It Was True in 1959, It’s Still True Today: An Educated Consumer Is the Best Customer
Release Date: 08/10/2025
A Rare Look into the Mind and Habits of Author Michael Lewis, One of This Generation’s Most Admired Writers
Monday Morning Radio
Bestselling author has spent decades practicing the habits of the sharpest business thinkers: questioning assumptions, navigating past blind spots, and revealing why conventional wisdom so often leads smart people astray. Lewis is the author of a remarkable run of business bestsellers, including , , , , , , and . Both Moneyball and The Big Short were made into Oscar Best Picture-nominated films, as was , another of Lewis’s non-fiction classics. In this exclusive episode of Monday Morning Radio, Lewis reflects on why true success derives from taking the long view rather than aiming...
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The Most Overlooked Financial Planning Tool Isn’t Money
Monday Morning Radio
Many entrepreneurs and business owners know how to make money. Far fewer truly understand how to protect it, manage it wisely, and plan for the long arc of life once the hard work of earning is done. is a U.S. Army veteran and a certified financial planner with more than 25 years of experience helping individuals, families, and business owners clarify complex financial decisions. He is the founder of and the author of two practical, plain-spoken books, one with a focus on young adults who are just starting out and the other on those individuals who are approaching retirement. Rather than...
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Why “Perfect” Image-Making Fails — and What Works Instead
Monday Morning Radio
Monica Ballard knows why so many marketing campaigns fail. It’s not for lack of clever slogans, talented spokespeople, or catchy jingles. Surprisingly, the cause is trying to project “perfection” rather than authenticity, which includes acknowledging the struggles and risks inherent in running a business. Monica is a veteran marketing strategist, storyteller, and one of the elite Partners. Drawing on her background in theater, radio, and live performance, Monica explains why empathy and emotional honesty create bonds with customers and prospects that no discount or gimmick ever could....
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Chasing Gold Beyond the Finish Line
Monday Morning Radio
Ruben Gonzalez, four-time record-holding Olympian, bestselling author, and sought-after keynote speaker, returns to Monday Morning Radio for a wide-ranging, deeply practical conversation about perseverance, belief, and the wisdom of following proven leaders. Ruben’s story is anything but conventional. He didn’t begin competing at an elite level until his mid-20s, and has never used his lack of natural athleticism as an excuse for falling short. His career — on the luge track and beyond — has been built on desire, discipline, and a stubborn refusal to quit. Now in his 60s, he offers...
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A Christmas Day Miracle
Monday Morning Radio
This week, hosts Dean and Maxwell Rotbart offer their third annual holiday treat for Monday Morning Radio listeners: a reading of the inspirational adult Yuletide tale, , by Dean and Talya Rotbart. Since the book was first published in 2021, it has become a perennial holiday favorite. A Christmas Day Miracle tells the true story of one man, Riyaz Adat, on death’s doorstep, his devoted wife, Margaret, and Riyaz’s miraculous survival and recovery. It’s a poignant reminder for people of all faiths of the wonder and power of life’s unexpected blessings. This is a once-a-year...
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‘Tis the Perfect Season to Make A Short List of Key Connections
Monday Morning Radio
David Ackert is making a list and checking it twice — but he’s no Santa Claus. The gifts he brings are practical, powerful insights for professionals who want to grow their businesses and advance their careers. As co-founder and CEO of Ackert, Inc. and its subsidiary, , David challenges the long-held belief that success depends on building a massive network of connections. In his view, quantity is a distraction. What truly matters is cultivating a small, carefully curated list of 9 to 30 “high-value” relationships — the people who have the greatest likelihood of helping you reach...
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Small Business Role Models: As Ken and McKenzie Lain Eye Expansion into New Markets
Monday Morning Radio
Ken Lain’s father-in-law, Harold Watters, opened a garden center in semi-arid, mountainous Prescott, Arizona, in 1962. Six decades later, garden centers aren’t exactly giving e-commerce companies and Big Box home improvement centers much in the way of competition, and countless brick-and-mortar retailers have gone out of business. Yet Ken, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, McKenzie, have continued to make their third-generation family business, , bloom. Now, the Lains stand at the cusp of an ambitious expansion into new markets. This week father and daughter share the nutrient-rich...
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Discovering Your Inner Octopus
Monday Morning Radio
What animal has nine brains, eight arms, three hearts, adapts rapidly, and possesses exceptional intelligence? Yes, the description applies to octopuses. But according to Stephen Wunker, managing director of , it is also an apt description of business owners and CEOs who harness artificial intelligence to transform their companies into super-high-performing organizations. Steve and his colleagues advise companies and organizations, including Microsoft, Meta, Nike, and the World Bank, on innovation strategy and capabilities. His latest book, co-authored with futurist Jonathan Brill, is ....
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Eveline Shen’s “Operating System” is For Leaders Who Want to Be Changemakers
Monday Morning Radio
Eveline Shen, an award-winning leadership and social change strategist, is the principal at , a for-profit company where she teaches her “Courageous Operating System” to help leaders of color face their challenges with courage, confidence, and strength. Previously, she spent 22 years as the executive director of , building it into one of the country’s largest multi-issue organizations led by women of color. Eveline, who goes by “Ev,” helps leaders rewire the limiting patterns that hold them back — including perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and people-pleasing — and replace...
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Top Global Financial Manager Rates This Approach to Management a ‘Strong Buy’
Monday Morning Radio
Sébastien Page is the Chief Investment Officer of T. Rowe Price, overseeing an astounding $500 billion of the firm’s $1.79 trillion in assets — a sum on par with the market caps of Exxon Mobil, Mastercard, or Netflix. Widely acknowledged as a global investment expert, Sébastien is also a deeply informed thinker on leadership. Managing a “portfolio” of high-performing analysts, investment managers, and support staff has taught him that the traits behind exceptional investors closely mirror those behind exceptional people managers. Drawing on research across positive psychology,...
info_outlineMarcy Syms became the youngest female president of a publicly traded New York Stock Exchange company when she was named to the position with her family’s business in 1983.
At its peak, the Syms chain of off-price, brand-name fashion stores operated 46 outlets across 16 states, generating annual sales approaching $350 million.
The chain’s slogan — coined by founder Sy Syms, Marcy’s father — was iconic: “An educated consumer is our best customer.”
While Syms was not the very first off-price fashion retailer when it opened its original store in 1959, Sy and Marcy Syms went on to define the sector and dominate it until — faced with increased competition and a soft economy — Syms filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors in 2011 after more than 50 years.
Marcy shares her compelling story and the story of Syms Corporation in a new book, set for release on August 26th. The book is titled Leading with Respect: Adventures of an Off-Price Fashion Pioneer.
“Respect,” as she explains on this week’s podcast, is the key trait — often misunderstood — of effective leadership.
Marcy is a former member of the board at Midlantic Bank and Rite Aid. She is president of the Sy Syms Foundation, which continues her family’s philanthropic legacy supporting charitable, educational, and cultural organizations, including the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University. The foundation has awarded over $60 million to worthy organizations.
Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.
Photo: Marcy Syms, Sy Syms Foundation
Posted: August 11, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 49:00
Episode: 14.10
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