The Idea Fountain: Life Changing Conversations

Learn about one of my favorite places in L.A.  Wolf Connection!  Just an hour North of L.A. it’s easy to feel like you’re on another planet. Being at Wolf Connection instills a nearly indescribable calm as you come face to face with long lost friends.

They say humans learned their social cues from wolves hundreds of thousands of years ago.  Being connected to wolves resonates on a cellular level.

Wolf Connection’s® Wolf Therapy™ is an education and empowerment program with wolfdogs, Youth Ambassadors, as the centerpiece. With the help of these magnificent animals, men and women from all walks of life learn about nature and conservation, work through the challenges in their lives, learn to be of service by responsibly caring for another living being, and work towards becoming the kind of person they want to be.

The organization was created in 2009 with the purpose of using the presence and natural balance of these deeply intuitive animals to inspire and educate at-risk youth in Los Angeles County and its vicinity.

Teo Alfero has a unique journey to finding his purpose.  Learn more about Wolf Connection, his new book, and how you can be involved on this month’s episode of The Idea Fountain!

“Gut feeling.  Sixth sense.  Hunch.  No matter what it's called, intuition plays a part in the decisions we make every day.  In seminars around the world, @LauraDayIntuit has taught business people, financial analysts, celebrities, homemakers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals how to consciously tap this hidden ability.” - was the description of Laura Day’s book Practical Intuition.

After stumbling on her book about 20 years ago it changed the way I think about… just about everything!  It’s guided me to shift what I’m putting my energy into and helped me accomplish major goals.  Her book “The Circle” taught me that we’re not doing “life” alone.  Laura Day even inspired conversations in every episode of this season of The Idea Fountain!

This year I had the privilege of attending one of Laura Day’s bootcamps in LA.  After I got to interview her in NYC & deep dive on some of the intuition questions I had always wanted to ask…. Like what are the differences between instincts and intuition?  If you’re having serendipities, or signs, in your life - what does it all mean?  Is it just a coincidence or something I should focus on?  Take this episode as your intuition starter kit and official welcoming to The Circle.

It’s an addiction. It’s something that not only has changed lives but saved lives. “The sweetest thing I’ve ever known. Just like a kiss on a collar bone” - Lauryn Hill. Music has been the biggest part of my heart, brain, and life for as long as I can remember. I started The Idea Fountain: Life Changing Conversations but to date we have never really talked about music. I think that’s because a lot of music interviews can be promotional. When it comes to artists who have changed my life… I mean artists not songs…. There’s 2Pac. He’s not available. Kathleen Hanna and the Riot Grrrl movement really shaped who I am today (still working on that). There IS one person that worked created SO much music, that somehow got woven into the identity, memories, and culture of who I am that my life is forever changed - it’s Salaam Remi. We’re talking Fugees, Nas, and Amy Winehouse just to name a few. In true “Sawubona” fashion he sees artists, who are artists, in every sense of the word. He grew up loving the radio. And he’s one of the best guys in music. We started talking music and the floodgates opened - this is the longest Idea Fountain episode to date but there are also so many gems. Enjoy!

From South Central to the WORLD - Krumping is a movement. Battle Zone is the venue. Tommy the Clown is a legend. He’s an entrepreneur. He has single handedly lowered gang violence in LA. He’s been a part of some my most important life moments from birthdays to changing jobs. Some say “you have to see it to believe it” and millions did when they watched Tommy the Clown in David LaChepelle’s iconic documentary RIZE. Hear Tommy’s story on this episode of The Idea Fountain. See him in action as Battle Zone returns July 27th at Southwest College at 6PM. I will also be a guest judge! 

The Co-Founder and Chief Culture Officer of We Work discusses his DIY mentality in business and changing the world.

In-Q’s poems fill my heart with more wisdom and insight than any song ever has. The words are not lyrics but they flow like medicine. He’s been one of my favorite friends for a long time. I’m blown away by how one person can bring both comfort with light-hearted beauty in words and also shine a focus on, what is sometimes, hard to hear truth. If this is the first time you’re hearing of In-Q you’ll get to experience two of my favorite poems. I’ve been friends with In-Q over a decade and this chat was the opportunity to ask questions I’ve always wondered but never dug in on. It’s easy to stay surface when catching up with friends asking “What’s new?” or “How have you been”? At The Idea Fountain friends gather at my house for a fireside chat. I always welcome guests who have made me a better person and try to learn as much as I can from their greatness. Enjoy this special talk with In-Q and I highly recommend listening to every single poem, seeing him live, and soaking up all of his words on the regular. 

Confidence in Creativity

Being vulnerable is HARD. I have so much compassion for every artist that I’ve ever sat in a room with as they played me their new music…. “It’s not mixed!!!” is usually what everyone says before hitting play. It’s not the same exactly…. but I think it takes the same amount of courage to raise your hand and throw out an idea in a corporate environment or to innovate in brainstorming meetings.  

At the recent Power Shift conference I curated a conversation about having “Confidence in Creativity” with two artist friends Andrew Dost & Xzibit. We discussed authenticity, social media, and imposter syndrome and then were joined by Aloe Blacc & Problem to dig even deeper.

From having #1 songs to touring the world to winning The Best New Artist Grammy they offered up many gems. Then I had to be vulnerable. About an hour before we taped this conversation I learned a good friend of mine had died. At the conference (on stage) I told people what I was going through and honored my friend. It was painful and I wondered if I should edit it out of the taping before releasing this episode of The Idea Fountain. I decided to keep the conversation in it’s entirety and share my story. Mental health is an important conversation and me pretending something horrible didn’t happen, or just posting pictures of me with artists, isn’t going to help someone. I hope this talk does. Whether you consider yourself a Blk Shp trying to find your inner artist… or you’re an artist trying to find confidence in creativity there is strength in community. I know I’m appreciative for all of you. Thanks for checking out the new episode!

Dr. Deepika Chopra discusses the science of optimism. This was one of my favorite episodes I’ve ever done!! It’s the first Idea Fountain episode we’ve taped in public with an audience at The Bungalow in Santa Monica. Last year I attended an event where Deepika spoke. I was immediately inspired and unexpectedly gained a new friend. I’ve always considered myself an optimist but was blown away when I learned I didn’t quite have the definition of an optimist right. In this episode discover how you can strengthen your optimism muscle, prioritize your accomplishments on a gratitude list, and find the right balance between being optimistic and being real. We talk about science, the brain, social media, and happiness. Enjoy a great conversation with about 100 friends - so many more than would ever fit in my living room!

How often do we search for a solution or remedy to fix our bodies rather than just letting them heal? Many say all the answers are in nature. If it could only be so simple! On this episode of the Idea Fountain you’re invited to open up your mind to the possibility it is that simple. Martha Soffer owns and runs Surya Spa in the Pacific Palisades which is an Ayurvedic Clinic. They focus on helping you balance your body, balance your life, and experience transformation by naturally returning to health. I was lucky enough to get introduced to Martha by my great friend Liz Hernandez. At Surya I’ve discovered better health, a place to recharge, new mentors, and new ideas. People tell me I look like I’m glowing. I’ve lost 30 lbs since last October with her nutrition guidance. Whether you can visit Surya or not here’s an opportunity to relax with friends, have a great conversation, about self care and “Ayurveda” also known as the science and wisdom of life. 

Kicking off Season 2 of The Idea Fountain!! In Season 1 of the Idea Fountain every episode I interviewed someone who has changed my life. In Season 2 we are going to speak to people from all walks of life…. about their instincts and intuition. First up is Beth Comstock who recently released her book Imagine It Forward. Beth is a director at Nike, trustee of The National Geographic Society, former Vice Chair of Innovation of GE & also was President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal where she was involved in the early development of hulu. We got together a great room of inspiring people and had a fireside chat which ended up being one of my favorite conversations to date. Here’s to a new year, new ideas, new season, and new friends!