How This Works Skipper Chong Warson

Back in August, Skipper had a conversation with Jen Dary about her personal experiences and insights on leadership coaching, the importance of self-awareness and belief in one's abilities, Plucky's So Now You're a Manager (SNYaM), navigating the publishing industry, and prioritizing self-care in the coaching profession. Other topics include:



Jen shares her experience as the oldest of three kids and how it influences her leadership style and ability to empathize with others (it might play it yours as well, dear listener)
She highlights the importance of identifying a specific niche in coaching and how coaching is different from consulting
Jen emphasizes the importance of setting a finite amount of time for coaching and encourages clients to come as long as they need and go when they're ready
She primarily works with clients in technology, including engineers, designers, product managers, professors, academics, and doctors, with a majority of them being women
Jen reflects on the importance of understanding one's purpose of work and encourages listeners to measure their current job against that purpose
She talks more about So Now You're a Manager (SNYaM), a manager training program that she's developed at Plucky currently modeled after a part-time MBA plus, the importance of community and connection in learning, and the challenges of remote training
Jen has observed a trend of people in the tech industry expressing a desire to retire earlier and wanting to "do their own thing"
She talks about recently watching "The Andy Warhol Diaries," a six episode Netflix series, and having a greater understanding of the '70s and '80s
Stay tuned until the end for an outtake around speaking French to a stranger on the train in front of her sons
Special Guest: Jen Dary.
Links:
PluckyPlucky's So Now You're a ManagerThe Andy Warhol Diaries — In 2022, a Netflix series (titled after Warhol's 1989 book) puts on center stage the life and emotions of the artist after he was shot in 1968. The six episodes utilize Resemble AI and original recordings as Warhol narrates his own diary entries, accompanied by a cast of characters, including his friend Pat Hackett.Plucky's InstagramJen's InstagramDay Of Big Dreaming — Avail from today to end of January 2024, recommendedSNYaM 2024 — There are currently two (2) virtual So Now You're A Manager cohorts planned in 2024, dates are TBA, interested folks should pre-registerPlucky's podcast — This season, released earlier this year, featured eight (8) different mentors on a variety of topics, like negotiation, allyship, performance reviews, first impressions and more

Karen's personal and professional journey exploring different forms of art, including classical music and site-specific contemporary performance art
Empathy and storytelling in design, perspective taking, and understanding the difference between empathy and caring
The struggle with showing empathy towards oneself and the importance of non-judgment
The concept of being an "a*****e" in social situations and intentional adjustment
The unintended consequences of Karen's work on compassion and caring
The virtue of patience and its role in creating oneness
Practicing love and accepting all things without hierarchy or morality
The idea of helpfulness versus rightness and an example of a deer
The tagline for Others Unlimited and its focus on empathy, research, collaboration, and citizenship
Exploring the relationship between mercy and justice
The metaphor of polishing a rough gem and the importance of perspective-taking
The importance of empathy, active listening, and being present
Accepting others as they are and embracing the truth for personal growth
The second season of FX's "The Bear" and the idea of watching television as a kind of babysitter
A surprising answer from Karen to the question, "Imagine you unexpectedly had a day off, money was no object, you could bend the laws of space and time, what would you do?"


Stay tuned for a bit of tape at the end where Karen and Skipper talk about one's "need to be right."


Note from TED: Karen's talk linked below contains a discussion of suicidal ideation. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please consult a mental health professional and/or support organization, as this talk is not a substitute for mental health advice. If you are struggling with self-destructive or suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to connect with someone who can help.
Special Guest: Karen Faith.
Links:
Others UnlimitedKaren's TEDx talk, "How to talk to the worst parts of yourself" around the subject of Unconditional WelcomeKaren's recorded workshop session on Empathy for A**holes at CreativeMorningsDesign Matters with Debbie Millman: Alex Bogusky and John BielenbergKaren talks to Joe Reichert on More Wiser about ethnography and everything else

Zolt Levay is a photographer who has produced astronomical images from the Hubble Space Telescope and has spent a career describing the process of producing engaging color images from Hubble data. Now, he has his sights set on matters closer to home, working on more terrestial matters.


During this conversation, Skipper and Zolt talk about how images are produced from the Hubble Space Telescope, the importance of being curious, how professional telescopes don't "see" in color, the size of 24 million soda straws, Ansel Adams, the notion of time travel, and his more recent hobby of astrophotography.


Stay tuned until the end for a clip on how to pronounce Zolt's first and last name the Hungarian way.
Special Guest: Zolt Levay.
Links:
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)The NASA Hubble Space TelescopeRGB color modelThe Pillars of CreationCarina NebulaAnsel AdamsSky & Telescope - astrophotography tipsCloudyNights.comMauna Kea ObservatoriesCerro Tololo Inter-American ObservatoryAurora at Yellowknife, CanadaThe NASA James Webb Space TelescopeZolt Levay's photography siteZolt Levay's 2015 TEDx talk

The last time we talked with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, it was Dec 2020. Now, it's May 2022 — 17 months later. A lot has changed and in some ways it feels like nothing has changed. This time around, we get into current details around coronavirus/COVID, what's happening now/the current state, and what the future looks like.


We recorded this episode over two sessions and along the way we get into many topics, including the notion of reinfections (more and more common with Omicron), how the testing numbers may not reflect actual cases with more and more home testing (and some people not testing at all), how an at-home test is different than a PCR test, and the current slate of variants — BA.1, BA.2, BA2.12.1, BA.4, BA.5, XE, etc. We also touch on COVID therapies including Paxlovid, an oral antiviral treatment, and Evusheld, monoclonal antibodies. As well, we talked about some of what Dr. Chin-Hong is concerned about in the future — including avian flu and influenza along with the idea that diseases like valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) have been creeping up over the last few years because we as humans are settling into areas (more rural, for instance) that large groups of us haven't been before. And then, we end the show by talking about his work as a professor of medicine and educator at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) — what teaching medicine has looked like the last few years with students (and teachers) as little blobs on a screen.


Stay tuned until the end of the episode for a longer bit about the flu that didn't really have a place anywhere else.
Special Guest: Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.
Links:
SF Chronicle: How California’s COVID numbers compare to the last time its mask mandate was liftedPBS News Hour: Dr. Fauci on why the U.S. is ‘out of the pandemic phase’ — Originally posted Apr 26, 202213 things to know about Paxlovid, the latest COVID-19 pillThe Guardian: Why are there so many new Omicron subvariants, like BA.4 and BA.5? Is the virus mutating faster?The Commonwealth Fund: Impact of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts: An Update on Averted Deaths, Hospitalizations, and Health Care Costs Through March 2022Evusheld Antibody Treatment for COVID-191918-1920 flu epidemicFaculty Interview: Peter Chin-Hong, MDPeter Chin-Hong Explores Identity and History in 2021 Last Lecture

Recorded in their child's bedroom on a weekday, Laura and Skipper chat about his academic background in writing (English literature, playwriting) as well as his professional background as a product design director (think desktop and mobile apps among other mediums) and how that plays into storytelling, most recently resulting in the creation of How This Works, this podcast.


They also talk about their life together — newsflash: they're married and living in the San Francisco Bay area, having moved from New York City a couple of years ago. Along the way, they get into some of the differences between life in SF and NYC. They also talk about their upcoming wedding anniversary after getting married next to Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park.


Along with talk about his name change from Starr to Skipper (and not Optimus Prime) at the age of seven, they bring in a few questions posed from the listening audience including lessons learned from the first season of the show, calling people the name they want to be called, how crucial listening is in making a podcast, the ubiquity of imposter syndrome, using the five (5) whys to get to the root cause of a challenge as developed by Sakichi Toyoda at the Toyota Motor Corporation, team falling asleep during movies versus team staying awake during movies, and why Skipper color codes versus alphabetizing the books in his background — see photo below.



View of the three shelves behind Skipper's standing desk


Laura and Skipper also reference the following previous episodes, in order of being published, including:



Jack Kahana, the first episode
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, the third episode
Selena Rosanbalm, the sixth episode
Cassandra Carlopio, the 15th episode
Kat Hantas and Nicole Emanuel from 21Seeds, the 17th episode
Sally McRae, the 18th episode
Piper Payne, the 20th episode


Stay tuned after the outro music for a bit of tape where Skipper pauses for a bit of background noise and how from where Laura's sitting, the microphone makes it looks like his nose is a black bit of foam.
Special Guest: Skipper Chong Warson.
Links:
American Museum of Natural History in New York CityHow to move across the country with design thinking, pt. 1 of 2How to move across the country with design thinking, pt. 2 of 2Making "Black Sabbath" and "Paranoid"Design Voices from Fjord‎Fjord Fika on Apple podcastsImposter syndromeStarbar"Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm GladwellJane's Carousel1922 Ohio carousel in Brooklyn besieged by SandyDetermine The Root Cause: 5 WhysWhy do many mistakenly think human blood is sometimes blue?SNL season 46 finale cold open - What I Remember About this Year‎John Wick (2014)‎The Matrix (1999)Keanu ReevesThe Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+‎The Mosquito Coast (1986)The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux‎The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)‎Wireframe with Adobe’s Khoi VinhInvisibilia from NPR99% InvisibleAdrianne Lenker (from Big Thief)PrinceJapanese BreakfastBillie EilishBTSBTS performs 'Fix You' (Coldplay cover) from MTV UnpluggedBLACKPINKCustom lathe cut vinyl records from Vinylus"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen RussellIntro and outro song: "Zombie Nation" by Jose Travieso

Tomorrow, we're recording the last episode of the first season where we turn the tables and Skipper's wife Laura asks him the questions. Go to Instagram @howthisworksshow to reply directly to the story or email us at howthisworksshow@gmail.com.


Thanks so much!