Personable

Aswath Damodaran, Professor of Finance at NYU Stern and the Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education, widely known as the Dean of Valuation, joins Personable to explain why 90 percent of people should stop trying to beat the market, and why he still teaches after more than 40 years.In this episode, Aswath goes back to the first class he walked into as a TA in 1981, why valuation is a craft you learn on simple companies first, why the Fed is the Wizard of Oz, and why your biggest edge as a young investor is your age, not your stock picks.This is an essential listen for anyone interested in investing, valuation, markets, AI businesses, teaching as a craft, and what it actually takes to build wealth over decades instead of trying to get rich quickly.He discusses:◽️ Why 90 percent of people should be in passive index funds rather than trying to pick winners◽️ Why he calls himself incredibly selfish, and why almost everything he writes is him working through his own uncertainty◽️ Why the Fed has far less power than markets think, and why “the Fed did it” became the excuse for underperformance◽️ Why market timing almost never beats buying and holding, and why your age is a bigger edge than stock picking00:00 Introduction and Aswath Damodaran background00:29 The first class in 1981 and why he still teaches07:42 How to value AI companies, SpaceX and the Mag 714:50 US debt, inflation and who actually gets hurt25:22 The Fed as the Wizard of Oz29:06 Why 90 percent of people should just buy the index47:30 Easy returns, bad habits and why he does not sit in cash53:37 No gurus, no bucket list, and the one thing to take awayAswath Damodaran:◽️ Website: https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/home.htm◽️ Blog: https://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com◽️ Substack: https://aswathdamodaran.substack.com◽️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AswathDamodaranonValuation◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aswathdamodaran◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/aswathdamodaranHarvey Bracken-Smith:◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/Personable Podcast:◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111Additional:◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donatePersonable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Sharon Marcil, Managing Director, Senior Partner and North America Chair of Boston Consulting Group, formerly BCG's Chief Marketing Officer, Board Member of Duke University, named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Consultants by Consulting Magazine, former Goldman Sachs mergers and acquisitions professional, Harvard MBA and Duke economics graduate, joins Personable to reveal why getting the right answer is only where the hard work starts, what the world's biggest CEOs are actually doing with AI right now, and why culture will always eat strategy for lunch.In this episode, Sharon opens up about why 70 percent of CEOs globally are now personally driving the AI agenda, how BCG went from 12 week diagnostic phases to days, and why the companies winning at AI are starting entirely from scratch rather than adding tools to old processes. This is an essential listen for anyone interested in consulting, leadership, AI strategy, building great culture, navigating organisations at scale, and what it really takes to drive change when the hardest part is never the answer itself.She discusses:◽️ Why 70 percent of CEOs are now personally driving the AI agenda and what that number actually means for every organisation◽️ Why the companies winning at AI are rebuilding processes from scratch rather than layering tools onto what already exists◽️ Why engaging the skeptics is the only way to know if change is actually happening and how to do it without losing the room◽️ How to give honest feedback to the most powerful leaders in the world without damaging the relationship you spent years building◽️ Why do something you love is the only career advice that has ever really mattered and what it looks like in practice00:00 Introduction and Sharon Marcil background02:30 Would she do it all again and what success looked like at 20 versus what it looks like now07:45 Why consulting is still the right move for ambitious young people in 2026 and what AI is changing about the job14:20 How BCG stays at the forefront of AI and what the best CEOs are doing differently right now20:45 How the US competes with China on AI energy data centers and adoption while staying safe27:10 What a great culture actually looks like and why grow by growing others is the principle that scales34:50 How to advocate for yourself in high performing teams without undermining the people around you41:30 Why getting the right answer is only where the hard work starts and what comes after47:55 How to give honest feedback to powerful leaders and what she learned from the best mentors she ever had54:10 Legacy what is next and one thing every listener should take awaySharon Marcil:◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonmarcil/Harvey Bracken-Smith:◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/Personable Podcast:◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111Additional:◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donatePersonable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Scott Bok, former CEO and Chairman of Greenhill, former Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, senior business advisor to Mizuho, author of Surviving Wall Street, Wharton and Penn Law graduate, and former Chair of the UPenn Board of Trustees, joins Personable to reveal how he scaled from lawyer to CEO of one of Wall Street's most respected independent advisory firms, what it really takes to build a world class culture from scratch, and why every market crisis is actually the biggest career opportunity of your life.In this episode, Scott opens up about turning down buyers for 25 years before selling Greenhill to Mizuho, why the underdog always has to outwork the favourite, and what four decades on Wall Street taught him about judgment that no AI will ever replicate. From the rise of investment banking out of near obscurity to the fall of Lehman Brothers, this conversation is as honest and historically rich as it gets.This is an essential listen for anyone interested in finance, investment banking, dealmaking, building a career from the ground up, and what it really takes to reach the very top of Wall Street.He discusses:◽️ Why doing exceptional work is always the only marketing strategy you will ever need◽️ How he built Greenhill from a handful of people into a firm generating 20 times its original revenue◽️ Why every financial crisis cleared the path for the biggest accelerations of his career◽️ What AI will and will not replace in investment banking and where human judgment still wins◽️ Why the career you can imagine at 22 is not the career you should actually want00:00 Introduction and Scott Bok background02:30 How he got started and what Wall Street looked like before anyone knew what it was07:45 Moving from Morgan Stanley to Greenhill and what the brand gap really meant14:20 Building a world class culture and why ego kills deals20:45 AI, technology and where human judgment will always have the edge27:10 Selling Greenhill to Mizuho and why he turned down buyers for 25 years34:50 The five major crises, what history teaches and why downturns create the most opportunity41:30 Skills, education and what young people actually need to build a great career47:55 Surviving Wall Street, the book and why he decided to write it54:10 Legacy, writing and what comes next for Scott BokScott Bok:◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-bok/Harvey Bracken-Smith:◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/Personable Podcast:◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111Additional:◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donatePersonable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Michael Dempsey, Managing Partner at Compound, former analyst at Crane Partners and CB Insights, NYU graduate, and one of the most respected research driven investors in frontier technology, joins Personable to reveal how he has 5X every fund he has ever run, why he wrote the first check into Runway ML before anyone knew what it was, and how sitting out the biggest bull run in venture history in 2021 turned out to be one of the best decisions he ever made.In this episode, Michael opens up about why he only makes six to eight investments a year and why that restraint is the entire strategy, how he called AI in 2016 when his LPs thought crypto was just for buying drugs on the internet, and why tech has gone from the coolest industry in the world to one of the most hated. From why pure capitalism is not the answer right now to why writing on the internet is the most important thing he has ever done in his career, this conversation is as intellectually sharp and honest as it gets.This is an essential listen for anyone interested in venture capital, frontier technology, AI, deep tech investing, building conviction in a noisy market, and what it really takes to back the right companies before the rest of the world catches up.He discusses:◽️ How he wrote the first check into Runway ML and why being early is the only edge that truly compounds over time◽️ Why he sat out the entire 2021 bull run when every other firm was deploying at record speed and why that was the right call◽️ How he built a research driven firm that treats thesis building as the first class citizen and why most VCs get that completely wrong◽️ Why tech went from the coolest industry in the world to one of the most hated and what needs to change◽️ Why writing on the internet is the most important thing he has ever done and what it has taught him about himself00:00 Introduction and Michael Dempsey background02:30 Why investing and how public markets shaped the way he thinks07:45 Compound the thesis driven approach and why research is everything14:20 How he wrote the first check into Runway ML and what he saw that others missed20:45 Why he sat out 2021 refused to deploy and how he stayed disciplined under pressure27:10 How VCs find edge in 2026 and why the old playbook no longer works34:50 Ethics responsibility and why tech is becoming the most hated industry in the world41:30 Passive investing dispersion and how retail investors should be thinking about the next decade47:55 Why writing online is the most important thing he has ever done in his career54:10 Legacy predictions for 2036 and one thing every listener should take awayMichael Dempsey:◽️ Website: https://www.michaeldempsey.me◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/mhdempseyHarvey Bracken-Smith:◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/Personable Podcast:◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111Additional:◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donatePersonable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Kirk McKeown, former Head of Proprietary Research at Point72, former Head of Proprietary Research at Glenview Capital, analyst at Tudor Investment Corporation and Hunter Global Advisors, co-founder of Carbon Arc, and holder of degrees from Harvard and MIT, joins Personable to reveal what it actually takes to reach the top of Wall Street, why he never picked a single stock in his entire career, and why taking thousands of at bats is the only thing that separates the elite from everyone else.In this episode, Kirk opens up about getting sober at 26 and rebuilding himself from the ground up, why knowing yourself is the only competitive advantage nobody can take away, and how he went from a chip on his shoulder kid to running proprietary research at one of the most respected hedge funds on the planet. From the democratisation of data to the fourth turning and why a recession is actually good for the world, this conversation is as intellectually sharp and honest as it gets.This is an essential listen for anyone interested in hedge funds, proprietary research, data, building a career in finance, self awareness, and what it really takes to compete at the highest level on Wall Street.He discusses:◽️ Why he never picked a single stock and still built one of the most respected research careers on Wall Street◽️ How taking thousands of at bats rather than ten is the only thing that separates elite performers from everyone else◽️ Why knowing yourself is the single competitive advantage that no technology, no AI and no competitor can ever take away◽️ How Carbon Arc is democratising data so that small businesses can compete with the giants that have owned it for decades◽️ Why he believes we are in a bubble right now and says if people are debating whether we are in one that confirms it00:00 Introduction and Kirk McKeown background02:30 What it takes to become elite and why the journey never really ends07:45 Night vision goggles for investors and how he built his research process14:20 Frameworks, rubrics and why multiple weak inputs beat one strong one20:45 Self awareness, sobriety and why the best research project he ever did was himself27:10 Work as identity, external validation and how he figured out who he actually was34:50 Misinformation, the fourth turning and how to be a critical consumer of information41:30 Carbon Arc, data sovereignty and democratising decisioning for small businesses47:55 Bubbles, recessions and why weaker hands need to be shaken out54:10 The one competitive advantage nobody can ever take awayKirk McKeown:◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-mckeown-400607214/Harvey Bracken-Smith:◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/Personable Podcast:◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111Additional:◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donatePersonable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.