20 Minutes with Bronwyn

Some people just shine.   Human beings who radiate from an inner light do so because of what they’ve overcome, and the meaning they’ve made of their life experiences thus far.   My guest today is truly a luminous being.   My friends, please meet Martha Niño. Martha is a 25-year Silicon Valley technology professional who has worked at large corporations ranging from mobile, to hardware, to software. She recently celebrated over 15 years as a Senior Marketing Manager at tech giant Adobe (the Photoshop company).    Martha is a woman in an industry where women are still only a quarter of the workforce, and a Latina in tech—where the LatinX community represent only 3 percent of the workforce.    She isn’t your average tech worker with the typical middle class (and white, male) backstory. Her life began on a dirt floor in another country. Martha’s story reminds me that when we believe in ourselves and we align with others who believe in us, anything is possible.   Martha has just launched her new book The Other Side: From a Shack to Silicon Valley, which can be ordered here.  Martha is also very active on LinkedIn and can be reached at connectwithmartha@gmail.com. Shine on, my friends.

BIG NEWS, my friends!!   Season 5 of 20 Minutes with Bronwyn is now LIVE and this season I decided to experiment with format.    Instead of recording myself solo speaking into the ether, I have found some truly incredible human beings willing to be coached and RECORDED (albeit anonymously), as they work to become their most powerful selves, speaking from that place of power.   In this week’s episode, you will meet “Claire.” 🧚 🧚    Claire’s goal was clear. She wanted to go …   from being nervous, tongue-tied, and passive when running meetings,    to being confident, articulate, and authentic when running meetings.   The trick to becoming our most powerful is to ensure that our higher Self is the one who shows up to run the meeting, and not our nervous, frightened self.   And THAT is what this season’s first episode is all about—how to call forth that authentic, higher Self—not only when we’re feeling “safe,” but anytime, every time.   Can’t wait to hear what you think. As Joel Peterson says, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” So please please pleeeeaaze, let me know what your thoughts are.   Shine on my friend, B

THIS is the last episode of 20 Minutes with Bronwyn for Season 4, and it is dedicated to recent college grads, wondering what the hell to do next.  This episode is also dedicated to the parents of those grads who may be wringing their hands, also wondering, What the hell is this kid gonna do next?? Today, our guide for this conversation is the amazing, delightful, divine Ms. Andrea Koppel. Andrea is an award winning former CNN journalist, who has dedicated her life to helping college students find careers they love.  And she knows a thing or two about the process of finding the right career fit.  After leaving CNN, Andrea went on her own journey of career discernment and discovery. Andrea became Senior Vice President of Communications at M & R Strategic Services – a cause-oriented Public Affairs firm; she served as Director of International Communications for the American Red Cross, and went on to become Vice President of Global Engagement & Policy for Mercy Corp, a global humanitarian and development organization.   All of these roles prepared Andrea for her dream gig: coaching college students as they discern the right career path. How does she do that?  Through her podcast Time4Coffee (T4C)— a virtual library of carefully curated career conversations with hundreds of professionals – in dozens of different careers. (The interviews are on point … being an award winning journalist sure doesn’t hurt!) Through her College to Career Clarity online course which is an asynchronous, digital course that helps confused, anxious and overwhelmed students to identify at least 3 job functions and/or industries they'd be psyched to explore when they graduate.    If you or someone you love is struggling in this time of transition, you are gonna LOVE this conversation with Andrea. She’s most active on LinkedIn, and would love to connect.   I am taking the summer off from podcasting, but will still be going strong on YouTube, in speaking engagements, and in my Monday missives. Not yet subscribed? Head over to bronwyncommunications.com/subscribe !

Hello Friend!   It’s hard to believe that my podcast is turning 4 this year. To say I’m proud is an understatement. To say I have it all figured out is an overstatement.   Having said that, I’ve learned a thing or two, and last summer I did a live webinar to offer what knowledge I possess about making (and maintaining!) a podcast. Over 100 people joined, and I loved every minute of it.   I am often asked for advice for those hoping to start a podcast (or those wanting to turbo charge an existing show!), and this episode is my attempt to offer that advice in the most honest, entertaining way possible.   My hope is that it gives you the encouragement you need to get started, or the shot in the arm you need to keep going.   And if you’re not a podcaster and never want to be, you still might dig the behind-the-scenes truth of what it really takes to hit “record” and hurl an audio message in a bottle into the vast ocean of ears out there.   Lastly, this will be the penultimate episode in Season Four of Twenty Minutes with Bronwyn. In 2 weeks, I’ll be dropping the final episode of the season and you are gonna love it. Especially if you have a recent college graduate who’s feeling a bit … lost.   I’ll take the summer to recharge and come at you with fresh goodness in the Fall! Shoutouts to Paul and the good people at Peachtree Recordings who make this show possible.   Shine on, and give it a listen here!   B  

My guest this week is someone I have wanted to interview on my podcast since the FIRST SEASON. This someone is not only a groundbreaking researcher and scientist, he is also my dear friend, Dr. Alexander Marson.  Alex is the Director of Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, a senior investigator at Gladstone Institute, and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at UCSF.  Alex is interested in how DNA controls the behavior of cells in the human immune system. He and his team are using the power of CRISPR technology to genetically engineer cells to fight cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. My intention for recording this particular conversation was to get Alex’s take on communicating complex messages in a more accessible way. It’s something the scientific community is really wrestling with these days, perhaps now more than ever:  How do you communicate complicated and immense topics in a way that is repeatable and interesting? How do we approach critical information, currently understood by only a few, to make it accessible to the rest of us? This is also a conversation about the alchemy that happens when the right people make contact at the right moment, and something new is born.  Pour that beverage, or lace up your sneakers and leash up that hound. Because you are gonna love this one.

I was NOT planning on dropping this episode until much later in the summer, but within a few days of recording this conversation, a draft opinion on the overturning of Roe vs. Wade was leaked to Politico. My intention from the beginning was to talk with an expert about the language around reproductive freedom. Because here’s what I know for sure:  Women cannot compete economically and/or provide for our families if we lose our right to determine when (or whether) to have children. I don’t know any other way to say it.  And yet somehow, despite the simple truth of this statement, we’re at the precipice of losing that right. It makes me wonder if we’ve been talking about this all wrong. So … to help take us deeper into the language and messaging of reproductive freedom (and how we might protect it), my guest this week is Dina Montemarano, Research Director at NARAL Pro-Choice America, where she leads messaging, opposition, and disinformation-focused research on abortion access and the anti-choice movement.  Prior to NARAL, Dina worked on Senator Warren's and Vice President Harris' Presidential campaigns, and at Global Health Strategies, where she managed global health communication programs for the Gates Foundation. She has a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Dina is a wonder woman, and was incredibly kind and patient with me while I had a good cry during this conversation. To find out how you can donate to pro-choice candidates in the midterms, here is a list of political candidates working to protect reproductive freedom in the US. One small note … for reasons beyond my ken, you have to have already donated to NARAL to be able to use this system. Just donate as little as $1 to NARAL and then you’ll be able to use this link effectively and efficiently to support multiple candidates doing this incredibly important work. As always, the most powerful thing you can do is VOTE. Do NOT sit out midterms. Vote for candidates that prioritize women’s health. We are not a special niche interest group. We make up half of the population. Stay strong. Shine on.   https://bit.ly/NARAL_LINK  

WOW, are you in for a treat with this week’s podcast guest. You are about to meet the LUMINOUS Elizabeth Jameson. Who is this luminous being, you ask? Well, lemme tell ya … Elizabeth Jameson is an artist and writer who explores what it means to live in an imperfect body as part of the universal human experience.   Before her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, she served as a public interest lawyer representing incarcerated children; she later represented children living with chronic illnesses and disabilities in their attempts to receive medically necessary care. As her disease progressed, she began using her MRI’s to create art as a way of reclaiming agency of her own medical data. She transformed the unsettling, clinical images into work that invites people to open up conversations about what it means to have an illness or disability. Her work is part of permanent collections both nationally and internationally, including the National Institutes of Health, major universities, and medical schools. Elizabeth’s essays have been published in The New York Times, British Medical Journal, WIRED magazine, and MIT’s Leonardo Journal. Her essay, “Losing Touch, Finding Intimacy,” was included in the New York Times book,  About Us, released in September 2019 by Norton Publishing. Her latest project is called “MS Confidential,” a webcast series of candid conversations on navigating the chaos of MS.   Many of her lectures at medical schools and symposiums have been recorded and shared, including her TedXStanford talk, “Learning to Celebrate and Embrace Our Imperfect Bodies.” In fact, Elizabeth and I met during preparation for that TEDxStanford talk, and we have stayed in touch ever since. I love that  YOU now get to meet her, because nothing gives me more joy than introducing luminous humans to you, my friend. So sit back, grab your beverage of choice, or put a leash on that hound of yours, and join me in this conversation with Elizabeth Jamison. For more on Elizabeth, find her online here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejamesonfineart/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_elizabethjameson_/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Jamesonfineart Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesonfineart YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnJaKluXC7dBpCsw8VUun2w Website: https://www.jamesonfineart.com/

Have you ever been in a conversation, or in a meeting, and someone says something that feels like a slap? You start asking yourself questions like: “Wait, did she/he just say something mean, or am I imagining this?” I call these moments psychic attacks not because I mean “psychic” in the woo-woo, crystal ball sense, but because these are attacks on our psyches.  Psychologists call them “passive aggressive” or “covert aggressive” comments. But call them what you want … they turn our inner world upside down temporarily. In this week’s episode we are shining the light of attention and awareness on psychic attacks. Why? Because they ROB us of our confidence, and my friend, we shall not stand for it.  We are going to illuminate these moments and become more familiar with the terrain, so in the future, you will be able to respond with integrity and a clear mind, instead of allowing the attacker to gaslight you into being silent, or bait you into a counter-productive counter attack. Tune in, and get ready for practical strategies and techniques for showing up strong, even when you’re under attack.  

Well, my friends. In this week’s podcast episode, I had a rather surreal experience. I got to interview someone very special, and “special” not just because of who she is and how much she has accomplished in her life, but “special” because she and I are both named … BRONWYN. People, I am beside myself with joy to be able to introduce to you the marvelous Bronwyn Morgan. Bronwyn is the founder and CEO of the tech startup Xeo Air, which is an AI based, drones-on-demand platform for mission management, connecting b2b clients in insurance, telecom, and catastrophic response and beyond, with a crew of Part 107 drone pilots. She is also founder of Airversity Drone Academy + Consulting, a training school for both Part 107 prep and drone flight along with private and public safety consulting.  Bronwyn is the Founder of Black Women In STEAM, an organization dedicated to galvanizing the efforts of Black women in STEAM fields. She has over 20 years of senior level management experience in sales, strategic planning, national product and customer marketing, innovation, large team management, emerging tech ventures, corporate innovation, IP commercialization, and business development with global companies with projects in Asia, Europe, and South America. Bronwyn has worked for companies such as P&G and Coca-Cola, with major labels and studios in the entertainment industry, and Silicon Valley based tech companies.  Bronwyn is a force of nature, and I wanted to talk with her about her backstory. I am so glad I did. Never in a million years could I have anticipated where our conversation took us … because as you will see, we end up in a very … spiritual place. Apparently, being into spirituality and meditation is very on brand for us Bronwyns. So, whether you curl up & get comfy, or leash up that dog and hit the trail,  do come listen in on my conversation with Bronwyn Morgan. Find Bronwyn Morgan on … LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwynmorgan/ Instagram: @xeoair Twitter: @airxeo Shine on, my friend. B  

As you may know, Season 4 of this podcast is all about responding to YOUR questions. Your interests. And lately, I have been asked a LOT about my parenting philosophy. Which honestly, I think is RICH because I really don’t know what the hell I’m doing.  BUT, I do have 15 years+ of experience of being a parent, and I have worked EXTREMELY hard at being the best version of myself as a mother, without being weird about it.  So this episode is my attempt to offer parents of all stripes (this isn’t just a mothering conversation) three things:  The core beliefs that have been essential to me as a parent  The systems and habits that have paid massive dividends to our little fam, and lastly …  The #fails. The What I Wish I’d Knowns. The things I’d love to impart to the young parents coming up—or the ones who still have time to course-correct before their chickens fly the coop. Give it a listen, and below are the books/resources I mention during the show: Blessings of a Skinned Knee: Raising Resilient Children by Wendy Mogel Love & Logic Positive parenting workshops, books, resources Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen As always, I thank you for your ears and hearts. Can’t wait to hear what you think about this one. It’s a deeply personal episode for me.