American Dream Factory - An Aesop Industries Podcast
1) Data That Could Save America
America is running out of workers and time. The baby boomers are retiring, birth rates are collapsing, and colleges are struggling to prove their value. In the middle of that chaos, a new movement is ...Show More
2) The Soul of a City
In this episode of The American Dream Factory, hosts Nick Smoot and Joseph Toney sit down with creative veteran Lee Davis, founder of Clean, a Raleigh-based agency known for its soulful approach to br...Show More
3) Rethinking Power, Community, & the American Dream
In this episode of American Dream Factory, Nick and Joe sit down with two transformative leaders in the world of politics, community, media, and capitalism:Matthew Barzun – Former U.S. Ambassador to t...Show More
4) Lessons From 50 Years of Economic Development
In this episode Nick Smoot sits down with Ernesto Sirolli of the Sirolli Institute. Chapters09:42 Engagement with the Community26:00 Lessons from International Aid42:36 The Joy of Helping Others46:24 ...Show More
5) Managing Cities In Turbulent Times
What does it take to lead a city when everything is on fire... literally and figuratively?In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with longtime friend and civic leader Joe Toney, who has spent nearly tw...Show More
6) Is High School Still Worth It in the Age of AI?
07:43 High School Experience and Preparedness12:29 The Skills Gap in Education15:04 Value of College in Today's World21:32 Reimagining High School Education29:33 The Role of AI in Education and Work30...Show More
7) AI for Normal People
Think AI is just for tech bros, coders, or billionaires building robot empires? Think again.In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with AI expert Josh Freckleton to break down what artificial intellige...Show More
8) College, Crypto, & AI: How 2 Guys In Idaho Are Shaping The Future
What if the most powerful new protocol in AI wasn’t being shaped in Silicon Valley… but in a basement in North Idaho?Enter Paul Swaim and Garrett Oetken, two innovators who went from community col...Show More
9) Old People, Space Ships, & the Real American Dream
This episode challenges the broken narrative around the American Dream and reframes it as a mindset, not a marketing slogan. He dives into the importance of creation over consumption, the undervalued ...Show More
10) GPS Patent, Grit, and the Battle for Mobile’s Future
Before Google Maps. Before smartphones. Before Silicon Valley gave mobile a second thought — the Blumberg brothers were strapping GPS units to PalmPilots and piping real estate data through them. In t...Show More