Cornelius Vanderbilt was a force in 19th-century America, pivotal in transitioning the U.S. economy from rural mercantilism to industrial corporate capitalism. Vanderbilt didn’t just compete; he dominated. But he didn’t just dominate one industry—he conquered three: ferries, steamships, and railroads. Vanderbilt understood that power lies in controlling infrastructure, not just operating within it. His cutthroat …

Listen and Learn: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Transcript The rules of investing haven’t changed, but half of today’s essential infrastructure (data centers, renewable energy, cell towers) didn’t exist as investments 20 years ago. Bruce Flatt, CEO of Brookfield Asset Management, reveals how his firm built a trillion-dollar empire by buying real assets …

Most people quit when something doesn’t work the first or fifth time. James Dyson didn’t. He went 5,127 rounds with the same idea—alone in his workshop, broke, ignored, and rejected—until it finally clicked. This episode isn’t about vacuums. It’s about what happens when you bet your entire life on something everyone says is impossible—and then …

Most people date the wrong way. They chase the spark, mistake attraction for compatibility, and expect their partners to read their minds. Then, they wonder why relationships don’t last. Logan Ury thinks about dating differently. As a behavioral scientist and the Director of Relationship Science at Hinge, she’s spent years studying what makes relationships work. …

Estée Lauder didn’t start with capital, connections, or credentials. She started with obsession—the kind that keeps you up at night, tweaking formulas in your kitchen while everyone else sleeps. This episode isn’t about lipstick. It’s about what happens when someone refuses to accept no for an answer. Estée hacked psychology before marketers had a word …

What if the most valuable jobs in an AI-dominated future aren’t the white-collar knowledge worker positions we’ve spent decades optimizing for, but the blue-collar trades and human connections we’ve undervalued? My guest today is venture capitalist Josh Wolfe. We explore how AI is transforming society, from the key obstacles slowing its progress to the unexpected …

Andrew Mellon mastered the art of quiet power. While Carnegie and Rockefeller basked in the limelight, Mellon built an empire from the shadows—turning patience, precision, and systematic thinking into an industrial fortune. A banker who lived in his parents’ house while controlling half of Pittsburgh’s financial world, Mellon became Treasury Secretary and launched the Roaring …

What if building a billion-dollar business required becoming so obsessed that you worked seven days a week for 12 years, manufactured your own products from scratch with zero experience, and publicly burned all your boats to ensure there was no turning back? David Heacock, founder and CEO of Filterbuy, shares how he bootstrapped an air …

Timothy Eaton might not be familiar to many listeners today, but his innovations fundamentally changed retail and how we shop. This episode is about how he built that empire, the principles that drove its success, and the forces that eventually brought it all crashing down. Whether you’re building a business, leading a team, or trying …

What if the secret to revolutionizing retail wasn’t focus groups or data analytics, but trusting your gut while obsessively gathering information from every possible source? Mickey Drexler, the legendary retail executive who transformed Gap, created Old Navy, and reinvented J.Crew, shares his unconventional approach to merchandising. From discovering his father wasn’t the “big shot” he …