The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Scott Galloway, NYU Stern marketing professor, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. He explores how action absorbs anxiety and why leaning into emotion and novelty makes life feel longer. He argues praise is underrated as leadership currency. He shares tactics for storytelling, reverse engineering success, and turning personal brands into enterprise value.

Kat Cole, CEO of AG1 and former Cinnabon executive who rose from Hooters waitress to Fortune 40 Under 40, shares career-shaping frameworks. She discusses product-first growth and how trusted recommendations fueled AG1’s expansion. Hear her rules for everyday professional interviews, the four mindsets senior leaders need, and the storytelling role of a CEO.

Jamie Siminoff, inventor of Ring who sold it to Amazon for over $1B, shares the origin of the video doorbell and the moment it became a neighborhood-safety mission. He recounts Shark Tank rejection that sparked momentum. He explains hypergrowth risks in hardware, why Amazon was the right exit, and his hiring focus on passionate ‘marathon runners’ over pedigree.

Erin McGoff, a career advisor, content creator, and author of The Secret Language of Work, shares sharp, tactical career and communication strategies. She covers using rejection as fuel, structuring crisp introductions, writing specific cold emails, negotiating pay, running efficient meetings, and thinking long-term about career planning.

Jesse Cole, entrepreneur and founder of the Savannah Bananas, turned baseball into a fans-first entertainment juggernaut. He talks about obsessing over every rep and ritual to make shows unforgettable. He explains radical transparency by opening the books, turning a $6M mistake into an opportunity, and dreaming big with Banana Land and tours. He shares why doing the opposite of normal fuels growth and culture.

Tom Hardin (Tipper X), a former hedge fund analyst turned FBI informant and author, tells a cautionary tale about ethical drift. He discusses how ambiguous leadership and the phrase "do whatever it takes" create silence. He explores psychological safety, the difference between bad decisions and mistakes, the 10/80/10 influence rule, and how leaders can reward ethics over short-term results.

PJ Fleck, Minnesota head football coach known for building culture-driven teams and turning Western Michigan into a national contender. He discusses selecting for fit over recruiting, the Nekton mindset of relentless internal drive, practice design that makes practice harder than games, and how transformational coaching builds elite culture.

Dan Coyle, bestselling author and researcher on team performance and skill development, shares how to spot 'yellow doors'—subtle, risky opportunities that shape life. He discusses being a beginner to build empathy, how simplicity deepens craft, and storytelling essentials. He also explores curiosity-driven questions, the DNA of thriving teams, and how community helps people flourish.

Brad Stulberg, bestselling author on sustainable performance and excellence. He explores curiosity as a skill, why showing up beats waiting for motivation, and the power of consistent daily practice. He also discusses how your circle shapes your performance, balancing process and outcome goals, and surprising creativity that comes from simply starting.

In this conversation with Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, he reflects on how his daughter's medical challenges highlighted a lack of accessible online information. He discusses the failure of Nupedia's top-down approach versus Wikipedia's open-edit model. Wales emphasizes the importance of assuming good faith to manage bad actors, and the idea that to receive trust, one must first give it. Furthermore, he shares practical advice on transparency, aligning purpose, and pursuing passion, revealing insights into building a collaborative culture.