Mack Garrison didn't plan to become an entrepreneur. He decided the day before launching Dash Studio.

What started as a single CNN project with his co-worker turned into a nearly 10-year journey building one of the leading animation and motion design agencies in the Southeast.

Mack shares how Dash Studio has thrived on a foundation of creativity and community. With 84% of their work coming through referrals, he breaks down why relationships matter more than sales tactics. From throwing the annual Dash Bash animation festival in Raleigh to building intentional remote team culture, Mack reveals the systems that keep distributed creative teams connected and productive.

The conversation tackles AI's impact on creative work, why supporting your competition pays off, and the research showing givers outperform takers in the long run. Mack offers practical frameworks for leaders navigating change, building networks, and fostering collaboration across departments.

Resources Mentioned

• Dash Studio: https://dashstudio.net
• Dash Bash Festival (Raleigh, NC): DashBash.net
• "The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parker
• Mack on LinkedIn: Mack Garrison
• Instagram: @dash_nc

Key Moments

00:00 - The accidental entrepreneur: deciding to start a business overnight

02:30 - Winning the Riot Games project with impossible deadlines

04:15 - Building on creativity and community as core pillars

08:30 - Remote team rhythms: Monday photos, Tuesday inspiration, monthly recaps

11:20 - Getting the whole team together twice a year

16:00 - How 84% of projects come from referrals and relationships

20:45 - Trial and error in building company culture

24:30 - Where meetings actually begin: the power of intentionality

28:00 - Balancing visionary thinking with operational structure

31:15 - AI won't replace creativity—it will evolve it

35:45 - Leaders should experiment first, then empower teams

40:20 - The future is collaborative: boutique agencies working together

43:30 - Givers vs. takers: the long-term business strategy that wins

Cory Nichols knows something most leaders miss: the debt stacking up in your organization isn't just financial. As a financial advisor turned entrepreneur, Cory breaks down how avoidance — whether in finances or leadership — creates compounding problems that become harder to solve over time.

In this conversation, Cory introduces the concept of "leadership debt" and shares his philosophy on getting people to take action through moments of realization rather than force. He unpacks the critical difference between wringing the sponge (extracting short-term results at the cost of people) versus creating a warm, dry environment where productivity happens naturally.

From his firing at a small company to launching his own practice, Cory reveals what he learned about values-driven leadership, the dangers of metrics-only management, and why remembering your team members' kids' names matters more than utilization rates. He also discusses Cash Camp, his financial literacy program teaching kids foundational money skills that most adults still haven't mastered.

Resources We Mentioned:

• Die with Zero (book)
• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (book)
• Cash Camp Financial Literacy Program

Connect with Cory Nichols

• Instagram: @cory__nichols
• Cash Camp Kids: Available via Cory's Instagram or CashCampKids.com

Key Moments:

• 00:00:22 - Leadership debt vs. financial debt: how avoidance compounds problems
• 00:03:45 - Creating moments of realization instead of forcing change
• 00:05:30 - The vital signs approach: tracking income, expenses, and savings rate
• 00:08:30 - The sponge analogy: wringing profits vs. sustainable growth
• 00:12:15 - Boeing's "finds a way" value and its unintended consequences
• 00:15:40 - Human-first leadership: values that prioritize people over metrics
• 00:18:40 - Taking 60 employees to birthday lunches across Virginia
• 00:24:50 - Getting fired and the myth of six-figure satisfaction
• 00:31:20 - Roller coaster investing: managing risk so people don't jump off
• 00:38:15 - Cash Camp: teaching kids financial skills vs. giving handouts
• 00:42:30 - Financial anxiety affects everyone, regardless of wealth level
• 00:46:10 - Vital signs approach: tracking your financial health quarterly
• 00:48:35 - The 1% annual increase strategy for retirement savings
• 00:51:20 - Advice to younger self: it's gonna get messy, and that's okay

What happens when you stop drifting in your learning—and start paying attention on purpose?

In this year-end review episode of The New Generation Leader Podcast, Aaron reflects on one simple but transformative habit: tracking what he read in 2025. What started as a sobering realization — he only read 6 books in all of 2024! — turned into an unexpected journey through 61 books, spanning leadership, sales, culture, memoirs, history, fiction, and everything in between.

Read the full list > AaronLee.co/61-books

In this episode, Aaron shares:

• Why he set a bold reading goal (and how it quietly reshaped his mindset)
• The themes that surprised him most
• The books that left a lasting imprint
• How reading outside your comfort zone expands leadership perspective
• Why slowing down, changing pace, and even reading fiction matters

Whether you’re a lifelong reader or someone trying to rediscover the habit, this episode is an invitation to keep learning, stay curious, and enter the new year with a wider lens.

Show Outline

00:00 – Year-End Reflection & the Reading Wake-Up Call

03:30 – Setting an Audacious Goal: A Book a Week

08:30 – The System That Made 61 Books Possible

14:30 – Foundational Leadership & Mindset Reads

21:00 – Expanding Perspective Through History & Memoir

28:30 – Brand Stories, Culture & Long-Term Vision

36:30 – The Unexpected Sales Theme of the Year

44:30 – Fiction, Downshifting & Reading for Enjoyment

51:30 – Final Reflections & Looking Ahead

Top 5 Books

1. Slow Productivity — Cal Newport

2. Shoe Dog — Phil Knight

3. Love as a Business Strategy — Mohammad Anwar

4. It Takes What It Takes — Trevor Moawad

5. The Barn — Wright Thompson