“Culture” is one of those words that gets thrown around in a lot of conversations, ranging from office atmosphere, to fashion, to music. It’s one of those things where you know it when you see it, and you also notice when there’s a lack of it. Culture is also the name of Charlie Stephens podcast where he interviews innovators, influencers and entrepreneurs about their journey and how they develop a productive culture around them.

A New York City-based real estate advisor by trade, Stephens has been fortunate to partner with some interesting founders who have extremely compellling story and insights about what culture means to them. His job combined with his ever-growing network has allowed him to interview nearly 20 innovators for the Culture podcast. Episodes typically hover around an hour long which I feel give both Stephens and his interview subject ample time to have a geniune long-form conversation.

Discover Pods caught up with Stephens to discuss Culture, his future plans, some of his dream guests, and what they successful entrepreneurs have in common. See below for our Q&A and click the links to listen to Charlie’s answers.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Discover Pods: How’d you get into podcasting?

CHARLIE: Last year when we found out my wife was pregnant a fire was lite under my ass. My main job is helping growing NYC businesses find office space and I knew I had to start doing things different to create more relationships and been seen. So I started a whole new media push by creating content through videos highlighting NYC development sites and the rapidly changing skyline. Highlighting the real estate is awesome but the more interesting side is the companies within the buildings. More specifically the founders of the companies that the buildings are being constructed for… So I started the Culture Podcast where I interview Founders, Entrepreneurs and Influencers talking about their personal/professional journey and how it’s inspired, created and evolved Culture.

Listen to Charlie’s answer here: https://ense.nyc/ense/151400/violetindigoorange

DP: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to Culture?

CHARLIE: My goal is to interview the most inspiring innovators and extract great information that will help listeners grow. We talk through the founder’s background, where they started, their personal culture and then work our way into the lessons learned from their mentors along their path. We will always find out the inception of their company, how they grew the business and how they are creating their own company culture. Another topic asked is to provide a pro-tip for growth either personally or professionally that can help the audience. If I can extract from the guest a few solid pieces of advice, helpful life tips and hopefully positively change a listeners mode, I think the episode is a success.

Listen to Charlie’s answer here: https://ense.nyc/ense/151402/redorangeblue

DP: Your episode with AJ Vaynerchuk was particularly interesting. Besides his brother Gary, who are the other guests you’d like to have on the pod?

CHARLIE: I want to interview the people who have inspired me and have been at the top of their profession. I think it would be fun to interview those athletes who have crossed over to the business world like Derek Jeter. Jeter founded The Players Tribune and has invested in many Silicon Valley tech startups. Boxer Evander Holyfield aka the Warrior has a story of the biggest heart and no quit personality. On the other side of that I’d love to talk to Mike Tyson because he bite Holyfield’s ear. I want to hear both sides of that story. It would be fun to talk with Tyson about how he has completely rebranded himself professionally to be a comedy and actor. I would love to interview Jay-Z, not only one of my favorite musicians but also has been investing in multiple tech companies. Selfishly I’d like to interview David Lee Roth because I was brought up listening to Van Halen and a few years back I lived in his old apt in the Lower East Side. A top person of interest for me is Kim Jung-Un because North Korea absolutely fascinates me. Lastly number one would be Howard Stern because he’s is the number one interviewer of all time. I grew up listening to Howard on the radio every morning on my way to school. He’s out of his mind in such a brilliant way.

Listen to Charlie’s answer here: https://ense.nyc/ense/151404/greenindigoyellow

DP: Have you noticed any common threads or similarities from these discussions with entrepreneurs? 

CHARLIE: Handwork and hiring great talent is a must. When putting together a company everybody needs to be a cohesive team and understand the mission in place. Also most have preached the importance of a hiring a great CTO to take your common goals and align them through the technology. Everyone single guest has talked about the importance of treating people with respect and having a strong communication with their team to understand how they can become better. Most guests have stressed the importance of a healthy diet and shocking to me, eating vegan. A favorite book has been Peter Thiel “Zero to One”. Favorite shows have been Black Mirror and Billions.

Listen to Charlie’s answer: https://ense.nyc/ense/151405/indigoyellowgreen

DP: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?

CHARLIE: Distribution and the ability to be found. I am not a NY Times bestselling author so I don’t have the reach that other big name podcasters have. But I am confident that the tips and hacks that are being extracted from each of these episodes are extremely useful and invaluable pieces of information that will help listeners.

Listen to Charlie’s answer:  https://ense.nyc/ense/151408/violetyellowgreen

DP: Where do you want to take your podcast?

CHARLIE: I want to take it to the top! Interview the best of the best. I’d like to build the credibility to get in the door of these fortune 500 companies and speak with their leaders. I also plan of filming the episodes so that listeners can have the ability to see the founders on another. See the Culture. See their business. Area. More content and make it more sharable.

Listen to Charlie’s answer:  https://ense.nyc/ense/151411/orangevioletgreen

DP: What other podcasts are you listening to now?

CHARLIE:

  • The Premium Pete Show
  • The Tim Ferriss Show
  • GaryVee Audio Experience
  • NPR How I Built This
  • Basketball Friends

Listen to Charlie’s answer:  https://ense.nyc/ense/151414/orangeredviolet

DP: Anything else you’d like to add?

CHARLIE: Yes, what makes my podcast a little different is I am trying to make this an interactive podcast. Through the ENSE app which is a social audio platform, like an audio Twitter. Listeners now have the ability to record their voice and communicate with the founders directly. I also chop up the Culture Podcast in 2-3 min clips and distribute the highlights on the ENSE app here. https://ense.nyc/culture

Listen to Charlie’s answer:  https://ense.nyc/ense/151416/greenredgreen