-
Geoff Klein Reflects On The Big Choices And Chances That Shaped His Path
Fans of the pod will know how often my college classmates’ lives have unfolded in ways none of us could have predicted back in the mid‑1990s. Geoff Klein is a perfect example of that non‑linearity. After Amherst, he nearly landed at Leo Burnett before being told (accurately) that he seemed… Listen ⇢
-
Russ Hanser Seized Opportunity Where – And When – Law And Tech Collided
Russ Hanser arrived at Amherst as a self-described nerd with big ambitions: maybe law, maybe journalism, maybe even director of the CIA. His liberal arts education sharpened his thinking and ultimately launched him into a career shaping telecommunications and technology policy at the highest levels. Today, Russ serves as Senior… Listen ⇢
-
Elizabeth Doyle Shows How An Amherst Degree Can Lead Somewhere Beautifully Unexpected
Elizabeth Doyle is one of the proprietors of Doyle & Doyle, a purveyor of antique and vintage jewelry based in New York City. We talk about her wonderfully serendipitous path from Amherst College to the Gemological Institute of America, and then into building a jewelry business that has now spanned… Listen ⇢
-
John Haskell Chose Russia, And One Forged Signature Changed Everything
John Haskell has spent over 20 years living in Russia, a decision that began as a calculated professional bet in the post-Soviet 1990s and became, almost accidentally, a permanent life. John walks us through what it has meant to build a family, a business, and a sense of home in… Listen ⇢
-
Ricky Quinones Has A Grammy, And Yet Still Approaches Music With Humility
Ricky Quinones has spent his life exploring and expressing music across genres, geographies, and stages, from Amherst to New York, including Broadway, and Grammy-winning collaborations. Ricky opens up about his musical evolution, the artists who shaped him, and why the blues remains the emotional and structural foundation of everything he… Listen ⇢
-
Sonia Nagorski Reads Earth’s Past To Help Predict And Improve Its Future
As a very amateur geologist, I’ve been looking forward to catching up with Sonia Nagorski ever since my podcast project started. That’s because she’s a geologist whose work focuses on understanding Earth’s history and what it can tell us about the world we humans are shaping today. Perhaps not surprisingly,… Listen ⇢
-
Mike Gold Makes The Case For Big Swings That Lead To Practical Good
Mike Gold has built a life defined by range. He ran an art gallery in New York. He scaled an animation studio to nearly 200 artists. He has built backend systems for massively multiplayer online games, collaborated with DARPA on next-generation engineering tools, and even mined gold on a beach… Listen ⇢
-
Asim Ahmed Reflects On Caregiving, Infectious Disease Sleuthing, And The Soundtrack Of His Life
Asim Ahmed has three passions: the detection and workings of infectious diseases, sports (especially his hometown St. Louis teams), and music, and in this wide-ranging conversation, he shows how each one has shaped his life. We talk about his one-of-a-kind custom jerseys (clever mashups of teams, players, and music references),… Listen ⇢
-
Mariela Rexach Learned To Stop Following The Script
Mariela Rexach’s life reflects a combination of steadiness, self-knowledge, and humble assertiveness. From Amherst to Penn Law and back home to Puerto Rico, Mariela has raised a family and built a nearly three-decade career at the same women-owned labor and employment law firm. She shares the thinking that has helped… Listen ⇢
Never Miss An Episode.
Subscribe to get automatic updates when your host, Matt Collins, publishes every new episode.
Matt Collins' Blog 