The Mentors

  1. 11/26/2025

    How to Build Practical AI Skills Employers Actually Want

    Modern work feeds you two conflicting stories: On social media, it sounds like AI is replacing everything. Inside real companies, leaders are just trying to find one person who can think clearly, build simple workflows, and actually ship solutions. In this reboot of The Mentors, Vadim and Sergei share what they’re hearing directly from 14+ CEOs, VPs, and operators about how AI is actually being used inside modern businesses—and what that means for your career, especially if you’re early-stage or non-technical. They talk about the messy truth behind AI adoption, why “just managers” are at risk, what “being technical” really means if you don’t write code, and how to build practical AI and workflow skills that make you stand out instead of getting replaced. They also share early-career stories of automating their own work with simple tools (before AI was mainstream) and how that instantly changed how leaders perceived their value. If you’ve ever felt anxious scrolling LinkedIn or TikTok about AI and the future of work, this episode will help you zoom out, reframe the risk, and focus on what still matters: becoming the person in the room who can learn fast, simplify complexity, and deliver measurable results. Subscribe to The Mentors for real conversations with CEOs, operators, and educators about what’s actually happening in hiring, talent, and modern work - and how you can stay competitive as technology evolves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 02/23/2021

    How freeCodeCamp Is Creating Thousands Of Programmers With Only 12 Employees

    When a founder decides to build an impact driven organization, at some point they have to make an important decision on whether to structure it as a for profit entity or a non-profit. While a for-profit can maximize financial upside to the founding team and shareholders, a non-profit by definition can focus more of its effort on the impact it wants to have in the world.  In this week's episode bring back Darrell Silver, the founder and former CEO of Thinkful, a for-profit education venture, to talk about why the model of the non-profit freeCodeCamp is so innovative in its funding and impact model, and why he is now a major donor and supporter of the organization that was founded with a similar mission to his.  In this rare interview, we got to dive into some of the nuances of how nonprofits are managed and how freeCodeCamp has been able to deliver 1.1 billion minutes of instruction with just a 12 person team by making their education model open source. We also discussed how people who want to improve their career prospects and pick up a technical skill can best decide whether to learn online for free or pay tuition for an instructor guided education experience if they can afford it.  Tune in to hear our interview with Darrell Silver about the story and future of freeCodeCamp. If you want to support their work, you can donate as little as $5 here which will directly contribute to 250 hours of free education! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    How freeCodeCamp Is Creating Thousands Of Programmers With Only 12 Employees

  3. 11/18/2020

    How An Engineer Turned Himself Into A Master Marketer And Successful Entrepreneur

    Kevin Urrutia decided to teach himself to code while in college so that he could turn all the different business ideas he had into reality. Little did he know that after years of building apps and websites and trying idea after idea, he would need to completely change his mindset about how to get ideas off the ground to have his first entrepreneurial success. Kevin left his home in New York to go to Silicon Valley and work as a software engineer for Mint.com and later a little known startup called Zaarly where he would learn the power of SEO and marketing.  After reading every marketing and sales book he could find, he moved back to start an online maid service called Maid Sailors. In this episode he talks about how his new found love for marketing helped him scale Maid Sailors to millions of dollars in revenue, and truly kicked off his entrepreneurial career helping him launch several more startups, including his digital marketing agency Voy Media. This show is brought to you by School16, a tech career accelerator for professionals interested in roles in Product, Marketing, Sales and Operations at top tech firms and startups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    How An Engineer Turned Himself Into A Master Marketer And Successful Entrepreneur

  4. 08/31/2020

    What’s Next For The Mentors

    In today's episode we're sharing an update on what's been happening with our own entrepreneurial venture, School16, and how our publishing schedule for The Mentors will change going forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. 08/26/2020

    How a SpaceX Engineer Launched a Rapidly Growing Consumer Health Startup

    This week we got the chance to interview a former SpaceX Engineer and founder of biohacking startup Levels as part of a special podcast recording hosted by School16 in front of a live audience. In this episode, Josh Clemente told us about how he pushed his way into getting an opportunity to work at Tesla and then SpaceX, where he ended up leading the Life Support Systems team. He credits his time at SpaceX for teaching him how to think big and go after nearly impossible goals, and his time running his own general contracting business in college for giving him the confidence to start building a business that was going after a massive opportunity. Listen to find out how Josh came up with the idea for a continuous glucose monitoring technology that is being made available to anyone to help people avoid some of the most common and dangerous diseases. We also discuss how he built the right team to help him get his first customers, find investors, and start bringing it to the masses all in less than 2 years since he conceived it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. 08/24/2020

    What You Should Learn Before Starting A Company

    This is one of the most common questions we get from aspiring entrepreneurs. The answer, however, is less about what you should learn and more about how you should do it.  Entrepreneurs come from almost every background imaginable, but one of the biggest contributors to founder success is previous experience with working on highly talented teams.  Let's take the most famous example - the "PayPal Mafia." Companies like SpaceX, Yelp, Yammer, LinkedIn, and Square all came from individuals that were employees at PayPal. Some of them came from engineering, while others lead operations or sales teams, but the factor that separated them from other people starting companies at the same time was their experience working with and learning from other incredibly talented individuals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. 08/17/2020

    The Power of Small Actions and an update to The Story of A Homeless Neuroscientist

    This is a follow up to our recent episode titled The Story of A Homeless Neuroscientist and how one small act eventually resulted in a job offer. We often come up with reasons not to do something or to delay acting on an idea because of fear of failure or simply because we feel like we have other more important things to do.  Entrepreneur Naval Ravikant once wisely said "inspiration is perishable - act on it immediately." Famous motivational speaker Tony Robbins uses the same technique to stay on top of the various business interests that he has. Whenever he's in a meeting he makes sure to act on at least one thing that's discussed immediately to insure that it gets done. This is because he knows from experience that if something is put off there's a big chance it'll never become a priority.  In this episode we discuss how you can apply the same ideas to seemingly small actions this week that can have very impactful outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. 08/10/2020

    How To Impress Important People (Rebroadcast)

    This rebroadcast episode was inspired by the growing opportunity to connect with sought after individuals that are more accessible than ever before as more people are working remotely in 2020. Finding a good mentor is hard but the real work is in keeping them. In today’s episode we talk about how you can impress important people in your life, be they a mentor, advisor, investor, or simply someone that’s further along than you. We give two specific examples of how our mentees have accomplished this by following up, following through, being solution oriented, and finding opportunities to add value instead of always asking for help. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  9. 08/03/2020

    How To Have A Strong Sense Of Self Worth

    Our sense of self worth is constantly in flux, but it's important to learn how to control it to stay productive. This is in part because failure is a big part of the process and if you tie your worth to success or failure it's bound to become debilitating. Instead of worrying about outcomes that are outside of our control we should focus on actions that we can control.  In this episode we discuss the following four techniques, tying each of them to a personal story: 1) Getting outside encouragement 2) Setting achievable goals 3) Shifting your focus 4) Finding ways to be helpful to others Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  10. 07/27/2020

    The Story Of A Homeless Neuroscientist

    When faced with a challenge remember that you don't have to endure it alone. In this week's 5 Minute Pick Me Up we wanted to share a story of Brianna Austin, a homeless neuroscientist that we learned about on LinkedIn and why we were compelled to reach out to our network in an effort to help.  In this episode you will learn:  Why sometimes it's valuable to trust your instincts and do the opposite of what conventional wisdom tells you to doHow to ask for help while showing credibilityWhy it's critical to invest in building and developing relationships especially in challenging times like these As a resource we encourage you to join our free weekly seminars to learn from people that have overcome similar challenges to land incredible opportunities at firms like Twitter, Uber, Google, and more. You will have the chance network with other attendees and connect with our expert instructors to develop your network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  11. 07/20/2020

    How To Keep Pushing Even If You're Uncomfortable (Rebroadcast)

    This is a rebroadcast episode that was inspired by a recent class in our Sales Module at School16. We decided to give you an inside look into a recent phone call we recorded where we ask a high school principal for a speaking budget.  For many people, asking someone what they might be willing to pay is the most uncomfortable part of any sales or business development conversation - aka, going for the close. But with practice, you can learn how to do this quickly and effectively, creating new opportunities that may have been left on the table before.  You'll hear how to use active listening to rephrase your line of questioning when asking for something like budget or a commitment to finally get the answer that you want. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  12. 07/08/2020

    How Andrew Clark Turned A Small College Into A $120 Million Online Learning Public Company, Zovio

    Online education has been around since the 1990s but when Andrew Clark decided to start a fully remote accredited college, students weren't yet used to the idea of going to a school without a campus. His solution? Raise money to buy a small liberal arts school with a central campus that students could choose to visit any time, with the option to complete their education completely online. In this episode we talk about Zovio's origin story (formerly Bridgepoint Education) and how Andrew was able to convince a private equity investor to give him $20 Million to build his vision after knocking on doors to raise capital for over a year. Andrew proved his credibility with his decade long management experience at University of Phoenix and his profoundly forward thinking approach to education. We discuss how his team created a highly sought after program by standardizing their curriculum and allowing students to enroll any week of the year, and talk about his outlook on the future of remote learning given the rapidly changing global environment that's forcing all higher education institutions to move online.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  13. 07/06/2020

    How Great Entrepreneurs Learn To Be Great Writers

    Great business leaders come from all sorts of backgrounds but the one skill that all of them prioritize developing over time is learning how to write effectively. The reason for this is clear - as a creator you're communicating through the written word all of the time - by writing speeches, landing page copy, job descriptions, thought-leadership content, business proposals, social media posts, etc. But how do you develop this skills if it hasn't been a priority for you?  The best writers (and entrepreneurs) are voracious readers, so before you develop your own style you need to get into a habit of consuming the work of other writers, but the best way to get better at it yourself is to start writing every opportunity that you get.  In this episode we discuss four main tactics for becoming a better writer:  1) Write about what you know or care about 2) Get critical feedback on your writing early on 3) Pick a medium or format for your writing (like long form essays) to create constraints around the type of writing that you do 4) Make your writing public Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  14. 06/29/2020

    The Fastest Way To Resolve Conflict

    Almost all sources of conflict stem from someone feeling like they're not being heard. Sometimes this is knowingly perpetuated by two sides that are proactively unwilling to make concessions but other times we unknowingly ignore warning signs that a conflict is escalating. In this episode we discuss two cases - a prisoner of war negotiation highlighted in Chris Voss' book Never Split The Difference and a story of a founder dealing with a partner that wasn't pulling his weight. In both cases resolution was only achieved once the source of the problem was actively acknowledged, validating the concerns of the other side, and achieving the coveted "that's right" response. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  15. 06/22/2020

    Why There’s No Growth Without Delegation

    Many entrepreneurs prioritize building a great product that people want but fewer prioritize building a great team that allows your business to grow. In this episode we talk about the importance of developing a business that's designed to work even when you're not working on it. The only way to achieve this is to move away from being an individual contributor and becoming a manager and leader that learns to effectively delegate. This comes down to two fundamental principles.  1) Having the right people in place 2) Investing the time upfront before you delegate  Tune in to learn about the character traits you should look for in the talent you recruit and the preparation required to set them up for success.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  16. 06/15/2020

    Why Starting Over In Your Career Can Be A Good Thing

    Most of us assume that taking a step back in our career can be a fatal move but in reality it can actually help you skip several steps quickly.  This week we decided to feature a story that was shared by sales influencer Kevin Dorsey (KD) during a live class at School16 about how taking a pay cut and a demotion in title ended up catapulting his career in technology sales, leading him to become a VP of Sales just a few years after he started working in tech.  KD explains how he was able to take on responsibilities that weren't part of his job description to quickly get promoted to management and leadership roles and why having the confidence to take on a more junior role ended up paying off in the long run. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  17. 06/08/2020

    How To Decide When You Have Too Many Options (Rebroadcast)

    One of the greatest misconceptions about career progression is that the consequences of our choices should always be predictable and linear. It’s this thinking that creates risk averse decision making for fear of irreversible outcomes, potentially closing you off to opportunities that could lead to something you can not yet foresee. Over the last few weeks we’ve had several people come to us expressing trepidation in making the right choice in the next step of their career. To help anyone else that might be going through this, we reshaped this question to three simple prompts: 1) What are the soft and hard skills you can learn to fill your own skills gap? 2) Where do you need to grow your network, whether it’s industry or expertise based? 3) Is this next step helping you level up in a measurable and significant way? What should also help inform your decision is the understanding that most careers today are not linear and that the old way of deciding the next step in your career does not fit the model of the new economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  18. 06/01/2020

    How Real Change Happens

    This week we decided to address two important yet seemingly unrelated events that went on over the weekend in the United States. The mass protests that spread across most major cities in America, and the first manned launch into space between a government institution (NASA) and a private company called SpaceX. We discuss the idea that major changes often come after periods of sustained failure, and that societal progress, much like personal development, can only come with deliberate action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  19. 05/25/2020

    Why Your Competition Matters Less Than You Think

    When you're just starting out it's easy to get caught up in what your competition is doing because naturally they're further along than you. But once you learn that your competition isn't perfect and that there's likely a lot about their business that could be improved upon, start focusing on the opportunity instead of fixating on your relative position in the market.  In this episode we discuss the true benefit of being a nimble startup and why young companies constantly beat out incumbent competitors. When you don't have to worry about a public track record, existing investors, or a large set of existing customers that require your attention you can move in any direction you want on a dime. So, don't make the mistake of worrying about the competition at the expense of action. Your ability to act fast is what will pull you ahead of them in the long run. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  20. 05/18/2020

    Why We Need To Approach Our Careers Differently In Uncertain Times

    An indisputable character trait of every successful person is their willingness to stay persistent even when it feels uncomfortable. In this episode we discuss the growing importance of persistence in today's increasingly uncertain economic climate and how we should all get more comfortable with asking for help.  A good way to remove negative self think when something triggers you to feel that you're asking too much of others is to remember stories of other ambitious people accomplishing great things because of their willingness to ask others for help directly.  We discuss Barbara Corcoran's story of landing a spot on ABC's Shark Tank by following up with Mark Cuban after being rejected for the opportunity. We also talk about how Sergei got a job working for Andrew Yang's last nonprofit, Venture For America, after being rejected for a job there and following up directly with the COO almost two years later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  21. 05/13/2020

    From Running Three Companies At Once To Finding A Singular Passion With Michael Fenchel Of Paradox Ventures

    Entrepreneurship is hard, but one of the basic tenets of being a creator is knowing that you can build something completely on your own terms. For Michael Fenchel, a young physics major out of Wisconsin who loved being a creator, that meant starting companies - three of them at once, to be exact.  All three of those ventures ended up being successful, eventually leading him to start his newest company Paradox Ventures (prdx.co), a program providing personal development for entrepreneurs and leaders. But before that Michael stumbled with various failed projects, until he figured out something important - focus on adding value first, and making money second.  In this episode Michael talks about how he was able to build one of the largest co-working spaces in Madison, WI (100State), while starting a software company that supported live music events (Prism.fm) and running product at BlueTree Network. In each example he was able to get the business off the ground and identify talent in his network that would then take over leadership responsibilities in the businesses.  He also talks about how his experience launching and growing an education company called Breathe For Change inspired him to create a founder and leadership development business called Paradox that provides a true community for likeminded entrepreneurs that recognize the need to balance personal development with audacious professional goals.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  22. 05/11/2020

    How To Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Labels

    From a young age we're asked - "what do you want to be when you grow up?" - implying that we have to be just one thing. Our natural curiosity may take us in unexpected directions but all it takes is an expression of doubt from someone else to stop us in our tracks. In this episode we discuss the importance of questioning self-imposed limitations and removing labels that others may ascribe to us. We discuss two main limiting beliefs that we had to overcome - the idea that we're bad at writing and the belief that we're not good marketers.  We talk about the importance of taking the initial step to act on your internal desires, eventually removing your self-imposed labels through sustained effort that leads to the external validation you need to completely redefine yourself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  23. 05/04/2020

    How To Handle Self Doubt As An Entrepreneur

    All ambitious people, even the ones that have already experienced measurable success, feel self doubt at certain times. Knowing how to move past those feelings is critical in getting to the next stage of your journey.  In this episode we discuss: 1) The importance of positive outcomes (wins) and other external validators 2) The value of working on what you care about and what you're good at 3) Why you should ask yourself if you're working on the right things Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  24. 04/26/2020

    Should You Be Fundraising During The Pandemic?

    All entrepreneurs have been forced to rethink their entire strategy over the last 30 days, and many are uncertain about their ability to secure funding during an unstable economic environment. In this episode we discuss what changes we're seeing in the market and how founders should approach the fundraising process now that investors are more careful about how they deploy their capital.  In this episode you will learn:  1) How to setup a more targeted fundraising approach 2) What types of investors are more likely to write you a check 3) How you should adjust your story and business plan to stay attractive to investors 4) What traction to focus on to raise your valuation For more episode on startup fundraising check out our Fundraising 101 series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  25. 04/20/2020

    How A College Dropout Ended Up Running A Sales Team At Google

    Creating a successful career is very similar to building a successful company - your outcomes are directly correlated with your execution. This week we reflect back on a story shared by Daisy dePaulis, Head of Sales at Google Cloud, who was recently featured in a free online class at School16. Daisy worked at a restaurant after going to community college for two years when she decided that her time was more valuable than the hourly work she was doing.  In this episode we talk about how she landed a job at a tech company as an office manager, eventually moving to marketing, then sales, and how she developed her leadership skills in each role to rise to VP level early on in her career.  We also discuss how leaders are actually discovered within companies by being willing to take on new responsibilities, coming to others with solutions and not just problems, mentoring those that need help, and learning skills on their own time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.