Jill Schock: Death Doulahttps://deathdoulala.com/aboutBIO:We don’t know when or how death will intersect our life. Talking about death is hard. People don’t know what to say, get stuck, and avoid the topic all together. Ironically, this causes a loss of power and access to choice. Every human deserves the right to have their preferences be known and facilitated as they die. This is why Jill is a strong advocate for early and authentic conversations/planning around end-of-life. Jill opens doors for clients and their loved ones to be with death in an authentic way. Jill Schock is the owner of DDLA (est.2016) She is a Los Angeles native with over a decade of experience in end-of-life care. She received a Master’s Degree in Ethics and Theology from Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Jill is a certified Clinical Chaplain, Spiritual Counselor, and Ordained Minister. She identifies as “spiritual not religious.” Her core values are to honor and advocate for options and choice for ALL humans at end-of-life. She believes in empowering her clients to step away from the impositions, traditions and negative stigma around death, and embrace personal choice and style as the chapter of life comes to an end. A “death doula” is someone who serves as a navigator, advocate, and experienced professional for the dying and their loved ones. Death Doula services range from pre-planning to education/support throughout the dying process, and after-death rituals and home celebrations. Jill is a member of the National Home Funeral Alliance, and on the Advisory Board at End Of Life Choices California. She has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Spectrum News 1, Parade, Wired, Goop and more! She is also a frequent guests on podcasts and speaks to groups at conferences and universities. With a benevolent work ethic and her years of bedside experience, Jill is an exceptional guide to those facing end of life.

Jill Schock: Death Doulahttps://deathdoulala.com/aboutBIO:We don’t know when or how death will intersect our life. Talking about death is hard. People don’t know what to say, get stuck, and avoid the topic all together. Ironically, this causes a loss of power and access to choice. Every human deserves the right to have their preferences be known and facilitated as they die. This is why Jill is a strong advocate for early and authentic conversations/planning around end-of-life. Jill opens doors for clients and their loved ones to be with death in an authentic way. Jill Schock is the owner of DDLA (est.2016) She is a Los Angeles native with over a decade of experience in end-of-life care. She received a Master’s Degree in Ethics and Theology from Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Jill is a certified Clinical Chaplain, Spiritual Counselor, and Ordained Minister. She identifies as “spiritual not religious.” Her core values are to honor and advocate for options and choice for ALL humans at end-of-life. She believes in empowering her clients to step away from the impositions, traditions and negative stigma around death, and embrace personal choice and style as the chapter of life comes to an end. A “death doula” is someone who serves as a navigator, advocate, and experienced professional for the dying and their loved ones. Death Doula services range from pre-planning to education/support throughout the dying process, and after-death rituals and home celebrations. Jill is a member of the National Home Funeral Alliance, and on the Advisory Board at End Of Life Choices California. She has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Spectrum News 1, Parade, Wired, Goop and more! She is also a frequent guests on podcasts and speaks to groups at conferences and universities. With a benevolent work ethic and her years of bedside experience, Jill is an exceptional guide to those facing end of life.

Mission Driven Attorney – Langston TolbertFor many entrepreneurs, building a business isn’t just about profit—it’s about creating stability for their families, opportunity for their communities, and a legacy that lasts. But too often, the founders working hardest have the least access to the strategic legal guidance that protects what they’re building. Today’s guest, Langston Tolbert, is changing that.Langston is committed to bringing sophisticated legal counsel to underrepresented business owners and communities that have historically gone without it.https://www.tolbert.legal/Langston Tolbert is the founder of Tolbert Legal, a boutique law firm focused on transactional and strategic counsel for owner-operated and founder-led businesses. He advises clients across acquisitions, ownership transitions, deal financing, and capital structure - helping operators protect leverage, preserve cash flow, and build enterprise value. His work spans contractor and infrastructure businesses, acquisition entrepreneurship, and growth-stage companies in Southern California.

Mission Driven Attorney – Langston TolbertFor many entrepreneurs, building a business isn’t just about profit—it’s about creating stability for their families, opportunity for their communities, and a legacy that lasts. But too often, the founders working hardest have the least access to the strategic legal guidance that protects what they’re building. Today’s guest, Langston Tolbert, is changing that."Langston is committed to bringing sophisticated legal counsel to underrepresented business owners and communities that have historically gone without it.www.tolbert.legalLangston Tolbert is the founder of Tolbert Legal, a boutique law firm focused on transactional and strategic counsel for owner-operated and founder-led businesses. He advises clients across acquisitions, ownership transitions, deal financing, and capital structure - helping operators protect leverage, preserve cash flow, and build enterprise value. His work spans contractor and infrastructure businesses, acquisition entrepreneurship, and growth-stage companies in Southern California.

https://mababa1.substack.com/

Essay this episode is based on - https://mababa1.substack.com/p/black-in-this-world-bitw-pronounced

Maba Ba is a Senegalese-born, New York-based filmmaker, musician, writer, and entrepreneur exploring what it means to live between worlds. His work spans film, wine, music, and philosophy—each medium examining identity, belonging, masculinity, emotional inheritance, and myth.His storytelling began in Senegal, sharing stories during power outages—early lessons in how narratives shape emotional worlds.

After studying computer science at Old Dominion University, he moved to New York to pursue 3D animation and acting, which led him into filmmaking.Through JoyeDidi, the company he co-founded, Maba produced Baamum Nafi, an award-winner at Locarno and Senegal’s submission to the 2021 Academy Awards. He also produced Samedi Cinema (Venice, TIFF) and is developing Demba, a story of grief, fatherhood, and emotional inheritance. JoyeDidi also brings cinema to communities across Senegal via an inflatable outdoor screen.Beyond film, Maba explores ritual and mythology through Flying Whale Wine, created in Roussillon, France, blending Dogon cosmology with terroir-driven craft and featured at major food and wine festivals.His writing, podcast (Black in This World), and upcoming debut album further explore diaspora, masculinity, trauma, and reinvention.Across all forms, Maba’s work shares one through line: using story and ritual to reconnect people to themselves, each other, and their origins.

https://mababa1.substack.com/Maba Ba is a Senegalese-born, New York-based filmmaker, musician, writer, and entrepreneur exploring what it means to live between worlds. His work spans film, wine, music, and philosophy—each medium examining identity, belonging, masculinity, emotional inheritance, and myth.His storytelling began in Senegal, sharing stories during power outages—early lessons in how narratives shape emotional worlds. After studying computer science at Old Dominion University, he moved to New York to pursue 3D animation and acting, which led him into filmmaking.Through JoyeDidi, the company he co-founded, Maba produced Baamum Nafi, an award-winner at Locarno and Senegal’s submission to the 2021 Academy Awards. He also produced Samedi Cinema (Venice, TIFF) and is developing Demba, a story of grief, fatherhood, and emotional inheritance. JoyeDidi also brings cinema to communities across Senegal via an inflatable outdoor screen.Beyond film, Maba explores ritual and mythology through Flying Whale Wine, created in Roussillon, France, blending Dogon cosmology with terroir-driven craft and featured at major food and wine festivals.His writing, podcast (Black in This World), and upcoming debut album further explore diaspora, masculinity, trauma, and reinvention.Across all forms, Maba’s work shares one through line: using story and ritual to reconnect people to themselves, each other, and their origins.

www.asenseofhome.org

www.georgiesmith.com

Georgie Smith is the Founder and President of A Sense of Home (ASOH), a nonprofit dedicated to preventing homelessness by creating homes for displaced individuals and families, particularly youth aging out of foster care. Inspired by a cry for help on social media, Georgie’s one act of kindness sparked a movement - harnessing the power of volunteers and surplus home goods to transform empty spaces into nurturing, fully furnished homes in just 90 minutes. More than 50% of the homeless population experienced foster care, and Georgie’s vision blends generosity, sustainability, and community engagement to break the cycle.ASOH has furnished over 1,600 in its first decade, transforming donated furniture and homeware - items often destined for landfill - into meaningful environments that help individuals rebuild their lives. Georgie recognized that volunteering itself is profoundly rewarding, making ASOH as uplifting for its volunteers as for those it serves.Georgie built on her experience as a film and TV producer in Los Angeles and her roots in Australia to design ASOH’s unique operational model: crowdsourcing and vetting up to 300 high-quality, pre-loved items for each recipient, facilitating rapid, transformative installations overseen by volunteers. The tangible impact has drawn national attention: top 10 CNN Hero, Home Beautiful’s “20 People Who Will Change the Design Industry”, and profiles in “200 Women Who Will Change the Way You See the World.”In response to the devastating LA fires of 2025, Georgie swiftly launched ASOH’s Disaster Recovery Program, adapting the organization’s successful model to rapidly provide homes for those displaced. Today, ASOH continues to prove that when communities unite - sharing what we have in excess - everyone is uplifted.Sign up to volunteer, or donate furniture or funds at A Sense of Home, and help create spaces where people can truly begin again.

TOM GILMARTIN - The Serendipity Budget

What if relationships weren’t incidental to success — but the engine of it?We track everything. Steps. Clicks. Revenue. Engagement.But the variable with the single greatest impact on our lives and our work? - Relationships.

And it’s the one most of us monitor the least.

Today, we’re joined by Tom Gilmartin — an award-winning creative industry leader with more than 20 years at the forefront of storytelling for some of the most iconic brands in the world: Disney, Levi’s, PlayStation, Marvel, Audi, The NFL, Waymo, Meta, ESPN, Scorpius — from gaming studios to space launch companies.

Across industries and eras of change, Tom has relied on a deceptively simple tool: seek out and nurture genuine human relationships. Not transactional connections. Not LinkedIn optics. Real ones.

While he continues to advise major global companies on their brand development, Tom is also focused on guiding the next generation of talent as they navigate one of the most unpredictable job markets we’ve ever seen. His message is clear: your greatest advantage isn’t your résumé — it’s doing the work to truly know and articulate your unique value set and develop your ability to create genuine relationships. In this episode, we explore what happens when you make time for people on purpose.

When you look for the colleague who tells you the hard truth. The mentee who sees around corners. The stranger whose wild idea quietly rewires your trajectory.The result: better health. Braver creativity. Stronger businesses. And lives that compound in meaning over time.www.gilmartincoaching.com

www.tomgilmartin.com

www.daneldon.org

TOM GILMARTIN - The Serendipity Budget

We track everything. Steps. Clicks. Revenue. Engagement.

But the variable with the single greatest impact on our lives and our work?

Relationships.

And it’s the one most of us monitor the least.

Today, we’re joined by Tom Gilmartin — an award-winning creative industry leader with more than 20 years at the forefront of storytelling for some of the most iconic brands in the world: Disney, Levi’s, PlayStation, Marvel, Audi, The NFL, Waymo, Meta, ESPN, Scorpius — from gaming studios to space launch companies.

Across industries and eras of change, Tom has relied on a deceptively simple tool: seek out and nurture genuine human relationships. Not transactional connections. Not LinkedIn optics. Real ones.

While he continues to advise major global companies on their brand development, Tom is also focused on guiding the next generation of talent as they navigate one of the most unpredictable job markets we’ve ever seen. His message is clear: your greatest advantage isn’t your résumé — it’s doing the work to truly know and articulate your unique value set and develop your ability to create genuine relationships. 

In this episode, we explore what happens when you make time for people on purpose. When you look for the colleague who tells you the hard truth. The mentee who sees around corners. The stranger whose wild idea quietly rewires your trajectory.

What if relationships weren’t incidental to success — but the engine of it?

The result: better health. Braver creativity. Stronger businesses. And lives that compound in meaning over time.

https://www.gilmartincoaching.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tgilmartin/

https://www.tomgilmartin.com/

https://www.daneldon.org/

Why an Emmy award winning immersive producer says staying in your body is the most important narrative for us right now. Mei-Ling Wong has worked for a range of the biggest technology companies in the world but throughout her career the biggest skill she mastered is learning the at of staying with her breath, her body and becoming a dedicated yoga teacher. This episode speaks deeply to balancing techniques from extreme cognitive work toward slow, embodied, somatic activities. You're learn the one yoga pose we should all be doing daily for longevity and many other valuable tips for grounding ourselves in corporate environments.