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"See the silver lining, even in difficult situations." - Melissa Brown, Global FP&A, AWSHowdy friends, today we talked with our good friend and three year Amazon vet Melissa Brown!  We discussed  her lessons learned in finance, on career progression, and the importance of having a healthy outlook.  We also talked about great books and how her passion for French literature led to a career finance , naturally :) Enjoy!Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-brown-90b53335/ -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast LinkedIn Group |  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13919730/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

"Win the day...but understand what your limitations are." - Keith Klein, AWS Real Estate, Managing Principal, AmericasHowdy friends. This a great episode with our pal and 9-year Amazon veteran, Keith Klein. We dive into some great tactics for having success as an individual, how he sets his team up for success, and the importance of keeping family first.  We also get into golf, off-roading, and who he'd like to have lunch with. Enjoy!Keith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-klein-620b4613/-- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast LinkedIn Group |  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13919730/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Ask yourself what makes you happy.” - Van Tran, Amazon Treasury, Capital Markets Hello folks. Today we bring you a show with our our good buddy Van Tran, Treasury Manager, Capital Markets here at Amazon and with it, our first look inside the Treasury space. We’ve had the pleasure of getting to work with Van and her team on some recent projects and today we got a chance to step back to discuss her background: growing up in Hanoi, Vietnam, comic books, attending undergrad in Maine, infrastructure finance, business school at Upenn, and her path all the way to Amazon Treasury. Van and Sid also connect on their shared passion - what else, Real Estate investing! This was a lot of fun and thanks Van for coming on! Van on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vancamtran/  -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast LinkedIn Group |  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13919730/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“All you ca do day-to-day is control the things that are within your power.” - Alex Solomon, MBA Intern,  Columbia,  AWS Infrastructure Happy new year! We’re kicking off the 2021 season with an interview we recorded at the end of last summer with Alex Solomon. He was an MBA intern on our team. First off, it turns out that Alex and Charlie hail from the same neck of the woods (Long Island), so we spent some quality time digging into the culture ;) (bagels, North Fork wineries, Montauk, Billy Joel and the importance of saying ‘ON Long Island’ versus ‘IN Long Island’). Our time was 100% virtual last summer but we all agreed that it not only worked, but we also had a blast working together. Alex shares his journey to Columbia Business School and how he got into the summer program at Amazon as well as what helped him land the opportunity. He also shares what he’s learned about working at Amazon in AWS and having a successful intern experience.Thanks Alex for coming on and we’ll (finally) see you in Seattle after graduation! Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-solomon-cpa-61396662/  -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast LinkedIn Group |  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13919730/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“It’s good to round yourself out but double down on your super powers.” - Joe Minarik, Director,  AWS Data Center Supply Join The FG Podcast LinkedIn Group! https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13919730/ First things, first, Joe holds the Finance Guys  land speed record for guests at 180mph. Yikes. We’re back this week, this time with the fearless leader of our Business team and AWS veteran, Joe Minarik, Director, AWS Data Center Supply.. This episode is where the rubber meets the road, where the cloud meets the dirt. The data center growth strategy of every AWS region on the planet resides within Joe’s 120+ person team.  He brings us some cool stories from the early days at AWS going all the way back to 2005 when it was just an internal product for Amazon, to the launch of Asia Pacific, up to the present day. We also talk about what it takes to be successful at AWS, why it’s important to focus on your strengths, boating, race car driving, and making things better. Joe shares his wealth of experience in the cloud computing space and his great approach to simply wanting to make things better. Instant classic. Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jominarik/  -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Try to identify top goals, personally and professionally and work at them in a way that’s meaningful to you. Don’t drive towards output metrics…focus on what you can control and the other things will play out.” - Raj Uparkar, Sr. Manager, DC Capacity, AWSJoin The Finance Guys Podcast Group on LinkedIn :)  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13919730/ Whoa there peeps! It’s been awhile but we’re back, finally publishing a new episode we recorded over the summer and today we bring you our good buddy, Raj Uparkar, Senior Manager in AWS Data Center Capacity. Raj’s roles have gravitated towards the highly analytical side. We talked to him about many things including what it takes to be successful (in the long term) at Amazon and what he looks for in new candidates. We also talk about the act of pursuing goals and striving for meaning in the process. Raj has a great perspective for anybody thinking about their career in tech, no matter where you are on the journey. It’s great to be back and we’re psyched to finally get Raj’s wisdom out into the ether! Please enjoy! Raj on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajuparkar/  -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Ask yourself what’s the worst case thing that could happen…it gives you perspective…don’t take things too seriously…be grateful” - Shruti Shah, Sr. Finance Manager, AWS Real Estate Hello there peeps. Today we bring you an episode with our friend and long time (9-year) Amazonian, Shruti Shah. Shruti is a Senior Finance Manager in AWS supporting the Data Center Real Estate team. Today we  talk to Shruti about her Amazon origin story, some great thoughts on work-life harmony AND…our mutual love of heist movies! Yes! Finally!! We had a great chat and can’t wait to share! Please enjoy Shruti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shruti-shah-b942b24/  -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’. You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Appreciate spending time with friends and family…make sure you like what you are doing…and be happy.” - Mariana Emsenhuber, Finance Leadership Program, AWS Hey folks. In this episode we bring you our first virtual guest - our friend and teammate Mariana Emsenhuber. Mariana is a Senior Financial Analyst on our team providing financial support for existing region data center expansion strategy. We get to talk to Mariana about  growing up in Brazil, her experience joining the Amazon MBA finance rotation program out of business school, and we also chat about some extracurricular interests from astrophysics to the Kardashians! This was a really fun opportunity to step back and talk more deeply with one of our own and hear some of Mariana’s words of encouragement related to this experience we are all going through being separated from one another. It was a great show, please enjoy! Mariana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-emsenhuber-b4bb8934/  -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going…we’ll get over it…and we’ll be stronger” - Sid “There’s always an opportunity that comes out of change.” - Charlie The Finance Guys are back! Whatsup our peeps. We’ve been missing you all since this social distancing began but now that we’ve acclimated to our new routines we are itching to bring you fresh episodes again. In this shorter episode Sid and I reflect on what it’s been like so far. what’s worked well and what’s been challenging, and we share some words of encouragement that have inspired us.  More episodes with new guests are coming! Stay tuned and stay safe everybody.  -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

*Special Episode* The Plaza Of Truth (TPOT) Episode 1“It doesn’t matter who you are or how much money you make…maybe you’re driving a Ferrari home and I’m driving a Honda Accord but we’re at the same table, eating the same food…We’re all on the same level.” The Plaza of Truth (TPOT) podcast is a new longer-form version of the 1 minute daily TV show from Instagram #ThePlazaOfTruth, @cbkunk It's a project I’ve been thinking about for awhile now, and got jump started by the current situation going on with Corona. The show is about finding the stories within the turning points of life and this episode specifically is about our friends in the restaurant business during this time of crisis. Given the current situation it seemed timely. In this first episode I talk to my good friend Phil Buttacavoli, a buddy of mine since middle school and a twenty year veteran of the restaurant biz about how the Corona virus is impacting the industry in New York City. This is an important message we wanted to get out about a different industry that is heavily impacted, and one that we are all connected to in one way or another. We talked about how it affects workers, what people can do, and why you should go follow his new Instagram account for his alter ego, @giovanni_bellafonte which brings raw and hilarious stories about life in the biz (you really should follow it, guaranteed laughs). https://www.instagram.com/giovanni_bellafonte/ Thanks for tuning into the The Plaza of Truth and checking out this important inaugural episode of the project. There will be plenty more 'Finance Guys In Tech' episodes coming as well as more episodes of 'The Plaza Of Truth'.   -- CONTACT THE SHOW: https://www.charleskunken.com |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk |  https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken  Email us charlie@charleskunken.com  (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) |  Or subscribe to the Friday newsletter | https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Trouble’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“In a world that’s going so fast, if you can find the space in yourself that can truly slow down than everything else you’ll find is a lot clearer.” In this episode Sid and I got a rare chance to sit with our friend Ryion Pun while he was with us in Seattle from the Singapore office. Ryion is the Finance Director of Data Center Operations for the APAC region here in AWS infrastructure. Today we talked about quieting the mind, keeping life uncluttered, and learning to use the least amount of force to have the biggest impact possible – straight from the school of Bruce Lee. This was the inspiration we needed for a cleansing of the mind. Find a quiet place, grab yourself a warm chamomile tea and please enjoy! 2:26 | Ryion’s fitness regimen & meditation 4:45 | Ryion growing up – learning to ride a 2 wheeler in secret 8:45 | Coming to the US for undergrad, studying info. systems at UW – a compromise from Computer Engineering & Business 10:35 | First gig – managing the music database for Real – ripping CD’s! and making a music website! 14:50 | Amazon (re)origin story – talking to a mentor and an opening in Singapore 19:15 | What makes a good candidate? - Integrity 20:20 | Tip for helping people to speak up in meetings – be the ice breaker. Come in, say hello up front, the rest of the meeting it will be easier to speak up 25:40 | Thoughts on finding a mentor – there are different types of people for different situations 27:50 | Biggest ways you’ve changed your mind over your career? – Calmer, listen more 28:30 | Studying The philosophy of Bruce Lee’s (Wing Chun martial arts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Chun) – least force for most impact 31:45 | What does Ryion like to read? Things that make you think, how the brain works // Current Book - The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (light reading!) https://www.julianjaynes.org/resources/books/ooc/ 35:00 | Ryion’s philosophy in life – keeping life simple, minimalism, reducing clutter in life and in your head 37:20 | Favorite movies –Disney! Saturday morning cartoons! 38:55 | Lunch with 3 historical figures: Only 2 - Bruce Lee & Kobe Bryan – people who have put 110% into perfecting something 41:10 | Life advice – none, be yourself, have fun, enjoy it, find a thing you want to be really good at   Ryion on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryion-pun/     -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“THE SECRET IS SIMPLE…DO THE STUFF EXACTLY HOW YOUR MAMA USED TO TELL YOU, DRESS CLEAN, BE HONEST, BE ON TIME, DO YOUR WORK, BE RESPECTFUL….IF YOU DO THAT EVERYTHING WILL FALL INTO PLACE” Today Sid and I got to sit down with our friend Dalmar Sheikh, the leader of the APAC Data Center Expansion Strategy team and an eight-year Amazonian to boot. Dalmar tells us his awesome story about growing up in (at least) seven different countries (I lost track). Yemen, Somalia, Uganda, Italy, Iran, Nigeria, Sudan…I think there was some China in there….France? So cool. We talk about how it ties into his current superpowers that he deploys at Amazon, how he leads his team, and a little bit about the importance of negotiating with respect, which can vary by culture. Ultimately, Dalmar leaves us with the wisest of words: listen to your mother. Dalmar, thank you. We’re calling home right now. This was a ton of fun, please enjoy! 2:25 | Growing up around the globe 5:30 | Dalmar as a youth – the skill of assimilating with all types of different groups from a young age 8:10 | Goals for after school – business, something international, which leads to 18 years in Japan 10:40 | Getting involved in the Data Center space very early, circa ~1999 12:00 | AWS origin story, joining in 2012, early days 13:40 | Biggest difference – the magnitude and speed of decision making 19:10 | Leadership philosophy – helping & teaching his team to make critical decisions with limited information and communicating well 22:40 | What is your leadership philosophy? Help the team get the job done while enjoying their work. 25:55 | On the culture of negotiating – it’s not about being aggressive and demanding, it’s about showing respect 28:30 | Dalmar’s superpower – being able to read people’s emotions 30:50 | Outside of work? – spending time with his boys, going to basketball games 32:30 | What content do you consume outside of work? Loving movies, Bollywood! 35:15 | A leader’s responsibility – excite the team, give responsibility, trust, training, growth 38:10 | Life philosophy – do the stuff your mama told you    Dalmar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalmarsheikh/   -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’.  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos The music video to the theme music for the show: ‘Rose Colored’ by Good Baby

“Do stuff anyway, even if people tell you no…just keep going.”   Today Sid and I got to talk with our friend Valery Gross, the inspirational Head of Data Center Demand Planning here in AWS Infrastructure and a 9 year veteran of Amazon. This was a great episode about many things but especially getting to talk about women in business. We talk about the founding of the WIFI, (the Women In Finance Initiative affinity group at Amazon), the long term game of networking, and waking up at 4:30am to hit the gym. As fathers of daughters, Sid and I took copious notes. The truth is we were recording things we want to start doing ourselves! Please enjoy! 3:45 | A regimen for success…a 4:30am alarm!  8:00 | Currently on audible: ‘Call Sign Chaos’ a book on leadership by James Mattis 10:30 | Growing up, wanting to be an astronaut, gravitating towards engineering 13:30 | Career pivot via B-school at UW go towards finance, Amazon after UW 17:10 | On mentorship and coaching people – helping others on their path 18:50 | Leadership philosophy – giving autonomy and rewarding initiative - bring solutions don’t bring problems 21:30 | The founding of WIFI – Amazon’s Women In Finance Initiative 24:00 | Unconscious Bias – Being aware is a big step for inclusion 27:20 | What you can do (and what men can do) – being an ally, speaking up when unconscious bias is occurring, actively seeking input from all voices 33:10 | Advice on finding mentors – first, what qualities do you want to emulate? Seek those whose style feels authentic and comfortable to you 39:45 | Advice for someone starting out in their career? Try different things…don’t be afraid to jump 40:30 | Message for girls – do stuff anyway, don’t worry who says no 41:30 | Advice to someone in the middle of their careers? – Invest time in building relationships. Up, sideways, and down 42:30 | The long term game of networking really is helping others and being friendly 47:20 | Other interests outside of work – snowboarding, teaching kids to ski, travel 48:40 | Some recommended books: on leadership – Stephen Covey (‘The 7 Habits…’ guy)/ for new leaders & managers: study the principle of ‘Situational Leadership’ – the best theory and practical guide/ Good crime fiction: ‘The Naturalist’ / Good memoir: ‘Educated’ by Tara Westover 51:55 | 3 people to meet for lunch: Michelle Obama, her grandmother, Warren Buffet  Valery on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valery13/   -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Website | https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast  Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/financeguyspodcast/ Email | charlie@charleskunken.com (Hit us up! Questions, comments, requests for guests, etc) Sid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental version).  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Be conscious of your tradeoffs…if you’re perpetually doing things not aligned with your priorities, that’s a recipe for unhappiness.” Today Sid and I got to sit down with our friend Brent Holley, Senior Finance Manager of Data Center Construction here at AWS Infrastructure. This episode was like a fireside chat (a campfire actually). Brent talked to us about adding value as a finance partner and shared his philosophy on being conscious about how you spend your days. He told us a about a recent vacation too – no, not Cabo. Try, getting dropped off in the middle of the Alaska wilderness by a plane. We left much wiser than we came! This is truly valuable. Please enjoy!    2:40 | Getting dropped off in the wilderness above the Arctic Circle 5:40 | a chemist business guy makes his way to Malaysia 8:30 | Life in Malaysia 12:20 | Returning to the states, MBA at Texas A&M, a good fit for finance 13:30 | What does finance do? Act like a business person with a broad perspective. 16:00 | Brent’s Leadership philosophy – empowerment 20:45 | First years at Amazon (2016). Learning & scaling the finance team for AWS 23:15 | 4 years experience in the role – investing in understanding the business, thoughts on rotating versus staying in one position: what do you want out of your career? 25:30 | Long term view of career & post-career life – being deliberate about how you want to spend your time 29:00 | Making transitions – you’ll figure it out 31:00 | Career philosophy – work from the end backwards, think about the future. Don’t kid yourself, you can only be in one place at a time, prioritize and be conscious of your tradeoffs. 34:55 | Focusing on ‘what’s next’, not spending time dwelling 36:30 | A culture of humility at Amazon is really useful 37:50 | Consuming content outside of work – Altering between Intense & Goofy. History (A cool recent book, “Empire of the Summer Moon”), sports, funny movies (‘Shawn Of The Dead’, ‘Hot Fuzz’) 41:30 | Big groups vs. small? Small.   Brent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-holley-357692/-- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Find us online: https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast or email the show with any questions, comments, requests for guests, etc: charlie@charleskunken.comSid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken The blog | https://www.charleskunken.com/blogsummary (weekly posts exploring creativity & mindset) Insta |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk/ for #WritinAndRidin, a weekly 1 minute TV showfb | https://www.facebook.com/cbkunk — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental version).  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Life’s what happens when you’re planning other things.” John Lennon via Lincoln Booth   Today Sid and I get a rare opportunity to sit down with one of our business partners, Lincoln Booth, a Global Expansion Manager for data center supply who has recently relocated from Singapore to Dublin. Linc and his team are the people who make sure Elastic Cloud Compute is actually elastic. Today we talk a little about that magic behind the cloud, we talk about Linc’s awesome story about how he’s made health and fitness a priority, both on the road and at home and how life really is just one big adventure. This will get you off the couch, it certainly got us moving! Please enjoy!    3:00 | Making ‘Elastic Cloud Compute’ actually elastic 4:30 | Getting into cloud computing – to finance backpacking adventures 8:30 | Amazon origin story – from submarine cabling to AWS 10:00 | Growing too fast to only hire cloud computing ‘lifers’, and that’s good! 11:55 | What will make people successful here?  - willingness to learn & grow, come with solutions 14:15 | Biggest surprise about Amazon – the amount of autonomy combined with the scale 15:15 | A massive health transformation amidst the bus-dev lifestyle – losing 30 kilos (60 lbs!) 17:15 | The moment of transformation & the formula: no alcohol, all plant-based, exercise 20:15 | The fitness aspect – High intensity interval training & boxing 22:30 | Bringing the healthy lifestyle on the road – you can do it, swapping the hotel bar for the gym 24:45 | Linc asks a few questions 28:45 | What does Linc like for fun outside of work – Adventures with his boys, and letting them come up with the ideas 31:20 | Parenting tips – just listening, being present and giving them responsibility 34:05 | consuming content – documentaries 35:35 | The historical figure question – John Lennn 37:15 | Linc’s general life philosophy – Do it. “Life’s what happens when your planning other things” 38:50 | Advice to younger self – don’t be so serious and be open to any adventure Lincoln on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lincoln-booth-1880094/ -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Find us online: https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast or email the show with any questions, comments, requests for guests, etc: charlie@charleskunken.comSid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken The blog | https://www.charleskunken.com/blogsummary (weekly posts exploring creativity & mindset) Insta |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk/ for #WritinAndRidin, a weekly 1 minute TV showfb | https://www.facebook.com/cbkunk — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental version).  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“THERE ARE NO RULES, ONLY THE ONES YOU SET FOR YOURSELF.” Today Sid and I sit down with…ourselves. Sid flipped the script and peppered me with a few of the typical questions we usually ask our guests. We chat leadership, hacking the Amazon recruitment process, and a little story about driving to the Arctic Ocean from New York via Mexico. We thought that could tied you over until we come back next week with some new guests. We hope you enjoy! 8:00 | Sports + being a nerd growing up 13:45 | Being social vs. social media…a paradox? 17:45 | Thoughts on school 22:30 | Thoughts on Leadership – Employee Obsession 31:15 | Hacking the Amazon recruitment process, there are no rules 38:30 | Coming to AWS Infra 41:15 | NYU B-school application – an overland driving trip from New York to Mexico to the Arctic circle, and back…coming back different    Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken/ -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Find us online: https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast or email the show with any questions, comments, requests for guests, etc: charlie@charleskunken.comSid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken The blog | https://www.charleskunken.com/blogsummary (weekly posts exploring creativity & mindset) Insta |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk/ for #ThePlazaOfTruth, a daily 1 minute TV showfb | https://www.facebook.com/cbkunk — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental version).  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“ALWAYS BRING YOUR WHOLE SELF TO WHATEVER IT IS YOU’RE DOING.” Today Sid and I sit down with our old friend, Bunmi Omotowa, Finance Manager on the Insights, Planning, Analytics, & Technology finance team for AWS. Simply put, they tell the C-suite what’s going on in AWS daily. I told you we’ve got important friends. We get to dig in today to see how Bunmi learned to embrace fear and she shares with us an operating philosophy that would serves us all to heed. Very fun and very wise! Please enjoy.  4:04 | Some things that made for a great team  6:20 | Bunmi’s role giving insights to executives, strengths you need to have 9:00 | If you’re taking on a job that feels like a stretch you’re on the right track 12:25 | Why fear is not a bad thing 16:50 | Amazon origin story 22:30 | Advice on work – work should be fun, right for you, and don’t settle for less than your best self 26:30 | The extra Leadership Principle – How we treat each other 28:50 | Bunmi’s leadership philosophy – know what your team members are passionate about 30:40 | Learning new things from some recent biographies – Michelle Obama, Tiffany Haddish, seeing the world through different lenses 35:10 | Bunmi’s movie breakdown: some great stories for families - Malificent 2, Kingsman 37:45 | Bunmi in 5 years 39:22 | Bunmi’s philosophy on life – Always bring your whole self to whatever it is you’re doing    Bunmi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bunmi-omotowa-4b13b617/ -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Find us online: https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast or email the show with any questions, comments, requests for guests, etc: charlie@charleskunken.comSid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken The blog | https://www.charleskunken.com/blogsummary (weekly posts exploring creativity & mindset) Insta |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk/ for #WritinAndRidin, a weekly 1 minute TV showfb | https://www.facebook.com/cbkunk — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental version).  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Make progress every day…even one small win can be enough.”Today Sid and I interview Oisin Hughes, Head of Global Data Center Portfolio Management here in AWS Infrastructure.   Oisin has a really unique history. Long story short he once traveled around the world…on his motorcycle. That was his 2nd major overland trip on a bike, the first being the entire length of the Pan American highway. He is the author of 2 books documenting each adventure and made a documentary on Youtube about the last. This was a ton of fun and we know you’ll enjoy! Here are the links to all of Oisin’s adventures: Book 1: ‘That I May Die Roaming’ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0991489411/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Book2: ‘Not Dead Yet’ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/099148942X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLW2IWJq4FES_no7MmpkjA Episode Timestamps: 1:05 | Studying electronics ‘to get a few quid into me pocket’ 1:56 | 15 years at Intel and then…the inspiration for a motorcycle journey around the world 3:00 | 2 adventures, in summary 6:00 | Writing book 1 in Columbia while on trip 2 7:55 | How did that 1st trip change you? …. Getting used to being on your own 9:40 | Why did you go on the 1st trip? 11:00 | The peaks and valleys of solo travel 13:04 | The difference between being alone vs. being lonely 17:15 | The adventure in uncertainty 19:25 | A moment when you felt like you would die? 23:30 | Turning off your phone…because no one was checking in 25:10 | A partnership breaks up 27:30 | Some characters you meet on the road 31:35 | Amazon origin story 35:00 | On the return to the work force - ready to build something big 36:28 | What makes someone successful at Amazon: starting fast, tolerance for ambiguity, self-starter 37:40 | Oisin’s leadership philosophy: honesty (with compassion)…and good hiring! 40:30 | Advice to your younger self: be an expert, get on with people, get results 42:30 | Life philosophy from the road? “Make progress everyday.” 46:45 | Should everybody go on a trip? 47:40 | You don’t have to make a perfect decision…take a baby bite 49:50 | Parting words - on karma Oisin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oisin-hughes-0971a4198/ -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Find us online: https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast or email the show with any questions, comments, requests for guests, etc: charlie@charleskunken.comSid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken The blog | https://www.charleskunken.com/blogsummary (weekly posts exploring creativity & mindset) Insta |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk/fb | https://www.facebook.com/cbkunk — Theme music by Good Baby: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“Lifelong learning is important…go find something (with a plan!)...follow your passions.” Today Sid and I interview Sr. Finance Manager, Andrew Wilson here at AWS Infrastructure. Andrew also happens to be….our manager. Best behavior! (not really) Today Andrew talks about his lifelong pursuit of curiosity and explains how riding to work on a unicycle is a perfectly good way to read the newspaper. Please enjoy!   1:45 | On riding a unicycle to work (while reading the paper) 4:05 | Choosing a path in undergrad, learning & being curious from the beginning, looking for answers to WHY 5:50 | An accidental path to finance 9:55 | Starting a solar startup from the halls of Intel 15:00 | Startup life & Solar IP 19:25 | 3 career lightning strikes: Intel, startup life , AWS 20:10 | Amazon origin story: perseverance + networking 22:20 | Advice for someone looking for a job at Amazon (or anywhere) – find a human to talk to 23:20 | Biggest surprise starting at Amazon – where’s the data! 25:50 | Andrew’s take on the Leadership Principles – Amazon walks the walk 30:30 | What LP could we add? Fun, balance 34:15 | Situational Leadership- a model for managing 38:55 | 3 historical figures for lunch: Einstein, Richard Feynman, da Vinci 40:40 | Sid negotiates for the conference room 42:20 | Consuming content: podcasts 44:10 | For fun outside of work – on 2 wheels & exploring the Pac NW 45:50 | Andrew’s philosophy for life – lifelong learning is key  Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abwilson1/ -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Find us online: https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast or email the show with any questions, comments, requests for guests, etc: charlie@charleskunken.comSid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken The blog | https://www.charleskunken.com/blogsummary (weekly posts exploring creativity & mindset) Insta |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk/ for #ThePlazaOfTruth, a daily 1 minute TV showfb | https://www.facebook.com/cbkunk — Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental version).  You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos

“If you’re not having fun then you probably need to find something else.” Today Sid and I interview our very own Finance Director here in AWS Infrastructure, Gretchen Stephenson.   Today Gretchen drops some sage advice about shaping a career in tech finance. We also chat about Texas, baseball, and why the ideal dinner party involves Barbra Bush, Lenny Kravitz, and The Rock….can you smell what The Rock is cooking? This was a really fun show, we hope you enjoy! 3:18 Growing up around education & enrolling at Texas A&M6:25 Early days at PricewaterhouseCoopers8:50 Startup culture at Compaq into more structure at HP11:00 Gretchen's Amazon origin story...a reminder of Compaq early days14:00 On moving to Seattle from Texas18:55 Gretchen's leadership style - showing the team trust, understanding, support19:50 Leadership influences from Compaq & HP, both the good & the less good21:55 Cool under fire23:40 Guidance for new analysts - feel comfortable asking questions26:15 Advice for career progression - look for the balance of what you know and what you can learn30:40 Have comfort with failure36:40 A trait of successful people - willingness to ask for help40:05 For fun outside of work - getting into nature, Texas sports43:00 THE ULTIMATE DINNER PARTY :) Barbara Bush, Lenny Kravitz...and The Rock48:15 Career advice - being open to different experiences49:55 When Gretchen grows up...living in different cities51:00 Parting philosophy - we're here to have fun. Gretchen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-stephenson-02393813/ -- CONTACT THE SHOW: Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.charleskunken.com/subscribe  Find us online: https://www.charleskunken.com/podcast or email the show with any questions, comments, requests for guests, etc: charlie@charleskunken.comSid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhodi/Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken The blog | https://www.charleskunken.com/blogsummary (weekly posts exploring creativity & mindset) Insta |  https://www.instagram.com/cbkunk/ for #ThePlazaOfTruth, a daily 1 minute TV showfb | https://www.facebook.com/cbkunk — Theme music by Good Baby: ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental).  Full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos