The Impossible Network

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The Impossible Network episodes

December 29, 2019 063: 2019 Compilation - Part Two
In this second series of clips, we share more of our guest’s reflections.
Over the last twelve months, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some extraordinary people and have been inspired by their passion, insights, and wisdom.

We sat down with Partner at Pentagram Emily Oberman Episode 53 to discuss the importance of cultivating a distinctive character. Enjoy her answer

When we met Michael Ventura Episode 4, explained his model for Applied Empathy - we can all benefit from this.

We asked Dr. Merritt Moore Episode no 14 Word Class Ballet dancer and Quantum Physicist about how she broke through cultural and societal conventions and barriers using a personal mantra.

We asked Roberto Rabanne Episode 50, the 60/70’s photographer of rock and roll icons to reflect on the parallels of the world today to the countercultural movement he experienced in the 60’s.

Finally, Author of the Bullet Journal Ryder Carroll Episode 9 discussed the importance of understanding passion curiosity and purpose

That’s all for now and all our best wishes for a spectacular 2020
.
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15 min
December 27, 2019 062: 2019 Compilation - Part One
Over the last twelve months I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some extraordinary people and have been inspired by their passion, insights, and wisdom.

The following audio clips are just a short selection of our guest’s reflections.

We asked John C Haven’s Episode 40 to reflect on the societal changes required in an AI-driven world and the challenge for businesses to look beyond just meeting their numbers.

We then asked Jazz Musician and Mathematician Marcus G Miller Episode 56 what he would do to the education system to improve the opportunities for youth.

Caroline Chubb Calderon Episode No 42 reflected on the challenges of retaining our humanity as we face of identity politics, political polarization and the encroachment of AI in work and life.

And Shantell Martin Episode 25 reflects on serendipity by providing a beautiful metaphor for how hard work
Creates opportunity.

Finally, I asked Debbie Millman Episode 30 about the serendipity of a seemingly career-ending set of events redefined her future path

Enjoy the holidays and we will be back with new guests next week.
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12 min
December 23, 2019 061: Weekly Digest - Leadership, Environment, Feminism & Redemption
This Week’s Guest Michael Hanchett Hanson - deconstructing creativityWhat is creativity - It's a big question. I’ve worked in the creative industries all my life, yet I’ve never considered creativity to from a psychological and developmental perspective until I sat down with this weeks guest Michael Hanchett Hanson - author and founder and director of the Masters Concentration in Creativity and Cognition program at Teachers College, Columbia University,In part one of the interview, we cover the impact of Michael's upbringing and the dual influence of his mother and father, his mentors and his early ambitions growing up in Texan Bible belt.Michael deconstructs the social, material and temporal components of creativity. We discuss genius, distinctiveness, and exceptionality.Finally, we cover the serendipity in his journey and how he applies creativity in his life.I hope you find value in this vibrant and vigorous exploration of creativity with Michael Hanchett Hanson.The Podcast we Love Joshua Spodek Leadership and The Environment This is a podcast from one of our upcoming guests. Josh is the ultimate renaissance man with an incredible personal journey. We are sharing Josh’s interview from 2018 with Bea Johnson, TEDx Speaker and a mother living a zero waste lifestyle for over ten years. Listen to Josh’s other podcasts, they are packed with value and insights on leadership and the environment.. We found this online From coal country to solar country When in the midst of a grand transition from fossil fuels to renewables but it still feels we are too reliant on fossil fuel economy. We read this piece in the Atlantic about how in one Colorado county, solar-energy-training classes are helping ease the transition from fossil fuels to renewables and may well fill the economic hole left by the dying coal industry, which sustained the area for more than 120 years. There may be insights and lessons here for other regions and countries working to address what is a global imperative.Recommended to usThe case against contemporary feminism A past guest sent us this exploration of what feminism means in the age of Trump. The New Yorker article sets out two recently published arguments against contemporary feminism that have emerged in near-exact opposition to each other: either feminism has become too strict an ideology or it has softened to the point of uselessness. Both sides make a compelling case. Series of the week College Behind Bars This four-part series streamed on PBS in the US, follows men and women incarcerated in maximum and medium security prisons across New York state over the span of four years, as they attempt to gain college degrees through the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous prison education programs in the U.S.Producer Sarah Botstein states “ We always say we hope the film will raise two really important questions: who in our country should, and does have access to education? And what is prison for? We hope people think about how those two questions intersect with the systemic issues of race and poverty, and what is broken about our country.”This is not just a US issue but a global one. Mulling on thisIs life just a game? Is what we experience just a user interface? Donald Hoffman argues such. Is this a plausible argument? If so, there must be a game maker? But who, what, or where is the game god? I am posting this thought as an early stage consideration that there may be a way to reconcile ancient religious doctrines, teachings and dogmas with emerging scientific insights to create a new point of view or perspective on our existence and reason for being. Watch this space. Tools we’re using Over AppIf you don’t use Sketch or Adobe tools but want to bring your ideas to life and make a visual impact in simple and easy manner then Over is your app. A combination of curated cont...
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6 min
December 17, 2019060: What Is Creativity? Michael Hanchett Hanson
Guest Overview
What is creativity - It's a big question. I’ve worked in the creative industries all my life, yet I’ve never considered creativity to from a psychological and developmental perspective until I sat down with this weeks guest Michael Hanchett Hanson - author and founder and director of the Masters Concentration in Creativity and Cognition program at Teachers College, Columbia University,
In part one of the interview, we cover the impact of Michael's upbringing and the dual influence of his mother and father, his mentors and his early ambitions growing up in Texan Bible belt.
Michael deconstructs the social, material and temporal components of creativity. We discuss genius, distinctiveness, and exceptionality.
Michael breaks down creativity and explains the impact of education on creativity and the value of deep learning, and explains the domain-general and domain-specific theories of creativity.
Michael debunks the notion of out of the box thinking and provides an alternative mode and we discuss the value of constraints in creativity.
Finally, we cover the serendipity in his journey and how he applies creativity in his life.
I hope you find value in this vibrant and vigorous exploration of creativity with Michael Hanchett Hanson.

What we discuss
His early upbringing in Texas
Growing up in the Bible belt
Michael discusses his father's intellectual influence
His Mother’s aesthetic influence
Michael describes his mentor Howard Gruber
Pendergast regime and prohibition
The safety of his upbringing
School life in Texas
The supportive role of his mother
Being a cognitive voyeur
Studying architecture
Distributed cognition
Gruber's definition of creativity
The social material and temporal distribution of creativity
Symbol making animals
Genius - the Latin definition
Genius is in the work
Genius is not in the person. The genius is in the work as it coalesces socially, materially, in temporarily.
Ken Robinson
Clayton Christensen
The role of education and creativity
Creativity - domain-specific or generalist
The role of the depth of understanding
Divergent thinking
Structure
Procrastination
His level of creativity
Curiosity
When we need to avoid creativity
The intellectual, philosophical and aesthetic.
The network of enterprise
Principles
Tough choices
The Impossible Question
The role of grace
Effort and work

Connecting
Linkedin

Links in the show
Worldmaking: Psychology and the Ideology of Creativity
Howard Gruber
Jean Piaget
Thomas Aquinas
Beyond Good and Evil
Edward Clapp Project Zero Harvard
Robert Lustig
The Mud club
The Infidel and the Professor
The courage to create
Creativity and constraints

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1 hr 4 min
December 16, 2019 059: Weekly Roundup From The Network
This Week’s Guest Stephen Hecht, the co-founder of Million Peacemakers, provides inspiration to anyone that doubts their ability to change the world for the better, at scale. Stephen is proof that good intentions, a little creativity, underpinned by clear goals can result in monumental impact, at any age. Million Peacemakers is a non-profit organization that empowers people to transform conflict into what they call Nonflict. Stephens's inspiration came from his multi-faith work and his own transformation in focussing on the commonality in people over their differences.Over 225,000 people around the world trained in the first 5 years with a focus on youth, families, and businesses, Stephen is changing the world one peacemaker training session at a time.Listen to Stephens story or sign up to be a peacemaker at MillionPeacemakers.org.The Podcast we Love Slate podcasts make really sold shows but it’s Slow Burn series is a wonderful podcast that has told two of the biggest stories of the 20th Century The Watergate scandal and the impeachment of Bill Clinton. In season three Slow Burn tells the story of the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. It’s a fascinating insight into the gang-related, east coast-west coast, BadBoy-Deathrow rivalries that ripped apart the hip hop community. Listen on SpotifyWe found this online We found this really useful article in HBR. Whether it’s in interviews or negotiations, we are frequently asked questions we would rather not answer. In many instances, an honest answer might weaken our position, compromise our privacy, or disclose sensitive corporate information. A dishonest response might make the situation worse still. This article explores the mechanism and value of using deflection as a strategy and how it can impact both our economic outcome and our relationship with the person asking.Recommended to usEver wondered how the Explicit Lyrics Sticker that we see on albums emerged? The story behind and the battle behind Parental Advisory and Music Censorship is extraordinary. Estelle Caswell from VOX tells the story How heavy metal and Satan gave us this sticker.Movie of the week This week’s recommendation is a series. We just finished The Loudest Voice - the seven-part limited series based on a bestselling book is about Roger Ailes, the founder of Fox News. To understand the events that led to the rise of the modern Republican party, one must understand Ailes. Focusing primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the party’s de facto leader, the series also touches on defining events in Ailes’ life. If you can access it watch Russell Crowe’s portrayal of Ailes is riveting. Mulling on thisFollowing the outcome of the UK Election where England voters triggered a landslide Conservative win for Boris Johnson’s strategy and Scotland voted in opposition with the nationalists winning the popular vote. This article published before the election Why We Need to Stop Dreaming of England.This might well be the time to abandon the myth of Englishness as Britain collectively must embrace the real challenges of Brexit and the radical upheaval that lies ahead. Tools we’re Using This week we are featuring a new philanthropic app. It’s called Give Momentum - think Venmo for giving - you make automatic donations that transform ordinary moments like buying coffee, seeing Ronaldo score a goal or even when the President Tweets into opportunities for meaningful and positive change. Give anywhere, get some guidance, and track your impact, all in one place. It makes giving fun. Social Impact And finally, someone is turning off the tap on plastic pollution.NextWave Member companies like HP and IKEA working to decrease the volume of plastic and nylon litter and waste before it enters the ocean. Members are committed to demonstrating to other companies the comm...
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6 min
December 10, 2019 058: A Million Peacemakers and Nonflict With Stephen Hecht
GUEST OVERVIEW
Stephen Hecht co-founder of Million Peacemakers provides inspiration to anyone that doubts their ability to change the world for the better, at scale. Stephen is proof that good intentions, a little creativity, underpinned by clear goals can result in monumental impact, at any age.
Million Peacemakers is a non-profit organization that empowers people to transform conflict into what they call Nonflict. Stephens's inspiration came from his multi-faith work and his own transformation in focussing on the commonality in people over the differences.
Over 225,000 people around the world trained in the first 5 years with a focus on youth, families, and businesses, Stephen is changing the world one peacemaker training session at a time.
Stephen has led Nonflict way workshops in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the USA including Puerto Rico, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Bulgaria, England, Germany, Spain, and Canada.
He was also a speaker at the Vatican in March 2019 for an international conference on Religions and the UN Sustainable Development Goals and was invited back 3 weeks later to speak about creating a culture of peace in the world.
I hope you enjoy this episode of empathy, compassion and conflict resolution with Stephen Hecht

What We Discuss
Growing up in Montreal Canada
Being involved in the family retail business from an early age
Being aware of his seriousness as a child
His uncle’s defining influence
Early conflict in his family business
The defining experience of visiting Israel
Witnessing intra-group conflict
His education path
The early experience of conflict in business as globalization set in
Meeting Dr. Amir Kafir
Joining Young President Organization
Building Love Thy Neighbor to live in Montreal to create interfaith unity in 2009 - 19min
Hi three Marriages
Peace Action Network
Building the three-step model for Nonflict
The ways of confronting conflict
Conflict defined
The steps to conflict resolution
Einstein
Creating a Million Peacemakers
How Serendipity has enabled them
Working with the Vatican and The Pope
His principles
His Hard Choices
Discovering new ideas
Where in History?
Impossible Question
Failure
Keeping up with technology

Social Links
Million Peacemakers
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Links In the Show
Young Presidents Organization
Cardinal Turkson
Sustainable Development Goals
Robin Sharma The 5 am Club
The Vatican
Martin Luther King
Nelson Mandela
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52 min
December 09, 2019 057 - Recommendations For The Week
This Week’s Guest If you missed last weeks‘ guest was Marcus G Miller. He was born and raised in Jersey, from a sax-playing accountant father and a schizophrenia suffering Mother, he graduated Harvard University, became a hedge fund trader before becoming a professional jazz musician and mathematician.Marcus has since performed at the Obama White House, Madison Square Garden, The World Economic Forum at Davos, The Montreux Jazz Festival, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and recently spoke at the TED Summit in Edinburgh. Marcus is a genuine polymath and is exploring the structural similarities between math, and music, to enable creative problem solvers to unlock their imagination and to ‘jam’ on the world’s toughest challenges.I hope you enjoy the intellectual curiosity and expansive imagination of Marcus G Miller. The Podcast we Love Big Questions with Cal Fussman has been one of our weekly listens since Tim Ferris persuaded him to start one. We just caught up on some recent episodes and loved the interview with Muhammad Ali’s daughter Hana, three years after Ali’s passing.She talks about her dad and the book she has written called 'At Home With Muhammad Ali.The conversation opens a window into how life was like in the moments when the cameras weren’t around and his unique capacity to connect with the world. What a giant of a man. What a giant of a man. We found this online As we increasingly seek control over our privacy rights online, China just introduced a new rule requiring face scans of customers signing up for new mobile plans that came into effect Dec. 1, amid widespread adoption of facial-recognition technology across the country.Read here the piece on the policy is part of a broader push by the Chinese government to limit people’s ability to stay anonymous online increasing their fear that biometric data could be compromised.Is this the state of things to come?Recommended to usWe have not seen it yet but we have been told that if you are in London a must see theatre experience is stage adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s The Neapolitan Novels - into a two part play My Brilliant Friend, five action-packed hours now at the national theatreMovie of the week Diego MaradonaLove him or loathe him Diego Maradonna documentary is mesmerizing as it tells the story of this celebrated and controversial soccer player as he arrives in Naples in 1984, for a world-record fee. It recounts the miracles he performed on the field and includes more than 500 hours of never-before-seen footage from Maradona’s personal archives, and decades-old news footage and interviews with historians and journalists. Wonderful storytelling.Mulling on this We found this article on Fast Company asking the question is digital distraction as bad as we thnk?We all know the pitfalls and potential mental health effects of too much screen time, but this piece acknowledges the downsides but also focuses on the upsides of connectivity and the value in seeking many consider to be the ever elusive balance.Tools we’re Using We just installed Google Duo, Google’s latest attempt to wrestle share of our time and attention from Apple’s Facetime and Facebook’s What’s App. The value is that is allows simple video calls between Iphones and Android. And Like What’s app it offers end to end encryption and its delivered in a simple user interface. So far ..we quite like.Social Impact ou might have missed this but a few months ago AS Roma decided to not only announce new signings but to do so alongside missing children.The idea from their head of strategy, Paul Rogers, grew out of his love of the story of 90’s rock band Soul Asylum, whose video for their hit song Runaway Train also featured missing children."Paul explains that Roma had built up quite a sizable social media presence and going into the summer transfer window, and he s...
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5 min
December 03, 2019 056: Where Jazz Music Meets Math With Marcus G Miller
Guest Overview
Born and raised in Jersey, from a sax-playing accountant father and a mother with schizophrenia, a Harvard graduate, a hedge fund trader turned professional jazz musician and mathematician is this week’s guest Marcus G Miller.
In this episode Marcus explains how he started playing saxophone at age nine and how through the guidance of a teacher Michael Ghegan and the mentoring of world renowned saxophonist Bruce Williams he ended up on stage at age 13.
An avid reader and a world level fencer, we went on to graduate from Harvard University with a degree in Mathematics before joining Ray Dalio’s hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.
However his passion drew him back to New York City to pursue a career as a jazz musician
Marcus has since performed at the Obama White House, Madison Square Garden, The World Economic Forum at Davos, The Montreux Jazz Festival, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and recently spoke at the TED Summit in Edinburgh.
Marcus is a genuine polymath and is exploring the structural similarities between math, and music, to enable creative problem solvers to unlock their imagination and to ‘jam’ on the world’s toughest challenges.
I hope you enjoy the intellectual curiosity and expansive imagination of Marcus G Miller.

What we discuss:
His upbringing in Jersey
The impact of his accountant father
His early desire to compete and win
The impact of being skilled at music had
The challenges he faced as he grew up
The motivation to success
His mentor Michael Ghegan
Bruce Willams his teacher
Subbing for Brice as a young teenager
Confidence
Deciding to study math at Harvard
His love of math
How he is drawn to building the connection between math and music
The subjective creative approach of doing both
Base level reality and the propositions of logic
The underlying structure and overlap of math and music
The non logical way of getting from Point A to B
The importance of fun in exploring possibilities in math and music and getting access to more
The similarity in systems and subjectivity and individuality of Math and music
Solving problems and go deeper
Building rooms in your house of understanding
Where sparks of ideas come from?
The importance of imagination and his discipline
Training to be available to receive ideas
Order and structure in his life
How he avoids social media and uses his phone
The power of long-hand writing
The resistance and being open to ideas
Managing his use of social media
Becoming a hedge fund trader for Bridgewater
The serendipity of getting a NYC gig while in the second semester
Joining the Hedge Fund
Leaving the hedge fund
Focusing on music
His search for meaning and connection
How he’d change education to foster curiosity and creativity and improvisation
How Jazz is a conversation and has narrative
Connection between Jazz and Language
Higher order language to think freely
Fearless
To arrange ideas and music
Teach kids to think freely.
Creativity, structure and boundaries
The bridge between math and music

Links to Social
Website
Instagram
Spotify
Facebook

Links in the Show
Tequila Jazz track
Bruce Williams Jazz
Michael Ghegan
War of Art - Stephen Prestfiled
Nir Eyal - Distracted
Rob Schneiderman
Goethe Faust
Harvard University
Ray Dalio Bridgewater
Aion Carl Jung
Mintons Jazz Bar
St Nicks jazz
Julliard Music School
Bach
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59 min
December 02, 2019 055: Recommendations for the Week Ahead
Hi Everyone This is our weekly digest episode where we share some of what we liked, discovered and was recommended to us.We start with: LAST WEEKS EPISODELast weeks guest was Emily Oberman Partner at Pentagram Design. In this engaging 2 parter we cover her upbringing; being immersed in art, discovery and joy, and how humor and singing was never far; the work ethic her parents instilled; and being introduced her to Monty Python,The Marx Brothers and MAD Magazine at an early age.She explains why the idea of being a beautiful weirdo has remained with her throughout her career as she seeks out oddness in everyone she meetsWe discuss her early design influences, her approach to design and the role of story and ideas her work. We explore how Emily met and formed a 17 year partnership, with Bonnie Siegler, in the New York design firm Number17 before we dive deep into her 20 seasons of driving the identity of Saturday Night Live. We also discuss her leadership experience at Pentagram and the challenges of combining that with motherhood. PODCAST WE LOVED CODE SWITCH - NPRRegardless of where you live, race and identity are part of the often cultural charged narrative. So if you ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get...stuck, Code Switch can help.Created by journalists of color, and as they say themselves - this isn't just the work they do, it's the lives they lead.' It's a great listen, its funny and it will certainly make you reflect on some of your own cultural assumptions.WHAT WE DISCOVERED CONTRACT FOR THE WEBIn the 90's I think many of us expected The internet herald some from of global online utopia. Fast forward 25 years, flooded with fake news, election meddling, online bullying and a slew of other ills The Internet descended into a nightmarish mess. Its creator, Tim Berners-Lee, wants to reverse the slide.On November 25, Berners-Lee unveiled the Contract for the Web, an action plan he crafted with the help of over 80 other experts. It aims to boost privacy protections online, reduce digital incivility and discourage government crackdowns on the Web while ensuring that everyone on the planet gets access to the internet. There might well be hope for the future of The Internet. RECOMMENDED TO USARCADIA EARTH We recently took the recommendation of previous guest Alessandro Armillotta and visited Arcadia Earth her in Manhattan. It's an immersive augmented reality driven journey through Planet Earth that educates us on the impact of our behavior on the climate. On this large scale multi-sensorial journey will guide you through underwater worlds, fantasy lands, and inspirational art installations. powered by augmented reality, virtual reality, projection mapping, and interactive environments. As we explored, we learned how small lifestyle changes can have a massive impact on the future of our planet. MULLING ON THIS APOCALYPSE WHEN?It's easy to fall into the trap of helplessness and indifference in the face of the number of apocalyptic predictions about the impact of climate change. Bill McKibben suggested climate-driven fires in Australia had made koalas “functionally extinct.” Extinction Rebellion said “Billions will die” and “Life on Earth is dying.” Vice claimed the “collapse of civilization may have already begun.” This article by Michael Shellenberger in Forbes provides a more balanced view. TOOL WE ARE USING STORY ART - INSTAGRAM STORY EDITORWe just started using this neat little tool called StoryArt. It's basically an Instagram story editor that offers 1000's of story templates to help you create collage layouts for your Instagram story. You get the free version first and we just upgraded the $2 for the paid one. MOVIE OF THE WEEKWHAT'S MY NAME - MUHAMMAD ALIWe loved this HBO two-part documentary which paints an intimate portrait of Ali - the man who was a beacon of hope ...
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4 min
November 27, 2019054: Pentagram Partner Emily Oberman on Design, Leadership and Motherhood
Guest Overview
Born and raised in New York, to a graphic designer father and illustrator mother, her prolific life in design and branding was almost destined, welcome this week’s guest, partner at international design firm, Pentagram, Emily Oberman

In part two we explore how Emily met and formed a 17 year partnership, with Bonnie Siegler, in the New York design firm Number17 before we dive deep into her 20 seasons of driving the identity of Saturday Night Live.
We also discuss her leadership experience at Pentagram and the challenges of combining that with motherhood
Finally we discuss diversity and of course her quick fire questions and answers.

I hope you enjoy this curiosity, humour and design principles of Emily Oberman

What we discuss
Forming Number17 With Bonnie Siegler
Working for smart good people and products she likes
The experience of creating the credits of SNL
The challenge of motherhood and a leadership in design
The hard work she has had to do
Driving diversity in Pentagram and leading by example

Social Links
Instagram
Linkedin

Links in the Show
Debbie Millman
VH1
Viacom
Number17 Agency
M&Co
DC comics
The Wing
Ready Player One
Pentagram
Lorne Micheals
Saturday Night Live
Monty Python
MAD Comic
Marx Brothers
Metropolitan museum
The Highline
Hudson river park
Devil in the White City Book
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37 min

About The Impossible Network

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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…

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