Podcasts about innovation week

We continue Innovation Week here on The Country with Herd-i, and today we talk to the four young women behind Nature’s Prime Leather Restore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue Innovation Week here on The Country with Herd-i. Today we talk to the founder and CEO of G-Factor - a virtual reality and graphics tech company that specialises in driver and rider training, particularly for quad bikes and side-by-sides.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue Innovation Week here on The Country with Herd-i. Today, we catch up with the founder of Pit-Seal - an edible biofilm made of seaweed and nutrients used to cover silage pits instead of plastics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue Innovation Week here on The Country with Herd-i. Today we talk to a former pharmacist and one of the three-man team behind the Agri AI teat sprayer, which promises to reduce the huge cost of mastitis to the dairy industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We kick off Innovation Week on The Country with Herd-i, and today we talk to the innovative Southland farmer behind Kiwi Econet - an edible bale wrap made from jute. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to another episode of the Bentonville Beacon podcast! This week, host Brandom Gengelbach sits down with local entrepreneur and innovation leader Josh Stanley for an engaging look at the heartbeat of Bentonville's economy: retail and retail innovation. Josh, who has built his career at the crossroads of e-commerce, technology, and entrepreneurship—including stints at Zappos and founding his own companies—shares his fascinating journey from the tech world of Las Vegas to building startups in Northwest Arkansas.Together, Brandom and Josh dive into the importance of the retail value chain, the unique opportunities Bentonville offers for startups and established brands alike, and how the region is positioning itself as the “Retail Value Chain Capital of the World.” They also discuss the highly anticipated Retail Innovation Week and Embark Summit coming this September, designed to bring together industry leaders, emerging brands, and entrepreneurs to spark connections and drive growth.Whether you're interested in economic development, the startup scene, or just want to hear inspiring stories from people shaping Bentonville's future, this episode offers practical insights, candid reflections, and a look at how collaboration and innovation are fueling the next chapter for the region. Don't miss it!

This is a special episode featuring highlights from the inaugural Ottawa Innovation Week, with seven insightful interviews from some of the most inspiring leaders in technology and innovation, many of whom were speakers and organizers during the week's events. Ottawa Innovation Week is a celebration of bold ideas, creative minds, and the changemakers driving the future of technology, business, arts, entertainment, and social impact—right here in Canada's capital. The initiative was led by Sonya Shorey, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, in collaboration with the Ottawa Board of Trade, Ottawa Tourism, and numerous partner organizations. My interview with Sonya can be found in Episode 118 of The Art & Science of Learning podcast. Designed to showcase the strength, diversity, and growing momentum of Ottawa's innovation ecosystem, this first-of-its-kind event brought together leading voices from across technology, entrepreneurship, investment, and research. Throughout the week, I had the privilege of speaking with seven influential figures who are shaping the future of innovation both locally and globally. From startup founders and global corporate leaders to investors and ecosystem architects, each guest shares unique insights into their field, along with personal reflections on growth, leadership, and opportunity. Featured interviews (with timestamps) include: • Veronica Farmer (11:50) – Chief Marketing Officer at Wesley Clover International and a widely respected community builder in Ottawa's business and tech landscape • Dr. Lindy Ledohowski (37:20) – Vice President at RBCx, supporting leading tech companies with insights drawn from her background as both founder and academic • Julia Elvidge (46:20)– Co-founder of SheBoot, a trailblazer in intellectual property strategy and a champion of women's entrepreneurship in tech • Nick Quain (59:10) – Vice President of Venture & Entrepreneurship at Invest Ottawa and a driving force behind the city's startup ecosystem • Erin Kelly (1:07:20) – Co-founder and CEO of askpolly.ai, an AI-powered platform transforming predictive analysis in public affairs and beyond • Jonathan Lowenhar (1:14:50) – Founder & Managing Partner at Enjoy The Work, a global advisory firm helping startup founders become exceptional CEOs • Andrew Holmes (1:23:20) – Founder of Sleep Efficiency Inc., and a national expert in the science and impact of sleep health From venture capital and AI innovation to women-led tech startups and the future of sleep science, this episode presents a compelling cross-section of ideas and expertise. Whether you're a founder, investor, policymaker, or simply curious about Ottawa's role in shaping the innovation economy, there's something here for you. ---- Links and Guest Biographies: Ottawa Innovation Week: https://www.investottawa.ca/innovation-week/ Invest Ottawa: https://www.investottawa.ca Interview with Sonya Shorey about Ottawa Innovation Week: https://www.theartandscienceoflearning.com/e101-jan-present/e118-launching-ottawa-innovation-week-sonya-shorey Veronica Farmer Veronica Farmer is Chief Marketing Officer at Wesley Clover International where she oversees all aspects of its promotion and management, collaborating closely with portfolio companies and affiliates such as L-SPARK, Alacrity Global, and WCS Global. Recognized as one of Ottawa's foremost community builders, Veronica holds leadership and board roles in numerous business and non-profit organizations. As the Founder and former CEO of TrueCourse Communications, a full-service marketing and communications agency, Veronica guided numerous tech, B2B, and B2C clients in Ottawa and beyond toward market success. TrueCourse was acquired in December 2024, marking a milestone in her entrepreneurial journey. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicafarmer/ TechTuesday: https://www.wesleyclover.com/events/techtuesday/ Dr. Lindy Ledohowski Dr. Lindy Ledohowski is VP at RBCx, where she supports some of the Ottawa region's biggest and best tech companies on behalf of RBCx. Prior to her work in banking, she was a professor and founder of EssayJack, an academic writing platform. EssayJack was acquired in 2021 by Wizeprep, and Lindy joined Wizeprep first as a VP and then as Chief Operating Officer. She is also an active Board member in the not-for-profit space LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindy-ledohowski/ Julia Elvidge Julia Elvidge is co-founder of SheBoot, a bootcamp for women entrepreneurs of scalable tech and tech-enabled businesses. Julia has been recognized as one of the world's foremost IP strategists by Intellectual Property Magazine (IAM). Trained as an electrical engineer, Julia designed microchip circuits and analyzed semiconductors before moving into the business side of technology. As co-founder and President, Julia helped build Chipworks into an industry leader, delivering patent analytics and technology intelligence services to intellectual property and R&D groups in electronics companies across Asia, North America and Europe. Recipient of the Canadian Women in Communications Trailblazer of the Year Award (2008) and CATA WIT (Women in Technology) Sara Kirke Award for Woman Entrepreneurship (2007). LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaelvidge/ SheBoot: https://sheboot.ca Nick Quain Nick Quain is Vice President of Venture & Entrepreneurship at Invest Ottawa, he spearheads support for Ottawa's tech and entrepreneurial sectors while championing the local business ecosystem as a whole. Previously he served as co-founder and CEO at CellWand. They pioneered the use of abbreviated dialing codes in North America with their award-winning #TAXI (Pound Taxi) service and later in the mobile transportation space with The Ride app. CellWand earned numerous business and innovation awards, including the 2010 Canada's Top 10 Competition for Technology, recognition as one of Canada's Hottest Innovation Companies, and being named one of the top 10 Wireless Companies to Watch by IDC. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-quain/ Erin Kelly Erin Kelly is co-founder and CEO of askpolly.ai, the venture-backed AI company that has cracked the code for predicting human reaction to a future scenario. askpolly has successfully predicted the outcome of over 30 elections and referendums, assisted with frundraising, forecast disease spread and helped hundreds of executives hone their messages through very difficult PR situations. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinottawa/ askpolly: https://www.askpolly.ai Jonathan Lowenhar Jonathan Lowenhar is Founder & Managing Partner at Enjoy The Work. Founded in 2015, Enjoy The Work is a San Francisco-based startup advisory firm that helps founders transform into master operators and become great CEOs. Enjoy The Work has supported more than 125 startups, representing more than $13B in combined market value. Among their global client list are notable success stories such as Tipalti, Paper.co, inDinero, RealtyMogul and Honeybook. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlowenhar/ Enjoy The Work: https://enjoythework.com Andrew Holmes Andrew Holmes is Founder of Sleep Efficiency Inc. Before founding Sleep Efficiency, Andrew served as Senior of Cardiopulmonary labs at the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa, where he led the team responsible for a full-service out-patient cardiopulmonary department and sleep clinic. Andrew is routinely featured as the sleep subject matter expert on CTV News and CBC's The National, offering insights into the critical role of sleep health. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-holmes-rpsgt-49961951/ Sleep Efficiency: https://www.sleepefficiency.ca

Something exciting is happening in my hometown of Ottawa, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you on the podcast. Next week, from June 9th to the 13th, will be the inaugural Ottawa Innovation Week, a celebration of bold ideas, creative minds, and the game-changers who are driving the future of technology, business, arts, entertainment, and social impact right here in Canada's capital. My guest on this episode is Sonya Shorey, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards, and Area X.O, a research and development complex that helps accelerate next-gen technology. Sonya is leading Ottawa Innovation Week, in partnership with the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Tourism, among many other organizations. We discuss what inspired her to create Ottawa Innovation Week, how it was developed, what we can expect, and what she hopes will be the impact on us as individuals and on the city. I will reflect on my experience and what I learned during Ottawa Innovation Week, including interviews with some of the speakers and innovators I meet, in the episode that will be published on June 19th. Ottawa Innovation Week event details can be found on the website at: https://www.investottawa.ca/innovation-week/ Sonya Shorey, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards, and Area X.O, is a strategy executive and management consultant with more than 22 years of leadership experience with private and public organizations. With expertise in regional, national, and global technology, entrepreneurial, economic development, and innovation-based organizations, she specializes in corporate and communications strategy development and execution. This includes investment strategies that secure new cash and in-kind contributions from public and private sources. Since 2005, Sonya has led, strategized, authored and/or made a significant contribution to successful multi-year funding proposals and initiatives valued at more than $203 million from municipal, provincial, federal, and international governments. Within her executive leadership role with Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O, Sonya plays a pivotal role in developing, leading, and executing strategy for all three organizations. This includes: • Area X.O, the futureplex of innovation and collaboration for next-generation smart mobility, connectivity and autonomy technologies; • The Women Founders and Owners Strategy and Action Plan. This includes co-founding SheBoot, the investment-ready bootcamp for women tech founders designed and delivered by women entrepreneurs and investors, and founding International Women's Week in Canada's Capital; and International Women's Week. • The first Pan-Ontario Scale-Up Platform of its kind aimed at enabling and accelerating the growth, scaleup and commercial success of more $100 million revenue-generating tech companies in Canada. Sonya launched her career as the Manager of Communications and Member of the Vice-Presidential Cabinet with the 10G Organization of Optical Networks for Nortel from 1999 to 2002, and then served as the Director of Marketing Communications for CMC Microsystems until 2007. Building on a decade of experience, Sonya launched her own strategy company in 2008, addressing the needs of S&T organizations, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development agencies across Canada, and their partners around the world. She currently serves Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Communications for Invest Ottawa, lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries in Canada's Capital. Sonya is a Director of the Institute of Mental Health Research of the Royal Ottawa Hospital, Elevate International, and Mindtrust Leadership. She also serves as mentor and pitch coach with Women in Cloud, AI North America, and Technovation. She holds a Combined Honours in English and Political Science from Carleton University and has won 10+ international awards for communications, leadership, and women's economic empowerment. Sonya Shorey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyashorey/ Invest Ottawa: https://www.investottawa.ca/ Ottawa Board of Trade: https://www.ottawabot.ca/ Ottawa Tourism: https://ottawatourism.ca/en

Embracing innovation has been outlined as a necessary step in positioning Saint Lucia to safely harness its marine resources.   This year, at the launch of the annually observed Innovation and Creativity Week, focus was placed on the Blue Economy and its ability to inspire change.

In dieser Episode wird die Verbindung zwischen Kreativität und positiver Psychologie untersucht. Jutta Kallies-Schweiger spricht mit Gabi Preßlinger-Bucovica und Susanne Bauer über Kreativität im Alltag, die Unterschiede zwischen positiver und traditioneller Psychologie, das Flow-Erlebnis und wie Kreativität als Schutzmechanismus in Krisenzeitenfungieren kann. Es wird erörtert, wie positive Emotionen die Kreativität fördern und wie Resilienz durch kreative Prozesse gestärkt werden kann. In dieser Episode diskutieren die Teilnehmer die Rolle von Kreativität in Problemlösungsprozessen, die Bedeutung von Teamarbeit und positiven Beziehungen sowie die Verbindung zwischen Kreativität und Sinnfindung. Sie betonen, dass Kreativität nicht nur in der Kunst, sondern auch im Arbeitskontext eineentscheidende Rolle spielt und dass Routinen sowohl hinderlich als auch förderlich sein können. Abschließend wird die Wichtigkeit von Komplimenten und der Austausch von Stärken hervorgehoben, um eine positive und kreative Arbeitsumgebung zu schaffen.TakeawaysKreativität ist eine fundamentale menschliche Fähigkeit.Positive Psychologie konzentriert sich auf das Aufblühen.Flow-Erlebnisse sind entscheidend für kreatives Arbeiten.Kreativität kann in jedem Lebensbereich angewendet werden.Jeder Mensch hat kreative Potenziale, die gefördert werden können.Kreativität schützt uns in schwierigen Zeiten.Positive Emotionen fördern kreative Prozesse.Resilienz kann durch kreative Ausdrucksformen gestärkt werden.Antifragilität beschreibt die Fähigkeit, ausHerausforderungen zu wachsen.Die Gestaltung des Handlungs-Spielraums ist entscheidend für Kreativität. Kreativität kann genutzt werden, um Probleme zu lösen und Wünsche zu erfüllen.Ein lösungsorientiertes Mindset fördert die Kreativität.Der kreative Prozess ist oft wichtiger als das Ergebnis.Teamarbeit ist entscheidend für kreative Prozesse.Kunst kann als Inspirationsquelle für Kreativität dienen.Routinen können sowohl hinderlich als auch förderlich für Kreativität sein.Komplimente stärken das Team und fördern Kreativität.Kreativität kann helfen, Sinn im Leben zu finden.Transformation in Organisationen erfordert kreative Ansätze.Positive Beziehungen sind ein Schlüssel zur Förderung von Kreativität. Kapitel00:00 Einführung in die Kreativität und positive Psychologie03:10 Vorstellung der Expertinnen und deren Perspektiven05:07 Was ist positive Psychologie?10:22 Der Flow-Zustand und seine Bedeutung18:01 Praktische Tipps zur Förderung von Flow undKreativität20:44 Die Bedeutung von Flow und Kreativität22:48 Stärken und Ressourcen in der positiven Psychologie24:52 Kreativität und ihre Charakterstärken26:56 Kreativität als universelle Fähigkeit28:21 Kreativität als Schutzmechanismus29:35 Positive Emotionen und ihre Auswirkungen aufKreativität31:16 Der Einfluss von negativen Emotionen auf Kreativität32:07 Innenwahrnehmung und emotionale Ausdrucksfähigkeit34:53 Bedürfnisse und Gefühle in der Kommunikation36:23 Kreativität und Resilienz in Krisensituationen39:03 Antifragilität und ihre Relevanz für Resilienz44:11 Kreativität im Problemlösungsprozess47:06 Der Wert des kreativen Prozesses49:49 Aktive Zukunftsgestaltung durch Kreativität50:36 Die Rolle des Teams in kreativen Prozessen58:04 Routinen und Gewohnheiten in der Kreativität01:01:04 Kreative Herausforderungen und Stärken01:02:34 Die Bedeutung von Komplimenten und Wertschätzung01:06:14 Die Kraft positiver Geschichten01:09:08 Rituale für Kreativität und Selbstwirksamkeit01:10:50 Kreativität und Sinn im Arbeitskontext01:16:52 Transformation und Sinnfindung in Organisationen01:21:01 Der Fluss der Kreativität und Identifikation01:26:00 Abschließende Gedanken zur positiven Psychologie und KreativitätFür einen tieferen Austausch und für weitere Impulse, werde Teil der ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠soluvaire Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Kommende Live Podcast Sessions kannst du ⁠⁠⁠hier⁠⁠⁠ buchen: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.juttakalliesschweiger.de/events

In dieser Episode von Juttas Zukunftskompetenzen wird derWorld Creativity Innovation Day gefeiert. Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und ihre Gästin Andrea Weichand diskutieren die Bedeutung von Kreativität und handschriftlichen Notizen. Andrea teilt ihre Erfahrungen als Data- und Creativity-Analystin und erklärt, wie strukturierte Notizen den kreativen Prozess unterstützen können. Die beiden sprechen über die Vorteile von handschriftlichen Notizen im Vergleich zu digitalen und ermutigen die Zuhörer, ihre eigenen Notizbücher zu nutzen, um Ideen festzuhalten und kreativ zu sein. In ihrem Impuls-Workshop läd Andrea dazu ein, direkt auszuprobieren, wie ihre Art, Notizen zu machen, zu mehr Struktur und Klarheit führt.TakeawaysKreativität ist eine essentielle Zukunftskompetenz.Handschriftliche Notizen fördern das Gedächtnis.Strukturierte Notizen helfen, Ideen zu bändigen.Notizbücher sind wertvoll für die Nachwelt.Kreativität braucht sowohl Freiheit als auch Struktur.Der Austausch über Notizen kann den kreativen Prozess bereichern.Jede Idee hat ihren Platz in einem Notizbuch.Notizen können helfen, neue Verbindungen zu schaffen.Achtsamkeit und Produktivität können durch Notizengesteigert werden.Die Wahl des richtigen Notizbuchs ist wichtig für dieKreativität.Kapitel00:00 Einführung in den World Creativity Innovation Day02:20 Vorstellung von Andrea Weichand und ihrer Kreativität05:36 Der Wert handschriftlicher Notizen09:12 Praktische Tipps für Notizen und Notizbücher11:36 Die Magie der strukturierten Notizen20:14 Notizen als Lerntechnik und Produktivitätswerkzeug24:03 Kreativität und Struktur in Notizen34:31 Tipps für effektives Notieren35:08 Notizen effektiv gestalten41:12 Kreativität im Notizbuch46:38 Struktur und Ordnung in Notizen53:28 Der kreative Prozess und Austausch58:32 Abschluss und AusblickFür einen tieferen Austausch mit Andrea und mir, ⁠Jutta Kallies-Schweiger⁠ und für weitere Impulse zu den Themen Inner Development und Kreativität lade ich dich ein, Teil der ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠soluvaire Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ zu werden.Kommende Live Podcast Sessions kannst du ⁠⁠hier⁠⁠ buchen: ⁠⁠https://www.juttakalliesschweiger.de/events

In diesem Podcast-Gespräch zwischen Podcast Host Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und Kerstin Döring wird die individuelle Kreativität in verschiedenen Facetten beleuchtet. Kerstin teilt ihre persönliche Reise zur Kreativität, die Bedeutungvon Lebendigkeit und Mut sowie die Herausforderungen, die mit der Suche nach neuen Wegen verbunden sind. Es wird diskutiert, wie wichtig es ist, Räume der Stille zu schaffen und wie man gegen Konformität ankämpfen kann, um die eigeneStimme zu finden und zu stärken. In diesem Gespräch erkunden Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und Kerstin die verschiedenen Facetten von Kreativität, Routinen und dem Mut, Neues auszuprobieren. Sie diskutieren die Balancezwischen positiven Routinen und der Gefahr der Konformität, die die Abenteuerlust einschränken kann. Intuition wird als wichtiger Leitfaden hervorgehoben, während Beta-Prozesse und Resonanz in kreativen Projekten als Schlüssel zur Weiterentwicklung betrachtet werden. Die Bedeutung von Sichtbarkeit und der Prozess der Kreativität werden ebenfalls thematisiert, ebenso wie die Rolle von Menschlichkeit in kreativen Prozessen. Abschließendwird die Notwendigkeit betont, die eigene Kreativität zu entdecken und zu fördern, um eine positive Veränderung in der Welt zu bewirken.TakeawaysKreativität ist ein Prozess, der Lebendigkeit erfordert.Räume der Stille sind wichtig für kreative Prozesse.Mut ist entscheidend, um neue Wege zu gehen.Selbstvertrauen ist notwendig, um die eigene Stimme zufinden.Neugier und Offenheit sind grundlegende Eigenschaftenkreativer Menschen.Es ist wichtig, sich selbst Raum zu geben, um zu wachsen.Kreativität kann durch alltägliche Praktiken genährt werden.Die Verbindung zur Natur unterstützt die Kreativität.Kreativität erfordert oft das Ausprobieren undExperimentieren.Es ist wichtig, sich von gesellschaftlichen Normen zu lösen.Routinen können sowohl positiv als auch einschränkend sein.Intuition ist ein wichtiger Wegweiser im kreativen Prozess.Beta-Prozesse fördern die Entwicklung und Resonanz mit anderen.Sichtbarkeit ist entscheidend für kreative Ausdrucksformen.Kreativität sollte als Teil des Menschseins betrachtetwerden.Der Prozess ist oft wichtiger als das Ergebnis.Kreativität erfordert Mut und die Bereitschaft, Neuesauszuprobieren.Kreative Produkte sollten dem Menschsein dienen.Es ist wichtig, die eigene Kreativität zu entdecken und zu fördern.Kleine Schritte können große Veränderungen bewirken.Kapitel00:00 Einführung in die Kreativität06:27 Die Bedeutung von Kreativität & Das Konzept derVier P10:06 Kreativität im Alltag - Wie bist du kreativ?16:44 Wie kommt das Neue in die Welt?22:11 Räume der Stille und Reflexion26:40 Lebendigkeit und Instinkte in der Kreativität30:45 Die Kraft des Atems und der Natur32:27 Neugier und Mut: Der Weg zur Kreativität34:32 Leidensdruck und der Mut zur Veränderung36:32 Spielerisches Ausprobieren und Selbstfindung39:35 Konformität und die Suche nach neuen Möglichkeiten42:12 Intuition als Wegweiser für Veränderungen46:14 Mut zur Sichtbarkeit und kreativen Ausdruck49:20 Der kreative Prozess und seine Herausforderungen52:24 Die Freude am kreativen Ausdruck55:31 Kreativität als Dienst am Menschsein58:34 Die Balance zwischen Effizienz und Kreativität01:00:16 Zukunftsvisionen und kreative Projekte01:04:37 Inspiration und Vorbilder in der KreativitätFür einen tieferen Austausch mit Kerstin und mir, Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und für weitere Impulse zu den Themen Inner Development und Kreativität lade ich dich ein, Teil der ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠soluvaire Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ zu werden.Kommende Live Podcast Sessions kannst du ⁠hier⁠ buchen: ⁠https://www.juttakalliesschweiger.de/events

In dieser Episode des Podcasts"Zukunftskompetenzen" stellt Jutta Kallies-Schweiger die soluvaire® Methode vor, die kreatives Problemlösen und persönliche Transformation fördert. Sie erklärt die Grundprinzipien des soluvaire® creative problem solving navigators, der sowohl kognitive als auch somatische Ansätze integriert. Die Methode richtet sich an Führungspersonen, Coaches und alle, diekomplexe Herausforderungen meistern möchten, Entscheidungen treffen müssen oder Ziele erreichen wollen. Jutta betont die Bedeutung von Kreativität und Innovation als Schlüsselkompetenzen für die Zukunft und lädtdie Zuhörenden ein, mehr über die Methode und ihre Anwendung zu erfahren.TakeawaysDer soluvaire® creative problem solving navigator unterstützt bei komplexen Herausforderungen.Die Methode integriert kognitive und somatische Ansätze.Kreativität und Innovation sind entscheidend für persönlicheund berufliche Entwicklung.Das Workbook bietet eine strukturierte Anleitung zurProblemlösung.Die Methode ist für Einzelpersonen und Teams anwendbar.Es ist wichtig, Körpersignale in den Entscheidungsprozesseinzubeziehen.Die Transformation von Fragen ist ein zentrales Prinzip derMethode.Das Workbook ist für alle zugänglich, unabhängig vonVorkenntnissen.Feedback und Bewertungen sind wichtig für die Sichtbarkeitdes Podcasts.Zukünftige Veranstaltungen und Ausbildungen werdenangekündigt.Kapitel00:00 Einführung in die Kreativität und Innovation02:10 Der soluvaire Creative Problem Solving Navigator06:29 Grundprinzipien der Solovere-Methode11:18 Anwendung des soluvaire Navigators12:31 Für wen ist das Workbook geeignet?14:17 Brauche ich Vorkenntnisse, um das soluvaire Workbookzu nutzen?15:34 Wie unterscheidet sich soluvaire von anderenProblemlösungsmethoden?16:34 Kann ich soluvaire auch im Team anwenden?19:44 Zukünftige Entwicklungen und AusblickDas Workbook zur Methode soluvaire® kannst du hier bestellen.Für einen tieferen Austausch mit Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und für weitere Impulse zu den Themen Inner Development und Kreativität, werde Teil der ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠soluvaire Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ .Kommende Live Podcast Sessions kannst du ⁠hier⁠ buchen: ⁠https://www.juttakalliesschweiger.de/events

In dieser Podcast-Episode geht es um die Rückkehr zurkindlichen Leichtigkeit und Kreativität. Podcast Host Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und Impulsgeberin Lisa Aschenbrenner diskutieren, wie wichtig es ist, die Neugier und den spielerischen Zugang zur Welt zu bewahren. Durch interaktive Übungen und Visualisierungen erfährst du, wie du mehr Leichtigkeit in deinen Alltag integrieren kannst. Die Episode ermutigt dazu, Kreativität als eine Form der Neugier zu betrachten. Lisa gibt dir praktische Tipps, um die eigene Kreativität zu fördern. TakeawaysLeichtigkeit ist der Schlüssel zu Kreativität.Neugierde ist eine wichtige Eigenschaft, die wir bewahren sollten.Kreativität kann durch kindliches Denken gefördert werden.Visualisierungen helfen, in die eigene Kreativitäteinzutauchen.Erinnerungen an die Kindheit können Leichtigkeitzurückbringen.Die Welt ist voller Möglichkeiten, wenn wir sie mitKinderaugen betrachten.Kreativität ist ein Experiment, das keine perfektenErgebnisse erfordert.Wir sollten uns erlauben, Spaß zu haben und kreativ zu sein.Kreativität kann im Alltag durch kleine Entdeckerreisengefördert werden.Es ist wichtig, Platz für kreativen Unfug zu schaffen.  Kapitel00:00 Einführung in die kindliche Leichtigkeit08:29 Kreativität und kindliche Neugier15:41 Visualisierung und Rückkehr zur Leichtigkeit19:53 Die Bedeutung der kindlichen Perspektive21:45 Die Entdeckerreise der Kreativität27:01 Kreativität durch Perspektivwechsel29:57 Die Kraft der Fantasie35:00 Kreativität im Alltag integrieren42:00 Leichtigkeit und Freude im kreativen ProzessFür einen tieferen Austausch mit Lisa und mir, Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und für weitere Impulse zu den Themen Inner Development und Kreativität lade ich dich ein, Teil der ⁠⁠⁠⁠soluvaire Community⁠⁠⁠⁠ zu werden.Kommende Live Podcast Sessions kannst du hier buchen: https://www.juttakalliesschweiger.de/events

In dieser Podcast Episode wird die essentielle Verbindungzwischen Kreativität und dem Nervensystem beleuchtet. Alexandra Müller erklärt, wie ein reguliertes Nervensystem die Grundlage für kreatives Denken bildet und welche Rolle der Körper dabei spielt. Sie diskutiert die Herausforderungen, die ein überlastetes Nervensystem für die Kreativität darstellt, und bietet praktische Ansätze zur Regulierung des Nervensystems an, um kreatives Potenzialzu entfalten. Der Vortrag schließt mit der Vision einer Welt, in der Menschen sich sicher fühlen und ihre Kreativität voll entfalten können.TakeawaysKreativität beginnt im Körper und ist eng mit demNervensystem verbunden.Ein reguliertes Nervensystem ist entscheidend für kreativesDenken.Kreativität ist kein Privileg, sondern für jeden zugänglich.Sicherheit und innere Ruhe sind notwendig für kreativeProzesse.Das autonome Nervensystem beeinflusst unsere Kreativität.Kreativität kann nicht unter Druck erzwungen werden.Regulierung des Nervensystems kann durch Atemarbeit undBewegung erfolgen.Pausen sind wichtig für kreative Ideen.Kreativität zeigt sich nicht nur in Kunst, sondern auch imAlltag.Ein reguliertes Nervensystem fördert Innovation undzukunftsfähiges Denken.Kapitel00:00 Einführung in Kreativität und Nervensystem04:07 Die Verbindung zwischen Körper und Kreativität08:09 Kreativität als Zukunftskompetenz11:54 Das autonome Nervensystem und Kreativität15:58 Regulierung des Nervensystems für kreative Prozesse19:48 Praktische Ansätze zur Förderung von Kreativität23:59 Atemübung zur Entspannung30:00 Die Bedeutung des regulierten Nervensystems fürKreativität32:30 Reflexion und Dankbarkeit35:01 Verbindung zwischen Körper und KreativitätFür einen tieferen Austausch mit Alexandra und mir, Jutta Kallies-Schweiger und für weitere Impulse zu den Themen Inner Development und Kreativität lade ich dich ein, Teil der ⁠⁠⁠soluvaire Community⁠⁠⁠ zu werden.

In diesem Podcast Impuls-Workshop geht es um die Verbindung von Körperbewusstsein, Atmung und Kreativität in der Führung. Katharina Seeger zeigt, wie wir durch bewusste Atmung und Bewegung Zugang zu mehr Klarheit und Kreativität erhalten können. Der Workshop führt durch die Auswirkungen von Stress auf den Körper und die Bedeutung von Emotionen für kreative Prozesse.Praktische Übungen helfen den Teilnehmenden, ihre Körperwahrnehmung zu schärfen und ihre Emotionen als Ressource zu nutzen. TakeawaysKreativität kann in stressigen Situationen entstehen.Vorbereitung ermöglicht bessere Improvisation.Stress hat sowohl mentale als auch körperliche Auswirkungen.Emotionen müssen verarbeitet werden, um klar zu denken.Körperbewusstsein steigert die Führungsstärke.Innere Sicherheit fördert psychologische Sicherheit im Team.Emotionen sind entscheidend für kreative Problemlösungen.Regelmäßige Reflexion und Austausch sind wichtig.Das innere Team hilft bei der kreativen Problemlösung.Kreativität erfordert Raum für Emotionen.  Kapitel00:00 Einführung in den Workshop und die Herausforderungen der Führung02:50 Katharina Seeger: Kreativität und persönliche Ansätze05:27 Der Kontext: Stress und Herausforderungen in derheutigen Zeit09:15 Der Stresszyklus und seine Auswirkungen auf den Körper11:04 Emotionen, Kreativität und Führungsstärke14:27 Praktische Übungen: Atmung, Bewegung und Strategie20:51 Intuitive Körperbewegung und Box-Atmung26:20 Reflexion und das innere Team27:17 Das innere Team und seine Bedeutung33:27 Reflexion und Identifikation der inneren Teammitglieder39:37 Emotionen als Superpower für Kreativität44:45 Die Rolle von Gemeinschaft und Austausch51:24 Abschluss und Ausblick auf zukünftige ThemenFür einen tieferen Austausch mit Katharina und mir und weitere Impulse zu den Themen Inner Development und Kreativität lade ich dich ein, Teil der ⁠⁠soluvaire Community⁠⁠ zu werden.

In dieser Podcast Episode im Rahmen der World Creativity & Innovation Week wird das Thema kreative Blockaden behandelt, die viele Menschen in ihrem kreativen Prozess erleben. Meine Podcast Gästin Siri Nase erklärt die verschiedenen Arten von Blockaden, sowohl innere als auch äußere, und bietet praktische Methoden an, um diese zu überwinden. Der Fokus liegt auf der Bedeutung von Atmung, Selbstreflexion und einer positiven Fehlerkultur, um in den kreativen Flow zu gelangen. Die Zuhörenden werden ermutigt, ihre eigenen Blockaden zu erkennen und Strategien zu entwickeln, um ihre Kreativität zu fördern.TakeawaysKreative Blockaden sind häufig und können überwunden werden.Der kreative Flow ist entscheidend für Problemlösungen.Stress wirkt sich negativ auf die Kreativität aus.Atmung kann helfen, den inneren Zustand zu verändern.Perfektionismus kann kreative Prozesse hemmen.Selbstzweifel sind eine häufige Blockade.Kreativität benötigt Zeit und Raum.Fehlerkultur fördert kreative Lösungen.Diskussionsdominanz kann innovative Ideen ersticken.Selbstreflexion ist wichtig, um Blockaden zu erkennen.Kapitel00:00 Einführung in Kreativität und Blockaden06:05 Der kreative Flow und seine Bedeutung14:22 Innere und äußere Blockaden verstehen18:38 Körperliche Blockaden und Stressbewältigung21:20 Atemtechniken zur Überwindung von Blockaden22:55 Atemübung zur Entspannung24:03 Innere Blockaden verstehen27:54 Äußere Blockaden erkennen35:06 Selbstreflexion und Strategien41:02 Abschluss und AusblickWillkommen bei „Jutta's Zukunftskompetenzen“ – dem Podcast für alle, die spüren: Kreativität ist die wichtigste Ressource für die Welt von morgen. In jederEpisode entdecken Coaches und Führungskräfte, wie ihre kreative Power zum Kompass in einer komplexen Welt wird. Was als Unsicherheit beginnt, wird zur Kraft, die Zukunft aktiv zu gestalten.Die ⁠⁠⁠⁠soluvaire®-Methode⁠⁠⁠⁠ öffnet dafür neue Zugänge zu deinem kreativen Potential: durch tiefgehende Innerwork, bewegende Atem-Meditationen und erhellende Gespräche mit Zukunftsgestalter*innen. Was dabei entsteht, ist mehr als Kreativitätstraining – es ist eine neue Art, deine Herausforderungen zu meistern.In den Live-Sessions nach jeder Episode vertieft sich diese Transformation im gemeinsamen Austausch in der ⁠Community⁠. Hier wird Kreativität nicht nur verstanden, sondern als lebendige Energie erfahren. Speicher dir den nächsten Termin in deinem Kalender und finde in deinen Zukunftsängsten eine neue Gestaltungskraft: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.juttakalliesschweiger.de/events⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In dieser Podcast Episode wird das FourSight-Modell vorgestellt, das kreative Problemlösungsprozesse und kognitive Vielfalt in Teams fördert. Jutta Kallies-Schweiger erklärt die vier grundlegenden Denkpräferenzen und deren Bedeutung für die Zusammenarbeit. Sie beleuchtet, wie FourSight in Organisationen implementiert werden kann, um kreative Lösungen zu entwickeln und die Teamdynamik zu verbessern. Zudem wird die FourSight-Zertifizierungvorgestellt, die Fachleuten hilft, das Modell effektiv anzuwenden.TakeawaysKreative Problemlösung ist entscheidend in komplexen Zeiten.FourSight identifiziert vier Denkpräferenzen: Clarifier,Ideator, Developer, Implementer.Jeder Mensch hat eine natürliche Neigung zu bestimmten Denkweisen.Das Verständnis der eigenen Präferenzen fördertSelbstmitgefühl.Teams profitieren von kognitiver Diversität.FourSight kann in Change-Prozessen wertvoll sein.Die Zertifizierung ermöglicht eine tiefere Anwendung des Modells.Kognitive Präferenzen beeinflussen das Wohlbefinden im Team.FourSight unterscheidet sich von klassischenPersönlichkeitsmodellen.Die Implementierung erfordert Bewusstsein und strukturelle Anpassungen.Kapitel00:00 Einführung in kreative Problemlösung06:06 Der kreative Problemlösungsprozess11:50 Das persönliche FourSight-Profil18:05 Transformation durch FourSight23:38 Ist FourSight ein weiteres Persönlichkeitsmodell wieMBTI oder DISC?24:55 Kann sich mein FourSight-Profil im Laufe der Zeitändern?26:06 Wie wissenschaftlich fundiert ist das FourSightModell?27:09 Wie setze ich FourSight in meinem Team konkret ein,ohne dass es bei der Analyse bleibt?30:37 Wie verhält sich FourSight zu anderen kreativenMethoden?32:09 Wie kann ich als Führungsperson meinen eigenenDenkstil reflektieren und ergänzen?35:14 Wie hängt FourSight mit dem Wohlbefinden und derpsychischen Gesundheit von Teams zusammen?38:16 Was beinhaltet die FourSight-Zertifizierung und fürwen ist sie geeignet?43:35 Wie kann ich testen, ob FourSight für meineOrganisation geeignet ist, bevor ich größer investiere?49:17 Einladung in die soluvaire CommunityDu bist eingeladen, FourSight zu testen, indem du dein Denkprofil erstellen lässt. Mit dem Gutschein Code WCIW25 erhälst Du bis einschliesslich 21.4.2025 10% Rabatt bei der Bestellung des FourSight Denkprofils.

In dieser Episode von Juttas Zukunftskompetenzen Podcastwird die World Creativity and Innovation Week 2025 eröffnet. Jutta Kallies-Schweiger betont die Bedeutung von Kreativität als unverzichtbare Zukunftskompetenz und erklärt, warum diese Woche wichtig ist, um kreativePotenziale zu entfalten. Sie stellt die FourSight-Methode vor, die hilft, kreative Blockaden zu überwinden, und lädt die Zuhörer ein, Teil der soluvaire Community zu werden. Die Episode schließt mit einer Atem- und Dankbarkeitsmeditation, um die eigene Kreativität zu aktivieren.TakeawaysKreativität ist eine unverzichtbare Zukunftskompetenz.Die World Creativity and Innovation Week feiert kreative Potenziale.Kreativität ist ein gesellschaftlicher Auftrag.Kreativität zählt zu den Top 10 Kompetenzen derZukunft.Technologie unterstützt Kreativität, ersetzt sieaber nicht.Innovation entsteht durch kreativen Austausch.Die FourSight-Methode fördert unterschiedlicheDenkstile.Kreative Räume sind wichtig für den Dialog.Dankbarkeit öffnet das Herz und weitet den Geist.Die soluvaire Community bietet Unterstützung fürkreative Prozesse.Kapitel 00:00 Einführung in die Kreativität und Innovation01:53 Die Bedeutung der World Creativity and Innovation Week03:50 Kreativität in der Arbeitswelt der Zukunft05:01 FourSight und kreative Zusammenarbeit09:25 Einladung zur soluvaire Community11:30 Atem- und Dankbarkeitsmeditation

In this episode, host Munir Haque welcomes Chris Doble, Director of the Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA), to the show to talk about the mentorship that VMSA offers to entrepreneurs by assembling teams of experienced business leaders. Based on MIT's Venture Mentoring Service model, the VMSA focuses on personal leadership development rather than business operations, emphasizing mentorship through coaching rather than direct advisory. Chris Doble and Munir explore how the program was adapted for Alberta's business environment and how the approach prioritizes developing entrepreneurs as leaders.Chris highlights VMSA's rigorous mentee selection process that ensures those chosen align with their coaching philosophy. He explains that the primarily entrepreneurial and executive mentors foster open discussions that might not be possible in a formal board setting. The conversation discusses how the program, funded by Alberta Innovates, has largely grown through referrals and has helped mentees achieve business growth, leadership clarity, and in some cases, career redirection. Munir and Chris also emphasize the importance of diversity in mentorship teams and the balance between experience and personality compatibility. About Chris Doble: Chris is the program director of the VMSA, Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta, an entrepreneur mentorship program that focuses on building the leadership capacity of growth stage entrepreneurs. Based on the VMS mentorship model established at MIT, the VMSA supports entrepreneurs by surrounding them with a team of experienced business leaders who provide ongoing coaching and guidance as they scale their ventures. Prior to joining the VMSA, Chris helped out to grow the Threshold Impact Venture Mentoring Service program based out of the University of Alberta and has received mentorship and coaching training through the MIT Venture Mentoring Service Executive Immersion Program, and Roy Group's practice of coaching. Before entering the world of mentorship, Chris worked in a variety of roles within the music industry, including as a studio manager of an audio post-production studio, in artist marketing and PR, and in co-launching a mastering studio in Toronto. He has an Honors Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ottawa in Communications and Business Administration and is proud to be a Calgary born and raised citizen.—Contact Munir Haque | ActionEdge Executive Development: Website: AEEDNow.comLinkedin: Action Edge Executive Development Inc.Contact Chris Doble: Website: VMSAlberta.orgLinkedInPodcast Production:Recording:  PushySix StudiosProduction Assistance: Astronomic Audio—TranscriptChris Doble: [00:00:01] There's an analogy that we really like to use to describe VMs, which is that we don't build the race car, we train the race car driver. With the thinking that, of course we want to see success come to these start ups and come to these businesses, but for us, we really want that to flow through the growth and development of the individual. Longer term thinking being even if these ventures aren't ultimately successful, you've still built the skills and the capacity that someone could take with them to the next venture.Munir Haque: [00:00:29] Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Boardroom 180 Podcast. I'm your host Munir Haque, an executive coach and senior board strategist. I have partnered with Action Edge Executive Development to lead their governance and political acumen division. In each episode, we meet with governance leaders and step into their boardrooms, where decisions shape the world around us.Munir Haque: [00:00:48] Today we're excited to welcome Mr. Chris Doble. Chris is the program director of the Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta, the VMSA. It's an entrepreneur mentorship program that focuses on building the leadership capacity of growth stage entrepreneurs. Based on the VMS mentorship model established at MIT, the VMSA supports entrepreneurs by surrounding them with a team of experienced business leaders who provide ongoing coaching and guidance as they scale their ventures. Before entering the world of mentorship, Chris worked in a variety of roles within the music industry as a studio manager of an audio post-production studio, to artist marketing and PR, to co-launching a mastering studio in Toronto. He has an Honors Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ottawa in Communications and Business Administration and is proud to be a Calgary born and raised citizen. Welcome to the show, Chris.Chris Doble: [00:02:04] Thanks for having me, Munir.Munir Haque: [00:02:06] I first came across you back in 2023 during Innovation Week here in Calgary. You were presenting at a session on governance. There were two other gentlemen who were presenting with you, one was talking specifically about the board of directors, another was talking about the board of advisors. You were talking about a board of consciousness, and that struck a spark in my head, because I hadn't heard of that too much before. I always kept in the back of my head that I was going to reach out to you and have you on here so we can talk a little bit about that. When I've done some of the research on board of consciousness, I think there's a variety of different roles that they fill, and I think there's maybe some different characteristics and maybe different interpretations of what they are. But I thought I'd get you on here to talk about, how do you interpret what a board of consciousness is?Chris Doble: [00:03:02] I'm glad you came to that session, and I am glad that you reached out. Because it's led to some really good conversations, and I appreciate the opportunity to come chat about this. I always smile when we use that term 'board of consciousness'. The word that we typically use when we describe what it is we do is mentorship, but I think board of consciousness is a prettier way of describing that. But this idea of, you're here to support an individual, where you have a board of directors or a board of advisors that may end up being more focused on helping your business or helping growth or strategy of the business, the organization, board of consciousness or mentors can really be focused on the individual. How do you help them grow and develop and succeed? More in whatever way that needs to look like for them. That's the focus of our mentorship program for entrepreneurs is, how do you take a group of highly experienced business leaders, entrepreneurs, business builders and put them around an up and coming entrepreneur and get focused on how you can make them a more effective leader. I'm sure today we can dive into what that looks like.Munir Haque: [00:04:10] We'll get into a little bit more depth, but why don't we take it back a step. You have some sort of relationship with Platform Calgary. Perhaps for some of our listeners who aren't in Calgary, who aren't familiar with Platform, why don't you give a little bit of background on that and then your relationship with them?

In this episode of What Makes You Wonderful, we chat with Amber Ravenscroft, co-chair of Bridging Innovation Week, to explore how this growing entrepreneurship event is shaping West Virginia's economic future.  Bridging Innovation Week connects business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and support organizations across the state, offering education and networking opportunities.  For those looking to attend the BIW Tuesday conference, we have a special promo code for you here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/1111642756409/?discount=BIW_WMYW Whether you're launching a startup, scaling an existing business, looking to network, or have ideas on funding, this week-long event is designed to help you succeed.  You can find out more information about the event and to see the schedule start here: https://wveshipecosystem.org/#bridging-innovation

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   The RIMS ERM Conference 2024 in Boston featured a stellar lineup of risk thought leaders who shared their experiences applying ERM practices to align risk management with strategy and showcase the value of more risk-aware corporate cultures. At the Conference, Justin spoke with two leading ERM practitioners in different primary areas to provide a range of perspectives. In this episode of RIMScast, Justin interviews Christopher Stitt about his session, which he based on the RIMS ERM Framework and the RIMS Risk Maturity Model. Justin interviews Catrina Gilbert about her position at the DFW Airport and her career in risk management and ERM, as well as current airport initiatives. Listen in for a sample of the offerings of the RIMS ERM Conference 2024 with its record-breaking full-capacity attendance.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS. [:14] Member registration for RISKWORLD 2025 is now open! General registration opens on December 4th. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [:25] About this episode. Recorded live in Boston at the RIMS ERM Conference 2024, we have interviews with two fantastic guests! [:49] The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop will be held on December 17th and 18th. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Course will be hosted along with George Mason University from December 3rd through the 5th. [1:07] Links to these courses can be found on the Certification page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:15] RIMS Virtual Workshops! Elise Farnham of Illumine Consulting recently joined us here on RIMScast. On December 4th and 5th, she will host “Applying and Integrating ERM”. On December 17th and 18th, she will host “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique”. [1:35] Those are just two of the workshops RIMS offers; we have lots more! Other dates for the Fall and Winter are available on the Virtual Workshops calendar, RIMS.org/virtualworkshops. [1:51] First Interview! Our first guest was a featured speaker on Day 2 of the RIMS ERM Conference 2024. His name is Christopher Stitt and he is the Founder and CEO of CrisisLead, LLC. [2:01] Chris's session was titled “The Art and Science of High-performing Enterprise Risk Management: Bridging Silos for Sustainable Success.” We'll speak about that session and give a high-level overview for those who could not attend. [2:18] Chris has a fascinating background that led him to risk management and ERM. His career journey is an inspiration. We recorded live on-site at the Boston Hilton Plaza. Christopher Stitt, welcome to RIMScast! [2:51] This is Chris's first ERM Conference. He's enjoying it and likes getting a broader perspective of how the overall ERM community operates. It's been a fantastic opportunity to network with some amazing professionals and learn from them! [3:20] Chris talks about the session he is giving, “The Art and Science of High-performing Enterprise Risk Management: Bridging Silos for Sustainable Success.” It comes down to people. What sometimes gets missed in the ERM process is the human factor. [3:51] It's about getting the buy-in necessary and the understanding of what risk is, not just from the senior level but across the board. A new concept, the Risk Intelligence Quotient, can help your organization understand how to look at, feel about, and interact with risk. [4:26] The Risk Intelligence Quotient, along with the human-centric aspects of the risk program, can help you build a good risk culture and ultimately, a high-performing organization that can thrive during both business-as-usual and disruption. [5:03] Chris used the RIMS ERM Framework and the RIMS Risk Maturity Model as the foundation of his session. As he studied the RIMS Risk Maturity Model, he saw it was about the journey, from starting a risk program in a new business to developing a mature program. [5:37] As a business grows and a company matures, you need to be able to go through the process and say, “We need to start documenting how this works. We need to start ingraining this into our business process.” [6:01] The RIMS Risk Maturity Model gives a great overview of how to ingrain risk management into your business process, especially in a business developing as a hierarchical organization. [6:41] Chris was a U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent for over 25 years managing integrated security risks in embassies around the world. He looked at how international risks would influence U.S. operations in a given country. [7:17] Chris was also Chief of Emergency Planning for the Department of State twice. That gave him a wide view of how risks develop and how to develop response plans to those risks. [7:40] About 2014, The Department of State set up an ERM program. Chris was at the initial meeting. Senior officials were using terms he knew but with different meanings. That led Chris to investigate further into the meaning of enterprise risk and how to integrate it. [8:24] What Chris loves is helping other people understand and build ERM programs. That's why now, since retiring from the Department of State, Chris has moved into consulting. He sees it as a great opportunity to bridge the silos for a better understanding of what we're trying to achieve. [8:51] Chris is excited about presenting his session where he talks not only about the risks but also how you find the opportunities in those risks. It's about building a powerful ERM program that gets buy-in from stakeholders and imbuing ERM into your organization's culture. [9:29] Chris, it's been a pleasure. Thank you for joining us here on RIMScast. [9:43] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On November 25th, Resolver returns to discuss “The Future of Risk & Compliance: 5 Key Insights for the Modern Leader”. [9:54] On December 5th, we have “Predictive Strategies to Detect Electrical and Machinery Failures”, presented by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD company. [10:06] On Thursday, December 12th, OneTrust returns to deliver “Staying Vigilant: 7 Practical Tips for Ongoing Third-Party Risk Monitoring”. [10:16] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [10:28] RIMS is now accepting nominations for all awards other than Risk Manager of the Year 2025. The submission deadline is Monday, January 6th, 2025. To receive a RIMS award, all winners must be active members and in good standing. [10:48] The awards are the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chapter Leadership Award, the Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award, the Volunteer of the Year “Heart of RIMS” Award, the Richard W. Bland Memorial Award, the Chapter of the Year Award, the Rising Risk Professional Award, the Risk Management Hall of Fame, and the Cristy Award. [11:26] You can find more information about the awards through the About Us page of RIMS.org or the link in this interview's show notes. [11:35] Final Interview! Catrina Gilbert is a previous ERM Conference speaker. Catrina is well known in ERM in Texas and the DFW RIMS Chapter. We will talk about how ERM influences aviation and some of the risk awareness campaigns she champions at the DFW Airport. [11:56] Catrina Gilbert, welcome to RIMScast! Catrina is the Vice President of Risk Management at the DFW Airport and the Treasurer of the RIMS DFW Chapter. Justin and Catrina have known each other for a few years. [12:30] Catrina is absolutely loving the RIMS ERM Conference 2024. Boston is beautiful this time of year. The speakers, the lineup, the vendors, and the food have been amazing! Every session has been standing-room-only! The Conference is at maximum capacity. [12:54] It adds to the excitement. It is beautiful to see all these great minds from different industries, states, and countries converging on Boston! Catrina had “chowda” for the first time! [13:37] Catrina states that there is never a dull moment in aviation. Airports are growing and rebounding from the pandemic, doing all sorts of construction projects. DFW has a $9B Capital Improvement Plan. From an insurance and claims perspective, that keeps Catrina very busy. [14:02] The DFW Airport has a rolling owner-controlled insurance program, which keeps Catrina super busy. Catrina is also responsible for the airport's ERM program. That's why Catrina is at the RIMS ERM Conference 2024. [14:16] Having the ERM program and being rooted in the organization at the ground level and the executive level, Catrina makes sure that everyone on the airport's Risk Council understands that ERM can also stand for “Everyone's a Risk Manager.”. [14:37] Catrina is trying to empower the team to think strategically and holistically, and to think about how different programs and platforms have interdependencies. If we have an issue here, how is it going to impact, perhaps, the runway or the concessions? [14:57] Catrina is looking at a resiliency framework; how do we bounce back? A lot of organizations are still struggling from the pandemic. Everyone is focused on a resiliency framework. When this happens again, are we ready? That's the beauty of this conference. [15:33] Catrina says every holiday is the best time of the year at an airport! There's no such thing as the worst time of the year. The beauty of an airport is that it connects people around the globe. The holidays are a special time for everyone. Airports love playing a part in that journey. [16:14] Catrina has been at DFW for almost eight years. She has been in risk management since 1999. She has done risk in several industries. Aviation is, by far, her favorite. There is never a dull moment; two days are never the same. DFW Airport is a city, with all the departments. [17:22] Trisha Sqrow and Sandra Fontenot, past RIMScast guests, were DFW colleagues of Catrina's. Trisha is doing great work at the Conference. Sandra Fontenot is doing great work at the RIMS DFW Chapter and helped Catrina with the annual chapter conference. [17:37] Catrina says we grow when we move, but RIMS and risk management keep people together. Catrina thinks the work that they did together at DFW Airport is one of the reasons they're still colleagues and friends. They still share ideas and speak at conferences together. [18:31] Catrina has 12 people in her risk group at the DFW Airport. At her previous airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, she was a department of one. She reported to the city. She hears “department of one” a lot at the Conference, maybe two or three. Everything's bigger in Texas. [19:03] Catrina looks for fresh ideas in a new risk hire. DFW had Innovation Week last week. Seeing the great ideas coming through in the aviation industry, including AI, Catrina wants people who have an open mind, are innovative, and are willing to try some new things. [19:37] You can teach the rest of it. Catrina wants people with the soft skills, the personality, and the ability to jump in there, push up their sleeves, and try it out. [19:57] Justin recently noticed in the restrooms at DFW Airport posters on Human Trafficking Awareness. He is a big proponent of human trafficking awareness. He has led those initiatives at RIMS. He was glad to see that DFW is one of the many airports boosting awareness. [20:18] DFW is one of many airports in this fight against human trafficking. They have training, posters, and placards to educate you to say something if you see something and how to report what you see. It's better to be safe than sorry. DFW provides you with a way to report. [21:06] The Human Trafficking Awareness campaign is a team effort. It went through the Community Engagement Team, the Customer Experience Team, and the Department of Public Safety. Everyone worked hand-in-hand to be on the same beat in fighting human trafficking.  [21:32] DFW is proud to be a part of the global Sunflower Lanyard Program, designed to make hidden disabilities a little bit more visible. A passenger who has a hidden disability will receive a Sunflower Lanyard by mail before their departure date. [21:54] When the passenger with the hidden disability is in the terminals, DFW employees have been trained to recognize the Lanyard and give them a tailored experience by asking how they can assist the passenger to have a wonderful travel experience. [22:14] It's about providing for the diverse needs of a diverse population to ensure that everybody has the same experience in traveling. [22:25] What a delight to finally have Christoper Stitt and Catrina Gilbert as our special guests here on RIMScast! [22:33] Check out this episode's show notes for links about the ERM Award of Distinction Winners and Honorees and more about the Conference. Of course, we also have a special edition of Risk Management magazine dedicated to ERM. That's available in the show notes. [22:52] More RIMS Plugs! The RIMS App is available to RIMS members exclusively. Go to the App Store and download the RIMS App with all sorts of RIMS resources and coverage. It's different from the RIMS Events App. Everyone loves the RIMS App! [23:27] You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [24:13] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [24:30] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [24:47] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [25:01] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [25:09] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RIMS ERM Conference 2024 Roundup — Global Award of Distinction Honors RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS DEI Council RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) NEW FOR MEMBERS! RIMS Mobile App RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring Valerie Fox!  Nominations open for RIMS 2025 Awards! (Through Jan. 6, 2025) Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award RIMS Webinars: “The Future of Risk & Compliance: 5 Key Insights for the Modern Leader” | Sponsored by Resolver | Nov. 25, 2024 “Predictive Strategies to Detect Electrical and Machinery Failures” | Sponsored by TUV SUD GRC | Dec. 5, 2024 “Staying Vigilant: 7 Practical Tips for Ongoing Third-Party Risk Monitoring” | Sponsored by OneTrust | Dec. 12, 2024 RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep (Virtual)Dec. 17‒18, 2024 | 9:00 am‒4:00 pm EST — Register by Dec. 10. “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Dec 4‒5 “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique” | Dec. 17‒18 See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Risk Quantification Through Value-Based Frameworks” “Maintaining an Award-Winning ERM Program with Michael Zuraw” “Applying ERM Theory with Elise Farnham” “On Risk Appetite and Tolerance” “Big Shifts with John Hagel, RIMS ERM Conference Keynote” “Live From RIMS ERM Conference 2023”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars Risk Management Magazine ERM Special Edition RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model® RIMS Events App Apple | Google Play   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Christopher Stitt, Founder and CEO at CrisisLead, LLC   Catrina Gilbert, Vice President of Risk Management at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport RIMS DFW Chapter Treasurer   Social Shareables (Edited For Social Media Use): The Risk Intelligence Quotient (how you look at risk), along with the human-centric aspects of the risk program, can help you build a good risk culture and ultimately, a high-performing organization that can thrive during both business-as-usual and disruption. — Christopher Stitt   What I really love is helping other people understand and build ERM programs. That's why now, since I retired from the Department of State, I have moved into consulting. It's a great opportunity to bridge the silos. — Christopher Stitt   It's about building those cultures that can build very powerful ERM programs that get buy-in from the stakeholders and imbuing ERM into the culture of your organization. — Christopher Stitt   In a post-pandemic era, everyone is focused on a resiliency framework. When this happens again, are we ready? Are we prepared? Have we done the work? That's the beauty of this RIMS ERM Conference 2024. — Catrina Gilbert   You can teach the rest of risk management. I want people with the soft skills, the personality, and the ability to jump in there, push up their sleeves, and try it out. — Catrina Gilbert   We have training, posters, and placards to educate you to say something if you see something and to have a way in which to report human trafficking. — Catrina Gilbert

On today's show: we speak with a University of Calgary researcher who is in Azerbaijan for the 29th UN Climate Conference, known as COP29; with Innovation Week underway in Calgary, two local startup founders will join us for a look at Calgary's tech landscape; why Calgary football fans will be riding a horse into a Vancouver hotel tonight. We hear about the rowdy days ahead for the Calgary Grey Cup Committee.

Send us a textDiscover the shimmering opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship in Alberta as we welcome insights from our guests, Tracy Stroud from APEX Alberta, Terry Rock from Platform Calgary, and Tom Viinikka from Edmonton Unlimited. Tom Viinikka, CEO of Edmonton Unlimited, walks us through he and his team's groundbreaking mission to nurture tech innovation and community building in Edmonton.  We're spotlighting captivating events like Startup Week in Edmonton, Innovation Week in Calgary, and the Small Business Week activities like APEX Alberta's Business Growth Tradeshow happening across the province that are fueling Alberta's entrepreneurial spirit. And make no mistake, these events are for EVERYONE. Expect to be inspired by the stories these three leaders share, as they work to redefine the landscape of entrepreneurship by creating vibrant spaces for networking, learning and support for Alberta's tech entrepreneurs and job seekers.Join us as we explore how Alberta is a hotbed for tech and knowledge-based innovation, from ideation to commercialization. Tracy Stroud of Apex Alberta shares incredible insights into the province's regional strengths, highlighting aerospace and drone innovation. Meanwhile, Terry Rock from Platform Calgary talks about Calgary as a thriving hub for tech entrepreneurs. We discuss the role of community events and reverse trade shows that connect service providers with entrepreneurs, exemplifying Alberta's commitment to collaboration and growth in both urban and rural settings.As we wrap up, the conversation shifts to the importance of community and networking in fostering entrepreneurial success. Hear about Alberta's burgeoning venture capital scene and how it's positioning the province as a leading contender for entrepreneurs in Canada. The conversation emphasizes the significance of industry leadership, long-term investments, and the efforts to support rural entrepreneurs in high-potential sectors. Finally, listen to Terry, Tom and Tracy pitch each of these extraordinary events:Startup Week in Edmonton from October 15 to 19,  Small Business Week from October 20 to 25 featuring the Business Growth Tradeshow in Medicine Hat on October 23, and Innovation Week in Calgary from November 13 to 21.Don't miss the chance to connect with visionaries who are helping to shape Alberta's future in driving our ecosystem forward.Shift by Alberta Innovates focuses on the people, businesses and organizations that are contributing to Alberta's strong tech ecosystem.

The Dr. Rod Berger Show with Jonas Helmikstøl is a special on-location episode from Oslo, Norway. Jonas joined me on stage for the keynote interview at StartUp Lab's Climate Tech Summit 2030, part of Oslo Innovation Week, presented by the Oslo Business Region.  Helmikstøl is the now infamous co-founder of Easee, the near-unicorn company out of Norway that was rocketing across European households with its home EV charging units...until they weren't. This is the backstory about a man and a company holding on for dear life. 

Today is day two of TechNL's annual innovation week, and this year, AI has the local tech industry abuzz. For more on the latest developments in the local tech industry, we spoke with chair of the board at TechNL, Johanna Brown.

Welcome back to "Your World of Creativity," where we celebrate creativity and innovation around the world, particularly in sustainability. In our latest project, we've brought together diverse talents to produce a collaborative book, "Creativity for a Sustainable Future," showcasing contributions from around the globe.https://blog.mindshake.pt/shop/creativity-for-a-sustainable-fluture/- Diverse Collaborations: We're joined by Katja Tschimmel, Sandra Horlings, Daniela Marzavan, and Dorte Nielsen, all contributors to the book, to discuss the process and outcomes.- Creative Initiatives: Katja explains the origins of the project, linking creativity with sustainability during the World Creativity and Innovation Week. Daniela highlights the snowball effect in networking, fostering global collaboration.- Global Perspectives: Sandra emphasizes the importance of diverse viewpoints in addressing complex challenges, while Dorte underscores the actionable nature of the book, promoting real change through creative thinking. - Practical Applications: Daniela discusses bridging the gap between academia and practical application, showcasing the book's mix of theoretical and practical contributions.- Design and Artistry: Katja elaborates on the book's design, emphasizing its sustainability and creative elements, including innovative cover designs and interactive features.- Call to Action: The panelists emphasize the book's role as a catalyst for action, inspiring creatives across disciplines to contribute to a more sustainable future.- Future Directions: The conversation concludes with reflections on the ongoing journey of creativity and sustainability, with plans to continue fostering collaboration and innovation.Pull-out Quotes:- Katja Tschimmel: "Creativity in the context of sustainability acts as a catalyst for innovative solutions for a better world."- Daniela Marzavan: "The book serves as a call to engage in dialogues between worlds, bridging academic depth with practical application."- Sandra Horlings: "Creativity is not limited to creatives; it's a strength within everyone to spark change and enable a sustainable future."- Dorte Nielsen: "The book demonstrates how creative thinking can be applied universally, offering hope and inspiration for a more sustainable future."- Mark Stinson: "If you're a creative working in sustainability, I'd love to hear from you. Let's continue unlocking creativity and innovation together."

Qual sua expectativa com o "Campinas Innovation Week"? Marcelo Brandão conversa sobre participar. Socio da Vilage Marcas e Patentes Regional Campinas, Diretor Adjunto da ACIC Associação Comercial e Industrial de Campinas.https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelovilage https://www.vilage.com.br https://campinasinnovationweek.com.br 

Qual expectativa num evento, Campinas Innovation Week que pode reunir 30K pessoas? Rodrigo Faustini, CEO da WeHandle, participando e expondo no TechStart Summit promovido pela Venture Hub e no painel de debate sobre Fundraising. https://wehandle.com.br https://campinasinnovationweek.com.br

Conversamos com Jose Azarite sobre o "Campinas Innovation Week", de 10 a 14 de junho e a participação no evento pelo Venture Hub e o Tech Start Summit. Jose Azarite, Especialista em Ecossistemas de Inovação, Fundador e Corporate Innovation VP Venture Hub, Campinas e Manaus. https://www.linkedin.com/in/azarite https://venturehub.se

Við fræddumst í þættinum um stærsta nýsköpunar- og frumkvöðlaviburð sem haldinn er hér á landi, einmitt þessa dagana; Iceland Innovation Week. Hátíðin er markaðsgluggi íslenskrar nýsköpunar og þar gefst frumkvöðlum og fyrirtækjum kostur á að standa fyrir viðburðum og kynna starfsemi sína. Melkorka Sigríður Magnúsdóttir stofnaði Iceland Innovation Week ásamt Eddu Konráðsdóttur. Melkorka er listrænn stjórnandi hátíðarinnar, kom í þáttinn og sagði okkur meira frá þessari viku og viðburðinum sem hefur vaxið gríðarlega á þeim fjórum árum síðan hann var haldinn fyrst. Forsetakjör fer fram laugardaginn 1. júní næstkomandi. Kjörstaðir í Reykjavík eru opnir frá kl. 9:00 til 22:00. Ef þú ert ekki viss um hvort þú sért á kjörskrá þá má fletta því upp og hvernig gerir maður grein fyrir sér á kjörstað? Jú, með skilríkjum en hvers konar skilríki eru tekin gild?. Nýir kjörstaðir hafa bæst við síðan síðast og búið er að opna fyrir atkvæðagreiðslu utankjörfundar. Við fórum yfir nokkur praktísk atriði með Helgu Björk Laxdal skrifstofustjóra skrifstofu borgarstjórnar í þættinum. Svo kom Einar Sveinbjörnsson veðurfræðingur til okkar í veðurspjallið í dag. Við ræddum við hann um sólstorminn sem skall á um helgina og við misstum af vegna þess að það var of skýjað. Einar fræddi okkur um litróf norðurljósanna og truflanir sem geta orðið á fjarskiptum og raforkulutningi. Þetta var mesti sólstormur frá því í oktobér 2003 og tengist 11 ára sólsveiflunni svokölluðu. Svo ræddum við aðeins um klaka í jörðu sem óðum er að hverfa og hvernig jarðvegshitamælingar geta sagt til um leysingu klakans og aurbleytu. Svo að lokum skoðuðum við hvaða ytri þættir kunna að móta sumarveðráttuna hjá okkur og Einar fjallaði aðeins um þá og vísbendingar í veðurlagsspám, til dæmis fyrir hvítasunnuhelgina. Tónlist í þættinum í dag: Talað við gluggann / Bubbi (Bubbi Morthens) Við arineld / Vala Guðnadóttir (Magnús Eiríksson, texti Kristján frá Djúpalæk) Kúbanska / Tómas R. Einarsson (Tómas R. Einarsson) UMSJÓN GUNNAR HANSSON OG GUÐRÚN GUNNARSDÓTTIR

It is World Creativity and Innovation Week and The Maverick Paradox has chosen to mark the occasion with a discussion on innovation from The Maverick Paradox's 6 Featured Columnists. The columnists are based in a number of countries and work asynchronous to each other. Therefore to hear the views of all the columnists we have created two short panels. This is the first panel and features Judith Germain who takes on the dual role of hosting and being asked questions as a Featured Columnist. She is joined by David Chislett, Josuel Rogers and Astrid Davies. Key Takeaways Creativity is the process underlying innovation. Anyone can innovate if they adopt a creative mindset. Clarity on the problem and desired outcome helps drive effective innovation. Maverick leadership principles of independent thinking and purpose-driven goals enable ethical innovation. Connecting diverse ideas sparks new innovations. Reframing the familiar catalyses creativity. Panellist Spotlights: David discussed how creativity underpins innovation, and how framing problems with "blue sky thinking" unlocks innovation vs just process. Josuel explained how hip hop culture and its improvisational, collaborative nature can spark business innovation through different thinking. Judith discussed how clarity on the problem and outcome boundaries enables purposeful innovation. Maverick leaders innovate ethically for the greater good. Astrid discussed innovating within ethics/sustainability parameters to benefit society, and using SDG goals as an ethical framework. In this conversation the panellists explained how their writing bears witness, identifies lateral thinking, and gives reflection to spark readers' tools for handling unpredictable change. You can also watch this panel on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/XgxGDRZ7zy8  You can find out more about today's episode in this Maverick Paradox Magazine article here. --- Maverick leadership is all about thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo. It's about having the courage to take risks and the confidence to lead in a way that is authentic and genuine. But amplifying your influence as a leader isn't just about having a strong vision or a big personality. It's also about having the right leadership capability and being able to execute on your ideas and plans. The consequences of not having the right level of influence as a leader can be significant. Without the ability to inspire and motivate others, you may struggle to achieve your goals and make a real impact. How Influential Are you? Take the scorecard at amplifyyourinfluence.scoreapp.com and see.  Catalysing Transformation - 1 min video Judith's book: The Maverick Paradox: The Secret Power Behind Successful Leaders.  Judith's websites:  The Maverick Paradox Magazine - themaverickparadox.com The Maverick Paradox Website - maverickparadox.co.uk Judith's LinkedIn profile is here, her Twitter profile (MaverickMastery) is here, Facebook here and Instagram here.  

April 15th to the 21st is celebrated as World Creativity and Innovation Week. SBS Tamil radio congratulates all creators and inventors. Our presenter, Kulasegaram Sanchayan asks some of our listeners - Girishkumar Narayanan, Sathya Kantharajah, Inventor Ksheerabhdi Krishna, Poet Aanni, Guna Ratnam, Thiyagaraja Wigneswaran, Vidhyavathy Sellathurai, Sellathurai Parimalanathan, Maithili Ramanathan, Thirumalai Moorthy, and Professor Maheswaran – what the most significant invention in human history is. - ஏப்ரல் 15ம் நாளிலிருந்து 21ம் நாள் வரை, படைப்பாற்றலையும் புதிய கண்டுபிடிப்புகளையும் ஊக்குவிக்க, World Creativity and Innovation Week கடைப்பிடிக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. இந்த வாரத்தில், படைப்பாளிக்கும் புதிதாகக் கண்டுபிடிப்பவர்களுக்கும் SBS வானொலி வாழ்த்துத் தெரிவிக்கும் அதேவேளை, எமது நிகழ்ச்சித் தயாரிப்பாளர், குலசேகரம் சஞ்சயன், இது குறித்து நேயர்களின் கருத்துகளுடன் ஒரு நிகழ்ச்சி படைத்துள்ளார்.

D'ontra Hughes is the Founder and CEO of Spare, which uses tech to solve cash management problems for unbanked small businesses and enterprises. D'ontra shares his entrepreneurship journey, driven by realizing the financial industry's impact on less privileged individuals. D'ontra highlights a significant issue in the banking sector where the poorest people are often charged the most in fees, perpetuating poverty. Spare addresses the high fees unbanked individuals face when accessing their money. D'ontra's entrepreneurial journey involved various challenges, including learning from customer feedback, understanding the importance of data-driven decisions, and navigating the competitive startup environment. The conversation also covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Spare, leading to a strategic shift and a focus on regions with high cash circulation. D'ontra emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, data analysis, and a systematic approach to business growth. He also discusses the personal aspects of being a CEO, stressing the importance of maintaining personal relationships and self-care. Spare (https://www.gotspare.com/) Follow Spare on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/spare-cs/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SPAREapp/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gotspare/), or X (https://twitter.com/gotSPARE). Follow D'ontra Hughes on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dontrahughes/) or X (https://twitter.com/dontrahughes). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: VICTORIA: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Victoria Guido. And with us today is D'ontra Hughes, Founder and CEO of Spare, which uses tech to solve cash management problems for the unbanked small businesses and enterprise. D'ontra, thank you for joining us. D'ONTRA: Well, thank you for having me. VICTORIA: Well, wonderful. So, we met at San Diego Startup Week a few weeks ago. So, I'm excited to have you on the podcast today. Why don't you tell me what was your experience of San Diego Startup Week? And how did you come to be one of the speakers on a panel there? D'ONTRA: Yeah, well, it's always a really nice thing to take part in, you know, kind of those innovative startup week events because you get to see a lot of what people are working on or what they're doing. So, we've been working very closely with the County of San Diego, especially with the city of Oceanside with our latest technology. And, you know, there came this opportunity where I could get on the stage and kind of tell people about our journey a little bit, I think because we're becoming a little bit more successful or something [laughs]; I don't know what to say. We're getting better at what we're doing, apparently, and so folks wanted to hear what I had to say. VICTORIA: I was able to catch your talk, and I thought what was really inspiring about it was that you came from the background of working in the financial industry and saw an opportunity to solve a problem that was common for other people and to be more fulfilled by the work you were doing. So, can you share a little bit about that? D'ONTRA: I came out of a background in finance, as you said. I used to work for JPMorgan. It feels like a long, long time ago. And that was my last corporate job until I became an entrepreneur. You know, one of the things that I learned at that time...and not that the bank was doing anything wrong, but in the nature of finance, it's a business, right? It's got customers. It's got clients. It's got shareholders. And the most important thing is it's designed to make money. There's always someone that loses, right? And sometimes you could say that that's the nature of business. But in this regard, it was a lot of people who lost that couldn't recover or wouldn't be able to recover from the financial waste that was left. You know, I went on my entrepreneurial journey wanting to learn how to build a business and, you know, try to solve problems for myself or for other people. And specifically for this endeavor with Spare, which we launched back in 2015, we looked at the subset of the population, roughly about 25% of the U.S. population, 90-something million households of folks that were basically spending about 7% of their own income every year just accessing their own money. And, like, that's wild, right? Because if I came to you and I said, "Hey, if you got 100 bucks in your pocket, in order to pull that money out of your pocket, you got to give me $7," you'd be furious. And so, the unfortunate thing is that this kind of tax on the poor was being facilitated by the ATM industry. At the time when we began the company, you had consumers out there going to an ATM roughly about seven times per month, withdrawing roughly about $60 per transaction. And the average fee at that time was $4.09. And today, the average fee is just about $4.80, something cents, depending on where you're at in the country. And so, it's unfortunate the difference in these fees for these folks. It might sound absurd to say this, but it makes a difference between eating and not eating for some of these folks. And anyone who's a struggling college student or lives on the low end of the economic spectrum they understand what I mean by that, where the extra $30 or $40 in their pocket per month actually matters. It's an extra tank of gas or two tanks of gas, depending on what kind of car you're driving. And so, it matters. We wanted to really take a really clean look, an assertive look at the relationship that, not just the ATM, but just cash management services or cash management on a local level the impact that it actually has. VICTORIA: Yeah. And to kind of play that back a little bit, let's say you have a bank or you're not able even to get an account in a traditional bank. Maybe your bank doesn't have an ATM in your neighborhood, and you need to always go to a different ATM to get money out of your bank. And you're just constantly paying those fees. You're more likely taking out smaller sums of money, and then you have to do that over and over again. And it becomes a really high percentage of your income that goes just towards getting money out of the ATM. D'ONTRA: Yeah, absolutely. So, when you consider even during the pandemic, right? Everyone's at home, but businesses were trying to figure out how to cut costs. And banks, just like any other business, when they have a retail bank branch that's in a neighborhood that's perhaps low income, they may not keep that bank branch around. And that's unfortunate because it creates an additional hurdle for folks to be able to become banked. You may hear this term of banking deserts, and that's partially because folks have to travel too far, which is an external cost of time, and money, and resources, just to be able to put their money inside of a bank. Now, the additional cost for this particular demographic is that fees tend to add up. And we all know that the bank says, "Hey, as long as you keep $1,200 in your bank account, we're not going to charge you any fees." Well, that's really great, except for the person who is living paycheck to paycheck, right? And so, this fee tax that's placed on them simply because they don't have enough money when you look at it, it's actually pretty rough [laughs]. I look at it, and sometimes I kind of laugh because it's absolutely absurd when you actually look at it on its face where the poorest people you're generating the most profits from. And unfortunately, those fees keep them in the cycle of being poor. And so, it's been really great. Over the past few years, you've seen really great applications or neobanks come up that have acted as, you know, somewhat shields against all of these arbitrary fees, like, hey, no overdraft fees, and no account fees, ever, no monthly fees, and things of that nature, right? But they still aren't solving the other issues, some of the major issues. So, it's really great that I have your debit card. But if you're a neobank, that means I either have to use your co-op ATM network, which is only going to allow me to withdraw cash so many times per month for free, or I have to use some other third-party ATM network. The unfortunate thing about that is they're still paying that fee [laughs]. At some point, they're still going to pay that fee, and when that money is better in their pockets, it's just a little rough. It's a little hard to digest. And so, we wanted to make sure we were doing something about it. VICTORIA: Right. It reminds me of a phrase I come back to sometimes is that being poor is actually very expensive [laughs]. D'ONTRA: It is. VICTORIA: There's a lot of fees, a lot of extra stuff you have to pay for that other people don't. I'm curious: how did you narrow in on this problem? Was it through doing some market research? Was it a personal experience that led you to wanting to work for these types of users? D'ONTRA: Even though JPMorgan was my last, like, corporate job, I went out into the world to be an entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur is expensive because you got to figure out how to pay bills. And so, one of the side gigs I had is I worked for a hotel in Santa Monica by the name of the Fairmont, and I was managing valet. For anyone who's been to the Fairmont in Santa Monica, it's not for the cheap folks, right? But what would happen is, you know, patrons would show up, and they'd say, "Hey, I'm going to valet my car. I'm going to come back and pick it up." I'm going to go ahead and settle this up. But, you know, where's the nearest ATM so I can give the valet person cash?" And the most often answer was, "Well, there's one inside the lobby of the hotel, and then there's one across this very busy street." Both of these ATMs had a fee of...the one across the street was about $3.75 if you weren't a bank customer, and, of course, it wasn't a national bank. And then the one in the lobby was about $4.75, I think is what the fee was. And so, here's the person who doesn't really carry cash that often being told that they have to pay a premium just to help this person out. And you could almost guess what the most likely outcome was is, unfortunately, that valet person just didn't get tipped. But the thing is, is there was actually a third source of cash, and it was actually in the valet's pocket or at the valet stand. So, there was money there in closer proximity. There just wasn't a mechanism of extracting it. And so, our first look was, well, hey, can we monetize a transaction between, say, the valet stand and this consumer where, basically, the valet stand is selling these folks their cash for much cheaper than the ATM? So, it's going to save everyone time, energy, money, and it ensures that the valet folks get cash in their pocket. I can remember when we initially launched this; I thought it was such a brilliant idea. We created an app in which we would populate a map with all the people around you that had cash on them. So, when you say it out loud, -- VICTORIA: [laughs] Yeah. I could see how that might be problematic. [laughter] D'ONTRA: So, we're super stoked. We're, like, "Hey, we got this app, and it's really great. And, you know, look at all the people here that have money on them." So, we go to submit this thing to the App Store, and the legal team's like, "Absolutely not [laughs]." So, we spent about six months working back and forth with their legal team to come up with a model. And it's somewhat similar to what you see today, where we're sending consumers to regular brick-and-mortar businesses that have spare cash on hand. That's it. Nothing glamorous about that. But the mechanism and the usefulness does some real overall good, not just for the consumers but for the businesses and for the local economy. VICTORIA: Right. So, I was going to ask you, like, what surprised you in the early phases: the discovery process? It sounds like you had at least [laughs] at least one big strategic turn. But I'm curious if there was anything else that came up in your early-stage journey where you realized you had to make a pivot and change up what you were doing based on the feedback you got from users. D'ONTRA: I'd love to be able to tell the story that we got it all right the first time around, but we didn't. I think we almost hit the checklist of things that you should not do. So, like [laughs], one example is you actually really truly shouldn't listen to your customer to some degree, right? So, you have the vision for this thing, but every customer has their idea of how your app should be better or something you should add. And we went through phases where we were adding features then that people just weren't using. You know, it might have worked for, you know, 10% of the user base, but we had spent two or three weeks with the dev team putting in this new feature. And it was somewhat of a departure from the core. It's adjacent, and so we could justify it. So, we did it, but we shouldn't have. So [laughs], then we had to, like, backtrack on that. We had lots of these moments. But I would say one of the most defining moments, and it was actually one of the first ones that came, was this moment in which one of early entrepreneurs' fear is that someone is going to steal your idea. So, we try to, you know, wrap folks up in NDAs, and secrecy, and things of that nature. You know, if you have a really solid idea, like, we all know that it has major potential to change your life. And so, I can remember, you know, we went out, and we pitched this business to a venture capital company. It was very early on. That was my first lesson: people don't steal things that are worthless. And the second being that just because they steal, it doesn't mean they can build it. I can remember, you know, it took us six and a half months to get Spare in the App Store the first time around. And during that time, we had met with this venture capital company looking for investors, angel investors. And it happened to be that this company gave us an offer to buy the company, and we said "No." But then were like, "Hey, why don't you come in and consult us, and let's see if we can work together to do a deal?" And me being super naive at that time, went in, and I said, "Hey, yeah. Like, this is how we would change the app, and this is what we would do." And after two or three hours chatting with them, I had designed my competitor. And I didn't know that until a week later where they made their announcement, and, you know, I had Google Alerts on. And so, this app comes out and, you know, they're posting to see what people think about it. And they had gotten their app in the App Store, same business model, mind you. And I was just blown away [laughs]. Like, I think, at that time, I think I lost all composure. I was, like, sick to my stomach. I was furious. When you asked about, like, the major pivot, it would have been in, like, my mindset because I went in thinking that we have this really great idea and how could anyone want to take something from an entrepreneur because starting is tough enough, especially the people that fund this stuff, right? And [laughs] I learned that, no, opportunities are opportunities, and people take them when they can. And the bigger you become or depending on where your industry is, people are just looking for a shot. They're looking for an opportunity. No one really cares whether or not they're copying someone else's tech, right? If you were destined to do it, you would do it, and you would do it well, and you'd be one of the top ones to do it, right? That was a major change in how I saw this journey, which allowed me to kind of reframe what we were doing and how I was approaching the market, how we collected data, how we dealt with our consumers, and how we ran our business in general. And then, we had to go in and pivot back to the conversation around the customer. So, we go back, and we're going back to build this thing. And so, at that time, I'm feeling, okay, I have to, like, do any and everything I can once we're in the App Store to get users and retain them. And that's when I learned the lesson of, like, don't listen to all of your users. Like, know what your thing is, and do that thing really, really well. And try not to build features that aren't central to your core because, honestly, that can just get you in a lot of trouble. And you can waste a lot of time for no reason. But I think the most important thing out of that is listen to the data, the information, and what I mean by that is where people go on a webpage, or where they go in your app, where they spend the most time. Listen to those things, and pay attention to the data, and somewhat become obsessed about utilizing the data to make your decisions. I think that'll save everyone a bit of heartache and, you know, pain as they go down that journey. VICTORIA: Yeah, I really love that. There's a couple of, like, interesting points. I feel like when you said it can be daunting, like, oh, there's a million apps in there that already do this or, like, somebody else has already started this. Like, sometimes that means, well, it's a good idea because clearly somebody was willing to try and put it together, and they found a market. But you can always do it better, and you can always have a unique angle and try if you think there's a strong enough idea. And I'm curious to, like, get more into, like, the data question and understand what do you use to understand how people are behaving in your app? And kind of metrics you look at to see how you're tracking and whether those are, like, key success measures or other ways that you think about that data. D'ONTRA: For our application, you know, our KPIs were pretty simple very early on. It was like, do we have, like, the keywords that people respond to to find the application? And is it cash? Is cash the keyword? Is ATM the keyword? How do people find us, ultimately, at the end of the day? Because if you can solve that, solving what keywords are most attractive to your company, then what you're going to be able to do is organic traffic is going to be a lot easier to come by. So, you don't have to spend a whole lot of money trying to get advertisements. There's going to be natural search traffic that drive people toward your platform. In addition to that, it was really paying attention to where the customer complaints were coming from because that told us a lot about the application. Even still, today, we have one very consistent customer complaint that, like, the unfortunate thing is, like, it's really difficult for us to solve this thing because it's actually more in the hands of the business than it is us. And that major customer complaint is when I went into this active location, the person at the cash register didn't necessarily know what I was talking about, and there's a myriad of different reasons for that. But the primary one is that these locations typically have high turnover for the person that's working at the counter. And so Spare has to be an integral part of their onboarding this person so that when someone walks off the street, they can get the service that they need. To some degree, listening or paying attention to the feedback that you're getting about the effectiveness of the service or being able to deliver the technology is actually a very useful data point. In addition to that, looking at where your app is available in cross-section with where the people are that are going to use your app. And this is one of the lessons, I think, we learned the hard way, where, you know, we came out the gate and said, "Hey, anybody and everybody can use this app. It doesn't matter if you're in New York, if you're in Texas, Midwest. It doesn't make a difference, right? Any and everyone can use it." And the unfortunate thing is, when you do that, like, you're going to new users, which is really fun. It starts off that way. So, you go out, and you get merchants and things of that nature. And the mentality that we used was, well, we'll build it. The users will come, and the users will tell us where the businesses are or where we need to place businesses. So, we had a new person or a group of individuals show up in downtown Los Angeles. It was like, okay, cool, there's a concentration of people in Downtown LA. Let's go make sure we put businesses there. Well, that's faulty thinking in and of itself. Even though you're getting the data points and the useful bits of data, you're actually doing it in pretty much, like, the wrong order [laughs]. We didn't really realize that, and Spare was my first tech company. And so, you know, when you think about things like that, like, you think, oh, users, they're important. But how you get them, and how you service them, and when you service them must be a strategic plan. You have to have that process thought out so that the user audience follows your plan, not you responding to them or following their informal plan. VICTORIA: Yeah, that makes sense. And I love that, you know, focusing on the users and really focusing, like, on all of their unique needs like location [laughs] and other things like that. And I talk about that, you know, in my role as managing director at thoughtbot, I work on our DevOps and platform engineering team. I often talk about it in terms of, you know, very early in the process; you know enough about your user to tell you a lot about what their needs are going to be like on the infrastructure side, like their regional location, the sensitivity of the data, you know, that can tell you a lot about what you need to build [laughs]. So, I'm curious, you know, you're working on a financial app here. Have you also had to consider that from a regional perspective and from an infrastructure perspective how that affects your users? D'ONTRA: Going into COVID and how we got there, was that we thought we were actually doing really well, right? So, we officially launched our platform to the marketplace in Q4 of 2018. And we did well for the initial launch without any marketing. And then a year later, we had done 3x the volume and had a strategic partner in place that would have grown our network by 30 times by the end of the next year, you know, we were moving. And then COVID came along, right? In which, you know, huge event that no one planned for. It kind of put the company on halt while businesses were shut down, and we lost about 98% of our network at that time. So, we had to go back to the drawing board and kind of, like, figure out, well, one, if this company is really truly something that we know that there's a thing, we're going to continue to build it, but let's do it better this time around, like, what did we miss the first time? And the first place that we went when we were trying to make this decision is we went to look up, like, cash effectively, like cash in circulation. And to our surprise, actually, there was more cash put into [laughs] circulation during COVID than there was at any other time in the past, like, decade, and so that was shocking. And so, we said, okay, cool. We know that cash is in circulation, perfect. Where is cash in circulation? And in addition to that, where should we start with the base of our technology? And how do we want to reconfigure this? And to be honest, we need help. So, you know, we applied to Techstars, and we were super fortunate that we got into the Techstars Anywhere program. I think it was a lifesaver and a reboot for us and the company primarily because, you know, during the pandemic, we had lost, you know, over 70% of the folks that worked for the company at that time. So, going through that program helped us rethink a lot about strategy infrastructurel...how exactly we need to rebuild and reconfigure the company for success this next time around. I think very early on, you know, we were just trying to do the business. We were just doing it rather than actually strategically building it. You know, that's the major difference between where we were versus where we are now is that everything that we do now is more methodical. When we look at, okay, where do we build merchant networks? Well, we're building them in a very strategic location. That particular location has this value to not only us as a company, the merchants in that area, but also the user base. When we were able to take this more strategic position around, you know, how exactly we're building this business, we were actually able to see much larger opportunities that have always been there, but we just didn't see them. And so [laughs], I'm super grateful for, like, us kind of doing that recalibration because we were able to build a business that is ten times bigger than we initially thought that we were building. VICTORIA: That's super interesting. So, yeah, like, pre-COVID, you're like, we'll get users, and then we'll figure out where to build. And then you had to, like, go through this full recalibration and focus on strategic regions, and that really opened up more opportunities and more growth than you had expected. Mid-Roll Ad: As life moves online, bricks-and-mortar businesses are having to adapt to survive. With over 18 years of experience building reliable web products and services, thoughtbot is the technology partner you can trust. We provide the technical expertise to enable your business to adapt and thrive in a changing environment. We start by understanding what's important to your customers to help you transition to intuitive digital services your customers will trust. We take the time to understand what makes your business great and work fast yet thoroughly to build, test, and validate ideas, helping you discover new customers. Take your business online with design‑driven digital acceleration. Find out more at tbot.io/acceleration, or click the link in the show notes for this episode. VICTORIA: What does success look like for you six months from now or five years from now? D'ONTRA: So, six months from now. We're hitting this hot streak with new clients and things of that nature. And we're going out, and we're pitching contracts that are bigger than I ever thought we would be able to pitch, honestly. And sometimes when I see the zeros on the proposals that we're sending out, there's part [laughs] of me that's like, oh, they're never going to say yes to this thing, but, one, they are, which is still shocking, even though we've gotten a few of these in. And six months from now, I just want us to be doing it right. I know that sounds so arbitrary, and it sounds, like, so whimsical. But there are so many things that we're adjusting to in the marketplace and with our tech. Some of this is kind of new frontier for us. But what I would like to have happen is for the results in the next six months to indicate that we're doing it the right way and meaning that we have clients sticking around, we're still getting contracts signed, the network is growing, consumers are actually getting their needs met by our technology, and the company is growing at a rapid pace. That's what I'd like to see. And granted, you know, we've, in the past, you know, few weeks here, we've doubled the size of the team, which is something that feels really great. But I want us to not lose sight of making sure that the team itself always has a common goal in mind, even as we're growing. And whether that's six months from now, 2, 5, 10 years from now, I want that to kind of be the core of the expectations of what I want this company to be able to do and to deliver. VICTORIA: That's exactly the right attitude to have [laughs], right? It's like I want it to work. I want us [laughs] to, yeah, be successful. I think it all makes sense. You know, it's easy to come on a podcast, like, you know, you're eight years into the startup now, and you're starting to see some success. And it's like, here's how I did it. Everything sounds great. So, I'm glad you've also shared some mistakes or some things that you maybe would have reconsidered or done [laughs] differently before. I'm curious: if you could travel back in time to when you first started, what advice would you give yourself, now that you've had this experience, to set your mind right from the very beginning? D'ONTRA: Oh God, there's so much. There's so [laughs] much. One of the major things that I would do differently is I would read more. And what I mean by that is there are lots of lots of people that have been here in this position and done that thing already. I think in the past year, I would say probably one of the most influential books that I've read is Zero to IPO by Frederic Kerrest. And I happened to listen to it in Audible. But when you talk about, like, just things being pivotal, or like [laughs], going, "Oh, that makes sense," yeah, you get that because being an entrepreneur isn't new. And there are folks that have already kind of cracked the code in some regards. So, if you don't have the existing network around you already, go get the materials. Go read the books or listen to the audios of people who have been there, done that. It's going to save you so much time. So, that would be the number one thing that I would change is I would really truly read more and ingest other people's experiences more, and reach out and get mentors and advisors as you're going down this journey. The second thing that I would do is–it's important to move fast when you're building a company. It's important to respond to the market and all that stuff. That's all super important. That's how you live or die, right? You treat it like there's a fire behind you, and you have to lead it. You have this really hot thing. You've got to be in front of it always, or you'll lose it. And sometimes what we miss is we miss the opportunity to do it faster or better by just slowing down just a little bit. And what I mean by that is, like, I mentioned earlier about looking at the data and things of that nature. There may be things in the data that are making suggestions that you should go a different direction. But because of how you've built this thing, you and your co-founders, and how you guys have built these things in your head, that piece of data may not seem like it's very relevant. Sometimes, it's good to take a breath and take an assessment of where you're at. So, when you're with your team, whether you're setting this up monthly, quarterly, whatever it is, make sure that you're taking some time to make sure that you guys are aligned around where your company is, the industry is, and the signs that you're getting inside the space that you're operating in. It's going to save you a lot of time. And I think the last thing that is probably the most important is for those out there who are listening to this that are CEOs, one of my board members/life mentors/ CEO mentors, a friend, and almost like a father figure to me at this point, one of the things that he said to me and that I've never gotten out of my mind is that the CEO position is the loneliest position inside of an organization. And the reason why is even though you may start a business with your friends or people who aren't your friends, whatever it might be, whatever those relationships might be, those folks will never quite understand what it's like to sit in your seat because everything must end with you. It has to. Every successful organization is going to rise or fall by the person that sits at the top. And because that burden is so heavy, oftentimes, we don't want to go and talk to people when things are going bad. We don't want to admit when, like, hey [laughs], this thing that we've sunk all these resources into isn't really working. And just the sheer pressure of being that person sucks sometimes. With that being said, take care of yourself and your key relationships. And I'm not talking about key as in, like, strategic. I'm talking about the people that love you. Make sure even though you're going down this journey, you're making time for your friends, your family, your significant others, your kids, whatever it might be. Because business stuff aside, and we're all chasing the–Man, this is going to be really successful one day, and I'll be able to change everyone's life. Sure, we're all chasing that. But there is a now moment. There is a person right now that might want your love or your attention, and do not rob them of that. Make sure that you're still making time for those things that are important. Because you could very easily start building a business and five years later, look up and go, oh, this thing didn't work. And then turn around, and there's a wasteland of relationships that you just didn't pay attention to. That's not worth it. So, make sure that you're not only showing, you know, the folks that support you some love but show yourself love by still nurturing those relationships. VICTORIA: That reminds me I heard something about like, your rest ethic should be as good as your work ethic. And your rest ethic includes that time that you spend with family, or whether it's your religion, or your hobbies, or anything like that that makes you feel whole and like yourself, which I know can be a difficult thing to do when you're balancing starting a new business and thinking about the growth and the future all the time. So, I really appreciate that. You know, you mentioned mentorship and these networking and relationships. Bringing it all the way back to Start Up San Diego Week, I'm curious if you have thoughts on how founders could get the most out of those types of events. And what draws you back to Startup San Diego or startup weeks in general? D'ONTRA: Just as a caveat to all this, even though I'm on the podcast and stuff like that, and I'm sure if you Googled my name, you'll see that I've been on TV and stuff, I generally don't like networking [laughs]. I'm a major introvert. So, like, when you put me in an event like that, it's very hard for me to talk to people. Like, when we met, it seems that would be contrary to what I'm saying because we were strangers, and I came over, and we started chatting and stuff like that. And by and large, like, that's not always, like, an easy thing for me to do. The reason why I'm saying that is that if you're that kind of person, do what you have to do to be more extroverted because sometimes that extroverted or that more open or welcoming side of you will allow for spontaneous interactions to occur. And so, when we think about events like, you know, Innovation Week or something like that, there's a lot of opportunity for you to either meet people that are on your journey or a similar journey like you who've been there done that, or even just to offer a different perspective. And if you're in a place where you're open and constantly seeking, amazing things can happen, right? You could end up with your next co-founder. You could end up, you know, with your next investor. Or you could end up talking on a podcast with a stranger that you met just a few weeks ago, right? So, anything can happen. Keeping yourself open to the opportunity and the ability to extract as much value as you can out of those events. It's really interesting to kind of have your pulse on what's going on, even if it's outside your industry. We're a FinTech, but I go, and I pay attention to things that are going on in aerospace or in health because it's always good to, one, not completely have yourself submerged in just your industry, even though that might sound really great. People like folks that can talk about a myriad of different topics [laughs]. So, it might be useful if you can go and have a chat with a stranger about, you know, what's the latest in aerospace, right? It gets you out of the brain drain of what it is that you do on a daily basis. But also, you get to learn some new things and cultivate some new relationships. VICTORIA: I love that. Yeah, I listened to...I think it's Happiness Lab episode where they talk about random conversations with people those, like, sparks of innovation or things like ideas you never would have thought of if you hadn't run into this random person [laughs] and talked to them for five minutes about, you know, what they do in health tech, or what they do for their consumer product that they're building. So yeah, I think that's great. And I've been excited to be here in Southern California for the last three years and starting to grow that network and meet people like yourself who are doing really interesting things. I'm curious if you have any questions for myself or about thoughtbot, or the podcast, or anything. D'ONTRA: Yeah. So, you say that you've been here for three years. Tell me a little bit about your journey, how'd you get here, and why you chose the podcast life, right? As one of your many things. VICTORIA: That is one of my many things, right? So, I grew up in Washington, D.C., And my career was in tech and civic tech. I was working for big three-letter agencies and some pseudo-federal banks like FDIC, and Fannie Mae, and PBGC, all the acronyms all the time. And we got an opportunity in early 2020 to move here for my husband's job. And we moved out here, and I decided to take a switch out of the federal space and get into more commercial consulting. And I was lucky enough to find thoughtbot; they had a position that just looked great for me. And when I joined, you know, we have an internal collaboration thing called Hub that I think our CEO wrote and writes with the other people. All the developers on our team all contribute to it. But he posted a message about this Giant Robots podcast and if anybody wanted to be a new co-host. And I was like, "Sure, I've done a little podcasting here and there, and I have a microphone, so I'm ready to go." And little did I realize just how popular the [chuckles] podcast was. And it ended up being a really great avenue for me to meet people and, learn more about their stories, and build relationships in a way that has been really impactful and meaningful. And like I said, you know, you never know how someone you meet might help you [laughs]. So, sometimes I'll interview people, and I'll get an idea about something that is, like, exactly relevant to the work that I am doing that week, just total kismet however it came about. So, that's how I got into podcasting and how I'm in thoughtbot and here in Southern California. And so, I'm super lucky that I live in a place where there's lots of events going on all the time and lots of great people to meet. Between LA and San Diego, you could go to a different event every single day, probably [laughs], and meet people who are working on cool stuff. So, my background was really in operations and maintenance and taking federal agencies into more modern practices with digital services, and agile development, and DevOps. And now I'm taking kind of a similar lens but to commercial partners who are much faster and can make change quicker. And, in some cases, are doing things in even cooler ways than I could have thought and trying to think about how to move them forward with their infrastructure and how they deploy software. D'ONTRA: That's fascinating. And, you know, it's difficult to be in Southern California, right? New events every day. VICTORIA: And then yeah, I'll go walk my dog in the morning-- D'ONTRA: [laughs] VICTORIA: And people are out there surfing. And I'm like, I could surf all day. I don't have to work [laughs]. D'ONTRA: Right? VICTORIA: But I do. I got to work. D'ONTRA: It feels like the world of limitless possibility, right? [laughs] VICTORIA: Yeah. You almost feel, like, a pressure. Like, everyone else is starting their own company. Why am I not starting my company? Everyone's doing cool stuff all the time. So, you get motivated that way by being around a great group of people who are...everyone is very happy and sunny and [laughs] for the most part, the people are so nice. D'ONTRA: Definitely a departure from the East Coast, right? And, like, I'm sure you came here with, like, that hustle mindset, where you're like, got to get it done, which is probably why you do, like, a million things. But then also, you have all of these people [laughs] that, like, I don't know, like, cares to the wind when they need to, right? Although you've got lots of successful people. But, sure, like, more or less down here, it's like, hey, you know, like, let's live life first and [laughs] make the dollars second. VICTORIA: It's very casual. I got rid of all of my blazers. There's no more of that anymore [laughs]. People when they found out that I was moving to California, they were like, "That makes sense for you [laughs]," like, just the general, like, vibe. D'ONTRA: [laughs] VICTORIA: And I'm a rock climber. So, they're like, of course, you're going to go somewhere where the outdoors is prioritized, yeah. Versus when you live in D.C., it's like the news is happening to you. D'ONTRA: Yes [laughs]. VICTORIA: And it's very, very close. So yeah, it's interesting. I love it, though. And it's cool to take experience from that and then apply it to this world and how people might think about stuff. So, I was worried that, like, my experience might not translate, but it has. It's been very helpful [laughs] in some cases, right? Is there anything else that you would like to promote today? D'ONTRA: Yeah, so, you know, maybe for a future conversation, but in line with, you know, your background and what you're talking about, I would love to have a discussion around CRA, the Community Reinvestment Act, for those who don't understand the lingo, right? Because Spare's latest, like, golden nugget that we've really been just, like, kind of moving on and we're talking to federal regulators about is actually our impact on banks and the Community Reinvestment Act. For those who follow the news and know, you know, the time and space that we're in right now, there are some changes that are taking place inside of CRA. And it's very fascinating because when you say about your background of helping agencies kind of modernize things with digital, that's effectively what we're doing with our tech, and we're getting a lot of support from the government. And so, you know, I think that we're really doing some very interesting things that are starting to get some really great attention. We recently partnered with Visa on one of our initiatives, and we're talking to a few other really large organizations and government organizations so that this technology can really be used at a scale, honestly, far beyond what I ever imagined. But when we talk about, like, actually helping people, we're doing it [laughs]. We're doing it in this very unique way, which I'm super stoked about. But maybe we'll have a chat about that in the future. But I think, you know, for those of you that are listening to this and you're curious, you know, what it is that we're working on, feel free to reach out. It's gotspare.com. Feel free to email me: ceo@gotspare.com. I'm generally in that email box every day. Or even just checking out our service, you know, searching Spare on the App Store or Google Play, and just going in and giving it a test drive. And, you know, we're happy to hear your thoughts. And for those of you who are out there that may be looking for a new experience, we are definitely growing this team, and we want to expand as quickly as we can. We have some really aggressive initiatives for the organization over the next 12-18 months. And so, we're not going to do it on our own. I'm super stoked to where we're, like, we're at a place where we're like, we're actively building [laughs]. We're actively moving. And so, if there was a [inaudible 38:44] for us, whether it's supporting us as someone who uses the application or supporting us as a merchant who's in our community. There's lots of value that we're adding that we're turning back around to reach all small businesses. We're really working on combating inflation with our tech. And we've been able to do that, which is one of those really, like, refreshing byproducts of a tech company, or at least of our services. Like, we're actually adding real, true value to folks, and I'm super stoked about that. VICTORIA: That's wonderful, and it's really close to my heart as someone who wants to see tech with purpose and who loves tech solving problems for people, especially groups of people that usually aren't the focus of founders who are trying to turn a quick buck, right [laughs]? The people who have real problems there's a real market there. It is a business, and it makes sense to start solving those problems. So, I'm really happy that you're working on it. Thank you so much for coming in today and being a guest on the show. We will include all those links and wonderful ways to reach out and get connected with you in the show notes. You can subscribe to the show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. And you can find me on Twitter @victori_ousg. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks for listening. See you next time. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions. Special Guest: D'ontra Hughes.

On today's show: we connect with Ward 10 Councilor Andre Chabot, ahead of the debate at city hall over raising property taxes; a battle over a gravel road between an international mining company, and a guy named Vern; and we hear some of the Calgary tech startups participating in Innovation Week, and one of the challenges they're up against - imposter syndrome.

On today's episode, host Tyler Chisholm is joined by Vanessa Gagnon, Director of Community at Platform Calgary, to discuss the upcoming Innovation Week in Calgary. The episode highlights the inclusive nature of the event, emphasizing its relevance not only for tech-savvy individuals but also for those who are "tech-curious." They delve into the diverse content tracks, the abundance of activities happening across the city, and the significant networking opportunities. Their insightful conversation provides a comprehensive overview of Innovation Week, encouraging listeners to participate and showcasing the collaborative, supportive nature of the Calgary tech community.This episode is sponsored by clearmotive marketing. When it comes to marketing that truly matters to your business, clearmotive is your go-to partner. With a proven track record of 15 years, they understand what makes your business tick. Learn more at https://www.clearmotive.ca and discover how clearmotive can help your marketing thrive.We're on social media! Follow us for episodes you might have missed and key insights on Western Canada directly on your feeds.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collisionsyycLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/collisions-yycWebsite: https://www.collisionsyyc.comThank you for tuning into Collisions YYC!Remember to subscribe and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.If you loved the episode, please leave us a 5-star review and share the show with your friends!We sincerely appreciate your support of our local podcast.Host links:Tyler's website: https://www.tylerchisholm.caTyler's Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tylerchisholmTyler's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerchisholmGuest links:Vanessa Gagnon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessaincalgaryVanessa Gagnon's Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nessincalgaryVanessa Gagnon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nessincalgaryPlatform Calgary's Website: https://www.platformcalgary.comPlatform Calgary's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/platformcalgaryPlatform Calgary's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/platformcalgaryPlatform Calgary's Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/platformcalgaryPlatform Calgary's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platformcalgaryCollisions YYC is a Tyler Chisholm original production // Brought to you by clearmotive marketing

We're in the middle of one of the biggest week's of the year for this province's tech sector. Morning Show reporter Darrell Roberts spoke with some of the folks taking part in Tech NL's Innovation Week.

Adam and crew spent the show at the St. John's Convention Centre talking about the latest in innovation from the province's tech sector. Everything from AI to startup newbies.

Adam started the show with some tech momentum and a look at techNL's upcoming Innovation Week. Then he shifted to a Tequity conversation about championing STEM for girls and gender diverse folks.

Reykjavik, Iceland - Iceland Innovation Week, a festival of cutting-edge technology, creativity, and collaboration is thrilled to announce its dates for the upcoming 2024 edition. From May 13 to May 17, 2024, startup founders, investors, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs from around the world will gather in Reykjavík to celebrate innovation in all forms. Iceland Innovation Week Unveils Dates for 2024 Festival Iceland Innovation Week is an annual event that serves as a platform to share knowledge and increase visibility of the innovation sector in Iceland and has established itself as a highlight in the Nordic tech conference ecosystem since being founded in 2020. The main program consists of a flagship climate summit, Ok bye, that combines artistic performances with climate keynotes, and a Takeover event which is a day of panel discussions and fireside chats on innovation. The many side events throughout the week focus on founder stories, pitch events, workshops, happy hours and networking. "Iceland Innovation Week has become a staple event for entrepreneurs and investors," said Melkorka Magnúsdóttir, the festival's co-founder and CEO. "We are thrilled to announce the dates for the 2024 edition and are planning on having an extraordinary lineup of speakers, performers, and partners to join us in Reykjavík." The festival is distributed, taking place throughout Reykjavík in offices, innovation centers, restaurants, swimming pools, buses and many other venues. Attendees can look forward to immersive workshops, thought-provoking keynote presentations by industry leaders, interactive panel discussions, engaging pitch events, and exciting networking opportunities. Every year, the festival chooses five themes that cover a broad spectrum of innovation topics, including technology, sustainability, wellness, funding and much more. For more information about Iceland Innovation Week and to stay updated on the latest news, please visit www.innovationweek.is. About Iceland Innovation Week Founded in 2020, Iceland Innovation Week is a festival where Icelandic innovation meets the rest of the world. Taking place in May each year, the festival attracts startups, investors, scaleups, and public institutions with events ranging from lectures and fireside chats to hackathons and pitch nights. Behind Iceland Innovation Week is a team of experienced people, coming from the Icelandic Startup Ecosystem, who are focused on highlighting Icelandic ingenuity and sustainable solutions. Iceland Innovation Week michelle@innovationweek.is See more breaking stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Whether you're living through hard times or dealing with stressors of the day-to-day, creativity helps heal and bring about happiness. This week's guest on “Happiness through Hardship,” - The Podcast, Dr. Jim Friedman, shares many ways and benefits to incorporate creativity into your life. Having won 65 Emmy awards and serving as the Chief Steward for World Creativity & Innovation Week and the United Nations International Day of Recognition - World Creativity & Innovation Day, Jim is nothing short of a talented creator, innovator, and professor. Tune in to hear all about Jim's expert advice on how and why to add creativity to your life. SHOW NOTES 3:48 - How our inner voice kills creativity 7:21 - Fear and creativity 11:10 - Key to creativity 13:10 - Jim shares how creativity has impacted his life 17:42 - First answer and second right answer 20:32 - Creative mindset 23:58 - The four levels of creativity 31:57 - World Innovation and Creativity Week and Day 37:01 - The Grateful Game CONNECT with Dr. Jim Friedman World Creativity and Innovation Week: https://wciw.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wciwd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldcreativity_/ CONNECT with us www.CarynSullivan.com/podcast www.Instagram.com/prettywellness www.Facebook.com/PrettyWellness www.Twitter.com/PrettyWellness To Buy the Book: “Happiness through Hardship” - The Book: amzn.to/39PAjuT To Donate a Book to a Cancer Center: www.CarynSullivan.com/book To Donate to Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Research: The Cancer Couch Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit (501c3) organization that has funded $5 million dollars in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) research since our founding in 2016! 100% of donations and event proceeds are ​​​matched and go to fund MBC research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center! www.thecancercouch.com/donations.html

CEO and mother of two, Kellie shares what it means to show up as her best self and lead from a female POV while wearing many hats in Tech. This is an episode you will want to pull out a pen and paper because it's just that good!  Get to Know KellieKellie Clark is the CEO of Appthink, an idea accelerator and community of builders that helps new founders turn audacious ideas into audacious execution and determine if their ideas for a tech or tech-enabled venture are worth the pursuit. Aspiring founders learn how to build things quickly, and inexpensively, and how to turn a good idea into a great product.Kellie most recently served as Director of Programs for Innovation Depot, an incubator and equity-based accelerator. During her tenure, she created and curated programming for early-stage founders, and supported pre-seed/seed investments in companies reshaping industries in the southeast.She has previous experience leading program management, organizational change, and sustainable fund development. Her "wins" include everything from launching a pre-accelerator during her time with Innovation Depot to driving a 200% increase in recruitment and enrollment in her previous role with Innovate Birmingham's software development Bootcamp. In addition, Kellie served as the lead Project Manager for Birmingham's 2018 Innovation Week, a week-long celebration of events that showcased Birmingham's tech – ecosystem and engaged tech talent in the city.Kellie is a two-time graduate of Auburn University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Masters of Public Administration, with a concentration in Economic Development. As an AmeriCorps alumna, she has an affinity for community service and currently gives her time and talent to various non-profit organizations in the southeast. Kellie spends her free time engaging in outdoor sports and serving as the Southeast Regional leader for Outdoor Afro, a national organization with the expressed mission to "celebrate and inspire African-American connections and leadership in nature." She serves as board chair for Urban Community Montessori, serves on the boards of Ruffner Mountain, Cahaba River Society, and as an advisory member for Birmingham Black Techies.When she's not encouraging first-time founders to validate and build, you can find her leading kayak adventures on the Coosa River, being an audiophile at Seasick Records, or road-tripping with her husband, and their two small children. HostSK VaughnResourcesBook Referenced by Kellie: The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance

In Episode #17 von UnterFreunden! zur Transatlantic Innovation Week, spricht Jesse George mit Alexandrea Swanson von der Initiative SHE Transforms IT des BDI und Amy Roth, US-Diplomatin im Bereich Digitales und Technologien. Die Digitalisierung mit dem Internet, der Technologie und weiteren Innovationen ändert den Alltag in vielerlei Hinsicht. Die Vernetzung über alle Grenzen und Entfernungen hinweg macht das Leben einfacher und bequemer, aber auch vulnerabler. Wie gelingt es unserer Gesellschaft, die Herausforderungen dieser Entwicklungen zu meistern?Im Gespräch mit Alexandrea Swanson, Tech-Expertin beim Bundesverband Deutscher Industrie und Amy Roth, Digital- und Techbeauftragte in der US-Botschaft, gehen wir dieser Frage nach.Unter dem Motto der diesjährigen Transatlantic Innovation Week: Ungebundene Kreativität sprechen wir über digitale und technologische Transformationen, über Innovationen und warum die transatlantische Verbindung zwischen den USA und Deutschland dafür so wichtig ist. Die transatlantische Partnerschaft ist ein Beispiel dafür, wie die Zusammenarbeit in den Bereichen Politik, Ressourcen und Technologien von heute Innovationen und Lösungen für eine bessere Welt von morgen vorantreibt.Wir sprechen auch über gesellschaftliche Teilhabe von Frauen in der Digitalbranche und wie man die Tech- und Digitalwirtschaft diverser und inklusiver gestalten kann.Shownotes:Transatlantic Innovation Week:https://tiw-innovation.comAlexandrea Swanson, SheTransformsIT:https://www.shetransformsit.orgEmpower HER:https://www.trade.gov/empower-her-declaration Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EARLY RELEASE to help you prep for INNOVATION WEEK next week! Meet Jennifer Richard, an investor with Bonfire Ventures, focuses on SMB tech, vertical SaaS, and "anything led by a woman or a diverse founder." Interviewed by Valor investor Wiliam Leonard, Jennifer is working out of a $168M core fund to lead seed rounds and looking hard at the Atlanta ecosystem, where Bonfire has already led rounds. You'll learn more about check size, how to impress Jennifer, and how Bonfire supports its portfolio in this engaging conversation. William also shares a few of his favorite tips on how to pitch Valor as the conversation continues. In this episode, you'll also hear how to connect with William and Jennifer in person this week, which is Innovation Week in Atlanta, so listen soon and share with founders you care about!

We introduce you to Trophi Ai - an up and coming genesis tech company - and we hear why Newfoundland was their choice of location for their company.

We hear from some job seekers and a business owner about the future of tech jobs in this province.

Hospitals, schools, prisons, elderly homes, day cares, and corporate canteens are all examples of public or professional kitchens. Every day these kitchens churn out hundreds of meals, which means they have a pretty major influence not only on what people eat, but also the entire supply chain. In today's episode, I sit down with Line Rise Nielsen, The Food Policy Director of Changing Food a consultancy that helps kitchens convert to more sustainable practices. Line and I get into how these kitchens are undergoing transition and why their role is sup important. A big thank you to Lund University and Region Skåne for sponsoring this episode. They hosted a workshop at Skåne Innovation Week along with Krinova and Greater Copenhagen looking at the role of public meals in Scandinavia. Read more here. Episode Transcript Related Links Ellen MacArthur Foundation on circular food cities Aarstiderne on pioneering home grocery delivery C40 Cities on the mayors addressung climate change KBH Madhus on shifting to 90% organic public meals Coop on supermarkets as a platform for funding new food products Aquaporin on the future of water Like the show? Consider becoming a patron on Substack. You'll get access to exclusive content like Analisa's travel notes and episode transcripts. Most importantly, your contribution directly enables the creation of more content like this. Contributions start at $5. Sign up here.

What are you doing for this year's World Creativity and Innovation Week? In this special episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood provide small tips to help celebrate creativity in your life, your classroom, and in your family.    Past Episodes Mentioned:   Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross Listen to the episode with Natalie Nixon Listen to the episode with Jim Friedman   Resources for World Creativity and Innovation Week World Creativity and Innovation Day Website Our podcast interview with the Current Chief Steward of WCIW, Dr. Jim Friedman Creativity and Education FREE Virtual Events Raising a Generation of Creative Thinkers Infusing Creative Thinking into Your Higher Education Classroom Weaving Creative Thinking into your Pre-K-High School Classroom Day of Surprises with your Family Check out the Creative Thinking Challenges Create Junk Inventions Share the Creative Thinking Skills Sheet with Your Students   Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?  Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com    You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!    

Based on latest Torrance test data, 85% of today's children are less creative than their 1980s counterparts. CPG industry veterans Erin Fasano and Liz Seelye realized that part of the problem is old thinking when it comes to what kids eat and drink. They started dreaming up drinks and snacks with their kids to bring imagination back to lunchboxes and beyond and together founded Starryside. Their first product is organic, immunity-boosting Star Water in an adventure-ready, kid-sized can. Their big launch is coming up this week during World Creativity & Innovation Week, which runs from April 15th to 21st. Listen in as Liz and Erin share the story behind Starryside, how their background with some of the largest CPG brands informs their work, the process of getting to a minimum viable product including flavor development and finding a manufacturing partner, how they maximized Expo West and the Startup CPG Alley Rally, how their kids inspire them and participate in the growth of Starryside, and more! Episode Links: Starryside website & IG @starryside.co Use discount code STARTUPCPG25 for 25% off your order! Erin's LinkedIn Liz's LinkedIn More info about World Creativity and Innovation Week BevNet feature of Starryside Startup CPG Spotlight feature of Starryside Sir Ken Robinson's "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" TED talk Show Links: Join the Startup CPG Slack community (6K+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com

Hello and Welcome to the Retail Innovation Week podcast, the essential weekly inspiration for every changemaker working in retail and along the customer experience journey. This week we're sharing ideas around 3 key themes : blitz-scaling the front door, aspirational solutions, and resale rising. In the first section of the podcast we look at how Delivery Wars Enter Next Generation of Tech-Fueled Fulfillment. While freight shipping rates and cargo delays abroad are driving inflation and causing supply chain friction, the same-day and ultra-fast delivery wars closer to home are heating up. Venture-backed and tech-fueled platforms and offerings are turning to blitzscaling, developing and deploying new technologies and services rapidly and at scale in the hope that their network-effects business will become the dominant player, and with the market secured, pivot to profitability. In the next section of the podcast we look at how brands and retailers are Connecting With Customers And Their Aspirations. A deepening suite of tools, platforms, and programmatic solutions from businesses both big and small are allowing modern consumers to overcome the barriers behind positive behavioral change. These solutions use built-in incentives and personalized positive reinforcement to increase individual motivation and accountability, as well as offer community support, skill-sharing, and collective feedback. In the final section of the podcast we look how Resale Rises As Fast Fashion Falls. This past year will be known as the year when consumers demolished the fourth wall between secondhand apparel and new inventory. It's projected that used apparel sales will reach a $77 billion high in the next five years, driven less by true “thrifting” and more by higher price points and online resellers partnering with luxury brands, adding to the cache of both. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/psfk/message