Titans as Teens Brody Herrick

We have to stop living the way we’re living. Now is a perfect time to start experimenting with living differently, living a little bit more in harmony with nature and with others. Doing more giving and less taking.Sunniva Sorby















Sunniva Sorby has been on more than 100 expeditions to Antarctica. In 1993 she made history, as part of the team of the first women to reach the South Pole. She’s a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.







Her most recent project is called Hearts in the Ice, which she co-founded with adventurer Hilde Strøm.







When I spoke with her, in the summer of 2020, she was just back from spending a year in the Arctic, in a small cabin called Bamsebu. She and Hilde Strøm went back to Bamsebu in the fall of 2020 staying until June of 2021 – having spent a total of 18 months in the high Arctic collecting data. A new book about their time in Bamsebu will be out later this summer.







It’s not every day you get to talk with an explorer, and Sunniva was incredibly generous with her time, telling me about growing up in Canada and how she went from being an outdoor guide in California, to making history at the South Pole. And perhaps more importantly, she shares her thoughts on what we can all do to help the planet.

















Show Notes







* Born in Norway, grew up and went to school in Montreal, Canada* Always knew she wanted to do something different* Being a risk taker* Working at a store and as an outdoor guide in California* How she ended up on the first women’s expedition to the South Pole * Expedition behavior* A year in Bamsebu cabin in the high arctic* Taking action now to help the planet







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Links and Resources















Hearts in the Ice website







Hearts in the Ice book 







Sunniva Sorby on Wikipedia







Sunniva on LinkedIn, Twitter







CBC TV story on Hearts in the Ice







Ann Bancroft – expedition







NOLS







Adventure 16







Joseph Campbell







Hero’s Journey







The 7 Habits of High Effective People by Stephen Covey







Viktor Frankl







Man’s Search for Meaning







West with the Night by Beryl Mar...

High school was definitely an experience that I do not want to relive. But I also recognize that it was quite formative in how I ended up engaging with other people, engaging with the world.Ernest White II















Ernest White II is a TV show host, writer, story teller and entrepreneur. As a kid, he was intrigued with exotic places, and he turned that passion into his TV show Fly Brother with Ernest White II.







I really enjoy his show, it’s fun and human. Ernest really likes to make a personal connection with people in his travels, and I experiences this first hand when I talked with him. I was surprised at how willing he was to delve into his personal life and the formative experiences that influence him today. He’s super positive and inspiring.







Ernest studied political science at Florida A&M University, and has an MFA in creative writing from the American University in Washington. He is also the CEO of Presidio Pictures, based in San Francisco and Vancouver.







There are references to bullying in this podcast.













Show Notes







* High school in Florida* Always looking to do interesting things, organizing trips* Despite being bullied, got lots of support from teachers and friends* On being gay, labels, and how things have changed since he was in high school* How we’re perceived in the rest of the world and our perceptions of others* An early fascination for things foreign, prompted by a book given to him by a teacher* Foreign exchange trip to Sweden while in high school* The importance of engaging with people IRL* Adding self-worth to the curriculum* Working with others* Next set of goals and aspirations* It’s not all sunshine and rainbows* People are made of strong stuff







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Flybrother.netFly Brother on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Ernest White II on LinkedInPresidio PicturesJacksonville FloridaYouth for UnderstandingLola AkinmadeHere I Go Again by White SnakeNature Boy by Nat King ColeBody Dysmorphia disorder











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When I look at skills to stay ahead of the curve for the next 10, 20 years, I really think a lot about leadership. I think that is the one thing that if you’re really good at, you can get anywhere.Chafic Kazoun















When I began my conversation with Chafic Kazoun, I was not at all prepared for what was to come.







All I knew about Chafic were the things you would put on a resume. I knew he was a very prolific and intelligent angel Investor and entrepreneur, being the co-founder and CEO of B-Line Medical, as well as a gifted coder.







I had prepared all sorts of tech questions and the like, but when we began talking, I threw them all out. Chafic’s story is far more than your basic cut-and-dry entrepreneur. His upbringing in Beirut and approach to learning made our conversation much more intriguing than I could have hoped for.













Show Notes







* Chafic does a summary of his life so far, including growing up in the US and Lebanon* How he started computer programming at age 8 when there were very few computers where he grew up* What changes he would make to his career if he could* Friends and relationships are the most important thing* Attended 4 different high schools, over 14 schools in total* Growing up, grades were less important thank experiences* School provides foundational knowledge and discipline* How he’s change the education system if he could* In high school, going to work after class while helicopters strafed a building nearby* Setting goals and writing things down in a notebook* Learning from your mistakes* Defining success







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Chafic Kazoun on LinkedIn, on TwitterO’Reilly publishing page B-Line MedicalLaerdal MedicalBASIC; Beginners’ All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction CodeLogo programming languageYPOEOBeirutLebanon civil warProfessor Frances X. Frei











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I’m super passionate about connecting humans with each other. Technology – that’s my life’s passion and purpose. Call it a mission if you want.James Tamplin















James Tamplin is an incredibly interesting person to talk and listen to. His wide array of knowledge on technology and software production is impressive, along with his ability to create new companies – four at last count.







James was the co-founder of Firebase, a set of tools that software engineers use to build iOS, Android and web apps. Firebase was acquired by Google with James’s help, and it remains one of Google’s flagship app development programs.







James left after the acquisition however and now works on a multitude of projects. Notably, during Covid, he helped create the website COVID Act Now which was paramount for both the government and everyday people in those rough times. He’s also one of the founding partners of Founder Collective, a VC fund for founders.







Just a note before you listen, we had some internet connection issues during the recording, so my apologies for the audio glitches.













Show Notes







* 60 second summary of who he is* Growing up in the UK and Minnesota* A passion for connecting people via technology* Some speculation on where tech is going over the next few years* Expect shifts in social media * Key skills* On leadership and creating a work culture* Growing is a daunting challenge* Letting go after selling to Google* COVID Act Now* Taking time off * See the full transcript for more







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James Tamplin on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Tamplin.net FirebaseCOVID Act NowFounder Collective Andrew LeeJared FriedmanMax HendersonVipassanā







links here







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It’s my job to try and make the audience understand something I’m trying to express. So, it’s not the audience’s fault if they don’t like something I did. It’s not the audience’s fault if they don’t get it. It’s my fault.James Gray















If I had to name the most eccentric conversation I have had doing this podcast, I would surely pick my talk with James Gray. I could write a whole essay on James and his life, but of course, that would be far too extreme for this.







Simply, James is a screen writer and film director renowned for his work with films such as The Immigrant, Ad Astra, and The Yards. No one I’ve ever met could rival James’ extensive film knowledge, both in history and technique. As you’ll hear, James truly devotes himself fully to his work.







In our conversation we spoke about numerous things regarding his experiences growing up, as well as his thoughts about film making, his role as a writer and director, and how he thinks COVID might affect movies that come out after the pandemic.







I spoke to James from his home in Los Angeles.













Show Notes







* Growing up in Queens, New York* From public school to private school * High school film club* Life long relationship with some teachers* Learning about Shakespeare* The challenges of the Superhero movie* How films evolved* Films as a mirror of society* Watchmen graphic novel* On recognition and validation* The danger of being quoted* Control in film making* Working with actors* The inspiration for newest film* We still have hope







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James Gray on IMDB







James Gray on Wikipedia







Ad Astra







The Lost City of Z











Kew Forest School







Philoctetes







Measure for Measure







Picasso’s Guernica







Lascaux cave paintings







The Jazz Singer







Joker







The Dark Knight







Watchmen







Stanley Kubrick







Nights of Cabiria







Joaquin Phoenix







Mark Wahlberg







Charlie Hunnam

Most people starting businesses find there are course corrections along the way, and some of them are pretty significant course corrections. But the ability to change course, while never losing the commitment to the end-game, is actually pretty important.guest















Tom Staggs is probably the most conventionally successful person I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with. Tom was born in Minnesota and received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Strangely enough, Tom started his working career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, but for reasons we discuss, decided to completely change his course.







In 1990, Tom joined The Walt Disney Company, where he would be for the next two decades, climbing up the ladder. There are numerous fantastic stories about Tom’s experience in this time, but very simply, through ingenuity and hard work, Tom the Chief Finance Officer of Disney, he as chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts, and was Chief Operating Officer of entire company. Although he recently resigned from his position, Tom was instrumental in the acquisition of both Marvel and Pixar.







Tom currently sits on a number of boards, including Spotify and The Forest Road Company, Weta Digital and PureForm Global Inc. He’s a strategic advisor, co-CEO and co-chair of Forest Road Acquisition Corp, he’s on the advisory board for InStirde, and advisor to Dreamscape Immersive.

















Show Notes







* Growing up in Minnesota, going to public highs school * Had a regular part time job all through high school* Learned some important things as dishwasher in a hamburger joint* Communication and socializing were completely different then* Why working as a teen was a good experience* Advice he’d give if asked to mentor a teen* Thoughts on whether going to college is important* Started out taking music in college and ended up in finance* A failure he had early on that made him grow as a person* Learning from and dealing with failure is important* Tracing the route from high school to running The Walt Disney company* On leading teams and leading people* The funnest job in the world* What things like look like 10 years from now







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Tom on LinkedIn and on TwitterTom’s entry in WikipediaMark Twain quoteFrank WellsMichael EisnerSeven Summits (book)Seven Summits on Wikipedia







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