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The Ampersand Manifesto: Make Your Mark in Multiple Fields
The Ampersand Manifesto: Make Your Mark in Multiple Fields episodes
- From Living Room to Movement: The Story of the Ampersand Summit
One month after the 2026 Ampersand Summit at Wyldflowr Arts in Oakland, Jessica reflects on how the event evolved from an intimate living-room gathering into a multi-city community.
This episode dives into the origin of the Ampersand community – from the first guests in Season 1 meeting up in real life, to a sold-out ticketed mini-retreat, reaching Ampersands across geographies. Plus, a look at what’s next for The Ampersand Cohort in New York, the SF Bay Area, and beyond. Want to be there next time? Join us at weareampersands.com.
Key Topics Covered:
The Spark: Asking the question, "Where are the cool events for multi-hyphenate people?" and realizing that this didn’t exist. We had to create the event we wanted to attend.
Evolution of the Summit: From 12-person living room gatherings to selling out the San Francisco Community Music Center and settling into Oakland's Wyldflowr Arts.
Inside the Day: Opening with Yue Deng-Wu’s original piano composition and Jessica singing Puccini's opera aria Vissi d'arte, and the Works-in-Progress showcase featuring 20+ non-traditional career paths.
Distributed Leadership: How the Summit went from Jessica's living room to a planning team that shares the work, moving from a centralized to a distributed model of community leadership.
What’s Next: What’s ahead for The Ampersand Cohort in New York, the SF Bay Area, and hopefully soon LA and Toronto!
Thank you to the 2026 Summit planning team: Michelle Tang and Yue Deng-Wu. Hear more from Summit co-host Yue Deng-Wu in Episode 16. Musical excerpts from the Summit by Yue Deng-Wu, Jessica Wan, Naoya Kanai on cello, and Chris Lele on piano.
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF PCC-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join the Community: The Ampersand Cohort
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
15 min - Apoorvaa Deshpande: Building PolyPaths through Tech, Music, and Motherhood
Jessica talks with Apoorvaa Deshpande, a founder, musician, and Tech Lead for AI privacy engineering at Google.
Apoorvaa holds a PhD in computer science from Brown University. She is a senior musician at IndianRaga who's been featured in music productions that have garnered millions of views, and she has been invited to perform her curated concerts internationally. She is also a curious mom to two boys and an avid explorer of new cafes.
Apoorvaa is the founder of PolyPaths, with a mission to help other multifaceted achievers design a life of joy and fulfillment through content, in-person community, and dedicated cohorts.
Check out PolyPaths at thepolypaths.com
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Ampersand Cohort: A Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
31 min - Yue Deng-Wu: Composing a Career Across Law, AI Products, and Music
Jessica talks with Yue Deng-Wu, a lawyer, founder, and musician.
She works as an attorney at Greenwald Doherty, a boutique employment law firm, where she works on the firm’s AI strategy and implementation.
Yue is an ex-big law lawyer with founder and engineering experience. She's built multiple AI products, including Kaleida, a thought partner for navigating career decisions, and Spacenotes, an online music learning product. A lifelong musician, Yue studied classical piano and cello and is a self-taught composer. She has also played with local orchestras as a cellist, including the Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic.
Follow Yue at yuedengwu on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Music excerpts from “Finding the Way Back” and “Spring”, composed by Yue Deng-Wu.
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Ampersand Cohort: A Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
31 min - Felipe Lannes Gonçalves: Finding Ruta through Merging Worlds
Jessica talks with Felipe Lannes Gonçalves, a Brazilian psychologist, entrepreneur, writer, and long-distance cyclist.
He is the founder of Kaiora, a consultancy that helps businesses grow through culture and method, and has worked with professionals from over 200 organizations throughout Brazil and Europe. He is also an MBA professor, columnist, and the author of RUTA, a book that brings together poetry, photography, and travel, musing on reflections on what it means to live fully.
Having cycled more than 34,000 kilometers, including a 1,000-kilometer marathon, Felipe is fascinated by the intersection of structure and sensitivity, and business and art.
Follow Felipe on Instagram @fala.felipelannes
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Cohort: An Ampersand Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
31 min - Laura Rowley: From Wall Street to a Debut Fiction Novel and Redesigning the Book Industry
Jessica talks with Laura Rowley, Author & Content Strategist. Laura is the author of seven non-fiction books and a new novel, The Glassmaker’s Secret.
She is Head of Content for a Wall Street fintech firm with 4,000 professionals in 28 global offices. An award-winning journalist, she's held editorial and executive roles at CNN, People Inc., The Huffington Post and Yahoo!Finance, and founded her own content strategy firm. Laura's writing has been featured in The New York Times, Gannett, Parents and other outlets, and she's appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS, CNBC, NPR and other media.
Laura has published traditional, hybrid and indie books; Forbes called her one of the “women redesigning the book industry.” She is a mom to three cherished daughters.
Find Laura at laurarowley.com and on Instagram @laurarowleyny
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Cohort: An Ampersand Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
33 min - Hugo Pérez: Sparked and the Art of Rebellious Leadership
Jessica talks with Hugo Pérez, an Emmy-winning storyteller, strategist, and founder of Local Boy Co., a creative consultancy and studio helping organizations find their message, sharpen it, and make it matter. A full-stack marketer with more than two decades of experience, he has led transformative work across advertising, higher education, startups, nonprofits, and brands—including Starbucks, Taco Bell, Allstate, MTV, Mars, AstraZeneca, and AT&T. Most recently, he served as CMO of a global plant-based food brand. Hugo is a speaker, mentor, educator, and author of Sparked: Rebellious Leadership Beyond the Ordinary. Across every platform, his work reflects one conviction: bold and honest stories remain among the most powerful tools we have to move people and ideas forward.
Learn more about Hugo and his work at localboycreative.com.
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Cohort: An Ampersand Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
30 min - Joy Khoo: Nurturing the Seeker through Coaching, Nature, and the Arts
Jessica talks with Joy Khoo, a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Since 2003, she has worked with leaders from all walks of life, helping them embrace their authentic selves and develop greater self-awareness in service of humanizing the workplace. Her coaching integrates nature, mindfulness, neuroscience, art, and embodied practices. A champion for women leaders, Joy serves as a Facilitator for Stanford University's Women in Management Group and has been a Founding Guide for Chief, a private network for senior women executives, since 2021. She teaches mindfulness at resorts in Southeast Asia, offers nature workshops for the Gates Foundation alumni program, and leads immersive self-discovery sessions exploring nature, mindfulness, and art at places like Rancho La Puerta in Mexico. She has recently published two books: Nature's Guide for Leaders and Nature's Guide for Coaches.
Follow Joy Khoo on LinkedIn and at her website joykhoo.com.
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Cohort: An Ampersand Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
36 min - Amani Roberts: Remixing Career Identities Across the DJ Booth, the Page, and the Classroom
Jessica talks with Amani Roberts, international keynote speaker and global performer. He is a renowned DJ, entrepreneur, award-winning professor, and USA Today’s best-selling author of the books “The Quiet Storm” and “DJs Mean Business”.
With over 30 years in hospitality and 17 years in the music industry, he’s worked with global brands like Marriott, 7-11, and Chartmetric while generating millions of dollars in revenue. A sought-after speaker and co-host of the podcast Adventures in Business, Amani inspires professionals to unlock creativity, take risks, and grow their resilience in any circumstances. His expertise has been featured in Forbes, NPR, People Magazine, NBC, and Yahoo! Finance.
Learn more about Amani at https://amaniexperience.com.
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Cohort: An Ampersand Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
32 min - Shannon Nash: No Boxes, Just Verses – From the Boardroom to Broadway, Film, and Beyond
Shannon Nash is a global C-suite leader, attorney, Qualified Financial Expert, CPA and public Board Member with over 30 years of experience navigating the intersection of technology, finance, and governance. Outside of her board and operating work, Shannon is an award-winning documentary film producer, a Tony Award–nominated Broadway producer, and the host of the leadership podcast No Boxes: Just Verses.
Shannon currently serves as Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Vibrant Planet, which provides comprehensive wildfire resilience solutions for communities, utilities, and land management. She also chairs the Audit Committee of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, overseeing more than 16 billion dollars in assets. Shannon holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she also serves as a McIntire Foundation Board Trustee.
Follow Shannon:
Podcast: No Boxes: Just Verses
IG: ShannonNash1
LinkedIn: Shannon K Nash
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Cohort: An Ampersand Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
37 min - Chris Lele: Collecting Difficult Skills Across AI, Music Composition, and Big Words
Jessica talks with Chris Lele, an AI educator, learning strategist, writer, musician, and lifelong collector of difficult skills.
He spent 20 years in test prep, creating thousands of SAT, GRE, and GMAT questions, publishing a bestselling vocabulary book, and reaching millions of students through YouTube.
Today, he teaches professionals how to use generative AI without losing their originality, judgment, or voice.
Chris is also a classical pianist, composer, Toastmasters speech competitor, fitness enthusiast, and occasional restaurant and bar performer.
Whether teaching AI, playing Chopin, writing speeches, or explaining a brutal math problem, Chris is drawn to the art of making complexity come alive.
Follow Chris:
IG: @chris_on_the_keys
YouTube: Ab-peggios
Spotify: The Tide Beneath
Apple Music: The Tide Beneath
~
About The Ampersand Manifesto:
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path?
On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: principles for leading a multi-passionate life.
~
About your host, Jessica Wan:
Executive Coach | Classical Singer | Former Marketing Leader & Tech Executive
Jessica helps founders and leaders make the invisible visible. With 20+ years of experience scaling brands like Apple, Smule, and the San Francisco Opera, and as an ICF-certified executive coach, she provides the clarity and strategy needed to lead bravely and find fulfillment in a multi-passionate life.
Work with Jessica: Book a Free Intro Call
Join The Cohort: An Ampersand Community for Dual-Career Professionals
Follow the Journey: @ampersandmanifesto
Connect: Jessica’s LinkedIn
Listen: Singing Excerpts
~
Credits
Co-produced and hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
31 min
About The Ampersand Manifesto: Make Your Mark in Multiple Fields
From the publisher's feed
What happens when you refuse to choose just one path? On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have built thriving…
careers in two or more completely different worlds, from medicine & dance to technology & art. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto – a guide to leading a bold, multi-passionate life.