Rapid Response

Latest Episodes:

When disaster strikes: On the ground amid LA wildfires Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

Wildfires have forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes in the Los Angeles area, and killed at least 24 people. In what will likely be the most costly disaster in U.S. history, thousands of homes and businesses have been lost. In a special edition of Rapid Response, host Bob Safian and show producers share on-the-ground perspectives from entrepreneurs who have been directly impacted.

A couple who ran a small bakery in Altadena, Pain Beurre, share the story of losing their business and home to the flames. The restaurant chain HomeState describes how it’s engaging team members in food relief, and pivoting a closed location to distribute aid. And the LA project manager for World Central Kitchen (chef José Andrés' global organization) details how its global/local playbook is taking shape amid these fires.

If you'd like to support any of the organizations featured, please follow the links below:

Pain Beurre: A Micro Bakery

HomeState

World Central Kitchen

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The luxury crisis rocking the fashion world, with The Business of Fashion’s Imran Amed Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

In recent months, the fashion industry has seen unprecedented price hikes, CEO turnovers, sustainability back-peddling, and more — culminating in what The Business of Fashion’s Imran Amed is calling, a ‘full-blown luxury crisis’. Amed joins Rapid Response to take us inside the industry chaos, and share his insights and predictions for the year ahead. Plus, he shares how the savviest brands today are finally cracking into the Indian market, finding a competitive advantage with AI, and taking inspiration from Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

Donate to Baby2Baby: https://baby2baby.org/

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5 bold AI predictions for 2025, with Pioneers of AI host Dr. Rana El Kaliouby Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Entering 2025, AI is poised to continue disrupting, redefining and supercharging the business world. AI expert and Pioneers of AI host, Rana El Kaliouby, joins Rapid Response to share five bold AI predictions for the year ahead – from technological advancements to societal impact to investing. Whether you’re looking for AI to further enhance your work, portfolio, or personal productivity, Rana’s insights are the ideal primer for harnessing all the opportunity and potential at your disposal this year.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/

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The best time for a full reset? It’s now, with Dan Heath Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

A new year is the perfect time to rethink work goals, habits, and systems. Dan Heath’s new book Reset is focused on simple yet profoundly transformative ways to do just that. The co-author of bestsellers like Made to Stick and Switch, Dan shares hidden "leverage points” and other practical strategies to help us escape subpar routines and focus on what truly matters. Whether you’re reexamining your work, your team, or your personal resolutions, this episode will change the way you approach 2025.

Dan’s book Reset is available for pre-sales here: https://danheath.com

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Replay: Plant-based foods need a makeover, with Peter McGuinness Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

In this special holiday replay, we share another standout conversation from 2024 featuring Impossible Foods’ Peter McGuinness. This year, sustainability initiatives rolled back across industries and meat alternatives struggled more than ever before on sales.McGuinness tells host Bob Safian where plant-based brands made big missteps, and why the industry’s marketing should evolve – potentially away from climate change messaging. McGuinness also shares how Impossible leverages retail partners like Starbucks and Burger King, lessons he learned from scaling oat milk for Chobani, and why Impossible see’s other plant-based players less as competitors and more as collaborative “frenemies.”

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Replay: How Barstool Sports’ ex-CEO cooks up attention, with Food52’s Erika Ayers Badan Dec 24, 2024

Show notes

In this special holiday replay, we share a standout conversation of 2024 featuring ex-CEO of Barstool and current head of Food52, Erika Ayers Badan. She shares with Rapid Response why she made a dramatic career pivot — taking over Food52 — and why running Barstool was like “a heart attack every day.” She also explores lessons around cultivating a community of fans, and why, as a leader, “no” is often a better answer than “yes.”

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Big Tech trends shaping 2025, with The Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

This has been a defining year for Big Tech and media. Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to explore the dominance of companies like NVIDIA and Apple, the personalities shaping tech — from Sam Altman to Elon Musk — and the shifting landscape of AI and innovation. Nick also shares what it’s like to lead The Atlantic during a time of heightened media disruption and skepticism.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Six lessons of Rapid Response for 2025 Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

We’ve rounded up the most definitive business lessons of 2024, as heard on Rapid Response. Drawn from standout guests like will.i.am, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, and more, these moments not only offer takeaways from tech to entertainment, they provide a roadmap for challenges ahead in 2025. Our curated collection of insights in leadership and creative problem-solving is drawn from a half-dozen of our favorite conversations, with lasting lessons to navigate uncertainty and drive success.

Watch the interviews featured in today's episode:

Will.i.am:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XBPgrfiDo

Dara Treseder:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bazq03QNkQ

Janice Min: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwK3FkAufU8

Marc Benioff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CgjKMRMURc

Joanna Strober:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXEHeCPuBI8

Brian Chesky:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvhh4U2_EFE

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Juan Soto, media deals, and more sports business, with Pablo Torre Dec 13, 2024

Show notes

It’s been a wild year in sports business, with the surge in popularity for women’s sports to the eye-watering deals in NBA broadcasting rights. Sports journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre, host of Pablo Torre Finds Out, joins Rapid Response to look back at the year that was across many of the major sports leagues. Pablo explores the impact of notable athletes like Caitlin Clark and Juan Soto, how private equity is poised to alter the NFL, and why the sports industry is the biggest house of cards left standing.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

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Bluesky’s bold plan beyond the ‘X-odus’, with COO Rose Wang Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

Millions of users have joined social media platform Bluesky in recent weeks, as an alternative to Elon Musk's X. It’s sparking new opportunities and challenges for Bluesky's tiny 20-person team, and COO Rose Wang joins Rapid Response to discuss a major shift underway in social media. As dissatisfaction with the big platforms grows, she explains why the open network of Bluesky isn't just X by another name, nor a liberal refuge, but instead part of a new decentralized social web that prioritizes closer personal connections, data privacy, and democratization.

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.