Winning conversations with the men who built their success the right way.
Built to Win, hosted by Seth Irby, sits down with Sigma Phi Epsilon's most accomplished alumni — Fortune 500 CEOs, industry pioneers, and world-renowned physicians — for the real stories and real playbooks behind elite success.
Guests include Bob Eckert (former CEO of Mattel and Kraft Foods), Terry Lundgren (former Chairman & CEO of Macy's), Jeff Henley (Vice Chairman of Oracle), Dr. Jay Harness (internationally recognized breast cancer surgeon), and more.
The Macy's CEO Who Almost Didn't Finish College | Built To Win - Terry Lundgren
His father called the fraternity house, read him his report card, and cut him off. Terry Lundgren told his dad he was ruining his life. His dad answered, "Son, if that's how you feel, it's you who's ruining your life, not me." Then he hung up.Terry calls it the single best thing that ever happened to him. He took a job cracking oysters, worked full time through school, and graduated with straight A's.From there he started as a trainee at Bullock's in 1975. At 35 he lost a division presidency and found out from a reporter. At 37 he became the first CEO of Neiman Marcus not named Neiman or Marcus. He went on to lead Macy's for 14 years, with 140,000 employees, $26 billion in annual sales, and a parade the whole country watches on Thanksgiving.In this episode Terry talks about the phone call that redirected his life and why he held onto SigEp when his back was against the wall. He tells how he won over Stanley Marcus after Marcus refused to shake his hand. He also covers the one thing he would do over at Macy's.His best advice for anyone starting out: bloom where you're planted. Do the job better than anyone has ever done it, and people will notice.Once you know how long the intro and hook run, I can add the chapter timestamps to the end of the description.
3 Sept 2026
The Doctor Who Got Booed for Being Right | Built To Win - Dr. Jay Harness
They almost booed him off the podium. He was right.
Dr. Jay Harness built four breast cancer centers, led three surgical societies, and earned a national award for changing the standard of care. Then he decided his career wasn't finished.
He is now fighting to make exercise standard treatment for every cancer patient on earth. The data is staggering. A landmark trial showed 37% improved survival in colon cancer patients who exercised for three years after diagnosis. Australia already treats it as standard care. The US has not caught up.
Jay talks about being a zoology major who found medicine by accident, what it actually costs to be years ahead of your own profession, and why the values he was handed at 19 turned out to be the ones he would spend a lifetime proving.
6 Aug 2026
He Never Asked for a Promotion and became Vice Chairman of Oracle | Built to Win - Jeff Henley
He was raised by a single mom, paid his own way through college on veterans benefits, and got into UC Santa Barbara as a backup school. He'd go on to help build Oracle into one of the most influential technology companies on earth.Jeff Henley spent 35 years at Oracle, joining in 1991 as CFO when the company was in trouble and its stock had fallen 80%. The stock has since gone up 400 times since his arrival.In this episode, Jeff opens up about the loss that shaped his entire life, why he decided to outwork everyone in the room, the reason he never once asked for a raise or a promotion, and the advice he'd give any young professional trying to build a career in the age of AI.Plus: why the Vice Chairman of Oracle says he'd go back and do college all over again as a SigEp.
16 Jul 2026
From Cleaning Toilets to Running Mattel & Kraft | Built to Win - Bob Eckert
He started at 15 cleaning toilets in Elmhurst, Illinois. He ended up running two of the most iconic companies in American life.
Bob Eckert spent 23 years climbing Kraft Foods to become CEO of the largest packaged food company in North America — then walked away to take over Mattel, a company losing $1 million in cash a day, in an industry he'd never worked in. Eleven years later, he'd delivered over $8 billion in cash flow and proved something every ambitious person needs to hear: your industry doesn't own you. Your principles do.
In this episode, Bob opens up about the night he pulled over on the side of the road wondering if he could do the job, the $3.4 billion acquisition that sold for $50 million a year later, the leadership philosophy he built in the employee cafeteria, and the one principle that carried him through two completely different industries.
Plus: the brotherhood that started it all — including a 50-year friendship with a fellow Arizona Beta SigEp you might recognize from Macy's.
14 Jul 2026
Built to Win — Official Trailer
Every fraternity talks about its most successful alumni. Almost nobody actually gets to talk to them. Built to Win changes that. Fortune 500 CEOs. Industry pioneers. A world-renowned cancer surgeon. All SigEps. For the first time, they're opening up about where they came from, what it cost, and the principles that built their success.Hosted by Seth Irby, Built to Win sits down with Sigma Phi Epsilon's most accomplished alumni for the real stories and real playbooks behind elite success. These aren't highlight reels, they're winning conversations with the men who built their success the right way.Featuring:Bob Eckert — Former CEO, Mattel & Kraft FoodsTerry Lundgren — Former Chairman & CEO, Macy'sJeff Henley — Vice Chairman, OracleDr. Jay Harness — Internationally recognized breast cancer surgeon🎙️ Episode 1: Bob Eckert. Coming soon.Subscribe so you don't miss it. Keep learning. Keep building. Keep winning.Hosted by Seth Irby. #BuiltToWin #SigEp #Podcast
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