20 Minutes with Bronwyn

I love having conversations with smart, powerful women about money.    This time, I turn my focus to funding and fundraising. And I am delighted to have Jessie Gabriel as my wingwoman. Jessie Gabriel is founder and CEO of All Places, a first-of-its-kind, mission-driven law firm working to close the gender equity gap in capital markets.   Jessie and I covered a lot of ground, including:   Her “money story” and how this story affected her. How female and female-identifying founders are affected by negative money stories, and how to shift those negative narratives into strategies that get them funded.  How male founders typically think about growth and scale and what we can learn from them (or unlearn from them). How we can focus on those things we can control in fundraising environments that often seem rigged (and NOT in our favor).   What I loved most about this conversation was learning how Jessie was raised by a single working mother in Southern California, a woman who struggled economically to provide for her family. In other words, Jessie's success comes with a deep appreciation of how gender norms and unequal access to capital contribute to a systemic lack of opportunities for women-identifying entrepreneurs and executives. Jessie has worked at some of the country’s most prestigious firms, including Cravath, Swaine & Moore and BakerHostetler, where she was the youngest woman to lead her own team and launched the firm’s first Investment Funds practice. Her wisdom and words are solid gold, and I can’t wait to share them with you.   Resources ✨   Jessie's LinkedIn   All Places Website   All Places Instagram   The Outset Branding Firm   Shine on, my friend! ✨

I’ve got another banger from the archives … The topic of adult friendship is one we don’t talk about nearly enough, especially given that loneliness is actually as dangerous as smoking. This conversation was deep, real, and vulnerable as Adam and I spoke plainly about our own struggles and wins in the friendship sphere. In case you don’t know him, Dr. Adam Dorsay is a licensed psychologist and executive coach in Silicon Valley where he serves high-achieving adults (including professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes). Adam is the host of SuperPsyched, an award-winning podcast, and he’s given two highly regarded TEDx Talks: one about men and their emotions and the other about friendship in adulthood. His book on the topic of the four ways people connect will be available later this year. Beyond his private practice, Adam is a resiliency expert who co-created an international program for Facebook’s Online Safety employees for several years. He now serves as the resiliency consultant to DigitalOcean and has frequent requests from the media for interviews and corporations to provide keynotes and training.   Resources Mentioned✨ Adamdorsay,com   Super Psyched Podcast   Super Psyched Book   "Friendships in Adulthood: 5 Things to Know"   "Emotions: The Data Men Miss"   Dr. Adam Dorsay’s Instagram   The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm   Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell   Authentic Happiness - University of Pennsylvania   Enjoy, and shine on, my friend. We need your light.

Given the intense amount of travel I am doing this month (both for work and for fun), I’m giving myself a little breathing room and offering you some greatest hits—two of my most popular episodes of all time. Occupying the number one spot on 20 Minutes with Bronwyn is none other than the magnificent Corey Rosen. Corey’s book, Your Story Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience, is one I recommend to anyone looking to enhance their storytelling skills. Corey hosts The Moth Story Slam and Grand Slams, has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, and is a company performer in BATS Improv. It’s no wonder this episode was so popular … Corey offers powerful, practical, and (dare I say) fun advice and strategies for telling better stories.   Resources Mentioned✨   Coreyrosen.com   Follow Corey on Facebook   Follow Corey on Instagram   BATS Improv   Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience   The Moth StorySLAM   Ken Adams’ The Story Spine   Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks   Ira Glass on Creativity   Enjoy, my friends and may your summer be full of great stories in the making! ✨ 

This week’s podcast episode* is focused on something that has literally been keeping me up at night— getting my kids into college. My firstborn child is headed to Boston University in the Fall. But I’m not gonna lie … the process was excruciating.    Someone who has been ringing the alarm bells on what has become a “toxic achievement culture” in the U.S. is the amazing Denise Pope, Ph.D.   Dr. Denise Pope is a senior lecturer at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, and co-founder/strategic advisor at Challenge Success. She is the author of, “Doing School”: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students (Yale University Press, 2001), which was awarded Notable Book in Education by the American School Board Journal, 2001, and co-author of Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids (Jossey-Bass, 2015).   Denise and I get VERY real on why even the most well-resourced kids are suffering, crashing, and burning in this insane drive to get into the “right” schools.   Gems: ✨How to help your kids define “success” in terms that contribute to actual satisfaction and well being. [4:16] ✨The game changing, life changing magic of sleep … and why most teenagers aren’t getting enough of it. [9:30] ✨The one thing you can do as a parent to cultivate authentic resilience in your teen. [24:11] ✨What the college ratings system does and does not reveal about “top” universities in the U.S. [30:02] Resources: Connect with Denise Pope: https://www.facebook.com/ChallengeSuccess https://www.instagram.com/challengesuccess https://www.linkedin.com/company/895857 https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-clark-pope/ Books / articles: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, Ph.D. A “Fit” Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity “P.D.F. Tips” Challenge Success   *(Note: If you do not have kids, or don’t yet feel any kind of low-grade panic about the College Industrial Complex, this might not be the episode for you. On the other hand, this is affecting so many young people, it is an issue that will eventually touch us all.)

Every so often, an interview literally changes the way I see my life.   This is one of those interviews.   Whatever you’ve got going on in your life, I can almost guarantee this conversation will be a blessing to you.   But I’m getting ahead of myself!   My guest this week is the incomparable Shelley Paxton, making her second appearance on my show.   Shelley is the former CMO of Harley-Davidson and is a 26-year advertising and marketing veteran whose legacy is imprinted on iconic brands like McDonald's, Visa, and Harley-Davidson. At the pinnacle of her career as CMO of Harley-Davidson, Shelley was shocked to find herself feeling success empty instead of successful. And that awakening led her on a profound journey that became her mission, business, and bestselling book, Soulbbatical, A Corporate Rebel's Guide to Finding Your Best Life. Now Chief Soul Officer of her own life, Shelley works with leaders and teams to advocate for redefining success in ways that celebrate humanity, well-being, and soul.    Just when I think Shelley can’t get any wiser, she blows me away in a new way.    Gems 💎 How a life threatening and totally misdiagnosed illness forced her to confront the one thing she was “pretending not to know” about her own life. How that single question “What are you pretending not to know?” has the power to transform your life. How the “arrival fallacy” robs us of our joy and energy, and how we might replace that fallacy with a far deeper, richer truth. Shelley’s nightmare moment on a TEDx stage and how she recovered from it.   Resources Read Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel's Guide to Finding Your Best Life by Shelley Paxton here! Learn more about Shelley Paxton    Follow Shelley on Instagram @theshelleypaxton and check out her updates on LinkedIn!

Ah, therapy. The one place we can go to let it allllll spill out. The good, the bad, the ugly. But there seems to be one topic of conversation that doesn’t always feel welcome. God. While the therapist’s office is the ideal spot for excavating the darkest reaches of the mind and the heart, it doesn’t always feel like the best place to explore the divine. The uncanny. The unseen. In this conversation, I speak with the brilliant Dr. Leslie Carr about this very issue.  Leslie and I talk about why there seems to be little room for the spiritual/religious in a therapeutic context, and how we might work to expand the conversation both as the therapist and as the patient (or, depending on the setting, “client”) ). Leslie is a psychologist and an expert in how trauma, stress, culture, and digital technology impact the mind. She's been active in mental health advocacy and public psychoeducation for almost 15 years, and her work in this space has been featured in the LA Times, ABC News, and Ask Dr. Drew, among many other places. She's the host of a podcast, The Nature of Nurture, which explores how people respond to their environments in complicated ways. Learn more about her podcast here, thenatureofnurture.com, or check her out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNatureofNurture I’m hoping this conversation sparks a much broader conversation about how we can collectively cultivate a more active relationship with something bigger than ourselves. The Gems ✨ How do you differentiate between organized religion and spirituality, in terms of personal experience of the divine? [00:17:45] How can we protect our energy from draining people or negative influences in a work environment? [00:21:30] What are some easy ways to begin to explore our spiritual inclinations without feeling weird about it?? [00:26:03] Resources Mentioned ✨ Learn more about Carl Jung and his theory system. Check out Letters From Love with Elizabeth Gilbert. Want to work with me?  Head over to https://www.bronwyncommunications.com/work-with-me/ to learn more.    As always, thank you for the gift of your time and attention, and SHINE ON. We need your light.

“A.I.”  Those are two letters that stir up a whole lotta conversation. Ever since ChatGPT was unveiled, I’ve been one of those people who won’t shut up about generative AI. I’m enthralled with it. I’m terrified of it. I’m curious about it, and I enjoy playing with AI. I hate it and I think it could be the fall of mankind.  If AI and I had a relationship status, it would be, It’s complicated. Just imagine my joy when I got the opportunity to talk with the marvelous Rimma Boshernitsan, founder of Dialogue, an interdisciplinary strategic advisory group and think tank that helps leaders and companies find the shortest, clearest path to their most ambitious goals. Rimma recently convened a panel at SXSW called “AI Won’t Give You the Chills: The Future Runs on Intuition” that made me curious to talk with her. We covered a lot of ground; I learned a ton and I think you will too. The Gems✨ What is the value of human intuition in the face of AI? [7:33] How might we elevate our thinking when it comes to AI? How might we elevate the way we ponder AI’s role in our communities and in society? [13:01] What role does self-awareness play in honing intuition and making informed decisions? [20:46] What practices can we adopt to develop our intuition and enhance our decision-making skills? [24:34] Resources Mentioned ✨ Check out Rimma and panelists in conversation: AI Won’t Give You The Chills Discover “The Unthinkable,” by Amanda Ripley Learn more about Rimma’s Beauty in Ambiguity program Follow Dialogue on LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter)  and Youtube, or check out their website! Rimma can be found on Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter)!

Hello, my friends!  It’s been a minute! I’ve been in deeeeep work mode on client projects, necessitating a petite pause on the podcast over the past several weeks. But I’m back in the saddle, and this week’s episode is a special one, as I am rolling solo. I recently had a conversation with someone whose words continue to echo in my mind. She said, “I am sick and tired of not using my voice.” This is someone who is wise, brilliant, and accomplished. And yet … she put words to a common frustration we just don’t talk about enough. We talk a lot about “finding” your voice, but we don’t often talk about how to use that voice once you’ve found it. This episode is practical, powerful, and lovingly crafted for anyone who struggles to speak up when the time calls for it. THE GEMS How to set yourself up for real change … and move towards lasting transformation [3:08] How to get clear about what, specifically, triggers you into silence … and why this clarity matters. [7:29] How to deal with (and outfox) your fear of having alllll those faces staring back at you. [15:18] How to stop cringing at the sound of your own voice. [22:15] There’s OH so much more, but those were especially juicy. This will be the first of a multi-episode series … there’s a LOT to say. ;) As always, shine on my friend. We need your light!

  My friends … you are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this week’s episode with the legendary wardrobe alchemist, Ms. Lisa Raja.🎙️** Why would I be talking about clothing on this podcast?  Because I’m tired of the way caring about clothing and fashion is still dismissed as being “vain” or “superficial.”  As a communication coach, I help visionary leaders become spellbinding communicators. And, as you may already know, part of that work focuses on language and messaging, but part of that work focuses on  energy, and confidence, and authenticity. And guess what’s a big part of the confidence game? FEELING GOOD IN OUR OWN SKIN.  It’s for exactly this reason that I'll often connect a client with a talented stylist. Because how we feel about ourselves is reflected in how comfortable we are in our second skin. Lisa Raja shares her powerful way of working with her clients—by creating an algorithm for their wardrobes. We discuss: A weekly ritual for setting yourself up with easy, beautiful looks all week long (thereby avoiding the “why do I have NOTHING to wear??” feeling). How clothing can be used strategically as a form of confidence building and claiming your power!  How to construct a capsule wardrobe out of what you already have, and how to be more mindful in your retail adventures. But best of all, we get PRACTICAL and TACTICAL about the styles and looks we’re loving right now. And because I know y’all love clothing links (the stats don’t lie! LOL), here are all of the items we discussed … Slip dresses are back, y’all. Here are a few options … pair ‘em with a blazer, a chunky sweater, or even layer them over a turtleneck or t-shirt:L’Agence Serita Dress in Black Quince Washable Stretch Silk Tank Midi Dress The basic black trousers that work for work, but are cute enough for anything. Are you feeling more of a cropped vibe? These are great too. The Adidas Gazelles that I wear nonstop, all the time. Or if those are too zany, you really can’t go wrong with these in white. Gorjana for lovely, on trend jewelry that doesn’t break the bank. My favorite go-to brand for “keynote worthy” outfits … Scanlan Theodore My newest jean obsession … The Secret Sauce: Memory Lane Jean To get inspired to revamp your wardrobe, find Lisa at www.lisaraja.com.   Shine on, my friend. B   **Dedicated to my beloved Lisa Wamboldt, who we lost on February 4th of this year. Lisa “Shortcake” Wamboldt has been a blessing in my life since 1998, and I could never in a million years have imagined that her life would only continue until 2024. Lisa was hilarious, brilliant, kind, and real. Our lives are so much darker without her in them. Lisa, wherever you are, please keep sending your pixie dust to those of us still stuck down here without you.  In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting her family here.

Hold on tight because this week’s conversation is about to shift into high gear! (I mean, these puns practically write themselves, but trust me, the excitement is real!) I recently had the opportunity for an exhilarating sit-down with Julia Landauer, a trailblazing two-time champion race car driver, motivational powerhouse, and force to be reckoned with on NASCAR's strategy and innovation team. (And her podcast, If I’m Honest, is fantastic). Our girl Julia doesn’t just break barriers; she shatters them.  In this conversation, you will hear her winning strategies for self-advocacy in the male-dominated realm of racing, along with her top tactics for conquering fear. Julia takes us behind the scenes of professional racing, Survivor survival tales, and her work as a professional public speaker, motivating audiences around the world. We also talked about … The unfiltered reality of Julia's journey as a young female racer, and how she navigated biases and stereotypes in the racing world. (Trust me, the lessons here are pure gold!) Raw revelations from her time on Survivor, and how being labeled as "vanilla" shaped her approach to racing and beyond. Julia's battle-tested strategies for conquering fear both on and off the racetrack.  Get ready to be blown away by this conversation. Looking to inject some adrenaline into your next event? Julia Landauer is your go-to keynote dynamo: Julia's Speaking Page.  Eager to witness her TEDxStanford Talk? Hit play here: Julia's TEDx Talk Find her on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She's a force you won't want to miss.

Are you able to fully “own” your expertise?   Or does it feel like bragging?   On this week’s episode I sit down with the sensational Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of Optionality, which is a community for experienced and talented professionals who believe the world of work needs to be reimagined in general, and who want to re-define work and the workplace for themselves specifically, in community with others.   We covered a LOT of ground … how women can outmaneuver the systems and stereotypes that block our success, but we also talked about the nature of work—what it is right now, what it could be, and how we might imagine a different future together.   A bit about Elisa … Elisa Camahort Page was the Founding COO of BlogHer, Inc. BlogHer scaled from grassroots movement to national women’s media brand. Since leaving the company that acquired BlogHer, Elisa has served in full-time and fractional CxO roles, advising and consulting for organizations across the Media, Tech, Social Impact, and Learning & Development verticals.    Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Mashable, San Jose Mercury News, and FoxNews.com. She is now the host of The Op-Ed Page with Elisa Camahort Page podcast and the curator behind the This Week-ish newsletter.   Enjoy this high voltage conversation, my friend.

WELCOME to January, my friends.   I’ve never been a fan of dropping a big rah rah New Year’s resolution episode at the very start of January. In my experience, we are basically still trying to recover from the insanity that was December, and we just … need a minute.   But I do believe now is the time to reflect and plan.    As Gloria Stenham so beautifully said from behind her rad tinted aviator glasses, ““Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.”   I bring you Bonnie Wan, who JUST dropped what is going to be a GAME changing book called: The Life Brief: A Playbook for No Regrets Living.    Just a bit of background on Bonnie:   BONNIE WAN is an author and speaker, as well as partner and head of brand strategy at the world-renowned advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners.    As creator of The Life Brief, Bonnie helps people live with greater clarity, creativity, and courage by teaching them how to write creative briefs for their lives. The Life Brief has evolved from an SHORT FORM BIOGRAPHY agency talk into a workbook, workshops, and speaking appearances at Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, Jane Goodall’s Activating Hope Summit, the 3% Conference, SXSW, Accenture, Apple, Google, Change.org, and more.   Take a deep breath, and let this beautiful conversation take you to the higher altitudes where you can see your life clearly, and hold it dearly. Enjoy, my friend.

I bring you this week a completely different type of guest than I normally have on my show.    If you’re a regular reader of my newsletters, you’ll recognize the name of said guest, because I gushed about her memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - Thru Hiking Will Break Your Heart in a recent Monday morning missive.   As luck would have it, she actually agreed to let me interview her.    My friends, get ready to meet Carrot Quinn.   Here’s the short version of her bio:   Carrot Quinn is a long-distance hiker and writer. She splits her time between Alaska and the open spaces of the western United States. She is the author of the book Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail and The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails of the American West.   But the deeper story? Carrot was raised in Alaska on welfare by a schizophrenic single mother who thought that she was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. At fourteen Carrot was adopted by her conservative catholic grandparents, and went to highschool in a small Colorado town near the Utah border. She spent years writing and nomading all over the U.S. before hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - all 2,650 miles of it twice.   Her writing is fresh and immediate, and I enjoyed every second of this conversation.

Welcome to December! And let me tell you, I come bearing gifts …   This fantastic conversation with one of the most influential Venture Capitalists in the Valley, Mr. David Hornik is going to help you become a better storyteller, a better pitcher of ideas, and best of all? It might even help you become a better human being. He’s *that* good. David is a founding partner at Lobby Capital. For the last 25 years he has worked closely with technology entrepreneurs to help them build transformative businesses. Prior to founding Lobby Capital, David was a partner at August Capital for 20 years. David invests in a broad range of software companies, including enterprise application, infrastructure, and SaaS businesses (e.g, Splunk, Fastly, GitLab), financial technology companies (e.g., Bill.com, WePay, PayNearMe), and consumer services (e.g., Evite, Ebates, TopHatter). In this conversation we cover: The biggest mistakes start-ups make during pitches. The biggest difference between men vs. women founders in how they “frame” market opportunities to investors. How to use storytelling as an unfair advantage. How to inject joy, fun, and authenticity into even the stuffiest of situations.  Buckle up, my friends. Because a conversation with David is always my favorite journey to take.

The brilliant Dr. Leslie Carr and I get real about what the heck work is supposed to look like in this weird post-Covid world we now occupy.    We talk about the leadership styles that are poised to win in this environment, and those that are doomed to implode.   But most importantly, we talked about what humans truly need in order to thrive.    Dr. Leslie Carr is a psychologist and an expert in how trauma, stress, culture, and digital technology impact the mind, and she consults and speaks to audiences about how they survive and even thrive amidst challenging or adverse circumstances. She’s been featured in the LA Times, ABC News, and The Huffington Post among many others.    Leslie is also the host of an e-course on how to use technology mindfully, and the host of a podcast called The Nature of Nurture, which delves deep into the nature v nurture debate by exploring how our minds and mental health are shaped by lived experience. Check it all out at www.lesliecarr.com, her e-course is available until 10/31 — you don’t want to miss it!

You guys, when Lexi B walks in the room, there is a ripple in the energetic universe and it's like she's here. That's the vibe she gives. She is one of the most sparkling compelling presences you'll ever know in your life. Her podcast, You Can Sit with US, launched on September 5th and you can find all new episodes on Spotify. Go give it a listen, Lexi is sensational. Alexandria Butler, widely known as Lexi B, is a sought-after figure in the tech industry, renowned for her transformative work and exceptional ability to cultivate executive leadership and promote workplace equity. With an extensive background at prominent Silicon Valley tech Lexi B elevated her mission of empowering professionals to new heights by launching a podcast, You Can Sit With Us. This groundbreaking repository serves as a powerful medium for celebrating and discussing the transferable skills that are essential for building the professional life individuals aspire to have. Lexi B's reputation as a sought-after speaker and workplace culture commentator has earned her numerous invitations to share her profound insights and wisdom with organizations of all sizes, as well as prestigious publications such as Tenable, Pearson, Diginomica, CBS, and more.  Bringing her unique blend of entertainment and expertise to the table, Lexi B is poised to revolutionize the way corporate entities approach professional growth and development.

Once upon a time, I remember hearing Oprah Winfrey say, “Your home should rise up to meet you.”   I muttered under my breath, “Oh yeah? Well my house rises up to SLAP me. How ‘bout that?”   At the time, I was a new mother, a newly(ish)wed, and an “organized, beautiful space” wasn’t yet in my self concept.   But a lot has changed since then.    I’ve become far better at executing a vision of sanity and calm for my home, which has been due in no small part to the work of my guest on today’s show: the Magical Ms. Shira Gill.   Shira Gill is a globally recognized home organizing expert and lifestyle creator with a less-is-more philosophy. Over the past decade, she has helped thousands of people around the world reduce clutter and create more space for what matters.    Shira’s work centers around the intimate relationship between people’s homes and lives and how they inform and inspire each other. She is the author of Minimalista and her newest book Organized Living, and has been featured in Vogue, Dwell, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Domino, Forbes, Goop, Harper's Bazaar, HGTV, Today, InStyle, Parents, Real Simple, and The New York Times.    Shira and I talk about her gorgeous new book, which features the home spaces of some of the world’s top home organizers.  We also talk about practical and REALISTIC ways to bring more sanity, calm, and beauty to our homes.    Shira is a dream to talk with, and our conversation left me feeling inspired and energized. May it do the same for you, my friend. Links: www.shiragill.com  @shiragill Newsletter + Community   And get ready for some serious inspiration, my friend.  

ot gonna lie … I came out of Spring bedraggled. Exhausted. Burned to a crisp.    And as fate (the Universe? Luck? Serendipity?) would have it, the brilliant Cherie Healey was launching a program that seemed tailor-made for my tattered soul … A women’s “circle” experience designed to re-animate my spirit, re-imagine my approach to “productivity,” and re-calibrate my relationships with the people I love most.   Siren Summer has been literally life changing. And I wanted to bring some of her magic and medicine to you, my peeps. And yes, this one is geared toward high performing women, there’s plenty for all of us to learn and enjoy.   Just to give you some background … Cherie is an Executive Coach, Brand Strategist and Founder of SIREN, an Imagination Studio. She helps leaders and teams cause higher impact through big vision, clear purpose and meaningful messaging. Her calling is to help you answer yours.   Cherie helped Leaders at YouTube launch a movement for Mental Health and Wellbeing, she has been working with women at Google for over 10 years, advising corporate leaders for 25 and she is a Women In Management Facilitator at Stanford Graduate School of Business.   Through Activation Days, Workshops, Speaking and Custom Designed Leadership Programs, she guides impact at orgs like Google, X, Genentech, Nike, YouTube, Apple, GoDaddy, Fox Entertainment, I Heart Media, Paramount and more.   I can’t wait for you to hear this one. 

I am THRILLED to share my latest conversation with the amazing, talented, and powerful performance coach, Ben Kiker.    Ben is a regular on this show because every single time we talk, he casually drops a few statements that not at all casually blow our minds.   Today Ben and I are talking about leadership. Specifically, brave and resilient leadership.   The past several years have been challenging for everyone, and leaders are no exception. So many of my clients right now are struggling to keep their teams motivated, connected, and joyful … burnout is hiding around every corner it seems. This conversation is my effort to shed light on strategies that help leaders lead during this time of energetic and almost spiritual dryness.    The kind of dryness that comes from too many crises … or the “perma crisis” we seem to find ourselves in.   Ben’s words are like an oasis in what can sometimes feel like a work life desert.   You can find Ben on Instagram and Linkedin @benkiker, and on his website thebenkikergroup.com

Without a doubt, we are the *most* media saturated humans in the history of the world. But what happens to media coverage and storytelling when kids are behind the camera lens? Storytelling with a depth and honesty you won’t see anywhere else.   My guest today is the incomparable Holly Carter, founder of the Executive Director of BYkids and BYkids pairs talented young storytellers with seasoned filmmakers to create powerful documentaries about their lives. BYkids kicks off its fourth season on PBS on November 11, and will be narrated by Ashley Judd.   Holly began her career as a writer and editor at The New York Times, and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Since then, she’s lived in Korea as a Henry Luce scholar and print and television journalist, produced the award-winning documentary, Margaret Sanger, co-founded North Carolina's full frame festival, served as a consultant for the After-School Corporation, produced the PBS series Media Matters, and most recently was the executive director of The Film Initiative.    Holly and I talk about what it means to let young people tell their own stories, whether it’s a teen refugee from Ukraine, a climate activist, or a 14 year old journalist covering organic farming practices in her community in India.   This conversation gave me so much hope, so much joy. The kids are more than alright. They’re dazzling.   Check out the trailer for BYkids Season Four here.