Casually Creative

Yasaman Hadjibashi is one of the most powerful global women in technology, and has a bunch of awards to prove it (we think it might be all the awards, but who's counting). A brilliant conversationalist, her innate ability to make complex financial or technological concepts make sense for a variety of audiences is one of the things that sets her apart from so many others in her field and has established her as an international icon in the field of financial technology. Growing up in Tehran at the time of the Islamic revolution, she early on developed a love of learning, finance, and how technology can shape and advance the impact of both.  Currently, in her role as Global Head of Data and Analytics for Citi Global Consumer Bank, she has continued to dedicate her career to championing ways to advance opportunities for consumers and improving the world we all live in. Our conversations went global as we unpacked her secrets to management, the pursuit of big dreams, and how collaboration and (occasional) conflict can best serve creativity.

Additional Resources from Yasaman

Dr. Michael Sorrell has been hailed by Forbes Magazine as one of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders, and when you meet him, you instantly understand why. With a commanding yet approachable presence, it seems as if nuggets of wisdom just live in every sentence he speaks. Dr. Sorrell began his tenure as the President of Paul Quinn College, a historically black university in Dallas, 13 years ago when it was in dire straits.  Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and with 3 months until they had to close their doors for good, Paul Quinn's Tigers needed a new vision for and of themselves, and Dr. Sorrell brought exactly that. Within 90 days of taking office, he made sweeping changes that many questioned- from eliminating majors, to ending a decades-long football program and replacing it with, of all things, a farm where the football field had once been. His biggest change, however, was to get the Paul Quinn community to see itself as what it could be and to believe in a future where it stood as an example for colleges around the world.

Now with international acclaim, the Paul Quinn Quinnites do stand as shining examples of what a committed community of administrators and educators can do when faced with seemingly impossible odds. We sat down with Dr. Sorrell to discuss how his experience in sports, law, and entertainment (including a bid to buy the Memphis Grizzlies) prepared him for a career in higher education, and how creativity is found oftentimes when all other opportunities are exhausted.

Eddy is not what you'd expect when you imagine the CEO of an urban farming company. Mild-mannered (yes, you can TOTALLY think of him as Clark Kent), brilliantly insightful, and a veteran of both the advertising and marketing world and global foreign affairs, Eddy's career has been varied to say the least.  From his time working in the federal government as a Middle East analyst pre, during, and post 9-11 (yeah, not a lot to focus on there), to becoming a foreign affairs spokesperson in the Bush White House, and the CEO of a top national marketing and communications firm (that he sold and then bought back-no, seriously) Eddy has had experience in just about everything...except farming. 

Eddy's latest venture, Eden Green is one of the newest and most innovative hydroponic farms in the world and has the audacious goal of bringing produce to urban food deserts across the globe, and in the process, change the very culture of those communities. We got a chance to sit down with Eddy to discuss his story, how an acre and a half can change a city, and about the power of redemptive business practices to make for a more invested and conscious company.

What exactly is "privilege" and what is our responsibility if we have any? In this audio essay, Damany unpacks privilege and how those that have it are duty-bound to change their world and build their communities through their usage of it.

Episode Music:

TRIPPIN COFFEE by Audionautix | http://audionautix.com

In the wake of the worldwide cry for justice and the call to see black and brown bodies through the lens of equality, Byron and Damany share their thoughts on where we stand as a nation and how healing and justice must go hand in hand. 

In this bonus episode, Byron shares his thoughts on how America's history of violence is showing up now, and how that violence can lead to a victory for those victims who have suffered at the hands of those that often sees them as less, while continually pushing them to give more.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Lavin for D Magazine

Organizations you can support:

Campaign Zero

Chris McSwain's devotion to uncovering and understanding people and their stories has led her to discover a series of intersecting narratives that have informed her creative outlook and approach to the pursuit of life. Her fascination with the ways in which those stories are told has placed her behind the successful communications efforts of some of the most impactful movements and campaigns and made her acutely aware of the power of creativity and the written word to transform communities and lives.

Christina's dedication to story is seen in everything she does. From finding beauty through thrifting to explaining why in the holy hell "muckbanging" is even a thing, and offering revelations about how observing people (but in a not too creepy way) can lead to understandings of your own intentions, her telling of the thing makes you want to lean in and love it just a little bit more.

Insta: @MissChrisness

Impact: Communities Foundation of Texas

LinkedIn: Chris McSwain

As the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for one of the largest school districts in the country, Justin Henry already had a daunting task. When faced with the challenges of COVID-19, and the sudden closing of all public schools, he and his team were suddenly tasked with delivering more than education- they needed to deliver for those suffering with food insecurity, and provide online education when getting online for many is nearly impossible. We sat down with him to see how DISD creatively tackled the challenge and worked with their team at all levels to find answers to all sorts of new questions.

Din Tolbert stands at an impressive 6'8" and though towering over any and everyone he comes into contact with, is one of the most soft-spoken and gentle people you'll ever come into contact with. As a lifelong communicator and lover of stories, Din's love first was alighted when he was introduced to the Marvel Universe through comic books. From there, he began to realize the impact that story, both those narratives that are universal and those that are unique to individuals were one of the greatest ways to impact people and change communities. Since then, storytelling has been a part of everything he's done. Working in youth development and fighting for access and engagement amongst some of the country's most overlooked populations, Din has continually sought to understand and unpack people's stories and to allow those stories to change people's worlds. We sat down with Din and learned why the Marvel Universe of X-Men shaped his worldview, why Notorious BIG is the best rapper of all time, and why parallel universes are probably a thing. Yeah...we went deep on this one. 

Jordan Swim, in addition to having one of the coolest names out there, had one of the coolest jobs. He and his company, Vestals Catering, got to wake up every day and cook great food for some of life's most fantastic celebrations. When COVID-19 began to sweep its way through the country, he saw all that come to a screeching halt. With dozens of employees and fridges full of food, he knew he had to do something. From a desire to continue serving the community he found himself in, Furlough Kitchen was born and within days began serving hundreds of meals each day. To date, they have served over 25,000 meals to hospitality workers displaced by restaurants, hotels, and food service centers shutting down. Damany got to sit down with Jordan and discuss his journey from successful entrepreneur to engaged philanthropist. As restaurants around the country begin to open back up for business, Jordan's story reminds us why serving others is still one of life's highest honors.

Byron and Damany sat down to discuss the vision behind Casually Creative and how a chance conversation led to a decision to connect with visionaries and those the world over who embrace creativity in their everyday- whatever that may be.