People aren’t born great leaders. They learn to become great leaders.
Mar 17
Revisited: What Dying Teaches Us About Living with Death Doula Alua Arthur
Team Simon here! While A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, we’re revisiting a few episodes you helped make some of our favorites. We’ll be back with brand-new conversations next week, on March 24th, 2026. In the meantime, we’re bringing back an episode that explores a word mos ... Show More
45m 7s
Mar 10
Revisited: The Kennedy Family and the Search for Self with Journalist Maria Shriver
Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a short hiatus, but A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes March 24th. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Episodes that many of you who listened, shared them, and told us what resonated. This week, w ... Show More
43m 48s
Mar 3
Revisited: How to Turn Stress Into Creativity With Grammy-Winner Jacob Collier
Team Simon here! As we take a short hiatus, A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes on March 24, 2026. Until then, we’re revisiting some of the conversations you loved and we still think about long after the microphones turned off. This week, we’re rewinding to Simo ... Show More
58m 33s
Jun 2024
How to Become a Great Leader with David Novak
Unlock the Secrets of Leadership Mastery with Ed Mylett and David Novak! Leadership isn't just a role; it's a journey of constant learning and adaptation. This week, I'm excited to host David Novak, the legendary co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, on a deep dive into the d ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 2021
CEO of Angi On Going From Entrepreneur To Billion Dollar CEO, Creating A Great Culture, & Leadership Lessons Learned
<p>Oisin Hanrahan is the CEO of Angi, the parent company of Angie's List, HomeAdvisor, and Handy. He is actually the co-founder and former CEO of Handy before it was acquired by Angi, and now he leads the $8 billion company with around 5,000 employees.</p> <p>When he was just 19 ... Show More
56m 50s
Sep 2024
392. Survival of the Friendliest
<p>Brian explores the concept: Survival of the Friendliest. We've all heard of "survival of the fittest," but what happens when success in today's world is more about collaboration, empathy, and trust than raw competition? Brian reflects on how the business landscape has transfor ... Show More
9m 11s
Aug 2024
How to Be a Great Manager
Do managers really matter? Spoiler alert: Yes, they do! In this episode of Leadership Launchpad, we delve into the powerful findings from Google’s extensive Project Oxygen study, which demonstrates just how crucial effective managers are. I’m Matt Gjertsen, a former Air Force ins ... Show More
10m 54s
Jul 2025
258. Andy Mattes on the challenges of driving M&A as CEO
Mergers and acquisitions are among the more complex processes new CEOs have to learn, whether they’re in the role for the first time or taking over at a new company. Andreas “Andy” W. Mattes has navigated this multiple times in his roles as CEO of Siemens Communications, Diebold, ... Show More
33m 48s