KQED's Perspectives

As a kid, Troy Carter dreamed of being a rapper, but soon discovered he was a better manager than a musician. He took Lady Gaga from obscurity to stardom – helping shape both her music and her brand. Then he turned his gift for spotting talent to spotting investment opportunities with his company Atom Factory. PLUS, for our postscript "How You Built That," we check back with Robyn Gerber for an update on Parkarr, a mobile app that helps drivers find street-parking.

In the 1960s, Bob Moore read a book about an old grain mill and was inspired to start his own. Using giant quartz stones from the 19th century, he made dozens of different cereals and flours, positioning his company at the forefront of the health food boom. Today, Bob's Red Mill has grown into a $100 million business – and at nearly 90, Bob goes to work at the mill every day. PLUS, for our postscript, "How You Built That," how Mike Bolos and Jason Grohowski created the portable desk, Deskview.

If the news is driving you crazy, Jane Anne Staw recommends a small investment in your mental health.

Richard Friedlander says our obsession with wealth is impoverishing us.

Marilyn Englander uses nontraditional methods to teach importance lessons.

Barbara Corcoran grew up in a working-class Irish Catholic family in Jersey – with nine brothers and sisters. But she used her charisma to conquer the streets of Manhattan and build the real estate company, The Corcoran Group. She then reinvented herself as a shark – on Shark Tank. PLUS, for our postscript "How You Built That," we check back with Aryel Rivero and Vanessa Clavijo for an update on their business, Gift Wrap My Face, which designs and prints custom gift wrapping featuring the faces of people you love. (Original broadcast date: April 24, 2017)

No matter how much Peipei Zhou’s mother sacrificed for her, she worried it wasn’t enough.

Youth Radio’s Andrea Jiménez is her Salvadoran parents’ American Dream.

When did ‘absolutely’ become the default answer to most any question? Ali Shah explores what’s going on here, absolutely.

Sandhya Acharya has many histories and identities but they all add up to one thing – she’s fully American.

Les Bloch finds that people can be amazingly wonderful, after all.

Brothers Patrick and John Collison founded and sold their first company before they turned 20. They created software to help eBay users manage inventory online, which set them on a path to help make e-commerce frictionless. Today, John and Patrick are the founders of Stripe, a software company that uses just a few lines of code to power the payment system of companies like Lyft, Warby Parker and Target. Plus, for our postscript "How You Built That," how Robert Armstrong turned his grandma's cookie recipe into "G Mommas," buttery, bite-sized pecan-chocolate-chip cookies that are now sold in stores across the Southeast U.S.

Can plants talk to us? Lane Parker says science fact is meeting science fiction.

Herodotus said, ‘Of all the possessions a friend is the most precious.’ Richard Swerdlow agrees.

Debbie Duncan finds a technique used to improve railroad safety in Japan is pretty helpful for every-day forgetfulness.