Hyphen Nation with Dave Lu

Caroline Tsay - Demystifying Corporate Boards

In this episode of Hyphen Nation, Dave sits down with Caroline Tsay—Silicon Valley operator-turned-entrepreneur and board director who has served on four public company boards, including The Coca-Cola Company and Morningstar—to demystify what it actually takes to land a corporate board seat. Caroline breaks down the biggest myths (like “you must be a CEO to qualify”), and explains how her first board opportunity came not from a recruiter, but from building visibility outside her day job—speaking on panels, getting known for a clear point of view, and making her expertise legible to decision-makers. You’ll learn what boards really focus on—CEO succession, strategy, capital allocation, and risk—how board seats are commonly filled (often not through search firms), and why serving on a board is a long-term commitment where fit and governance dynamics matter as much as credentials. Caroline also shares hard-earned lessons from navigating activist shareholders, founder-controlled environments, and the fine line between giving oversight and getting too operational. If you’ve ever wondered how to position yourself for board service—especially as a woman, person of color, or “non-traditional” candidate—this conversation is a practical, behind-the-scenes playbook on how the game is played and how to start playing it.

Domee Shi - The Secret to Storytelling

Pixar director and Oscar winner Domee Shi joins Dave to share her journey from drawing anime in Toronto to becoming Vice President of Creative at Pixar. Domee opens up about the real inspirations behind Bao and Turning Red, why good storytelling requires emotional vulnerability, and how a side project changed her entire career. She also takes us inside Pixar’s story process, from pitching boards with sound effects to learning from legends like Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen. She shares what it was like to become the first woman of color to ever win an Academy Award for Animated Short and the first woman to direct a short film and feature film at Pixar. A must-listen for creatives, storytellers, and anyone navigating identity, ambition, and family expectations.

Vicky Tsai - Overcoming Trauma and Finding Your Voice

Founder and CEO of Tatcha Beauty Vicky Tsai joins Hyphen Nation for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had yet. Vicky opens up about her childhood in Texas, the racism and sexism she endured across Wall Street and corporate America, and the personal trauma that shaped her path. She also shares the origins of Tatcha—from a stressful career that triggered acute dermatitis to rediscovering healing, purpose, and Japanese skincare traditions. This is a story of resilience, identity, and reclaiming power—and a reminder that we don’t have to stay small anymore.

Faye Iosotaluno - Climbing the Corporate Ladder to the Top

Former Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno joins Dave to talk about her unlikely path from growing up in West Covina to leading one of the world’s biggest tech brands. She shares her family’s immigrant story, her dual finance and English background at Penn, and the career leaps that took her from Merrill Lynch to Viacom, SoundCloud, and ultimately the CEO seat at Tinder. Faye opens up about navigating male-dominated industries, learning to speak up, building products that serve women, and the responsibility of being one of the very few Asian American women to lead at the highest levels of tech.

Manny Maceda - King of Consultants

In this episode, I sit down with Manny Maceda, the former Worldwide Managing Partner and CEO of Bain & Company, and now Chair of the firm. Manny’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and leadership across cultures. Born in Boston and raised in the Philippines under a dictatorship, Manny’s family fled to the U.S. after his father, then a senator, was forced into exile. What began as a visit to see his father turned into a lifelong journey in America that led him from Illinois Tech to MIT and, eventually, a 37-year career at Bain. We talk about how his early experiences shaped his empathy and adaptability, his path from a young immigrant engineer to the first Asian leader of Bain, and how he’s helped transform the company into a $6 billion global firm while keeping its culture of mentorship, diversity, and purpose at the core. Manny shares lessons on leading through transformation, building inclusive teams, and why culture, not strategy, is the most sustainable competitive advantage. We also discuss his remarkable encounters, from nearly derailing Jack Welch’s MIT speech (and ending up at lunch with him the next week) to navigating racial barriers in corporate America and staying grounded through mentorship and family. It’s a powerful conversation about leadership, identity, and giving back, both to the next generation and to the countries that shaped us.