Info

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.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Going Deep with Aaron Watson
2022
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August
July


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: February, 2017
Feb 22, 2017

A friend of mine inspired me to do this episode. We were having coffee and I rattled off a few names of folks that I read or listened to and he hadn’t heard of a few of the names. He encouraged me to share my influences so that others could learn from their wisdom.

 

The point of the exercise is to hopefully enable you to discover new people to follow and learn from. So I’m not going to mention the countless individuals in my personal life who teach me the most.

 

If I did, my dad would be at the top of this list. There are many others who don't actively share their knowledge through media and prefer more private lives.

 

Systems Thinking

Tyler Cowen, Dan Carlin, and Nassim Taleb

 

Business

Ben Thompson, Gary Vaynerchuk, Warren Buffett, and Scott Galloway

 

Culture & Vision

Venkatesh Rao & Taylor Pearson

 

Productivity

David Allen & Tiago Forte

 

Health & the Natural World

Adam Haritan

 

Learning and Reading

Mike Dariano

 

Finance

Barry Ritholtz, Josh Brown, Ben Carlson, and Michael Batnick.

 

I am also constantly on the hunt for more people from whom I can learn. Who are some of your biggest influences?

Feb 20, 2017

Tucker Matheson and Pichon Duplan are management consultants at PriceWaterhouseCooper. They are passionate about helping college students, and recent grads, understand how to get the most out of their degree. They’ve brought their diverse backgrounds together to create one voice in their first book.

 

Book

Fast Forward: What Is Your College Degree Worth?

 

The Challenge; Think of one thing you’ve been interested in doing and go make it happen.

 

http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast

 

Connect with Tucker & Pichon

Instagram

Tucker

Pichon

Website

YouTube

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 131 with Larry Gioia where we discuss how to make more quality connections.

Feb 15, 2017

“I was not able to fully appreciate the beauty of my detours until I was able to share them. As a performer, all I’ve wanted to do was give back to the world.  But now I have an even greater gift to give: a story to tell.”

 

Amy grew up believing that her entire life would be dedicated to the performing arts.  Now, she identifies as a survivor and “thriver” of sexual abuse, 27 surgeries, coma, organ failure, and the PTSD that comes from ten years of trauma – or what she now calls her “beautiful detour.”

 

At 18, years old, a blood clot caused Amy’s body to go into septic shock.  She was in a coma for six months, and after a total gastrectomy, was unable to eat or drink a drop of water for six of the past ten years.  After 27 surgeries, she was miraculously reconnected with the intestines she had left.  To persevere through those tumultuous years took great inner and outer strength.

 

She has learned that the human spirit feeds off of hope, and hope is fuel we can cultivate ourselves.  Ultimately, she learned that with resourcefulness, creativity, and unwavering curiosity, we can transform any adversity into personal growth and a resilience that is uniquely ours.

 

http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast

 

Connect with Amy

Facebook

Twitter

Website


If you liked this interview, check out episode 184 with the Drinking Partners Ed Bailer and Day Bracey, where we discuss comedy and the business of comedy.

Feb 13, 2017

Grant Oliphant is president of The Heinz Endowments. For nearly two decades, Grant held several senior management posts with Heinz family foundations, including vice president for programs and planning at the Endowments, his position before taking over the helm at The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2008. He also served as press secretary to the late U.S. Sen. John Heinz from 1988 until the senator’s death in 1991.

 

If there’s a major project happening in Pittsburgh, chances are that Oliphant is pulling the strings. His six-year tenure atop The Pittsburgh Foundation saw that organization increase its assets by a third in the middle of a recession; even more impressively, that foundation oversaw the recruiting and hiring of Mayor Bill Peduto’s senior staff through its Talent City initiative. Oliphant quickly has made his presence known at Heinz, which shortly after his arrival in May 2014 jettisoned a controversial connection to the Center for Sustainable Shale Development.

 

Since then, he’s overseen the P4 Conference on urbanism in April, became the primary force in development of the 178-acre Almono site in Hazelwood, brokered the sale of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture to Heinz and other foundations and forged close ties to the Peduto administration.

 

Grant’s Challenge; Work to move your worldview from “me” to “we”.

 

http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast

 

Connect with Grant

Facebook

Grant's Twitter

Heniz’s Twitter

Website


If you liked this interview, check out episode 107 with Bill Peduto where we discuss the evolution of Pittsburgh or episode 130 with Ray Gastil where we discuss the challenges of city planning and reorganizing Pittsburgh’s communities.

Feb 9, 2017

Head over to goingdeepwithaaron.com/callahan for more information.


Vote for Carl Morgenstern in 2017.


https://twitter.com/PittUltimate

Feb 8, 2017

Kyle Crawford is the CEO & Founder of Fundraising Genius, where he combines his love of design, technology, and social good into one of the most innovative organizations for people raising money. He has advised leaders from universities, foundations, tech companies, and nonprofits. He’s also presented on design, data, and social innovation at conferences of all sizes.

 

In 2015, Kyle built the gamified social innovation community, Dwilly, where he personally curated more than 3,000 innovative solutions to pressing social issues from a global audience of fundraisers, entrepreneurs, engineers, social workers, and designers. Prior to that, he worked in healthcare philanthropy managing the design and data for an innovative and hugely successful 25-site statewide HIV care model that has since been replicated and funded as a national model for linking and retaining people living with HIV/AIDS in medical care.

 

Kyle’s Challenge; Set up a scheduled, anonymous donation. Don’t tell anyone that you’ve done it.

 

http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast

 

Connect with Kyle

LinkedIn

Fundraising Genius

Website

kyle@kylecrawford.co

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 114 with Dan Bull where we discuss getting the previously incarcerated back to work.

Feb 6, 2017

Raised in the home of a Pittsburgh entrepreneur, Michelle Flynn developed an interest for new creative development leading her to burghTV – Pittsburgh’s Snapchat Story and 2017 Winner of Pittsburgh's PR Disruptor of the Year. She uses her training as a professional theatre and film actress to host the channel showing off Pittsburgh's hidden gems. When not snapping for burghTV, Michelle can be found chatting with her fellow sales and marketing co-workers at Truefit – a Pittsburgh-based software product innovation firm.

 

Prior to her involvement with Truefit, Michelle served as a student liaison for Kent State University (her alma mater) surpassing record quotas for reconnecting alumni to the University and leading to increased alumni involvement and donorship. A proud member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, Michelle continues to work in the hopes of sharing her story with this professional organization

 

Michelle’s Challenge; Do something different, outside your comfort zone, like an acting class.

 

http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast

 

Connect with Michelle

Instagram

Twitter

Snapchat

 

BurghTv

Snapchat


If you liked this interview, check out episode 88 with Sunny Lennarduzzi where we discuss Snapchat, YouTube and being your own boss.

Feb 1, 2017

Born and raised in Cleveland, OH, Ed Bailey’s family noticed his quick wit early on in life. While that wit sometimes landed him in trouble, it often was the source of great entertainment for those who bore witness. After high school, the University of Pittsburgh brought him to Pittsburgh, PA where he would make a name for himself as a comedian. During his brief career as a comedian, Ed has been able to capture the attention of some of the most recognizable figures in comedy such as Eddie Griffin and Hannibal Burress which is a testament to his ability to relate to anyone while on stage. His talents have also landed him a successful podcast that he co-hosts with comedian Day Bracey called Drinking Partners on the Epicast Network.

 

A polygamist, simultaneously married to bacon and booze, Day Bracey once led a mostly private life, in fear of persecution from a conservative right winged christian society who wouldn’t understand his inability to choose between two loves. Armed with his sword of common sense and shield of free thought, Day Bracey now roams the Earth, striking down ignorance and BS wherever they may rear their ugly heads. A guerrilla against a well established army of stupidity, his methods of attack have been described as surprising and borderline radical, but precise and well planned. Also, he tells poop jokes.

 

Ed’s Challenge; Go support a local artist.

Day’s Challenge; Read a history book day.

 

http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast

 

Connect with Day

Facebook

Instagram

Website

 

Connect with Ed

Facebook

Twitter

 

Listen to the Drinking Partners Podcast

Website

 

If you liked this interview, check out episode 123 with Tucker Max where we discuss writing NYT bestsellers and writing your own book.

1