Le Vital Corps Salon

During this episode, we discuss how she came to love opera and explore the impact of the word “diva,” including the meaning, the myth, and the potentially harmful impact of that label. We chat about the glamorous and not so glamorous sides of running a jewelry business. Plus, Sara opens up about several deeply personal topics like handling bullies and being victimized in the workplace, being your own self-advocate, and surviving emotional abuse at home.  I hope you delight in Sara's story of how she became the (jokingly) the “Mistress of Specialized, Unnecessary Knowledge.” Oh, and if you want a visual reference while you're listening to our conversation, check out Songbird Sara Jewelry on Instagram. You can find all of the ways to connect with Sara in the link + resource section below. Selected link love + resources from the episodeConnect with Sara: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedInCarmenIggy Pop and the StoogesJoseph CornellGaslightingOne Love Foundation (nonprofit) and the 10 unhealthy relationshi

Alice has participated in two historic flybys, which are billions of miles away. (The irony that I usually walk upstairs to work is not lost on me.) She's now the second guest who has graced this podcast from the space exploration community. Of course, we're going to talk about space exploration in this episode, but we're also going to talk about what has needed to work well among a team of Earthlings for it all to be possible plus the lessons that Alice has personally learned along the way.According to Alice, there are many ways to be involved in space exploration, including how to communicate with a spacecraft, the aspects of project management, and leading a diverse team. In fact, Alice shares openly about creating a safe environment for all team members to flourish, including the importance of excellent communication, listening without prejudice or agenda, and respecting and trusting your team's diverse expertise.When it comes to Alice’s journey, it took a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. S

Today, we discuss Claire's passion for sustainability, which happens to be a primary value at Hunky Dory. It’s the driving factor behind everything they do at the restaurant. As Claire explains, you don't need to be a scientist to create sustainable, effective processes. Inviting people to Hunky Dory's brand of activism in a non-preachy way is what she and her staff strive to do. We also take on the high and low points of adulting, creating a sense of inspiration by way of her food and drinks, and focusing on the human experience within the hospitality industry.  We recorded this conversation a few weeks before New York City would become a pandemic hotspot and effectively shut down, including Claire's restaurant. So far, Hunky Dory has pivoted and is hanging on. So, if you're near Crown Heights in Brooklyn, please grab some grub to-go. For you far-flung folks who dig Claire's low-waste hospitality initiatives, find the link below for Claire's GoFundMe campaign. Selected link love + resources from the episodeC

Kat holds an MFA in Metals from SUNY New Paltz and has over ten years of experience with CAD, 3D printing, and other fabrication technologies.Today, Kat is going to teach us all about 3D printing technology, the medical and educational applications of 3D printing, and digital design and fabrication. All extremely fascinating topics! Plus, we'll learn how she landed her dream job at the intersection of art and engineering. We'll hit on how she navigates some of her work obstacles and manages burnout. She poignantly shares about recognizing when opportunities arise and the importance of saying Yes bravely.Also, I wanted to give a massive shout out to the entire HVAMC team who immediately answered the call for more protective face shields for health care workers at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Selected link love + resources from the episodeConnect with Kat: WebsiteHVAMCSUNY New PaltzMediPrintWoodstock Farm SanctuaryPolylactic acid (PLA)Kickass Theme Music: “Things Are Ge

Eileen is an avid open source contributor focusing on the Ruby on Rails framework and its dependencies. If you are wondering what that means, don’t stress. We’ll break it down without overwhelming the non-techies among us. Eileen is passionate about scalability, performance, and making open source communities more sustainable and welcoming.While Eileen lives and breathes tech, we covered much more than 1s and 0s in this episode. She describes how she gets into the flow state and her approach to organization. We also explored topics surrounding social media and not falling down the email inbox rabbit hole. So, many people have been thrown into the role of working from home in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also discussed some of the disadvantages and advantages of working remotely. Think of this episode as some mental spring cleaning for your soul. There's a lot of practical advice that you can apply to your work and life. Selected link love + resources from the episodeConnect with Eileen: Website | Ins

Dipti believes in theater as a powerful lever for social transformation. From that place, she created HONOUR: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan.HONOUR has given Dipti a powerful platform to advocate for women's rights and engage others on wide-ranging issues pertaining to inequity and gender. We talked about how she’s created awareness around feminism and what she’s learned from the women who have been sex trafficked. These are just the accomplishments of Dipti’s creative pursuits. She also has a doctorate in Molecular and Cellular Biology and worked as a research scientist in the field of prostate cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for 10 years. Dipti is an energetic force of nature and persistently walks her creative talk with such discipline. She’ll also share the importance of not sitting around and waiting for opportunities to arrive. We also talk about acting, writing, and playwriting for social change. Selected link love + resources from the episodeConnect with Dipti: Website | Facebook |

Before founding Gracias, Deana was co-founder at strategic consulting firm, Agency of Trillions, which was acquired by Indiegogo in 2017. Deana is also an advisor to female-founded, travel startup, Allcall, and co-founder of CO, a co-working space in Rhinebeck built on a co-operative, community ownership philosophy. Deana really takes us to school, today. We take on democratizing cryptocurrency and generating financial empowerment for young women and teens. Oh, and if the terms Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are new to you - have no fear, Deana breaks things down in a very, easy-to-grasp way. I promise. Deana shares her experience as a non-tech startup founder - including some of the highs and lows of tethering to her "idea baby."  Also, we explore mindsets around money and generational wealth as well as scarcity and abundance.Selected link love + resources from the episodeConnect with Deana: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Podcast | Gracias on InstagramAllCallSupermoneySilk Road (bitcoin)Hudson Valley

Additionally, Dr. Holt-Lunstad has an adjunct professorship at Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Holt-Lunstad’s research is focused on the long-term health effects of social connection. In this episode, we dive into the many areas of Dr. Holt-Lunstad’s work, including the fraying of our social fabric, the impact of social (dis)connection on our physical and mental health, and the current cultural stigma around loneliness.  We dig deep into these topics. We unpack what it means to feel alone versus experiencing social isolation. We discuss how political divisiveness has led people to feel less connected to their communities, friends, and family. Dr. Holt-Lunstad does offer ways in which we can mitigate the fraying of or repair the fabric that brings us together by investing in social relationships and helping others.Selected link love + resources from the episode:Connect with Dr Holt-Lunstad: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Google Sch

Last year she and her husband, Mike, with their band, The Mammals, toured small folk music venues for a month in Australia as a duo with their two kids, organized two community music festivals back in Upstate NY, and recorded a new full-length studio album due out next summer.  Ruth is a dedicated folk musician and artist, but also works hard to study, shape, and share the musical, environmental mission of the Ashokan Center as the Director of Arts & Communication. This is where Mike and Ruth host their two annual folk music festivals, the Winter Hoot and the Summer Hoot each year. In this episode, the lessons that Ruth shared extend far beyond the scope of folk music. We talked about balancing your ambition beyond your craft, whatever your craft that happens to be. We also talked about leveraging patience and impatience as well as the importance of learning all sides of the business you are in. We also take on some mindset topics like how the power of music evokes emotion and how to connect with other hu

Leah co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim the ancestral connection to land for People of Color (POC). As co-Executive Director, Leah is part of a team that facilitates powerful food sovereignty programs - including farmer training for Black & Brown people, a subsidized farm food distribution program for communities living under food apartheid, and domestic and international organizing toward equity in the food system.Leah has been farming since 1996, holds an MA in Science Education and a BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University, and is a Manye (Queen Mother) in Vodun. The work of Leah and Soul Fire Farm has been recognized by a growing list of national organizations. Her book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land is a love song for the land and her people.In this episode, we cover insightful and significant topics related to farm, including farming tech and positive

Megan (aka Megz) has also been a friend and mentor. And as friends, we share a megaton of nerdy intersections.Our conversation takes a winding path, from career talk to being vulnerable and creative. We start things off by talking about how she stumbled into UX Design. Our conversation then switches to showing up in life with raw honesty. With some more twists and turns, we dove into the importance of shedding all our BS and forming strong relationships with people. Feedback seems to be a recurring topic here in Le vital corps Salon. Megz and I dissected this topic a bit more in this episode too. Specifically, she shared how she survived some pretty cruel and devastating feedback. Also, she shares how to stand up to “idea bullies” in the workplace. Because Megz is a creative human, we talk about how she came to be known as the "Painting Lady" and the nourishing aspects of having a daily, habitual creative practice. Selected link love + resources from the episodeConnect with Megz:  Website | Facebook | LinkedI

Meet Jingmai O’Connor. She's a professor at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoAnthropology (IVPP) in Beijing, China. After completing her PhD,  she moved to Beijing, where she has been working for the past 10 years. She became IVPP’s youngest full professor in 2015. Her research explores the evolution of flight in the Dinosauria, the dinosaur bird transition, and the biology of stem-avians (aka flying dinosaur birds). Jingmai is also an advocate for data sharing and equality in science. While we totally geek out on flying dinosaurs in this episode and other science-y topics, we also talk about dispelling misconceptions about living a life of science. Our conversation is a great example of how someone - like Jingmai - brings her whole self to work. We dig (pun somewhat intended) into fossil-finding and how moving to China was so important to her career as a paleontologist. We also explore highly transferable lessons from surviving academia, releasing the emotions from criticism/feedback, and ho

Aja believes that a successful community is not made up of individuals working separately, but of individuals working collaboratively on all fronts. Through her work at Good Work Institute, she helps to unite individuals, enabling them to come together and work for the greater good.  Today we're going to talk about some of the things Good Work Institute (GWI) is doing like the creation of emerging models of organization. If that term is new to you, don’t worry we’ll get you up to speed. Also, Aja and I encourage you to explore this topic further if it piques your curiosity. We also talk about GWI’s mission towards just transition to help with a fair shift to an economy that is sustainable and equitable for all. As usual, we turn to personal development topics, too. Because while it’s important to talk about the big topics, it is equally important to understand how and why guests, like Aja, got to where they are today.  Aja shares about her journey to establishing her own identity (becoming more than “mom”), h

In her previous roles as executive assistant for a major cannabis brand and as a compliance manager for Humboldt Brothers, a network of medical marijuana production firms in Northern California, she gained expertise in local regulation and state legislation. Seeking to unite her commitment to climate change and regenerative land management, she worked as a research and lab contributor assistant at Hudson Carbon before joining Hudson Hemp.Inspired by a childhood spent on organic farms, Melany is motivated by the potential of cannabis as the future of food, fuel, fiber, and medicine. She brings a savvy and focus to her role as VP of Brand Development at Hudson Hemp and now Treaty. We geek out on farming, specifically regenerative agriculture. We talk about her roles at Hudson Hemp and Treaty, plus how she got involved working in the cannabis/hemp industry. We take on rituals and what benefits they create for her. Of course, we talk about cannabis - the industry as a whole, the various choices of cannabis for th

At her company, Sustainable Energy Economics, she consults on energy policy for local, state, and national governments as well as environmental organizations.Evelyn is also the founder of a project here in the Hudson Valley called Commonwealth Hudson Valley. It’s a web publication promoting a more just, democratic, and sustainable economy in the Hudson Valley and beyond. She also serves on the board of the start-up Kingston Food Coop. She is the co-author of Cool Tools for Hot Topics, a resource guide for leading group processes. If that wasn’t enough cred, she has a PhD in Ecological Economics from Rensselaer. Evelyn shares a wealth of information when it comes to climate change and creating a sustainable economy, which are just two of the many reasons I invited her to join me in le salon. I learned a ton during our conversation and hope you do, too. We dig into climate change and energy policy work, specifically what it is and why it’s so very important to our world today (and for our future). Evelyn walks

Susie's extensive experience in arts, museums, festivals, and heritage includes roles with Historic Royal Palaces, Artichoke, and Battersea Arts Centre. In 2016, she was producer of London’s Burning, a festival to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, including London 1666, a 120-metre-long sculpture created by hundreds of young Londoners, which was spectacularly set alight on the River Thames. In 2018, Susie became a Commissioner of Historic England.Susie and I talk about creating space and exploring the human impact of conflict through art. The irony of touching that last topic today on September 11th is not lost on me. It hits me in the feels and takes me back to a very sad, but life-changing, time in NYC for me.   We also dive into Susie’s role at Imperial War Museums, because seriously, it’s an incredibly fascinating role and not entirely shocking that Susie's in it when you learn more about her zigs and zags. We also discuss the role of museums in the public space and as perspec

Like many women to grace this podcast, Patti is no stranger to burnout. She’s grown Awestruck Ciders as sole owner-operators with her partner and has been adding staff, ramping up production, and impressively increasing sales. Patti’s got some amazing insights from the experience. She’s even implemented a few anti-burnout “rules” that we’ll unpack. Blind spots at work aren’t often discussed. Today, we consider what they are and how to navigate them from Patti’s experience. In fact, blind spots led Patti to her realization that sometimes founders just don’t make the best CEOs. At points, she’s thought about walking out of her own company and opens up about that for us to learn.Also, it’s easy to get caught up in clocking long hours at work like it’s a badge of honor. Yet, we fail to see how that badge of honor can be incredibly toxic to ourselves and the people around us. Towards the end of the episode, Patti shares with us how Awestruck is set to do some good, regenerative work. Selected link love + resources

After a distinguished legal career spanning more than two decades in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, Krishna has joined Grace Farms Foundation. She has worked with global leaders and international organizations to identify ways to combat human trafficking in conflict as well as ways to create more transparency in global supply chains. This is part of her work at Unchain. Krishna came into my orbit when I went to see a talk she moderated at Grace Farms. Krishna is so generous with her knowledge of these complex issues in her various talks and in this episode, too. In this episode, we hear her story and dig deep into modern-day slavery. We look at awareness issues, what she is doing to combat them, and what we can do to take action. Krishna and I also discuss the divide between our consumption of goods in the North and how that correlates to modern-day slavery that is happening in countries in the southern hemisphere. We explore transparency - where it’s needed and how to create it.

Carmen's story as a heretic and change agent at CIA is featured in Adam Grant's bestseller Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. Carmen is passionate about many things, but namely intelligence analysis, strategic thinking, and the diversity of thought and innovation. In this episode, Carmen and I talk about the culture of the CIA and why she surprised many of her friends in the 80’s with her views. As the self-proclaimed “Analyst of Little Things,” Carmen breaks down what that means and how it has helped her in the world of intelligence analytics. We also talk about handling pushback when introducing new ideas and how to be an effective change agent, or rebel at work.  Selected link love + resources from the episodeConnect with Carmen on social media: Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | InstagramRebels at Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within by Carmen Medina (book)RecoveringFed.comCIA siteGeorgetown UniversityCreative Confidence by Tom Kelley (book)Ludwig Wittgenstein by Ray Monk (bo

Sometimes, I unexpectedly bump into a guest at an event, conference, or randomly out in the world.  Other times, a friend, like Andrew over at the Sounds and Vision podcast, will suggest a guest because they know who or what will make me geek out - like today’s guest, Katharine.Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist to some and a self-proclaimed Jezebel of climate change. Her research focuses on understanding what climate change means for people in the places where they actually live. (Breathe! She’ll describe what that means in this episode in a non-science-y way for us layfolks). As a first time beekeeper and lover of long walks in nature, climate change is definitely something I think (ok, worry) about on the regular. Katharine’s also the host of the PBS digital series Global Weirding. She's been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and Fortune’s 50 world's greatest leaders. In this episode, we talk about climate change, including how it’s affecting those of us living in Northern