Nate DaPore, founder and managing partner of Roo Capital, joins Jody and Morgan to share how he built a venture firm centered on talent, conviction, and a “who not how” mindset. He explains how his firm blends investing with in-house recruiting to create real value for founders, and why surrounding yourself with the right people is the ultimate advantage in today’s market.

The conversation also explores how AI is reshaping venture and why proprietary data and strong teams still win. On a personal level, Nate opens up about the systems he and his husband use to stay grounded—like annual themes and solo retreats—while managing a demanding travel schedule and building a life together.

It’s a candid look at scaling a firm, building a life, and staying anchored in what matters most.

What happens when biotech, spirituality, and real life collide? You get Rabbi Brian.

In this episode, Morgan and Jody sit down with Brian Denker—conference leader at BioCentury and a rabbi serving interfaith and modern families—for a conversation that goes well beyond a typical career path. After a deeply personal rejection when trying to get married, Brian made an unexpected decision: he became the rabbi he couldn’t find.

Now, he operates in two worlds—helping build global biotech communities focused on advancing patient care, while also guiding people through some of life’s most meaningful and vulnerable moments. At the center of both is the same idea: showing up for people in a real, human way.

The conversation touches on interfaith families, the evolving role of religion, leadership through humility, and why relationships—not transactions—are what actually move things forward. It’s thoughtful, funny, and grounded, with a few unexpected moments along the way… including one very memorable sandwich story.

What does real wealth actually look like when you strip away the buzzwords?

In this episode, Morgan and Jody sit down with longtime friend and finance powerhouse Christine Leong Connors, co-founder and CEO of Verita Strategic Wealth Partners, for a conversation that goes far beyond money management. Christine breaks down what a modern multifamily office really does, why so many high-achieving individuals still lack a clear picture of their financial lives, and how strategy, technology, and trust come together to create real clarity.

But this episode is about more than balance sheets. Christine also talks about building a company from the ground up, leading with culture, navigating motherhood and marriage while running a fast-growing business, and why confidence, purpose, and self-love may be the most important forms of wealth of all.

This week Jody and Morgan sit down with Jan D'Alessandro, founder of Blue J Strategies and one of the driving forces behind Pledge 1%, the global movement encouraging companies to pledge equity, profit, product, or employee time for social impact.

Jan shares her path from big law to AOL, venture-backed startups, major exits, and purpose-driven advisory work. They dig into what a general counsel actually does inside a startup, why business-minded lawyers are so valuable, how deals really get done across Silicon Valley, New York, and LA, and why equity should never be treated casually.

They also talk about philanthropy in the startup world, the power of founder-led giving, and why this moment in San Francisco feels electric again with the rise of AI.

A sharp, funny, and insightful conversation about startups, law, leadership, and building businesses that matter.

LINK

More from J.Thelander Consulting: https://www.youtube.com/@morganthelander

In this episode of CapLander, Jody and Morgan turn the mic on themselves. With Morgan celebrating her 31st birthday (and expecting her first child), the two take a step back to share how their partnership—and their family business—actually works.

They talk about how Jody built J. Thelander Consulting nearly 30 years ago, how Morgan eventually joined the company, and what it’s really like to work side-by-side as mother and daughter. The conversation moves from family dynamics to entrepreneurship, the philosophy behind their work, and why they believe compensation data—and the context behind it—matters more than ever.

It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the personalities, standards, and occasional friction that power the Thelander ecosystem, including Thelander, CompLander, and CapLander. Along the way, they also talk about how the market is changing, how AI is influencing hiring and pay, and why working moms might just be the most efficient people in business.

Katie Stanton, Founder and Managing General Partner of Moxie Ventures, joins Jody and Morgan for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build—and back—early-stage companies in today’s market.

From her journey as a longtime Silicon Valley operator to launching Moxie in 2019, Katie shares why courage is at the core of entrepreneurship, what she believes venture capital gets wrong, and how she’s working to modernize the ecosystem. The episode closes with an honest look at building a firm while raising a family, the myth of work-life balance, and the power of surrounding yourself with people who push you to be better.

Insightful, practical, and refreshingly real—this is a conversation about venture capital, leadership, and the courage to build something meaningful.

From parking wars to the real work of creating value inside private equity portfolios, this episode is all about personal agency. Jody and Morgan sit down with Paul Press of Press & Associates, a trusted search partner to private equity firms building value creation and portfolio operations teams.

Paul breaks down what “value creation” actually means in PE today, how portfolio ops teams work, why emotional intelligence matters more than ever, and what compensation really looks like behind the scenes. Along the way, they dig into negotiation, carried interest, recruiting rockstars, and why waiting for permission is the fastest way to lose momentum.

In this episode, Jody and Morgan are joined by Lauren Makler, co-founder and CEO of Cofertility, a modern fertility company redefining family-building. Lauren shares how her background in tech prepared her to launch her own company, the inspiration behind Cofertility's first-of-its-kind egg sharing model, and what's ahead for the next generation of fertility and family planning.