Top Of The Game

077 Tom Llamas| curiosity informing truth

TOM'S BIO 
On March 5, 2025, Tom Llamas was named as Lester Holt’s successor as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News beginning in summer 2025. This episode is a re-released show originally released on October 26, 2023.
Tom's life and career are remarkable and he is a master of truth telling and the news media. He is an American journalist who was the weekend anchor for World News Tonight on ABC and is now Senior National Correspondent and anchor for NBC News Now, hosting Top Story with Tom Llamas, as well as substituting occasionally in NBC's Today and NBC Nightly News. He has won multiple Emmy Awards for "Best Anchor" and "Best Hard News Story as well an Edward R. Murrow award for his coverage of Hurricane Sandy. His first Emmy award was tied to his brilliant reporting on human smuggling and an interdiction at sea with the U.S. Coast Guard. 
Llamas career in a nutshell: NBC News Specials Unit, MSNBC political reporting, NBC's WTVJ in Miami, WNBC in New York, NBC News, ABC News as sole weekend anchor and now back at NBC. Tom has covered the most important stories in recent history: The 2020 presidential race,  the immigration crisis from the U.S. border with Mexico contributed, the death of U.S. war hero Senator John McCain, the rescue mission of the 12 Thai boys trapped in a cave, the sentencing of Bill Cosby, the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and many others. He has interviewed President Donald Trump, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. 
Llamas was born and raised in Miami after his parents fled from Cuba during the 1960s. He graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans and lives in Manhattan.
EPISODE OUTLINE(0:00) - Intro
(0:38) - Bio
(01:06) - Discovering a talent, nurturing it, developing it; background informs perspective
(02:40) - Getting into the business; Telemundo at 15 years old
(04:48) - The path, learning the business, starting at the bottom
(05:48) - Media changing, citizen journalism; pros and cons, the future
(07:25) - Careers in new media, digital distribution, democratizing fame
(08:55) - Training as a journalist, ethics, laws, impartiality; 10,000 reps
(10:38) - Americans love variety; from burgers to tomato sauce to news
(11:42) - A story that sticks out

076 Ethan Stowell| foundational simplicity excellence

ETHAN STOWELL
We're diving into the story of Ethan Stowell—a name that’s become synonymous with the culinary world in Seattle. He comes from a family of artists, specifically ballet dancers. He’s not just a chef; he’s an innovator who’s left an indelible mark on his community. Ethan started with a vision back in 2003 when he opened Union, his first restaurant in downtown Seattle, praised for its simplicity and its elegance right out of the gate.
From there, Ethan Stowell Restaurants, or ESR, grew into something truly remarkable. We're talking about Tavolàta, with its pasta-inspired focus, and How to Cook a Wolf, which brings this delicate, almost artful approach to dining, among others. Oh, and there’s Ballard Pizza Company—it’s like, the perfect neighborhood pizza spot. He makes high-quality food feel accessible and welcoming.
What’s even more impressive is how ESR has expanded, now covering over a dozen concepts and over twenty locations, including in Idaho and New York City—and it doesn’t stop there. Ethan's team has partnered with iconic brands like the Seattle Mariners. And even with all that growth, there’s this real effort to stay anchored in the community.
Back in 2008, he was named one of *Food Wine*’s Best New Chefs, and in 2020, he was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. Those aren’t just titles—they’re windows into the kind of impact he’s had, both regionally and nationally.
It’s stories like Ethan’s that remind us how passion, vision, and a commitment to community can truly shape industries and, honestly, create experiences people cherish.
ETHAN RELATED LINKS
Ethan Stowell Restaurants
Wikipedia 
Holland America Partnership
Seattle City Makers (Video via Downtown Seattle Association)
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075 Diego Rodriguez| creativity educating leadership

DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
Diego’s remarkable experiences and brilliance has driven him to  work at the nexus of business, design, and technology. He is also a terrific human being, catalyst and educator. He has served as Intuit’s Chief Product & Design Officer, as a Senior Partner at IDEO, on the Harvard Board of Overseers, and on the founding team of Stanford’s d.school. He is an active startup advisor, investor, and member of several public boards, focusing on tough tech, fintech, and the future of transportation. He serves on the boards of  LendingTree and TrueCar, and was on EngageSmart's board until its January 2024 acquisition.
As Intuit’s Executive Vice President, Chief Product & Design Officer, Diego guided the strategy, design, and delivery of Intuit’s groundbreaking, AI-powered customer experiences. Before Intuit, Diego was a Senior Partner at IDEO and served as the Managing Director of IDEO Bay Area—its largest business unit. Through IDEO CoLab, funded and incubated a portfolio of external startups, including PillPack (acquired by Amazon), Faraday Bicycles (acquired by Pon Holdings), and Mural. At the start of his career, Diego developed leading-edge products as an engineer at HP and IDEO, and he helped pioneer the SaaS version of QuickBooks as a product marketer at Intuit.
He is a founding faculty member of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (aka "the d.school"). He served on the Harvard University Board of Overseers and as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School. Diego holds  bachelor’s degrees in engineering and humanities with honors from Stanford University, and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
He won a Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award and several Red Dot Design Awards. Fortune named him one of “The Smartest People in Tech”. Fast Company called his writing about culture, strategy, and innovation “a must-read for anyone who wants to incorporate design thinking into their work.” He holds multiple patents.
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074 Nina Tandon| the biology business

NINA TANDON
Nina Tandon is a remarkable person, who is currently Co-Founder and CEO of EpiBone, a biotech company that grows bone and cartilage for skeletal reconstruction which just recently completed human trials reconstructing mandibles; the lower jaw is the largest and strongest bone in the face. Her life and accomplishments are inspiring and is deeply thoughtful, multi-dimensional and extremely driven. A great episode to kick off 2025, Happy New Year to all!
She grew up on Roosevelt Island on the East River in New York City, and showed interest in science as a child when, her siblings suffered from eye conditions. They were encouraged to try various science experiments: Nina took apart TVs, built giant Tinkertoy towers, played with static solved complex puzzles, and dabbled in community theatre, poetry, and sewing. She studied French, Hindi and Italian, runs marathons, and enjoys metal-smithing and being a yoga instructor.
EpiBone has raised millions in investor funding and has received such distinctions as the World Economic Forum’s 2015 Technology Pioneer, named one of the 100 most exciting start-ups in New York City by Business Insider. Nina has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company Magazine; an Ernst & Young Winning Women and Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, among others.
Nina started her career as an electrical engineer. Then while studying abroad on a Fulbright scholarship, she worked on an electronic nose to “smell” lung cancer. This ignited her passion for healthcare and changed the course of her career. She went back to school, earning a master’s in bioelectrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and two advanced degrees from Columbia University – an MBA in healthcare entrepreneurship and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering.
With decades of experience as both a scientist and entrepreneur, Nina is a loud voice that raises  awareness on  the field of tissue engineering. She has done a number of TED Talks, has published in Forbes magazine, and was featured on the Netflix series “Human: The World Within". In 2022, she offered  policy perspectives at the White House Summit on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing.
RELATED LINKS
Epibone
Wikipedia
Columbia Board Visitor
TED Talks
Crain’s Women in Health
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Xmas bonus| Pope John Paul II in Boston Common 1979

POPE JOHN PAUL II
Pope John Paul II visited the United States in 1979 and gave this speech in the Boston Common on October 1st  of that year. He was born in Poland as Karol Józef Wojtyła on May 18, 1920 and was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 1978 until his death in 2005. Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian V1 in the 1500’s and   the third longest serving pope after Pius IX and St. Peter (the first pope). He put emphasis on family and identity, while questioning consumerism, hedonism and the pursuit of wealth. He was one of the most travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his reign.  
He has been credited with fighting against dictatorships for democracy and with helping to end communist rule in his  native Poland and the rest of Europe. Under John Paul II, the Catholic Church greatly expanded its influence in Africa and Latin America and retained its influence in Europe and the rest of the world. 
Note: This show is longer than usual, the speech is in its original form.
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073 Nathalie Rayes| call to service

NATHALIE RAYES
Nathalie Rayes serves as  U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia. Ambassador Rayes has led a distinguished career in public service and served previously as the president and CEO of Latino Victory.  Prior to joining Latino Victory, Rayes was vice president of public affairs for Grupo Salinas in the United States and executive director of Fundación Azteca America.  Earlier in her career, she managed the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, International Trade, and Protocol, and established the city’s first Office of Immigrant Affairs.
She has served as a prominent member of multiple boards, to include as President Biden’s appointee to the United States Institute of Peace, President Obama’s appointee to the board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and chair of the board of directors of the Hispanic Federation and the advisory group for Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Binational Fellowship.
She has been recognized for her many contributions to public service, including the AL DÍA Archetype Ambassador Manuel Torres Award.  She was named among the 25 most powerful Latinas in the United States by People en Español Magazine, and was among the Top 10 Líderes by Hispanic Executive Magazine in 2021.  Rayes was recognized in the Huffington Post’s “40 Under 40 Latinos in Foreign Policy” in 2015.
Ambassador Rayes has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master’s in Public Policy from UCLA.  She is fluent in Spanish and conversational in Arabic. Ambassador Rayes is married to Dr. Tarek Samad, an accomplished neuroscientist, and they have two sons, Julian and Alexander.
RELATED LINKS
Wikipedia
US Embassy in Croatia
With the 173rd Airborne Brigade
Q&A with Daily Bruin (UCLA)
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072 A.I. Experiment| what's to come (5/5)

TOTG EXPERIMENTAL SERIES BY A.I. // JAVIER MILEI 🇦🇷
This is the fifth of five from our “Experimental Series by A.I.”. The machine talks about three articles analyzing the presidency of Argentina's libertarian president, Javier Milei. The first article focuses on Milei's approval ratings amidst his austerity measures. Article two offers a detailed biography of Milei, exploring his eccentric personality, controversial political stances (including ultraliberal economics and social conservatism), and comparisons to other right-wing populist leaders. The last article assesses the effectiveness of Milei's economic policies thus far into his term, highlighting both successes (fiscal surplus) and significant challenges (economic contraction, social unrest, and congressional gridlock).
Note: The host split a good chunk of 1998 between Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo and traveled the country in subsequent years from the capital city to the tip of the continent (Tierra del Fuego & Patagonia). It is a remarkable place undergoing a significant amount of transformative change under the leadership of this episode’s subject.
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071 Florian Faber| creative culture communities (Art Basel edition)

FLORIAN’S BIO
Florian Faber has one of the coolest jobs in the world, he is CEO and on the Board of Directors of MCH Group, which among many endeavors owns, hosts, curates and puts together the incredible spectacles the four Art Basel shows deliver to millions. In June 2024, they concluded Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, as he calls it “the mothership” and Art Basel Miami Beach is happening this week and weekend in Miami.
He joined MCH's company Expomobilia in 2009 as New Business Manager and in 2014 he became Managing Director of Expomobilia (now MCH Live Marketing Solutions AG). In 2019, Florian Faber took over the management of the Live Marketing Solutions Division as a member of the Executive Board of MCH Group and was responsible for the repositioning and growth strategy of the brands MCH Global (Experiential Marketing Agency), MC2 (Brand Experience Solutions Provider) and Expomobilia (General Contractor Building Experiences). Before joining MCH Group, Florian Faber was responsible for Live Marketing Communication & Interactive Marketing in Europe at the Nissan car group. Florian Faber holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Zurich.
MCH brands include Art Basel Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Paris+ par Art Basel, Art Basel Hong Kong, Design Miami, Habitat Jardin, Swiss Bau, Powertage, Weinfestival, Hack Zurich and the company owns spaces that include Messe Congress Center Basel and Messe Zurich. 
MCH Group Ltd., is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and headquartered in Basel.  It’s roots can be traced 108 years back to the “Schweizer Mustermesse” (est 1916) and Schweizer Mustermesse Cooperative (est 1920). In 2000, the Cooperative was converted into a joint stock company, followed by it merging with the exhibition company in Zurichin 2001 under the joint umbrella of MCH Swiss Exhibition (Holding) Ltd. The holding company was renamed MCH Group Ltd. in 2009.
FLORIAN RELATED LINKS
MCH Profile
CEO Appointment
Art Basel
On Bloomberg
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