The Impossible Network

GUEST OVERVIEWThis week's guest is Linda Rislin, is evidence of how life’s path leads us in directions we could never have planned. In Linda’s case, a visual designer turned Open Relationship Coach. Born to Haitian parents, Linda was born in New Jersey and grew up in an inter-generational home and at the intersection of diverse cultures. In part one Linda discusses the early years, her catholic education, her immersion in American culture and the clash with Haitian values. She explains the influence of her parents on her character development, her mother's faith and her father levity. Linda discusses how growing up with scarcity guided her to seek financial security in a marketing role at Vimeo. Upon discovering how unfulfilled she felt Linda describes her career migration into visual design and the resultant impact on her life satisfaction. We end part one there and in Part two we cover Linda’s journey to becoming an Open Relationship Coach. SOCIAL LINKSLinda's Site LINKS IN SHOW Haiti Earthquake Shillington Design School Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer L Williams is this week's guest and our first guest of Series 3. Jennifer is a leading thinker and advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. During this open, honest, and expansive discussion Jennifer discusses why diversity, equity, and inclusion must be foundational to reimagining how we work and how we build teams and move toward a more equitable society.In part one Jennifer discusses growing up as an only child in DC with her loving but overprotective, successful Panamanian immigrant mother, she navigated the highly controlled home environment by immersing herself in writing and books. This ignited her inner creativity and set her on a path to focusing on becoming her best self. In part two dive into Jennifer’s career and journey to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Jennifer deconstructs how working in HR inside ad agency Saatchi led her to be a vocal proponent of changing the narrative around diversity and respect, set her on the path to her current life focus consulting on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. For anyone that wants to appreciate the nuances of the Diversity and Inclusion, Jennifer delivers an explanation with simplicity and clarity and frames it in the context COVID, George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.   We discuss how and when the systemic change will emerge and Jennifer explains her approach in consulting businesses in the process of transformation and the dynamics of the radical changes underwayJennifer provides a clear explanation around the lexicon and wordplay between Black, Latino, and People of Color. I for one certainly learned a lot from this episode I hope you enjoy the vitality and vigor of Jennifer L. Williams.Social LinksLinkedin Links in the showNew York. A DocumentaryLandmark CourseBob Wiesner The JL Solution Scroobius Pip episode with Dane Baptiste Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview Jennifer L Williams is this week's guest and our first guest of Series 3. Jennifer is a leading thinker and advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. During this open, honest and expansive discussion Jennifer discusses why diversity, equity, and inclusion must be foundational to reimagining how we work and how we build teams, and move toward a more equitable society.In part one Jennifer discusses growing up as an only child in DC with her loving but over protective, successful Panamanian immigrant mother, she navigated the highly controlled home environment by immersing herself in writing and books. This ignited her inner creativity and set her on a path to focusing on becoming her best self. Jennifer reflects on the other foundational influences and people growing up, gratitude, anger and being responsible for one's own happiness and the second chances life gives us We also discuss immigration and inclusivity. She explains the transformational impact of attending a Landmark Forum course. Jennifer eloquently expresses the experience of establishing herself as a young black woman in corporate New York recounting her mother's sage words ‘you have to be twice as good to be considered half as competent.'We end part one as Jennifer discusses her experience of moving to New York and the caring safe environment she was welcomed into. In part two dive into Jennifer’s career and journey to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I hope you enjoy the vitality and vigor of Jennifer L Williams. Social LinksLinkedin Links in the showNew York. A DocumentaryLandmark CourseBob Wiesner The JL Solution Scroobius Pip episode with Dane Baptiste Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weeks bonus episode we go back to Episode 76 where we interviewed Carmen Medina - the ex-Deputy Director for Intelligence at the CIA.We pick up this episode where I ask Carmen about her perspective on the state of the World today and the direction we are headed. Carmen discusses the web of causality, our interconnectedness and her perspective on communications, and being heard in a polarized environment and she values failure. Carmen is a deeply reflective woman that lives by the principles of playfulness and kindness. I hope you enjoy this short dose of optimism with Carmen Medina.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest OverviewThis week we go back to Episode 30 with Co-founder of the Masters in Branding program at New York’s School of Visual Arts and host of one of the most popular and longest-running podcasts, Design Matters, Debbie Millman. We pick up the interview at 20 min where Debbie discusses the serendipitous events that have effects her path in life and we go from there. If you missed this one last year, Debbie’s great strength is her candor and vulnerability. Be inspired by this short insight into the life design of Debbie Millman. What We DiscussDebbie’s innate curiosityHow she interviews for attitudeThe transformative impact of coming out in her 50’s Her perspective on courageWe discuss Debbie’s periods of depression and despair We cover her principles Her views on failure The hard choices she has madeHer answer to our impossible questionWho we interview nextOn Social Twitter FacebookInstagram LinkedinLinks In The Show Debbie Millman Milton Glaser School of Visual Arts One of Us movie SUNY AlbanyProfessor Helen Regueiro Elam Speak Up Blog Hacking the American Mind Robert LustigAIGA Print Magazine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview B Corp evangelist Lorna Davis is a transformational thinker, leader, and visionary for why and how organizations can combine social, and environmental priorities with their financial imperatives to deliver improved business performance. As a highly respected coach, international speaker Lorna also serves on a number of boards to help them embrace meaning and purpose.Born in South Africa in the age of Apartheid, her education, parental guidance, curiosity, and worldly ambitions set her on the path to a stellar career in international business and marketing and finally leading Danone to become the first billion-dollar entity to become a public benefit corporation - welcome this week’s guest Lorna Davis.In this short bonus episode we discuss serendipity, education, diversity, divine intelligence, the joy of being human and how she uses curiosity as an antidote to pain, and her perspective on how humanity works.Oh and the quick-fire questions.I hope you’re inspired by the leadership values, heart, the humanity of Lorna Davis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview Ecuadorian born, she became an undocumented migrant at 13, founded United We Dream, the largest youth-led US organization, fighting to protect and defend the rights of undocumented immigrants at 23, a MacArthur Fellow at 33; welcome this week/s guest, social justice activist Cristina Jiménez In this double length episode, Cristina recounts the story of her upbringing, being born in Ecuador, her early memories of living through the political and economic turmoil of Ecuador in the 90’s.She describes her father’s athleticism and how his mental fortitude instilled resilience and determination at an early age and how her mothers empathy became a characteristic she embraced. She reflects growing up with an abundance of love and being unaware of the economic challenges her parents faced.Cristina discusses arriving in Queens New York as an undocumented migrant child unable to speak English in the summer of 1998. Early on she experienced the shame, discrimination and exploitation immigrants encounter and we discuss the anxiety and fear that exist for immigrants with no status. She discusses the added pressure and racial profiling she experienced following 9/11 and the hatred and discrimination that ensued. Cristina sets out how the narrative shifts and changes in the policy and politics of immigration led her to begin her social justice fight. She also describes the challenges she faced accessing further education, how her advocacy began using her pseudonym Sandra and how this experience gave her a taste of the power of community action. At 1 hour into the interview, Cristina begins to discuss the beginning of her United We Dream movement and it’s interconnectedness with other movements like Black Lives Matter. She discusses congressional inaction, detention camps, the lack of progress to create pathways to fix immigration status and why both parties are responsible for the impasse She discusses how she and her teams campaigning and public shaming of the Obama administration led to Obama to sign an executive order to protect dreamers in 2012We then cover the damaging effect of Covid19 on the indigenous, black, brown and immigrant communities, why they have been impacted more, the systems of discrimination and Cristina uses the example of Elmhurst hospital in Queens to emphasize the inequity and injustice facing minority communities. Cristina explains why her fight is a battle for the soul of the country, the possibility of change, her hopes for undocumented immigrants, her evolving role, and the future of democracy. We end with all our quick fire questions. I hope you are uplifted by the vitality, vision and courage of Cristina JiménezSocial LinksInstagram FacebookTwitter Cristina's personal Social LinksInstagramTwitterLinks in The Show United We DreamHomeland Security 9/11 Elmhurst Hospital  A house of my Own Sandra Cisneros Bon Jovi When they see usGreisa Martinez    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview Whether a startup founder, someone with a good idea that can’t get taken seriously due to gender, sex, or race, or if you're feeling jaded by the lack of passion and purpose in business; you’ll be uplifted by this weeks interview with Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage.John, Allyn, and Mark recently joined forces to launch a new purpose-driven investment firm and fuse their diverse skills in Marketing and Branding, Corporate Finance, Law, and Technology.In Part One of the joint discussion, we cover their collective yet wildly diverse upbringings on their path to purpose.All three guests discuss their first memories of their emerging sexual identities, their self-awareness and discovery, early ambitions, influences, motivations, goals and the serendipity or happenstance that set them on their life journeys.In Part Two, Mark, Allyn and John dive deep into their path to purpose with their new venture, focused on recognizing, celebrating, embracing, difference through investing in the under-invested and under-represented minorities. They discuss the alchemy and untapped power of difference, why true innovation will be born from diversity, and why they are reimagining the very core of their business model to break the traditional corporate structure.Mark discusses investing in purpose-driven businesses, common unity delivering for the three P’s of people, planet, and profit.Mark, Allyn, and John discuss the exciting opportunity to invest in new business ideas that will emerge post-Covid to solve the problems that have emerged, how new networks and communities will emerge.We also discuss the positive value of procrastination, their life mottos and we cover all our quick-fire questionsI hope you enjoy the ego-free honesty, passion, and purpose and common unity of Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage.Social LinksMark’s LinkedinJohn’s LinkedinAllyn’s Linkedin Allyn’s Twitter Links In ShowBritish Airways Heathers Zoom PBS Hob-nobs Maya Angelou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview Whether a startup founder, someone with a good idea that can’t get taken seriously due to gender, sex, or race, or if you're feeling jaded by the lack of passion and purpose in business; you’ll be uplifted by this weeks interview with Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage. John, Allyn, and Mark recently joined forces to launch a new purpose-driven investment firm and fuse their diverse skills in Marketing and Branding, Corporate Finance, Law, and Technology.In Part one the joint discussion, we cover their collective yet wildly diverse upbringings on their path to purpose. Allyn was born in the notorious Compton neighborhood of LA, grew up in a poor but loving family who nurtured and guided him to an education that enabled him to escape being another statistic.  Mark describes being born in Canada as a ‘welcome baby’. Moving to the UK at an early age, growing up in the private schooling system, his volatile and loud home environment conditioned him to ensure his voice was heard and prepared him to thrive in chaotic volatile work environments. John discusses being born into a loving quirky family and describes his upbringing as a container of abundance, scarcity, and boredom and how his early interest in academia. All three guests discuss their first memories of their emerging sexual identities, their self-awareness and discovery, early ambitions, influences, motivations, goals and the serendipity or happenstance that set them on their life journeys.In Part Two, Mark, Allyn and John dive deep into their path to purpose with their new venture, focused on recognizing, celebrating, embracing, difference through investing in the under-invested and under-represented minorities. They discuss the alchemy and untapped power of difference, why true innovation will be born from diversity, and why they are reimagining the very core of their business model to break the traditional corporate structure. Mark discusses investing in purpose-driven businesses, common unity delivering for the three P’s of people, planet, and profit. Mark, Allyn, and John discuss the exciting opportunity to invest in new business ideas that will emerge post-Covid to solve the problems that have emerged, how new networks and communities will emerge. We also discuss the positive value of procrastination, their life mottos and we cover all our quick-fire questionsI hope you enjoy the ego-free honesty, passion, and purpose and common unity of Mark Gilmour, Allyn Shaw, and John Basnage. Social LinksMark’s LinkedinJohn’s LinkedinAllyn’s Linkedin Allyn’s Twitter Links In ShowBritish Airways Heathers Zoom PBS Hob-nobs Maya Angelou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview Simon Wheatcroft is living proof that resilience is born from adversity, accepting that things will go wrong, not go to plan, and being prepared to embrace failure without fear. Having lost his sight at an early age Simon used running solo as his foundation to building an abundant life as a runner, motivational speaker, and now teacher.  In part one Simon discusses the impact of growing up in the 80’s, in a small coal-mining town in the North of England, and the devastating social and economic impact of the coal mine closures. He then takes us through his early life and journey to where he met the founders of Haptic Technology company Wear Works.In this episode Simon explains how he discovered the Haptic technology company Wear Works and how the combination of sensors enabled him to run races and sense people around himWe discuss the future advances using Lidar technology to create 3 depth maps of spaces and object recognition technology that will transform the lives of people with visual impairmentsSimon explains the serendipitous moments that enabled him to study clinical psychology, computational neuroscience, and AI in later life and led him onto the motivational-speaking stage. Simon covers resilience, dealing with adversity, fear, failure, and managing pain. Simon discusses the appalling and enduring employment discrimination against blind or partially blind people and reveals why he is changing his career to teaching and explains his passion to provide visually impaired children with computer science skills to live an equal opportunity life.Simon and I discuss accessibility and how web page metadata and hierarchies work.Simon also reflects on his wife’s enduring support.  And of course all our quick-fire questions I am sure you will feel uplifted, inspired and energized by the life story of Simon Wheatcroft.Social Links Linkedin Twitter Website Links in the show RunkeeperThe voice of Runkeeper Mind Hacks Book Tom Stafford Lidar technology Ghost in the WiresRNIB Employment Report Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.