Welcome to MENTOR dna

Welcome to MENTOR dna, a leadership podcast hosted by Meesh Pierce. I welcome you to drop in as I talk to my c-suite friends about what makes them tick, lessons they’ve learned through their career successes and failures, and memories we share through the decades spent growing up in our careers. MENTOR dna is your backstage pass to learning how to reach your next career goal - whether as a manager or serving on a board.

Recent podcast guests

Steve Scalia, President Tanner Pharma Group

Steve Scalia, CEO Tanner Pharma Group

Steve Scalia and I have known each other since our days at Penn, where he was studying to be a dentist, but soon realized his passion as an entrepreneur. He’s part of my personal board – a close group of friends who knows me well and can tell it to me like it really is – and shares great insights about how he’s successfully rebuilt from the ground up on a few occasions.

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Dan Smith, ALT-CMO and JimmyCase on MENTOR dna

Dan Smith – CEO, ALT-CMO and JIMMYCASE

Dan and I served together on the board for the Wharton Club of Southern California for many years. He’s a former executive at Playboy, Fox and American Gladiators and is a digital marketing expert. He’s parlayed his learnings from his TV days into consumer product ventures like JIMMYCASE, and is a consummate connector as he runs Marketing Mondays for Wharton SoCal.

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Liz Leung, Executive Coach

Liz Leung

I worked with Liz when I was desperately trying to get pregnant with my first child. I’d left the corporate world to start my own consulting practice and ended up meeting the most wonderful mentor one could want. Liz is a Chinese-American executive who has the most beautiful way of managing people, turning teams and businesses around, and building people up.

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MENTOR dna's host

Meesh Pierce is a former executive who’s worked with fantastic leaders throughout her career in tech, entertainment, and corporate and non-profit boards. MENTOR dna brings these leaders into the spotlight to share their stories. Consider MENTOR dna your VIP coaching session with  hard-to-reach executives across a variety of industries.  

Leadership books

Following is an extensive list of recommended leadership books from my podcast guests. 

  • Getting to Yes

    Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In.

  • The Goal

    The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

  • Stocks for the Long Run

    Stocks for the Long Run: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns & Long-Term Investment Strategies

  • Team of Rivals

    Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

  • The One Minute Manager

    The New One Minute Manager offers a way for you to succeed sooner with less stress in changing times—both at work and at home.

  • Good to Great

    Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't