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Guest Overview This week we welcome back our previous guest, Robert Marchetti the New York-based, Australian hospitality veteran. Robert recently launched his own podcast The Raw Hospitality Show, where he interviews industry icons and what he describes as boots on the ground 'hospo peeps' (that an Aussie term) those unseen folk whose voices are seldom heard.  Robert’s aim with the new show to inspire, motivate, and entertain the 16 million+ hospitality folks in the USA, and 50 million+ globally. With Covid-19 continuing to decimate the industry, Robert hopes that by interviewing industry veterans and on the ground game-changers, their views and insights into what’s next will inspire a generation of hospitality workers to remain resolute and resilient through these challenging times. In this fast-paced episode, Robert also covers how he embraced the challenges of Covid19 with a positive attitude and a radical acceptance that he may well lose his Soho restaurant and bar Gran Tivoli and Peppi's cellar. He explains the need to pivot, how he’s used this time to reorientate his business and goes on to explain the work he is now doing with Creative community workspace Neuehouse. Robert is more than resilient, he radiates practical positivity with a grounded sense of humor that is uplifting in these strangest of times. I hope you agree. Social Links Robert Marchetti Hospitality The Raw Hospitality ShowInstagramYoutubeLink in the ShowNeuehouse Shep Gordon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Jessica Carson, creator, teacher, and author of Wired This Way, a book about Finding Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual Well-being as a Creator, is this week's guest.In this wide ranging episode, we cover Jessica’s early life and development being the perfect combination of her right and left-brained parents. Jessica refers to Jungian psychology as a reference point to her adolescent development, and her innate passion and self-imposed pressures and character polarities and the impact that had on friendships and relationships.She discusses the transformational time of her life working as a social director at a start-up discovering her social fluidity and her empath character. Jessica discusses the common characteristics of the empath, the value, and the downsides and need for protection. She explains how this led her to study neuroscience at Georgetown. From around 30 min we get into creativity and serendipity. We discuss Jessica’s experiences of serendipity, describing herself as a ‘Serendipitor’ and by embracing the synchronicity of life she overcame her dis-ease, distress and angst. Jessica explains the different creative archetypes she has mapped in her book Wired this Way, which discusses the light and dark sides of different creators and she then explains the shared ten dimensions of a creator. Jessica discusses the dance between creativity and productivity and the deficit of creativity in our ‘hustle culture and the need for creative self-discovery. Jessica makes historic references and provides an overview of her six muses she uses as a framework and as a creative and customizable approach to the journey of self-discovery, a tapestry to understand what archetype a person is. We discuss happiness, creativity, self-discovery, procrastination, and creative incubation, and creative rebirth in the context of the times we live. We also cover education and mental health, innovation, and the importance of diversity in the innovation process. We end by discussing fear and failure. I hope you are stimulated by the creative explorations and archetypes of Jessica Carson. Social Links Instagram WebsiteLinks in Show Wired This WaySophie’s World Jung Witness MovieThe Empaths Survival Guide Scott Barry Kauffman -Transcend: The New Science of Self Actualization   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest overview Schuyler Moore is Director of Science and Technology at the Defense Innovation Board, in the US Department of Defense, by day. At night she is a competitive Hip Hop Dancer by night. She is sister to our previous guest Dr. Merritt Moore(Episode No14).Everything Schuyler shares in this episode is her personal view and perspective. She only speaks herself and does not speak for the Department of Defense or the Defense Innovation Board.LA born, of a Korean mother and American father, Schuyler’s upbringing equipped her with a deep curiosity, an independent world-view, and valuable problem-solving skills. Her unconventional mindset enabled her to defy convention, shed her comfort zone and traveling to teach school girls in Afghanistan in 2013 age, this boundary breaking attitude led her to and become director of science and technology at the DoD only six years later. In this expansive and informative episode, Schuyler shares the value and impact of her parents on her life focus, how her interest in National Security emerged while teaching in Afghanistan, and shares her personal perspectives, knowledge, and insights on agile living and the imperative of how to consider and manage risk in an uncertain and unpredictable world. She explains how she applies this to build confidence, solve problems, maintain humility, and remain calm in the face of chaos. We also discuss gut instinct and innovation and her view on serendipity. Schuyler shares her advice to parents on how to guide their young daughters to thrive in STEM or Steam and her advice to women in the workforce.At 45 min in we also dive deep into A.I. as I ask Schuyler to define in simple terms what A.I. is, before we get into ethics, standards and traceability, the A.I. arms race and the value to humanity.  I also ask Schuyler about Cyber warfare threats, defending it using zero trust architecture, and how we as nations and businesses think about our network security. Schuyler shares her recommendations on changes to education to prepare us for the future and hirIng for Creativity and finally we discuss the role of Diversity in innovation.I hope you enjoy this expansive educational exploration of agile living, risk, AI, Cyber warfare and so much more.Social LinksLinkedin Website Links in the showSOLA Open AiGPT3Department of Defense Defense Innovation BoardZucked bookSocial Dilemma Merritt MooreAI BooksRay KurswellCenter for Security and Emerging...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week’s guest, Dr Christian Basch, describes himself as a practical philosopher. He is also Author of the new book the Serendipity Mindset, and Director of NYU’s Global Economy program.In this absorbing interview Christian describes his upbringing in Germany to a cerebral intellectual father and empathetic and loving mother. Christian explains how his supportive parents instilled a sense of belief that whatever his focus in life, everything was possible. Christian discusses his wayward upbringing, his search for where to channel his energies and the life defining car crash that made him re-evaluate his attitude to life and set him on the path to writing the Serendipity Mindset. He maps out how In 2008 in London he formed his innovative global Sandbox network and describes the community they build as a serendipity accelerator. We cover purpose and social entrepreneurship and how he has worked with many of the top CEO’s to focus on how their companies can link their purpose to the sustainable development goals. If you want to jump forward to where we get into the specifics of the Serendipity Mindset head to AROUND 40 MIN min. Christian explains how the Serendipity Mindset is grounded in creating the structures and mindsets that enable people to create their own luck and I ask Christian to explain the role of procrastination in serendipity and what he calls productive procrastination. He sets out why spotting something unexpected and connecting dots when you see them is key to a serendipity mindset. He explains why sagacity and tenacity are the core elements to unlocking serendipity and why we need to avoid seeing life linear and more a series of random twisting lines and being prepared to see failure as an opportunity. Christian covers fear of failure, loss and overcoming self limiting beliefs and worthiness. I ask Christian about the role of his work to affect change in organizational behavior, and how brand values can define meeting agendas, and examining and learning from failure to solve large problems. We also discuss polarization, diversity, inclusion and seeking common denominators to solve our contemporary challenges.  Finally we cover serendipity scores and the value to reframing behaviors. Christian describes how as a daily habit and a life philosophy it can transform how we view uncertainty and the unexpected from a threat to an ally.  I hope you are empowered by the mind altering playbook of Dr Christian Busch. Social Links LinkedInTwitterInstagram Website Show Links and Notes The Serendipity Mindset Goethe Quote - If you take someone as they are you make them worseBut if you take them as what they could be you make them capable of becoming what they can be

This week I want to make a change to our usual interview format. Instead, I want to talk about the issue of climate change. Whatever your perspective on the causes few will deny that dramatic and potentially irreversible changes are occurring that threaten humanity’s existence on the planet. We're now well into the fourth quarter of this tumultuous year. With news around our tiny unseen enemy still in abundance, and as we focus on addressing the immediate Covid-19 pandemic, we must not lose sight of the more significant existential threat: our climate crisis. The urgency to build on the much-cited 'We're all in this together' sentiment cannot be overstated. If we are to avert a climate collapse, now is the time to start a new contagion, one that spreads a radical and positive change in consumer and corporate behaviors. Behavior change is hard, but we should take inspiration from positive societal shifts that have emerged in recent months:Covid-19 and our sheltering in place demonstrate that most people can, individually and collectively, on a global scale, radically change our way of life, sacrificing what once seemed sacrosanct. The collective spirit of resistance and rage, ignited by the death of George Floyd and spate of other racial injustices, demonstrates the power of people to unite and confront the status quo. The rapid collective action by some corporations, businesses, and brands in changing their marketing, operations, and supply chains to battle the pandemic prove business can be on the right side of race history. However, Covid-19 has not only exposed the deep and systemic social, economic, educational, racial, and technological inequity; it's also directly impacted our progress to achieve the UN's seventeen sustainable development goals (SDG's). As UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently stated: "As Member States recognized at the SDG Summit held last September, global efforts to date have been insufficient to deliver the change we need, jeopardizing the Agenda's promise to current and future generations. Now, due to COVID-19, unprecedented health, economic, and social crisis is threatening lives and livelihoods, making the achievement of Goals even more challenging."The climate target adopted at the 2015 Paris Agreement was to keep global temperature rise this century to less than 2 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels, but set a 2030 target to limit the rise to +1.5°C.While Covid-19 may have paused the global economy, it's estimated to only reduce 2020 Carbon emissions by 6%, significantly below the required 50% annual reduction we need in this coming decade to avoid a climate abyss - the point at which there may be no way back. So what if we consider Covid-19 a wake up call to our global fragility, a kickstarter to elicit unified action to avoid climate calamity. With 2019 being the second warmest year on record, coming at the end of the warmest decade on record, we are currently "way off track meeting either the 1.5°C or 2°C targets", according to Guterres. With the world's average surface temperature projected to surpass 3 degrees Celsius by the end of this century, our children, and their children will experience melting ice caps, rising sea levels, flooded coastal capitals, mass migration north, food and water shortages, and mass social unrest, economic breakdown, and war. We have a simple choice. To act or not to act. As individuals, if we choose to act, we can start living more sustainable lives. As consumers, employees, or investors, we have the leverage to demand accelerated action from the corporations and brands that form the fabric of the carbon...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's guest Linda Rislin is evidence of how life’s path leads us in directions we could never have planned. In Linda’s case, a visual designer turned Open Relationship Coach. Born to Haitian parents, Linda was born in New Jersey and grew up in an inter-generational home and at the intersection of diverse cultures. In part one Linda discusses the early years, her catholic education, her immersion in American culture, and the clash with Haitian values. She explains the influence of her parents on her character development, her mother's faith, and her father's levity. Linda discusses how growing up with scarcity guided her to seek financial security in a marketing role at Vimeo. Upon discovering how unfulfilled she felt Linda describes her career migration into visual design and the resultant impact on her life satisfaction. We end part one there and in Part two we cover Linda’s journey to becoming an Open Relationship Coach. Linda discusses how she and her partner evolved from a monogamous relationship to embrace open relationships. She reflects on how her previous relationship mode was based on the pursuit of finding a husband, the impact of her Haitian culture on how she perceived relationships, rather what she now calls seeking a life adventure partner. Linda discusses fear, the concept of soul mates, how previous relationships shaped her behavior and becoming her individual authentic self. Linda explains her early experience of open relationships, adult play-parties, and being 'Monogamish' and reflects communication, women’s roles in romantic culture, and the human condition. Linda discusses how she has applied her experiences in Open Relationships to help other women navigate open relationships, help them speak up and how she helping them deal with relationship stigmas and propaganda. We also discuss the impact on mental health, the economic impact of empowered relationships, and how she works with therapists as part of couples therapy, being true to oneself, cultivating openness and honesty. I hope you enjoy the convention confronting candor of Linda Rislin.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

GUEST OVERVIEWThis week's guest is Linda Rislin, is evidence of how life’s path leads us in directions we could never have planned. In Linda’s case, a visual designer turned Open Relationship Coach. Born to Haitian parents, Linda was born in New Jersey and grew up in an inter-generational home and at the intersection of diverse cultures. In part one Linda discusses the early years, her catholic education, her immersion in American culture and the clash with Haitian values. She explains the influence of her parents on her character development, her mother's faith and her father levity. Linda discusses how growing up with scarcity guided her to seek financial security in a marketing role at Vimeo. Upon discovering how unfulfilled she felt Linda describes her career migration into visual design and the resultant impact on her life satisfaction. We end part one there and in Part two we cover Linda’s journey to becoming an Open Relationship Coach. SOCIAL LINKSLinda's Site LINKS IN SHOW Haiti Earthquake Shillington Design School  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jennifer L Williams is this week's guest and our first guest of Series 3. Jennifer is a leading thinker and advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. During this open, honest, and expansive discussion Jennifer discusses why diversity, equity, and inclusion must be foundational to reimagining how we work and how we build teams and move toward a more equitable society.In part one Jennifer discusses growing up as an only child in DC with her loving but overprotective, successful Panamanian immigrant mother, she navigated the highly controlled home environment by immersing herself in writing and books. This ignited her inner creativity and set her on a path to focusing on becoming her best self. In part two dive into Jennifer’s career and journey to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Jennifer deconstructs how working in HR inside ad agency Saatchi led her to be a vocal proponent of changing the narrative around diversity and respect, set her on the path to her current life focus consulting on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. For anyone that wants to appreciate the nuances of the Diversity and Inclusion, Jennifer delivers an explanation with simplicity and clarity and frames it in the context COVID, George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.   We discuss how and when the systemic change will emerge and Jennifer explains her approach in consulting businesses in the process of transformation and the dynamics of the radical changes underwayJennifer provides a clear explanation around the lexicon and wordplay between Black, Latino, and People of Color. I for one certainly learned a lot from this episode  I hope you enjoy the vitality and vigor of Jennifer L. Williams.Social LinksLinkedin Links in the showNew York. A DocumentaryLandmark CourseBob Wiesner The JL Solution Scroobius Pip episode with Dane Baptiste  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Jennifer L Williams is this week's guest and our first guest of Series 3. Jennifer is a leading thinker and advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. During this open, honest and expansive discussion Jennifer discusses why diversity, equity, and inclusion must be foundational to reimagining how we work and how we build teams, and move toward a more equitable society.In part one Jennifer discusses growing up as an only child in DC with her loving but over protective, successful Panamanian immigrant mother, she navigated the highly controlled home environment by immersing herself in writing and books. This ignited her inner creativity and set her on a path to focusing on becoming her best self. Jennifer reflects on the other foundational influences and people growing up, gratitude, anger and being responsible for one's own happiness and the second chances life gives us We also discuss immigration and inclusivity. She explains the transformational impact of attending a Landmark Forum course. Jennifer eloquently expresses the experience of establishing herself as a young black woman in corporate New York recounting her mother's sage words ‘you have to be twice as good to be considered half as competent.'We end part one as Jennifer discusses her experience of moving to New York and the caring safe environment she was welcomed into. In part two dive into Jennifer’s career and journey to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I hope you enjoy the vitality and vigor of Jennifer L Williams. Social LinksLinkedin Links in the showNew York. A DocumentaryLandmark CourseBob Wiesner The JL Solution Scroobius Pip episode with Dane Baptiste  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This weeks bonus episode we go back to Episode 76 where we interviewed Carmen Medina - the ex-Deputy Director for Intelligence at the CIA.We pick up this episode where I ask Carmen about her perspective on the state of the World today and the direction we are headed. Carmen discusses the web of causality, our interconnectedness and her perspective on communications, and being heard in a polarized environment and she values failure. Carmen is a deeply reflective woman that lives by the principles of playfulness and kindness. I hope you enjoy this short dose of optimism with Carmen Medina.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest OverviewThis week we go back to Episode 30 with Co-founder of the Masters in Branding program at New York’s School of Visual Arts and host of one of the most popular and longest-running podcasts, Design Matters, Debbie Millman. We pick up the interview at 20 min where Debbie discusses the serendipitous events that have effects her path in life and we go from there. If you missed this one last year, Debbie’s great strength is her candor and vulnerability. Be inspired by this short insight into the life design of Debbie Millman. What We DiscussDebbie’s innate curiosityHow she interviews for attitudeThe transformative impact of coming out in her 50’s Her perspective on courageWe discuss Debbie’s periods of depression and despair We cover her principles Her views on failure The hard choices she has madeHer answer to our impossible questionWho we interview nextOn Social Twitter FacebookInstagram LinkedinLinks In The Show Debbie Millman Milton Glaser School of Visual Arts One of Us movie SUNY AlbanyProfessor Helen Regueiro Elam Speak Up Blog Hacking the American Mind Robert LustigAIGA Print Magazine  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview B Corp evangelist Lorna Davis is a transformational thinker, leader, and visionary for why and how organizations can combine social, and environmental priorities with their financial imperatives to deliver improved business performance. As a highly respected coach, international speaker Lorna also serves on a number of boards to help them embrace meaning and purpose.Born in South Africa in the age of Apartheid, her education, parental guidance, curiosity, and worldly ambitions set her on the path to a stellar career in international business and marketing and finally leading Danone to become the first billion-dollar entity to become a public benefit corporation - welcome this week’s guest Lorna Davis.In this short bonus episode we discuss serendipity, education, diversity, divine intelligence, the joy of being human and how she uses curiosity as an antidote to pain, and her perspective on how humanity works.Oh and the quick-fire questions.I hope you’re inspired by the leadership values, heart, the humanity of Lorna Davis.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Ecuadorian born, she became an undocumented migrant at 13, founded United We Dream, the largest youth-led US organization, fighting to protect and defend the rights of undocumented immigrants at 23, a MacArthur Fellow at 33; welcome this week/s guest, social justice activist Cristina Jiménez In this double length episode, Cristina recounts the story of her upbringing, being born in Ecuador, her early memories of living through the political and economic turmoil of Ecuador in the 90’s.She describes her father’s athleticism and how his mental fortitude instilled resilience and determination at an early age and how her mothers empathy became a characteristic she embraced. She reflects growing up with an abundance of love and being unaware of the economic challenges her parents faced.Cristina discusses arriving in Queens New York as an undocumented migrant child unable to speak English in the summer of 1998. Early on she experienced the shame, discrimination and exploitation immigrants encounter and we discuss the anxiety and fear that exist for immigrants with no status. She discusses the added pressure and racial profiling she experienced following 9/11 and the hatred and discrimination that ensued. Cristina sets out how the narrative shifts and changes in the policy and politics of immigration led her to begin her social justice fight. She also describes the challenges she faced accessing further education, how her advocacy began using her pseudonym Sandra and how this experience gave her a taste of the power of community action. At 1 hour into the interview, Cristina begins to discuss the beginning of her United We Dream movement and it’s interconnectedness with other movements like Black Lives Matter. She discusses congressional inaction, detention camps, the lack of progress to create pathways to fix immigration status and why both parties are responsible for the impasse She discusses how she and her teams campaigning and public shaming of the Obama administration led to Obama to sign an executive order to protect dreamers in 2012We then cover the damaging effect of Covid19 on the indigenous, black, brown and immigrant communities, why they have been impacted more, the systems of discrimination and Cristina uses the example of Elmhurst hospital in Queens to emphasize the inequity and injustice facing minority communities. Cristina explains why her fight is a battle for the soul of the country, the possibility of change, her hopes for undocumented immigrants, her evolving role, and the future of democracy. We end with all our quick fire questions. I hope you are uplifted by the vitality, vision and courage of Cristina JiménezSocial LinksInstagram FacebookTwitter Cristina's personal Social LinksInstagramTwitterLinks in The Show United We DreamHomeland Security 9/11 Elmhurst...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Whether a startup founder, someone with a good idea that can’t get taken seriously due to gender, sex, or race, or if you're feeling jaded by the lack of passion and purpose in business; you’ll be uplifted by this weeks interview with Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage.John, Allyn, and Mark recently joined forces to launch a new purpose-driven investment firm and fuse their diverse skills in Marketing and Branding, Corporate Finance, Law, and Technology.In Part One of the joint discussion, we cover their collective yet wildly diverse upbringings on their path to purpose.All three guests discuss their first memories of their emerging sexual identities, their self-awareness and discovery, early ambitions, influences, motivations, goals and the serendipity or happenstance that set them on their life journeys.In Part Two, Mark, Allyn and John dive deep into their path to purpose with their new venture, focused on recognizing, celebrating, embracing, difference through investing in the under-invested and under-represented minorities. They discuss the alchemy and untapped power of difference, why true innovation will be born from diversity, and why they are reimagining the very core of their business model to break the traditional corporate structure.Mark discusses investing in purpose-driven businesses, common unity delivering for the three P’s of people, planet, and profit.Mark, Allyn, and John discuss the exciting opportunity to invest in new business ideas that will emerge post-Covid to solve the problems that have emerged, how new networks and communities will emerge.We also discuss the positive value of procrastination, their life mottos and we cover all our quick-fire questionsI hope you enjoy the ego-free honesty, passion, and purpose and common unity of Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage.Social LinksMark’s LinkedinJohn’s LinkedinAllyn’s Linkedin Allyn’s Twitter Links In ShowBritish Airways Heathers Zoom PBS Hob-nobs Maya Angelou  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Whether a startup founder, someone with a good idea that can’t get taken seriously due to gender, sex, or race, or if you're feeling jaded by the lack of passion and purpose in business; you’ll be uplifted by this weeks interview with Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage. John, Allyn, and Mark recently joined forces to launch a new purpose-driven investment firm and fuse their diverse skills in Marketing and Branding, Corporate Finance, Law, and Technology.In Part one the joint discussion, we cover their collective yet wildly diverse upbringings on their path to purpose. Allyn was born in the notorious Compton neighborhood of LA, grew up in a poor but loving family who nurtured and guided him to an education that enabled him to escape being another statistic.  Mark describes being born in Canada as a ‘welcome baby’. Moving to the UK at an early age, growing up in the private schooling system, his volatile and loud home environment conditioned him to ensure his voice was heard and prepared him to thrive in chaotic volatile work environments. John discusses being born into a loving quirky family and describes his upbringing as a container of abundance, scarcity, and boredom and how his early interest in academia. All three guests discuss their first memories of their emerging sexual identities, their self-awareness and discovery, early ambitions, influences, motivations, goals and the serendipity or happenstance that set them on their life journeys.In Part Two, Mark, Allyn and John dive deep into their path to purpose with their new venture, focused on recognizing, celebrating, embracing, difference through investing in the under-invested and under-represented minorities. They discuss the alchemy and untapped power of difference, why true innovation will be born from diversity, and why they are reimagining the very core of their business model to break the traditional corporate structure. Mark discusses investing in purpose-driven businesses, common unity delivering for the three P’s of people, planet, and profit. Mark, Allyn, and John discuss the exciting opportunity to invest in new business ideas that will emerge post-Covid to solve the problems that have emerged, how new networks and communities will emerge. We also discuss the positive value of procrastination, their life mottos and we cover all our quick-fire questionsI hope you enjoy the ego-free honesty, passion, and purpose and common unity of Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage. Social LinksMark’s LinkedinJohn’s LinkedinAllyn’s Linkedin Allyn’s Twitter Links In ShowBritish Airways Heathers Zoom PBS Hob-nobs Maya Angelou  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Simon Wheatcroft is living proof that resilience is born from adversity, accepting that things will go wrong, not go to plan, and being prepared to embrace failure without fear. Having lost his sight at an early age Simon used running solo as his foundation to building an abundant life as a runner, motivational speaker, and now teacher.  In part one Simon discusses the impact of growing up in the 80’s, in a small coal-mining town in the North of England, and the devastating social and economic impact of the coal mine closures. He then takes us through his early life and journey to where he met the founders of Haptic Technology company Wear Works.In this episode Simon explains how he discovered the Haptic technology company Wear Works and how the combination of sensors enabled him to run races and sense people around himWe discuss the future advances using Lidar technology to create 3 depth maps of spaces and object recognition technology that will transform the lives of people with visual impairmentsSimon explains the serendipitous moments that enabled him to study clinical psychology, computational neuroscience, and AI in later life and led him onto the motivational-speaking stage. Simon covers resilience, dealing with adversity, fear, failure, and managing pain. Simon discusses the appalling and enduring employment discrimination against blind or partially blind people and reveals why he is changing his career to teaching and explains his passion to provide visually impaired children with computer science skills to live an equal opportunity life.Simon and I discuss accessibility and how web page metadata and hierarchies work.Simon also reflects on his wife’s enduring support.  And of course all our quick-fire questions I am sure you will feel uplifted, inspired and energized by the life story of Simon Wheatcroft.Social Links Linkedin Twitter Website Links in the show RunkeeperThe voice of Runkeeper Mind Hacks Book Tom Stafford Lidar technology Ghost in the WiresRNIB Employment Report  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Simon Wheatcroft is living proof that resilience is born from adversity, accepting that things will go wrong, not go to plan, and being prepared to embrace failure without fear. Having lost his sight at an early age Simon used running solo as his foundation to building an abundant life as a runner, motivational speaker, and now teacher.  In part one Simon discusses the impact of growing up in the 80’s, in a small coal-mining town in the North of England, and the devastating social and economic impact of the coal mine closures Simon recounts the experience of growing up suffering from a degenerative eye disorder that ultimately resulted in his loss of sight by his late teens. Simon discusses how this impacted his ambitions, his education but how the degeneration of his site did help him develop spatial, memory, and mental acuity skills that prepared him to confront the challenges of living without sight.Having lived many years in a state of denial, Simon explains the pivotal point in his life when he accepted his condition and embraced running as a means of creating a new pathway in the world. We discuss the many challenges he faced in those early days, the value of the voice direction of the Runkeeper app, and his ability to sense what was underfoot. He discusses the daily challenge and stress of running solo without site, confronting the fear of not seeing oncoming obstacles or cars.  We then cover his boundary-pushing attitude, that led him to the US and running 200 miles from Boston to New York to line up for his first New York marathon. Simon explains the serendipitous moment he met the voice of the Runkeeper app in a running store in Boston and the power her voice had in giving him the belief he could run solo. In part two Simon explains how he discovered the Haptic technology company Wear Works and how the combination of sensors enabled him to run races and sense people around himWe discuss the future advances using Liidar technology to create 3 depth maps of spaces and object recognition technology that will transform the lives of people with visual impairmentsSimon explains the serendipitous moments in life that led him to that enabled him to study clinical psychology, computational neuroscience, and AI in later life and led him on a motivational public speaking stage. Simon discusses resilience, dealing with adversity, fear, failure, and managing pain. Simon reveals how he is changing his career to teaching and explains his passion to provide visually impaired children with computer science skills to live an equal opportunity to life.  Simon and I discuss accessibility and how web page metadata and hierarchies work.Simon also reflects on his wife’s enduring support.  And of course all our quick-fire questions I am sure you will feel uplifted, inspired and energized by the life story of Simon Wheatcroft Social Links Linkedin Twitter Website Links in the show RunkeeperThe voice of Runkeeper 

Guest OverviewThis week's guest was named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, was featured in WIRED's Smart List and Founder of Fine Acts a global creative activist platform. Welcome Yana Buhrer Tavanier. We cover a lot of ground in this episode. Yana discusses the impact of being born in Communist Bulgaria, being driven at an early age to confront injustice using words and recounts the influence and inspiration of her Aunt who resisted the regime through art and humor but was tortured by the and imprisoned in a mental institution leading her to ultimately to take her own life at 37. Yana describes how her family conditioned her to live by values and not by the rules imposed by the state and how this led her to investigative journalism exposing social and human rights abuses, using her writing as a weapon against injustice. Yana explains how her work to expose the inhumane and degrading treatment in mental institutions resulted in her being nominated as a World Economic Forum Young Global leaderYana explains why she evolved from journalism to activism. She recounts her early collaborations with artists to use art as a powerful communication tool to generate empathy. She explains how this led to her forming her activism organization Fine Acts, a non profit creative studio for social impact that leverages the power of play in the process of creating their campaigns. Yana describes her team fuse this with Hope-Based Communication and the shifts that are taking place in campaigning for human rights. Yana discusses the latest thinking and how neuroscience insights are changing the way activists operate and why they are releasing their artworks as open source. I ask Yana to reflect on the state of political leadership and the evolution of leadership around the world. We also discuss education, curiosity, creativity and procrastination before we jump into our quick-fire questions. There's a lot of inspiration in this episode but I was struck by how lack of experience never stopped Yana, how persistence and acceptance of failure spurred her one to achieve extraordinary impact. I hope you enjoy the heart, humanity and humility of Yana Tavanier.Social LinksInstagram Twitter FacebookBeat – her creative social experiment, exploring the ominous silence surrounding domestic violence.Fakery – Yana’s project fighting fake news through beautiful but horribly tasting cupcakes. Labs - their open format bridging art and tech in support of human rights.Spring of Hope – their campaign on hope during the pandemic, where she collaborated with 80 artists from 30 countries to create over 100 free to use and adapt uplifting illustrations.12 Black artists / 24 protest posters – recently, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Yana teamed up with 12 Black typographers and lettering artists from around the world on an open pack of 24 protest posters – all free to print and share, and ready to be used in...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview This week’s guest Julia Black is at the forefront of innovation in education, designing an educational approach that unleashes the talent, and unlocks the passion and true potential of every child.   As the founder and CEO of Explorium, Julia’s Lights On methodology is changing the way we think about education.Julia explains that when becoming a mother, the values of her own mother, and her first daughter starting school created an inner conflict that led her to pivot away from film-making to focus on education reform. She discusses how the serendipity of creating a circus as a school fund-raiser opened her eyes to the potential in children, unleashed her boldness to confront the educational status quo, research innovations in education to create a vision to disrupt educational norms. Starting with a creative learning center in a pub, Julia describers why having a clear vision enables her to thrive on risk-taking, ambiguity and trusting that events will fall into place.Julia explains how she partnered with her father to transform her future vision into a social business reality. Julia breaks down the methodology and the impact Lights On is having on children and parents alike. Julia also reflects on why in the time of Covid parents can now witness their children’s disconnection from learning its mental health impact and why Light’s On provides the path forward for education. I hope you enjoy the vision, vitality and unfolding story of Julia Black.Social Links Explorium Facebook Instagram Links in the Show Marie Stopes Channel4 BAFTA Neurohacking Ministry of Sound  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest Overview Over the course of the series, we have often asked our guests about what they would change to education to equip a generation of children with the skills they need to survive and thrive in our AI-driven future.   This week’s guest Julia Black is at the forefront of innovation in education, designing an educational approach that unleashes the talent, and unlocks the passion and true potential of every child.   As the founder and CEO of Explorium, Julia’s Lights On methodology is changing the way we think about education.In part one we discuss how finding her purpose in life was always on her mind.  Julia discusses the huge impact of her parents; her father’s influence in her seeking a life in social impact, believing anything you set your mind to was possible, and being true to your authentic self. Julia also reflects how her fathers adventurous spirit was balanced by her mother’s more cautious influence in creating a stable and secure home environment. Julia explains her father’s story, being written off as a dyslexic, neurodiverse child to becoming a doctor and being one of the UK’s first social entrepreneurs forming the Maria Stopes foundation for female reproductive rights.  Julia recounts how her father pushed her to confront fear, live outside her comfort zone, and embrace failure and its enduring value. We also cover her own educational experience, seeking out her purpose in early life. Discovering the power of storytelling to create a social impact during a year in South America, returning to the UK, persisting in pitching ideas to the UK broadcast Channel 4 that led her to become an award-winning documentary filmmaker. In part two we focus on Julia discovering her true purpose in her 40’s, her immersion in education reform, creating her Lights On platform, serendipity, and how the pandemic is providing the opportunity to scale the platform globally.  I hope you enjoy the vision, vitality and unfolding story of Julia Black.Social Links Explorium Facebook Instagram Links in the Show Marie Stopes Channel4 BAFTA Neurohacking Ministry of SoundDr Tim Black  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.