for our society. This is another episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

According to a Pew Research poll, over 40% of adults in the United States are considered to be digitally illiterate, and while America’s crumbling transportation infrastructure often makes headlines, its digital infrastructure is equally as out of date. Organizations from the IRS, to the healthcare system are still relying on technology from the 80s or earlier. This is what today’s guest is out to remedy. Jennifer Pahlka is the former US Deputy Chief Technology Officer under the Obama Administration and helped found the US Digital Service. She was also the Executive Director of the International Games Developers Association, and founded the non-profit Code for America, which aims to improve the digital systems within government. Jennifer's most recent book “Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the DIgital Age and How We can Do Better” pulls from her experience in the tech sector and government and the importance of government bodies understanding how technology affects the people they’re meant to serve. In an age where mobile apps, A.I., and metaverses are all the rage, the conversation we had with Jennifer is an important one that all leaders need to consider.  This is another episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

A study came across our desks recently that said, gamification was “just a fad.” We’re going to disagree with that, and so does our guest today Dr. Dave Eng; a creative intellectual, educator, designer, & researcher focusing on games, theory, and technology. Dave serves as the faculty member of NYU’s School of Professional Studies and the Principle Lead at University XP, a consulting group for game-based learning programs. He’s also the founder of Bandito’s Gaming, a registered 501(c)(3) social and educational non-profit organization that promotes play, community development, and learning through games. So needless to say, he knows a thing or two about how games really work. In this episode, we dive into how games have been used throughout history, the power of experiential learning, and how there are good games…and there are bad games. If you’re a talent leader looking to engage your people, this is definitely another episode you’re not going to want to miss. So with that, let’s bring it in!