Curiosity: Recent Episodes
Curiosity
The Curiosity Podcast was made by two teenagers Naila Moloo and Kristina Arezina who realized that, a lot of the time, the potential and talent of young people goes undiscovered until later on in life. Their goal is to equip future change-makers through exposing them to exponential technologies, mindsets, and frameworks.
After receiving an executive MBA at Harvard, Priyanca Ford became the Founder and executive board member at Kronos Fusion Energy, a startup building a roadmap to the full commercialization and monetization of fusion energy generators by 2032.
In this episode we discuss the technology and infrastructure behind the Kronos Fusion Energy Generator, Priyanca’s insights from COP28, and the future applications of fusion energy designs. We also discuss funding and how to be product-centric.
Here are Priyanca's action items!
- Be product-oriented.
- Fall in love with math and physics.
- Get into materials science.
In this episode we interview Kashmera Self, an industry recognized, forward looking fintech leader with 20+ years of experience in corporate strategy, innovation, and product commercialization. As VP, Strategy & Innovation at Interac, she leads a team in pursuing emerging topics including open banking, artificial intelligence (AI), value exchange, and blockchain to establish the long-term corporate strategy that helps steer the future of financial services here in Canada.
We discuss how Kashmera evaluates opportunities on emerging trends, works on strategy development for a large scale company, stays up to date with ever-evolving technologies, and builds meaningful partnerships. She also shares more about her role in launching and expanding InteracDebit mobile payments.
Action items:
- Exercise continuous learning.
- Anticipate needs and address them.
- Remember to take a moment to be respectful and kind to those around you.
Rachel Wong is the co-founder of Monday Girl, which connects Gen-Z and Millennial women with new job, career, and networking opportunities. Previously she worked at Uber to help launch the service in key Canadian markets, and has led multiple teams in strategy and operations. Rachel has also been named a Bay Street Bull 30 Under 30 recipient.
In this episode, we discuss how Rachel balanced working at Uber and Monday girl, the process of networking with global brands, and how she keeps her startup platform relevant amidst the changing career landscape.
Here are her takeaways:
- Take advice with a grain of salt. When giving advice, don’t project your biases onto others when giving other people advice — lead with stories and experience.
- Think about how your reputation is perceived.
- Pay it forward.
Today we are joined by Dave Rouse, the CEO of CarbonClick. CarbonClick connects individuals and firms with carbon offset projects at the point of sale. All offsets are certified, and it is the only platform in the world that provides full transparency and "track and trace" to the source of the offset. Carbon Click has helped 1300 businesses and 230,000 individuals take climate action.
In this episode we discuss Dave's founder story, why he switched from medicine to engineering, and how Carbon Click calculates the amount a purchase impacts one's Carbon Footprint. We also go over developing meaningful partnerships and Dave's mentorship work with Climate-X.
Action items:
- Whenever you spend money, think about the emission attached and consider alternatives
- Try to transition to a plant based diet
- Think about the emissions behind your transportation
In this episode we sit down with Léonard Boussioux who is an incoming professor at the University of Washington in the Information Systems and Operations Management department. He was a Ph.D. candidate in Operations Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has developed and deployed machine learning and deep learning models to address high-stake challenges, including healthcare operations, pollution management, hurricane forecasting, and ecosystem preservation.
We discuss how Léonard decided to pursue advanced mathematics and physics in university, his new focus of developing predictive and prescriptive methods to enhance decision-making in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and climate, and the data he deals with across these sectors. We also go over the significance of multimodality in order to maximize potential from data sources.
Here are his 3 action items:
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Try to have a positive outlook on life.
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Surround yourself with positive people, and be part of different teams.
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Be curious and have gratitude for what you receive.
Obaid Ahmed is an expert in building technology, UX/product design, large-scale software design, and business models. He created UmmahHub as a project to bring crowd-funding to Muslim communities around the world. He was the recipient of the Youth Business Entrepreneur in 2012 and was involved in the YoungMaker project which introduces the concept of technology to young members of our community via a 3D printer. Obaid was recently working on building the future of conversational apps using Voice, text, and AI working @Walmart Global Tech as the director of engineering.
Action items:
Network as much as you can.
Learn to communicate your ideas.
Be curious.
Tune in to our conversation with Thusha Agampodi, who is the Director of Engineering at Aurora Solar, a cloud-based solar platform that uses data, automation, and AI to make solar projects simple and predictable. After studying computer systems engineering at Carleton, she worked in various engineering roles at Tread, Magnet Forensics, and Blackberry.
In this episode we discuss what goes into building an engineering team, how to manage personalization and simplicity when building systems, and approaches to allocating resources in terms of talent, budget, and time in tech projects. We also discuss what it's like being the only woman in the room in male dominated fields like engineering.
Thusha's action items are:
- Don’t specialize too early.
- Try things you’re not 100% sure you’ll succeed at.
- Remind yourself that if you’re in a room where you’re underrepresented, you have just as much right to be in the room as everybody else.
Jennifer Francis is a technology mentor, advisor, and angel investor. She is a former executive in the information technology and services industry, with experience in Enterprise Software, SaaS, Go-to-market Strategy, and Strategic Partnerships. She is the co-founder of SheBoot and is a Board Member of Invest Ottawa and is on the Board of Directors of the Capital Angel Network. Previously she was the Vice President of Financial Analytics Business at IBM.
In this episode, we discuss Jennifer's journey of becoming the co-founder of SheBoot and an Invest Ottawa and Capital Angel Network board member. We also talk about what factors most determine a company's success, how startup ecosystems are created, and more!
Action items:
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Don't spend too much time planning out your entire life—focus on what your next step is.
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Look at opportunities to open up your options rather than narrow them down.
Brian Adams is the CTO at Salient Energy, a startup developing zinc metal batteries based on aqueous electrolytes for large scale energy storage applications. Previously he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he studied the electrodeposition and stripping of lithium metal.
In this episode we discuss the chemistry behind zinc metal batteries and how they differ from lithium ion batteries, how Salient chooses where to execute pilot projects, and the process of creating 3 year roadmaps for future pilot plants and factories. Brian's action item is to start working on projects that might not fit into the curriculum of high school or even university, as developing projects can build an abundance of important skills!
In this episode we chat with Isabella Grandic, the founder of BOOB BLURB, a conversation starter for taboo topics. She’s building BOOB BLURB to break the stigmas with women’s sexual and mental health. Isabella is a Morehead Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was the previous director of EMM, a project to reduce maternal mortality via misoprostol distribution to treat postpartum hemorrhaging in Nigeria. She was also the program success manager at The Knowledge Society as it expanded from a Toronto-based program to a global one.
Tune in to learn about femtech, how BOOB BLURB got early adopters, and Izzy's process of turning her idea into a tangible card game.
Here are Izzy's action items!
- Visit boobblurb.com!
- Check out the book “Gross Anatomy”.
- Let things come organically — don’t force your plans!
In this episode we chat with Rembrandt Niessen, who is managing partner at Oxford Energy where he advises investors and developers in the renewable energy generation and storage space. Oxford Energy also works on developing utility scale solar projects in emerging markets. His previous roles include MD Project Development for General Electric and Chief Commercial Officer of Energy Dome.
We discuss how Rembrandt built a career in renewable energy including stints as an independent developer and leading a global development team for GE Energy, before joining a disruptive energy storage technology start-up. We talk about how he built a project pipeline facilitating rapid product roll-out in the world's leading storage markets, how he created a go-to-market strategy around emerging wave energy technology, and the process of implementing power project developments across different markets, including Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.
Here are his 3 action items:
- Be wise with your usage of energy.
- Decide what you want to be and go for it, and make sure you enjoy it!
- Go outdoors to put your time indoors in perspective.
Matthew Espinoza is a full-stack developer building projects in web3. He previously built the crypto infrastructure—using blockchain API, for web3 creators to reward and engage their tokenized communities— for Agora Labs, a crypto software company that had a market cap of $500K USD. Recently he finalized the acquisition of Agora Labs by Talent Protocol ($50M crypto company).
Action items:
- Start something in university.
- Understand how venture capital works.
- Get into tech early.
In this episode we chat with Amir Feizpour, the co-founder and CEO of Aggregate Intellect, a company building a "smart knowledge management" platform to bring the benefits of research in emerging technologies to industry teams. In the past Amir was a data scientist, senior manager, and NLP product lead at RBC, as well as a postdoctoral research assistant at Oxford University. Aggregate Intellect, founded in 2019, has grown a community of 10k+ practitioners and researchers.
Amir talks to us about his process building up Aggregate Intellect's consumer base over the past 3 years, how he came up with the idea for machine learning paper reading groups, and the tools he uses for building and maintaining engagement and growth of this community.
Here are his 3 action items:
- Feel free to book a call with Amir: https://calendly.com/amirfzpr/20min-ama
- Learn to learn.
- Be open minded and keep learning.
As mentioned in our episode, here is a link to invest in Aggregate Intellect: https://www.frontfundr.com/aisc
Garry Golden is a professionally trained Futurist who speaks and consults on issues shaping business and society in the 21st century. He is the founder of Into the Future, designed to empower young people to solve problems in a global context. He works with both the private and non profit sector with clients including Boston Scientific, Dell, Disney, Microsoft, California Association of Museums, Harvard University, and many more! Garry received his Masters degree from the University of Houston Futures Studies program, and is a past member on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Futurists.
In this episode we chat with Garry about what futurism really is, overlooked areas of innovation, and how he has helped educational organizations close the gap between the pace of change happening in the world versus changes happening inside the classroom.
Action items
- Look into a framework called spiral dynamics to learn more about different cultures and world views. Try to become a T-shaped person.
- Understand and keep in check with yourself about mental wellness.
- Learn more about decentralization, as this will be key in our future.
In this episode we sit down with Jacinto Sá, a full professor at Uppsala University and the founder of Peafowl Plasmonics, a spin-out company developing transparent, direct plasmonic solar cells to power smart objects like IoT sensors.
We discuss how Jacinto started his project with the intent of pure research and why he decided to incorporate, how he made a breakthrough in plasmonics, and his journey optimizing his solar cells over the course of the past six years. We also chat about the technology behind Peafowl and different solar cell printing methods.
Here are Jacinto's action items:
- Start thinking about energy differently than how we think about it today. Be smarter about how we use energy.
- Get out of the idea that everything has to be a silver bullet. Don’t go down the bandwagon that one technology will solve every problem.
- Technology can only help us so much. Be conscious of where materials come from and how they are extracted.
Aleksa Gordić is a Research Engineer at DeepMind and has a background in electronics, mathematics, and algorithms. Aleksa self-taught himself ML and deep learning, which led him to create videos at The AI Epiphany, a YouTube channel that breaks down research papers, code, and everything AI-related. Previously he was a Software/ML Engineer at Microsoft where he directly worked with engineers and Microsoft Researchers from Cambridge and was primarily dealing with Computer Vision, Digital Image Processing, Deep Learning, and Video Encoding.
In this episode, we cover optimized learning strategies, the educational system, and how Aleksa self-taught himself ML.
Takeaways:
- Be consistent with what you want to achieve.
- Explore and learn about various topics—don’t specialize too soon.
- After exploring, pick a topic to specialize in and obsess over being an expert in that field.
At TD Miguel Navarro was previously the head of US Voice and Emerging Platforms including Alexa, Siri, and Google, where he strategized and implemented the future state of the Emerging Platforms of TD. In the past he was the Vice President and Product Manager for Mobile - USA, and acted as the Head of US Mobile Platforms at TD. Miguel recently transitioned to KeyBank where he builds and owns the technology behind the external delivery of chatbots and Digital Assistants.
In this episode we talk about Miguel's transition to moving to US from the Philippines when he was 19, how he has become a patented inventor, and his tips and tricks on when/how to get projects patented.
Takeaways:
- You are better than what you think you are. Believe in yourself!
- Don’t ask for change; be the change.
- You will always take care of work but work will never take care of you. Self care is key!
In this episode we chat with Michael Gibson, the Co-founder and a General Partner at 1517, an early stage venture capital fund that supports teams led by young founders. After studying Moral & Political Philosophy at Oxford, Michael was the vice president for grants at the Thiel Foundation and a principal at Thiel Capital.
We discuss why Michael left the Thiel Foundation to launch 1517, how 1517 raised over $30 million, and his thoughts on the future of entrepreneurship with regards to what he looks for in the people he invests in as well as emerging fields of tech.
Here are his 3 action items:
- Feel free to reach out to Michael if you have ideas you want to discuss.
- Join the 1517 community to learn about events, summits, etc.
- Learn from your peers; take suggestions from others!
Check out Michael's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Belt-Fire-Fight-Progress/dp/164177245X
Matthew Mizzi is the CEO of Drinkable Water Solutions, a company that aims to empower water autonomy, by building a handheld device that detects harmful contaminants and communicates their risks. Drinkable’s device is smaller than a smartphone, costs $100 with testing cartridges selling for $10, and tests water for about a dozen common contaminants, such as lead, arsenic, and uranium.
In this episode, we talk about the technology behind Drinkable Water Solutions and Matthew's journey of working in the field of sustainability to eventually become the CEO of Drinkable Water Solutions.
Explore Drinkable's water test device by pre-ordering here: www.drinkable.tech/preorder/p/drinkable-device-pre-order
Action items:
- Take more time to consider just how amazing it is to turn on a tap and have water you can trust.
- Commit to decisions early.
- You don’t have to be perfectly arrived when you make a big decision. Don’t turn down every opportunity, sometimes it’s worth trying!
Kimberly Liang is a 17 year old cellular agriculture researcher going into the M&T program at UPenn next year. At The Cellular Agriculture Society, Kim is working with Founder Kristopher Gasteratos to publish the first cellular agriculture textbook in the world through Elsevier. At the University of Ottawa, she works at the Pelling Lab to find media alternatives to fetal bovine serum for maximum growth of mice myocytes, fibroblasts, and adipocytes.
In this episode, we cover Kim's journey to working in cellular agriculture research while in high school by understanding how she got her first-ever job in the field, and how she transitioned to her current job. We also discuss how she managed her last few years of high school and applied to universities internationally.
Action items:
- Do things that challenge your brain that intimidate you (eg research papers)!
- Build meaningful relationships with other people.
- Work on yourself and prioritize your mental & physical health.
In this episode we sit down with Jo-Anne McArthur, an award-winning photographer and author. She documents our complex relationship with animals around the globe and her work has taken her to over sixty countries. In 2019 she founded We Animals Media and her books include We Animals, Captive, and HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene. Jo-Anne's photography and writing have been published extensively and globally, and she recently won the COP26 photography competition.
We chat about the launch of We Animals Media, the effect the wet market has on Jo-Anne, the resistance she faces as a part of her job, and her thoughts on the role emerging innovations like cellular agriculture and virtual reality will play in the agricultural industry.
Jo-Anne's action items are:
- Do not buy animals as pets. Adopt, rescue, don’t purchase.
- Visit places of compassionate conversation.
- Don't eat animals.
In this episode we are joined by Zahra Hirji who talks about her experience working in the areas of Talent and Leadership Development for 20+ years with companies including Shopify, TD, Deloitte, KPMG and Oracle. Zahra shares her most recent experience working on the Dev Degree Program at Shopify and her role in contributing to strategic planning, decision making, program evaluation and program success, as well as leading a team of Senior Student Success Specialists focused on learning, coaching, performance and engagement.
We discuss what Dev Degree is / how the program is structured as well as Zahra’s experience working with startups and Fortune 500 companies via her business XLerated Development Group Inc., and her approach to designing, developing and implementing partner program roadmaps.
Zahra's three action items are:
- Do some journalling.
- Carve out some space for yourself like taking time to meditate or go for walks.
- Subscribe to the “Morning Brew”!
Carlos Garcia-Galan has over 25 years of experience in spaceflight operations. Carlos started his space operations career as an ISS flight controller participating in twelve ISS-Shuttle assembly missions and increment operations between missions. Before joining NASA, he transferred to Honeywell in 2001 as a Senior Systems Engineer in the Aerospace Electronics Systems business unit. Carlos has now been at NASA for 15 years, where he is currently working as the European Service Module integration manager on the Orion spacecraft.
In this episode, we cover what deep space missions are, the significance of Orion, how the roadmap of Orion changed as new technology was developed, as well as the possibility of space mining and extraterrestrial life.
Action items:
- Youth are the Artemis generation — carry on space exploration!
- Stay focused on what you are doing.
- Enjoy what you’re doing! Don’t force yourself to do something you don’t love.
Mark Papermaster is the Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice president of Technology and Engineering at AMD where he led the development of the award-winning Zen high-performance x86 CPU family, leadership GPUs and the company’s modular design approach, Infinity Fabric. In the past he has also worked on products spanning from IBM microprocessors and servers to Apple iPod and iPhone hardware.
This episode is ideal for anyone wanting to learn more about microarchitecture and chip design! We also cover implementing large scale technical roadmaps, effective communication of company themes and direction to employees, and how to delegate important tasks as a leader.
Action items:
1. Figure out what you have a passion for, and don’t let it go!
2. Step back and look at how you’re interacting with people — be introspective and ask yourself if there are improvements you can make with these interactions.
3. Think about the legacy you want to leave in life and make sure this aligns with your priorities.
In this episode we chat with Jennifer Wagner, the President of CarbonCure Technologies. CarbonCure chemically repurposes captured carbon dioxide during the concrete manufacturing process to make greener concrete. The company has attracted domestic and international venture investment, and has received numerous awards, including the Cleantech Group’s 2020 Company of the Year, the Cleantech 100 Hall of Fame recognition and grand prize winner of the 2021 Carbon XPRIZE. Tune in to learn more aboutcarbon removal in concrete, how CarbonCure came up with its business model, and Jennifer's take on integrating customer feedback into a long term product plan.
Action items:
- Get a mentor
- Ask questions
- Start working on any goals you have
Ananya Chadha is an undergraduate student at Stanford University studying neurotech engineering. She has had a variety of professional experiences at Neuralink, IBM, and Sick Kids hospital. After working in a gene-editing lab with CRISPR-cas9, Ananya developed a genomic data blockchain platform. She has also developed various neurotech devices like brain-controlled prosthetics, remote control cars, and MP3 players controlled with EEGs, electrodes, and brain signals.
In this episode, we cover what neurotech projects and ventures she is working on, how Ananya thinks about applying for VC money and grants, and her experience so far at Stanford.
Here are Ananya's 3 action items:
- Do the thing that you’ve been putting off and that you’ve been planning to do but haven’t started! Take that first little step.
- Do a visualization exercise where you think about what you want most out of your life. Then think about what steps need to be taken to get there.
- Be nice to people around you!
Dylan Gambardella is the CEO and Co-founder at Next Gen HQ that creates a hub to cultivate the community, education, resources, and mentorship that entrepreneurs need to keep pushing forward. Next Gen HQ has a monthly audience of 500,000+ who seize opportunities to grow and learn together. Now Dylan has been named Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education and has been recognized globally for his work leading a venture-backed, scaling startup. Dylan works with leading brands including Target and Capital One to help them stand out and reach the next generation.
In this episode we cover how Dylan came up with the idea and inspiration to invest time and energy into creating Next Gen HQ, how he created a community of 500,000+ engaged members, and his new book “Now That’s Momentum: How the Next Generation Can Think Like Entrepreneurs to Succeed at Work and Life”.
As we discussed in this conversation, our podcast listeners can claim their copy of Now That's Momentum and Apply to Join Dylan's community of Next Geners with this link: nextgenhq.com/getmomentum.
Use code CURIOSITY to unlock your 100% scholarship and expedited access!
Action items:
- Go to nextgenhq.com and fill out the membership form for scholarships, books, internships, etc!
- Just get started! No matter what you are doing in life, just start.
- Relax — don’t beat yourself up when you have a tough day!
Rachelle De Muy is a Strategy Specialist for Deloitte’s Workplace Experience team in Montreal, Canada. She has a Bachelor’s in Mathematics & Statistics and a Master’s in International Management. She has studied & worked abroad in seven countries from Spain to Australia and is a mentor for the Ivey Women in Management program.
This episode is perfect for anyone job hunting who is currently in school. We cover best practices for resume writing, networking, and how to stand out in the increasingly competitive job market.
Action items:
- Make a list of your strengths. Figure out what you enjoy doing.
- Find a company or role that you want to join.
- Start networking!
In this episode we chat with Natasha Walji, one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women and the Managing Director at Google Canada leading the Telecom, Tech and Public Sector. Previously she was a McKinsey consultant and a software developer. Natasha has actively served the community for 20+ years focused on disaster relief, poverty alleviation, and public health, and has co-founded an organization for children with disabilities.
Natasha tells us about the main factors that inspired her career, how she chose what to study in university, and what her day-to-day life looks like. She also talks us through what it was like being a part of the M&A deal closing team at Google where she closed a $12.5B transaction, the largest acquisition in Google / Alphabet history.
As always, here are her 3 action items!
- Operate from a place of humility, and recognize we are standing on the shoulders of giants.
- Focus on having a positive impact on humanity.
- Have self compassion - the most important relationship you have is with yourself. Lean into the moments of joy!
In this episode we talk to Ian Lockhart, a senior director at The Knowledge Society (TKS), a program that has been named a 'School of the Future' by the World Economic Forum and is working on accelerating the next world innovators through exponential technologies and sciences. Before TKS he launched his own seed fund that funds teenage ventures across Canada and Eastern United States, and he worked in Startups and Private Equity where he pitched to companies like Disney Plus, Apple, and IKEA. Ian shares his journey of how getting into an accident redirected his life trajectory from planning to be a professional soccer player to exploring private equity, as well as the role that getting clinically burned out played in helping him redefine success for himself and shift to running a student accelerator program.
Here are Ian's top three action items:
- Sit down and understand what you are insecure about and afraid of. Then think about what you are willing to give up because of these insecurities.
- Start thinking about mindfulness now (eg, meditation!).
- Have realistic expectations for everything you do. Understand the process will be long, and love the process.
http://curiositypodcast.ca/
Today we are joined by Geoff Olynyk, who is currently a senior Expert in the Sustainability Practice at McKinsey, where he advises companies, NGOs, and governments in Canada and worldwide on decarbonization, climate risks, and the energy transition. He has also worked in roles at McKinsey such as an engagement manager and associate partner. In the past, he was a research assistant at the MIT plasma science and fusion center whilst getting his Ph.D. in applied plasma physics and fusion.
In this conversation, we talk about his journey of studying fusion at MIT and then going to work at McKinsey, what he learned while working in research, how he chose what to work on during his Ph.D, and more!
Action items:
- Take climate change and the energy transition seriously - do your research!
- Learn the things that really make an impact on climate change; focus on what can make a big difference and direct your attention toward these activities.
- Get to know your local community and learn how to become involved.
Today we chat with Kevin Dewald, an Embedded Systems and Firmware Engineer at Neuralink, the biggest neurotech company developing ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers. He has also had two startups, one of which he started in university. We talk to Kevin about major real-world applications of BCIs, how he envisions Neuralink's next steps, and brain surgery automation. As always, here are his action items!
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Go on LinkedIn and ask a few people you admire if they would be open to going on a quick call with you.
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Focus on learning something at a very fundamental level.
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Reflect on and keep in mind this quote by Peter Drucker: "The best way to predict a future is to create it."
Parth Sareen is a software engineer and has worked in energy products at Tesla, machine learning at Deloitte, and development at Apple. He is currently doing a Bachelor of Applied Science at the University of Waterloo, and is working as a product management intern for Apple. In this episode, we cover frameworks regarding leadership and how to delegate tasks to team members, as well as how to identify and solve problems within companies via the lens of both a product manager and software engineer. We also chat about Parth’s experience presenting his work to large audiences and getting noticed by leadership.
Action items:
- Have empathy.
- Build and grow your network.
- Surround yourself with amazing people!
Aly is the Co-Founder/CEO of Finaeo, a digital platform powering the life insurance industry to bridge the digital divide between insurers, brokers and clients through a single operating system. It has been called the Amazon of the insurance industry and has raised over $10 million in venture funds. Tune into this episode where we chat with Aly about his journey of founding Finaeo. We cover what hiring looks like for a startup, how to build and maintain a good culture even while a company is expanding and changing, and Aly's process of raising capital for Finaeo.
Action items:
- Think hard and write about what you care about the most.
2. Don't optimize for money; optimize for experiences. Focus on meeting people, building relationships, and getting comfortable with failure. - Focus on your mental health. Reach out for support and be honest with yourself about challenges you might be facing.
Kasha was 16 when she set out to create a documentary, The Sunrise Storyteller, which since being released in 2017, has been screened at 60+ festivals and won 30 awards. She is also a photographer, entrepreneur, and social justice advocate. Kasha has been commissioned by National Geographic Learning, and she is a contributor to Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, Good Magazine, and the Matador Network. She is currently in development for her next feature documentary 1.5 Degrees of Peace—a documentary film to inspire a unified movement for peace and climate justice.
Check out her incredible work here:
1.5 Degrees of Peace: https://igg.me/at/1point5-Degrees-of-Peace/x/3786728#/
For more information about 1.5 Degrees of Peace visit: www.1point5degreesofpeace.com
The 3 and 5 minute, as well as the Spanish video version, can be found here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCX2CVKwo7eqQ7dFEqH46wUQ
Sunrise Storyteller's official trailer here: vimeo.com/207300702
For more information about the Sunrise Storyteller visit: thesunrisestoryteller.com or theglobalsunriseproject.com
Action items
- Watch a documentary.
- Get personal with an issue you want to make a change within.
- Try to educate yourself about a topic.
Fuad Ali is a venture fellow for Susa Ventures where he works on sourcing, diligence, and post-investment support as part of the Susa Fellowship program. He just started as a software engineer at Twitter. In the past he has worked in flight software at SpaceX and has interned at Tesla, Twitter, and Wealthsimple. Apart from working at awesome companies he is the host of the Next Iteration Podcast, and just graduated from McMaster University where he studied electrical and biomedical engineering. In this episode, we talk about his journey so far in the workforce, how he got the internship positions he had, and what makes a good leader.
Takeaways from Fuad:
- Set up a regular schedule to check in with yourself and reflect.
- Put yourself out there in a random scenario to get yourself out of your comfort zone.
- Get a full night's sleep.
Tune in for this episode of The Curiosity Podcast where we sit down with Anisha, 16-year-old emerging technology innovator and CEO of Q-munity. We talk to her about her journey in founding a company at 15, striking a balance between work and life, and how resilience has been key to her success. Here are Anisha's 3 action items:
- Start journaling everyday, even if just for 5 minutes.
- Practice resilience in some shape or form.
- Find something new that brings you joy.
In this episode of The Curiosity Podcast we speak with Andrew Blanchard. After doing management at Procter and Gamble for four years and consulting with McKinsey, he has now founded and is a partner at Jacket River, a boutique consulting shop and growth equity investor. He is also a co-founder of Raven Telemetry, a technology-enabled management system for manufacturers. Tune into our conversation covering topics like compounding skills, the company recruiting process, compartmentalization, and how to manage a team.
As always, here are his 3 action items!
- Read a great book (physical, not online!).
- Instil a consistent daily habit in your life.
- Intentionally do something that makes you uncomfortable.
In this episode we are joined by Shaloo Garg, the managing director of growth stage startups and unicorns for Microsoft as well as the United Nations Women leader. In this episode, we talk about the role passion, hard work, and persistence have played in her journey.
As always, here are her three action items!
- Do not be afraid to take risks. If you fail, enjoy that experience even more because the success will be 10x sweeter.
- Train your brain muscle to give back by creating a network of mentees as you grow.
- Be entrepreneurial in your thinking, and be open to trying out different things in your career. Pursue your passion!
Today we talk with Jonathan Trent, who, after attending Yale and UCSC, was the lead scientist of NASA's OMEGA project, a system of floating algae pods to produce biofuels whilst purifying wastewater and providing food for aquaculture. He has now left his Civil Servant position at NASA to found UpCycle Systems to address the escalating food, water, and energy crises, although he is still a part of NASA's Astrobiology Institute where he studies life forms that may exist in worlds beyond Earth. Jonathan talks to us about why he felt obligated to take a risk and leave NASA for Upcycle, what his goals are with this company, and his incredible journey within sustainability!
His three action items are to ask yourself the following questions.
- What are you planning to do with your life and where do you expect to be in the next 5-10 years?
- How can your life be less impactful on the environment and how can you make a more sustainable future for yourself and others?
- How can you influence others, both health and environmental-wise?
On this episode of The Curiosity Podcast we have Jessica Song, a 16-year-old neuroscience enthusiast and researcher at UBC. She is on a mission to revolutionize Alzheimer's treatment and talks to us about building projects at a young age, the value of networking, and her aspirations for the future.
Level up with Jessica's three action items:
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Write down your biggest failure. Reflect on how it affected you, how you learned from it, and what you could have done to either prevent it or react to it in a different way.
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Write down the name of the person you would want to have dinner with. Why so? What character traits or skills do they have that you admire? How can you build those skills/character traits?
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Reflect on what motivates you to achieve your goals. How can you keep this in mind when you lack motivation / discipline?
Today we chat with Bianca Patel, who has worked with communities across the world in collaboration with government and non-profit teams for sustainable development policy, and is now running the energy education program at Stanford University. She shares her insights on the future of sustainability, following an unconventional path, and defining your own success.
As always, here are Bianca's action items:
- Define what success means to you (and recognize that your goals and definition of success should change over the course of your life).
- Be intentionally reflective — Have daily or weekly self-reflection practices.
- Introduce randomness into your life; learn about something new, and be curious!
From being a management consultant at Aga Khan Development Network in Tajikistan to doing deep learning and AI at Box in Silicon Valley to founding TKS, Navid Nathoo has gained a wealth of knowledge and compounded numerous skills. On this episode of the Curiosity Podcast, we talk about how to live a life in which you are thriving, what we need to focus on to solve the world's biggest problems, and why Navid avoids mediocrity at all costs.
As always here are the three action items to try out:
- Write down your own action items for any podcast you listen to, including this one!
- Hold yourself accountable to those action items (make your own metrics).
- If you didn't write action items, ask yourself the question 'why'?
From being a full stack developer at IBM to working on a carbon sequestration project called Cequest and preparing to go to Harvard University, our guest Devinder has had a large range of achievements for an 18 year old. In this episode we talk about tools that have enabled him to follow his curiosity, such as being a polymath, having a growth mindset, and committing to daily habits like meditation and reading.
As always here are 3 action items!
- Learn something new that requires you to develop a new skill set. It does not have to be academic—it can be something creative such as painting but make sure to challenge yourself!
- Try to reflect by writing to someone; a parent, friend, etc.
- Read a book.