The Art of Quality

Tracking the Invisible: Victor Wooten Reads Patterns in Music and Life

What if the most important aspects of quality can't be measured? 
Victor Wooten - legendary bassist, educator, and philosopher - joins us to explore how tracking animals taught him to see the invisible patterns that create excellence in music, teaching, and life.
Victor learned bass at age two. No rules. No corrections. Just freedom - the same way we learn to talk. Now a 5-time Grammy winner, he's discovered that the principles creating musical excellence apply everywhere: in organizations, in nature, in how we build things that last.
This conversation goes places you won't expect. Why does Victor spend weeks tracking animals in the wilderness? How did a stranger's wave from a bus window change his entire life? What does it mean that modern music has been "compressed from a foot deep to a quarter inch" - and why should leaders care?

Quality in Compounding with Laurence Endersen

Laurence Endersen is the Founder of Capstrive – an investment firm that strives to be Patient, Unconstrained, Rational and Equitable. He is also the author of three books: Pebbles of Perception, What Owen Didn’t Know, and The Compounder’s Element.
In this episode we discuss finding who you want to do life with…the call of capital markets…the role of writing in pursuing truth…migrating from cheap to quality stocks…cognitive strip mining…why a craftsperson always signs their work…Lar’s investment checklist…and much more.

Quality in Nature

In this experimental episode of The Art of Quality, co-hosts Paul Higgins, William Oliver, and John Candeto explore what business owners can learn from nature and natural systems to build enduring businesses and make smarter investments. Rooted in years of observation, the Quality x Nature deck—developed by Paul and forming the basis of this internal reflection—is linked here in the show notes: Quality in Nature Deck
 

Finding Quality Zigging When Others Zag with Drex Davis

Drex Davis is the former CEO and current Chief Financial Officer of Scrapbook.com, the leading ecommerce provider to papercrafting enthusiasts.
Drex is also the Investment Manager for his family's single family office that invests widely across asset classes.
In this episode we discuss The Art of Work (which is a book that no one can buy)…many ways to zig when others zag…how being a business manager makes one a better investor…and how being an investor makes one a better business manager.

Quality in Owning and Listening with Chris Poch

Chris Poch is the Founder of Promethium Advisors, which advises families of size and complexity, and manages wealth with a focus on family harmony and after-tax, compounded results. Promethium is the culmination of Chris’s 40 years of investment management experience and 25 years of planning.
In this episode we discuss why you never have to apologize for owning Quality, why people overweight easily observed data, the sacred art of listening, and much more. Those wishing to go deeper should look forward to Chris’s forthcoming book titled Money and Meaning: What I’ve Learned from Advising the Very Wealthy.

The Musical Quality of the Voice with Guillermo Rozenthuler

In this episode of The Art of Quality in Attention, William sits down with vocal artist and facilitator Guillermo Rozenthuler — founder of The Singing Village and a leading voice in the field of vocal improvisation, embodiment, and human connection.
In a conversation dedicated to the intelligence of sound and song, Guillermo and William explore how spontaneous music-making can deepen our sense of aliveness, relationally, and collective intelligence. They discuss the role of deep listening, playfulness, and presence in reclaiming our innate musicality — and how these capacities open up new possibilities for connection, transformation, and joy in both individual and communal life.

Quality in the Inner Game of Investing with Chris Mayer

In the first episode of The Art of Quality in Attention, William sat down with investor and author Chris Mayer — co-founder of Woodlock House Family Capital and author of 100-Baggers and How Do You Know?, among other titles.
In an episode dedicated to the inner game of investing, Chris and William spoke about how certain practices in Chris’ life have helped him develop a deep sense of equanimity in this work - something that has served him well in his pursuit of the truth about how great companies operate.

Quality in Trust with Bogumil Baranowski

Kicking off our Investment Series, we have the privilege of hosting Bogumil Baranowski, founder of Blue Infinitas Capital, author of Money, Life, and Family, and host of the Talking Billions podcast.
In this conversation, Bogumil explores the role of trust in the infinite game of investing, drawing from his experience managing wealth across generations. 
He illustrates that being a trusted advisor can sometimes feel like being a captain steering a ship through a storm—radiating calmness and trust in the strategy, even when knees might be shaking. Bogumil emphasizes the importance of a steady, long-term approach, especially during financial crises, because optimizing for survival outweighs the allure of risky short-term gains, particularly in the context of generational wealth.
Reflecting on his upbringing behind the Iron Curtain, Bogumil shares how it shaped his approach to wealth preservation. The discussion also delves into emotional intelligence, navigating difficult conversations, and the pursuit of quality in both investments and life, with lessons drawn from nature.

Quality in Long-Term Thinking with Luca Dellanna

In this episode, we are once again joined by Luca Dellanna, a management advisor and the author of 12 books on human behavior and management.
In our second conversation with Luca, we dive deep into the concepts from his book 'Winning Long-Term Games', exploring the application of long-term thinking, his concept of Maximum Reproducible Returns, and the balance between short-term performance and long-term risk.

Quality in Culture with Teresa Noonan

In this episode, we are joined by Teresa Noonan, founder of Lot No 68 and former Costco executive, to explore the power of company culture in driving long-term success. Teresa spent 32 years at Costco, where she played a key role in leadership development and worked closely with the legendary Jim Sinegal. 
 
Through personal stories—from starting as the only woman on an all-male night shift crew to rising through the ranks—Teresa shares firsthand insights into how Costco built a culture centered on respect, responsibility, and continuous improvement. We also discuss how businesses can create multi-party stakeholder win-wins by fostering people-first leadership and optimizing value chains.