Originally a left-handed pitcher recruited to play baseball, Mooney’s plans shifted overnight when an injury sidelined him before he ever took the field. The setback pushed him into new experiences: student government, leadership fellows, Sigma Chi and a community of mentors who helped him recognize his potential beyond athletics.

“I was also very fortunate to have some amazing mentors on campus,” he said. “Whether that was, Fred Young and Ron Klepcyk, Gerald Gibson, Gerald Francis, Jana Lynn Patterson, Rex Waters, Dr. Jo Williams… these were people that spoke into me that said, ‘We want you to learn.’”

Mooney carried that growth mindset into motorsports, eventually working with agencies, global brands, race teams and major sponsors. His roles gave him a rare 360-degree view of the business behind the sport in communications, partnerships, crisis management, and team operations across more than 850 races. He describes motorsports as a living case study in teamwork and continuous improvement.

“Even if you won on Sunday, Monday morning was, ‘Okay, what are we going to do differently? What are we going to improve on?’” he said.

After 25 years, Mooney made another shift by leaving the constant travel of racing to launch Mooney Consulting Group and support the development of Pocono Organics. He describes the transition as both the most challenging and most necessary chapter of his life, driven by a need for sustainable pace, deeper family presence, and renewed purpose.

“What if the last ten, 15, 20 years of your life were the setup for the next 20, 25 years of your life?” he asked.

Much of Mooney’s current work centers on values-based leadership and proactive reputation building, themes that anchor his book “Reputation Shift.” Drawing on years of crisis response inside motorsports, he encourages leaders to live their values out loud, strengthening reputation before it is tested.

“It hit me that, you know, reputation was always reactive. It was a, ‘What now?’” he said. “If we could live our values out loud, you probably wouldn’t have an issue with reputation because it’s coming from a place that’s truly yours.”

President Book and Mooney also reflect on defining early experiences, which include their shared memories of working at Kmart as teenagers, and how small moments of integrity and decision-making become early milestones in a leadership journey.

This episode captures the energy, humility, and clarity that have guided Mooney’s work. His path from unexpected change to purposeful leadership serves as a reminder that transformation begins the moment you decide to change lanes.

Listen to the full episode on , or .

At Gallup, Marken oversees longitudinal research in partnership with organizations such as the Lumina Foundation. Her work surveys current students, students who have temporarily left college and people who have never enrolled in postsecondary education. The goal is not advocacy but clarity on attitudes, beliefs and confidence levels across a rapidly changing educational landscape.

That focus reflects Gallup’s broader mission, one Marken feels deeply connected to. “We always say our mission at Gallup is to help people be heard,” she said. “It’s really a pollster’s privilege to actually report what people share to them.”

Even as response rates decline and methodologies evolve, Marken views participation as a signal of trust that must be taken seriously. Marken’s commitment to listening began during her time at Elon. A first-generation college student who arrived undecided, she credits faculty mentorship with shaping her academic and professional direction.

“An extra ten minutes with a student can truly be transformative,” she said, recalling conversations that led her to major in political science and pursue graduate studies during the 2008 financial crisis.

Her work with the Elon Poll proved especially formative.

“It was really humbling to call somebody during dinner and ask them to step away from their meal and their family and answer incredibly private questions,” Marken said. The experience built resilience and respect for respondents—lessons that continue to inform her approach to research leadership.

Today, Marken’s portfolio extends beyond higher education to global research on democracy, climate, water and well-being in more than 120 countries. Yet the throughline remains consistent: ensuring people are included in conversations that too often happen without them.

“There’s so many conversations we have nationally that are about people, but not with people,” she said.

For Marken, the goal is not to diminish higher education but to strengthen it through honesty, access and careful listening. By pairing rigorous data with a belief in human transformation, her work encourages institutions to understand better the voices they serve and respond with intention.

Learn more about the podcast and listen to the episode here.

While his classmates left campus for places like Cancun and California, Sean had his own plans. “I, on the other hand,” he shared, “went home to get my wisdom teeth removed.”

Two days into his recovery, he received an urgent email from Jim Carnahan Casting, a casting company that he connected with through his Senior Showcase.

In the email, he learned that “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” needed an immediate replacement on Broadway. With a swollen mouth, Sean sent in an audition tape, had an in-person callback in New York City a few days later and received a phone call following his callback.

As Sean vividly remembers being told on the phone, “We are so sorry to tell you that you cannot go home because we need you in rehearsal tomorrow.”

Since that moment in late March, Mikesh has performed nightly as an ensemble member and understudy for the Charles Sinclair character. The roles have challenged him in ways both technical and transformative, shifting between nuanced character work, mastering tight backstage choreography and even stepping into the production’s iconic Demogorgon suit.

Not even a year out from graduation, Mikesh described to Book how surreal the transition has been relocating to New York City, negotiating contracts and performing on Broadway. Through it all, he emphasized the community that has anchored him. He credited Associate Professor of Performing Arts Kim Shively at Elon for helping him step confidently into the professional industry, and his fellow Elon alumni and students in New York, like Erik Houck ’25 and Campy Rodriguez ’26, who is currently in “Aladdin” on Broadway.

“It’s been such a beacon of support,” he said. “It’s like a hug, the way Elon felt when I first visited the campus… And when you come out to New York, we’re in a new space, beautiful in a different way, but the people are still there and that hug is still there.”

Towards the end of Sean’s conversation with President Book, which ranged from the surprise commencement ceremony she held for Sean last May in New York City to the importance of staying present, Sean offered advice for Elon students whose dream it is to perform on a Broadway stage.

It was a quote he returned to throughout his audition process that framed his experience: “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”

Preparation, for him, came through years of Meisner, Stanislavski, and Chekhov-based training under Professors Kevin Otos and Kim Shively; roles in on-campus productions of “Paradise Lost” and “The Antipodes;” and the lessons he absorbed across classrooms and disciplines on campus.

For someone whose story to Broadway began with wisdom teeth surgery, an unexpected email and a callback in New York City, Mikesh’s journey makes one thing clear: when opportunity arrived, he was prepared.

Learn more about the podcast and listen to the episode online.

Returning to campus to receive Elon’s Top 10 Under 10 Alumni Award earlier this year, Earle described the moment as both grounding and reflective: “It was very humbling to come back to campus to receive this award.”

Surrounded by her family and closest friends, she found herself looking back with new clarity. “I spent so long just really reflecting on my experience in a way that I don’t think I had before.”

At Spotify, Earle has played a key role in the annual rollout of Spotify Wrapped, a digital event that has grown into a global cultural phenomenon. Wrapped resonates, she explained, because it gives listeners a personal narrative of their year.

“It is so personal, in the sense where you’re able to reflect on something that is true to you,” she said.

Its impact comes from the intersection of identity and data.

“Wrapped is data-driven. It’s really objective and it tells a story about you and how you interact with content.”

And while Spotify prepares all year, the culture around it is audience-built: “Honestly, the best content with this experience doesn’t even come from us.”  

For Earle, authenticity is central to modern marketing. She noted that people expect brands to understand them.

“People don’t want to be marketed to,” she said. That expectation requires deep listening and cultural fluency.

“It is extremely important to be authentic and really understanding who your audience is,” said Earle.

Her creative leadership style is rooted in lessons from track and field, where individual performance always serves the larger team goal. The discipline of showing up, adjusting, and striving carried into her professional life.

“I have to run my race. I have to show up for the people around me,” she said.

Reflecting on her journey, Earle emphasized the importance of self-knowledge as students enter a rapidly changing industry.

“Your resume is really only going to get you but so far. You really have to be able to truly know yourself.”

Her gratitude for Elon remained evident throughout the conversation, from the mentors who shaped her to the experiences that continue to guide her as a creative leader.

Learn more about the podcast and listen to the episode.

Ferrell is the co-founder and owner of Mile High Spirits, a Denver-based distillery and tasting room known for its award-winning bourbon, unique cocktails and strong connections to the community. On the podcast, hosted by žĂžĂČČ President Connie Ledoux Book, Ferrell talks about the entrepreneurial leaps and learning curves that led him to where he is today.

“I wasn’t really able to use any of my creative side in finance,” Ferrell said. “It’s very rigid and structured… So I started in sales for a distillery. I went in and asked for a job, and they were very frank and said, ‘We’re going out of business. We can’t pay you.’ And I said, ‘Well, then don’t pay me.’”

That leap of faith led the Elon alum to start his own company at just 23 years old, acquiring equipment as payment from the closing distillery and launching dozens of private-label spirits before opening Mile High in 2011. From the beginning, his goal was to build a brand that stood for more than just a product.

“When we enter a market, we want to go an inch wide and a mile deep,” Ferrell explained. “We want to hit the same neighborhoods every time. I want to be the owner that said, ‘I’ll be back in two months,’ to every account and came back in two months to every account.”

Mile High Spirits has continued to evolve alongside the city it calls home. In 2024, Ferrell led a full-scale reimagining of the space, pivoting from a nightclub-style venue to a refined tasting experience that showcases the distillery’s award-winning spirits, including bourbons that have earned Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“Now we’re coming out with seven, eight, nine-year-old bourbons, and we’re winning double gold … and I just said, you know, there’s something not right here. We need to boil this down to a place now for people that are looking for more high-end spirits and more touch points on cocktails,” said Ferrell.

The team’s ambition doesn’t stop there. With accolades stacking up and a revamped cocktail program taking shape, Ferrell has his sights set on one of the industry’s highest honors: a James Beard Award. With cocktails now part of the prestigious foundation’s recognition, he sees it as a natural next step for the brand. “It’s always good to have lofty goals,” he said.

Reflecting on the path that brought him here, from finance in New York to crafting spirits in Colorado, Ferrell is quick to credit his alma mater for nurturing the curiosity and team mindset that continue to shape his approach as a business owner. As he puts it:

“Whenever I go back, I’m always honored to have been a graduate of Elon.”

Learn more about the podcast and listen to the episode here.