Podcasts about bush fellow

In this powerful episode of Wheels of Change, we sit down with author, accessibility advocate, and community leader Jenna Udenberg. A lifelong resident of Minnesota's Northshore, Jenna has used a manual wheelchair since the age of 8 due to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis — and has been rolling through life with unstoppable determination ever since. Jenna spent 19 years as a music educator, inspiring students in and out of the classroom. Now, she uses her voice to uplift others through her deeply personal and thought-provoking column Local View from 4 foot 2 in the Lake County Press. Recognized as a 2017 Blandin Foundation Community Leader and a 2020 Bush Fellow, Jenna brings both insight and heart to every space she enters. From the challenges of accessibility to the joy of LEGO robotics, this conversation dives into what it means to live boldly, lead with purpose, and create a life that motivates change — no matter your perspective.Jenna Udenberg is an author, accessibility advocate, and former music educator who calls Minnesota's Northshore home. Diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at age 8, she has used a manual wheelchair for most of her life and continues to be a powerful voice for inclusion and representation. Jenna is the author of the Local View from 4 foot 2 column in the Lake County Press, where she shares raw, insightful reflections on life from a seated perspective. She was named a Blandin Foundation Community Leader in 2017 and received a prestigious Bush Fellowship in 2020 for her work in advocacy and community building. When she's not writing or speaking, Jenna enjoys the outdoors, playing games with friends, fishing, and coaching the Robo Dweebs — a LEGO robotics team full of future innovators. Her mission is simple but impactful: to create space for every voice, every perspective, and every story.https://www.aboveandbeyondwithu.org/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.

Send us a textDisability advocacy transcends ramps and automatic doors—it's about creating a world where everyone belongs in every aspect of community life. Jenna Udenberg joins us to share her powerful journey from diagnosis with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age seven to becoming an author, disability advocate, and accessibility educator.Diagnosed in the late 1980s and using a wheelchair since age eight, Jenna navigated a world before the Americans with Disabilities Act established basic protections. Despite these challenges, she built a 19-year music education career before pivoting toward accessibility advocacy. As a 2020 Bush Fellow, the pandemic forced her to reimagine her plans, ultimately leading to writing her book "Within My Spokes: A Tapestry of Pain, Growth and Freedom" and founding her nonprofit, Above and Beyond With U.Jenna challenges us to recognize that disability is simply part of the human experience—not something to fear or pity. With approximately 24-29% of Americans identifying as disabled, it's a community anyone might join through accident, injury, or medical condition. Her work focuses on creating spaces that go beyond minimum compliance, asking critical questions: "Can we use the restroom? Can we grab coffee? Can we be employees here?" These questions shift the focus from technical requirements to meaningful inclusion.Through stories like playing trumpet left-handed against her teacher's advice, Jenna illustrates how disability often sparks innovation and resilience. She leaves us with a powerful challenge: Don't just call her story "inspirational"—ask yourself what you're inspired to actually change. Visit aboveandbeyondwithU.org to learn more about creating spaces where everyone truly belongs.Want to be a guest on Living the Dream with Curveball? Send Curtis Jackson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628631536976x919760049303001600

In this inspiring episode of Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, host Avik Chakraborty sits down with Jenna Udenberg, an author, disability advocate, and accessibility educator. Diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of seven, Jenna shares her powerful journey of resilience and advocacy. She discusses how her experiences navigating life in a wheelchair shaped her mission to create more inclusive communities. Jenna also talks about her book, Within My Spokes, and how storytelling can challenge perceptions and inspire self-reflection. Tune in to hear her insights on overcoming barriers, fostering inclusion, and finding joy in everyday life. About the Guest: Jenna Udenberg is a dedicated disability advocate, accessibility educator, and the founder of Above and Beyond With You. Diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at a young age, she has devoted her life to breaking barriers and promoting inclusion. As a 2020 Bush Fellow, she continues to challenge systemic obstacles and advocate for policy changes that benefit people with disabilities. Jenna's memoir, Within My Spokes, is a heartfelt account of her journey, resilience, and the relationships that shaped her path.   Key Takeaways: Jenna's journey from diagnosis to advocacy and how she turned challenges into opportunities. The importance of accessibility and inclusion in everyday spaces. How societal perceptions of disability impact individuals and communities. Practical ways to become a better ally for people with disabilities. Finding joy and purpose even in the face of adversity.   Connect with Jenna Udenberg: Website: Above and Beyond With You Get her book Within My Spokes on Amazon Social Media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram   Want to be a guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? Connect with Avik on PodMatch:

Wednesday on this program, we aired an audio documentary about a group of Minneapolis police officers and community members, who recently took a trip to Montgomery, Alabama to tour museums and historical sites. MPR News host Angela Davis was invited to go along with them and record their discussions about what they saw and learned. This hour, Angela and her guests continue the conversation about the Minneapolis Police Department and an ambitious effort led by the Police and Black Men Project. Guests:Bill Doherty is a professor emeritus in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota and expert on marriage and family therapy. Bill is a co-founder of the Police and Black Men Project. Guy Bowling is a fatherhood leader and speaker, the former director of the FATHER Project in the Twin Cities and a 2020 Bush Fellow. He is also a co-founder of the Police and Black Men Project.  Charles Adams is an inspector for Minneapolis Police Department's Fourth Precinct. He's been with MPD since 1987 and is a member of the Police and Black Men Project.Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.     

In this episode, we talk with artist, public speaker, and community organizer Moira Villiard. Moira, a Twin Cities-based visual artist and Fond Du Lac direct descendent, is a 2023 McKnight Foundation Community-Engaged Practice fellow and a 2024-2026 Bush Fellow. We chat with her about her current projects, Waiting for Beds, a traveling exhibition that explores the experience of waiting while in crisis, and a soon-to-be-released children's book about the Ojibwe practice of prescribed fires that she illustrated.Moira shares about her study of human rights, creating work for her inner child, and her rumination about the social-political bubbles many of us live in. For Moira, art is a venue to elicit these disconnects and ultimately birth understanding between people so that harmful histories don't repeat. She also describes the process of creating art at the scale of mural, finding artistic courage from her father, and incorporating animals that cross her path into her art.Tune in for an engaging conversation about Moira's intentionality behind her creative practice.

One of the greatest gifts you can give any leader is the time and money to become even more effective at the change they want to make in the world. That idea is at the heart of the Bush Fellowship.Every year, up to 30 people across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and in 23 Native nations receive this prestigious fellowship from the Bush Foundation, along with grants of up to $150,000 to pursue their own personal and professional development. The application for next year's cohort is open through Oct. 15. On Monday, MPR News host Angela Davis talked with three Bush Fellows about their work and how deepening a connection to their own culture is helping them make Minnesota a better place. Guests: Irma Márquez Trapero is a 2024 Bush Fellow and co-founder and CEO of LatinoLEAD, a nonprofit organization that is working to advance Latino Minnesotans into positions of leadership through advocacy and professional development. Michelle Goose is a 2024 Bush Fellow and an Ojibwe language instructor and faculty program coordinator for American Indian Studies at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet. She is also a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.Vayong Moua is a 2020 Bush Fellow. He is the director of racial and health equity and advocacy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.  Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.  Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

One of the greatest gifts you can give any leader is the time and money to become even more effective at the change they want to make in the world. That idea is at the heart of the Bush Fellowship.Every year, up to 30 people across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and in 23 Native nations receive this prestigious fellowship from the Bush Foundation, along with grants of up to $150,000 to pursue their own personal and professional development. The application for next year's cohort is open through Oct. 15. On Monday, MPR News host Angela Davis talked with three Bush Fellows about their work and how deepening a connection to their own culture is helping them make Minnesota a better place. Guests: Irma Márquez Trapero is a 2024 Bush Fellow and co-founder and CEO of LatinoLEAD, a nonprofit organization that is working to advance Latino Minnesotans into positions of leadership through advocacy and professional development. Michelle Goose is a 2024 Bush Fellow and an Ojibwe language instructor and faculty program coordinator for American Indian Studies at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet. She is also a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.Vayong Moua is a 2020 Bush Fellow. He is the director of racial and health equity and advocacy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.  Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.  Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

Dr. Michael Patrick Cullinane discusses the presidential race. Arlene Krulish, a Bush Fellow, talks with Ashley Thornberg about improving healthcare and fighting drug addiction on reservations.

Fred Edwards, a new Bush Fellow: The Harriman Building, constructed in 1905 is Maddock's Opera House. Studio 47: Poetry that wows Patrick Hicks at Studio 47.

Each year the Bush Fellow program recognizes people who are making a difference in their communities in Minnesota, the Dakotas and 23 tribal nations in the region. The fellows receive up to $100,000 to learn and expand on their work. The 2024 cohort was announced on June 17. The fellows have a wide variety of work including art, food, housing, racial justice and more. Many are focused on health care and healing, like Mari Avaloz. She's currently director of Upward Bound, a program that prepares low-income students for higher education at St. Olaf College. She's putting the fellowship toward a vision of getting Latino families better access to cancer care. Mari Avaloz joined Minnesota Now to talk about her work.

Can community theater help mend our broken and conflicted communities? In this episode Ash Hanson shares the story of what she and her many citizen collaborators have learned about how our place stories can help our communities not only heal but find new resilience and common ground.BIOAsh Hanson (she/her) has two decades of experience working with rural communities to activate stories, connect neighbors, and exercise collective imagination. She is the Creative Executive Officer (CEO) of Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) -- a nonprofit organizations that works at the intersection of creativity and civic life in rural communities. She is a member of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice Leadership Circle and she was an Artist-in-Residence in both the Planning Department at the City of Minneapolis and with the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership, where she employed creative community engagement strategies for equitable participation in urban and rural planning and development processes. Previously, she was the Program Director for the Minnesota Theater Alliance—where she managed statewide regional networks and resource sharing—and the Program Director for Public Art Saint Paul—where she produced large-scale participatory public art events and projects, including the Saint Paul City Artist-in-Residence program. In addition to her work with DoPT, she is the founder of PlaceBase Productions, a theater company that creates original, site-specific musicals celebrating small-town life. She holds an MA in Applied Theater with a focus on Rural Community Development, and she was named an Obama Foundation Fellow and a Bush Fellow for her work with rural communities. She believes deeply in the power of play and exclamation points! To learn more about Department of Public Transformation visit www.publictransformation.org Notable MentionsDepartment of Public Transformation: We are an artist-led nonprofit organization that works to develop creative strategies for increased community connection, civic engagement, and equitable participation in rural places. We believe in the power of rural creativity in activating solutions to address community challenges.PlaceBase Productions: Some of America's most inspiring stories are nestled in the communities of rural towns. PlaceBase Productions is using community theatre to bring these stories to life—and shift the narrative about what it means to live and work outside of big cities.Ignite Rural: Ignite Rural is an “at-home” artist residency operated by the Department of Public Transformation focused on uplifting and supporting emerging rural artists that engage in social/civic work. To be considered for the Ignite Rural program, artists must reside in rural communities with a population of 20,000 or less within the colonial state borders of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native Nations that share that geography with priority given to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and Native artists and culture bearers.Partnership Art. In 2015, SWMHP was one of six organizations that received funding...

As parents, we teach our children how to move through the world. But as our children grow older, we learn from them, too.That relationship can grow into a real partnership and friendship — and a positive support system pushing each other to be better and do better.Our next Power Pair is a good example of that transition: Mother-daughter duo Rose McGee and Roslyn Harmon. It's part of our new series on the show about prominent Minnesotans you may know about individually, but who also have a close relationship. Guests:Rose McGee is President and Founder of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie organization, which brings people together for hope, healing and dialogue around race. She's also a facilitator, author and recent Bush Fellow.Roslyn Harmon is the mayor of Golden Valley — the first Black person to hold that position. She is also an educator, counselor and ordained pastor.

As parents, we teach our children how to move through the world. But as our children grow older, we learn from them, too.That relationship can grow into a real partnership and friendship — and a positive support system pushing each other to be better and do better.Our next Power Pair is a good example of that transition: Mother-daughter duo Rose McGee and Roslyn Harmon. It's part of our new series on the show about prominent Minnesotans you may know about individually, but who also have a close relationship. Guests:Rose McGee is President and Founder of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie organization, which brings people together for hope, healing and dialogue around race. She's also a facilitator, author and recent Bush Fellow.Roslyn Harmon is the mayor of Golden Valley — the first Black person to hold that position. She is also an educator, counselor and ordained pastor.

Policing in America is a polarizing topic. High-profile killings of Black men by police officers over the last few years have eroded trust in policing as an institution — especially for many Black Americans. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, most Black Americans think policing needs major changes to treat Black people fairly.But a group of police officers and community members in Minneapolis has been working — mostly behind the scenes — for the past seven years to build trust. That includes learning about and acknowledging policing's origins in slavery. It's called the Police and Black Men project.On Tuesday at 9 a.m., MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a longtime police officer and a community organizer involved in the effort.The conversation is part of the new Talking Sense series at MPR News, which aims to help us better understand why political conversations are so polarized in the first place and to give us tools for managing those conversations.Talking Sense includes an app with an entire section to help Minnesotans talk with each other about policing. Guests:   Charles Adams is an inspector for Minneapolis Police Department's Fourth Precinct. He's been with MPD since 1987 and is a member of the Police and Black Men Project.Guy Bowling is a nationally-recognized fatherhood leader and speaker, the former director of the FATHER Project, a federally-funded responsible fatherhood program, and a 2020 Bush Fellow. He is also a member of the Police and Black Men Project.Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.   Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.     

Want to heal the world? Start by healing yourself first.   For this Women of Color Rise episode, Analiza talks with Sarah White, Oglala Lakota and Executive Director of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition (SDEEC) and 2019 Bush Fellow.    Raised to value spirituality and education, Sarah saw how the system was failing her people with indigenous people falling further behind in the achievement gap. She decided to found SDEEC, a grassroots movement of community stakeholders committed to promoting diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning for future generations.    After years of working, Sarah noticed that her response to coping with trauma was achievement to give her a sense of self-worth. She realized that if she wanted to heal her community and world, she needed to start by heal herself.   Sarah shares strategies to heal: Develop awareness of where we find your self-worth. For Sarah, she realized that she had been seeking worthiness through achievement. She believed that achieving would lead to wellness and being happy. This pattern of thinking set her up on a never ending cycle of looking outward instead of inward. Notice that when we focus on outward success, we are the furthest away from ourselves. When we are on the hamster wheel of striving for outward achievement, we lose sight of our own belief in ourselves, that we are enough as we are. We can come back to ourselves to heal. This includes self-care, even basic things like not skipping meals and drinking water. Let go of martyrdom. Sarah shares that women generally more often than men suffer and martyr ourselves, falsely believing that it's going to contribute to some sort of prosperity. But that's never going to be sustainable. The key is to nurture our spirits, focus on healing, and recognize that this is going to be synonymous with the healing that we need to see within our professional work as well.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/ep-67-heal-the-world-by-healing-yourself-with-sarah-white

Jeannie Ann's Grandma Has Breast Cancer by Diane DaviesJeannie Ann is a typical six-year-old. When she learns her grandma has breast cancer, it brings up the fears, questions, emotions, and misunderstandings that come with facing a medical challenge. With her loving family by her side, Jeannie Ann learns about what cancer can bring; tumors, mastectomies, chemotherapy, pain, and loss, but also hope. Jeannie Ann's Grandma Has Breast Cancer is a story written with honesty, love, and understanding for children of all ages.Diane Davies traveled her own breast cancer journey in 2004. The blessings of a wonderful family, supportive friends, and an outstanding medical team made it possible for her to come through the experience stronger, wiser, and filled with a need to reach out and help others. She has volunteered with the Hastings Breast Cancer Support Group to produce a DVD series entitled Voices of Hope and published the books From There to Here: A Breast Cancer Journey and Breast Cancer Saved My Life. As a Bush Fellow, Davies also helped create a nonprofit advocating for breast cancer patients.https://www.amazon.com/Jeannie-Anns-Grandma-Breast-Cancer/dp/164343991X/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=6KDTW3RZ0T7C&keywords=Jeannie+Ann%27s+Grandma+Has+Breast+Cancer&qid=1693884960&sprefix=jeannie+ann%27s+grandma+has+breast+cancer%2Caps%2C295&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1https://dianedavies.com/https://penculturesolutions.com/http://www.bluefunkroadcasting.com/root/twia/91423ddpc.mp3   

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 - Joe Williams in one of this year's Bush Fellows. Director of Native American Programming at the Plains Art Museum by day, we visit about how he'll use the fellowship money to change the perception of Native American art from niche to a valued part of the region's identity. ~~~ Chuck Lura tells us about the sneaky way cowbirds get other birds to care for their eggs. ~~~ There's nothing quite like sitting around a bonfire. Particularly if that fire is surrounded by a steel structure, nearly 7 feet tall with two multiple angular shapes that spin and a platform for a second, elevated fire. Hunter Nickel made just such a sculpture for a recent midsummer camping festival. ~~~ We share a Tell Tale: Dakota Folklife and Stories episode about a war bride.

Monday, June 26, 2023 - The Green Dot is a bystander intervention program that seeks to engage and mobilize community members in their role in preventing violence. Joining us are Anna St. Amant, prevention education director and Aaron Hochstetler, Green Dot violence prevention coordinator, both in conjunction with the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center in Fargo. ~~~ Work is underway on a possible Bird Flu vaccine, as Harvest Public Media's Katie Peikes reports. ~~~ Hillary Kempenich is an Anishinaabe artist and knowledge-keeper, and one of this year's Bush Fellows. She's using the time and money from the fellowship to broaden our understanding of indigenous people and practices. ~~~ Plains Folk ~~~ BirdNote.

In the Moment remembers Buddy Red Bow, chats with Bush Fellow Willette Capers, and catches up with Kevin Woster before discussing the "National Dish."

It's Pride month, and for our ongoing Changemakers series, MPR News is featuring trans and nonbinary individuals who are making a difference in our community. One of those Changemakers is Rox Anderson. They're a longtime Minneapolis resident with decades of experience serving LGBT communities as an activist, a creative, and a health worker. Anderson is the director of the Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition and a former Bush Fellow. They're currently working on a campaign to improve health outcomes for queer people across the region. Reporter Feven Gerezgiher talks with Anderson about their work creating safe spaces for LGBT people, especially those who are most marginalized.

A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, Chef Sean Sherman was born and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Cooking in kitchens across the United States and Mexico for over 30 years, Chef Sean is renowned nationally and internationally in the culinary movement of Indigenous foods. His primary focus is the revitalization and evolution of Indigenous foods systems throughout North America. His extensive studies on the foundations of Indigenous food systems have led to his deep understanding of what is needed to showcase Native American cuisine in today's world. In 2014, Chef Sean opened the business, The Sioux Chef, designed to provide catering and food education in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. He and his business partner, Dana Thompson, also designed and opened the Tatanka Truck, which featured 100% pre-contact foods of the Dakota and Minnesota territories. In October 2017, Sean and his team presented the first decolonized dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in Manhattan. His first book, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, received the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook for 2018 and was chosen one of the top ten cookbooks of 2017 by the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Smithsonian magazine. That same year, Chef Sean was selected as a Bush Fellow and received the 2019 Leadership Award from the James Beard Foundation. Chef Sean currently serves on the leadership committee of the James Beard Foundation Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans and was recently awarded The Ashoka Fellowship. In July 2021, Chef Sean and his partner Dana opened Owamni by The Sioux Chef, Minnesota's first full service Indigenous restaurant, featuring healthy Indigenous food and drinks. Owamni received the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in June 2022. The Sioux Chef team continues with their mission to help educate and make Indigenous foods more accessible to as many communities as possible through their non-profit arm, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS) and the accompanying Indigenous Food Lab professional Indigenous kitchen and training center. Working to address the economic and health crises affecting Native communities by re-establishing Native foodways, NĀTIFS imagines a new North American food system that generates wealth and improves health in Native communities through food-related enterprises. On this episode, Sean joins host Mitchell Davis and discusses preserving culinary traditions of Native American communities, advocating for Indigenous food systems globally, and navigating cultural appropriation in the 21st century.  

A Black Man's Sketch Season 3, Episode 3: “FATHERHOOD” Ujamaa Place brothers Bryant, Maurice, Kaylan, Antino, Julio and Wes discuss “Fatherhood” with Guy Bowling, Senior Manager of THE FATHER Project About Guy Bowling Guy Bowling is the Senior Manager of the FATHER Project, a program of Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota. In that role, he has overseen the successful implementation of 3 federally funded grants. Including a five-year $2.5 million annual grant project in 2012 funded through the federal Department of Health and Human Services, through the Office of Family Assistance (OFA). His specific area of focus is working with low-income, non-custodial, never married fathers and their families in culturally specific, multi-racial, multi-ethnic and rural communities. He received his B.A in Individualized Studies from Metro State University. He received his Master of Public Affairs degree (MPA) at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He received the Outstanding Individual of the Year Award at the 2014 Minnesota Fathers and Families Network Annual Conference. Born in Chicago, Illinois Guy grew up in North Minneapolis, MN where he annually hosts the Festival of Fathers & Families event, the largest fatherhood convening's statewide focused on building relationships, co-parenting, connecting, celebrating fatherhood and providing resources for Fathers, Men, Boys and Families. He was selected as a 2020 Bush Fellow through the Bush Foundation Fellowship Program. For more information about the Father Project, go to: https://www.goodwilleasterseals.org/services/family-stability/father This episode is dedicated to all Ujamaa Men who strive to be a good father and put in the work to connect with their family under the connect with family Theory of Transformation program requirement.

Our guest this time is Sylvia Bartley. She grew up in England and, after college, entered a career in clinical research. Along the way she joined Medtronic where she held positions in sales and marketing. Later she became interested in deep brain stimulation which lead her to combine past clinical experiences with her sales and marketing knowledge.   You will get to hear Sylvia tell her story including how she moved through several jobs to a place where, as she will tell us, she transitioned more to a social orientation working to help different minority groups and, in fact, all of us to benefit from the medical advances she helped to bring about and introduce socially to the world.   Sylvia left Medtronic earlier this year. She will tell us of her plans and desires. I promise that Sylvia's time with us is inspiring and well worth your hearing. You can even visit her website where you can hear her own podcast. Enjoy Silvia and be inspired.     About the Guest: Sylvia Bartley is a health equity thought leader and influencer widely recognized as a neuroscientist, an advocate, and champion of social change, dedicated to advancing health equity through addressing barriers to care for minoritized communities and by addressing the social determinants of health. Sylvia's work is guided by a greater spiritual purpose rooted in mindfulness and intentionality.   She has dedicated most of her professional career to creating opportunities for individuals living with chronic diseases to receive access to medical technologies. For the last 20 years, Sylvia has worked for Medtronic, the world's leading healthcare technology company, where she has held roles in sales, marketing, physician education, and philanthropy. During this time, Sylvia has led global teams to disseminate best surgical practices, advanced techniques, and products to treat Parkinson's Disease and other movement disorders. Most recently, Sylvia helped Medtronic develop an enterprise-wide health equity strategy aligned with customer interests, challenging disease states, and patient needs.   As part of this work, Sylvia engages healthcare leaders, patients, and other stakeholders to uncover and address barriers patients face in receiving high-quality treatment for chronic illnesses. Her commitment to this effort promises to help transform how minoritized communities work with their healthcare providers to manage their chronic conditions.   Her dedication to reducing healthcare disparities extends to her civic engagement. She provides minoritized communities with information and resources to help them make informed choices about critical conditions linked with social determinants of health (SDOH), including education, housing, economic stability, and environmental factors. She employs multiple platforms to reach and support communities, including board memberships with the African American Leadership Forum, the Association of Black Foundation Executives, and The Johnson Stem Activity Centre. She is also an advisory member for the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering for Georgia Tech and Emory University and a Regent for Augsburg University in MN.   Sylvia took her work to a new platform when she published her first book, “Turning the Tide: Neuroscience, Spirituality, and My Path Toward Emotional Health,” which outlines the links between our brains and our souls while inspiring readers to change the world with that knowledge.   During her spare time, Sylvia hosts a long-standing weekly community public affairs radio show and podcast, The More We Know Community Show. She interviews change-makers who level the playing field for all minorities by breaking barriers in their careers, lives, and communities.   Sylvia has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Top 100 Most Influential and Powerful Black Briton awards, in 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. In 2021, she was awarded the Medtronic HR Stewardship Award and earned recognition for her service and commitment to the Twin Cities in 2020 with the African American Leadership Forum Community Award. Women in Business Award in 2017, and Diversity in Business Awards in 2013 from Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Sylvia is also a 2014 Bush Fellow and AARP/Pollen's 50 over 50 award recipient.   Sylvia earned a Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from St. Barts and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry and holds a bachelor's degree in Pharmacology from the University of London.       About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:21 Hi, everyone, welcome to unstoppable mindset. Glad to see you wherever you happen to be. I am your host, Mike Hingson. And our guest today is Sylvia Bartley, who is a thought leader or neuroscientist. And I'm not going to tell you any more than that, because we're going to make her tell you her whole story. Sylvia, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Sylvia Bartley  01:41 Thank you, Michael, it's a pleasure to be here with you today.   Michael Hingson  01:45 Well, I was reading your bio. And there is there is a lot there. I know you've done a lot in dealing with diversity and equity and so on. And we'll talk about inclusion and you are a neuroscientist, which is fascinating in of itself. But why don't we start Tell me a little bit about you maybe growing up just how you started and how you got kind of where you are?   Sylvia Bartley  02:06 Yeah, happy to. So where do I start? I think I grew up in the UK, born and bred. And born to two Caribbean parents, my parents are from St. Lucia and Jamaica. And they came to England in the 50s because of the promise of jobs and great access and opportunities. And so they came across they met and they had four children. And growing up in the UK, it was it was a fairly good experience. I won't say the experience racism, or any such thing directly. I was in a predominantly white neighborhood, I went to a very good Catholic school, where I received an excellent education. And I went on to work in the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, where I became a research technician. And I worked there for 13 years. And during my tenure there, I did lots of research on the somatosensory cortex, looking at brain plasticity, and long term potentiation and memory and learning. And so this was a very new field. For me, this was not something I aspire to do. When I was growing up in school, I was very intrigued and very engaged in that particular area in neurophysiology, and I was surrounded by these phenomenal academics and teachers, that really taught me a lot. And during that time, that's when I got my first degree in applied biology specializing in psychopharmacology and my second degree, my PhD in neurophysiology. And again, my work was on the somatosensory cortex, looking at brain plasticity, in response to our experience, our innocuous experience. And I was very intrigued by that work. I'm very intrigued by the the kind of deep, intrinsic pneus of the brain and the function of the brain and obviously, how it really controls everything that we do. But I knew after I did my PhD that I wanted to do some more work that was more clinical facing. And so I left the academic environment and I entered into the medical device field, where I started off in cells, selling wires and stents, interventional cardiology, in the heart of London to the big cardiac centers. And then I quickly transitioned into Medtronic, the large the largest standalone medical device company in the world, and a solid themselves of intrathecal baclofen for B, and then quickly moved to a Furby called Deep Brain Stimulation. And there I was in heaven because that really married the work I did in kind of basic clinical science and, and medicine to the clinical application. And with this therapy And it was approved to be used for patients with Parkinson's disease dystonia, a central tremor. Now, it's for epilepsy OCD. And there's lots of research not approved yet in clinical depression, and other areas. So very taken up. And my work was literally to go to different hospitals that did deep brain stimulation, and train the neurosurgeons and the neurosurgical teams, how to do the DBS procedure, in particular, how to use the advanced technologies that Medtronic brought to this particular Furby. So it was a really fantastic job, it took me too many hours on it, you know, the fabulous surgeons are great minds out there, doing the work. And in addition to that, I met loads of patients and their families, particularly patients living with Parkinson's disease, and when he got to understand their pathway and their experience, and how this therapy really helped to alleviate their symptoms, so it could improve their quality of lives. And that role took me across the United Kingdom. And then, you know, it expanded to Western Europe. So every day, I'll get up and I'll get on a plane to a different country, a different hospital, a different neurosurgical team and spend the best part of my days in a while during a DBS procedure, working with the neurosurgeon and their teams to make sure we disseminate those best procedural practices using the technology. And one of the things I loved about that particular role is I could use the electrophysiological experience that I had in a medical school, doing the single cell recordings in vitro, and do that literally on patients with Parkinson's disease, to identify the brain structures in order for for the physician to locate the lead in an accurate location.   Michael Hingson  06:54 Well, tell me, tell me a little bit more, if you would about deep brain stimulation, what is it? What what do you do? And just kind of help us understand a little bit more about that, if you would?   Sylvia Bartley  07:05 Yeah, sure. So deep brain stimulation is actually a therapy where you apply an a very fine electrode into deep structures of the brain, and the structures that you implant the electrode, they have to be approved structures. So things under the FDA or the to have approval, and you apply chronic stimulation by a an implantable pulse generator that's implanted under the skin, in in the clavicle area. And it's connected by these electrodes and extension cord into that deep structure of the brain. So it's an internal system, it's a medical device that is in is implanted into the patient, and it stays in there. And basically, you control the device and the amount of current that you apply through the electrodes, through the battery through telemetry. And it's been around now for over 35 years. It's proven, particularly in the area of parkinson disease, as I mentioned earlier, it's using other therapy areas, but it really does alleviate the symptoms of these movement disorders. And these movement disorders, they're kind of de neurodegenerative, ie they get worse over time, primarily, not everybody, but most people. So you have the ability to adjust the settings remotely via to military to make sure you're applying the right stimulation. And it's really important that the lead is placed accurately. And that the stimulation is only stimulating that area, because it's surrounded by these other complicated structures. And if you stimulate those areas, you can get side effects that are not, you know, that makes it very uncomfortable and, you know, almost sometimes unbearable. So you've got to be precise in your location, and in your stimulation of parameters, and it's tailored to the patient. Now, this isn't suitable for every patient, there is a selection criteria, the neurologist, the movement disorder, numerologist plays the role in selecting the patients making sure they meet the selection criteria. And they also play the important role of managing the parameters and the stimulation parameters after the lead is implanted. So you're really kind of connected to this device for the rest of your life. It does improve the quality of your life, it's in the right area of the brain and the stimulation parameters are accurate, and you're a right fit for this particular therapy. And it's done all over the world in in many different countries literally, it's probably got approvals in in most countries. Now what I will say is the regulatory approvals are different in every country. So not every condition is approved. But typically, Parkinson disease dystonia is approved throughout the world.   Michael Hingson  09:59 You If so, when the electrodes and the devices is implanted, and you begin to use it, and I appreciate that, you need to clearly know what you're doing. And you need to be very careful. Other than let's take Parkinson's as an example where you are, the visible signs are that you're, you're changing the amount of improper movements or unwanted movements and so on. What is the patient feel?   Sylvia Bartley  10:31 Well, that's a great question. So clearly, before they come to us, they've reached a certain point in their pathway, where the medication is not working well for them, they probably get an imbalance of complications or side effects as opposed to clinical benefits. So it comes to a point in their journey, depending on how far the condition advances, that there is a surgical intervention. And there's many other surgical intervention like vagal nerve stimulation, but deep brain stimulation is one of them. And at the early stages, it was almost like the the very end like you have to be very advanced. But with all the technology, now it can be done kind of earlier in the pathway, but the patients are kind of in a in a bad way, when they get to the point of having deep brain stimulation. And so during the surgery, typically, not always, typically, because the procedure is done in so many different ways. But typically, the patient is awake, there are local anesthesia, Ebenezer daily, they're awake, and they're awake, because when you put the lead in the brain, during the procedure, then you ologists comes in and does what they call physiological testing. So they can apply stimulation during the surgery to make sure that it's really doing what it's supposed to do alleviate the symptoms, and not without any side effects. So they do a battery or test and application of different stimulation parameters. And the patient can respond directly to say, Well, yeah, you know, you can see if the tremors stop in or if the dystonia is, is been averted, but also the patient can tell you how they're feeling.   Michael Hingson  12:14 So they can say things like, and I don't know that you're anywhere near the part of the brain that does that. But you can say things like, I'm hearing a high pitched tone, or I'm hearing a noise or I'm hearing music, which, as I said, may not be anywhere near where you're talking about. But the point is, and I've heard about that before and read about it before, where many times during operations involving the brain, the neurologists would be asking a patient exactly what they sense because, in part, they're mapping different parts of the brain, but they want to make sure that, that they're either getting the results that they want, or they discover something new, which is always helpful.   Sylvia Bartley  12:52 Yeah, exactly. And they do map the brain. And that's why electrophysiological recordings is a good way of doing it. And now we have advanced technologies, there's multiple electrodes that can apply stimulation in different ways. So it really does advance the way in which we do the procedure. But you're absolutely right, we do them up and they make sure they don't get any side effects. For example, your vision, you're near the areas in the brain that is related to your optic nerve, and you want to make sure that they're not getting any double vision or their eyes are not moving towards their nose and sweating is another one. And you know, dystonia putting up the side of the mouth, it is another one as well. So these are very serious side effects that can impact their quality of life. So the goal is to improve it. So making sure that we get the best optimal outcomes. And that's why it's typically done away. But there's now lots of advancements in medical technology and there's lots of research and people looking into doing the procedure asleep. Because it is uncomfortable for the patient. They've got a stereotactic frame on their head, it looks like age, they've got four pins in their head, you know, someone's drilling a 14 millimeter burr hole in their scar while they're awake. So you know, I go to the dentist and having my teeth drilled under local anesthesia is very uncomfortable. So I can't imagine what it feels like when you're in your worst state because the patient is not on medication, because we want them to have the symptoms of Parkinson's. So when we apply this stimulation, and look at me saying we I am so used to saying I want to say they apply this stimulation, you want to see that it's been alleviated. So the patient is not very, not feeling very well anyway, and then they have to go through this procedure, which can last anything from two hours if it's done asleep and experience hand to seven, eight hours. And so it's a long time for the patient. So you know the but the patient is so relieved, grateful and just kind of elated. When the symptoms are alleviated, and their quality of life has been improved, so if I was to like dystonic patients as well, where they have very severe distortion as muscle contractions, and they're, they're in the most kind of painful positions. And it's almost like a miracle, I used to call it the miracle cure, even though it doesn't cure the illness, but it really does alleviate those horrific symptoms that really does impair their quality of life.   Michael Hingson  15:32 Does it have does it have an effect on longevity? If you're using deep brain stimulation? And if it's working, does it? I know, it's not a cure? But does it have any effect on the person's longevity?   Sylvia Bartley  15:46 To be honest, I'm not sure about the return, if there's any recent findings about this, but to my knowledge, no, it doesn't stop or slow down the progression of the condition, alleviates the symptoms. And I haven't looked recently into any research to see if that is different. But you know, for a very long time, there was no evidence to support that it slows it down just improves the quality of life by alleviating the symptoms.   Michael Hingson  16:13 Yeah, so it's dealing with the symptoms, and certainly not the cause. When the surgery is is occurring, or afterward, I'm assuming may be incorrectly but having gone through one just as part of a test many years ago, I assume that there are differences that show up when the brain is stimulated, that show up on an EEG. What do you mean? Well, so if I'm watching, if I'm watching on an electroencephalograph and watching a person's brain patterns, and so on, are there changes when the brain is being stimulated? Can you tell anything from that or is it strictly by watching the patient and their symptoms disappearing or or going away to a great degree?   Sylvia Bartley  16:58 Yeah, so primarily, it's watching the symptoms disappear by but then secondarily, there are new technologies, where we look at local field potentials. And the electrode is connected to an implantable pulse generator that has the ability to sense and monitor brainwaves during the chronic stimulation. And again, this is called local field potentials and sensing. And the idea there is, hopefully to identify when you can stimulate as opposed to applying chronic stimulation to do many things, one, if you can anticipate or identify a marker in the brain. And if you stimulate to reduce that marker, you can reduce the symptoms. And so it's almost like a closed loop, closed loop system. And that will also have an impact on the battery life. Because one of the challenges with deep brain stimulation is you've got to, obviously, it's driven by battery is an implantable pulse generator, we want to make it as small and as powerful as possible to to have clinical effect. And so battery life and longevity is something that's constantly being looked at. And this is a way of reducing the battery, we have rechargeables now, but still, after a period of time, like nine or 10 years, you still have to replace implantable pulse generator, because the battery, you know, life needs to be replenished or changed in one of the not not replenished. But you need to change the battery, because there's no guarantee that it can recharge at the rate that it could before.   Michael Hingson  18:40 So I asked, I asked a question only basically because being a physics guy, I love quantitative things as opposed to qualitative things. And that's why I was asking if there are ways to see differences in in brain patterns and so on. That may be a totally irrelevant question. But that's why I asked the question.   Sylvia Bartley  18:57 Yeah, no, no, not at all. Like I said, sensing is a thing now that they are monitoring and looking for biomarkers and looking at brain activities. While it's in the patient, and that's very advanced, because that hasn't been done before. So yeah,   Michael Hingson  19:13 yeah, it's definitely cutting edge. I'd use that term. It's bleeding edge technology. Yeah, absolutely. In a lot of ways.   Sylvia Bartley  19:21 Absolutely. But you know, I've been out of DBS now for, let's say, six years. So I may not be as common as I used to be. But that's that's the basis and the premise of it.   Michael Hingson  19:32 Well, people have called you a unicorn. What do you think about that and why? I had to ask.   Sylvia Bartley  19:39 And I love that question. And I think they call Well, what they tell me I'm a unicorn is that I have this very diverse background. There's not many people like me, that can talk about Deep Brain Stimulation at the level that I do and have that technical experience and reputation that I did globally to be there. DBS expert. And then secondly, you know, I am this corporate person that worked a lot in marketing and lived in three different countries, very culturally fluid and diverse, and known as a good leader of people, and definitely, with some strong business acumen, but then I think they call me a unicorn, because I'm very much engaged in community, particularly the black community. And as you know, there are many disparities in the black communities or communities of color. And I'm kind of driven, it's just within me to really work and use the skills and connections that I have to help create conditions that everybody thrives in communities, no matter who they are, the conditions they were born into, and their circumstances. And I really live that out, I really work hard in communities voluntarily, to really advance equity, whether it's education, health, or economic, economic wealth. And I do that very seriously. And I think that's really given me a reputation of being a community leader, particularly in Minnesota in the Twin Cities where I live for nine years. I love Minnesota, I love the community. And I really love working in the Twin Cities community to advance equity, because the Twin Cities has one of the largest disparities when it comes to all of those social determinants of health. And for many years, it was ranked the second worst state in the country, for African Americans to live based on the disparities in those social determinants of health. So there is a knowledge and an awareness and a propensity and willingness of many people from diverse backgrounds, to come together to try and solve that, to make Minnesota a great place for everybody to live, work and play. And so really got engaged in that in that arena. And I think that's what really got me my reputation of being not just a corporate leader, but community lead and very passionate about doing that work. And I've also heard that people find it difficult to do both my job was very demanding, it was a global job. I literally traveled globally, even when I was doing philanthropy, but, but when I came back home, just getting seriously engaged in a community and doing it at a serious level, and being very impactful on it. And that's why I think people call me a unicorn, because I have this passion for community, particularly advancing the minoritized communities together with, you know, being a corporate leader and doing that well. And that's my understanding why people call me a unicorn. But also I think, I don't fit into a box, I, when you look at my resume, you say, well, there's a lot on there, I've done a lot, but they're all very different. You know, I've got this passion for emotional Alpha got this passion for neuroscience, I got a passion for community, I've got a passion for philanthropy. I've done marketing and, and strategy and operations. And so you know, I like to blend all of those together, and do the work to advance equity, particularly, in particular health equity. But that is no cookie cutter cookie cutter role, you know, and so that's why I think I'm very kind of unique and different in that way. Well, it's   Michael Hingson  23:19 interesting, you clearly started out with a very technical background. And you have evolved in a sense, if you will, from that, or you have allowed yourself to diversify and to go into other areas, as you said, into marketing and such as that, how did that come about? And you because you, you clearly had carved out a great niche in a lot of specific technical ways. And you clearly have a great technical knowledge. And I'm a great fan of people who can take knowledge from one arena, and and use the skills that you learn from that elsewhere. Like, from being very technical. My master's degree is in physics. And I started out doing scientific things and then, through circumstances went into sales. So I appreciate where you're coming from. But how did you make that transition? Or how did you add that to what you do maybe is a better way to put it?   Sylvia Bartley  24:19 Yeah, I think I just want to go to path and purpose. I think it was just my path. And I was open unconsciously in following my path because I really did not have like a five or 10 year career goal, to say this is my trajectory. But what I did have was passion and love for certain things. And I love neurophysiology. I love working with physicians. I love being in a clinical setting. And I love working in a business environment as well. And I love teaching. When I was on the in the academic institution. I did a lot of teaching. The roles I did initially in a medical device industry was teaching as they call it a sales rep role, but when you're working with therapies, in medical device, you're teaching people a lot about the firm a lot about your devices, the science behind your devices, and you're bringing people together, you're, you're holding meetings. And in order to be an expert, you're constantly learning. And then you're also teaching. And so what I was doing the kind of technical role, I was also very strategic in that, you know, just imagine I was traveling around, let's just say, Western Europe at this point, different countries, and coming across different challenges in a procedure, and noticing, you know, talking to my colleagues that they had the same challenge, and we will problem solve together. And then every day, there's a new challenge, right? So every day, we went to a different procedure, every day, we learned something new because there was a new challenge or something appeared that didn't happen before. And so, in my mind, I wanted to go from a one on one teaching and improvement to how can I do this more strategically? So really thinking across Western Europe to say, how can we teach all these other folks that are also a specialist in these areas, about what we're learning and how to mitigate those challenges that we're having. So that transition for me having to been very technical, with great experience to being a leader of other technical people, where I put together trainings and programs for both staff that were experts, and also physicians, who were doing deep brain stimulation. So we developed a program in Western Europe that's still alive and well today and scaled significantly with young neurosurgeons on how to do the DBS procedure. And so working with physicians from across Western Europe to develop this curriculum, and execute it really well, that it's, again, serving and and really helping to train hundreds of neurosurgeons. You know, it just went from the doing the technical to the teaching, externally and internally, and then also being very strategic, to say, how can we work to improve all of these challenges that we're seeing, and it came, you know, with me moving to Switzerland, to be the procedure solutions, Senior Product Manager for Western Europe, where I really took on this role, and it was very much more strategic. And that's how I got into marketing. I never did an MBA, you know, I did some really great trainings with the Wharton School marketing fundamentals, etc. But I never did a dedicated like two year MBA, but I just learned through experience in and I and re exposure, great leaders to learn from, and it just evolved from there   Michael Hingson  27:45 in sales. What what specifically were you selling? What product   Sylvia Bartley  27:51 sells, so variety of product wise instance? So interventional interventional cardiology, stent, some wires, and that was that was probably the hardest sell, because it's a stent and a wire and there was many companies out there, are you very competitive? So you know, what differentiates yours from another? So I really cut my teeth on sales, selling that product in the Highlander that was highly competitive.   Michael Hingson  28:18 Did you did you? Did you ever have a situation where you were selling and working with a customer? And and I don't know whether this applies to you and what you sold? But did you ever have a situation where you discovered that your product might not be the best product for them? Or would that come up with what you were selling?   Sylvia Bartley  28:40 Um, I gotta say no, because what we what we were selling? No. So if I think about the whys instead, no, because it's a oneness den and anybody that needed to have that procedure, they needed one guy. Now, clearly, there were differences in sizes, and the type of stent, but our stents were very applicable to most situations as as long as we had the appropriate sizes. This would work in terms of intrathecal, baclofen and kind of capital equipment for deep brain stimulation that was very specific to the customer and their needs. And I will, I will say this on a podcast, I work for the best medical device company in the world, of course. And I still stand by that I believe our products are the best in the business, particularly when it comes to deep brain stimulation. We founded this Virpi alongside Professor Bennett bead in Grenoble, in France. In the 1980s. We were kind of the founders of this Philippian and a product we had a monopoly, but over 25 years, I'm not saying that makes us the best but we got the great experience the know how new technology, and I want to correct myself I keep saying we I no longer work for this company, but I've been there for 20 years. So get out of that same so I just want to be very clear to the audience. This is my past role, and I'm not longer work with with them. But again, it was a long time. And I did DBS for about 15 years. So it's very near and dear to my heart. But I do believe they have the best product still today, and are doing exceptionally well, alleviating those symptoms for those particular therapy.   Michael Hingson  30:15 You raise a good point, though, but habits are sometimes not easy to break. It's been 21 years since I worked well, 20 years since I worked for Quantum. And I still say we so it's okay. Thank you, we understand. And I asked the question, because we had products that I sold, that were similar to products from other companies. But there were differences. And sometimes our products might not meet a customer's need. Whereas other products had differences that made them a better fit. And I was just curious to see if you really found that and it sounds like you didn't really have that kind of an issue. And so you had to sell in part based on other things like the reputation of the company, the quality of the company, and other things like that, which, which is perfectly reasonable and makes perfect sense.   Sylvia Bartley  31:09 Yeah, I mean, there's also the kind of referral side of this. And that's where that's where the work is. And the decisions almost have been done, where you have to identify the right patient for the therapy. And then once that is done, and the patient is selected, then it's which device, you know. And at that point, our devices is suitable for all patients that knee deep brain stimulation.   Michael Hingson  31:31 Yeah. So you're, you're going at it in a different way, you need to find the people who had fits in that makes perfect sense. Well, what really caused you to have that? Well, let me ask you something else. First, I, well, I'll ask this, I started and I'll finish it, what would cause you to have the drive and the passion that you have now for more of a social kind of connection and moving into more dealing with social issues, as it were?   Sylvia Bartley  32:00 Well, you know, as a well, let me put it this way. When I was working, doing all of this therapy, traveling the world   Sylvia Bartley  32:12 1000s of DBS procedures, and working with lots of people, I didn't come across many people of color that were receiving these therapies, for whatever reason, and it kind of strikes me as odd. Because it, it shouldn't be a phobia for the privilege, it should be a phobia for everybody. And, you know, United States insurance, and access has a lot to do with that, and outside the United States. You know, I still didn't see it. So anybody, actually, I think I probably saw two black people receiving this burpee. So I've always been mindful of things like that. And obviously, as a black person, I'm very mindful and aware of disparities and discrimination. And I've always had a heart to address discrimination, or not discrimination, equity, as I mentioned earlier on in a discussion. So I've always looked at the world through that lens, in everything that I do. And I always try and do whatever I can, to to help or advance equity. It's just something that will never leave me. And so you know, even at the tender age of 27, when I was a single parent of two children, I got engaged in community, I became the Chair of a large nonprofit that provided subsidized childcare for lone parents. And I did that because there was discrimination in their practices against people of color. And I really wanted to help advance that work by helping to develop policies and programs and a culture, you know, was for everybody. And I worked with the NHS, the non executive team voluntarily, I was a lay chair for the independent review panel, looking at cases where people complained against the NHS for lots of things, including discrimination. But that wasn't the only kind of topic. And it's just work that I continue to do. And when I moved to United States, I just got deeply involved in that as well. So it came to the point after 15 years in in one kind of area of expertise, where I had my foot in both camps of foot in the community, working lots of nonprofits voluntarily to doing the work in a corporation. And really, you know, always wondering how I can marry the two or should I cross over and go deeply into community work. And five years later, here I am, I've left the corporation and I'm taking a little bit of a break, but I really want to get back into working for a nonprofit, close to community Either he's advancing equity, hopefully in health, or around those social determinants of health. So it's just something that's been a red thread throughout my career in life. And I really want to double down on it now, at this point in my career, this point in the world where everything is super crazy, and polarize, and really do whatever I can, and leverage my experience, in healthcare, in community in philanthropy, to advance equity for everybody.   Michael Hingson  35:29 So you mentioned NHS and NHS is what   Sylvia Bartley  35:32 I'm sorry, NHS is a national health service in the UK, it's valuable for data that provides a health service where you pay a nominal amount if you're working. I forget what the percentage is, but you pay a very tiny amount that comes out of your salary, you don't even notice it. And everyone has access to health care.   Michael Hingson  35:51 Got it? So when did you leave med tech?   Sylvia Bartley  35:54 I left my tech at the end of June this year to only recent, this recent Yeah. Hi, gosh.   Michael Hingson  36:03 So what are you doing now? Or are you are working for anyone or you just took a break for a little while to recoup and reassess?   Sylvia Bartley  36:11 Yeah, I've taken a little bit of a break. It's amazing how tired I've been I you know, I've been working really hard globally for the last God knows how many years 3030 plus years. So just welcomed a little bit of a break. Yes, I am looking for other opportunities again, in primarily in a nonprofit space to do the community poster community where wherever I apologize with advancing equity minoritized communities that hopefully, health equity. So I'm looking at doing that. And yeah, we'll just see what happens. But at the moment, I am volunteering at a fabulous nonprofit organization here in Atlanta, called the Johnson stem activity center. It's an organization that was founded by Dr. Lonnie Johnson. He's an inventor of the Super Soaker. And they run some phenomenal programs, robotic programs, computing, computer programs, egaming, coding, virtual reality for students, but particularly for minoritized communities. In this particular center, they give them access to equipment and resources and teams to really get engaged in STEM through these programs. And I just love working. Now unfortunately, I don't live too far away. I go there during the week, and I work with Dr. Johnson and Linda Moore, who oversee this organization together with other entities, and is really taken aback because it's a heart of Atlanta, it's very community driven. And they're doing some excellent work. And to see the young students, particularly those from minoritized communities, build robots and their eyes light up when they're talking about STEM, and what they want to be like an astronaut or cybersecurity, you know, it's just, it's just amazing. So that takes up a lot of my time together with networking, and, you know, socializing. So, and that's what I'm doing right now.   Michael Hingson  38:08 So are you in Atlanta or Minneapolis? Now, Minneapolis?   Sylvia Bartley  38:12 I've been here two years. Yes. Okay.   Michael Hingson  38:15 So you don't get to have as many snowball fights in Atlanta, as you did in Minneapolis. St. Paul?   Sylvia Bartley  38:20 Yeah. No. And it was too cold to have snowball fights. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  38:29 Well, you know, it's, it's one of those subjects worth exploring? Well, I have to ask this just because I'm, I'm curious and as you know, from looking at me a little bit, dealing a lot with with disabilities, and so on. So with the with the organization that you're you're volunteering with, and as they're creating games and so on, do they do anything to make the things that they do inclusive, accessible, safe for people who happen to be blind or low vision or have other disabilities? Has that been something that they've thought about or might be interested in thinking about? Because clearly, if we're really going to talk about inclusion, that's an area where we tend to generally as a society missed the mark.   Sylvia Bartley  39:14 Yeah, absolutely. Inclusion, you know, includes people with disabilities. It sure. Yeah, absolutely. So I think we are set up for that. I don't know we have any students that fall into that category, to be honest, because there's anything from 5000 to 10,000 students that pass through that center per year, but it's definitely something I will go back and ask them about, but I know the facilities itself is is accessible for everybody. So   Michael Hingson  39:48 well. Accessibility from a physical standpoint is part of it. Yeah, but but then you've got the other issues like documentation and other things for a blind person for example to read but the the reason And I'm bringing up the question is, a lot of times, and I'm not saying in any way that that's what you're experiencing, but a lot of times I hear when I talk to people about whether what they do is inclusive. Well, we've never had blind students, or we've never had a person with this disability or that disability. And the problem is, that's true. But you know, which comes first the chicken or the egg? Do you need to have the students before you make the inclusion happen? Or do you make the inclusion happen, and then tell people so that they will come because so often, most of us just don't pay attention to or even think about trying to pay attention to things where there isn't access, because we're just working hard to deal with what we can get some inclusion and accessibility out. Oh, so the other things never really get our focus. And it has to start somewhere. And typically, from my experience, it really happens best when somebody starts the process of making sure that there is inclusion, accessiBe that I worked for, that makes products that helped make websites more inclusive and available to persons with disabilities started, because it's an Israeli company where the law said you got to make websites accessible. And the guys who started it, actually, first work for a company well started a company that made websites. And then two years after they formed the company, Israel came along and said, You got to make our websites accessible. So then they started doing it. And the the population of customers for accessiBe has grown tremendously, because people recognize the value of doing it. And it's not mostly overly expensive to do. But it really starts better there than waiting for the demand. Because it should be part of the cost of doing business.   Sylvia Bartley  42:03 Yeah, absolutely. I agree with you. And JSOC, it's a it's a special place. Typically, people contact JSOC. And they say we want to bring our students here or run the programs in the facility. And so that's typically how kind of that kind of their programming works. You know, the programs are developed based on the partnerships. It is a smaller nonprofit. And we're trying to, you know, we're currently going to go into a capital campaign, so we can raise money to have staff, there's no staff there right now, it is all done by volunteers. And so you know, we really want to build the organization to have staff, so we can do better programming, we can scale and we can do more things that makes us more inclusive. Yeah. So yes, that's a really good point.   Michael Hingson  42:52 And volunteers are the heart and souls of nonprofits, and often really do shape the mission. And then it's, some of them become staff, of course, but it's up to the volunteers and the people to really shape the mission going forward. And then that's an important thing to do. So I'm with you.   Sylvia Bartley  43:13 Absolutely.   Michael Hingson  43:15 So where where is next for you? Do you have any notion yet? Or are you just enjoying what you're doing, and you're not yet overly concerned about some sort of way to get paid for what you do?   Sylvia Bartley  43:29 Right now, you know, there's a couple of irons in the fire was leave it at that, we'll see what pans out. I'm all about path and purpose and the universe, doing its thing. So we will see what happened there. But in the meantime, I'm continuing to do what I love, which is really getting involved volunteer, and, you know, network and do my podcast to go out to have a podcast. And that gives me more time to focus on that, because I'm purely doing that by myself. And making sure I get good guests and good topics and, you know, really providing information that can help our listeners make good decisions about their lifestyle. will tell us   Michael Hingson  44:08 more about the podcast about podcasts, because obviously we're on one now. So I'd love to love to learn more.   Sylvia Bartley  44:17 You know, podcasts is a way of getting information out there to to our listeners in a different way. Right? I think people are getting very tired or the traditional media outlets and podcasts is taken off. And my podcast is called the more we know, community show. Conversations cultivating change. And really again, it's focusing on addressing the social determinants of health by primarily for the black community. And I do that through storytelling, really having great guests that are changemakers leaders, really driving change either through their story of what they do, or you know, working with a nonprofit and also talking about equity and providing infant ation around health equity and what people need to know, in order to make good decisions about their health and their lifestyle. And it's all about information. And it's data driven information as well. And my guest often nominal third is, again, changemakers in their own right, and just very inspiring. And so I use this platform to tell them stories to tell their truths, to provide information. It's also a radio show in Minnesota on camo J, a 9.9 FM every Sunday at 12, noon, central time. So I got to produce this thing on a weekly basis. So that takes a lot as well. So now that I am not working full time, I've got time to focus on that and to develop it as well. So yeah, that's what I'm doing my podcast.   Michael Hingson  45:48 Well, that's pretty cool. And you're having fun producing it and learning to be an audio editor and all those things.   Sylvia Bartley  45:54 Well, I have something for me, I'm not going to attempt to do that. But I have to find my guest. And obviously, the content, and I review the edit in and I do the little marketing for it. So it's quite a lot, as you know, and I do it on a weekly basis. After the knock it out. Sometimes I do replays, but I gotta knock it out. And so I'm looking here to get some sponsorship, hopefully, so I can hire folks to do it, to do it for me, and, you know, do a better job on my social media. I'm not very good at that. It takes a lot of time. And I don't have the time to do all of that. So   Michael Hingson  46:31 it doesn't I used to put out a newsletter on a regular basis. And, and don't anymore just because the time gets away. Time flies, and social media is a great time sponge. So it's, it's easy to spend a lot of time doing social media, and there are only so many hours in the day.   Sylvia Bartley  46:49 Exactly, exactly. And there's so many talented people out there doing social media. I can't even even if I tried, you know?   Michael Hingson  46:56 Yeah. Yeah, some of us just have different gifts. Who are some of your favorite guests for your podcast?   Sylvia Bartley  47:05 You know, I've had so many gays I started doing this in 2015 under a different brand called the black leadership redefined. And primarily based in Minnesota. And so my guess had been anybody from Senator Tina Smith to Chief of Police, Rondo, Redondo to the Attorney General Keith Ellison, to nickimja levy Armstrong, who's a civil rights activist in the Twin Cities, to all of these phenomenal African American female coaches and leaders and ministers. I've had some deep, meaningful, moving conversations with people. But I think the ones that moved me the most are those that are telling their stories that kind of break your heart. And it doesn't move, make it it breaks your heart, but it moves me because they took their pain. And they transform that to something impactful, that really impacts and change the lives of many. And typically there are people whose spouses or, or siblings or loved ones has been murdered through to sex trafficking or at the hands of the police or at the hands of, obviously criminals. And what they did with that to really start nonprofits and provide refuge and help and support for other people. Those stories really touched me the most, you know,   Michael Hingson  48:33 yeah. You have written a book, or how many books have you written? I've just written one, just one so far. So far. That's enough.   Sylvia Bartley  48:42 That one's brewing at some point.   Michael Hingson  48:45 Well, Tom, tell me about your book, if you would.   Sylvia Bartley  48:47 Yeah, my book is called turn aside. Using spirituality and my path to emotional health. And the book I wrote, really, because on my interest in science, the brain neurophysiology and spirituality, and emotional health, and recognizing that the areas in the brain that are associated with all fear, those are areas that intersect at some point, or are the same areas. So that got me and then with my experience, working in the field of Parkinson's and movement disorders, we have all these wonderful experts from around the world and what I learned in their presence and by taking seminars, I recognized that there was a intersectionality between these three, and then I took my own experience, and wondered how I can use this information for the better right to help heal myself, someone living with depression, as well as helping giving back to community. And so I, you know, start the book off by doing a part by biography so the audience could connect with me and understand where I'm coming from, but then going deep into not really deep but going into the side Science, and making that connection, and how we can use that to really help improve our lives or the lives of others. And there's a lot in there about volunteering and giving back to my community. Because when I think about my living with my depression, at the time, it was pretty bad when I wrote the book. And, you know, I even wrote in a book that I saw it as a gift, because it really does help me to go deep internally, to connect to, you know, my spiritual path to really understand why I'm suffering like this emotionally. What am I supposed to do with it? And, you know, how do I help other people, and it kept me, I was like, getting me grounded. But it really did really get me to ask those deep spiritual questions, which has really helped me to evolve as a person, spiritually, emotionally and physically. And so, you know, the book really centered around that, and how we can use that knowledge, about intersectionality will free to really help other people's lives as well. And then not to mention talking, talking about depression is something that many people do, particularly those who are very visible and in senior leadership positions. But it was important for me to do so because I want to help normalize it. I want to get to a point where we can talk about depression, and people stop saying that you're brave, and you're being vulnerable. And you're being very courageous, because it, there's a high percentage of people that have depression, and not many people want to talk about it, because of the stigma, and the shame that unfortunately, is still associated with emotional health and mental wellness. So you know, I'm doing my liberal part to help break that stigma, and to get people to talk about it. Because once you talk about it, and you acknowledge it in my situation, it was a first step towards healing. And I lived with depression, undiagnosed for most of my life, being diagnosed in 2017, when I published my book, was just very cathartic. And it was a big weight off my shoulder because I didn't have to hide it. I didn't have to battle it behind closed doors, and for the first time, I got help, and then I could address it in a very mindful, holistic way that really has helped me. And I can proudly say, today, I feel the best I've ever felt in my whole entire life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually,   Michael Hingson  52:25 is depression, more of a physical or mental and emotional thing?   Sylvia Bartley  52:31 Well, it is a physiological it can be I mean, depression comes in many forms, and it's different for everybody. But there's absolutely a physiological component to some kind of depression with as a chemical imbalance, due to some over activity under activity, or certain areas in our brain, particularly the basal ganglia, which is your kind of seed of emotion. And so, you know, that's, that's definitely one of the causes, but not many people know, what are the like real cause of people's depression, because it's different for everybody. And sometimes it could be experiential, it could be any reaction to something very traumatic. And then hopefully, those situations it doesn't kind of last long. But if it is, neurochemical, then definitely people you know, need to get professional help for that outside of talk therapy.   Michael Hingson  53:26 Right. Well, in terms in terms of spirituality, how does that enter into and when you talk about spirituality? What do you mean by that?   Sylvia Bartley  53:38 So what I mean about that is I mean, looking inwards and looking like at the wider plan, knowing that I call it the universe, right? People will say, call it God, or, and I do believe in God, and I pray to God, right talk about universal timing and the power of the universal. And knowing that there is a bigger plan, greater than us, there was a life here before us, I believe, we chose up I believe we choose our parents, I believe, we come here with an assignment, everybody comes with an assignment. And I believe that by saying that, I believe we will have our path and our purpose. And my goal is to align with my path and my purpose so I can really live to my full potential in this lifetime. And that's what I mean about spirituality. So it's less about the external factors, less about striving to externally achieved but more to internally achieved, and that achievement is alignment with my spiritual path and purpose. And I believe once I do that, and when I achieve that, everything will fall into place, and I'll be at peace, and I will kind of live my full life and I'm and again, I don't know if I'll ever be fully on my path and purpose. I'm always seeking. I call myself a seeker. I'm always seeking I'm asking a question, but I feel I'm pretty much on the on track and it feels Good. And I know when I'm off track because it doesn't feel good when I'm doing things that doesn't sit right with me. And, you know, it's not it's very difficult for me to do and it's not what I'm supposed to be doing. And so I'm aware enough now to say, well, I'm going to submit that to the universe. And I'm just going to, you know, reset and redirect myself to make sure that I am on path so I can do it on put on this earth to do and as well. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  55:27 Whether you call it the universe, or God, do you believe that God talks to us,   Sylvia Bartley  55:33 I believe God talks us in many ways. Now, you know, you're not going to hear a voice or you're not going to see a burning bush either. But you're going to have signs some people do. That's not me. But you'll have signs you will have feelings. And you will hear stuff, it's not going to be a voice again, but you will hear messages. And and that will come maybe in your dreams, maybe through another person that you're talking to. But the important thing is, one has got to be in a place to be able to hear and receive, I believe this is of   Michael Hingson  56:04 everybody. And there's the reality of   Sylvia Bartley  56:07 it still. And this is where the mindfulness and the spirituality comes into it. Being sterile. Whether you're meditating or just being still and tapping into silence, this is when you're in a best place to receive and understand what it is that your assignment and your purposes, this is, when you're in your best place to receive those messages that you're so desperately seeking that you know, and to receive that guidance. And that's a big part of spirituality, together with doing things that prepares your vessel because we are physical matter, right. And our spirits live within us, we house our spirit, and we house our soul. And, you know, I focus on trying to keep my vessel as healthy as possible. So it's in a good strong place to house my spirit, and my soul is all intertwined. You know, it's very complicated, very deep. But that is a big part of it. So we are, you know, it, we're in a flamed body, we have inflammation due to the fact that we're eating foods that are inflammatory, and we have inflamed guts, and we're having, you know, inflamed neurons in our brain, because we're in flames that got inflamed the brain to I believe, and we're having a chronic illness, it's very difficult for us to do what we're supposed to do on this earth. And so, you know, our physical being, and health is obviously very important. And it ties closely with our emotional health, as well,   Michael Hingson  57:36 I think it is possible to hear a voice. But again, I think it all comes down to exactly what you said, we get messages in many ways, because God or the universe is is always trying to talk to people. And I think we have, oftentimes, selectively and collectively chosen to ignore it, because we think we know all the answers. And if there's one thing I've learned in 72 years, we don't necessarily know the answers, but the answers are available if we look for them. And I think that's really what you're saying, which goes back to being calm, being quiet, taking time to, to analyze, we're in the process of writing a book. Finally, for the moment, called a guide dogs Guide to Being brave, which is all about learning to control fear and learning that fear does not need to be blinding as I describe it, or paralyzing or whatever you want to call it. But that it can be an absolutely helpful thing in teaching you to make decisions, but you need to learn to control it. And you need to learn to recognize its value, just like we need to learn to recognize the value of pain or anything else in our lives. And, in fact, if we do that, and we we recognize what fear can really do for us by slowing down by analyzing by internalizing, we will be much stronger for it. And we're more apt to hear that voice that oftentimes people just call that quiet voice that we may not hear.   Sylvia Bartley  59:14 Mm hmm. Absolutely agree.   Michael Hingson  59:18 So it's, it's, it is a challenge because we're not used to doing that. We don't like giving up control, if you will. Yep,   Sylvia Bartley  59:26 yep. But once you know, and everyone will get there once we, for me, once I got there is a journey doesn't happen overnight. It can take years to get to that place. But you know, once you get there, it's so enlightening. And you just feel like it's funny, there's not there's not often a feel like I might directly on path and purpose. And I get a glimpse of it once in a while. And it feels so different. It feels so light, it feels so right. And that's where I want to be for, you know, a majority of my time that I have left in his lifetime, I want to feel that by the time so that is my, that is my goal.   Michael Hingson  1:00:05 And the more you seek it, the more of it you'll find. Yeah, hopefully, you will. It's it's all a matter of realizing it's there if we look for it, and it may not show up exactly the way we expected. But so the issue is really that it shows up, right?   Sylvia Bartley  1:00:24 It is. And yeah, I read somewhere that says, you know, just be open, just really try your best show up. Because people say, How do you know your own path and purpose? How do you know this is right for me, you know, you got to show up, you got to do your best. And you got to give it all you've got, and you got to let it go. Let it go to the universe and have no expectation for the outcome. But just be open to all kinds of possibilities and where that will lead you. Very hard to do. Yeah. And it's   Michael Hingson  1:00:53 always appropriate to ask the question, Did I do my best? Did I did I get the message? Am I missing something? And look for the answer? Yes, Sylvia, this has been a lot of fun. We have spent an hour and we didn't even have a snowball fight Darn. too hot for that. It's it's gonna be over 90. We're cooling down out here right now. We were over 100 for the last 10 days. So it's hot here in California. But I really enjoyed having you. How can people reach out to you or learn more about you?   Sylvia Bartley  1:01:30 Excellent. Thank you for asking that question. I think if you go to my website, I have a little website here. And it's sylvia-bartley.com. That is S Y L V I A hyphen, B A R T L E Y.com. And you can you know, just tell you a bit more about me. You can see my podcasts, my books, and there's a method of getting in touch with me if you want to.   Michael Hingson  1:01:57 Is the podcast available in a variety of different places? Or is the best website?   Sylvia Bartley  1:02:04 It's available on multiple platforms? Apple, Google, Spotify. And what's the community show with Dr. Sylvia? Conversations cultivating change? Do the   Michael Hingson  1:02:17 first part again. The more we know Community, the more we know. Okay.   Sylvia Bartley  1:02:22 Community show with Dr. Sylvia. Conversations cultivating change.   Michael Hingson  1:02:28 And I hope that people will seek you out. This has been for me very fascinating. I love learning new things and getting a chance to meet fascinating people. And I'll buy into the fact that you're a unicorn, it works for me.   Sylvia Bartley  1:02:46 Well, I'm just me, you know, but I appreciate the invite to be on your podcast, Michael. And thank you very much for providing this platform to share stories and information with your listeners too.   Michael Hingson  1:02:59 Thank you and we love stories and if people would love to comment, I really appreciate it if you would. I'd love to hear from you about this. You can reach out to me at Mic

                                                              Ellen Ruppel Shell tells us why you "Should rise above your assumptions", why we  should "Question received wisdom"  and " Don't take business matters personally " hosted by Duff Watkins. About Ellen Ruppel Shell Ellen Ruppel Shell is an author, investigative journalist and Prof. of Journalism at Boston University  where she co-directs the Graduate Program in Science Journalism. She conducts research, teaches, and writes on issues relating to science and economic policy and social justice. Prof. Ruppel Shell is the author of hundreds of published articles, reviews and essays. She's a long-time contributing editor for The Atlantic, writes on issues of science, social justice, economics and public policy for Science, Scientific American, the New York Times opinion and book pages, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Discover, The New York Times Magazine, The Boston Globe and the Washington Post. She has served as an editor for a wide range of national publications and for public broadcasting and is sought frequently as a commentator on issues of science and the press. Prof. Ruppel Shell has authored four books translated into more than a dozen languages, The Job: Work and Its Future in a Time of Radical Change (Crown, October, 2018); Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture (Penguin, 2009), The Hungry Gene (Grove, 2002), and A Child's Place (Little Brown, 1992). Prof. Ruppel Shell has been a Vannevar Bush Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Fellow in Occupational Health and Safety at Harvard University Medical School. She lectures widely on topics in science communication and public policy, as well as economic and social justice. She has served both as a Bush Fellow at MIT and as a Fellow in Occupational Health and Safety at Harvard University. Episode Notes Lesson 1: Trust yourself (but not too much) 05:09 Lesson 2: Don't take business matters personally. 08:14 Lesson 3: Demand evidence and extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence.12:23 Lesson 4: Question received wisdom. 19:01 Lesson 5: Rise above your assumptions.27:39 Lesson 6: Be self-confidant enough to give others the benefit of the doubt.31:25 Lesson 7: Feelings trump facts in many matters, “rational” can be overrated.24:14 Lesson 8: You're bored because you're not paying attention. 37:10 Lesson 9: Don't mistake hurt and guilt for anger. 42:22 Lesson 10: Empathy is not compassion. 45:56

Artika Tyner 2022 Bush Fellow, is a accomplished educator, civil rights attorney, law professor and award-winning children's book author, who beat the odds as a child growing up surrounded by incarcerated family members. She immersed herself in books from an early age and became a first-generation college student. Now, she seeks to share the gift of reading with children of color who are growing up in conditions similar to those she experienced. She sees that Minnesota's educational system continues to experience some of the most significant racial disparities in the U.S.

Minnesotans who have experience with the child welfare system understand the unique challenges children and families face. They also know that the system designed to help isn't perfect. Take foster care. While it sometimes leads to better outcomes for at-risk children, we also know it has a disproportionate impact on some communities. Native American children, Black children and multi-racial children in Minnesota were significantly more likely to be in foster care than white children. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two Bush fellows who have dedicated their careers to addressing problems within Minnesota's child welfare and foster care systems. With more than 13,000 children in Minnesota placed in foster care in 2020, these two leaders are working toward a world that no longer needs foster care. Guests: Hoang Murphy is the founder and executive director of  Foster Advocates. He is a 2022 Bush Fellow.  Amelia Franck Meyer is the founder and CEO of the national non-profit Alia Innovations. She is a 2015 Bush Fellow. 

2022 Bush Fellow, Prince Corbett shares his journey with Freddie Bell and Chantel SinGs. He serves as the Racial and Health Equity Administrator for Ramsey COunty, MN

For today's episode, I m honored to speak with long time trailblazer President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe - Kevin Killer. I met Kevin in 2006 when we were both Young People For fellows, a project of People for the American Way. Since then I ve watched his world expand and his commitment deepen as he works to bolster the gifts of his tribe while advocating for access in the halls of power of the American government. As we spend time with President Kevin Killer, we will explore topics of leadership, democracy, and hope. Kevin Killer, an enrolled member and President of the Oglala Sioux tribe, served 10 years in the South Dakota legislature, representing a district that includes the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He is a co-founder of Advance Native Political Leadership, which seeks to train the next generation of Native leaders to run, manage, and lead successful campaigns at all levels of government. He recently completed his fellowship with the Open Society Foundation Leadership in Government program working on Truth and Healing in Native communities in the United States. He attended Lakota College and was the first Tribal College Fellow of a progressive youth leadership development organization, Young People For (YP4). Killer expanded Young People For's tribal college network into an independent, Native-led organization called the Native Youth Leadership Alliance (NYLA) in 2009. Killer serves on the board of the People for the American Way Foundation, and past service includes, the National Indian Education Association, the Lakota College Board of Trustees, the Young Elected Officials Network, the Quad Caucus, and the National Caucus Native American State Legislators. He was a 2015 Bush Fellow. Department of Interior RenamingDepartment of Interior Indian Burial Sites

For today's episode, I m honored to speak with long time trailblazer President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe - Kevin Killer. I met Kevin in 2006 when we were both Young People For fellows, a project of People for the American Way. Since then I ve watched his world expand and his commitment deepen as he works to bolster the gifts of his tribe while advocating for access in the halls of power of the American government. As we spend time with President Kevin Killer, we will explore topics of leadership, democracy, and hope. Kevin Killer, an enrolled member and President of the Oglala Sioux tribe, served 10 years in the South Dakota legislature, representing a district that includes the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He is a co-founder of Advance Native Political Leadership, which seeks to train the next generation of Native leaders to run, manage, and lead successful campaigns at all levels of government. He recently completed his fellowship with the Open Society Foundation Leadership in Government program working on Truth and Healing in Native communities in the United States. He attended Lakota College and was the first Tribal College Fellow of a progressive youth leadership development organization, Young People For (YP4). Killer expanded Young People For's tribal college network into an independent, Native-led organization called the Native Youth Leadership Alliance (NYLA) in 2009. Killer serves on the board of the People for the American Way Foundation, and past service includes, the National Indian Education Association, the Lakota College Board of Trustees, the Young Elected Officials Network, the Quad Caucus, and the National Caucus Native American State Legislators. He was a 2015 Bush Fellow. Department of Interior RenamingDepartment of Interior Indian Burial Sites

On this episode I have a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Alika Galloway about Non-Profit funds development and how affirmations are an integral part of our life and faith journeys.  She is a Nationally known Womanist Scholar and expert in health disparities impacting African American females.  Her dissertation addressed the care of African American women and girls who are victims of sexual violence and the commercial sex trade. Rev. Galloway is the editor of the book: Living Waters, Living Stories and a nationally known storyteller, movement maker, and 2013 Bush Fellow. She is dedicated to living by example and encouraging men and women to live up to their full potential in Christ, encouraging others with her natural warmth, deep faith and strength. Hosted & produced by Katherine Lankford Music by Sam Reeves Libertychurchmpls.org https://youtu.be/XYatWBmSmLs Katherine@financeandaffirmations.org www.financeandaffirmations.com (4) Finance & Affirmations | Facebook @financeandaffirmations

On this episode I have a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Alika Galloway about Non-Profit funds development and how affirmations are an integral part of our life and faith journeys.  She is a Nationally known Womanist Scholar and expert in health disparities impacting African American females.  Her dissertation addressed the care of African American women and girls who are victims of sexual violence and the commercial sex trade. Rev. Galloway is the editor of the book: Living Waters, Living Stories and a nationally known storyteller, movement maker, and 2013 Bush Fellow. She is dedicated to living by example and encouraging men and women to live up to their full potential in Christ, encouraging others with her natural warmth, deep faith and strength. Hosted & produced by Katherine Lankford Music by Sam Reeves Libertychurchmpls.org https://youtu.be/XYatWBmSmLs Katherine@financeandaffirmations.org www.financeandaffirmations.com (4) Finance & Affirmations | Facebook @financeandaffirmations

Many teachers say the last two years have been the most stressful of their careers. First there was the instantaneous pivot to distance learning. Then came the prolonged uncertainty, political fights over public health measures and heightened tension around how to address racial inequalities. The isolation of the pandemic also left many students with increased mental health needs and rusty social skills, adding another layer of challenge to already overwhelmed teachers and school staff.  Some burned out educators are leaving and others are doubling down, reluctant to abandon their students. In this context, Minneapolis and St. Paul teachers unions have each filed an intent to strike as soon as March 8 — unless they reach an agreement with their districts.  MPR News host Angela Davis talks with teachers and school staff from around Minnesota about the strain of the past two years.  Guests: Norma Garcés is executive director of Academia Cesar Chavez School, a K-8 charter school in St. Paul. She is a 2019 Bush Fellow and was previously director of a charter school Minneapolis and a teacher in Minneapolis Public Schools.  Natalia Benjamin is an English language and ethnic studies teacher at Century High School in Rochester and was selected as Minnesota Teacher of the Year for 2021. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, Chef Sean Sherman was born and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Cooking in kitchens across the United States and Mexico for over 30 years, Chef Sean is renowned nationally and internationally in the culinary movement of Indigenous foods. His primary focus is the revitalization and evolution of Indigenous foods systems throughout North America. His extensive studies on the foundations of Indigenous food systems have led to his deep understanding of what is needed to showcase Native American cuisine in today's world. In 2014, Chef Sean opened the business, The Sioux Chef, designed to provide catering and food education in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. He and his business partner, Dana Thompson, also designed and opened the Tatanka Truck, which featured 100% pre-contact foods of the Dakota and Minnesota territories. In October 2017, Sean and his team presented the first decolonized dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in Manhattan. His first book, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, received the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook for 2018 and was chosen one of the top ten cookbooks of 2017 by the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Smithsonian magazine. That same year, Chef Sean was selected as a Bush Fellow and received the 2019 Leadership Award from the James Beard Foundation. Chef Sean currently serves on the leadership committee of the James Beard Foundation Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans and was recently awarded The Ashoka Fellowship. In July 2021, Chef Sean and Dana opened Owamni by The Sioux Chef, Minnesota's first full service Indigenous restaurant, featuring healthy Indigenous food and drinks. Since its opening, Owamni has received rave reviews from around the globe. The Sioux Chef team continues with their mission to help educate and make Indigenous foods more accessible to as many communities as possible through their non-profit arm, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS) and the accompanying Indigenous Food Lab professional Indigenous kitchen and training center. Working to address the economic and health crises affecting Native communities by re-establishing Native foodways, NĀTIFS imagines a new North American food system that generates wealth and improves health in Native communities through food-related enterprises. Websites: The Sioux Chef: https://sioux-chef.com/ NĀTIFS: https://www.natifs.org/ Food Labs: https://www.natifs.org/indigenous-food-lab Owamni: https://owamni.com/ Facebook: The Sioux Chef: https://www.facebook.com/thesiouxchef NĀTIFS: https://www.facebook.com/NATIFS.org/ Owamni: https://www.facebook.com/owamni/ Instagram: The Sioux Chef: https://www.instagram.com/siouxchef/ NĀTIFS: https://www.instagram.com/natifs_org/ Indigenous Food Labs: https://www.instagram.com/indigenousfoodlab/?hl=en Owamni: https://www.instagram.com/owamni/?hl=en Twitter: The Sioux Chef: https://twitter.com/the_sioux_chef NĀTIFS: https://twitter.com/natifs_org Owamni: https://twitter.com/owamni?lang=en Youtube: Indigenous Food Labs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdVMZLJ-VQ1TR6puA1QzSw

Today's show is another in a series of bonus episodes each featuring one of the powerful talks given by my participants in The Big Talk Academy as a part of our Virtual Showcase. This showcase is the culmination of their hard work as they cross the finish line to becoming certified speakers.    These episodes give you a peek behind the scenes to witness the amazing Big Talks presented and also give you exclusive access to my live feedback and the direction I give to each speaker immediately following their performances.   This week's episode features Dr. Yuri Nakasato and his talk, A Singing Prescription to Cure the Soul.   Dr. Yuri, a Harvard graduate, is an award winner of the prestigious leadership Bush Fellow. Besides taking care of patients, he is the author of a book in Rheumatology, a change and management expert, a certified Gestalt coach, a COVID frontline worker, and a crooner as featured on TV.   In his incredible and moving Big Talk, Dr. Yuri shares his truth of being on the front lines during the COVID-19 crisis and how he made a decision to fight.   In this talk, he explores: Our natural fight or flight responses and how these translated into our early reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic How to make frightening situations feel less stressful Finding and spreading hope through music The many benefits of singing More from Dr. Yuri   YouTube Channel: The Singing Doctor    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuri-nakasato-621448122/  More from Tricia    Read my book, The Influential Voice: Saying What You Mean for Lasting Legacy Consistently Share Your Big Idea with Secrets of The Big Talk Join The Big Talk Membership Community  Download my FREE Ebook: 7 Step Formula for Fearless Speaking  Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Twitter  Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

What separates a good leader from a great one? These in-depth interviews with some of family medicine's most influential leaders provide insight into pivotal experiences that boosted leadership skills and provided unprecedented opportunities for personal growth.In this episode, Dr Saccocio discusses resilience and burnout with Dr Corey Martin.This series of podcasts is sponsored by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), the academic home for family medicine educators.Guest Bio:Corey Martin is a Yale-trained family physician driven to change the delivery of healthcare and improve the mental and physical health of our communities.  He is a founder of Innovations in Resilience (www.innovationsinresilience.com) and the Bounce Back Project, practicing private group physician, former Chief Medical Officer, Bush Fellow, and consultant to many healthcare and educational organizations in their response to burnout.  Driven to do this work by the loss of two colleagues and friends, Corey strives to create an environment of opportunity in which all of us can do the deep, heartfelt work of changing the way we show up and interact in each other's lives.  One of the ways he does this is by facilitating resilience retreats across the United States and throughout the world.  He is both a Certified Daring Way Facilitator and Center for Courage and Renewal Facilitator and facilitates workshops based on the work of Brené Brown and Parker Palmer. In his free time, he enjoys working on his farm.  He lives in Buffalo, MN with his wife and three daughters.  He is a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring “good enoughist”.Host Bio:Saria Saccocio, MD, FAAFP, MHAAs the Ambulatory Chief Medical Officer for Prisma Health, Dr. Saria Saccocio supports population health initiatives that span across all departments and specialties in the outpatient space, striving for optimization of quality, patient experience and efficiency of healthcare delivery. Dr. Saccocio has demonstrated a consistent history of leading award-winning programs and improving patient care and safety as a Chief Medical Officer for health systems in the southeast. She received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Florida, and her Executive Master of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of Miami before opening her own solo family practice. She continues to serve patients at the Free Medical Clinic and precepts family medicine residents at the Center for Family Medicine in Greenville, South Carolina.

Candidate for Ward 7's City Council seat Nick Kor found a passion for organizing when helping LGBTQ+ classmates at the University of Thomas find their place, and after travelling the country as a Bush Fellow, his attention turned to city politics. In this episode, hear Kor discuss a vision for “housing as a human right,” reimagining public safety, and more. Plus, listen for the candidate's favorite spot to grab a drink in the city! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex West Steinman is co-founder and CEO of The Coven, a community and workspace for women and non-binary people. A 2019 Bush Fellow and one of Inc. Magazine's 100 Female Founders, she paves the way for more inclusive workplaces. In addition to her passion for the economic empowerment and advancement of women, she raises tiny humans alongside her husband and enjoys sharing insights with budding entrepreneurs and leaders. Alex shared her amazing story of how she and her co-founders were inspired by pain points they were experiencing in their own lives and launched The Coven. They quickly realized that the goal they had to make the lives of women and non binary people better was shared by not just them, but the greater community as well. She walks us through the journey from idea straight through to opening the spaces to the incredible impact it has had on their community.In this episode, Alex gives great advice on how to:Conduct effective market research and make your target audience feel like part of the building processUtilize your network to further your crowdfunding effortsBalance the responsibilities of having multiple co-founders to help your startup reach its fullest potentialTune in as Alex and Shauna discuss the unique origin story of The Coven and the social impact it has made on it's community. Check out Marissa's episode here.Connect with your host on Instagram @shauna.armitage and visit www.startuprenegades.com/become-a-renegade to join the free Renegades Community.

Friday, May 21, 2021 - We conclude our visits with 2021 Bush Fellows as Ashley Thornberg visits with Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, who founded the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance. She's the first Native American to have a national news beat devoted to Indigenous issues in the mainstream media. ~~~ In another episode of Natural North Dakota, Chuck Lura ponders the question, “What Eats Bats?” ~~~ Dave Thompson is here for our weekly news chat. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “The Woman in the Window.”

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - Kirsten Baesler, superintendent of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, is John Harris’s guest this week on the Prairie Pulse television show. In an excerpt from that show, we hear about the challenges the department faced during the pandemic, and the need for kids to catch up on their coursework. ~~~ Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove is the COVID-19 Technical Lead at the WHO. In this excerpt from the Conversations on Healthcare Podcast, she discusses The World Health Organization’s efforts to strengthen the worldwide response to pandemic threats. ~~~ Among the 2021 Bush Foundation Fellows from North Dakota is Kimimila Locke, a passionate educator who opened a school on the Standing Rock reservation that embraces Lakota culture. She wants to expand to other indigenous communities. She visits with Ashley Thornberg.

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 - We hear from Dr. Tom Frieden, the president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative seeking to save 100 million lives globally by addressing cardiovascular disease and preventing pandemics. In this excerpt from the Conversations on Healthcare Podcast, he talks about the effort to build a stronger global health infrastructure, developing messages to tackle vaccine resistance, and the FDA’s recent decision to ban menthol cigarettes. ~~~ It’s morel mushroom hunting season in North Dakota and much of the Midwest. As Melissa Rosales reports for Harvest Public Media, people are scouring river bottoms to find the hollow, sponge-like, edible mushrooms. ~~~ The Bush Foundation has announced its 2021 Bush Fellows. Among them is Courtney Schaff, an organizer with North Dakota United. She plans to use her fellowship to help individuals take a more active role in shaping policy and increasing diversity in the state legislature. She visits with Ashley Thornberg.

Bring your gifts to the work, dig in and enjoy it. Jason Sole More information can be found at www.socialchangeleaders.net “Defund the Police” has become a popular phrase used this past year and elicits strong reactions. In this episode we move beyond this phrase to talk about what abolitionism and transformative justice truly means in a powerful conversation with Jason Sole. Jason is the co-founder of the movement Humanzie My Hoodie, a criminal justice professor, author, activist and abolitionist. Jason both talks about the ways that our current system does not work for all citizens and also paints a picture of what it could look like if we reimagined how our society addresses issues of housing, food, addiction, mental health and other key social issues often left to the police to handle. In the episode we: Hear the story of Jason's early life in Chicago and how he eventually ended up in Minnesota Learn the story of how the Humanize My Hoodie movement got started by a challenge Jason had for his college classes to understand the negative stigma of hoodies sweatshirts being work by people of color. Be inspired by how Jason Sole and his business partner and friend Andre launched and the initial Humanize My Hoodie clothing line which has turned into a national brand and movement Understand the abolitionist education framework and its central theme of speaking truth and taking bold action Hear Jason discuss current and historical abolishionists including Harriet Tubman who sought to abolish slavery, not trying to get nicer plantations for slaves Hear how abolitionists are leading the way to eliminate systems that do not work and how they are pushing for reallocation of resources to improve communities Abolitionists can see a dream where all are healing from trauma and coming together to heal. Dream of a different world and putting resources to put these dreams into fruition Hear a real-world examples of simple actions being taken to meeting needs can better solve problems Be challenged to understand how white people can do a deeper dive and use privilege to have conversations and work to soften the hearts of those that support practices and policies that hurt people of color Hear Jason talk about the need to liberate yourself before you can liberate other people and how to be creative in the way you love other people Learn about how you can get involved whether it is through the Allies workshop In this episode we reference: Humanize My Hoodie Humanize My Hoodie Ally Online Workshop Humanize My Hoodie Documentary Ava DuVernay's Film “13” Jason Sole's website Prison By Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar More about Jason Sole: Jason Sole works with organizations and individuals who believe that there must be equity for there to be freedom and that there must be a radical redefining of criminality for there to be justice. Jason has been a criminal justice educator for a decade (served as an assistant professor at two academic institutions) and is currently an adjunct professor at Hamline University. He is a national keynote speaker and trainer. He's the past president of the Minneapolis NAACP in which he launched several public safety initiatives (e.g., Warrant Forgiveness Day) that led to harm reduction in Hennepin County. Sole was a 2013 Bush Fellow who focused on juvenile delinquency and recidivism throughout the state of Minnesota. He helped launch Mayor Coleman's Community Ambassadors Program, which led to a 63% reduction in juvenile crime in the first year. In 2014, he published his memoir, From Prison to Ph.D.: A Memoir of Hope, Resilience, and Second Chances. He recently served as the Community First Public Safety Initiatives Director for the City of Saint Paul. In addition, Jason is the co-founder of the Humanize My Hoodie Movement in which he's challenging threat perceptions about Black men through clothing, art exhibitions, and workshops.

Bring your gifts to the work, dig in and enjoy it.   Jason Sole   More information can be found at www.socialchangeleaders.net “Defund the Police” has become a popular phrase used this past year and elicits strong reactions.  In this episode we move beyond this phrase to talk about what abolitionism and transformative justice truly means in a powerful conversation with Jason Sole.  Jason is the co-founder of the movement Humanzie My Hoodie, a criminal justice professor, author, activist and abolitionist.  Jason both talks about the ways that our current system does not work for all citizens and also paints a picture of what it could look like if we reimagined how our society addresses issues of housing, food, addiction, mental health and other key social issues often left to the police to handle.  In the episode we: Hear the story of Jason’s early life in Chicago and how he eventually ended up in Minnesota  Learn the story of how the Humanize My Hoodie movement got started by a challenge Jason had for his college classes to understand the negative stigma of hoodies sweatshirts being work by people of color. Be inspired by how Jason Sole and his business partner and friend Andre launched and the initial Humanize My Hoodie clothing line which has turned into a national brand and movement   Understand the abolitionist education framework and its central theme of speaking truth and taking bold action Hear Jason discuss current and historical abolishionists including Harriet Tubman who sought to abolish slavery, not trying to get nicer plantations for slaves Hear how abolitionists are leading the way to eliminate systems that do not work and how they are pushing for reallocation of resources to improve communities  Abolitionists can see a dream where all are healing from trauma and coming together to heal. Dream of a different world and putting resources to put these dreams into fruition Hear a real-world examples of simple actions being taken to meeting needs can better solve problems Be challenged to understand how white people can do a deeper dive and use privilege to have conversations and work to soften the hearts of those that support practices and policies that hurt people of color  Hear Jason talk about the need to liberate yourself before you can liberate other people and how to be creative in the way you love other people Learn about how you can get involved whether it is through the Allies workshop   In this episode we reference:  Humanize My Hoodie Humanize My Hoodie Ally Online Workshop Humanize My Hoodie Documentary Ava DuVernay’s Film “13” Jason Sole’s website Prison By Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar More about Jason Sole: Jason Sole works with organizations and individuals who believe that there must be equity for there to be freedom and that there must be a radical redefining of criminality for there to be justice.  Jason has been a criminal justice educator for a decade (served as an assistant professor at two academic institutions) and is currently an adjunct professor at Hamline University. He is a national keynote speaker and trainer. He’s the past president of the Minneapolis NAACP in which he launched several public safety initiatives (e.g., Warrant Forgiveness Day) that led to harm reduction in Hennepin County. Sole was a 2013 Bush Fellow who focused on juvenile delinquency and recidivism throughout the state of Minnesota. He helped launch Mayor Coleman’s Community Ambassadors Program, which led to a 63% reduction in juvenile crime in the first year. In 2014, he published his memoir, From Prison to Ph.D.: A Memoir of Hope, Resilience, and Second Chances. He recently served as the Community First Public Safety Initiatives Director for the City of Saint Paul. In addition, Jason is the co-founder of the Humanize My Hoodie Movement in which he’s challenging threat perceptions about Black men through clothing, art exhibitions, and workshops.

Minnesota has some of the largest racial disparities in education in the U.S., and efforts to solve the decades-long problem have so far been unsuccessful. “In terms of the white-Black gap, we are the 50th in the nation, or the 49th, depending on which year you look at,” said Anusha Nath, research economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and co-author of a 2019 report on the gaps. Nath and several other experts spoke Wednesday at a virtual MPR News event, In Focus: Equity in Education. “Many states struggle with achievement gaps as well, but Minnesota has been struggling for a very long time, and we're at the bottom persistently,” Nath said. Gaps in graduation rates and test scores have long been used to measure these disparities. But, in recent years, there’s been more focus on inequalities in access to resources that can influence how well kids do in school. And then, there’s racism — biased teachers and staff, and systems within schools that put up barriers for Black and Indigenous students and students of color. “We don't talk or celebrate Black and brown and Indigenous people, even in our very basic curriculum,” said Ramona Kitto Stately, project director for We Are Still Here Minnesota. “We choose a month and those histories are told during that month, but that is really our failure” to explain the importance of diversity to children. During the virtual event, MPR News host Angela Davis led a discussion built around community participation, and talked with people who have been working to level the playing field for all students. They discussed what’s getting in the way of progress on equity in education in Minnesota and which solutions are showing promise. Watch the community event discussion https://www.facebook.com/MPRnews/videos/374347433607970 Guests: Jess Davis is a racial equity coach for St. Louis Park Public Schools and worked as a math teacher in the Twin Cities metro area from 2006 to 2020. She was the 2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Samantha N. Diaz is the legislative and policy director for education issues at the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, a state agency that advises and informs the governor and legislators on matters of importance to Latinos in Minnesota. She previously served as the associate charter liaison at the Pillsbury United Communities Office of Public Charter Schools. Anusha Nath is a research economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. She co-authored the 2019 report "A Statewide Crisis: Minnesota’s Education Achievement Gaps," and continues to research the reasons behind the state's educational disparities. She has previously taught at Boston University, Delhi University and the University of Minnesota. Ramona Kitto Stately is an enrolled member of the Santee Sioux Dakota Nation and project director for We Are Still Here Minnesota, which aims to change the narrative around Native people in the state. She also chairs the Minnesota Indian Education Association and has worked in Indian education in Minnesota for more than 15 years. Michael Walker is the director of Black Student Achievement for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Before that, he worked in several capacities at Roosevelt High School, including as assistant principal. He was a 2017 Bush Fellow and previously served as community outreach, program and youth development director at the YMCA in the Twin Cities. In Focus is a series of convenings MPR is committed to leading over the next year to bring awareness, dialogue and potential solutions to Minnesota’s persistent racial disparities — in education, health, economic opportunities and many other areas. Through conversations with community leaders that are shaped by our curious, engaged audience, MPR hopes to encourage new connections and relationships that will help Minnesota communities make progress toward equity and inclusion. If you have thoughts or questions about the event or the topic of education equity, check out the MPR News Ground Level project page for different ways to share your experience. Come back to this page for updates on the event’s lineup and other details. Previous events Discussion Spotlight on the future of policing Call To Mind Spotlight on black trauma and policing Call To Mind Spotlight on parenting during a pandemic

Some leaders follow a straight and narrow path while others journey along a winding road. David Whitesock’s leadership journey is full of twists and turns. A recovering addict who now devotes his time and energy to helping those experiencing addiction, David was once a radio DJ and an early podcast entrepreneur. He also wrote his master’s thesis on Thomas Jefferson and was a Bush Fellow. In this episode, David discusses how leaders can spot those experiencing addiction, how to help them, and what Thomas Jefferson would say about 2020 if he were alive.

Matuor Alier is a Sudanese refugee who has found a home in Fargo and is working to help other refugees move from surviving to stability. He’s one of this year’s 24 Bush Fellows for 2020. He visits with Ashley Thornberg.

Thursday, June 18, 2020 - Three North Dakotans are among the 24 Bush Fellows for 2020. Rounding out our interviews with the three honored North Dakotans, we visit with David Archambault II, the former chairman for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. He’s working to help his Native nation build their own homes, produce their own food and generate their own power. ~~~ tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay titled “For Those that Dwell in a New Territory.” ~~~ Later this month, the 30th Annual Midwest Book Awards will be announced. Three of the finalists come from North Dakota State University Press. One of them is "Still" by father and daughter Rebecca and Kenneth Bender. Rebecca joined us in 2019 when the book was released. It's a combination biography-memoir -- a history of five generations of North Dakotans. Today we share an encore presentation of that conversation.~~~ Sue Balcom joins us for Main Street Eats to talk about mulching and other timely gardening advice.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - Here to discuss coronavirus antibody testing of blood donors and the need for convalescent plasma is Cliff Numark, the chief marketing officer for Vitalant blood bank, which has donation centers in Fargo, Bismarck and Minot. ~~~ Commentary from Mark Trahant on the practice of removing historical statuary. ~~~ Matuor Alier is a Sudanese refugee who has found a home in Fargo and is working to help other refugees move from surviving to stability. He’s one of this year’s 24 Bush Fellows for 2020. He visits with Ashley Thornberg.

Monday, June 15, 2020 - We discuss aviation in the time of pandemic, with Kyle Wanner, executive director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission . ~~~ Chuck Lura shares a Natural North Dakota essay on the Pembina hills area. ~~~ The Bush Foundation's fellowship program invests in community leaders, offering grants to further their education and efforts. Three of this year’s Bush Fellows are from North Dakota. One of them is author, educator, and refugee Laetitia Hellerud , who works to get fellow New Americans politically involved. She visits with Ashley Thornberg.

Corey opens up about an incredibly powerful story of how the death of two fellow physicians changed his life forever. He also talks about taking on a CMO role after 5 years of practice.Corey Martin is a Yale-trained family physician driven to change the delivery of healthcare and improve the mental and physical health of our communities. He is a founder of the Bounce Back Project (www.bouncebackproject.org), practicing private group physician, Bush Fellow, former Chief Medical Officer and lead physician in Allina Health’s response to clinician burnout. The majority of his time now is spent as a consultant to healthcare and educational organizations in their responses to clinician burnout. Driven to do this work by the loss of two colleagues and friends, Corey strives to create an environment of opportunity in which all of us can do the deep, heartfelt work of changing the way we show up and interact in each other’s lives. One of the ways he does this is by facilitating resilience retreats across the United States and throughout the world. He is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, and Center for Courage and Renewal Facilitator in training. He facilitates workshops based on the work of Brené Brown, Parker Palmer, and other thought leaders in burnout prevention and resilience. In his free time, he enjoys working on his farm that he has recently turned into an event center. He lives in Buffalo, MN with his wife and three daughters. He is a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring “good enoughist”

Furloughing 20% of his staffHow perfectionism is a liability for physicians during COVID-19How to maintain relationships during COVID-19 (as an extrovert)How his physicians are adapting to virtual care (and why it might support early retirement!)Corey Martin is a Yale-trained family physician driven to change the delivery of healthcare and improve the mental and physical health of our communities. He is a founder of the Bounce Back Project (www.bouncebackproject.org), practicing private group physician, Bush Fellow, former Chief Medical Officer and lead physician in Allina Health’s response to clinician burnout. The majority of his time now is spent as a consultant to healthcare and educational organizations in their responses to clinician burnout. Driven to do this work by the loss of two colleagues and friends, Corey strives to create an environment of opportunity in which all of us can do the deep, heartfelt work of changing the way we show up and interact in each other’s lives. One of the ways he does this is by facilitating resilience retreats across the United States and throughout the world. He is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, and Center for Courage and Renewal Facilitator in training. He facilitates workshops based on the work of Brené Brown, Parker Palmer, and other thought leaders in burnout prevention and resilience. In his free time, he enjoys working on his farm that he has recently turned into an event center. He lives in Buffalo, MN with his wife and three daughters. He is a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring “good enoughist”

The research behind incorporating gratitude into your morning routineThe research behind random acts of kindness (and how you can apply it at work AND home)How Corey and his colleagues have built programs for physicians based on positive psychology (and how they've reduced the need for emergency mental health support by 40% amongst teens in their community!)Corey Martin is a Yale-trained family physician driven to change the delivery of healthcare and improve the mental and physical health of our communities. He is a founder of the Bounce Back Project (www.bouncebackproject.org), practicing private group physician, Bush Fellow, former Chief Medical Officer and lead physician in Allina Health’s response to clinician burnout. The majority of his time now is spent as a consultant to healthcare and educational organizations in their responses to clinician burnout. Driven to do this work by the loss of two colleagues and friends, Corey strives to create an environment of opportunity in which all of us can do the deep, heartfelt work of changing the way we show up and interact in each other’s lives. One of the ways he does this is by facilitating resilience retreats across the United States and throughout the world. He is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, and Center for Courage and Renewal Facilitator in training. He facilitates workshops based on the work of Brené Brown, Parker Palmer, and other thought leaders in burnout prevention and resilience. In his free time, he enjoys working on his farm that he has recently turned into an event center. He lives in Buffalo, MN with his wife and three daughters. He is a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring “good enoughist”

During this special episode, two returning guests walk through The Change Map exercise and focus on two topics:Communicating and implementing furloughsManaging the "people side" of implementing new virtual care processesJump to 14:00 to hear their insights after going through the exercise.If you'd like a PDF of The Change Map, send an email to support@sandyscottllc.com with the subject line "Change Map PDF". Dr. Mark Greenawald is, among many other things, the Medical Director for Physician Leadership Development and Professional Well-Being at Carilion Clinic.Dr. Corey Martin is a Yale-trained family physician driven to change the delivery of healthcare and improve the mental and physical health of our communities. He is a founder of the Bounce Back Project (www.bouncebackproject.org), practicing private group physician, Bush Fellow, former Chief Medical Officer and lead physician in Allina Health’s response to clinician burnout. The majority of his time now is spent as a consultant to healthcare and educational organizations in their responses to clinician burnout. Driven to do this work by the loss of two colleagues and friends, Corey strives to create an environment of opportunity in which all of us can do the deep, heartfelt work of changing the way we show up and interact in each other’s lives. One of the ways he does this is by facilitating resilience retreats across the United States and throughout the world. He is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, and Center for Courage and Renewal Facilitator in training. He facilitates workshops based on the work of Brené Brown, Parker Palmer, and other thought leaders in burnout prevention and resilience. In his free time, he enjoys working on his farm that he has recently turned into an event center. He lives in Buffalo, MN with his wife and three daughters. He is a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring “good enoughist”

Did you know that there is a fragrant shrub with medicinal properties against respiratory infections, pain and diabetes that has been used by indigenous people spanning North America, Europe and Asia for centuries? Labrador tea is still valued today in the treatment of many ailments and is consumed as a traditional beverage. It is just one of many wild plants that make up the indigenous cuisine of Native peoples in the US and Canada. In this episode, we will chat with award-winning chef and indigenous activist, Chef Sean Sherman, who is raising awareness about the cultural and medicinal value of this and many other unique wild ingredients with his company “The Sioux Chef” and nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. Cassandra Quave Dr. Cassandra Quave is best known for her ground breaking research on the science of botanicals. Scientists in her research group work to uncover some of nature’s deepest secrets as they search for new ways to fight life-threatening diseases, including antibiotic resistant infections. Working with a global network of scientists and healers, Cassandra and her team travel the world hunting for new plant ingredients, interviewing healers, and bringing plants back to the lab to study. Besides research, Cassandra is an award-winning teacher, and has developed and taught college classes like “Food, Health and Society” and “Botanical Medicine and Health” at Emory University. @QuaveEthnobot on Twitter and Instagram @QuaveMedicineWoman and “Foodie Pharmacology with Cassandra Quave” on Facebook About Chef Sean Sherman Chef Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota, born in Pine Ridge, SD, has been cooking across the US and Mexico over the past 30 years, and has become renowned nationally and internationally in the culinary movement of indigenous foods. His main focus has been on the revitalization and evolution of indigenous foods systems throughout North America. Chef Sean has studied on his own extensively to determine the foundations of these food systems to gain a full understanding of bringing back a sense of Native American cuisine to today’s world. In 2014, he opened the business titled, The Sioux Chef as a caterer and food educator in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. He and his business partner Dana Thompson also designed and opened the Tatanka Truck, which featured pre-contact foods of the Dakota and Minnesota territories. In October 2017, Sean was able to perform the first decolonized dinner at the James Beard House in Manhattan along with his team. His first book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen was awarded the James Beard medal for Best American Cookbook for 2018 and was chosen one of the top ten cookbooks of 2017 by the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle as well as the Smithsonian Magazine. This year, Chef Sean was selected as a Bush Fellow, as well as receiving the 2019 Leadership Award by the James Beard Foundation. The Sioux Chef team of twelve people continues with their mission to help educate and make indigenous foods more accessible to as many communities as possible through the recently founded nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS). Learn more at www.natifs.org.Did you know that there is a fragrant shrub with medicinal properties against respiratory infections, pain and diabetes that has been used by indigenous people spanning North America, Europe and Asia for centuries? Labrador tea is still valued today in the treatment of many ailments and is consumed as a traditional beverage. It is just one of many wild plants that make up the indigenous cuisine of Native peoples in the US and Canada. In this episode, we will chat with award-winning chef and indigenous activist, Chef Sean Sherman, who is raising awareness about the cultural and medicinal value of this and many other unique wild ingredients with his company “The Sioux Chef” and nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems.

Corey Martin is a Yale-trained family physician driven to change the delivery of healthcare and improve the mental and physical health of our communities.  He is a founder of the Bounce Back Project, practicing private group physician, Bush Fellow, and lead physician in Allina Health’s response to clinician burnout. In his free time, he enjoys working on his farm that he has recently turned into an event center. He lives in Buffalo, MN with his wife and three daughters. He is a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring “good enoughist.” Corey and Sarah discuss the crisis amongst healthcare professionals, the power of community leaders sharing their own vulnerability, and the incredible impact his Bounce Back Project has had in his corner of the world. Let’s be friends! You can find me in the following places... Website: www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoundedHealr/ https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartTherapy/ Instagram:  @headhearttherapy Twitter: @WoundedHealr @HeadHeart_Chi

uCodeGirl offers pathways to technology careers for teen girls by tapping into their curiosity, skills, and potential. Betty Gronneberg grew up in Ethiopia. She attended Addis Ababa University where she majored in statistics. Betty recalls a day in college when she saw her name on a list of students who had been accepted into the new Computer Science track. She was one of two female students on the list. This was 1991. The “world wide web” had not yet been invented. Betty learned to write simple programs in BASIC, an early computer language. Betty’s experience grew rapidly as the internet began to spread. She became a country-wide email administrator for Ethiopia. In 1995, she became the first webmaster for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. With each new assignment, Betty noticed that she was one of the few women in the room. In 1995, 37% of computing jobs went to women. Since women make up half of the population, that’s bad news. And, the news is getting worse. Today, according to Betty, “Nationally 18% of the technology sector is made up of women.” Betty began to ask a fundamental question. “In this great United States, where everything is possible, why are there not many women?” According to Betty, girls begin to lose interest in technology around middle school, when the girls are around 12 or 13 years old. They don’t see the relevance of technology in their everyday lives. Betty began to imagine an organization that helps young girls to apply technology in a fun environment. To help her work out the details of this new organization, Betty applied for and became a Bush Fellow with the Bush Foundation. From the beginning, as she was filling out her application for the Bush Fellowship, she began to refine her ideas. Through her experience with the Bush Foundation, she formed a new organization, uCodeGirl. uCodeGirl is a Fargo, North Dakota based nonprofit that focuses on building confidence and talent for young girls between the ages of 12 and 18, and to inspire them to pursue opportunities in technology. uCodeGirl is making technology fun, relevant, and accessible. Girls learn leadership skills and an entrepreneurial mindset. Leading women in technology provide mentoring. uCodeGirl also helps girls to learn hands-on skills. They provide a three-week summer camp where the girls can experiment with technology to solve their own problems. In the process, they help the girls to build a pathway to a career in technology. Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Betty Gronneberg “We want to go to the young girls where the divergence happens and cultivate their confidence.” “Nationally 18% of the technology sector is made up of women.” “It’s like nothing changed, but everything changed.” “I have always been resourceful and resilient.” “We want to help young girls to see technology as a solution for real-world problems.” “We want to cultivate their confidence.” “When you exude that passion, it’s easy for people to say, I’m here to help. What can I do?” “Not everybody is an early adopter of your idea.” “Be okay with no.” “It takes all of us to be a tech savvy generation.” Social Entrepreneurship Resources: UCodeGirl: http://www.ucodegirl.org/ UCodeGirl on Twitter: https://twitter.com/uCodeGirl UCodeGirl on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uCodeGirl/ Bush Foundation: https://www.bushfoundation.org Book: Crazy Good Advice: 10 Lessons Learned from 150 Leading Social Entrepreneurs: https://tonyloyd.com/book  

On this week’s This Moved Me, I talk with Malcom Chapman – speaker, Bush Fellow and community leader on the power of our speaking opportunities to move our community and really make a difference. Though we had some challenging audio - I decided to still share because the content of the conversation was so great. My apologies for the static - bare with me on this one! - and enjoy!   In the show we talked about:  Malcom’s Story The Bush Fellowship – and how we serve Malcom’s biggest challenges The power of family and our stories   TMM MOMENTS: Malcom: An ELCA Youth Gathering, where he experienced a Pastor preaching to console himself. The power of that story, and the vulnerability in that – Malcom felt like he knows him now.   (We also gave a shout-out to President Obama’s Eulogy after the Charleston shooting. https://youtu.be/RK7tYOVd0Hs)   Sally: This hilarious and stupid video about the impact of Helium Beer. Just TRY and watch this without laughing!   (https://youtu.be/3V9QHBgrPNY)

Jason Sole is a former drug dealer, member of a notorious street gang, and a three-time convicted felon. The middle of three children, Jason was raised on the mean streets of Chicago by a father who was addicted to drugs and an overburdened mother left to pick up the pieces. He joined a gang and turned to a life of crime to gain a lucrative position of authority and financially improve his life. As a result of his criminal activity, Sole has been incarcerated in numerous correctional facilities. Yet despite the height of the odds stacked against him, he turned his life around by earning both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Criminal Justice. He is currently putting the finishing touches on his dissertation to complete his doctorate in Public Safety with a specialization in Criminal Justice. Jason is an assistant professor at Metropolitan State University. He is a national keynote speaker and gang trainer, including serving as a national trainer for One Circle Foundation. Through his firm, Jason Sole Consulting LLC, he offers juvenile and criminal justice agencies the tools they need to influence people affected by delinquency, incarceration, poverty, and other social ills. In addition, he is a 2013 Bush Fellow who is focusing on reducing the recidivism rate among juveniles throughout the state of Minnesota.

Subject: Food Speaker or Performer: Heidi Demars Date of Delivery: November 17, 2013 Heidi Demars, a Bush Fellow, will discuss building healthy communities as it relates to our food system and food as spiritual sustenance.