Leading People Series: Trailer

In the Leading People class at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, students step beyond the classroom to interview leaders who inspire them. Working in teams, they record in-depth conversations and transform them into compelling podcast episodes. Each episode features a different leader, sharing real stories, challenges, and insights on what leadership truly means—guided by the fresh perspectives and thoughtful questions of Haas students. Real leaders. Real stories. A new generation asking the questions. Listen to the Leading People series on the Here@Haas Podcast. Subscribe and don’t miss an episode.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

In this episode of Here@Haas, Michele and Vance kick off a new faculty series with one of Haas’ most celebrated educators: Distinguished Teaching Fellow Greg LaBlanc. Known for his dynamic classes on strategy, game theory, and behavioral finance, and for his influential podcast, unSILOed, Greg shares how an early Montessori education shaped his interdisciplinary curiosity, the unconventional academic path that led him to Berkeley, and why he believes the future belongs to those who can integrate ideas across fields.Together, they explore innovation, entrepreneurship, competitive moats in the AI era, the role of proprietary data, and why enduring success often requires “fixing things before they break.” Greg also discusses character as life’s true project, the importance of long-term learning, and the deep alumni connections that enrich his life far beyond the classroom.This episode offers insights for anyone considering strategy, disruption, and building a meaningful career in a rapidly changing world.Episode Quotes:If it ain’t broke, fix it anyway! I see Haas as ambassadors for this vision. We go out into the world and populate these companies with this unique view of the importance of innovation, the importance of rethinking. I mean, why is questioning the status quo the first of our defining principles? It's because if you don't question the status quo, status quo will crush you. And so one of the things that I always like to say is an implicit slogan of Haasies is if it ain't broke, fix it anyway. It is gonna be broke if you don't do anything. And so being capable of anticipating the future, of being open to being wrong, being open to continuous reinvention, that's what I love about being here. On what he is most proud of in his life​​ It has nothing to do with worldly accomplishments. It has to do with character development. So, not to say that I've got this wonderful, great character. I mean, there's tons of room for improvement, but I think at the end of the day, the only thing that you have control over in your life is your character: the way you act, the way you think, the way you behave, the way you treat other people, and your approach to the world.On playing the long gameThere are people who just think they have forever to do stuff, and then there are other folks who think that they have to do everything right away. And so I would say play the long game. Understand that you might live fairly long period of time and, you know, you might not. Right? And so, learn like you're gonna live forever, really focus on learning without any necessarily obvious reason to think that what you're learning is gonna be immediately valuable. You'll find that things that you learn at one point in your life turn out to be much valuable later in life, oftentimes in unexpected ways. So, focus on learning with a long-term perspective.Why good MBAs are good generalistsTo be a good generalist is to have this very active mental switchboard that sends you off in all sorts of directions, makes connections that other people don't see, thinks analogously, and sometimes metaphorically, right?  Scientists often think in very linear, very structured ways. Start with small building blocks, work up to more sophisticated things. I think the superpower of a good MBA is that you don't limit yourself to that way of thinking, but that you have all these combinations, these neural combinations that send you in different directions.Show LinksGreg LaBlanc – LinkedInunSILOed PodcastSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

In this episode of Here@Haas, we sit down with the remarkable Jeep Kline — Haas lecturer, founder and managing partner of Raise Well Ventures, and former World Bank economist whose career spans deep-tech venture capital, global economic development, and transformative leadership. Jeep shares her journey from growing up in Bangkok during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, to advising ministers of finance in emerging markets, to becoming a Silicon Valley VC and founder of multiple funds. She also discusses the origins of the Haas Impact Fund, the rapidly changing job market shaped by AI, and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur or investor in today’s environment. Her story is one of purpose, grit, and redefining what impact really means.Episode Quotes:On navigating your career with purpose:“ I like to tell people that the most important thing that you have to have (is) purpose—why you do what you do. And it has to fit your broad principle and your belief. Because in the journey that you're gonna see in the next 20 years, it's gonna be up and down. Things are gonna change way more rapidly than my generation. And without purpose, it's gonna hurt—it's gonna hurt you, it's gonna hurt your mentality, but with purpose, you're gonna allow yourself to fail along the way because, you know, it's just a learning. You get up and do it again. You are gonna figure out. So, having a purpose of why you do what you do, you will allow yourself to fail and also succeed.”On what truly makes a startup succeed:“ It is the quality of the management team. That is by far the most important. Mostly, things are gonna change, especially today, as you mentioned, because of AI, that is going to create a rapid change in our society and technology development, and so on. And all of these are gonna come back to the founders. How do they adjust? How do they pivot? How do founders actually handle that? There's gonna be a bunch of things that they're gonna have to solve. How do they think about the industry? Where do they think an industry is going next, and how do they adjust the business, the management team, and themselves to take advantage of the industry and the new technology? That is the most important thing, more so than the technology itself.”On long-term success and risk-taking:“If I could tell my younger self, I would tell myself not to worry about how people perceive me. You don't have to care about that. You play a long game, and you try to hit your ground running, take risks, and it's okay to fail. You get up, you pivot, you learn from it, and you do it again. And I guarantee you, no matter how long it takes, you know this is a probability, right? When you fail enough, you will also succeed enough. It's just a rule. And I just want us to think about the long game instead of the short-term KPI and how society and your friends, or like peer pressure, that a lot of you probably go through. Don't worry about any of that.”Show Links:Jeep Kline LinkedIn ProfileRaisewell Ventures – Jeep’s deep-tech impact venture fundHaas Impact Fund – The experiential VC course & student-led fund at Berkeley HaasSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

In this inspiring episode, Vance and Michele sit down with Ravi Malhotra, a second-year MBA student in the EW program at Haas and Corporate Controller at HeartBeam. From his humble beginnings in India to leading finance operations in Silicon Valley, Ravi shares his remarkable journey of grit, purpose, and continuous learning.Ravi dives deep into what sparked his passion for accounting, why he pursued a Chartered Accountancy path before joining EY, and how his decision to prioritize family led him to make a courageous leap from Big Four to industry. Now at the helm of financial operations in a cutting-edge medical device company, he talks about leading through collaboration, building systems from scratch, and supporting FDA-cleared innovations that allow patients to take hospital-quality ECG readings from the comfort of home.Beyond his day job, Ravi also shares what drove him to pursue an MBA at Haas, his approach to time management while balancing school, work, and family, and how he finds purpose in mentorship and helping others succeed. This episode is a masterclass in servant leadership, resilience, and lifelong learning.Episode QuotesOn leaving the Big Four after 14 years That was another juncture when I thought about, you know, to leave or not leave because that's crucial to decide in terms of a career move. It was a hard decision for me as an individual, and I decided to move only for the good reason, for the sake of my family. I wanna see my kids grow in front of my eyes. Money will come by no matter what, but I think time was very precious to spend with family, give them the appropriate time.On why he pursued an MBAYou know, I keep on doing the long-term goals in my career. In school, I had a goal to become a CA. I became a CA, and then the Big Four was the goal. Did that. Doing that same long-term goal strategy really helped in keeping me on my toes and grounded. And then I thought, okay, now I’m a corporate controller, what do I need to do next? I talked to my mentors, I did the research, and what I learned is that having an MBA will help. Definitely, you'll have an edge in terms of the other peers who have the skillset and sit at the table for the same position that you're trying to pursue.On using the tools from Haas to lead and support othersRight now, I’m focusing on finance-driven classes and the core classes. Once that is done, I feel like I will have all the good tools. Now, it's upon me as a human being to make sure that I use those tools in my future journey, working towards my career goals. When does that career goal come by? That’s hard to predict, to be honest. What is in my control is to make sure that I do a good job in leading the people I'm leading and providing support to my teams so that they feel good about working with me as an individual and as a support system. That will be a big achievement if I keep on doing that. On staying motivated and pursuing your dreamsWhen you do see a dream and you have goals in life, nobody can stop you from achieving that. Only you can do that. And if you decide to support you, no matter what people can do around you, you'll get it. Yes, there'll be some hiccups, there'll be some problems, but if you don't give up, you'll get it. Just stay motivated and keep going. Show LinksLearn more about HeartBeam’s innovative ECG technologyExplore Berkeley Haas Executive MBA ProgramVisit the EW MBA Student Resources Website (EW Wire)Check out CalCPA – California Society of CPAsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

In this episode of Here@Haas, we sit down with the multi-talented and dynamic Paramee Intarachumnum—Executive MBA student, Vice President of Social for her cohort, and co-founder of Invex, an investment platform bridging high-quality tech deals with Asian investors. From launching a mentoring startup to building a chicken farm school for underprivileged youth in Thailand, Paramee shares her remarkable journey from advertising to innovation, from boardrooms to bars (yes, she owns four in Bangkok!).We talk about her bold approach to leadership, her mission to democratize tech investment, and how she’s creating impact through collaboration, creativity, and going the extra mile. Whether you're curious about startups, social impact, or the vibrant energy of Southeast Asia's innovation scene—this episode is packed with inspiration.*OneHaas Alumni Podcast is a production of Haas School of Business and is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:On coming to the Bay Area I only considered the San Francisco Bay area because I want to be here as a person who is always passionate about tech. I know that tech will change the world, whether it's a software, a platform, or even deep technologies that a lot of scientists and a lot of entrepreneurs have been trying to build. I would love to be in a place where everything is happening. So yeah, that's why I decided to come to Haas. I think Haas has a really good track record of building entrepreneurs and scientists who build cool products.On Doing Good With Real IntentionI would say, I think first, when you want to do things, I would suggest to have the really good intention in doing things. I mean, I was there with a really good energy. I was fired up. I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm going to change things. And they kind of bought it. So, I think people would love to help you if they see that you really want to make it happen. Collaboration is key. On Going the Extra MileOne thing that I am really proud of in my life would be going the extra mile for everything I do. Because one, I would feel good about myself that I do my best in every opportunity that is handed to me and I will never regret. There's a lot of things that I failed, for example, the mentoring platform, but actually, I received some calls from users that they got a new investment. They got a new job. I'm proud of that, even though I failed. And then another good thing about going the extra mile: you might win. You will probably win. Because if people have a mindset of going the extra mile most of the time, going for the thing that you really want or really want to be, I think success would be higher, than people who are coming with just a typical mindset.Show Links:InvexUC LAUNCHRISEBreakthrough EnergySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

In this episode, hosts Vance and Michele welcome Lucia Casella, an engineer turned MBA student at Berkeley Haas, to discuss her experiences in the Evening Weekend MBA (EWMBA) program. As a member of the LUX 2026 cohort and the VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Belonging (DEIJB), and Mental Health Awareness (MHA), Lucia shares insights into balancing a career, academics, and leadership roles.She dives into what drew her to Haas, her experience in the Flex program, and how she stays organized amid the challenges of an MBA. Lucia also reflects on the importance of community, mental health initiatives, and the role of women in leadership. Plus, we get a peek into her love for reading, her favorite classes, and her vision for the future. If you're considering an MBA, especially as a remote or working professional, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways!*Here@Haas Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:On Ladies Who Lux Channel as a LifesaverComing from engineering, there's not a lot of women in leadership. Depending on what industry you're in, there's not even a lot of women that you're working with. And I just really like connecting women who are in those similar fields and just chatting about that common experience. And kind of realizing we don't have to pretend to be men or fake-watch sports to have meaningful conversations about business. We can just be ourselves and connect about all that good stuff.How an MBA Helps Engineers Bridge the Gap Between Tech and BusinessFor engineers, I think our education was very focused on the science of it all. I think a lot of engineers could benefit by gaining some more people skills, communication, and understanding how the business runs because if you don't understand the context that you're operating within, like, you can be the best engineer, but it needs to make sense for what the business is doing. So, if you have any interest whatsoever in figuring that kind of stuff out, certainly getting an MBA is a great way of doing that.Show Links:Berkeley Haas Evening & Weekend MBA ProgramDiversity SymposiumSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

In this episode of Here at Haas, hosts Vance and Michele welcome Claudia Viña Vazquez, a second-year full-time MBA student at Berkeley Haas and the former president of the MBA Association. Originally from Spain, Claudia shares her journey from studying in Europe to pursuing an MBA in the U.S., how she adapted to life in the Bay Area, and why she ultimately chose Haas—even though it wasn’t her first choice.As a leader, Claudia reflects on her time as MBA Association president, emphasizing the importance of team collaboration, fostering a strong student community, and the behind-the-scenes work that makes student-led initiatives thrive. She also delves into how her MBA experience has helped her reconnect with personal passions like reading, running, and learning about diverse cultures—most recently, her deep dive into Hasidic Jewish traditions.Beyond leadership and personal interests, Claudia discusses the classes that had the biggest impact on her—such as Conflict Lab, where she learned how to navigate high-stakes conversations, and Systems Change for a Small Planet, which challenged her to rethink her career path. She also shares why she’s choosing to return to consulting post-MBA, how she balances gratitude with ambition, and her long-term considerations about staying in the U.S. or moving back to Europe.To wrap up, Claudia offers heartfelt advice for incoming MBA students: embrace the uncertainty, focus on personal growth as much as career success, and remember that an MBA is about more than just landing the perfect job—it’s about becoming the person you want to be.*OneHaas Alumni Podcast is a production of Haas School of Business and is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:Why Systems Change for a Small Planet Was One of Her Most Impactful ClassesIt was really impactful for me because it made me reflect a lot about my career choices. It brought me multiple career crises in one semester. It made me reflect what are my values in life. It made me reflect on who I am as a person and if my current career is aligned with that or not. And it made me reflect a lot on how that nurturing part of me or this caring part of me, this worrying about people and individuals, how can I incorporate that into my career in the future and how to incorporate that while going back to consulting.On Leadership and Teamwork The role of a president is, in my opinion, should be “a back-office” job. It should be someone who is there to support the team and lead the team. Maybe one or two times, have individual initiatives. What I'm most proud of is how well the team performed and how we managed to create a well-oiled machine. So, every single initiative that we wanted to do was there, but every single initiative that we've done, for me, is 85%, 90%, the vice presidents that were handling that initiative and 10% how we were able to manage as a team.On Finding the Right MBA CultureHaas was not my first option. So coming here, I was with a bittersweet feeling. As someone who is really a high achiever, not getting into your first option is never a good feeling. After two weeks at Haas, I understood why I was at Haas. I cannot be more grateful that I ended up at Haas. The culture is right for me, the people that surround me are the right people for me, the type of events that we do are right for me. All of this is right for me.Advice to new students This is probably really bad advice, but don't focus too much on career. It is so easy to come into the MBA and just be like, I need to get the job. I'm going to focus on career. There is so much more growth that you can do in the MBA. There's not only career growth. There is so much more development that we can do as humans that maybe it will end up in a changing career that we didn't even think that we needed or that we wanted. Embrace the chaos. Embrace the trying to figure out what you want. I know it's really scary. Take care of yourself and focus also on the personal part of you and your mental health. Don't let it deprive you. I don't truly believe in what everybody says, like in the MBA, you cannot balance them all. I truly think you can. One thing that I learned in consulting that I applied to everything in my life that I think everybody should apply is the 80-20 approach. There's like 20 percent of things that bring 80 percent of the impact. Focus on that 20%. Don't go to every event. Go to the 20% of the events that are going to bring you the most joy. Don't apply to 100% of the jobs. Apply to the 20% of the jobs that either you have the most chances or you will like the most. Just focus on 20%.Show Links:LinkedIn ProfileConflict LabSystems Change for a Small PlanetSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

H@H Ep 79: Xan Wood, current FTMBA student at the Haas School of Business talks to hosts Ameya Purandare and Marissa Maliwanag about tech, venture capital, private equity, and much more. In this episode, we explore the Berkeley entrepreneurship ecosystem, the need for a venture fund dedicated to Berkeley Entrepreneurs, the formation of Courtyard Ventures Fund 2, and many other things.  On Courtyard Ventures:"Courtyard is a fund run by MBAs and Berkeley students to invest in startups from Berkeley. The genesis of that is that students are very close to companies. We are in the ecosystem. We are able to meet with people and also know Berkeley itself… It’s not just MBA, the undergraduate level, Ph.D. level there are amazing companies coming out of Berkeley" On the entrepreneurial spirit in Berkeley:"Berkeley is a hotbed of innovation. You can tell just by walking around the Berkeley campus, it’s a huge amount of entrepreneurship and general people trying to do different things. If you just look at the kinds of developments happening in this area of the world, like nuclear fusion or other things … It highlights that there’s just a huge amount of stuff happening here."  On the need for a dedicated venture fund for Berkeley:"I read a report by a Stanford professor on the number of unicorns created by Haas MBAs. I think we’ve got 1.4 in a thousand vs Harvard’s 1.6. Berkeley as a public school is relatively siloed, the budget of Berkely per student is $65000 per year vs $235000 at Harvard and $400000 at Stanford. So as students in this ecosystem, we can really play a role to create a lubricant and help generate and push the startups forward."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

H@H: AtB Ep 7 – In this episode, Nate Pola, Director of Programming @ Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator and Defi Governance and Stakeholder Incentives Researcher talks to Paul Bryzek about his love for teaching, his interest in crypto, and how it culminated in him revamping the edX courses as the director of programming for Blockchain at Berkeley B@B. Nate and Paul further discuss all things blockchain from basics such as the unspent transaction output (UTXO) model, algorithmic stablecoins, and various macroeconomic principles which are used to design them to the recent Terra Luna collapse which shook the crypto ecosystem.Blockchain at BerkeleyB@B EdX Course: Blockchain Fundamentals UTXO model:Algorithmic stablecoins:Terra Luna:Notable Episode Quotes:Nate Pola on the UTXO transaction model:"It's just like making a piggy bank. And first it starts by creating smaller denominations of this Bitcoin. And so it transfers that half of Bitcoin to the intended recipient from there, it then takes the. Little piggy bank is the transaction fee." Nate Pola on Algorithmic Stablecoins: "Algorithm ones are the ones that don't have a direct one-to-one backing per se. And they instead are backed by computer science."Nate Pola on the Terra Luna Collapse: "Terra had a large reserve of Bitcoin in store. And so Terraform labs sold about 3 billion in Bitcoin just to buy Terra and try to prevent the stable coin from collapse. And so all this was done with the intention to pump the new Terra Luna ecosystem and provide more reserves and more liquidity and value in the protocol."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations

H@H: Ep 78 - Dr. Kurt Beyer, Haas lecturer specializing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Navy veteran, and founder of the California Innovation Fund chats with host Paulina Lee on her last episode for Here@Haas (originally recorded in Spring 2022). Dr. Beyer shares his journey to Haas from flying planes to writing a book to his first start-up to teaching at Haas and everything in between. This episode is filled with great advice for business and life.On failure“Reinvent your notion of failure, because failure is so common when you're an entrepreneur.”On understanding purpose“This is the critical part of understanding your purpose.  Sometimes if we listen too much to the external world, where the external world is telling us, this is the best college to go to, this is the best job to work in. We can actually be pulled away from our purpose. So what your purpose is and what you're good at can be two different things.”On what it means to be an entrepreneur“It's a professional who loves change, who loves to innovate. And if sometimes they're the investors, sometimes they're the employee, and sometimes they're the co-founder. It's all being entrepreneurial.”Resource LinksCalifornia Innovation Fund Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Dr. Kurt BeyerDr. Kurt BeyerSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/here-at-haas/donations