Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

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Women’s Stories About Passion, Purpose and Transformation in Midlife Jun 01, 2020

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We are experiencing a moment of profound global transformation, a moment that is causing many of us to deeply examine core aspects of our lives that we once took for granted. What is it like to initiate personal transformation in midlife, whether by choice or through crisis? Three women will share their stories of how they are making midlife one of the most profound and powerful times in their lives. Join us for an intimate conversation and discussion. And learn how to find your purpose and passion in the midst of all the external noise; how to overcome the roadblocks to personal change; and discover the gems of wisdom that can help carry you through it. Barbara Mark, Ph.D., has a deeply held passion for working with women in midlife and has enjoyed a decades-long career as an elite leadership, career and life strategies coach and advisor. She has been brought into the confidence of hundreds of professional women seeking to maintain inner balance while facing diverse external demands, personal ambition, and the desire to feel satisfied and fulfilled personally and professionally. As a recognized expert on the stages of adult development and how these stages impact career development and leadership in women, Dr. Mark is a sought-after coach by women who are looking to make appropriate and actionable personal and professional decisions at critical stages of their lives and careers. She is a recipient of the 2010 History Maker–Most Powerful Women of the Bay Award, the 2011 NAWBO-SFBA Business Woman of the Year Award, and the 2019 Bay Area Powerful Women Award, and is a frequent keynote speaker. Stephanie O'Dell is a personal stylist with 10 years of experience at Athleta, Stitch Fix and her own styling business helping dress more than 6,000 women. In 2016, she launched "Celebrate the Gray" blog to interview 100 women aged 50 and over with the goal of determining the need for an age-specific fashion line. "Celebrate the Gray" has grown into a full service agency for and about the 50+ woman. O'Dell now represents more than 30 gray-haired models and consults with companies to use real faces and genuine stories to help market and promote positive aging for the 50+ woman. She is involved locally and nationally promoting and speaking about positive aging for women. O'Dell was recently featured in the Marin Independent Journal and AARP Disrupt Aging movement. Julia Lucia Raina, CPCC, is a transformational coach who guides women and men in midlife to reconnect with their passion, power and purpose, and helps teams and organizations experience greater meaning, increased connection and more effective communication in their work environments. Her coaching style combines formal methodology and brain science with intuition and body awareness, and is infused with creativity and playfulness, elements from her education (B.A. in architecture from U.C. Berkeley) and early professional background in design. Raina is also honored to be an executive coach for Women Leaders for the World, a program of How Women Lead that provides training and support to help women develop the skills and confidence to solve some of the world’s most intractable problems. She works with clients in the San Francisco Bay Area, nationally and abroad. MLF ORGANIZER Denise Michaud NOTES MLF: Grownups

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Youth Talk: MsAfropolitan's Minna Salami Jun 01, 2020

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Renowned writer Minna Salami’s work is dedicated to the many complex facets of feminism. She founded the award-winning blog MsAfropolitan to connect the dots between intersectional feminism, African diaspora and contemporary culture. She explores these themes and more in her new book Sensuous Knowledge, a collection of essays that also challenges us to rethink our history with power, beauty and knowledge. Join Salami at INFORUM for a youth-centered conversation on what it means to be a feminist, how youth can navigate gender politics, and how young women can build an empowered future for themselves. This conversation will be moderated by Lena Jennings, Equity Strategist at Google and Cinnamongirl, Inc. mentor. This conversation is a part of the Commonwealth Club’s new focus on civics education and is in partnership with Cinnamongirl Inc., an organization aimed at providing access, experiences and a global mindset, empowering girls to be the visionaries our world needs.

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What Does Politics Demand of Black Women? Jun 01, 2020

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Against the backdrop of Senator Kamala Harris’ historic run for president of the United States, The New York Times asked the question “What does this country demand of Black women in politics?” In this discussion, we will dive into the subject with a powerhouse panel of Black women officials and strategists. The conversation will explore the expectations and demands of Black women who take the step into public service. What makes the journey so unique? What makes it challenging and what it will take to clear the final hurdle into the White House? Join San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Emerge California Executive Director Kimberly Ellis, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, and Akonadi Foundation President Lateefah Simon, in conversation with SF Pride President Carolyn Wysinger. NOTES Co-hosted by INFORUM

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Richard Haass: A Guide to the World Today May 30, 2020

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Ambassador Richard Haass is a veteran diplomat and a prominent voice on American foreign policy. He is now in his 17th year as president of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to helping people better understand foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Ambassador Haass previously served as Principal Advisor to Secretary of State Colin Powell as well as U.S. Coordinator for policy toward the future of Afghanistan and and as U.S envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process. He was also special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council. In his 14th and newest book, Ambassador Haass seeks to help us all navigate a time in which many of our biggest challenges, including pandemics and terrorism, come from beyond our border. Join an important conversation about what Ambassador Haass calls the new normal of the 21st century and the global literacy we all need to make the most informed choices. NOTES To purchase a copy of Ambassador Haass' book, please visit BarnesAndNoble.com.

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A Healthy Society Series: Ethics and Value in Health Crises May 29, 2020

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The coronavirus pandemic has forced communities to face issues of ethics and human value in the health-care system. The higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 complications in communities of color draw focus once again on institutional inequities in access to health care and on hard questions confronting just paths forward. The Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation’s (NorcalMLK) new Center for Social Impact, Development, and Global Engagement (SIDGE Center) focuses on linking ethics and value as data points to information architectures in health care and IT structures in order to improve equity. Leading ethicists and scholars Dwight Hopkins and Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez will be in conversation with Norcal MLK’s Aaron Grizzell, as they explore thoughts on ethics and value that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused us all to confront. MLF ORGANIZER Robert Lee Kilpatrick NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine This program is generously supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and a collaborative of local funders and donors. We are grateful for their support and hope others will follow their example to support the Club during these uncertain times.

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Alex Kantrowitz: Inside the Tech Titans May 29, 2020

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How do tech titans at the top stay on top? According to technology reporter Alex Kantrowitz, it’s by acting like they’re at the bottom. At Amazon, "Day One" is code for inventing like a startup, with little regard for legacy. Day Two is, in Jeff Bezos's words, "stasis, followed by irrelevance . . . then death." Kantrowitz says most companies today are set up for Day Two. They build advantages and defend them fiercely, rather than invent the future. But as he chronicles in his new book, Always Day One: How the Tech Titans Plan to Stay on Top Forever, the tech titans of today remain successful because they are always operating in Day One. Companies like Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft have endured because they prioritize reinvention over tradition and collaboration over ownership. While these values may seem radical to some, they have proven to be immeasurably successful for major tech giants. But what about those actually at the bottom looking to make a name for themselves? Kantrowitz believes that everyone has to start somewhere, and that with the right strategy, hopeful startups can take on the major players and compete at their level. Join us for a conversation with Alex Kantrowitz as he outlines the blueprint for sustainable success in a business world where no advantage is safe. NOTES Please visit Barnes & Noble to purchase his book. This program is generously supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and a collaborative of local funders and donors. We are grateful for their support and hope others will follow their example to support the Club during these uncertain times.

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Moral Leadership in a Time of Crisis: Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz May 29, 2020

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Just as Jacqueline Novogratz’s groundbreaking new book Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World makes its way to readers, an international pandemic has thrown into sharp relief the gaping wounds of our era, from a broken health system to climate change and skyrocketing inequality and growing divisiveness. Our inadequate systems and institutions are slumping beneath a host of modern crises. Most urgently, moral leaders are proving a scarce commodity. In America and across the world, an anxious public is hungry for clear, conscientious guidance. The stakes are higher than ever. Please join Jacqueline Novogratz in conversation with Keith Yamashita about how we might use this moment of extreme uncertainty to reimagine our institutions and enact a moral revolution—a revolution of character, moral imagination, moral courage, and leadership that acts for the benefit of all of us. MLF ORGANIZER Elizabeth Carney NOTES MLF: Business & Leadership

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Alex Filippenko: Astronomer to the Stars May 29, 2020

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Despite all the media attention given to black holes, dark matter and dark energy, astronomy is actually all about the light—the decillions of photons careening around the universe. Join us virtually for a conversation with Alex Filippenko, a Berkeley astrophysicist who works on deciphering, from all that photonic information live-streaming to Earth, what is really going on out there. Filippenko will also share some of the spectacular images from deep space that our technology has been able to construct from the clues left behind by billions of those wandering photons. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

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I Don't Want to Die with the Lie: Out College Coach Matt Lynch May 29, 2020

Show notes

"I became very good at what I do. When other coaches on the staff would go home at night to their wife and kids, I would stay at the office. I would keep working, keep learning. This helped my career, but I didn't realize the negative effects it would have on my mental health." That's how Matt Lynch described his life hiding his sexuality during his time coaching at UNC-Wilmington. Currently out of work due to the COVID-related layoffs of the coaching staff, Lynch will join us for an online program to discuss his decision to come out publicly as a gay man in an article he wrote for Outsports.com this winter. How did his family respond? How did his players react? How did his school treat him? And what's next for this young coach? Join us for a conversation about being gay in big-time college sports.

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Cooking in Quarantine with J. Kenji López-Alt May 28, 2020

Show notes

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect health and industry, the food that we eat every day has formed a complicated relationship to the crisis. Has social distancing forced us to think more consciously about what and how we cook? Or has panic and misinformation surrounding food safety spread to the masses? The Food Lab’s J. Kenji López-Alt joins INFORUM to explore all of the complex facets of this conversation—and, of course, he will do it using science. We will cover topics such as safe grocery store practices, food serving and preparation, false information regarding transmission via food (especially when ordering takeout) and much more. Tune in live as we explore all things food while in quarantine from one of the industry’s most trusted experts. This program is generously supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and a collaborative of local funders and donors. We are grateful for their support and hope others will follow their example to support the Club during these uncertain times.

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