The Impossible Network

Ok this is our first weekly bonus roundup where we share some of our discoveries from where our curiosity has taken us.Starting with A Podcast we loved Making sense with Sam Harris - episode 163 Sam has a fabulous interview with British comedian, writer and award show host Ricky Gervais - Ricky is a breathe of fresh air and excludes common sense as speaks with clarity and brutal candorhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-sense-with-sam-harris/id733163012?i=1000444315356We found this online PR agency Porter Noveli published new report on Purpose and Gen Z. It’s well worth a read if you want to understand this generations' expectations of brands, their social impact and purposehttps://www.prdaily.com/what-purpose-driven-companies-need-to-know-about-gen-z/This was recommended to us by our upcoming guest Joshua Spodekhttps://www.drawdown.org/Project Drawdown is a world-class research organization that reviews, analyses, and identifies the most viable global climate solutions, and shares these findings with the world. You’ll be surprised how simple some of them are Movie of the weekGame Changers If your not vegetarian or vegan watch this and be prepared to re orientate your view of what you eat and how you live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpglxHTJVMMulling on...Could we go zero waste ? Reduce the endless packaging that results in recycling and increase composting in the most efficient manner? after watching Bea Johnson I think I could it’s a wonderful insight into how we live and how we could live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmfDTtduRh4A tool we are usingEver wanted to have Instagram accessible and useable on your desktop and be able to easily add a post or story, The Grids App does just that. We love it. https://gridsapp.net/This weeks podcast This week Roberto Rabanne - the photographer of some of the most iconic musicians and artists over the last 5 decades and the only photograther to have shot all of the legendary 27 Club. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/050-roberto-rabanne-photographer-icons-imagining-better/id1448602773?i=1000457197944 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest OverviewBorn in Panama, raised in Brooklyn from age 13, a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, a self taught photographer who’s captured iconic images of music, art, and fashion for over 5 decades, is this week’s guest Roberto Rabanne.   In part two we delve into how Roberto continues to evolve his career into new multimedia expressions of his art as well as his pursuit of a new entrepreneurial venture that’s centered around the development of hemp-based products and in particular a new supercar the Rabanne 420. I hope you enjoy the humor, eloquence, generosity of spirit and expansive vision of Roberto RabanneWhat we discuss His reinvention of his archive work in new mediumsHis creative partnerUsing his imagery on Leon SpeakersHis evolving business modelInspired by blotter acid paper   His Off the Grid Flat Pack House inspired by Phillip Johnson’s Glass House Rabanne 420 Hemp Car HyperCar Henry Ford Hemp Car Expanding his work into Hemp material development Imagination to make it happenThe impact of climate change and Hemp as a solution Conscientious Objection to the Vietnam War Social LinksInstagram Links In the ShowGreta ThunbergRichard Avedon Guy Bourdin Helmut Newton Alex Liberman Henry Ford Hemp Car Henry Rollins Testing a Hemp Car Claudia Berk Noah Kaplin Phillip Johnson Glass HouseWhole Earth Catalog Stewart BrandMandela Gavrilo Princip The Heart of Darkness  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born in Panama, raised in Brooklyn from age 13, a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, a self taught photographer who’s captured iconic images of music, art and fashion for over 5 decades, is this week’s guest Roberto Rabanne.  In part one of this 2 part interview Roberto recounts the experience of growing up in a racially charged 1960’s Brooklyn, his self-directed education and passion for reading, the impact of his mother and aunt, and how his early exposure to Motown and the Beat culture led him to embrace photography as his preferred form of self expression.Roberto discusses the experience of being at the heart of documenting the 1960’s counter-cultural movement and the writers, artists and musicians he worked with. We also explore the commonalities of the movement with what we are experiencing with the emerging environmental movement and youth leaders like Greta Thunberg.We also discuss how his curiosity for people lead him to photograph musicians from the Grateful Dead, Dylan, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison, Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, Amy Winehouse, Sade, and Gaga. In fact he’s the only photographer to have shot all members of the 27 Club - those iconic and groundbreaking musicians who died at the age of 27.Finally in Part One Roberto explains how his career pivoted into fashion when a serendipitous encounter led him to working for the legendary Alex Liberman of Conde Nast.          I hope you enjoy the humor, eloquence, generosity of spirit and expansive vision of Roberto Rabanne.Thanks to previous guest Alessandro Armillotta for the recommendation and connection.What we discuss Coming to New York as a 13 year migrant from Panama Growing up as an only child in Brooklyn in a balkanised community How reading and a love of Russian literature saved him Becoming involved in the counter cultural movement His early exposure to music and MotownMeeting members of the beat generation How seeing a Bresson print made him realize his photography future How he worked in a store to save for his first camera How he gravitated toward music photography Moving to Sf and his experience of psychedelics Living in the same house as Neil Cassidy Seeing the Grateful Dead and becoming friends with Gerry Garcia His willingness to sit in the background and observe Being acceptant of everyone Documenting culture How the counter cultural movement is still playing outThe impact of the movement and that moment in time His views on micro-dozing How he’s using his back catalog to create new artistic expressions The people and bands he shot The 27 club Being curious about people kept him relevant His switch fashion Pivoting in 1979Working with Conde NastSocial Links Instagram Links in the Show West Side Story MotownAllen Ginsberg Dostoyevsky Tolstoy Henri Cartier Bresson Yashica 2.25 Neil Cassidy The Grateful Dead Jimi Hendrix Craw daddy Rolling stone East village other Greta ThunbergRichard avedon Guy Bourdin Helmut Newton Alex Liberman  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest OverviewBorn in England and raised in Italy by a trend-spotting mother and entrepreneurial father, innovation infused his education, welcome this week’s guest, and founder of social impact and sustainability start-up AWorld - Alex Armillotta. In this episode, Alex discusses how his childhood prepared him, how his father coached him and his mother inspired him to his life as an e-commerce and now social impact entrepreneur. Alex explains the evolution of his entrepreneurial journey in eCommerce, how his experiences led him to conceive and launch the innovative social impact and sustainability eCommerce app, AWorld. Alex breaks down the elements of this ground-breaking app and provides insight into how AWorld enables people, companies, and organizations to collectively invest in creating a more sustainable future for our planet.I hope you enjoy the conviction, faith, and focus of New York-based social and environmental entrepreneur Alessandro Armillotta. What We Discuss  Moving to Italy age six Alex’s comfort with difference His Father’s approach to educating him and supporting his self-discovery Underperforming at school Early entrepreneurial risk-taking Dropshipping explained Creating his most successful business Buy2BeeAffiliate marketing explainedBuilding and scaling eCommerce businesses Building and selling his technology business Being hired and moved to New York  Gaining insights from China and learning about affiliate marketing Building a tech company in Italy How he started to connect the dots and form a plan How he first conceived the AWorld ideaThe importance of making a sustainability impact and not just profit The core elements of the AWorld application Where the AWorld application could goHis quick-fire questions and answers What he has learned from Tommy Hilfiger Social LinksAWorld Linkedin Instagram Links In The ShowJuventus Tommy HilfigerBuy2BeeShopifySustainable Development GoalsWeChatDQ Institute Commonsense media Books Contagious This is MarketingStorybrand Show Chernobyl Karaoke SongWonderWall Oasis  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview Born and raised in Nigeria to a family of five high achieving siblings, educated in the US, recipients of the prestigious King Baudouin African Development Prize for social entrepreneurship are this week's guests, sister Bilikiss Adebiyi Abiola and brother Wale Adebiyi We discuss how their parents commitment to excellence in education and the sacrifices they made to send them to University in the US, provided the platform for their subsequent success, and we explore how their parents guidance instilled in them the work ethic, self-belief and determination to succeed. In this engaging episode Bilikiss and Wale discuss the serendipitous journey to launching and scaling Wecyclers - the innovative waste management start-up based in Lagos, Nigeria as well as their ambitions for its future development. Bilikiss discusses how the idea formed whilst studying at MIT, and how her fledgling idea has scaled to become a fully operational social enterprise, that is not only tackling Nigeria’s waste crisis but is providing the residents of Africa’s largest city a convenient and incentive-based opportunity for recycling and provides low-income households a chance to generate income from their waste.Since its inception as a student project in 2012, Wecyclers has since recycled 4,000 tons of waste, served 15,000 households and now employs 125 workers. Wale explains why in 2016, he gave up his successful career in the US to return to Nigeria to help his sister scale Wecyclers, which now collaborates withpublic agencies like the Lagos State Government, and partners with corporations including Coca-Cola, DHL, and UnileverIn this expansive discussion go on to discuss the challenges facing African continent, philanthropy, the role of social enterprise, addressing poverty, the environment and the need to fundamentally rethink capitalism.  We recorded this while Bilikiss and Wale were visiting the US as a result of winning the coveted - which rewards outstanding contributions to development in Africa, initiated and led by Africans. I hope you enjoy the inspirational story of inventiveness and commitment to social impact with Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola and Wale Adebiyi of WeCyclers.What we discuss  - Their parents commitment to education - The sacrifices and compromises their parents made - The dual roles they player - Their father’s belief that anything is possible - Their mother’s discipline - The serendipity of getting into a US university  - How Bilikiss made it to Fisk University  - Awakening to the challenges and competition in the world - Mentors beyond the parents  - Their mother’s self belief and commitment  - Surviving MIT Sloan  - Joining social enterprise class that led to the idea for WeClyclers - How Bilikiss created a Wecyclers as a pilot in 2012  - The support she had from MIT Staff  - How Wale returned to Lagos to help his native Nigeria  - His path to joining Wecyclers  - We discuss the scale and growth of Lagos and Nigeria  - The operational model for Wecyclers  - How they have gamified the business model - The lack of infrastructure in Lagos - The supply chain they are building - The Impact investment challenges  - The economic impact for the community  - Value creation  - Winning the King Baudouin Award  - Building Markets and Values  - Scaling the model  - Bilikiss’s optimism  - Wale’s skepticism - The environmental imperative - Rethinking capitalism and what winning means  - New forms of consumption  - Reimagining Education  - The impact of curiosity Social Links Twitter FacebookInstagram Wecyclers Links in the Show Florida State University Umist Fisk UniversityLagos Nigeria FactFile Muhammad Yunis King Baudouin Award Anand Giridhard... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview Jeremy Heimans - a child activist, a McKinsey strategist, founder of social movement agency Purpose, TED speaker, and co-author of NY Times bestseller New Power is this week’s guest We start with Australian born Jeremy reflecting on how the combination of his immigrant parent's backstory and his voracious interest in politics led him to become a globe-trotting child activist at age eight. We discuss how this nontraditional upbringing helped him develop skills most children would not, the profound effect on his character development, his idealism and the impact on his life trajectory.He explains his decision to study at Harvard and work as a strategic consultant at McKinsey were examples of him using institutional power without being institutionalized.Jeremy Heimans explains the early origins of his movement-building in Australia - the political activation movement to challenge the status quo, Get Up. Subsequently, he then dives into why he formed Purpose - a social impact business that builds movements and uses the power of participation to affect positive change in the world. Jeremy goes on to discuss the principles underpinning his best selling book New Power and we discuss how these new power values and dynamics are being used by both New Power and Old Power institutions. I hope you are stimulated by the insights, vision, and purpose of Jeremy Heimans.  What we discuss His early upbringingBecoming a child activistHis parent's impactHow he built his first movement GetUpWhat he gained from studying at HarvardThe value of working at McKinseyForming social movement activation agency Purpose How Purpose is structured and operatesHow its Labs workWriting the book New Power Old power defined - used as a currency New Power defined - works like a current How the world is evolving and embracing both sets of valuesHow serendipity affected his journeyCuriosity and the creation of the new Spotting gaps and starting things His quick-fire answers Social Links Purpose AgencyTwitter TEDLinkedinLinks in the show David Madden GetUpPurpose,New Power - How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World - and How to Make it Work for You.ACLU New Power HBR   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Overview In Part two of this interview with Carmen D'Alessio, the New York nightlife legend, impresario and co-founder of what is often referred to as the greatest club of all time; Studio 54, we explore the untold story of the nightclub’s formation. We start the interview with Carmen recounting her second marriage and leaving Italy and working for Valentino in Rome to return to NYC to build her ‘Queen of the Night’ reputation. If you’ve seen the 2018 Netflix documentary on the infamous nightclub you’ll hear the other side of the founder’s story on how the sensational nightclub came into existence.Carmen also recounts her memories of those unparalleled 33 months of hedonism, having her mother around her and how the era ended and the world changedWe also cover how she’s continued to reinvent herself and nightlife experiences around the world Finally, we cover her quick fire questions and answers I hope you enjoy the wit, wisdom, and wonder of Carmen D’Alessio. What we discuss:How she moved into fashionBeginning her career as a nightlife promoter How a 1976 bicentennial party reported in the WSJ got her on the map How she met Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell and her collaboration with their Enchanted Garden ended up in TimeHow she was forced to invite them to collaborate when her Studio 54 backer dropped out The evolution of their business arrangement and how that saved her from jail How the day to day operation workedHer superpower of connecting people Spontaneity and living without consequences How Aids changed everything Building her list of 8000 names How nightlife has evolved as she has agedCarmen’s evolution Staying young, her sense of adventure and freedom Her mother’s lust for lifeAcqua fit in her 70’sConfronting conventions The Gospel according to CarmenHer feeling of youthfulness Being thankful Her principles Establishing an environmental foundation Her patience and faith Links in the Show Steve RubellIan SchragerBaby BrasaAndy Warhol Imelda MarcosFederico Fellini Infinity club Enchanted Garden Sterling St JacquesGrace Jones BasquiatCher Michael Jackson Keith Haring Las dos lunas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week I had the immense pleasure of sitting feet from the greatness of Don McCullin. I managed to ask the final question of the evening.http://www.howardgreenberg.com/exhibitions/don-mccullin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest OverviewBorn to Peruvian father, and Chilean mother, but grew up to become a legend of New York nightlife, impresario co-founder of Studio 54, and to this day not only continues to reinvent herself but also entertainment experiences, is this week’s guest Carmen D'Alessio.  We recorded this interview in Carmen’s apartment back in July 2019. With windows open the sounds of the Manhattan provide a suitable city soundscape. Like recent episodes this is a two parter Part one, Carmen recounts the story of the enduring influence of her mother, escaping her controlling father, her early years in 60’s New York, meeting her first husband, and her magical wedding experience with Salvador Dali as her acting godfather. We skip the sensational Studio 54 story, and cover that in Part 2. But we end part one with how Carmen has remained queen of the night, and now day, with her sun-downer concept in partnership with NY based Tao Group, and more recently with Pervian concept restaurant Baby Brassa. I hope you enjoy the entertaining and age defying energy and passion of Carmen D'AlessioWhat we discuss:The impact of her upbringing Her father’s upbringing from a wealthy Peruvian familyThe influence of his life view on her upbringing The positive impact and influence of her mother The serendipity of her mother and father meetingDeveloping her own identity through her languagesMaking a move to New York in the early 60’sPower of her connectionsBuilding an influential network from her first week How she met her first husband Carmen’s inclusive view of lifeHow she has reinvented herself from the queen of the night Delivering great evening experiencesHer relationships with the Tao Group and Baby Brasa Links in the Show Carmen D’Alessio Guy Burgos Lady Sarah Russell Edie Sedgwick George Hamilton Salvador Dali Baby Brasa Tao Group PhD DowntownMarc Packer   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Guest Overview Futurist and humanist Caroline Chubb Calderon thinks a lot about what it will mean to be human in the age of intelligent machines. This child of the world that grew up speaking five languages and learned what it meant to be human at an early age from a mentally-ill mother and an inspirational father, gives us a glimpse into how we might just reimagine the future of humanity.   In Part-Two of this interview we explore Caroline’s perspective on how we recapture our humanity The imperative for businesses to invest in helping people rediscover their humanity, to lead as custodians of this world and lead for humanity. The wisdom we need to develop, what it means to be human and the empathy to be able to hear other people.  We discuss her perspectives on the forces that are shaping our future, the possibilities and risks in an AI-driven world, the need for a global moral compass, and so much more... I hope you enjoy part two of this optimistic but contemplative exploration of humanity in the age of AI technology.   What we discuss Her focus on driving more human intelligence and intentionalityThe three human competencies - imagination, insight and inspirationFor imagination - engineering moments of unstructured time with curiosityThe importance of connecting to nature to unlock creativityFor Insight - the ethical and moral reasoning and express your values The understanding mindfulness For Inspiration - communities of people to come together and be human togetherThe leadership capacities to paint a visionary future Building trust, community and safetyBuilding with early movers Why companies can not afford to invest in this The negative economic impact of human replacement by Robots and MachinesHow she is creating a path for industry leaders to followThe lack of thought around the implications AI advances The lack of a picture of what humanity could look likeCaroline’s perspective on the future of educationThen we do our quick fire questionsSocial LinksLinkedin Links In the ShowCenter For Humane Technology Hello Humanity Invisible Woman BookBetween The World And Me Tina Kelly  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.