The New Minds Podcast

Ashanti Branch is one of the healthiest models of conscious masculinity I’ve met, and an inspirational example of how the universe can support you with “hidden hands” (see Joseph Campbell) when you listen to that song in your heart about what your reason for being (IKIGAI) is. Raised by a single mother on welfare in Oakland, California, Ashanti overcome every statistic he shouldn’t have by going on to complete an engineering degree at California Polytechnic – San Luis Obispo. Highly successful and even wealthy in his first career as an engineer, Ashanti found himself tutoring struggling students, very reluctantly giving up his Saturday mornings at first, when a new voice began to whisper from his heart. He tried to avoid it by doubling down on his engineering career, but before long, that voice became so compelling that Ashanti found himself in his second career, as a teacher.

In his first year teaching, he started The Ever Forward Club to provide a support group for African American and Latino males who were underachieving, and who did not have space for healthy expression. From there, Ashanti’s powerful mission to change the way students interact with their education was put in motion. After his work was featured in the documentary "The Mask You Live In," and he participated in fellowships at the Stanford d.school, Campaign for Black Male Achievement, and The Gratitude Network, Ashanti’s mission has become a non-profit, and a movement he has now launched as the #MillionMaskMovement with a goal of connecting people all over the world in a self-reflective experience that helps people visualize and realize, “I am not alone.”

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When global educator Maya Thiagarajan reflected deeply on her experiences teaching in multiple countries and cultures in both East and West, she saw there was a false either/or dichotomy epitomized by the image of the tiger mom. Why can't we take the BEST of both systems of parenting and schooling and create a model that honors the good in both? So she wrote a book about it: Beyond the Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age.  

In this conversation, we dig into the impetus for the book, the research she put into it, and then make the very important extrapolation of her key insights into 2020 in order to ask the key question: How can we raise inclusive, unbiased and humane children?  

Maya perfectly embodies the dual role of expert educator and global parent, and as a bi-cultural person herself, brings a unique perspective to the concepts of privilege, representation, and other key topics we discuss.   

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What is the secret alchemy between awareness, action, and responsibility that leaders can harness for emotional mastery? How did the ancient Phoenicians demonstrate EQ in a way that can inspire the modern entrepreneur? Just a couple of the intriguing questions tackled in this conversation with Carole Issa, a training specialist, high impact leadership coach, and keynote speaker.  

Instead of mimicking unorthodox luminaries and charismatic figures like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, there are intentional ways aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs can develop the emotional mastery required to impact the world. In the episode, Carole announces two specific ways interested leaders and entrepreneurs can get involved now in development opportunities. One is time sensitive!  

A native of Lebanon, Carole now resides in Australia, where she runs Alephpreneur, a training and coaching organization. 

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Way before the calamities of a global pandemic and forced virtual learning, there existed a formidable equity gap in education. The events of 2020 have both further exposed and completely exacerbated that chasm in access and opportunity for underserved student populations. So is the great shakeup in education we are experiencing a tragedy within a tragedy, or could there be a glimmer of an opportunity?

Today's guest, Byron Sanders, is President and CEO of Big Thought, and has some ideas about it. As a committed advocate for education, economic development and the creation of equitable communities, he's brought his diverse skillset in banking, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and education to a fine point in his role at Big Thought, and is thinking a lot about the current conundrum in education. Big Thought connects people and organizations to prepare youth and children in under-resourced communities for tomorrow's creative economy.

We start this conversation with Byron's epiphany early in his career at Pfizer, that he was not on mission, and not aligned with purpose. His work and journey in response to that realization led him to where he is today, at the forefront of the next waves of education, as a warrior in the highest sense for equity, empowerment, and opportunity.

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Something special happens when you uncover and embrace your true passion and purpose, and entrepreneur Andy Najjar has built an organization to help people do just that. Hear about the 10 life awakenings, how the most powerful passions are those which help others, and how we must resist the societal script in order to embrace our authentic selves.  

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Dr. Christine Farag is a psychiatry resident at the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois and represents a very important union between the power of Western medicine and the wisdom, practices, and interventions of Eastern philosophy and traditions... after receiving her medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, she spent a year and a half working in Tibet, where she trained in Chinese medicine and served as the physician for a Tibetan monastery.

While the formal skills she received during that period in Tibet were invaluable, much of the richness she brought back from that time were the insights she gained in her daily life living with and treating the very heartful, spiritual people of Tibet. Now, Dr. Farag has a YouTube channel where she leads meditation and mindfulness practices to support mental health in a way that makes the practice of mindfulness and meditation accessible to all. 

In this conversation, we explore the ways in which both Western and Eastern wisdom frame her view as a doctor in terms of the best way to heal body and mind in times of crisis. We cover topics like mindfulness, resilience, happiness, the power of movement and the outdoors, and the toll of the COVID crisis on our overall mental health. Importantly, Dr. Christine shows us how we can benefit from both cutting edge medical science, and also apply the ancient inner sciences of meditation and mindfulness to be more complete, holistically healthy humans.

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Award-winning filmmaker Marc Smolowitz and his team are at work on a ground-breaking new documentary that shakes up all our old stereotypes and paradigms about who gets to be gifted and how giftedness manifests in a diverse range of settings and populations. In this beautifully candid conversation, we discuss Marc's impetus for making this the subject of a feature length film project, and hear Marc's "behind the scenes" insights about several aspects of the film. From a super-achieving community at the US-Mexico border, to gifted Shakespeareans in prison, to the unique plights of gifted LGBTQ individuals, this interview, as a reflection of the film, is full of heart-centered insights that come from taking a fresh, humanistic look at what it means to be "gifted."   

Marc's passion as an advocate is clear throughout the interview, and his belief and faith in the role that education and educators can play, based on his wide ranging interviews over several years, is a ray of hope in a moment when most educational institutions seem to have their back against the ropes. Consider this almost a director's "sneak peak" to a film that will change the landscape of education and certainly be a huge moment in the Edvolution we advocate for at NuMinds.   

Please enjoy!  

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Tina Harlow, therapist, speaker, counselor, consultant, blogger, and founder of Guiding Bright, had a moment last April early in the pandemic. It was a moment that punctuated the growing sense of collective fear and panic and worry with something different. It stood out, because what dawned on Tina in that moment was a sense of great hope and optimism, somehow defying the odds of the overall global narrative, but also fueled by the bright spots in that narrative.

The seeds were planted for what would be become The World Hope Project, a worldwide effort, organized by Tina and enlisting the participation of kids in 25 countries (and growing!), that seeks to spark and nurture hope. In this conversation, we explore the backdrop of despair that led up to the moment of conception, and then follow the journey to where the project is today. 

Although early in its evolution, the World Hope Project engenders exactly what it intends to...HOPE. An optimism that as a creative and adaptive species, we humans can take the lessons of these dark times and use them as the basis for amazing updates to how we relate to the planet and to each other.

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In this episode of the podcast, I was honored to hold space and learn from our Washington DC NuMinds Area Director, Barbara Owens. She draws on her experience as a teacher, advocate, and community leader to explain how inherent inequities in the educational landscape have been exacerbated by the COVID crisis, and shares heartfelt insights and thoughts about what is most needed in the ongoing journey toward equity for African American students.  

I'll admit, I was nervous about this conversation. Not about Barbara...she's been a beautiful friend for years. But anxious about how to hold space in the most authentic way, that allowed for a potentially uncomfortable topic to be the heart of a meaningful and healing conversation. Thanks to Barbara's graciousness and wisdom, I believe it is a healing and enlightening conversation, and the key insights are invaluable.  Keep having difficult and compassionate conversations, my friends. It's how we'll seize this opportunity to heal and evolve on together.  

With love and humility,  

Ben 

#BlackLivesMatter

Today's guest, Haley Taylor Schlitz, might well be considered a prodigy. At age 13 she graduated from high school and fast-tracked her way through an undergraduate degree in Education. Now, at a mere age 18, she's a second year law student, author, public speaker, and growing thought leader on issues of equity in education.

Oh, and by the way, she did NOT qualify for the gifted program in her school as a child. So what gives? Did being a person of color effect her access to opportunity in the public education system? Questioning and working to transform the education landscape for young students of color has now become a driving motivation for Haley, and is the prime impetus for her choosing the path of law.

All this is impressive indeed. But it isn't these achievements, or her appearance on Good Morning America, or getting to meet and introduce VP-elect Harris, or being named Miss Keller Outstanding Teen, or even being featured by Beyoncé as one of her "This Is Black History 2020" honorees that is most impressive.

No, what most impresses me about Haley is her humility, her work ethic, her commitment to excellence and equity, and her ultimate wish to pay it forward. You won't find a more hopeful ray of positivity for the next wave of leaders than Haley.

In this conversation we discuss her journey, but also explore her definition of success, how she faces adversity, and we even get insight on a few of her productivity hacks. Parents...I also ask her a million dollar question: If she were hired to coach the parent of a young student, what's the first piece of advice she would give? Tune it to get that insight!

In the end, it gives me an enormous boost of optimism to meet young people like Haley. The future of our planet is in the hands those who wield their gifts with vision, and walk through the world with a heart of hope. So listen in and see how your own spirits might brighten.

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