Innovation City

"Mental health has progressed now to where It's not just about stigma… it's connecting the dots with access." -Melissa Douglass

Today's guest is Melissa Douglass, Founder and Virtual Clinical Director at Goal Driven Counseling, one of the first 100% virtual group practices in the U.S. Melissa is a talented counselor and a savvy businesswoman who built her practice from the ground up. In this episode, Melissa sits down with the team to discuss removing mental health stigmas, normalizing the concept of mental health goals, and business tips for counselors with their own practice!

"I see so much potential and opportunity for women entrepreneurs, and I'm just passionate about supporting women, who the research shows, women entrepreneurs tend to be undersupported." -Erin Joy

Today's guest is Erin Joy, CEO at Black Dress Circle and Fuel to Fire, where she works with women entrepreneurs to help launch and grow their businesses. Erin Joy has twenty-five years of experience as a self-employed entrepreneur and is finishing her PhD in Business Psychology. In this episode, Erin sits down with the team to discuss her journey of personal growth, the importance of supporting female entrepreneurs, the intersection of well-being and success, and much more!

"We need to understand that our ability to truly inspire, collaborate, create, innovate, adapt to change, drive change, those are the superpowers of not just the future, but right now."-Amy Gwin

Today's guest is Amy Gwin, Director of Client Engagement at Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute. Born from their parent company, Barry-Wehmiller, Chapman & Co. helps businesses worldwide embrace a more human-centered organizational culture. Amy Gwin has a deep understanding of the emerging workforce, which she utilizes to drive change within organizations. In this episode, Gwin sits down with the team to discuss the shift towards conscious capitalism, strategies for infusing values into businesses, and how human-centered models are the key to the future of capitalism.

"Ice cream is the most emotionally-powered food that we have, and it makes people happy." -Tamara Keefe

Today's guest is Tamara Keefe, the self-proclaimed "Flavor Temptress" and owner of Clementine's Naughty & Nice Ice Cream. Tamara used her tech background and her family's Sunday ice-cream making tradition to create an innovative and award-winning micro-creamery that's changing the industry. In this episode, Tamara sits down with the team to discuss her humble upbringing, Clementine's creative ice cream flavors like alcohol-infused chocolate cabernet, and her undying love for St. Louis.

"If you actually want to be successful you've got to know when to be the guy, and when to step away and let somebody else be the guy." -Ed Herman

Today's guest is Ed Herman, attorney and managing partner at Brown & Crouppen, a personal injury law firm in St. Louis. Ed is not your typical lawyer; he's also the creator and host of "Ed Versus," an award-winning original tv show on BCTV. In this episode, Ed Herman sits down with the team to discuss how to stand out in a sea of sameness, the importance of being genuine in your advertising, brand affection, and much more!

"I'm going to care about the people that I'm working with as human beings, and if they're doing well and if they're really driven in their businesses, that's what's going to make for a successful business and turnaround." -Judy Sindecuse

Today's guest is Judy Sindecuse, CEO at Capital Innovators, whose top-ranking Accelerator Program provides startups with the resources they need to succeed. Judy Sindercuse is a visionary leader with a proven track record of starting profitable companies. In this episode, Sindercuse sits down with the team to discuss how Capital Innovators went from a small nonprofit to one of the top 5 accelerators in the country, the strength of the St. Louis community, and what it takes for a city to build a culture of innovation!

"I'm going to care about the people that I'm working with as human beings, and if they're doing well and if they're really driven in their businesses, that's what's going to make for a successful business and turnaround." -Judy Sindecuse

Today's guest is Judy Sindecuse, CEO at Capital Innovators, whose top-ranking Accelerator Program provides startups with the resources they need to succeed. Judy Sindercuse is a visionary leader with a proven track record of starting profitable companies. In this episode, Sindercuse sits down with the team to discuss how Capital Innovators went from a small nonprofit to one of the top 5 accelerators in the country, the strength of the St. Louis community, and what it takes for a city to build a culture of innovation!

"Even if you didn't do it right, you can still be forgiven; you can still move forward." -Kenny DeShields

Today's guest is Kenny DeShields, a singer-songwriter from St. Louis who recently released his first full-length album, The Real Love Project. Grammy Award-winning artist, Courtney Orlando, produced DeShield's new album, and his wife, Christia, co-wrote the songs. In this episode, Kenny DeShields sits down with the team to discuss his musical journey, the trauma he has overcome to get where he is today, and the faith that got him there.

Nature started to find her balance when we slowed down. I hope we don't forget those lessons. - Suzanne Jewell

Welcome to Season 4 of Innovation City (The Miami Edition), a podcast featuring innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency and Aīre Ventures, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community.

Today's guest is Suzanne Jewell, founder of The Mindful Entrepreneur. Suzanne is also a wellness coach, hosts a radio show, Mindful Mornings Miami, and many other hats in the mindfulness/wellness space. Suzanne sits down with the team to discuss Suzanne's mindfulness journey, the human nervous system evolution, her mindful pocket park practice, and much more!

They discuss:

• Suzanne's superpower
• • Her capacity to pay attention
  • She has hyperfocus abilities
  • This applies both for mindfulness and work
• Suzanne's mindfulness journey
• • It began when she was 11 years old in Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • She had ADHD, and was extremely smart
  • Spent her 6th grade year going to school at a nature center
  • For 45 minutes every day, she had to be in the woods, observe, write about what she was feeling - which she now recognizes as mindfulness
  • She had a successful career in the television industry but her soul felt empty
  • She discovered she had a rare neurological issue
  • #wokeupaboveground
  • Neurologist recommended mindfulness, and she embraced it
  • Mindfulness has become her reason for being
• Climate, communities, communities of color, Earth, our living experience needs our attention
• • She started noticing the disparity in parks in underprivileged communities
  • Even the signage is unwelcoming
  • How can parks be more welcoming and purposeful?
  • Suzanne started researching and found that 20 minutes a day of time spent in nature will lower cortisol levels
  • Re-wilding the concrete core of cities
• Mindful pocket park practice
• • "Nature pill"
  • 10 minutes of walking park practice
  • 10 minutes of sitting practice
• Environmental factors impacting our physiological experience
• • Too much concrete impacts your "chi"
  • Types of light
  • Proximity to plants
  • Circadian rhythms
  • The human nervous system is going through an evolution
  • • The pause was for a reason
• Suzanne's greatest challenge at the moment
• • She thought it would be finding space
  • In Miami, they have offered her space
  • She's working on financing
  • She would love to have a pocket park in Overtown
  • Another dream would be to do this as a popup as an art experience
• Bringing mindfulness to different people in different life stages
• • You're trying to learn how to pay attention
  • Mindfulness is like a wheel
  • • On the outside is everything vying for your attention
    • Come back to the bullseye
    • If that's all you mastered, it would still be a win
    • A wandering mind is an unhappy mind
• Get in touch
• • Themindfulpark.com
  • On LinkedIn
  • @MindfulMorningsMiami on Instagram
  • @Suzannejewel and @mindfulmorningsmiami on Facebook

Lightning Round:

What makes you lose track of time?

• Natural beauty

What is something new that you recently tried and loved?

• Kayaking on the Little River

What risk are you happy that you took?

• Putting my "tush" on a "cush" and learning to meditate

What makes you feel loved?

• I feel loved right now. Being in the presence of other human beings. I've missed this!

What challenge do you want to overcome?

• The department of judgment that lives in my head. To make peace with that judge.

Where do you feel the most at peace?

• Nature. Any place I can see something not man-made.

I guess I was kind of used to that, I was used to being the only woman in the room, and it didn't really bother me. I was just like, 'I'll just have to try harder, and do better.' I had a lot of guy friends, and I think I kind of thrived in that atmosphere. - Amy Renshaw

Today's guest is Amy Renshaw, founder and CEO of Code/Art, a non-profit using art to inspire girls to become future coders and computer programmers. Amy has undergrad and graduate degrees from MIT, as well as an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. In this episode, Amy sits down with the team to discuss gender disparity in the tech world, Code/Art's programs and offerings, the future of tech in Miami, and much more!