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Going Deep with Aaron Watson

Aaron Watson is the CEO of Piper Creative. On this show, you'll hear thoughtful, focused conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, and innovators. Guests include Nathan Chan, Kevin Kelly, Bill Peduto, Morgan Housel, Noah Kagan, Tucker Max, and Barry Ritholtz. This is the biggest business podcast in Pittsburgh.
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All Episodes
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Now displaying: June, 2016
Jun 30, 2016

A brief essay on the current state of the internet. Over the past two decades, global internet users have increased from 35 million people to an astounding 3 billion today.

 

More than three-quarters of all internet advertising revenue is split between Google and Facebook.

 

What’s next? Stay tuned to this podcast for interviews with Robin Hanson and Kevin Kelly.

Jun 29, 2016

Oren Klaff is the Managing Director of Intersection Capital and a #1 Bestselling Author for his book Pitch Anything. With over $400M in deals on his resume, Oren is well-qualified to cut through sales guru BS and give it to you straight.

 

His secret? Neuroeconomics. A single field of study that sorted out the different motivation and economic responses of the human mind and shows how the brain responds to pitches. Neuroeconomics combines neuroscience, economics, and psychology to study how people make decisions. It looks at the role of the brain when we evaluate decisions, categorize risks and rewards, and interact with each other.

 

In his book and this interview, Oren describes how to override the brain’s programming and close more deals.

 

Oren’s Challenge; In your next few meetings, don’t talk about weather, sports, or politics. It’s a waste of time and lowers your status.

 

If you are in sales, you need to get his book; Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal

 

Connect with Oren

Twitter

LinkedIn

Website

FREE COURSE

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 71 with Bob Seawright where we discuss cognitive biases, finance writing and the red team/black team approach.

Jun 27, 2016

Bill Peduto was elected to the office of Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh in November 2013. Prior, he worked for 19 years on Pittsburgh City Council. A self-described “Reform Democrat”, Bill Peduto wrote the most comprehensive package of government reform legislation in Pittsburgh’s history.

 

During Pittsburgh’s ongoing financial crisis, Bill Peduto has been the consistent voice of fiscal discipline. Decades of financial mismanagement and antiquated policies have left Pittsburgh with the highest debt ratio and lowest pension funding in the nation. He helped to write a new budget, lobbied to get others on board and after a year of hard work he was able to lead the city into a new five-year plan. He wasn’t afraid to make the tough votes to secure Pittsburgh’s future.

 

Adding his own charity fund-raising activities, such as Executive Producer of a documentary about the Allegheny Observatory and the only politician who laces his skates as a member of Pittsburgh’s Celebrity Hockey Team and it is pretty easy to see — Bill Peduto is not your typical Mayor.

 

Connect with Bill

Twitter

Website

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 83 with Kristi Woolsey where we discuss the future of work and how technology will change the workplace.

Jun 22, 2016

Declan is an author of the recently released “The Millennial Way: Step Up, Step Out, Step Forward”. Declan originally set out to write a book to debunk the misconceptions and stigma surrounding the Millennial generation.

 

After interviewing Millennials doing “awesome things” with their lives, Declan noticed a recurring pattern among all their personal journeys, including his own. The pattern of Stepping Up, Stepping Out, and Stepping Forward became what Declan calls The Millennial Way. It’s not a 3 step process to achieve your dreams, it’s not a self-­help book, it’s not a formula for success. Rather, it’s a beacon of self­-awareness and clarity to your journey.

 

Together with his wife Erica, Declan runs the blog Millennial Type. Besides working full-time and running this blog, Declan is an avid fan of bike riding, anything Pittsburgh, reading, listening to NPR, binge-watching Netflix with Erica, cuddling with their cats, playing with their son Henry, watching Ted Talks, finding awesome podcasts and cooking.

 

Declan’s Challenge; Step up. Recognize your dream isn’t as silly as you think and start building the skills you're going

 

Check Out Declan’s Book; The Millennial Way: Step Up, Step Out, Step Forward

 

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 46 with Taylor Pearson where we discuss the end of jobs and the future of entrepreneurship.

Jun 20, 2016

This is a story of evolution. Or maybe revolution is more accurate. Mike Vacanti left his cushy corporate gig to pursue a life of fitness entrepreneurship. For the last 12 years, he has been studying nutrition and training for fat loss and muscle gain and wants to pass this knowledge on to anyone who needs it.

 

He has trained hundreds of clients in the gym and thousands on the internet. He has helped a woman trim 150 pounds of body fat, countless men overcome bedroom issues, and teenagers use the barbell to find their way, He has also helped doctors and teachers and students and lawyers and hair stylists and entrepreneurs and millionaire hedge fund analysts lose fat, gain muscle and change their lives forever.

 

To learn more, grab a copy of his Beginner’s Fitness Guide or check out his clients’ Before and After Shots.

 

Mike’s Challenge; Challenge yourself to make a decision where there are uncertain outcomes. It’s easy to want safety and security.

 

Connect with Mike

Snapchat

Facebook

LinkedIn

Website

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 18 with Melissa Witmer where we discuss building an online fitness business and location independence.

Jun 13, 2016

Hassan Osman is a PMO Manager at Cisco and a Carnegie Mellon and Harvard University graduate. My main area of expertise is in leading large and complex technology programs – particularly in a virtual team environment.

 

At Cisco, he is responsible for leading and managing a team of 20+ project & program managers on delivering projects to Cisco's Enterprise clients in the eastern United States. Previously at Cisco, he was a Senior Program Manager, where he was responsible for scoping, negotiating, planning and executing multi-million dollar projects for their customers.

 

He has written two Amazon bestselling books and teaches an online course about virtual teams. He is obsessed with hacking productivity and lives in Boston with his wife & 2 daughters.

 

Hassan’s Challenge; Write something 5 days/week, 20 minutes per day to clarify your thought process and articulate your ideas.

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 83 with Kristi Woolsey where we discuss remote employment and the future of workplaces.

Jun 9, 2016

I’ve been doing this less than a year. So much is happening for me and this is just the beginning.

 

I want you to learn from my story and start aiming higher. I’ve got big things on my horizon, and I'm positive that you do, too.

 

Aaron’s Challenge; Reach out to @AntonioBrown84 and ask him to come on the show.

 

Connect with Aaron

Twitter

Snapchat

Jun 8, 2016

Brian helps enterprise technology companies utilize new technology such as Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud Computing to be more productive and become more involved in their communities as a social business. He hosts Twitter Hangouts #SbizHour & #CloudTalk & weekly Podcast Host: SMACtalk and iSocialTalks.

 

His passion for change and people is evident as in every keynote he delivers, covering a range of topics including employee advocacy, social selling, personal branding, and his personal social philosophy which is called #ShowUcare. He recently has been teaching people "digital storytelling with live streaming".

 

Brian was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa and the proud dad of 3 girls.

 

Brian’s Challenge; Wherever you primarily engage on social, create a video with your mobile device about what you do and why you do it.

 

Connect with Brian

Twitter

Snapchat

 

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 88 with Sunny Lenarduzzi where we discuss social broadcasting and building an audience for video.

Jun 6, 2016

Saba Sedighi is a Marketing Strategist and Video Content Creator. She takes on an innovative approach towards social selling to connect brands with their audience. Tech savvy, with a broad understanding of social media, influencer and email marketing, Saba is focused on leveraging her expertise in digital marketing combined with strategic insights.

 

Founder of iStream Social, she consults and collaborates with up-and-coming SMBs to help them establish, grow and manage their social presence, profile and audience on live/replay channels. iStream specializes in developing highly effective, real-world, clever strategies for Blab, Periscope, and Meerkat. They design and implement content strategies which yield maximum engagement and train companies to fully leverage multiple live stream channels.

 

Saba is also currently co-hosting 3 popular shows on Blab.im, regularly attracting a total of 1300+ viewers on a weekly basis.

 

Saba’s Challenge; Go on YouTube and google a topic you are interested in and watch 3 videos about it.

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 88 with Sunny Lenarduzzi where we discuss Snapchat and YouTube.

Jun 5, 2016

There is one mistake I consistently see people making on Snapchat. It was happening 2 years ago, and it continues to happen today. Be considerate, understand your context, and practice good Snap etiquette.

 

Thanks to Ashley for helping! Follow her;

Snapchat = ahh_chuu

Instagram = achu739

Jun 1, 2016

Adam Haritan is the founder of Learn Your Land, as well as a wild food enthusiast, researcher, and forager. He learned the value of wild food foraging while studying nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh, where he discovered just how beneficial wild foods could be in optimizing human health.  

 

Wild plants, on average, are more nutritious than their cultivated counterparts (i.e. wild blueberries vs. domesticated blueberries, wild lettuce vs. iceberg lettuce). The wild food diet is the diet that we, as Homo sapiens, have been consuming for the majority of our time on this planet, and it is the diet that we are most adapted to.  Today, very few Americans consume any wild foods, and instead subsist on nutrient-deficient products that scarcely resemble anything real or natural. It’s no wonder that degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, and chronic inflammation are so prevalent.  We have abandoned our natural diet and are suffering as a result.

 

This realization has led Adam to pursue a lifestyle of wild food foraging while unearthing the forgotten knowledge we once cherished.  It is Adam’s hope to share the enthusiasm and passion he has for wild foods with you!

 

Adam’s Challenge; Attend a nature walk where someone is going to teach you about the natural world.

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 37 with Jennifer Pharr Davis where we discuss her record-setting hiking career.

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