"I came across this word Maven." - Why Nikki chose to name her company Sales Maven.  

"Am I going to be standing here talking to the same people in 10 years?" - What inspired Nikki to leave her sales career and start her own sales coaching business.  

"I'm going to write a book while I'm job hunting." - How Nikki got started writing her first book during a career transition.  

"Sales is something you do with people." - Nikki's tips on how to approach sales with confidence in your expertise, the importance of connecting with people, and how to make the entire process less awkward.

For full shownotes and access to Nikki’s free eBook Closing the Sale visit mavensdoitbetter.com

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“I fell into music and entertainment through a completely different world.” 

How a devastating loss spurred KC to reevaluate her career in fashion and led her into the music world launching the Spice Girls. 

“I look at brand as more of a quality and really explaining what your quality is.” 

From Brittney Spears to K-Pop festivals, helping people identify with the music they love and creating memories is the driving force behind KCs work branding artists and producing events. 

“I got really focused on it when I started working with the Whole Planet Foundation. “

After years working in the music management industry, KC began working with the Whole Planet Foundation and helped food brands and the music world come together for philanthropic purposes. 

"We ended up talking to Food Network and figured out how to shoot the show during COVID." 

KCs work managing the Potash Twins and shooting The Takeout Twins during COVID and how things are starting to transition back to live. 

"We're hoping to open it up to fundraisers." 

After losing her home to the fires, KC and her husband are rebuilding it as a tribute to her late father-in-law, architect Irving Tobocman, and their plans to use it as an event venue as well as a home. 

"I am the proud mother of pretty incredible people."  

KC's 16-year-old daughter Zoe launched the charity Queens in Need to support drag queens during COVID. 

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"We had 17 events planned for last year and we got 1 done." - Debbie's work with ShareThePoint and the Digital Workplace Events in the Asia/Pacific region and how they've adapted during COVID. 

"This stuff's pretty cool, I can figure that out." - How a weekend at the beach reading Access for Dummies sparked Debbie's passion for tech and started her on a career in it. 

"There's this other side of me that's not just tech." – How speaking at events and an early interest in self-development led Debbie to write Work-Life Balance My Arse! 

"Balance implies that you have to be in the middle." - One of the topics Debbie takes on in her book - magic doesn't happen in the middle – identifying what matters most in the moment and changing the balance to achieve that goal without swinging too far and losing all control. 

"Looking at the results I was getting and knowing the results were based on the meaning I was giving something." - How learning the why of her actions and choices has helped Debbie spark change in her life and career and seats her in who she is now. 

Tune in to hear their conversation on: "I was kicking around this idea of working with women who took breaks or wanted to do something different." – How Nancy and Sarah Duenwald met and formed the Swing Shift.  

"COVID hit and we needed a hard, fast shift to digital." – Shifting how their services were offered when in-person events and coaching were not feasible with a focus on building community and guidance without 3-hour zoom calls.  

"In January women lost 156,000 jobs and guys picked up 16,000 jobs. So, it's a net loss all at a working woman's expense." - The overwhelming impact of COVID on women in the workplace and what needs to change to fix it.  

"When it's time to go back it may have been years since they have looked for a job and they don't really know how the game is played." - How Nancy's Back to Business book and e-course guide people through the entire process of returning to work and finding a job at their own pace.  

"Don't let them funnel off – keep them in." - The Swing Shift's latest offering, Career Break Initiative, focused on helping companies recruit and retain employees and build loyalty with the company by developing support programs and benefits to allow career breaks for employees.  

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and more.

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"I went into menswear to start off with." - How a brief stint in retail led Andy to take a government-funded programming course and begin his career in tech.

"The user is the most important aspect of any transformation program." - Andy's work with HPE and their many initiatives that focus on the human side of tech internally and with their customers.

"She asked me to join that organization in my spare time." - How Andy became involved with Pocket Angel, a not-for-profit digital platform helping those experiencing homelessness, rough sleepers, and the socially disadvantaged.

"We pivoted the app quite quickly." - How the lockdowns spurred Pocket Angel to shift how they delivered the donations their users contributed.

"If you really analyze your life you can probably find five to six sliding door moments." - A mentor early in his tech career taught Andy to focus on the people using the tech which has been a theme throughout his career.

For more visit mavensdoitbetter.com

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"It's not just SharePoint anymore." 

Stacy's work with her company Focal Point Solutions, an end-to-end SharePoint and Microsoft 365 firm, and how it has grown and evolved to keep up with Microsoft's fast development cadence. 

"What's that extra little thing we can do and have fun with it?" 

As an organizer for SharePoint Saturday Cincinnati, Stacy is heavily involved in the community. Hear about upcoming plans for the event, post-COVID and why they plan it for Halloween weekend. 

"How do we use the technology we own to do that?" 

Owning a company that has been remote for the past nine years Stacy shares how she helped clients make the transition to remote work with tech and leadership advice. 

"I tested out of my first computer class my second week in." 

Growing up in a rural area, Stacy's access to computers was limited, but an introductory class in college inspired her to pursue a degree and a career in tech. 

"Always plan for unexpected growth." 

Stacy's advice to entrepreneurs: build for the future and not just the time to be prepared for the worst case and the best case. 

"If I didn't play sports I don't think I would be the same person I am today." 

Surrounded by brothers, sports became a central part of Stacy's childhood and the lessons she learned through them are what seats her in who she is today. 

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for more.

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"I call them Emily's Cliff Notes."

How Emily uses her blog and micro topics to help businesses and people with Microsoft 365 user experience.

"Give them the set so they can spike it there."

From speaking engagements to her work with the PnP community, why Emily believes continuously learning and sharing those lessons is important to the community and invaluable to the individual.

"Sharing is Caring."

Emily's work with the PnP team to remove barriers and encourage first-time speakers and GitHub contributors.

"I grew up typing in MS-DOS commands before I could write, but it never seemed like a thing I was going to do."

How a screen share mishap led Emily into a career focused on tech.

For full show notes visit mavensdoitbetter.com

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"We decided to keep that sustainability theme in our minds."

Inspired by running a used Sari drove in Texas, Rachana and Sahana developed Silk Sense, a men's apparel line focused on creating luxury items that are sourced and produced sustainably and also supports artisans to keep traditional crafts alive.

"She brings in all of the art side, the fashion design side, and I bring in all of the tech side."

How Sahana, a fashion business major at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Rachana, a computer science major at UT Dallas, use their different skills to build Silk Sense.

"There's so much we can do to help this world."

Born in the US but raised in India, Rachana and Sahana learned early on the importance of community and service to others.

"We both unanimously agree that it's our mom."

How their mother's unrelenting support and guidance has helped seat Sahana and Rachana in who they are now.

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and more.

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Originally it started as a PowerPoint company. - How OnPoint Solutions got its start as a PPT building service to a training and adoption practice for all of Microsoft 365 and the new problems clients are facing with their new remote workforces.

The journey that you often have in your career is never really straight in that you do jump several different careers to land on what you are passionate about. - Kirsty's career path from traveling salesperson to various temp positions that led her to tech and founding her own company.

Living a life of no excuses. - How Kirsty learned that keeping a positive mindset helped her bring her family up and build her business even when times were tough.

Understanding your journey and your path and knowing what to brush off and what to standup for. - From fighting burnout and reassessing priorities to facing the challenges of being a woman in tech - Kirsty shares lessons learned.

For me it’s the strong women in my world that I want to be better for or that I want to help show the way. - What seats Kirsty in who she is now.

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 "We're about helping them construct the path to get there." - Ron's work with Navalent, a boutique consulting firm helping the C-level navigate transformational change. 

"The pandemic was a great awakening for leaders about what it really takes to unleash the best in people and sustain that, versus trying to wring the most out of people before they die ." -  The importance of human focused leadership in surviving crisis situations and massive change. 

"Honesty is not a personality trait, it’s a muscle." - A dive into Ron's upcoming book To Be Honest, Lead with the Power of Truth, Justice & Purpose - shares inspiring stories of leaders who model what honesty really means alongside actionable steps to build honesty and trust into your culture. 

"Everything but death is revocable." - How a few words from his mentor act as Ron's northstar and taught him to lean in and take the risk.  

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That comes from my mom.  

Hailley's introduction to food and cooking from her "perfect home cook" mother and how that inspired her.  

It definitely started by accident.  

How HomeCooked came to life.  

The whole landscape completely changed.  

Days away from shooting the pilot for HomeCooked the series before the first shutdown hit, Hailley had to reset and shift to adapt her plans to the new normal.   

I'm seeing that this is a creative opportunity in disguise.   

How Hailley became the Cheese Executive Officer for Wisps.  

That’s what I genuinely thought would be my career path.  

How Hailley shifted from working as a confidence coach for men to becoming a food personality.  

That was a defining, validating moment to combine your authenticity with your marketability.  

Getting her first MC job as the Quiz Princess seats Hailley in who she is now.  

For full show notes and more visit the episode page.

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"It was an accelerant."

How the pandemic shifted our focus to how the tools serve us to build healthier workplaces and patterns and brought wellness to the forefront.

"We're never getting to the bottom of our to-do list."

The evolution of business process automation and how the low code/no code revolution has opened doors to traditional and non-traditional developers.

"I'm literally a lifer."

With an early start at the age of eight programming cash registers for his dad and his first job in computer repair at the age of 12, Richard's career in tech was supported by his parents and inspired by curiosity.

"I was able to translate bad documentation into better things."

How Richard's career transitioned over the years and led to consulting and podcast hosting.

Our tools are simply amplifiers of our behavior. - Heather and Richard get into the human side of work and share experiences of how teams succeed and fail.

"I'm not going to put energy into things I do not want more of."

How the birth of his second child was the catalyst that pushed Richard to take charge of his career path and drive it in the direction he wanted.

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"I work in an area with two things people hate." - As Chief Confidence Creator Karin works to help people build confidence in public speaking and being on camera.

"I loved being able to hear everybody's different stories and that's where I found my joy." - Karin's career in media starting out at a local CBS affiliate and then up to an NBC owned and operated station in Providence, Rhode Island where she earned an Emmy for her documentary special needs adoptions.

"I think I can help people to do this better." - A growing family led Karin to move out of the broadcast world and into the executive coaching world.

"I went form training the executive team to the entire enterprise." - How COVID has affected her work and the projects the company has developed to keep up with the new demand.

"You kind of need a guidebook when you're in this new modality." - With the sudden switch to remote work, Speaker Dynamics  saw a huge demand shift from coaching executives to coaching the entire company. This inspired Karin to team up with Dr. Joseph Allen to write Suddenly Virtual: Making Remote Meetings Work, a data-based guide to virtual meeting best practices.

"People need to be more intentional about the kind of work that is being done in these meetings." - Why "This could've been an email" needs to be thought about before scheduling virtual meetings to prevent "Zoom Fatigue". She also shares a couple of quick tips to ensure you show up as your best at your next virtual meeting or presentation.

Thank you to all of our guests, listeners, and supporters - you stories, ears, and cheers keep this podcast going.

With this episode we are closing out 2020 and hope you'll listen in next year when we return.

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"We're sort of living in this moment of uncertainty." - The effects of the pandemic on couples and individuals and how they are coping with lockdown and a contact-free society.  

"How come there's no graduate program for sex?" - Dr. Tammy's career journey from art therapist to relationship and sex therapist.  

"Set up a sex date." - The importance of creating time and space for sex and erotic anticipation in your relationship.  

"We change and grow as people and we develop in a relationship." - Why Dr. Tammy recommends couples create and continuously update a Monogamy Agreement so their implied assumptions don't get the better of their relationships.  

Visit the show page for full show notes and more!

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“I've never been a big fan of that word.” - Dubbed a Bracketologist, Jerry explains the basics of what he does and how he blends the data with behavioral science to make his predictions for NCAA Tournament selection and brackets as well as College Football Playoffs.

“I kinda put the geek in sports geek. But, when I'm on television I can't really geek it up too much because people's eyes will glaze over.” - Jerry's work at CBS Sports on and off the screen.

“I never thought anybody would care about this.” - With the goal of developing his programmer skills, how Jerry got started with sport predictions and took it from a hobby to a career.

“It's hard to social distance on a football field.” - Predicting during COVID and how it has impacted college athletics and the communities built around them.

“We got bought by one bank too many.” - How getting downsized in 2002 from his banking job pushed Jerry to pursue his passion.

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and more.

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My world got turned upside down in March - How a mention in a presidential press conference shifted Carolyn's work into high-gear supporting their COVID-19 initiatives like Project Baseline providing testing sites and Healthy at Work helping businesses and schools return to work safely.

Empowering our scientists with some communication skills would be very valuable right now. - How a BS in Biology led to and supports Carolyn's work in communications and the importance of both.

Collecting, organizing, and activating healthcare information. - Verily's work to build tools that collect better data, organize it so knowledge can be extracted from it, and develop interventions and tools to support care and research with a focus on preventative and value based care.

Going in with a flexible mindset and the desire to learn as much as possible. - Carolyn's advice to young people looking to go into communications and finding one's career path.

Striving for something that's bigger than us, and this bigger beauty, and something we can achieve in our own power. - Reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand in high school left its mark on Carolyn and permeated her life.

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and more.

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"Skepticism is not the same as cynicism, which is not the same as denialism." - James' work with the Center for Inquiry and what the goals of the CFI are.

"Oh, man, it's convoluted." - How stand-up comedy, filmmaking and playwriting eventually led James to a career at the CFI.

"We get the least amount of time and have to exercise the most patience of anyone on the show" - From calling out psychics to debunking flat-earthers, James often appears as a guest on TV programs as a skeptic, often leaving him feeling like the wet blanket.

"It's basically the same set of things that you value for humanity." - James breaks down what atheists, humanists and secular humanists are.

"The scientific world's PR people have not been the best over the years." - How skeptics get a bad rap and why they are so important, especially in these times.

"And I proceeded to lie me a$$ off to him." - How being held back in Sunday school and his first confession sparked the skepticism that drives him now.

Visit mavensdotibetter.com for full show notes and more.

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"Handmade products for Happy People" - The inspiration behind Zoe's playful jewelry and accessory line Happy Goods.

"I think I have an additional passion besides Harry Potter." - How Zoe started designing at the age of 15 and decided to pursue that as a career.

"There should be an evolution in your life journey." - Zoe's family believe you will have three careers in your life. How doing something you are passionate about, does good in the world, and being able to make a living at it will build and grow throughout your life leading to multiple career paths.

"I couldn't see smiles anymore." - Bringing joy and color to her mask designs and how the pandemic forced her to shift her business model.

"Any sale for me is really not about the dollar, it's really about the person." - Use code "welikeyou" for 10% off your order. If you are a healthcare worker or first responder message Happy Goods for a personal discount code good for an entire year.

"Life doesn't give up on us." - Zoe's belief that you'll always get opportunities to do what you are passionate about and how she tries to listen the first time.

"What you can do is you can love people." - The amazing advice from Zoe's mom given to her at a young age and how that sparked her to bring happiness into people's life and is at the foundation of her business and her life.

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"The only kilt I ever owned." - Joel's history with Heather and the original Microsoft SharePoint team and his career journey in IT.

"I look at her and she has a smirk on her face." - The importance of mentoring and allyship in Joel's career and life.

"I reserve the right to be smarter tomorrow." - Joel's journey understanding his privilege and learning from others to continue to grow and how allowing yourself to be vulnerable, while scary, is an integral part of the process.

Connect with Joel

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/joelf

Twitter - JoelTF

Joel Frauenheim

Joel Frauenheim is a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft. He started his career at IBM, and then joined USA TODAY to help kick off USA TODAY Online. After initially joining Microsoft as a developer in the Internet Products and Tools group, Joel joined Visio and then back to Microsoft when Visio was acquired. Joel was involved with building up the SharePoint Products and Technologies partner ecosystem.

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"Every moment is a choice." - How experiencing homelessness as a child taught Stephanie that building her dreams required her to choose that every day. This practice inspired her book and coaching practice, Succeeding with Passion, which helps people, no matter their circumstances, find their passion and build their life around that.

"It's hard for us to sit in that duality, the 'yes, and..'" - Stephanie's take on hero worship and cancel culture and how finding the human connection will help us address and heal social inequalities.

"How do you give people the space to grow?" - How the murder of George Floyd ripped off the mask and shield she wears as a Black woman and live openly and authentically and inspired her to begin working on the Grace and Space project to help foster communication and understanding across the racial divide.

"A year ago in October, my life changed completely." - Hearing Deborah Eden Tull speak at a women's retreat and reading her book, Relational Mindfulness, sparked Stephanie to operate in the world that is happening in this moment.

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"I started a puzzle company since I no longer had an income." - The pandemic has hit artists hard and Tony is no exception. How he started a puzzle company recreating his art to help people pass the time.

"The best assets we have are each other." - How the art community has been impacted by SIP orders, including Tony's gallery The Dime, and how the community has come together to support one another.

"My work struck a certain nerve." - Tony looks back at his career and how it has evolved and continues to do so with a little inspiration from collaborating with his kids.

"Why don't you do this art thing for a hobby?" - How advice from his dad inspired Tony to go all in as an artist.

Visit www.mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and more.

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"I obsessively had to can everything." - How Laura's midwest upbringing and California's perpetual fresh fruits inspired Laura to begin making jams.

"I basically opened up for an article." - After receiving the Best of LA award for her jams, Laura turned her jam making passion into an online store and wholesale business.

"I wouldn't sell anything I wouldn't eat myself." - From ingredient sourcing to family memories, what inspires Laura's jam creations.

"I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for that." - A serious motorcycle accident spurred Laura's community to put on a benefit concert which sparked her to live and act with gratitude.

Visit mavensdotibetter.com for full show notes and more.

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"I knew the struggles." - Growing up with a single working mother inspired Dave to get involved with the Women's Movement and how he uses his connections to amplify the message.

"Life in the City of Angels" - Dave's passion for sharing stories with his work and the books he is working on.

"Nobody really knew what dyslexia was." - How Dave's struggle with dyslexia as a young man and an understanding teacher led him to photography and documentary filmmaking.

"There's this world over here that they're not talking about or discussing." - Dave's observations as a freelance photo journalist at Standing Rock and the Middle East on how the mainstream news media is failing to deliver real news.

"I kinda fell into it." - How Dave's work on the Wide World of Sports at ABC led him to work as a freelancer in the Middle East and his experience with PTSD.

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes, transcripts, and more.

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"The world is rocking. We have to be intentional to make sure we don't fall." - Chevonna shares her experience as a therapist and an ER psychiatric liaison during a global pandemic and a global awakening.

"People with the most hurt were led to me." - Chevonna's passion to be of service and the importance of self-care.

"Not everybody is meant to be in every season of your life." - A discussion about understanding Love Language and Love Cups and how they can be used to better your interpersonal relationships.

"I was absolutely determined to change that." - Chevonna's experience as a Black woman working in a field built on the theories of white males and how she uses her experience of the world to educate and open pathways for understanding and change.

"What you feed will grow." - How hope and the belief that restoration is possible helps spark Chevonna and seats her in who she is now.

For full show notes, transcripts, and more visit mavensdoitbetter.com.

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"Revealing something unique and unexpected." - Kristin's journey from the advertising world to starting up Juel Concepts, an incubator and music marketing/management firm.

"You can call it hustle, I call it proactive." - Kristin's approach to doing business and moving the needle for her clients.

"We all need to be a litmus test for what feels right." - Taking an authenticity focused approach to building brands for musicians.

"Understanding music and tech and where the brand fits." - How the pandemic has effected the music industry and using this time to deconstruct and reconstruct and building the Uncut Juels community.

"Why didn't someone give this to me earlier?" - How the book The Great Work of Your Life sparked Kristin to pursue her passion.

Full show notes, transcripts, and more available at mavensdoitbetter.com.

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"I want you to be the first." - Chandra's family legacy of firsts and how that inspired her in her many careers.

"I didn't want to take money from people who didn't have it." - The many twists and turns of Chandra's career journey (addiction counselor, stockbroker, non-profit organizer, Certified Learning and Performance Professional, music and entertainment consultant).

"How do we move forward as a country?" - Chandra shares her and her family's experiences with racism, privilege, law enforcement, and her thoughts on how education, empathy, and unity will move us forward.

"When I feel the world I have to shut down." - How Chandra (aka MC Chela) uses poetry and spoken word performance to relax, reset, process, and grow.

For show notes, transcripts, and more visit www.mavensdoitbetter.com

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"Sorry Starbucks" - What inspired Leslee to develop the Savor-it bar - a savory protein bar to boost you up.

"How food makes us feel." - Focusing on what food does for your body when shopping and cooking for herself and her clients.

"Right work done well." - How Leslee incorporates Karma Yoga into her work and life.

"Smiles beneath the mask." - How COVID-19 has changed how we source our food and offers us opportunities to connect with one another.

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"It's painful now, but good will come of it." - How COVID-19 has effected the in-person event industry and the opportunities for positive change she is seeing.

"It's just a cool place to deploy my skills." - Therese's career journey from finance to event procurement and why she is passionate about her work.

Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center - Making time to volunteer with littlebit.org and why non-profits need whatever financial assistance we can give them right now.

"Grit, tenacity, and optimism." - How growing up poor seats Therese in who she is and what she does now.

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"I think I was Enterprise Content Management." - Ryan's early days at Microsoft working on SharePoint and how he got from New Zealand to Redmond.

"The things I build have to be meaningful." - Ryan's passion for product and his thoughts on developing and promoting it.

"Empower people to do what they do, better." - Ryan's "Why" and what sparked his passion for it.

Find full show notes and more at www.mavensdoitbetter.com

In this episode Heather interviews Emely Varosky, illustrator, graphic designer, and writer.

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"The first day I drew that cat…" - Developing her illustration style with a little inspiration from her cats.

"My left hand is a supporting character." - Emely shares how she works as an artist and the tools of the trade to create and promote her work.

"Draw every day." - How a sketch book gift from her husband reignited her passion for drawing and helped her put in the hours.

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and transcripts.

Producer's note: This episode was recorded pre-quarantine.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

"Jeff Teper's Server under the desk." - How Joel got his start at Microsoft and got the moniker SharePoint Joel.

"We're finding tater tots somewhere!" - The early days of the Microsoft tech community and how it has grown.

"Make that leap." - Joel's love of travel and how he is using his travel blog Traveling Epic as a platform to inspire others.

Joel365, the myth, the legend- How Joel became Joel365 and turned a blog into his personal brand.

"Community makes the world so much smaller." - Joel shares some of his experiences where work and travel came together and how community made that connection possible.

Full show notes and transcripts available at www.mavensdoitbetter.com

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"On the heels of Colin Kaepernick" How the More in Common podcast got started and found it’s mission.

"Being intentional with what you put out there" Thoughts and tips on developing personal brand and marketing.

"Community of entrepreneurs" Building community and swapping strengths.

"It’s our friendship" The spark that keeps it all together.

Show notes and more available on www.mavensdoitbetter.com

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Let Your Freak Flag Fly - How Claudia took a game played with her friends via text message to Facebook to build community, connection, and have a little fun during the lockdown.

Slow Down and Reset - Taking the time afforded to her during quarantine to flex her creative muscles and dip into her extensive vintage clothing collection.

Always Hire a Professional - Claudia shares her experience as an attorney as well as a small business owner and what sparks her to do what she does.

Full show notes and transcript available at www.mavensdoitbetter.com.

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Don't just join, be a part of it: How the Microsoft Partner community can help you build your business, collaborate, and synergize with other companies.

Lend your voice: Nikkia's work with Voices for Innovation, a Microsoft-supported political advocacy task force focused on developing citizen advocates and championing public policies that foster innovation, support business growth, and enable technology to address societal challenges.

Lessons learned: The importance of sharing the hard lessons she learned as a female entrepreneur to help others on their journey.

Why can't you do that?: How access to STEM at an early age sparked her passion for computer science and support from her husband helped her pursue it and get where she is today.

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The Most Meaningful Gift - How a birthday gift from his girlfriend inspired Andrew to launch Tribute.co, a web application allowing users to create collaborative video montages.

Authentic Emotion - From family/friend tributes, to employee recognition, to customer testimonials - how tribute videos transform how we connect.

The Power of Service - The driving force behind Andrew's work, career journey, and life.

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What am I going back too?: Quitting her job via text from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and how that led to her working in the corporate accelerator space.

Vulnerability is not a weakness: A key phrase from a business coach that helped inspire her career and work towards positive change in the tech industry.

Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not: Annie's work with Microsoft for Start-ups and supporting founders who are working towards opening doors.

That's a great piece of tech looking for a problem to solve: Why Annie thinks a successful startup needs to solve a problem rather than just make cool tech and tech's role in preserving and supporting indigenous cultures and our planet.

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Butter for the Bread: Why Nina decided to pursue a career as a voice actor.

VO From Home: How technology has changed the work lives of voice actors.

Creativity Mogul: Nina's currents creative projects: writing her memoir - Evolution of a Voice, and her plans to start a podcast to take listeners on a sonic journey.

Take a Moment: Advice on meditation from a practicing Buddhist and mediation coach.

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An Introvert's Guide to Teaching: How Andrew's passion for educating developers and natural introvert tendencies led him to found Voitanos.

Mastermind: How he stays accountable and focused on his goals.

Marketing Yourself: Andrew's tips for entrepreneurs on building your brand and marketing your ideas. Plus his favorite tools for getting the message out.

The Dogs Can Hear It: Why Andrew (and his kids) will never use Tiktok.

Connect with Andrew: 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/andrewconnell

GitHub: https://github.com/AndrewConnell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewconnell

Blog: http://www.andrewconnell.com

Voitanos LLC, Founder, Chief Course Artisan

Website: https://www.voitanos.io

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/voitanos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voitanos

Podcast: Microsoft Cloud Show, Founder & Co-host

Website: http://www.microsoftcloudshow.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mscloudshow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MicrosoftCloudShow

Tiktok Privacy Article: https://rufposten.de/blog/2019/12/05/privacy-analysis-of-tiktoks-app-and-website/

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

#HumanizeHealthcare: Jamey's work with Cloudbreak to create disparity solutions with the goal of ensuring health equity for underserved patients.

Entrepreneurial ADD: What led Jamey to the healthcare industry and his thoughts on navigating the challenges of healthcare entrepreneurship.

Why not me?: Jamey's advice for entrepreneurs to focus on the 1 or 2 reasons something will work versus the 100's of why it won't work.

#Pinksocks: Why he wears them and the important connections they help create.

In this episode Heather interviews tech maven Michelle Gilbert, Technical Specialist at Microsoft from the Twin Cities, MN.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

You should learn these things: How a laptop from her brother took Michelle from fine art major to a developer.

Fear of change: Michelle's take on the problems companies are facing when it comes to the digital workplace.

It's not about you, it's about you giving back to them: How Michelle found her voice as a speaker at the Twin Cities User Group and why she remains active in the Twin Cities Microsoft community.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

"What A Girl Wants" - Shelly's first big hit she wrote for Christina Aguilera and how everything has to align for that success to happen.

Confessions of a Serial Songwriter – Shelly's book, which garnered her a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album and what inspired it.

2.0 etc... - What drove Shelly to decide to record her 1st album featuring new approaches to her well known hits as well as 5 never recorded songs.

Music's digital transformation – From the economics to how music is produced and promoted, a discussion on how tech has changed the industry.

As long as I've got one – What sparks Shelly to keep creating and how self-doubt is part of the process.

Connect with Shelly:

Website - https://www.shellypeiken.com/

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

If you can't say it, you can't call it that - How her books The Get it Done Diva's Guide to Business and Brand Me! came about.

The Elements of Momentum - The five stages Marianne uses with The Women's Business Momentum Center.

Permission to Change - How missing a hot yoga class was a wake-up call for her and led her to give herself permission to change her mind.

Paul the Plaster Who Likes to Get Plastered - What inspired Marianne to make the move from England to LA at 19 years old and the how she started her first business and became a coach.

Living Consciously - How her struggle with alcohol addiction sparked her to discover what she really wanted in life.

As a gift to our listeners Marianne will send you a free copy of one of her books, Brand Me! Mastering the Art of Business Story Telling or The Get it Done Divas Guide to Business with the purchase of an annual Ignite Your Life and Business Membership from The Women's Business Momentum Center anytime before May 31, 2020. To receive this gift enter Creative Mavens in the How did you hear about us box.

To connect with Marianne:

Website www.womensbusinessmomentum.com

LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/marianneemmajeff

Twitter @getitdonediva

Facebook @MyWBMC

Marianne Emma Jeff

Marianne Emma Jeff shows professional women how to stop binging, burning out and bi-passing success. Instead she invites them to increase their productivity, performance and profitability by micro managing their happiness instead of their action.

Originally from Nottingham, England, Marianne spent 30 years pushing herself towards success and instead feeling burnt out and overwhelmed eventually pushing herself into sickness and depression. After decades of using alcohol as a tool to forge forward her body finally said enough and Marianne was forced to hear the wisdom of her soul. Leaving behind her alcoholic unconsciousness Marianne stepped forward with Momentum as she slowed down, tuned into feeling good and Ignited her life and her business into the success she had sought for so long.

If you are ready to ditch burnout and tune into fun it’s time for you to experience the magic of MOMENTUM, The Get it Done Diva (aka Marianne Emma Jeff), will show you how to IGNITE your Life and Your Business with tools, inspiration and strategies to become a rock star in your life. Marianne is the CEO of The Women's Business Momentum Center, a two time #1 Best Selling Author and award winning speaker on productivity, performance and business story-telling.

Mavens Do It Better original theme music composed by Jesse Case with voice over by Julia Francis.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

From St. Petersburg to Brooklyn: Raya's career as an artist and designer has led her all over the world.

Community is Everywhere: The importance of community for artists and how she has found it through the many arts organizations she has been a part of like Burning Man and Park Slope Windsor Terrace Artists.

Wabi-Sabi: What inspires Raya's paintings.

Working Artist: How Raya balances her design career and her time in the studio.

To connect with Raya:

Website - https://panimau.com/

Instagram - @_rayart_

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raya-dukhan-398b32/

Behance - https://www.behance.net/rayadukhan

Park Slope Windsor Terrace Artists - https://www.artspswt.com/

Transcript

Raya Dukhan

Raya is an artist and designer originally from St. Petersburg, Russia.

As an artist, in her painting, she is currently exploring self-journey by peeling away and adding layers with different mediums and textures to unmask the core of the truth. Her brilliant colors and textures go beyond the flat surface and allow you to experience another dimension. Her inspiration comes from nature, travel, the people she meets, and the adventures that she encounters along the way.

As a designer, she began designing web pages in the mid 90’s in Seattle, WA; working at dot coms and learning emerging web design technologies. She has played several different roles in front-end design since, currently doing UX design for IBM.

Raya lives, works and exhibits in New York.

Mavens Do It Better original theme music composed by Jesse Casewith voice over by Julia Francis.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

The Swing Shift – Nancy's company focused on helping women move their career in a new direction or return after an absence.

The SharePoint Wars – How Heather and Nancy worked together on the original SharePoint team and why kilts were involved.

That One Chance – The impact of small moments in Nancy's career that helped inspire and propel.

Return to Work – With technology fueling massive changes in how we work, how does someone prepare for the new landscape after an absence? Nancy's recommendations and how her attitude to new tech helps keep her open and ready for change.

Episode 62 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Rachel Ann Mullins, actress, producer, director, and podcast host.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

No Filter – Rachel's podcast No Filter Friday from Public House Media, covering the #metoo movement from inside Hollywood.

"I need to go to this" – What sparked a Midwestern girl to pursue a career in modeling and acting.

Lies Are Pretty – And the truth stings. How Rachel uses her platform to get down to the nitty-gritty of uncomfortable topics like sexual assault to make positive change in our world.

Rachel

Twitter - @RachelAMullins

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rachelannmullins/

Instagram - @rachelannmullins

No Filter Friday Podcast

Website - https://www.publichousemedia.org/no-filter-friday

Facebook Live - Public House Media

Shame on You Documentary

https://www.facebook.com/ShameOnYouDoc/

Rachel Ann Mullins

Rachel lives in Los Angeles where she wears many hats as an actress, producer and director. Her most recent project is a 27 episode web series. Rachel also appeared in a 6 page pictorial in the January 2020 issue of FHM magazine. She is also the host of the long running podcast No Filter Friday on Public House Media where she covers all things #metoo from inside Hollywood.

Antje and Heather caught up at the Modern Workplace Conference Paris.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

User Adoption – How the topic has grown and why it is so important to understand the human aspect of it.

From Hospitality to Technology – Antje's career journey and how one person saying "Yes" helped her pivot from business administration to IT.

Only You See the Mistakes– How knitting helps her not only unwind, but has taught her to accept and learn from her mistakes rather than obsess over not being perfect.

To connect with Antje:

Twitter - @AntjeLamartine

LinkedIn

Xing

Transcript

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

Cutting Edge Healthcare IT - Elaine's work with Microsoft in the healthcare realm developing machine learning and AI tools to help healthcare professionals focus on the patients rather than the paperwork.

Self-proclaimed "Natural Born Geek"- How Elaine got into tech at a young age and why she is a Superstar of STEM and a SheEO activator.

What Sparks Her – Her work helping to build Nintex and how the experience inspires her to this day.

Build a Better Bot – Why making bots seem human may be missing the point completely.

To connect with Elaine:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Transcript

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

The "IT of No" - the negative effects on business and employee growth when organizations are resistant to technological change.

Improv theories in business - turning teams into ensembles to ensure projects keep momentum with "Yes, and" attitudes and creating environments where listening, experimenting, and learning are encouraged.

From anthropology to technology to Zen temple building – Greg's origin story and career journey spans the gamut.

The power of vulnerability – how sharing our stories and hearing the stories of others builds community, stops us from comparing our internal to other people's external, and builds engagement.

To connect with Greg:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Transcript

Note from the Producer:

In this episode it may at times sound like we are unwrapping candy, we wish we were. We experienced some recording issues that were not caught at the time and while I’ve cut the worst of it, there is some I could not get rid of.

Annelise and Heather caught up virtually from Alameda, CA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

Best moments and lessons learned from the WerkIt Festival.

A year into running a podcast, what we’ve learned and are still learning, how it came about, and where we see the show going.

The tools (hardware and software) we use for recording, editing, and promoting the show, and some tips for those who want to start one of their own.

To follow Heather: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

To follow Mavens Do It Better: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

To follow our marketing consultancy, Creative Maven:

LinkedIn | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Transcript

Tools we use:

Audio recorder – Zoom H4n Pro https://zoom-na.com/products/field-video-recording/field-recording/h4n-pro

Podcast hosting and website - https://www.squarespace.com

Sound editing - Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org

Audiograms - Headliner https://www.headliner.app

Episode graphics - Canva www.canva.com

Analytics - Chartable https://chartable.com Blubrry www.blubrry.com

Transcripts - Temi https://www.temi.com

Nicole and Heather caught up virtually from Santa Monica, CA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

· Nicole’s background in speech therapy and how a friendship in middle school sparked her interest in helping children find their voice.

· The impact of going into a child’s home versus a more clinical setting with Speech Within Reach on the day to day lives of the children and their families.

· How assistive technology like the cochlear implant and text to speech apps play a part in her therapy and the lives of her clients.

· Nicole’s love of theater and improv and how being the goofy one as a kid led her to an acting career.

· Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and getting hit with HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) which led to a rush down the mountain to save her life.

Transcript

To connect with Nicole and Speech Within Reach: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Speech Within Reach Los Angeles Website | Facebook | Twitter

Shona and Heather caught up virtually from Redmond, WA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

· Shona’s background in crisis PR management and how that led to her developing the Diversity and Tech community.

· Why her team has decided to re-pivot Diversity and Tech to Humans of IT and their plans for Microsoft Ignite 2019 and beyond.

· What inspired her to pursue a career in tech as a young woman in Singapore and where that journey has taken her.

· How to get involved with all the amazing communities and programs coming out of Microsoft to make not only the workplace better, but the entire world as well.

Shona Bang

Shona is a Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft who leads the global Humans of IT Community where thousands of technologists around the world get to connect, learn from one another and develop the art of being amazing #HumansofIT. Whether it’s through sharpening their professional skills, finding tech mentors or gaining inspiration through the plethora of Tech for Good stories on the platform, Shona is determined to foster a community that helps people be their best selves and learn to harness their tech superpowers for good. Having lived in three countries and spending the last seven years in various roles across Microsoft including crisis management, public relations, marketing and technical account management, Shona is a seasoned professional who is focused on helping make the tech industry a kinder, more inclusive place for all.

Transcript

To connect with Shona: LinkedIn | Twitter

Humans of IT – Microsoft Tech Community

Community Mentors Program – App Download

Maarten and Heather caught up virtually from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

- Maarten’s background in technology from his start in university learning about video technology systems, web development, and starting to work with SharePoint in 2000.

- Working with Microsoft technologies for 20 years, and what he loves about focusing on communication and collaboration and how Microsoft Teams has been a game changer in that field.

- Being a teenager in the Netherlands and developing a love of house music and music technology. Experimenting and getting serious about making tracks and pushing the limits of BPM.

- What to expect from both Maarten and Heather as Community Reporters for Microsoft Ignite in Orlando, Florida coming up in November.

- A chat about what equipment Maarten uses for filming short videos and how he can set up for semi-professional filming in one to two minutes.

Transcript

To connect with Maarten: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | The O365 Apps Show

Mari and Heather caught up virtually from Green Harbor, MA, and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

Mari’s experience creating her business CreateWriteNow that was launched from her losing feeling in the side of her body from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and needing a way to take control of her health and learn to write with her left hand.

The power of journaling, using pen to page and how Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way helped her learn about childhood issues and her love of music which lead to her creating her business and her fourth album.

The process and technique of Journaling for The Health of IT uses writing to help individuals focus on their thoughts and inner self to encourage awareness and improve overall health and success in life while building the thriving relationships we all yearn for in our lives.

Why journaling works, therapeutic journaling, in fact, and how it is different than keeping a diary, how traveling back through our past as adult not to relive but to revisit from an observer perspective and explore issues to discover and in some cases recover your true self.

Transcript

To connect with Mari: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

Mari L. McCarthy

In 1998, Mari lost the feeling and function in the right side of her body. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) took them from her. The doctors weren’t helping, so she began a journey to take control of her health. It wasn’t easy for her. She had to learn to write with her left hand. But she dedicated herself to daily ACTION and began a journaling practice known as Morning Pages. She could never have anticipated how powerful and effective this process would become.

As she continued her writing practice, her MS symptoms improved. But, more important, he discovered, uncovered, and recovered her True Self and even tapped into talents she never knew she had.

Best of all, she has developed a compassionate relationship with herself and inner serenity. She started CreateWriteNow to share her methods, expertise and passion for her Journaling For The Health Of It™ to people across the globe who want to master their life challenges and thrive.

Allison and Heather caught up virtually from Chicago, IL and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

- Allison’s years of experience working as an event producer for Microsoft, Columbia College, and The City of Chicago and how the industry has changed over the years.

- This year's theme of ‘Chicago Theatre’ for the Arts in the Dark Parade, one of a few evening parades in the world that is exclusively artists, highlighting all the wonderful organizations in the city of Chicago. Coming to you Saturday, October 19th.

- What it is like to produce an experiential event and a rundown of the numerous arts and cultural organizations that are part of and have been a part of the parade for years.

- Her volunteer work with the Burning Man HQ space on the playa called Everywhere Pavilion that provides information about Regional Communities and events, Burners Without Borders, Black Rock Solar and how people can be involved year-round with the organization as well as her volunteer work with her regional community.

Transcript

To connect with Allison: Instagram | LinkedIn

For more information and to attend: Arts in the Dark, Chicago, Illinois

Saturday October 19, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, produced by Luma8 - State Street and Lake Street to Van Buren.

Allison Gerlach

Allison is a senior event producer and connector that excels at creative collaboration and executing interactive and spectacle events for 100 to 100,000 attendees. She has international experience producing conferences, meetings, live events, and trade shows for Fortune 500 clients including Microsoft and Sony. Allison is an accomplished and nimble onsite event coordinator, project manager, event host, emcee, and on-camera interviewer. Her technical skills include recruitment of artistic organizations and volunteers, leading and integrating multiple teams, video production, and talent procurement. Allison is a Kentuckian turned Chicagoan.

Johnny and Heather caught up virtually from Houston, Texas and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as they talk about:

Johnny’s experiences serving in the US Navy as an electrician and how that transitioned into a career in tech.

His career working in the oil and gas industry helping businesses with SharePoint and Office 365.

Where his hashtag “learn it all versus know it all” came from and why it is important to him.

How he manages organizing the Houston SPUG and SPS Houston, traveling around the country as a speaker, working full time, and ensuring he spends time with his most valuable pursuit – his family.

To connect with Johnny: Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter

Transcript

Johnny Lopez

Johnny is a passionate evangelist who attributes his professional experiences, technical expertise and real-world SharePoint and Office 365 experience with organizations. He served 10 years in the U.S. Navy serving on 2 Aircraft Carriers (USS Eisenhower & USS Nimitz) as an Electrical Work Center Supervisor. He graduated from the University of Phoenix of Houston in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Systems. Johnny has been working in the SharePoint community for the last 10 years.

Lise, Christina, and Heather caught up virtually from Stockholm, Sweden and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Lise, Christina and Heather talk about:

The origin story of Lise and Christina finding each other during a job interview, finding a soulmate at that moment and coming together to create the WITGirls podcast with their global reach - sharing challenges, struggles, and what’s new in technology.

A discussion of social media handles, where and when Lise, Christina, and Heather met during the European SharePoint Conference in Stockholm, and what the heck a banaisen is, with some giggles about the term “fanny pack” in many languages. A talk about bucket lists, Burning Man and what sparks both Christina and Lise.

Lise and Christina’s excitement in talking about new features and information on Office 365 and SharePoint and sharing the how and why of these products on their podcast. They talk about solving business problems with Office 365 and SharePoint and how we can make people’s days better. They discuss stories from their consulting practices, client issues all illuminated by their many years of experience working in the tech industry.

What is means to be a part of a community and to contribute to it with a podcast and both of Lise and Christina’s origin stories coming up in technology. Their take on diversity, inclusion, pay equity and the opportunities they both have had and reached for in their careers.

To connect with Lise: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

To connect with Christina: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

WitGirls Podcast: Website | Instagram | YouTube

Transcript

Note: Burning Man, to be clear started in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco.

Lise Rasmussen

Lise Rasmussen is an Office 365/SharePoint consultant who has worked with SharePoint for more than 15 years in many different roles. This year she made her debut as a speaker at the SEF conference about hub sites and Teams and loved it! Lise started WitGirls Podcast in 2017.

Christina Gibson

Christina Gibson is an Office 365/SharePoint Consultant focusing on business analysis together with building solutions. Her driver is to transform business needs into technical solutions in Office 365 Services and SharePoint On-Premises.

Sasja and Heather caught up virtually in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Sasja and Heather talk about:

The state of end user adoption and how companies can use different methodologies to improve digital literacy and how many people scratch the surface in how they use their computers.

A chat about Heather’s trip to Rotterdam to come participate in an end user adoption workshop there with Sasja and a discussion of different streams and exercises that can be used to support the user adoption.

Our meeting in South Africa during SPS Johannesburg and Sasja’s awesome session on Co-Authoring Documents in Office 365, not only the technology and features but the human side and how to change behaviors.

Her beginnings wanting to be a history teacher and finding her way into IT after seeing how technology was influencing education and writing her Phd. on the subject. Moving further into IT as a consultant and specialist in end user adoption and change management expert.

To connect with Sasja: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

Transcript

Carron and Heather caught up virtually in Chicago, Illinois and Marina del Rey, California.

Listen in as Carron and Heather talk about:

The state of art, artists and public policy in the city of Chicago and cities around the world. How Carron has been working as an advocate for fair wages for artists and how others can contribute to support and create policies that support artist access to funding opportunities and equitable stipends which can facilitate a deeper connection between artists, their cities and audiences.

A dive into Carron’s Spare Rib project where she creates poetry based on one-on-one interviews with women from the ages of 20 to 100 that culminates in a performance for the participants, their families, and the public, weaving people, poetry, and place and expanding the notion of intimacy between strangers. Carron’s idea for Spare Rib came after Barack Obama invited three UN Delegates to come to the US to investigate the quality of life for women in America. They presented their findings in the spring of 2016 and their findings were grim. They discussed the lack of childcare provision, healthcare and wage equality for women in America impacting a heightened rate of poverty in the female population compared to our European counterparts. Carron has developed this project in five cities and culminates the work in an operatic/vocal performance, she continues to be brought into cities to replicate this project, most recently Spare Rib, Revisited.

A reading of one of her poems from the Spare Rib project called The Long Road and a chat about her process from taking written notes during her one-on-one interview to formulate the structure of the poem, and how through continued research, performance, and edits she formulates the final version.

A look into 2020 and the state of how we treat each other and how art helps support the fight for equality. Growing up in a political activist family combined with her supportive professors at University and one amazing lunch with a group of phenomenal women continued her love of being an artist and activist for women and all humans.

To connect with Carron: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIN | Twitter | Carron Little Portfolio Website | Out of Site Website | Out of Site Chicago Twitter

Transcript

Alcial and Heather caught up virtually from Newdigate, Southeast, United Kingdom and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Alcia and Heather talk about:

· Alcia’s background working in technology and her views on being part of the team and bringing her best to the table while assisting with the tech initiatives inside her company and her love for what she does. She shares about a new initiative at HPE called Wellness Friday where employees can log out three hours early to take some time for themselves and how she has been using that time to connect with friends, read a book and enjoy some downtime.

· A look into Alcia’s origin story for Pocket Angel. When she saw more and more “rough sleepers'“, people who are homeless and very visible on the street, in her community. She wanted to do something for them when they are asking for help. She came up with an idea to create an app that would allow people to give vouchers to a rough sleeper or charity partners to gift to the homeless on one’s behalf. With the app, one can select food, accommodation, or a hygiene product to donate. She discussed how she got the app built, garnered the support of HPE, and will be launching this coming Autumn as a pilot in Brighton, UK with plans for expansion.

· How Alcia blends work, charity, life, speaking and traveling. Working for a company that supports her values and how employers are choosing better options to support women, diversity, inclusion, wellness, and balance.

Transcript

To connect with Alcia: Instagram| LinkedIN| Twitter

Pocket Angel Website| Facebook| Twitter| Instagram

April and Heather caught up virtually in San Diego, CA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as April and Heather talk about:

April’s background as a software engineer leading engineering teams in Silicon Valley and how she moved into lecturing, speaking and bringing a human side to coding and tech through looking at issues of burnout, inclusion, diversity, engineering teams, giving workshops on how we need to care about people more and grow our emotional intelligence.

How we can build products and systems that address mental health by taking on new compassionate tech values: leaving ego and embracing humility, leaving elitism and embracing inclusion, leaving competition and embracing cooperation, leaving being “smart” and embracing learning, leaving being a “Rockstar” and embracing being a mentor. These values have been part of keynote speeches she has given at a wide variety of events.

A dive into individual happiness and being the best versions of ourselves and the workshops that she offers with a boutique approach to shape the curriculum for her client’s needs. Workshops are often grouped into three sections – The self: dealing with taking care of one’s self, looking inward. Communication with other people: talking through how to understand that everyone is unique with their own set of qualities. An action plan: giving attendees to way apply the principles learned moving forward.

How a passion for ultra-marathon running transformed her life and how a compassion retreat helped her see how her actions didn’t reflect her values leading her to become an ethical vegan. She explains what both are and how that retreat inspired her and much of her work in compassionate coding and emotional intelligence.

To connect with April: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIN | Twitter | Compassionate Coding Website

Transcript

Sharon and Heather caught up virtually from Lenexa, Kansas and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Sharon and Heather talk about:

Sharon’s love of helping people solve problems with technology and her being a leader in her Kansas City SharePoint community leading many events and their user group. We talk about the many ways she is helping clients with Office 365 and and realizing their business goals through technology and how she runs her growing consulting business and also works with students as an adjunct instructor and private corporate clients.

Her fun new side business hosting people on their first vacation cruises, teaching first timers how to get the most out of a cruising vacation – with her first learning tour happening this Autumn. We talk about her history and love of cruising including her favorites with some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of it. Cruising is one of the ways Sharon works on wellness in her life and we discuss finding that balance with busy lives in the tech industry.

Being a psychology major and starting her career in pharmacy. Wanting to go to medical school and then heading into IT through other jobs and how she has become a business owner in technology sharing her thoughts about what’s currently happening in the industry.

To connect with Sharon: Facebook| LinkedIN| Twitter| Smarter Consulting Website| SharePoint Goddess Blog

Sign up for the Smarter Consulting newsletter here.

Transcript

Sharon Weaver

Sharon Weaver is a SharePoint and Process Improvement consultant. Sharon's background in Business Analysis and Project Management combined with her Developmental Psychology degree and Six Sigma Black Belt blend perfectly with her love of helping and training people to make her a well-rounded consultant.

Solving both process and technical problems, Sharon has the ability to understand her client's pain points and develop a plan to not only build solutions, but also drive adoption, educate, and manage team dynamics in a way not typically seen from technical consultants.

Sharon speaks professionally at global events and teaches subjects such as Office 365, SharePoint, Business Analysis, Leadership, and other continuing education courses publicly as an adjunct instructor and privately for corporations. When she's not working, Sharon is likely reading self-improvement books or on a cruise out of the country with no access to communication.

Adam and Heather caught up virtually from San Diego, CA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Adam and Heather talk about:

The exciting pop-up version of Comic-Con Museum that will take place during this year during the 50th San Diego Comic-Con. Discussing the preparations underway to activate all three floors of the 68,000 square foot building with exciting exhibits, programs, and experiences. The Pop-Up will feature The Batman Experience Powered by At&T, The Art of Comic-Con, Geek Couture: Designs from the Her Universe Fashion Show, Paint Like Bob Ross, Mondo Gallery: 80 Years of Batman and daily panels giving the broader community a taste of the great variety and depth of Comic-Con programming.

A look into his twenty year career as a museum professional curating and building museums and programs from the ground up. His beginnings in Scotland getting his postgraduate degree from the University of St Andrews and working as a curator for the Museum of Flight at the National Museum of Scotland and adding in thoughts and guidance for those who also want to become a museum professional.

A discussion of experiential programming including a look into technology, curating, the current state of how people view museums and attractions, a peek into some of Adam’s favorites and what he loves to see and is inspired by when he goes to other museums and how he brings everything he sees to his creativity and daily job.

The major exhibit at the Peterson Museum in conjunction with Comic-Con: Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantacy.

Thoughts on what it means to build a museum and celebrate the tradition that is Comic-Con. How Adam and the team are bringing it to life listening to their fans and how fans of Comic-Con can be involved from day one through their Charter Membership program.

Transcript

To connect with Adam and the Comic-Con Museum: Adam LinkedIn

Comic-Con Museum: Sign up to become a museum insider | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter

Recommendations from Adam: Peterson Museum, LA | Ghibili Museum, Japan | Meowwolf, Santa Fe NM | Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester NY | Corning Museum of Glass, Upstate NY | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland OH | National WWII Museum, New Orleans LA

Transcript

Episode 44 of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast features Mark Fidelman, author, podcast host, speaker, influencer, CEO and Founder of Fanatics Media. Mark is an epic marketer and expert on AI, chatbots and Blockchain. He has led and spearheaded some of the industry’s most recognizable marketing campaigns across digital, e-commerce, mobile, and experiential for global companies.

Mark and Heather caught up virtually in Los Angeles, CA.

Listen in as Mark and Heather talk about:

The early days of AI and chatbots in marketing and sales being a new way for businesses to share their stories, their message, and break through the noise in the marketplace.

The launch of his new upcoming podcast called AI Marketing, which will solely focus on bringing AI into a company’s sales and marketing processes through his experience and interviews with others on the topic.

A discussion on how to build, produce and run a podcast – sharing stories on the how-to behind the scenes.

His beginnings in technology writing and how his college experience inspired him to practice his craft and start a blog in the late 90’s, leading him to writing weekly for Forbes.com and to write his excellent book, Socialized!: How the Most Successful Businesses Harness the Power of Social. Published in 2012, it remains relevant as a blueprint for corporations to successfully transform into social business enterprises, shifting the focus from computers and tools to developing skills and attitudes around social technologies.

To follow Mark: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Socialzied Book

AI Marketing Podcast Hosted by Mark Fidelman

Subscribe on iTunes: https://apple.co/2LpCTOR
Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ioansuizpcsg7p6s33nnlpw3dse
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=432785&refid=stpr
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ep5WuHgtXoH0opK4CpkqB?si=hxVmwFDvQ7GAIvVKzhxgaA
Libsyn http://aimarketing.libsyn.com

Mark Fidelman

Mark Fidelman is the CEO for Fanatics Media, a Full Service Digital Marketing Agency with a focus on B2B and B2C Influencer marketing. Mark has been named a Top 20 influencer of CMOs by Forbes Magazine, a Top 25 Social Media Keynote Speaker by Inc Magazine, and a Huffington Post Top 50 Most Social CEO. Mark writes the Socialized and Mobilized Columnist on Forbes and is the author of the book SOCIALIZED! He also hosts a popular marketing YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/fanaticsmedia

His experience includes more than two decades of technology sales, marketing and customer experience with organizations including A.T. Kearney, EDS (now HP), CT Space and Autodesk. Mark draws upon his experience as a Chief Marketing and Sales Strategist where he has led numerous strategic initiatives and programs while working in partnership with companies like Oracle, Microsoft and IBM.

His latest book, Socialized! is regarded as the playbook for building a social business. Fidelman uses his own experience plus interviews from hundreds of executives to create a highly acclaimed book considered by many to be required reading for their organizations. The book has been endorsed by top executives at IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce.com and SAP.

Mark is a globally recognized thought leader on the subject of Social Business, Mobile Business and Mobile Social Networks. He’s interviewed hundreds of Global 3000 CXOs and speaks and writes regularly about how they are impacting today’s business. Follow Mark on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/markfidelman

Transcript

Gina and Heather caught up virtually in Los Angeles, CA.

Listen in as Gina and Heather talk about:

Being an artivist at the intersection of art and activism to open hearts and minds using art as a tool to communicate thoughts and ideas.

How as the executive director of Sankofa.org, an organization founded by her Father, Harry Belafonte, they educate, motivate, and activate artists and allies, supporting grassroots movements and equitable change by developing cultural content in partnership with community partners. Sanokfa.org started five years ago, activating fully after the Trayvon Martin murder and verdict along with many other organizations like Black Lives Matter, Movement 4 Black Lives, The Justice League.

Growing up with two parents, Harry and Julie Belafonte, who were and are today, deeply rooted in the Civil Rights Movement having the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisolm and others around her kitchen table inspiring, shaping, and developing her artivist roots and way she moves in the world.

A discussion of many social justice issues and organizations that are making a change in the world, looking at how we are only as good in our society as the most marginalized citizens. And a look into how movements are built, strategized and the responsibility we have as human beings being beneficiaries of the legacy and work of those that came before us.

How one dinner with her friend Stacy Lynch, daughter of East Coast political strategist, Bill Lynch, became more dinners and has developed into a group of women, working, dreaming, and activating together. The group includes: Gina Belafonte, daughter of Julie and Harry Belafonte; Suzanne Kay, daughter of Diahann Carroll; Stacy Lynch, daughter of Bill Lynch; Dr. Hasna Muhammad, daughter of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee; Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz; Dominique Sharpton, daughter of Reverend Al Sharpton; and Keisha Sutton-James, granddaughter of Percy Sutton. The daughters explore how their shared memories growing up watching their parents at work overlap and intertwine, as did the lives of their parents—activists, artists, politicians, political strategists, religious leaders, and founders of the civil rights movement. The group is calling themselves Daughters of the Movement, taking their stories to a broader audience through panel discussions, speaker series and an upcoming new podcast.

To follow Gina Belafonte: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter

Gina Belafonte Bio:

Born and raised in New York City, Gina Belafonte has spent her life in the arenas of entertainment and activism where her professional work thrives today. As the youngest child of Julie and Harry Belafonte, whose impact in these fields is among the most influential and progressive in the world, Gina’s passions come as no surprise. Gina was the lead producer on the internationally acclaimed documentary film, SING YOUR SONG, exploring the extraordinary life and legacy of Harry Belafonte that was selected as the opening film for the Sundance Film Festival in 2011.

After many years working as actress in NYC, with several off broadway and touring companies like The National Shakespeare Company and The Mirror Reparatory Company in NYC, under the Artistic Direction of John Strasberg, alongside greats such as Geraldine Page, F. Murray Abraham, Anne Jackson and Elisabeth Franz, a series of opportunities to work in film and television moved her to Hollywood, where she appeared in several guest-starring roles, and landed a television series called THE COMMISH. After two formative years on screen with the series, her lifelong passion for stage production ultimately led her to produce theater in Los Angeles. Gina’s technical expertise and insight into the world of film and television production were developed while working with Paula Weinstein and Barry Levinson at Baltimore Spring Creek/Warner Brothers.

After becoming a mother, Gina followed her early childhood environment by immersing herself in activism. Collaborating with leading gang interventionist, Bo Taylor, Gina developed a deeper understanding of gang culture by working in the California prison system and co-founded a non-profit organization called The Gathering For Justice. This multi-cultural, multi-generational organization focuses on youth incarceration and the criminalization of poverty. She currently sits on the Board of 2nd Call a community-based organization designed to save lives, by reducing violence and assisting in the personal development of high-risk individuals, proven offenders, ex-felons, parolees and others who society disregards and the internationally acclaimed Actors Gang Theatre founded by Tim Robbins.

After dedicating over a decade to addressing gang intervention and incarceration, Gina traveled around the world with her father to bring together two inspiring generations of art and activism with the critically acclaimed HBO film SING YOUR SONG.

Today, Gina lives in LA and New York and is working with diverse artists, activists, and organizations worldwide to promote cultural and civic engagement in the 21st century. Ms. Belafonte is currently involved in many artistic ventures, such as producing a documentary film titled Another Night In The Free World that explores the lives of three young women activists, their struggles and challenges and the difference they are making in the world, developing alongside her father with Martin Scorsese on a television mini-series about the colonization of the Congo by King Leopold the 2nd, and the staged version of the Grammy nominated 6 CD box set anthology of black music The Long Road To Freedom. She and her father are the executive producers of Lyrics from Lockdown - a hip-hop theater, multimedia production addressing the impact of wrongful imprisonment and mass incarceration. Driven by her passion for the arts and activism, Gina reflects: "After we finished Sing Your Song, I knew then as long as my dad had an idea, I would do whatever I could to help bring those ideas to fruition, continue the best of my elders’ traditions, and preserve our family’s legacy."

Organizations:

Sankofa.org: Founded by Harry Belafonte, Sankofa.org educates, motivates, and activates artists and allies in service of grassroots movements and equitable change. Sankofa.org is fiscally sponsored by the New World Foundation, a 501c3 public charity. Sankofa.org addresses injustice and creates change at multiple levels. In support of our grassroots partners, Sankofa. Org enlists artists, performers, and prominent individuals to deliver messages of moral and political consequence. We stage a wide range of events to amplify our message further and elevate the voices of those already doing this critical work. Additionally, we employ online and offline media to increase the awareness and spirit of activism. Money raised by Sankofa.org is re-granted to our coalition partners working on the ground for lasting change and towards building a self-sustaining endowment to continue our work.

To connect with Sankofa: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Daughters of the Movement: We are legacy holders. A group of women who sat at the feet of those who were on the front lines of the civil rights movement. We carry the oral history, cultural values, and wisdom passed down to us by some of the revolutionary leaders who turned the tide of American history. We are the Daughters of the Movement. This unique sisterhood is a podcast and a speaker series with a target audience of women of all ages and advocates for social justice. Through the lens of living in the Movement, we take deep dives into critical and controversial topics. Lessons From the Daughters of the Civil Rights Movement, Elle Magazine, by Brea Baker.

To connect with Daughters of the Movement: Facebook

2ndcall.org: 2nd Call is a community-based organization designed to save lives by reducing violence and assisting in the personal development of high-risk individuals, proven offenders, ex-felons, parolees and others who society disregards.

To connect with 2ndcall.org: Website | Facebook | Twitter

For Freedoms: Where Do We Go From Here?: A visual art exhibit curated by Ava Hess, in collaboration with For Freedoms, that explores the role of art and visual representation in American civic life. The exhibition features a series of photographs that re-envision American artist Norman Rockwell’s paintings of the "Four Freedoms" articulated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union Address.

Garry and Heather caught up in person in Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Garry and Heather talk about:

Working in the worlds of startups and a look into new platforms in video, marketing, and advertising. And his start in technology as an Excel support technician at Microsoft Australia in Sydney.

Garry’s new company Revealit, which has created a brand-new video platform that caters to their needs and delivers multiple interactive viewing experiences, like augmented reality in every frame of video. The Revealit platform is natively social and respects the viewer by delivering information, entertainment, and shopping research that is always self-directed and in context.

A discussion on entrepreneurship and how starting a business needs time, care, contracts, and how free work is really never free.

To follow Garry: LinkedIn | Revealit

Transcript

Originally working at Microsoft in software after gaining a formal education in business, Mr. Smith gained a strong and formative foundation in enterprise consulting in the Microsoft ecosystem as a gold certified partner specializing in collaboration and finance. As CEO, Garry brings a strong and formative foundation in enterprise consulting and software development from time spent in the Microsoft ecosystem as a Gold Partner. Garry has a passionate focus on software entrepreneurship and is a proven leader in leading teams from idea to successful exit, including hands-on product development and enterprise sales growth.

Recorded this morning from Creative Maven HQ in Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Heather talks about:

Travels and learning about different cultures, where she has been and where she is going

Working in diversity and inclusion and how to navigate some of the slippery slope that is about making change in our world

A whole lot of thank you and gratitude for all of our guests and listeners who have been on and support this podcast. You all are wonderful. Truly thank you.

To follow Heather: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Subscribe to the Creative Maven monthly newsletter.

Heather is a Microsoft MVP for Office Servers and Services and is also the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Content Panda, a high tech business dedicated to creating products that deliver a superior user experience that drive value to businesses. Heather is also the founder and CEO of Creative Maven, a marketing consulting firm accelerates marketing dollars through clarity, consistency and experience to marketing teams, startups, enterprise businesses, and individual artists. She has produced thousands of events, campaigns, and experiences in the high-tech and entertainment industries and is also the host of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast, that features interviews with extraordinary everyday experts who light a spark in our world.

Heather lives in Marina del Rey, California and enjoys traveling the world speaking about Office 365, SharePoint, and Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. She is a published playwright and graduate of the University of Washington School of Drama, Seattle WA. Catch Heather on Medium where she is a top writer in Inspiration. Full disclosure on LinkedIn.

John and Heather caught up virtually from West Hollywood, CA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as John and Heather talk about:

· His involvement in helping start the Women’s March Los Angeles, with 800,000 people meeting and protesting in Pershing Square in 2017 and with 1.5 million people attending over the past 3 years – the most massive marches held in California.

· John’s work as the Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles and how the organization fights for reproductive healthcare and rights by making policy, connecting groups, people and organizations, and providing access to healthcare (low-cost, affordable care including education programs, advocacy, and health services).

· How men can and should be involved with women’s rights, health, and issues and what it means to him to be a feminist in the world. John shares his thoughts on how we get to true gender equality by looking at our privilege, using that privilege to make change, and understanding how patriarchy affects all of us no matter what gender.

· What a 501(c)(4) organization is and how non-profits work talking 501(c)(3) vs. 501(c)(4) - and how 501(c)(4)s are involved in political work and advocacy.

· A look into getting his Ph.D. from The Claremont Colleges in American Religious History focusing on the separation between sexuality and spiritually within the LGBTQ community from Stonewall to the fight for Marriage Equality.

To follow John: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Organizations Mentioned: Planned Parenthood Los Angeles | ACLU of Southern California | Hollywood NOW | Stonewall Democratic Club

Spare Time Activities: The Engaged Gaze | Pop! Culture Theologians Podcast

John Erickson has a Ph.D. in American Religious History and holds two MA’s from Claremont Graduate University. He co-founded the digital publication the Engaged Gaze and the podcast Pop! Culture Theologians and regularly contributes to several online publications on the topics of LGBTQ history, feminism, masculinity studies, and American religious history. In addition to his academic work, John serves as the Co-Chair for the American Academy of Religion Western Region’s Queer Studies in Religion section and is on the steering committee for the American Academy of Religion’s Lesbian-Feminist Issues in Religion section.

John was one of the main organizers of the Women’s March Los Angeles in 2017, 2018, and 2019 that brought together 1.5 million people to Downtown Los Angeles. He was also a coordinator for the #ResistMarch on June 11, 2017, that brought together 100,000 people to the City of West Hollywood.

John is dedicated to being of service to his community and the causes he cares passionately about.

Steven and Heather caught up virtually from Atlanta, GA and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Steven and Heather talk about:

· His start in technology with basic programming on the Atari 400 to be an entrepreneur System Integrator in the SharePoint world to his new start up, Jivoo, which will launch a new product for Cloud governance and becoming a Microsoft Azure MVP.

· His work in IoT and winning an award for working with a small lettuce farm in Georgia by bringing efficiencies, new revenue streams by modeling data and create new product lines that were not possible before launching their IoT solution.

· An explanation into what it is like to be an Azure MVP and thoughts on how the 152 or so services and workloads are brought into clients – with the best use of cloud – moving CAPEX and OPEX, virtualization (lift and shift) and darker containers and serverless for enterprise and medium-sized businesses.

· How to love what you do, have a positive impact in the world in everything you do and a look into his humanitarian work in Puerto Rico and Honduras with his family working with orphanages and assisting college students to get the support they need in their local communities.

To follow Steven: LinkedIn| Twitter| MVP Listing

Steven Fowler is a Founding Partner of Sevenbrook a DX company focused on IoT, Cloud, and Data Analytics. Steven is a top 50 IoT Influencer, award winning IoT Leader, and Microsoft Azure MVP. Steven presents at prominent conferences such as IoT Evolution EXPO, Predictive Analytics World, and IoT Solutions World Congress.

Chris, J’aime and Heather caught up virtually from Los Angeles, Ohio and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Chris and J’aime talk about:

· Why J’aime founded Mama Earth in 2007 and all the wonderful programming and initiatives they continuously bring into the world including five years of producing the One Peace Festival, an annual pop-up art exhibit that showcases outstanding work by emerging and established artists supported by Leonardo Dicaprio.

· Producing the original One Peace Festival dedicated to J’aime’s Mother, artist, entertainer and producer – Bernadette Bayot-Hernandez and how her brother, Bruno Mars, and other artists and entertainers have contributed to their environmental efforts. The next One Peace Festival is June 26-28 in Honolulu which also benefits #PrideforPH an initiative that brings together some of the most influential people in environmental advocacy to clean up Manila Bay, Philippines while supporting the local people and culture.

· Chris’ move from working as a consultant and regional director in technology to the President of Mama Earth and road manager and how her days in tech has influenced her producing events and initiatives for Mama Earth. Along with diving into what she loves about non-profit work, raising money for great causes and enjoying every moment, her family, and working and playing in paradise in Hawaii.

Transcript

For more on Mama Earth and One Peace Festival:

One Peace Festival| June 26-30, 2019 | Honolulu, Hawaii

· 6/26 - Film Screening at Hawaii State Art Museum

· 6/28 - One Peace Festival with Art + Music + Film

· 6/30 - Beach Cleanup on the North Shore of O’ahu

In support of #Pride4Philippines(#Pride4PH)

To follow Chris: LinkedIn| Twitter| Instagram

To follow J’aime: LinkedIn| Twitter| Instagram

To follow Mama Earth: Mama Earth Facebook| Mama Earth Twitter| MamaEarth Instagram| MamaEarth website

To follow ilovebyj’aime: ilovebyj’aime Twitter| ilovebyj’aime Instagram| Ilovebyj’aime website

Chris C. Bayot has a diverse background in technology, artist management and in the nonprofit sector that makes her uniquely qualified to help support charitable organizations in a variety of ways. Her more than 7 years supporting nonprofits have been focused on working with art and music centered programs. During this time, she learned the ins and outs of creating and running a nonprofit business and became a certified grant proposal writer. Chris also spent more than 10 years as the Director of a technical consulting firm, helping businesses such as the Hawaiian Airlines and the Bank of Hawaii create enterprise solutions to improve efficiency. Chris hopes this variety of experience as well as the connections she has made managing her husband’s music career will bring benefit to the charities she works with and ultimately have a positive impact on our community.

J’aimeKailani Bayot is an artist, entrepreneur, activist, producer and a mother to two sons, Marley and Jaimeson. She founded Mama Earth Project in 2007 with a vision to provide people with the opportunity to experience the power of giving and making a difference. Since then, Mama Earth has launched several successful initiatives in Los Angeles that continue to make an impact through arts, music and nature. J’aimeKailani believes that people can truly connect through acts of kindness and the transformative power of sharing and positive exchange of energy; whether it be through a song or dance or artwork. She is dedicated working for the good of Mama Earth.

Becky and Heather caught up virtually from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Marina del Rey, California.

Listen in as Becky, and Heather talk about:

Being a writer her entire life and the power of setting an intention to publish her first Children’s Book while enjoying some strawberry mead complete tips and tricks on book publishing having been both self-published and now with a publishing company.

Becky’s start in IT and career working in both technology and marketing, currently training nurses, teachers, security guards techniques to keep children and adults in safe for the Crisis Prevention Institute, an international training organization that specializes in the safe management of disruptive and assaultive behavior located in Wisconsin.

The serendipity of a collaboration with each of her Children’s Books illustrators – one of the books becoming a coloring book from black and white drawings that she loved and developing characters through words becoming drawings and full-fledged on the page characters.

Transcript available on mavensdoitbetter.com

To follow Becky: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Website – Becky Benishek | MVP Listing | Crisis Prevention Institute

Becky is a 3rd-year Microsoft Office Apps & Services MVP. At the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), she directs strategy and engagement for Microsoft Teams, CPI's Yammer Home Network, and their Yammer External Network for customers. She also designs SharePoint Team Sites and other SPO pages because it's fun.

She's presented at Microsoft Ignite and MVP Community Meetups, participated in numerous podcasts and interviews, and mentors Yammer admins around the world. Becky also writes tech-based articles on LinkedIn, Medium, and the Microsoft Tech Community.

Becky has published three children’s books so far: “What’s At the End of Your Nose?”, “Dr. Guinea Pig George,” and "The Squeezor is Coming!" A fourth book, "Hush, Mouse!" is coming out in June 2019. She's working on young adult and adult fiction, poetry, sci-fi stories, and song-writing as well.

Becky also has an extensive Lego collection and a working Commodore 64. She is married with guinea pigs.

Stephanie and Heather caught up virtually between Cincinnati, OH and Marina del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Stephanie and Heather talk about:

· Stephanie’s beginnings in technology and working with SharePoint via the encouragement of a mentor, becoming a consultant and then starting her own business, and encouraging others by doing the work, leaning on colleagues and that you can be successful where ever you are dropped into the world.

· Her Microsoft Community Mentoring Program work that led her to be a mentee nominated and the first given - Most Valuable Community Mentor Award.

· A discussion on diversity, inclusion, women in tech and what Stephanie is seeing in the workplace by colleagues looking for guidance and thinking around how we can level up our conversations, look to our kids to help them as they are coming into the workforce and what it means to be a human in tech.

Transcript available on Mavensdoitbetter.com

To follow Stephanie: LinkedIn| Twitter| Instagram| Website-Steph K Donahue| MVP Listing

With almost 20 years of experience in the IT Sector, Stephanie is a leader, an innovator, and skilled problem solver. She has a passion for technology and innovation that led her to co-found the PAIT Group. Stephanie believes that technology can minimize risk and maximize business growth and potential.

Stephanie’s community engagement helps keep her fingers on the pulse of technology to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging technologies. She leverages her knowledge and relationships with vendors, peers, and thought leaders into innovative business solutions for each of PAIT’s clients.

PAIT helps senior management build technology plans that achieve business critical goals and co-executes these solutions with your company ensuring a proper transfer of knowledge. The result for the client is increased ROI with much lower risk. PAIT’s client success is proof that the model works. PAIT matches complex concepts and projects to simple solutions. PAIT Group utilizes Microsoft technology including Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, and Yammer to build solutions and solve business problems.

Tracy, Jethro and Heather caught up in the car driving Jethro to his flight out of O.R. Tambo International Airport, Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Listen in as Tracy, Jethro, and Heather talk about:

The experience of being in a van on a road trip through South Africa with other Microsoft community members and what it means to build community.

Both Tracy and Jethro’s journey in tech, education, training and how they came to the roles that they are currently in today. Jethro’s talks about his background, Microsoft Teams – education and Tracy chats about her start in technology and working with c-levels and businesses on their PC and Office 365 acumen.

The importance of supporting each other, how we learn, how we raise the bar for basic PC literacy, how we empower people to be their best selves not only at work but in everyday life.

Transcript

To follow Tracy: Tracy van der Schyff | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Website-The Guid Stuff | MVP Listing

To follow Jethro: Jethro Seghers | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog | Instagram | Microsoft Teams – Education

Thank you to AvePoint and SkySync for their sponsorship of the 365TourZA.

Thank you to Tracy van der Schyff, Alistair Pugin, Warren Marks and Brandon Botes who produce and coordinate the SharePoint Saturday Community Events in South Africa and the 365TourZA.

SPS Durban is coming up Saturday May 11th, register here.

Tracy van der Schyff is a Microsoft 365 Coach and Catalyst who facilitates the evolution of human capabilities: She is an energetic, hyperactive adrenaline junkie who sees challenges / issues as opportunities and thrives on improving processes, environments and the general quality of life. Her broad knowledge about IT AND Business gives her the ability to communicate on both levels and convey meaningful requirements and narrow the (ever present) gap between the two. Tracy’s passion is to empower people and therefore training and change management lie close to her heart. Tracy’s mission is to positively impact WHAT and HOW people create, as she believes that what we design / create, designs / creates us back (Ontological Design). It is about enabling others to serve themselves better, expand their possibilities, increase their capacity to learn, act more effectively and better design their future. Tracy is a highly sought after lecturer, workshop host, speaker, and blogger – she challenged herself and wrote a blog every day for two years – one series on called https://tracyvanderschyff.com/microsoft-365/ and another called Around the Office in 365 days. Her book on Adoption and PC Literacy will be coming out this year.

Jethro Seghers is a Senior Program Manage for Microsoft Teams – Education. Jethro has been involved in Microsoft Technologies since 2000. He covered those technologies from many different angles: developer, architect, trainer, IT manager, solutions architect and business leader. The last few years he focused on and became certified in SharePoint technologies. Office 365 became one of his biggest expertise areas where he was awarded Microsoft MVP in Office Servers and Services. Within these technologies Jethro focused on the end user experience and the architecture. He loves people to fully understand the possibilities the cloud brings for them and how they can maximize it to increase their business. Jethro’s interests vary from rebuilding classic cars, practicing classic culinary training, and spoiling his French bulldog, Mia. He is a European (Belgian) currently living in the USA. He is an author and blogger and loves to give back to the community by speaking at numerous conferences around Cloud Services.

Rob and Heather caught up in person at the AIIM Conference at the Grand Hyatt in San Diego, CA.

Listen in as Rob and Heather talk about:

Rob’s work as a fifteen-time Microsoft MVP

His awesome home studio and creation of his brand the SharePoint Shepherd which has tools and processes to help businesses maximize investments in SharePoint through videos, books and DVDs

Rob’s many collaborations with his wife Terri, who is a nurse, including; saving lives with their new patented moisture indicating dressing for hospitals, educating kids and parents through their Kin 2 Kid child safety deck which provides the opportunity for children and their loved ones to play cards and talk

Their new book Extinguish Burnout: A Practical Guide to Prevention and Recovery

Transcript

To Follow Rob: Robert Bogue | LinkedIn | Twitter | MVP Listing

Thor Projects | SharePoint Shepherd Website

Robert Bogue has a driving passion for delivering solutions through both teaching and learning. His drive for resolving problems is fueled by his creativity and innovation – by his ability to find solutions that others cannot find. His experience in the technical world has given him a unique opportunity to learn how to solve problems both in a technical sense and an organizational sense well before problems arise.

Robert is a community leader and has owned his business for over 10 years. He has authored 26 books and has been an editor for over 100 additional books. Robert strives to be better today than he was yesterday and achieves this through his strategy, facilitation, elicitation, coaching, and mentoring techniques and skills. He has received the prestigious Microsoft MVP designation fifteen times. He combines his love for emotional intelligence, communication skills gleaned from working in the IT world and having to talk to others, and his dynamic presentation skills to help change lives one at a time.

Robert is an engaging presenter who speaks at local, regional, national, and international events. He has spoken to tens of thousands of professionals. Robert has fine-tuned his ability to focus others into effective communicating to create a wonderful experience for his audiences. He can bring together all departments of an organization to help build communication bridges to increase employee satisfaction and therefore increase efficiency within the organization. He is committed to “making the complicated, simple”. His approach to continual learning has led him to be an expert in instructional design and video production.

Karuana and Heather caught up in person in the Mixer/Commons on Microsoft Corporate Campus, Redmond WA during MVP Summit 2019.

Listen in as Karuana and Heather talk about:

Career development and how to craft your role, career and getting after what you want your life to look like in any industry learning from Karuana’s own journey in technology and with Microsoft.

Working together as advocates, colleagues and Karuana being an active myth buster about how powerful women CAN work together to help each other and Heather and Karuana’s partnering together on diversity and inclusion projects, content and events.

A look into Karuana’s role as Principal Program Manager and being a member of the Microsoft Teams organization and working to build adoption and custom learning courses, training and support for customers and partners.

To Follow Karuana: Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter

Microsoft Teams Twitter | Coffee in the Cloud You Tube | Microsoft Service Adoption Specialist Course

Transcript

Karuana Gatimu is an experienced service adoption leader who works for the Microsoft Teams Engineering Group leading the customer insights & community outreach teams. She has worked in corporate IT, technology marketing and executive management. As a service manager & business solution architect she has been responsible for the health & adoption of a variety of technology solutions. Karuana is also a community leader for the Office 365 Champions community for business users, IT Professional and aspiring adoption professionals and produces a YouTube channel, Coffee in the Cloud with training content for Office 365.

Alan and Heather caught up virtually from Sonoma County and Marina del Rey.

Listen in as Heather talks with Alan talk about:

Alan’s start in photography and how a trip to Mexico led him to be one of the premiere food and wine photographers in Sonoma County and his collaboration with the Kendall Jackson Estate on their beautiful cookbook, Seasons.

What it takes to take care of a winery and make a small batch vintage as a local, long time resident who started with a few vines and a sparkle in his eye.

How important photography and the perfect photo or short videos can truly make a brand pop in the marketplace and how he works with his teams and clients to get the gorgeous shots that make up his portfolio and projects for clients in Sonoma County and across the United States.

Alan Campbell Photography | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Bookings

Camlow Cellars | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Season: Wine Country Food, Farming, & Friends

Transcript

BigMatchMedia.com coming soon

Alan Campbell started taking photos at age eight, hitting the Fremont drag races with his flash cubes and Kodak Instamatic. As a teen, he watched in awe as the images from his mom’s heavy old Minolta SRT101 came to life in the darkroom, their blurry trails developing before his eyes. Time in Mexico fine-tuned his eye for color, contrast, and light, capturing everything from colors and textures in the markets to shadow human faces in a night-time Easter parade.

Adam studied graphic design in college and learned the complexities of photography as an assistant for San Francisco Bay Area hi-tech companies and has returned to his roots – literally – now surrounding himself with the North Bay redwoods and apple trees of his youth. Nature inspires and focuses him on the textures and colors of the ingredients in the food and wine he captures. He teases out the details and uses light to create emotion. Alan’s work sends his audience an invitation to see, taste, hear, and really experience the story, reaching way beyond the merely visual.

Listen in as Heather talks with Jim about:

What it's like to be a Broadway producer and all the different aspects of theater, business and artistry that it entails.

How Jim got started as a producer and all the beautiful productions he has brought to not only Broadway but to touring shows across the United States, London and all around the world.

The current state of Broadway today and how telling stories is still the way we relate to each other, change each other and how live theater is still one of our greatest ways to connect and learn empathy.

To Follow Jim: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Kierstead Productions

Jim also is involved with the international hit musical Matilda on Broadway and on tour and is a co-producer of the 2016 Broadway musicals Waitress and Natasha & Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 starring Josh Groban. He has been a co-producer of the Broadway productions of The Visit (Tony nominated), You Can’t Take It with You (Tony nominated), Side Show, It Shoulda Been You, and Rocky. Jim has worked in New York theatre since 2000 investing and raising money for shows including Something Rotten, The Glass Menagerie, the revival of Hair (Best Revival), American Idiot, The Addams Family, Catch Me If You Can, among others.

Jim began his career by developing and producing the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere of Thrill Me – The Leopold & Loeb Story (nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical in 2005) and produced its original New York production in 2003. He founded his production company Kierstead Productions, Inc. in 2004. In 2010, he produced the Off-Broadway premiere of Yank! – A World War II Love Story. Jim has been an Executive Producer on the films Between Love and Goodbye, Kiss Me, Kill Me, and the upcoming Wakefield starring Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Garner.

Currently, Jim is developing a new musical entitled Unexpected Joy with book & lyrics by Bill Russell (two-time Tony® nominated for Side Show), a play entitled Cover by Bill McMahon, and a play entitled The Dodgers by Diana Amsterdam about the draft dodgers during the Vietnam War which had its World Premiere production at The Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles. Jim is on the Board of Directors of The York Theatre Company and The New York Theatre Barn.

Transcript available at mavensdoitbetter.com

Heather and Heather caught up virtually from Las Vegas NV and Manhattan NYC

Listen in as Heather talks with Heather about:

Heather’s company TeachUTech to help organizations with the adoption of Microsoft technology offering on-demand and in-person engagements and her start as an MVP working with educators to learn OneNote, her new love for Microsoft Teams and tips and tricks about own her own business and how to bring the information you need to you to keep up with the fast pace of technology training.

Her “accidental” start in technology after growing up in Florida and majoring in biology and marine biology in college, by answering a job board for an admin assistant for a local government in the IT department that led her to become the Microsoft Certified Trainer she is today.

Organizations that she belongs to that support women in tech and diversity tech in the Microsoft MVP community as well as her own local communities and a look into her book “Conversational Geeks - Conversational Office 365 Collaboration.”

Heather Severino | Classes | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Conversational Geeks for Office 365

Transcript

Oddysy : a long wandering: a series of adventurous journeys usually marked by many changes of fortune. Music sometimes makes for strange—one might say Odd—bedfellows. We may start down a road with a firm objective in mind, only to find that with experience and time, the goal has changed. Paths cross, new stars enter our orbit, influencing us in ways both overt and subconscious. Sometimes change becomes its own goal. So it is with The Oddysy, a potent amalgamation of jazz, hip hop, and pop, with a sound eclipsing the sum of its parts.

The band has released two singles with music videos, “Alone” and “Incantation” on Apple Music, iTunes and Spotify. Their full album will be dropping soon which will have an excellent bunch of guest artists: Chuck D, Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels, Leaders of the New School, and more.

KJ, DJ Johnny Juice and Heather caught up in person in the East Village in New York City.

Listen in as Heather talks with The Oddysy about:

The creative process around building their new album and how they put together this delicious recipe of beats and instruments, and finding the magic and connection with each other creatively.

KJ and Juice’s eclectic backgrounds coming up in the music industry, where their nicknames come from, and their beginnings of playing bass for KJ and Juice’s start working the turntables with shout outs to Philadelphia and Juice’s Bronx crew.

How food and being foodies brought them together and how their backgrounds in jazz and hip hop influenced the ingredients that they blended together to make their fantastic album full of story, real life and heart.

Kevin “KJ” Jacoby | Instagram |Twitter

DJ Johnny “Juice” Rosado | Instagram

The Oddysy | Bookings | Facebook |Instagram | Twitter | Website | YouTube Channel

Music | iTunes | SoundCloud | Spotify |Vimeo

Prior to the WIT Network, Christine helped start a Microsoft Gold Partner company. At the ripe age of 25 she became an entrepreneur. Over the years she learned how to run a company managing everything from sales to finance to operations. Additionally, the experience provided an opportunity for Christine to build and grow her relationships in the Microsoft channel as a participant on many Advisory Councils for Microsoft.

Christine was “Born to Run” as a Jersey Girl and never misses an opportunity to spend time at the beach in her spare time. She has a love for travel and is in pursuit of completing a visit to all 50 U.S. states, with only 7 left to go. Christine adopts retired racing greyhounds and currently has two lovable pups, Fleetwood and Leo who also keep her “on the run”.

Christine and Heather caught up in New York City at One World Trade Center.

Listen in as Heather talks with Christine about:

The transformation and launch of The WIT Network, a community of professionals that believe in making it easier for women to imagine, begin, and develop a career in IT and their upcoming inaugural International Women’s Day Event this week happening in Kansas City

How important diversity is to output for a business, and how male allies and conversations are happening in our industry and how The WIT Network is facilitating those conversations.

Learnings of how to not just check a diversity box and getting educated, create solutions together for the good of companies and our world at large.

Christine Bongard | Instagram | Twitter

The WIT Network | Instagram | Twitter | Website | LinkedIn

Troy and Heather worked together at Microsoft and figured out that they went to high school together at Wheaton Central High School, Wheaton IL during a 2004 European SharePoint Roadshow and have been friends and colleagues ever since.

Troy and Heather caught up in person from Bangalore, India on a visit to The AlphaBet Club’s many schools and library projects there.

Listen in as Heather talks with Troy about:

Education impact projects in India & developing countries. Lessons learned and the value of strong partner ecosystems to bring quality education & nutrition to underserved children, families & communities. Transformational Bridge School & Libraries 4 Schools Programs & how donating birthdays online are impacting lives.

Growing up in Wheaton, DuPage County, Illinois and a life of travel and cultural immersion.

A sneak peek into Troy's forthcoming book, 'The 3 Knocks Rule', a simple tool to start recognizing and saying 'Yes' to growth experiences to transform your life and overall well-being.

Troy Swanson Facebook |Instagram | Website | LinkedIn

Check out Troy’s Burner Podcast – Episode 68: Breakfast at Troyfanny’s

The Alphabet Club | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Jesse and Heather caught up virtually from Alhambra, Illinois and Marina Del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Heather talks with Jesse about:

How he has made music for decades and how he collaborates with people

Working as the Musical Director for Chicago’s famous, Second City

Collaborating and making music and opening a studio in Alhambra, Il.

Jesse Case | Website |Twitter | Instagram

Transcript available at www.mavensdoitbetter.com

Alicia and Heather caught up virtually from Seattle, WA, and Marina Del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Heather talks with Alicia about:

How to step into one’s voice and power as a public speaker

The use of the word “badass” to describe women and the evolution of how and what words matter

Her history as a feminist activist and what sparked her toward becoming a public speaking and voice teacher

Alicia Dara | Website | Twitter | Instagram

Transcript available on www.mavensdoitbetter.com

Tracy* and Heather caught up virtually from Portland, OR and Marina Del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Heather talks with Tracy about:

What numerology is and how it can be applied

A look into astrology, numerology and tarot and how they influence each other

Pattern recognition in one’s life and how the mystical can be a fun way to connect and learn about one’s self

Tracy* has generously given all of our Mavens Do It Better listeners a code for 30% off of her Numerology readings until March 1, 2019. To check out her wonderful offerings – see her website - https://www.themystical.life/numerology/

At check out use the code mavensdoitbetter

Tracy Talley | The Mystical Life

Kristen and Heather caught up at the 2019 Women’s March Los Angeles.

Listen in as Heather talks with Kristen about how the “Fearless Girl” statue came to be.

Kristen Visbal | Instagram | Website

Edith and Heather caught up virtually from Minnesota and Marina Del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Heather talks with Edith about:

Working with SharePoint and being the IT supervisor for the largest county in Minnesota

Her side hustle working as a Beautycounter consultant and illuminating cleaner beauty and safer skin care

And another side hustle working, supporting and on the board of The Wildcat Sanctuary who gives and provide homes to wildcats after individuals have tried to captive them

Working as part of the organizing committee of SharePoint Saturday Twin Cities, the largest event in the circuit with the best Mongolian grill speaker dinner

Edith Young | Twitter | Instagram

Julia and Heather caught up in their offices virtually from Redmond, WA and Marina Del Rey, Ca.

Listen in as Heather talks with Julia about:

Julia’s background and start in IT

Where she finds inspiration outside of tech

What it means to be a CVP at Microsoft and the path to get there

Balancing parenthood and a discussion on Microsoft’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

To follow Julia:

Julia White | Twitter

Julia leads the marketing team for Microsoft Azure, and is focused on how Microsoft presents its Applications, Infrastructure, Data and Intelligence capabilities to customers and partners. In addition to the primary focus on Azure, the team are also responsible for Microsoft’s hybrid cloud assets; including SQL Server, Windows Server, Developer tools and management capabilities. Across this portfolio, Julia is responsible for the value proposition, global go to market strategy, and industry engagement. She also works in partnership with engineering leadership to chart the product roadmaps.

Julia joined Microsoft in 2001 as a product manager in the Enterprise Server team. In 2005, she moved to Microsoft’s US sales organization to run channel marketing and sales incentives. In 2007, she returned to product leadership, taking on Exchange Server product marketing. Over the course of the next 8 years, she was instrumental in leading the product’s evolution from an on-premises server technology to establishing Office 365 as the leader in cloud productivity services.

Julia has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a master’s in business administration from Harvard Business School.

In honor of Alice Paul’s, Equal Rights Amendment writer and champion, 134th birthday, Zoe and Heather caught up virtually from Long Beach, CA and Marina Del Rey, CA.

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Zoe about:

The implications of the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment, which needs one more state to ratify

Thoughts on the upcoming Women’s March activities around the world

Why Alice Paul and her suffrage tactics and methodologies are an important study for all today.

Her segment on PBS’ We’ll Meet Again with Ann Curry that aired on January 8, 2019.

Follow Zoe Nicholson at:

Instagram| Facebook | Twitter

www.zoenicholson.com

Logan and Heather caught up in their offices over the airwaves.

Listen in as Heather talks with Logan about:

Catching up on COBO Bottle and WildSwell after their first meeting at the Oceanside Thursday Farmers Market a year ago

Running two businesses and funding projects and programs in ocean conservation and education

Being an entrepreneur and how he finds work life balance

Logan Avant Twitter | Instagram

COBO Bottle Twitter | Instagram | COBO Bottle Website

Matthew and Heather caught up in their home offices over the airwaves.

Listen in as Heather talks with Matthew about:

What it means to be and what is a Microsoft MVP

What it means to be a consultant in technology

Living in Austin, traveling and connecting with people all over the world

Follow Matthew McDermott at:

Twitter | Instagram

Spanning Cloud

Jack and Heather caught up in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn at Bia Northern Vietnamese Restaurant and Bar.

Listen in as Heather talks with Jack about:

Living in New York City for most of his life and his cross-country trip in the 60’s

What it means to be a part of a community and neighborhood

Working construction, being homeless and how New York City has changed over the years

Bia Northern Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar

Transcript available at mavensdoitbetter.com

Zoe and Heather caught up in Los Angeles, CA & Long Beach, CA.

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Zoe about:

Her beautiful one-woman show on Alice Paul, Tea with Alice & Me and the 19th Amendment

Zoe’s lifetime of activism, study, and fight to see the Equal Rights Amendment come into law

What equality, intersectionality and being an equality activist means

Her upcoming segment on PBS’ We’ll Meet Again with Ann Curry that airs on January 8, 2019.

Follow Zoe Nicholson at:

Instagram| Facebook | Twitter

www.zoenicholson.com

Johnny Juice and Heather caught up in Los Angeles, CA.

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Johnny Juice about:

His career and coming up as a DJ, turntablist and Bronx B-boy

Producing Public Enemy and longtime collaborations with Chuck D

Traveling the globe educating students through his lectures on hip-hop and creating community for kids through his work with The Bronx Boys and Bronx Girls Rocking Crew

His theories on hip-hop, being a music producer and doing what you love

Follow DJ Johnny “Juice” Rosado at:

Instagram | Facebook

TBB/TBG Rocking Crew

Instagram | Facebook

Public Enemy

Instagram | Facebook

The Oddysy

theoddysy.com

Juan Carlos and Heather caught up at Triana Tapas and Flamenco in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Triana serves up the energy and rhythm of Spanish Flamenco. The savory, sweet, and spicy flavors in authentic tapas and Juan Carlos and his excellent dancers were a night not to forget.

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Juan Carlos about:

His lifelong career as a guitarist starting as a teenager in Spain and being on tour for most of his life

Stories of being on the Ed Sullivan show, working with Brigitte Bardot, witnessing Salvador Dali and Arthur Rubenstein arguing in a hotel hallway and working in Vegas with members of the Rat Pack

The gift of being able to do what you love all your life

Bringing the beauty of Spain where he was born to Puerto Rico where he now plays shows at Triana

Follow Triana Tapas and Flamenco at:

Instagram | Facebook

Graciela and Heather caught up at The Poets Passagein San Juan, Puerto Rico. Heather met Graciela after walking into The Poets Passage when Graciela asked her to shake a maraca along to a song she was singing.

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Lírica Leónabout:

· Working and performing at the beautiful Poet’s Passage, a living museum of poetry and local art, owned by the phenomenal Lady Lee Andrews

· Aspirations of a poet and musician growing up in Puerto Rico

· Diversity, culture, music and art in San Juan

Follow her at:

Instagram| Facebook

Melissa and Heather caught up at the SPS Caribbean in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Melissa about:

The Diversity and and Tech panel during SPS Caribbean, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Melissa’s start and current career in IT

How building community is important to our ecosystem

Follow her at:

@melihubb | LinkedIn

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Luise about:

Diversity and Tech at Ignite

Building community and connections with technology

Overcoming your negative inner voice to pursue your passion

How Luise uses her art to empower others

raeuberleiterin.de @LuiseFreese #InkingNinja

Elizabeth Kiernan of Valencia College @ElizabetKiernan

Pia Nelson of University of Central Florida @PiaNelson7

Rachel Sera of University of Central Florida @RachelSera

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with the student ambassadors about:

Their experiences at Ignite as part of the Diversity and Tech programming

Moments that inspired them while at the event

How they feel diversity and inclusion is addressed at their schools

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Kil Ler about:

Her career driving truck

Going on tour and working with Mack Trucks as a female driver

Why she is called Kil Ler

Follow her adventures on the road: Twitter @hey_imkiller | Instagram @hey_imkiller

Catch her on the documentary series #RoadLife Episode 4: Breaking the Mold on Macktrucks.com or Prime Video.

Listen in as Heather Newman talks with Julia and Cirke about:

Bringing people together with music on International Make Music Day

How they got into the music business

The importance of giving back and sharing their passion with others