Host Liz Sweigart and Ema Bryant first connected through Liz’s writing on mental health—a message from Ema’s father turned into a friendship that has spanned continents, countless conversations, and a shared commitment to honesty about the hard parts of healing.

In this deeply personal episode of Past the Profile, Ema—radiographer, healthcare professional, and self-described “work in progress”—opens up about her journey with depression and anxiety, the lessons learned in therapy, and how compassion and faith ground her work in patient care. She and Liz talk about the weight of invisible struggles, the courage it takes to keep showing up, and what it means to measure success by persistence, not perfection.

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Host Liz Sweigart first met Maya Zuckerman through the Holochain / Holo project before teaming up again on Visvere. In this episode of Past the Profile, Maya traces her journey from product and operations manager to ecosystem architect. She and Liz explore why culture hacking beats disruption, how regenerative principles can be embedded into technology from the start, and what it means to move from extraction to reciprocity in both business and community.

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A three-chapter history connects host Liz Sweigart and Hilary Turner: dorm-mates at Rice University’s Wiess College, a wedding cameo years later, and—most meaningfully—a 2016 Facebook message that turned into miles and miles around the Rice loop. One Saturday run became a standing ritual, international half-marathons, and a friendship built on mutual encouragement and just the right amount of stubbornness.

In this Past the Profile episode, Hilary—editor-turned-MBA-turned-librarian-in-training—traces her path from New York publishing (Wiley, Penguin) to UT Austin student services to tech marketing… and finally into the library and information world she now calls home (MSLS program, practicum with Georgetown’s business library, and a joyful plunge into the American Library Association community). She and Liz talk about making friends as adults, introvert–extrovert dynamics, the upside of social media serendipity, and why it’s okay to arrive by the scenic route.

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A vulnerable LinkedIn post about mental health first connected host Liz Sweigart and Claire Skillen. One cold DM turned into a long phone call—and a friendship built on systems thinking, honest reflection, and a shared belief that people belong at the center of every process.

In this Past the Profile episode, Claire—newly appointed President & CEO of Planet-Based Foods Global (PBFG)—traces a pivot from “food products” to food systems: vertical gardens and drying units (PBF Tech), direct-trade supply chains, and community-first operations aimed at climate adaptation and food security. She and Liz dig into leading publicly while learning out loud and the everyday practices that make reflection possible when the calendar won’t slow down.

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Host Liz Sweigart and Dritton Jemmalay met more than a decade ago serving energy clients across time zones—she in Houston, he in Brisbane—before finally connecting in person at a Shanghai conference. The friendship has since spanned continents, careers, and now kids.

In this episode of Past the Profile, Dritton—global tax and structuring consultant and founder of the independent professional services firm TP Benchmark—reflects on becoming a husband and father, relocating to London to support his surgeon wife’s fellowship, and choosing a family-first operating system at home and at work. He and Liz explore an “early midlife” wake-up, the books and mindset that shifted him from black-and-white to shades of grey, and how team sports taught him to take feedback, learn from losses, and keep going.

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Introduced by a mutual friend at the Oslo Freedom Forum, host Liz Sweigart and Torbjørn “T-Bear” Fyrvik bonded over the nuts and bolts of movement-building. What began as a hallway chat became an ongoing exchange about practical tools, generous mentorship, and the real human limits of doing hard things for a long time.

In this episode of Past the Profile, Torbjørn—Norwegian activist now based in Berlin—traces a path from climate street actions to designing infrastructure for grassroots groups. He and Liz unpack why Catalyst is “more than a CRM,” how community and know-how compound across campaigns, and what sustainable activism looks like when you admit it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

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A vulnerable LinkedIn post about mental health first connected host Liz Sweigart and Steven Lewis. One unexpected DM turned into hours of conversation—and a friendship that’s thrived across years and screens (they still haven’t met in person).

In this episode of Past the Profile, Steven—former corporate general counsel, filmmaker, and creator of the interview series Heroes Have Heroes—traces how a tough season and two life-line podcasts inspired a new kind of filmed conversation: beautifully shot, psychologically safe, and centered on the people who shaped us. He and Liz unpack what it takes to earn genuine openness on camera, why “my words, my story” beats glossy mythmaking, and how Series (i.e., Season, for the Americans) One’s response lit the path to what’s next.

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A chain of introductions brought host Liz Sweigart and Mary Camacho together at DWeb Camp, where a quick hello became hours of “problem-solving joy.” In this episode of Past the Profile, Mary, a longtime decentralized-tech operator, host of the Terms of Service podcast, and now founder of Cirdia, traces how a Fitbit on her wrist and a privacy gut-check turned into a company: privacy-first wellness wearables built for real people (starting with women 45+) who refuse to be “sold out” by their devices. She and Liz dive into why Cirdia incorporated as a public benefit corporation, how governance (not just privacy) is the hard problem, and what rapid market testing taught them about notifications, form factors, and dignity by design.

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Other stuff mentioned in this episode:

This short episode explains that Liz delayed the usual Tuesday release of Past The Profile to give guest Mary Camacho time to launch the investor website for her new venture, Cirdia.

In her brief commentary, Liz reflects on artificial deadlines, the pressure of expectations, and choosing self-compassion and flexibility over rigid consistency. Check back on Thursday for the full interview--it's chock full of insight, humor, and warmth.

Host Liz Sweigart had known Ellen Bird for exactly 24 hours when they pressed “record.” Their catalyst? A mutual mentor—Dr. John Reed—who sensed instant resonance between Liz’s organizational-psych lens and Ellen’s gift for spotting people’s unique “Youness.”

In this episode of Past the Profile, Ellen—the founder of Eunice, a “people-success” consultancy—replays her zig-zag path from emerging-media strategist to Google recruiting leader to coach who helps job-seekers and teams make work suck less. Together they explore why human-first, market-second positioning beats keyword chasing, how COVID “microwaved” some workplace changes and “pressure-cooked” others, and why the tiny word you may be the greatest asset in any career pivot.

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