Lasting success requires innovation. But how do we build teams that keep innovation in their DNA?

Jackie Reses is Silicon Valley royalty precisely because she knows how to hire, build, and lead the best teams for the best companies. Jackie was a senior executive at Yahoo!, Alibaba, and Square and now she is the founder and CEO of a new bank disrupting retail finance.

We talked about what it takes to empower people to invent new things and how grit, paranoia, and excellence breed success.

This is...A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Jackie and her work check out: 

https://www.lead.bank/

Great comedians have the ability to point out some of the madness, ridiculousness, and nuance that exists in the world.

Alex Edelman is already one of the greats.  His current show, "Just For Us," is a transformative experience for his audiences, as he regales them with his experience as an unwelcome interloper at a meeting for white supremacists.  

Our conversation was just as enlightening. We discussed how imperfections are beautiful, how seeing humanity in others is the first step to peace, and if IHOP is good, evil, or something in-between. 

This is...A Bit of Optimism. 

For more on Alex and his work check out: 

https://www.justforusshow.com/

https://www.alexedelmancomedy.com/

Drive can get you to peak performance. 

But what happens when you enter the next chapter of your life? 

Danica Patrick was one of the best drivers in the world, the only woman in a field perennially dominated by men.  But that was years ago. Now, she is finding meaning beyond wins, races, and results. 

It turns out, the best part of drive is the journey.  

This is...A Bit of Optimism. 

For more on Danica and her work check out: 

https://danicapatrick.com/

All business leaders want to make a lasting impact, but very few have the scale and tools to change the entire planet.  

Doug McMillon has the scale and the tools. He is the CEO of Walmart and employs over 2 million people across the world. But it is Doug's commitment to leading Walmart based on its core values that makes him so important.

So I sat down with him to talk about his 33-year career, in which he went from packing trucks in the loading bay to becoming the chief executive, to discuss the value of values and how Walmart can have an impact on the whole world.

This is...A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Doug and his work check out: 

https://corporate.walmart.com/about/leadership/doug-mcmillon

https://corporate.walmart.com/about/history

Authenticity is exceedingly rare.

Yet Brian Grazer embodies it with an unparalleled zest and refreshing innocence. 

Though Grazer might not be a household name, his tv shows and movies (like "A Beautiful Mind" and “Apollo 13”) have earned him 242 Emmy nominations and 47 Oscar nominations. He believes in the power of asking endless amounts of questions to shape stories that resonate on a deeply human level.

Grazer is an unparalleled storyteller and offers a unique perspective on how to engage, question, and understand the world around us.

This is…A Bit of Optimism. 

For more on Brian and his work check out: 

His new book: https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Mind-Expanded-Secret-Bigger/dp/1668025507

https://imagine-entertainment.com/

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Brian-Grazer/410161296

When did we get so disconnected from the world around us? How can we find our way back?

Aza Raskin thinks the answer might lie in humanity's greatest adversary - listening.

As co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and of the Earth Species Project, Aza and his team are using Artificial Intelligence to decode the language of animals, from whales to crows, while remaining dedicated to ensuring the accelerating rise of A.I. remains safe and responsibly handled.

This is...A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Aza and his work check out: 

https://www.earthspecies.org/

https://www.humanetech.com/

We have lost trust in almost everything.

Yat Siu has a clear vision for how we can solve our large-scale trust issues and enhance human coordination. 

For every problem technology creates, technology also has a solution.

This is…A Bit of Optimism. 

For more on Yat Siu and his work check out: 

https://www.animocabrands.com/

We used to care about beautiful architecture. 

Luckily, Thomas Heatherwick still does. He is on a quest to make the world less boring.

You may not know Thomas yet, but you know his work.  He's designed iconic buildings and experiences and he says our cities have become dreadfully unhuman and our lack of beauty is negatively impacting our physical and mental health. 

He's a truly original thinker with great insights into how to innovate, create, and humanize.

This is...A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Thomas and his work check out: 

His new book, Humanize: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Humanize/Thomas-Heatherwick/9781668034439

https://www.heatherwick.com/

High-performing teams require more than just a leader. Great teams come from great teammates.  

Shane Battier won't be in the NBA Hall of Fame, but he was one of the greatest teammates to ever play professional basketball. He won back-to-back NBA Championships with the Miami Heat and was named the league's Teammate of the Year during their second championship run.  

His insights into trust, discomfort, and "teammateship" are essential for teams -- and teammates -- of all types.  

This is...A Bit of Optimism. 

When we want wisdom, we turn to people older than us. But there is a lot to be learned from younger generations too.

Elizabeth English knows this. She’s the head of one of the most innovative schools in the country, The Archer School for Girls and has spent her career working with -- and learning from -- younger generations.

We sat down to talk about: the problems facing parents today, why kids need and thrive from rules, boundary setting, phone addictions, and how her students make her hopeful for the future.

This is...A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Elizabeth and her work check out: 

https://www.archer.org/about/from-the-head-of-school