Luck and Learning: A Conversation with Mitchell Petersen
"If I learned nothing this quarter, that’s a failed quarter." — Professor Mitchell Petersen, Kellogg School of Management
On the latest episode of Authentalk’s Public Speaking Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with one of my personal mentors: Professor Mitchell Petersen.
He's the Glen Vasel Professor of Finance at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, a decorated teacher, and a walking masterclass in humility.
We talked about fear, teaching, luck, and what it really means to communicate with adults.
Here are a few takeaways I haven’t stopped thinking about.
1. Fear is Real. So Is Growth.
Early in the conversation, I asked why Professor Petersen ends his Fin 3 course with a heartfelt reminder that “life doesn’t go the way we expect it to.” His answer wove together personal reflection and classroom design.
“When you're in a finance class and it's not your domain, you go, ‘I literally have no idea.’ And that fear—if we don’t name it—can paralyze growth.”
He uses his own stories of failure, luck, and vulnerability to set a tone: being wrong is allowed.
2. Teaching Is Stand-Up Comedy (But With Equations)
Petersen described his teaching approach as “workshopped” the same way a comedian like George Carlin refined his material—testing lines, tracking reactions, and adjusting over time.
“If a throwaway joke gets a laugh or a moment of silence gets hands raised, I take note. Structure is 30% content and 70% delivery.”
He’s turned things like themed neckties and cold-calling protocols into rituals that reinforce classroom engagement. A tie might feature a tax code during a tax case or the Rosetta Stone to remind students how confusing finance can feel until you find the right key.
3. Stop Talking. Let Them Teach.
One of the most powerful insights came when he explained how his style evolved from delivering answers to hosting discussions.
“If I stop talking, someone usually raises their hand. And when one person does that, twelve others realize they had no idea either.”
Petersen lets students “keep talking” to surface different perspectives, examples, or even better ways to explain the material than the one he offered.
“Sometimes your students teach you how to teach.”
4. Laptops, AI, and the Future of Learning
We talked about the shift in higher education: more tech, more doubt, more complexity. Petersen doesn’t ban laptops. He treats them as tools. When AI entered the conversation, his take was refreshingly humble:
“I used to think I had to know all the facts. That’s no longer the job. Now it’s about helping students contextualize facts. Facts are everywhere. Wisdom isn't.”
He encourages students to use AI, but to document their process and reflect on it. Because in the end, it’s about how we learn and how we grow.
5. From Lecturer to Learner
Perhaps the most beautiful insight came at the end:
“The secret of faculty is not that they came here to teach. They came here to learn.”
This is a man who’s won more teaching awards than I can count. And yet, every quarter, he enters the classroom hoping to learn from his students just as much as he hopes they’ll learn from him.
That, to me, is the heart of powerful public speaking.
🔗 Want to Speak Like This?
If Professor Petersen’s philosophy resonated with you, I invite you to join the 30-Day Speaking Mastery Intensive from Authentalk. It’s designed for smart professionals who want to:
✅ Speak clearly under pressure
✅ Build TED-style talks with confidence
✅ Deliver business pitches that actually land
✅ Stop being afraid of silence, questions, or their own voice
The program combines personal coaching, practical drills, and weekly workshops.
To Professor Petersen: thank you. You teach us what it means to lead with generosity, structure, and curiosity.
To everyone else reading: let’s keep learning.
