Drive Time Podcasts

Listen to our UCLA Anderson success stories and write the next amazing chapter of your career!

Current Episodes on our UCLA Anderson website.

Episodes #76-current are located here, click “archived”.

Episodes #53-#75 (2020-2021) are on YouTube.

Episodes #1-#52 (2016-2019) are located on SoundCloud.

Summer Spotlight #2, Derek Cox ’21

Summer Spotlight #2 features Derek Cox ’21. Derek is one of six new alumni nominated by his classmates because his outstanding UCLA story is a first-person example of how to maximize your MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Before UCLA, Derek played professional football player for seven seasons in the NFL. During FEMBA, he did an internship with Paradigm Sports and is recreating his career to be a Sports Agent / Athlete Marketer. Some of the highlights of Derek’s story include:

Enjoy Derek’s Spotlight yourself, then please forward this page to future UCLA FEMBAs in your professional circle of influence. You support the next generation, as they start to consider graduate study at UCLA to achieve their goals.

Very best,

Dylan Stafford and friends, the Drive Time team

Samantha Hollon ’20 – Director and Lead Editor
Darcy Hitt ’20 – Producer
Drew Mandinach – Social Media Manager
Raymond Morada – Marketing and Communications
Vanessa Carey & Alex Razzaghi – Graphics
Graham Smith – Trailer Editor
Manuel Burgos – Studio Supervisor

Full Episode here https://youtu.be/KfaFk6VBF8o

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Today, we released our first of six Summer Spotlights for Drive Time: James Feng ’21. The six Spotlight nominees were selected by their class as having outstanding UCLA stories. We recorded these six Spotlights with you in mind, to give you first-person examples of how to maximize your MBA from UCLA Anderson.

James’ story includes boldly giving up a great career with Accenture to go for a brand-new adventure with Flatiron Health. You’ll hear about James experiences including:

  • growing up in NYC as a first-generation American
  • student leadership in FEMBA Council
  • travel to Finland, Sweden and India, plus a quick Munich visit for Oktoberfest
  • attending two classmate weddings: Sahara and Henry in Dallas, plus Dan in Italy!
  • ​​​​​​​being in the All-Day Saturday Section: What house in Harry Potter was his section most like?
  • doing BCO, the Business Creation Option
  • earning first place in the Gilead Biotech Case Competition
  • being our Commencement Speaker on June 11. 2021

As always, my thanks to our Drive Time Team

Dylan Stafford and Drive Time team:
Samantha Hollon ’20 – Director and Lead Editor
Darcy Hitt ’20 – Producer
Drew Mandinach – Social Media Manager
Raymond Morada – Marketing and Communications
Vanessa Carey & Alex Razzaghi – Graphics
Graham Smith – Trailer Editor
Manuel Burgos – Studio Supervisor

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In honor of Black History Month, we recorded an interview with Jermeen Sherman ’20, Jairo Mateo ’19 and Derek Cox ’21. Jermeen, Jairo and Derek generously share their journeys, before-, during- and after-UCLA Anderson. Each is a champion of re-inventing their respective career, and I hope that sharing their success will empower you as you pursue yours.

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In honor of Veterans Day, we interview four current FEMBA students, each from a different branch of the military: Stacey Mercado (’22), U.S. Navy; Bob DeLullo (’22), U.S. Coast Guard; Jamie Long (’22), U.S. Air Force; Austin Carroll Keeley (’22), U.S. Marine Corps.

In a hurry? Below is a trailer from the above full-length interview, that captures the Veterans Day Thank You.

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Brittany Blackamore (FEMBA ’16) discusses her successful career transition to Boston Consulting Group and her nonprofit organization, Suitcase of Joy.

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Recent graduate of the class of 2020 Tina Pham, Category Manager at Amazon Go Grocery talks about her experience going through the Fully-Employed MBA (FEMBA) program as a career enhancer in the retail industry before becoming a career switcher and getting a new job at Amazon.

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Recent graduate of the class of 2020 Rob Busalacchi, Investment Banking Associate at Barclays talks about his experience going through the Fully-Employed MBA (FEMBA) program as a former Marine.

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Recent graduate of the class of 2020 Dominique Kagele, Global Product Strategy— Heme/Onc, Integrated Insights Leader talks about her experience going through the Fully-Employed MBA (FEMBA) program as a working mother.

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Growing up in China, Sophie Gao dreamed of an American experience. Her father made sacrifices to pursue becoming a medical doctor, and Sophie followed his work-hard example to get herself to the U.S. for college and career. She completed her Anderson MBA while living and working in Arizona and, distance notwithstanding, served as a FEMBA Council member and tutor. She was an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion student representative and, in 2020, she co-founded the nonprofit Humans of Wuhan to educate people and diminish racism. Through on-campus recruiting, she landed a new job at Amazon she’ll start right after graduation. Her advice for incoming FEMBA students? “Be ready to have fun. Be ready to be open-minded.”

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A decade after earning her Anderson MBA, double Bruin Kate Greenberg (B.A. ’04, ’10) has led a remarkable career. When she was an undergraduate, the communications job she does now for the Washington Nationals’ charitable arm didn’t exist. She’s gone from managing PR for high-profile companies like Disney to shaping the communication strategies of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and she is now immersed in the #NATS4GOOD community response fund. Perks along the way have included seeing her name inscribed on a Nationals 2019 World Series championship ring and meeting President Barack Obama.

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Ashley Merrill (’15) launched her sleepwear business, Lunya, one month after starting business school in Anderson’s FEMBA Flex program — and a few weeks after finding out she was pregnant. She initially couldn’t picture how she’d manage all of it at once. “Confidence was one of the gifts of business school,” she says. “It wasn’t like I went to accounting class and that was the gift, it was feeling like I could wrap my head around business terminology, basic structures of business and leadership.” Now she is “reinventing sleepwear for the modern woman,” including some very recognizable figures.

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Get to know Brent Pressentin and, 30 minutes later, you might be managing your money better than you were before. Despite the peripatetic nature of his early career, the self-described Cheese Head says, “Planning is a consistent theme in my life,” something he learned to value at 23 working for E&J Gallo. Post-college, he test-drove the carbon-fiber Trek bike Lance Armstrong rode in his fifth Tour de France, got his feet wet in internet security and chased the girl of his dreams to Washington, D.C. But He found his “why” in wealth management when he earned his MBA from UCLA Anderson — which he is not above rubbing in his siblings’ faces.

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Anika Sharin (’20) has commuted from the Bay Area to L.A. for three years because she chose UCLA Anderson over UC Berkeley. She keeps her base up north because she was hired by fellow alumnus Paul Badawi (’00), who founded the Silicon Valley-based company Sight Sciences. “The way we talk about sharing success at Anderson,” says Sharin, “he is really doing that.” Now, as she prepares to graduate, Sharin reflects on her Anderson SuperSaturday admission interview experience, launching her own health care startup, being a powerful woman in tech and FEMBA puppies (of course).

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Even the assistant dean and CFO of the UCLA School of Law had to overcome his fear of public speaking. Double Bruin and alumni board member Steve Yu is an active mentor and tireless advocate of higher education, yet he says doing the dishes is crucial to staying productive. The winner of the UCLA alumni network’s 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award proves he’s just like us.

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Located in San Diego and a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in rowing, Susan now works for a medical research company that is working on a coronavirus vaccine.

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In my first-ever, “COVID-19 home-edition”, I video interview Joel Searls ’17, on March 19, 2020.

Before UCLA Anderson, Joel was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. What can Joel teach us about dealing with COVID-19? Joel and I talk about the life-and-death training he received in the United States Marine Corps and what that might teach us all about how to deal with living through this unique chapter.

Joel generously explores how he has been able to re-create his career four times so far, from being a theater major producing a full play, to being a military officer, to associate producing a full-length Hollywood movie the year after earning his MBA, to now becoming an investment banker. He tells about his perspective on networking and we reminisce about the time he brought the Back to the Future DeLorean to FEMBApalooza!

Enjoy!

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In the last two years, our small-but-mighty Drive Time podcast team has conducted 50 interviews of students, faculty and alumni!

Today, we’re proud to release episode #50 with a wonderful conversation with Sana Rahim, Class of 2019, and new founder of Emerge Consulting LA.

Enjoy this conversation with Sana to learn about her journey in life and in FEMBA and her big commitment to use her MBA to make the world a better place.

You’ll also remember that Sana was the 2017 recipient of the John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow award last fall.  I wrote two blog posts on the evening  UCLA HEROES PART ONE and UCLA HEROES PART TWO.

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L-R Sana Rahim ’19, Evan Barnes ’18, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ’69, Kevin Plank (Founder, CEO and Chairman of Under Armour), Anna Goldberg ’18, and Brandon Scott ’18.

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Enjoy meeting Helen Magpayo ’08 and learn tips from the master about admission interviewing.

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Hope you enjoy the final Drive Time podcast interview for 2017.

Jenny Leung ’17 is CEO/Founder of BellaNové and her story of dedication and stick-to-it-ness will inspire any budding entrepreneur. Jenny, you make us all proud here at UCLA Anderson!

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Nasim Afsar-manesh - Episode 42 (003)

Get inspired and learn best practices from Dr. Nasim Afsar-manesh FEMBA ’17 in this Drive Time podcast interview. Nasim is the Chief Quality Officer for UCLA Health. As an MD and a hospital executive, she is accountable for over 100,000 patients who receive their primary medical care from UCLA. She literally uses her MBA every day to save lives.

Nasim shares lessons she learned from a 2-hour dinner with Warren Buffet back at Caltech in college, as well as productivity tips she uses every day today. Trust me: You want to learn from Nasim. Not only does her career touch over 100,000 patients, she has also balanced raising her two young daughters during her FEMBA experience.

Nasim is one of the great people in your UCLA Anderson network, and she graciously shares her success strategies with us in this Drive Time podcast.

Enjoy!

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Vishal Saheta - Episode 41

What is Flex like from Houston? And how about your wife flying to LA with you?

How does it feel to earn three first place finishes in case competitions during FEMBA?

What is FEMBA like during large layoffs at your company?

Vishal Saheta ’17 is in a brand new role as a Project Manager at Schulumberger (Fortune #287), and he answers these questions and more in this Drive Time podcast interview. If you’re thinking about Case Competitions, if you’re thinking about Flex, if you’re balancing friends and family and FEMBA, Vishal’s story has something for you.

Vishal’s three first place finishes in case competitions were:

  1. 2017 First Place “The Economist / NRG Energy Case Study” global competition
    The $10,000 prize is shared by Vishal and his team members Ean Mulligan and Julian Trobe, both in the full-time MBA program. The judges awarded UCLA #1 saying, “The UCLA Anderson Blue team’s solution was clean, concise and well thought-out.” 15 competing teams included HEC Paris, MIT, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, Rutgers and Columbia. The UCLA Anderson Energy Management club made this competition available.
  2. 2016 First Place “PwC Fiercest Competitor Strategy” competition
    The UCLA Anderson Management Consulting Association made this competition available, with sponsorship from PwC. Two teams from UCLA actually competed against each other.
  3. 2015 First Place, 4th Annual “UCLA Challenges in Energy” case competition 
    Teams from seven schools competed, including Stanford, UC Berkeley and Michigan Ross. Vishal’s winning team “The Energizer Bunnies” consisted of Dan Freeman ’15, Dan Abbott ’16, and David Penskar ’16. The first place prize was $2,500. The UCLA Anderson Energy Management club also made this competition available.

To complete the interview, Vishal shares about:

  • Global Access Program with Finland and a Global Immersion to Hong Kong. Vishal shares about these two FEMBA experiences.
  • Maximizing productivity in FEMBA Flex. Vishal ends the interview sharing some of his secrets for success.

Vishal is a very accomplished person with 17 years of experience in Technology development & Product Management. His pre-UCLA degrees include a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Mumbai (First Class with Distinction) and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue where he earned a 4.0. UCLA Anderson helped him round out his skill set by building on his finance skills (passed 3 levels of CFA) and innovation skills (24 US and International patents awarded).

Enjoy!

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Brian Lopez - Episode 40 Final

Five years after graduating UCLA Anderson, Brian Lopez ’12 is the brand new President and co-founder of The Data Analysis Group, Inc. You’ll hear how Brian launched his new company, how he turned an engineering degree in undergrad into a career in forensics and data analytics, and more.

Highlights of Brian’s interview include:

  • Choosing FEMBA after initially planning a full-time MBA pathway when his then-boss launched a firm and took Brian with him.
  • Finding his undergraduate path in engineering through good college counseling and a supportive family environment.
  • Establishing his professional reputation, including being a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified IDEA Data Analyst. Brian teaches corporate classes in analytics on the side and regularly speaks at forensics conferences on fraud.
  • Combining his Global Access Program research work with his Korean GAP company with a Global Immersion to Seoul National University.
  • Enjoying his five-year Class reunion this past weekend with networking, food and dancing at Shutters and Hotel del Mar in Santa Monica. Note how he will be following up with fellow Anderson alumni at lunches forthcoming.
    (How comfortable are you to work a room? We brainstorm on the challenge of networking in a room when everyone is interesting!)
  • Sharing his productivity tips, including a great perspective he calls “Be Here Now” and how that perspective not only leads to peace of mind, but also is very supportive of selling work.

Brian is a wonderful example of a UCLA Anderson MBA fully leveraged: He’s thinking fearlessly as a forensics expert; He’s sharing success keeping up with peers from school and tapping into the Anderson network: And, he’s driving change, launching his brand new firm. Enjoy this FEMBA Drive Time interview with Brian Lopez.

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Akshay Grover - Episode 39

Akshay Grover ’18, is a Sr. Sales Executive at Siemens Building Technologies. Born in New Delhi, he studied abroad, leaving India to go to Dubai to earn his engineering degree. An internship with Siemens became an access for him to come to California. He moved 8,000 miles for his goal of attending UCLA Anderson.

You’ll hear Akshay’s story of coming to America and continuing his career growth at Siemens. Specifically, he worked on a sustainability project with San Bernadino County (America’s largest county at over 20,000 square miles) which resulted in over $400,000 in energy and cost savings. This sustainability project caught the attention of TIME Magazine and their new “American Genius” segment, and led to TIME Inc Studios interviewing Akshay and his team last year and creating the video below.

Akshay will be a Teaching Assistant this summer, and he’s also gone on a Global Immersion to Germany. Here are some fun photos of visiting the Berlin Wall Museum and spelling F-E-M-B-A with his peers, attending Oktoberfest, and taking a boat tour.

20170505 Akshay Grover 18 F-E-M-B-A in front of the Berlin Wall Museum
F-E-M-B-A !
20170505 Akshay Grover 18 FEMBA 2018s on the Berlin Boar Tour
20170505 Akshay Grover 18 Oktoberfest in Munich
UCLA Anderson does Oktoberfest!
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Associate Dean Gonzalo Freixes, Akshay Grover ’18 and friends!

After listening to the podcast, if you’d like more information on Akshay’s project with San Bernadino County, please see these links:

Business Insider Article 

TIME Magazine Segment

Siemens Case Study of San Bernadino County

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - FEMBA MDs - Episode 38

Flex is FEMBA’s innovative hybrid delivery model that we pioneered in 2012. Flex allows incredible people to earn an MBA who would never be able to earn and MBA otherwise due to the big careers they have already built.

Today’s podcast introduces you to two of our FEMBA medical doctors for whom Flex allows for an MBA: Aviva Regev MD FEMBA 16 Clinical Instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology at UCLA Health, and Juan Carlos (JC) Jimenez MD FEMBA 19 Associate Clinical Professor of Vascular Surgery at UCLA Health.

There’s so much in this interview, so I’ll only give you a few of the highlights, but among other topics, you’ll learn:

  • How Aviva is now co-teaching “The Business of Healthcare” here at UCLA Anderson with her Department Chair, just nine months after graduation.
  • How during his first quarter at UCLA Anderson, J.C. published “Vascular Surgery: Principles and Practice, Fourth Edition.”
  • Meeting together in the Operating Room, as anesthesiologist and vascular surgeon. You’ll hear about these two preparing to conduct a heart transplant!
  • Juggling FEMBA and career and maximizing the MBA journey
  • A few of their professional productivity tips that they use to manage their very big careers.

Aviva and JC are incredible people; I felt like a “little crumb” in this interview. They are examples of the lifelong career connections that get made in the classrooms of UCLA Anderson.

Hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the lives and careers of Aviva and JC.

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Mark E Lee - Episode 37 (002).png

We thought about titling this interview “Are you kidding me? Where did you find the time?” Mark E. Lee, FEMBA 2017, Founding Partner of Halo Media Group, FEMBA Council Executive Board Member, is a high-participation leader here at UCLA Anderson. Enjoy this interview and hear about Mark’s global, FEMBA rock star experience, including:

  • Going on 5 Global Immersions:
    Greece, Vietnam, and South Africa (all three as a student);
    Thailand/Myanmar and Japan (as a teaching assistant)
  • Founding and Owning Halo Media Group
  • Being married with two kids; how FEMBA was/is a family choice/experience
  • Going from Harvard (archeology/pre-med) to Los Angeles (Entertainment / Entrepreneurship and FEMBA Rock Star!)
  • Serving on FEMBA Council Executive Board, VP of Marketing
  • Being Entertainment & Media Association, VP
  • Experiencing the Global Access Program with an Australian firm
  • Teaching Assistant this Spring 2017 to UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian and Professor Peter Guber (Chairman & CEO of Mandalay Entertainment; Co-Owner of the Golden State Warriors, and more) and their leadership class
  • “Mamer-isms” from first quarter statistics with Professor John Mamer
  • Creating a “no one left behind” philosophy in FEMBA study groups
  • Describing the unique impact of FEMBA Council here at UCLA Anderson
  • Being in the Entertainment Media Association
    Inviting Joss Whedon (Director of “The Avengers” to speak at Korn Convocation Hall (along with MEMES and Professor Sanjay Sood)
  • Specializing in both Global Management and also Entertainment Management
  • “Paying FEMBA Forward” to my kids
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Mark Lee, FEMBA 2017, Founding Partner of Halo Media Group, with his lovely family at FEMBA Appreciation Day, February 25, 2017.
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First-ever UCLA Anderson Global Immersion to Thailand/Myanmar, December 2016.

Above, left to right: Mike Fetterman 2017, Larry Eng 2018, Victor Gebhardt 2018, Margaret Chang 2018, Jason Davenport 2017, Audrey Barker 2018, Chris Ferruzzi 2017, Susan Francia 2018, Yvonne Tran 2017, Ekta Talwar 2017, and Mason Wang 2017.

20160202 D-Y-L-A-N in Greece Victory Shyu, Mark Reidy, Ray Obico, Christopher Ferruzzi, Brittany Blackamore, Mark Lee, Caitlin Cassidy, and Jonathan Driscoll DSC_0803
Mark Lee and FEMBA friends in Greece on the 2015 Global Immersion. This is my favorite foto!

Above, left to right: Victor Shyu 16, Mark Reidy 17, Ray Obico 16, Christopher Ferruzzi 17, Brittany Blackamore 16, Mark Lee 17, Caitlin Cassidy 17, and Jonathan Driscoll 17.

Enjoy the podcast with Mark!

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Dwight Holcomb - Episode 36 (003)

UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian–when introducing Dwight Holcomb at the 2016 GEMBA commencement ceremony–used these words: “Dwight has been the model alumnus-for-life and we love him.”

It’s my pleasure to share this Drive Time podcast interview of Dwight Holcomb, GEMBA 2011, President of the UCLA Anderson Board of Directors, and President & CEO of HC Development, Inc.

  • International Keynote Speaker
  • Tech-Futurist
  • Author of “The Lean CMO”
  • Multi-FEMBApalooza attendee
  • Super-interesting UCLA Anderson alum

In this podcast, you’ll hear how UCLA Anderson Professor Chris Erickson recruited Dwight from an encounter at Ralph’s in Pasadena! Dwight gives you an insiders view of the UCLA Anderson Board of Directors to hire Anderson (Shout-out to Alum Frank Herrera who’s hired over 50 Anderson grads!), promote Anderson, and tell the stories of Anderson. We cover the Anderson CEO Forum (a la Vistage). You’ll also learn about a great opportunity every year, the UCLA Anderson Golf Tournament. And we end the podcast with some great, great productivity hacks that you can use today.

Dwight is a great servant-leader and I know you’ll enjoy this interview. As Dwight states at 26:43-28:22, “…You can’t out-give Anderson…Anderson completely changed my life…I thought the pinnacle had been reached when I was handed that diploma, but that was just the beginning. When I started in this network, that’s when things really took off…”

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Amber Jackson - Episode 35
  • Causing a career to go from “Good to Great”
  • Practicing the Power of No
  • Leaning In
  • Rebranding through B-school
  • Transforming “GAP anxiety” into “A Promotion for Me”
  • Using the best professional productivity tips
  • Loving Hamilton in all its intrinsic American-ness and modern storytelling impact, and more!

Meet marketing wonder Amber Jackson, FEMBA 2015, and Senior Manager, Marketing Strategy at The Walt Disney Studios. Amber grew up back east, attended Carnegie-Mellon, and entered the work world with Johnson & Johnson. She then came west, landing at KPMG initially before moving to Warner Bros., both career moves prior to UCLA Anderson, FEMBA and now Disney.

For this Drive Time interview, Amber was back on campus supporting one of our Women’s Breakfasts and she generously donated another hour for us to record this interview. It was her first time back on campus in the 18 months since she’d graduated.

Amber’s story is definitely a good-to-great UCLA Anderson outcome. Her career outcomes are exactly the type you’d expect from your MBA investment.

Learn about specific faculty who taught her here (including Professors Shapiro, Sussman and Ullmen), enjoy some of her productivity tips for professional success, and lastly, her love of Hamilton, a great American story that we love to hear.

Enjoy!

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog - Grace Chang - Episode 34

From FEMBA Council President to Anderson Alumni Board to Winning at TechCrunch Disrupt, we catch up with Grace Chang, FEMBA 2013 to hear about her very busy career trajectory post-graduation.

Grace launched Events Sorbet during FEMBA with two fellow FEMBA Council leaders, quickly growing from 3 to 26 people with operations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York before they brokered off the business. Grace then went to a mobile chat company, getting her feet wet in a more seasoned start-up and successfully riding through an acquisition, ending up with 6 different offers.

UnifyID was the most intriguing of the 6 offers Grace was considering and she signed with UnifyID as both their first-ever product manager and their first non-technical hire. Launched at TechCrunch Disrupt, UnifyID won battlefield runner-up winner (#2 out of 1,000 start-ups competing).

Coincidentally, Phillip Chang 17, Head of Information Security at Boingo Wireless, and Drive Time podcast editor, was attending the RSA Conference last month where UnifyID was again one of ten finalists in an innovation competition and won the “RSAC Most Innovative Startup 2017”!). Today, 3/10/17, as we post, Grace’s whole team is headed to SXSW!

Back during FEMBA, as FEMBA Council President, Grace was the organizer of the first ever “Opportunity/Enterpreneurship/Club Zone” at the very ever first FEMBApalooza in the summer of 2012. She reflects on taking on leadership roles during FEMBAs that were not offered at work, and how she grew from the opportunity.

Learn about all of this and more from Grace Chang ’13 in this episode of our Drive Time podcast.

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femba-podcasts-dylans-blog-diego-benitez-episode-33

What’s it like to have TWO Nobel Prize winners in your professional circle? (Robert Grubbs and Sir Fraser Stoddart) (As a follow up, Diego sent me this link of an interview with Sir Fraser Stoddart, about life after winning the Nobel Prize.)

What’s it like to successfully found Progress Brewing, now be opening a wine bar, and already be changing management style due to Professor Bendersky’s Organizational Behavior course first quarter?

What’s it like to come to the United States with no undergraduate degree, earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Caltech, have over 45 peer-reviewed publications and 4,000 citations, an h-index of 35, and then begin FEMBA?

What’s it like to donate four kegs to FEMBApalooza, plus 12 cases of beer to the Craft Beer Club, and serve on FEMBA Council?

You’ll learn all this and more in this Drive Time Podcast with Diego Benitez ’19, including his favorite time management tips.

“FEMBA is one of the best decisions of my life.” –Diego Benitez.  That is high praise from any FEMBA, but especially from Diego.

Enjoy! This is one of our richest, most interesting podcasts yet!

20160724-palooza-5-marty-zhu-18-dylan-diego-benitez-19-raymond-morada-27940488263_ede93e5b13_h
@Fembapalooza 5, July 24, 2017, l-r, Marty Zhu 18, Dylan Stafford, Diego Benitez 19 and Raymond Morada

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-32-david-duong-and-sharon-lee-1

Will the MBA work for an English major? Will the MBA help me open my own business? How successful is the MBA for helping to change companies, and could I change companies during FEMBA? Will an MBA make me more confident? Yes, Yes, Very Successful, Yes and YES.

This week’s podcast features two recent graduates, Sharon Lee ’15 and also David Duong ’15. Both were very active student leaders while they were here, and each has a very strong return-on-investment story to tell from their FEMBA experience.

Also, new for 2017, at the end of this podcast, listen for some bonus tips on professional productivity, some best practices from Sharon and David.

And, as a special bonus, after the podcast, please also enjoy this unique video that David wrote, directed, choreographed and danced in…

So you think you can dance? Wait until you see David Duong 15, and his posse in this magic moment, filmed all around UCLA Anderson.

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-31-brittany-blackamore

Drive Time is proud to share this inspiring UCLA FEMBA success story with recent alum Brittany Blackamore ’16. With a B.A. in French from Pepperdine, Brittany has always been proactive, but during FEMBA, she really turned it up a notch. As you will hear, Brittany’s UCLA journey included:

  • Discovering a passion for global macroeconomics
  • Re-discovering a passion for travel (see below)
  • Landing her dream job at Experian
  • And was in her words “a life-changing experience”

You’ll hear all about that, plus Brittany’s incredible Global Immersion travel schedule during FEMBA (she is definitely in the top 1% of all-time travelers during FEMBA) which included:

  • Argentina, with Professor Andres Terech
  • Greece, with Professor Ed Leamer (see the F-E-M-B-A photo below from the Parthenon)
  • Hong Kong, with Professor Gonzalo Freixes (see photo below)
  • Israel, with Professor Stuart Gabriel
  • South Africa and South Korea, each on a Global Immersion Exchange
  • And Australia and Dubai for the Global Access Program!

Recorded the afternoon of SuperSaturday #42 (the day that we surpassed 6,000 lifetime FEMBA admission interviews) when Brittany was here as an alumni volunteer. Enjoy!

201509_BrittanyBlackamore_F-E-M-B-A-Acropolis
The latest in the global F-E-M-B-A body spelling. This was from Brittany Blackamore 16 (second from left) with Ray Obico (far left) and friends.
20160202-brittany-blackamore-16-in-hong-kong-in-2015-20135862600_edff0f76dd_o
Brittany Blackamore in Hong Kong at Sotheby’s when we visited and Anderson Alum who is now curator there.
20160202-d-y-l-a-n-in-greece-september-2015-victory-shyu-mark-reidy-ray-obico-christopher-ferruzzi-brittany-blackamore-mark-lee-caitlin-cassidy-and-jonathan-driscoll-dsc_0803-002
Here’s the photo that I mention about 35:00, where I got “verklempt.” Pictured here, from the 2015 Global Immersion to Greece are FEMBAs Victory Shyu, Mark Reidy, Ray Obico, Christopher Ferruzzi, Brittany Blackamore, Mark Lee, Caitlin Cassidy and Jonathan Driscoll!

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dylans-blog-episode-30-team-21-visionaries-002

Welcome to the first Drive Time Podcast of 2017, featuring Team 21 Visionaries, the #1 team out of a field of 24 Anderson teams in the 2016 Deloitte Case Competition held here at Anderson last Fall Quarter. Seen above (left to right) are Melissa Tran, Sophia Moreno, Ella Foux and Bradley McGough, all Class of 2018.

Melissa, Sophia, Ella and Bradley give you their insider’s peek at what a case competition is all about and the reasons you’d want to participate, including:

  • Exposure to Deloitte Executives
  • Opportunity to hone public speaking skills
  • Getting your feet wet in consulting
  • Competing for real dollars in prize money
  • Solving real-time company challenges
  • Receiving feedback from Deloitte Executives
  • Visiting both the Los Angeles and the Dallas offices of Deloitte
  • Building memorable connections with classmates across sections
  • And more.

Congratulations again to Melissa, Sophia, Ella and Bradley. We appreciate your representation of UCLA Anderson!

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-29-jennifer-whitson

Meet Dr. Jennifer Whitson, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations.

Professor Whitson is well known to Section One FEMBAs in the Class of 2019 as she taught their Leadership Foundations experience this year. Drive Time sits down with Professor Whitson for a thought-provoking interview.

Have you ever felt out of control at work?

Have you ever noticed a power differential and wondered how that might impact your decision making?

Do you ever wonder what it is like for a world-class scholar to choose UCLA Anderson?

You’ll learn all about these questions and more as Professor Whitson shares about her research and teaching passions:

  • Control
  • Illusory Pattern Perception
  • Power
  • Plus what she loves about UCLA Anderson students

Enjoy!

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-28-doug-longo

In honor of Veterans Day, our Drive Time Podcast features FEMBA Alum and Marine Corps Veteran, Doug Longo ’14. Currently residing in Austin, Texas, and working for Dimensional Fund Advisors as a Fixed Income Investment Strategist, Doug was our FEMBA Council President during his time at Anderson as well as VP of the Anderson Student Asset Management (ASAM). Currently, he is the official UCLA Anderson Regional Ambassador in Austin.

This Drive Time interview covers a lot about Doug and UCLA Anderson:

  • Being one of youngest Sergeants in Marine Corps history. Doug enlisted in his junior year of high school. He was the “Doogie Howser” of the Marine Corps at 20 years of age.
  • Earning the Navy Achievement Medal
  • Charting his career from Bear Stearns to Merrill Lynch to UCLA Anderson to Dimensional Fund Advisors
  • Consistently being a servant leader before, during, and after FEMBA
  • Fast-tracking FEMBA to graduate early and start at Dimensional Fund Advisors
  • Hearing his gratitude at getting to work at DFA, and connecting with some of the titans of finance, including Nobel Laureate Eugene Fama and Ken French as in the Fama-French three-factor model, plus LOTS of Anderson MBAs.
  • For more on Doug, read this moving tribute that was compiled by his classmates

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-27-v2-corinne-bendersky

Meet Corinne Bendersky, Associate Professor of Management and Organizations in this Faculty Spotlight podcast. Professor Bendersky is known to FEMBAs (2018 Section 1 and 2019 Section 2) from Leadership Foundations. This fall she is also teaching 2019s in both Sections 2 & 3 in their Organizational Behaviors course, MGMT 409.

Learn first-hand about Professor Bendersky’s research and teaching, including:

  • An overview of her next course, Incentives & Motivations: MGMT 254. offered Wednesday evenings this upcoming Winter Quarter. Her course will be available for bidding this weekend. MGMT 254 is open to EMBA and FTMBA students too and will feature three different keynote guest speakers.
  • Closing remarks for prospective FEMBAs to see the connection of in-class lessons and on-the-job, real-time applicability of the MBA education.
  • How her formative experiences in high school in New Jersey led to her research.
  • Her research studying female firefighters, a career field that it typically no more than 4% female, and what that can teach us for leading organizations.
  • Being Faculty Chair of the Human Resources Roundtable, HARRT
  • Developing our own self-awareness to become a leader who consciously constructs a context for accurate evaluation that allows others to live up to their potential, seeing what may actually present, but is untapped.

We hope you enjoy this week’s Drive Time podcast with our Faculty Spotlight and Associate Professor Corinne Bendersky.

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-26-kate-mononaga

What an engaging FEMBA success story!  I hope you enjoy listening half as much as I enjoying interviewing.

Kate Motonaga, FEMBA ’97, CFE and new Senior Associate Dean and CFO of UCLA Anderson generously shares about her education and career and ends with some great advice about how to maximize your MBA at UCLA Anderson: “It’s Your Life and It’s Your Career; If You Want It, You Can Have It.”

You’ll learn about:

  • Getting recruited to come back to UCLA Anderson as the Senior Associate Dean and CFO
  • Founding her own company and running it for a decade.
  • Becoming a CFE, a Certified Fraud Examiner
  • Opening the new Anderson facility, from the prior Social Sciences location of Anderson
  • Being in a two-section FEMBA program
  • Experiencing the pre-GAP Field Study model
  • Making FEMBA Friends-for-Life, who continue to offer professional support to each other
  • Being a working parent

Hope you enjoy meeting a dynamic new leader of UCLA Anderson, who is also a FEMBA!

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-25-admissions-tips

This week’s special podcast is specifically for the in-process applicants applying for our Round One deadline of October 26, 2016. With me is one of my great team members, Vanessa Carlos, our Admissions Specialist. We both look forward to your application and we share some application tips and also answer some common questions. We know this is a big weekend for you, as you complete your application, and we want to empower you.In this podcast, I cover:

  • Which Round is best for me?
  • Transcripts
  • Resumes
  • GMAT/GRE
  • Essays
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • SuperSaturday Interview Invitation
  • Application Status Page

Remember, your MBA has already started. All of the introspection that you are doing as you’ve visited campus, or heard a webinar, or researched online, all of that effort is part of your MBA. The consideration you put into choosing your recommenders, the thought you are giving your essays, the words you choose for your resume, all of this is part of your MBA.

One strength of UCLA Anderson is the incredible diversity of thought and opportunity here. One challenge of UCLA Anderson is that there will forever be “too many good choices” on the calendar. You prepare yourself best for UCLA Anderson, to get admitted and then to have an amazing education, by spending quality time now in the application process, discerning for yourself your biggest vision, of the best career for you, that you can imagine.

Around here at UCLA Anderson, we share success, we think fearlessly, and we drive change. This is a very special culture, and we hope that you will be part of our culture, in the UCLA Anderson FEMBA Class of 2020.

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femba-drive-time-episode-24-datras-image

This year FEMBA is honored with TWO John Wooden Global Leadership Award Fellowship winners, Datra Oliver ’18 and also Eric Potochek ’18.

This week’s FEMBA Drive Time podcast interviews Datra Oliver ’18, who works for Esri as an International Contracts Specialist. Datra’s life journey spans the Bahamas to the US to England and back. She’s met the Queen of England and Nelson Mandela. She’s the mother of a young son and supported her husband earning his PhD. She’s worked in Africa and earned her Law Degree in England, where she is called to both the Bar of England and Wales (2009), and the Bar of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas (2010). Datra is in FEMBA Flex and is about to complete her Core courses.

I love Datra’s summation advice for living a great life, “Just Apply.”

Enjoy hearing Datra’s unique journey thus far, and see where she’s heading next.

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-23-fembassadors-10-6-16

Julia Ritchie ’17, Manager, McMaster-Carr, is our current FEMBA Council President. She’s a wonderful representative of our FEMBA student body and in this interview, Julia shares her experiences and the benefits from getting involved, building relationships, and pursuing all the resources of UCLA Anderson.

Learn about D.I.T.L.O. Hear the Top Three Points Julia advises to all MBAs. Get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the benefits of jumping in fully to the FEMBA experience, including FEMBA Council, Net Impact and SOMA.  Enjoy!

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-22-fembassadors-9-29-16

Why is FEMBA thriving? One answer is leadership from our student body. This week’s Drive Time podcast is a call-to-action for all current and alumni FEMBAs from our FEMBAssador co-Presidents, Blair Nichols ’17 and Geetha Rajan ’17.

Hear their plans for how FEMBAssadors will build the best Class of 2020 possible, and how you can help, as well as hear each of their own career victories during FEMBA.

Blair is in his second week in a brand new job, after doing an MBA internship last summer; he also just completed a Global Immersion to Japan. Geetha is a Flex student who commuted from Boston to UCLA her first year, and who now commutes from San Francisco. Both are half way through their Global Access Program, in parallel to leading the 2016-2017 FEMBAssadors.  Enjoy!

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drive-time-dylans-blog-episode-20-george-ingersoll-9-15-16

What does it take to launch a new teaching pedagogy at an institution with a reputation as respected as UCLA Anderson?

Today’s podcast offers an inside view from Dr. George Ingersoll, PhD ’15 and MBA ’09. George was there when Senior Associate Dean Carla Hayn proposed of “FEMBA Flex” for a UCLA Anderson Faculty vote back in 2012. Today he is UCLA Anderson’s Associate Dean for Hybrid Learning.

Since 2012, Flex has become a popular schedule option for both Core and elective courses, and has contributed significantly to the growth of FEMBA’s student body in enrollments of women, military, MD, PhD and of course, out-of-area students. Flex has definitely brought talented students to UCLA Anderson who would not be here otherwise.

FEMBA Flex is proof-positive of UCLA Anderson’s commitment to Think in the Next. We hope you enjoy George’s interview.

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 19 - Bruce Carlin - 9.8.16.png

In honor of the amazing entering Class of 2019 (which welcomes the most-ever doctoral-level FEMBAs: 8 MDs, 8 PhDs, 1 DDS, 1 EdD, and 1 DMA), this week’s Drive Time podcast features Associate Professor of Finance Bruce Carlin, PhD, MD, MBA.

Bruce generously shares his very unique life and career story, including:

  • Following his passion
    Stepping away from a very successful career as a surgeon / researcher / medical doctor / author to earn a PhD in Finance. (His family’s reaction; finding a mentor who believed in him; taking 10 advanced courses in a year to pre-qualify.)
  • Earning his MBA as a part-time student
    While still working as a medical doctor and professor. He knows what it is like to be a FEMBA!
  • Valuing risk in building a very rewarding life
  • Being a visiting professor at Chicago Booth last year
    (and seeing how Anderson students had a higher mean on the same exact exam!)
  • What he likes about teaching
    Making it practical; Cases; Gaining skills; Teaching to both “quants” and “poets” to that there is something for everyone
  • The unique optimism of UCLA and California
  • Watching his UCLA Anderson fellow faculty help companies survive the financial crisis.
  • Three very interesting hobbies: 
    Being a Master Swimmer and Water Polo player,
    Organizing Poker matches for finance academics at venues like the Aria poker room, and
    Collecting rare whiskies (Listen to his tale of searching the back country of Kentucky for rare issues of Pappy Van Winkle.)

Bruce will be teaching Finance in Spring Quarter to both Flex and one of the all-day Saturday sections.

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 18 - Kimberly Freeman - 9.2.16

Meet Kimberly Freeman ’02, our UCLA Anderson Assistant Dean for Diversity Initiatives and Community Relations. Kimberly brings three degrees and a career’s worth of making a difference in industry back to UCLA Anderson.

Kimberly discusses her education and career and commitment, including:

  • being a ‘born and bred’ product of Los Angeles
  • earning degrees from Berkeley (Engineering) and USC (Public Policy) before earning her UCLA Anderson MBA
  • commuting from the Bay Area during FEMBA
  • being an energy lobbyist, working with Southern California Gas company before coming back to UCLA Anderson
  • managing a ‘career as a laboratory’; seeking and finding mentors; always growing; sharing success
  • building the confidence of a leader through the stages of a career
  • civic engagement and asking the big questions of one’s career, like “How can I contribute to society?” and  “How will I measure success?”

We hope you enjoy this interview with a very successful UCLA Anderson alumna, Kimberly Freeman.

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 17 - Margaret Shih - 8.25.16

Just in time to welcome our entering UCLA FEMBA Class of 2019, this week’s podcast is with Dr. Margaret Shih, Board of Visitors Term Chair Professor of Management and Senior Associate Dean, Fully Employed MBA and Full Time MBA programs.

Dean Shih shares how her international upbringing shaped her education and ultimately her research and passion in Diversity, Culture, Stereotypes, Team and Groups, Leadership, Organizational Commitment, Performance, Consumer Behavior, and Decision-Making.

She also shares about teaching, FEMBA Council, FEMBApalooza and offers some tips to our entering Class of 2019.  Enjoy!

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FEMBA PODCASTS - Dylan's Blog (1)

Making the World a Better Place: Care | Mind

This week’s Drive Time Podcast is the first of its kind, starring a trio of three alumni stories from Oscar Rodriguez (FEMBA ’14), Hanson Chang (FEMBA ’14) and Sarah McMains (Full Time MBA ’12). You will hear how Oscar and Hanson met in their first year of the FEMBA program and continued working together, along with Sarah, through the creation of their start-up healthcare business, “Care | Mind” (an iOS application). The group discusses several themes that have stuck with them throughout their time at UCLA Anderson and beyond, including:

  • Building a partnership through their time in the FEMBA program
  • Discovering opportunities, broadening their perspectives, and finding their higher purpose
  • Bringing medicine back in the hands of individuals and empowering people with information
  • Increasing the utilization of wearable technology with the senior population
  • Leveraging the UCLA Anderson Alumni Network to find a perfect match for their marketing needs
  • Practical tips for getting the most out of the UCLA Anderson experience

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 15 - Jeff Scheinrock - 8.11.16

Faculty Spotlight: The value of your UCLA Anderson education starts with our faculty. You learn from top research professors, whose ideas drive change globally, AND you learn from faculty who have “been there and done that in industry” and share their success with you.

Jeff Scheinrock, Continuing Lecturer, Faculty Director AMR/BCO, President & CFO at Originate (a pioneer in Venture Resources) brings a lifetime of corporate experience into his teaching. He has extensive experience in international financial markets, corporate finance and capital structure, acquisitions and strategic investment, and is a CPA.

Podcast highlights include:

  • Three tips all new students can use
  • Launching the UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator
    Seeing Senior Associate Dean Al Osborne and Executive Director Elaine Hagan of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation bring the Venture Accelerator to life
  • Hiring 11 UCLA Anderson graduates to Originate!
  • Teaching as a GAP Faculty Advisor
  • Writing a book (The Agile Startup) with a FEMBA alumnus,
    Matt Sand, FEMBA ’10, President 3DEO
  • Seeing the power of luck and timing — and a sense of humor!

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 14 - Paraag Lal - 8.4.16

We are expanding our Drive Time podcasts to include alumni stories. Paraag Lal ’04 is both an inspiring alum and a personal friend. We traveled through India after a FEMBA Global Immersion course. Paraag was a keynote speaker at Leadership Foundations in 2014.

Meet Paraag Lal ’04, President at Carmen Road Entertainment, as he reflects on

  • Leaving a mark as a FEMBA Council leader (launching the FEMBA Halloween Party, the Vegas trip, Anderson Affiliates, and SuperSaturday interviews)
  • Making As in every course at UCLA Anderson (except former Dean Hayn’s!)
  • Enjoying two Fortune 500 chapters at Intel and then Cisco
  • Supporting his dad through Parkinson’s
  • Launching Carmen Road Entertainment
  • Relating to UCLA (and Life) as a Playground and living a life he loves!

P.S. Victor Gebhardt ’18 Mongol Rally Update: Crossed Azerbaijan.

20160804 Victor Gebhardt Mongol Rally Progress

Follow Victor Gebhardt ’18 currently driving from London to Mongolia for charity. They arrived at Batumi after three days on a boat and crossed into Azerbaijan. Follow Victor’s team http://friskydingo.rocks

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 13 - Kristen Palchak - 7.28.16

Meet Kristen Palchak ’16, a simultaneously very focused and very open-minded recent graduate of FEMBA. Like last week, this is a special double-feature Drive Time podcast. We wrap up the biggest FEMBApalooza ever with an interview with Christy Marquez, and then our interview with Kristen offers in-depth perspectives on her FEMBA journey, including:

  • Successfully mapping her FEMBA goals of Marketing, Global Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Leveraging her MBA in real-time at work as the helped transform the TV show Jeopardy (a 30-year-old brand) and execute a digital marketing strategy
  • Going global with a Global Access Program experience in Italy and two Global Immersions, to China and Israel
  • Challenging herself and making it all work, including keeping yoga going during FEMBA

P.S.

Don’t forget you can follow Victor Gebhardt ’18, who is currently driving the Mongol Rally, from London to Mongolia for charity. Follow Victor and his team http://friskydingo.rocks

20160729 Victor Gebhardt Mongol Rally Progress

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 12 - Victor Gebhardt - 7.21.16

Here we are, just days before FEMBApalooza 5!

This week’s Drive Time podcast is a double-feature. First, we interview Christy Marquez, the main organizer of FEMBApalooza.  Second, we interview Victor Gebhardt 2018, Co-Founder of Collective Coffee, Peace Corps veteran, entrepreneur, and avid adventurist. This summer Victor is doing something I’m pretty sure no other FEMBA has ever done, the Mongol Rally:

  • A 10,000 mile drive from London, England to Mongolia
  • Raising money for charity
  • Driving a 1.0 liter engine automobile
  • Follow Victor and his team from London to Mongolia:
    http://friskydingo.rocks
  • Learn about the Mongol Rally:
    http://www.theadventurists.com/mongol-rally
  • As of the posting of the Podcast, they’ve already driven from London to Romania!

Enjoy this week’s podcast and we can’t wait to see many of you Sunday at FEMBApalooza 5!

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 11 - Matt Rose - 7.14.16

Matt Rose ’16 ran full speed through FEMBA and we hope you enjoy hearing his journey. A transplant from Colorado, Matt already had a Master’s degree before his MBA from UCLA. An unexpected life tragedy happened during FEMBA and from there he had an insight that led to creating PetSnap with classmates. In this podcast, you’ll learn how:

  • Matt launched PetSnap with very little outlay of funds, using the resources of UCLA,
  • Matt’s section three classmates became his co-founders,
  • Professors Cockrum, Freixes, Scheinrock and Sussman supported the architecture of PetSnap,
  • Matt and his wife Kate greeted their first child just before graduation. (Their daughter was born after we recorded this podcast.)

Enjoy meeting Matt Rose ’16.

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 10 - Amy Miller - 7.7.16

“From Wondering to CEO”

Meet Amy Miller, UCLA Anderson FEMBA Class of 2016. Prior to deciding to pursue her MBA, Amy was co-running a family business, had four children and studied religion in undergrad. She was wondering if the MBA would be worth the time, the effort and how it could help her family business. She’s not wondering anymore, in this podcast Amy shares how FEMBA gave her a voice in business she didn’t have before, as well as a confidence. You’ll also hear about:

  • Amy’s new role as the CEO of a Woman-Owned Business, Lester Lithograph
  • Her global experiences from Barcelona, to Vienna and Prague, to Brazil
  • How she ultimately earned a Certificate in Global Management
  • FEMBA Flex and her FEMBesties
  • Amy’s with advice for everyone embarking on their MBA journey

We hope you enjoy meeting Amy Miller, UCLA Anderson FEMBA Class of 2016.

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 9 - Sean Camarella - 6.30.16

“A Global Tour with Destination McKinsey”

Meet Sean Camarella, UCLA Anderson FEMBA Class of 2016. A Bruin undergrad, Sean had already earned a prior Master’s Degree from USC while climbing the ranks at Boeing to be a Manager in Materials and Processes. You’ll hear how Sean fulfilled his two MBA goals of gaining a global perspective and accelerating his career as he goes into the details of his experiences:

  • Consulting with a company in Finland for his Global Access Program (GAP) capstone project
  • Traveling on two Global Immersions, to Argentina with Professor Terech and to China with Professor Leslie
  • Graduating with the Specialization in Global Management
  • Changing careers during FEMBA
  • Graduating as one of 4 classmates his year going to McKinsey and Company
  • Finally, and after the recording of this podcast, Sean and his wife Laura have welcomed their first daughter Charlotte, who was born healthy and happy the week before graduation.

We hope you enjoy meeting Sean Camarella UCLA Anderson FEMBA Class of 2016.

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Drive Time - Dylan%27s Blog - Episode 8 - Isadora Dantas - 6.23.16

“I got everything I wanted from my MBA”  Meet Isadora Dantas, UCLA Anderson FEMBA Class of 2016. Hers is a fantastic global journey from Brazil to New York City to Los Angeles, a powerful personal transformation, and incredible career results. Isadora shares generously about the impact of FEMBA:

  • Discovering a passion for public speaking during Professor Firstenberg’s course
  • Becoming a TEDx campfire speaker at UCLA
  • Aligning her prior Master’s degree research on happiness
  • Co-founding a start-up, Petsnap, with FEMBA classmates
  • Switching careers, from graphic design to product management, leveraging the coaching of Susan Cowell and our FEMBA Career Services team
  • Switching companies, from Disney to Sony to finally landing at UCLA-founded, Cornerstone OnDemand, all utilizing her UCLA network
  • Taking a Global Immersion to Israel with Professor Gabriel to see the vibrant tech scene
  • Meeting her FEMBesties during school
  • (Short on time?? Start at 38:00 to hear Isadora’s summary of her FEMBA journey, and what’s next.)

Enjoy!

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thumbnail_Drive Time - Dylan%27s Blog - Episode 7 - Gonzalo Freixes - 6.16.16

You know him. You love him. You’ve traveled the world with him. But you probably didn’t know his whole story.

Adjunct Professor, Neidorf “Decade” Teaching Award Winner, and FEMBA Associate Dean Gonzalo Freixes in a candid, one-on-one interview discusses his family’s journey to America, and his lifetime career of paying it forward.

“Living the American Dream” is not a cliché for Dean Freixes. It is the story of his life. In this tribute to the power of education, Dean Freixes tells of his family arriving in the US as political refugees with all their worldly belongings in one suitcase. From these austere beginnings, Gonzalo’s life and career has touched thousands of UCLA students, undergraduate and graduate, both on-campus and around the world. And after graduation, his connections continue in ongoing relationships with SO many alumni.

Dean Freixes’ leadership and contributions have architected and guided many of the distinguishing pillars of the FEMBA, including our

  • Global Access Program
    Over 600 international companies consulted, and counting!
  • Global Immersion courses
    Over 2,000 students have now studied in over 20 countries!
  • FLEX schedule
    Gonzalo’s own Flex course includes a build-your-own elective bonus feature
  • Network of entrepreneurial alumni
    Gonzalo offers inspiring examples of connecting with high-impact alumni globally

This summer (for new and current students and alumni only) enjoy Dean Freixes live at FEMBApalooza 5, where he will be hosting a Learning on the Lawn segment titled, “Taking Your Business International.”

Enjoy!

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 6 - Ed Moses 6.9.16

Today’s Drive Time podcast is with Ed Moses 2016, serial entrepreneur, Olympic Gold and Silver medalist, and 13x World Record holder. Enjoy sharing the success of Ed’s FEMBA journey:

  • Making the b-school decision: “Hey, FEMBA is a thousand days of my life!”
  • Discovering the amazing talents of his UCLA peers
  • Growing, from the nerves of year one to “Hey, it’s my school!”
  • Leveraging UCLA to launch his second company after catalyzing his first company, Mojo Marketing and Media, with his UCLA experience
  • Re-branding himself, from athlete to business leader
  • Top tips for getting through b-school successfully: Turning failures into successes
  • Meeting and learning from  A-Rod, Peter Guber (Owner of the Warriors), Adam Silver (Commissioner of the NBA), Jeannie Buss (Part-Owner and President of the Lakers), Kevin Plank (CEO and Founder of Under Armour), all in his UCLA classes here
  • Qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Trials, after NOT swimming for four years
    (Ed qualified the month after we recorded our interview!)

Enjoy!

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 5 - Carolyn Connolly 6.2.16

Here’s an inspiring interview with Carolyn Connolly, 2016. Enjoy hearing Carolyn’s FEMBA journey, including:

  • Earning THREE promotions in less than four years
  • Having TWO beautiful baby daughters during FEMBA
  • Having an amazing Global Access Program team and now becoming a GAP Fellow
  • Following her dreams: from the east coast to California, from engineering to professional Roller Derby Skater to the City of Santa Monica, and finally to now and creating stability for raising her family

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 4 - Barry Ripley 5.26.16

In this week’s FEMBA Drive Time Podcast, hear from Barry Ripley about how he:

  • Switched careers from Engineering to Finance
  • Secured a prestigious internship in Investment Banking (twice!)
  • Led a FEMBA Anderson Career Team (FACT), with stellar results
  • Helped to bring microfinance to farmers in the Andes
  • Learned to love speaking up in class

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 3 - Cara Bibbiani - 5.19.16

Ready for this week’s Drive Time podcast? We hope you enjoy getting to know Cara Bibbiani 2016 and share in her FEMBA success:

  • Being chosen Commencement Speaker,
  • Landing a dream post-MBA job with HP Enterprises,
  • Traveling the world in FEMBA: Finland, Peru, Israel,
  • Building lifelong friendships, and
  • Continuing with FEMBA as a GAP Fellow

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 2 - Sai Chundi - 5.12.16

Take us on your commute and learn from the success of Sai Chundi 2016, including:

  • Fulfilling his lifelong goal of developing himself as a leader
  • Landing his dream job with Microsoft
  • Making friendships-for-life
  • Traveling to Sweden for GAP, and to Argentina for a Global Immersion
  • Welcoming his first baby into his family during FEMBA

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Drive Time - Dylan's Blog - Episode 1 - Katie Kroeger-Davis - 5.5.12

Enjoy hearing our outgoing FEMBA Council President, Katie Kroeger-Davis 2016 and learn about her tremendous success:

  • Landing her post-FEMBA job with McKinsey & Company
  • Serving all three years on FEMBA Council
  • Choosing a Global Immersion to India
  • Empowering women to go for the daunting career choices
  • Commuting from Orange County, being married, and more.

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The podcast that started my FEMBA Drive Time Podcast!

We cover both of my FEMBA Global Immersion Course experiences, India and China, plus more.

CultureSync CEO Carrie Kish invited me to be a guest on her podcast, Leadership Unleashed, and that experience led to me creating Drive Time, the FEMBA podcast.