Épisodes

  • Asim Ahmed Reflects On Caregiving, Infectious Disease Sleuthing, And The Soundtrack Of His Life

    Asim Ahmed Reflects On Caregiving, Infectious Disease Sleuthing, And The Soundtrack Of His Life
    Jan 13 2026
    Asim Ahmed has three passions: the detection and workings of infectious diseases, sports (especially his hometown St. Louis teams), and music, and in this wide-ranging conversation, he shows how each one has shaped his life. We talk about his one-of-a-kind custom jerseys (clever mashups of teams, players, and music references), his journey from pediatric infectious disease (ID) in academic medicine to metagenomic diagnostics in biotech, and the “detective work” mindset that drew him to ID in the first place. We also close with something deeply personal: Asim reflects on the reality of caring for aging parents, including how complex the system can be, and why he’s willing to help others who find themselves learning it on the fly. Highlights include: The art (and satire) of his custom sports jerseys Why he was drawn to infectious disease The promise of “liquid biopsy”–style diagnostics for infections The live shows and venues that he'll never forget The Amherst classmate he wants me to interview next For those not familiar with "Seven Nations Army" by the White Stripes, you can listen to it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY. You can email Asim at atothe3@gmail.com. Big thanks to JC Leveque for nominating him.
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    51 min
  • Mariela Rexach Learned To Stop Following The Script

    Mariela Rexach Learned To Stop Following The Script
    Jan 6 2026
    Mariela Rexach's life reflects a combination of steadiness, self-knowledge, and humble assertiveness. From Amherst to Penn Law and back home to Puerto Rico, Mariela has raised a family and built a nearly three-decade career at the same women-owned labor and employment law firm. She shares the thinking that has helped her make decisions that align with her values rather than conventional expectations. Mariela reflects on the mentorship of a federal judge she credits with giving her more than any advanced degree ever could. She talks candidly about how fear fuels her courtroom preparation, the recurring discomfort that comes with new challenges, and how she has learned to recognize those feelings as signals that she’s exactly where she needs to be. Listen carefully and you'll take away so much wisdom, including what it looks like to advocate for yourself, how to shape your work around your life, how to ask for what you need, and the importance of leading with empathy. Highlights Why “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” has been one of Mariela’s most valuable skills acquired at Amherst How fear and self-doubt can be harnessed as tools for preparation and excellence Why there’s no single template for success, and why playing to your strengths is so much more important than playing to expectations The importance of asking for what you need and modeling humane leadership for the next generation Three new classmates she'd like to hear me interview next To get in touch with her, find her on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Big thanks to Alisa Pincus for nominating Mariela!
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    53 min
  • Kensei Nishikawa Champions The Humanities In A Divided World

    Kensei Nishikawa Champions The Humanities In A Divided World
    Dec 30 2025
    Kensei Nishikawa arrived at Amherst as a transfer student from Japan already holding a degree from the University of Tokyo, carrying with him two languages, two cultures, and a deep love of literature. What he didn’t yet know was how profoundly Amherst would shape not just how he reads and writes, but how he listens. We explore Kensei’s lifelong devotion to the humanities, especially poetry, and the role they have played in his life as both a student and a teacher. Now a professor of English and poetry in Japan, Kensei has spent decades moving between languages and academic traditions, translating words, structures, and ways of thinking. He shares why he believes the humanities remain essential for cultivating empathy, moral imagination, and the ability to hear one another. Kensei also speaks candidly about aging, memory, and the work of maintaining one’s intellectual vitality over time. Rather than chasing novelty, he is focused on preserving the richness of language and thought. Highlights include: What it meant to arrive at Amherst as an international transfer student in 1992, and how that moment shaped his understanding of America. How Amherst taught him to listen in the classroom, across differences, and in a second language. The challenges and rewards of teaching poetry and literature across Japanese and American academic traditions. Why the humanities matter now more than ever, and how they help us live more human lives. The classmate he hopes to hear from next. To get in touch, you can email Kensei at kenseini@inst.kobe-cufs.ac.jp. Many thanks to Brian Clark for nominating Kensei.
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    49 min
  • Parke Lutter And The Art of Becoming Who You Already Were

    Parke Lutter And The Art of Becoming Who You Already Were
    Dec 18 2025
    Amherst isn't known for launching fashion designers and entrepreneurs, but that's just one of the reasons why this conversation with Parke Lutter was so much fun. This talent has been building inside of him since his childhood in the Midwest, where he made clothes for one of us stuffed animals, his friends, and even a prom dress for his sister. Still, Parke hadn't awakened to that interest as a professional possibility when he arrived at Amherst imagining a Wharton-bound career in business. His study abroad in Paris, the friendships he formed, and his own coming-out process helped him understand that his childhood instinct to make things wasn’t just a hobby. We also talk about the birth and evolution of Parke & Ronen, the fashion and lifestyle brand he co-founded with his now-husband, and how building a business that has lasted nearly 30 years has required resilience, reinvention, and a willingness to keep learning. Parke shares how his creative process has changed with age and how he’s thinking about the next phase of life, including questions about legacy, freedom, and what work might look like when you finally have the option not to do it. Highlights include: The role Amherst played as a safe, transitional place where Parke learned to think, create, and understand himself more fully. The creative “constellations” Parke builds from travel, culture, mood, and the world around him. What aging has changed about his creative muscle. How he’s thinking about the future: succession, legacy, creativity, and the possibility of a very different rhythm of life. The classmates he wants to hear from next To get in touch, email Parke at parke@parkeandronen.com, and follow Parke & Ronen on social. Recommendation we made in the episode: Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks. Note that the episode contains one use of profanity.
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    51 min
  • Deb Thalheimer Long Listens Her Way to a Life of Meaning

    Deb Thalheimer Long Listens Her Way to a Life of Meaning
    Nov 20 2025
    Deb Thalheimer Long's career and life since graduating with me from Amherst College have been marked by subtle yet profound transformations. From Wall Street to academia, from the Baltimore public schools to the hospital floor, Deb has navigated big career pivots with intentionality. Now a nurse specializing in wound care and infusion therapy, she brings to her patients the same attentiveness she has offered students, colleagues, and friends: an ability to read people gently, listen deeply, and act thoughtfully. The conversation explores how her gift for quiet perception, honed at Amherst through the close reading of texts and refined through her study of literature, theology, and now medicine, has shaped her approach to work, family, and community. Her story is one of continuous learning and service, and of finding profound meaning in small, human acts of compassion. Along the way, she shares lessons she’s passed on to her two grown sons, both out in the world now, and the two bits of terrific life advice they're most likely to say they hear from their mom. Episode Highlights: How Deb’s winding path from finance to French literature to nursing reflects a life lived with intention. The subtle art of listening, and how she uses it to discern both what people say and what they can’t quite express. What she’s learned about compassion from her students, her patients, and her own aging parents. The role Amherst played in teaching her to read closely, not only books, but people. The simple but powerful advice she’s passed along to her children about integrity and accountability. Plus, she nominates two new classmates to appear in the guest's chair. You can email Deb at DeborahTLong22@gmail.com.
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    41 min
  • Matt Sawyer Has Found His Forever Team

    Matt Sawyer Has Found His Forever Team
    Nov 13 2025
    Matt Sawyer has built a career rooted in one place: the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Mass., where he’s taught English, coached baseball and football, and served as ninth-grade dean for more than three decades. In a world that celebrates mobility and reinvention, Matt’s story is one of steadfastness and the value of deep community attachments. This conversation explores how teaching has changed since the 1990s, why he’s finally stepping away from coaching varsity baseball after 30 seasons, and how much he's looking forward to watching more of his children’s college athletics careers instead of leading practices himself. Matt reflects on building strong team culture, the lessons learned from Amherst football’s ups and downs, and how the classroom can remain a place for curiosity and honest disagreement, even in an age of AI and youthful risk aversion. Highlights include: Longevity with purpose: Matt has spent his entire post-Amherst career at Williston, finding new ways to grow within the same community rather than leaving it. Shaping culture over chasing wins: He believes that strong team culture not only enriches students’ lives but often leads to more success on the field. A coach’s evolution: After 30 seasons leading varsity baseball, he’s trading the dugout for the umpire’s mask and embracing a new vantage point on the game. Teaching in the AI era: His English department has gone “old school,” emphasizing pen-and-paper writing and face-to-face discussion as antidotes to digital crutches. Lifelong impact: Inspired by Amherst professors like Barry O’Connell, Matt sees teaching as a way to meet students where they are and help them through life’s hardest transitions. A family woven into campus life: Matt and Sarah’s (Class of '97) home, work, and family life intersect daily, making the Williston community an extension of their own. Matt also shares whom he hopes will take the mic next. You can email Matt at msawyer@williston.com or call or text him at 413.695.8370.
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    53 min
  • David Young Finds Hope and Purpose Amid USAID’s Abrupt End

    David Young Finds Hope and Purpose Amid USAID’s Abrupt End
    Nov 6 2025
    When I started the Amherst College part of this podcast, I wanted to capture the stories of my 1994 classmates who’ve navigated big pivots in their lives. Few stories embody that better than David Young. He joined me from Mozambique, where he and his husband make their home. David’s career has taken him from Amherst’s ROTC program to the Air Force JAG Corps, then into a remarkable 20-year run with USAID. His tenure ended abruptly when the agency was dismantled earlier this year. His reflections on that loss, and the grace and perspective he brings to this moment, are inspiring. We talk about his journey all over the world, his pivotal role in South Sudan’s independence referendum, and what it’s like to help shape democracy and development from the inside out. Highlights: How his upbring led to a life of global service. The emotional impact of USAID’s sudden shutdown, and how he’s processing it. His firsthand memories of historic moments like South Sudan’s independence and Ukraine’s 2013 revolution. Why he’s hopeful about helping rebuild the global development field, possibly from the classroom. The next classmates David wants to hear from next. You can email David at w.d.young.94@gmail.com.
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    53 min
  • Zack Henry Has Mastered The Art Of Connection

    Zack Henry Has Mastered The Art Of Connection
    Oct 30 2025
    Since our freshman year in Morrow (“Psycho Ward”), Zack Henry has built a life that’s taken him across the globe. He’s lived on four continents, worked on six, and led projects ranging from energy dialogues in Saudi Arabia to business development in New York and São Paulo. But at the heart of his story is something simpler and deeper: a belief in what he calls “the hidden pass.” Borrowed from soccer, it’s his metaphor for the unexpected connections between people and ideas that unlock opportunity. In this episode, Zack and I talk about his life as a global connector and the balance he’s learning to strike now between professional ambition and being present for his two kids. We also get into how he’s reinvented himself over and over again, from entrepreneur to executive to coach, and what that’s taught him about curiosity, connection, and growth. Highlights include: Memories from the “Psycho Ward” and the Amherst friendships that started it all What it means to be a “recruiter’s worst nightmare,” and why that’s a good thing Lessons from a global career and the importance of staying curious The classmate he wants to hear from next You can email him at zackhenry@gmail.com.
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    55 min
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