Kindness Think Tank

This week, I'm traveling (virtually) to Maryland to catch up with the one and only Ryan C. Greene:  "passion-preneur", author, speaker, mentor, host of the Make It Matter podcast, Founder of GreeneHouse Media, and an all around authentically cool human with a belly laugh that's super contagious.

Ryan talks with me about keeping it real, challenging norms,  why people are so darn funny, the release of his new book and film project and the impact he's hoping it will have on us, his fellow humans.

To learn more about Ryan C. Greene visit him
On LinkedIn
On his website
The Make It Matter Project

This week, I'm traveling (virtually) to Manhattan to catch up with the so very cool, powerful and wise beyond his years, Tayo Rockson: the man of many talents whose name quite literally means "Joy Warrior". 

 Tayo is the CEO of UYD Management, a cultural translator, storyteller, activist,  speaker, host of his own inspiring podcast, As Told By Nomads, poet, author and all around amazing human. He lets me in on what turns him on about poetry, how being black on four continents inspired the why for his work, aiming for joy, creating unity, living with anger and creating heroes for everyone.

Head to Tayo's website to connect with him and learn more about his work
Follow him on Instagram: @tayorockson

To buy a copy of his book Use Your Difference to Make a Difference, click here

This week, I'm traveling (virtually) to snowy Vancouver, Canada to catch up with Trena White- a 20 year publishing veteran and the Co-Founder and Principal of Page Two Books. 

I talk with Trena about the challenging chain of events that led she and Jesse  Finkelstein to create a new model for publishing, the role that kindness is playing in their growth and success at Page Two and the vision she and her team have for transforming the publishing industry. 

To connect with Trena:
LinkedIn

To learn more about Page Two:
Website
Facebook
Twitter: @pagetwobooks

Music provided by: https://soundslikeanearful.com/

This week, I'm heading (virtually) just outside of NYC to hang out with the incredibly authentic and soulful Claude Silver:  host of The Silver Lining Podcast, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia and Gary Vaynerchuk's right hand woman. She describes her life's purpose as "being of joyful service and unlocking emotional optimism in all."

Claude talks with me about the 93 day Outward Bound trip that changed her life, the talk she and Gary had that led to the role she deeply loves, why chicken caused her to dabble in new recipes and how kindness, tenderness and emotional optimism unlock the best in every person and every company.

(*A note to you, dear listeners: Claude and I recorded on a weirdly windy and warm day. We ask that you please excuse the occasional sounds of it blowing through the windows. That is life and life is real.)

To learn more about Claude and her podcast
To connect with Claude on LinkedIn
To follow her journey on Instagram @claudesilver
To learn more about VaynerMedia

Also mentioned in this episode:
Love After Love by Derek Walcott

(Big thanks to the folks at Sounds Like An Earful for my intro and outro music)

Laughter is her “why”, her jam and her business. This week, I traveled to Austin, TX  to hang out with the funny and fabulous Dr. Heather Walker, Organizational Psychologist and the Founder of Lead with Levity.  Our conversation takes place just after Snowpocalypse 2021, left the state of TX without power and water for days on end.

She tells me about shoveling snow with her kitchen trash can, “owning” the reality of her wild, chew toeing puppy during a Zoom call, organizational psychology and why levity and kindness go hand in hand.
 
To connect with Dr. Walker, visit:
LinkedIn
Lead with Levity website

*To download the full transcript, head to Cool Audrey

Music provided by soundslikeanearful.com

In this episode, I travel (virtually) to The Garden State to catch up with Christina Langdon, who spent 30 years running sales and marketing for brands including Martha Stewart and Fast Company before becoming the Founder of High Performance Coaching.

Christina talks with me about the TED talk that changed her life, the mantra she became known for, the ways she brings practical kindness into her work with executives and the steps she's taking to build the extraordinary life.

To connect with Christina and learn more about her work:
Visit her website
Send her a note on LinkedIn

Music by https://soundslikeanearful.com/

In this episode, I travel (virtually) to the most Western part of Norway to catch up with Oyvind Reed, all around good human and the CEO of Whereby.com.

We talk about  Whereby's growth in a wildly competitive market, the power of kindness in leadership, one million trees, technology designed for people and planet and the steps he's taking to inspire an industry.

To connect with Oyvind:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/oyvindreed
Twitter: @oyvindreed

To learn more about Whereby.com

Music provided by: https://soundslikeanearful.com/

Mark Phillips is a brilliant Product Manager by day, an unapologetic Porsche fanatic (always) and the organizer of one of Great Britain's largest and most successful Esports clubs.

In this episode, I talk with the witty Mark about the simple forum post that led him to building the vibrant PCGB Esports club, shaped by kindness. He talks with me about the etiquette inspired by Porsche Club America, racing with kindness, lessons about life we can learn from the track and the virtual community that became friends during the most challenging year in our collective human history.

To connect with Mark:
Twitter: @thismarkp
Blog: probably.co.uk

To watch Mark's club race and learn more about PCGB, click here.

Websites mentioned during the episode:
Porsche Club America
Simracersworld
Porsche Club GB

*To download the full transcript, visit www.coolaudrey.com/podcast

Music provided by: https://soundslikeanearful.com/

This week, I'm traveling (virtually) to Atlanta, GA to hang out with my good friend, Chad Foster: unstoppable and very cool human, tech rockstar, beloved motivational speaker and the author of Blind Ambition- published by Harper Collins and due to hit bookstores everywhere on February 16, 2021.

I talk with Chad about the limitless mindset he adopted after losing his sight at age 20,  flirting with the edge of control, how kindness helped him turn his disadvantage into his super power and the messages of choice and resilience he's sharing with the world through his new book.

To learn more,  connect with Chad:
Visit his website
Connect on LinkedIn
Instagram @findchadefoster
Twitter @ChadEFoster
Order the book
Click here to become part of the Harper Collins- Blind Ambition community 

Music provided by: https://soundslikeanearful.com/

This week's episode is with Neil Schambra Stevens who's drawing from lessons he collected across 20 years of experience as a CMO & VP with beloved Fortune 500 brands, including Converse, Vans, Levi's and Polaroid.

His corporate experience highlighted the importance of putting 'People First' and encouraging them to be their best selves. As the Founder of Mercury Jam,  Neil's focusing on nurturing and supporting the next generation of leadership. He believes in simplicity,  encourages the principle of "Working From Anywhere' and he practices both in his own life.

I talked with Neil about his work at Mercury Jam and the unexpected lessons he's learning about kindness from two mallards who live on the canal outside his houseboat in Amsterdam.

To connect with Neil and learn more about his work, visit him here:
website: https://www.mercuryjam.com/
instagram: @mercury_jam
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-schambra-stevens-mercuryjam/