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PODCAST

The Pre-Made Podcast

Matthew C Collins

In this podcast, you"ll hear stories primarily from my Amherst College Class of 1994 classmates as we reflect on life 30+ years removed from graduation day. What have we been up to all these years? How has Amherst and a liberal arts education impacted our lives? What college memories have stayed with us? How are we thinking about the next 20 years?

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All Episodes

58:00

Ana-Claire Meyer Finds Meaning in Medicine By Going...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/06/26

Early on in this project, a close friend told me that he hoped I'd interview Ana-Claire Meyer. Now I know why. Take a listen, and you will, too.AC's professional and personal journeys are marked by curiosity, humility, and an eagerness to tackle big problems. After graduating from Amherst College, she held a variety of different jobs, but HIV test counseling piqued her interest enough to propel her to medical school. She studied neuroinfectious diseases, earned a Fulbright scholarship that took

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44:30

Maki Uchiyama Realized Everything Would Be Okay

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/06/20

Maki Uchiyama grew up as an only child in upstate New York, where her family’s Japanese restaurant functioned as both a business and a fourth member of the household. The experience left her with a certain set of skills—versatility, the ability to multitask, customer diplomacy, and, of course, how to cook. After graduating from Amherst College in 1994 with a degree in political science, Maki joined the Japan Foundation, eventually pivoting to law school and a fulfilling career in real estate

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43:20

Sean Gibbon Is A Storytelling Talking Ball Machine

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/06/05

Sean Gibbon lives a dual life. He has one foot planted firmly on the squash court, where he teaches the game, and the other in the imaginative realm of fiction writing.In this episode, we explore Sean’s journey from Amherst to professional squash coach, or what he playfully refers to as a talking ball machine. By that, he means the way he coaches towards experiencing the game fully versus preparing for elite competition. That vocation has given him the freedom and fuel to pursue a deep, deliberate

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67:30

Dr. Bob “Buck” Tashjian Makes His Mark In Medicine,...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/05/29

It's time to catch up with Dr. Bob “Buck” Tashjian, a leading orthopedic surgeon and researcher specializing in shoulder and elbow surgery at the University of Utah. Buck’s journey to medicine was anything but linear. Despite achieving academic and athletic excellence at Amherst College, he faced a major setback when he was initially rejected from all the medical schools he applied to. What followed was a year of physical labor, soul-searching, and a well-earned admission to Tufts School of

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51:54

Ed Castillo Is Not Your Average...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/05/22

Ed Castillo’s post-Amherst path might be one of the most uniquely purposeful stories you’ll hear from our classmates. In this episode, we follow his journey from a philosophy major at Amherst to advertising Chief Strategy Officer - and registering and acting as a foreign agent. He may not drive an Aston Martin and pack a Walther PPK, but the man loves words and has a very spicey take on reading that will get you thinking.Highlights from our conversation: 🧠 Why Ed pursued philosophy not despite,

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44:24

Nate Smith Missed His Exit But Found His Way

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/04/21

Nate Smith's post-Amherst journey literally reads like an epic. At the age of 26, he got in his car after work one day at the school where he had been teaching and kept on driving, never to return to the job. Instead, he embarked on a life-changing, sometimes harrowing road trip all the way from Maryland to Central America, living out of his car and taking odd jobs to survive.His journey reached a turning point when he had to sell his car and found himself homeless in Panama. With the help of the

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58:10

Brian Shactman Finds His Voice – And Amplifies Voices...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/04/14

Brian Schactman in many ways has become the voice of Connecticut. As a co-host of a morning radio talk show, he travels the state to meet residents of interest and explore the topics that animate the 169 towns and cities that call Connecticut home. Having listened to his stuff, I can tell you that he's awfully good at what he does. Thankfully, streaming makes it possible for anyone to listen to him, so I'll include a link to do just that in the notes below. Our candid conversation covers his

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55:15

Luke Ryan Comforts The Afflicted – And Sometimes...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/03/31

Luke Ryan is a fifth-generation Northampton resident and defense attorney. In his line of work, he often finds himself shepherding clients through their lowest moments. But it also has required that he pursue people in positions of authority who have committed wrongs and attempted to cover them up.Nowhere is this dynamic more apparent than in his work to expose crime lab misconduct in Western Massachusetts in a quest to seek justice for his clients, a quest that Netflix brought to life in the

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53:59

Andy Ward Shows How He Edits Some Of The Most Beloved...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/03/24

Josh Hamermesh asked, and boy, did Andy Ward deliver. In this episode, Andy, the Executive Vice President and Publisher of Random House, takes us deep into how he edits books written by some of our finest authors. In this episode, you'll learn: How Andy's father shaped his writing and editing skills. His intricate process of editing, emphasizing both detailed line edits and broader feedback. (Plus, the unlikely place where he does some of his best work.) How he approaches having tough

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57:57

Ben Batory Gives A Master Class On Building A Winning...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/03/18

Ben Batory, an Amherst College classmate of mine who played professional basketball in Costa Rica, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Malta, Switzerland, and Mauritius, has taken an unconventional path to Wall Street. Today, Ben is SVP and Head of Trading at Franklin Equity Group, but in this conversation, he talks mostly about his role as Boys Basketball Program Director and Varsity Head Coach at Menlo School in Atherton, California. As you'll hear, Ben has made himself a student and

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51:08

Lee Maicon Sees A 1994 Revolution in Advertising

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/03/10

Lee Macon has worked in advertising through arguably its greatest transformations. He began at the dawn of the consumer internet, navigated the shift to social media, and now is helping clients figure out AI. As the Chief Strategy Officer at the Community, a global creative agency, Lee oversees strategic efforts for major clients like Verizon, Netflix, and Porsche. When he's not helping his clients grow, Lee is a dedicated father, navigating the challenges of parenting across different

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42:54

Jim Confalone Goes From Art School to Business Cool

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/03/05

Jim Confalone's journey from fine arts to founding a successful B2B marketing firm is marked by tragedy and a timely eye for opportunity.Jim, the founder of B2B marketing agency Modicum, shares the evolution of his career, from his initial passion for painting to servicing blue chip clients like Google and Qualcomm. Modicum specializes in creating powerful visual designs that help businesses make distinctive and lasting impressions on their customers, especially at big product launch events. His

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47:23

Vicky Levy, Part 1: Survivor

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/02/24

Vicky Levy’s story is so compelling that one episode of this podcast can't contain it all.In Part 1 of her extraordinary story, she touches on her journey into life sciences and her current role as Global Life Sciences and Healthcare Industry Leader at Deloitte. But her reason for staying in life sciences and healthcare is even more profound than her reasons for pursuing the industry in the first place. You see, Vicky is a cancer survivor. As luck would have it, her diagnosis occurred at just

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54:39

Inger-Lise Schwab Reflects On Life, Work, And...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/01/31

The Amherst Class of 1994 diaspora has expanded all over the world, including to Norway. That's where we find Inger-Lise Schwab representing the Purple and White.In this episode, she shares thoughts on how to combat sunlight deprivation, the distinctions between the elite colleges and universities in the United States and the more egalitarian Norwegian system of higher education, and lots and lots of Amherst College memories, many of them dripping with mischief. Oh, and she's the only classmate

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62:37

Josh Hamermesh Transformed Near-Tragedy Into Living...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2025/01/24

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I want to spend the next 20 years of my life. How should I dedicate my time, which is more precious to me than it ever has been? My Amherst College classmate Josh Hamermesh has asked and answered this big question for himself, and the results he has achieved have me feeling more optimistic about my own future. After graduating from Amherst in 1994, Josh played professional basketball in Israel, went to work in consulting, and earned his MBA from Harvard

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45:08

Fernanda Bressan’s Mission: Help Her Clients Get Unstuck

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2024/12/30

As you prepare to ring in the New Year, you might be asking, in 2025, how can I achieve a better alignment with my family, career, and especially myself?This episode just might help you answer that question. Join me as I chat with my Amherst College classmate Fernanda Bressan (nee Soicher), a business coach who is an expert in helping clients get unstuck in any aspect of their lives. In this episode, you'll learn: Why it's so hard to achieve work-life balance - and what's better to pursue

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51:31

Hector Garcia Encourages His Students To Silence...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2024/11/04

Put down your phone. Pick up a real book, and give yourself time to think deeply.That's the message of this episode's guest, my Amherst College classmate Hector Garcia. Don't mistake his perspective for a desperate clinging to a fading past, though. This guy loves to teach young minds at Loyola University Chicago, and he never stops innovating through course design. Along the way, he reminds his students - and us - that there's a great big world to explore. We can't engage it meaningfully if we

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Susan Antebi Studies The Legacy Of Eugenics in Modern...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2024/09/20

Susan Antebi has built a career based on both the depth and breadth of her fascinating interests. In recording this episode, she taught me so much about things I had never considered.Susan is Professor of Latin American literature at the University of Toronto. Much of her award-winning writing and research focuses on ways the disabled or abnormal are depicted in Mexican culture. She traces some of these depictions to the eugenics movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I know a bit

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Anibal Martinez May Not Travel The World, But The...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2024/09/09

Raised by a single dad in the Bronx, Anibal Martinez developed an eagerness to see the world at an early age. Anibal studied abroad not once but twice during his four years at Amherst College. He served in the Peace Corps in Papua New Guinea. Before enrolling in law school, he worked as a flight […]

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Yutaka Tamura, Owen Stearns, & Seth Reynolds On The...

The Pre-Made Podcast ·

2024/08/26

In a Pre-Made Podcast first, I have not one but three guests. They were Amherst College classmates who became colleagues in the creation of a charter school, and they have a remarkable story to tell.Yutaka Tamura (Amherst Class of 1994) founded Excel Academy in 2003. He recruited classmates Owen Stearns and Seth Reynolds to join him on his board. Serving primarily lower-income households in East Boston, Excel nearly collapsed after its first year. This episode reveals not only how and why Yutaka

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69 results

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