The Jennifer Kamara Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jennifer Kamara
Blood-diamond war survivor asks humans about their "why".
In her raw and uncut yet loving conversations with diverse people across art, sports, media, business, and technology, Jennifer hopes to unearth the real human: who they are, how they were formed, what their fears, hopes, and joys are, what success means to them, and how its definition has changed throughout their life. She believes that, unlike diamonds, every human journey is unique and precious.
Jennifer's mission is to inspire love, tenderness, intimacy, and human connection.
Jennifer Kamara is an executive coach, Stanford MBA / Harvard MPA, blood-diamond war survivor, a champion for equity, half Ukrainian, half Sierra Leonean, and currently lives in Austin, TX.
I spoke with Jon Levin, the Dean of Stanford Business School, my alma mater, about all things running an institution of higher education. We discussed what being the Dean of a business school entails, the evolution of the MBA degree - specifically: is it worth it today and why, how the GSB will incorporate AI and language models into the curriculum, and unconventional paths students take to and post business school. Dean Levin tells me about his plans to offer more public policy topics as part of the MBA curriculum and we discuss the importance of preserving institutions of higher learning as spaces for discovery of ideas, free speech, and inclusivity as well as why it is important to do so at institutions like the GSB that nurture future leaders. We discuss non business school related topics as well - I learn about how Dean Levin navigated long distance pre phone and email communication with his high school sweetheart turned wife who’s a physician with whom he shares three kids and whether or not England PM and GSB Alum Rishi Sunak stopped by Stanford on his California vacation. So much more we could have gotten into, will have to have Jon back. Enjoy!
Connect with Jon and Stanford:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-jon-levin
- https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcast.jenniferkamara.com/
• Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVtZsw_543eE2ttp0QFCxg?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Jennifer on social media:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkamara/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jennyfromthepod/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jennyfromthepod
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/jennkamara
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!
In this essential episode, Jennifer covers everything one needs to know about co-founders - what are the upsides of having a co-founder, what to look for in a co-founder, and how to find one. And importantly - how to structure a productive and lasting co-founder relationship. Enjoying Jenn's Gems? Make sure to subscribe and share. Happy designing!
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts
• Watch on YouTube
More about Jennifer:
Life Design for CEOs and Artists
Follow Jennifer:
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!
Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Jasmine Star. She's a CEO, a speaker, a podcaster, who teaches business owners how to tell visual stories online. Jasmine shares with me how her mom's fight with cancer inspired her to drop out from law school and pursue photography. We discuss working with our husbands, Jasmine's business serving 66 thousand customers, launching a software company, and much more. I absolutely loved Jasmine's energy and no-nonsense approach to work and life, and you will too.
Thanks for coming on, Jasmine!
Connect with Jasmine:
- https://jasminestar.com/
- https://www.instagram.com/jasminestar/
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTFWKO9EiG1lumOBA8bjMsQ
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcast.jenniferkamara.com/
• Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVtZsw_543eE2ttp0QFCxg?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Jennifer on social media:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkamara/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jennyfromthepod/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jennyfromthepod
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/jennkamara
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!
00:00 Jasmine Star
00:35 Intro to Jasmine
03:15 What Jasmine is grappling with today as an entrepreneur
06:27 Carving time as a CEO to focus on business drivers and letting your team run with the operations they are good at
10:38 What is Modeling as a CEO
13:21 Reframing decisions for yourself away from selfish to energizing for me and as a result good for the business and those around me
18:54 How Jasmine repeatedly pursued and succeeded in careers she was "uneducated, unfunded, unqualified, unprepared" to pursue
23:41 Making Gut in addition to Logic Decisions as Leaders
29:53 Being OK with not being everybody's cup of tea as a leader
38:59 How Jasmine takes care of herself: morning routine and mental fitness
48:21 How Jasmine designs her relationships with her loved ones
In this essential episode, Jennifer covers the practice of gratitude and appreciation - why it matters, what the science indicates is an effective practice, how it can result in higher performance, and examples of how you can begin implementing gratitude today for your teams, as well as yourself! Enjoying Jenn's Gems? Write Jenn at podcast@jenniferkamara.com with how you're implementing these tips. Happy designing!
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts
• Watch on YouTube
More about Jennifer:
Life Design for CEOs and Artists
Follow Jennifer:
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!
Today I have a wonderful conversation with my new neighbor here in Austin, Adam Lawrence. Adam is a world-class business operator, who honed his skills at companies like Bolt and Addepar, before launching his current project, Boom and Bucket. We talk about Adam's journey as an entrepreneur, we discuss what business excellence looks like, and dig into the importance of healthy company culture.
Today I chat with Lauren Tickner, founder & CEO of Impact School. Lauren tells me how having a disabled brother helped her can-do mindset, how she fought panic attacks and obsession with weight loss, what drove her to drop out of college, how she became a millionaire, and what she is busy building today. Great energy, thank you for coming on the pod Lauren!
Connect with Lauren:
- https://www.instagram.com/laurentickner
- https://www.youtube.com/@UC8qhCPBiqf3qje6CdDBjdgQ
- https://impact-school.com/
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcast.jenniferkamara.com/
• Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVtZsw_543eE2ttp0QFCxg?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Jennifer on social media:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkamara/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jennyfromthepod/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jennyfromthepod
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/jennkamara
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!
Jess Chan is the CEO of retention marketing agency LongPlay, and B2B SaaS company Backbone. She walks me through realizing she had depression and anxiety and how she turned her mental fitness around which led her to entrepreneurship! We talk about designing around her introvertedness/social anxiety as a CEO who needs to interact with humans constantly. She tells me about Longplay's tinder swindler-esque moment (yikes!) and what she learned from it, the best part about being an entrepreneur, and how she designs her life today - from mental health to business to dating! Find Jess via her Diary of an Entrepreneur series on Twitter.
Connect with Jess: https://twitter.com/jjesschan
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcast.jenniferkamara.com/
• Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVtZsw_543eE2ttp0QFCxg?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Jennifer on social media:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkamara/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jennyfromthepod/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jennyfromthepod
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/jennkamara
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!
Feel like you're not clear on why you're invested in a project or person? Knowing our values and designing our lives to honor them is a simple way to align you with your personal compass and position you toward meaningful pursuits. In a bite sized episode, I break down how to identify your values via peak and low experiences, and how make them work for you, starting today.
Enjoying these Jenn's Gems episodes? Write Jenn at podcast@jenniferkamara.com with how you're implementing these tips. Happy designing!
A lot of my clients come to asking for help with letting people go. I recorded this episode to help people prepare for and navigate letting someone go compassionately.
I chat all things adventure with Nate who originally from South Chicago is now a travel blogger, TV show host and entrepreneur. Nate is the star of award winning travel show World Wide Nate. He tells me about his most recent adventure with his 76 yo mom to Antartica including how much it costs to get there, what the journey is like, and why it’s worth seeing. We talk about connecting with people across cultures when we’re traveling. Nate also tells me his passion of his to inspire more black swimmers and surfers, lucrative careers in the world of water including how you can make six figures as a life guard. Nate shares tips for entrepreneurs to steal on how he juggles building three projects simultaneously and his lens of what is home to him.
Connect with Nathan: https://www.instagram.com/worldwidenate/?hl=en
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcast.jenniferkamara.com/
• Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVtZsw_543eE2ttp0QFCxg?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Jennifer on social media:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkamara/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jennyfromthepod/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jennyfromthepod
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/jennkamara
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!
We kick off men’s health month with Andrew Suggs who is passionate about men’s health having lost his father due to inadequate primary care. He is now building a company to bridge the health gap. Andrew tells me about growing up in the south side of Chicago, how his parents shielded them from drugs, gun, and gang violence, and the trials that built character in his experience. He describes what losing his father was like, what he’s learned from grief, and how he’s turning it into impact by providing community healthcare. We end with Andrew describing why men’s health is important and how he takes care of his own health.
Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-suggs-37828b36/
Mentioned in this episode:
- Live Chair Health: https://www.livechair.co/
Subscribe and hit 🔔 to stay updated on new uploads:
• Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcast.jenniferkamara.com/
• Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVtZsw_543eE2ttp0QFCxg?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Jennifer on social media:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkamara/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jennyfromthepod/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jennyfromthepod
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/jennkamara
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe, like, and share!