innovation — Podcast Transcripts

A positive role model can change a child’s life. This is a lesson Shakeel Nelson learned firsthand. With his father incarcerated for much of his youth, Shakeel grew up in a single parent household in a community with limited resources and opportunities. The lure of gangs and other dangers were present, but with guidance and a love of sports, Shakeel resisted and found his path in life.

Today, Shakeel is sharing what he has learned from his mentors and athletics with young people in his community. In early 2019, he and two other people founded the Inner City Ducks. Their mission is to provide a place where young boys (and soon young girls) can learn life lessons through the power of athletics so they are better able to reach their full human potential. Starting with 13 boys on a spring football team in May of 2019, the Ducks have grown to more than 50 children from ages 5 through 14.

Shakeel and the Inner City Ducks provide mentoring, a safe space to play and learn, discipline, and exposure to new experiences for the young people in his community. The players have participated in tournaments in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Chicago, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. Eating in restaurants, staying in hotels, and seeing new places expands their sense of what is possible in their lives and teaches them life skills they will apply in adulthood.

In this interview, Shakeel shares his personal experience growing up without a father and candidly shares the challenges he faced. Shakeel explains his inspiration for creating the Inner City Ducks and how he sees the organization and its players growing in the years to come. Shakeel also tells us about the creative ways he is introducing his kids to new experiences and teaching them life skills while developing athletes hungry for success.

At the young age of 25, Shakeel volunteers four days a week to support the youth of his community as a coach, role model, and mentor through the Inner City Ducks. Shakeel’s vision for the organization is to serve 150+ boys and girls and to provide a community center where the kids can go after school to play, study, work out, and receive mentoring.

E24 The Making of the “Miracle on Ice”

For two weeks in February of 1980, twenty young athletes determined to do the impossible, gave the United States a respite from the Cold War, the economic malaise of the 1970s, and the hostage crisis in Iran. In arguably the greatest upset in sports history, the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Union and then went on to clinch the gold medal against Finland. The sports world was shocked and the “Miracle on Ice” was complete.

In this interview, Lou Nanne, a key influencer of the team, takes us back nearly 40 years and tells the story of the 1980 “Miracle” team, his involvement in securing Herb Brooks as the head coach of the Olympic team, and how the team was best prepared to face the international competition through innovative practice routines and training methods. Lou describes the nervousness and atmosphere during the game against the Soviet Union and the reactions afterwards. He also reminds us of how isolated players and fans were in Lake Placid during the Olympic Games. Social media didn’t exist, games were not televised live, and there was very little indication of what the rest of the world knew or felt about this historical run.

Lou Nanne has been a leading figure in the hockey community for decades. Lou was captain of the 1968 United States Olympic Hockey team. Later he played, coached, and served as general manager for the Minnesota North Stars. Lou is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame. He has also been awarded the Lester Patrick trophy for his impact on the sport of hockey.

leadership, the futuredon macphersonJuly 5, 2025creativity, innovation, olympic games, ice hockey, preparation

E23 Nurturing Crazy Ideas That Change the World

In this interview, Safi Bahcall talks about “Loonshots” - what are they, how can we encourage them, and how they change the world. Safi dives into how good ideas are often killed by great teams and how we can develop the skills to nurture and encourage “Loonshots” in our own organizations. Safi also discusses the importance of company culture, understanding the roles of different employees, and the importance of anticipating and learning from failure.

Safi Bahcall worked for three years as a consultant for McKinsey before co-founding a biotechnology company that developed new drugs for treating cancer. Safi regularly speaks with senior executives about how to implement the ideas in his bestselling book Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries.

leadership, the futuredon macphersonJune 30, 2025creativity, innovation, failure, company culture

E20 A Concrete Innovation for Climate Change

The planet is warming at an alarming rate and Mehrdad Mahoutian may have invented one of the solutions that can help slow or stop warming temperatures. Merdad is CTO and Co-founder of Carbicrete which has developed a carbon-negative concrete manunfacturing process.

In this interview, Mehrdad, discusses how he discovered and further developed his new technology, the key aspects of making Carbicrete, and his plans for distributing the new technology in the future. He also talks about his education experience in Iran and Canada, and the failures and success along his academic journey. Finally, Mehrdad shares how carbon-negative technologies can aid in our fight against global warming.

Mehrdad Mahoutian has a Master of Science degree in structural engineering and earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. While in his Ph.D. program, he developed the technology that has led to the founding of Carbicrete.

leadership, the futuredon macphersonApril 15, 2025climate change, innovation

E16 Creating a Culture of Innovation

In this interview, innovation expert Simone Bhan Ahuja defines the role and impact of an “intrapreneur" in large organizations, the importance of creating a permissionless and safe culture for innovation to occur, and how c-suite executives need to encourage innovation at all levels. Simone also shares tips for large organizations to attract innovative talent away from start-ups and ways to build structured innovation into your organization.

For 15 years, Simone has studied emerging markets and how organizations can continue to innovate across all levels in resource-constrained environments. Simone is the author of Disrupt It Yourself and co-author of Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough Growth. Simone is also the Producer and Director of Indique | Big Ideas From Emerging India, a TV documentary on innovators in India.

leadership, the futuredon macphersonMarch 23, 2025innovation