Podcasts about smithsonian

Women have long fueled America's greatest scientific achievements. But when you go searching for information about these women scientists, you'll likely come up short. Only 19% of articles on Wikipedia are about women. In the field of science, this difference is even more pronounced. But now, a team at the Smithsonian is using artificial intelligence and good old fashioned research skills to scour the archives for lost women of science and publish their stories … before it's too late. Guests: Liz Harmon, digital curator, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Kelly Doyle, open knowledge coordinator, Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Rebecca Dikow, research data scientist, Smithsonian Data Science Lab Tiana Curry, former intern, Smithsonian Data Science Lab

Osteoporosis Awareness Month with Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science interview series on radio and podcast. I'm Paul Vogelzang, and today's show is brought to you by CastleFLEXX for stretching and mobility and Babbel: Language for Life. As part of our Inside Science interview series, we have an amazing interview with Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri. Thank you so much for listening. We've got a great guest today in honor of May being the month to discuss awareness of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis (PMO).  Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri, will join us in just a moment . But, quickly, if you missed any episodes, last week was our 715th episode when I spoke with science writer  Dr. Marc J. Seifer, about his new book  Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of Viruses. Two weeks ago I spoke with Sally Adee. Sally Adee's new book is We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds.  Excellent subjects for our Not Old Better Show audience. If you missed those shows, along with any others, you can go back and check them out with my entire back catalog of shows, all free for you, there on our website, NotOld-Better.com.  You can Google Not Old Better and get everything you need about us! Although topics like sexual health, muscle decline, and skin elasticity related to women's aging are abundantly covered, bone health is often neglected— and something all women, at every age—need to prioritize. Osteoporosis is a chronic disease that shouldn't be accepted as a normal part of aging, and there are options available to treat PMO.  As a national leader in the field of bone health and menopause, Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri truly believes that women deserve to function at optimal health and are gatekeepers to their families' health. Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri started Bone & Body Women's Health with the goal of matching what midlife women want from a medical visit with her desire to spend quality time and expertise with her patients. May is the perfect time to make your audience aware of the importance of bone health and other topics related to aging, so let me introduce you, and let's learn more about  Postmenopausal Osteoporosis (PMO) from Dr. Kristi Tough DeSpari. My thanks to Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri, in honor of  Postmenopausal Osteoporosis (PMO) month in May.  My thanks to our sponsors  CastleFLEXX for stretching and mobility and Babbel: Language for Life. Please support our sponsors, who in turn support the show.  My thanks, always, to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience on radio and podcast.  Please be well, be safe, and let's talk about better: The Not Old Better Show. Remember, just Google Not Old Better for everything you need to know about us.  Thanks, everybody, and we'll see you next week. 

The amount of nothing that was said in this episode should be placed in The Smithsonian

Welcome to episode #879 of Six Pixels of Separation - The ThinkersOne Podcast. Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation - The ThinkersOne Podcast - Episode #879. Meet Natalie Nixon, also knowns as the "creativity whisperer for the C-Suite." Natalie advises leaders on how to achieve transformative business outcomes by embracing both wonder and rigor. Her area of focus is on creativity, the future of work, and innovation. Recognized as one of Real Leaders' "Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World for 2022," Natalie's influence extends far and wide. She has graced the pages of Fast Company, and, more recently, published a new book, The Creativity Leap. As the founder of Figure 8 Thinking, Natalie leads a firm that has earned its place among the top 20 women-led innovation firms by Core 77. Her impressive roster of clients includes industry giants like Microsoft, Salesforce, Comcast, and Citrix, among others. With each engagement, Natalie seamlessly combines her background in cultural anthropology, fashion, design thinking, and dance, infusing her work with a unique hybrid perspective. Natalie also serves as a trustee of the esteemed Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, Vassar College, and Leadership+Design. Her international experiences living in Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Israel, and Sri Lanka have endowed her with a global perspective, complemented by her proficiency in Portuguese and Spanish. When she's not enlightening minds or shaping the future of creativity, Natalie finds joy in dance. From hip-hop to salsa, foxtrot to tango, she is a force on the ballroom floor. Enjoy the conversation... Running time: 55:56. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Six Pixels of Separation. Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook. Check out ThinkersOne. or you can connect on LinkedIn. ...or on Twitter. Here is my conversation with Natalie Nixon. The Creativity Leap. Figure 8 Thinking. Follow Natalie on Instagram. Follow Natalie on LinkedIn. Follow Natalie on Twitter.  This week's music: David Usher 'St. Lawrence River'.

Ozone Therapy - Dr Marc Seifer The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science interview series on radio and podcast. I'm Paul Vogelzang, and today's show is brought to you by and today's show is brought to you by NextEvo Naturals, Clinically Proven, Absorbing CBD.  As part of our Inside Science interview series, we have an amazing interview with returning guest and NYT best-selling science writer Dr. Marc J. Seifer.  Dr. Marc Seifer's new book is  Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of Viruses Thank you so much for listening. We've got a great guest today in best-selling science writer Dr. Marc J. Seifer, who'll join us in just a moment with a reading from his new book. But, quickly, if you missed any episodes, last week was our 714th episode when I spoke with science writer Sally Adee. Sally Adee's new book is We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds Two weeks ago I spoke with LYDIA FENET who is a global thought leader, a best-selling author, who has led auctions for more than six hundred organizations raising over $1B for nonprofits globally.  Excellent subjects for our Not Old Better Show audience. If you missed those shows, along with any others, you can go back and check them out with my entire back catalog of shows, all free for you, there on our website, NotOld-Better.com.  You can Google Not Old Better and get everything you need about us! Our guest today, author, researcher, and lecturer, MARC SEIFER, is a world-renowned expert on the life and work of Nikola Tesla… His book, Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of Viruses, came out of the discovery that Nikola was making ozone generators in the late 1800s and selling them to the medical community. That was only the beginning of this tale; a natural remedy for our health.  That of course, is our guest today, Dr. Marc J. Seifer, reading from his new book  Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of Viruses.  Let's welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science series on radio, and podcast science writer Dr. Marc J. Seifer, My thanks to Dr. Marc J. Seifer, for his time today and generous reading.  I know you always enjoy hearing authors read from their books.  Dr. Marc J. Seifer, new book is  Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of Viruses.   My thanks to our sponsor,  NextEvo Naturals, Clinically Proven, Absorbing CBD.   Please support our sponsors, who in turn support the show.  My thanks, always, to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience on radio and podcast.  Please be well, be safe, and let's talk about better: The Not Old Better Show. Remember, just Google Not Old Better for everything you need to know about us.  Thanks, everybody, and we'll see you next week. 

Nowhere in the world are lawns as revered as they are in the United States. The picture-perfect patch of grass is so deeply rooted in the American psyche it feels more like a default setting than a choice. Americans spend countless hours every year seeding, watering, mowing, and fertilizing patches of grass that don't make much sense, economically or ecologically. But why? In this episode, we dig into the history of our lawnly love to learn where the concept came from...and how we grew so obsessed. Guests: Cindy Brown, manager of collections, education, and access at Smithsonian Gardens Joyce Connolly, museum specialist at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Gardens Abeer Saha, curator of agriculture and engineering at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Sylvia Schmeichel, lead horticulturist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Jeff Schneider, deputy director of Smithsonian Gardens

Have you ever felt imposter syndrome, that you weren't sure if you had enough expertise or experience or knowledge or credentials [or fill in the blank] to speak up, share your perspective, and use your voice? If so, you're not alone - and there are ways to move past this. My guest is Kelly Schermerhorn, who describes herself as a recovering people-pleaser and accolade-collector (I can relate!). Kelly recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy. Kelly and I talk about: Her story of feeling worthy enough to have a voice Her message around mental health Why she wanted to create a signature talk and speak to audiences Why she decided to enroll in the Thought Leader Academy The doubts that came up while she was creating her talk and our conversation about it The process of creating and refining her talk and framework This episode is part of our new series called “Use Your Voice.”   About My Guest: Kelly Schermerhorn is a recovering people-pleaser and accolade-collector. She's ditching her long-time history of collecting accolades in return for being her authentic self. Kelly's traversed skyscrapers, tiptoed through galas at the Smithsonian and traveled from the United States' East Coast to West Coast, all to say she's worked in ‘Corporate America' for the last 15 years. She's taken her years of climbing skyscraper stairs and corporate ladders to provide women a framework to shed their shields, their suit coats, and instead become authentically who they are – beautiful, unique women, who will change the world, just as they are.    About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/328    Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/   Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/    Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Kelly Schermerhorn (guest) = https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/KellySchermerhorn Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 301: Why We Get Imposter Syndrome and What to Do About It with Melody Wilding Episode 321: What It Means to be Visible to Yourself and Others with Bibigi Haile  

Justice Sabrina McKenna honored for her work paving the way for other women in the legal profession; A new book details Hawaiʻi's ties to Portugal; A political historian and author reflects on new Smithsonian exhibit

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby tells the novel's narrator about his World War I military service and a particularly heroic engagement in the Argonne Forest. He ends his story by explaining: “I was promoted to be a major, and every Allied government gave me a decoration – even Montenegro, little Montenegro down on the Adriatic Sea.” The decoration he displays is the Order of Prince Danilo I. Fitzgerald's description of the award might not be the most accurate, but it is a real order and members of the AEF did receive it.  To discuss the order and it's AEF recipients, the World War I Podcast talked with Dr. Frank Blazich, Military History Curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.  Dr. Blazich is an expert on the AEF recipients of the Order of Prince Danilo I and is also a contemporary recipient of the award.  Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org

We Are Electric - Sally Adee The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science interview series on radio and podcast. I'm Paul Vogelzang, and today's show is brought to you by Microdose.com  Microdose Gummies... Microdose Gummies deliver perfect, entry-level doses of THC that help you feel just the right amount of good. And, Sunday, as in GetSunday.com.  A new kind of lawn care. Easier, smarter, better for people, pets and planet.  GetSunday.com As part of our Inside Science interview series, we have an amazing interview with NYT best-selling science writer Sally Adee.  Sally Adee's new book is We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds Thank you so much for listening. We've got a great guest today in Sally Adee  who'll join us in just a moment with a reading from her new book. But, quickly, if you missed any episodes, last week was our 713th episode when I spoke with LYDIA FENET who is a global thought leader, a best-selling author, who has led auctions for more than six hundred organizations raising over $1B for nonprofits globally. Two weeks ago I spoke with Smithsonian Associate Neil Theise about his upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation titled Notes on Complexity: Connection, Consciousness, and Being.  Excellent subjects for our Not Old Better Show audience. If you missed those shows, along with any others, you can go back and check them out with my entire back catalog of shows, all free for you, there on our website, NotOld-Better.com.  You can Google Not Old Better and get everything you need about us! Our guest today on The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science series on radio and podcast is science and technology journalist Sally Adee.  Sally Adee's work has appeared in New Scientist, The New York Times, BBC Future, and the Economist. Sally Adee was technology features and news editor at New Scientist, where she wrote long-form articles on how human minds and bodies intersect with the machines we create. Sally Adee will tell us about her new book, We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds, and answer our questions about it, including does our body have the power, electrical current, to become our own batteries for cerebral spinal fluid to charge the implant? And is there no need for a battery in the body?? That of course, is our guest today, Sally Adee, reading from her new book, We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds.  Let's welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science series on radio, and podcast science writer Sally Adee. My thanks to Sally Adee for her time today and generous reading.  I know you always enjoy hearing authors read from their books.  Sally's new book is   We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds.  My thanks to our sponsors,  Microdose.com  Microdose Gummies... Microdose Gummies deliver perfect, entry-level doses of THC that help you feel just the right amount of good. And, Sunday, as in GetSunday.com.  A new kind of lawn care. Easier, smarter, better for people, pets, and planet.  GetSunday.com Please support our sponsors, who in turn support the show.  My thanks, always, to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience on radio and podcast.  Please be well, be safe, and let's talk about better: The Not Old Better Show. Remember, just Google Not Old Better for everything you need to know about us.  Thanks, everybody, and we'll see you next week. 

TDC Podcast topics - Ed Sheeran wins his lawsuit against the Gaye's, NPR will get no special treatment from Twitter, AOC and NYC Mayor Eric Adams fight over the story of a homeless man choked to death on the subway, AOC and Matt Gaetz come together (gross) and propose a bill that would ban the human scum known as congress members from trading individual stocks, 21 amazing facts about The Smithsonian, ask T-Roy, and email

Dave Barry's sense of humor should be on display at the Smithsonian; it is truly one America's great treasures. His latest novel, Swamp Story, is set in the back woods of the Florida Everglades. That's all we are going to tell you, because the plot is so wonderfully wild, you wouldn't believe us anyway. Join us while Dave makes us laugh, and then stick around for our conversation with Mitchell Kaplan at Books & Books. As a Florida bookseller, he has important things to say about why bookstores are on the frontlines in the fight against book bans. Books mentioned in this podcast: Swamp Story by Dave Barry Big Trouble by Dave Barry Best State Ever by Dave Barry Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States by Dave Barry Lessons from Lucy by Dave Barry Insane City by Dave Barry Dave Barry's Complete guide to guys by Dave Barry Tricky Business by Dave Barry Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway by Dave Barry Dave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down! by Dave Barry You Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About by Dave Barry The Benchley Roundup by Robert Benchley Love Conquers All by Robert Benchley My Ten Years in a Quandary, and How They Grew by Robert Benchley Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen Jeeves in the Offing by P. G. Wodehouse Catch-22 by Joseph Heller The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky Go as a River by Shelley Read

“What might the first World Indigenous Skyworld Space Stations look like? We think in circles with no beginning or end. We go into space as a human right and right of self-determination. We go into space for development, exploration, and cultural preservation.” These are the words and the vision of my guest, Dan Hawk of the Oneida Nation, and Principal Scientist at United First Nations Planetary Defense who answers the question for me, “Why should Native Americans go into space?” The answer goes well beyond going to the moon and to Mars and beyond. This is about helping national security and all Indigenous populations. A program for Native Americans in space is the way into space for other communities as well. And Dan is pioneering the way for such a program for our Indigenous people. Today, you'll hear from Dan about: • Who owns space • The Oneida people • Stories of Dan's ancestors • What is “space sovereignty” • United First Nations Planetary Defense • Growing up on the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin • A view of the dust bowl you may not have heard about • The story about what inspired Dan to go into his profession • Dan's work with NASA, his support of the Montana Space Grant, and more • The story of the Golden Eagle Rocket that's now in the Smithsonian institute • How an American Indian space program can help Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Check out these links: • BisonSat - Kootenai College: https://cubesat.skc.edu • Artemis Space Program: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/ • United First Nations Planetary Defense: https://ufnpd.wordpress.com • AISES - American Indian Science and Engineering Society: https://www.aises.org • Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority: https://airspaceportok.com Yakoke, Dan for your commitment to sovereignty for Native Americans beyond the boundaries of earth. Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

Lawmakers pau with the 2023 tax bills; Kaʻū public school principal Sharon Becker wins Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award; Smithsonian exhibit features history of 1898 annexation

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

What Happens In This Episode? What happens when a man chooses to obey Jehovah God rather than man? What if the edict comes from a dictator who is trying to remain neutral in World War II against the Nazi onslaught of Europe? What if the edict means that thousands of people will be subjected to the persecution of life under Nazi rule? Today's story tells the story – a largely untold and unknown story - of a man who made the choice. In this Jesus Story, we'll hear how one man risked everything and lost everything. Do you have a Jesus Story to share? I'm collecting current day Jesus Stories (testimonies) for the third season of the Jesus Stories Podcast. If you've got a Jesus Story from your life, I'd love to hear from you. You can tell the story through an interview, or I'll tell you story for you. And, you may remain anonymous, if needed. Contact me via the website, JesusStories.info, click on the “Talk to Us” tab. Jesus Stories Extra A Jesus Stories Extra -- a little more information or a special feature -- can be found on my Patreon site. In today's Extra, you'll hear the voices of people who were rescued from the Nazi onslaught by Aristides de Sousa Mendes.mendes Follow Us Follow Jesus Stories on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. A special thanks to the Smithsonian magazine, the Washington Post, and Wikipedia for the remarkable story I've retold in this podcast.

Still Hungry ep.620 Something unnatural is sitting at table 9.   Bob Reiss is the best selling author of 24 books of fiction and non-fiction. Still Hungry is from Bob's short story collection, "Still Hungry, Tales From the Shadows" published as an ebook by Vida press in 2022. Many of his novels are based on his travels as a journalist in remote parts of earth, for magazines including Outside, Smithsonian, Parade and Fortune. You can watch an interview of Bob on YouTube by Inspicio Arts Magazine. The interview title, "Living On the Border between order and anarchy" pretty much describes Bob's work. Bob's website is bobreiss.com   ---- Listen Elsewhere ---- YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/TallTaleTV Website: http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- Story Submission ---- Got a short story you'd like to submit? Submission guidelines can be found at http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- About Tall Tale TV ---- Hi there! My name is Chris Herron and I'm an audiobook narrator. In 2015, I suffered from poor Type 1 diabetes control which lead me to become legally blind for almost a year. The doctors didn't give me much hope, predicting an 80% chance that I would never see again. But I refused to give up and changed my lifestyle drastically. Through sheer willpower (and an amazing eye surgeon) I beat the odds and regained my vision. During that difficult time, I couldn't read or write, which was devastating as they had always been a source of comfort for me since childhood. However, my wife took me to the local library where she read out the titles of audiobooks to me. I selected some of my favorite books, such as the Disc World series, Name of the Wind, Harry Potter, and more, and the audiobooks brought these stories to life in a way I had never experienced before. They helped me through the darkest period of my life and I fell in love with audiobooks. Once I regained my vision, I decided to pursue a career as an audiobook narrator instead of a writer. That's why I created Tall Tale TV, to support aspiring authors in the writing communities that I had grown to love before my ordeal. My goal was to help them promote their work by providing a promotional audio short story that showcases their writing skills to readers. They say the strongest form of advertising is word of mouth, so I offer a platform for readers to share these videos and help spread the word about these talented writers. Please consider sharing these stories with your friends and family to support these amazing authors. Thank you!   ---- legal ---- All stories on Tall Tale TV have been submitted in accordance with the terms of service provided on http://www.talltaletv.com or obtained with permission by the author. All images used on Tall Tale TV are either original or Royalty and Attribution free. Most stock images used are provided by http://www.pixabay.com , https://www.canstockphoto.com/ or created using AI. Image attribution will be declared only when required by the copyright owner. Common Affiliates are: Amazon, Smashwords

The Treasury Department announced today that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1. For the past few months, House Republicans have used the debt limit as a bargaining chip to secure spending cuts. As the new deadline looms over us, we are wondering: Is there a way out? And, an unassuming Supreme Court case could change how a slew of laws are interpreted. Plus, video-chatting parrots make us smile. Here’s everything we talked about today: “The Luring Test: AI and the engineering of consumer trust” from the Federal Trade Commission “Supreme Court will consider major case on power of federal regulatory agencies” from SCOTUSblog “U.S. must raise debt limit by as early as June 1 to avoid default, Treasury says” from The Washington Post “The U.S. could hit the debt ceiling by June 1, much sooner than expected, Yellen warns” from NBC “Trump to appear at CNN town hall in New Hampshire” from CNN “NASA’s Perseverance rover loses its hitchhiking ‘pet rock’ after more than a year together on Mars” from Live Science “Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Other—and the Birds Loved It” from Smithsonian magazine Have a comment or question about something we talked about? Send it our way! Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART or write to makemesmart@marketplace.org.

The Treasury Department announced today that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1. For the past few months, House Republicans have used the debt limit as a bargaining chip to secure spending cuts. As the new deadline looms over us, we are wondering: Is there a way out? And, an unassuming Supreme Court case could change how a slew of laws are interpreted. Plus, video-chatting parrots make us smile. Here’s everything we talked about today: “The Luring Test: AI and the engineering of consumer trust” from the Federal Trade Commission “Supreme Court will consider major case on power of federal regulatory agencies” from SCOTUSblog “U.S. must raise debt limit by as early as June 1 to avoid default, Treasury says” from The Washington Post “The U.S. could hit the debt ceiling by June 1, much sooner than expected, Yellen warns” from NBC “Trump to appear at CNN town hall in New Hampshire” from CNN “NASA’s Perseverance rover loses its hitchhiking ‘pet rock’ after more than a year together on Mars” from Live Science “Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Other—and the Birds Loved It” from Smithsonian magazine Have a comment or question about something we talked about? Send it our way! Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART or write to makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Briana Pobiner PhD This weeks guest is super interesting. Briana Pobiner is a paleoanthropologist whose research centers on the evolution of human diet with a focus on meat-eating. Briana has a BA from Bryn Mawr College, where she created her own major called Evolutionary Studies. Then she completed a Masters degree followed by her PhD in Anthropology from Rutgers University. Briana is also an Associate Research Professor of Anthropology in the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at the George Washington University. She has done fieldwork in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Indonesia and has been supported in her research by the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation and the Society for American Archaeology. We discuss some of her favorite field moments including a run in with a white rhino as well as discovering fossil bones that were last touched, butchered and eaten by one of her 1.5-million-year-old ancestors. Since joining the Smithsonian in 2005 to help put together the Hall of Human Origins, in addition to continuing her active field, laboratory, and experimental research programs, she leads the Human Origins Program's education and outreach efforts which includes managing the Human Origins Program's public programs, website content, social media, and exhibition volunteer training. Briana has also more recently developed a research program in evolution education and science communication. She is the recipient of the 2021 American Association of Biological Anthropologists and Leakey Foundation Communication and Outreach Award in Honor of Camilla Smith, and a 2021 National Center for Science Education Friend of Darwin award. Enjoy, Dr. M

Alyssa: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Women of Ambition podcast. I'm your host, Alyssa Calder Hulme , and today we are going to be beginning a little bit of a shift in our podcast experience together where we've been examining ambition, how women experience that and talk about that. And we're gonna continue on that same path, but I really want to start looking at how culture, ethnicity, religion, all these different things that influence our socialization, affect the way that we think about ambition and manifest it. And then some of the barriers that make it harder to be maybe. Who we want to be. And so today we're gonna look at a little bit a personal experiences of ambition, certainly, but also looking at it within the context of being a Latina in the United States. Today our guest is Natalie Alhonte . [00:01:00] Natalie was born in Bogota, Columbia and moved to the US when she was six months old. During her upbringing, she always had a passion for languages, storytelling, culture, and intersection of public policy and entrepreneurship. She moved to Washington, DC in 2001 to attend American University in their school of international service. After graduating, she began a career in global public affairs, including leading the work. For clients looking to build campaigns around ideas, not just products. After that, she moved to New York City to build a social good incubator working directly with Ariana Huffington, while in New York. She also hired, she was also hired to assist with all aspects of communication for the Brazilian government ahead of the World Cup and the Rio Olympics. Wow. Natalie then returned to Washington to help build the Latin American. Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council for her former boss, Peter. Natalie: Schechter Alyssa: Schechter. Okay, thank you. She's now the director of strategy for the Latin America Practice [00:02:00] Group at Wilkie. Also founded by a Latin. Latina and an investor in immigrant foods, a gastro advocacy restaurant dedicated to celebrating the contribution of immigrants to the United States, and she resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not too far from me with her husband son, Sammy and their two dogs. Thank you so much for being here today, Natalie. Natalie: Thank you so much for having me, Alyssa. Alyssa: Sorry If I, I messed up some of those words there. Reading and podcasting at the same time is rough. I'm used to just kind of going off the cuff. Natalie: It's hard. There's a lot of tongue twisters Alyssa: I'm also very, very aware that you are trilingual, at least correct Portuguese, Spanish, and English, and so, I have very minuscule knowledge of those languages, but my pronunciation is horrible at this point. No. So please forgive me and correct me. Please correct me. Natalie: Yes, absolutely. I, yeah, we're here to learn from each other. [00:03:00] Absolutely. Yes. Alyssa: Well, thank you so much for being willing to come on the show and talk about just this complex world that, that you live in and that you navigate and that you're so knowledgeable about. So to start, this is our first question we always ask, do you consider yourself to be ambitious? Natalie: Oh, I love this question. And actually I think you know, when I received the invitation to be here with you today, it really set me on sort of a journey of sort of trying that word on. I think it's been a while since I've sort of categorized myself as ambitious, but, you know, really getting familiar with the, the definition and, and. To, its very core and maybe not so much of the archetypes that maybe we have associated with it. I would definitely claim it. I, I would also say I'm very driven a funny story about that. I actually, if I had a memoir, I think I would have. Titled it Driven because I learned to drive so late in life. I actually just learned [00:04:00] to drive six months ago after being, you know, a, a, a true and blue New Yorker. But yeah, so driven, ambitious are definitely things that I would say are part of, of who I am. Ambitious for myself, but also ambitious for others, I think is another thing that I would say. I, I'm one of those people who really. Get so much in really success and. I've seen other people accomplish things like finding their own voice and seeing what they're capable of as well. But the one caveat I would say about ambition is that I would say yes, ambition, but not at any cost. Hmm. I think this is the new, the new learning for being my life.  Especially as. I've become more multi-dimensional, becoming a mother becoming a wife, becoming, you know, trying to be a better friend and also just a better, you know, person who takes care of [00:05:00] myself is saying at ambition. But there has to be a very careful consideration about what the impact is on myself, on others.  And definitely growing up in New York where there was a little bit more of a cutthroat culture being on the other side of what ambition on the negative side can look like I've always really prided myself in and to, and not being that type of person who will use anything and everything to get ahead.  Despite sort of what the repercussions could be on others around me. Alyssa: No, I, I really appreciate you saying that. I've been obviously thinking about this word for a long time now. And I've been tinkering kind of with like another kind of nuance to this word where a lot of people associate ambition with like that competitiveness and like being willing to step on other people to [00:06:00] succeed. Especially cuz I, I've been reentering academia and so there is like a lot of competition. But. Valuing ambition for itself and valuing it for other people and having it be something that is in balance with other values like community and support and You know, your other values that can kind of balance it out, I think is a really, really important part to, to that aspect. So thank you for sharing that. It's interesting to hear a lot of guests come on the show and they're like, yeah, you know, you asked me to be, to come on and I didn't know how I felt about that word, or I'm a little uncomfortable. Calling myself that. And I thought about it and it, it actually fits really well. It's like, this is the why I'm like so interested in this word and this position cuz it's like there's so many layers to what it means and what it implies to people and relationally to other people. So like the part that I, that I'm tinkering with is [00:07:00] that, Ambition is like a drive to do or succeed that for whatever reason is beyond whatever is socially expected, given the context of wherever you're in. So your family, your community, your country, your socioeconomic status, like. There's some kind of a relative piece to that that is informed by who we are. And so that's why like talking about culture is so important because that's where you really learn your values, and that's kind of where all these things get put in reference. So I'm excited to dig into that more today. Natalie: Yes, me too. No, that, I think that sounds right, and I think you're right. Sometimes we have to go back to the very root of a word and really to really understand it because there has been, there are words that are becoming so polarizing and they're misused, and language really matters, you know? Mm-hmm. If if you have. Sort of a feeling about a word. I think it's important to go back and [00:08:00] say, is that really, is that how society, is that the messages that society has given me? Or is that really what, you know, is there a, a purity to that feeling? Is there something that's very connected to values that are part of that feeling? And I think with ambition, it's, you know, it really, to me at least, it's related to courage. And courage, right? It comes from the Latin heart, right cord, which is heart and Spanish. And when you think about how much courage it takes to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, the willingness, the discipline when it comes to self-talk to, to get, to go above what's expected of you.  I think it courage and, and sort of ambition or go hand in hand. Alyssa: Yeah, I would, I completely agree with that. It's hard and it, it does take that extra bravery piece for sure. Okay, so [00:09:00] let's talk about your. Beginnings with ambition as a child, as a teen, do you, do you see pieces of that coming through in your early life? Natalie: I, I, absolutely. So I think some of my family's favorite stories you know, about me are just about sort of that independent streak that I always had. Though, you know, in the Latin culture, we're very, we have, we're taught and socialized to be very different differential to our elders and mm-hmm to the people who have traditional relationships of power, sort of like teachers, et cetera.  I think my parents did a really great job not sort of oppressing that independent spunk and streak in me to let me be sort of who I was. And I think, you know, some examples they like to tell about this are I had a ice coffee stand. A lot of children had traditional lemonade stands, [00:10:00] but I realized that our house, I, you know, I grew up in Brooklyn and our house was. On the road to sort of main subway stop, and a lot of people would commute in the mornings to go to work. So in the summer, I used to wake up really early and we would brew fresh Colombian coffee and we would, I would go out with my little wooden table and I would sell ice, fresh ice coffee to the commuters as they would head to work.  And I tried to have partners, you know, friends on the block be there with me, but nobody had the the drive to be up at. 7:00 AM to do that with me so quickly. You know, there was a rotation of partners that would come and go and nobody would stick. So I really loved the feeling of being there, being useful and being reliable to my.  To, to my customers at a really, really young age. So that, I think it's, it's a fun story that [00:11:00] they tell, but I think that's definitely who I am. Someone who likes to be useful, have an impact and sort of doesn't really see anything as impossible for better or for worse. When I was 15, I started to sort of shift that I would say ambition to social good work. And I started an organization when I was 15 years old called Teens for Humanity. And it was dedicated to raising funds and supplies for developing world, especially Latin America given, you know, that my ties. So it was an incredible experience and I think. That's sort of those leadership skills that you start to learn that are inside of you you know, would just continue to grow. But it definitely never felt like anything was impossible. I just would see any task. And the world's my mom likes to say, the world's very small for me, and I feel like that's definitely been a part of[00:12:00] what's informed, sort of my decisions, my dreams, and my goals moving forward. Alyssa: Those are fantastic examples. Holy smokes. I love, I love to visualize you on the corner street hawking your iced coffee and then being in this teen for social justice, like, that's incredible. Natalie: Well, thank you. It, it's, it's been an incredible life and so far and I'm so glad to be able to, Talk about, tell my story because it reminds me of these things. You know, it's been a long time since I thought about them and really connected with them, but definitely inside of me lies a very, very ambitious little nine year old girl who never, who never went away, luckily. Alyssa: That's awesome. Okay, so, and then obviously you've had this like really incredible career path that we're gonna talk about now.  But have there been, like growing up, were there clashes with. Culturally I You're a first gener, not even a first generation or [00:13:00] what would you call yourself? An immigrant? Yeah. I, yeah, Natalie: I'm definitely an immigrant. I'm somewhere in between. Yeah, first gen. I think it's, I sort of, I relate a lot to first generation just because I spent so much of my life in the us.  And, but. Definitely my son likes to remind me that he's actually the only person born in the United States in our family, the point of pride for him. But yeah, I, I guess somewhere between first gen and, and immigrant. Mm-hmm. Alyssa: And so navigating kind of that, like that transitional space, were there clash points there? Were your parents just really supportive of you being yourself? What was that like as growing up? Natalie: So what's really interesting is that my mom comes from a, you know, medium sized town in Columbia, in the coffee region. Pretty, you know rural I think is the wrong word, but it's sort of like what you [00:14:00] would picture, like the Napa Valley of columbia, beautiful. Rolling mountains. It's, you know, just a beautiful scenery. And my dad was born in Staten Island New York. So he's a New Yorker and up to Jewish parents. Okay. So. In my house. It was a, there was lots of paradox and contradictions. Okay. And mixed signals. So, you know, very typical sort of multi cultural, multi dimensional story. So. I had, I'd say in my home, represented two cultures that were, they couldn't be more different in terms of the value system, styles of communication, sort of the way that sort of the worldview and they were all happening. In real time in my house growing up, I also had the benefit of growing up with my grandparents. My [00:15:00] Jewish grandparents lived living up one floor above us. Oh wow. So they had a lot of influence as well in, I would say on the second floor. But my mom ran our home like a Columbian embassy within our home. It was very I would say You know, the culture of Columbia was very present. It was in the food, it was in our traditions. It was in the way that she ensured that we were connected to our roots and we understood where we came from. And she just, it was. Really important to her that we felt fully Colombian. Instead of sort of half and half, we were 100% Colombian and 100% American at the same time. So I don't know what kind of math that adds up to, but that was sort of how, how I was raised.  And I would say that through [00:16:00] that it was, The ex, through that experiment, you would see that there was a lot of mixed messages about what success really looked like. And, and that also had to do with the extended family. So, you know, in my in my household, there was definite co cohesion. But I would say that when we would look at the extended family education was so important on the, you know, Jewish immigrant side and especially given the history. But then in Latin America it was much more about sort of the markers of success were about you know, physical beauty about thinness. About, you know, what, who were you in your social standing? Are you, are you going to be an eligible candidate for good marriage? It was a very mixed bag when it came to that, so there was a lot of pressure both on the side of.[00:17:00] You know, career side, but also on the family side, all happening, I would say a hundred percent volume all at once. So that was sort of the environment in which, you know, I was raised and it taught me to really decode and question mm-hmm. What my own values are, my own thinking. But it also taught me a lot about how strong that intergenerational sort of programming can be in our own lives. Mm-hmm. Alyssa: Wow. That sounds like quite the crucible for self-discovery and. Watching your parents, I would assume, navigate that with lots of other family members around, and then you getting to go and be your own person as well. Natalie: Absolutely. I think that it really wasn't until college, until that I had the vocabulary to understand what. What all of that, you know, all those mixed messages really meant. [00:18:00] And I had the privilege really of studying with, I would say one of the fathers of cultural anthropology, and his name was Dr. Weaver at American University. And he really taught. Us all about what culture shock looks like. Mm-hmm.  And how it's not just when you go abroad, but if you're living in a multicultural society. If you are multicultural, how the, how experiencing culture shock can really impact you and you're sort of psychological framework, long term and really all the resilience that it gives you. Because, you know, I, there's by no means do I want. You know, the takeaway to be like being multicultural actually is traumatic. It's not, I mean, it, it gives you so many magical powers. But at the same time, if you don't understand sort of the language around it it, it can. It can be challenging. And so I was grateful to have [00:19:00] the language around understanding and mapping culture and understanding the different components of what makes a culture. I think in the US we're not really even that aware that we have a culture. And so it always shocks people that we have one, but we do, you know, and, and I think that understanding what you know, what those components can really help us. Empowers us to be to, to take, to make the most out of being able to navigate many different cultures. Yeah. Alyssa: Thank you. One of the things that I really wanna focus on today is that kind of culture crossing. I, I'm calling it border crossing because we're talking to you, a Latina woman who literally crossed a border to come here. A lot of your work is international but also as a metaphor of navigating different spaces, navigating that liminal in between space.  [00:20:00] Maybe translating between two very different. Social, cultural, linguistical locations, value systems. That is, that I, I think of it as like a superpower in a way that clearly you had to earn and was a lot of work. But it gives you an ability to, like you're saying, see nuance navigate spaces, a code shift Mentally, linguistically, you know, so many, so many different things like that. So let's talk a little bit about how that has impacted your career and your work. I feel like every single point on your resume is a fantastic example of this. But is there, is there a space where you can kind of talk about that, that border crossing experience? Natalie: Absolutely, and I think you know, when I was in college I sort of I knew I wanted to do something international, and I knew that that was [00:21:00] what sparked my joy, was to learn about other cultures and to learn about other ways of life. And just had this insatiable hunger for international things. I mean music and, and food. And I, and I knew I had this ability to be a bridge because I had done it my whole life. I had. Acted that way since I could remember to really help. Sort of be an intermediary when maybe, you know, there's this image that I like where you're holding a beach ball and on the left side it's white and the right side it's black. And you know, both people are screaming at the top of their lungs that what? It's white or black and you're holding it at the middle. So you could sort of see the delineation of both. And that I think, has been a metaphor that I've sort of used throughout my life. And it also gave me the resilience to sort of enter into this. International relations space with global affairs [00:22:00] space, which traditionally is, there's a pretty high bar of entry into those spaces in DC and there's a lot of elitism associated with it. It's a lot about the connections of who you know and what private or prep school you went to and you know who you're father golfs with, and I came to DC with zero of those things, you know, absolutely none of them except all of the knowledge of the that my parents really gave me about my history and where I came from. And I remember. You know, I got hired by this very elite public affairs firm who worked on crisis communications, international campaigns, and really high stakes issues. And my first week just being completely overwhelmed by just how much I didn't know, even though I had already been in DC for four years and lived and breathed [00:23:00] it just. Felt completely like an imposter. And I know that this is something that comes up a lot here on the podcast. Yes, it does. Remember at that time I was working as an assistant to one of the lead partners and he he, I was in there talking about something and I think he said to me something like, you know, I don't want you scheduling me at this specific time. And I said, you know, okay. But he was very mad at me because I had made a mistake on his schedule, and he said I don't need, you're okay. And then I just looked at him and I said, no. I say okay, as if I understand the information. Mm-hmm. And one of the other senior partners heard it and like went running to say, actually, I think she's gonna survive. I had this grit inside of me. This fire. Good for you. So this senior partner tells that story a lot about, [00:24:00] you know, this the fire that it really takes. To be underestimated time and time and time again. And having to look in the eyes of the person that, or under that is your underestimate and not go down, but to just rise above. And it's just something that happens at a moment. But it is, I think, the most crucial thing that I learned because I learned that nothing defines me but me.  And if people don't really understand who I am and what are capable of, they just have to wait. They have and they will see and not just, you know, I think that it was, that is definitely a superpower that I got from being misunderstood. People never knew where, where to put me growing up. You know, she's not Latina, but she is, but she speaks Spanish, but she was born in Colombia, but she looks Russian. Like, who are you? What are you? So I was used to. Being misunderstood. And so I take it upon my speech to, to help people [00:25:00] really get to know who I am and what I'm capable of. And so those are the beginnings in public affairs. And just, I grew a lot by being myself. I didn't conform I would say in many ways, which unfortunately is, I think.  The story of what is asked of many people who are not traditional or underrepresented in some way. But I really pushed hard to, to go against the grain and there was a space for me to, to be myself. And as my sort of career progressed and the people within the firm saw how I was able to connect with clients. It almost created a boomerang effect where they started to respect me because they could see how I had the decoding gift that you were talking about where mm-hmm. I knew if there was someone who wants to go straight to business, you go straight to [00:26:00] business. If there was someone who wants to get to know you because there's a trust element that needed to happen before you jump straight in, you give them that. You're generous with yourself, you're generous with your time, and you allow them to get to know you on their time, not on what you expect is the timing that it should happen. And I think it was the. This sort of ability to understand those nuances that helped me continue to grow and to manage your position and then to be able to build my own things when I was at the Huffington Post and then being asked to come back to DC by that same senior partner who yell. To come back and help him build a a Latin America think tank in dc. The agility of being able to climb up and climb down constantly were I think things that really have served me well in my career. Alyssa: I love that example. That's so [00:27:00] fantastic. So, so many of the, the things that you just mentioned are topics that I've been thinking with. So that like being, being able to jump between places, but then also weaving between them to kind of create where you get to exist as yourself, even if other people. Can't place you like you're creating your own self. And then being, being a bridge maker and having it be this unique thing that you are bringing to the table because of your values and your, your upbringing and all these things that you have that. Actually helps you in your career and in your personal ambitions, but, but comes from like this culturally located place of community and nuance and like you are able to see and sense things that other people can't, who haven't had to stretch themselves really. Natalie: That's right. And yeah. Oh, and I think that obviously, you know [00:28:00] those are sort of the, the positive baggage that I bring to the table. But I, you know, there are also things that I struggle with and I think that those are also a big part of Understanding the, the importance of being humble, of looking at life as an eternal learner. Because you know, if you're trilingual, you're always gonna mess up a certain sentence or you're always going to like, make something feminine that's masculine and you, this is a life log. You're never gonna be fully fluent, in one language. So I think that's also helped me understand that To understand people, not just by how they communicate in maybe their second or third or fourth language. And, and to be humble about being able to learn from everyone. Cause I think that there's, I've been on the other side where I've seen microaggressions and I've seen people being [00:29:00] underestimated just because maybe English is their second language or they're not able to express as fluently as they can in their native language. So I think that's also the other side as, as well. Alyssa: So how, How do you build resilience to being complete, to being mis can't even think of the right word, but being misunderstood. Underestimated not being legible to people because they can't categorize you. I am sh I know from my personal, smaller experiences with that, that that's really exhausting. So, Can you speak to that a little bit? Natalie: Well, absolutely. I mean, obviously I don't wanna paint the situation with rose colored glasses, right? Because we look at the current state of sort of Latinas in the United States, right? And we see the the mount that we represent as it. Relates to the population versus positions of [00:30:00] leadership.  Looking at the C-Suite for example, I mean I wrote down, just jotted down these numbers just because I think they're so super important to talk about, but, you know, Latinos represent 62.5 million people, right? So that's 19% of the population. But when you look at the amount of people in senior leadership, I mean, it goes down. Substantially. So 2% of women are in senior leadership positions are in the board in the boardroom. And, and this are like Forbes, you know, the, the biggest company is ranked by Forbes and 1% if you look just at corporate boards and not at positions of leadership. So there are, there is a real problem, you know, in our society and, and in the way that the game is structured. For the ascension of Latinas. So I think that that's really important to say and[00:31:00] it's important to sort of, to look at what the, you know, kind of what's against us. So we're swimming upstream and mm-hmm. How exhausting it can be. So I would say like, kind of life. Taught me resilience. It it was every time I was not invited, you know, to a pitch meeting or that I had done all the work for and I had to advocate for myself to be there. Or when a client, you know, assumed something went wrong, but hadn't actually looked at his or her email to show that it was, it had been sent and he. These little things where people just automatically assume that you are the one that messed up because they haven't seen enough people that look or sound like you in positions of authority. There's just this thing that happens in their brain when things go wrong. And I think so it is sort of just life that. That teaches us to be resilient. But I think the other big thing, [00:32:00] and this definitely comes from the culture, is the sense of humor. You know, to, there's nothing that can break a tense and difficult moment that you know, nothing that can do that. Like a sense of humor. And that's something I learned from my culture and it's something that I take with me because. You know it, unless we are able to sort of laugh at these terrible things that happen, I mean, maybe not right away, but eventually with communities of people who have who have built things alongside us. I think it's really difficult and participating in spaces like this one, Alyssa, where you, that you're building where people can come and tell their story. I mean, these are the ways that we can sort of take a step back, realize that. What happens to us is not personal. It's not really about, though it feels so personal in the moment. It's not personal because it's a common experience that so many of us have, and you don't have to be, Latinas have experienced this, right? Mm-hmm. I'm sure if you have 10 women all around [00:33:00] in this, in this conversation with us, that everyone could tell a thousand stories just like mine. So I think that's also really important is to, to remind us that if we celebrate who we are, You know, the way my mom celebrated our culture and our house, if we celebrate who we are and somebody doesn't understand or value it, to know that the problems with them and not with us. It's not that our culture is somehow wrong, it's that person just hasn't had the pleasure of understanding our culture and getting to know it better. Alyssa: Thank you. I think that's, that's really true and it's again, how community fits into to achieving, to doing, to building whatever it is that we feel driven to do. And it's, it's such an essential part because. We can't do it alone. I dunno, maybe maybe [00:34:00] a white guy can do it alone. A straight white guy can do it alone, maybe. But more likely there's an invisible community that of support that is not being represented. But those of us who aren't in that dominant. Position of, of privilege and power. We need our community and we need that support to kind of get through it. And I love humor as one of the, one of the tools to, to healing and to health and normalizing something that we're being told is so abnormal. Natalie: Absolutely. Absolutely. Alyssa: Alright. So maybe let's talk a little bit more about the specific areas that you've worked in. You've done, so you've done crisis response work, like you said, you and we talked, mentioned briefly the World Cup and the Olympics. And you were also a TV commentator for us Latin American relations. So you're doing all of this [00:35:00] work with these different places and different value systems. How, like, like I just talking even politically about different countries and navigating those relationships what has that been like to hold maybe two value systems and have to like, make them legible to each other? Yeah, Natalie: no, I think that's a really, really good question. And, you know, I can talk a little bit first about the world cup and the Olympics work. So when I was in New York and I was a new mom I had. A conversation with a former colleague and you know, was really telling her about how burnt out I was feeling. I mean, one of the big characteristics of crisis communication is that you have to be on 24 7 and having to be a new mom. I really felt like it wasn't it wasn't a, I couldn't give 100%. To really anything [00:36:00] and I didn't feel like I was I felt like I was failing, you know? And, and I, I felt like I was sort of the reputation that I had as like the person that was always on it. I just couldn't be that person anymore. And, This friend said to me well, why don't you work with me on this project? The Brazil government is looking for someone to help promote these beautiful destinations in Brazil. And I said, oh my gosh, this sounds like the easiest job on earth. Like, why? You know, is this real? Is this real? Like, and so, well, of course, you know, nothing is ever as good as it sounds because. The largest protests in Brazilian in Brazil's history after the fall of the dictatorship were catalyzed by the overruns in the World Cup and the Olympics. And we were sort of the only us leg, arms and legs on the ground in many of [00:37:00] these spaces. And we thought we were gonna be there, you know, talking about beautiful beaches of Rio de Janeiro. But we were preparing like. Crisis communication decks and sort of media audits about what's being said. And I was accompanying a minister, the minister of sports minister towards them, to the editorial board meetings at the New York Times, at the Wall Street Journal to talk about, you know, stadiums and man, and why there is one and, and just, I had to fire a translator on the spot in one of those meetings because she was just translating the minister. With really just messing up the translation and just like these things, you know, I kept thinking, where's the fun? When is the fun gonna start? Cause this was not fun. This was way more difficult than I had imagined. But it was an amazing experience, of course, as everything is looking back, you know, really to understand. Sort of the power of civil society and having [00:38:00] their voice heard especially in democracies and how important those those protests were to Brazil. So that was a moment where I would say I was kind of thrown into the deep end into, in a really. Amazing moment in Brazil's history. And I think that has helped me really understand like the power of social media the power to, to create movements because WhatsApp and Twitter were so such a big part of kind of building that social movement and really understand the inner workings of a government a lot better. So that's definitely an example of, I would say where you, I I was definitely buckling my seatbelt in, in that situation, but it was, it was a really intense, but great time to learn. Mm-hmm. Alyssa: Sounds complicated and [00:39:00] exciting and exhausting all at once. Natalie: Yes. Yes. Absolutely. My Portuguese definitely got a lot better after that writing and reading a lot, and Portuguese and so that's always a great, a great outcome. Well, that's wonderful. Alyssa: So. If working in these different spaces with these different groups of people, do you see, do you see the nuance in, in value in maybe how ambition is perceived in different places in Latin America versus the United States? Can you talk a little bit about that, kind of maybe on a more broad level, and then if there is a gender component that you saw, I'd appreciate hearing your perspective. Natalie: Absolutely. Well, I think what's really interesting, and I think a lot of people consider themselves, you know, Latin Americanists They have trouble with Brazil. They have trouble sort of becoming a part of the ingroup in Brazil because the country of [00:40:00] Brazil is such a massive place and it's been sort of because it speaks Portuguese and speaks Spanish and sort of has a unique history and culture, it really is isolated. From the rest of the world. So the amount of, I would say trust that a person that is working in Brazil can can obtain just by understanding the culture, understanding the language, the basic customs is incredible. It's not the same as the rest of, of Latin American in many ways because it isn't Americanized. Mm-hmm. So like Columbia, we've always had a lot of connection. Mexico, you go to Mexico, there's always been a ton of connection. Between the United States and and you know, better and worse, right? There's been mm-hmm. Negative impacts that the US have ha has had, but also it's just, there's a very close relationship. Brazil is different. It's very isolated in many ways. So I would say that taking the time to really understand the culture, [00:41:00] and I was lucky, I studied abroad in Brazil. My husband is Brazilian, so that's another big component of understanding the culture. But. I think there is a, there's a coup, there's so many levels. I mean, you and I, you know, we were talking before about the sort of high context, low context cultures, the to be cultures, the to-do cultures, you know? Alyssa: Do you wanna share that a little bit? Because it, it fits so well with what I'm re learning and researching right now. Natalie: Yes. Yeah. So when I was you know, Learning more about cultural anthropology. I think one of the coolest ways and, and I think there's more contemporary work on this as well there's a book called The Culture Map that I think has gained a lot of popularity is really understanding different cultures and sort of where they fall on broad questions. And these two broad questions are, Sort of the, something called a high context culture in a low context culture or a to be or todo culture. So what that [00:42:00] means is you know, there are, if you're in a part of a to-do culture, it's really about efficiency. It's about sort of what you achieve. It's about sort of an individual perspective of achievement. And it's very low context, meaning that, Even if you were dropped in that country and you're doing business for the first time in that country and you were someone who sort of was pretty literal and direct, you would do really well in that country.  In terms of relationships as well, when you are looking at, you know, the US as a part of that, I would say Germany I think is a pretty, when we're looking at architecture, He's always sort of looked at at Switzerland. On the other side of that are the to be cultures or the high context cultures where these are cultures that have a lot of gray. Lines, there's a lot of subtexts, a lot of focus on [00:43:00] where, who are your, who is your family? You know, where did you sort of, where do you fall in like in sort of the social casts within a country. And those are the cultures where it takes a long time to really understand the nuance to be effective at communications because there's so many unwritten rules.  About what you can do and what you can't do. So I would say Brazil is very much, and all of Latin America is on that sort of the high context to to be scale. But Brazil, I would think, I think is at the very top of that because they have so much of their own way of develop of, you know, sort of. Their own rules and customs that are unique to Brazil. There's no other places that you'll be able to find it. And those who don't really understand the culture have a lot of trouble being effective in it. And those who take the [00:44:00] time, you know, even to learn to sort of basic Portuguese about the differences between the different regions, the history understanding where you give one kiss and where you give two; we use our small protocol type. Things, but they make a huge difference in a culture like that where your relationships and sort of who you are on that scale mean everything. And I think that it's important to say that both cultures are both humane and inhumane at the same time. Because in a to-do culture, it's all about. What you achieve, it's not really about who you are, but in a to be culture, it's really the hard part is social mobility. You know, if you're born into a certain class or a cast, you know it's hard to move up. It's hard to be seen as other because you are sort of as ascribed of value based on sort of where you fall in that. scale. So those are super important nuance I think that I try to keep in in mind when I [00:45:00] am doing business internationally. And where I, when I'm working, collaborating across borders is to really understand those nuances and to, to continue to learn. You know, one tip I always give to people is just do a Google search, A Google news search for that country.  The day before you talk to somebody from that country and see what's going on in the news. Take five minutes. I think as Americans we're, we're not really conditioned to do that. But it's, it just goes such a long way to be able to build relationships for those high context cultures when you at least take the time to know.  A little bit about what's going on, what's current, and ask questions and be curious. I think people, it really goes a long way to building those relationships. Yeah. Alyssa: That's so interesting. That's a really, really good tip. I'm wondering if, you know if you know the answer to this question, maybe you don't, but how the [00:46:00] different indigenous populations kind of affect. The differences in the regions. And then of course, you know how colonization has kind of shaped the culture of different countries and different regions. Can you speak to that at all? Natalie: I mean, there are, I can speak more in terms of the presence of sort of Generally right now that there's, yeah, I would say a moment where we are celebrating indigenous culture in a way that we really haven't before. I think that in our minds, we were all, we all felt very separate. You know, like we, we would learn about these indigenous cultures, the Inca, the Mayans, the Aztecs, and we would look at them. Right in Brazil UA Paraguay, and we would sort of look at and our, you know, our indigenous in the United States where We would see each of these cultures as a really, a small and isolated [00:47:00] pocket. But I think as people have studied them more, and I think John Zamo, if you haven't seen his sort of one man show when he talks about this, you know, 97% of the d of indigenous cultures from the top of the Americas to the very bottom. Is the same. So we have this unique shared culture. Though the co obviously there's nuances, but think that there was, it's a very sort of colonist and European mindset to see each of them as unique and separate because it takes away the power from the holistic sort of story about this continent and about sort of the indigenous culture. And I think some countries have been really great about conserving and celebrating the history. I think no cult culture has been great at it. I, I should say. But there, yes, yes. Let's be [00:48:00] clear. We've all been terrible, Alyssa: but we've all been terrible. Some have maybe been worse for longer. Natalie: Absolutely. And you know, you, if you look at, there's this beautiful museum in Mexico City called the Mu Museum of Anthropology. And it's this beautiful, giant, gorgeous museum dedicated to understanding the roots of the Mayan societies and really teaching an Aztec and really teaching people about that history. Our history, right? If, if you are a part of the Americas, it's, it's, it's a collective experience to understand who we are. And so I would love to see that in the United States, and there's a beautiful Smithsonian museum. But I don't think that we have this widespread understanding of how we connect in terms of our shared history with our indigenous people and. In some countries, like [00:49:00] if you look in the southern cone the eradication of the indigenous populations was. Almost absolute, you know, it's genocide. And so each of these countries has had their own unique story with, with sort of celebrating those roots or sweeping it under the rug, as I think probably happens a lot.  But it, in it is influenced, I mean, I think. Right now, I think it was a couple of years ago, the first time that Vogue, Mexico had an indigenous woman on the cover cause of Roma, the movie Roma. And I mean, it was a huge uproar. I mean, in a great way because. A lot of people didn't say, didn't realize we had never seen that before. Mm-hmm. You know, and, and the lack of social mobility I think has been, it's been really damaging. But I think that, you know, in terms of your question about sort of how that has [00:50:00] shaped our identity Countries that celebrate and understand those roots I think are much more connected to, to who we all are, you know, as a collective Americas and in Columbia, I can speak to that. There is this sort of movement now to Bring forward a lot of the replicas of indigenous jewelry. I know that not all of your readers can see it, but I'm actually wearing one right now where we have beautiful gold pieces in Columbia you know, it was called, right? Mm-hmm. Because of the gold. So much gold came from Columbia and the we're starting to to sort of assimilate that. That celebration of indigenous culture into you know, quote unquote mainstream, which was European culture for so long, and get curious and, and get, and I hope to see that [00:51:00] continue. I definitely don't think we're there by any means, but especially if you look at sort of political power, right? Mm-hmm. How, how European white male. It is. But there are, I think, beautiful social movements that are happening across the Americas to sort of tell those stories and to and to better understand them. Yeah. Thank you. Alyssa: Yeah, they're certainly a long way to go there, and I think we are better when we embrace our history and open our eyes to it because we have to be able to understand the ongoing effects. Of our, of my place. Like I have mostly colonizer ancestry and some indigenous ancestry. And it's, it's a lot to confront for myself and for my family. But denying that and pretending that I'm just here of my own volition is just, it's totally ignorant and it just perpetuates [00:52:00] ongoing harm, and I lose out on the beauty and the, the dreaming and the, the community and the connection and things that I, I am now being able to reincorporate with that, like wider, wider eyes, a wider embracive truth. Natalie: Absolutely. And, and we're so much better when we know our history, you know? Mm-hmm. And. I think our ancestors, they want us to know, they want us to know the history.  And because if we are, we stand on their shoulders. I think that's a really important thing to because I think so many of us, we have oppressive and oppressor oppressed And oppressor genetics. You know, and if we're, if you are on the America's continent, there's going to be, it's, it's a mixed bag. But I think the more we know, the more we don't repeat history hopefully.[00:53:00] Alyssa: Yeah. I'm with you there. And that's kind of where I'm coming at this project of ambition, of trying to figure out like, what does it mean to different people? What does it mean to different cultures? Is it. Competitive have to step on other people to achieve. Can it be something that it is communally beneficial? And I think it can, but we have to really unpack a lot of that, like generational trauma and colonizer mindset and the ignorance that we've allowed and supported and that we're all, you know, complicit into one degree or another. Cuz. There are a lot of toxic things that originally were really beautiful or, or are really healthy in other spaces that we can reincorporate and heal with and learn from. So thank you for sharing all of your experiences today. Oh, Natalie: it's my pleasure. It's been such a pleasure speaking with you today, and I think this project is such an [00:54:00] important one. I hope we'll all own the word ambition a little bit more in healthy way, in a good way, in a healthy way, Alyssa: in balance with our, our values and our community and all those things.  Absolutely. In closing, is there anything that you would like to say to ambitious Latinas out there speaking to them directly maybe? Natalie: Yes, Absolutely. I mean, I think that. The, the, our time is coming. I think if we just look at the demographics, if we look at sort of the amazing influence that we've been able to have on it, on this country as Latinos living in the us our time is coming to really to shine. So it's gonna be, It's gonna be upon us to be ready as, as that moment appears. And I just wanna give a huge shout out to Julissa ak, who's [00:55:00] a Read, who's a book that, who wrote a book called, you Sound like a White Girl. I'm currently reading that. I suggest it and I suggest America Ferreras Ted Talk so much for those who haven't listened to it, to really understand our superpower as Latinas.  And just, you know, thank you for having me here today. Alyssa: Thank you so much. Oh, so, so good. Do you have any current projects or things you wanna plug? I think you have a restaurant going on right now. Natalie: Yeah. So I am an investor in a restaurant in Washington DC called Immigrant Food. Our flagship is half a block from the White House, and obviously it wasn't a coincidence that we opened it during the Trump administration when there was so much negative rhetoric about immigrants forgetting that we are all immigrants if you're not indigenous. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And we're all here. So no, definitely if you're in Washington DC check out immigrant food. Also if [00:56:00] you are you'd like to connect, so please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, Natalie ote on LinkedIn and just thank you so much for having me here. Awesome. Alyssa: Thank you. That is, that's a quite the, the delicious, ambitious little pump to end on. So thank you so much. And yeah, thank you. I am sure everyone is just gonna be so thrilled to listen to. So thank you so much for coming on. Thank you. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Women of Ambition podcast. Natalie was such a fantastic guest. We covered so many different topics and ideas that I wanna continue to expand on and explore throughout our podcast time together, especially as we look at how social locations change the way we view the world, they inform our values and inform. What resources we have access to. So those are some of the things we're gonna continue to look at on the podcast. If you would like to read a transcription of the podcast or share it that way, I'm going to figure out a way to add the transcription to my [00:57:00] website, women of admission podcast.com. This will allow guests to go back and annotate and edit anything that they wanna clarify or comment on. So if that's helpful to you, please let me know. It is quite a labor. Of work to transcribe. So I'm gonna try and do that more moving forward if that is helpful to anybody out there. So just let me know, drop me a line if that's something that is beneficial. You can also interact more with the podcast on Instagram. My handle is Women of Admission podcast. So check us out there and we will continue to have some really awesome guests moving forward and some new and exciting things over the next couple of months. So look out for those. Thanks so much for listening.

Lonnie Holley has lived a storied life. He was taken from his family by a burlesque dancer who performed in carnivals when he was a baby, suffered head injuries from getting hit by a car as a kid, then put in the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, also known as Mount Meigs. He went on to become a visual artist whose works have been on display at The White House and The Smithsonian. Holley started releasing music about a decade ago when he was in his 60s. He's now out with his seventh album. It's called 'Oh Me Oh My' and features collaborations with Bon Iver, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Sharon Van Etten, and more. Lonnie Holley shares his life story and how his experiences have informed his new record.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claim Your Confidence - Lydia Fenet The Not Old Better Show, Author Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Art of Living interview series on radio and podcast. I'm Paul Vogelzang, and today's show is brought to you by BetterHelp, Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/NOB and NextEvo Naturals, Clinically Proven, Absorbing CBD. As part of our Art Of Living interview series, we have a really great interview with LYDIA FENET is a global thought leader, a best-selling author, who has led auctions for more than six hundred organizations raising over $1B for nonprofits globally. Thank you so much for listening. We've got a great guest today in LYDIA FENET   who'll join us in just a moment. But, quickly, if you missed any episodes, last week was our 712th episode when I spoke with Smithsonian Associate Neil Theise about his upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation titled Notes on Complexity: Connection, Consciousness, and Being.  Two weeks ago, I spoke with actor, health advocate and star of the hit TV show ‘Barry,' Henry Winkler.  Excellent subjects for our Not Old Better Show audience. If you missed those shows, along with any others, you can go back and check them out with my entire back catalog of shows, all free for you, there on our website, NotOld-Better.com.  You can Google Not Old Better and get everything you need about us! Our guest today, LYDIA FENET is a well known auctioneer for more than six hundred organizations raising over $1B for nonprofits globally. Lydia takes auctions all over the world as Senior Vice President Christie's Auctions and serves as ambassador and also took the Collectible Car world by storm as the Principal Auctioneer for Broad Arrow Auctions.  Lydia Fenet's bestselling book, ‘The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You,' hit bookstores and instantly became a national bestseller, teaching us how to command an audience and sell your way to success. Lydia's second book, ‘Claim Your Confidence,' is brand new, and Lydia tells us today that navigating a two-decade career at the world's leading auction house while raising three children wasn't a walk in the park. Lydia had her own journey of learning self-assurance. Through her stories of overcoming obstacles big and small, Lydia demonstrates to us today that confidence isn't something that only some people are born with; rather, it's inside every one of us. We make it stronger by pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone and facing fears head-on. You'll love this interview. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast thought leader, auctioneer, podcaster and author LYDIA FENET  My thanks to LYDIA FENET for her time today.  My thanks to BetterHelp, Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/NOB and NextEvo Naturals, Clinically Proven, Absorbing CBD for sponsoring today's show.  Please support our sponsors who in turn support the show.  My thanks, always, to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience on radio and podcast.  Please be well, be safe and let's talk about better: The Not Old Better Show. Remember, just Google Not Old Better for everything you need to know about us.  Thanks, everybody, and we'll see you next week. 

Smithsonian Education holds a unique place at the intersections of art, history, culture, and science. The mission of Smithsonian Education is to be in every classroom in the country. The Smithsonian's National Education Summit gives educators a forum to discuss topics and hear from experts about four tracks: Life on a Sustainable Planet  STEAM EducationReckoning with Our Racial Past An Integrated Arts Education The National Education Summit is free and will be held from July 18-20 in Washington, DC. Registration will open in early May

Michigan State University Interim President Teresa K Woodruff joins me on MSU Today to elaborate on some of the topics she covers in her April 2023 Spartan Community Letter, which you can read by clicking on the communications tab at president.msu.edu. “I love this time of year. Commencement is really one of my favorite days of the year. I'm excited for each of our students as they walk through that line and put on their gowns of green. It's a beautiful resplendent color, and they are beautiful and resplendent in it.”More than 200 of our students will graduate with perfect 4.0 grade point averages. That excellence is amazing and is supported by our world-class faculty and staff. Even US News & World Report continues to notice our excellence.“We've got four programs that are ranked number one, and over 25 in the top registers of the US News & World Report rankings. We're really pleased with the way in which our faculty achieve their excellence. That, in turn, creates the right environment for our students.”Honors College Junior Victoria Fex is our 53rd Goldwater Scholar.“That's something to celebrate. This is a place where our students really succeed, and then we see them excelling in these nationally competitive programs. I couldn't be more excited for Victoria, and certainly proud of MSU for its legacy and what it does to enable these students' success.”Another Spartan was honored for his service and engagement with his selection as a 2023-'24 Newman Civic Fellow by Compass Compact. That's Jai Kozar-Lewis. He's a supply chain management first-year student.“This is part of the secret to Michigan State. Our students, like our faculty and employees, are always about learning, but also about giving. He's all about providing his knowledge and expertise in environmental issues across communities. That's the way in which we have outreach with impact. That's what Jai represents.”Congratulations to the 25 exceptional undergraduate and graduate students and alumni selected for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.“Our graduate students and undergraduates are exceptional. The National Science Foundation selects those who are the most outstanding across the United States. This is highly competitive for our students in the sciences, technologies, engineering, and mathematic disciplines. These students will now be enabled to pursue their masters and doctorates. I look forward to supporting these students as they continue their pathway toward those advanced degrees.”Excellence is also a priority in the field of competition among Spartan student athletes. We recently welcomed a new head coach for women's basketball. It's Okemos native Robyn Fralick.“I've had a chance to meet Robyn. She came in and immediately started recruiting. I've had the chance to chat with her a couple of times. She's really terrific. She and her young family are here. Just immediately I think it felt like home. I think she's going to do a great job for Michigan State.”New facilities go a long way in supporting our excellence. Among many projects, we had two important groundbreakings recently, the addition to the School of Packaging and our freestanding Multicultural Center.“This is a time of real extraordinary advances across this campus. The School of Packaging is number one in the nation and the only school that has a PhD program in packaging. We were able to cut the ribbon with a group of donors and industry leaders. If you go across any industry around the globe that is the in top 100 in packaging, they are led by Spartans. I'm so proud of the way in which Matt Daum, who is the director of that school, has led our packaging program. He's also a great alum. The Multicultural Center, boy, the roof was blown off the tent top for that event. We filled the place with folks who were just so excited to be a part of the future of Michigan State through this new Multicultural Center. I'm excited for where Michigan State has been, and most importantly, the fulcrum towards where it's going as it will be represented in this building.”Earth Day is just behind us. You have a key new hire in our new director of sustainability, Chip Amoe.“Melissa Woo and her team looked nationally for our new director of sustainability. Chip is the real deal. He's going to come in and not only move us forward on the trajectory we were, but I suspect really move that upwards. He is someone who has had long-standing excellence in sustainability. Our folks are really excited about having him here. I'm thrilled that he's joining us. I think you know that we all talk about the Spartan Green in our sustainability efforts. He is already green through and through, so we're really advantaged by his presence.”Have you had a chance yet to see the wonderful exhibit that Devon Akmon and his team have opened this month at the MSU Museum? It's a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. “It's special, not only with the Smithsonian, but also with the Audubon. I was able to meet several of our board members from the Smithsonian Institute who just have extraordinary praise for Michigan State and our museum and for Devon and the way in which we are representing to the broadest group of people the opportunity to join us in learning more, like in Knowing Nature. This was really about the boreal forest. There are billions of birds that migrate largely at night. These boreal forests are necessary for that habitat.“Going to that exhibit will allow you to learn a lot more, as I did, about this part of our ecosystem. This is the starting point for this exhibit that's then going to travel from here. And with the new assets that we build for accessibility, which is something Michigan State is absolutely committed to, we're going to add value to that program. I know the Smithsonian and the Audubon directors are really thrilled. We're excited about that exhibit.” As Spartan Nation continues to reflect and heal from the violence we experienced on February 13th, you've created a temporary Office for Resource and Support Coordination. Tell us about that and your continued reflections as we heal.“I want to send my thoughts out to everyone who is continuing to grieve in their own way on this, what we call the long walk forward. We're on a different pace but on the same path. We're going to get there together. Part of what we're hoping to do is to enable folks to be able to move forward, particularly those most affected in that violent event on February 13th. That's going to be coordinated through the Office for Resource and Support Coordination. I just ask all Spartans to be thoughtful and lift up those students and their families, and the office will be helpful in that.“We also have an independent after-action review group that we've identified, Security Risk Management Consultants. We went through a formal RFP process to identify the right group for Michigan State. I'm really persuaded particularly by the fact that they're led by someone who was a head of campus police and who understands our size and scope to come in and help us really think through the ways in which we can continue to work towards our ideal of a welcoming and safe environment.”What else are you reflecting on this month?“I reflect on the word commencement and to commence. It maybe should be called the accomplishment for some people, but it's called a commencement because we're commencing a new phase of our life after completing these degrees. As we move that tassel across, or some of our students are hooded with that doctoral hood, I really think it's a moment to think about the journey that we've all been on. For students who've been here four or five or six years, there's been a lot in their baskets as they've walked this MSU path. They are stronger and more resilient as a consequence.“Of course, for us, we wish we could have taken those buckets from them. We wish their baskets were not quite as full. But as I think beyond the commencement and the graduation exercises for each of our colleges, those students are ready for both what is expected as a part of accomplishing their degree, but more importantly, they're ready for the unexpected. That is going to allow for a better world any place a Spartan is. I'm looking forward to thinking about that as I shake 9,500 hands. I'm committed to it. I love each moment as the students come and as they approach the dais as one person and as they leave the dais as a new graduate on their way to something else. That's really where my mind is focused. I'm excited for this moment.”Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Gay Bradshaw, who holds doctorate degrees in ecology and psychology, has been sharing cultures and homes with Animals all her life. For the past twenty-five years, her work has been dedicated to the self-determination and well-being of Wildlife and domesticated Animals. Her diagnosis of Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) among free-living African Elephants sparked a new paradigm of understanding, trans-species psychology. Since 2002, Gay has studied and practiced mindfulness and meditation, and created Nature Mindfulness™  teachings where Animals, Plants and other Earth Beings are active partners in humanity's evolution of consciousness. This work led to the founding of her nonprofit, The Kerulos Center for Nonviolence (www.kerulos.org), a teaching center and sanctuary located in Southern Oregon, U.S.A that translates principles of Nature Consciousness into everyday living. Her books include Pulitzer-prize nominated Elephants on the Edge: What Animals Teach Us About Humanity (Yale University Press, 2009), Carnivore Minds: Who these Fearsome Animals Really Are (Yale University Press 2017), Talking with Bears: Conversations with Charlie Russell (Rocky Mountain Books, 2020), The Elephant Letters: The Story of Billy and Kani (2014), How Landscapes Change (Springer-Verlag), and Minding the Animal Psyche (Spring 2010). Her most recent book, The Evolved Nest: Nature's Way of Raising Children and Creating Connected Communities, written with Darcia Narvaez and with a foreword by Gabor Maté, MD, will be published by North Atlantic Books in 2023. Gay is published in academic and popular media including Nature, American Scientist, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, Ethology, and Psychology Today and featured in the New York Times, Time Magazine, Forbes, NPR, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Stern, Scandinavian television, The Atlantic, Telegraph, The London Times, ABC's 20/20, several documentary films, and animal protection media such as AAVS, HSUS, and NEAVS, and Best Friends Magazine. www.gabradshaw.com www.kerulos.org Sign up for 10% off of Shrink Rap Radio CE credits at the Zur Institute

We bring you a special episode from Sidedoor, a podcast about the treasures that fill the vaults of the Smithsonian. This story is inspired by “Big Band,” a defining work by the painter LeRoy Neiman.  Neiman was a character, a cultural gadfly and an omnipresent artist who sat for decades right at the nexus of professional success, cultural ubiquity, and critical disregard. What made him so popular? What made him so disdained? And what can we learn from how he resolved this dissonance?  Sidedoor is produced by the Smithsonian with PRX.  The Sidedoor podcast team is Justin O'Neill, James Morrison, Stephanie De Leon Tzic, Ann Conanan, Caitlin Shaffer, Tami O'Neill, Jess Sadeq, Lara Koch, and Sharon Bryant. The show is mixed by Tarek Fouda and the theme song and episode music are by Breakmaster Cylinder.  Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Executive Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director. Special thanks to Joel Meyer, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, especially Tara Zabor, Dan Duray, Heather Long, and Janet Neiman. Also thank you to the team at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: Stephanie Johnson, Ken Kimery, Theo Gonzalvez, Eric Jentsch, John Troutman, Krystal Klingenberg, Valeska Hilbig, and Laura Duff. Thank you to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings for contributing music for this episode, and also to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.  If you haven't yet, please subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends. If you're a fan of the show, sign up for Slate Plus.  Slate Plus members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.  Decoder Ring is now available on YouTube. Listen here: http://y2u.be/D8cLqWAffJ8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Ventura is the founder of Sub Rosa, a strategy and design firm that works with some of the world's largest brands, organizations, and startups. He is also a board member and advisor to several organizations, including Behance, The Burning Man Project, and The Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. As if that weren't impressive enough, he also owns a globally recognized design store in New York's West Village and is a visiting lecturer at institutions like Princeton University and the United States Military Academy at West Point. In this podcast episode, Michael shares his experience as an entrepreneur, how he spends his precious time, and why his calling is helping other people overcome the obstacles in their way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a kid, Bill Nye spent whole days wandering the halls of Smithsonian museums. Now the Science Guy is back… to find his own blue lab coat and periodic table bowtie on display at the National Museum of American History. We sit down with Bill Nye to get schooled on science education, comedy, and the 1990s hit TV show that turned him into an entire generation's favorite science teacher. Guests: Bill Nye, Science Guy This episode was produced in collaboration with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Their exhibition, Entertainment Nation, shows the power of American entertainment to captivate, inspire, and transform. Through the objects and their stories, the ongoing exhibition will explore how, for over 150 years, entertainment has provided a forum for important national conversations about who we are, and who we want to be.

We bring you a special episode from Sidedoor, a podcast about the treasures that fill the vaults of the Smithsonian. This story is inspired by “Big Band,” a defining work by the painter LeRoy Neiman.  Neiman was a character, a cultural gadfly and an omnipresent artist who sat for decades right at the nexus of professional success, cultural ubiquity, and critical disregard. What made him so popular? What made him so disdained? And what can we learn from how he resolved this dissonance?  Sidedoor is produced by the Smithsonian with PRX.  The Sidedoor podcast team is Justin O'Neill, James Morrison, Stephanie De Leon Tzic, Ann Conanan, Caitlin Shaffer, Tami O'Neill, Jess Sadeq, Lara Koch, and Sharon Bryant. The show is mixed by Tarek Fouda and the theme song and episode music are by Breakmaster Cylinder.  Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Executive Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director. Special thanks to Joel Meyer, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, especially Tara Zabor, Dan Duray, Heather Long, and Janet Neiman. Also thank you to the team at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: Stephanie Johnson, Ken Kimery, Theo Gonzalvez, Eric Jentsch, John Troutman, Krystal Klingenberg, Valeska Hilbig, and Laura Duff. Thank you to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings for contributing music for this episode, and also to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.  If you haven't yet, please subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends. If you're a fan of the show, sign up for Slate Plus.  Slate Plus members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.  Decoder Ring is now available on YouTube. Listen here: http://y2u.be/D8cLqWAffJ8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To wrap up Unearthed! for spring 2023, we've got potpourri, jewelry and adornments, edibles and potables, mistaken identity stories, repatriations, and the always popular shipwrecks. Research: Agence France-Presse. “New Easter Island moai statue discovered in volcano crater.” The Guardian. 1/3/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/02/new-easter-island-moai-statue-discovered-in-volcano-crater Alberge, Dalya. “‘Incredible' Roman bathers' gems lost 2,000 years ago found near Hadrian's Wall.” The Observer. 1/28/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/28/roman-bathers-gems-carved-stones-archaeologists-hadrians-wall Amador, Marisela. “Swiss museum returns two artifacts to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) confederacy.” The Canadian Press. Town and Country Today. 2/22/2023. https://www.townandcountrytoday.com/beyond-local/swiss-museum-returns-two-artifacts-to-the-haudenosaunee-iroquois-confederacy-6589516 Amundsen, Bard. “World's oldest rune stone found in Norway, archaeologists believe.” Science Norway. 1/17/2023. https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-language-runes/worlds-oldest-rune-stone-found-in-norway-archaeologists-believe/2141404 1/12/2023. “Archaeology: 4,500-year-old ostrich eggs found in Israel.” https://www.ansa.it/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2023/01/12/archaeology-4500-year-old-ostrich-eggs-found-in-israel_899fa202-941d-4520-8be4-28397c1d89fc.html ArtNet News. “Art Industry News: The Met Will Repatriate 15 Sculptures Linked to Disgraced Dealer Subhash Kapoor + Other Stories.” 3/31/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-industry-news-march-31-2023-2278598 ArtNet News. “Researchers in Vietnam Discovered That Two Deer Antlers Languishing in Museum Storage Are Actually 2,000-Year-Old Musical Instruments.” 2/27/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/deer-antler-long-an-museum-storage-earliest-known-stringed-instruments-2261298 Bacon, B., Khatiri, A., Palmer, J., Freeth, T., Pettitt, P., & Kentridge, R. (2023). An Upper Palaeolithic Proto-writing System and Phenological Calendar. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 1-19. doi:10.1017/S0959774322000415 BBC News. “Londoner solves 20,000-year Ice Age drawings mystery.” 1/5/2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64162799 BBC News. “Oldest tartan found to date back to 16th Century.” 3/26/2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-65081312 “Comb made from human skull found among A14 artefacts.” 2/28/2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64797376 “Mary Queen of Scots: Secret letters written during imprisonment decoded.” 2/8/2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64568222 Begg, Tristin James Alexander et al. “Genomic analyses of hair from Ludwig van Beethoven.” Current Biology. 3/22/2023. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00181-1 Berger, Michele W. “At a southern Iraq site, unearthing the archaeological passing of time.” Penn Today. 1/23/2023. https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/lagash-southern-iraq-site-unearthing-archaeological-passing-time Bernardi, Dan. “In “an international act of diplomacy,” Syracuse University alumnus Brennen Ferguson '19 helps repatriate ceremonial Native American items from a museum in Geneva, Switzerland..” Syracuse 3/10/2023. https://thecollege.syr.edu/news-all/news-2023/sacred-indigenous-objects-find-their-way-home/ Brooks, James. “Oldest reference to Norse god Odin found in Danish treasure.” Associated Press. 3/8/2023. https://apnews.com/article/gold-god-odin-norse-denmark-buried-ca2959e460f7af301a19083b6eec7df4 Burakoff, Maddie. “What made Beethoven sick? DNA from his hair offers clues.” Associated Press. 3/22/2023. https://apnews.com/article/beethoven-dna-hair-deaf-liver-d2d8c50fdd951eb5f5b9fdae00f795a3 Cascone, Sarah. “Ancient Stone Tools Once Thought to be Made by Humans Were Actually Crafted by Monkeys, Say Archaeologists.” ArtNet. 1/3/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-tools-monkeys-2237820 CBS Baltimore Staff. “Maryland archaeologists find West African spirit cache at Harriet Tubman's birthplace.” 2/14/2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/harriet-tubman-west-african-spirit-cache-found-dorchester-county-maryland/ Correa-Lau J, Agüero C, Splitstoser J, Echenique E, Martens T, Santoro CM (2023) Inka Unku: Imperial or provincial? State-local relations. PLoS ONE 18(2): e0280511. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280511 Davies, Caroline. “‘Remarkable': Eastbourne shipwreck identified as 17th-century Dutch warship.” The Guardian. 1/27/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/27/remarkable-eastbourne-shipwreck-identified-as-17th-century-dutch-warship De Cupere, Bea. “Newly discovered crocodile mummies of variable quality from an undisturbed tomb at Qubbat al-Hawā (Aswan, Egypt).” PLOS One. 1/18/2023. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0279137#sec024 Dedovic, Yaz. “Mysterious new behavior seen in whales may be recorded in ancient manuscripts.” EurekAlert. 2/28/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980816 Devlin, Hannah. “Discovery of 3m-year-old stone tools sparks prehistoric whodunnit.” The Guardian. 2/9/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/09/discovery-ancient-stone-tools-prehistoric-mystery-whodunnit Dijkstra, Mischa. “‘Golden boy' mummy was protected by 49 precious amulets, CT scans reveal.” EurekAlert. 1/24/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/977129 Duncan-Pitt, Lindsey. “It's not a Roman dildo, it's a drop spindle.” The Guardian. 2/26/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/26/its-not-a-roman-dildo-its-a-drop-spindle El-Aref , Nevine. “Ancient Egypt's Ramses II temple reveals animal mummy menagerie.” AhramOnline. 3/25/2023. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/492386.aspx Enking, Molly. “Archaeologists Find 2,000-Year-Old Gemstones in Drain Beneath a Roman Bathhouse.” Smithsonian. 2/2/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lost-gems-over-2000-years-old-found-in-roman-baths-180981566/ Feldman, Ella. “French Museum Will Return ‘Talking Drum' to Ivory Coast.” Smithsonian. 2/6/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/french-museum-returns-talking-drum-to-ivory-coast-180981577/ Field Museum. “Authentic 3,000-Year-Old Bronze Age sword put on display at Field Museum.” 1/16/2023. https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about/press/authentic-3-000-year-old-bronze-age-sword-put-on-display-at-field-museum Gammelby, Peter. “New research uncovers the "water" mystery of the first large city in southern Africa.” EurekAlert. 1/24/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/977674 Handwerk, Brian. “This Man Underwent Brain Surgery 3,500 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 2/22/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-roughly-1500-bce-this-middle-eastern-man-underwent-brain-surgery-180981679/ Henton, Lesley. “Texas A&M-led research team identifies oldest bone spear point In the Americas.” Texas A&M University via EurekAlert. 2/2/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/978632 Hirsch, Arthur. “How the $75,000 Whaling Museum thefts went down.” New Bedford Light. 2/21/2023. https://newbedfordlight.org/how-the-75000-whaling-museum-thefts-went-down/ Kuta, Sarah. “5,000-Year-Old Tavern With Food Still Inside Discovered in Iraq.” Smithsonian. 1/1/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/5000-year-old-tavern-discovered-in-iraq-180981564/ Kuta, Sarah. “Archaeologists Unearth 3,000-Year-Old Wishing Well in Germany.” Smithsonian. 1/18/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-3000-year-old-wishing-well-in-germany-180981428/ Kuta, Sarah. “Iraq dig uncovers 5,000 year old pub restaurant.” Phys.org. 2/15/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-iraq-uncovers-year-pub-restaurant.html Kuta, Sarah. “Is This Wooden Artifact an Ancient Roman Phallus?” Smithsonian. 2/27/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-was-this-2000-year-old-phallus-used-for-180981693/ Kuta, Sarah. “Neanderthals Hunted and Butchered Massive Elephants 125,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 2/3/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-hunted-and-butchered-massive-elephants-125000-years-ago-180981578/ Kuta, Sarah. “Neutron Imaging Reveals Tiny Bones Inside 800-Year-Old Pendant.” Smithsonian. 1/17/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neutrons-help-scientists-see-inside-800-year-old-pendant-and-find-tiny-bones-180981444/ Larson, Shannon. “‘It gives me chills': Messages found in bottle on Cape Cod may have been left by World War II POWs.” Boston Globe. 2/1/2023. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/01/nation/it-gives-me-chills-messages-found-bottle-cape-cod-may-have-been-world-war-ii-pows/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Dispelling Rumors, Greece Has Rejected the British Museum's Offer to Return the Parthenon Marbles as a Long-Term Loan.” ArtNet. 1/11/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/greece-rejects-british-museum-loan-deal-parthenon-marbles-2241261 net. “Heart-shaped pendant discovered in England.” 2/2023. https://www.medievalists.net/2023/02/heart-shaped-pendant-discovered-in-england/ Metcalfe, Tom. “Bronze Age ice skates with bone blades discovered in China.” LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-ice-skates-with-bone-blades-discovered-in-china Metcalfe, Tom. “Painful 'cross-shaped incision' in medieval woman's skull didn't kill her, but second surgery did.” LiveScience. 2/25/2023. https://www.livescience.com/painful-cross-shaped-incision-in-medieval-womans-skull-didnt-kill-her-but-second-surgery-did “Milk residue found at ancient site on Tibetan Plateau.” China Daily. 2/14/2023. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/14/WS63eade74a31057c47ebae956.html Morris, Steven. “‘3D medieval puzzle': Newport ship to be reassembled from 2,500 pieces of timber.” The Guardian. 1/19/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/19/3d-medieval-puzzle-newport-ship-reassembled-2500-pieces-timber Niazi, Asaad and Tony Gamal-Gabriel. “Iraq dig uncovers 5,000 year old pub restaurant.” Phys.org. 2/15/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-iraq-uncovers-year-pub-restaurant.html Nowakowski, Teresa. “Neanderthals Dined on Crab 90,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 2/8/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-dined-on-crab-90000-years-ago-180981604/ Oltermann, Philip. “‘Blind chance' or plot? Exhumation may help solve puzzle of 1933 Reichstag blaze.” The Guardian. 2/26/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/26/blind-chance-or-plot-exhumation-may-help-solve-puzzle-of-1933-reichstag-blaze Orie, Amarachi. “World's oldest dated runestone discovered in Norway -- with a mysterious inscription.” CNN. 1/18/2023. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/worlds-oldest-runestone-norway-intl-scli-scn/index.html Osborne, Margaret. “Ancient DNA Confirms the Origin Story of the Swahili People.” Smithsonian. 3/31/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-dna-confirms-the-origin-story-of-the-swahili-people-180981909/ Parker, Christopher. “129-Year-Old Vessel Still Tethered to Lifeboat Found on Floor of Lake Huron.” Smithsonian. 3/3/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ironton-shipwreck-lake-huron-180981741/ “Looted ancient sarcophagus returned to Egypt from US.” 1/2/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-looted-ancient-sarcophagus-egypt.html Public Library of Science. “Mummified crocodiles provide insights into mummy-making over time.” Phys.org. 1/18/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-mummified-crocodiles-insights-mummy-making.html Schmall, Emily. “Stripping Confederate Ties, the U.S. Navy Renames Two Vessels.” New York Times. 3/11/2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/11/us/navy-ship-confederate-robert-smalls.html Shaw, Garry. “'Where the swords met bone': Archaeological evidence found of Ancient Egyptian rebellion mentioned on the Rosetta Stone.” The Art Newspaper. 1/27/2023. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/27/where-the-swords-met-bone-archaeological-evidence-found-of-ancient-egyptian-rebellion-mentioned-on-the-rosetta-stone Sherburne, Morgan. “Yak milk consumption among Mongol Empire elites.” Michigan News. 3/31/2023. https://news.umich.edu/yak-milk-consumption-among-mongol-empire-elites/ Siegel-Itzkovich, Judy. “Luxury fabrics from 1,300 years ago apparently from China, India and Sudan found in Arava.” The Jerusalem Post via MSN. 1/18/2023. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/luxury-fabrics-from-1300-years-ago-apparently-from-china-india-and-sudan-found-in-arava/ar-AA16uFqX Sivaraman, R. “New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to return 15 sculptures to India.” The Hindu. 3/31/2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-museum-to-return-15-antique-sculptures-linked-to-subash-kapoor/article66683728.ece “National Museum of Asian Art Announces Historic Partnership With Republic of Yemen Government as U.S. Government Repatriates 77 Cultural Objects to Yemen.” 2/21/2023. https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/national-museum-asian-art-announces-historic-partnership-republic-yemen-government The History Blog. “Medieval chess set DNA tested.” 3/26/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66860 The History Blog. “Replica” sword is authentic Bronze Age artifact.” 1/21/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66223 The History Blog. “Scotland's oldest tartan found in Highlands bog.” 3/31/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66890 “The King's Mirror - Speculum regale-Konungs skuggsjá.” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/61264/61264-h/61264-h.htm Topping, Alexandra. “‘He did not want this': one man's two-decade quest to let the ‘Irish Giant' rest in peace.” The Guardian. 1/14/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/14/he-did-not-want-this-one-mans-two-decade-quest-to-let-the-irish-giant-rest-in-peace University at Albany. “New poem by famed early American poet Phillis Wheatley discovered.” Phys.org. 1/24/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-poem-famed-early-american-poet.html University of South Florida. “A researcher's life's work uncovers first ancient DNA from Swahili civilization.” PhysOrg. 3/29/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-life-uncovers-ancient-dna-swahili.html University of York. "Neolithic ceramics reveal dairy processing from milk of multiple species." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 March 2023. sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230314205400.htm Voigt, Kathrin. “Neanderthals hunted elephants: Earliest evidence found of humans killing elephants for food.” EurekAlert. 2/2/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/978530 “1,300-year-old rice residue found at Tibetan ancient site.” 3/14/2023. https://english.news.cn/20230314/e547b3ff93c5458b8e9413ee389f3ac8/c.html Yirka, Bob. “Trove of spices from around the world found on sunken fifteenth-century Norse ship.” Phys.org. 2/10/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-trove-spices-world-sunken-fifteenth-century.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We bring you a special episode from Sidedoor, a podcast about the treasures that fill the vaults of the Smithsonian. This story is inspired by “Big Band,” a defining work by the painter LeRoy Neiman.  Neiman was a character, a cultural gadfly and an omnipresent artist who sat for decades right at the nexus of professional success, cultural ubiquity, and critical disregard. What made him so popular? What made him so disdained? And what can we learn from how he resolved this dissonance?  Sidedoor is produced by the Smithsonian with PRX.  This episode of Sidedoor was produced by Lizzie Peabody, Justin O'Neill, and James Morrison with help from Stefanie De Leon Tzic. The editorial team includes Ann Conanan, Caitlin Shaffer, Tami O'Neill, Jess Sadeq, Lara Koch, and Sharon Bryant. The show is mixed by Tarek Fouda and the theme song and episode music are by Breakmaster Cylinder. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Executive Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director. Special thanks to Joel Meyer, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, especially Tara Zabor, Dan Duray, Heather Long, and Janet Neiman. Also thank you to the team at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: Stephanie Johnson, Ken Kimery, Theo Gonzalvez, Eric Jentsch, John Troutman, Krystal Klingenberg, Valeska Hilbig, and Laura Duff. Thank you to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings for contributing music for this episode, and also to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.  If you haven't yet, please subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends. If you're a fan of the show, sign up for Slate Plus.  Slate Plus members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.  Decoder Ring is now available on YouTube. Listen here: http://y2u.be/D8cLqWAffJ8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices