When Laura Libman left a successful aerospace career, she didn’t plan to start a nonprofit. But a summer of field research in rural Mexico after graduating from Thunderbird changed everything. In this episode, she shares the incredible and inspiring story of how the Tia Foundation was born—from horseback surveys and homegrown health worker training to empowering women like Juana, who used her training to save lives and spark change in her village. Today, Tia Foundation is on track to reach one million people. This is a story about grit, vision, and what happens when you give people the tools to lead.

Please support Tia Foundation Here:

https://tiafoundation.org/donate-to-tia-foundation/

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

As President of Tia, Laura Libman brings together her diverse background in global project management, knowledge engineering, and aerospace marketing with a deep commitment to social impact. After years working as a contractor, she earned a full-tuition scholarship to Arizona State University West, where she graduated summa cum laude in English. She went on to pursue her M.B.A. at Thunderbird School of Global Management, focusing on International Development with an emphasis on Latin America. While there, she received multiple scholarships, became a certified Global Mediator, and was honored with Thunderbird’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Global Citizenship.

Her studies and field experiences—ranging from meetings with leaders at the World Bank, IMF, and USAID to observing international development programs firsthand—equipped her with expertise in social impact measurement, monitoring and evaluation, and building learning cultures. She now shares that knowledge with students at Arizona State University’s Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation.

Beyond her professional work, Ms. Libman serves on the Board of Directors and as a Group Leader for The Washington Street Foundation, a Phoenix-based mentoring program supporting economically disadvantaged children. She is also an active member of The Border Trade Alliance, The Arizona-Mexico Commission, The National Hispanic Honor Society, and The National Society of Hispanic MBAs.

This podcast is sponsored by Freshwater Investments

Join us as we delve into the fascinating global marketing journey of Shawn Gallegly, a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience. From driving growth for iconic brands like Coca-Cola and Carlsberg to his adventures in Lagos and beyond, Shawn shares captivating stories and insights. Discover how his curiosity and strategic vision have shaped his career, and learn about the lessons he's gathered from working across diverse cultures and markets. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that spans continents and industries.

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

About

As a seasoned strategic marketing growth leader with 20 years of international experience in the beverage industry leading teams across the US, Europe, Asia and Africa, Shawn Gallegly has a proven track record of leadership driving brand growth and category expansion internationally.

He has successfully led marketing strategies and commercial growth for global brands at Coca-Cola, Monster and Carlsberg, and worked with international companies across various industries, including beverages, natural cosmetics, frozen food, soft drinks and breweries. His expertise lies in strategic marketing, dynamic commercial growth, P&L leadership, brand portfolio optimization, brand positioning, on & offline communication & influencer strategy, launch strategy and planning, full stack strategic brand entry & launch planning, online communication, and commercial DTC and investment planning.

As a Global Marketing Leader with a proven track record of structuring global alcohol-free-brew vision, brand innovation, and commercial execution strategies to accelerate company growth and revenue generation, He was recognized as a member of the Top 60 executive leadership team within the Carlsberg Group, where he established high-performing alcohol-free brew brands in the health and wellness category, generating $600M in revenue and achieving 52% volume growth.

He is passionate about building and leading great teams to create engaging consumer experiences and build strong relationships with key stakeholders. He's always eager to learn new skills and make connections in the ever changing world of marketing.

Shwan Gallegly holds an Executive MBA from IMD and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, with a focus on Executive Leadership and International Marketing Management.

This podcast is sponsored by Freshwater Investments

Rabie Zahri didn’t speak a word of English when he arrived in the U.S. at 18. Fast forward to today — he's the CEO and co-founder of Positon, an AI platform transforming the M&A lifecycle from deal origination to post-close integration.

In this episode, we dive into Rabie’s founder journey — from Casablanca to corporate development at Hewlett Packard, to building an AI-native startup backed by early believers and growing into the enterprise space.

https://positon.ai/#company

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

Rabie Zahri is the CEO and Co-Founder of Positon AI, the first AI-native, cloud-native command center built to streamline M&A and investment workflows from deal origination through post-close integration. A former executive and corporate development leader at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Rabie blends deep technical expertise with a global business mindset to help dealmakers move faster, smarter, and with less friction.

Originally from Morocco, Rabie came to the U.S. at 18, with little money, speaking little English, and working multiple jobs to put himself through school. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Engineering from Arizona State University and later his MBA at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. As part of the program, he trained in corporate finance, entrepreneurship, and regional business environments at Beida University in China and EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, gaining hands-on exposure to Asia and Latin America’s evolving economic and deal landscapes.

Away from the boardroom, Rabie is a sommelier who calls Napa Valley home, where he lives with his family. He speaks four languages and enjoys riding his road bike through the vineyards, collecting art, and spending time by the ocean. Inspired by the Thunderbird tradition of connecting across cultures, he continues to collaborate with leaders from around the world on ventures that aim to mentor new leaders, foster innovation, and make a lasting positive impact on society.

This podcast is sponsored by Freshwater Investments