Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

Behind the Business is a Webby Award-winning video podcast hosted by CNN and FORTUNE alum Michelle Toh that explores the decisions and philosophies behind some of today's most influential leaders. Its new season features the leaders of Airbnb, Rivian, NYSE, Samsung, Canva, Revolve, Peloton, Poppi and Away.The show is grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal, providing the backstories of founders, corporate leaders, investors and creators and how they push through to make the most of both work and life each day.This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — avoiding fluff and performative praise, while also keeping it fun! The show aims to be journalistically rigorous and visually compelling, with each episode ending with a rapid-fire round and connecting guests with young founders/ CEOs who send in a question.What's the worst day you've faced at your company? How do you cope with crisis or rejection? Or what's a pinch-me mom

Behind the Business with Michelle Toh is a business podcast hosted by Michelle Toh, with 18 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Michelle Toh hosts Behind the Business with Michelle Toh, a business show with 18 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

  How to travel for less: The Points Guy takes 3 Pressing Questions

  Aug 6, 202653 min

  Joining us this week is The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly. He turned what started as a personal blog while working at Morgan Stanley into one of the world’s leading travel media platforms — shaping how millions of consumers spend, earn and think about travel. In our special new segment, “3 Pressing Questions,” Brian weighs in on hot topics shaping travel today, and explains how he built a top creator business that sold for tens of millions of dollars. From why flights feel so expensive right now, to how industry shifts could affect your wallet, to common mistakes to avoid when booking a trip, Brian breaks down what’s worth paying for today. In this conversation, we dive into: 00:00: Introduction 01:28: Starting The Points Guy as a side hustle 05:57: Why the points game isn't dead 06:38: How points really drive US airlines 11:28: How to get started in the points game 16:38: Selling The Points Guy 18:22: Advice to other entrepreneurs on building a brand 23:24: Stepping down as CEO and being honest about your own strengths 24:27: When should we expect airfares to come down, if at all? 25:22: Industry consolidation — outlook for United, American, Delta, Spirit and JetBlue 26:36: 'Debundling' of airline prices and how carriers are working to 'maximize every single square centimeter on the plane' 29:16: With current volatility, should we be booking all our flights ahead now? 30:30: Creating a 'couch' in economy: Brian's take on airlines' new cabin concepts 33:12: 5-star hotels, cruises and yachts: Where Brian sees the best value in luxury travel right now 35:10: Tips and tricks to make the most of your trip 38:31: Brian's biggest travel recommendation this summer 39:53: How US airlines compare to those abroad 42:04: How Brian's son Cooper became the youngest person to ever visit all 7 continents 45:07: Long-term view: Brian's end game 47:01: Rapid-fire round Season 2 of Behind the Business is here, featuring the leaders of brands including Airbnb, Rivian, NYSE, Canva, Samsung, Poppi, Peloton, Revolve, Lucid Motors, PHLUR, The Points Guy and Away. New episodes Thursdays. SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW: YouTube: https://bit.ly/YTBTB Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/3IFGuIA Spotify: https://bit.ly/SpotiBTB Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/4pPZZPp ️About Behind the Business Behind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How do you mentally prep for a big event? Or what’s a pinch-me moment you’ll never forget? In each episode, guests get into it all. Each episode also connects guests with audience members who send in a question. New episodes every Thursday. About Michelle Toh Michelle is an award-winning international journalist, most recently a longtime reporter at CNN. She's covered top stories in global business, including the chip and trade wars, world-leading IPOs, the corporate response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy crisis and China's property problems. Previously, she was with FORTUNE. She has reported for The New York Times, TIME and South China Morning Post. Find her on Instagram: / bymichelletoh TikTok: / behindthebusinessshow #Travel #Blogger #Entrepreneur #Startup #Founder #CEO #Leadership #CareerStory #CreatorEconomy #BusinessPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

  Poppi to PepsiCo: Building a $2B soda brand the industry couldn't ignore

  Jul 23, 202656 min

  Joining us this week is Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth, who takes us behind the rise of one of America's fastest-growing beverage brands — from a kitchen counter experiment to a nearly $2 billion acquisition by PepsiCo. In this conversation, we dive into: 00:00 Introduction 01:15: Growing up in a household of entrepreneurs, gaining confidence as a dancer and working cleaning bathrooms 03:28: Starting Poppi inside Allison's kitchen 05:11: The trial-and-error process 06:26: Allison's previous life working in oil and gas 07:31: Starting to sell at farmer's markets and being discovered by Whole Foods 08:49: Going all in— the truth behind the "overnight success,” including at one point almost losing their home and selling both cars 12:44: Product breakthrough after Allison's co-founder husband snuck sugar in 15:04: Pitching on "Shark Tank" while nine months pregnant 23:16: The rebranding and relaunch as Poppi 29:39: "Embarrassment is the most under-explored emotion when it comes to success" 30:45: The "black ops" budget/ playbook that helped Poppi stand out in one of the world's most competitive industries 33:05: Why Poppi gave equity to employees, advisors and ambassadors like Alix Earle — and how it actually fueled the company's growth 36:59: The rise of prebiotic sodas and competition like Olipop 40:55: Landing the PepsiCo deal — a landmark sale that underscored the rise of challenger brands in consumer goods 43:43: The emotional reality of handing over the company she and her husband built 44:15: What's next for Allison 47:36: Audience question 48:57: Rapid-fire round Season 2 of Behind the Business is here, featuring the leaders of brands including Airbnb, Rivian, NYSE, Canva, Samsung, Poppi, Peloton, Revolve, Lucid Motors, PHLUR, The Points Guy and Away. New episodes Thursdays. SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW: YouTube: https://bit.ly/YTBTB Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/3IFGuIA Spotify: https://bit.ly/SpotiBTB Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/4pPZZPp ️About Behind the Business Behind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How do you mentally prep for a big event? Or what’s a pinch-me moment you’ll never forget? In each episode, guests get into it all. Each episode also connects guests with young founders/ CEOs who send in a question. New episodes every Thursday. About Michelle Toh Michelle is an award-winning international journalist, most recently a longtime reporter at CNN. She's covered top stories in global business, including the chip and trade wars, world-leading IPOs, the corporate response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy crisis and China's property problems. Previously, she was with FORTUNE. She has reported for The New York Times, TIME and South China Morning Post. Find her on Instagram: / bymichelletoh TikTok: / behindthebusinessshow #Poppi #PepsiCo #Acquisition #Entrepreneur #Startup #Founder #CEO #Leadership #CareerStory #WomeninBusiness #FemaleFounder #BusinessPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  ListenShow Notes
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  Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

  Poppi to PepsiCo: Building a $2B soda brand the industry couldn't ignore

  Jul 23, 202656 minS0

  <p>Joining us this week is Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth, who takes us behind the rise of one of America's fastest-growing beverage brands — from a kitchen counter experiment to a nearly $2 billion acquisition by PepsiCo. In this conversation, we dive into: 00:00 Introduction 01:15: Growing up in a household of entrepreneurs, gaining confidence as a dancer and working cleaning bathrooms 03:28: Starting Poppi inside Allison's kitchen 05:11: The trial-and-error process 06:26: Allison's previous life working in oil and gas 07:31: Starting to sell at farmer's markets and being discovered by Whole Foods 08:49: Going all in— the truth behind the "overnight success,” including at one point almost losing...

  ListenShow Notes
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  Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

  Beyond EVs: Rivian founder & CEO RJ Scaringe on AI, robotics and the next big bet

  Jul 14, 20261h 3m

  Joining me this week is RJ Scaringe, founder & CEO of Rivian, the electric automaker backed by Amazon and Volkswagen. RJ has wanted to build cars for as long as he can remember — telling his father at age 10 that he hoped to one day start an automotive company. Years later, in 2009, he took the leap. There was "no money, no team, no technology, no suppliers, no brand and no production infrastructure," as he puts it. Now, as the company launches a new vehicle, doubles down on AI and autonomous driving, and charts a path to steady profitability, RJ takes us through the lessons from building an automaker from the ground up — and one of the world's most closely watched EV companies. In this conversation, we dive into: 00:00 Introduction 01:26: Early beginnings 07:06: Starting Rivian from a clean sheet in 2009, post-recession 12:31: Navigating skepticism and 'comically bad' investor meetings in the early days 16:04: Meeting Jeff Bezos and securing Amazon's investment 17:24: Entering the market with its first two vehicles, the R1T and R1S 21:57: Launch of the R2 this year 25:22: Near-term challenges: supply chain risks 31:19: Challenges in EV sector and RJ's outlook 33:35: Balancing Wall Street's short-term expectations with long-term vision 37:00: Rivian's intended path to steady profitability 38:42: Why Rivian developed its own AI chip 40:42: Self-driving vehicles 47:43: Teaming up with Volkswagen 48:20: RJ's new venture, Mind Robotics 52:27: Factory automation 53:47: RJ's end game 56:29: Rapid-fire round 🚀 Season 2 of Behind the Business is here, featuring the leaders of brands including Airbnb, Rivian, NYSE, Canva, Samsung, Poppi, Peloton, Revolve, Lucid Motors, PHLUR, The Points Guy and Away. New episodes Thursdays. 👇🏼 SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW: YouTube: https://bit.ly/YTBTB Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/3IFGuIA Spotify: https://bit.ly/SpotiBTB Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/4pPZZPp 🎙️About Behind the Business Behind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How do you mentally prep for a big event? Or what’s a pinch-me moment you’ll never forget? In each episode, guests get into it all. Each episode also connects guests with young founders/ CEOs who send in a question. New episodes every Thursday. About Michelle Toh Michelle is an award-winning international journalist, most recently a longtime reporter at CNN. She's covered top stories in global business, including the chip and trade wars, world-leading IPOs, the corporate response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy crisis and China's property problems. Previously, she was with FORTUNE. She has reported for The New York Times, TIME and South China Morning Post. Find her on Instagram: / bymichelletoh TikTok: / behindthebusinessshow #Autos #EVs #Entrepreneur #Startup #Founder #CEO #Leadership #AutonomousVehicles #SelfDrivingCars #Robotics #Mobility #Manufacturing #SupplyChain #WallStreet #AI #Technology #CareerStory #BusinessPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  ListenShow Notes
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  Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

  Beyond EVs: Rivian founder & CEO RJ Scaringe on AI, robotics and the next big bet

  Jul 14, 20261h 3mS0

  <p>Joining me this week is RJ Scaringe, founder & CEO of Rivian, the electric automaker backed by Amazon and Volkswagen. RJ has wanted to build cars for as long as he can remember — telling his father at age 10 that he hoped to one day start an automotive company. Years later, in 2009, he took the leap. There was "no money, no team, no technology, no suppliers, no brand and no production infrastructure," as he puts it. Now, as the company launches a new vehicle, doubles down on AI and autonomous driving, and charts a path to steady profitability, RJ takes us th...

  ListenShow Notes

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