Jimmy Dunne is often described as a legendary figure in the finance and sporting world. But he’d describe himself more simply—as someone who shows up, relentlessly, for the people who stood by him and the moments that define what matters.
For over a decade, he built Sandler O’Neill into one of Wall Street’s most respected investment banks. On September 11th, 2001, the firm lost 66 colleagues, nearly one-third of the company, when the South Tower collapsed.
He attended every funeral. Committed to paying for every child’s college education. And rebuilt the firm from the ground up, refusing to let terrorism win or fear change how he lived.
That same resolve and grit have defined everything Jimmy does, from rebuilding his firm to fighting for the future of the game of golf while the world was watching.
He does not see any of this as heroic. To him, it’s about gratitude, loyalty, and the obligation to do right by the people who believed in you back when nobody was watching at all.
In this episode, you’ll hear and see Jimmy talk about:
- Growing up in a working-class Irish family where his parents taught him to look people in the eye—never up, never down
- What he learned caddying at 11 years old (lying about his age to get the job) that shaped how he leads today
- The concept of “refined desperation”—leadership with intensity but without toxicity
- The obligation he felt to his 66 colleagues lost on 9/11 and why rebuilding the firm became about something much bigger than business
- His role in one of golf’s most challenging moments and how he fought fiercely to protect the game’s integrity and future
- How he embraced pressure at a young age and still does to this day, and how and why it matters in the world of business, and in life
