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- 093: The Dance Between Love and Power - Lorna Davis - Part 2Guest OverviewBorn 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. 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.In Part One of this two-parter, we cover Lorna’s early life in South Africa, her parent’s influence, how her education and her Pollyanna-ish optimistic view of the world helped carve a successful career. We discuss Lorna’s social purpose epiphany when working in China in 2006. Lorna explains how she left China changed, and ultimately returned to Danone with a mission to help them become a purpose-driven company. Lorna recounts the practical realities of Danone’s evolution to a BCorp under her leadership in the US as Chief Manifesto Catalyst. In Part Two we discuss Lorna’s transition to a BCorp Evangelist. She unpacks the steps companies should take to start their journey to becoming BCorp certified, the importance of having visionary CEO, engaging and empowering youthful activists to lead the transformation process, and bypassing senior and mid-management We talk about the practical leverage of bottom-up, and outside-in methodologies, inviting an inclusive range of expert advisors and investors to accelerate the process of change, to overcoming short-termism, achieving triple bottom line, and the role of big banksWe cover the need to connect with our humanity, embrace ambiguity as Lorna explains her perspective on life being a dance of love and power. Lorna also discusses the UN New SDG Action Navigator tool to help businesses measure progress against the SDG’s and projects forward the future structure of corporate boards that cover ESG’s.Finally, 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. I hope you’re inspired by the leadership values, heart, the humanity of Lorna Davis. What We Discuss Her parental impact We discuss her upbringing in apartheid South Africa Lorna’s sense of abundance the opportunity the world offered Her single-sex high school Her sports focusLearning routine discipline and order working for her at schoolStudying psychology and anthropology Breaking into Unilever Her social purpose epiphany in China Understanding that she could not continue to walk away from her responsibilities as a leaderBeing lured back to DanoneComing to the US Taking on the BCorp Challenge Managing shareholder expectationsBecoming a BCorp Evangelist Lorna’s pragmatic perspective on our ability to address climate challengesWhere to spend our time and energy - wherever your heart breaks are where you spend your time and energy Managing change - Inside and down vs Outside and Bottom-up thinking Driving Supply-side changeNeed to make Meetings inclusive and diverse Role for investorsThe dance between short term and long termThe separation of self in business and discomfort with ambiguity Power and Love RAM Das Quote How Lorna creates systems change The power of listeningSocial Links LinkedinWebsite Email - [email protected] In The ShowEster PerelTo Thine Own Self be true Martin Luther King QuoteChristiana FigueresGlenen Doyle RamdasLorna’s TED TalkGeography of Thought Erin Myer&n...
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51 min - 092: Lorna Davis - Corporate Social Impact, Leadership Values and Vision
Guest Overview
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.
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.
In Part One of this two-parter, we cover Lorna’s early life in South Africa, her parent’s influence, how her education and her Pollyanna-ish optimistic view of the world helped carve a successful career. We discuss Lorna’s social purpose epiphany when working in China in 2006. Lorna explains how she left China changed, and ultimately returned to Danone with a mission to help them become a purpose-driven company. Lorna recounts the practical realities of Danone’s evolution to a B Corp under her leadership in the US as Chief Manifesto Catalyst.
We also discuss how Lorna became an evangelist for the B Corp movement, the tools available for all businesses and her advisory role with organizations on their sustainability strategies.
I hope you’re inspired by the leadership values and vision of Lorna Davis.
What We Discuss
Her parental impact
We discuss her upbringing in apartheid South Africa
Lorna’s sense of abundance the opportunity the world offered
Her single-sex high school
Her sports focus
Learning routine discipline and order working for her at school
Studying psychology and anthropology
Breaking into Unilever
Her social purpose epiphany in China
Understanding that she could not continue to walk away from her responsibilities as a leader
Being lured back to Danone
Coming to the US
Taking on the B Corp Challenge
Managing shareholder expectations
Social Links
Linkedin
Website
Email - [email protected]
Twitter
Links In The Show
Patagonia
Buckminster Fuller
Anand Giridharadas
Danone
Apartheid
B Corp
B Lab
B Impact Assessment
White Wave
Emmanuel Faber
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39 min - 091: Weekly Digest - Covid19 Facts, Data, Future Perspectives and Personal Agency.In light of the severity and global impact of Covid19, we thought that this week we should share information that could provide you with additional useful information as well as to take some pause for reflection and refuel your optimism. Podcast worth a listen In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Amesh Adalja from John Hopkins University, about the spreading coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the contagiousness of the virus and the severity of the resultant illness, the mortality rate, and risk factors, vectors of transmission, how long coronavirus can live on surfaces, the importance of social distancing, possible anti-viral treatments, the timeline for a vaccine, the importance of pandemic preparedness, and other topics.Recommended to Us As events change daily and with the US just declaring a National Emergency due to Coronavirus, there still seems to be a gulf in opinions on how bad this will get and how we should act individually and collectively. Should you wait for more information? Do something today? What else?In this article by Tomas Pueyo you’ll find well-sourced charts, data, and models that provide unambiguous information on the impact, scale, and speed of this virus. It provides individuals, parents, community leaders or business leaders with the data and confidence to prevent this, if we have the responsibility to act. We read this on What’s App I was recently invited to join an extraordinary What’s App group called Difference Makers. Humbling to be part of a group of thinkers and do-ers that inspire me daily. Today, I quote one member Graham Boyd.“This is my perspective: For decades it's been sufficiently clear that climate change, pollution impacts, 17SDG will impact everyone, and worst case could lead to the death of over 90% of humans. Today the global reactions to those threats are insipid vs. the Covid reactions. The two big differences I see are: Covid might kill me, and now; whereas the climate emergency kills in 10, 50, 100 years time - and someone else. I wish we had a way of creating the feeling now for a threat that materializes in the future.” Wise words indeed. Mulling on thisWhen we face existential events, whether viral or climate-based, we should not forget that we all have agency, the power to choose what we imagine, to desire, believe and act toward the future seek. In times when the media makes us feel powerless, it’s worth remembering how powerful we are, as mediums of change. Last Week’s PodcastSocial impact gaming entrepreneur and Co-Founder of One Earth Rising has a mission to harvest and harness the power of philanthropy through interactive experiences, providing a playful path to social impact.Jan Roessner was born in Germany to a creative father and a loving but disciplinarian mother. After a fifteen-year career in the German military leading operations in a helicopter squadron and as a drone pilot in Afghanistan, Jan transitioned to the creative industry opening a marketing firm, sagency in Berlin in 2012. Serendipity led him to New York, where he met his current business partner and pivoted to social impact gaming and launching One Earth Rising.In Part One of this two-parter, Jan discussed his childhood, his education, his early influences, and desiring a life of impact. We cover what set him on a path to the military, discuss his experiences of serving in Afghanistan, before transitioning through education to political lobbying and finally taking the entrepreneurial way and opening his agency in Berlin.In Part Two we dive deep into Jan’s journey to social impact gaming, examples of his early successes with Animal Rights Organization PETA, the power of game-based storytelling to educate people on social issues, the philanthropic value of gaming to NGO’s, and the benefits open to brands and the market potential.Jan discusses the business model, the evolution of the sector, and the impa...
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6 min - 090: Encouraging Serendipity And A New Civilization - James ClarkGuest OverviewBorn in SF, adopted and raised in NYC, by an author and illustrator mother and an ethical Wall Street banker, father, James (Jim) Clark grew up with abundance and privilege and a deep sense of love. Jim’s mother would wake him each day with an exercise that conditioned him to consider every day as a blank sheet of paper. In Part One of this two-parter, Jim discusses growing up in a highly creative home, developing a love of the environment, embracing academic challenges, managing his procrastination and always believing in his own agency. Jim recounts the serendipity and a life-affirming experience of meeting Buckminster Fuller, that set him on this path to his first entrepreneurial venture at University by leveraging the power of networks and subsequently building a second networking venture in 94’ that partnered with a little known start-up called AOL. In Part Two Jim discusses how he envisioned the future value of technology in the 21st century and forming the World technology network - a global community of peer vetted technology experts and visionaries and an annual awards series under the banner of encouraging serendipity. Jim also discusses his perspective on the power and value of curiosity and serendipity. How he looks for patterns in history and why remaining open to the fluidity of outcomes, creates better outcomes. We discuss his new initiative the world congress for a new civilization, the existential challenges we face and why he’s creating a new global representation of all humanity. And there is much much more. I hope you enjoy the expansive thinking, inspirational insights and fluid life analysis of Jim Clark What we discuss:In Part One His upbringing in a home of abundance and affluence.His ethical Wall Street Banking Father.His free-spirited, creative book writing Mother and her morning exercise to instill creativity in him The creative environment in which he grew up. How life felt like an adventure.Jim reflects on creativity and technology in children’s upbringing today and in past generations.Hypocrisy filters in today/s youth.Tidal pools and developing a love for the environment.School life.Attending Wesleyan University and Cambridge, The turning point of Discovering nonprofit organizations at a young age.And starting his first nonprofit at University. His rationale and logic for carving his path in life.Arriving at leveraging the power of networks. Meeting Buckminster Fuller and life affirmation.The power of trim tabs.Forming Access Networking in the Public interest to find a clearinghouse for Non Profit jobs.Working on Clinton’s presidential campaign.Witnessing the emergence of the Internet, he recognized the potential of the internet to have a social and economic impact.Forming Access point in 93 to help nonprofits access the internet he partnered with a small but fast-growing startup called AOL. Building a reputation of one of the early leaders in what at the time was called “New Media”.Moving to London in 1997. In Part Two Creating the World Technology NetworkForming The World Technology Network Awards to create a vetting mechanismWhy he adopted the moniker Encouraging SerendipityLooking for patterns in historySerendipity in historic invention Time, change and evolutionOpenness to change and outcomes Fluidly surfing waves of possibility and the tension of avoiding failureImpact eliminating risk and ambiguityShame, tribalism and not being your true self Jim discusses his key existential questions- - ‘What do I believe it right?’ asked with an open heart - ‘What do I think it necessary?’ - ‘The answer is what you should do.’ Being open to new experience Jim explains why he considers civilization as unsustainable and morally indefensible being a consequence of us all not asking the above questionsGetting to a courageous...
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51 min - 089: James (Jim) Clark - Power of Networks, Expansive Thinking and Purpose
Guest Overview
Born in SF, adopted and raised in NYC, by an author and illustrator mother and an ethical Wall Street banker, father, James (Jim) Clark grew up with abundance and privilege and a deep sense of love. Jim’s mother would wake him each day with an exercise that conditioned him to consider every day as a blank sheet of paper.
In Part One of this two-parter, Jim discusses growing up in a highly creative home, developing a love of the environment, embracing academic challenges, managing his procrastination and always believing in his own agency. Jim recounts the serendipity and a life-affirming experience of meeting Buckminster Fuller, that set him on this path to his first entrepreneurial venture at University by leveraging the power of networks and subsequently building a second networking venture in 94’ that partnered with a little known start-up called AOL.
In Part Two Jim discusses how he envisioned the future value of technology in the 21st century and forming the World technology network - a global community of peer vetted technology experts and visionaries and an annual awards series under the banner of encouraging serendipity.
Jim also discusses his perspective on the power and value of curiosity and serendipity.
How he looks for patterns in history and why remaining open to the fluidity of outcomes, creates better outcomes.
We discuss his new initiative the world congress for a new civilization, the existential challenges we face and why he’s creating a new global representation of all humanity. And there is much much more.
I hope you enjoy the expansive thinking, inspirational insights and fluid life analysis of Jim Clark
What we discuss:
His upbringing in a home of abundance and affluence.
His ethical Wall Street Banking Father.
His free-spirited, creative book writing Mother and her morning exercise to instill creativity in him
The creative environment in which he grew up.
How life felt like an adventure.
Jim reflects on creativity and technology in children’s upbringing today and in past generations.
Hypocrisy filters in today/s youth.
Tidal pools and developing a love for the environment.
School life.
Attending Wesleyan University and Cambridge,
The turning point of Discovering nonprofit organizations at a young age.
And starting his first nonprofit at University.
His rationale and logic for carving his path in life.
Arriving at leveraging the power of networks.
Meeting Buckminster Fuller and life affirmation.
The power of trim tabs.
Forming Access Networking in the Public interest to find a clearinghouse for Non Profit jobs.
Working on Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Witnessing the emergence of the Internet, he recognized the potential of the internet to have a social and economic impact.
Forming Access point in 93 to help nonprofits access the internet he partnered with a small but fast-growing startup called AOL.
Building a reputation of one of the early leaders in what at the time was called “New Media”.
Moving to London in 1997.
Links to Social
LinkedIn
Facebook
Links in show
The Maggie B book
John Lilly Dolphin Researcher
Altered States
Buckminster Fuller
ArpaNet
Al Gore
AOL
Bill Clinton
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50 min - 088: Weekly Digest - Farms, Ideas, Future Fatigue and Femininity
Podcast we loved
Real Famous with Scott Trattner
This conversation with Scott Trattner dates to last year but has a wealth of insights into the creative mind behind some of the most iconic ads from Apple to more recently Facebook. Scott spent years working at the Media Arts Labs for Apple, eventually becoming their ECD. Scott is behind some of the most well-known campaigns in Apple's history, including Mac vs. PC. Most recently, he was the VP and Executive Creative Director at Facebook. This fun, insightful episode is well worth your journey to work.
We found this online
This short piece in The Conversation provides a thoughtful reflection on our society's preoccupation with the future.
The future isn't what it used to be, at least according to the Canadian science-fiction novelist William Gibson. In an interview with the BBC, Gibson said people seemed to be losing interest in the future. "All through the 20th century, we constantly saw the 21st century invoked," he said. "How often do you hear anyone invoke the 22nd century? Even saying it is unfamiliar to us. We've come to not have a future".
I wonder if this is just a matter of time. We are in the 2020's. If we are still here in the 2060's maybe the future will consume us again?
Recommended to Us
Be a Lady They Said
Ged Hawes, Founder of We Live and Learn, strategy consultancy, shared this new provocative video. As Ged said, this short provocative video, wonderfully narrated by Cynthia Nixon and produced for GirlsGirlsGirls portrays the pressures of being a lady in our society. We'd all do well to consider how we add to different pressures in society or how we help break them down." I think you'll be sharing this with friends.
Finally Last Weeks Podcast
Ryan Watson Founder of North Brooklyn Farms
Serendipity brought Ryan Watson and Henry Sweets together, unified by their vision of the power of urban farming to improve the health of local communities, they spent seven years nurturing and building North Brooklyn Farm, on the banks of the East River in Brooklyn, nestled under the Williamsburg Bridge.
This extraordinary Oasis, a gathering place for the local community amid the New York metropolis, recently closed due to the real-estate development. However, in this two-part episode, we discover that Ryan's vision remains evident in the role and need for urban farming.
In Part One, we discuss Ryan's upbringing, education, and what influenced him to walk away from a career in Corporate Law to pursue his love or agriculture and farming, and the genesis of North Brooklyn Farms.
In part two, Ryan and I discuss his experience and learnings from running an urban farm and community gathering space for seven years and the impact the Farm had on the community in Brooklyn. We discuss his current rural farming adventure at Wild Russet Farms in the Catskills of NY State, how a new generation of millennial farmers could create a more sustainable future beyond industrial agriculture.
In this honest and wide-ranging discussion, we also cover his views on education, technology, curiosity, risk-taking, failure, persistence, work ethic, values, and the future.
I hope you enjoy the contemplative perspectives social impact, and community-minded spirit of Ryan Watson.
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5 min - 087: Social Impact Gaming As A Path To Purpose - Jan Roessner
Guest Overview
Social impact gaming entrepreneur and Co-Founder of One Earth Rising has a mission to harvest and harness the power of philanthropy through interactive experiences, providing a playful path to social impact.
Jan Roessner was born in Germany to a creative father and a loving but disciplinarian mother. After a fifteen-year career in the German military leading operations in a helicopter squadron and as a drone pilot in Afghanistan, Jan transitioned to the creative industry opening a marketing firm, sagency in Berlin in 2012. Serendipity led him to New York, where he met his current business partner and pivoted to social impact gaming and launching One Earth Rising.
In Part One of this two-parter, Jan discussed his childhood, his education, his early influences, and desiring a life of impact. We cover what set him on a path to the military, discuss his experiences of serving in Afghanistan, before transitioning through education to political lobbying and finally taking the entrepreneurial way and opening his agency in Berlin.
In Part Two we dive deep into Jan’s journey to social impact gaming, examples of his early successes with Animal Rights Organization PETA, the power of game-based storytelling to educate people on social issues, the philanthropic value of gaming to NGO’s, and the benefits open to brands and the market potential.
Jan discusses the business model, the evolution of the sector, and the impact AI will have on gaming. He also reflects on stoicism, managing fear, failure exercise, curiosity, and serendipity.
I hope you are inspired by the integrity, playful passion, and social impact focus of Jan Roessner.
What We Discuss
In Part Two we cover the serendipitous opportunity that led him to New York.
His transition to a focus on gaming as a tool for storytelling and social impact.
Meeting Luc Barnard.
Having their first break with Kitten Squad for Peta.
Jan discusses the value and mechanics of social gaming.
Measuring impact for the NGO’s.
The business model from in-game purchases.
The value to NGOs to educate people on social issues.
Sector $137 bn gaming industry and 155 m people playing in the US alone.
Launching Paresio Island for All Hands and Hearts got Hurricane Relief.
His mission to harvest, harness the power of philanthropy through interactive experiences.
The need for innovation in digital fundraising.
Dealing with fear and his stoic mindset to manage stress.
The importance of exercise.
Building belief in investors through his passion.
Impact on the global goals and SDG’s.
AI and gaming.
The serendipitous events of meeting Luc.
The value of his curiosity and being open to others.
The value of Mentors.
Quickfire answers
Social Links
One Earth Rising
Paresio Island.com
Linkedin
Instagram
Twitter
Links
The Rolling Stones
Connemara Coast
Top Gun
Arcade Distillery
One Earth Rising
Peta
Kitten Squad
Paresio Island
All Hand and Hearts
Hunter Johansson
Hurricane Harvey
The global goals
How I built this
Altered Carbon
Jack Ryan on Amazon
Grit Angela Duckworth
Never Split the Difference book
Gladwell book
Infinite Game
Manni Safa
Luc Bernard
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46 min - 086: Path to Purpose -Social Impact Gaming Entrepreneur - Jan RoessnerGuest OverviewJan Roessner is Co-Founder and CEO of One Earth Rising, a social impact gaming company with a mission to harvest and harness the power of philanthropy through interactive experiences, providing a playful path to social impact.Jan Roessner was born in Germany to a creative father and a loving but disciplinarian mother. After a fifteen-year career in the German military leading operations in a helicopter squadron and as a drone pilot in Afghanistan, Jan transitioned to the creative industry opening a marketing firm, sagency in Berlin in 2012. Serendipity led him to New York, where he met his current business partner and pivoted to social impact gaming and launching One Earth Rising. In Part One of this two-parter, Jan discusses his childhood, his education, his early influences, and desiring a life of impact. We cover what set him on a path to the military, discuss his experiences of serving in Afghanistan, before transitioning through education to political lobbying and finally taking the entrepreneurial way and opening his agency in Berlin. In Part Two we dive deep into Jan’s journey to social impact gaming, examples of his early successes with Animal Rights Organization PETA, the power of game-based storytelling to educate people on social issues, the philanthropic value of gaming to NGO’s, and the benefits open to brands and the market potential. Jan discusses the business model, the evolution of the sector, and the impact AI will have on gaming. He also reflects on stoicism, managing fear, failure exercise, curiosity, and serendipity. I hope you are inspired by the integrity, playful passion and social impact focus of Jan Roessner.What We Discuss Jan discusses his memories of growing up as a single child to loving parents but always being surrounded by extended family.He recounts his experience and gratitude for the values and disciplines his mother instilled and the creative influence of his PR and journalist father.His freedom to explore.Being a follower in his peer group setting but establishing his own identity as he matured.The influence of being exposed to travel and other cultures.His early exposure to military culture and values.The impact of a friend's mother called him out as a ‘smart ass.’ How he internalized his ‘smartass’ behavior and discarded that attitude.His school life and high performance in academics .The cultural diversity of this school that led him to be open to comfortable across cultures.The appeal of the military and the values of bravery and honor and desire to make an impact.His early exposure to international deployment in Bosnia.His love of Top Gun and his journey to becoming a helicopter pilot.Spending 15 years in the Luftwaffe and spending the latter years as a Drone pilot in Afghanistan.The experience of Drone missions and the psychotherapy support.His changing mindset on why the military was not making the impact he wanted.Gaining a degree in the military and transitioning to politics as an advisor to make an impact.The stark realization that the only way to make an impact would be to follow an entrepreneurial journey. His desire to be creative and opening an agency in Berlin with his wife.The serendipitous opportunity the led him to New York. His transition to a focus on gaming as tool for storytelling and social impact.Meeting Luc Barnard.Having their first break with Kitten Squad for Peta. Jan discusses the value and mechanics of social gaming. Measuring impact for the NGO’s.The business model from in-game purchases.The value to NGO’s to educate people on social issues. Sector $137 bn gaming industry and 155 m people playing in the US alone.Launching Paresio Island for All Hands and Hearts got Hurricane Relief.His mission to harvest, harness the power of philanthropy through interactive experiences.The need for innovation in digital fundraising. Dealing with...
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36 min - 085: Weekly Digest No 14Podcast we loved It's a series called Audience from the team at Castos. We get asked a lot about the process of podcasting. So rather than share how we do it, better to find some folk who already have. This series is an honest, unfiltered, and real-time view inside their journey to growing an impactful podcast. They share the best promotional strategies to the test, then report back on their successes and failures in each new episode.The first two episodes shed light on the first questions every podcaster needs to answer: what is the show about and what gear should I use? They start with some context, digging into why make a podcast in the first place and give you the low down on their setup, what gear they use plus why a basic recording setup is all you need. They go beyond the basics and cover crafting your Narrative, pick apart the science of storytelling, and get candid about why some podcasts are stickier than others.If you want to dip your toe, Audience is great place to start. We found this onlineIt's a short 25 minute read on the Axios blog called Mega Trends that will shape the 21st Century they review forthcoming book, "The Precipice," by Toby Ord of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute which gives 1 in 6 odds that humanity will suffer an existential catastrophe during the next 100 years — almost certainly due to our own actions.But, Ord and others argue if we properly harness threatening technologies and mature as a species, we could not only survive the 21st Century, but thrive in it. This post gives you a succinct breakdown and provides a feast of interesting links to take you down the rabbit-hole. Recommended to UsLiving in New York, it's normal that you have friends coming to the city for work, a short vacation, and a long weekend, and it's not uncommon to be asked about what they should see and do, especially when they have tick boxes all the usual tourist spots. This post from Forbes ranked no1 angel investor Fabrice Grinda, does that job for us. Save this link if you're heading to NYC soon. Social Impact Finally, this week this post confronts the reality that in 2019 we saw a fall for the second straight year. Whether driven changes in tax incentives or just compassion fatigue, this post provides ten evidence-based methods for encouraging people to give more to charity, that charities and individuals use to help overcome the tendency to limit generosity? Finally Last Weeks PodcastPamela H Smith was born and raised in a small isolated California town, influenced by what she describes as a 'consistent, persistent, and gentle' math teacher father and the 'artistic and creative' mother, serendipity led her to discover her love of the history of science in Woolongong University in Australia and then commit her life to be a historian of science.Pamela is a Professor of History at Columbia University and Founding Director of the Center for Science and Society, where she leads the Making and Knowing Research Project. In part one of this two-parter, we discuss Pamela's upbringing and her journey into the history of science. We also discuss the evolution of science, human progress through the centuries, creativity, curiosity and the acceleration of knowledge and the influence of social organization and networks as our economies and trade networks developed. We also discuss the growth of cities, the emergence of the artisan class, and the changing roles they played. In Part two we discuss how Pamela H Smith established the Making and Knowing Research Project, its purpose, and we discuss the origins of her most recent launch – The Secrets of Craft and Nature in Renaissance France. A Digital Critical Edition and it's English Translation. That might sound dry to many, but this is a remarkable sixteenth-century manuscript that...
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5 min - 084: From North Brooklyn Farm to Catskills, The Future And Beyond - Ryan Watson.
Guest Overview
Serendipity brought Ryan Watson and Henry Sweets together, unified by their vision of the power of urban farming to improve the health of local communities, they spent seven years nurturing and building North Brooklyn Farm, on the banks of the East River in Brooklyn, nestled under the Williamsburg Bridge.
This extraordinary Oasis, a gathering place for the local community amid the New York metropolis, recently closed due to the real-estate development. However, in this two-part episode, we discover that Ryan’s vision remains evident in the role and need for urban farming.
In Part One, we discuss Ryan’s upbringing, education, and what influenced him to walk away from a career in Corporate Law to pursue his love or agriculture and farming, and the genesis of North Brooklyn Farms.
In part two, Ryan and I discuss his experience and learnings from running an urban farm and community gathering space for seven years and the impact the Farm had on the community in Brooklyn. We discuss his current rural farming adventure at Wild Russet Farms in the Catskills of NY State, how a new generation of millennial farmers could create a more sustainable future beyond industrial agriculture.
In this honest and wide-ranging discussion, we also cover his views on Education, technology, curiosity, risk-taking, failure, persistence, work ethic, values, and the future.
I hope you enjoy the contemplative perspectives social impact, and community-minded spirit of Ryan Watson.
What we discuss:
Growing up in Venice Beach California as a single child in a part Jewish and Catholic household.
The differing roles of his parents and the influences.
His fathers affect his work ethic, leadership skills and being in the Zone.
The diversity and world view that developed from his Jewish and Catholic parents and befriending Cuban and Mexican friends.
Studying political science at UCLA.
Taking a Year out to travel.
Working at an office at UCLA and not resonating with office work.
Joining the campaigning team for the Obama campaign in 2008.
Teaching in Korea.
His discovery of his love of growing vegetables and peace and splice on gardening.
After traveling he returned to New York amidst the financial crisis to study law and his LSAT’s and finally to hit a breaking point.
The value of having legal training.
The realization of the burden of having a student debt and how that would tie him down.
Getting the book the $100 start-up to focus on his venture and his uncle's support for his ambition.
New York’s culture for community gardening and taking over vacant lots and community activism especially in Greenpoint.
His early experience of working in community agriculture in Greenpoint.
Quoting his job in 2012 to start his agriculture journey and getting invaluable training at Battery Park Urban Garden.
The serendipity of meeting Henry Sweets and having a joint vision for what a farm in the community should be as part of the social fabric of a city.
The Two Trees RFP and being selected.
The experience of running North Brooklyn Farm and the impact on the community.
Links to Social
Instagram
Ryan’s Instagram
Links in show
North Brooklyn Farm
Two Trees
Wild Russet Farm
$100 Start Up
GWAPP
Getting Things Done Book
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43 min
About The Impossible Network
From the publisher's feed
The weekly podcast tells the stories of curious-minded, purposeful people, creating positive change for social good.
Our guests include creative problem-solvers, storytellers, activists and…
artists, social impact entrepreneurs, and philanthropists from across the arts, business, science, and technology, working to solve some of our more pressing problems.
Each week, host Mark Fallows explores who his guests are as humans, who or what made them, what they are working to achieve or impact in the world, and where serendipity has impacted their journey.
Learn, gain insights, and be inspired by how a diverse range of people have broken through obstacles, fearlessly exceeded the boundaries society sets, and taken chances, regardless of risk, that most fear, in pursuit of their ‘impossible’.
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