Mavens Do It Better

Episode 57 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Nicole Butler, Founder and Executive Director of Speech Within Reach, providing pediatric speech therapy in client’s homes. Nicole is also an ASHA Board Certified Speech-Language Pathologist, actress, host and improv performer at The Groundlings and Second City.

Nicole and Heather caught up virtually from Santa Monica, CA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

· Nicole’s background in speech therapy and how a friendship in middle school sparked her interest in helping children find their voice.

· The impact of going into a child’s home versus a more clinical setting with Speech Within Reach on the day to day lives of the children and their families.

· How assistive technology like the cochlear implant and text to speech apps play a part in her therapy and the lives of her clients.

· Nicole’s love of theater and improv and how being the goofy one as a kid led her to an acting career.

· Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and getting hit with HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) which led to a rush down the mountain to save her life.

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To connect with Nicole and Speech Within Reach: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Speech Within Reach Los Angeles Website | Facebook | Twitter

Episode 56 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Shona Bang, Speaker, Writer and Product Marketing Manager, Global Humans of IT Community Lead, Microsoft 365 Commercial GTM. Shona founded and led the Diversity and Tech Community at Microsoft focused on diversity and inclusion, growing a global community of 6,000 members in 75 countries from scratch.

Shona and Heather caught up virtually from Redmond, WA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

· Shona’s background in crisis PR management and how that led to her developing the Diversity and Tech community.

· Why her team has decided to re-pivot Diversity and Tech to Humans of IT and their plans for Microsoft Ignite 2019 and beyond.

· What inspired her to pursue a career in tech as a young woman in Singapore and where that journey has taken her.

· How to get involved with all the amazing communities and programs coming out of Microsoft to make not only the workplace better, but the entire world as well.

Shona Bang

Shona is a Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft who leads the global Humans of IT Community where thousands of technologists around the world get to connect, learn from one another and develop the art of being amazing #HumansofIT. Whether it’s through sharpening their professional skills, finding tech mentors or gaining inspiration through the plethora of Tech for Good stories on the platform, Shona is determined to foster a community that helps people be their best selves and learn to harness their tech superpowers for good. Having lived in three countries and spending the last seven years in various roles across Microsoft including crisis management, public relations, marketing and technical account management, Shona is a seasoned professional who is focused on helping make the tech industry a kinder, more inclusive place for all.

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To connect with Shona: LinkedIn | Twitter

Humans of IT – Microsoft Tech Community

Community Mentors Program – App Download

Episode 55 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Maarten Visser, Digital Transformation Consultant, VJ, Office 365 and Azure Solution Architect, Product Manager and Founder of meetroo.

Maarten and Heather caught up virtually from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

- Maarten’s background in technology from his start in university learning about video technology systems, web development, and starting to work with SharePoint in 2000.

- Working with Microsoft technologies for 20 years, and what he loves about focusing on communication and collaboration and how Microsoft Teams has been a game changer in that field.

- Being a teenager in the Netherlands and developing a love of house music and music technology. Experimenting and getting serious about making tracks and pushing the limits of BPM.

- What to expect from both Maarten and Heather as Community Reporters for Microsoft Ignite in Orlando, Florida coming up in November.

- A chat about what equipment Maarten uses for filming short videos and how he can set up for semi-professional filming in one to two minutes.

Transcript

To connect with Maarten: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | The O365 Apps Show

Episode 54 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Mari L. McCarthy, Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of CreateWriteNow home of journaling for “The Health Of IT™” healing people’s “issues in their tissues.” Mari is also an accomplished recording artist about to put out her fourth album.

Mari and Heather caught up virtually from Green Harbor, MA, and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

Mari’s experience creating her business CreateWriteNow that was launched from her losing feeling in the side of her body from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and needing a way to take control of her health and learn to write with her left hand.

The power of journaling, using pen to page and how Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way helped her learn about childhood issues and her love of music which lead to her creating her business and her fourth album.

The process and technique of Journaling for The Health of IT uses writing to help individuals focus on their thoughts and inner self to encourage awareness and improve overall health and success in life while building the thriving relationships we all yearn for in our lives.

Why journaling works, therapeutic journaling, in fact, and how it is different than keeping a diary, how traveling back through our past as adult not to relive but to revisit from an observer perspective and explore issues to discover and in some cases recover your true self.

Transcript

To connect with Mari: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

Mari L. McCarthy

In 1998, Mari lost the feeling and function in the right side of her body. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) took them from her. The doctors weren’t helping, so she began a journey to take control of her health. It wasn’t easy for her. She had to learn to write with her left hand. But she dedicated herself to daily ACTION and began a journaling practice known as Morning Pages. She could never have anticipated how powerful and effective this process would become.

As she continued her writing practice, her MS symptoms improved. But, more important, he discovered, uncovered, and recovered her True Self and even tapped into talents she never knew she had.

Best of all, she has developed a compassionate relationship with herself and inner serenity. She started CreateWriteNow to share her methods, expertise and passion for her Journaling For The Health Of It™ to people across the globe who want to master their life challenges and thrive.

Episode 53 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Allison Gerlach, Senior Event Producer and Experiential Marketing Production Manager, and Producer of Chicago’s Halloween event, Arts in the Dark. She is also a leader in the Burning Man Community, producing many Regional events in both Illinois and Michigan.

Allison and Heather caught up virtually from Chicago, IL and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

- Allison’s years of experience working as an event producer for Microsoft, Columbia College, and The City of Chicago and how the industry has changed over the years.

- This year's theme of ‘Chicago Theatre’ for the Arts in the Dark Parade, one of a few evening parades in the world that is exclusively artists, highlighting all the wonderful organizations in the city of Chicago. Coming to you Saturday, October 19th.

- What it is like to produce an experiential event and a rundown of the numerous arts and cultural organizations that are part of and have been a part of the parade for years.

- Her volunteer work with the Burning Man HQ space on the playa called Everywhere Pavilion that provides information about Regional Communities and events, Burners Without Borders, Black Rock Solar and how people can be involved year-round with the organization as well as her volunteer work with her regional community.

Transcript

To connect with Allison: Instagram | LinkedIn

For more information and to attend: Arts in the Dark, Chicago, Illinois

Saturday October 19, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, produced by Luma8 - State Street and Lake Street to Van Buren.

Allison Gerlach

Allison is a senior event producer and connector that excels at creative collaboration and executing interactive and spectacle events for 100 to 100,000 attendees. She has international experience producing conferences, meetings, live events, and trade shows for Fortune 500 clients including Microsoft and Sony. Allison is an accomplished and nimble onsite event coordinator, project manager, event host, emcee, and on-camera interviewer. Her technical skills include recruitment of artistic organizations and volunteers, leading and integrating multiple teams, video production, and talent procurement. Allison is a Kentuckian turned Chicagoan.

Episode 52 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Johnny Crockett Lopez, technology evangelist and productivity engineer for SharePoint and Office 365. He is also President of the Houston SharePoint User Group and Chair for SharePoint Saturday Houston.

Johnny and Heather caught up virtually from Houston, Texas and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

Johnny’s experiences serving in the US Navy as an electrician and how that transitioned into a career in tech.

His career working in the oil and gas industry helping businesses with SharePoint and Office 365.

Where his hashtag “learn it all versus know it all” came from and why it is important to him.

How he manages organizing the Houston SPUG and SPS Houston, traveling around the country as a speaker, working full time, and ensuring he spends time with his most valuable pursuit – his family.

To connect with Johnny: Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter

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Johnny Lopez

Johnny is a passionate evangelist who attributes his professional experiences, technical expertise and real-world SharePoint and Office 365 experience with organizations. He served 10 years in the U.S. Navy serving on 2 Aircraft Carriers (USS Eisenhower & USS Nimitz) as an Electrical Work Center Supervisor. He graduated from the University of Phoenix of Houston in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Systems. Johnny has been working in the SharePoint community for the last 10 years.

Episode 51 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features the wonderful Lise Rasmussen and Christina Gibson, hosts of the WITGirls podcast, a monthly pod dedicated to sharing the latest news about and their expertise from working with Office 365 and SharePoint.

Lise, Christina, and Heather caught up virtually from Stockholm, Sweden and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Lise, Christina and Heather talk about:

The origin story of Lise and Christina finding each other during a job interview, finding a soulmate at that moment and coming together to create the WITGirls podcast with their global reach - sharing challenges, struggles, and what’s new in technology.

A discussion of social media handles, where and when Lise, Christina, and Heather met during the European SharePoint Conference in Stockholm, and what the heck a banaisen is, with some giggles about the term “fanny pack” in many languages. A talk about bucket lists, Burning Man and what sparks both Christina and Lise.

Lise and Christina’s excitement in talking about new features and information on Office 365 and SharePoint and sharing the how and why of these products on their podcast. They talk about solving business problems with Office 365 and SharePoint and how we can make people’s days better. They discuss stories from their consulting practices, client issues all illuminated by their many years of experience working in the tech industry.

What is means to be a part of a community and to contribute to it with a podcast and both of Lise and Christina’s origin stories coming up in technology. Their take on diversity, inclusion, pay equity and the opportunities they both have had and reached for in their careers.

To connect with Lise: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

To connect with Christina: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

WitGirls Podcast: Website | Instagram | YouTube

Transcript

Note: Burning Man, to be clear started in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco.

Lise Rasmussen

Lise Rasmussen is an Office 365/SharePoint consultant who has worked with SharePoint for more than 15 years in many different roles. This year she made her debut as a speaker at the SEF conference about hub sites and Teams and loved it! Lise started WitGirls Podcast in 2017.

Christina Gibson

Christina Gibson is an Office 365/SharePoint Consultant focusing on business analysis together with building solutions. Her driver is to transform business needs into technical solutions in Office 365 Services and SharePoint On-Premises.

Episode 50 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Sasja Beerendonk, digital innovation evangelist, user adoption and change management expert, writer, author and highly-sought after speaker.

Sasja and Heather caught up virtually in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Sasja and Heather talk about:

The state of end user adoption and how companies can use different methodologies to improve digital literacy and how many people scratch the surface in how they use their computers.

A chat about Heather’s trip to Rotterdam to come participate in an end user adoption workshop there with Sasja and a discussion of different streams and exercises that can be used to support the user adoption.

Our meeting in South Africa during SPS Johannesburg and Sasja’s awesome session on Co-Authoring Documents in Office 365, not only the technology and features but the human side and how to change behaviors.

Her beginnings wanting to be a history teacher and finding her way into IT after seeing how technology was influencing education and writing her Phd. on the subject. Moving further into IT as a consultant and specialist in end user adoption and change management expert.

To connect with Sasja: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

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Episode 49 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Carron Little, poet, public engagement artist, public performance curator, organizer, educator, public policy creator, and director of Out of Site Chicago. At the core of Carron’s practice is the transformation of cities through cultural programming. She curates and organizes Out of Site Chicago, a public performance art festival showcasing cutting edge work by local and international artists since 2011. As an artist, she has been supported by the city of Lucerne, Switzerland, (2016 -2018) Liverpool U.K. (2017), Beverly, Chicago (2015 - 2016) Chicago (2014 - 2015) and Uptown, Chicago (2013 - 2015) to develop public engagement projects for cities and neighborhoods.

Carron and Heather caught up virtually in Chicago, Illinois and Marina del Rey, California.

Listen in as Carron and Heather talk about:

The state of art, artists and public policy in the city of Chicago and cities around the world. How Carron has been working as an advocate for fair wages for artists and how others can contribute to support and create policies that support artist access to funding opportunities and equitable stipends which can facilitate a deeper connection between artists, their cities and audiences.

A dive into Carron’s Spare Rib project where she creates poetry based on one-on-one interviews with women from the ages of 20 to 100 that culminates in a performance for the participants, their families, and the public, weaving people, poetry, and place and expanding the notion of intimacy between strangers. Carron’s idea for Spare Rib came after Barack Obama invited three UN Delegates to come to the US to investigate the quality of life for women in America. They presented their findings in the spring of 2016 and their findings were grim. They discussed the lack of childcare provision, healthcare and wage equality for women in America impacting a heightened rate of poverty in the female population compared to our European counterparts. Carron has developed this project in five cities and culminates the work in an operatic/vocal performance, she continues to be brought into cities to replicate this project, most recently Spare Rib, Revisited.

A reading of one of her poems from the Spare Rib project called The Long Road and a chat about her process from taking written notes during her one-on-one interview to formulate the structure of the poem, and how through continued research, performance, and edits she formulates the final version.

A look into 2020 and the state of how we treat each other and how art helps support the fight for equality. Growing up in a political activist family combined with her supportive professors at University and one amazing lunch with a group of phenomenal women continued her love of being an artist and activist for women and all humans.

To connect with Carron: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIN | Twitter | Carron Little Portfolio Website | Out of Site Website | Out of Site Chicago Twitter

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Episode 48 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Alcia Loach, technology consultant at HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise) in the SharePoint and Microsoft 365 space and blogger. She is also the creator and founding trustee of the Pocket Angel charitable organization an app which seeks to provide the general public a means of gifting items such as hot drinks, hot meals, hygiene kits, and pet products to homeless people.

Alcial and Heather caught up virtually from Newdigate, Southeast, United Kingdom and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Alcia and Heather talk about:

· Alcia’s background working in technology and her views on being part of the team and bringing her best to the table while assisting with the tech initiatives inside her company and her love for what she does. She shares about a new initiative at HPE called Wellness Friday where employees can log out three hours early to take some time for themselves and how she has been using that time to connect with friends, read a book and enjoy some downtime.

· A look into Alcia’s origin story for Pocket Angel. When she saw more and more “rough sleepers'“, people who are homeless and very visible on the street, in her community. She wanted to do something for them when they are asking for help. She came up with an idea to create an app that would allow people to give vouchers to a rough sleeper or charity partners to gift to the homeless on one’s behalf. With the app, one can select food, accommodation, or a hygiene product to donate. She discussed how she got the app built, garnered the support of HPE, and will be launching this coming Autumn as a pilot in Brighton, UK with plans for expansion.

· How Alcia blends work, charity, life, speaking and traveling. Working for a company that supports her values and how employers are choosing better options to support women, diversity, inclusion, wellness, and balance.

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To connect with Alcia: Instagram| LinkedIN| Twitter

Pocket Angel Website| Facebook| Twitter| Instagram