In this episode of Let’s Crew & Riot, I speak with Nicholas Thompson - CEO of The Atlantic and author of The Running Ground.

We begin with a line from his book that I couldn't stop thinking about:
"A parent has one obligation… unending love. There's no blueprint and there's only one rule.  The kids get to decide if the parent meets the standard."

From there, we explore the complexity of loving someone who is both formative and, at times, damaging - and what it means to hold contradiction with clarity.

Nicholas reflects on his father’s life - one that began with promise and trajectory, and later became far more complicated - and how that experience has shaped how he thinks about parenting, relationships, and leadership today.

We also explore how these deeply personal questions show up in his role as a leader, including how he thinks about generosity of spirit and decision-making at The Atlantic.

This is a conversation about love, complexity, and what we inherit — and choose to carry forward.

This is Let’s Crew & Riot - exploring who we are, and how we show up with and for each other.

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A departure from regular programming to share a conversation with my 16 year old daughter on Mother's Day, sitting on her bed in our pyjamas, speaking into a phone.

I asked questions like :

When do you feel most like yourself?

What do you think adults forget about being young?

What does power mean to you? When do you feel powerful and when do you feel powerless? 

What do you think mothers worry about too much?

I parked my mummy brain, I got curious, I took feedback, I got a peek into her honest beautiful mind and emerged richer and wiser.

As I said at the end, "I am learning everyday how to be a mother, so thank you for teaching me." 

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Amy Daroukakis is Founder of Culture Concierge, providing global businesses, agencies and innovative start-ups with strategic insights (culture, category, citizen, company) and emergent trends.

Amy is 'curious agnostic' and enjoys getting 'lost on purpose.' 

In this conversation, we get lost on purpose with a 'brain dance' in that  liminal  space of being messy, inquiring, and inherently human. 

Find out more here: https://cultureconcierge.co/

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Haris & Chloe are a a husband and wife duo who photograph and film multicultural weddings.

Haris is of Italian-Pakistani descent from London, and Chloe is a Chinese-Malaysian who grew up constantly on the move due to her father’s profession.

In this conversation, we explore everything from the need to  hold space for cultural nuance and unspoken dynamics in weddings to breaking free from pre-determined 'wedding formulas' in order to capture the complexity of multicultural unions.  

We discuss the importance of cultivating emotional safety, empathy and curiosity when tasked with witnessing the celebration of love and community that transcends religion, borders, ethnicities.

Find out more about them here:   https://www.haychweddings.com/  https://www.instagram.com/haychweddings/

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Rajeev Balasubramanyam is a British writer. His first novel, IN BEAUTIFUL DISGUISES won a Betty Trask Prize and was nominated for the Guardian First Fiction Prize. In 2004 he was awarded the Clarissa Luard Prize for the best British writer under the age of 35. His latest novel is PROFESSOR CHANDRA FOLLOWS HIS BLISS which is translated into six languages and was the Bookseller’s book of the month in June 2019.

Rajeev holds a PhD in English, and degrees from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He has lived in  London, Manchester, a remote Suffolk beach, Berlin, Kathmandu, and Hong Kong, where he was a Research Scholar in the Society of Scholars at Hong Kong University. He was a fellow of the Hemera Foundation from 2014-16, for writers with a meditation practice, and has been writer in residence at Crestone Zen Mountain Center and the Zen Center of New York City.

But it is through his Instagram account (@Rajeevwriter)  exploring the fusion of politics and spirituality that I discover Rajeev's work.

Rajeev's journey is a fascinating one.  We meet in St James Park under my favourite trees - two strangers, recording a conversation about how to engage with the world from a place of love, compassion and non-avoidance.  

Find out more here: http://www.rajeevbalasubramanyam.com/

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Rebecca Robins is co-author of 'Five Generations at work: How we Win Together for Good.

The book starts with a quote by Anne Carson - ‘To stay human is to break a limitation.’  

Ultimately this is what we discuss  (alongside core themes in the book - Intergenerational Collaboration, Respect, Curiosity and most of all - Mutuality).

A linguist and philosopher by background we go down many rabbit holes that are ultimately about what it means (to quote John Berger)  "defy the spaces which separates." 

Link to book here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Generations-Work-Together-Good/dp/139425220X

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Dr Rageshri Dhairwayan is an NHS Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine.

Her book 'Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing' takes us on a journey through history to show how not listening to patients has been ingrained in medicine from its inception.  

Western medicine has been built on the assumption that power should always lie with the doctor, and that patients should be powerless to decisions made about their body if it is done to make them well.  This, alongside the prejudices of society, has led to dramatic gaps in medical knowledge because for centuries people have not been heard.

Dr Dhairwayan offers a way to reshape our health system for a future where active and engaged listening is the new frontier. 

Buy her book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/unheard-the-medical-practice-of-silencing-dr-rageshri-dhairyawan/7647729?ean=9781398718692

Find our more about Dr Rageshri here: https://www.drrageshri.com/about

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Bernice Hewson is founder of Raising Racial Consciousness Ltd, an education and coaching organisation on a mission to disrupt our common-sense mode of thinking in pursuit of a racially equitable society. 

She believes that if we’re serious about being effective coaches, we need to understand our own racial identity.  That the coaching profession cannot operate in a bubble, detached from context.  That coaching can be part of the solution to systemic harm - but only if we’re willing to face it.

Working with leadership teams, DEI practitioners, executive coaches and supervisors, she provides a critical thinking environment in which to learn and unlearn. 

Towards the end of our conversation, we reference a Linkedin post she had shared about the tensions in coaching - here is the link to it: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bernicehewson_contradictions-in-coaching-activity-7307702312620224512-lazY?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAVbYOYBWTEo34hLUrKQx9NeUq7CTFzGpOg

Find out more about her organisation here: https://raisingracialconsciousness.com/

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Ann Fordham and I have known each other since we were 11 years old (and my first ever podcast guest, recorded over 2 years ago*).

It was only fitting that I invited her back to talk about what it means to 'Age' as women today.

Having known each other for over three decades, we reflect at what it means to be at this stage in our lives and what it means to 'age' in our youth obsessed culture. 

From Childhood insecurities to Botox to Gravestones, we cover lots of ground!

Ultimately, the art of 'ageing well' turns out to be same as 'living well.'

*Link to our first episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2C5lrWoB14UEVzaCnoyZlI?si=NfeUJuywRQa5bEYFB-tAqg

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Hetty Einzig and Liz Rivers created Purpose Power Presence to help women leaders recognise their brilliance, strengthen their resolve and fine tune their skills. 

They have each trained to work at depth – in psychotherapy, neuropsychology, and embodiment techniques. Committed to bringing this depth to their work with women – it’s this combination of real world experience and deep self-awareness that forms the basis of their programmes .

In our conversation, they answer questions like: When was the last time you realised your insignificance in the world? What's an expression of love you're trying to get better at?

And how they're creating 'Archipelagos of Sanity'. 

They both have decades of experience working in and with organisations, corporate and small businesses, charities and social movements. 

Find out more about their programmes here: 

Athena Leadership Intensive:
https://purpose-power-presence.com/athena-leadership-intensive/

Our free monthly webinars for women:
https://purpose-power-presence.com/free-resources/

Anima: Our ongoing group for women:
https://purpose-power-presence.com/anima-co-vision-groups/

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