The BreakLine Arena

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Special Operations Veteran, musician, and BreakLine participant, Chris Bickel.Chris shares his life story, opening up about how the diagnosis of a rare autoimmune disease recalibrated and ultimately improved his life. He discusses the complexity of living with and healing from invisible disabilities and the reluctance some people have, especially some veterans, towards claiming disability support. He also shares inspiring insights on leadership and the value of supporting those around you. “Not identifying as an operator or as a soldier, but just as me was one of the most valuable experiences of my entire life...Transcending is overcoming the reality of a situation. It’s enduring, preserving, and learning about yourself” Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Dan Berschinski, BreakLine Alum, founder of Two Six Industries, and senior consultant at IBM. Dan is an Army veteran. During a combat deployment to Afghanistan, he stepped on a hidden IED. He lost both of his legs. After an intensive recovery, Dan went on to graduate from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and pursue his career in the private sector. This conversation, in celebration of the launch of BreakLine Transcend, our programming designed for people with disabilities, Dan talks about the importance of confronting problems early and managing our expectations of others. He shares how to acknowledge sensitive topics, illuminates the strength in asking for help, and explains why accepting assistance from others is necessary for success. Dan's story is a particularly powerful one. He says, “The more we talk about our differences, the better our society becomes, and the more human beings benefit, and live better lives because of it.”Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Jack Hidary, CEO of Sandbox AQ, an enterprise SaaS company combining AI + Quantum to solve the hardest problems facing society.Opportunities in quantum are vast, as are the revolutionary applications of quantum tech in solving the world’s greatest challenges. In today’s episode, Jack joins the BreakLine Arena to discuss the third quantum revolution and its real-world applications and implications. Jack breaks down the fundamentals of quantum, explaining its history and its role in our world today and in the future. He shares a myriad of quantum-related job opportunities (no, you don't have to have a PhD). Jack also explains the quantum divide and how SandboxAQ is actively working to bring a diversified talent base into the field. “The universe, at its fundamental level, does not work the way that we humans think it works. About 96% of our universe is unknown. Quantum technologies will be the make or break in drug discovery, clean energy, in cybersecurity, and in so many other key aspects of our society.” Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Chris McNamara, Chief Revenue Officer at Remote, a rapidly growing company on a mission to simplify how companies employ global talent.The world has changed significantly and remote work has become an increasingly familiar concept. Remote leans into this global shift and works to connect talent with opportunity, regardless of location. In this conversation, Chris shares the benefits of distributed work models in addition to his insights on cultivating a positive company culture remotely.“Five years ago, the world was a very different place. Now, the concept of living and working remotely is familiar to all of us and you no longer have to make a choice between your personal life and your professional aspirations. ” Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.

 Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Carole Robin, Author of Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships, and Co-founder of Leaders in Tech.Carole Robin is the maven behind ‘Touchy Feely,’ Stanford’'s celebrated Interpersonal Dynamics course, designed to help students develop the ability to forge strong relationships. Carole distilled the course information into book form, alongside co-author David Bradford, in order to share these valuable skills with the world at large.In this episode, Carole shares the beauty and purpose of feedback and how it is just as much about the giver as it is about the receiver. She explains the importance of connecting across differences and breaks down the three steps towards doing so. Lastly, she talks about how to open the door for difficult conversations with team members and how to suspend judgment and stay curious!“Nothing will serve you more than creating a culture where people will tell each other the truth.” 

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Global Head of Product at Grammarly, an AI-powered writing assistance tool used by millions to help people communicate with confidence and precision.Rahul joined Grammarly with 15 years of product management experience at Google. He believes that now, more than ever, effective communication is vital. In this episode, Rahul dives in on how to apply a human-centered approach to product management and problem-solving, as well as the core strength of empathy in leadership and team-building. Rooted in a mission-driven mindset, he emphasizes the value of building a high-quality decision-making culture through an inclusive process. He shares the message to all colleagues: “you belong.” Rahul closes with the advice to stay focused on the most important things, stay balanced, and savor the journey. “I care about the mission, and I care about the possibility that what I am working on can impact the world. Trying to bring about the world we believe in keeps me going.” – Rahul Roy-Chowdhury

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Larry Liu, Founder and CEO of Weee!, the Largest Asian and Hispanic Grocery Store in North America. The goal of Weee! is to empower customers to share their culture by making finding traditional ingredients easy and affordable. Food is fundamental to cultures across the globe, and many of us formed our most precious memories with family and friends at mealtimes. For immigrants, it can be a challenge to find traditional ingredients that allow them to share their heritage. In today’s episode, Larry discusses his experience as an immigrant, how he moved from a stable job in corporate finance to a full-time entrepreneur, and the challenges he faced along the way when building Weee! He describes the importance of the idea behind a company, and why even if he failed, he wouldn’t have regretted it. He shares more about how Weee! is helping support immigrant communities during the cultural upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and why food is so key in forming intercultural bonds.“Food is a mirror and a window. A mirror to reflect yourself, who you are, your heritage, but also a window into another culture. The more we share about food, the more we love each other.”Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Damien Atkins, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Aura, a mission-driven technology company dedicated to creating a safer internet. Damien, an award-winning business and legal executive, joins the BreakLine Arena to share insightful perspectives on life and business. He discussed how to expand your ‘surface area of luck,' shared frameworks for dealing with failure, uncertainty, and risk, and closed with communication pillars that are essential to good leadership. “Too often, people are too passive about creating their own opportunities. Luck is far too important to be left to chance” Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Saydeah Howard, Chief Talent Officer at IVP, a premier venture capital and growth equity firm investing in rapidly-growing technology companies and partnering closely with exceptional management teams. In this episode, Saydeah discussed some of the common recruiting and leadership pitfalls for founding teams, how remote work has expanded access to talent, why people leaders need to prioritize the daily experience of their teams over social media posts, and how the power of practice will enhance your life. (She even wrote a book about it!)Saydeah also holds kindness and empathy as core tenets. You can sense it with her encouragement to stretch for what you really want. "Don't be scared of trying something new. You've done it before. You've had a first day at school or at work where you didn't know any of the acronyms or where the bathroom was. You learned it. You asked questions, you read, you studied, you did what it took to succeed."Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Tammy Nam, COO at Picsart, the world’s largest creative platform of free-to-use content, powerful tools, and inspiration from other creators.Tammy believes that changing your perspective can change everything in your life. This outlook allowed her to pivot from journalism to tech early in her career. She also shared that if you have never grappled with imposter syndrome, you likely are not stretching yourself far enough. Tammy is an experienced mentor and reflected on the most common advice she gives, including navigating working relationships, and what happens in the absence of communication. “It only takes one person, one decision, or one move to set you on the right path."Please like, rate, subscribe, or review our show if you’ve liked what you’ve heard! We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re interested in joining our community, please visit www.breakline.org.