Path & Purpose

Addressing the crest of burnout-hybrid-covid-work culture, what are top leaders at iconic companies doing to deal with the pressures of the world we are living and working in today? This episode features David Shechtman (MSOD, PCC), Executive Coach and Senior Partner at Evolution, a premier consulting firm based in Los Angeles, California. We dive into anecdotes David shares about working with his clients and the realities of showing up virtually to inspire teams and run companies in this transformative time. How are we dealing with the unknown? What archetypal stories, rules, procedures and process help us move forward in professionally wild terrain? More on our guest: David's experience includes two decades of work in training & development, organizational consulting, and executive coaching. His experience includes work in the financial services, high tech, healthcare, automotive, and travel & hospitality industries. Specific clients include Twitter, Slack, Medtronic, Optum, Electronic Arts, Dave, Datassential, Coursera, Collective Health, Northwestern Mutual, ADP, DaVita, Virtuoso, Elementary Robotics, and the Entrepreneurs' Organization. David Shechtman is a committed coach who works with CEOs, high-potential leaders, and successful sales professionals on mastering Deep Change. He has an unparalleled ability to cut through the fog of complexity, confusion, and fear. David partners with clients as a trusted advisor. This work includes identifying core issues, naming key challenges, and organizing action plans. His expertise comes from decades of studying the art and science of behavior change, including many deep dives with Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey construct. David's education includes a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University. He also holds a PCC certification from the International Coach Federation. David has taught Organization and Strategy Consulting at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and is a regular presenter at the Organization Development Network annual conference. He has presented at TEDxPasadena on the topic of learning from adversity.

Meet Lillian Soderman, Solution Engineer at Salesforce, one of the world's leading technology companies with a values-based core. In this episode, we explore the edge space; the liminal; the wild within ourselves. Vision quests, sitting in circle as a healing and innovative modality, looking at tech through a feminine lens and pondering our future through questions born in the self. Lillian Soderman balances her work in tech with wisdom sourced in circle, a fascination with culture (B.A. Cultural Anthropology, CU Boulder) and years of working as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Portland, Oregon for homeless kids. She is also an inspired musician who just released a new album called Chasing Shadows, which you can listen to here: https://linktr.ee/Lillianmusic This led to learning the Council process in 2011, moving to Los Angeles to become a youth rites of passage leader for Crossroads/New Roads and SnapChat becoming a certified trainer in 2015. Lillian has since helped to pilot the California Council prison program. Nannying during her time in Portland and LA led her to Salesforce, where she's been for nearly 3 years leading management and allyship circles and #IamRemarkable sessions internally, getting marry her many worlds. Check her out and listen in for inspiration about what it takes to become a whole-hearted leader in our modern world. https://linktr.ee/Lillianmusic

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have been key words in organizations around the world especially following the social justice movement re-invigorated by the death of George Floyd. These events inspired me to reconnect with an old friend and colleague, Don Lawrence, a New Yorker with a 20+ year career in DE&I and higher education. He is currently writing a book entitled “The Love of Distinction”, which deals with the issue of diversity in evangelical Christian communities. He zeros in on a detected bias toward socio-cultural homogeneity and calls for people to love what makes them different, not wash over it. I loved this conversation and particularly appreciate the more edgy areas we explore in the later half. Sadly, I must note that unfortunately my microphone had a serious issue and there is some buzzing when I speak. I decided to leave this in in places because I found the response or question relevant and worth being patient for. It adds a certain poetic reflection of the dissonance inherent in the turmoil surrounding diversity. Please listen with courage, curiosity and care. And may you kindly continue the conversation in your communities.

In this episode we enter the lab where religion, science and humanity converge. Jonathan Weitzman is a professor, published author and scientist who explores the mysteries bundled in the human genome through the emergent field of epigenetics. He’s also a devoted husband, father and Jew. I met Jonathan in 2017 as his coach helping to prepare his first TEDx talk at a technical University just outside of Paris. Here, Jonathan humbly shares his problem with purpose, how he breaks convention to blend work and personal life, mingling research with tradition and why he finds identity so fascinating; i.e., we have so much more in common yet concentrate on difference. He believes in decompartmentalizing knowledge so that different kinds of truth found in places like sacred text can inspire more grounded, holistic innovation. As honored in Judaism, he keeps a relationship with the past to build a better future. This one is for anyone interested in exploring a more integrated approach to science and human evolution. Tune into Jonathan's new podcast, The Lonely Pippette, helping scientists do better science: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lonely-pipette-helping-scientists-do-better-science/id1532120809

Chelsea Sonksen is the Founder of Eredita Creative House. She's a writer, editor, curator and gifted community builder. Upon moving to the vast, hyper-creative and all-too-often lonely city of Los Angeles, Chelsea set out to create the community she needed. This kickstarted her journey of elevating and connecting visionary women through the creation of Bossladies Magazine in 2016. It also catapulted her into her current place of thought-leadership on Instagram where her words and insight bring light and inspiration to over 60,000 women, artists and professionals around the world. Bossladies, the cleanly designed editorial, spotlights success stories from female entrepreneurs across cities. Once you read about these women, you just want to become one. So luckily, Bossladies spurred “Work Sesh” – a weekly space where creative professional women could come together in circle to share experience and inspiration to fuel good work. Work Sesh then became Eredita Circle. No longer solely dedicated to powerhouse productivity and business, this circle widens the aperture to include the softer peripheral space of the heart and whole-self journey. New circles begin monthly (you can join here: https://www.eredita.us). I met Chelsea back in 2013 at the writing table of an LA novelist we were both assisting, and we have been friends ever since. Frankly, she is a light on my path ever reminding me to dream big and bring ideas to life with the help of good company. For context: this talk happened near the beginning of the sheltering in place period back in early May 2020. We share stories about responding creatively to challenges like living through a global virus, to the life-raft of writing and expression when moving through grief, such as the early loss of her sister. Creativity in community is the through-line. Luckily we humans are built to adapt, especially well together. So we invite you to join us in refueling through hope found in beauty and connection. https://www.eredita.us - for circles, symposia, curations and essays https://www.instagram.com/ereditacreativehouse/ - for inspiration

Today we pass the talking piece to a powerful catalyst of individual, organisational and global transformation, Doctor Anita Sanchez. Award-winning author of The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times, named one of Conscious Company Magazine's World-Changing Women of 2020 and a transformational business coach, Anita has spent the past forty years working with executive teams from Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and NGOs sparking change from the inside out. In this conversation, you’ll learn the meaning of the four sacred gifts and how you can invoke them right now to ignite the inner change necessary for personal liberation and global transformation. "We don't need more information. We need more wisdom." https://www.amazon.com/Four-Sacred-Gifts-Indigenous-Wisdom/dp/1501150707 https://foursacredgifts.com https://anita-sanchez.com

Today I am thrilled to pass the talking piece to a powerful catalyst for conscious organisational development, Doctor Anita Sanchez. She is the award winning author of The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times. Anita was named one of Conscious Company Magazine's World-Changing Women of 2020. A world-class transformational business coach, she has spent the past forty years working with executive teams from Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and NGOs. In this episode, Anita shares her personal experience blending indigenous wisdom with business savvy to equip us all to live with higher purpose, navigate the unknown and ignite our full potential. "We don't need more information. We need more wisdom." “Individually we’re amazing. But together we’re even more than a genius.” https://www.amazon.com/Four-Sacred-Gifts-Indigenous-Wisdom/dp/1501150707 https://foursacredgifts.com https://anita-sanchez.com

Guillaume Chaslot is a Doctor of Artificial Intelligence who has worked at Microsoft, Google, and Mozilla. He was on the team responsible for developing the YouTube Recommendation Algorithm. In this episode we explore how said algorithms can seize and mislead human attention. Think rabbit holes. Conspiracy theories. Divisive content. What do we need to know today to stay safe and aware online? What can we do to engage with each other in more socially just and healthier ways at work, in product development and at home to nurture a truly connected world? Following his time at Google, Guillaume created AlgoTransparency.org, a project on a quest to understand how certain questionable content is pushed through YouTube's AI and how to turn the tide toward integrity and improve the future of humanity. https://algotransparency.org https://twitter.com/gchaslot?lang=en

Today we travel to Southern Italy to connect with Rose Robitaille, an independent researcher of sustainable agriculture and farmer. In this episode, Rose helps us explore the meaning of land sovereignty and ways to root - wherever you are. For nomadic globe trotters, expats, or us European-American settlers, this is vital. Rose helps us discover holes in our educations system, which have covered up our role in Indigenous Oppression for too long. Plus, the life-giving properties of biodiversity. We cover topics like - Rooting and rootlessness - Diversity versus monoculture - A surprising story about bananas - A civil war you probably never learned about in school - The wish of an elder leading ceremony at the sacred Lago Atlitan This is a conversation on resilience, sustainability and homecoming through curiosity and human innovation. It’s a thread for everyone right now, especially those interested in living sustainably in community for the good of seven generations to come. Rose Robitaille has a MA in food studies with a concentration on traditional food systems and biodiversity. 9 years of farming experience exploring low input agricultural methods and sustainable living. She spent the past 4 years working for the NGO Bioversity International in Rome researching the role of biodiversity and diversification of landscapes for climate resilience and nutrition. Taskforce member FAO Indigenous Food Systems Initiative in 2017/ 2018 where I was the lead coordinator of research with the Maya Ch'orti' in Guatemala. PS: This is not meant to speak for Indigenous Groups, as members of individual tribes are the true experts. Rather, this is meant to help westerners especially in considering our role in climate change and the possibility for regeneration through adapting our food systems in ways indigenous peoples have been forced to through restriction of resources. Bibliography http://www.ncai.org/get-involved https://resourcegeneration.org/land-reparations-indigenous-solidarity-action-guide/ https://www.narf.org/our-work/protection-tribal-natural-resources/ https://www.ienearth.org

What does it mean to be human? Where do we draw the line between human and machine? Meet Dakota Decker, a mechanical engineer who spent 5 years at SpaceX and is now playing a role in human evolution through Brain Machine Interfacing at Kernel. Join us as we walk the outer edges of where this insider sees technology leading us, from fascinating possibilities to foreboding probabilities. Glimpse the role humans are playing in our own evolution, realtime. His mission is to make the world a better place by playing a role in human evolution through its convergence with technology. Will it work? Ready or not, we're gonna find out. This episode explores the... - Motivations fuelling emerging tech like brain machine interfacing - Type of humans most often working in these fields - on the spectrum? - Inevitabilities of augmenting human cognition and potential threats - Ethics and philosophy inherent in steering evolution - Future realms of neuroscience and biology - Role of diversity or current lack there of in high-tech spaces - Goals of communication - human vs. machine “When you can measure something, you can then optimize that thing. But most things in the brain we just can’t measure. So that alone would be massively beneficial to humanity as a whole.” https://www.linkedin.com/in/dakotadecker/?trk=public-profile-join-page https://www.kernel.co/

Today we’re here with Keith Mesecher, successful socially responsible investment advisor, exponential technologies geek, vegan, devoted husband and mindfulness teacher. He also happens to be my uncle. If you’re interested in how to create a meaningful, financially independent and joyfully present life, I think you’ll appreciate Keith’s story and glean some wisdom to apply to your life and work right now. This episode evokes story and tips about… - Building a meaningful life through values-based spending and earning (as outlined in the book, “Your Money or Your Life”) - The winding path the leads to unexpected success and being open to new roles and work - Mindfulness and meditation and how to integrate it in the tech-centered reality we are living on Zoom during the time of the Corona virus - Philosophies and perspectives for a bright future that incorporates body, mind and heart - How do we listen to brings us most to life? Rose: What would you share with Elon Musk if you could tell him anything? Keith: Do what you love. https://www.keithmesecher.com Quick credits: Before ever becoming stock-market savvy, Keith lived the life of a typical nomadic California hippy back in the 60s seeking enlightenment through Zen Master Shunru Suzuki at the San Francisco Zen Center. Other key influences included luminaries like Alan Watts, Gregory Bateson, and Brian Swimme. After working 15 years as a green-energy consultant, Keith backed his way into a career as an investment advisor. When he’s not at his treadmill desk analyzing and moving stocks, he’s likely in the garden listening to podcasts or audio books on the emerging future, exponential technologies and insight from leaders like Elon Musk and Peter Diamandis. We don’t always agree on the direction of tech, but I have always admired his optimistic fervor for learning and savoring life.

Kelly Robinson is an acclaimed interior design entrepreneur, yoga instructor and frankly, modern-day goddess. As the first Office Manager at Airbnb, Kelly became the visionary behind their famous San Francisco Headquarters--opening big doors to designing for other tech love brands like Soundcloud and Headspace. She understands the importance of physical environment and its impact on everything - from how we work to what we imagine, and how we relate to each other. By designing for human wellness, company health shines through the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit). She has a gift for bringing engineering minds into their bodies through delighting the senses. But her contribution to creating a balanced, sustainable and beautiful world extends beyond interior design. This conversation touches on Kelly’s design philosophy but moreover explores the synchronicities that helped reveal her purpose. We dig into questions like: how do you turn pain into power? From where in the body is creativity born? It is Kelly’s authentic light, business savvy and fluency in the tech world that has inspired me since we met some 5 years ago in the Financial District in San Francisco. Here’s Kelly's journey discovering and making meaning in the modern world through seizing opportunity, embracing challenges and honouring beauty in the new age. Heads up: we get real folks. We'll discuss • Turning pain into power • Honoring and discovering our inner purpose through life experience • The early days of the Airbnb adventure • How men are an integral role in her empowerment as designer of big tech spaces • Tips for getting in touch with personal life calling • A story through inner crisis and the rituals to move through; as well as normalising discomfort and grief • Tapping into the creativity of the "womb space" both biologically and symbolically • Prayers for our future as living beings on earth “The heart is the compass for the mind... This is the difference between innovating for the sake of innovating versus innovating with a purpose. It’s just better.” - Kelly Robinson Learn more about Kelly, her workshops and events here: http://www.kellyarobinson.com https://www.instagram.com/kellyarobinson/ To benefit from her latest creation – a digital design guide to help you align your inner world with your outer world through intentional home design - you can register for her monthly online workshops or download the e-guide, Where Sprit Meets Space. http://www.kellyarobinson.com/wherespiritmeetsspace

Dylan Donkin is one of my dearest friends from University where we both pursued degrees in Cultural Anthropology. 12 years ago, he was excited about the potential of self-driving vehicles and how Virtual Reality (VR) would make it possible for people to live and work more comfortably outside of city centers, bringing us closer to nature. Dylan is one of those” cool nerds” with a double masters from USC and London School of Economics who then worked at Marvel, designed product for GoPro and is now helping to shape our emerging technically enhanced reality as a UX Designer at Google. I invited Dylan to share with us because I believe his unique blend of optimism, realism and technical savvy will help ground me and hopefully us in the groundless space of VR and augmented possibilities. It’s time we have a little talk about what we thought today would be like, how it really is and where he hopes we go from here. We’ll talk about the light and dark sides of the psyche-reshaping potential of gaming and remote work, the healing and empathy boosting powers of VR, and the visceral risks of the techy-future we’re all apart of whether we like it, get it or not. We’ll explore the edges while having fun and keeping close to what matters most. A few specific questions we explore… • What animal would Google be? • What are you a stand for? • What is it like to spend hours on end in a VR environment? • How do the effects of VR compare to an experience on mushrooms or other psychedelics? • What world do we want to live in and pass onto our grandchildren? How will we be a part of creating it? • If you could blink your eyes and there would be one change in the world, when you’d open them what would you see? • What are the dangers of going too far in one direction without bringing in the wisdom of this body? Quotes “The hipsters will move to Iowa.” “With more virtual living we will hunger for greater natural connection. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-donkin-579707b/ https://music.amazon.com/albums/B00AH62BEA?

Today we’re around the proverbial fire with Chris Schreiber, a transition specialist and founder at Tributary West. Chris bridges teams, operating processes and tools to meet strategic goals in fast-paced, change-adaptive times. But that's not the half of it. Chris is also a poet whose writing reflects upon subjects like the emerging economy, social adaptation and human relationship. Most compelling is the intersection of these systems - like a tributary - and how, to Chris, they all come back to a kind of spiritual appreciation of nature. But what could a poet know about business? Chris spent 30 years collaborating in corporate in global supply chain and tech services for brands like Quicksilver and Roxy. Once that ended, she changed paths to blend her principles, purpose and practical experience to support the success of female-founded small businesses. She now works in the X-space (not to be confused with Space-X): though she too explore the liminal place of the unknown and pure human potential. These skills and this kind of wilderness-mastery mindset are needed dearly in this moment of profound paradigm shift. Tune in if you're curious about: * How businesses are adapting in this emerging world/economy * What does it mean to have "everything you've always wanted but nothing that truly mattered"? And how you renavigate to meaning * How do you move from point A (an outdated socially-imposed definition of success) to a life that is authentic and holistically meaningful? * Chris' poetry... enough said (worth the episode - it's the last 10mins if you want just that sweetness) Way off Trail I am where no map is... we are each today where no map is. and each day we are creating a new path, intentionally, ours. X X is the first letter of my alphabet. I employ this letter in creating business plans with clients, and all “plans” whenever we are at a spot where the answer isn’t quite clear, the next step not quite known. It is a placeholder, to create space for what’s to come. A symbol to make peace with uncertainty. Allow it. It was something my corporate bosses never understood. But entrepreneurs understand innately. And, it seems to me, now is the time to employ it. X..." http://www.tributarywest.com https://www.instagram.com/tributarywest/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishschreiber/