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Gururaj Deshpande ("Desh" Deshpande) is an Indian American venture capitalist and entrepreneur, who is best known for co-founding the Chelmsford, MA-based internet equipment manufacturer Sycamore Networks, the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT and the Deshpande Foundation. Presently, Deshpande is the Chairman of A123Systems, Sycamore Networks, Tejas Networks, HiveFire, Sandstone Capital, Sparta Group, and sits on the Board of Airvana. Deshpande is a Life Member of the MIT Corporation, the Board of Trustees of MIT, and sits on the board of the MIT School of Engineering Dean's Advisory Council (DAC). In July 2010, Deshpande was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Co-Chairmanship of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a group established to support the US President's innovation strategy.

Jennifer Brown (she/her) is a globally recognized DEI thought leader, highly sought after speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and best-selling author. Jennifer envisions inclusive organizations where all of us can thrive. As someone who has experienced both the advantages of privilege and the sting of stigma, Jennifer is boldly redefining what it means to truly belong—in the workplace, in our families, and in our communities. She openly shares her powerful and unforgettable true story with audiences to help us challenge our assumptions—about ourselves, about leaders, and others—and take meaningful action today for a more inclusive tomorrow. Jennifer has shared her thought leadership at corporations including Google, The Hartford, Hearst, IBM, Indeed, Intel, KFC Global (Yum! Brands), Liberty Mutual, LinkedIn, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Medtronic, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Prudential, PSEG, Sony, Toyota, and more. She has also spoken at leading research institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, as well as multiple business schools, including William and Mary, Kellogg, Columbia Business School, the Owen GSB at Vanderbilt, and University of Wisconsin. She currently sits on the Influencer Advisory Board for cultural intelligence consultancy Sparks & Honey, as well as L'Oreal's Global Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board.

With a background in medicine, psychology, group-work and coaching, Dr Chris Johnstone is a specialist trainer for resilience and wellbeing. He has worked in this field for over thirty years, and through his online courses, he now reaches people from more than 55 countries. After working for many years as a doctor and addictions specialist in the UK health service, he now focuses on coaching, mentoring, writing and training, particularly through online courses at The College of Wellbeing His books include, Active Hope, co-authored with Joanna Macy (published in 2012 and now available in ten or more languages), and his new book, Seven Ways to Build Resilience (due out in April 2019). After a first degree specialising in psychology, Chris graduated in medicine with distinction in 1986. Employed for several years as a junior hospital doctor, he suffered a severe burnout reaction to the stress and sleep deprivation of often working over a hundred hours in a week. He became a leading figure in the campaign to improve junior doctors' working conditions, and made international headlines when, in 1989, he challenged the legal basis of his contract. Although his case was initially seen as a ‘no-hoper' in law, after six years and ten court hearings, he eventually won. Before this, many junior doctors believed that little could be done to change the system they worked under. The experience that you could defy pessimism and bring about a successful outcome, even if this initially seemed unlikely, stimulated an enduring interest in the psychology of breakthroughs and personal power. This prompted Chris to train in a range of approaches to facilitating change, including coaching, humanistic psychology, motivational interviewing, positive psychology, group facilitation, family therapy and systemic interventions with organisations. His interest in the psychology of change also led him to the addictions treatment field, an area where he worked for over seventeen years. His first book Find Your Power (currently out of print) brings together the tools, insights and strategies he found most useful when there is something we want to change. Another theme important to Chris is the holistic approach, which he first became interested in as a medical student over 30 years ago. He was at the founding conference of the British Holistic Medical Association in 1983, and through this helped set up a holistic education programme for health care students in London. More recently, Chris has taught holistic thinking at several UK universities, contributing to mainstream medical education and clinical psychology training. One of the key words of the holistic approach is context. Medical problems are seen in the context of the whole person, where mind and body are viewed as a single interconnected system. As individual health is importantly influenced by the social and environmental context we live in, a holistic approach to medicine also attends to what's happening in the bigger picture of our world. This is particularly important at the moment, as we face potentially devastating threats to human health related to planetary issues like climate change, resource depletion and rising toxin levels. What most concerned Chris was the way that big issues like these were either ignored by mainstream media or viewed as beyond our power to change. He saw a clear parallel to the denial and hopelessness often experienced by those with severe addiction problems. For example, someone dependent on alcohol may minimise problems caused by their drinking because they fear they might not be able to cope without it. In a similar fashion, countries and companies dependent on oil have sought to block action on climate change or even deny that there is such a problem. As an addictions specialist, Chris saw that his experience of helping people face and tackle disturbing realities could also be applied to global issues. Much influenced by his close working with US author and activist Joanna Macy over more than three decades, in Active Hope, the book they wrote together, they explore how to strengthen our capacity to respond to concerns about our world. Facing global issues is sometimes thought of as a depressing activity, yet Chris's approach is centrally about embracing more joy in life. As he puts it, “joy doesn't come from banishing sadness, but from listening to the signals painful feelings offer and then finding our power to respond in a way that improves things”.

Alessio Fasano is an Italian-born medical doctor, pediatric gastroenterologist and researcher. He currently holds many roles, including professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, both in Boston. He serves as director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and co-director of the Harvard Medical School Celiac Research Program. In addition, he is director of the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center at MGHfC, where he oversees a research program with approximately 50 scientists and staff researching a variety of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, including cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, enteric infections and necrotizing enterocolitis. A common theme of these programs is the study of the emerging role of the gut microbiome in health and disease. Fasano is also the scientific director of the European Biomedical Research Institute of Salerno (EBRIS) in Italy. Along with these leadership positions, he is a practicing outpatient clinician in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition and the division chief.

*WARNING* This episode contains some content of a sexual nature. Sharif is an author; communications consultant; a curator focused on diversity, inclusion, music and arts, and a singer – songwriter. With over 25 years of experience in the fields of media, publishing, research and public relations, he uses talks, writing, event curation and music, to advocate change and garner support for the LGBTQ+ community. The various hats he wears and the roles he plays, led him to create the Rainbow Lit Fest – Queer & Inclusive, of which he is the Festival Director. He is also the curator of Embrace: Music Justice Arts and the frontman of the band – Friends of Linger. His book, Straight to Normal – My Life As A Gay Man, released early 2019, is amongst the few queer memoirs out of India and the first since the reading down of Section 377. The book has featured in best-selling lists and been recognised by not just sections of the media but by leaders from the fields of academics, politics, human rights, literature and films. more…

Anuj is currently the founder of Greenvan(www.greenvan.eu) is like an amazon of home services providing reliable and affordable tradesmen to consumers like Plumbers,Movers,Electricians and Locksmiths etc. Greenvan is on a mission to provide a strong value proposition to customers, upgrade the life of tradesmen, save the environment, add thousands of jobs in the economy and create very healthy returns for its investors. Anuj, a first generation entrepreneur, started his first company faXappeal while he was in college and exited that when he was 20. Anuj then worked with AT & T in New York. Anuj returned to India from his year long sabbatical & founded Final Quadrant at the age of 22, which got awarded for the best customer experience technology in the world by Microsoft and sold that in 2004. Anuj then Co-founded Prepay point in New York, a retail business with 13000 outlets and over $400 million in revenue and very successfully exited in 2008. Anuj appeared on the cover page of the Information Week Magazine -USA for the business success. CNBC covered Anuj in their Young Turks programme as one of the very few 1st generation entrepreneurs. As the Managing Trustee of Sukarma Trust, the trust has enabled education, medical treatment, water provisioning, eye camps, yoga camps for a large number of people across India. Anuj co-produced the movie “Soul of Sand”. The movie got co-funded by the Hubert Bals fund & voted by Forbes as the 10 top movies of 2011. Anuj serves on the Board of Directors of Subhkam Ventures. a house hold name in public market Investments in India and is a co- investor in the deals. Anuj holds 2 leading edge patents which he hopes to use in one of his future investments. Anuj keeps getting invited on the panel of judges of business schools and for an opinion on varied topics. Anuj was invited by the European Commission & a few Business Schools to give a speech on Entrepreneurship. An avid squash player, Anuj was the Indian national champion in 1994. He was also awarded as the Captain & Sportsman of the year at Stephen's College 1997. Anuj received a recommendation from the Chairperson of Rhodes scholarship from India in 1997. Anuj is based between London & NewYork and is interested in new AI & Algorithm driven technologies which address a large macro and produce super normal returns for the stakeholders.

Named one of the “world's ten most influential intellectuals” by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, as well as the recent Team Human, based on his podcast, and the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus. He also made the PBS Frontline documentaries Generation Like, The Persuaders, and Merchants of Cool. His book Coercion won the Marshall McLuhan Award, and the Media Ecology Association honored him with the first Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity. Rushkoff's work explores how different technological environments change our relationship to narrative, money, power, and one another. He coined such concepts as “viral media,” “screenagers,” and “social currency,” and has been a leading voice for applying digital media toward social and economic justice. He serves as a research fellow of the Institute for the Future, and founder of the Laboratory for Digital Humanism at CUNY/Queens, where he is a Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics. He is a columnist for Medium, and his novels and comics, Ecstasy Club, A.D.D, and Aleister & Adolf, are all being developed for the screen.

Naz Beheshti began her career as the executive assistant to Steve Jobs at Apple. Jobs, her mentor, is the inspiration behind her new book, Pause. Breathe. Choose.: Become the CEO of Your Well-Being. He had an early and profound influence on her belief that the ultimate wealth is well-being. In 2012, Naz founded Prananaz, a corporate wellness company that provides custom, high-touch, high-tech programs improving leadership effectiveness, employee well-being, employee engagement, company culture, and business results. Some of her clients include Google, Facebook, Nike, JPMorgan Chase, Gilead Sciences, Skadden, Fico, Coinbase, UCSF Health, and Columbia University. Prananaz delivers programs, workshops, coaching, consulting, keynotes, and training to teams and organizations of all sizes. Naz's diverse experience includes a decade in the high-stress environments of tech startups, Fortune 500s, and pharmaceutical companies (Apple, Yahoo!, AstraZeneca). She also co-founded Rise 2 Shine, a non-profit organization committed to helping alleviate the suffering of young children in Haiti. Naz's work has been widely featured in the media, including CNBC, BBC, Yahoo, Inc., Fast Company, O: The Oprah Magazine, and many more. She is also a regular Forbes contributor with over 150 published articles on mindful leadership and corporate wellness and writes for Entrepreneur and Thrive Global. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a certified Holistic Health Coach, certified Transformational Coach, certified Advanced NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) Practitioner, certified yoga instructor, and lifelong practitioner, and trained TM (transcendental meditation) practitioner. Naz divides her time between New York City and Miami Beach. She and her husband enjoy spending time with eclectic friends and taking fitness classes. Her global company is based in New York City, Miami Beach, and San Francisco.

The Economics of Sustainable Food: Smart Policies for Health and the Planet! Author of The Economics of Sustainable Food: Smart Policies for Health and the Planet. Nicoletta Batini is the Lead Evaluator of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Independent Evaluation Office. Prior to the IMF, she was Advisor of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey, and Director of the International Economics and Policy Office of the Treasury in Italy. She holds a Ph.D. in international finance (S.S.S.U.P. S. Anna) and a Ph.D. in monetary economics (University of Oxford). Today her research focuses on the economics of energy and land and sea use transitions for climate mitigation. Her new book “The Economics of Sustainable Food: Smart Policies for People and the Planet” was just published by Island Press and the International Monetary Fund.

Leadership Strategy Senior Contributor for Forbes.com and bestselling author of the award-winning “Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies" (Nicholas Brealey). "Profit by Publicity" PR guide (iUniverse) and was the basis for a paperback book, e-book, audiobook, and workshops. • Chief Executive Officer. CEO of two non-profit membership organizations. Led and managed the Greater Los Angeles REALTORS® Association, one of the largest regional REALTOR® organizations in the U.S. (more than 9,000 members); previously served as CEO of the Marin Association of REALTORS® in Northern California. • Advocacy. Conducted more than 24 advocacy campaigns for the Maryland Departments of Agriculture and Economic Development, Plastics Industry Association, Airbus, two REALTOR® associations, and others. • Certifications. Earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives. The highest professional credential in the association industry, the CAE has been earned by less than 5% of association professionals; it earned the REALTOR® Certified Association Executive (RCE) designation from the National Association of REALTORS®. Edward helps CEOs, entrepreneurs, business owners, board members, and their staff prevent, manage and recover from crisis situations.

Dr. Aravind Chinchure is a renowned academician, a corporate strategist and an innovation leader. He is an expert in the formulation of corporate and governmental policies that influence innovation and research. He holds a PhD in Physics, and has an experience spanning 25 years in R&D, innovation, intellectual property, startup venture investment, policy, social development and teaching. Dr. Chinchure has worked with many global innovation thought leaders and Nobel laureates on projects of national and regional significance. He credits these associations for shaping his perceptions and expertise around results-driven innovations. He was part of Indian and global research organizations, and large multinational and Indian companies in diverse technology areas, driving innovation in technology as well as leading intellectual property-driven assets creation at workplaces. He is credited with designing and implementing India's first two-year residential and experiential MBA course on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune. Currently, Dr. Chinchure is the Chair Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Symbiosis International University, Pune, India.

In this episode Mary-Frances Winters, one of the most interesting and insightful voices in race relations, joins Af for a no-holds-barred conversation on D&I in the workplace. Author of Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit, Mary-Frances believes her purpose on earth is to break down barriers and build bridges across differences. She is known to be a provocateur and not afraid to have difficult conversations. Among her many awards and distinctions, she was named a diversity pioneer by Profiles in Diversity Journal, received the Winds of Change award from the Forum on Workplace Inclusion, and was featured twice in Forbes as one of the DC Metro area's most powerful women, as well as one of 10 trailblazers in diversity and inclusion. She has served as a torch bearer for the Olympics and has previously been recognized as an Athena Award winner from the Chamber of Commerce for her contributions to women and the community.

In this forward-looking discussion, Af interviews Tony Hughes, the co-author of Tech-Powered Sales: Achieve Superhuman Skills to discuss the ways in which AI is completely changing the game in sales. Tony is an international keynote speaker, best-selling author, professional selling educator, award-winning blogger and the most read LinkedIn Author globally on the topic of B2B sales leadership. He is co-founder of Sales IQ Global and also ranked by Top Sales Magazine as the most influential person for professional selling in Asia-Pacific. With 35 years of sales and business leadership experience, Tony is an experienced CEO and company director having served as Director of Sales for public corporations and as the Asia-pacific Managing Director for a number of tier-one global technology companies. He teaches 'modernized selling' within the MBA program at the University of Technology, Sydney and has taught for other universities. Tony serves on a number of advisory boards and his clients include Salesforce, SAP, Docusign, and Adobe, among others.

Sebastian Mallaby is the Paul A. Volcker senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). An experienced journalist and public speaker, Mallaby contributes to a variety of publications, including Foreign Affairs, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the Financial Times, where he spent two years as a contributing editor. He is the author of five books, most recently The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future. His other books include The Man Who Knew (2016), More Money Than God (2010), and The World's Banker (2004).

Join Af as he learns about the incredible advances in DNA manipulation with Kevin Davies, the author of Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing. Kevin has 30+ years in science publishing as an editor of leading academic journals (with Nature Genetics, Nature and Cell Press); in trade publishing (Bio-IT World), and as a publisher (C&EN). In 2018, he spearheaded the launch of The CRISPR Journal, published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. His books include "The $1,000 Genome"​ (Free Press, 2010), "Cracking the Genome" (Free Press, 2001), and "Breakthrough: The Race for the Breast Cancer Gene." Kevin is the founding editor of Nature Genetics, the first offshoot from Nature. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Oxford University and a PhD in molecular genetics from the University of London.

With work-from-home and COVID defining a whole new way of relating to work, this is a thought-provoking episode with the author of The Gig Mindset Advantage: Why a Bold New Breed of Employee is Your Organization's Secret Weapon in Volatile Times  Jane McConnell is an analyst-practitioner with over 20 years of hands-on advising organizations on their internal digital strategies and 12 years of research. She conducted annual surveys on The Organization in the Digital Age with 300-400 companies around the world, and published annual reports from 2007 through 2017. She created the term "gig mindset" and after 2 years of research (300 organizations globally) and wrote The Gig Mindset Advantage and started the podcast boldnewbreed.com.  

Join Af as he interviews Ed Hajim about his memoir, a powerful story touched with family trauma, deprivation, and adversity balanced by a life of hard work and philanthropy! On the Road Less Traveled is the inspirational story of Edmund A. Hajim, an American financier and philanthropist who rises from dire childhood circumstances to achieve professional success and personal fulfillment. At age three, Hajim is kidnapped by his father, driven from St. Louis to Los Angeles, and told that his mother is dead. His father soon abandons him in order to seek employment—mostly in vain—leaving his son behind in a string of foster homes and orphanages. This establishes a pattern of neglect and desertion that continues for Hajim's entire childhood, forever leaving its mark. From one home to another, the lonely boy learns the value of self-reliance and perseverance despite his financial deprivation and the trauma of being an orphan. As time passes, Hajim displays a powerful instinct for survival and a burning drive to excel. A highly motivated student and athlete, he earns an NROTC college scholarship to the University of Rochester; serves in the United States Navy; works as an application research engineer; then attends Harvard Business School, where he finds that the financial industry is his true calling. So begins his rapid ascent in the corporate world, which includes senior executive positions at E. F. Hutton, Lehman Brothers, and fourteen years as CEO of Furman Selz, growing the company more than tenfold. He also creates a happy and abundant family life, though he never forgets what it means to struggle. At age sixty, he is reminded of his painful past when a family secret emerges that brings the story full circle.  

Mick Ryan is a retired major general who served in the ADF for more than 35 years and was commander of the Australia Defence College. He is the author of War Transformed: The Future of 21st Century Great Power Competition and Conflict. A distinguished graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, as well as the USMC Command and Staff College and USMC School of Advanced Warfare, he is a passionate advocate of professional education and lifelong learning. He has commanded at platoon, squadron, regiment, task force, and brigade level. Ryan has also led strategic planning organizations in the Australian Army and led several reform programs in the past decade. In January 2018, he assumed command of the Australian Defence College in Canberra, Australia.

Wolfgang is leading BCG's procurement business line in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in the Middle East. He is also part of BCG's European operations leadership team. Over the years, he has been focused on transformations and the support of procurement through digital tools, working across industries but with a heavy weight in the automotive sector. He specializes in large-scale operational transformations, direct and indirect category management, digital procurement solutions, procure-to-pay, performance management in procurement, capability building and operating models of procurement departments. Wolfgang has recently co-authored

Having grown up in rural India without access to reliable power, clean drinking water, and other basic needs, Reshma Ramachandran's purpose to empower people to believe they have the power to choose and to enable people to go beyond their self-limiting beliefs has shaped her journey as a business leader over the last two decades. Ramachandran is a board-certified family physician and second-year fellow within the Yale National Clinician Scholars Program. Her research focuses on the realignment of incentives for healthcare stakeholders including pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and universities towards prioritizing equitable patient access to safe, effective health technologies. Prior to this role, Reshma worked as research faculty as part of the Innovation + Design Enabling Access (IDEA) Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she focused on policies to address the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance and unaffordable access to prescription drugs. Dr. Ramachandran trained in both medicine at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University and in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She completed her family medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. Previously, she served as the first PharmFree Fellow with the American Medical Student Association focused on removing the undue influence of pharmaceutical companies on prescribing behavior and medical education. She is part of the National Steering Committee for the Doctors for America Drug Affordability Action Team. She also is a board member of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) North America and the American Medical Student Association Foundation.

Stacey Tank is currently the Chief Transformation & Corporate Affairs Officer at Heineken (AMS: HEIA) based in Amsterdam. As a direct report to the CEO and member of the executive committee, Tank shepherds the company's new growth strategy, "EverGreen." In addition, Tank is responsible for the company's stepped up sustainability and ESG vision, Brew a Better World 2030, including its new Sustainability & Responsibility Supervisory Board committee. Tank formerly led the multi-billion dollar Home Depot Installation Services and Home Depot Measurement Services businesses for The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), the world's largest home improvement retailer with $132.1 billion in annual sales and over 500,000 employees. During her tenure, Tank led the exit of four unprofitable lines of business and quickly returned the remaining businesses to double-digit growth while instilling a strong values-based culture and robust innovation pipeline. Dedicated to the intersection of business and positive impact on society, Tank has repeatedly authored large-scale movements across enterprises like General Electric, Heineken and Home Depot including recently launching a quarter of a billion dollar commitment to veteran housing and a $50 million shop class program that is infusing 20,000 skilled tradespeople into the U.S. economy. Tank is the founder of Our Happy Place (OurHappy.org), a 501(c)3 non-profit serving children, educators and families navigating childhood mental wellness. She is also a board trustee for the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation. She previously sat on the boards of the Woodruff Arts Center (nominating and governance chair), Serenbe Playhouse, Ad Council, Home Depot Foundation (former president), Homer Fund, Bright Pink (executive board), Academy for Systems Change (finance committee), Arthur Page Society (digital committee), Westchester Business Council, Beer Institute, Institute for Public Relations and Subrosa (sold in late 2017). She is the former vice chairwoman of the National Association of Beverage Importers and the former chairwoman of the Heineken Good Government Fund. Tank is a 2020 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (YGL), a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a 2014 Academy for Systems Change Fellow. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in business and communications from Syracuse University where she was recognized as a University Scholar, the university's highest academic honor. Tank currently resides in the Netherlands with her husband, two sons and rescue Chihuahua, the Dolly-mama.

Saving endangered species! Dr. Morne de la Rey talks to Af about his work helping save the Northern White Rhino and other animal species from extinction. Morné de la Rey is a South African veterinary surgeon and embryo transfer specialist. In 2003, he was one of a team of scientists and veterinarians from his company Embryo Plus and the Danish Agriculture Institute to clone a cow, the first animal to be cloned in Africa. In 2016, he was one of a team to use in vitro fertilization successfully for the first time in the Cape buffalo. In 2010 he produced Sable Antelope calves by means of Fixed Time Artificial Insemination with frozen thawed semen. He became the first person in the world to produce Sable Antelope calves by means of embryo transfers in 2011. Following his success he produced the first cross type between Zambian Sable Antelope embryo calves born out of southern Sable Antelope. He had great success with the Cape Buffalo as well, in 2013 produced the first pregnancies in the Cape Buffalo by means of embryo transfers in the world. In 2016 he became successful with IVF in Cape Buffalo and produced the first calf in the world.

We're thrilled to welcome to the show PwC consultant Matt Mani to discuss his book, Beyond Digital. Leaders in the digital have a challenge in transforming their organizations to keep up with the rapid pace of change. Matt and his co-author Paul Leinwand spent four years studying organizations that have successfully navigated their #digitaltransformation and the book is a summary of seven key leadership imperatives they discovered in their research. Af challenges Matt to discuss why his book is NOT 'just another book on #digital and through the discussion we learn the seven leadership imperatives and why they're important in showing leaders how to achieve a successful transformation. Some of the points we hit on in this discussion: • Why #worklifebalance is the wrong approach • “Digital transformation” has very little to do with digital and more to do with value transformation • The role of cultural differences and #diversity • The critical importance of the #digitalecosystem and becoming outcome-focused Mahadeva Matt Mani is an advisor to executives on business model transformation and operating performance improvement for Strategy&, PwC's strategy consulting business. As the global leader of PwC and Strategy &'s transformation platform, he works with companies and leaders across industries to achieve fundamental improvements in business performance and organization cost & effectiveness. With over 25 years of industry and consulting experience, Matt works across industries, including in the consumer goods, retail, technology, healthcare, life sciences, industrial manufacturing and aerospace and defense sectors. He is the co-author of the book "Beyond Digital: How Great Leaders Transform Their Organizations and Shape the Future," published by Harvard Business Review Press. He has also co-authore multiple articles on value creation and business transformation in Harvard Business Review and strategy+business, including “Digitizing Isn't the Same as Digital Transformation,” “6 Leadership Paradoxes for the Post-Pandemic Era,” and “The Redefined No of the CFO,” “How to Engender a Performance Culture.” 

“At school” doesn't equal “learning.” It's no secret that just because a student is sitting in a classroom, there is no guarantee that student is actually learning something. This could be for a number of reasons, but any of those reasons point to some of the fundamental failings in our educational systems: • The educational methods from the industrial age no longer work (one-to-many, rote memorization) • Memorization of facts can be measured, but if a student can't apply the knowledge, it is quickly forgotten • Teachers are more and more being called upon to wear many hats besides that of teacher -- they are spread too thin -- and many are joining the “Great Resignation” • In today's fast-paced world, the knowledge found in school books is often outdated by the time our students are learning it The team at soffos.ai have been working since 2017 to build artificial intelligence capabilities that help solve some of the most fundamental problems in our learning systems today. Their AI/ML solutions take into account rapidly changing knowledge and applies logic, context, semantics, etc, to create a fully interactive learning partner that can adapt to each individual's specific learning needs. It helps track and measure whether students are able to apply what they're learning; it can even read a student's facial micro-expressions to determine whether learning is happening and changes course accordingly, providing exactly what the learner needs at that moment. It is an incredible tool that empowers students and helps teachers create bespoke learning opportunities for students -- without adding more and more planning hours onto their plates. We are thrilled to welcome the team from Soffos.ai to the show to talk about the incredible work they're doing in the education space. Aliki Constantinou EdD, Education Consultant, has been in the field of education for over 20 years as a teacher, leader and teacher trainer, complemented by a Doctorate in Educational Leadership focused on the impact of training in online cooperative learning techniques on self-efficacy. Ken Hubbell, Interim Chief Product Officer, is an award-winning producer of advanced training solutions. As a SVP for Learning and Development, he presently leads Instructional Design Strategy & Innovation for a Fortune 50 financial services company, where he applies 20 years of assembling, developing and enabling diverse teams to create customer and stakeholder value. Nikolas Kairinos, Founder & CEO, is an award-winning innovator with four decades of experience in AI. By the time he was 23, Nikolas was investing in companies, taking them public and selling them on. 34 years of entrepreneurship and 29 years of corporate finance & investment banking enables Nikolas to understand the problems caused by the relative lack of new ideas in AI and EdTech over the last 30 years. 

The rules of leadership have completely changed over the last few years, and leaders have to adapt to the new expectations of the workforce. This episode we were thrilled to welcome two management and leadership scholars, Dr. Curtis Odom and Prof. Charn McAllister, for an incredible and thought-provoking discussion on the future of work. Some of the points we covered: • The importance of purpose for companies to attract great people • The new "purpose of self" • How company culture is changing post-COVID • How we can hold leaders accountable • How academia is a huge part of the leadership and culture problem Curtis Odom and Charn McAllister are the co-authors of MIT Sloan article "Why Pivoting People is a Strategic Priority." Dr. Curtis L Odom, Executive Professor at Northeastern University. Curtis believes that learning should be experiential and participant-centered. After a 20-year career as an entrepreneur, consultant, and coach, Odom has published ‘Why Pivoting People is a Strategic Priority.' Aspiring, motivating, and inspiring business owners to visualize their targets and execute the strategies and tactics to reach business and personal success. As a sought-after leader in transformations, Curtis accelerates organizational change. Charn P McAllister, Management Professor at Northern Arizona University and author of Political Skills at Work. Charn is a researcher and writer, he has had many academic and popular outlets publish his work. Including his recent paper ‘Why Pivoting People is a Strategic Priority.' The cap-wearing, marathon running, ex-military commander makes his expertise in interpersonal mistreatment, political skill, and stress accessible to all while teaching leadership and ethics.

Order of the British Empire, TEDx Speaker and Chartered Accountant, Vandana Saxena Poria is a disruptive visionary, master storyteller and curator who awakens and ignites organizations and people by instantly altering mindsets and perspective thoughts through diversity, inclusion and building people's eco-systems. She joined us to talk about her new book, Let Me Hijack Your Mind, which she co-authored with Alyque Padamsee. We had an incredible and thought-provoking discussion and came away with some fantastic learnings: - counterfactual thinking and how it can solve some of society's biggest problems - the unique way that Alyque Padamsee viewed the world and how he changed India - Social Network Dynamics -- how do ideas spread? - the future of India as a diverse nation - the skill that Indian women will use to completely change the face of politics in India. Vandana is Chief Alarmist at The Human Alarm Clock & Co, Visiting Faculty at Flame University, ICAEW Advisor, and Board Trustee at Common Purpose.

An interview about the Metaverse -- conducted IN the Metaverse! Jeremy leads PwC's Metaverse Technologies team, helping clients implement virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and other virtual world technologies. He is also the author of Reality Check: How Immersive Technologies Can Transform Your Business, a book that anyone can pick up to better understand how VR and AR are being used in businesses all over the world. He has featured in The Financial Times, The Economist, the BBC, and other media outlets. He has worked with organizations like the World Economic Forum and currently sits on the advisory board of Immerse UK, a government backed cross-sector industry body that supports the growth of immersive technologies. He also happens to be a Chartered Accountant (but prefers not to advertise that too loudly!).

We are absolutely delighted to kick off the second episode in Season Three, with the incredible and accomplished executive Neahle Jones - an inclusion advocate and communication strategy expert with 20 years of digital transformation expertise - having been involved at companies like L'Oréal USA. During the show, Neahle will be sharing her extensive knowledge in understanding culture and how the entire domain of diversity needs attention. Sharing personal stories about what happens when we break through the glass ceiling of diversity, focusing on the issues of discrimination, prejudice, and preconceived biases that are not only about race. Neahle asks the difficult questions . . . Are organizations doing enough? How inclusive are companies for employees with diverse backgrounds and identities? Is there progress, or just token gestures? Join us on the show, where Neahle explores the impact of a workforce that does not feel socially accepted. Amid ‘The Great Resignation,' are people deciding to leave if they don't feel welcomed into an inclusive organization?

We are proud and honored to welcome the genius scientist, author, and multiple Presidents award winner - Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar - on our first StraightTalk show of 2022. Throughout Dr. Mashelkar's career, he has written 25 books, 284 research papers and was awarded honorary doctorates by 44 universities. He has also actively served the Government of India by chairing 12 highly empowered 'Mashelkar Committees.' He has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Dr. Mashelkar's contributions to the nation and science have been honoured by many awards. The most significant being the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology and three Presidents Awards - the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Shri. He is the third Indian engineer to be inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society, UK, and the first Indian to be elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, US. Through a sustained and visionary campaign for balanced intellectual property rights over three decades, Dr. Mashelkar spearheaded the successful challenge to the US patent on the use of turmeric for wound healing and the patent on Basmati rice. These landmark cases have set up new paradigms in protecting India's traditional knowledge base and leading to India's first Traditional Knowledge Digital Library. In turn, at an international level, this has led to the initiation of the change of the International Patent Classification System to give traditional knowledge its rightful place. During the show, we discuss with Dr. Mashelkar the two issues that he is deeply passionate about. 1. Access equality despite income equality 2. The power of aspirations that become possibilities Dr. Mashelkar is not only a great human being who is humble and sensitive; he is an inspiration for all …

In 2007, Barclays Bank hired Mike Amato to lead a staff of 30,000 employees. When he packed his briefcase and left for the weekend, the BBC informed him that 30 undercover reporters had been embedded in their bank over the past 1½ years gathering audio/visual evidence about how they operate . . . and it would be aired on the BBC's Whistle-blower program that weekend. When asked what it's like to have the BBC tear your team to shreds on national television, Mike responded, "Honestly, it started as the worst thing that's ever happened in my life. Then, it turned into the greatest gift I've ever received." Mike will be sharing how he confronted reality and was able to shift the organization's focus from short-term financial output to becoming a purpose-led organization. Mike's obsessiveness with creating a culture of empowerment for his team, along with what he has learned from the power of an aligned culture, is behind his soon-to-be-released new book. "To create organizational energy is to set clear expectations and establish a culture where employees feel empowered to do their best work. When you create an environment like this, profits will flow naturally from there." Mike has had an incredible journey from working on the floor to becoming a banking executive. He's been through phenomenal growth and transformation, inspiring leaders in his wake. In our discussion, we'll explore: ✔️ How is focusing solely on profit and loss hurting the bottom line? ✔️ From Mike's experience on the Board of Tandem Bank – what are the most exciting developments in fintech, and what are some possible pitfalls we should be looking out for? ✔️ How leaders can create organizational energy by contributing rather than controlling Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dr. Asel Sartbaeva, University Research Fellow at the University of Bath to the show this week! Dr. Sartbaeva developed a silica coating that prevents vaccines from degrading at room temperature, potentially simplifying the distribution and reducing the cost of vaccination for millions of people, especially in hard-to-reach communities. During the show, we discuss Dr. Sartbaeva's journey to the forefront of international science as a world-leading interdisciplinary chemist. Born in Kyrgyzstan before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sartbaeva said science became her escape when there was so much instability around. Sartbaeva has gone on to become a celebrated associate professor in chemistry at the University of Bath. She has won awards for her work, including a prize at the Royal Society of Chemistry's Emerging Technologies Competition in 2020. She was also named Woman of the Year 2021 by FDM Everywoman in Technology. Dr. Sartbaeva's drive to tackle gender inequality in STEM came from her experiences studying and growing her career within the patriarchal Kyrgyzstan culture. Appointed UNICEF Ambassador for the 'Girls in Science' program in Kyrgyzstan, Dr. Sarbaeva is a force of nature, an outstanding role model, a tireless advocate for gender equality, and a game-changing scientist whose work will save lives around the world. Together, we'll dive into these important questions: ✔️ Post-pandemic - why eliminating the vaccination cold chain is an absolute priority. ✔️ Is competition amongst the scientific community driving or damaging innovation? ✔️ With women making up only 28% of the STEM workforce, what advances are being made to close the STEM gap? Join us as we discuss these and more!

George Calhoun is the Director of the Hanlon Financial Systems Center and the Founder & Director of the Quantitative Finance Program at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has spent 25 years in the high-tech segment of the wireless communications industry. He is the author of several books on wireless technology, and his latest book "Price & Value" is a guide to equity market valuation metrics. During the show, we will discuss George's most recent delegation as co-principal at The Center for Research toward Advancing Financial Technologies, or CRAFT. This ten-year program underscores the US's strategic investment in managing risks and unintended consequences of the emerging – and yet unknown – challenges facing the high-tech financial services industry, with a particular emphasis on China. With George, we will explore: ✔️ What is the impact of FinTech, and how is this transforming the world? ✔️ How has entrepreneurial culture quickly and innovatively led China to be creative industry disruptors? ✔️ Referring to the strange and curious disappearance of Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma, what is the message that the Chinese government is sending here? Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

Nolan Bushnell is often referred to as the father of the video game industry. He is best known as the founder of Atari Corporation and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre. Nolan is passionate about enhancing and improving the educational process by integrating the latest in brain science. He truly enjoys motivating and inspiring others with his views on entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and education. Nolan will be sharing how he has teamed with prominent educators, game designers, venture capitalists, and start-up veterans to lead the next wave of educational gaming as a core technology provider focused on remote learning and gamification-centered learning experiences. ✔️ How does Nolan see the evolution of education, and how does the school of the future look? ✔️ With AI widening the scope of the gig economy, are we ensuring that students today are competent in their respective careers? ✔️ What are Nolan's predictions for the post-pandemic future of work and have things forever changed? Join us as we discuss these questions and more.

Over the past 14 years, Max, with his brother, Ben, has built an empire founded on passion and strong partnerships to create jobs in the city where they grew up. Through organic growth, they employed over 750 staff before COVID 19 turned the world upside down. In May 2020, over 52% of U.S. small businesses in the leisure and hospitality industry reported temporarily closing, and over 35% reported a decrease in the number of paid employees. Max discusses how, following the devastating impact the COVID pandemic has had on hospitality, they have reframed their approach for serving their community. It was a real team effort to navigate the waters and to prioritise what really matters in life. Through supporting employees to stay involved and engaged, they forged ahead as a team to not only thrive in the post-pandemic world but astonishingly to open another restaurant mid-pandemic. The Goldbergs create a culture of pride that translates well with staff “People may not remember what you said or did, but they always remember how they feel.” During the show, we will discuss Max's mission to create a better world and how he has formed partnerships to help others achieve their dreams. ✔️ How to exercise the power of resilience and creativity to re-energise your hospitality business? ✔️ What are the core traits, skills, values needed in a post-pandemic world to thrive as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry ? ✔️ Why is it so important to help others no matter where you are in life Join us as we discuss these questions and more!  

Our highly acclaimed guest is bestselling author, speaker, organizational theorist, and advisor for start-up companies in the Wildcat Venture Partners portfolios, and established high-tech enterprises, including Salesforce, Microsoft, Autodesk, F5Networks, Gainsight, Google, and Splunk. Selling more than a million copies, Crossing the Chasm is arguably one of Geoffrey's most renowned books for addressing the challenges met by start-up companies.  Also written, amid an inspiring collection of related bestsellers, Zone to Win gained notable prominence for addressing the challenges large enterprises face when embracing disruptive innovations.   So, it is with great anticipation to be discussing Geoffrey's latest release - The Infinite Staircase, that metaphysically asks, "where do I fit in the grand scheme of things?" and ethically, "how should I behave? In addition to his books, Geoffrey will explore what it means to be a straight talker and the risks of false narratives, half-truths, and lies; why are these tolerated in government but not in business?  Although the public sector has a great deal of impact right now, through research and mentorship programs, Geoffrey envisions that the next generation of private sector leaders will step up to make a change. During the show and through the lens of his books, Geoffrey talks about: ✔️   Why is now the most important time to re-calibrate yourself, your mindset, actions, and a sense of purpose. ✔️  How to put a stop to false narratives and a blatant acceptance of lying in society today. ✔️  What is the infinite staircase, and how can you apply it to your business and personal life? Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

Our special guest is co-founder and former CEO of Green Thumb Industries - one of the largest legal cannabis operators in the US. Peter shares his journey of stepping back from his responsibilities as CEO to concentrate on his true passion for philanthropy and social justice for communities that have been impacted by the war on drugs. Peter discusses how he owes it to the people who have lost, where he has won within the cannabis industry, and how he has dedicated the rest of his life to using his wealth for the social good. The cannabis industry is now a multi-million-dollar industry. Cannabis-derived products have gained ground in the market through legalisation in many locations worldwide, and study shows that more than 4000 products are introduced each month. With the increase in this product's popularity, dynamic growth is set to peak this year. Peter explains that he has a profound sense of guilt around his good luck and good fortune. Other people have lost where he has won within the cannabis industry, with many going to jail. Black and Hispanic communities have suffered disproportionately from draconian enforcement of anti-marijuana laws. Living by his mantra "pay it backward," which is the reverse of the well-known proverb "pay it forward," Peter uses his good fortune to help level this playing field. During the show with Peter, we will discuss his journey that is unwavering in authenticity, how he endeavors to tackle social inequality, and more: ✔️ How to think differently about building wealth and giving back to those who need it most. ✔️ Why the concept of winning while others lose is flawed and needs urgent repair - revealing Peter's personal story and life experiences as evidence. ✔️ What civic responsibilities do the leaders of tomorrow have to own and fulfil to in-turn empower and inspire millions to thrive

We are proud and honored to welcome the genius scientist, author, and multiple Presidents award winner - Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar - on our first StraightTalk.Live show of the year. Throughout Dr. Mashelkar's career, he has written 25 books, 284 research papers and was awarded honorary doctorates by 44 universities. He has also actively served the Government of India by chairing 12 highly empowered 'Mashelkar Committees.' He has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Dr. Mashelkar's contributions to the nation and science have been honored by many awards. The most significant being the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology and three Presidents Awards - the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Shri. He is the third Indian engineer to be inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society, UK, and the first Indian to be elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, US. Through a sustained and visionary campaign for balanced intellectual property rights over three decades, Dr. Mashelkar spearheaded the successful challenge to the US patent on the use of turmeric for wound healing and the patent on Basmati rice. These landmark cases have set up new paradigms in protecting India's traditional knowledge base and leading to India's first Traditional Knowledge Digital Library. In turn, at an international level, this has led to the initiation of the change of the International Patent Classification System to give traditional knowledge its rightful place.

So much of western society's values are centered around consumption and wealth as a measure of success. But global warming, resource shortages, and COVID-19 have been forcing corporate leaders and governments to take a hard look at the inherent pitfalls of unregulated wealth-building.    One economic concept that may hold the answers to our problems is “sustainable capitalism” Though the ideas behind this concept were first conceived of around 20 years ago, it has only recently begun to gain any traction.    Our special guest this week is noted historian, commentator, and former financial executive Zachary Karabell. His recently published book, Inside Money, details the fascinating history of Brown Brothers Harriman, the oldest and one of the largest private investment banks in the US. A beacon of sustainable capitalism, the company has set itself up as a stark contrast to many of its competitors. It conducts business in a way that has allowed it to successfully weather numerous catastrophic financial storms since the 18th century, all while maintaining a trustworthy reputation.   With Zachary, we'll discuss sustainable capitalism, ESG, and more:   ✔️Was the global pandemic the wakeup call we all needed? Or will it be “business as usual” as we gradually reopen?   ✔️What is sustainable capitalism, in practice? Isn't sustainability fundamentally in opposition to capitalism?   ✔️How can individuals best contribute? Corporations? Governments?   ✔️What incentives do companies have to change when their investors have so much control?   Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

The Promise and Reality of Blockchains, Tokens and Cryptocurrencies:   There are now hundreds of cryptocurrencies trading on the market, and new ones are appearing every week. The valuations continue to be volatile, and countries like China, India, et al are pushing tighter regulations and even outright bans. Criticism around bitcoin (and other crypto) energy mining costs is escalating. Yet tokens (like NonFungible Tokens — NFTs) are seeing dramatic growth as virtual artifacts. And public blockchains sponsored by governments are gaining traction as an alternative to fiat currencies.   Discussion questions include:   ✔️What is the future of private and public blockchain?   ✔️What are/will be the applications?  What about private crypto-currencies? NFTs? ✔️Will legacy financial services institutions adopt crypto?  How?  When? ✔️Will blockchains replace or augment fiat currencies?  Other transactions? ✔️Will crypto-currencies (esp bitcoin mining) solve their potential "energy utilization" crisis? ✔️What are some of the other current impediments to crypto and blockchains, and how will they likely be addressed and by whom? ✔️Will crypto and blockchains be adopted by traditional enterprises for transaction processing? ✔️What will be the role of central banks and regulators in crypto? ✔️What is/will be the impact of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) on crypto and virtual currencies? ✔️Are NFTs a passing fad or will there be some new forms that drive a frenzy and speculation?   Join us as we welcome special guest Dale Kutnick, who is SVP and distinguished analyst at Gartner and founded the Laura and Dale Kutnick Foundation. Dale will share his passionate insights on the future of crypto and its impact on today's and tomorrow's marketplace. 

Augmented and Virtual Reality are a wonderful set of tools that open up a lot of possibilities in how we experience and share information. Yet as we have less interaction with the physical world, we can become more anti-social, depressed and disconnected from physical interactions and environments where rich exchanges occur and build emotional intelligence and adaptability. It's easy to imagine a near-future where, we don't buy things in physical stores, we don't go to the doctor, and it becomes even more difficult to make a living in the physical world, which is becoming economically unproductive with travel costs and having to compete with the likes of Amazon, eCommerce, etc. How do we find the balance of living in the physical world and use the virtual world as a tool to enhance our experience, not disconnect us from it? How do we take care of our mental health and connection with our ecosystem instead of insulate from it? Join us this Thursday at StraightTalk.Live as we invite special guest William Davidow, Author & Investor at Mohr Davidow Ventures to discuss his unique perspective on how we've already been implementing the gifts of virtual reality for over 2 Million years of our evolution and what we need to be mindful of if we are to survive and thrive in the next phase.

It's estimated that 65% of kids in school today will end up working a job that doesn't currently exist. So how do we develop talent for the next generation and those that are underserved in today's job market — in the most efficient and thorough way possible? The secret ingredient is in creating communities that upskill and train our workforce with relevant skill sets to meet the needs of the day. So how does one do this in a post-pandemic era? What is the secret to building virtual communities? Join us as we invite special guest Russ Shaw, Managing Director of London Tech Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, to discuss lessons learned from building and galvanizing a global community that is volunteer-powered and digitally equipping the workforce of tomorrow.

At 21-years-old, Harpreet A De Singh was the first female pilot for Air India. She also became the first female instructor of Air India's pilots. And last year, she became India's first ever female CEO of an airline.  To say that she knows how to blaze a new trail is a major understatement. Her wisdom, experience, and incredible story will no doubt inspire you to overcome your own challenges, no matter the environment or circumstances.  Join us as we invite special guest Harpreet A De Singh, CEO of Alliance Air, to discuss: ✔️The essential qualities for maverick leadership and making a tangible impact ✔️How to rise above company politics and bring people together ✔️Putting your ego to the side to focus on the bigger picture ✔️Creating a culture of honesty and transparency versus just saying what people want to hear ✔️And how to move up and not give up when times are difficult  

The recent ransomware attacks on the Colonial pipeline and the JBS meatpacking giant make it clear that cyberattacks are on the rise and that even our food is at risk. Non-tech companies are not prepared to prevent these attacks, and it's only a matter of time before your data and privacy are breached. So what's being done about it? You may not ever have heard of Section 230, a US law (enacted back in 1996) that protects online companies who publish 3rd-party content (think Facebook, Snapchat, or all other social media) from liability related to the content their users publish. It also has implications in relation to your data privacy. In short, Section 230 is no longer good enough in our current circumstances, and it urgently needs reform. Additionally, the tools we use every day to communicate with one another are often putting us at personal risk. In this week's show, we'll dig into this important topic and tackle these questions: ✔️What exactly is Section 230 and why should we care? ✔️What are the risks if we do nothing? ✔️What actions do we each need to take on an individual level in order to better protect ourselves? ✔️What solutions are being developed for today and into the future? Join us this week with repeat guest Anurag Lal, the CEO of NetsFere, a secure messaging solution for B2B communications. Together, we'll explore this critically important topic and learn about the different ways people and companies are tackling the issue.

Of all the global weaknesses that COVID exposed, the supply chain has been perhaps the most debilitating. Breakdowns in the supply chain for various industries such as agriculture, medicine and medical equipment, and raw materials left companies around the world floundering to keep up. It also highlighted the need for how we can use AI to better forecast distribution problems in real-time; helping us to make better decisions. AI is beginning to have the capability to assist in negotiating virtually through reading face-to-face interactions and body language, once thought to only be effective in-person. ✔️What if AI can be trained for a win-win scenario for all stakeholders?  ✔️What if we can create a sustainable outcome where suppliers make as much profit while shareholders still maximize earnings? ✔️How can technology enable better distribution of goods and services?  Join us on StraightTalk.Live with special guest Joseph Martinez, Managing Director and Chief Procurement Officer of BNY Mellon, as we explore the latest in how AI and tech is changing the supply chain landscape and the future of business.

To anyone paying attention, it is clear that we need to shift how we relate to our planet if we are going to thrive, let alone survive.  The indigenous person's perspective is an under-represented voice at the table and is a critical part of the solution. For hundreds of years, “civilized” humanity has related to the Earth with an extraction mentality — taking whatever we can get. This is the paradigm that currently exists in most governments, businesses and organizations.  In contrast, indigenous peoples have long since been calling for a more holistic, sustainable approach. Together with Grandmother La'ne Saan Moonwalker, we'll discuss the current climate and environment challenges, with ideas from a First Nations perspective: ✔️What is the difference between sustainability and reciprocity? ✔️What are the dangers of ‘legacy'? ✔️How dire is our current global situation? ✔️What is the way through? Join us for this very special show with our esteemed guest Grandmother Láné Sáan Moonwalker, who has been an oracle, healer, spiritual teacher and environmental guardian for more than 50 years. She is on the World Council of Spiritual Elders through the ANIWA Community under the auspices of the BOA Foundation since 2019. In addition, she has taught classes through the Center for Sacred Studies. This promises to be one of our most enlightening discussions yet, so don't miss it!

Today's educational systems leave us ill-prepared for the challenges we face post-graduation. The status quo isn't going to cut it anymore. We simply can't keep up with the amount of information coming at us each day. And our archaic educational systems need a major overhaul, where rote memorization isn't effective or timely. In fact, 65% of kids at school today will end up working in a job that doesn't even exist yet. So how do we best prepare the next generations, who clearly need a way of learning that is more effective and adaptive? We need a new paradigm around education, and this is exactly what the guests on our panel are at the forefront of, in terms of integrating AI and other technologies to forge more effective ways to learn and grow. Join us this Thursday as we invite guest speakers Nikolas Kairinos, CEO and founder of Soffos.ai, Ken Hubbell, Senior Manager, Instructional Design Strategy & Innovation at Wells Fargo, and Aliki Constantinou, Professional Educational Consultant at Soffos.ai, as we debate and discuss the latest technologies and integrations that are disrupting the educational space.   Meet the Panelists: ‍Nikolas Kairinos is an award-winning innovator with four decades of experience in AI. Also a serial entrepreneur who bridges the divide between scientists & others, leading to the creation of novel, practical and impactful AI solutions. For over 30 years, he has participated as an entrepreneur, investor and advisor in building numerous software start-ups around the world. He and his team function as a tech accelerator for start-ups with artificial intelligence at their core. Nikolas is recognized for his vast publication history, public speaking reputation and deep involvement in the field of AI. Aliki Constaninou has been in the field of education for over 20 years as a teacher, leader and teacher trainer, complemented by a Doctorate in Educational Leadership focused on the impact of training in online cooperative learning techniques on self-efficacy. She is consistently fascinated by what enhances learner engagement and how the dynamics of such engagement incessantly metamorphoses with the changing times and technologies we are exposed to. Learning more about how to engage learners in order to enhance their learning experience are her major priorities as an educator. Ken Hubbell is a strategic and innovative learning leader and an award winning producer of training solutions. Ken presently leads Instructional Design Strategy & Innovation as a SVP for Learning and Development at Wells Fargo Bank, and he has over 20 years of experience assembling, developing and enabling diverse teams, creating customer and stakeholder value. His software development background is in the areas of NLP, AI, game design, and VR. Ken has designed and developed programs for a variety of organizations including the FAA, NASA, the United Nations, Caterpillar, Ingersoll Rand/Trane and General Motors.

What does tech have to do with income inequality? Well, for starters, we can better address society's looming environmental and social issues if our basic needs are getting met. Technology can be our greatest friend, helping us solve problems that run the gamut — from pandemics, carbon and global warming, education, social injustice, and more!  But as the income gap continues to grow, we have created an economic climate that flirts with collapse. ✔️So how can digital transformation level the playing field? ✔️Is inclusive capitalism a real thing, or just another seductive spin like ‘trickle down economics?' ✔️What are the latest technologies and platforms that show us a better model of how greater income can be earned and enjoyed by a greater number of people? ✔️And even better, what other problems can we start to tackle with tech innovation? Join us as we welcome special guest, Dale Kutnick, who is SVP and distinguished analyst at Gartner and founded the Laura and Dale Kutnick Foundation, as he shares his passionate insights on how tech can address a wide range of problems, and what steps we need to take to get the ball rolling.

Back by popular demand! We’re thrilled to welcome back our esteemed panel of global youth climate leaders for a second round of discussions on Net-Zero. In order to meet the 1.5°C global warming target in the Paris Agreement, global carbon emissions should reach net zero by the year 2050. A lofty and admirable goal. But what good are goals if we aren’t making measurable progress toward them? Not much. In part two of our discussion, we’ll be asking these questions: ✔️What are the incremental steps we need to be taking now to achieve net-zero by 2050? ✔️How can we hold ourselves and others accountable? ✔️What areas are the most important for us to focus our efforts? ✔️How can we offset the challenges presented by climate change deniers?   Meet the panelists: Beth Eden is an independent sustainability impact and engagement consultant, implementing SDGs in institutions and networks globally. She is also a volunteer Sustainability Communications Officer for SDSN Youth (Sustainable Development Solutions Network), a global movement to build a network of institutions to promote practical solutions for sustainable development and implement the United Nations SDGs and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Beth was recently named one of Corporate Knights 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders. Flaviu Cipcigan, PhD, is a researcher and strategist at IBM Research. His research uses artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of new materials for carbon capture. Flaviu also co-authored a method to accelerate the discovery of antibiotics published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. He led a joint project between IBM Research and a multinational pharmaceutical company to improve collaboration in drug discovery. He holds a PhD in physics from the University of Edinburgh. Flaviu co-founded and serves as co-curator of Global Shapers Manchester, and he was recently included in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.  Luna Abadia is the Founder and Executive Director of the Effective Climate Action Project, a youth-led environmental organization with a mission to promote effective and systemic solutions to climate change. She is pursuing the International Baccalaureate Diploma and is in her 11th year of the Spanish Immersion Program. Luna spent a year abroad in Japan as a Rotary Youth Exchange Ambassador, where she represented the US and won the JAFIE National Japanese Speech Contest for high school students in Japan at both the regional and prefectural levels with her speech on climate change.  Lore Van Onsem is a climate activist and author of If Nature Had a Voice, about a girl struggling to find a place for climate change in her life.  She learns about the reasoning behind human's complicated relationship with nature, the chance humans have to survive climate change, and more. Lore has been invited to join Darcy Winslow (Founder of Academy for Systems Change, former Nike GM) on the 2041 ClimateForce Expedition to Antarctica in November 2021. Vivek Badiani is the Co-founder eCO-SENSE, an ultra low-cost smart farming kit. Sensors in the soil measure metrics such as temperature, humidity, moisture and carbon dioxide emissions as well as nutrients. The sensors are sustainably powered using a biophotovoltaic cell that generates electricity from photosynthetic materials such as vascular plants and can be placed directly in the field, making batteries redundant. The data is transmitted wirelessly and stored in a connected cloud platform. Vivek is currently studying to achieve a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.

How can you use your platform for good — whether you have a legacy business or are a startup? It’s one thing to talk about corporate social responsibility, and it’s another thing to actually do it.  Heineken has been hard at work leading the pack in rebooting its entire growth strategy though a sustainability lens. Learn how a large corporation can use their influence for good with such programs as: Carbon neutrality in the entire value chain Fair wages Sustainable ingredients and farming practices A balanced “all stakeholders”business model and much more Join us with special guest Stacey Tank, Chief Transformation and Corporate Affairs Officer for The Heineken Company, as we discuss their sustainability efforts, as well as her fascinating journey to help Heineken make a real impact — and what you can learn from her story. 

China is on the path towards becoming the next superpower. How they lead will have a drastic impact in every sector, including the environment. What will the new silk road look like? In this episode, we will explore: What is different about the US policy towards China than the past Soviet Union/Cold War era? What is the pulse check of the Chinese youth in how they see the world today? How can we shift mentalities from aggressors and enemies to collaborators and stewards of this planet? Please welcome back John Perkins, Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit-Man and several other NYT best-selling books, as we explore his upcoming book on the Rise of China and what we can learn first-hand from his research and experience in the field.

For the one-year anniversary of StraightTalk.Live and in celebration of Earth Day 2021, we are proud to welcome a distinguished group of young global climate leaders for a panel discussion on the environment and climate change. Together, we will discuss "net-zero" from the varying perspectives of our panelists, who represent climate activism, eco-startups, and eco-tech initiatives. Questions we'll dive into include: ✔️Is it too late for net-zero? ✔️How can we actually meet the net-zero goal set by the UN and world leaders?  ✔️What are the viable innovations and solutions to help us get there?  ✔️What can we do at a societal, government, and individual level to make a difference? ✔️What are we missing if we only focus on carbon emissions and net-zero?   About the panelists: Beth Eden is an independent sustainability impact and engagement consultant and the Cofounder of the Impact Alliance. Luna Abadia is the Founder and Executive Director of the Effective Climate Action Project. Flaviu Cipcigan, PhD, is a researcher and strategist at IBM Research, using artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of new materials for carbon capture. Lore Van Onsem is a climate activist and the author of If Nature Had a Voice.  Vivek Badiani, PhD is the Co-founder eCO-SENSE. He is working toward a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.