Dream Nation Love
By Yulia
Dream Nation LoveJul 27, 2018
Episode 2. From Silence to Action: How Indigenous Data Gathering is Giving A Voice to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
This is the Second Episode in our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn Series. This podcast is focused on data and what Indigenous activists are doing to help humanize MMIW data.
At the end of the day, data is a collection of stories. Stories about individuals, events, and places. Providing a window into the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. When it comes to data gathering, a difference exists between the Indigenous and the Western approach. The approaches can have a vast effect on bringing relatives home. On the episode, we’ll hear from people working to decolonize data. As well as how activists are using Tik Tok to create awareness about the crisis and avoid being censored.
Stories determine what percentage of cases are solved by authorities. Or in most cases, not solved. Missing person searches and murder investigations often depend on how well they are tracked and logged by various authority groups. Since 2016 there have been 5,712 reported Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases. Out of those, only a tiny number — 116 have been opened by the U.S. Department of Justice for investigation. Even when reports are filed, racism still plays a factor in the cases pursued by the authorities.
On the show you will hear from Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty. Delegate Crotty spoke about decolonizing data and how the MMIW crisis is affecting the largest reservation in the US. Annita Lucchesi who is the Founder and Director of Research and Outreach at Sovereign Bodies Institute shared how she put together the first MMIW database in the US. Meghan Leinhauser spoke about Instagram, Tik Tok, and Censorship. Meghan is an ally who recently published an honors thesis at the University of Dayton. It’s titled “TikTok and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People Movement.” Liz Marin who is the Program Director of Seeding Sovereignty spoke about how Instagram censored her posts on May 5, 2021 which is the National Day of Awareness of MMIW. Dr. Charlene Aqpik Apok joined the discussion from Alaska to talk about her work decolonizing data as the Executive Director and Founder of Data for Indigenous Justice. An Alaskan Native and Womxn led non-profit which is home to a database for missing and murdered Indigenous womxn, girls and relatives data.
Many thanks to everyone for amplifying awareness around the MMIW crisis and indigenous data gathering. The stories are powerful and I am so grateful to Melissa Spence who was the Producer and Editor on the series. It would not exist without her care and meticulous attention to detail. Thank you to Patrick for setting up the interview with Amber Crotty.
Please listen, please share, and please care.
Kae Burke: Co-Founder of House Of Yes on building inclusive culture.
Kae Burke is the Co-Founder of House Of Yes in Bushwick, Brooklyn. As well as the Creative Director of Yes Etc Creative Agency. HOY was recently named the #2 Best Thing To Do in the World by Time Out New York. The venue is internationally celebrated for fostering self-expression and nurturing emerging artists of all genres. Their events lead the way for developing safer spaces and consent culture.
On the show Kae talks about going to fashion school with Anya Sapozhnikova and how they created HOY. Kae also speaks about how the House Of Yes fosters an inclusive culture and how costumes and self-expression go hand-in-hand. As well as how the pandemic has changed the party landscape and we delve into the ways people have started to be more mindful of their consumption. Her new Creative Agency is called Yes Etc and we talk about what it was like to open an experiential agency during a pandemic and where she finds inspiration.
Episode 1. The History, Trauma, and Tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn.
Y-Vonne Hutchinson: A conversation on race, inequality, tourism, and securing our future.
Y-Vonne Hutchinson is an Author, former international human rights lawyer, and Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Founder of ReadySet, a diversity and inclusion training firm that helps tech giants, political leaders, media outlets, and Fortune 500 companies speak more productively about racism and turn talk into action. Y-Vonne also hosts a podcast called Time To Act about Diversity and Inclusion.
On the show, we talk about her latest book HOW TO TALK TO YOUR BOSS ABOUT RACE: Speaking Up Without Getting Shut Down. This episode is a conversation on race, inequality, and how race is fluid. A candid discussion from a global perspective that leaves the viewer with concrete advice that they can use in their work life.
Part memoir, part actionable guidebook, this book equips employees with a framework to think about race at work, prepares them to have frank and effective conversations with more powerful leaders, helps them center marginalized perspectives, and explains how to leverage power dynamics to get results while navigating backlash and gaslighting.
Alexandra Fine: Co-Founder of Dame Products on sexual wellness and taking the MTA to court over ad censorship.
Alexandra Fine is the Co-Founder and CEO of Dame which launched in 2014 after joining forces with Janet Lieberman, an MIT-trained engineer. Dame is a woman-powered company in every way and that’s why you’re hearing this story during March 2022 which is also Women’s History Month.
Al is a lifelong student of sexual health, having earned her Master’s in clinical psychology with a concentration in sex therapy from Columbia University. A Forbes’ 30 Under 30 awardee, Al has transformed her role as a CEO into one of a dedicated activist for women’s health, gender equity, and prioritizing pleasure.
On the show, Alexandra talks about sexual wellness, closing the pleasure gap, non-binary perspectives, The Sims BDSM, and a ton more. Our conversation is mostly focused on Dame’s three-year-long court battle against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Their historic triumph over the MTA validates both the existence of the woman-owned company as well as of female pleasure and wellness. Ensuring that company has the right to advertise on subways, buses, and commuter rail. Places that have long welcomed male-focused brands like Ro (Roman), Hims, as well as breast enhancements, and more. This is a big deal since the MTA transports over 11 million passengers a day. That’s a lot of customers. This is also a giant win for free speech and anti-censorship. Congrats to Dame Products and the team.
Ethan Zuckerman: Talks Metaverse, building a better internet, and the power of local communities.
Ethan Zuckerman is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (my alma mater), where he teaches Public Policy, Communication, and Information. His work focuses on designing and advocating for versions of social media that have positive social and civic impacts. Which means moving beyond existing models of funding and governance.
On the show, Ethan talks about the Metaverse, trust, Facebook vs Apple, making the Metaverse a safe space, governance of online spaces, data ownership, what the biggest piece missing from the Metaverse conversation is, Omar Wasow and Black Planet, and technical barriers when it comes to storytelling access on various platforms.
Ethan founded the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure to explore the ideas previously mentioned. It’s a research group studying and building alternatives to the existing commercial internet.
Previously Ethan was at the MIT Media Lab working at the Center for Civic Media, researching the relationship between media and social change, and building tools to study how ideas spread in the media, and how citizens can better participate in their civic lives. He is also the inventor of pop-up windows.
Ethan has many hats but the one that he wears the most is that of a blogger/writer. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, CNN, Wired and others. He also has a Ted Talk about listening to global voices.
Over the years, he’s been a tech startup guy (with Tripod.com), a non-profit founder (Geekcorps.org) a peace Corp for geeks, transferring tech skills from geeks in developed nations to geeks in emerging nations, especially entrepreneurial geeks who are building small businesses. He is also the Co-founder of Globalvoices.org which is a global blogging community.
He’s has written two books: Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them and Rewire: Digital Cosmopolitans in the Age of Connection, both published through W.W. Norton. And is an alumnus of the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard, the MIT Media Lab and Comparative Media Studies at MIT, Geekcorps, and Tripod.
Ben Curtis: On being a Creation Coach, the Dell Dude, and going after your dreams with abandon.
Ben Curtis is a magician, award-winning actor, musician, and public speaker. He is also a Creation Coach dedicated to creating more love, compassion, and permission to go after your dreams with abandon.
You also probably recognize Ben as the iconic "The Dell Dude” from the Dell commercials in the early 2000s. Dell recently brought him back to kick off a new campaign. I can’t help but feel like somehow this is the circle of life. It truly is magical.
Ben and I have been meaning to record this podcast for quite some time since we are neighbors in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. What most people don’t know about “The Dell Dude” is that Ben is a really talented actor. Having studied at the best institutions. He attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts on an acting scholarship based on his audition. He studied at Tisch's Experimental Theater Wing (both in America and Amsterdam). Ben also attended the Lee Strasberg Institute & the Atlantic Theater Company.
This podcast was really inspiring and happened right when his Dell spots went live. It was inspiring to speak about dreams past and present. Dream on and share this episode with someone who would appreciate it.
Alina Zavatsky: Founder of Vegan Runner Eats on veganism and body positivity. Video.
Alina Zavatsky is a vegan mom, runner, three-time marathoner, weightlifter, and champion of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Alina runs an awesome blog called Vegan Runner Eats and I really love her newsletter. It's filled with useful information for anyone interested in veganism, an active lifestyle, and tips on raising a vegan family. Alina was born in Uzbekistan – a country that used to be a part of the Soviet Union so it was interesting to speak with her about our shared experience of living in that part of the world. We talked about social media, body positivity, staying fit, and raising vegan children.
The video jump-cuts on my end are because I'm not filming in a studio. I'm slowly building out a studio as I travel. Hang tight and thanks for watching.
Alina Zavatsky: Founder of Vegan Runner Eats on veganism and body positivity.
Alina Zavatsky is a vegan mom, runner, three-time marathoner, weightlifter, and champion of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Alina runs an awesome blog called Vegan Runner Eats and I really love her newsletter. It's filled with useful information for anyone interested in veganism, an active lifestyle, and tips on raising a vegan family. Alina was born in Uzbekistan – a country that used to be a part of the Soviet Union so it was interesting to speak with her about our shared experience of living in that part of the world. We talked about social media, body positivity, staying fit, and raising vegan children.
Video: Suzy Batiz: Founder of Poo-Pourri on her ALIVE OS course and designing the life of your dreams.
Suzy Batiz is the founder of Poo~Pourri, Supernatural, and ALIVE OS. She is an incredibly inspiring human who’s overcome many obstacles to create her vision. You might have heard her story on other podcasts or read about it in a magazine. Since the story exists on other platforms, on this show, we’re going to focus on ALIVE OS. An 8-week course developed by Suzy showing you how to create the life of your dreams. Think of it as a radical upgrade to your human operating system. Suzy wrote this program and it’s full of paradigms, processes, and practices to help you lead a TURNED ON life. From figuring out what resonates with you to make your own ALIVE ideas come true. Propelling your dreams into reality. On the podcast, along with speaking about the course, Suzy talks about returning to Poo-Pourri as CEO, manifestation loops, Ayahuasca, raising kids while running a business, alive ideas, and the difference between resonance and dissonance.
Jordan Marie Daniel: Professional runner and Activist bringing attention to the Missing Murdered Indigenous Womxn crisis.
Jordan Marie Daniel is a Lakota professional runner and Activist raising awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, girls, two-spirits, and relatives.
Through her running, Jordan is representing Indigenous athletes and relatives, and the BIPOC community. She is an advocate for diversity, inclusivity, and justice for Indigenous, Black, Brown folx within these spaces.
She is the Founder of Rising Hearts which was born out of Standing Rock and the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. She is also a producer on the film The Sacred And The Snake. Following three Water Protectors – Lauren, Cheryl, and Olive – through their transformative experiences at Standing Rock and beyond.
On the show, we talk about her experience of moving to DC to be an advocate for Indigenous people. We also talk running, running through pregnancy, and MMIW.
Jordan is holding a run to honor MMIW on May 5 which is the day honoring MMIW. You can learn more about it by following her insta https://www.instagram.com/nativein_la/?hl=en I’ll run it and I hope you’ll join us as well.
Suzy Batiz: Founder of Poo-Pourri on her ALIVE OS course and designing the life of your dreams.
Suzy Batiz is the founder of Poo~Pourri, Supernatural, and ALIVE OS. She is an incredibly inspiring human who’s overcome many obstacles to create her vision. You might have heard her story on other podcasts or read about it in a magazine. Since the story exists on other platforms, on this show, we’re going to focus on ALIVE OS. An 8-week course developed by Suzy showing you how to create the life of your dreams. Think of it as a radical upgrade to your human operating system. Suzy wrote this program and it’s full of paradigms, processes, and practices to help you lead a TURNED ON life. From figuring out what resonates with you to make your own ALIVE ideas come true. Propelling your dreams into reality. On the podcast, along with speaking about the course, Suzy talks about returning to Poo-Pourri as CEO, manifestation loops, Ayahuasca, raising kids while running a business, alive ideas, and the difference between resonance and dissonance.
Rexy Rolle: On running the largest black-owned private airline and finding time to create music.
Amy Dempster: Shaman, Gatekeeper, Lightworker on communicating with the spirits of the land.
Due to the pandemic we've all been spending a lot of time outdoors as well as indoors. I wanted to do a deep dive into nature and get a little metaphysical so today on the show I have Amy Dempster. She is a modern-day shaman, earth tender, and portal keeper. We'll get into what all of these things are on the podcast.
Amy has learned to speak the language of nature. Now she is helping lightworkers, starseeds, and others with a deep connection to nature on their spiritual journeys. This episode is all about communicating and working with spirit and the healing energies of nature. We even talk about one of my favorite subjects which is Bigfoot. Amy also has a course on her site on how to connect with Bigfoot Elders. You can check it out on her site at https://followinghawks.com.
Pebe Sebert: Singer and Songwriter on music, aliens, and her dog rescue Magic Mission.
Pebe Sebert is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who is also known for being Kesha’s mom. She started singing at the age of four and performing publicly at six. Pebe has written for Kesha, Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Cyrus, Pitbull, Riders in the Sky, and many more. Sebert co-wrote one of my favorite songs “Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You Dear” with High Moffatt. It's been performed by Dolly Parton, Kesha, Joe Sun, and Brian Collins.
This is a really fun podcast. Pebe talks about music, aliens, Eckhart Tolle, and her love of animals. Recently Pebe launched Magic Mission dedicated to improving the lives of street dogs in Central America. Their goal is to help spread a culture of animal kindness. Eliminating suffering and overpopulation through the support of community education and sustainable, safe spay and neuter programs. The non-profit also helps the dogs get adopted in the US.
Pete Sena: Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Digital Surgeons on the future of Digital Marketing.
Pete Sena is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Digital Surgeons, a global creative consultancy working on everything from venture-backed startups to Fortune 50 organizations. Pete partners with CEOs, CMOs, and creative leaders to help them set, plan, and achieve their visions.
Pete’s mission is to empower ambitious individuals and visionary organizations to design demand and engineer growth. Creating human-centric, future-forward, inspiring work. Helping partner-clients think forward through experience design, creative marketing, and digital business model transformation.
On the podcast, we talk about the future of Digital Marketing. Pete shares his advice for building cross-functional innovation teams, and how the pandemic affected digital marketing and product launches.
Len May: CEO & Co-Founder of EndoCanna Health talks about genetics and Cannabis.
Len May is the CEO & Co-Founder EndoCanna Health, a Bio-Science Technology company. Think of them as a 23 And Me for Weed. An accomplished public speaker, he is on a mission to educate about the healing powers of Cannabis. In this episode, we'll talk about Cannabis, DNA, how your genetics play a role in your Canna experience, and how to talk to your Boomer parents about trying Cannabis.
As a Certified Medical Cannabis Specialist in Medicinal Genomics, Len has an in-depth knowledge of genomics, cannabinoids and terpenes, and their interaction with the Endocannabinoid system. This knowledge has allowed him to consult on the creation of Cannabinoid formulations designed to address specific health concerns.
May has more than 25 years of Cannabis and genomics experience and holds a Masters of Medical Cannabis and a certificate in Endocannabinoid Formulation from the Institute for the Advancement of Integrative Medicine. His areas of expertise include the workings of the Endocannabinoid System and how genetic expression plays a role in human experiences.
A pioneer in the Medical Cannabis industry, Len's work has been instrumental in shaping the current legislation and culture. He has held past positions as President of the Cannabis Action Network and Board Member and Lifetime Member of California Cannabis Association. He is the current chair of the CBDIA science board and is a stakeholder in some of the industry’s most iconic brands. Len is also a published author of “ Making Cannabis Personal” and hosts the popular “Everything Is Personal” podcast.
Jeni Wren Stottrup: On how to improve your podcast and schedule time for creativity.
Jeni Wren Stottrup is an audio producer based out of Portland, Oregon. She's also a musician, storyteller, vocalist, and podcast advocate. A human Swiss Army knife, Jeni is also my amazing Podcast Producer/Editor for Dream Nation Love. She makes my show sound great. I also love that I can come to her with any questions about audio production and podcasts. If you want to know more about her, you can check out Gritty Birds. In 2021 she launched The Podcasters Forum, a platform to support the growth of content creators. On the show, Jeni talks about coaching podcasters, imagination and ADHD, writing great show notes, improving SEO, how to invest in your show, scheduling time for creativity, and the privilege of dreams.
Emily Chang: How to discover your purpose and open your Spare Room.
Emily Chang is a strategic business leader and CEO of McCann Worldgroup, China. Before that, she served as CMO for Starbucks China. Prior to Starbucks, Emily was the Chief Commercial Officer for IHG, where she was responsible for all commercial functions across Greater China. Looking after 320+ hotels and a team of 5,200 Sales & Marketing members. She began her career at Procter & Gamble and Apple.
Emily has a new book out called The Spare Room, which was also the topic of her first TEDx Talk.
Emily started lending her Spare Room out to people in need when she was in college. It’s something that she continued to do to this day.
On the podcast, we talk about how you can discover your own Spare Room. Is it your time, money, or a skill? Maybe it’s a physical room, or maybe it’s in the form of another gift that you can offer to the world.
We talk about what the differences are when working in China vs America. As well as how to find your purpose. Emily suggests that your purpose lies at the intersection of two ideas. On one side, you have the thing that offends you, and on the other, there’s what you have to offer. We also talked about what it’s like to manage people and how to become a purposeful leader.
Anne Griffin on building inclusive tech.
Anne is the founder and Chief Product Officer at Griffin Product & Growth, and the creator of the job search course Attract Your Dream Job.
A technologist and product leader, Anne’s built her career in tech. She is both an expert and public speaker on AI, product inclusion, tech ethics, and blockchain. Anne's technical foundation stems from her engineering degree from the University of Michigan.
On the podcast, Anne talks about building culturally inclusive tech products, hacking Neuralink, using blockchain for ethics, and adapting cultures into AI. It’s an engaging discussion about creating emerging tech for marginalized groups and global communities.
She is passionate about the practical human aspects of technology and building products with emerging and disruptive technologies, such as AI and blockchain. On the show, we go into a deep discussion on AI and blockchain.
In Summer 2020, Anne was an instructor for the AI component of Columbia University’s course Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, AI, and Beyond. She’s also lectured on the subject of blockchain at Morgan State University and the University of Montreal.
Additionally, she is the Chief Product & Curriculum Officer of Tech 2025, while advising a few emerging tech startups.
Shownotes:
Eva PenzeyMoog researches how people use tech to commit domestic abuse: https://twitter.com/epenzeymoog
Coby Kennedy: Multimedia artist.
Coby Kennedy is an industrial designer who turned his attention to the Fine Arts. A true multimedia artist, his work spans video, fabrics, art, murals, and sculpture. On the podcast, Coby talks about the business of art, how fast trends play out in modern media, his creative process, taking control of your destiny vs letting destiny control you, and so much more. This is an extended episode that’s almost two hours long.
Growing up in DC, Coby graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and went on to receive his BA in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute. He received his MFA from Colombia and became a Skowhegan Fellow in 2011.
Before turning his attention to the Fine Arts, Coby designed concept cars for Honda, Citroen, and Alfa Romeo. We didn’t talk about this on the show. Will delve into it when he’s a guest again on the show in the future.
Coby’s work is exhibited both nationally and internationally. You can find it in galleries and private collections and has received numerous awards.
Claire Wassermann: Author and Founder of Ladies Get Paid.
Claire Wasserman is the Founder of Ladies Get Paid, a career development platform that helps women negotiate for pay and power at work. Claire’s been named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women, as well as Bumble’s 100 Most Inspiring New Yorkers. She's spoken at Facebook, the United Nations Foundation, Watermark, and the New York Times, among others. Her book is called “Ladies Get Paid: The Ultimate Guide To Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, And Taking Command Of Your Career” and is published by Simon & Schuster. On the show, we talk about the book, dreams, and how Ladies Get Paid was sued by a men’s rights group. Yes, a men’s right group.
Debbie Arcangeles: Digital Nomad, Photo Journalist, and Founder of The Offbeat Life.
Debbie Arcangeles is the Creator of The OffBeat Life and podcast. A fellow immigrant, she was born in the Philippines and emigrated to the US at a young age. These days Debbie is a digital nomad who helps people work remotely, create podcasts, start online businesses, and learn remote skills. If you want to be location independent and become a digital nomad, check out her site at theoffbeatlife.com This podcast will help you find remote work and become location independent. Check out her website for a lot of really helpful resources on living the offbeat life.
Kara Goldin: Speaker, Author, Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc.
Laura Garnett: Performance Strategist and Author.
Laura Garnett is a performance strategist who works with CEOs and Executives to identify their unique genius and purpose. She has consulted with organizations including Capital One, Pandora, LinkedIn, and Instructure. Prior to launching her own company, New York City-based Garnett Consulting, she honed her marketing, strategy, and career-refining skills at companies like Capital One, American Express, IAC, and Google.
Laura is also an Author. Her first book is “The Genius Habit: How One Habit Can Radically Change Your Work and Your Life.” The Genius Habit is a methodology developed by Laura after tracking her own behavior, researching the social science, psychology, and neuroscience of performance, and asking a lot of questions. If you believe that work can be one of the most rewarding aspects of life, then this book is definitely for you. Change your life by changing your habit.
On the podcast, we talk about her new book “Find Your Zone of Genius: How to redefine intelligence, become an expert on yourself, and make greatness a given.” When you learn to align your work with your genius and purpose, you’ll avoid the feelings of confusion and anxiety that can surround your career.
Speech: Musician, Producer, Author, and Writer. Leader of Arrested Development.
Speech is a Musician, Producer, Writer, Author, and leader of the 2x Grammy award-winning collective, Arrested Development. Speech also has a solo career and shared stages with Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Youssou N'dour, James Brown, P-Funk, Jason Mraz, and The Roots. His new album is called Expansion Part 1 is out now. It's his latest work in 14 years and is released in multiple parts.
On the podcast, we talk about amplifying consciousness, access to fast internet and information for rural communities, his new album, and how music has changed over the years.
Speech is a multi-hyphenate artist who creates music for movie soundtracks, hosts a podcast, and produces films. His award-winning film "16 Bars" focuses on the revolving door of the US prison system. He recently produced "Hoodwinked." This docu-series covers the 400-year-old white supremacist marketing campaign manipulating the image of the Black diaspora worldwide.
Toni Nagy: Stand-Up Comic, Writer, Filmmaker, Cannabis Advocate.
Toni is an award winning stand-up comic, writer, and filmmaker. Her satire is philosophical in nature and focuses on current events, social change, and cannabis advocacy.
She's written, edited, directed and acted in over 50 sketch comedy videos that together have upwards of 2 million views. Her production company is www.cavelightproductions.com.
Nagy is also a freelance writer for Salon, Alternet, Huffington Post, Hairpin, Thought Catalogue and more. You can check out her sketch comedy work at tonibologna.com which has over 50,000 monthly. Nagy has her BA in philosophy and has been a political activist focusing on voting rights and political engagement since she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. Which has been a huge influence on her comedy.
Toni talks about butt selfies as survival mechanisms, surviving a brain tumour, comedy, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, the isolation of our own consciousness, fundraising as a woman, and her quest to save the world through a healthy fast food restaurant.
Meg Anderson: Comedian, Writer, Improver.
Meg Anderson is a comedian/writer/improver living in nyc. She studied improv at The People’s Improv Theatre and the Upright Citizens Brigade. She is the fourth woman to ever team improv at The Pit and was one of the founding members of The Baldwin’s, the theatres headlining house team.
Meg has performed nearly 1,000 improv shows (of varying funniness) and has appeared in numerous commercials, web series, indie films and television shows. She creates comedic content daily posted to her Instagram and is starring in a (homemade) sitcom with her husband Happy Anderson about their life during Quarantine. She wrote and starred in the web series, "SCOTUS and the City" where she portrays Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hitting the dating scene with her fellow female Justices.
Chaske Spencer: Actor and Producer.
Chaske Spencer is an American Actor and Producer. He’s known for his role as Sam Uley in Twilight. Recently he starred in Woman Walks Ahead alongside Jessica Chastain, Michael Greyeyes, and Sam Rockwell. Chaske is in a new film produced by Jesse Eisenberg called Wild Indian. It’s written and directed by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr and features Michael Greyeyes, Kate Bosworth, and Scott Haze.
On the podcast, we chat about dreams, acting, and keeping your imagination open. Chaske shares his actor journey and the movies that left an impression on him growing up. Scorsese’s The Color of Money had a huge impact on him at the age of fourteen.
Scorsese is known for his amazing soundtracks and this led us to a great music discussion. We're both really into music and this episode ended up being a dialogue about music and acting. Chaske shares how he uses music to prepare for a scene and stay in character while on-set. He also shares what he's listening to on Spotify.
Chaske shares an intimate look into his acting process. He talks a lot about the details and how he approaches reading his scripts. We spoke about crafting characters and making strong choices. Chaske also emphasized the roles perseverance, empathy, and discipline play in his daily life. We wrap the show by talking about confidence and finding your inner Tom Cruise.
Minda Harts: Founder and CEO of The Memo. Advocate for women of color in the workplace.
Minda Harts is a multi-hyphenate powerhouse advocating for women of color in the workplace. Minda is a CEO, Best Selling Author, Speaker, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Fundraiser, and host of a weekly podcast called Secure The Seat.
She is the Founder and CEO of The Memo LLC, a career development platform for women of color. On this podcast, we discuss her best-selling book The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table. On the show, we discuss Courageous Conversations and Courageous Listening, being a Corporate Kaepernick, how to navigate Corporate Mean Girls, how to go against Conformist Culture at work, Diversity and what it means to different cultures, and much more.
With more than a decade of fundraising and sales experience, Minda has been part of successful fundraising campaigns at a number of top colleges and universities. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service of NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
As a speaker, she has conducted workshops and keynotes at corporations including Bloomberg, Google, Time Inc., SXSW, The Campaign For Black Male Achievement, and The New York Public Library. Along with universities and colleges like Western Illinois University, NYU Stern, North Carolina A&T, and Cornell.
Her work has been featured on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Fast Company, The Guardian, Forbes, The Washington Post, and Time Magazine. Frequently she speaks at companies like Microsoft, Levi's, Google, and Bloomberg on topics of Leadership, Managing Diverse Teams and Self-Advocacy. Minda’s talks are inspiring and every company should bring her in for a presentation.
Tia Meyers: Founder of Freelancing Females and Social Media Strategist.
Tia Meyers is a Brooklyn, NY based social media strategist and Founder of Freelancing Females. It is the world’s largest community of freelance women with a mission to support women in redefining their 9-5. This growing global community of over 100,000 freelancers (diverse in jobs) who gather to share knowledge and discover new ways to freelance. The community offers resources, shares vetted jobs, and offers mentorship. You can find out more at freelancingfemales.com. They’re also on social.
Tia started out managing events at JetBlue where she was taught the ins and outs of customer service, how to plan dinners for hundreds, and the perfect placement of blue streamers. Tia went on to manage the Community at FiftyThree where she grew their Instagram by 450% and ran a community of 25 million artists, creatives, and makers.
On the show we talk about how to get clients, manage and land clients, and attract more of the clients that you desire.
Gia Morón: President of Women Grow.
Gia Morón is the President of Women Grow, an international networking organization cultivating business leaders in the Cannabis industry. Helping women to not only create relationships, but also become educated and empowered in the space.
She is the Founder of GVM Communications, a public relations, brand and business development firm. She started her career as the Director of Promotions and Publicity at The Fremantle Corporation. An international television distribution and production company. From there, Gia went on to become a Media Relations Officer in the Corporate Communications department at Goldman Sachs.
Gia also works with NYC non-profit organizations and mentors up-and-coming young women entrepreneurs across the country and in South Africa.
We speak about how the Cannabis industry is leading the way when it comes to women in leadership positions. Yet even those numbers are not strong enough. Now more than ever, women are defining their own spaces in the Cannabis industry and creating their own communities. This podcast is a great start for anyone who wants to learn more about the Cannabis community.
Here is a list of resources that Gia mentions on the episode:
Women Grow https://womengrow.com
Supernova Women https://www.supernovawomen.com
The NDICA http://thendica.org
Industry Power Women https://www.facebook.com/PowerBlackBook
Asian Americans in Cannabis http://www.asianamericansforcannabis.org
Casa Verde https://www.casaverdecapital.com
MedMen https://medmen.com
Ellementa https://ellementa.com
Minorities for Medical Marijuana https://minorities4medicalmarijuana.org
Canna Gather https://www.cannagather.com
On The Revel Gather https://www.ontherevel.com
Minority Cannabis https://minoritycannabis.org
NORML www.norml.org
Drug Policy http://www.drugpolicy.org
Americans for Safe Access https://www.safeaccessnow.org
National Cannabis Industry Association https://thecannabisindustry.org
Students for Sensible Drug Policies https://ssdp.org
Cannabis Cultural Association https://www.cannacultural.org
Kevin Arbouet: Director, Writer, Producer.
Kevin started his career as a stunt man and martial arts choreographer. He is a Director, Writer, Producer and the Former Vice President of Lee Daniel’s Entertainment. Lee Daniel’s produced the Oscar-winning, Monster's Ball starring Halle Berry and The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon. Kevin got his first break came when he (and his Creative Partner Larry Strong) directed the "Got a Crush... on Obama” video. It went viral and was viewed more than 100 million times worldwide. Check out his recent project “The Last Day of Xmas.” A horror movie from Executive producer Ghostface Killah and Rakim doing the composition. Kevin also talks about the story of Bumpy Johnson and his effort to bring it to the big screen.
Kevin’s is focused on expanding the idea of what diversity in filmmaking means. In his own words “It's important to me that the movie industry offers audiences a wide range of diverse voices telling stories.” Our conversation explores who gets to tell stories in the movie industry and the importance of representation in the writers room. This episode originated in a film group where we were discussing The Green Book. In the instance of The Green Book, Doctor Don Shirley’s family was not even consulted when his character was written. This is an important podcast about storytelling and diversity. We talk about everything from Catherine Zeta Jones going brown face for Cocaine Godmother to the brilliance of Donald Glover.
K.M. Rice: Author, Screenwriter, Happy Hobbit.
K.M. Rice is a national, award-winning Screenwriter and Author. She’s worked for both Magic Leap and Weta Workshop. Weta create special effects for tv and film and are known for their work on The Lord of the Rings.
On the episode, Kellie discusses the difference between Writers and Storytellers and shares her advice for overcoming writer's blocks. We talk about Creativity and how as adults we need to give ourselves the freedom to play. And play we did. On the show our conversation jumps around between Crowdfunding, Female Heroes, and Creative Manias.
Kellie is the producer of the web series Happy Hobbit, where she brings a bit of Middle Earth into your daily life. We talk about how J. R. R. Tolkien’s work carried environmentalist and anti-industrial messages and Kellie talks about her favorite Gothic Fiction books.
Rice resides on a ranch in Santa Cruz Mountains of California where she lives in a beneficial relationship with the animals and the land — like a true Happy Hobbit.
Her first novel, Darkling, is a young adult fantastical thriller that now has a companion novel titled The Watcher. Several years in the making, her Afterworld series debuted with the first book, Ophelia. Her novella The Wild Frontier is an ode to the American spirit of adventure and seeks to awaken the wildish nature in all of us. Both Darkling and The Wild Frontier are now available on audiobook narrated by Gail Shalan. Her short story and poetry collection The Country Beyond the Forests showcases a range of genres and styles.
You can also check out her author vlog and find her books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in-store at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Daniel Pinchbeck: Author. Philosopher. Futurist.
Daniel is an American author and Co-founder of web magazine Reality Sandwich and Evolver.net. He is the Founder of Center for Planetary Culture and Founding member of The Assemblage. His writing has appeared in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, The Village Voice, Dazed & Confused, and Rolling Stone. Daniel’s books are Breaking Open the Head, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, Notes from the Edge Times, and How Soon is Now? From Personal Initiation to Global Transformation. His latest book When Plants Dream is co-written with Sophia Rokhlin.
On the podcast we discuss how to save our planet. This episode is focused on How Soon is Now? From Personal Initiation to Global Transformation and how we can redesign our social systems to avoid extinction, global warming, and ecological collapse. Our conversation is centered around tech, consciousness, movements, capitalism, agriculture, and the environment. We also cover actions that people can take to help the planet and all of the living species on it. There are handy links below you can use to join various movements around the world.
I wish we had more time to discuss Psychedelics, Shamanism, and the Esoteric but I wanted to keep this podcast focused on planetary survival. Daniel recently released The Occult Control System: UFOs, aliens, other dimensions, and future timelines. The book proposes that “the unfolding alien narrative is part of an occult or hyper-dimensional control system designed to keep humanity locked into a certain frequency of consciousness and being. As we awaken to our situation, we can find the tools to break out of this intricately designed prison and access our true potential.”
Links mentioned on the show.
Climate Mobilization Website https://www.theclimatemobilization.org
Extinction Rebellion https://rebellion.earth/
Symbiosis Revolution https://www.symbiosis-revolution.org/
Venus Project https://www.thevenusproject.com/resource-based-economy/
Reality Sandwich http://realitysandwich.com/
Evolver http://Evolver.net
Center for Planetary Culture http://www.planetaryculture.info/
The Assemblage https://www.theassemblage.com/
Books
Sapiens Yuval Noah Harari https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens/
Rebecca Solnit - Paradise Built in Hell https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/301070/a-paradise-built-in-hell-by-rebecca-solnit/9780143118077/
How Soon Is Now? https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/548838/how-soon-is-now-by-daniel-pinchbeck/9781786780867/
Benita Conde: Life Coach and Founder of Create Radical Love.
On this episode Benita Conde shares her advice on how to live your dream. Benita is the founder of Create Radical Love, a life coaching and consulting approach for people who want to radically love their whole life experience, not just the compartmentalized parts of it. We talk about focusing your energy, following what gives you chills, and how to do only the things that you love. We also discuss about low vibrations and high vibrations ( a personal favorite of mine). Benita is an advertising industry expert with close to 20 years of experience supporting and guiding the careers of creative people. She held leadership roles in resource management, project management, recruiting and talent development at agencies such as Fallon NY, BBH NY and Anomaly NY and led creative recruiting for North America at the global executive placement firm, The Talent Business. She works with individuals globally as a holistic coach. Guiding each client to lead with intuition, define a calling, and take action from that aligned place across all aspects of their life experience.
Benita has been through the coaching process as a client, has just completed the year long, Tier 1 Civilization Upgraders leadership training program led by Bentinho Massaro and has been sober for 12 years. Benita’s first professional role was that of classical ballet dancer in NYC. She brings that discipline, devotion and her love for choreographic movement, creative collaboration and creative passion into all that she does. There is nothing that lights her up more than to see people step into their true excitements, their true freedom, and watch them wake up to what is infinitely possible for them and their businesses.
Esther Wojcicki: Leading educator, Author, Journalist, Mother of a PhD and two Silicon Valley CEOs.
Esther discusses techniques from her new book How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results. Esther knows a thing or three about parenting. Her daughters are Susan, Janet, and Anne. Susan is the CEO of YouTube, Anne is Co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, and Janet is a Fulbright-winning anthropologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF. On the show Esther talks about building trust, how success is tied to delaying gratification, and shares her advice for retirement. Her first book is called Moonshots in Education: Blended Learning in the Classroom and is admired by Jack Ma who recently left Alibaba to focus on Education. We also discuss how children benefit from grit and the difference between Western and Eastern children when it comes to overcoming adversity. Esther is also vice chair of the Creative Commons advisory council and the founder of the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Program. She holds honorary doctorates from Palo Alto University and from Rhode Island School of Design.
Alica Forneret: Founder of The Dead Moms Club.
Alicia Forneret is a professional dedicated to creating new spaces for people to explore grief and grieving. We recorded this episode in the fall, in the beginning of the holiday season. A difficult time for someone who is missing their loved one.
Alicia speaks about greed and gives advice on end-of-life experiences. Through Alicia I found out that ashes contain sharp shards. Something I didn’t know before. We also talk about the way we handle grief in the workplace.
Her Dead Moms Club lapel pins help people commemorate, commiserate, and celebrate their dead moms. The pins are for everyone. People of all ages, all genders, all backgrounds. A friend, a family member, and maybe even your own mother.
She is currently becoming certified as a Life Cycle Celebrant to help people celebrate both life and death. Alicia is a council member on the BC Women’s Health Foundation’s Young Women Council (Vancouver, BC). She is also a cohort of the inaugural Lululemon Luminaries program.
Her written work has been featured on the pages of popular magazines and books, including (but not limited to) Modern Loss, Grief Dialogues, Vancouver Magazine, Loam, and Kinfolk. And my story and voice have been featured on CTV News, Grief Out Loud, InStyle, and more. You can find her writing my newsletter from coffee shops in Vancouver, running workshops with Reimagine in NYC, and hosting Death Over Dinner events across the United States and Canada. Visit https://alicaforneret.com/
Rebecca Crews: Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Mother, Wife, Mogul.
A lifelong musician, Rebecca wrote her first song at the age of six. In College she studied Musical Theatre and went on to perform in various productions before starting a gospel group and becoming the music director at her Church. On the show we talk about her new song Destiny and how the term relates to our own individual journey. Rebecca shares her experiences on motherhood, love, faith, being a partner to Terry Crews, and composing music. She even spoke about Drake and the Grammys and we discuss the true meaning of success. Rebecca is also a Minister and this podcast was super inspiring.
Gregory Stevens: Organizer, Former Baptist Pastor, GXDDESS.
Gregory Stevens moved to Palo Alto since he wanted to live and work in a Progressive town. This episode talks about a lot of very serious issues but it’s highly palatable (and delicious.) Gregory is a bright and witty human who seems to never run out of energy. He became a Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Palo Alto — a progressive church. There he proceeded to question what Progress was and who gets to benefit from it. In a town filled with millionaires and billionaires, Gregory brought attention to the poor communities that are being displaced by gentrification, as well as Police Brutality. We talk about how we have to bring attention to dominant systems of power that are destroying our planet. Stevens says "Scream like hell when you see injustice. But don’t just scream — create. Your scream has to be a “doing". Create a space in which the world that you want is real. Do something that is not dominated by money. In the shell of this scary and dark world, we are creating a beautiful, bright, vibrant alternative. A heaven on earth.”
Miki Agrawal: Entrepreneur, Inventor, Author, DJ, Seeker, Mama.
Miki Agrawal embodies the title Disrupt-Her. A visionary who is always challenging the status quo. Her taboo products are focused on sustainability and innovative. In 2018 she was named Fast Company's The Most Creative People. Under her leadership in 2017, THINX was listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. That same year she was named as a Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum.
We talk about her new book Disrupt-Her. A Manifesto for the Modern Woman. We talk about Entrepreneurship, naivety, business, women in business, LOHAS, and social impact. Her advice on fundraising and meeting people halfway is incredible helpful. Especially when it comes to raising funds for taboo products. I breathe a little heavy into the mic and interject excitingly. Miki had so many incredible ideas to share. Really loved hearing her speak about about animal instincts in women and men and how they contribute to competition. Fascinating conversations abound.
Savannah Em: Illustrator and MMA Fighter with One Championship.
Masha Drokova: Founder and General Partner at Day One Ventures.
Rafael Espinal: New York City Councilman from Brooklyn. Fighter for socioeconomic & climate issues.
Claude Silver: Chief Heart Officer at Vayner Media and Gary V’s right hand woman.
On the show we talk about scaling companies, leadership, building company culture, spreading love, creating influence, and how to create more opportunities for women and diversity groups in advertising. We get a bit meta during the podcast and talk about energy and how to help people move from passion to purpose.
Prior to joining Vayner, Claude held senior leadership posts at both J. Walter Thompson and Publicis in each firm’s London office. In both positions, she steered development of brand strategies, agency partnerships, product teams, media, sales, and internal management.
Photo courtesy of Vayner Media
Hawk Newsome: President of Black Lives Matter NY.
Hawk has a passion for law, attending the prestigious Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. and completing his Jurist Doctorate at Touro Law School in Long Island, NY.
Throughout his life Hawk has engaged in protests and activities to combat injustice. Over the past few years, he has worked tirelessly leading protests and seeking justice for the families of those slain by police officers.
Hawk also founded the Bronx Sharks, an athletic club that has sent numerous risk youths to college on scholarship.
Most recently Hawk created controversy by speaking at a Trump rally. Resulting in mixed reactions from both sides. On this episode we talked a lot about love and dreams.
Photo is by Leo Hornak for the BBC.
Daniele Bolelli. Author, Martial Artist, Host of the History on Fire Podcast.
Andrea Berry. Founder of Fluidity Love and former CTO of Huff Post.
You might know Berry as the former chief technical officer of Huffington Post. After HuffPo sold to AOL in 2011, Berry went on to found RebelMouse. A platform helping media companies and brands reach their target communities through social media. They’ve raised over $23 million from investors.
Previously he built Avaaz.org and before that was CTO of CharterMac a real estate finance company that was market cap 4.5 billion at the time.
Paul was VP, Internet for Palo Alto Software where he built bplans.com and the ecommerce business of paloalto.com. Most importantly, Paul was a co founder of thedogisland.com.
We also filmed this interview through Facebook Live. You can watch it at bit.ly/2jwerfD
Pauline Black: Author + Singer of The Selecter.