The Impossible Network

This week's guest Linda Hall is evidence of how life’s path leads us in directions we could never have planned. In Linda’s case, a visual designer turned Open Relationship Coach. 

Born to Haitian parents, Linda was born in New Jersey and grew up in an inter-generational home and at the intersection of diverse cultures. 

In part one Linda discusses the early years, her catholic education, her immersion in American culture, and the clash with Haitian values. She explains the influence of her parents on her character development, her mother's faith, and her father's levity. 

Linda discusses how growing up with scarcity guided her to seek financial security in a marketing role at Vimeo. Upon discovering how unfulfilled she felt Linda describes her career migration into visual design and the resultant impact on her life satisfaction. 

We end part one there and in Part two we cover Linda’s journey to becoming an Open Relationship Coach. 

Linda discusses how she and her partner evolved from a monogamous relationship to embrace open relationships. 

She reflects on how her previous relationship mode was based on the pursuit of finding a husband, the impact of her Haitian culture on how she perceived relationships, rather what she now calls seeking a life adventure partner. 

Linda discusses fear, the concept of soul mates, how previous relationships shaped her behavior and becoming her individual authentic self. 

Linda explains her early experience of open relationships, adult play-parties, and being 'Monogamish' and reflects communication, women’s roles in romantic culture, and the human condition. 

Linda discusses how she has applied her experiences in Open Relationships to help other women navigate open relationships, help them speak up and how she helping them deal with relationship stigmas and propaganda. 

We also discuss the impact on mental health, the economic impact of empowered relationships, and how she works with therapists as part of couples therapy, being true to oneself, cultivating openness and honesty.

I hope you enjoy the convention confronting candor of Linda Rislin.

SOCIAL LINKS

Linda's Site

LINKS IN SHOW

Haiti Earthquake

Shillington Design School

Relationship Escalator

Dave Hulu

Always Be My Baby

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GUEST OVERVIEW

This week's guest is Linda Hall, is evidence of how life’s path leads us in directions we could never have planned. In Linda’s case, a visual designer turned Open Relationship Coach. 

Born to Haitian parents, Linda was born in New Jersey and grew up in an inter-generational home and at the intersection of diverse cultures. 

In part one Linda discusses the early years, her catholic education, her immersion in American culture and the clash with Haitian values. She explains the influence of her parents on her character development, her mother's faith and her father levity. 

Linda discusses how growing up with scarcity guided her to seek financial security in a marketing role at Vimeo. Upon discovering how unfulfilled she felt Linda describes her career migration into visual design and the resultant impact on her life satisfaction. 

We end part one there and in Part two we cover Linda’s journey to becoming an Open Relationship Coach. 

SOCIAL LINKS

Linda's Site

LINKS IN SHOW

Haiti Earthquake

Shillington Design School

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer L Williams is this week's guest and our first guest of Series 3. Jennifer is a leading thinker and advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

During this open, honest, and expansive discussion Jennifer discusses why diversity, equity, and inclusion must be foundational to reimagining how we work and how we build teams and move toward a more equitable society.

In part one Jennifer discusses growing up as an only child in DC with her loving but overprotective, successful Panamanian immigrant mother, she navigated the highly controlled home environment by immersing herself in writing and books. This ignited her inner creativity and set her on a path to focusing on becoming her best self. 

In part two dive into Jennifer’s career and journey to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Jennifer deconstructs how working in HR inside ad agency Saatchi led her to be a vocal proponent of changing the narrative around diversity and respect, set her on the path to her current life focus consulting on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. 

For anyone that wants to appreciate the nuances of the Diversity and Inclusion, Jennifer delivers an explanation with simplicity and clarity and frames it in the context COVID, George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.   

We discuss how and when the systemic change will emerge and Jennifer explains her approach in consulting businesses in the process of transformation and the dynamics of the radical changes underway

Jennifer provides a clear explanation around the lexicon and wordplay between Black, Latino, and People of Color. I for one certainly learned a lot from this episode 

I hope you enjoy the vitality and vigor of Jennifer L. Williams.

Social Links

Linkedin 

Links in the show

New York. A Documentary

Landmark Course

Bob Wiesner 

The JL Solution 

Scroobius Pip episode with Dane Baptiste

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview

Jennifer L Williams is this week's guest and our first guest of Series 3. Jennifer is a leading thinker and advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

During this open, honest and expansive discussion Jennifer discusses why diversity, equity, and inclusion must be foundational to reimagining how we work and how we build teams, and move toward a more equitable society.

In part one Jennifer discusses growing up as an only child in DC with her loving but over protective, successful Panamanian immigrant mother, she navigated the highly controlled home environment by immersing herself in writing and books. This ignited her inner creativity and set her on a path to focusing on becoming her best self. 

Jennifer reflects on the other foundational influences and people growing up, gratitude, anger and being responsible for one's own happiness and the second chances life gives us We also discuss immigration and inclusivity. 

She explains the transformational impact of attending a Landmark Forum course. 

Jennifer eloquently expresses the experience of establishing herself as a young black woman in corporate New York recounting her mother's sage words ‘you have to be twice as good to be considered half as competent.'

We end part one as Jennifer discusses her experience of moving to New York and the caring safe environment she was welcomed into. 

In part two dive into Jennifer’s career and journey to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

I hope you enjoy the vitality and vigor of Jennifer L Williams. 

Social Links

Linkedin 

Links in the show

New York. A Documentary

Landmark Course

Bob Wiesner 

The JL Solution 

Scroobius Pip episode with Dane Baptiste

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weeks bonus episode we go back to Episode 76 where we interviewed Carmen Medina - the ex-Deputy Director for Intelligence at the CIA.

We pick up this episode where I ask Carmen about her perspective on the state of the World today and the direction we are headed. Carmen discusses the web of causality, our interconnectedness and her perspective on communications, and being heard in a polarized environment and she values failure. 

Carmen is a deeply reflective woman that lives by the principles of playfulness and kindness. 

I hope you enjoy this short dose of optimism with Carmen Medina. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview

This week we go back to Episode 30 with Co-founder of the Masters in Branding program at New York’s School of Visual Arts and host of one of the most popular and longest-running podcasts, Design Matters, Debbie Millman. 

We pick up the interview at 20 min where Debbie discusses the serendipitous events that have effects her path in life and we go from there. 

If you missed this one last year, Debbie’s great strength is her candor and vulnerability. Be inspired by this short insight into the life design of Debbie Millman. 

What We Discuss

Debbie’s innate curiosity

How she interviews for attitude

The transformative impact of coming out in her 50’s 

Her perspective on courage

We discuss Debbie’s periods of depression and despair 

We cover her principles 

Her views on failure 

The hard choices she has made

Her answer to our impossible question

Who we interview next

On Social 

Twitter 

Facebook

Instagram 

Linkedin

Links In The Show 

Debbie Millman 

Milton Glaser 

School of Visual Arts 

One of Us movie 

SUNY Albany

Professor Helen Regueiro Elam 

Speak Up Blog 

Hacking the American Mind Robert Lustig

AIGA 

Print Magazine

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview

B Corp evangelist Lorna Davis is a transformational thinker, leader, and visionary for why and how organizations can combine social, and environmental priorities with their financial imperatives to deliver improved business performance. As a highly respected coach, international speaker Lorna also serves on a number of boards to help them embrace meaning and purpose.

Born in South Africa in the age of Apartheid, her education, parental guidance, curiosity, and worldly ambitions set her on the path to a stellar career in international business and marketing and finally leading Danone to become the first billion-dollar entity to become a public benefit corporation - welcome this week’s guest Lorna Davis.

In this short bonus episode we discuss serendipity, education, diversity, divine intelligence, the joy of being human and how she uses curiosity as an antidote to pain, and her perspective on how humanity works.

Oh and the quick-fire questions.

I hope you’re inspired by the leadership values, heart, the humanity of Lorna Davis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview 

Ecuadorian born, she became an undocumented migrant at 13, founded United We Dream, the largest youth-led US organization, fighting to protect and defend the rights of undocumented immigrants at 23, a MacArthur Fellow at 33; welcome this week/s guest, social justice activist Cristina Jiménez 

In this double length episode, Cristina recounts the story of her upbringing, being born in Ecuador, her early memories of living through the political and economic turmoil of Ecuador in the 90’s.

She describes her father’s athleticism and how his mental fortitude instilled resilience and determination at an early age and how her mothers empathy became a characteristic she embraced. She reflects growing up with an abundance of love and being unaware of the economic challenges her parents faced.

Cristina discusses arriving in Queens New York as an undocumented migrant child unable to speak English in the summer of 1998. Early on she experienced the shame, discrimination and exploitation immigrants encounter and we discuss the anxiety and fear that exist for immigrants with no status. 

She discusses the added pressure and racial profiling she experienced following 9/11 and the hatred and discrimination that ensued. 

Cristina sets out how the narrative shifts and changes in the policy and politics of immigration led her to begin her social justice fight. 

She also describes the challenges she faced accessing further education, how her advocacy began using her pseudonym Sandra and how this experience gave her a taste of the power of community action. 

At 1 hour into the interview, Cristina begins to discuss the beginning of her United We Dream movement and it’s interconnectedness with other movements like Black Lives Matter. She discusses congressional inaction, detention camps, the lack of progress to create pathways to fix immigration status and why both parties are responsible for the impasse 

She discusses how she and her teams campaigning and public shaming of the Obama administration led to Obama to sign an executive order to protect dreamers in 2012

We then cover the damaging effect of Covid19 on the indigenous, black, brown and immigrant communities, why they have been impacted more, the systems of discrimination and Cristina uses the example of Elmhurst hospital in Queens to emphasize the inequity and injustice facing minority communities. 

Cristina explains why her fight is a battle for the soul of the country, the possibility of change, her hopes for undocumented immigrants, her evolving role, and the future of democracy. 

We end with all our quick fire questions. 

I hope you are uplifted by the vitality, vision and courage of Cristina Jiménez

Social Links

Instagram 

Facebook

Twitter 

Cristina's personal Social Links

Instagram

Twitter

Links in The Show 

United We Dream

Homeland Security 

9/11 

Elmhurst Hospital  

A house of my Own Sandra Cisneros 

Bon Jovi 

When they see us

Greisa Martinez  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview

Whether a startup founder, someone with a good idea that can’t get taken seriously due to gender, sex, or race, or if you're feeling jaded by the lack of passion and purpose in business; you’ll be uplifted by this weeks interview with Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage.

John, Allyn, and Mark recently joined forces to launch a new purpose-driven investment firm and fuse their diverse skills in Marketing and Branding, Corporate Finance, Law, and Technology.

In Part One of the joint discussion, we cover their collective yet wildly diverse upbringings on their path to purpose.

All three guests discuss their first memories of their emerging sexual identities, their self-awareness and discovery, early ambitions, influences, motivations, goals and the serendipity or happenstance that set them on their life journeys.

In Part Two, Mark, Allyn and John dive deep into their path to purpose with their new venture, focused on recognizing, celebrating, embracing, difference through investing in the under-invested and under-represented minorities. They discuss the alchemy and untapped power of difference, why true innovation will be born from diversity, and why they are reimagining the very core of their business model to break the traditional corporate structure.

Mark discusses investing in purpose-driven businesses, common unity delivering for the three P’s of people, planet, and profit.

Mark, Allyn, and John discuss the exciting opportunity to invest in new business ideas that will emerge post-Covid to solve the problems that have emerged, how new networks and communities will emerge.

We also discuss the positive value of procrastination, their life mottos and we cover all our quick-fire questions

I hope you enjoy the ego-free honesty, passion, and purpose and common unity of Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage.

Social Links

Mark’s Linkedin

John’s Linkedin

Allyn’s Linkedin 

Allyn’s Twitter 

Links In Show

British Airways 

Heathers 

Zoom PBS 

Hob-nobs 

Maya Angelou

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview

Whether a startup founder, someone with a good idea that can’t get taken seriously due to gender, sex, or race, or if you're feeling jaded by the lack of passion and purpose in business; you’ll be uplifted by this weeks interview with Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage. 

John, Allyn, and Mark recently joined forces to launch a new purpose-driven investment firm and fuse their diverse skills in Marketing and Branding, Corporate Finance, Law, and Technology.

In Part one the joint discussion, we cover their collective yet wildly diverse upbringings on their path to purpose. 

Allyn was born in the notorious Compton neighborhood of LA, grew up in a poor but loving family who nurtured and guided him to an education that enabled him to escape being another statistic.  

Mark describes being born in Canada as a ‘welcome baby’. Moving to the UK at an early age, growing up in the private schooling system, his volatile and loud home environment conditioned him to ensure his voice was heard and prepared him to thrive in chaotic volatile work environments. 

John discusses being born into a loving quirky family and describes his upbringing as a container of abundance, scarcity, and boredom and how his early interest in academia. 

All three guests discuss their first memories of their emerging sexual identities, their self-awareness and discovery, early ambitions, influences, motivations, goals and the serendipity or happenstance that set them on their life journeys.

In Part Two, Mark, Allyn and John dive deep into their path to purpose with their new venture, focused on recognizing, celebrating, embracing, difference through investing in the under-invested and under-represented minorities. 

They discuss the alchemy and untapped power of difference, why true innovation will be born from diversity, and why they are reimagining the very core of their business model to break the traditional corporate structure. 

Mark discusses investing in purpose-driven businesses, common unity delivering for the three P’s of people, planet, and profit. 

Mark, Allyn, and John discuss the exciting opportunity to invest in new business ideas that will emerge post-Covid to solve the problems that have emerged, how new networks and communities will emerge. 

We also discuss the positive value of procrastination, their life mottos and we cover all our quick-fire questions

I hope you enjoy the ego-free honesty, passion, and purpose and common unity of Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage. 

Social Links

Mark’s Linkedin

John’s Linkedin

Allyn’s Linkedin 

Allyn’s Twitter 

Links In Show

British Airways 

Heathers 

Zoom PBS 

Hob-nobs 

Maya Angelou

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.