Office Hours
Business Edition
Office Hours are in session with former Wall Street Journal reporter and corporate executive Monica Langley. In this leadership podcast, Monica sits down for unfiltered conversations with the sharpest minds in business–CEOs, founders, and innovators– at the intersection of today’s top business trends and current events. These executive interviews reveal defining moments and hard-won lessons that have shaped their way to the top. Monica brings relentless curiosity into intimate conversations in this business podcast that are only possible because of her tenure as a trusted confidant to and chronicler of leaders of the world’s largest companies.
This photo of Monica Langley © 2025 by Jeremy Cowart is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Office Hours
Business Edition
Office Hours are in session with former Wall Street Journal reporter and corporate executive Monica Langley. In this leadership podcast, Monica sits down for unfiltered conversations with the sharpest minds in business–CEOs, founders, and innovators– at the intersection of today’s top business trends and current events. These executive interviews reveal defining moments and hard-won lessons that have shaped their way to the top. Monica brings relentless curiosity into intimate conversations in this business podcast that are only possible because of her tenure as a trusted confidant to and chronicler of leaders of the world’s largest companies.
This photo of Monica Langley © 2025 by Jeremy Cowart is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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Office Hours
Current Episode
In this episode of Office Hours: Business Edition, host Monica Langley sits down with leaders from some of America’s most recognizable institutions to tackle the questions shaping business in 2026. Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase shares his measured take on tariffs, geopolitics, and why the economy’s long cycles demand patience over panic. Jim Farley of Ford makes the case for supply chain as the most consequential discipline in modern business, tracing America’s deep and underappreciated reliance on China for rare earths, semiconductors, and battery materials. Scott Roe, the CEO of Tapestry, explains how the company blends AI-powered trend analysis with human creativity, describing what they call “magic and logic” as the engine behind a new era of fashion design. Donde Plowman, Chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, wrestles with how higher education can stop treating AI as a cheating problem and start treating it as a readiness one. Across every conversation, a common thread emerges: the leaders who will thrive are the ones who stay curious, move fast, and resist the urge to assume we already know how the game ends.
Office Hours
Previous Episode
In this episode, Monica sits down with Donde Plowman, Chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for an unfiltered conversation about leading one of the country’s most beloved universities through one of the most turbulent moments in higher education. Plowman shares her vision for UT as a modern land grant built on undergraduate excellence, high-impact research and championship athletics. She explains why flagship schools are uniquely positioned to restore public trust in college degrees and reflects on the viral letter that earned six billion social media engagements when she took a public stand against the NCAA over NIL enforcement. Donde shares how she thinks about integrity in an era of transfer portal chaos and sports betting and what she has learned about the gap between studying leadership and actually doing it.
Office Hours
Previous Episode
In this episode, Monica sits down with Dave Ramsey at Ramsey Solutions headquarters for an unfiltered conversation about transforming financial failure into a media empire reaching 18 million people weekly. The fellow UT alum reveals how losing everything at 28 became the foundation for his revolutionary approach to personal finance. Ramsey shares surprising findings from the largest millionaire study ever conducted, defends Gen Z against their critics, and explains why AI will create more millionaires than the internet. He also discusses his succession plan with son Daniel (another Haslam grad) now running 80% of operations, and why the American Dream is far from dead.
Office Hours
Previous Episode
In this episode, Monica sits down with Scott Roe, CFO and COO of Tapestry, for an unfiltered conversation about one of fashion’s most impressive brand turnarounds. Scott shares how Coach went from over-discounted mall staple to a Gen Z favorite, why selling on Amazon was a calculated risk, and how “magic plus logic” guides every decision. As a Haslam business grad who once swore off corporations, Scott reflects on lessons from a failed startup and a life-changing stint in Switzerland. He also reveals how the Coach playbook can fuel Kate Spade’s revival – and how it all traces back to a junior-year accounting class that changed his career path.
Office Hours
Previous Episode
Monica sits down with Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, for an unfiltered conversation about leading one of America’s most iconic companies. They discuss what it takes to run a $200 billion company with 180,000 people, why racing cars is still his “yoga” despite running a Fortune 20 company, and how his focus has transformed from loving cars to developing people. Jim opens up about his famous cousin, Chris Farley, and the addiction recovery center he built in his memory, the forever inspiration of his grandfather who worked in a Ford factory, and why Ford’s growing Dearborn campus remains ground zero for America’s car company after 120 years.
Youtube video link for Jim Farley episode
Office Hours
Previous Episode
In this episode, Monica sits down with Caryn Seidman Becker, CEO of CLEAR, for an unfiltered conversation about building a trusted platform for identity verification with cutting edge technology in travel, workforce, and healthcare. They discuss the moments that matter—taking calculated risks, recovering from setbacks, and why the best leaders never stop learning.
Office Hours
Previous Episode
In this episode, Monica sits down for a rare 1:1 with Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, for an unfiltered conversation. As the leader of the world’s largest bank, Jamie opens up about managing in the midst of geopolitical and economic challenges, getting fired at Citigroup and being jobless for a year, and facing death two times. This is Office Hours at its finest: personal, revealing, and packed with insights you won’t find in any corporate report or business textbook.
What is Office Hours: Business Edition?
Pull up a chair for conversations that go beyond the boardroom.
Office Hours: Business Edition brings you inside the kinds of conversations that usually happen behind closed doors. Hosted by former Wall Street Journal reporter and corporate executive Monica Langley, this leadership podcast features unfiltered discussions with the sharpest minds in business including CEOs, founders, athletes, and innovators who are shaping today’s business landscape.
These aren’t typical interviews. Drawing on decades of trusted relationships with the world’s top leaders, Monica creates a space where guests reveal the defining moments, hard-won lessons, and personal experiences that shaped their rise to the top. From pivotal career decisions to unexpected setbacks, from breakthrough innovations to moments of doubt, these conversations capture the human side of leadership.
Whether you’re a student, an aspiring executive, or a seasoned leader, Office Hours delivers accessible wisdom and real insights that resonate far beyond job titles. Each episode explores not just how leaders succeed, but who they are when no one’s watching.
Office Hours: Business Edition is proudly produced by the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Interested in appearing on Office Hours: Business Edition? Send guest submissions to OfficeHours@utk.edu.
Who is Monica Langley?
Monica Langley approaches every conversation with relentless curiosity, candor, and a deep desire to uncover what truly matters, honed over a four-decade career as a journalist, NYT bestselling author and corporate executive. Known for chasing the full story, she digs beneath the surface to uncover not just what someone has done, but who they are and why it matters. Monica listens intently, builds deep trust, and asks the smart, unexpected questions that prompt guests to reveal the decisions, emotions, and values behind their defining moments. Whether she is talking to a CEO, athlete, or entrepreneur, she creates a space where leaders feel safe to reflect, open up, and share the personal experiences that have shaped them. These conversations are revealing, real, and grounded in deep personal relationships that set Monica apart.
Who is Monica Langley?
Monica Langley approaches every conversation with relentless curiosity, candor, and a deep desire to uncover what truly matters, honed over a four-decade career as a journalist, NYT bestselling author and corporate executive. Known for chasing the full story, she digs beneath the surface to uncover not just what someone has done, but who they are and why it matters. Monica listens intently, builds deep trust, and asks the smart, unexpected questions that prompt guests to reveal the decisions, emotions, and values behind their defining moments. Whether she is talking to a CEO, athlete, or entrepreneur, she creates a space where leaders feel safe to reflect, open up, and share the personal experiences that have shaped them. These conversations are revealing, real, and grounded in deep personal relationships that set Monica apart.