The Most Fascinating Podcast in the World

Hosted by Pat DiCerbo

Business Entrepreneurship

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Latest episode

Apr 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Everybody's got a story. Everybody who's ever done anything worth doing has dreamed big, failed mightily, and mostly started from humble beginnings. Everyone loves a Horatio Alger story. This is a podcast about such people. Overcoming adversity is interesting. The Most Fascinating Podcast in the World is fascinating because of the stories of the human beings.

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60 recent

July 9, 20261 hr 19 min

Ross King: The Secret Genius Behind Florence's Impossible Dome

In this episode, Pat sits down with acclaimed author Ross King, whose book Brunelleschi's Dome has captivated readers for over two decades (and inspired Pat to give away more than 100 copies to friends). Ross opens up about his childhood in a tiny Saskatchewan border town, his winding academic path through three universities and a failed bid at a professorship, and how a novel-in-progress about Filippo Brunelleschi transformed into one of the most beloved works of narrative nonfiction ever written.The conversation dives deep into the story behind the story: how 14th-century Florence dared to build a dome larger than the Pantheon before anyone knew how, how Brunelleschi - a goldsmith and clockmaker with no architectural training - solved it through secrecy, ingenuity, and sheer force of will, and the astonishing engineering details that still puzzle experts today (the herringbone brickwork, the ox hoist with history's first clutch mechanism, safety harnesses centuries ahead of their time). Along the way, Pat and Ross find a deeper theme running through it all: that building something impossible — a dome, a book, a life — always comes at a cost, and that cost is worth it.In this episode: - Ross King's childhood on the Canada/North Dakota border and his earliest memory - How reading transported him beyond a town of 150 people - Comparisons to Dava Sobel's Longitude and their shared editor - Why Brunelleschi's Dome almost became a novel instead of nonfiction - The 1290s Florentine "hubris" that led to the dome being commissioned - Brunelleschi's secrecy, his rivalry with Lorenzo Ghiberti, and being thrown out of a public meeting - The herringbone brick pattern and ox hoist that made construction possible - What it's like to climb all 463 steps to the top of the dome today - Life, legacy, and building your own "cathedral"

April 29, 20261 hr 3 min

Sam Mushaw: The Power of Taking Responsibility

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Sam Mushaw - President of Dimension Fabricators, Navy Seabee veteran, and a leader who built his career the hard way: through responsibility, consistency, and respect for people.From growing up in Clifton Park to serving in the U.S. Navy - building in some of the toughest conditions in the world - Sam brought that same mindset into business. Starting in a small, struggling shop, he helped scale Dimension Fabricators into a powerhouse, taking on projects worth tens of millions of dollars.This episode dives into: - What the Navy Seabees taught him about leadership under pressure - Building a company from the ground up...literally and figuratively - Taking on massive projects (including $80M+ infrastructure jobs) - Why great leaders don’t yell...they build trust - Creating a culture where people actually want to show up - The small things that drive big loyalty (recognition, respect, accountability) - Why Sam actively fires toxic customers to protect his team - The mindset of always asking: “How can I do better for you?”This isn’t theory. It’s real leadership, built over decades - through long hours, tough decisions, and a commitment to doing things the right way.

April 28, 20261 hr 7 min

Larry Kittelberger: What It Really Takes to Lead Under Pressure

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Larry Kittelberger - former top executive, corporate fixer, and one of the rare leaders who has operated at the highest levels of American industry during moments of real crisis.From growing up in small-town Pennsylvania to helping reshape companies like Honeywell and Lucent Technologies, Larry’s career wasn’t planned - it evolved through adaptability, pressure, and a relentless focus on solving problems that most people would run from.This episode dives into: - What it’s like to save a company on the brink of collapse - Leading massive restructurings (including cutting 80,000+ jobs to keep a company alive) - The reality behind corporate leadership—pressure, risk, and responsibility at scale - How technology transformed entire industries—from shipbuilding to computing - The mindset required to lead through uncertainty and chaos - Why “win-win or nothing” is the only way to move people - The truth about AI, leadership, and the future of businessLarry doesn’t speak in theories - he speaks from experience. From working alongside legends like Larry Bossidy and Frank D’Amelio to influencing the evolution of modern computing, this conversation is a masterclass in leadership under fire.

April 27, 20261 hr 11 min

Robert Maxfield: How to Ask Better Questions and Live a Bigger Life

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Robert “Max” Maxfield for a wide-ranging conversation about curiosity, confidence, storytelling, travel, creativity, and learning how to fully show up in life.Max grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri, shaped by a veterinarian father, an interior designer mother, sports, golf, fraternity life, travel, and a lifelong pull toward adventure. From Mexico to Shanghai, from film sets to personal growth seminars, Max has built a life around asking better questions, seeing from different perspectives, and helping people feel more alive in their own story.This episode covers: - Why curiosity can change a life - How asking questions creates real connection - What actors understand about honesty and identity - Lessons from travel, filmmaking, parenting, and personal growth - Why “leaning into life” might be the whole point

March 25, 20261 hr 5 min

Hugh Rice: Turning Patience Into a Competitive Advantage

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Hugh Rice, who spent nearly five decades with FMI helping shape the modern construction industry.Hugh shares how a kid from rural Alabama—originally planning to be a farmer or Air Force officer—found his way into consulting and never left. What started as “a couple years before a real job” turned into a career advising contractors across the country on strategy, succession, and M&A.Along the way, he helped pioneer how construction companies think about ownership transitions and acquisitions—long before private equity entered the space.This conversation goes beyond construction. It’s about: - Why relationships—not transactions—drive long-term success - The patience it takes to build a reputation that compounds - How entire industries evolve (and where construction is headed next) - What 50+ years in one company teaches you about trust, value, and doing the right thing

March 20, 20261 hr 7 min

Alexandra Phillips: Why Purpose Comes From Action, Not Discovery

In this episode, Pat DiCerbo sits down with Alexandra Phillips for a wide-ranging conversation on purpose, change, and what it really means to do work that matters.Alexandra shares her journey from growing up on the Upper West Side, to Brown University, to a career in the performing arts—and ultimately walking away from it all after becoming a mother to pursue a more aligned path.Today, she leads a change leadership and executive coaching practice, helping leaders and organizations navigate growth, uncertainty, and transformation.This conversation goes deeper than business. It explores: - Why purpose isn’t something you “find”—it’s something you build through action and service - The truth about coaching (and why it’s not about telling people what to do) - How great leaders balance empathy, performance, and clarity The connection between business, science, and something more human

March 16, 20261 hr 10 min

Rob Tortorella: How Adversity Shaped a Life of Purpose

In this episode, Pat DiCerbo sits down with Rob Tortorella for a conversation about resilience, family, friendship, faith, business, and purpose.Rob shares memories of growing up in Camillus, New York in a tight-knit Italian family, the influence of his parents, and the role sports played in shaping his character. He talks about playing lacrosse at Holy Cross, the life-changing car accident that left him with a spinal cord injury just after college graduation, and the long road back to independence.But this is not a story about limitation. It is a story about rebuilding.Rob reflects on learning how to live again, developing confidence after catastrophic injury, building a successful business with his brother and partners, and later dedicating himself to Endless Highway, the nonprofit he founded to help people with mobility challenges access sports, recreation, and a better quality of life.This is a conversation about what really matters: attitude, dignity, loyalty, support, and finding a way forward when life does not go according to plan.

February 23, 20261 hr 7 min

Frank Famiano: Why the Best Wrestler Doesn’t Always Win

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Frank Famiano - Schenectady native, Olympian, NCAA Division I All-American, and one of the toughest competitors to come out of Section 2 wrestling.Frank opens up about being adopted and raised by his grandfather, getting cut from basketball and pushed into wrestling, and the coaches who shaped his mindset. He talks about making the leap from Division III to Division I, wrestling in front of 50,000 fans in Iowa, and why the best athlete doesn’t always win.This conversation isn’t just about wrestling. It’s about belief, preparation, loyalty, and finishing what you start. Frank shares why talent isn’t enough, why showing up matters more than hype, and how the discipline of wrestling carried into business and life.

January 23, 20261 hr 19 min

Adrian Comstock: Lessons from Real Estate, Russia, and Racing

Pat DiCerbo sits down with Adrian Comstock, founder and CEO of Comstock Realty Partners, for a fast‑moving conversation covering Adrian’s path from Southern California to Russia in the 1990s, his pivot into real estate, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, and building a development business through challenge and uncertainty. They also explore how strategy, endurance, and mindset shape everything from entrepreneurship to racing cars.The episode wraps with Adrian’s stories from competitive motorsports, including endurance racing at Spa‑Francorchamps, and how he applies the same discipline to business and life.

January 21, 20261 hr 4 min

Gene Bolger: A Life Built on Curiosity, Courage, and the World Beyond Comfort

Gene Bolger is one of those people who doesn’t fit neatly into a single label - and that’s exactly what makes his story compelling.In this episode, Pat DiCerbo reconnects with a longtime friend whose life has unfolded across countries, cultures, and careers. From studying abroad together in Mexico to traveling through Spain decades later, their conversation weaves through childhood memories in New York, faith and family, living abroad, raising children across continents, and choosing curiosity over fear.They explore what it means to really engage with the world - learning languages, trusting strangers, resisting the temptation to live safely on the sidelines, and saying yes to experiences that expand how you see life. Along the way, they reflect on fear, courage, spirituality, travel, parenting, and the habits that quietly shape who we become.This is a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about living deliberately, staying open, and becoming more fully yourself - one trip, one risk, one conversation at a time.