Make Good Dots with Wendy Kuran
At the Table with Tony Brown
What does it take to land a dream job? In this episode, Wendy Kuran talks about pausing to take stock, discovering she wanted something new, and landing in a place that surprised even her - China. Wendy says she was ready to take a leadership role at Duke Kunshan, because she had made “good dots” in her career -- meaning she tried to make her actions purposeful and was serious about making the most of each opportunity. Tony Brown says the path to a dream job is a series of single steps that lead in the right direction. “Be confident that there’s another step forward,” he says....
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Fix a Crack in the Sidewalk with Hasnain Zaidi
At the Table with Tony Brown
When Hasnain Zaidi was in Tony Brown’s Social Entrepreneurship class at Duke, he dreamed up a plan for a campus food cart, Holy Crepe, that would fund impact ventures. Tony remembers it as “the best-planned failure” of the class. But the project taught Hasnain a lot, and his career has included successful entrepreneurial projects and other roles. Their conversation explores how to be a force for good and expanding the definition of impact. Tony says “work” is often misconstrued as your job. The real question we should be asking is ourselves is, “How do I make better decisions to...
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Finding Your North Star with Linda Zhang
At the Table with Tony Brown
“I heard about Tony's class when I was a freshman. It's this elusive class that people talk about as the single class you have to take before graduating that will change your life forever,” Linda remembers. “I never took notes in most of my classes diligently, but I remember thinking. ‘I have to write down every single word this man says.’” Since graduation, Linda has worked in consulting, traveled the world as a private teacher, consulted for the Ministry of Education in Sierra Leone, served as chief of staff to a Nigerian university president and more – all in just 5 years! She...
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Work/Life Balance with Anthony Vitarelli
At the Table with Tony Brown
Seeking success but being firmly grounded in your personal life is a big challenge for many of us. In this episode, Tony Brown sits down with Anthony Vitarelli. Anthony took lessons from Tony Brown’s Duke classes along with him in his professional journey, including stops at the US Department of the Treasury, the Supreme Court, the private financial sector and more. Anthony shares how he’s been able to address work-life balance even when in high-level roles. At the Table with Tony is a series of conversations with Tony Brown, professor emeritus at the Sanford School of Public...
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Finding Vocation with Jennifer Nagda
At the Table with Tony Brown
What is the difference between career and vocation? How do you use intentionality to direct your life towards a fulfilling vocation? As Tony Brown says, “you can’t just sit down and say, ‘I'm going to decide on my vocation.’ It's like chasing love. You can't chase love.” In this episode, Tony explores vocation with his former Duke student Jennifer Nagda. For more than a decade, her work has centered on the interests of immigrant children in government custody and legal proceedings. “I think one of the things that I took from Tony's class was the importance of intentionality,”...
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Considering Leadership with Tommy Sowers
At the Table with Tony Brown
Today we spend time at the table with Tony Brown’s former student, Tommy Sowers. Tommy took Tony’s course Enterprising Leadership about 20 years ago at Duke University. He sat in the third row at first, but soon moved up front, and was hooked. Tommy has actively leaned into leadership positions. After graduation, the Green Beret served in Iraq and Kosovo. He went on to hold major roles in the political, governmental, academic, corporate, entrepreneurial, non-profit and philanthropic worlds. Most recently, he served as president of the nation’s fourth largest private jet charter...
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Define the Life You Want to Live with Dan Kimberg
At the Table with Tony Brown
In this episode, Tony Brown has a conversation with Dan Kimberg about the importance of defining the life you want to live and living it. In Tony’s Social Entrepreneurship in Action class at Duke University 20 years ago, Dan and two classmates created a compelling plan to launch Student U, a nonprofit organization intended to support first-generation students in Durham, North Carolina. Student U continues to be a great success story in Durham, and Dan’s relationship with Tony has evolved from being a student in his class to a cherished friendship. Host: Penelope North.
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Welcome
At the Table with Tony Brown
At the Table with Tony is a series of conversations with Tony Brown, Professor Emeritus at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Tony is facing significant health challenges, and he is clear about his 2025 priorities. In addition to prioritizing his wife, Teddie, and his family, nurturing a generative, “grow together” friendship community that creates benefits for others is an important 2025 aspiration. At the Table with Tony helps him do that. At the Table with Tony is produced and hosted by Duke University senior
info_outlineToday we spend time at the table with Tony Brown’s former student, Tommy Sowers. Tommy took Tony’s course Enterprising Leadership about 20 years ago at Duke University. He sat in the third row at first, but soon moved up front, and was hooked. Tommy has actively leaned into leadership positions. After graduation, the Green Beret served in Iraq and Kosovo. He went on to hold major roles in the political, governmental, academic, corporate, entrepreneurial, non-profit and philanthropic worlds. Most recently, he served as president of the nation’s fourth largest private jet charter operation and is now working with Duke students on tech ethics. Tommy talks with Tony about what he learned from Tony about leadership, and how he has applied those lessons in his own career.
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At the Table with Tony is a series of conversations with Tony Brown, Professor Emeritus at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Tony is facing significant health challenges, and he is clear about his 2025 priorities. In addition to prioritizing his wife, Teddie, and his family, nurturing a generative, “grow together” friendship community that creates benefits for others is an important 2025 aspiration. At the Table with Tony helps him do that.