How I Built This with Guy Raz Wondery

Millions of American households rely on oil for heat. Growing up in New Hampshire, Kathy Hannun was familiar with this decades-old and environmentally-taxing approach. As part of Google’s innovation lab, X, she began unearthing a solution — indeed from underground...

This week on How I Built This Lab, Kathy discusses how her company, Dandelion Energy, has made geothermal energy accessible for heating and cooling homes across the northeastern United States. Plus, Kathy explains why widespread adoption of geothermal heat pumps is important if we want to reach our climate goals.


This episode was produced by Sam Paulson and edited by Casey Herman, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our audio engineer was Katherine Silva.

You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

Tory Burch didn’t set out to make her name into a brand; she didn’t even set out to get into fashion. As a matter of fact, she sort of gave up any fashion ambitions when her first designs were rejected by Ralph Lauren. But after noticing there were plenty luxury brands and plenty of affordable brands but nothing in between, Tory began to see a gap that she could fill. She tried to revive a dormant brand from the 1960’s, until one phone call put an end to that idea. So in 2004, with the help of her husband—a fashion entrepreneur in his own right—Tory Burch launched Tory Burch, a lifestyle brand with everything from shoes and swimwear, to handbags and home goods. Despite a rift in the relationship with her husband, that also bled over into the business, Tory has built a global brand with over 300 stores worldwide.


This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Katherine Sypher.


You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

“Who you hang out with determines what you dream about and what you collide with.” - Seth Godin




Yearning to find community as a Swiss transplant in New York City, Tina Roth-Eisenberg was so moved by these words that she transformed an old office into a fresh co-working space for creatives. From that space, Tina would incubate her would-be biggest project yet: CreativeMornings, an event series that brings local creatives together, which has since grown to over 200 chapters around the world And best of all? It’s totally free to attend. 




This week on How I Built This Lab, Tina shared how her design career morphed into an unintentional, yet completely inspired path to entrepreneurship that spawned several successful businesses. Plus, she shares her perspectives on why community and collaboration are key when it comes to building new things.







This episode was produced by Carla Esteves and edited by John Isabella, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our audio engineer was Brian Jarboe.







You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thomas Keller is one of the best—and best known—chefs in America, but it took him 40 years to get there. He took a long, winding path through the culinary arts; from whisking his first hollandaise sauce at the Palm Beach Yacht Club, to learning the painstaking art of pastry at one of the finest restaurants in France. He also worked in some of America’s most demanding kitchens, and failed at two of his own restaurants before purchasing The French Laundry in Napa Valley—a place he would transform into an international destination. Thomas has grown his business to include 10 restaurants and bakeries, and is one of the few chefs to hold three Michelin stars in two restaurants. He has also mentored countless younger chefs, passing along a lesson that was once taught to him: cooking is nurturing. 




This episode was produced by Alex Cheng, with music by Ramtin Arablouei

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Alex Cheng.




You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Drive. Docs. Chrome. Maps. Gmail. Android. What do these products have in common? Of course, they’re all Google, but what you may not know is that they all came to fruition under the management of the same person: Sundar Pichai. This track record in product development ultimately landed Sundar the CEO role at one of the biggest, most innovative companies in the world.  

This week on How I Built This Lab, Sundar reflects on the unique journey that led him to Google, and the values that inspire and drive his leadership today. He and Guy also discuss Google’s recent advances in artificial intelligence, and how the company is reimagining the workplace as offices across the globe reopen.

This episode was produced by Carla Esteves, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by John Isabella.

Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.

You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the early 1990’s, Tim League spent $50,000 in savings to lease an abandoned movie theater on the wrong side of the tracks—a shaky experiment that eventually grew into a thriving national chain. As Tim and his wife Karrie built theaters in Austin and beyond, they made a name for themselves by offering dinner with the movie, creative pairings (like sake with Godzilla), and roadshows where movie-goers could watch Deliverance in canoes, or Rocky on the famous steps in Philly. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema now has 40 locations across the country and a revenue of over $300 million, but there have been plenty of bruises along the way: a failed first theater, a fractious lawsuit with business partners, and a swan dive into the red during the pandemic.




This episode was produced by Carla Esteves, with music by Ramtin Arablouei

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Carla Esteves.




You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.