Junctional Thinking

Impact investor, entrepreneur, policy maker, and executive leader are just a few of the words used to describe Javier Saade as a professional. In our interactions, I have also found him to be a thoughtful listener which is undoubtedly one of the reasons he has been successful in his social impact work. As a diversity and inclusion-minded partner to many different ventures our conversation will focus on how he sees the entrepreneurship and innovation landscapes evolving in the US and abroad. We will tap into the Junctional Thinking skills that he holds most dear, and get some insight for how to make the best use of time with people who are not from your sector and build relationships as a result.

Tiasia O'Brien is a Renaissance Woman and Startup Founder of Seam Social Labs, Inc. Daniel Okonkwo is a former non-profit director currently connecting organizations to the resources community orgs need to thrive. And when a situation calls for social impact, you want one or both of them to take the call. Both of them are concerned about equitable investments, smart community-centric programming, and driving impact. On the show we'll learn about their career paths in social impact, who their primary influences have been, and the scenarios where they have had to really exercise patience to get the best results for the people they serve.

We kick off Season 2 of Junctional Thinking with a lot of gratefulness, and a conversation about intentionality. Much is now being made of ways to get diverse insights and inputs into a variety of conversations. Simply put, the reason for this is that we see the the world differently from each other based on our experiences, and our outlook on the future can be influenced by those life lessons as well. Shaping that tomorrow is a group effort, one group does not hold the reins alone, and we need effective junctional thinkers to be part of that equation. Rachel Dungan is a connector, translator, manager, musician, and nimble inter-disciplinary thinker (that's why she's our guest, right?) who currently serves as a Director at AcademyHealth the DC-based health services research group. Her journey has had her spend time sharpening her Junctional Thinking skills in a very intentional way, so in our conversation with Rachel we will learn about her motivations and some of the lessons learned on her path so far in her career. We will also get a glimpse into what she sees ahead as her organization engages in new ways to impact health and health outcomes.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and well-loved by this podcast, and for good reason because, as author Peter Loge says, it is “90 minutes of systems thinking in action”. Peter is a junctional thinker and a learned practitioner, fellow Arsenal fan, baller, associate professor, strategic consultant, and author of Soccer Thinking for Management in which he makes a number of insightful connections between the worlds’ best sport and creating and managing successful operations. He has spent a career building and running teams and organizations operating primarily at the intersection of politics, policy and communication, all which we will discuss on the show along with some predictions about the fate of The Arsenal in the recently started EPL season.

Samson Williams, Principal Consultant @Axes & Eggs - Anthropologist turned finance sector emergency manager turned public health provider, and now tech guru, Samson Williams has a career path that defines diversity, innovation, and (you guessed it) Junctional Thinking. Now as a problem solver delivering ops, tech, blockchain and finance solutions to a range of industries he's out to help make sure that we don't forget to put people in the middle of all our design plans. On this episode we get his take on "clearing the pebbles between effort and success" on this marathon journey we take towards social impact.

Cities have become the place to be (again), and with all the promise that holds comes a range of challenges with more people needing to live, work, and socialize in places where capacity is becoming more limited daily. Gabe Klein is a serial entrepreneur, transportation expert, former civil servant, father, hip-hop junkie, sneaker-head, and futurist engaged in some of the work that's helping cities reach their full potential for everyone. On this episode of Junctional Thinking we will discuss how public:private partnerships can make a city "smart".

Karen Dale, CEO AmeriHealth Caritas, Washington, DC 

Karen Dale knows that vacuum cleaners and delivered meals are not medical devices, so you might ask why she wants them to be paid for using funds set aside for healthcare. Simply put, they both impact health outcomes, and as the Executive Director of Amerihealth Caritas’ DC operation, that’s her primary objective. On this episode of Junctional Thinking we will talk with Karen about the innovative approaches she is using to bring upstream solutions to downstream health challenges.

Creativity is often thought of as a space for artists and other people gifted with imagination and originality, but Monica Kang uses it to inspire change in the way people and organizations think about their work and the outcomes it can drive. Creativity is sector agnostic, and by simply thinking more creatively, companies can breath new life into their bottom line. So why don’t more companies use it? Is this junction too confusing, too busy, it just not applicable to most of them? We’ll explore this, as well as Monica’s “spark” deck of cards.

Fitness is a multi-billion dollar industry, and like so many others there are disparities in who gets to engage as operators and influencers. Nike Pro Trainer Ernest Smith decided that he was going to set himself up to do well with his training business and also do some good by serving a range of clients in his community. As a public health degree holder he gets the intersection of community wellness and access to services, and is doing his part to help people live healthier lives. His journey to this point is inspiring, making him a great guest for us on the Junctional Thinking podcast.

Writing is a powerful tool, and when done well, the stories that unfold before us can help us learn, escape, and be inspired. They can also make us mad, especially when they expose glaring inequities in how people are living and being treated. For me, this is one of the spaces in which I find Travis Waldron sitting. He wields his writing skill like Valeryian steel, sharp and with a very pointy-end, writing at the interesting intersection of sports and culture. From Kaepernick and LeBron to Rocinha and Highbury, his pen's barrel is aimed at highlighting inequities on some of the world's largest sports stages, and the communities that serve as their fan-base.