You Don't Need This Podcast Archives

Red Jalapeño

Taufeek Shah brings the heat! We pour on the sauce and dip into salsa as we hear how Lola’s Fine Sauces delivers spicy goodness in 22,000+ locations worldwide. Taufeek and Ben discuss the science of edible product development, freshness in a distributed supply chain, and physical experiences with digital depth.

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BONUS MATERIALS

Capsaicin 🌶️ TRPV1

https://LolasFineHotSauce.com

http://Red-Jalapeno.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Isochronal

EP28 – Let’s Get Phygital 🎙️ Sachin Sehgal

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

https://DMACC.edu/foundation

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 4 daysApril 14, 2025 ago

You Don't Need This Podcast

Corporate Battleships

Jacob Kruse invests corporate innovation funds. Corporate venture capital is a growing trend, so let’s chat through how founders can interact with corporate partners and how internal innovation teams can leverage their position within an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As an intrapreneur within the insurance industry, listen how to co-create with founders and stay in-tune with a startup community. Large companies must stay thirsty to stay ahead of the innovation curve and EP85 is brewed to help indispensable employees execute by staying curious as we lead from within.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://DeltaDentalIA.com

https://GlobalInsuranceAccelerator.com

http://Corporate-Battleships.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Mentor Madness

https://BenMcDougal.com/champions-of-change

https://BenMcDougal.com/significance

EP30 – Exit Ramps 🎙️ Brian Crotty

EP40 – Big Business 🎙️ Joe Murphy

EP72 – Win Win Win 🎙️ Nicole Crain

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections on Discord

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 1 weekApril 9, 2025 ago

You Don't Need This Podcast

Base Camp

Join us at base camp as Jon Kallen builds a mountain for us to climb. We lean into the pain and carry our own gear with stories from Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, and more high altitudes worldwide. When he’s not craving gummy worms on snow capped peaks above the clouds, this impactful leader mentors founders commercializing business strategies. We reflect on this leadership alongside our closing message to the mountains.

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https://JenningsKallen.com

https://AlgaeBiomass.org

http://Base-Camp.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Landing

EP18 – Fourteeners 🎙️ Jeff Reed

EP58 – Always Growing 🎙️ Clayton Mooney

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

https://BenMcDougal.com/anticipation

44 Harsh Truths About Human Nature

https://films.NationalGeographic.com/free-solo

https://Alpinist.com/podcast

Snowboarding Utah

By Ben McDougal, 2 weeksApril 1, 2025 ago

You Don't Need This Podcast

Prognostication

Ehrich Pakala is a mathematician, software engineer, and founder who uses machine learning to unlock data-driven understandings. His team at Emigrait leverages insight to find future home buyers and sellers for real estate professionals.

While they play chess in-studio, hear Ben and Ehrich chat about avoiding the measurement trap, Ehrich’s favorite math equation, machine learning, and predictive modeling in real estate. The nerdery continues with mathematics in the real world, then Ben narrates an exponential writing.

After the break, Ehrich writes a haiku in real-time and climbs through thoughts from atop the mountain. EP83 continues with stories from inside the Iowa Techstars Accelerator, communicating complicated products, and what people look for when it comes to their new home. We finish with thoughts on polyhedrons, infinity, and beyond.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://Emigrait.com

https://linkedin.com/in/ehrichpakala

Techstars Iowa Accelerator Demo Day

http://Prognostication.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Linear

EP6 – Computer Vision(ary) 🎙️ Brad Dwyer

EP22 – BioMathemAttorney 🎙️ Cassie Edgar

EP29 – Borderless 🎙️ Kerty Levy

EP34 – Measured Twice 🎙️ Ryan Glick

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

A Trip to Inifinity (Netflix)

How to Win at Chess

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 3 weeksMarch 26, 2025 ago

You Don't Need This Podcast

Adapttitude

Rachelle Keck is the 14th president of Grand View University. Students join us in-studio as we discuss the energy of leadership. We also talk about writing a book and how to leverage an adapttitude, which is an attitude that fosters an aptitude for adaptation.

After an extended break that celebrates Playforce Principles and Seth Godin’s Real Skills, we navigate the ROI of higher education, cosmic curiosity, and what’s worth sacrificing to achieve progress. We close with a viking story from Rachelle, on how she burnt the ship by selling her law practice to pursue more grand adventures.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachelle_Keck

https://Grandview.edu/about/about-gv/president

https://x.com/rachellekeck

https://linkedin.com/in/rachellekeck

http://Adapttitude.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Playforce Principles

EP9 – Future of Work 🎙️ Nancy Mwirotsi

EP31 – What is School For? 🎙️ Russ Goerend

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections on Discord

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 1 monthMarch 17, 2025 ago

Ben McDougal is an author, founder, technologist, and entrepreneurial ecosystem builder in the connected era.

Ben has been called a polymath. He evolves ideas into reality and accelerates others through the art of connection. Check out the innovations this leader has activated over time!

You’ve likely met Ben or heard him speak.

You Don’t Need This Podcast has been the place to enjoy a podcast every Wednesday morning for a while now! McDougal’s latest creation unites 80+ timeless episodes, each with featured guests in-studio! Listen and watch as leaders brew through the fabrics of an entrepreneurial lifestyle. The content creation never stops either. 160+ writings are now minted into Roasted Reflections. This library is a literary journey for the mind and could present a compelling path toward an all-new format coming soon.

Shifting gears, the quest that is FliteBrite remains compelling and an active part of Ben’s journey as a founder. Since 2012, their electronic serving system and beer festival app have created tech-infused paths for craft breweries and event organizers. This tasty story continues to be written, with fun, friendships, successes, learnings, and more fun, every step of the build.

Alongside his ventures, Ben caffeinates a nationwide movement called 1 Million Cups. After leading 1MC Des Moines for 5 years, Ben now collaborates with the Kauffman Foundation as the @1MCMidwest Regional Rep. He’s been making a ruckus in this position for over 5 years. What glorious collision, with endless generous 1MC organizers, in countless entrepreneurial ecosystems. Ben loves this leadership role brewed to connect and support 1MC organizers from 100+ communities throughout the Midwest and nationwide!

When it comes to nationwide efforts, Ben also had the privilege of teaming up with Techstars as an Entrepreneur in Residence and Ecosystem Builder. Investing 2021-2023 to build through the Iowa Techstars Accelerator was fantastic. That marketing-flavored, community building, culture, and founder-support role allowed Ben to continue accelerating inspired entrepreneurs… while connecting mentors and investors from around the globe.

Such experiential wisdom is translated into BENergy as McDougal speaks with a variety of different audiences. For example, You Don’t Need This Keynote activates students, while other talks accelerate young professionals, founders, side hustlers, and intrapreneurs. Watch fantastic examples here, then let’s chat about your next event, keynote speaker ideas, workshop collaborations, and/or entrepreneurial initiatives.

There’s so much more too. The full story is linked below and a spacious museum will keep you appreciating work that feels like play. As you’ll see through stories, Ben also enjoys travel, golf, EDM expeditions, reading, Seth Godin, philosophy, wine, craft beer, pinball, and spending treasured time with his wife and daughter. May the best of your todays, be the worst of your tomorrows. Cheers!

FULL STORY