This Sustainable Life

David and I talked about the ocean, water, and sailing in this conversation for a couple reasons.For one thing, we find open water beautiful.For another, he helped spark my interest in learning to sail as a way to cross oceans without burning fossil fuels on the scale that flying does. Last time we spoke he mentioned an event in Europe next summer that gave me a deadline to take sailing lessons, which I did. He grew up sailing, which led us to talk about it.For another, his challenge was to eat less fish and to take more care about where the fish came from.Most guests find their challenges easier than they expected, leading them to wish they'd done it earlier, or, if challenging, a rewarding challenge that enriched their lives.David was no exception. Hear how he improved his life and lowered his environmental impact at once. Also hear him talking about halyards and other sailing talk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you start with your passion and what you care about?Robbie Samuels is also a podcaster who has created great relationships through his show. He shares how he learned. He sounds like a natural, but he didn't start that way.In this episode we discuss the value of the skill of creating meaningful conversations with influencers. We talk about relationship building skills, which Robbie builds his podcast and business on.We then discuss the challenges and joys of composting and how Robbie has brought into his household. Where many people see problems and give up, Robbie sees potential to build relationships. Listen to how much he laughs.Leaders don't see other people as problems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you enjoy leading a movement to change a neighborhood?In this episode we dive deeper into Jeff's experience leading the charge to bring recycling amenities to his housing association.His voice reveals and exudes the emotional reward the challenge creates for him and how he’s creating relationships with his community.I don't think there's any question that this activity is not the end but the start -- of action, connection, and fun.As a leadership author, I can't help but repeat that Jeff has reviewed hundreds of leadership books. He could have taken this leadership role at any time, but books about leadership don't develop leadership skills, experience does, which is why my book and podcast teach leadership experientially. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you care about the environment?Do you care about leading?The Leadership and the Environment podcastNYU’s School of Liberal Studiesinvite you to listen in on our Panel of Leadership and Environment Expertswhich was held on Tuesday, April 3rd at the NYU Silver BuildingFeaturing Vincent StanleyVincent, co-author with Yvon Chouinard of The Responsible Company, has been with Patagonia since its beginning in 1973, including executive roles as head of sales or marketing. Informally, he is Patagonia’s chief storyteller. He helped develop the Footprint Chronicles, the company’s interactive website that outlines the social and environmental impact of its products; the Common Threads Partnership; and Patagonia Books. He serves as the company’s Director, Patagonia Philosophy, and is a visiting fellow at the Yale School of Management. He is also a poet whose work has appeared in Best American Poetry. Robin NagleRobin’s book, Picking Up, is an ethnography of New York City’s Department of Sanitation based on a decade of work with the Department, including working as a uniformed sanitation worker. She is also a clinical professor of anthropology and environmental studies in NYU’s School of Liberal Studies, with research in the new interdisciplinary field of discard studies. She considers the category of material culture known generically as waste, with a specific emphasis on the infrastructures and organizational demands that municipal garbage imposes on urban areas. Since 2006 she has been the DSNY’s anthropologist-in-residence, an unsalaried position structured around several projects. Her TED talk gives a quick overview of and more detail about her work. RJ KhalafRJ is a senior at New York University pursuing a degree in Global Liberal Studies with a concentration in Politics, Rights, and Development and a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. Recently named one of NYU’s most influential students by Washington Square News, he is the President of the NYU Muslim Students Association and is a Dalai Lama Fellow. RJ is the founder and director of LEAD Palestine, an organization that aims to inspire, motivate, and empower the next generation of Palestine’s youth through a hands-on and fun leadership-based summer camp. Joshua SpodekJoshua PhD MBA, bestselling author of Leadership Step by Step and host of the award-winning Leadership and the Environment podcast, is an adjunct professor at NYU, leadership coach and workshop leader for Columbia Business School, columnist for Inc., and founder of SpodekAcademy.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Balint Horvath and I are physicists and both podcasters -- a rare combination. I think the connection helps make this conversation inspire. That's the goal.I originally appeared on his podcast, where we connected. His love for environment and interviewing skill brought out mine last summer, when this podcast was taking shape in my mind. He played a big role in Leadership and the Environment forming and my taking the necessary concrete steps to implement it.We talk about his podcast and how he separates entrepreneurship and academia. We discuss how he views environment and leadership as related and important.This was this podcast's first recording, which for various reasons emerged from the editing cycle later, so we dive into what my mission and goal is with this show and why creating these challenges are there to change the world. Listen to hear Balint's challenge, which many listeners think about, and why he enjoys it. I think you’ll enjoy it too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Burkus returns to share his cold shower challenge.He's a leadership expert and shares great insight, especially about networking and tolerance. There's a lot to learn from him.If I'm honest, in contrast to my usual enthusiasm at a guest's actions, you'll hear a failure of leadership on my part. I believe effective leadership is based on learning the motivations and cares of the other person and connecting them to the task, which imbues the task with meaning for them. I don't think I did that with David. It sounds to me like he did something out of motivation for me as a friend since he heard me respond positively to cold showers. The result, to my ears, is that he sounds more like he's complying than acting on his values.The result in this case is compliance without passion or desire to do more.I would say that my interaction with David shows how you can get close to effective leadership and show many signs of it without achieving it. I didn't pick up on it while talking with him, only after. I think there's as much leadership to learn from this interaction as any other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can a small change lead a community? Our conversation with Jeff Brown shows how a small action on what you care about can inspire and lead a community. Even small actions, when based on your values---what you care about---can make big differences because humans are social and share many values---for example, clean air and water. Helping his neighborhood recycle acts on those shared values.Jeff likes business ideas and leadership---enough to start a podcast on it. You can hear the potential he anticipates in being a leader to help people around him. Acting on the environment starts the process. Helping others and himself make it more meaningful, at least as I hear it.Jeff shows that simple beginnings, acting on your values, can change your life, your town, and the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For such a successful man, Vincent Stanley is as down to earth as they come.He returns to discuss his experience disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with his values, especially his words. People seem to believe that technology saves time or gives us attention despite experience, research, and headlines to the contrary. Vincent shares that disconnecting actually created more time for him. He felt less consumed and the need to be doing multiple things at one time truly diminished.We all know it will happen. The experience of doing it helps more than talking or reading about it.Vincent says that the experience of this challenge was “wonderful” -- something he wanted to do before we met because this is what connects with his values. Isn’t it funny how “disconnecting” allows us to “connect? We dive deeper in the reasons behind Patagonia suing the government, why it was natural and normal for them, not PR. We discuss how doing something that stands true to your values and spending time and resources there is much more valuable than plastering your images everywhere. Does Vincent take on a second challenge? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how he’s viewed his first challenge and how he’s looking to level that up.(Note since I hosted him at my place, there's background noise of Manhattan.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our first conversation, David and I talk mostly about creating a work of enduring value. As David says, the way to keep you book so high up on Amazon is by writing a great book.If you want your work to endure and for people to follow, creating quality work is how to do it.David shares about his years of developing, rewriting, and creation, as opposed to get-rich-quick marketing so prevalent today. Without pretense or affectation, we bring in historical masters like Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Mozart.Want to be a great leader? You can learn from present-day and historical masters.On the environment, he shares a common issue---that when you've already changed a lot to live by your values, it can feel harder to find new things.Many Americans compare themselves to other Americans, see themselves polluting relatively less, and let go of their values. Since Americans pollute more than nearly any of the billions who have lived since the dawn of humanity, that's about the lowest bar you could use for your integrity.So if you feel like you have everything covered, listen to David, his challenge, and how he grew from it in conversation 2 to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode contains a lot of laughter.It's about making behaviors conscious. Many people tell me how hard they envision living by their values. They think you have to prepare with planning, analysis, and so on.Anisa's experience suggests the opposite: starting and acting leads you to figure things out. As she points out, if you try to solve everything, you'll never start. If you start, you'll find you can solve more and more things.Hear from Anisa how much easier changing is when you just start. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.