The Perkins Platform

The creator and author of The Life Brief, a simple yet profound action-driving practice that helps people navigate life’s big decisions with clarity, creativity and courage, Bonnie Wan joins us to share her work. The Life Brief applies the art and science of brand strategy to how we live our lives. As a 30-year career Brand Strategist turned Life & Leadership Strategist, Bonnie not only helps some of the world’s most iconic companies innovate from a place of purpose, but also guides everyday people live with greater intention and imagination. She has been named Chief Strategy Officer of the Year and one of 100 Women to KNOW in America.

Listen in today for an exciting conversation with distinguished scientist and practitioner in human behavior, recognized by the U.S. Department of State as a top 1% expert, Dr. Abbie Maroño discussing body language, trust and influence in leadership. She has provided specialized behavior analysis training to elite units, including the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which comprises agents from the Secret Service, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement. Earning her PhD in Psychology, Abbie became a Professor of Psychology at 23 and now serves as Director of Education at Social-Engineer, LLC, specializing in behavior analysis. She contributes regularly to Forbes and Apple News and has been featured on BBC News, WIRED, and Forbes Breaking News. Abbie was honored as Reviewer of the Year for her significant contribution to the academic community. Additionally, she is an author, expert consultant, coach, and a TEDx speaker.

Join us on Wednesday, December 4 @ 6pm EST for an exciting conversation with professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, Elizabeth Klerman to discuss her research on the impact of humans being awake after midnight. Dr. Klerman’s research focuses on applying circadian and sleep research principles to human physiology and pathophysiology. She also uses mathematical analysis and modeling to study human circadian, sleep, and objective neurobehavioral performance and subjective (self-reported) mood and alertness rhythms.

On the next episode of The Perkins Platform, I am thrilled to welcome the brilliant sociologist Dr. Jennifer Patrice Sims! A trailblazer in the study of race, identity, and the social constructs that shape our world, Dr. Sims brings an unmatched depth of insight to our discussion.

Dr. Sims is the author of three groundbreaking books, including the recently released, The Fallacies of Racism (2024), Mixed-Race in the US & UK (2020), and The Sociology of Harry Potter (2012). Her work has sparked conversations globally, challenging how we think about race, racism, and the ways these ideas are shared and reproduced.

With accolades like the Stanford M. Lyman Distinguished Book Award and the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award, Dr. Sims’ impact on the field of sociology—and on her students—is nothing short of remarkable.  Join our conversation on Wednesday, November 27 (6pm) for what promises to be an amazing conversation!

Get ready for an insightful episode of *The Perkins Platform*! Join us as we welcome Professor Collins, a renowned expert in race and ethnic politics, urban policy, and democratic theory. Together with our host, he dives into his groundbreaking research on public participation at school board meetings and tackles a pressing question: are school boards "broken"? Drawing on insights from his upcoming book, *Democracy Speaks: School Board Governance through Deliberative Culture*, Professor Collins reveals how democratic school board practices can reshape urban education policy. Don’t miss this compelling conversation about the future of school governance and what it means for our communities! 

Jonathan E. Collins is an assistant professor of political science and education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Collins also serves as the associate director of the Center for Educational Equity. Before joining the Columbia University faculty, he was the Mary Tefft and John Hazen White Sr. Assistant Professor of Political Science, Education, and International and Public Affairs at Brown University.

Join us on Wednesday, October 16 @ 6pm EST for an exciting conversation with passionate advocate for women’s advancement and a key advisor for leaders tackling retention and growth challenges, Deepa Purushothaman. With over 20 years at Deloitte, she became the first Indian-American woman to make partner and led the US Women's Initiative. Her acclaimed debut book, The First, The Few, The Only, won multiple awards and was named a Financial Times best business book.

Deepa founded re.write, a think tank promoting a new work narrative, and is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School. She collaborates with the Aspen Institute on talent discussions and is launching a podcast series called The Leadership Rewrite. As a board member of Avasara and the Rutgers Center for Women in Business, she works to advance women in leadership.

A sought-after keynote speaker, Deepa has addressed audiences worldwide, including at the United Nations and Disney. Her TED talks have garnered over 3 million views, and she regularly contributes to the Harvard Business Review. Deepa holds degrees from Wellesley College, Harvard Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four pets.

Senior policy analyst for K-12 Education at the Center for American Progress, Paige Shoemaker DeMio joins us to discuss her recent article about states reducing qualifications of teachers. As a former high school social studies teacher, Paige has a passion for designing inclusive and comprehensive curriculum and creating education policy that will ensure a more equitable education system in the United States. Shoemaker DeMio earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio University and a Master of Public Administration degree from The Ohio State University. Tune in for this broadcast on Wednesday, October 2 @ 6pm EST!

Research Associate at University of Waterloo, Canada, Maksim Rudnev joins us to share his research on how logical thinking and empathy define wisdom. He is a quantitative social scientist interested in human values, wisdom, and social perception, as well as their development across various cultures and countries. He focuses on understanding the substance of cultural (in)variability and the methods intrinsically linked to cross-cultural inference. Tune in for this broadcast on Wednesday, September 25 @ 6pm EST!

High-performance psychologist, author and one of the world’s leading experts on the relationship between the mind and human performance, Dr. Michael Gervais joins us to share his advice for achieving mastery. He has developed a framework for mental skills and practices that help individuals and teams excel under pressure. His clients include Super Bowl champions, Olympians, top athletes, and Fortune 50 CEOs. Gervais has supported Team USA in multiple Olympic Games and hosts the popular podcast Finding Mastery, which has over 25 million downloads. His latest book, The First Rule of Mastery, was published by Harvard Business Review Press in November 2023. Gervais also created the online course Finding Your Best and co-founded the Performance Science Institute at USC Marshall School of Business. He holds a doctorate in psychology with a focus on sport performance and a master’s in kinesiology. Tune in for this broadcast on Wednesday, September 18 @ 6pm EST!

Professor and Chair of Organizational Behavior at Cornell University’s ILR School and author, Vanessa Bohns joins us to discuss her book, You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters. She holds a PhD from Columbia University and an AB from Brown University. Her research has been published in top academic journals in psychology, management, and law, and her research and writing have been featured in media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and the Economist. Professor Bohns is an expert in social influence, compliance, consent, why it’s so hard to ask for things, and why it’s so hard to say no. Tune in for this broadcast on Wednesday, September 11 @ 6pm EST!