Today, we welcome Dr. Molly Hayes Sauder to the Power Seat. As Dean of the Business School at York College of Pennsylvania, Dr. Sauder shares what it was like stepping into the Power Seat early and how her experience as a high school and collegiate athlete with a background in sports business shaped the way she leads, shows up, and gives 110%. We talk about how putting in extra effort sets up your next move, not just for yourself but for the people around you. We gained unexpected insights into the business of sports, including the parts most people never see or talk about.

This conversation is about leadership, continuous learning, and building paths for others to succeed.

Take your seat.

Learn more about Dr. Sauder:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollyhayessauder/

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Dean Molly Sauder

00:42 Entering the Business of Sports

01:22 "Start with what you know about yourself"

04:06 Seeing Sports Through a Business Lens

06:31 Lessons from College Volleyball

08:09 Taking Leadership Lessons from Taylor Swift

08:39 Importance of Building and Utilizing A Social Network

10:23 "This is a leadership skill not many people talk about..."

12:48 Navigating a Male-Dominated Industry

14:53 Reality of the Sports Industry

18:02 Full Transparency of the Abusive Side of the Industry

20:58 Stepping into the Dean Power Seat

21:31 Dr. Sauder's Approach to Tackling New Challenges

22:04 Today’s effort unlocks tomorrow’s role.

23:50 Changing Self-Talk for Success

25:05 Learning From Everyone and Everything

26:23 The Value of Surrounding Yourself With Diverse Perspectives

29:00 "If I wasn't continuing to learn, I would probably not be a leader people want to be around"

30:23 What You Take Away From Uplifting Others

33:15 "Growth is not always a straight line"

36:05 Is there a secret to success?

38:12 The Advantage Gained from Hands-On Experiences

41:29 Champion of Students AND Their Visions

42:36 Seats of Power Tradition: Takeaways and Closing Question

Today, we welcome Dr. Gerald Patnode to the Power Seat. A serial entrepreneur, speaker, former professor and educator, and lifelong mentor to leaders and entrepreneurs across the nation, his career spans marketing, real estate, education, and now fiction writing. From being the first in his family to attend college to building companies with $100 million in annual revenue, we learn what decades of failure, and going against the grain have taught him. We talk about the drive to prove people wrong, why learning never stops, and what really drives success.

This conversation is about entrepreneurial failures outweighing wins, resilience, and keeping the mind curious and active.

Take your seat.

Learn more about Dr. Patnode:

https://grpatnode.com/about-patnode/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldrpatnode/

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Gerald Patnode

00:51 First Company: Initial successes and failures

06:19 Lessons Carried from 1967 until Present Day

08:16 "I used to think asking questions made me look stupid"

09:57 What Drives Success: Passion vs. Person vs. Idea?

12:23 "As an entrepreneur, failure is inevitable."

13:51 Evolving Metrics of Success

14:35 "The largest company I ever had was..."

18:43 Transitioning from Entrepreneur to Banker

19:54 Gut Instinct vs. Data in Decision Making

21:12 Brave Enough to Go Against the Grain

22:48 100th Birthday Party

24:58 What makes a successful entrepreneur?

27:13 The Ongoing Drive to Prove Others Wrong

32:11 Consistent Advice Across Decades of Mentorship

34:30 Current Chapter: Storytelling

38:09 The Story Behind 'The Stirling Defense'

39:52 Favorite Company and Final Thoughts

41:58 Seats of Power Tradition: Our Takeaways and Closing Question

Today, we welcome Dr. Angela Marick to the Power Seat. A heart led leader, chiropractor, coach, and humanitarian, Angela shares how she built communities from the ground up, including founding a nonprofit and co creating the Joslin School in Kenya. We talk about having $200 in her non-profit's checking account and learning fundraising in real time, navigating nonprofit versus for profit worlds, and how her view of education changed when students taught her as much as she taught them. Her latest challenge has been continuous learning via becoming a private pilot.

This conversation is about creating communities, an Ubuntu way of life, and learning from everyone.

Take your seat.

Learn more about Angela:

https://angelamarickcoaching.com/

https://www.consciouslyco-creating.com/the-joslin-school

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Angela Merrick

01:56 Beginning Again: Becoming a Pilot

06:59 Building the Ubuntu Community and Joslin School

12:00 Transition from For-Profit to Non-Profit

18:30 Angela's Perspective Shift on Education

25:05 Navigating Challenges in Non-Profit Work

28:07 $200 in Checking Account: Navigating Fundraising and Marketing for a Non-Profit

30:26 Expectation vs. Reality of Africa

33:48 Most Repeated Lesson: We're Not Alone

37:31 Lessons from our Leader: A Seats of Power Tradition

Join Alexia Purkanto and Riya Datta as they launch Seats of Power, a podcast built for ambitious young people who are trying to figure it out before it’s too late.

At 18, you’re expected to have answers, direction, and a plan. But no one hands you the blueprint.

Seats of Power cuts through the noise with candid conversations with leaders across industries, asking the questions most people only think to ask later. What decisions changed everything? What failures shaped them? And what do they wish they knew at 18?

In this opening episode, Alexia and Riya share the mission behind the podcast and what to expect.

New episodes drop biweekly on Tuesdays.

If you’re building your future, take your seat.

Episode Chapters:

00:05 Welcome to the Seats of Power

01:03 How We Met

03:27 Podcast Structure/ What to Expect

04:41 Looking Forward to this New Year...Our Goals and Future Conversations

Recommend a Guest or Suggest a Topic: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDhNc8jrp_0ug92irRJG1PQ_x5xaXpC1q0Mp_myQO53KLf0Q/viewform

Seats of Power asks leaders the question most people wait too long to ask: what do you wish you knew at 18? Hosted by 18-year-olds Alexia Purkanto and Riya Datta, we put decision-makers across industries in the power seat to reveal the lessons, failures, and mindset shifts behind real success. Awarding listeners with a lessons from leaders you can actually use, before it’s too late. If you’re building your future, take your seat. We look forward to learning and growing with you.