Spark

As the pace of change continues to accelerate, we are both in a state of extraordinary challenges and opportunities. Kellee talks with Rita Gunther McGrath, a leading expert on innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. She will share her insights on how to identify, anticipate and harness the power of inflection points. Rita Gunther McGrath is a best-selling author and a longtime professor at Columbia Business School. She is widely recognized as a premier expert on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. Rita has received the #1 achievement award for strategy from the prestigious Thinkers50 and has been consistently named one of the world's Top 10 management thinkers in its bi-annual ranking. As a consultant to CEOs, her work has had a lasting impact on the strategy and growth programs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. Rita is the author of the best-selling The End of Competitive Advantage (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013). Her new book is Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019). She has written three other books, including Discovery Driven Growth, cited by Clayton Christensen as creating one of the most important management ideas ever developed. She is a highly sought-after speaker at exclusive corporate events around the globe, such as the Global Peter Drucker Forum. She received her Ph.D. from the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) and has degrees with honors from Barnard College and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. Her expertise is covered in leading media outlets including Harvard Business Review, Financial Times and Wall Street Journal. 

As our personal information including our address and everything that we do becomes more and more accessible over the Internet, how should we be thinking about privacy and protecting ourselves. Kellee  talks with Arjun Bhatnagar, CEO of Cloaked about how our data is being accessed as well as how we should consider protecting our personal information in the digital world. Arjun Bhatnagar is the CEO of Cloaked -- a consumer-first privacy startup dedicated to bringing humanity back to the internet. Recently, Arjun, along with his brother Abhijay Bhatnagar, raised $25-million in series A funds to catapult Cloaked to the forefront of consumer trust. Arjun has experienced a lifelong love of technology, people, and innovation.Over the course of his career, he has successfully started two companies, taught coding at MIT, designed a prosthetic arm for a three-year-old, worked as the 22-year-old partner at a venture firm, and founded a non-profit dedicated to bringing education to underserved communities. In 2016, Arjun and his brother Abhijay sold their first startup – Hey! HeadsUp, and shifted their focus to the world of consumer trust. Arjun has been featured in TechCrunch, Fast Company, Forbes, CNBC and more. He understands more than 15 coding languages, and is dedicated to making the world a better place through people-centric innovation.

Growing up in a digital world involves new challenges tied to protecting your children's privacy, self-esteem and exposure to the darker side of the Internet. Kellee talks with Diana Graber, co-founder of Cyberwise, on how to help you, to help your children build a healthy relationship with technology. Diana Graber is the founder of Cyber Civics and co-founder of CyberWise. She is also the author of "Raising Human in a Digital World: Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology." (HarperCollins Leadership, '19). An expert on digital literacy, Graber writes, presents, and is interviewed about  technology's impact upon human behavior. Her no-nonsense approach comes from being an educator, media producer, academic, and most of all, a mom.She developed (and still teaches) Cyber Civics, the popular middle school digital literacy program currently being taught in schools in 48 US states and internationally. She's served as Adjunct Faculty, teaching Media Psychology to graduate students. Her paper, New Media Literacies: A Developmental Approach, was published in the Journal of Media Literacy Education (JMLE). Graber has a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA and an M.A. in Media Psychology and Social Change from Fielding Graduate University. She was a finalist for the NAMLE Research Emerging Scholar Award in 2011. Her Cyber Civics program has been recognized as an "Innovation in Education" finalist by Project Tomorrow and the O.C. Tech Alliance. She was honored with the "2017 Media Literacy Teacher" Award from the National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE). Her expertise has been featured in leading media outlets including New York Times and Psychology Today. 

With the rise of AI-robots, in taking over repetitive tasks and even more activities in the future, there is a now an empath robot, with evolving emotional intelligence. It is seen as a viable solution, in supporting the world's aging population. Her name is Sophia. She is the world's first robot citizen and the first robot, Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program. She is used for research, as part of the Loving AI project, which seeks to understand how robots can adapt to users' needs, through intra and interpersonal development. Kellee talks with Ben Goertzel, who was the Chief Scientist of Hanson Robotics, the company that created Sophia. He is now the founder and CEO of SingularityNET, a project combining artificial intelligence and blockchain to democratize access to artificial intelligence. Dr. Ben Goertzel is a cross-disciplinary scientist, entrepreneur and author. He leads the SingularityNET Foundation, the OpenCog Foundation, and the AGI Society which runs the annual Artificial General Intelligence conference. Dr. Goertzel also chairs the futurist nonprofit Humanity+, and serves as Chief Scientist of AI firms Singularity Studio, Rejuve, SingularityDAO and Xccelerando Media, all parts of the SingularityNET ecosystem.  As Chief Scientist of robotics firm Hanson Robotics, he led the software team behind the Sophia robot; as Chief AI Scientist of Awakening Health he leads the team crafting the mind behind Sophia's little sister Grace.Dr. Goertzel's research work encompasses multiple areas including artificial general intelligence, natural language processing, cognitive science, machine learning, computational finance, bioinformatics, virtual worlds, gaming, parapsychology, theoretical physics and more.  He has published 25+ scientific books, ~150 technical papers, and numerous journalistic articles, and given talks at a vast number of events of all sorts around the globe.Before entering the software industry Dr. Goertzel obtained his PhD in mathematics from Temple University in 1989, and served as a university faculty in several departments of mathematics, computer science and cognitive science, in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

With the world appearing to be topsy-curvy these days, are there still predictable trends and do they really matter? If there are clear trends, what are they and where are we heading? Kellee talks with Daniel Levine, a leading trend expert on the state of the world and the trends that will define the direction of our near future. Daniel Levine is one of the world's best-known trends experts. He is the director of the Avant-Guide Institute, a New York-based consultancy that helps some of the world's largest companies, brands and investors profit from trends. Daniel is a frequent guest on TV and radio and was named "the ultimate guru of cool" by CNN. He leads a global team of trend-spotters who track the latest ideas and experiences around the globe and his corporate partners include some of the world's most notable names, from General Motors, American Express and Microsoft, to Christian Dior and South African Tourism. At REALTOR IGNITE, Daniel will help us prepare for tomorrow's world and be more relevant, innovative and profitable. He is the publisher of WikiTrend.org.

Everyone in the digital age is a public figure. Your credibility is also determined by how you are treated by others online. How do you protect yourself or even young bloggers and users of social media online from negative interactions, reputation damage and abuse?Kellee talks with Dr. Michelle Ferrier, founder of TrollBusters.com, a just-in-time rescue service for female writers and journalists experiencing online harassment as well as cyber awareness for the younger generation who are growing up online. She is a digital content architect with 30 years experience in media entrepreneurship and new media technologies. Dr. Ferrier is an associate professor in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and was named one of the top 20 journalism innovation educators for 2018.Dr. Ferrier is an award-winning columnist and author. She is featured in the Committee to Protect Journalists 2016 edition of Attacks on the Press, where she wrote “Progression of Hate,” a chapter that tells her own story of hate mail attacks and the birth of TrollBusters.com as a solution to new forms of harassment. Dr. Ferrier has presented before the United Nations on World Press Freedom Day, as a keynote speaker at the Online News Association and as a panelist at the News Impact Summit hosted by the European Journalism Centre on the growing dangers for women journalists online. 

With the scare resource of water now a global issue, energy crisis and microfibers from our clothing making their way into our food chain, what can be done about these challenges? Oxwash has created an innovative washing and drying technology model, based on the design for recycling resources in space, to address challenges associated with garment cleaning that is both water- and energy- intensive. In addition, Oxwash's model solves both the release of microfibers and toxic detergents down into the drainage system and on to our water sources. Kellee talks with Kyle Grant, CEO of Oxwash about how its technology and laundering model are changing how clothing can be cleaned with minimal impact to the environment. Kyle Grant is an ex-NASA scientist and synthetic biologist, who is focused on combatting climate change starting with an unusual location: your laundry. Oxwash offers eco-friendly laundry-cleaning services for individuals and corporations. Its environmentally-focused technology is making laundry-cleaning sustainable for the planet. The global “green cleaning” market projected to reach $11.6 billion by 2029 (source: Yahoo Finance). Oxwash has been featured in leading publications including Forbes and Tech Crunch. The company is ventured-backed by Biz Stone (Twitter co-founder), Indeed founder Paul Forster, Holly Branson, Access VC, Pentland Group, Ascension Ventures, Vala Capital, Truesight Ventures, 8 Dimension Ventures, System Capital Management and Khimji Ramdas LLC.

Now that we are coming out of the pandemic, dating in person is back on again. What is trending on the dating scene and what to do about online “swiping” burnout? Kellee talks with Samantha Garcia, Bumble's Marketing Director for the Americas. She will share how to have both a better online (or app-driven) and off-line dating experience. Bumble is an online platform for those seeking connections for dates, friendships or business mentors. It is designed to empower women to initiate the conversation on its heterosexual dating platform. As Bumble's Marketing Director for the Americas, Samantha oversees regional integrated marketing strategy and team for the women-first relationship app, responsible for driving user acquisition growth and brand positioning through a combination of digital, brand and field marketing programs key to the company's international expansion plans in LatAm. Since joining Bumble in April 2021, Samantha has expanded her responsibilities in the company, adding the U.S. and Canada markets to her current charter, now as [ad interim] North America Integrated Marketing Leader. Prior to Bumble, Samantha had a successful career at Uber where she held various senior marketing roles, helping launch Uber Eats in more than 40 cities across Mexico and Latin America as well as serving as regional marketing leader for their ride-sharing business, delivering some of Uber's award-winning consumer marketing campaigns. She holds a bachelor degree in international marketing and management from Universidad de Monterrey (Mexico) and a certificate in international business from UET in France, and in 2022 was named one of 30 Promesas (rising executives) by Expansión. Samantha was one of the early Bumble users in Mexico, where she met her partner of four years. They married in 2021.

Change is constant and it is speeding up even faster now. One indication is the number of people pivoting in their lives. This requires us to be able to adapt with agility. Most importantly, unleash our creativity to fulfill our potential in our pivot. Kellee talks with Maria Brito, a leading expert on creativity. She will share how we can better tap into our creativity, to successfully transition in our ongoing pivots, especially in today fast-paced changing environment.Maria Brito is an award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, entrepreneur, author and curator. Her bestselling book How Creativity Rules The World was published by HarperCollins Leadership in March 2022. In 2015, Brito was selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World and in 2020 she was named by ARTNEWS as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world. A Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela, her first monograph “Out There” published by Pointed Leaf Press in 2013, was the recipient of the USA Best Book Awards in both the Art and Design Categories. She has written for publications such as Huffington Post, Elle, Forbes, Artnet, Cultured Magazine, Departures, and the Gulf Coast Journal of Literature and Fine Arts from the University of Houston, Texas. For several years, Maria has taught her creativity course in companies and, in 2019, she launched Jumpstart, an online program on creativity for entrepreneurs based on years of research and observation in both the areas of business and art. Maria and her projects have been featured extensively in national and international publications including The New York Times Style Section, T: The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, W Magazine, ELLE Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Time Magazine, New York Magazine, The New York Observer, The Daily Beast, The Economist, Interview Magazine, VOGUE Italia, VOGUE Mexico, VOGUE  Latin America, VOGUE Brazil, VOGUE China, VOGUE.com, ELLE Décor Spain, Departures, Forbes, Blouin ArtINFO, Hamptons Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, Modern Luxury, Refinery29, goop, Billboard, Marie Claire Australia, Marie Claire Spain, Allure, The Coveteur, House Magazine, House Beautiful, Buro 24/7, Latina, Modern Magazine, and more.

We all could use more laughter right now. Kellee talks with Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, an award-winning stand-up comedian, storyteller and writer. She shares her journey as a stand-up comedian and how we can better flex our funny bone. If you want to learn what it takes to be a stand-up comedian, this is the episode for you. Dhaya's debute album DHAYATRIBE debuted #2 on iTunes. She received the Liz Carpenter Political Humor Award (previously awarded to Samantha Bee, Wanda Sykes and Mark Russell) for her stand-up. Comedy Central Asia crowned her the Grand Prize Winner of “The Ultimate Comedy Challenge” filmed in Singapore. Bay Area PBS affiliate KQED named her one of the twenty “Women to Watch,” a series celebrating women artists, creatives and makers who are pushing boundaries. She has performed across Asia in Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. She has also been invited to perform at some of the top festivals in the US including Bridgetown Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, The Boston Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival, and Laugh Your Asheville Off. She is the sole subject of the documentary “NerdCool” which premiered at the LA Comedy Festival.As a television host, Dhaya helmed the inaugural season of the Emmy award-winning series High School Quiz Show on PBS's WGBH. She is a frequent comedic storyteller on NPR's Snap Judgment. She currently serves as the host of San Francisco's monthly Moth. Prior to her endeavors in the entertainment business, Dhaya was a venture capitalist, management consultant, and two-time MIT graduate. 

Aliza Freud is the Founder and CEO of SheSpeaks, which was launched in 2008 as a platform to amplify women's voices. It is now the largest community of female influencers, reaching 300 million consumers per month, through brand programs designed and executed to drive real impact. The platform has become the voice of female consumers and influencers. It has created an award-winning Influencer Platform, with over 250 thousand members. Aliza Freud's expertise has been featured on ABC News, MSNBC, Good Morning America and in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and The Economist.

Jill Salzman is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, The Founding Moms, where she helps female entrepreneurs build better businesses. Previously, she started a music management firm and then launched and sold a baby jewelry company before creating her current venture. Jill is the author of The Best Business Book In The World* (according to my mom) and the Amazon best-seller, Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs. She has shared the speaker stage with Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg, and Desmond Tutu, among others. Jill hosts the podcast, Why Are We Shouting? She is also a co-host of Inc. Magazine's business podcast, Breaking Down Your Business. Dubbed a “mommy mogul” by CNN Money, a “Cool Mom Entrepreneur We Love” by MSN Live, Jill was recently named one of the Top 50 Women to Watch In Tech as well as a Top 100 Champion Small Business Influencer after Forbes' named The Founding Moms one of the Top 10 Websites For Entrepreneurs.

Astronaut Clayton –“Astro Clay” spent 167 days in space and 38 hours and 28 minutes in executing 6 spacewalks. He applied 15 times before NASA selected him as an Astronaut in 1998, and he spent 30 years working for NASA; 15 as an engineer and then 15 as an Astronaut.Succeeding in one of the most difficult and coveted jobs in the world through perseverance and a never-give-up mantra, Anderson employs NASA's “Plan, Train and Fly (Execute)” philosophy to his goals. He is the author of The Ordinary SpacemanTM: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut, A is for Astronaut: Blasting Through the Alphabet, Letters From Space and It's a Question of Space: An Ordinary Astronaut's Answers to Sometimes Extraordinary Questions. His story has been featured in leading media outlets including ABC News, Fox News, Business Insider, Space and TEDx. 

Dilip Jeste, M.D. is a geriatric neuropsychiatrist, who specializes in successful aging, neurobiology of wisdom and psychotic disorders in older adults. He is the Senior Associate Dean for Healthy Aging and Senior Care, Estelle and Edgar Levi Memorial Chair in Aging, Director of Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging, Founding Director of UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging, Co-Director, IBM-UCSD Artificial Intelligence Center for Healthy Living, at the University of California San Diego. He has published over 600 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 14 books. In his most recent book titled Wiser: The Scientific Roots of Wisdom, Compassion, and What Makes Us Good (2020), he describes evidence-based findings on the definition, measurement, and neurobiology of wisdom as well as its relationship with aging, and interventions to promote wisdom. His work has been featured in leading media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, National Public Radio, PBS, Public Radio International, London Times, and The Colbert Report, among others.

Darcy Gaechter is an extreme athlete, entrepreneur, environmental activist and author. She is the first woman to kayak across the widest part of South America, stretching 4,000 miles, from source to sea. Ms Gaechter has won whitewater kayaking races throughout the world and led kayaking expeditions in eighteen different countries. When she is not on a whitewater expedition, Ms Gaechter runs her kayaking business, Small World Adventures. She is also the author of The Kayaker's Guide to Ecuador and Amazon Woman, an adventure memoir detailing her Amazon River expedition (its rights purchased to turn her story into a movie). In addition, Ms Gaechter donates her time to the Ecuadorian Rivers Institute and other non profit organizations. She is currently spearheading a fundraiser for ERI to help protect Ecuador's rivers and the ERI's volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms Gaechter was featured in the award-winning film, Wild Water, by Anson Fogel. 

Dr. Jen Gunter is known by her thousands of fans as "Dr. Jen."  She is also regularly referred to as "Twitter's resident OB/GYN." As an internationally, successful author and physician, her New York Times and USA Today bestselling book, The Vagina Bible, has been translated into nineteen languages and she recently released The Menopause Manifesto. The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom has called her “the world's most famous—and outspoken—gynecologist.” 

How can we optimize the quality of both our physical and mental health as we age? Kellee talks to Dr Frank Lipman, specializing in the functioning of the body as a means of preventing disease and creating vibrant, sustainable health. He shares what we can do to promote our well-being over time. 

Hair loss can be traumatic for people. The current stress of the pandemic may be contributing to it. Kellee talks with Dr Sophia Kogan, cofounder and chief medical adviser of Nutrafol, a hair wellness company about the key factors tied to hair loss and what we can do about it.  

What if your gut health determines your mental, physical and future well-being… would you optimize the strains of gut bacteria that will protect you from diseases and brain deterioration? Kellee talks with Dr Peter Swann, an authority on the gut microbiome. He will share how we can boost our gut health that will prevent degeneration of our brain and body. 

What if you didn’t have to take a separate health supplement and  it was infused into your tea or coffee? This is what Gary Shinner and Jill Portman, founders of Mighty Leaf Tea (acquired by Peets) has accomplished in their new line of Good Pharma infusions. Kellee talks with Gary Shinner about the health benefits of their new infusions and why these infusions are different from the health supplements and superfoods that are being offered on the market.  

Imagine living in a country where people are only focused on power, status and appearance as well as manipulating others for personal gain. It would be all about winning, material growth and perfect exterior facade. This would all make a very lonely existence. Some researchers are finding that the US is heading in this direction. Kellee talks with Ramani Durvasula, a leading expert on narcissism. She will share what narcissism looks like and how it impacts us, in particular in our relationships and how we connect with others. 

In December of 2020, US economy lost 140,000 jobs. All of them were held by women. Many are turning to gig work as larger part of their income or becoming solopreneurs or even entrepreneurs. It is a growing trend during this time. How can one thrive as a solopreneur or entrepreneur during this pandemic?  Kellee talks with Ms Viek about how solopreneurs and entrepreneurs can thrive during this time. 

More than 35 million Americans live in households that struggle with hunger. One in ten households in the U.S. experience food insecurity. Millions of low-wage earners are barely getting by, week to week. They worry about how to pay the rent and put food on the table. They need government programs, including Food Stamps and Medicare, on top of working full-time jobs just to get by. How can we support those who are on the brink of despair? Kellee talks with Jimmy Chen, CEO of Propel, who is working to deliver accessible financial support to the low-income and minimum wage earners through its technology platform.

Access to financial services has been recognized as one of the most important factors in eradicating global poverty. 1.7 billion adults remain unbanked on the global scale, yet two-thirds of them own a mobile phone that could help them access financial services. Women make up more than half or 55 percent of the global unbanked population. How can we help the unbanked become bankable or access to financial services or support? Kellee talks with Ashish Gadnis, CEO of BankQu, who is working to address this challenge through his blockchain technology platform and company.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline in the US saw a 20 percent increase last year in the victims and survivors who contacted for help. Each year, it is estimated that around 18,000 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States.The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country each year is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 American children at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. What is happening and what can we do about it? Kellee talks with Megan Cutter, Director of National Human Trafficking Hotline, at Polaris about the state of human and sex trafficking in the United States.

Over 40 million people are caught in modern slavery worldwide. 1 out of 4 of them are children. It is a $150 billion dollar industry and it is bigger than the drug trade because each person can be purchased more than once. How does it exist and thrive? What can we do about modern slavery? Kellee talks with Andrew Wallis, CEO of Unseen, based in London, England. He shares the state of modern slavery, how to spot it and how Unseen is working to eradicate modern slavery. 

If you believe in ending the homeless crisis by empowering them to have jobs and support, rather than funding them to stay where they are, then you will be interested in hearing how it is being accomplished by the social enterprise- Beam based in London, England. Kellee talks with Alex Stephany, CEO of Beam about how its innovative crowd-funding and community platform is providing training and support, for the homeless, to empower them to transcend their current situation. 100 percent of the Beam sponsored homeless participants attend their training and 80 percent of them secure a job after training. 

If you believe in second chances, then you believe that there should be opportunities once you served your time in prison. 1 out of 20 US Citizens will serve in prison in his or her lifetime. It is estimated that close to six million children in America have experienced the loss of a parent due to prison or jail time. The national recidivism rate (or return to prison) for released prisoners is 44 percent within the first year. What can we do to break this cycle? Kellee talks with Andy Glazier, CEO of Defy Ventures. Defy Ventures trains ex-inmates to become entrepreneurs, giving them a chance to relaunch their lives.

What if food waste can be converted into bio-degradable fashion fibers and plastic packaging? Over 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year, including 128 million tons of milk. Kellee talks with Robert Luo, CEO of Mi Terro, a biotech company that has created fabric from spoiled milk. His company is focused on re-engineering food waste and plants to replace petroleum-based products like fashion fibers, plastic, and personal care. 

What if values-driven shopping could be easier than you think? You could go to a particular place where all products have been vetted for sustainability and social good, similar to what Whole Foods has accomplished in its purpose-driven mission of delivering natural or organic products to promote healthy living. Kellee talks with Katie Tyson, co-founder of Hive about the movement toward values-driven shopping. She shares how we can consume with the goal of making positive impact at the same time.  

What if what you wear can determine the health of our planet? Would you be more selective about your options? Kellee talks with Rihanna Knight, CEO of Team Timbuktu about the sustainable fashion process and ethical production. She shares how it is possible to balance profit with purpose. 

What if your urine had the ability to be sourced as a fuel to provide electricity? It is what Pee Power technology has accomplished through its innovation of microbial fuel cells that channel urine through to create clean and sustainable energy. Kellee talks with Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, the innovator of Pee Power about the potential of this clean energy source.

There has been a lot of controversy around information or disinformation tied to the coronavirus and elections this year. How information has been conveyed, shared and acted-on has divided the country, in particular, the spread of disinformation. Kellee discusses with Professor Philip Napoli, a leading expert on media, democracy and public policy about disinformation in the digital age and how we can counter disinformation. 

As we age, our sense of purpose becomes an important part of staying healthy, connected and resilient. Kellee talks with Professor Eric Kim, a leading expert on aging and purpose, about how purpose can make a significant impact in both our physical and psychological health. If you feeling that it is time to define or redefine your purpose, this is the episode for you.

According to a Harvard study, over the next two decades, more than 27.7 million people will join the 50 and over age group. Most of this increase will be among the population aged 65 and over. The number of people over 65 years of age who are working has doubled. As the population ages, more people will encounter ageism. It isn’t a topic that is commonly talked about and it is as important as racism or sexism. What can we do to address ageism? Kellee discusses with Ashton Applewhite, the activist-author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. She will share what we can do about ageism now. 

One in three adults does not get enough sleep. As a nation, we are not getting sufficient sleep. We need quality sleep to stay healthy, engaged and resilient. What are the key contributors of sleep deprivation? Kellee discusses with Dr Guy Leschziner, a leading expert on the science of sleep on how to address the most common sleep issues. If you are feeling sleep-deprived, this is the episode for you.

Are you experiencing physical or emotional exhaustion, disconnection and questioning your worth? You may be experiencing burnout. Kellee discusses with Christina Maslach, a world-leading expert on burnout about how to identify and avoid burnout. She shares her expertise on how to address factors in the workplace that contributes to burnout. 

Can you be happy in a pandemic? I talk with Gretchen Rubin, a New York Times best-selling author, about what happiness looks like for her in this pandemic and what she believes makes a difference in feeling happier. She also shares her personal experiences as a writer during this time. https://www.spark-conversations.com/episode-48-happiness-gretchen-rubin

What if confidence is tied to the certainty of your values and it is not a feeling or state of mind? Kellee discusses with Alyssa Dver, the CEO of the American Confidence Institute, on how confidence is a choice you can make each day, based on your underlying values rather than fake it until you make it. You will be interested to hear that you don't need to feel inspired by any motivational guru to live confidently. https://www.spark-conversations.com/episode-47-confidence-alyssa-dver

The “Mega Fires” burning throughout California that are considered abnormal have become the new normal in the US western region. What is contributing to these mega fires? Kellee discusses with Kevin White, an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, who has been following these wild fires in California since 2014. He shares this journey, captured in his film Wilder than Wild, on the causes and solutions to address these mega fires. 

What if you could persuade anyone because you are able to read underlying the values that are important to the person and frame your communication around those values? Kellee interviews Jonathan Pritchard, a mentalist to Fortune 500 companies. He shares the psychology of what motivates people to recall, connect and act on situational cues. 

What if the art of empathy helps you to connect deeper with others and bridge conflicts… would you become fluent in it? Jodi Halpern, a leading expert on empathy, shares how you can build on your empathy skills that will enable you to engage in more impactful conversations and communicate over any divide. 

What if self-compassion makes you more resilient both psychologically and physically...would you practice it? Kellee discusses with Kristin Neff, a leading expert on the power of self-compassion and how it can contribute to your well-being as well as motivate you in your pursuits. She shares the myths people have as to what exactly self-compassion is. 

Did you grow up focusing on external accomplishments in defining who you are? Whether it is the next win, promotion or accolade, it is a continuous moving target even when you achieve it. Kellee talks with Banni Bunting, a national tennis champion and former FBI agent, about her shift from high-intensity, external drive to inner mindfulness that has changed her sense of self-fulfillment. She shares how you can integrate the drive for exceptionalism without all the static and tension that comes with it. Basically, you can still achieve authentic happiness. 

Why are social attitudes and biases contagious? Is it the source or the way it is conveyed that influences what we pick up? Kellee talks with Allison Skinner-Dorkenoo, a social scientist, on how situational cues shape our attitudes and behavior. 

What if how you eat could heal you? Would you make the time and focus for it? Kellee discusses with Christina Pirello, a food expert on how to eat for longevity. At twenty-six years old, Christina cured herself from advanced stage (4) cancer by converting to macro nutrition. She will share her experience and tips on how you can make this healthy difference. 

What if you could feel lighter with less things consuming your time, energy and finances each day? Kellee talks with Lindsay Miles, an educator who helps people to create more meaningful lives, through changing consumption habits and making sustainable choices, enabling people to thrive with less. She shares ideas about how you can live a fulfilling and sustainable lifestyle. 

What if eating a plant-based diet would both increase your and the planet's well-being? Kellee Marlow discusses with Sharon Palmer, a leading dietitian and nutritionist in plant-based nutrition and sustainability, on how you can create a balanced diet, while reducing your carbon footprint. 

What if the experience of awe can boost your positive outlook, promote your connection with the world and inspire you to be kind? Would you practice it for a few minutes each day? Kellee Marlow talks with Michelle Shiota, a leading scientist on the power of awe, who shares her research on how it can transform your physical and psychological wellbeing. 

Coral reefs or the rainforest of the seas are threatened by multiple factors. Kellee Marlow interviews Danielle Dixson, a marine scientist on the factors that are leading to their destruction and her innovative application of 3-D printing of coral scaffolding to support declining coral structures. She also shares what we can do to make a sustainable difference. 

With over 200 million people feeling that they have a book in them, this may be perfect time to write the book and fulfill the dream of becoming an author. If you are ready to give life to your story, this is the perfect episode for you. Kellee talks at length with Joanna Penn about writing, publishing and marketing your book. This discussion covers the entire process of becoming a published author. Although the focus is on writing non-fiction, many of the tips apply to both fiction and non-fiction.