A successful career, for many GSB graduates, means discovering purpose-driven work where they can make a positive impact in the world. That journey also includes the people they meet along the way — colleagues, friends, and collaborators who support each other. Aisa Aiyer, MBA ’05, would agree that her classmates have had a positive influence on her path to success. Aisa has held high-level executive positions for major technology brands such as Symantec, and most recently, as a product and tech director at Amazon, based in New York City. After many years excelling as a business leader, Aisa was ready for something different. Something that would allow her to use her tech-savvy to rekindle bonds she and her classmates made at the GSB.
In January 2025 — with their 20th class reunion approaching — Aisa and her friend Alexandra Charters Zubko, MBA ’05, launched a private podcast inviting classmates to share where life has taken them. With the reunion coming up and both women turning 50, they were “doing a lot of introspection and reflection on big questions,” Aisa says, recalling, “We can’t be the only people thinking through this, and we stumbled upon this idea to start talking to our classmates.” Together, they launched a podcast titled 50 Cups of Coffee, encouraging guests to be “honest, vulnerable, and most importantly, authentic,” Alex notes. What started as 10 conversations mushroomed into 50, with the co-hosts hoping to interview all 350 classmates.
“Our reunion was full of authenticity, connection, love, and support for each other,” says Lorri Elder Dyner, MBA ’05. “I believe we connected in such a deep way in large part due to this amazing podcast.” Topics range from career highs and lows to family and children or medical issues — whatever classmates care to share. “Aisa and Alex poured their heart and soul (and money and time) into this project, just so our class could collectively have the experience of a lifetime,” Lorri says. “Their efforts have proven transformative to our class and how we relate to each other. Honestly, because of their podcast, our class will never be the same.”
