Full show notes here at chrismcgrory.net

Meet Molly Leavens.

Let me tell you, Molly did Harvard right. After an injury her first year ended her downhill skiing career, she was able to dedicate even more time and energy into the major she designed called Food and the Environment. She took classes across nearly 20 disciplines, traveled the world for research, from Indonesia and Japan to Central and South America, all on Harvard's dime, and lived in both the housing system and non-traditional Coop over her four years. She is now traveling the country as she works remotely as a data consultant to help food companies work towards sustainable supply chains.

Fair warning, this one is a deep dive on all things food, farming, the environment, and sustainability. And I learned a ton. Molly's obvious passion plus deep understanding of these topics made this conversation as informative as it was a pleasure. We talk how she thinks about diet (spoiler: she does not call herself vegan or vegetarian), the barriers to fighting climate change with food, and begin with a proper lesson in agriculture.

We really dig into regenerative agriculture so, for context, let me explain. Regenerative agriculture is a type of farming that at its core, emphasizes soil health, and additionally, helps communities thrive. By managing how the land gets used (by not letting land go barren, minimizing the breaking up of soil from tilling, and planting diverse crops without harmful fertilizers) carbon, which we know contributes to global warming, can be captured in the ground. This was crazy to me when I first learned about it because it can literally help reverse climate change. This is important because industrial agriculture, where most of our food comes from, destroys the soil - releasing carbon into the atmosphere just like your car.

While that doesn't do it justice, I think it might be helpful before you hear more from Molly. Please enjoy.

Full Show Notes Here

Today we have Mike Pumiglia, a junior studying government and neuroscience at Harvard who is currently the Command Sergeant Major of the MIT Battalion in the ROTC program. And that means he is the head of operations and planning for seven Boston based schools and will serve in the US Army upon graduation. On top of that, which we get into, I really look up to how Mike prioritizes cultivating new experiences in his life - every six months or so picking up a new project that challenges him.

In this conversation we dig into some of those as a way to uncover how Mike thinks about the world. You'll hear how he thinks about starting projects and his combination of setting big goals plus envisioning everything going wrong along the way to get there as he discusses how he built a farm during the pandemic... You'll hear how he thinks about success as a measure of overcoming hardships as he discusses recovering from the dozens of injuries he's sustained that regularly shift his plans... And you'll also hear an unexpected challenge that comes along with ROTC in addition to some actionable self-talk tactics he's learned from pushing his body to the limit.

Along the way, Mike shares nearly a dozen books that have influenced him, his unique journaling practices for creativity and focused productivity, and a whole lot more.

Please enjoy.

Full show notes on chrismcgrory.net

If this is your first time to the podcast, welcome. My name is Chris McGrory and I’m currently a senior on the baseball team at Harvard studying psychology and economics. Usually, I’m talking with the amazing people around me and trying to learn what makes them tick so you and I can apply their lessons in our own lives. Today is a little different.

Today I’m tackling a question I sometimes pose to my guests for myself: What’s a new belief, habit, or routine that has most positively impacted your life?

I think I’ve learned a little bit about being productive over the past almost 4 years as a student-athlete at Harvard and I want to share what productivity routines are currently working for me.

Number 1: Airplane Mode and Downloaded Spotify Playlists.

Number 2: Three Level Goal Setting.

I hope something resonates with you in this short experimental episode of the podcast. Please enjoy.

Full show notes here on chrismcgrory.net

Today we have Buddy Scott, a junior setter on the Harvard mens volleyball team from Honolulu, Hawaii. Off the court, Buddy is dedicated to all things sports analytics and the NBA. He's president of the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective - a club that takes statistical tools to help answer interesting questions in the world of sports and even partners with professional teams to work on projects. On top of that and his classwork, Buddy is an intern with the NBA Players Association on the basketball related income team - a role he secured largely by showing his dedication with side projects that helped him become a quasi-subject matter expert in the NBA Salary Cap.

So, that might all sound boring to you. Fair. No worries. But before you click off - I want to say this conversation was particularly enjoyable for me, who is admittedly not especially interested in sports analytics, because the tactics Buddy has used are so generalizable to other domains. Let me explain... We talk about shooting for lofty career goals like being an NBA executive - and how Buddy thinks about setting himself apart through work samples and tactics to constantly learn. So I'd challenge you to try to think of ways you might be able to tackle a project of your own to #1) learn about your interest and #2) signal that you take your interest seriously.

Additionally, we talk about the mistakes and lessons learned from networking the wrong way - broadly applicable to all. And finally we talk about him - his favorite books and podcasts, the daily ritual he has with his grandmother, and advice to a younger self about how much more there is to college then your sport - which especially resonated with me.

Please enjoy.

Full Show Notes Here: https://therangeproject.weebly.com/simon-rosenblum-larson.html

Today we have a former teammate of mine from Harvard baseball, Simon Rosenblum-Larson. Simon is from Madison, Wisconsin and is currently a pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization after being drafted a signing a contract with them after his junior season in 2018. He was one a few guys to really invest in younger teammates like me and do everything he could to not only set an example but also just be someone you knew you could go to for advice.

Full Show Notes Here: https://therangeproject.weebly.com/joy-nesbitt.html

Today we have Harvard senior, Joy Nesbitt. Joy is an especially talented musician and theatre director who uses her art to not only share her experiences, but also as an avenue to raise awareness and money for a range of pressing social causes. To check out her work, you can find her at Joy Nesbitt on any streaming platform and @joy_nes on Instagram...

In this one we get a deep dive into the creative process for her music and especially lessons learned from a mentor of hers, Alicia Keys. Yes, that Alicia Keys. So all musicians out there I'd recommend listening closely to the first half of this one to hear how to think about the process that goes into the art and tangible tips she received from mentor. But with that said even I found a lot of parallels to my own work - on the podcast, sports, and school - in the wisdom she shared surrounding putting energy and excitement into every aspect of your work.

In the second half, we dive into the wonderful person behind all that she does. You'll hear her self-care and meditation practice that blends music with journaling, her passion for and research in the Hip Hop archives at Harvard (where she gives her recommended listens and watches for everybody), and through it all her she shares her mindset that's particularly inquisitive about herself and the world around her that makes for great self-awareness and art.

With all of that said, please enjoy this one with the talented and thoughtful Joy Nesbitt.

Full Show Notes Here.

Today we have a motivating conversation with Tati Chermayeff - the person behind the popular food blog and Instagram page with a growing following of over 20 thousand, Healthful Blondie - @healthfulblondie and healthfulblondie.com. Tati, from Connecticut, is also a senior at Harvard whose instagram-page-turned-business started with a simple photography class challenge of a photo a day... and that inspired her to start posting her meals online. Previously, however, being a driven student-athlete on the crew team, and a national champion in high school at that, gave her plenty of reasons to put any creative outlets she had to the side. But when persistent injuries ultimately ended her career, Tati was forced to reassess who she was, which helped her tap into her more creative side.

Really, at its core, this episode is about listening to that little voice telling you to tap into your creativity and not listen to that voice telling you all the reasons why your project won't work or is not worth it. But on top of that, Tati gives a comprehensive behind the scenes look into just how much work goes into every post and gets very tactical for anybody wanting to start a blog or Instagram page of their own. With that said, the lessons she shares from her journey over the past year were very helpful for me, and can quite easily be generalized to anybody who wants to make something and put it out there for the world.

Along the way, you'll learn more about Tati too - her views on diets and exercise practices, her daily routines that allow her to create content every day, and a lot more. Please enjoy this one with Tati Chermayeff.

Full Show Notes Here.

Meet Meshaal Bannerman.

From Avenel, New Jersey in the Woodbridge Township, at Harvard, Meshaal studies Government and Economics and has held leadership positions as Vice President of Black Men's Forum and President of No More Names (a non-profit to raise money and awareness for social justice initiatives and activism)...

And let me tell you, this one was especially insightful and inspiring. Meshaal admits he's had a lot of time to reflect deeply - thanks to the pandemic this past year - on his role amidst current events, the adversity that's brought him here today, and the vision for who he wants to be... and that definitely comes though.

Now, you can think of this conversation as having two halves. In the first half, we talk about what he does - like moderating a panel with Dr. Cornel West and being at the forefront in his community - from rallies to town council meetings - during the social justice reckoning this summer, plus his take on "effective" versus "virtue signaling" activism and really tactical questions to ask and actions myself and others can take to be the best ally in this cause.

In the second half, Meshaal uncovers the person behind all that he does. I appreciate Meshaal sharing a particularly vulnerable but important inflection point in his life - the loss of his father at 13 - and how that forced him to grow up a little faster than he wanted. He also shares his journaling practice that combines objective self reflection and goal setting, his morning routine, the important lessons he's learned from failure, and a lot more.

Listen to hear the tactics and mental framework Meshaal uses to stay even keeled amidst all the ups and downs of life and how he stays true to himself - including serving his community - through it all.

Please enjoy this one with Meshaal Bannerman.

Full Show Notes Here.

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with Swathi Srinivasan, a senior at Harvard from Cleveland Ohio studying Social Studies, the History of Science, and Chemistry. And over her college career, Swathi's dedication to helping solve critically important public health equity challenges through addressing social and economic issues has earned her a Rhodes Scholarship. Now that is no joke. Considered by many to be the most prestigious post-graduate award in the world, being a Rhodes Scholar will give Swathi the unprecedented resources and platform to make the change she wishes to see in the world. And in this conversation, you'll hopefully hear why I think the selection committee made an incredible choice.

In this conversation, Swathi outlines how following what she cares deeply about has led her to put a lot on her plate, but at the same time stay motivated through it all. She's worked for UN-AIDS in Geneva to understand the solutions at the international level to address HIV and AIDS. She's the head the Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where her criminal justice and environmental policy teams were turned into classes. She's worked with Massachusetts government and travelled internationally to do field research to address the opioid epidemic and more recently, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, most recently, Swathi has been working on developing a cancer chemotherapy with reduced side effects as a second thesis (on top of her thesis on COVID-19 in Brazil for Social Studies) for the chemistry department... and this is a research question she is intimately interested in since being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and going through chemotherapy herself during the winter and spring of 2020.

But Swathi is so much more than just what she's done. While she cares deeply about helping marginalized populations disproportionately impacted by public health issues, she has also recognized and reflected upon the importance of taking care of herself... and offers the mindset she sees the twists and turns of her life through plus the ways she recharges her batteries to allow her to be so impactful in the projects she takes on.

This conversation not only taught me a lot, but also inspired me to think about just how much positive impact an individual can have when tackling questions we care deeply about. I hope this conversation about science, social issues, and both navigating and learning from challenges does the same for you. Please enjoy.

Full Show Notes Here.

Today we have an especially thoughtful and talented guest, Brian Shi. Brian is a member of the Men’s Tennis team at Harvard where he studies economics and is also the chair of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee’s Student Wellness Group (with me!). And Brian’s path to Harvard was anything but conventional - he was a top ten tennis player in his age in the world and had a Nike sponsorship at 14, travelled across the world for tournaments, and even attended virtual high school - which together provided him with some super high highs but also some really low lows.