entrepreneurship — Podcast

Tien Tzuo | A Founder's Journey: From Zero to $1.5B

Tien Tzuo has been at the epicenter of Silicon Valley innovation for three and a half decades. In 1990, Tien was hired by Oracle. Eight years later, he joined Salesforce as employee #11. In 2007, he co-founded Zuora, a company he has been running since its creation. Tien and his team grew Zuora from an idea to a company that was valued at $1.5B when it was acquired in early 2025.

In this interview, Tien shares why great startups need to have a visionary who is supported by leaders who can manage both relationships and execution. He dispels the Genius/Jerk myth so often associated with leaders like Steve Jobs, he shares what he has learned about selecting exceptional talent, and Tien discusses how the lessons he has learned about founders apply to other businesses and in our personal lives too. He closes the interview by sharing what fills him with optimism and what mistakes humans are making today that the people of 2075 will look back at in disbelief.

Tien currently serves as CEO of Zuora (NYSE:ZUO), a company he co-founded in 2007 and took public in 2018. Under Tien's leadership, Zuora has emerged as the leading evangelist of the Subscription Economy -- the idea that all industries are shifting to a customer-centric, subscription-based business model. He is also the author of "SUBSCRIBED: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company's Future - and What to Do About It". His second book, “Founders, Keepers: Why Founders Are Built to Fail, and What It Takes to Succeed,” was released in June 2025.

The Pursuit of Perfection with Gymnast Lisa Carmen Wang

Failure is rarely celebrated and when we fail it can be difficult to forgive ourselves and move forward. Competitive gymnastics is founded on the pursuit of perfection. For 4-Time National Champion and USA Hall of Fame Gymnast Lisa Carmen Wang, that pursuit of perfection is not something that ended when her competitive athletic career ended. She has carried it over into her business career as well.

In this interview, Lisa describes the drive and discipline that helped her become a world-class gymnast and how her experiences as an athlete helped her succeed once her career as a gymnast ended. Lisa also talks about the sacrifices she has made to perform at her highest levels, her approach to risk taking, how she overcame the disappointment of narrowly missing the 2008 Olympic Team, her struggle to separate her personal identity with her “entrepreneurial obsession,” and how she is working to empower others to succeed in business and life.

Lisa Carmen Wang is the Founder of the Bad Bitch Empire and author of The Bad Bitch Business Bible. She is a 4-Time National Champion and USA Hall of Fame Gymnast, an ex-Wall Street hedge funder turned serial entrepreneur, angel investor, executive coach, and global speaker. A graduate of Yale University, Lisa’s mission is to empower women to build unapologetic worth and wealth to invest together in the next wave of female-led businesses.

Creating Opportunity During Uncertainty with Ryan Estis

In Season One of 12 Geniuses, keynote speaker Ryan Estis joined the show to discuss the challenges he faced leaving a high-paying corporate job during a recession to create his own business. During that conversation, Ryan talked about how 2019 was poised to be the most successful year of his business. The year after that, the pandemic hit, and in-person events were abruptly canceled, leaving Ryan with a new set of challenges. This week, Ryan and Don meet once again to discuss how he reinvented himself and has emerged more relevant than ever before. Listen in to hear about the ways that Ryan pivoted his business to include virtual keynotes and workshops, as well as how the pandemic changed his outlook on life and his relationships with loved ones.

The Future of Food with Justin Sutherland

In this episode, Don MacPherson is joined by celebrity chef and restaurant owner Justin Sutherland. When Justin isn’t in front of a camera, he can be found in one of his several Minnesota restaurants making culinary works of art. He’s also heavily involved with the community, opening up a free food shelter to distribute food to those in need during the pandemic. Don and Justin discuss the future of food, including the concept of “food deserts” and how this contributes to food insecurity for disadvantaged Americans, how the food industry can help fight climate change and the impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry.

The Future of Cities with Penny Abeywardena

Host Don MacPherson is joined by New York City Commissioner for International Affairs, Penny Abeywardena. They explore the future of cities including the impact of COVID-19, combating inequality, and addressing climate change. They also discuss the idea of broadband as a utility and the great steps taken to educate schoolchildren from home.

Season Three Wrap Up

Our theme for Season Three was “The Future” and we had a remarkable group of Geniuses to help us make sense of it. The main lesson we took away is that with time and imagination, the list of impossibilities is a lot smaller than we might think. Both 2020 and this most recent season of 12 Geniuses proved that the unimaginable is definitely not impossible.

For Season Four, we will continue exploring the future and the seemingly impossible. In our first four episodes, we'll look at the future of healthcare education, climate change, and artificial intelligence. Episode One of Season Four will be available on January 12th.

Dr. Anita Sengupta | The Future of Transportation

Transportation is about to get a whole lot faster. In this episode of 12 Geniuses, Don MacPherson speaks with aerospace engineer, rocket scientist, professor, and pilot, Dr. Anita Sengupta. Together they explore the futuristic forms of transportation that are currently being developed. From Hyperloop technology to interplanetary exploration, Dr. Sengupta explains how travel and transportation will be disrupted in the coming years. Don and Dr. Sengupta also discuss her work at NASA, and her current project at Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) where they are designing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft as a commuter transport option in urban environments.

Dr. Anita Sengupta is an aerospace engineer, rocket scientist, and pilot who for 20 years has developed technologies that have enabled the exploration of Mars, asteroids, and deep space. She is a Research Professor of Astronautics at the University of Southern California where she is conducting research on transportation technologies including electric propulsion for aviation, Hyperloop technology, and in-space propulsion systems.

The Future Entrepreneur with Gino Wickman

In this interview, entrepreneurial expert and best-selling author Gino Wickman joins host Don MacPherson to discuss what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur including how to tell if you are a “true entrepreneur,” how to plan for a successful career, and how to make the best decisions for your business. They also discuss common mistakes made by entrepreneurs, the entrepreneur’s identity after they sell their business, and the impact of COVID-19 on entrepreneurship.

An entrepreneur since the age of 21, Gino has an obsession for learning what makes businesses thrive. Gino is the founder of Entrepreneurial Leap and EOS Worldwide. He has also authored Traction and Entrepreneurial Leap while continuing to help entrepreneurs-in-the-making thrive and succeed in their endeavors.

Andrew Winston | Cashing in on Climate Change

Andrew Winston has worked in the clean business industry for over a decade. Globally recognized as an expert on how companies can navigate climate change for profit, Andrew has thoroughly researched the importance of adaptability for companies in this time of change. In this interview, Andrew discusses the implications of changing climate from what our new world will look like to how we can all participate in saving the environment. Andrew also provides insight on how businesses can harness the environmental movement for better employee engagement, increased profits, and company longevity. In this interview, Andrew discusses:

Part One: The current state of the climate, creating value through sustainability, the pace of warming, defining global warming and climate change, the 1.5 Degree Report, changes to Earth’s geography, The Paris Agreement, We’re Still In movement in the United States, how countries are working to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, how to slow down climate change.

Part Two: The Big Pivot, consumer access to sustainability information, how large sized companies are making environmentally conscious changes, attracting employees with an eco-friendly company culture, the clean economy, how to make your company eco-friendly, investment opportunities in the clean economy, innovations to help save our planet.

Andrew’s publications are available on amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-S.-Winston/e/B001H6O3R2/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

More information about Andrew is available at www.andrewwinston.com.

Giadha DeCarcer | Demystifying Cannabis

Thirty years ago, just 16% of Americans favored the legalization of marijuana. Now, 90% support legalization for medical purposes. For people who experience chronic pain, medical cannabis can be a highly effective, affordable treatment. Ten states have legalized recreational use in the United States and 33 have legalized it for medical use. This had sparked incredible opportunity both in the job market and as an investment.

As cannabis rapidly expands in the global market, we all stand to gain advancements in medical treatment, cheaper energy storage, energy efficient crops, and an explosive new job market. In this episode, serial entrepreneur and cannabis expert Giadha Aguirre de Carcer shares her knowledge of cannabis uses, the global market, and the future of cannabis.

Giadha discusses:

Part One: Changing the Dialogue on Cannabis

Being a serial entrepreneur, starting New Frontier Data, working in the field of United States intelligence, being a female tech entrepreneur, the differences in cannabis terms (CBD vs THC vs Hemp), The Farm Bill, the shift in public opinion on cannabis, medical purposes of cannabis, cannabis user profiles (discrete, weekend, medical, etc.), top ten reasons for cannabis consumption, alternative medical applications for cannabis, federal legalization of cannabis.

Part Two: The Market & Future of Cannabis

Global hemp market, cannabis as an alternative to opioids, Big Agriculture’s position in the hemp market, cannabis consumption rates, cannabis investments, creating company policies where cannabis is legal, police testing for cannabis impaired driving, the best locations for cannabis production.

Organizations, People, Resources, Places Mentioned:

New Frontier Data, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Progressive, Verizon, China, The Farm Bill, Colorado, California, Martha Stewart, A.G. William Barr, Obama and Trump administrations, Australia, Florida, Mercedes-Benz and BMW

Contact info for New Frontier Data:

https://newfrontierdata.com/

“I did finally convince her to take some CBD pills. It changed her life. She woke up one morning crying saying to me she had forgotten what it was like to not feel pain.”

Giadha Aguirre de Carcer talking about her mother using CBD instead of the opioids she was originally recommended

Chris Farrell | The End of Retirement as We Know It

Chris Farrell has worked as a journalist for national publishers and public radio for decades. Throughout his career, Chris has taken a hard look at how Baby Boomers have redefined work and how they are now redefining the concept of retirement. In this interview, Chris looks at what retirement has been historically, how it is evolving, and what organizations can do to continue to leverage the talent of their most experienced people. Chris also shares his thoughts on the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement that is becoming popular among younger, affluent workers. In this interview, Chris discusses:

Part I: Unretirement and the Future of Retirement

Traditional retirement and its evolution, the relationship between continued work and mental acuity, doing meaningful work, the importance of relationships at work, health benefits as the primary reason some employees stay with their organizations, the importance of building having a thriving network for older workers, advice for those considering a career change, the FIRE movement, retirement in Europe, workforce disruption, the 55-64 year-old entrepreneur, encore careers.

Part II: The Future of Work, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

Disruption and the future of work, creation of new jobs, the increasing rate of technological developments, adapting skills for the future, training employees for a strong and valuable workforce, career changes later in life, how to remain relevant towards the end of your career, the 50+ entrepreneur, women and entrepreneurship, immigrant entrepreneurs.

Organizations, People and Resources mentioned: Unretirement (Book and Podcast), FIRE Movement, Purpose and a Paycheck, AARP, PBS Next Avenue, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Times, Encore.org, Desk Set with Katherine Hepburn, Michael Mandel with the Progressive Policy Institute, Herman Miller, Toyota, Bloomberg Businessweek

Chris’ publications are available on amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Farrell/e/B001HMRRYW?ref=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000

Unretirement Podcast online: https://www.apmpodcasts.org/unretirement/

12 Geniuses Podcast

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