SUMMARY
For Kristen Womack, the journey to Microsoft started with a simple question, “Should we go east or west?” The answer took a post-high school Kristen to Portland, Oregon where she got her first chance to work with computers and where she was inspired to continue her education.

GUEST
Kristen Womack

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kristen has always been curious about what lies over the horizon, leading her to take chances and forge her own path.
• After high school she took a job in a foundry to earn enough money to leave Wisconsin and venture into the world.
• Learning from her own mentors, Kristen has embraced the idea of “servitude leadership,” lifting people up to help them succeed. 
• Kristen carries the idea of servitude into the community, teaching her children the importance of lending a hand to people in need.

SUMMARY
From his early days climbing trees in his backyard to his pioneering work as a polar explorer, Will Steger discusses the path that led him to be a leader in the battle to save our planet.

GUEST
Will Steger

HIGHLIGHTS

• Will Steger grew up idolizing Huck Finn, and he internalized the character’s desire to be an explorer and adventurer.
• Will’s first groundbreaking expedition was to the North Pole, leading a team of eight people and 50 dogs on a journey many said couldn’t be done. 
• For his expedition to Antarctica, Will put together an international team with members from the six most powerful countries on the planet to showcase cooperation and raise global awareness of the need to preserve the environment.
• An early advocate on environment issues, Will recently launched the Steger Center for Innovation and Leadership, aimed at bringing together thought leaders from around the world to address the climate crisis.  

SUMMARY

To mark the first episode of the rebranded podcast, ONE OF 8 BILLION, host Ivan Stegic tells his own origin story, how he found his way from South Africa to Minneapolis, and how he views his place in the Universe as both unique and connected to the rest of the world.

GUEST
Ivan Stegic

HIGHLIGHTS

• The focus of ONE IN 8 BILLION will be on individual stories that shed light on how our diversity and uniqueness can also help bring us together.
• Podcast host Ivan Stegic’s origin story started in South Africa under the Apartheid regime and led him to the United States as an immigrant.
• A Physicist by training, Ivan was drawn to Minnesota for an internship at Honeywell Technology Center and later a job at Imation.
• Ivan is now a business owner, a husband and father, and the host of this very podcast, seeking to shine a light on other stories from across our global community.

SUMMARY
The TEN7 Podcast is going on hiatus, we’ll be back in the New Year with a new look to the show.

GUEST
Ivan Stegic

HIGHLIGHTS
- After 123 Episodes, The TEN7 Podcast is taking a short hiatus.
- This is a natural evolution timed to coincide with the launch of our new website.
- The podcast will return with a new name but the same commitment to storytelling.
- We are passionate about finding unique voices and stories that speak both to our shared experiences and to the uniqueness each individual brings to the world.

LINKS
- Make Things That Matter
- Subscribe to our newsletter 
- The TEN7 Podcast archive
- Global Population Charts - Our World in Data

SUMMARY

Ethan Marcotte was the first to introduce the term “responsive web design” as he searched for ways to move away from static presentations toward sites that are more accessible and driven by user needs.

GUEST
Ethan Marcotte

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ethan was an English Major in college, but he credits his thesis advisor for giving him permission to explore and pursue other paths for his future.
• An essay by John Allsopp called “A Dao of Web Design” changed Ethan’s perspective on design and how the user, not the designer, should dictate the web experience.
• A visit by his wife to the Highline in New York City inspired him to coin the phrase “responsive web design,” thinking about places that react and respond to individual user needs.
• Ethan recently started a company called Autogram, to consult with clients about the best ways to manage their own content management or design systems.

LINKS

• Autogram
• John Allsopp: “A Dao of Web Design”
• The New York City Highline
• Ethan Marcotte

SUMMARY

While the U.S. moves toward normalcy, South Africa is struggling with low vaccine rates and a rise in the Delta variant, fanning the flames of an already contentious political landscape.

GUEST

Gareth van Onselen, South African journalist, political analyst and author

HIGHLIGHTS

• Failures in South Africa’s vaccination program have left the country facing further strict lockdowns as the Delta variant spreads.
• South Africa’s long history of government missteps around health has made parts of the population numb to how the pandemic response is costing lives.
• The political landscape in South Africa is in upheaval due to inadequate pandemic response and due to corruption charges against the former president, Jacob Zuma.
• Gareth sees parallels between Zuma and Donald Trump in the way they rose to power and in the chaos they left after departing office.

LINKS

• Gareth’s column about the ANC attitude toward death
• Follow Gareth on Twitter
• National Coronavirus Command Council
• South African Ex-President Zuma Sentenced

SUMMARY

A presentation at a conference in Paris led Eric Meyer into a new world as he dove into the early days of CSS and helped transform the way we interact with the web.

GUEST

Eric Meyer, CSS pioneer and author

HIGHLIGHTS

• Eric started as a “hypermedia systems specialist” at Case Western Reserve University, essentially going to departments, explaining what the “web” is, and offering to hook them up with FTP sites.
• While presenting a paper at a conference in Paris, Eric got his first exposure to CSS and he knew right away he had to be a part of it.
• Eric developed a series of test pages that led to an invitation to join the CSS working group.
• The teamwork and open ethic of the working group was inspiring to Eric, who was determined to do great work and also to reach a hand out to others to help them build on the work to move it forward.

LINKS

• Meyerweb
• An Event Apart 
• CSS Discuss 
• Rebecca Purple

SUMMARY

Ernesto Morales discusses how his past and his passions came together to create Studio Malagón, and how design can be a catalyst for creativity and community.

GUEST

Ernesto Morales, founder and creative director of Studio Malagón

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ernesto studied communications in college, but he was always focused on applying those skills to his true passion for design.
• Studio Malagón draws its name from another one of Ernesto’s passions: music. He used to DJ under the name “DJ Malagón.”
• Ernesto found inspiration for his studio while living in Mexico City, where his family is from. He used to walk the streets and take photos of small details, objects and colors that helped inspire his designs.
• Ernesto is driven to use design to foster connection and to support people who are thought leaders, working to make a difference in the world.

LINKS

• Studio Malagón
• The Cheese Monkeys
• Paul Rand
• Object Solutions

SUMMARY

Matt Martin discusses his winding career path and what he has learned about taking chances and valuing the commodity of time.

GUEST

Matt Martin, co-founder and CEO of Clockwise

HIGHLIGHTS

• Despite early interest, Matt didn’t initially pursue a career in computer software because he didn’t have any role models for that path.
• An interest in politics led Matt to start a successful blog, MN Publius, giving him first-hand experience with the power of the internet as an information sharing platform.
• Initially, Matt’s diverse career path was a barrier to getting his first job in software engineering, but once he got his foot in the door that experience proved to be a benefit.
• Clockwise was born out of the idea that time is a rare commodity, so it’s important to protect and enhance your use of time in your work and life.

LINKS

• Clockwise
• TEN7 Contract to Hire

SUMMARY

In the last episode of a special five-part series, Terin Patel-Wilson, with special guest Tarra Simmons, talks about signs of hope and how the United States might finally be ready to seriously address criminal justice reform.

GUESTS

Terin Patel-Wilson, Project Manager at Recidiviz

Tarra Simmons, Washington State legislator who spent time in prison

HIGHLIGHTS

From Terin Patel-Wilson:

• Social movements, including Black Lives Matter, are moving the needle around criminal justice reform and the need to address racial equity.
• Data shows that some policies are increasing incarceration with no impact on public safety and crime, such as technical parole violations that send people back to prison.
• COVID prompted many states to move quickly to decarcerate people, offering a chance to see the impact and hopefully build on those efforts going forward.

From Tarra Simmons:

• People who are incarcerated need to hold on to hope and purpose, understanding they have advocates and there is a possibility for change.
• She also advises those who are serving time to make a plan for when they get home, putting a support system in place to avoid pitfalls that may send them back to prison.

LINKS

• Meeting the Moment: Using Data to Reimagine Criminal Justice
• Make Things That Matter
• Recidiviz
• Public Defender Association