A Conversation with Kwame Owusu-Kesse

On this episode of It’s Not Magic, Sixth Street Co-Founder and Co-President, David Stiepleman sat down with Kwame Owusu-Kesse, CEO of Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ), for a conversation on transformative business leadership and operational standards.Kwame shares powerful insights into redefining HCZ as a "tax-exempt business" and emphasizes the importance of building a culture of excellence. From their transformative cradle-to-career model to innovative programs like Baby College, HCZ is working to create what Kwame calls the "vaccine to poverty."Discover how intentional decision-making, transparent communication, and talent development drive success—not just for HCZ, but for any high-performing organization.Thank you to Kwame for the important and timely discussion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you put two strangers from across the political divide together, not to talk about politics, but just to get to know each other as human beings? That’s what Dave Isay set out to answer. From twenty-plus years of running StoryCorps, Dave has shown time and again the importance of recognizing the value of humanity in everyone regardless of their politics, religion, or background, and how the act of listening can provide new perspectives and transform lives in unexpected ways. The StoryCorps team took that knowledge to form One Small Step, an initiative that bridges the gap between strangers with differing political views during a polarizing election season. Dave came to San Francisco recently to speak to the Sixth Street team in a conversation with Sixth Street Co-President David Stiepleman about One Small Step and what he’s learned from a career of facilitating human conversations in an increasingly impersonal world.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During Westbound Equity Partners’ Annual Summit, Sixth Street Co-Founder and Co-President, David Stiepleman sat down with award-winning AI researcher and best-selling author Dr. Joy Buolamwini for a conversation about, in the words of her Algorithmic Justice League, getting the world to “remember that who codes matters, how we code matters, and that we can code a better future.” On this episode of It’s Not Magic, you’ll hear how in her office at MIT, Dr. Buolamwini stumbled on the realization that nascent AI systems weren’t neutral and could prefer, and exclude, people based on how we look. We discuss Dr. Buolamwini’s journey from academia, to discovering ways to combine hard research and art, to becoming a Sundance documentary star, to walking the halls of power, to leading the movement for equitable and accountable AI. We also discuss how, if AI eliminates entry-level drudgery, we may be living in the “age of the last masters.” We are proud to be a founding strategic partner of Westbound Equity Partners, an early-stage investment firm deploying financial and social capital to build great companies and close gaps for underrepresented talent. The conversation took place this summer at the Westbound Equity Partners Summit. Thank you to the Westbound Equity team for having us and to Dr. Buolamwini for the important and timely discussion. Note: Westbound Equity Partners, formerly known as Concrete Rose Capital. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Kerr has won nine NBA championships as a member of three different dynasties: as Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors and as a player for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.  Earlier this month at the Sixth Street Offsite, he was gracious enough to spend time with our team and share what he’s learned about leadership and life over the course of his career.  His conversation with Sixth Street’s David Stiepleman covered Steve’s approach to leadership, building strong cultures, and performing at the highest level of his craft, including what went through his head when Michael Jordan gave him the ball for the go-ahead shot in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals.  He also walked us through how, after a career playing for legendary coaches like Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich, he developed his own individual coaching philosophy.  Steve’s message to aspiring leaders was clear: be genuine.  “You can’t be anyone but yourself. Your players will see right through it.” He has nine rings to show for it.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During Sixth Street’s annual MaSH CxO Summit, David Stiepleman recorded our latest episode with two longtime political experts who have run dozens of statewide and national campaigns for Republicans and Democrats. The conversation was in front of a live audience of CEOs and other leaders from across our growth equity portfolio, and we dove into current political, geopolitical, and macro trends in this election year affecting their markets and companies.Our guests are John Anzalone, one of the nation’s top Democratic pollsters and strategists, and founder of Impact Research, and Phil Cox, known as a “Republican kingmaker,” long-time political operative and founder of GP3 Partners, one of the largest corporate communications and public affairs firms in the nation.Phil and John helped us separate signal from noise in the upcoming presidential and down-ballot elections here in the U.S., as well as what company leaders and individuals should be watching for as the year unfolds. The conversation sheds light on key challenges, opportunities, and nuances that shape our political discourse and is a key listen for business leaders looking for insight into how to navigate the next nine months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sixth Street Co-founder and Partner Vijay Mohan sat down in our San Francisco office with two accomplished executives in the professional soccer world for a conversation about the power of accessibility in sports and how it can influence communities. On this episode of It’s Not Magic, Vijay guest hosted a discussion with Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and Danielle Slaton, a former USWNT player and co-founding member of Bay FC. During the discussion, Danielle and Ed shared their career journeys at the highest level of soccer, the opportunities and challenges the game has presented both professionally and personally, and the type of legacy they hope to leave behind through their work. Although the conversation focused on soccer, it was clear that they were discussing something much bigger than just a game. This conversation is sure to leave you feeling inspired and eagerly anticipating the rest of the season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During a time of unspeakable evil, there were very few, very brave people who risked their own lives to save others. Richard Hurowitz’s most recent book, In the Garden of the Righteous, brings forward 10 little-known stories of those who went above and beyond to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. An Italian Tour de France champion. A Portuguese diplomat. A circus ringmaster. Why did these people decide to act when others didn’t? Our host David Stiepleman talks to Richard about how he researched and wrote his compelling book, the reaction he’s gotten around the country, and what kinds of environments produce people who are spurred to act and take big risks to do what’s right. National cultures are the aggregation of the rules and norms of our families, schools, towns and businesses, and cultivating those building blocks really matters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two seasoned dealmakers, business builders, and friends of over twenty-five years sit down to have a frank discussion about the evolution of business, law, culture, and management. David Stiepleman, Co-Founder and Co-President of global investment firm Sixth Street, and Michael Gerstenzang, Managing Partner of global law firm Cleary Gottlieb, discuss the art of commercialism, the best ways to get buy-in from high-achieving groups, and the potential for generative AI to upend how lawyers advise clients, just as the iPhone did. David and Michael first met in the late 90s and have been working together in various capacities ever since. Find out all they’ve learned together on this special episode of It’s Not Magic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Sixth Street team plus friends from across our Dallas network came together for a night of conversation to discuss business leadership, culture, and connections. We were honored to be joined by our great friends United States Air Force Major General (ret.), Rod Lewis, True Ventures EIR and Investor Clarence Bethea, and Westbound Equity Partners co-founder Sean Mendy in a discussion led by Sixth Street Founder and Co-President David Stiepleman. Our panelists discussed their remarkable career trajectories, how they set their teams up for success, and how to adapt skills and mindsets for the different seasons of a career.Note: Westbound Equity Partners, formerly known as Concrete Rose Capital Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The San Antonio Spurs have 5 NBA championships, but some of their biggest wins and longest-lasting contributions have come off the court. Dr. Kara C. Allen, the first NBA team executive dedicated exclusively to impact, joins to talk about the Spurs’ commitment to ensuring that the community always remains a priority in everything they do.We learn how values translate into action for a franchise that’s developing the next generation of the Spurs, on and off the court and among the fans, and Kara offers her perspective on the importance and power of sport to bring people together, especially during moments of tragedy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.