33voices

Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman have a shared goal: How can we do our best to stay in each other’s lives forever? In their book Big Friendship, they share the lessons they’ve learned in pursuit of it and illuminate our relationships as the essential ingredient to a meaningful life. They explore how their friendship shapes their becoming, gives them permission to achieve their dreams and confidence that, together, they can navigate life’s inevitable challenges. Twelve years in, they debunk the misconception that friendship is always blissful. Akin to all relationships, it’s rooted in commitment and honest communication. We delve into connecting at every stage, from initiating a friendship to expressing our feelings and showing our friends that they matter to us.

When Jessica Robertson was 20 years old, she boarded her second ever flight to NYC to embark on her dream job at Rolling Stone. She landed with $350 and no insight on how to build a life in the city. Her courageous step was the first in becoming a transformative storyteller whose work has impacted millions, most recently as the Chief Content Officer at TOGETHXR, where she’s sharing the dynamic stories of women athletes. Jessica’s life’s work continues to profoundly shift culture. In helping people unveil their truths, she illuminates our shared humanity and builds bridges to feel seen and connected. We explore the freedom of living honestly, stepping into our voice, and learning to accept our fears. The connection Jessica cultivates can only be inspired through presence. We delve into her gift of guiding people to tell their story in their own words and lingering in the silences so they can share what is truly in their hearts. It’s those quiet awakenings that ring true in all of our’s.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to realize your vision, Hedley & Bennett Founder Ellen Bennett’s book, Dream First, Details Later, will show you the path. Fulfilling your dream is never easy. But, would you want to dedicate yourself to anything else? For Ellen, building a brand beloved by chefs around the world was more than worth it. We dive into her best stories, from the chef who gifted her the traveling apron to the team’s Hail Mary to meet their biggest deadline on the tarmac at LAX, and how the magic of ‘Vitamixing’ manifested their first company kitchen - for free! Ellen’s gift of marrying honesty with gratitude for the journey is a catalyst to pursue our passions. As she says: 'Whatever your gift is, lean into that.'

How do you feel when you are in alignment? Through her intuitive and highly individual lens, pilates pioneer Erika Bloom guides us to achieve that goal. Honoring ourselves begins with listening. We discuss how presence and embodiment help us develop an ongoing dialogue with our body, adding its signals to our “library of possibilities” of what we need to be well.To cultivate this awareness necessitates acceptance and openness. Erika shares her most significant personal journey, shedding the idea that the purpose of life is to be happy, and how trading expectation for simply experiencing enables lasting peace.

World-class organizations don't exist without world-class leadership - and no one embodies that more than HBSE CEO, Scott O'Neil. In this episode, he'll convince you that winning at any level starts by envisioning a future beyond your current reality towards a more meaningful North Star.

“When you speak your truth, you speak to some universal truth.” Tiffany Shlain has a gift for asking questions that delve into the heart of our shared human experience. Enlivening them in her acclaimed book, 24/6, and many films, she catalyzes global conversations about what matters most, from character to connection to creativity. We dive into these questions in our chat, exploring topics such as: What moves us? When are we truly connecting? What does it mean to be human in the 21st century? Tiffany invites us to meditate on how our answers shape our own sense of fulfillment. In carving out intentional space, we uncover the truths we can only find within.

In the midst of her becoming, Shelly McNamara had a transformative dream about her sister, awakening her with a clear message: “It starts from the inside out.” Saying it aloud unveiled a realization that would go on to guide her journey: “I will not find happiness or peace unless it starts from within.” Chief Equality and Inclusion Officer at Procter & Gamble, Shelly writes about the heart of our human experience in her book, No Blanks, No Pauses. We discuss giving ourselves permission to live as our whole selves by cultivating unconditional love for ourselves and each other. Expanding our humanity is a central theme of Shelly’s mission. She invites us to take off our masks, consider that judgement is a two-way street, and accept that sometimes “the only way to begin again is to forgive.”

“In all of it, I find joy.” Dr.Tarika Barrett spent her childhood growing up between Brooklyn and Kingston, Jamaica. It was during her formative years in Jamaica that she watched her mom launch the country’s first mentorship program; Unbeknownst that she’d too go on to lead one, Girls Who Code: A phenomenal non-profit that has reached over 450,000 young women. Dr. Barrett’s gift is her exuberant joy, unwavering in the face of both beauty and adversity. We explore gratitude as the genesis of optimism and the strength we need to pursue our purpose. Intentionally present, she derives fulfillment from a unique well: Our stories. We talk about the power of sisterhood, connecting through vulnerability, and the stories that inspire her bravery.

How often do you think about your memory? As the Executive Director of The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, Erin Mulcahy Stein doesn’t take her’s for granted. We explore ways we can be proactive about our brain health, prioritize mental fitness, and the importance of having conversations with our loved ones about caregiving. Erin’s dedicated her career to advocating for women. We discuss her compass for seeking meaning in her life, the value of knowing what you want, and speaking your truth to realize it. Touching lives around the world, she credits her sisterhood with inspiring and spreading WAM's mission, sharing that: “The most important thing that we can do on this Earth is to continue learning and teaching each other.”

Erin Gallagher wakes up each day to advocate for a world where we can all be our whole selves. Through the culture consultancy she co-founded, Have Her Back, and the honest conversations she catalyzes, the only way she can achieve her mission is to live it herself. We chat about being brave enough to be vulnerable, fight for what matters to you, and live a full life. To be whole is to honor our own needs. Erin encourages us to rethink the nature of selflessness and affirms that showing up for ourselves and those we care about are not mutually exclusive. She shares how she’s learning to lower her stress threshold, rely on her A-team, and the freedom she’s found in self-care.