School for Startups Radio

March 2, 2026 – Hacking the Human Mind MichaelAaron Flicker and Business Beyond Borders Dean Foster

MichaelAaron Flicker – Founder/CEO of XenoPsi and Author of Hacking the Human Mind: The behavioral science secrets behind 17 of the world’s best brands

The power of words are very commonly underestimated
by entrepreneurs, by marketers.

MichaelAaron Flicker is an American entrepreneur and behavioral science strategist who serves as the founder and chief executive officer of XenoPsi Ventures, a brand incubator that provides financial, marketing, and intellectual capital to a diverse portfolio of companies. He started XenoPsi when he was just a young teenager and has grown it into one of America’s fastest-growing private firms, leading nine operating companies and consulting with more than 100 brands across sectors. MichaelAaron is co-author of Hacking the Human Mind: The behavioral science secrets behind 17 of the world’s best brands, a book that reveals how top companies use behavioral science to drive lasting growth. A recognized thought leader at the intersection of business and marketing, he founded the Consumer Behavior Lab to help brands apply behavioral science principles, and he co-hosts the Behavioral Science for Brands podcast exploring the latest insights in human decision making. His work has been featured in Fast Company and other industry publications, and he has been honored as one of NJBIZ’s “40 Under 40.” He holds degrees in political science and philosophy from Boston College and lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.





Dean Foster – International Business Expert and Author of Business Beyond Borders: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World

You can’t change the culture that you’re choosing to work with. That’s
not your job, and it’s a long process to try to do that, but you can manage
it and manage it for success.

Dean is the founder of DFA Intercultural Global Solutions ,and founder and former Worldwide Director of Berlitz Cross-Cultural. Based in New York City, Dean has played a central role in the development of the field of cross-cultural training and consulting. Dean has worked with most major Fortune 500 companies, national governments and NGOs (the United Nations and World Trade Institutes, among others), and as guest lecturer and faculty for premier educational institutions, including Harvard Business School, Columbia University School of Business, New York University, and Darden Business School. His work has taken him to more than 100 countries. He is the host on CNN of the nationwide “Doing Business in… ” series; a frequent guest commentator on culture, global work and social issues for CNN, CNBC, the BBC and other radio and TV shows; and has been interviewed in Newsweek, USA Today, New York Times, and elsewhere. He is the creator and host of the more than irreverent podcast, “Oops, Your Culture’s Showing!” Dean is a frequent presenter at major international conferences related to global work and cultural issues. He has been an active member of and speaker at the annual international conferences of Worldwide ERC©, the National Foreign Trade Council, the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), the International Institute for Human Resources (IIHR), and other organizations. In 2012 Dean was inducted into Worldwide ERC’s prestigious “Hall of Leaders”; in 2013 he received the Forum for Expatriate Management’s acclaimed Lifetime Achievement Award. Dean has written many articles and published six books, including “Bargaining Across Borders, voted as one of the top ten business books of the year by the American Library Association. As a contributing editor with National Geographic, he wrote the monthly “CultureWise” column appearing in National Geographic Traveler Magazine. His latest book, “BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World” was published, November 2025. Dean is on the faculty of American University’s Intercultural Management Institute in Washington, DC. He received his Master’s degree in Sociology from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, NYC.