If you believed you could never be happy, would you go on living? That’s the question that echoed in Dr. Vivienne Ming’s mind when she contemplated killing herself, before she became a woman, mom, neuroscientist, technologist, and LGBT advocate. Dr. Ming shares more about the wisdom that saved her life, and how it led her to focus on the one superpower that predicts success over and over again.

Show Notes:
- Vivienne’s upbringing, not living up to expectations, and realizing she was “different.” [1:30]
- The lowest point — Suicide, and why she decided not to do it. [4:39]
- On her larger-than-life father and his example of “living a life of substance.” [7:54]
- How intrinsic motivation fueled her shift away from the brink of suicide. [12:02]
- From flunking out of college to getting perfect scores in everything the second time around. [14:59]
- On her year at the Machine Perception Lab and the start of her professional success. [19:08]
- Learning to counter her destructive-perfectionism through perseverance. [21:31]
- On feeling free to follow what she believes to be right. [25:09]
- Women’s tendency to worry about how they are being perceived rather than whether they are being true to themselves. [26:51]
- On meeting her wife in graduate school and opening up about wanting to be a woman. [31:13]
- The immediate effects of Vivienne’s gender transition – losing her position at Stanford, being treated differently by close friends and strangers alike, and observing implicit gender biases. [35:38]
- Vivienne’s work at Socos: Studying the predictors of success and optimizing life outcomes. [42:43]
- Defining a meta-learner and the main categories that predict success. [47:33]
- How to strengthen our meta-learning abilities. [52:49]
- Vivienne’s perspective on how society influences gender roles and the enduring disparities between men and women. [54:55]

References:
Dr. Ming’s organization Socos: www.socoslearning.com

Music:
Lucia Lilikoi at lucia.bandcamp.com

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Following the Rules: Little girls outperform boys in school because they do their homework, listen to their teachers, and follow the rules. But that can backfire when it comes to creative leadership. Writer and coach Maria Molfino explains why and how following rules could be blocking you in unexpected ways.

Show notes:
- Download the free Creative Confidence Playbook: mariamolfino.com/free-playbook
- Lucia Lilikoi music: lucia.bandcamp.com

How and why does a management consultant become the first woman to row across three oceans? How does she overcome the ocean at night, and above all, the doubts swirling in her own mind? Roz Savage, environmental advocate and TED speaker, shares the specific process that set her on this wild adventure – one that you can do in under ten minutes.

Show Notes:
- Roz’s upbringing as the perpetual new girl and her skill at jumping through childhood’s hoops. [1:51]
- How Roz got stuck for 11 years pretending to be something she didn’t want to be. [10:00]
- On the epiphany (inspired by a simple self-help exercise) that changed her life. And why she waited to act. [12:58]
- From self-sabotaging to her lowest point, to finding transformational confidence and her life’s calling. [17:39]
- How the unlikely idea emerged to use ocean rowing as her platform for bringing environmental awareness. [24:46]
- Going into the first race (as the only solo female) and the challenges she faced. [29:35]
- How Roz destroyed self-limiting beliefs and redefined what she was capable of. [35:50]
- On surprising herself, being grateful for challenges, and choosing to see her discomfort as a clear sign of success. [39:15]
- The story of her emotional decision to be rescued when she really needed it. [44:11]
- The toxicity of criticism: Roz’s theory on why people criticize, dealing with with her own inner critic, and how she stays true to her vision. [49:22]
- Understanding internal motivations and taking ownership over your life. [56:13]
- On the importance of amplifying heroine journeys, being open to spiritual perspectives, and balancing feminine and masculine energies. [1:00:55]
- Looking to the future: Roz’s belief that stories like hers help others to challenge old paradigms. [1:09:35]
- Roz breaks down the exercise that changed her life and discusses the importance of crafting your own story. [1:12:28]

- Lucia Lilikoi music: lucia.bandcamp.com

References:
Roz Savage’s book, "Rowing the Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean."
Roz Savage’s website, http://www.rozsavage.com/

Learn why I started this podcast, what to expect, and sneak previews to interviews with women creative leaders, risk-takers, and adventurers. First official episode releasing soon on 4/19/16!

Show notes:

- Interview snippets with Roz Savage, Helena Price, Vivienne Ming, and Marian Goodell

- Podcast website: heroine.fm

- Maria's website: mariamolfino.com

- Music by Lucia Lilikoi: lucia.bandcamp.com