To Dine For with Kate Sullivan

Actor, director, and television host LeVar Burton is best known for his roles as George La Forge in Star Trek and Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots, as well as the host of Reading Rainbow. From a table at his favorite restaurant Mistral, LeVar shares the journey to act, direct, and write his way to his unique purpose and shares how his goals changed and his vision for his future career.

Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her home and held captive for nine months at fourteen. Her horrific experience led her to create the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. She is a child safety advocate and passionate activist, supporting the Adam Walsh Act, the Amber Alert system and sexual predator legislation. Elizabeth shares her incredible journey at her favorite restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ron Finley, master gardener and Founder of The Ron Finley Project, a gardening training facility. Ron believes all life lessons can be learned from gardening and spending time in the garden. Over the flavors of a hearty soul food meal in South Los Angeles at Alta, Ron shares the detour that became the defining trajectory of his life and how it helped him redefine his purpose.

Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer who survived a 2003 shark attack that left her with only one arm, was the subject of the documentary Unstoppable and now teaches classes on resilience, grit and goal-setting. Over the flavors of her favorite restaurant in Kauai, Bethany shares where this journey has taken her and how her unique “why” has changed recently.

Chris Voss teaches everyday tactics to win at negotiations in business and life. Over breakfast at his favorite diner in Arlington, Virginia, The Silver Diner, Chris shares the fascinating journey to become an expert in such a niche subject matter and “why” he hopes to share with others the hard-earned lessons, tactics and techniques he has learned from a life of public service.

Robert Reffkin started an online real-estate company to tackle some of the problems he saw his single-mother face daily as a realtor. In 2021, Compass went public making Robert one of the country’s youngest black billionaires. Over the flavors of Shabu Tatsu, Robert shares his purpose for disrupting the real estate industry and why his work will always be about helping people find their home.

In 2009, Reshma Saujani became the first Indian-American woman to run for Congress. Losing that race became the impetus for her next creation: Girls Who Code, after seeing firsthand how few opportunities there were for girls in computing. At The Well, Reshma shares her many obstacles on the way to success and what she feels she is uniquely poised to do in the next chapter of her life.

Lindsey Vonn is a World Champion alpine skier having won 82 World Cup championships and is considered one of the most decorated and winningest skiers of all time. At her favorite restaurant, Carbone Miami, Lindsey shares the psychology of a champion, her long and winding path in the world of skiing and how her purpose and mission has evolved into one of service through the Lindsey Vonn Foundation.

Simon Sinek is an eternal optimist, inspirational speaker and author of the critically acclaimed books “Start With Why”, “Infinite Game” and “Leaders Eat Last”. He is credited with creating an entirely new line of business: thought leadership. Simon shares his incredible journey to becoming one of the top thought leaders in American business and his vision to help a new generation.

Fawn Weaver is the CEO and Founder of Grant Sidney and Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and the first African-American woman to lead a major spirits brand that is also the only American spirits brand with an all-female executive team. At her favorite steakhouse, Bourbon Steak in Nashville, Fawn shares her roller-coaster ride to make history and create opportunities for thousands of others.