From Problems to Possibilities: Entrepreneurial Leadership in Action. A Podcast Presented by Babson College

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Student well-being has moved from the margins to the center of higher education, and for good reason. Today’s students are feeling the squeeze of unprecedented pressure, heightened security concerns, and the nonstop anxiety of our times.

In this episode, we unpack how colleges are adapting, with two innovative national leaders on campus well-being: Ryan Travia, Ed.D., Associate Vice President for Student Success at Babson College, and Dr. Thad Mantaro, Dean of Student Health and Wellness at Dallas College. Though their schools serve students in different regions and different socio-economic backgrounds, their work reveals a common road map for what’s working, what’s falling short, and what students truly need to thrive in our times.

Show Notes

• Ryan Travia Bio
• Thad Mantaro LinkedIn Profile
• Ryan Travia and Thad Mantaro’s book, Well-Being Leadership in Higher Education
• Babson Thought & Action: Leading the Way: Babson Wellness Chief Elevates Well-Being Priorities in Higher Education
• Babson College Health and Wellness
• Dallas College: Student Well-being and Health Promotion and Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Kara Baskin, Host
• Ted Canova, Principal & Chief Content Officer, ShapingCulture.co
• Brian Morris, Editor/Mixer, ShapingCulture.co

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What happens when passion becomes both the greatest gift and the biggest risk for an entrepreneurial leader? For Jamie Siminoff ’99, H’21, the founder of Ring, his passion was undeniable as he pursued his dream. But after failing to secure an investor on Shark Tank, Siminoff faced rejection and self-doubt and then a moment of self-reflection. In this episode, we revisit his journey, from Babson College to Shark Tank to now as a co-author of Ding Dong, a book that chronicles how Ring went from Shark Tank reject to everyone’s front door. Siminoff’s journey carries the emotional weight of leadership, and reflects how he balanced bold vision with humility and reminds every entrepreneurial leader that innovation thrives not on perfection, but on the courage to fall, rebuild, and rise again, ultimately leading to his billion-dollar breakthrough.

Show Notes

• Jamie’s appearance on Shark Tank
• Babson Magazine articles
  • The Biggest Miss in “Shark Tank” History: Ring Founder Jamie Siminoff ’99, H’21 Looks Back
  • Jamie Returns to Babson College to Release His New Book about Ring
  • Meet the Babson Names Behind Your Favorite “Shark Tank” Products
• Fortune: Ring’s founder went from shoveling horse stalls to selling to Amazon for $1.15 billion and says work-life balance is a myth
• Inc.: How Ring’s Jamie Siminoff Navigated Failure to Achieve Great Success

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Kara Baskin, Host
• Ted Canova, Principal & Chief Content Officer, ShapingCulture.co
• Brian Morris, Editor/Mixer, ShapingCulture.co

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What if ending hunger took the same entrepreneurial leadership as launching a startup? That’s exactly how Jeni Wheeler MBA’05 tackled food insecurity. Drawing on her Babson-trained mindset and personal hardship, Wheeler founded the Family Table Collaborative—now feeding thousands across Cape Cod. In this episode, hear how she used business modeling and social entrepreneurship to turn crisis into opportunity, creating a sustainable system that rescues food and nourishes families in need. Wheeler’s story shows that entrepreneurial thinking isn’t just for profit—it’s also for purpose, transforming how we confront today’s most pressing social challenges.

Show Notes

• Profile of Jeni Wheeler
• Family Table Collaborative
• Donate to the Family Table Collaborate
• Volunteer for the Family Table Collaborative
• Profile in Cape Cod Culinary Incubator
• Profile in Edible Cape Cod
• Video Q&A with Atwood Museum - Chatham Historical Society

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Kara Baskin, Host
• Ted Canova, Principal & Chief Content Officer, ShapingCulture.co
• Brian Morris, Editor/Mixer, ShapingCulture.co

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What if talent isn’t enough to win? And what if entrepreneurial leadership is the key—by asking, how can we align individual strengths to create a team that truly performs together? In this episode, Babson College men’s ice hockey coach Jamie Rice ’90 fosters a culture of ownership that mirrors the entrepreneurial mindset. Hockey offers a unique lens on entrepreneurial leadership, showing that success comes not only from preparation and skill but also from the ability to read shifting dynamics and empower individuals in real time. Rice’s approach transforms both student-athletes and leaders, showing that great teams, like great ventures, are built on people who trust, learn, and grow together. Ultimately, Rice challenges the idea that leadership belongs only to star players or those with titles. Role players, bench leaders, and unsung contributors can have as much influence on outcomes as captains or CEOs. By recognizing and empowering these voices, entrepreneurial leaders—whether on the rink, in the classroom, or in the boardroom—can build winning teams that thrive under pressure, adapt to change, and achieve more than the sum of their parts.

• From Babson Magazine: ‘More than Hockey’: Jake Thibeault and the Power of Brotherly Bonds
• From Babson Thought & Action: A Head Coach, a Backup Goalie, and the Inspiring Story of a Gift

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Kara Baskin, Host
• Ted Canova, Principal & Chief Content Officer, ShapingCulture.co
• Brian Morris, Editor/Mixer, ShapingCulture.co

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What happens when you apply entrepreneurial leadership to one of society’s hardest problems—foster care? Babson College professor Sandy Bravo’s 440K Project is doing just that, mobilizing technology, partnerships, and bold ideas to reimagine the system and reduce 440,000 children in care to zero.

In this episode, Kara Baskin unpacks how Sandy turns overwhelming challenges into step-by-step opportunities. Together, they show that leadership isn’t just about business—it’s about creating possibility where others see only barriers.

• Read Fighting for Those Too Often Forgotten, Babson Magazine
• Watch You Hold the Power to Change Your Corner of the World; Sandy’s TEDx Talk
• Hear Sandy Bravo on Exceptional Women; “Exceptional Women” Podcast

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Kara Baskin, Host
• Ted Canova, Principal & Chief Content Officer, ShapingCulture.co
• Brian Morris, Editor/Mixer, ShapingCulture.co

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Season 1, Episode 6

If you watched the Paris Olympics in 2024, it was hard to miss the coverage on sports and mental health. Specifically, the amazing comeback story of Simone Biles, who became the most decorated Olympic gymnast of all time after withdrawing from the Tokyo Games due to mental health issues in 2020.

The narrative around sports and mental health requires nuance, and the specific situations smatter greatly. For example, in the world of elite athletes, a study conducted by the International Olympic Committee in 2019 found that up to 35 percent have mental health concerns. The intense pressure to perform and achieve perfection can often be a contributing factor to depression or anxiety. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, a widely cited 2019 study by the NIH noted that sports often has a net positive outcome on mental health in adults.

And for kids, sports are generally accepted as something with positive outcomes on metal health, grades, physical health, and social emotional growth. However, as kids’ sports become more specialized and intense, sometimes mental health issues emerge even in these arenas.

In this episode, we’ll speak with three entrepreneurial leaders each at the intersection of sports and mental health, who are creating access to mental health resources and provoking conversations surrounding it. First, an entrepreneurial leader in philanthropy who is helping organizations secure grants to do lifesaving work. A Babson alum and CEO of a nonprofit that has reached over 1 million kids with group mental health services through sports and a Babson alum and former basketball player whose nonprofit supports mental health services for college and elite athletes.

• Beth Brown, Managing Director of Mental Health and Well-Being at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
• David S. Cohen ‘95, CEO of Doc Wayne
• Teddy Sourlis ‘22, CEO and Founder of Men’s x Mental, Inc.

Sources

Intro and Outro Segments:

1. Reardon CL, Hainline B, Aron CM, Baron D, Baum AL, Bindra A, Budgett R, Campriani N, Castaldelli-Maia JM, Currie A, Derevensky JL, Glick ID, Gorczynski P, Gouttebarge V, Grandner MA, Han DH, McDuff D, Mountjoy M, Polat A, Purcell R, Putukian M, Rice S, Sills A, Stull T, Swartz L, Zhu LJ, Engebretsen L. Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019). Br J Sports Med. 2019 Jun;53(11):667-699. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-100715. PMID: 31097450.
2. Eather N, Wade L, Pankowiak A, Eime R. The impact of sports participation on mental health and social outcomes in adults: a systematic review and the ‘Mental Health through Sport’ conceptual model. Syst Rev. 2023 Jun 21;12(1):102. doi: 10.1186/s13643-023-02264-8. PMID: 37344901; PMCID: PMC10286465.
3. (2024, August 13). Athlete Mental Health: What You Need to Know. Mcleanhospital.org. Retrieved February 12, 2025
4. Brenner JS, LaBotz M, Sugimoto D, Stracciolini A. The Psychosocial Implications of Sport Specialization in Pediatric Athletes. J Athl Train. 2019 Oct;54(10):1021-1029. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-394-18. Epub 2019 Sep 18. PMID: 31532693; PMCID: PMC6805069.
5. https://988lifeline.org/

Beth’s Segment:

1. https://blankfoundation.org/
2. https://www.adcouncil.org/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhfUBNsnpMw
4. https://loveyourmindtoday.org/

David’s Segment:
https://docwayne.org/

Teddy’s Segment:
https://mensxmental.org/

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Madeline Poirier, Writer, Producer, and Host
• Billy Wirasnik, Audio Recording, Design, and Mix
• Epidemic Sound, Music and SFX

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Season 1, Episode 5

If you live in the U.S., chances are you have a lot of stuff. Or at least you want to have a lot of stuff. As the MIT Press Reader notes in their brief history of consumer culture ‘consumption is now frequently seen as our principal role in the world.’

We've been trained in a way to want more stuff, and that stuff takes a lot of resources to make, to ship, and then at the end of its life, to dispose of. And as sustainability becomes an increasingly important conversation for our collective future, how are brands looking at these problems? How do we account for all this waste and energy that we're consuming?

Can a company make consumer goods like clothes and electronics more sustainable without sacrificing their bottom line?

Today, we're tackling just about the biggest entrepreneurial problem there is in consumer goods—Sustainability.

We’ll hear from two Babson College alumni and entrepreneurial leaders who are at the forefront of reimagining processes and their businesses and pointing us to a more sustainable future. And perhaps also a more thoughtful approach to consumerism.

And we'll speak with a renowned Babson accounting scholar who will help us understand how integrating sustainability practices into your balance sheet can not only create tangible value, but intangible value for your brand as well.

• Uddhav Bagrodia ‘21, Co-Founder and President of Wastewear
• Brigitte Wudernitz Muehlmann, PhD., MST, Professor in the Division of Accounting and Law at Babson College
• Samuel D. Herec MBA ‘25, VP of Product and Sustainability at TIvoli Audio

Sources

Intro Segment:
Higgs, K. (2021, January 11). A Brief History of Consumer Culture. The MIT Press Reader. Retrieved April 2, 2025

Uddhav’s Segment:

1. https://www.wastewear.com/
2. Ruiz, A. (2024, March 18). 47 Official Sustainable Fashion Statistics. TheRoundup.org. Retrieved April 2, 2025
3. Yorke, S. (2024, November 12). What is Sustainable Fashion? Oxfam.org. Retrieved April 2, 2025
4. (2025, March 30). Environmental Sustainability in the Fashion Industry. GenevaEnvironmentNetwork.org. Retrieved April 9, 2025
5. Circle Economy (n.d.). The Circularity Gap Report - Textiles. Circularity-Gap.World. 
6. California State Legislature (2024, September 30). SB-707 Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024. California Legislative Information. Retrieved April 24, 2025

Professor Muelhmann’s Segment:
The five entrepreneurial practices are from the book “Teaching Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach” by Heidi Neck, Candy Brush and Patty Greene.

Sam’s Segment:

• https://tivoliaudio.com/
• Evers, J. (2025, April 23). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. NationalGeographic.org. Retrieved April 25, 2025

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Madeline Poirier, Writer, Producer, and Host
• Billy Wirasnik, Audio Recording, Design, and Mix
• Epidemic Sound, Music and SFX

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Season 1, Episode 4

Three entrepreneurial leaders talk about how authentic storytelling and representation in media an make an impact not only on a company's bottom line, but on the customers they serve.

We speak with a Babson alum who's an advertising Hall of Fame inductee and visionary creative agency leader, Babson's own resident marketing expert, who will help us break down the connections between representation brands and consumers, and an entrepreneur who's bringing inclusive casting practices for photo and video to a whole new level.

• Aaron Walton ’83, CEO and Founder Walton / Isaacson, Advertisers Hall of Fame Inductee
• Anjali S. Bal, PhD., Associate Professor of Marketing and Presidential Scholar at Babson College
• Kristie Raymond, Founder & Chief Casting Strategist, HumanKind Casting

Sources

Intro Segment
(2024, September 1). See Jane 2024: How Has On-Screen Representation in Children’s Television Changed from 2018 to 2023? geenadavisinstitute.org/. Retrieved February 24

Aaron’s Segment

1. Mckinsey & Company (2020, May 19). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. Mckinsey.com. Retrieved April 17, 2025
2. Gartner (2019, September 20). Diversity and Inclusion Build High-Performance Teams. Gartner.com. Retrieved April 17, 2025
3. World Economic Forum (2019, April 29). The Business Case for Diversity is now Overwhelming. Weforum.org. Retrieved April 17, 2025

Professor Bal’s Segment

1. NeuroLaunch Editorial Team. (2024, September 15). The psychological power of using someone's name. NeuroLaunch.
2. Bond, J. (2021, August 30). The impact of respecting another person's gender. Psychology Today.

Production Credits

• Paul DeWolf, Executive Producer
• Madeline Poirier, Writer, Producer, and Host
• Billy Wirasnik, Audio Recording, Design, and Mix
• Epidemic Sound, Music and SFX

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Season 1, Episode 3

We discuss how entrepreneurs can use systems thinking and biomimicry to solve problems and maximize impact. This episode features a Babson Ecology professor, an alumna who is a blue economy specialist, and a current board member and former sustainable business leader.

• Ela Gokcigdem ‘24, Blue Economy Specialist
• Vikki L. Rodgers, PhD. Professor of Ecology and the Science Director and Integrated Sustainability Director at Babson (pictured)
• Ramón Mendiola, Sustainable Business Leader, Former CEO of Florida Ice and Farm Company (FIFCO) Current Babson Board Member

Sources

Intro Segment:

1. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/01/what-systems-thinking-actually-means-and-why-it-matters-today/ 
2. https://www.weforum.org/publications/innovative-learning-solutions-to-navigate-complexity-adapting-systems-thinking-to-future-classrooms/ 

Ela’s Segment:

1. Stanichny, Sergey. (2022). Outbreak of marine mucilage in the Sea of Marmara in 2021. Marine Biological Journal. 7. 107-109. 10.21072/mbj.2022.07.1.09.
2. https://www.avsaproject.org/ 
   

Professor Rodgers’ Segment:
Books on Biomimicry:

1. Benyus, J. 2002. Biomimicry: Innovation inspired by nature. Harper Perennial
2. Collins, K. 2014. Nature of investing: Resilient investment strategies through biomimicry. Routledge

Articles (mentioned or used for research):

1. Brier, E. Sept 19, 2024 “Forbes Sustainability Leaders” Forbes
2. Russo, A. 2020. “Half of world’s GDP moderately or highly dependent on nature, says new report” World Economic Forum
3. Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change. Global warming of 1.5 C
4. Colombo, L. A., Moser, C., Muehlfeld, K., & Joy, S. (2024). Sowing the seeds of change: Calling for a social–ecological approach to management learning and education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 23(2), 207-213.

Article Professor Rodgers co-authored that references Babson’s interdisciplinary SES work to focus on inclusive and interdisciplinary teaching:

Byrne, L. B., Rauschert, E. S., Rodgers, V. L., Bowser, G., Casper, A., Dewsbury, B., ... & Weber, L. (2025). Diversifying Ecology Education for Everyone Through More Inclusive, Interdisciplinary, and Accessible Teaching. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, e2233.

Babson publications on SES courses:

1. Babson College. Socio-Ecological Systems Core Courses
2. Savignano, M. 2022. “Exploring an integrated mindset” Babson Thought & Action
3. Crawford, J. 2023. “What the future demands of today’s classrooms”. Babson Magazine

Ramón’s Segment:

1. https://thecostaricanews.com/fifco-aspires-to-be-the-first-positive-water-company-in-costa-rica/
2. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f3c5ddbe65946007f0290f/t/663a6a0a2ab5953f275ef5e3/1715104284095/FIFCO-Integrated-Report-2024-ENVIRONMENTAL.pdf 

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Season 1, Episode 2

Four women health entrepreneurs in the Babson community talk about how women are creating, leading, studying, and funding companies that are tackling issues in the women’s health space.

• Elissa Kalver, Founder and CEO, Wegotthis.org
• Dr. Wiljeana Glover, Associate Professor in Operations and Information Management, Founding Faculty Director of the Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Babson College (pictured)
• Elizabeth Bailey, Co-Founder and Managing director of Foreground Capital
• Mary Tinebra, Business Partner and Chief Commercialization Officer at Inflection

Sources

Intro Segment:
(2024, November 19). 2023/24 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report Reshaping Economies and Communities. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.

Dr. Wiljeana Glover Segment:

1. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2024/aug/health-care-women-how-us-compares-internationally
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2866602/#:~:text=Results.,of%2043.7%25%20of%20the%20NMEs.
   Keyhani S, Wang S, Hebert P, Carpenter D, Anderson G. US pharmaceutical innovation in an international context. Am J Public Health. 2010 Jun;100(6):1075-80. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.178491. Epub 2010 Apr 19. PMID: 20403883; PMCID: PMC2866602.
3. https://hologic.womenshealthindex.com/sites/default/files/2024-01/MISC09031_HGWHI_Y3GlobalReport_Final_Digital.pdf
4. Glover, W., Pachamanova, D., and Li, Z. (2024) Framing Inclusive Practice Options for Financial, Operational, and Community Outcomes. Production and Operations Management Journal. Impact Factor: 4.6. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10591478241276927
5. Glover, W., Crocker, A., and Brush, C., (2024) Healthcare Entrepreneurship: An Integrative Framework for Future Research. Journal of Business Venturing Insights. Impact Factor: 6.6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352673424000283
6. https://submissions.mirasmart.com/InformsAnnual2024/Itinerary/PresentationDetail.aspx?evdid=69
   This particular study actually focused on breast cancer survival, not maternal morbidity, but similar findings have been found in maternal morbidity see: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11113-021-09691-2 
7. Gai, Y., Crocker, A., Brush, C., & Glover, W. J. (2024). How healthcare entrepreneurship enhances ecosystem outcomes: the relationship between venture capital-funded start-ups and county-level health. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ijebr-02-2023-0204/full/html#:~:text=Indeed%2C%20our%20results%20show%20that,binge%20drinking%20rates%20at%20

Elizabeth Bailey Segment:
Medicaid Stat: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/quality-of-care/quality-improvement-initiatives/maternal-infant-health-care-quality/index.html#:~:text=Nearly%20two%20out%20of%20every,births%20in%20the%20United%20States. 

Mary Tinebra Segment:

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Season 1, Episode 1

Hear Professors Scott Taylor and Danna Greenberg discuss their International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal article, A conceptual model of entrepreneurial leadership: how entrepreneurial leaders enable entrepreneurial opportunity, on what exactly this is, why it differs from other forms of leadership, and why it’s needed in the world now more than ever.

Sources

New research paper:
Taylor, S. N., Corbett, A., Greenberg, D., Murphy, W., Rollag, K., & Shay, J. (2025). A conceptual model of entrepreneurial leadership: how entrepreneurial leaders enable entrepreneurial opportunity. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 21(1).

Book:
Greenberg, D., McKone-Sweet, K., & Wilson, H. J. (2011). The new Entrepreneurial Leader: developing leaders who shape social and economic opportunity