At the Table with Tony is a series of conversations with Tony Brown, Professor Emeritus at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Facing a health scare, Tony first turned to podcasting to stay connected with more than a thousand former students and friends. The goal is to continue to nurture a generative, “grow together” friendship community that creates benefits for others.
About Tony Brown
Tony Brown has taught leadership courses in enterprising organizational change, social entrepreneurship, moral development, socially responsible businesses, and public-private collaboration at Duke University. He founded the Hart Leadership Program's Enterprising Leadership Initiative, a program intended to engage, educate, and empower Duke students to pursue innovative solutions to University, community and global problems. He is a Professor of the Practice Emeritus at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke.
About Us
The second season of At the Table with Tony is produced and hosted by Riley Reece. Riley is a senior Visual Media Studies and Journalism student at Duke. The first season was produced and hosted by Penelope North. Both hosts transformed a love of producing media content into creating podcasts. Both also hope to be a bit more like Tony Brown each day. Our consulting producer is Carol Jackson."
At the Table with Tony
Season 2 Notes
Let's connect!
This podcast connects Tony with 1,000 good friends and former students. We're exploring how Tony helps people define problems, excites them to act, and prompts them to think deeply about their core values. We hope this podcast acts as a makeshift classroom for Tony, giving all of us the unique opportunity to sit At The Table with him, to learn from him, with him, and from each other.
An Inspiratinal Duke Professor's Last Lesson
"Tony Brown challenged his students with hard questions about their values and what they wanted to do with their lives. At 82 and facing Stage 4 cancer, he’s still pushing them to be their best selves. Over two recent weekends, 100 of them traveled from around the country to meet with him at Duke, to reflect on their lives since college, and to recharge with their Friends of Tony community. They ranged in age from their 20s to their 50s." - story by John Drescher in The Assembly
Episodes
S2 Episode 4: At the Table with Tony
Meaning and Work with Dani Zapotoczny
Many people talk about work/life balance. It’s something that bugs Tony Brown a bit because the phrase implies that work is not highly meaningful – and that meaning comes from life, not work. “For my story, work has been a tremendous source of meaning,” Tony says. He encourages others to find balance, not by finding meaning at work, but by creating meaning in work. Tony is joined by Dani Zapotoczny who graduated from Duke with a public policy degree which led her to Hollywood and work on a major motion picture. What she found most meaningful in that experience may surprise you.
S2 Episode 3: At the Table with Tony
How Do You Know When Change is Calling? with Kelly Brown
In a funny way, knowing when it’s time to make a decision can be tricky. For Tony Brown, he starts to feel irritated and adds notes to a folder calls “things that bug me.” Those notes usually lead to decisions. Today, Tony talks with executive and career coach Kelly Brown. She knows a decision is looming when she feels angst and frustration. Then she’ll ask herself a question: “If I’m doing exactly the same thing in five years, how will I feel?” It’s a question that has “unlocked so much awareness for me in so many ways,” Kelly says. She also asks this: “What is at the heart of the conflict and what is it that I really want? What am I really looking for?” (And don’t forget, a non-decision is a decision too!)
S2 Episode 2: At the table with Tony
Secrets of Being a Good Coach with Mia Wise
Tony Brown is a fantastic coach. (Maybe it’s why so many former students stay in touch!) In this episode, Tony’s former student Mia Wise interviews him about the secrets to effective coaching. Tony says don’t try to replicate his approach – rely on your own strengths - but make sure to start your session with clarity: What’s the problem you are trying to work on? What’s the specific mission – where can you move the needle? What strategies and actions will cause change? What are the stakeholder outcomes and benefits? Address these questions with either a top-down approach (big picture first) or a bottom-up approach (specific strategies first). Both are effective. Use the questions regularly and you’ll soon be a better counselor to your colleagues, friends and family.
S2 Episode 1: At the Table with Tony
The 5-Year Career Plan with Brandon Busteed
When you’re considering career options, “you can’t think about your whole life,” says Tony Brown. Instead, consider a five-year path and prioritize working for a good boss because research shows that whether a person is engaged at work is due in large part to their manager. When job hunting, use your network. “Go talk to 10 really interesting people,” Tony says. “You’ll have a sense if they’ll have you at the Xerox machine each day, or they’ll actually going to care about your development.” Guest Brandon Busteed agrees. He’s the CEO of BrandEd, a company that provides education in partnership with premier brands like Sotheby’s Institute of Art and The New York Times. Brandon suggests that when you do get an interview (and you will!) use your time to ask direct questions of your potential manager. What’s their management style? How do they motivate teams? How often do they connect with staff? “That’s your opportunity to assess whether you’re talking to a rock star manager or not," he says.
Episode 9: At the Table with Tony
Not the Normal Path with Colin Mutchler
Colin Mutchler’s career has been anything but a straight path. Out of Duke his parents hoped he’d be a consultant, but instead he pursued his passions. Hobbies (musician, improv performer and more) battle for time with entrepreneurial business ventures. Colin says even in college he had a hard time considering the traditional career path. He’d think to himself, “This is weird, people just want you to get a job, get married, have kids, retire and die. That doesn’t sound interesting as a life.” He talks with his former professor and friend Tony Brown about choosing the road less traveled, how he’s making it work, and why he has no regrets.
Episode 8: At the Table with Tony
Inclusive Leadership with Todd Sears
Todd Sears took Tony Brown’s class at Duke in 1998. After graduation, he turned his attention to building community and belonging wherever he was. At Merrill Lynch he was the first openly gay financial advisor, and he created a team focused on serving the LGBTQ+ community – a first in the nation. Today, Todd is the founder and CEO of Out Leadership. Todd has found great success helping companies see the importance of fostering connections among employees. “It’s about getting the right people, the right mix, and making them feel like they’re part of a community,” he says, that’s how you get the best out of people. Tony Brown agrees, saying genuine human relationships power both our professional and personal lives. “Pay attention to these things, reflect on them and act on them,” he says.
Episode 7: At the Table with Tony
Make Good Dots with Wendy Kuran
What does it take to land a dream job? In this episode, Wendy Kuran talks about pausing to take stock, discovering she wanted something new, and landing in a place that surprised even her - China. Wendy says she was ready to take a leadership role at Duke Kunshan, because she had made “good dots” in her career. Throughout her career she tried to make her actions purposeful and was serious about making the most of each opportunity. Tony Brown says the path to a dream job is a series of single steps that lead in the right direction. “Be confident that there’s another step forward,” he says. “You don’t have to see all the steps; you need to know your values.”
Episode 6: at the table with tony
Fix a Crack in the Sidewalk with Hasnain Zaidi
When Hasnain Zaidi was in Tony Brown’s Social Entrepreneurship class at Duke, he dreamed up a plan for a campus food cart, Holy Crepe, that would fund impact ventures. Tony remembers it as “the best-planned failure” of the class. But the project taught Hasnain a lot, and his career has included successful entrepreneurial projects and other roles. Their conversation explores how to be a force for good and expanding the definition of impact. Tony says “work” is often misconstrued as your job. The real question we should be asking is ourselves is, “How do I make better decisions to enhance my results for the world and for myself?” Hasnain and Tony are joined at the table by Duke senior Penelope North.
Episode 5: At the Table with tony
Finding Your North Star with Linda Zhang
“I heard about Tony's class when I was a freshman. It's this elusive class that people talk about as the single class you have to take before graduating that will change your life forever,” Linda remembers. “I never took notes in most of my classes diligently, but I remember thinking. ‘I have to write down every single word this man says.’” Since graduation, Linda has worked in consulting, traveled the world as a private teacher, consulted for the Ministry of Education in Sierra Leone, served as chief of staff to a Nigerian university president and more – all in just 5 years! She says in her experience, your 20s are all about finding and refining your North Star. Linda and Tony are joined at the table by Duke senior Penelope North.
Episode 4: At the Table with Tony
Work/Life Balance with Anthony Vitarelli
Seeking success but being firmly grounded in your personal life is a big challenge for many of us. In this episode, Tony Brown sits down with Anthony Vitarelli. Anthony took lessons from Tony Brown’s Duke classes along with him in his professional journey, including stops at the US Department of the Treasury, the Supreme Court, the private financial sector and more. Anthony shares how he’s been able to address work-life balance even in such high-level roles.
Episode 3: At the Table with Tony
Finding Vocation with Jennifer Nagda
What is the difference between your career and vocation? How do you use intentionality to direct your life towards a fulfilling vocation? As Tony Brown says, “you can’t just sit down and say, ‘I'm going to decide on my vocation.’ It's like chasing love. You can't chase love.” In this episode, Tony explores vocation with his former Duke student Jennifer Nagda. For more than a decade, her work has centered on the rights and best interests of immigrant children in government custody and legal proceedings. “I think one of the things that I took from Tony's class was the importance of intentionality,” she says. “And that there is this aspect of thinking and framing and creating a plan and then getting busy doing. And you don't linger in between.”
Episode 2: At the Table with Tony
Considering Leadership with Tommy Sowers
Tommy Sowers took Tony Brown’s course Enterprising Leadership about 20 years ago at Duke. He sat in the third row at first, but soon moved up front, and was hooked. Tommy has actively leaned into leadership positions. After combat service, the Green Beret served in major roles in the political, governmental, academic, corporate, entrepreneurial, non-profit and philanthropic worlds. Most recently, he served as president of the nation’s fourth largest private jet charter operation and is now working with Duke students on tech ethics. Tommy talks with Tony about what he learned from Tony about leadership, and how he applied those lessons in his own career.
Episode 1: At the Table with Tony
Define the Life You Want to Live with Dan Kimberg
Episode 1 is a conversation with Dan Kimberg about the importance of defining the life you want to live and living it. In Tony’s Social Entrepreneurship in Action class 20 years ago, Dan and two classmates created a compelling plan to launch Student U, a nonprofit organization intended to support first-generation students in Durham, North Carolina. Student U continues to be a great success story in Durham, and Dan’s relationship with Tony has evolved from being a student in his class to a cherished friendship. The podcast is hosted by Duke student Penelope North.
Featured Video
My Friend Tony
Tony Brown's lifelong friendships with more than a thousand former students reflect his vocation—fostering human development through leadership, nurturing values, and meaningful contribution to the world. In the face of serious health challenges, Tony continues to embody a life of connection, growth, and extraordinary intention. This documentary was created by Duke student Ana Young for the class DOCST 105S The Documentary Experience: A Video Approach course through the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.