Featured Media
TED TALK
What would happen to humanity if generosity went viral? Sharing transformative stories from around the world, head of TED Chris Anderson outlines why the time has come for the internet to realize its power to supercharge small acts of kindness, changing lives at a scale never experienced before. Learn how to cultivate a generous mindset — with or without giving money — and get inspired with tools to amplify your impact. "Be brave. Give what you can, and then be absolutely amazed at what happens next," Anderson says.
Podcasts
brené brown podcast
James Rhee on Kindness, Math, and the Power of Goodwill
This is a conversation about how a simple act of generosity can put someone on a new, groundbreaking course. I’m talking with James Rhee — acclaimed impact leader, entrepreneur, educator, investor, and goodwill strategist — about why kindness matters. He leads with a powerful combination of kindness and math and demonstrates how revenue doesn’t define our lives...
FIXABLE PODCAST
Why kindness is the secret to a successful business (w/ Master Fixer James Rhee)
Is kindness (and a little math) all it takes to save a company? James Rhee, professor of entrepreneurship, author, and impact investor, believes the answer is yes. He joins Anne and Frances to share lessons from his remarkable turnaround of Ashley Stewart — a retail company primarily serving Black, moderate income, plus size women — as a Korean American private equity investor who had never been a CEO before. Learn how deep respect for your employees can lead you to unprecedented success.
Simon sinek podcast
Kindness with James Rhee
What started out as a six month project to help a company avoid liquidation turned into a seven year passion filled with new friends, compassion, and lots of goodwill. And the results were profound. It turns out intangibles can be measured and kindness is good for business.
List of Services
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THE GREG MCKEOWN PODCAST
The Power of Radical Kindness in Modern Leadership: A Conversation with James Rhee (Part 1)
James and Greg delve into the themes of chaos and intuition, discussing how modern life’s overwhelming noise can obscure our innate wisdom and kindness. James eloquently shares how the metaphor of the "red helicopter" symbolizes pure acts of kindness and navigates us towards simplicity amidst chaos...
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GUY KAWASAKI'S REMARKABLE PEOPLE
James Rhee: The Power of Kindness in Business
James Rhee is no ordinary business leader; he is a former high school teacher turned private equity investor and author of the transformative book Red Helicopter. With a unique approach to leadership that blends math and management with emotions, James has navigated change and empowered individuals in remarkable ways.
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MOMS DON’T HAVE TIME TO READ BOOKS
Grief and the importance of embracing emotions in the workplace
James shares what he learned from his Korean immigrant parents and from the black women he worked with. He reflects on the challenges faced by Ashley Stewart, weaving in themes of race, gender, and systemic barriers.
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MENTALLY STRONGER WITH THERAPIST AMY MORIN
How Kindness, Goodwill, and a Little Math Can Lead to Real Success with Author James Rhee
Kindness isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength. But too many people worry that they'll be taken advantage of or that they'll finish last if they're kind.
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PASSION STRUCK WITH JOHN R. MILES
James Rhee on How You Lead Change Through Kindness
In this episode, James unpacks how kindness can be a catalyst for change in business and society, challenging traditional notions of success. Join us as we explore James Rhee’s unique perspective on leadership, human-centered values, and the profound impact of his book.
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COACHING FOR LEADERS WITH DAVE STACHOWIAK
An Invitation for Kindness in Leadership, with James Rhee
Bad news: leaders are often the ones who make the rules that prevent kindness. Good news: leaders are also the ones who can change the rules. In this conversation, James and I explore how leadership (and results) improve when kindness is at the center of our work.
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THE CHRIS VOSS SHOW
Is it possible to be successful and kind?
The insights and knowledge that Rhee imparts have been accumulated over decades of investing and leading at the highest levels of business. Drawing on this experience, he encourages us to trust the wisdom deep inside each of us.
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WHY KINDNESS?
Episode 17: James Rhee
James Rhee joins Jaclyn this week for an informative and intriguing discussion about his life, his novel 'red helicopter', and how kindness can shape the professional world.
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LIBERTY VENTURES PODCAST WITH ALEXANDER MCCOBIN
How to Connect Your Purpose with Your Business | James Rhee
We dive into the themes of truth, kindness, and purpose in entrepreneurship that drive James. James emphasizes the importance of finding your own "red helicopter" — that source of wisdom and truth, or belief system, that can guide your decisions. He recounts a powerful childhood experience that shaped his values, illustrating how embracing kindness alongside analytical thinking can transform not just businesses but also lives. We discuss how crucial agency and mutualism are in our work.
Articles
THE CONTINUUM
The Transformative Power of Embracing Agency and Purpose to Thrive in Life and Business
James Rhee, acclaimed CEO and Founder of red helicopter, explores the key elements of his operating system and reveals how individuals and organizations can harness this mental model to lead with intuition, steer their own path, and thrive amid complexity.
The New York Times
9 Mayors on What Divides America, and What Will Save It
Mayors described the national discourse as "broken", "garbage" and "horrible." But many found reassurance inside their own cities. Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong of Newport, R.I. says that a good book he's read recently is "red helicopter".
THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB
Why Kindness Creates Success
James Rhee teaches at Howard University as the Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship. He also holds appointments as a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and Duke Law School. He has spent most of his career outside of the classroom as a longtime entrepreneur and private equity investor, particularly in the consumer retail space. He had a transformative impact as CEO of the clothing brand Ashley Stewart.
Forbes
3 New Books By CEO Authors Reveal The ‘Myths Of Success’ And Other Leadership Secrets
If you aspire to be a CEO or leader of your regional area, department or team, who better to learn from than former CEOs? Three new books by CEO authors share advice on how to stand out in your career, build strong teams and businesses, and achieve professional success:
MIT SLOAN
New Leadership and Management Thinking From MIT Experts
A former high school teacher turned investor weaves together topics like behavioral science, economics, and corporate law, with the values of humanity.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE
How kindness can be scaled to improve company culture as well as prioritizing a work-home life balance
James Rhee, a best-selling author, impact entrepreneur, investor, educator, and former chairman and CEO of Ashley Stewart, will be the keynote presenter at AHF Live, Nov. 18 to 20, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Rhee will detail lessons from his book, “red helicopter—a parable for our times,” on how embracing kindness with a little math can help lead to positive changes at work and home.
The Dig
Howard University and PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship Close Entrepreneurship Week with Pitch Competition and Fireside Chat
The Howard University and PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship’s second annual entrepreneurship festival closed with a fireside chat featuring James Rhee, the John H. Johnson Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship, and Tina Byles Williams, founder, CEO and CIO of Xponance, a $17 billion asset management and investment firm.
NEW YORK POST
How to survive giving — and getting — negative feedback
James Rhee said that “Good feedback is truthful and well-intended. If delivered and received well, it prevents waste, whether of time, money, energy or focus. Even more so, it can create a new asset that is increasingly in short supply — namely, trust, which is the foundation for sustainable growth.”
MIT Sloan
How this CEO used ‘kindness and math’ to save his company
James Rhee is a high school teacher, turned private equity investor, turned CEO/entrepreneur, turned movement builder...
THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB
The Next Big Idea Club’s April 2024 Must-Read Books
A true story of triumph by award-winning business leader, impact investor, and educator James Rhee that will inspire and empower us to transform our lives and our businesses with the simple and yet powerful combination of kindness and math.
publishers weekly
The American Booksellers Association's Winter Institute 2024: All Our Coverage
The American Booksellers Association is bringing Winter Institute 2024 to Cincinnati, Sunday–Wednesday, February 11–14. Taking place at the Duke Energy Convention Center and the nearby Hyatt Regency Cincinnati Hotel, WI2024 will be four days of programming, schmoozing, and, of course, plentiful opportunities to meet more than 100 featured authors and grab as many ARCs as one can carry.
chase for busines
Chase for Business
"My name is James. I don’t have any retail operating experience. I’m not Black. I’m not a woman. And I don’t have a lot of Black friends." This was the gist of how James Rhee introduced himself on his first day as CEO of Ashley Stewart, a near-bankrupt retail clothing company catering to plus-size Black women.
FORBES
Accounting For Kindness
James Rhee is a high school teacher, turned private equity investor, turned CEO/entrepreneur, turned movement builder. Deeply shaped by his life experience as the son of immigrant Korean caregivers, James led the much-acclaimed reinvention of the company Ashley Stewart, with a unique focus on human relationships and community. He’s now on a quest to marry kindness and math to shape a more sustainable form of capitalism.
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
How I Brought Ashley Stewart Back from Bankruptcy
In 2013, Ashley Stewart was on the brink of bankruptcy — its second in a little over three years. Decades of operating losses and rampant turnover in both the employee base and ownership group had cemented a fearful culture. The fast-turning nature of the company’s inventory and the constant specter of insolvency undermined long-term investments and strategic planning.
Videos
CUNY TV
Fashion Edition 2024 - Asian American Life
James Rhee authored and led the shocking reinvention of Ashley Stewart by designing a system centered on agency and sampling from multiple cultures, including his Korean heritage.
abc news
This Unlikely Investor Saved a Plus-size Fashion Retailer
James Rhee is not the person you’d expect to be the driving force behind the revival of America’s largest plus-size, retail chain for African-American women.
Redwood Library & Athenaeum
Fireside Chat: James Rhee's "Red Helicopter" ft. Mayor Xay Hosted by The Redwood Library
A conversation between Mayor Xaykham Rexford Khamsyvoravong of Newport, RI and James at the Redwood Library & Athenaeum.
Commonwealth Club World Affairs
James Rhee and Yul Kwon | Reimagining Leadership and the Social Compact
A fireside chat between James and Yul Kwon, CKA board member and vice president of product management at Google.
Center for Ethics in Society
Leadership, the Social Compact, and the Future of Work
A conversation between James and Amanda Grappone at St. Anselm College.
WHUT TV
James Rhee - Capitalism & Technology
James Rhee, the Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, and the Senior Advisor to the Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership joins Howard University President, Dr. Wayne Frederick in a conversation about the ways in which capitalism and technology can shape a better world for us all.
National Retail Federation
Closing Keynote: Leading with Kindness
James shares his remarkable story of leading the unprecedented transformation of Ashley Stewart, an iconic plus-size fashion retailer primarily employing and serving Black women.