Meant For It Meant for it with Polina & Amber

If you want to expand the possibility of the type of work you can do beyond your day job, then  you must listen to this episode and learn about refugee advocate Dr. Michelle Dimasi. Michelle has worked on economic empowerment of women, unaccompanied asylum seeker minors and human rights for over a decade while living in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and on Christmas Island, off the coast of Australia. In this podcast , Michelle shares how her work found her.  Listen to hear about the clues the universe kept sending Michelle until they were too numerous and obvious to miss. We discuss how to follow the clues you receive and do work or volunteering that brings you joy and purpose. Michelle shares why she is pulled to helping refugees and how this is the work she will do her entire life. We also discuss a few simple ways you can get involved in your own community.
Learn more about Michelle
Follow the Meant For It podcast on Instagram @meantforit Reach out to us at: contact@meanforit.com to say hello or recommend somone for a future episode. Go to our website www.meantforit.com for past episodes. If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend! Please leave us a review on itunes

Kristien Carbone's idea for Brilliantly Warm came from a deeply personal experience of having a preventative mastectomy. After the surgery, Kristen was surprised that she was always cold due to the implants. When Kristen realized she wasn’t alone, and 75% of women face the coldness issue, she looked for a solution. Hand warmers didn’t solve the problem, and there was nothing on the market that came close. As a true entrepreneur, Kristen became determined to solve the problem. Kristen shares how she found the courage and community that allowed her to build the product for Brilliantly Warm, a small heating device that could be placed into a bra. We discuss how Kristen found investors to grow her business, the challenges along the way and how Kristen is building Brilliantly step by step. The market size for Brilliantly Warm has expanded since Kristen realized it could be used by breastfeeding moms and for menstrual cramps or simply to stay warm. 
We discuss how Kristen's art history background and work experience helped her as a start-up founder and how Kristen’s upbringing gave her the risk tolerance to boldly pursue her business idea despite the risks. Kristen has just enough crazy in her to follow her dream. Kristen has an art history background without technical experience and is a busy divorced mom with two teenage children. This conversation may inspire you to go after the business dream that is on your mind. If you see Brilliantly Warm at your local Target one day, we hope you will remember this conversation with a smile.
Learn about Brilliantly Warm
Follow Brilliantly Warm on Instagram
 
Follow the Meant For It podcast on Instagram @meantforit Reach out to us at: contact@meanforit.com to say hello or recommend somone for a future episode. Go to our website www.meantforit.com for past episodes. If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend! Please leave us a review on itunes If you send us an audio message about a show, we may include you in a future episode. Send your name and audio file to contact@meantforit.com  

If you have ever struggled with negotiations, this episode with Mori Taheripour a globally recognized negotiation expert is for you. Mori is an award-winning faculty member at the Wharton School and the author of Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly. 
In our conversation, Mori shares the decisions and career choices that led to her path and we discuss ways to improve your negotiation skills. 
Topics Discussed:
-Everything is negotiable
-Negotiation is a skill you can learn. The more you practice, the better you get
-Knowing your worth is critical in improving your negotiation skills
-Belief in abundance and comfort with risk will help you become a better negotiator
Mori’s clients includes Fortune 100 companies, major sports leagues, and government agencies including Goldman Sachs Foundation, Google, the National Basketball Players Association, Wells Fargo, and the White House Fellows Program.  
Follow the Meant For It podcast on Instagram @meantforit Reach out to us at: contact@meanforit.com to say hello or recommend somone for a future episode. Go to our website www.meantforit.com for past episodes. If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend!  

Diane Kahn is a teacher and co-founder of Humans of San Quentin, an organization seeking to break down the walls and stereotypes of prison life and to humanize the lives behind bars.  Diane was teaching inside San Quentin to help prisoners receive their high school diplomas when the idea for Humans of San Quentin was born. In our conversation, Diane shares the story of starting the organization and why she is so passionate about sharing the stories of people in prison.  When you visit the Humans of San Quentin site,  you will find moving stories, art and poetry from prisoners around across the US and other countries. Listen to our conversation to hear how the people Diane has met in San Quentin and around the world have transformed her, and they ways they can transform you.
Visit the Humans of San Quentin Website
Connect with Diane
Follow Diane Instagram @humansofsanquentin, on Facebook: Humans of San Quentin page, on Reddit @humansofsanquentin, on TikTok @humansofsanquentin, on LinkedIn @DianeKahn
 
Follow the Meant For It podcast on Instagram @meantforit Reach out to us at: contact@meanforit.com to say hello or recommend somone for a future episode. Go to our website www.meantforit.com for past episodes. If you enjoy this episode, please, please, pretty please  share it with a friend!  
 

Janelle Kellman, Esq. is the Mayor of Sausalito, CA. In our conversation, we discuss Janelle’s path from private practice as an environmental attorney in San Francisco to launching a successful e-commerce company and launching the Center for Sea Rise Solutions in 2021 to support the localization of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Janelle’s passion for teamwork was ignited and nurtured by a lifetime of sports including playing two Division I sports at Yale. Janelle says, “Sports taught me hard work, collaboration and team work”. 
Janelle grew up in a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania. When Janelle’s mom developed asthma, Janelle became passionate about the environment and about working to find the balance between how we live in the natural environment. Janelle credits her father’s volunteering and involvement with community organizations as an early inspiration. The Jewish philosophy of Tikkum Olam (Repair of the world) has also guided Janelle’s motivation for environmental work and public service.
Listen in to hear why Janelle recommends people have a yes mindset, why removing expectations is the key to happiness and why the Japanese concept of ikigai is the recipe for success.
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Reach out to us at: contact@meanforit.com to say hello or recommend somone for a future episode.
Go to our website www.meantforit.com for past episodes.
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Until next time,
Polina and Amber

 
Are you curious about the process of writing a speech for the President of the United States? During 2019 - 2017, Sarah Hurwitz was a White House speechwriter starting out as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. In our conversation, Sarah shares what it was like to write speeches for the Obamas and the career path that led her to speechwriting. We also discuss how a decision to take a beginner's class on Judaism led Sarah down a transformational journey.

Sarah grew up culturally Jewish and didn’t fully understand or connect to her religion until the fateful Intro to Judaism class changed everything. In Sarah’s book, Here All Along, Sarah shares what inspired her to continue learning about Jewish wisdom ranging from holidays, rituals, and prayer to Jewish conceptions of God, death, and social justice. If you are a cultural Jew or just interested in learning about Judaism, we think you will love the wisdom in Sarah’s book. We also discuss Sara’s latest part time job as a hospital chaplain and the meaning it has brought to her life.
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