It has been proven time and time again that dictatorships make awful forms of government. A power hungry leader takes charge and can completely decimate a nation. But are there any positives we can take from dictatorship when we apply it to our personal lives instead of to government? In episode 041 of SHIPS, we discuss how many of us are living our inner lives as democracies, appealing to the masses and relying on votes from others to determine how we live our lives. In this episode, I offer an alternative.

Susan Reynolds, Executive Director and co-Founder of Lookup.live, chats with us in episode 040 of SHIPS. We discuss Susan's extensive career in tech education, understanding the positives and negatives when using technology, and how crucial it is for us to set daily mindful intentions with how we use technology. We talk about Susan's work with college-aged students and Generation Z, and how she is giving students agency to come to their own mindful conclusions about how they use their tech.

To check out the inspiring work Susan is doing, please be sure to visit https://www.lookup.live/ and http://lookupchallenge.com/.

Susan Reynolds has over 20 years of experience in digital wellbeing, mindfulness and youth leadership. From 1985 to 2003, she was an English teacher, curriculum developer, and first Director of Academic Technology at the Fenn School in Concord, MA. She taught her students to develop critical thinking and cooperative learning skills to be forward thinking citizens in the digital age. In 1997, she founded ABC Legacy with programming focused on harnessing the positive aspects of technology while mitigating the negative ones. In 2017 she co-founded Mindhood, a program created to foster mindful communities on college campuses through digital wellness, mindfulness and face to face relationships. After a successful pilot at Dartmouth College, she broadened her mission to inspire youth to find balance between their real lives and technology as the Executive Director and co-founder of LookUp.live. Susan continues to teach, speak, lead workshops and facilitate panels to educate and empower Gen Z to find and implement their own solutions to the detrimental aspects of social media and digital distraction. As a speaker at conferences in Copenhagen, London, and Toronto, she's brought her mission to a global audience.

Actor and acting instructor, Ryan Kessler, joins us in episode 039 of SHIPS. In this episode, we discuss how acting and performance is a form of heightened connection and how, especially when seeing a show, the audience cannot get away from this connection. He talks about his career as an actor and instructor, how acting allows us to become more comfortable with who we are, and the importance of the communal nature in the performing arts.

To learn more about Ryan and his great work as an actor and instructor, please check out https://www.ryan-kessler.com/.

Ryan is an actor and acting instructor from NYC. Acting credits include: The Vampire Diaries (CW Network), NCIS: New Orleans (CBS), As the World Turns (CBS) South of Hell (We TV), Pinkville (Hollywood Film Festival, Rome International Film Festival), Practice (Hamptons International Film Festival), A Christmas Carol (Hartford Stage Co.), Sixteen Wounded (Long Wharf Theatre), Sideman (Meetinghouse Rep.), A Few Good Men and A Comedy of Errors (River Rep.), and Macbeth (The Secret Theatre). As an acting teacher Ryan has taught at the Penny Templeton Studio, Broadway Artists Alliance, Theater Arts Center, and Artistree Arts. He currently runs RK Acting Studio where he holds weekly classes and coaches actors. Students have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in film and television. He is also a founding member of Endless River Arts, a theater ensemble dedicated to producing classical theater for a modern audience.

So many of our relationships are transactional and are incredibly surface-level. Relationships take a lot of patience and time to cultivate and, because we are so easily distracted today, many of us are not taking the time to become active listeners and invest in our relationships. In episode 038 of SHIPS, we discuss how relationships are the key for a happy and successful life and why it's crucial that we give our relationships the time they deserve.  

Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute and EI-Xpert, joins us in episode 037 of SHIPS. Milton talks with us about the importance of connecting on a human level using emotionally intelligent-based skills and how the luxury industry is leading the movement in human connection in the business world. We discuss how human connection drives business performance and how expertise on people and relationship building can make all the difference in businesses and their profits.

To learn more about Milton and the impactful work he is doing, be sure to check out https://www.luxuryinstitute.com/ and https://www.eixpert.com/.

Milton Pedraza is the CEO of the Luxury Institute and EIX (Emotionally Intelligent Xpert). Today, the Luxury Institute is the world's most trusted research, training, and elite business solutions partner for luxury and premium goods and services brands. With the largest global network of luxury executives and experts, the Luxury Institute has the ability to provide its clients with high-performance, leading-edge business solutions developed by the best, most successful minds in the industry. Over the last 16 years, we have served over 1,100 luxury and premium goods and services brands. We have conducted more quantitative and qualitative research with affluent, wealthy and uber-wealthy consumers than any other entity. This knowledge has led to the development of our scientifically proven high-performance, emotional intelligence-based education system that dramatically improves brand culture and financial performance. Milton advises and coaches luxury CEOs and advises and serves on the boards of top-tier luxury and premium brands, as well as luxury and premium startups. He is a sought-after speaker worldwide for his practical, innovative and humanistic insights and recommendations on luxury and high performance and is the most quoted global luxury industry expert in leading media and publications. Milton is also an authority on Customer Relationship Management and Artificial Intelligence technologies, Analytics, and Big Data. Prior to founding the Luxury Institute, his successful career at Fortune 100 companies included executive roles at Altria, PepsiCo, Colgate, Citigroup and Wyndham Worldwide. Milton is a frequent guest speaker at Columbia University and has presented at Harvard. He has been recognized as a top Latin Entrepreneur by Stanford Business School. Milton was born in Colombia, raised in the United States, and has lived in several countries. He has conducted business in over 100 countries and speaks several languages. 

Many of us don't think twice about what we post on social media, how we interact online, and the potential negative effects it can have on the people viewing it. Some of our posts and comments to other friends, while perhaps unintentionally, may make some feel isolated, secluded, and negatively about themselves. While it's possible to say that that's their problem, it's crucial that we realize the effect of broadcasting our interactions on social media. We explore this and more in episode 036 of SHIPS!

Joseph Piner, documentary filmmaker and founder of CineFocus and Media Productions, joins us in episode 035 of SHIPS! Joseph and I discuss how powerful film can be in spreading awareness about important social issues and how documentaries are an incredible tool for promoting change in the digital age.

I recommend checking out more of Joseph's work at https://www.cinefocusmedia.net/ and https://electroniccrack.weebly.com/.

Joseph Piner is a documentary filmmaker and founder of CineFocus and Media Productions. Starting out filming weddings and events, Joseph found his niche in documentary film after working with the reputable TV company, Authentic Entertainment. In this role, he directed and produced a documentary called Uncertain Days Living Homeless in 2006, which was distributed through Amazon. In 2008, he Directed and Produced a the documentary Shape Up America and in 2011 he created Free Spirits – Saving America’s Wild Horses. This film has premiered in 5 different theaters throughout the United States, in cities such as Chico California, Las Vegas Nevada, Wilmington Delaware, Louisville Kentucky and Portland Maine.  Joseph has traveled across the country, as well as internationally, to represent the brand that CineFocus & Media Productions has established in producing documentaries, event videos, commercials, and music videos. The continuing strength of the company is its ability to present compelling stories through high definition formats.

In episode 034 of SHIPS, we speak with founder of Digital Mindfulness Retreats, Christina Malecka. Christina is doing some incredible work in the digital wellness space. In this episode, we discuss the importance of social connection, the power of presence, and why it's important to be accountable to one another.

To learn more about the great work Christina is doing, please check out https://www.digitalmindfulnessretreats.com/.

As a Seattle-based psychotherapist, Christina has had a front-row seat to the emotional and social impacts of smartphones and social media, notably increased loneliness, anxiety, and alienation. Where weak social ties are plentiful, stronger ties grow harder to create and maintain, and Christina is passionate about helping people connect deeply. In 2017, inspired by the work of Sherry Turkle, Nicholas Carr and her own transformative experience with digital fasting, Christina launched Unplug. Reconnect. Restore: Digital Mindfulness Retreats that emphasize meditation, present-moment experience, social connection, and self-reflection. A community organizer turned Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Christina brings over 25 years of experience with change-making, group facilitation, mindfulness training, and workshop development. She loves creating nurturing experiences for individuals and teams. Christina is a member if the Digital Wellness Collective and co-leads JOMO + Digital Mindfulness Retreats a series of events designed to help digitally weary attendees learn to have a healthier relationship with technology.

Many of us are obsessed with celebrities. We love watching their movies, TV shows, sports games, and seeing them talk at events. We can actually take away a lot from celebrities, but are we taking away the right things? In this episode of SHIPS, we dissect social media's influence on celebrity culture and how we should switch our thinking to get the good out of the lifestyles of the rich and the famous instead of the bad.

Devin Shacket joins us in episode 032 of SHIPS. We discuss her incredibly unique career in the entertainment industry, working in casting, acting, and coaching. She talks to us about the importance of preparation, being prepared in your craft, and sharing your own experience. We also discuss the value in asking great questions and the power in asking "why."

To learn more about Devin and the great work she is doing, be sure to check out  https://www.devinshacketoncamera.com/ and  http://www.thenewyorkdramacenter.com/.

Devin Shacket is an actress, casting professional, audition coach, and on-camera acting teacher. Devin began coaching and taping auditions in early 2013, while working in the House of Cards: Season 2 casting department. Her casting credits include the second season of House of Cards, alongside Emmy Award winning casting director, Julie Schubert, feature films including Good Funk, Black Nativity, Three Backyards, and theatre projects and the San Francisco Playhouse. Her students have appeared on television shows such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Iron Fist, Happy, Gotham, New Amsterdam, Switched at Birth, Tyrant, Ramy, The Deuce, Jack Ryan, Sneaky Pete, Quantico, Infierno Verde, Jessica Jones, Blue Bloods, Sweet Bitter, The Looming Tower, FBI, Dickinson, The Blacklist, The Godfather of Harlem, and more. In addition to private coaching and audition taping, Devin teaches on camera acting and audition technique to adults and young actors internationally. She has been a guest lecturer at NYU Stonestreet School for Film and Television, SF Playhouse, SF State University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, dBs Berlin Film School, and several private studios in New York City. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the New York Drama Center.