Best UCLA Alumni Podcasts (2024)

1
From Classroom to Newsroom: Broadcast Journalist LaMonica Peters '94 30:43

20h ago30:43

30:43

LaMonica Peters '94 is a News Reporter for KTVU Fox 2, covering Silicon Valley and South Bay. Her work has been seen on CNN, ABC News Live, CBS News, Spectrum News Network and Fox Live Now. She was selected as a Knight Digital Media Center Fellow by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2011. In 2013, she was given the Mississippi Associ…

1
Law and Leadership: California Agricultural Labor Relations Board Member Cinthia Flores '10 23:17

9d ago23:17

23:17

Cinthia Flores ’10 is a Board Member of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. Prior to her appointment, she practiced immigration law with a focus on removal defense defending individuals from deportation. Cinthia has a background in labor law having previously represented public and private sector unions. Currently, Cinthia serves as …

1
Bridging Tradition and Transition: Thoughtful Mergers and Acquisitions with Kevin Berson '96 24:22

16d ago24:22

24:22

Kevin Berson ’96 is the founder of Kinected Advisors, a Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and Exit Planning Advisory firm. Kinected helps lower-middle market business owners (businesses generating $5M-$50M in annual revenue) navigate the process of selling their businesses for maximum value. Prior to founding Kinected in 2014, Berson spent 18 years wi…

1
Out N About: Navigating Identity in the Workplace 47:54

22d ago47:54

47:54

In partnership with UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives, the Bruin Success Podcast presents a collaboration episode: Out N About: Navigating Identity in the Workplace. Moderated by Cleve Wong ’10, featured speakers Devon Dickau ’07, MBA ’15 and Matt Kaczmarek ’05 share their insights, reflections, and strategies on navigating the professio…

1
Global Voices: Cultural Storyteller Samantha D'Souza '18 51:31

2M ago51:31

51:31

As a cultural storyteller, Samantha D'Souza specializes in developing communities of change through robust brand identities, dynamic communications strategies, and artful content. She is captivated by the “in-between” moments and delves into the intersection of industries such as entertainment and science, social impact and sport. In her journey th…

1
From Ice to Assets: Olympic Bobsledder and Financial Strategist Carlo Valdes '13 31:59

3M ago31:59

31:59

Olympic bobsledder Carlo Valdes grew up playing almost every sport you can think of. He was on the football team for a year at UCLA and also competed on the track team during his four years, participating in decathlon and javelin. At the encouragement of his coach, he tried out for the USA bobsled team once he graduated. This led to an 8-year caree…

1
Heartfelt Healing: AI Driven Healthcare Robotics with Mineh Badmagharian '13 26:29

3M ago26:29

26:29

Mineh Badmagharian, OTD, OTR/L, received a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 2013 and a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from USC in 2020. She is registered with the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy and has experience working with the pediatric population in a variety of settings such as schools, outpatient clinics, and homes. I…

1
Forecasting Success: Singing Meteorologist Marina Jurica '99 52:46

3M ago52:46

52:46

Marina Jurica is a passionate advocate for climate education as a meteorologist and climatologist for KCBS/KCAL Los Angeles. Previously, she spent four years with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and worked on many Earth missions there including SWOT, Sentinel-6, NISAR, and the landing of the Perseverance Mars rover. She has a master's degree in ge…

1
Lima to LA: Award-Winning Journalist Enrique Chiabra '09 39:25

3M ago39:25

39:25

Enrique Chiabra '09 is an Emmy, GLAAD and Ruben Salazar award-winning journalist currently serving as primetime news anchor for Telemundo 52 in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, his dedication to reporting on impactful stories within the Latino, immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities has been a central focus throughout his career. Tune in to le…

1
Ryan Dusick '01, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist 53:45

10M ago53:45

53:45

Ryan Dusick is an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist with an MA in Clinical Psychology and the founding drummer of the world’s most popular band, Maroon 5. As a boy, he dreamt of pitching for the Dodgers and writing adventure novels. Arm injuries sidelined his burgeoning baseball career, just as rock music became his new passion and purpose. Fou…

1
Natasha Case, M.A. '18, Founder and General Manager of Lunch Bunch 45:00

10M ago45:00

45:00

Natasha Case is the co-founder of Coolhaus Ice Cream. She created the company with Freya Estreller in 2009 because they did not feel represented by the ice cream brands on shelves and knew they could create higher quality and more unique ice cream with a more authentic story. They launched their ice cream sandwich company from a barely-drivable pos…

1
Garin Hussenjian '96, Deputy Director of Special Projects for the City of Beverly Hills 47:50

1y ago47:50

47:50

Garin Hussenjian received her BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing from UCLA in 1996. In 1999, she completed her MFA in Film from Art Center College of Design and in 2000 her short film, Single Moments, was nominated for a Student Academy Award. Initially working in film production as an independent freelance producer and unit product…

1
Corey Matthews '10, M.A. '11, Vice President of Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co 41:51

1y ago41:51

41:51

Corey currently serves as a Vice President of Global Philanthropy with JPMorgan Chase & Co where he helps to manage a grant portfolio in Los Angeles that aligns with the strategic impact objectives of the company. He also plays a key role in building partnerships to bolster the company's overarching Corporate Responsibility initiatives in the regio…

1
Natalie Samarjian '06, J.D. '12, President and CEO at Coro Southern California 33:36

1+ y ago33:36

33:36

Natalie is the president and CEO at Coro Southern California. Under Natalie’s leadership, Coro has developed a new strategic plan, expandedprograms, partnerships and revenue, and cultivated a growing community of Coro alumni who are transforming communities across the country. Prior to embarking on her legal career, Natalie was a human capital cons…

1
Stephanie Moran Reed '10, Founder of MiJa Books 40:22

1+ y ago40:22

40:22

Stephanie Moran Reed is a native Angeleno and proud Mexican-American Mompreneur. In 2020 she co-founded with her husband MiJa Books, a multicultural children's bookstore and online resource for diverse and inclusive books. Inspired by their biracial daughter, they created MiJa Books to amplify stories by and about people of color. Her store has rec…

1
Marques Anderson '08, Cyborg Anthropologist 53:41

1+ y ago53:41

53:41

Marques is a cyborg anthropologist, working at the nexus of Ancestral Wisdom, Modern Technology and Future Society. Seeking to be globally impactful, he created the World Education Foundation in 2009 traveling to over 83 countries, while earning his Master’s through the Adult Learning and Global Change program at Linkoøping University in Sweden. In…

1
Tina Chen '14, Chief Tea Officer 34:12

1+ y ago34:12

34:12

Currently serving as Chief Tea Officer, Tina was inspired by Taiwanese bubble tea concept and British tea drinking culture to develop a delicious, well-balanced tea latte beverage. With her love for a quality cuppa and her desire to make a positive impact on society, Tina made a career switch from IT to just tea, and HumaniTea was born! A proud soc…

1
Tiffany Duong '06, Ocean Storyteller 33:21

1+ y ago33:21

33:21

Tiffany Duong '06 is an ocean explorer and storyteller. Inspired by an epic dive trip to the Galapagos, she left corporate law to campaign for our planet. Now she writes, speaks and hosts expeditions from dense jungles to remote oceans to the changing Arctic. Listen to learn how she gives voice to what's happening in the natural world in order to i…

1
Jeff Kryka M.A. '08, Ph.D. '11, Film and Television Composer 37:24

2y ago37:24

37:24

Los Angeles-based composer Jeff Kryka has been awarded by Turner Classic Movies, ASCAP, the RMALA, and the Henry Mancini Foundation. As both a composer and orchestrator, his work has been featured in major motion pictures, TV-shows, video games, and heard in concert halls across the globe. Jeff studied music composition at the University of Wiscons…

1
Chelsea Moore '13 and Jenni Olivero '13 of BOXFOX 38:37

2y ago38:37

38:37

About Chelsea Moore: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Chelsea is the CEO and co-founder of BOXFOX. After graduating from UCLA, she and Jenni moved to Venice Beach where the idea for BOXFOX was born after spotting a gap in the lifestyle and service space for elevated and effortless gifting. She is the driving force behind BOXFOX’s creative and aesthe…

1
Rod A. Ponce '06 of First Republic Bank 29:55

2y ago29:55

29:55

Rod A. Ponce ’06 is Senior Account Executive with First Republic Bank. After graduating in 2006 with a B.A. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he started his career in financial services as a financial advisor with John Hancock. In 2009, he left the financial advising business to become a Licensed Personal Financial R…

1
Nikhil Gupta, J.D. '15 of the Golden State Warriors 28:22

2y ago28:22

28:22

Nikhil Gupta is Associate General Counsel for the Golden State Warriors. In this role, he advises the organization on a wide range of commercial, litigation, regulatory and compliance matters. He previously served as Associate Counsel for the San Francisco 49ers for two years. Prior to that, he practiced corporate and transactional law at Latham & …

1
Emily Baxt '92 of Baxt Consulting 32:22

2y ago32:22

32:22

Emily Baxt, career coach and principal at Baxt Consulting, specializes in professional growth and development for teams and individuals in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She has supported students and alumni at the University of San Diego (USD) Career Development Center for over 20 years. She particularly enjoys helping people find pur…

1
Ruben Garcia '08 of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) 50:54

2y ago50:54

50:54

Ruben Garcia is Co-Head of the Cultural Business Strategy Group at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). In addition, Garcia works within the CAA Foundation to advise and consult clients on their prosocial and philanthropic initiatives. Garcia collaborates with company leadership to execute company-wide strategies a…

1
Jenn Wells '07 of the Marlborough School 45:44

2y ago45:44

45:44

Jenn received her B.A. from UCLA in 2007 in American Literature and Culture and a minor in Education studies. While at UCLA, Jenn was an Orientation Leader, Resident Assistant, and a student leader in the Student Alumni Association. Jenn went on to receive her M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration from New York University and her Doctorate…

1
Matt Wiener '10 of Innovative Partnerships Group 41:33

2y ago41:33

41:33

Mr. Wiener is a Partner, Managing Director and Head of Consulting & Business Development at Innovative Partnerships Group (IPG360), joining the firm less than one year into the company formation. Mr. Wiener oversees growth for the company, serving as a member of the Advisory Board and Executive Team with leadership duties across overall revenue, op…

1
Rachel Salvo, M.B.A. '15 of Warner Bros. Consumer Products 33:11

2y ago33:11

33:11

Rachel Salvo, MBA ’15, is a Director of Strategy and Business Planning at Warner Bros. Consumer Products. She currently leads the planning and strategic initiatives across the North America Products team, which includes overseeing and supporting the licensed category business and the owned and operated eCommerce platform. She works collaboratively …

1
Rafi Sands '18 of Pano AI 38:02

2y ago38:02

38:02

Rafi Sands '18 is an MBA candidate at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he's exploring innovative ways to help communities better adapt to the challenges of the 21st-century, including climate change and economic insecurity. While not in class, Rafi works in Business Development with Pano AI, a wildfire technology company using camera…

1
Kelsey Balance '11 of Scripted Programming at NBCUniversal Media 42:29

2y ago42:29

42:29

Kelsey Balance, SVP, Scripted for NBCU International Studios, oversees the Studio’s Scripted division in LA. She has been with International Studios for two years and has been the key executive in packaging and selling a number of shows, including Clickbait for Netflix, Lady Parts for Peacock, The Capture for Peacock, and Stateless for Netflix, as …

1
Lucy Tseng '12 of Resilientsee and UCLA Giving 40:48

2y ago40:48

40:48

Lucy Tseng is a Life & Resilience Coach working with folks who are experiencing major changes, particularly athletes of all levels who are transitioning to life after sports. Additionally, she is part of the development team that raised $5.49 billion during The UCLA Centennial Campaign and focuses on raising funds for scholarships and student suppo…

1
Hannah Gordon '03 of the San Francisco 49ers 34:17

2+ y ago34:17

34:17

Hannah Gordon is the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of the San Francisco 49ers. Gordon is a Bay Area native who grew up in Oakland and attended Stanford for law school. She is a former board member of Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation, among other nonprofits. Named by NFL.com as one of the most influential women in footba…

1
Kristen Choi, M.S. '18 of UCLA and Kaiser Permanente 43:52

2+ y ago43:52

43:52

Dr. Kristen Choi is a psychiatric nurse and Assistant Professor of Nursing and Public Health at UCLA. Dr. Choi studies health services and policy approaches to promoting mental health among children and adolescents. Her current research projects include studies on adverse childhood experiences, developmental disabilities, and the intersection of ho…

1
Kal Penn '00 52:22

2+ y ago52:22

52:22

Kal Penn is an actor, writer, producer, and former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. He is known for his starring roles in Designated Survivor, House, Mira Nair’s The Namesake, the Harold & Kumar franchise, and the patriotic immigration sit-com Sunnyside which he co-created for NBC. From 2009 to 2011, Kal took a sab…

1
Matt Kaczmarek '04 of BlackRock 49:06

2+ y ago49:06

49:06

Matt Kaczmarek, Director, is head of sustainable investing and macro policy research for the global credit investment team at BlackRock. He also serves as a senior member of the firm's external affairs team and is co-chair of BlackRock's Los Angeles leadership team. He is a member of the firm's geopolitical risk and inclusion and diversity committe…

1
Mike Weatherford, UCLA '80, SVP of Finance at Stanford Healthcare's UHA 50:57

3y ago50:57

50:57

Special guest (and Nakin's boss's boss's boss) Mike Weatherford joins the podcast and discusses some of the major trends in healthcare: how telehealth has changed because of the pandemic, why price transparency for healthcare services is important, and what's driving physicians to become employees at health systems rather than staying as independen…

1
Gaayatri Kaundinya, UCLA ‘14, CEO of Chai Time Studios 40:26

3y ago40:26

40:26

Gaayatri describes her time studying at UCLA towards specializing in ethnomusicology. Her credits include Disney’s Million Dollar Arm and Mira, Royal Detective.

1
Topology Planning @ Amazon with Izzah Khan '13 36:14

3y ago36:14

36:14

Izzah Khan is a UCLA alumna who is currently working as a Program Manager at Amazon's Last Mile business where she supports the expansion of Amazon's delivery network in the US and Canada. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and with the right experience, has been able to pivot into the data-heavy field of Supply Chain and Capacity/Top…

1
Naturopathic Medicine with Dr. Jasmine Talei 22:44

3y ago22:44

22:44

Dr. Jasmine Talei is a California licensed Naturopathic Doctor. She completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Film Studies at UCLA and received her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University, California. Dr. Talei focused her clinical training on the skin-gut connection, autoimmune conditions, and mold-related illne…

1
Cybrarian @ Oracle with Tim Gallati '10, MLIS '13 31:25

3y ago31:25

31:25

Tim Gallati '10, MLIS '13 is a Cybrarian on the Virtual Library team at Oracle with responsibilities in data, user experience research, research services, and learning curation. Following his UCLA BA (’10) and MLIS (’13), Tim served in corporate, academic, and non-profit libraries. He also explored a career in Theological Librarianship and received…

1
Tom Norris, UCLA ‘15, Political and Protocol Officer at British Embassy Seoul 1:03:28

3y ago1:03:28

1:03:28

Tom remembers offering former British Prime Minister Theresa May his Netflix login. We cover ‘The Interview’, the THAAD missile crisis, Dennis Rodman, and K-pop.

1
Social Impact @ Participant with Nicole Starr '01 35:14

3y ago35:14

35:14

Nicole Starr '01 is Vice President of Social Impact for Participant, the leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change. In her role, Nicole oversees the development and execution of impact campaigns that bring together art and activism to accelerate progress around the world’s most pres…

1
Artificial Intelligence and Human Connection @ Ingage with Jamal Madni, M.S. '08, '12 30:33

3y ago30:33

30:33

Jamal Madni, M.S. '08, '12 is Co-Founder & CEO of Ingage, a company intersecting artificial intelligence and human connection by developing a behavioral signal analytics videoconferencing platform to help individuals better read and react to the virtual boardroom, exam room and classroom. Before technology entrepreneurship, Jamal was Managing Direc…

1
Sustainability Data Management @ Google with Liz Schneider '14 17:31

3y ago17:31

17:31

Liz Schneider '14 works on Google's real estate sustainability team, where she is currently the team's first-ever data manager. She helped create this role last year when it became clear that Google's ambitious new sustainability goals would require an unprecedented level of thoughtfulness around data management. In this new role, she's guiding the…

1
Business Diversity & Inclusion @ Nike with Anthony Martore '16 16:31

3y ago16:31

16:31

Anthony Martore '16 is a Manager on the Business Diversity & Inclusion team at NIKE. In his current role, he leads an enterprise-wide initiative to expand NIKE's economic investment into diverse communities and diverse-owned businesses through the implementation of NIKE's first-ever global Supplier Diversity Program. Anthony hails from San Francisc…

1
Asset Optimization @ Netflix with Kate Pflueger '11 22:22

3y ago22:22

22:22

Kate Pflueger ’11 is Manager of Asset Optimization Strategy at Netflix. After graduating in 2011 with a BA in Communications, Kate launched her career at Paramount Pictures in their Worldwide Marketing Partnerships group. In 2015, Kate began a new chapter of her career as a producer for Netflix where she worked with both international and domestic …

1
User Acquisition @ Headspace with Brandon Dang '16 24:02

3y ago24:02

24:02

Brandon Dang '16 is responsible for user acquisition at Headspace - an app for meditation, mindfulness and mental health. He graduated UCLA in 2016 as an Economics major unsure of what career path he wanted to pursue. Digital marketing was a field that presented itself after he pursued an interest in tech and media. Brandon's young career has been …

1
Global Mobility @ WeWork with Sei Ishikawa '05 27:03

3+ y ago27:03

27:03

Sei Ishikawa '05 began his career in the global mobility industry over 15 years ago. After graduating from UCLA with double majors in Political Science and International Development Studies in 2005, he started his career as a US immigration specialist at an immigration law firm in Los Angeles, CA. While working at the firm, he developed a passion f…

1
Dr. Kevin Williams, UCLA MD ‘86 MPH ‘91, Chief Medical Officer, Rare Disease, at Pfizer 59:04

3+ y ago59:04

59:04

Dr. Williams opens up about growing up black and gay in Louisiana during the 1960s and 1970s. After providing a primer about rare diseases, Dr. Williams explains how and why he ended up working at a pharmaceutical corporation in-spite of public perceptions. Pranav ties in the UCLA class of 2015’s reading of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ in…

1
10 Careers You’ve Never Heard Of 1:53

3+ y ago1:53

1:53

When someone says “career,” you probably think of the classic ones like Doctor, Lawyer or Teacher, right? It makes sense yet so many career choices exist beyond the ones we may think of first. Over the next 10 episodes, Bruin Success will be featuring UCLA alumni who are paving their way in careers you probably haven’t heard of. If you are familiar…

1
A Farewell Message from Katie Russo 3:26

3+ y ago3:26

3:26

Katie Russo shares a farewell message and her thoughts on success in her final episode of Bruin Success. Since May 2019, Katie has hosted over 35 interviews delivering incredible “life after UCLA” stories from Bruins who have graduated and gone on to conquer the world in diverse industries all around the globe. Through Katie's interviews, we've see…

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