ResponseABLE with Professor Nikki James

The episode reflects on the podcast’s first 40 episodes, including its launch, setbacks, and early interviews from across the globe. Nikki also discusses motivation, understanding one's strengths and weaknesses through metacognition, and staying in the flow zone.

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Isabelle Grenier is a Co-op Advisor at Northeastern University, Licensed Mental Health Practitioner, friend, and lifelong learner. In this episode, Isabelle sits down with Nikki and Nora to reflect on the path that has brought her to where she is today. They explore the guidance Isabelle shares with her co-op students, along with the skills and perspectives that help us find balance and stability amid the demands of everyday life and an ever-changing world. To inquire about co-op opportunities or anything else that was discussed in this episode, connect with Isabelle on LinkedIn. 

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Sailing teaches you to live with your decisions — and so does entrepreneurship. This week, Professor Nikki James sits down with Alan Freeman, Northeastern University alum, lifelong sailboat racer, entrepreneur, and investor who supports founders through funding and ecosystem-building.

Alan shares how a "safe" engineering degree gave way to a career in entrepreneurship, and how Northeastern University's co-op program was the reason he could act on it — landing him hands-on roles at Singer and Johnson & Johnson while he was still a student, and opening doors through Northeastern's employer relationships that a resume alone never could have. He closes with a simple piece of advice: know yourself, know your environment, and be ready to tack when the direction you chose isn't working out.

What's a nudge you've received lately? How are you being response-able with it?

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Laura Weimer is a US Army Colonel and Harvard Business School Doctor of Philosophy. While inspiring, her path of service hasn't always been straightforward. In this episode, Laura sits down with Nikki to discuss her Army career, personal identity, and early life, from growing up as an Army brat to West Point ro deployments to academic endeavors. She shares wisdoms about choosing the best path for oneself and strategies for course correcting when plans unexpectedly change. To stay connected with Laura, connect with her on LinkedIn. 

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Samantha Asprelli is the founder of Give n' Glow, a nonprofit that redirects excess beauty products to women who need them, and a 2026 Northeastern graduate. In the episode, Nikki and Samantha discuss balancing full-time work with leading Give n' Glow, starting an organization while still in college, building partnerships, and searching for a job post-grad. 

To follow Samantha's work, connect with her on LinkedIn. To get involved with Give n' Glow, follow them on Instagram or explore their website to learn more. 

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Minh Mai is a 2026 D'amore McKim grad, early careerist at Citizens Bank, and overall student of life. In this episode, you will hear about the various people, decisions, and perspectives that led Minh to where he is today. He reflects on his background and the recruiting process at Citizens Bank, but also looks back to early childhood and high school years. To stay up to date on Minh's work, connect with him on LinkedIn. 

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Heatherjean MacNeil is a professor of Organizational Behavior at Northeastern University, founder, sustainability advocate, mother, researcher, and much more. In this episode, Heather and Nikki sit down in Maine to discuss everything from career shifts to the role of intuition in career planning. Heatherjean shares her story of becoming a founder and her path to professorship—she connects her own experiences to the advice and wisdom she gives her students and mentees everyday. 

To stay connected with Heather or inquire more about her work, connect with her on LinkedIn.

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

In this episode, Nikki sits down with Grace and Wayne Leroux discuss to their lives in Cape Town, paths to each other, and the steady growth of their venture, Running Late Club. They unpack the realization that more isn't always better and that clear values drive a dream forward. 

To become involved with Running Late, check out their Instagram or website. Also, connect with Grace and Wayne on LinkedIn to stay in touch. 

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

The Cake Is Big Enough with Donna and Brent James

ResponseABLE with Professor Nikki James

Episode Summary

In this episode, Nikki sits down with Donna and Brent James — married for over 24 years, parents of three, and co-founders of Genesis Travel Solutions in Cape Town, South Africa. Genesis is the company behind the logistics that make Nikki's Northeastern study abroad program possible, and Brent and Donna have become close friends and mentors to her along the way.

Brent and Donna get candid about what it actually took to build Genesis — including two failed attempts before the business finally stuck, the tension of building a company as a married couple, and the season when Brent quit his job with no income to fall back on while Donna held down financial stability for the family. They talk honestly about how their strengths complement each other, how they learned (and are still learning) to manage money and trust as partners, and how they've built a company culture that prioritizes people and family over rapid growth. The conversation closes with the story of a $100 slushie that meant a lot more than it sounds like.

What You'll Hear

• How Nikki first met Donna and Brent through a mutual friend — and the surreal story of Donna baking Nikki a birthday cake before they'd even officially met
• The real story behind Genesis Travel Solutions: three attempts over roughly a decade, two false starts derailed by timing (a retrenchment, then COVID), before the business finally found its footing
• What it looked like for Brent to quit his corporate job and go all-in on the business while Donna held onto financial stability for the family — and the very different ways each of them remembers that season
• The moment Donna finally left her own job to join Genesis full-time, and the doubt that lingered even after she did
• What a business consultant's personality assessment revealed about why their partnership works, despite conventional wisdom that spouses shouldn't run a business together
• How entrepreneurship evolved for Brent from "how much money can I make" to building something that creates opportunity for other people
• The story of Charlie — a former construction worker Brent and Donna invested in, training and funding his tour guide qualification, who now owns his own tour company, Liminal Tours
• Why Genesis is intentionally built as a "family business" rather than a fast-scaling corporate one, including a hard rule that team members show up for their own kids' school events and games
• Lessons in financial stewardship and transparency as a married couple running a business together — and how their approach to money has evolved over the years
• The story behind the name "Genesis" and why it's stuck with them through every attempt
• The 100 RAND slushie: a small moment that captured what nine months of financial uncertainty — and its end — meant for their family
  
  

Notable Moments

• -On why the business almost didn't survive its first year: Brent describes "gangster conversations" with God during a rough nine-month stretch where nothing seemed to be working — until a single phone call changed everything.
• On what makes their partnership work: despite friends and even a professional consultant expecting a married couple in business together to fail, Brent and Donna's complementary strengths turned out to be their biggest asset.
• On what success looks like to them: rather than chasing rapid growth or owning a fleet of vehicles, Brent talks about wanting Genesis to stay small enough that everyone on the team can still make it to their own kid's netball game.

Reflection Challenge

This week's challenge from Nikki: think about how you show up in the partnerships in your life — whether in business, marriage, or friendship — and consider whether you're leaning into what the other person is genuinely good at, rather than trying to do it all yourself.

About Donna & Brent James

Donna and Brent James are the co-founders of Genesis Travel Solutions, a Cape Town-based travel and logistics company that partners with universities, tour guides, and transport providers across South Africa. Married for over 24 years and parents to three children, they've built Genesis around a philosophy of slow, intentional growth — one that prioritizes family, community, and investing in the people they work with over rapid scale.

Website: genesistravel.co.za
Follow them on Instagram: @genesistravelsolutions

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*ResponseABLE with Professor Nikki James helps college students and early career professionals navigate the real, unfiltered challenges of building a career and a life. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.*

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Earl-Djehuti is a leader at TSIBA Business School in Cape Town, South Africa and partners with Nikki to facilite the partnership between TSIBA and Northeastern University each year. In the episode you will hear that Earl's leadership skills span far beyond the classroom and into many aspects of life. In the conversation you'll hear Nikki and Earl discuss topics from leadership, to ancestral reconciliation, to asking for help. 

To learn more about Earl, connect with him on LinkedIn or check out the programs at TSIBA Business School. 

To learn more about ResponseABLE, check out the website www.responseable.org or follow Professor Nikki James on LinkedIn or Instagram.

ResponseABLE is produced and edited by Northeastern Alumni, Nora Shepard. For more from Nora, subscribe to Good Disaster on Substack or connect with her on LinkedIn.