Living A Life In Full

Bridget Algee-Hewitt, PhD, does amazing things. She is a Senior Research Scientist at Stanford University’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and a Quantitative Researcher in Facebook’s SBG Data Science Research and Development Division. Bridget is a biological anthropologist who studies how skeletal and genetic traits vary among contemporary peoples, across space and through time.  She develops new computational methods, using machine learning and artificial intelligence, and geographic mapping algorithms, and hands-on DNA and osteology laboratory approaches to improve estimation of the personal identity parameters essential in forensic identification of unknown human remains and for the paleo-demographic reconstruction of past population histories in bio-archaeology.  As a practicing forensic anthropologist and geneticist, she provides forensic casework consultation to the medico-legal community. She also delivers expert testimony for asylum petitions and advocates for policy change in support of undocumented migrant and refugee rights. Her social justice work focuses on immigration, displacement, poverty, and violence in Latin America, addressing in particular the crisis of migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.  Bridget received her PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, an MA in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr, and a BA in Classics and Art History from Mount Allison University. Bridget is an Advisory Board Member for the Certificate in Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Praxis in the Stanford School of Medicine and she is the Book & Resource Review Editor for the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Listeners may recall past episodes in which we had guests who are experts in forensics, and in AI, and big data, and genetics, and anthropology, and even an artist who used randomly found public DNA to create sculptures of individuals, but Bridget’s work seems to be an integration of all of these areas and more. We begin with what drew her to biological anthropology and what biological anthropology constitutes. We then discuss her article in Medium with Casey Miller on US/Mexico border camps, COVID-19 and medical care and humanitarian relief efforts. Next we do a deep dive into her talk at the Stanford Institute for Human Artificial Intelligence conference on AI Ethics, Policy and Governance where she spoke on Race, Rights and Facial Recognition, and we discuss the social justice aspects that she spoke on—in particular how geopolitical situations can change our biology by causing trauma that may play-out in our epigenetics which can be passed on intergenerationally. It is truly fascinating, especially in the context of the Grand Ethical Challenge in this area of work. Related to this, Bridget was part of a panel on Forensic Genomics: New Frontiers and New Considerations, which focused on the difficult questions about whether and how DNA technologies are being used to identify “race” or “ethnicity” and the balance between ethical, legal and social implications and we learn her perspectives on this and what can be done as safeguards. We also circle back to her Advisory Board work on the nascent Certificate in Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Praxis in the Stanford School of Medicine and this program’s work, and her perspective on the “compound technology effect” and better ways to integrate and sort multidisciplinary effects on scientific work and its ramifications. She also has a new book coming out Remodeling Forensic Skeletal Age: Modern Applications and New Research Directions, which “presents a comprehensive understanding of the analytical frameworks and conceptual approaches salient both to the present chapters on forensic age estimation and to those seeking to grasp the current state of the field more broadly. It also includes a series of recommendations of best practice through the chapter-examples, which offer theory and guidance for data acquisition, technique and/or model development, and the assessment of impact of the adopted approaches, considering the assumptions that underlie of the forensic decision-making process.” Again, fascinating. Bridget wonderfully combines various disciplines and sciences via the connective thread of social justice and humanitarian intervention which is inspiring for us all and demonstrates how to live a life in full in the service of knowledge and helping others. “Living a Life in Full” is the conversation you always wanted to have with that person who gave an amazing TED talk, or the author of one your favorite books, or that inspirational Olympian you always wanted to know more about. This show is for the intellectually curious. You want to not just know more about the interesting and the innovative, but also what makes them tick, and maybe even what makes them laugh. It’s graduate-level conversations with those making a difference in the world and the lives of others. This show brings you new ideas and approaches so you can live a life in full. The show is equal parts information and inspiration, but without the aphorisms and Pablum. We cover a wide range of topics in an engaging way—from Burning Man to The Renaissance Weekend, from the United Nations to top universities, Nobel Laureates to astronauts—we have an amazing Rolodex. Interviewees are a who’s who of high performance athletes, bestselling authors, high-caliber leaders, world changing humanitarians, innovative researchers, amazing start-up founders, clever life-hackers, paradigm busting thought-leaders and global innovators.

As we start this third season of the show, I want to first of all, thank you for listening. The core ethos of the show will be steadfast to always have amazing guests talking about important topics. My goal is also to experiment and learn via the mechanics of the show. Last year on New Year’s Day I did a monolog on Healthspan and my personal experimentation and rationale behind it, and to my nice surprise it was a very popular episode. I got to thinking, I’ll try a new tradition of doing something different from my usual conversations and do a deeper, more personal dive, but work to make it useful to others. So, here goes, I hope you like it. This is the first day of a New Year and new decade, and I wanted to think out loud about getting things done in 2020 and beyond. This past year, I turned 60, and after my initial freak-out passed, I set out to make my 60th year somewhat of an adventure. I don’t want to squander any remaining years, and really, no one should at any age. And, with all due modesty, I am not a newbie when it comes to doing a number of dumb things in my first 59 years. I decided to do what I called “Epic 60.” Not that I was going to do 60 things, but more so whatever I did would be “epic” for me to achieve while turning 60. As I have not gotten them all done in the time frame of one year, I then thought I could rename this endeavor as “Epic Sixties.”  But that sounded more like a tribute album to old rock-and-roll bands, and potentially limiting or confusing. I realized with the help of my family pointing out to me that most of what I want to do, so do others, of any age. Thus, rebrand to “Epic Living” and what follows herein is one approach, and some tips and ideas that may resonate for you. And now, on with the show. Epic Ideas for 2020: Revolution over Resolutions. Bottom-line, see what work, most of the time, just for you. Now, go do something epic!  

How do you get the job, or position, or career, where the work that you do matters - and not just to your employer -  but to you? Few experiences in life are as awful as the feeling of being trapped in the wrong career. But how do you find a job that truly resonates with you? And once you’ve found it, how do you develop the confidence to take the necessary steps to arrive at the career of your dreams? Or how do you recover from a career setback and seize new opportunities? Or, what if you are returning after a time away from being in the workforce? How do you deal with the uncertainty behind a career change and what gives you the confidence to hit a reset-switch on your professional life?   These are the questions, areas and issues in which Octavia Goredema thrives, as she works to help others navigate their own personal career success.   Octavia is the host of the Audible Original series, How to Change Careers with Octavia Goredema and the author of PREP, PUSH, PIVOT: Essential Career Strategies for Underrepresented Women, published by Wiley.   Octavia founded Twenty Ten Agency, a career coaching practice, where she has coached leaders at Google, American Airlines, Tinder, General Motors, Nike, and Dow Jones, to name but just a few. Her insights have been featured in leading media outlets including Fortune, CNN, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and Black Enterprise, among others. During the pandemic she co-hosted “HBR Now,” the Harvard Business Review’s weekly show on leadership, and this year she contributed a chapter to the Harvard Business Review’s new book, Navigating the Toxic Workplace.   I see her work as a gift shared with her readers, her listeners, and her clients. Her wisdom, her transparency in the sharing of her experiences, and what she does, all demonstrate how she lives her life in full, and in the service of others.

At the intersection of architecture is art, creativity, design, engineering, sociology, psychology, and inspiration, not to mention survival, sustainability, and comfort. It’s been said that architecture is the art we live in. We’re all impacted by the communities in which we live, the spaces in which we work, along with the places we visit and experience throughout our lives.  So what is it that makes for good architectural design? How does a space become iconic? How does an architect go from project, to design, to engineering, to completion?  Well, Lance Cayko knows a lot about the answers to those questions, and more.  Lance is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the architecture firm, F9 Productions, with Alex Gore. His career in architecture, engineering, and construction spans over two decades and includes numerous design awards including the international Architizer A+ Award for Architecture + Living Small. Their firm earned the #1 spot as BizWest's Mercury 100 Fastest-Growing Private Firms.  As an architect, Lance discussed the various benefits as also being the builder and developer on a project, both from a business success aspect but also in dealing with the various practical considerations of project management at scale. We also discussed the types of projects and clients that he finds most fulfilling to work with.  Lance’s perspective on the intersection of design and entrepreneurship yields examples and lessons for architects as well as any other founder or entrepreneur, regardless of field, and how it has influenced his approach to business and achieving an amazing growth rate of 386%(!). He believes that a strong design strategy plays a powerful role in contributing to the success of a business. Lance is a great role model for living a life in full, not just a founder and architect, but also how to be antifragile in a field with more than its fair share of challenges via mindful leadership and creativity. I think you will enjoy this episode with such an authentic and innovative individual.

To succeed in a fast-changing world, individuals and companies know they must create a culture of growth, where experimentation and feedback are encouraged, and learning is integrated into the everyday. Yet we often get stuck in a well-worn pattern of habits that don’t move us forward. Why? How do you get better at something? You do a lot of it. The 10,000 hour rule. Practice makes perfect, right? Maybe not. What if our focus only on performing doesn’t lead to the hoped for improvements, and instead our performance suffers? Well, there is a strange phenomenon that runs counter to what most of us would think is a key ingredient to improving our performance--that is--if we spend all our time performing, we actually hinder our performance. Worse yet, this applies to us as individuals, to our teams, and in our organizations, and it’s called The Performance Paradox. Eduardo Briceño knows a lot about this phenomenon and he has written a new book on how to recognize it, and what to do about it. The book is aptly titled The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action, and is published by Random House. We discuss how to • avoid falling into the chronic performance trap that stagnates growth • identify when and how to unlock the power of mistakes • integrate learning into daily habits in ways that stick • lead teams that constantly improve and outperform their targets • grow your skill level and output simultaneously and for the long term Discover how to balance learning and performing to bolster personal and team success with this revolutionary guide from a world renowned expert on growth mindset.  Eduardo Briceno's life is a testament to the profound impact that a growth mindset can have on personal and professional success. His relentless pursuit of knowledge and his mission to help others unlock their full potential continue to inspire individuals and organizations on their journeys toward excellence.

How do you become an innovator? What sparks creativity? What goes into creating something that becomes iconic? Instead of predicting the future, what if you could create it? Well, that is pretty much what Hussain Almossawi does. He easily walks between digital and physical worlds as he creates futuristic concepts, experiences and objects. Hussain is an award-winning industrial designer, CGI/Visual Effects Artist, and best-selling author of The Innovator's Handbook. He has worked across industries and around the world consulting for companies such as Nike, Apple, Adidas, EA Sports, Intel, and Ford Motor Company, among others. He is a frequent keynote speaker on innovation and design, and has taught at the Parsons School of Design, The New School, and other institutions. Born in Bahrain, Hussain came to the US and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois, and his Masters in Industrial Design at the University of Alberta with his thesis on "Biomimetics, Innovation, and Design.” In 2019, Hussain founded Mossawi Studios, a multi-disciplinary design studio specializing in creating memorable, iconic, and bold experiences. He loves blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds, creating futuristic concepts and experiences, and storytelling. At the time of this conversation, Hussain has just won first place in the DNA Paris Design Awards with his Lamborghini Performance Footwear project – which is beautiful and amazing. Hussain is an inspiration and works to make the world a more beautiful and functional place, I can’t wait to see what he does next!

Leaders come in a variety of types and approaches. There are the proverbial Chainsaw Al’s - those tough-talking executives who are aggressive in their turning around troubled companies by laying off workers and closing factories.  There are the Jack Welch types who at first seem like geniuses, but are later found to not have created sustainable change. There is a litany of heroes and scoundrels, crooks and kings of all stripe, throughout various areas of work-life and the world.  But what if there was a more heart-centered style of leadership? Something that binds the power of compassion, empathy, and authenticity together in making decisions and informing relationships with those we work and collaborate with?  Well, there is, and Deb Crowe literally wrote the book on it, or should I say the Playbook, as she is the author of the newly published Heart-Centered Leadership Playbook. Deborah Crowe is an entrepreneurial leader with a wealth of experience coaching individuals at all levels, as well as consulting, training, and teaching, as a college professor. She also hosts the popular podcast imperfect and companion Substack newsletter, How to Master The Art of Heart.  Deb has navigated the entrepreneurial landscape for more than 30 years, and possesses a keen understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and innovation. Coupled with her diverse life experiences, she is an out-of-the-box and innovative thinker. Her visionary leadership style fosters a collaborative and inclusive work environment, where employees thrive and contribute their best. Deb’s Heart-Centered Leadership Playbook is a transformative guide that redefines the traditional approach to leadership by emphasizing the power of compassion, empathy, and authenticity. In this groundbreaking book, author and heart-centered leader Deb Crowe delves into the core principles of heart-centered leadership, providing practical tools and strategies to inspire individuals and organizations to lead with purpose and passion. The Playbook is a must-read for aspiring leaders, seasoned executives, and anyone seeking to create positive change in their personal and professional lives.  In this episode we covered what heart-centered leadership is, Heart-Centered Leadership Qualities - what they are along with some examples, and some simple and easy methods to integrate heart-centered leadership into one’s life and work, and much, much more. Be sure to tune in and hear the whole story. Deb is an amazing and heart-centered leader who sincerely walks-the-talk in her work and life, and is the epitome of how one can live a life in full, and in service to others and the world. 

On July 6, 2003, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's historic op-ed, "What I Didn't Find in Africa," appeared in The New York Times. A week later, Robert Novak revealed in his Washington Post column that Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA operative.  It ended her covert career and set off a political scandal that rocked the Bush/Cheney White House. The public disclosure of that secret information spurred a federal investigation and led to the trial and conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, and the Wilsons' civil suit against top officials of the Bush administration.  Valerie had worked to protect America’s national security and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular, nuclear weapons. All that ended, with the public disclosure.  Valerie has amazing resilience and skillsets. Today she is serves on a number of boards and is affiliated with the Santa Fe Institute, the trans-disciplinary scientific think tank created by two Nobel Prize winners to address the most compelling and complex problems in the world today. Valerie has lectured throughout the country and internationally on cyber security issues, national security, nuclear proliferation, women in intelligence, and the NSA revelations, and authored The New York Times best-selling memoir Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, which was also released as a major motion picture of the same name starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.  Along with Sarah Lovett, she’s written two fictional spy thrillers Blowback and Burned. She also served as the narrator and appeared as an expert in the film Countdown to Zero, a documentary on the threat of nuclear war. Valerie also heads up the TED-like annual conference, Spies, Lies, and Nukes in Santa Fe. Valerie has lived her life in full in public, and private service and is an inspiration to each and every one of us.

“I collaborate with the music.” Composer Tina Davidson explores in her memoir Let Your Heart Be Broken: Life and Music from a Classical Composer, described as “a lyrical reckoning with what it takes to compose a life of cohesion and beauty, out of shattered bits and broken stories.”  In Let Your Heart Be Broken, Tina juxtaposes memories, journal entries, and insight into the life of an artist—and a mother—at work. Along the way, she meets Ernest Hemingway and Carl Sandburg, survives an attack by nomads in Turkey, and learns her birth father is a world-famous scientist. And throughout, there is the thread of music, an ebb and a crescendo of a journey, out of the past, and into the present, through darkness and into the light. Tina is a writer and classical composer, now for 45 years, whose works have been performed by ensembles and orchestras across the country, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Cassatt Quartet, as well as recordings with Albany Music and on Deutsche Grammophon, performed by Grammy winning violinist, Hilary Hahn - all while being a single parent. Her life is filled with experiences that are as amazing as they are touching, heart-wrenching as they are instructive, as she shares her dealing with depression and dissociation, and her work to reclaim herself through therapy and spiritual practice. Let Your Heart Be Broken has also been described as a “lyrical reckoning with what it takes to compose a life of cohesion and beauty out of shattered bits and broken stories” and we discussed her writing process as well, along with forgiveness, grieving and spiritual connection.  Tina has written that “we are, in the end, a measure of the love we leave behind.” I cannot think of any better way to live a life in full.

Investment research created by large banks, mid-sized banks, and even smaller boutiques is frequently muddled by conflicts of interest, and its value diminished by over-distribution. Analysts often feel pressure to have positive ratings to support bankers or to generate corporate access.  And the time horizon of most research is typically very short, causing analysts to miss long-term winners due to near-term considerations. But the biggest issue is that most analysts have no proprietary information or process. Additionally, what are the mental models that can best serve not only making investment decisions, but also the various other choices we make in our lives?  John Zolidis has a lot to say about all that. As to the investment aspects, via Quo Vadis Capital, where he is President and Founder, he provides a research service that, while designed for the buy-side, is organized to solve for the sell-side’s issues. If you’re not exactly sure what that means, we’ll unpack all that and more in this conversation. John’s work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, The New York Post, Marketwatch.com, The Street.com and others; he was named in the Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” list, and is a part of value-investing conferences in Vail, Cyprus, Klosters, London, and Dubai.     Please note, in this episode, we are not providing any investment instruction or recommendations.  Please consult your financial advisor for investment advice that is appropriate for your personal financial situation, risk tolerance and objectives.  

Have you ever had the experience of working with someone and they just didn't “get” you? They do all the things that wind you up, put you off, and drive you nuts. And, have you ever worked with someone, and you just didn't “get” them? You couldn't figure out what made them tick, and you know that you were underwhelming, as a manager and leader for them.   Of course you have. We all have.   So why do those situations keep happening? Particularly when we’ve also experienced the opposite – great working relationships that soar. Our working relationships are fundamental, if not critical, to our success and happiness. Now imagine if you could keep your best relationships humming along for as long as possible. Imagine if you could contain the dysfunction of the messy ones so they’re less painful and more productive. Imagine if you could reset your solidly-OK-relationships so that when they wobble, they could more quickly get back on track. Well, in his latest book, How To Work with (Almost) Anyone, internationally bestselling author Michael Bungay Stanier writes about a tested process that sets up working relationships for the best possible success. He understands that every working relationship, whether it’s with our direct reports, our boss, or our coworkers, will become challenging at a certain point. In this episode, we’ll discuss how to communicate about who you are, and what brings out the best and the worst in you.  Michael has a gift for distilling big, complex ideas into practical, accessible knowledge for everyday people that helps them be a force for good. He is also at the forefront of shaping how organizations around the world make being coach-like an essential leadership competency. His books have sold over a million copies, with The Coaching Habit topping the Wall Street Journal bestseller list and it is also the best-selling coaching book of this century, with over a million copies sold. Seth Godin called it “the best book on coaching” and Brené Brown said it is “a classic.”  He's also written an impressive shelf’s worth of other notable tomes, including: Get Unstuck & Get Going, Great Work Provocations, Do More Great Work, The Advice Trap, How to Begin, and his most recent book How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, which did a deep dive into in this episode.

Death might seem to render pointless all of our attempts to create a meaningful life. But Professor Dean Rickles argues that only constraints―and death is the ultimate constraint―make our actions meaningful. In order for us to live full lives, Dean believes it is the finiteness and shortness of life that brings meaning. In this episode we explore how this insight is the key to making the most of the time that we do have. Dr. Dean Rickles is a Professor of History and Philosophy of Modern Physics at The University of Sydney. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds with a thesis on conceptual issues in quantum gravity. He is also the Co-Director of the Sydney Centre for Time, an Advisor for The Lifeboat Foundation, and Co-leads a Templeton Foundation-funded interdisciplinary project on the flow of time. His primary research focus is the history and philosophy of modern physics, particularly quantum gravity and spacetime physics.  Dean’s authored dozens of peer-reviewed articles along with a number of books. He is also a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the Foundational Questions Institute.  The primary focus of our conversation was on his latest book, Life Is Short. I personally really enjoyed it, and midway through I set it aside to send Dean a request to be on the podcast as I knew I needed to connect and discuss it.  Life is Short explores how death limits our options and forces us to make choices that forge a life and give the world meaning. Therein Dean writes that people often live in a state of indecision, in a misguided attempt to keep their options open. “By reminding us how extraordinary it is that we have any time to live at all, Life Is Short challenges us to rethink what gives life meaning and how to make the most of it." Dean has said that he, himself feels that that life is too short, so I asked him about some of the ways he lives his, albeit too short life, in full. While this is a deep, deep conversation that covers many disciplines, our specific discussion on Life is Short I think will be of interest to anyone wanting to live their life in full.

Is loneliness the new smoking? A number of studies and polls have recently come out that indicate Americans of all ages, socioeconomic, and geographic locations are more isolated and alone that in any other time in recent history. Some postulate this has been spurred by people isolating themselves via increased screen time, alienating and divisive social media posts, remote working, and perhaps augmented by living in a post-Covid era.  Regardless of the causes, Nick Gray is wielding name tags and a harmonica, and rolling up his sleeves to remedy this new plague, which we’ll be discussing in this episode. But first who is Nick Gray? Well, he is a bit of an underdog wunderkind. Let me explain. At age 14, Nick while in middle school, built websites and was making $70 per hour, which later on helped pay his tuition at Wake Forest University. After graduating, he helped build and grow the family business, which they sold and now Nick manages their family office. While living in New York and, based on his disdain for museums, but smitten on a date to The Met, he built and launched a multi-million dollar, Inc. 5000 company, called Museum Hack. He also did a TEDx talk about it (which has been watched by more than 75,000 people), and then sold the company, as many of us do. Along the way he also lived in India and produced a Bollywood music video. He’s been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and New York Magazine. In addition to having been a featured speaker at TEDx, he’s also presented at The DO Lectures and The Skift Conference, among many others. Needless to say, Nick is not your everyday entrepreneur, or person. His latest foray is that of author, and we’ll do a deep dive into his new book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build relationships by hosting small gatherings. Nick is the poster-boy for living your life in full, connecting with others and building community more so than an audience. Tune in to learn how he does it, and how you can, too.

Freemasons, Skull and Bones, Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, 5 Hertford Street, the Bohemian Club, and more, are all so-called secret societies. Not so much because no one knows about them, but more so the question as to what do they do, who belongs to them, and how do you join? Is membership in the Soho House the modern day variant of such societies? What’s the psychology behind their creation and their intrigue? Well, Michael F. Schein, author, and CEO of MicroFame Media, knows a lot about that, and in fact, he’s created his own secret society that we’ll be discussing in this episode.  He was the former co-host of the “Access to Anyone” podcast and his writing has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Psychology Today, and the Huffington Post, and he has been a speaker for audiences spanning from the northeastern United States to the southeastern coast of China. Michael is the author of the popular The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers, published by McGraw Hill last year.  So, it seems a little paradoxical that we’re publicly discussing “secret” groups, right? But by definition Michael explains how a secret society gets hyped in spite of it then no longer being “secret.” Michael helps us understand how to know something is not a scam or cult. As well as the crossroad of hype and NFTs, Web3, crypto, and journalists covering rises and flameouts and phenomena like the Bored Monkey Yacht Club.  Michael is whip-smart and New York shrewd. He helps us all better know how to separate the wheat from the chaff in better understanding hype from value so we can better live our lives in full.

Quiet quitting has become quite topical in the media as of late. But perhaps the real story is quiet FIRING. That refers to an employer who doesn't give raises, or doesn’t provide promotion opportunities. Or they slight team members and actually diminish or stall their employees’ professional growth. Everyone, both personally and professionally, wants to feel seen, and heard. Some employers struggle to listen in order to learn, and inadvertently cause their staff to shut down. And this can be in spite of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging programs being in place. Harmful inequity, influence, and ignorance can be found in many a boardroom and work setting.  Work should create a space that elevates the minds of the people in it, and collectively supports each person's voice. These are the concepts researched by organizational psychologist and DEI expert, Dr. Ella F. Washington.  Dr. Washington offers a wealth of experience as the Founder and CEO of Ellavate Solutions, serves as a Gallup Senior Scientist, and is also a Professor of Practice at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, where she recently received the Excellence in Teaching Award from Georgetown's MBA Class of 2021, and she is the author of "The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion" published by the Harvard Business Review, which we focused on in this episode.   We wrapped up with her crystal ball predictions for the future of DEI, what’s next for workplaces. Dr. Washington’s work is an inspiration – as a leader, founder, and as a person. We all need to step it up, seek justice, and get on the journey to make our world a better place. I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

A great idea presents as a well-formulated thought or plan of action that spurs growth, change, advancement, adaptation, or new insight. Worthwhile ideas move the needle; they can change the playing field altogether. One of the most innovative thinkers in this area is Professor Robin Landa, author of The New Art of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential, which is designed to help readers consistently produce worthwhile ideas by becoming nimble, and imaginative thinkers. Robin holds the title of Distinguished Professor at the Michael Graves College at Kean University. She has written 25 books about creativity, graphic design, advertising design, branding, and drawing. And she has won numerous awards for her writing, research, teaching, design, and humanitarian work. Robin is a former chair of the governance board of Design Incubation, a design research and practice organization, and serves as a creative consultant to the C-suites of various international corporations.  Named “one of the great teachers of our time” by the Carnegie Foundation, she has taught university students as well as industry professionals how to generate worthwhile ideas. It’s no surprise people consider Robin a creativity authority, but she’s more than that, as she uses her creative powers for good, not evil. In this episode we do a deep dive into her latest book, The New Art of Ideas. We chat about how she started her career as a writer and academic—and the routines she has created that are  "non-negotiable" in order to maintain her output. She also shares her passion for teaching and giving back to the next generation. Robin is a rare combination of creative, academic, author, humanitarian, and firebrand, that does much for the good of the world and helps so many others to live their lives in full. Listen in to learn what Robin has to say about living a strategically creative life. You won’t be disappointed.

In this episode, Brad Stulberg shares a healthier, more sustainable model for success. At the heart of this model is groundedness--a practice that values presence over rote productivity, accepts that progress is nonlinear, and prioritizes long-term values and fulfillment over short-term gain. To be grounded is to possess a firm and unwavering foundation, a resolute sense of self from which deep and enduring, not shallow and superficial, success can be found. Groundedness does not eliminate ambition and striving; rather, it situates these qualities and channels them in more meaningful ways. Achievement often comes at a cost. Angst, restlessness, frayed relationships, exhaustion, burnout, and even substance abuse can be the unwanted side effects of an obsession with outward performance. While the high of occasional wins can keep you going for a while, playing into the always-on, never enough hustle culture—what he calls heroic individualism—ultimately takes a serious toll, both on individuals and communities. In his newest book, The Practice of Groundedness, Brad offers a healthier and more sustainable model for success. Interweaving case studies, modern science, and time-honored lessons from ancient wisdom traditions such as Buddhism, Stoicism, and Taoism, Brad discusses how to cultivate the habits and practices of a more grounded life and the application of the six principles of groundedness. We wrapped up with discovering what Brad’s learned in the year since Groundedness has been out, and I must say it was as deep and reflective as you may expect from such a unique person. Brad’s work helps us all to live our lives in full, and with authentic meaning. This is a rich conversation with an amazing guy, be sure to tune in on your favorite platform.

What is the journey like to move from enlisting in the Navy at age 17, being recruited into the SEALs instead of going to law school, then serving as a SEAL Team member for twenty years, leading combat missions and helping to design and test new special operations capabilities while becoming a combat-decorated officer and later instructor, to next becoming an entrepreneur, novelist and nonfiction author, CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, Portfolio Manager, sought-after media expert and keynote speaker, while being a father of five and beating cancer – twice? Well, that’s what Marty Strong will be discussing in this episode, and how to apply what he’s learned, to your life and work. But let me first tell you a little bit more about Marty. In the Navy, he served as Former Task Unit Commander and Ops Boss, was a member of SEAL Team Two and SEAL Team Four, and was Leading Chief Petty Officer at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado. He’s traveled to over forty countries, and been shot-at in a few. Marty is currently the CEO of three companies within an ESOP-enterprise structure and he runs his own consulting firm. He’s appeared on CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, and was a featured expert on two History Channel documentaries. In all, Marty has over 400 TV and radio interviews to his credit.  Marty has taken the thread of leadership to stitch together the fabric of his vibrant, albeit challenging career and life. There is so much we covered in this episode – leadership, overcoming adversity, BUDs and being a SEAL Team Member and instructor, author, entrepreneur, and more. We also covered mindset, adaptation, and improvising, black swans, flow state a la Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, business leadership during crisis, motivation and the courage required to excel, and how to see risk as opportunity for accelerated outcomes. Marty certainly lives his life in full, and in the service of others in so many ways. This is a great conversation with an amazing leader.

Tim Ferriss says that Derek Sivers is one of his “all-time favorite humans... a philosopher-king, programmer, master teacher, and merry prankster.” Derek is an international man of mystery, or maybe contradiction. He’s known and loved by millions, done three super-popular TED talks, but he prefers to be alone, certainly when he’s working and creating, or “playing” as he’d more likely call it. Derek graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and has worked as a professional musician and plays a number of instruments. He started a record label, booking agency, and recording studio, and he is the accidental founder of CD Baby which became the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100M in sales for over 150,000 musician clients. He sold CD Baby in 2008 for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education, as well as a more recent donation of a quarter-million dollars in book-sales to charity. He's been featured in the documentary "Your Own Way Out," on the highs and lows of digital nomads. He’s lived all over the US as well as London, Oxford, Singapore, and currently New Zealand. Derek is a sought-after speaker and author of four very popular books, “Anything You Want 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur,” “Your Music and People.” “Hell Yeah or No,” and most recently, “How to Live: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion,” which we will focus most of our conversation on in this episode. Oh, and one more thing, he was a clown and worked in the circus for 10 years. Derek lives his life in full and provides the rest of us with the tools and inspiration to do likewise. This is an episode not to be missed.

Healthcare and medicine have long served as a hotbed of innovation. Perhaps the leading edge these days requires a paradigm shift – think digital therapeutics, Web3, the metaverse, CRISPR, Software as a Medical Device – this is the domain of Neil Littman, Founder & CEO of Bioverge, a highly curated impact-investment venture platform exclusively dedicated to healthcare and to democratizing access to investing in early stage companies and startups. The Bioverge platform serves as a decentralized network linking capital to potential investment opportunities. Neil also hosts, The Bioverge Podcast. Neil talked about his time at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and what it was like from both the scientific and business aspects. It was there that he learned that the institutional model of financing and investing could be applied to the retail sector as well. Combining those experiences and what he learned firsthand, lead to his creating the Bioverge platform. Neil discussed that the decentralized network he built provides warm referrals to Bioverge with the goal of linking capital for potential investment opportunities. But they also provide value added services beyond just capital that helps founders and portfolio companies that may need support and expertise along the way. Beyond sourcing deal flow, they conduct due diligence on the investment opportunities by leveraging their network of subject matter experts who also have deep domain expertise. Neil’s work is such a great example of “doing well while doing good” by helping to save lives and change the world.