Health Gig

Susan Orlean is a journalist and best selling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book. She has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1992 and has contributed articles to many magazines, including Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire and Outside. Her early years in journalism made clear that her curiosity spread beyond the bounds of profiles and meetings. While writing The Orchid Thief she did field research in the Fakahatchee State swamps in Florida. The film, Adaptation, which starred Nicholas Cage, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, and Meryl Streep, was based off of the book. Orlean sets ambitious writing goals for herself while maintaining her patient and thorough writing style. In her free time, she gardens and cooks to keep her mind active without duplicating the academic demands of her craft. In this conversation, she dives into her upbringing, passions, the multifaceted success of The Orchid Thief, and the favorite of her written pieces. To learn more about Orlean’s books, articles, and upcoming events, visit http://www.susanorlean.com/author/.

Susan Orlean is a journalist and best selling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book. She has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1992 and has contributed articles to many magazines, including Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire and Outside. Her early years in journalism made clear that her curiosity spread beyond the bounds of profiles and meetings. While writing The Orchid Thief she did field research in the Fakahatchee State swamps in Florida. The film, Adaptation, which starred Nicholas Cage, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, and Meryl Streep, was based off of the book. Orlean sets ambitious writing goals for herself while maintaining her patient and thorough writing style. In her free time, she gardens and cooks to keep her mind active without duplicating the academic demands of her craft. In this conversation, she dives into her upbringing, passions, the multifaceted success of The Orchid Thief, and the favorite of her written pieces. To learn more about Orlean’s books, articles, and upcoming events, visit http://www.susanorlean.com/author/.

Paul B. Allen, a self-proclaimed “accidental entrepreneur,” dedicates his life to realizing people’s potential. In 1996, Allen founded Ancestry.com in an effort to connect people to their past. His previous work with Infobases and MyFamily helped cultivate his love for positive, mission-driven work. In 2002, he was introduced to the Clifton family, StrengthsFinder, and Gallup, the global analytics firm partnered with CliftonStrengths. Allen worked with Gallup for five years as a Senior Advisor and built his understanding of strength-oriented work and its benefits to office culture, productivity, and interpersonal relationships. He is now the Founder and CEO of Soar, a Gallup affiliate company. Soar matches strength coaches, who train people in performance and accountability through positivity, with clients all around the world. Allen strives to live out Soar’s mission statement, “Uplift Humanity.” See Allen speak about Soar and its mission in this video.

Paul B. Allen, a self-proclaimed “accidental entrepreneur,” dedicates his life to realizing people’s potential. In 1996, Allen founded Ancestry.com in an effort to connect people to their past. His previous work with Infobases and MyFamily helped cultivate his love for positive, mission-driven work. In 2002, he was introduced to the Clifton family, StrengthsFinder, and Gallup, the global analytics firm partnered with CliftonStrengths. Allen worked with Gallup for five years as a Senior Advisor and built his understanding of strength-oriented work and its benefits to office culture, productivity, and interpersonal relationships. He is now the Founder and CEO of Soar, a Gallup affiliate company. Soar matches strength coaches, who train people in performance and accountability through positivity, with clients all around the world. Allen strives to live out Soar’s mission statement, “Uplift Humanity.” See Allen speak about Soar and its mission in this video.

Pancreatic cancer expert, Dr. Anirban Maitra, is the first Co-Director and Scientific Director of M.D. Anderson Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at the University of Texas in Houston. As well, Dr. Maitra is the center’s Deputy Division Head of Academic Science and a Professor of Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology. His time at both John Hopkins and the University of Texas has solidified his position as a leading expert in the field of pancreatic pathology. Dr. Maitra's passion is to improve patient’s survival by discovering and developing ways to detect and treat pancreatic cancer. His conversation is candid, personal, and showcases the widespread effects of this illness. To see Dr. Maitra speak on the importance of progress in the pancreatic cancer research community, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crt1wvXZN3Q.

Pancreatic cancer expert, Dr. Anirban Maitra, is the first Co-Director and Scientific Director of M.D. Anderson Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at the University of Texas in Houston. As well, Dr. Maitra is the center’s Deputy Division Head of Academic Science and a Professor of Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology. His time at both John Hopkins and the University of Texas has solidified his position as a leading expert in the field of pancreatic pathology. Dr. Maitra's passion is to improve patient’s survival by discovering and developing ways to detect and treat pancreatic cancer. His conversation is candid, personal, and showcases the widespread effects of this illness. To see Dr. Maitra speak on the importance of progress in the pancreatic cancer research community, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crt1wvXZN3Q.

Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, thought leader, movie producer and philanthropist. He is Co-founder of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and Co-chair of One Billion Acts of Peace, which has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also Executive Producer of the movie Walk With Me, and Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore. He retired from Google as its Jolly Good Fellow at the age of 45. Meng led the creation of a groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence course at Google called Search Inside Yourself, which is also the title of Meng’s New York Times bestselling book which has been endorsed by world leaders such as President Carter of the United States, business leaders such as Eric Schmidt of Google and John Mackey of Whole Foods Markets, and spiritual leaders such as the Dalai Lama. Meng hopes Search Inside Yourself will eventually contribute to world peace in a meaningful way. Meng delivered a TED talk on compassion at the United Nations and spoke at the White House about the development of kindness. His personal motto is, “Life is too important to be taken seriously”. To learn more visit http://chademeng.com.

Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, thought leader, movie producer and philanthropist. He is Co-founder of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and Co-chair of One Billion Acts of Peace, which has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also Executive Producer of the movie Walk With Me, and Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore. He retired from Google as its Jolly Good Fellow at the age of 45. Meng led the creation of a groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence course at Google called Search Inside Yourself, which is also the title of Meng’s New York Times bestselling book which has been endorsed by world leaders such as President Carter of the United States, business leaders such as Eric Schmidt of Google and John Mackey of Whole Foods Markets, and spiritual leaders such as the Dalai Lama. Meng hopes Search Inside Yourself will eventually contribute to world peace in a meaningful way. Meng delivered a TED talk on compassion at the United Nations and spoke at the White House about the development of kindness. His personal motto is, “Life is too important to be taken seriously”. To learn more visit http://chademeng.com.

Jon Meacham, first and foremost is a friend. We were honored to have him speak at both my parents funerals this year and last year. He's also an amazing presidential biographer who's written about Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Franklin D Roosevelt, and my father, George H.W. Bush. And the truth is, he knows more about our family than, well, our family does. In this interview, Jon pulls out anecdotal stories which define the personalities and ways of being of our most memorable presidents.  He even creates a recipe for the perfect leader based on a combination of four presidents and the traits of: intellectual curiosity, candor, empathy and humility. We learn that self care, mind body and spirit health, and relationships with families and friends is in a sense a reflection of our health as a nation. Visit http://www.jonmeacham.com for more from Jon Meacham. 

Jon Meacham, first and foremost is a friend. We were honored to have him speak at both my parents funerals this year and last year. He's also an amazing presidential biographer who's written about Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Franklin D Roosevelt, and my father, George H.W. Bush. And the truth is, he knows more about our family than, well, our family does. In this interview, Jon pulls out anecdotal stories which define the personalities and ways of being of our most memorable presidents.  He even creates a recipe for the perfect leader based on a combination of four presidents and the traits of: intellectual curiosity, candor, empathy and humility. We learn that self care, mind body and spirit health, and relationships with families and friends is in a sense a reflection of our health as a nation. Visit http://www.jonmeacham.com for more from Jon Meacham.