155 Samantha Coker (Pele): Burning Man, Red Lightning, Leadership Lessons

My guest is Samantha Coker, an entrepreneur, writer, and humanitarian. She was the project manager for Red Lightning, a theme camp at Burning Man, for 5 years, and is also the co-founder and CEO of Rich Nuts, a rapidly growing sprouted gourmet nut company that she hopes to expand internationally to bring healthy food and education to a wider audience. With a career that exists at the intersection of art, commerce, and social change, Samantha has a unique ability to balance the creative and pragmatic. She has a passion for diversity and has spent time living abroad, immersing herself in different cultures.

We talked about

+(6:05) Introduction to intentional or conscious camps

+(9:34) Evolution of Red Lightning's intentions

+(17:03) Definition and discussion of culture appropriation

+(21:48) Finding the right scope or ambition for Red Lightning

+(26:01) Decision-making processes in running Red Lightning

+(31:48) Key lessons learned from running Red Lightning

+(39:46) Identifying intrinsic motivators in people

+(44:23) Creative ways to fund theme camps

+(52:29) Why plug-and-play robs people of their burning man experience?

+(56:37) Tips for maintaining healthy romantic relationships at Burning Man