Swan Dive: Recent Episodes
Ron Rothberg and Stu Sheldon
Swan Dive features the inspiring stories of people with the clarity and backbone to make massive life pivots, professionally and personally. We capture the oral history behind the transformational moments in these meaningful lives. Career media executive, Ron Rothberg, and his life-long friend and award-winning artist, Stu Sheldon, launched Swan Dive to explore and share these incredible stories. Ron gave notice recently at his illustrious 16-yr media gig. While Stu leapt from Wall Street to the arts three decades ago. They examine their pivots through the lenses of real time and hindsight. One month after Swan Dive's launch, the entire world pivoted massively via Covid-19. Now, each week, a dynamic new guest opens up about the unique Swan Dive experience of their life, the ups, downs and ultimate sense of accomplishment. Hopefully, you'll find comfort and kinship in your big pivot, whether you've made it yet or not. Share your Swan Dive story with us and we may feature you. Find us @stuart_sheldon and ronrothberg@comcast.net - www.ronrothberg.com.
Matt Hartley is an Interfaith expert and "DEI Criminal." He's a dad, a cellist, a high school running coach, an educator and ordained minister. In other words, one of the good guys. Yet, after 5 years leading the University of North Florida Interfaith Center, Matt’s job was eliminated last year by draconian anti-DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) laws initiated by Gov Ron Desantis. To keep his interfaith work alive, Matt joined OneJax, a local diversity organization supporting Interfaith work on multiple campuses. In a 2023 New York Times article titled, What It Is Like To Teach In The Crosshairs of Ron DeSantis, Matt said, “When people think about diversity and inclusion, they generally think of race, not faith. That is by design. The G.O.P. branding gurus intentionally turned “woke” into a racist dog whistle.” Matt now works independently. His website, Faith in Diversity, features a weekly subscription newsletter and explores the landscape of DEI, religious diversity, war and human rights.
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Trained as an anthropologist, Suz Howard spent 20 years as a partner at IDEO, one of the world's leading design and innovation companies, playing a critical role in growing IDEO from 200 employees to 1000 in 9 locations around the globe. Focused on building creative leadership within organizations, she founded IDEO U, a digital learning platform that has served over 80,000 students through various forms of cohort-based learning since 2014. In effect, Suz has dedicated her life’s work to building out-of-the-box thinkers and enhancing the future of work itself. Now, out on her own, Suz continues her work with individuals and organizations, bringing human-centered design and design thinking to develop insightful strategy, deploy rapid prototypes, and align multiple stakeholders around a common vision for a brave new future. In addition, she teaches entrepreneurs at the Aspen Institute and advises startups on climate tech. Her writing has been published in Inc Magazine, Fast Company and many other places over her illustrious career.
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As Executive Director of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, TN, Jeff Kollath oversees the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Stax Records and American soul music. Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooke, Booker T & the MGs and the endless Stax roster of musical icons produced songs that stirred our souls and shared our collective story, a story born of pain and glory, rags and riches, love and lust. Stax liberated our hearts and freed our hips to move like nobody was watching. Kollath, brandishing a BA and Masters in History, shares the complex STAX story everday, highlighting the granular details of each artist and the revolution they created. And overseeing magnificent installations that capture the moments when musical and cultural magic happened in a beaten up corner of Memphis. Kollath has researched and written extensively about soul music and Black culture during the Civil Rights and Black Power eras. Prior to arriving in Memphis in 2015, Kollath created dynamic public programming and exhibitions for the UW-Madison Center for the Humanities, the Milwaukee County Historical Society, and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.
Memphis Magazine Interview
Photo Max Gersh / The Commercial Appeal
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Clark Butcher will be the first to tell you he is addicted to endurance athletics. He started running age 7, completed his first half marathon at 11 and discovered triathlons at 14, where he naturally excelled in cycling. By 16, Clark was competing in the Junior World Cup in Canada, National Championships and pro-caliber events throughout the US. This culminated in 2002, when Butcher spent a summer racing throughout Europe with the German National Team. Clark founded Victory Bicycle Studio in Memphis in 2010 and has grown it from a part-time project to a national industry leader in bicycle retail. Victory is to bike shops what the Apple Store is to electronics. And his "Couch to 50" program has changed the way a community finds both fitness and friendship on a bicycle. One of his many satisfied customers said it best, "No matter what you do, every time he gives some information, something sticks that didn’t stick before.”
Couch to 50 video!
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As a teenager, Dr. Scott Morris became deeply interested in two things: his religion and the practice of medicine. He's spent his entire life creating a way to connect the two to serve humanity. Now 70, Morris is the founder and chief executive officer of Church Health in Memphis, TN. A leading voice in the field of faith and health and a passionate advocate for the poor in U.S. society, Morris opened Church health in 1987 to provide quality, affordable health care for working, uninsured people and their families. It has now grown to become the largest faith-based, privately funded primary care clinic in the country w over 60,000 patient visits per yr. Morris holds a Masters in Divinity from Yale Divinity School and an MD from Emory. The current issue of Fortune Magazine did a stunning feature on his incredible journey. And, Stuart had the privilege to join Morris on his inspiring Mystic Podcast episode on a recent visit to the Church Health facility in Memphis. We are honored to welcome this righteous champion of "doing well by doing good" to Swan Dive.
"Fine & Blessed" - Short video clip from Swan Dive interview with Dr. Morris
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Chris Jenkins is Head of Production in University of California, Santa Barbara’s Film & Media Studies Department. He has been behind the lens of many notable and award-winning documentaries. His work has aired on Netflix, PBS, Discovery, The History Channel, Sundance Channel and on and on. Prior to receiving his Masters in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford, Chris was in East Africa as a United Nations Volunteer working with and capturing on film tribal cultures, animals, the plight of refugees and much more. Before that he bicycled to southern Chile on assignment for National Geographic en route to a year as an Ambassadorial Scholar. His harrowing adventures and riveting stories are endless!
http://cjpictures.com
Check out “Vera Cruz” from CJ on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/121515049
Photo by Steve Glass
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Hollywood Creative Director and Graphic Artist, Gary Adler, has a blackbelt in branding on a global scale. He moved to LA in 1986 to chase his dream and, after decades designing for the film industry’s best, from Disney to Dreamworks, Warner Bros, Sony and Fox, he’s seen it all. If you watched Nightmare Before Christmas, you’ve seen Gary's work. He sold a wonderful screenplay to Harold Ramis but, like so many Hollywood dreams, bad timing kept it on the shelf. Still, Gary lived well off his creative chops in the take-no-prisoners world of movie making. And is now exploring new avenues on his creative journey.
Contact
- https://vimeo.com/163206699
http://linkedin.com/in/gary-adler-3852579
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Taylor Keen has an astonishing resume: Golden Gloves boxer, Dartmouth undergrad, Harvard MBA and Masters in Public Administration. Business man. Indigenous leader, Strategy consultant and full-time instructor in Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Creighton University. But at his core, Taylor is a storyteller. And the stories he tells are those of his tribal people. Harvard did a magnificent feature on Taylor last Dec titled, Singing To the Corn, where they wrote: “Corn thrives when sung to and spoken to—something Taylor Keen does in the language of his mother’s Omaha Tribe, where he is known as Bison Mane. Keen is also an active member of the Cherokee Nation, his father’s people, where his tribal name is Blackberry. He grew up between Omaha and the Cherokee reservation in northeastern Oklahoma ..." IN 2014, Taylor founded Sacred Seed whose goal is preserving Native American heritage in history through collecting, growing and spreading the seeds of corn and other traditional Native American foods. This incredible polymath has seen a great deal and gained much wisdom, which he generously shares on Swan Dive.
Watch Sacred Seed video
Recommended books on Indigenous Culture:
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
- Custer Died for Your Sins
- God is Red
- Corn Among the Indians of the Upper Missouri
- Braiding Sweetgrass
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In 2019, Miami New Times tweeted “Does anyone know Miami music better than Lolo Reskin?” Music is in this woman’s blood. Lauren Reskin, better known as Lolo, is founder of Miami’s iconic, Sweat Records**. Lolo’s father is a Julliard graduate, professional trumpet player, and composer. Her grandmother, a concert violinist. Even her great uncle, Alan Freed, was the (in)famous 1950’s radio DJ who coined the phrase “rock and roll.” In 2005 Lolo opened Sweat Records, a must visit destination for vinyl lovers in Miami. She’s a sought-after DJ and leading music tastemaker, who is in it for the love of culture and community. As a native Miamians, we can say that this woman is a bona fide local hero.
Find awesome new music right now at SweatRecords.com**
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Katie Hathaway's swan dive moment came as her 7-yr-old son got in the car at school pickup and said, "Mom, I know it. We’re gonna be the first classroom shot up. We’re closest to the front of the school." Katie's heart sank. That any child would have such a thought, let alone when they’re supposed to be safe at school, made her sick. She knew she had to do some thing. Katie started by scheduling a meeting with her state representative who referred to himself as the Florida Gun Lawyer. As a former business woman, she knew she needed to bring the facts, not just sheer emotion, into that meeting. It was a tough conversation. Now, Katie is a leading volunteer with Moms Demand Action, devoting her life to righting the wrongs of gun violence, school censorship and other hot-button issues. She's been quoted by President Biden and is as fearless as she is emotional about the rightness of her efforts. Katie's motto is, “This work isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Twitter @khathaway1
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In the mid-1990s, Andy Peay and his brother, Nick, set out to find land for the vineyard they dreamt of creating. Eventually, they settled on a property in California’s West Sonoma Coast, an old sheep farm and apple orchard. Here, the brothers, along with star winemaker and Nick’s wife, Vanessa Wong, built Peay Vineyards, 53 acres of vines with six different grapes, where they make elegant, refined wines that are an expression of the land on which they are grown, land which, according to the NYT, “offers distinctive qualities shown transparently in their wines, primarily complex, polished pinot noirs; savory syrahs; fresh, intense chardonnays; and smaller amounts of vibrant Rhône whites.” Peay won SF Chronicle’s 2010 Winery of The Year, and for good reason. Andy’s wines are now poured in the finest restaurants in America, and are objectively sublime. Drink this wine and enjoy Andy’s inspiring journey.
Learn more about Peay Vineyards here.
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George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective pioneered an eclectic form of funk music in the 70s. Along with James Brown and Sly Stone, Clinton is considered one of the foremost innovators of funk … and his music made asses shake worldwide, including ours. With over 40 hit singles and three at #1, Clinton has been sampled by everyone from Dr Dre to Tupac and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2019, George and Parliament-Funkadelic were given Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards. Multi-talented, this Renaissance man also paints and recently had an exhibition at the illustrious Deitch Gallery in LA. At his essence, George is a wise philosopher who gave us all the secret to living a rich, full life when he sang, “Put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip … And come on up to the Mothership.” We are so honored and delighted to welcome this fine soul to Swan Dive!
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David William Carson's heart lives among the tall trees and endless oceans. This environmental scientist, entrepreneur and artist was raised in the forests of upstate New York. He earned a Master's degree in Environment and Resource Management in Amsterdam after pivoting from a rocky career in tech and finance. Now 31, David recently started his dream job as executive director of the Rogers Center, a 600-acre nature sanctuary and environmental education facility in upstate New York whose historic lands have been cherished by four generations of his family. David is elated to be living and working close to family, back in his hometown as a steward of the forest he grew up in.
Learn more at www.friendsofrogers.org
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In 1984, Keith Pariani and eight fellow enthusiasts left San Francisco on antique "high-wheeled" Columbia bicycles, following the path across the USA taken 100 years earlier by pioneer Thomas Stephens. They rode these awkward contraptions which have no brakes and only one gear across the entire country, through sun and rain, over the Rockies and vast stretches of emptiness, finishing 61 days later in Boston. The classic bike Keith rode, along with his extraordinary collection of antique bikes, is currently on display in the "Ride On" exhibit at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, FL, housed in the former Hotel Alcazar, built in 1888, when these bikes were all the rage. ollected over a lifetime, Keith’s bikes represent the intersection of engineering and art from the "Gilded Age." But, they also represent the culmination of his Swan Dive, the first time this shy yet passionate enthusiast and successful entrepreneur received the recognition he deserves for honoring a lifelong obsession. Keith reminds us all that we can chase our dreams and let our "freak flags fly," no matter how eclectic, alongside our our day jobs
Learn More about "Ride On" at the Lightner Museum
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All day, every day, we each tell stories about who we are and how we are. Collectively, we speak of “controlling the narrative,” both positively and negatively. Rick Stone tells stories for a living and is one of the world’s foremost experts on the power of storytelling. He began in advertising and has dedicated the past 30 years to bringing back this ancient art form in service of teaching, learning and connecting people worldwide. As the CEO of StoryWork International, Rick uses story-telling based training programs to help fortify interpersonal relationships and for team building and leadership development, helping professionals add deeper purpose and meaning to their work and life at Disney, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Hewlett Packard and many more. His latest book, Story Intelligence, co-authored with Scott Livengood, helps each of us become a master of our story and amplify and unleash every aspect of our IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence).
Learn more at Storyintelligence.com
And check out TheCentralFire.net where you can bring the delight of storytelling to your own community and join other communities of amazing raconteurs.
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Jake Miller is living his dream, a dream that started in his bedroom, making beats and writing songs. 10 years later, Jake is going strong, making records, delighting his fans, hanging out on the Today Show and performing live on the Kelly Clarkson show. The gamble paid off, pouring his heard into his music instead of heading off to college.
Click Here for to learn more about Jake's tour, music and more
Click Here to see Oscar from the Office on Tic Tok
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A recent call with an old co-worker and friend prompted Ron and Stu look back to their Swan Dives and the pragmatic details that surrounded their life changes. We talk about the cost of freedom and the value of time--the most important currency ever created.
If you have a story to share or have heard something in this podcast that prompted some action in your life, please reach out and share!
Click Here to connect with Swan Dive!
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Christian Boos is one of the most sought out surf and sportfishing guides on the North Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. He grew up in the ocean in Venezuela. At university in Caracas, he majored in computer engineering, a field of study he felt pressured into by society’s expectations of him. But after just 3 months working as a computer engineer in the early 2000s, Boos quit his job and moved to Costa Rica to find a more satisfying and simpler life. A few years later, he started Boos Adventures where, for the past 14 years, he has captained his boats and spent each day pursuing his passions along with his clients. With 4000+ trips under his belt and a reputation for excellent customer service and nautical wisdom, his company’s slogan says it all - “All we do is surf and fish.”
Boos Adventures Surf & Fish Charters
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Sheryl Johnson is good at what she does. She’s a fine lawyer, happily married and the mother of four. But one of Sheryl‘s children, Alex, suffered from mental illness and anxiety. And, like so many with this disease, her son did not find in society the care and understanding that was needed. Alex took his own life in 2017, a victim of the pain of depression. Sheryl and her family struggled for a long time with the weight of this unthinkable tragedy. Then, the universe sent Sheryl a sign by way of a dragonfly. And since that time, Sheryl has used what she learned from her beautiful eldest son to make the world a gentler and more helpful place for people suffering mental illness. She created the non-profit, hearts4minds.org, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health and connecting those in need to those that provide. Hearts 4 Minds received the “Positively Jax” award in May 2021 in recognition for the impact made in the community, and Sheryl has found joy and profound purpose in this endeavor. This episode of Swan Dive will leave you feeling hopeful not sad. For Sheryl is a warrior who is truly making the world a better place.
Click Here to learn more about Hearts 4 Minds
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Veterinarian Eric Dubbin spent 18 years practicing large animal medicine and evaluating new animal drugs for the Food & Drug Administration. Out of the blue, one day, the FDA invited him to fill the position of a retiring colleague in the field of coaching and organization development within their management ranks. Eric knew virtually nothing about coaching, and what he did know, he found bizarre, if not ridiculous. But, Eric has always lead with his curiosity and decided to learn more. Lo and behold, he discovered he had a gift to help others who were stuck in their professional lives. Eric quotes Viktor Frankl in describing this unexpected transition, "We don’t create our purpose in life so much as we detect it.” As part of his coaching training, Eric wrote his personal mission statement in which he detected his purpose - “I live to serve all animals in pursuit of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.” All animals includes humans. And, while Dr. Dubbin still loves large farm animals with all his being, it is people he now serves daily. We hope you enjoy his wonderful and unexpected Swan Dive.
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Mitzi Rapkin is the founder, host, and producer of the long-running podcast, First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing, featuring in-depth conversations with the world's most distinguished literary writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and essays. One of the best interviewers in the biz, her archive contains more than 380 interviews accumulated over nine years. Mitzi reads 50 BOOKS A YEAR, that's one a week, to produce up to 52 exquisite episodes/year, each meticulously covering the craft, creativity and themes of a writer’s work. She consciously cultivates conversations that evolve from the mechanics and quirks of a writer's process to questions on what it means to be human. She quit her cushy government day job two days before this episode recorded and told us, “I’m not sure if I'm diving or just falling, but hey, here I go!”
Subscribe to First Draft
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“I’m not inherently brave. I was very much in a life that, outside of being queer, had checked off all the American dream boxes: job, child, house, partner that loved me. It was a good relationship, we paid our bills, I mowed the yard … had cookouts. And then I met my partner (Bret) at a birthday party. I quit my job without a plan … It was in that moment that I was either gonna live authentically or not live very well, despite what on the outside looked really lovely.” Pete Barma, with her wife Bret, recently premiered their latest short film, Pete, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. For this lifelong educator and storyteller, the struggle to live authentically, to love fully and to grow into the best version of herself led her to take an extraordinarily bold leap of faith. That swan dive resulted in Pete finding not only the true love of her life but also a new career as a highly talented filmmaker. Her, short animated, autobiographical film, Pete, tells the story of a little girl named Pete who just wanted to play baseball with the boys, despite the noise coming from "concerned" parents who didn't approve of a girl like this in the mid 1970's. Whoopie Goldberg, one of Tribeca's curators of animated shorts, fell in love with Pete when she watched it with her granddaughter who also loved it. Petey's wife, Bret Parker, co-founder of Artfarm Productions, is a veteran filmmaker with 26 years at Pixar. In 2019, Parker and Pete directed their first feature documentary, Through The Windows. Pete is their second film with many more on the way.
Click Here for more information about "Pete" and Artfarm Productions.
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During his nine years as a pro hockey legend from 1972-81, Ron Andruff shared in 3 Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens. He won two Most Valuable Player awards with three major professional hockey leagues. He also won the American Hockey League Scoring Title. During and after his athletic career, Andruff lent his name and support to important causes, from Big Brothers to cancer, water conservation and many others. An entrepreneur and tech pioneer, Andruff started numerous companies in sports marketing, advertising, travel and beyond. His current consultancy focuses on creating a safer internet where patients in need can be sure that medicines purchased online are both fairly priced and efficacious.
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Beth Black is the Founder of Cherokee Creek Boys School, a therapeutic boarding school for struggling boys 10-15 that offers a safe place to “discover what is real and true about themselves and the world around them.” The school uses indigenous wisdom coupled with modern psychology to help these boys grow and thrive. Beth’s son attended a therapeutic boarding school in the 1990s, and she says, “It has become my mission to seek out the best practices in education and emotional healing for young people and to design a benchmark school that will truly make a difference in the lives of children and their families.” Beth began her career with the Walt Disney World organization in corporate communications, helping the world understand “how Disney does what it does.” She was part of the illustrious team that opened Walt Disney World in Orlando in 1971. This lead to a 35-yr career career in marketing and corporate culture building and a deep dedication to taking care of the people on her team.
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The youngest Latina ever to run a nationally endowed philanthropic foundation, this inspiring daughter of immigrants, Dr. Carmen Rojas, has dedicated her life to bettering the lives of underserved working people across the US. Growing up in a sprawling, multicultural family, surrounded by love and core values, instilled in Carmen a deep sense of promise. “For me, it’s really about supporting people, organizations and initiatives that create an alternative possibility where it’s not a zero sum game but where instead we are seen as collectively coming together in order to fill the promise of a multiracial democracy," says Carmen. Now, as president & CEO of The Marguerite Casey Foundation, this visionary, dreamer and truth-teller puts the money where it matters to support leaders, scholars and initiatives focused on shifting the balance of power in society — building power for communities that continue to be excluded from shaping how society works … and from sharing in its rewards and freedoms. She holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007. Her 2021 Seattle Times editorial, "How philanthropies can support grassroots social movements," exemplifies her purpose-driven life, awash in much-needed optimism.
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Wayne Irwin evolved his electrician trade into a radio broadcast engineer and now, a solar energy entrepreneur. Wayne owns Pure Energy Solar in Gainesville, Florida and his company creates innovative products that help bring solar power to the world. Last year, Wayne followed his passion for music and launched his own radio station, WMBT "The Wombat" 90.1FMl in Gainesville, FL. "Gainesville's Locally Driven Radio is also streaming worldwide on www.wmbt901.com, playing every flavor of music and building passionate community along the way. Whether he's harnessing the sun or taking your eclectic musical request, this devoted father, husband, inventor and entrepreneur, success is about continually evolving and staying focused on the things that matter most in life.
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Steff Florentina grew up in Nova Scotia, the daughter of an excellent tennis player who introduced her to the sport at age 5. “My life was tennis. When we weren't playing tennis, we were watching tennis, or going over areas that I could improve. My typical schedule growing up was wake up at 5, drive 35 minutes to the tennis courts, be on the courts from 6:00-8:00, make it to school just in time ... , play tennis during lunch (rain or shine), play tennis after school from 4-6. Eat, do homework, watch tennis and do it all again." When her devotion to tennis began to wane in her teens, she had some hard choices to make. This episode deals with the tricky terrain of expectations, our own and those that love us ... and how we must find our way through these choices. Tennis is still a massive part of Steff's life, only now, it's 100% on her terms. Follow her @steff.florentina and @alexandsteff and www.alexandsteff.com
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Swan Dive started in March of 2020 and we recorded our first episodes in a pre-COVID world. In this episode, we look aback at the moment Ron first took his dive. As the year winds down, what small change can you make? What big change is ahead of you? Looking ahead while finding value in examining where we have been, take a leap and join us on Swan Dive.
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Criminal defense attorney and award-winning novelist, Jon Miller, has tried cases in all but one of New Mexico's far-flung counties. He knows the grit and grind of the criminal mind. Raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a vision of practicing environmental law, Jon studied Urban & Regional planning at Cornell, went to law school and then worked at the Dept of Interior in DC, until budget cuts sent him packing back to NM, where he landed a gig as a Public Defender in Roswell. Yes, that Roswell. On the drive down to Roswell, Jon saw a road sign that read "Watch for Rattlesnakes.” This inspired him to write a book called Rattlesnake Lawyer. He’s written 13 novels to date. Still an active criminal defense attorney, his law firm is named Rattlesnake Law.
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Welcome to Swan Dive Revive, a reflective pause to look back at where we were to better understand how far we’ve come in our ever-evolving journeys. Today we revisit May 5, 2020, the episode titled, Unfinished. Ron was just about to leave his successful career as the pandemic hit. As the world experienced a collective pivot, we discuss his virtual going away party and the then-novel idea of being together in lockdown “doing nothing” with loved ones. Much has happened since. Yet, so much remains Unfinished … for all of us. We continue to explore the critical questions: "Who do you want to be? And what are you going to do about it?"
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The documentary film project, Capetown Legends, described Conrad Hicks as “an artist, self-taught master blacksmith and conservationist that is merging many worlds in his distinctive work.” Based in Capetown, S Africa, Conrad specializes in hand-forged metalwork to produce his sculptures and architectural and interior design projects. His forge is housed in The Bijou, an old Art Deco cinema, which he bought and began restoring in 1998. Conrad asserts “that all traditional blacksmithing jointing methods have innate metaphorical meaning adding to the final symbolic meaning of the finished form.” His much-sought-after designs are as beautiful as they are functional and energetically magical.
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Tiffany Manning was cruising along with a satisfying job in the art department of an ad agency when the layoff happened. She looked at the change of career as a gift and quickly changed gears, making moves as a commercial photographer. But with Tiffany, it’s all about movement and there was one more move she needed to make - a fine artist. When she finally found the courage to make that declaration out loud, everything changed. “I lovingly refer to my studio practice as the art of allowing. I am creating to be present in my body,” says this painter, photographer and visual storyteller." Now that she lives out loud, Tiffany has been working hard over the last 6 years to refine her voice. Connect with Tiffany on Instagram:
@tmannphoto @squareshapedlove @femininesoulproject
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Artist, Julie Miller Torres, specializes in printmaking. Trained as a lawyer, from a family of lawyers, Torres practiced law for seven years. She was good at her job and enjoyed her clients. But something was missing. At 34, she left her law career to start over in fine art at the prestigious, Savannah College of Art and Design ("SCAD"), where she earned a BFA in Printmaking. A few years out of art school, her career was beginning to get traction, when Covid hit. Undaunted, she turned to social media to promote her work. Five years after leaving art school, Torres created a series of screen prints of Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A New York collector saw one of these works on Instagram and purchased it. This collector had connections to the Metropolitan Museum of Art who then reached out to Torres and purchased another of the RBG pieces for its permanent collection. That piece, titled "Superdiva" is currently on exhibition at The Met thru next year in an exhibit called “Revolution, Resistance and Activism.”
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Hank Willis Thomas is one of the most consequential artists of this moment. Clear and incisive, his work is exhilarating to stand in front of and proves, time and again, that he has accessed his better angels. "Throughout his career, Hank Willis Thomas has addressed the visual systems that perpetuate inequality and bias in bold, skillfully crafted works. Through photographs, sculpture, video, and collaborative public art projects, he invites us to consider the role of popular culture in instituting discrimination and how art can raise critical awareness in the ongoing struggle for social justice and civil rights," reads the bio from his 2019 retrospective at the Portland Art Museum. Hank co-founded For Freedoms and the Wide Awakes, pioneering a new platform in collaborative creative engagement and activism. His work is included in numerous public collections including the MOMA, the Guggenheim, Whitney National Gallery in D.C. and many others. He has a beautiful young family and lives and works in NY.
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Cierra Britton (b.1996, Baltimore, MD) is an independent curator and art consultant living and working in New York City. Cierra Britton Gallery is the first NYC-based art gallery dedicated to representing woman artists of color.
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Born Nov. 1923 in Key West, long-time Miamian, Ruth Wolkowsky Greenfield is an American concert pianist, composer and teacher who, through music, broke racial barriers and brought together black and white students, taught by black and white teachers. She moved to Paris in 1949 to study piano and there experienced a society far more racially integrated than Miami, which was in the throes of profound racial segregation ... in schools, beaches, parks, restaurants. When she returned to Miami, Ruth founded the Fine Arts Conservatory in 1951 in Miami, one of the first fully integrated schools for music, art and dance in the South. This pioneering color-blind approach was considered scandalous at the time, but provided a breath of fresh air in a toxic society. Greenfield continued to teach music for 32 years at what is today Miami Dade College, Florida's first integrated college. Concerned w urban blight in Downtown Miami in the late 70s early 80s, Ruth founded the Lunchtime Lively Arts Series that brought music and culture to downtown Miami. She has devoted her life to using music to build bridges, bringing music to performers of all races, ages and genders. Watch the documentary about Ruth - "instruments of Change."
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As a fertility doctor, Michael Freeman is responsible for helping his patients bring new life into the world. Which makes his second bout with cancer all the more ironic. Yet, Michael's humor and optimism remain fully activated. "I'm still flossing," he told us when asked how he's changed his life to face the disease. Optimism abounds. This loving husband and father to three beautiful children helps us explore what happens emotionally when you get this diagnosis out of the blue, offers tips on how you interact with friends and colleagues, and shares what not to say to try to make him feel better. Happily, his treatment is going very well, and Michael's measured wisdom shines - enjoy the wins when you get them and keep stressful situations to a minimum, something we should all do more of. This is a Swan Dive into our own mortality and the critical choices we each must make to live life with humor, grace and definitive action.
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Ken Russell had a dream job, traveling the world kite-surfing and paddle boarding with is watersports company, when he got involved with the cleanup of the city park across the street from his Miami home. That civic engagement resulted in a run for office and a hard pivot from entrepreneur to his current position as Vice-Chairman of the Miami City Commission, recently re-elected in November 2019 for a second term. He entered Miami politics in 2015 with an optimistic view on positive change, and during his first term, Commissioner Russell was successful in passing legislation that supported resilience infrastructure, affordable housing creation, government transparency, and strong wages. He was instrumental in passing the Miami Forever Bond, which will invest $400 million into housing, parks, streets and flood mitigation throughout the city. Now seasoned in the blood sport of politics, Ken retains his jovial spirit and positive outlook, as he leans into a run at Marco Rubio's Senate seat. Swan Dive host, Stuart Sheldon, one of Russell's constituents, firmly believes that this amiable, Japanese-American, father of three, former YoYo champion, ukulele playing, wood sculpting renaissance man would make a fine Senator ... with both the policy chops and disarming persona to make Washington a less vicious and toxic place. To learn more, click here.
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Robert Arleigh White’s life forever changed when at 14 years old, his lifelong friend, Lenny, handed him a flyer and said, "Come on, we're gonna audition for the school play." In that moment, as Bob now recalls, Lenny handed him is life. Bob shares his winding but deliberate path, from high school teacher (11 yrs) to running Theater Jacksonville (16 yrs), where he directed over 50 plays, to Exec Dir, Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville (14 yrs), to VP Development Museum of Science & History (2 yrs) and, finally, to Principal with Robert Arleigh White + Associates, overseeing and advising nonprofit arts organizations in North Florida. Bob has also been active in promoting a host of arts related, community and civil rights initiatives. In recognition of over 20 years of successful legislative and community advocacy, the City of Jacksonville named August 12 “Robert Arleigh White Day.” Dubbed “the kindest motherfucker in the whole goddamned city,” Bob’s life has been committed to assuring that everyone’s story gets told. Watch his RAW Talk, “What I did with my pandemic.”
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Bhakti Baxter (born in Miami FL, 1979) lives and works in Topanga, CA. At 38, having never lived anywhere but his hometown, Bhakti outfitted an old Sprinter and made his way to the west coast, immersing himself in the deep solitudes of Southern Utah and other singular landscapes along the way. Exploring the relationship between science and spirituality, his work hinges heavily on geometry, the systemic manifestations of geometric principles in nature and the interpretive freedom of abstraction. Working in a variety of media within sculpture, painting and drawing, Baxter’s practice is an ongoing investigation into existential queries through the creative process. His work has been exhibited at Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami, FL; Perez Art Museum Miami, FL; Bravin Lee Programs, New York, NY; Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France; Manifesta 11, Zurich, Switzerland; among others.
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In the late 1990s Richard Bowsher co-founded the conference company, StreamMedia.com which pioneered the nascent space devoted to the delivery of audio and video over this new thing called the Internet. He sold that thriving company to NYSE publisher Penton Media. In 2007, Richard founded Klipopmekaar and started farming rooibos tea high in the Northern Cederberg mountains of his native South Africa. The only things standing on the farmland when Richard began were an old bus and a ram-shackle camp site. Today, along with being a thriving, productive and happy place, Klipopmekaar is one of the largest organic rooibos farms in the world. In addition to supplying premium tea brands direct, Richard Co-founded BOS Ice Tea in 2009 which is now the world’s leading Rooibos ice tea brand with regional head offices worldwide. Between Klipopmekaar, BOS Ice Tea, and their suppliers, hundreds of jobs have been created in the South African economy and beyond. BOS has significantly increased the world-wide awareness of rooibos tea, its proudly South African roots, its premium qualities, and its spirited African identity. Richard is an avid surfer, loving a father, husband , farmer, artist and dear friend of Swan Dive host, Stuart Sheldon.
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Award-winning journalist Gloria Riviera spent 20+ years as an ABC News producer and correspondent based around the world covering breaking, investigative and feature stories for the network's flagship broadcasts and social media platforms, including Good Morning America, World News Tonight & Nightline. She has a very exciting New Project as host of “No One is Coming to Save Us,” a podcast about the child care crisis that launched May 20th from Lemonada Media, the podcast network that presents humanity unfiltered. The New York Times wrote, "“No One Is Coming To Save Us” won’t actually fix the American child care crisis. There’s only so much that four hours of audio can do. But the podcast offers an encouraging look at other, more successful child care systems — some from other countries, some from America’s present and past." We've listened to #NOICTSU and the host absolutely slays! Gloria is married to Jim Sciutto, Anchor and Chief National Security Correspondent for CNN. They met in Fallujah during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and live in Washington DC with their 3 kiddos - Tristan, Caden and Sinclair. https://twitter.com/griviera
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Jay Sweet runs some of America’s most iconic music festivals: the Newport Folk Festival & Newport Jazz Festival. During his tenure as Executive Director of the non-profit Newport Festivals Foundation, his Folk Festival has won five Pollstar awards for Music Festival Of The Year … and America's original music festivals have regained their stature among the country’s premier happenings. He is a frequent keynote speaker at music conferences like SXSW and a contributor at NPR’s “All Songs Considered”, “The Connection” and “On Point” … and served as the Editor-at-Large for the acclaimed music and film magazine PASTE, where he wrote features and cover stories on The Roots, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, My Morning Jacket, and film director Wes Anderson. Diehard music lovers, Jay’s team supports music education initiatives throughout the United States. Find him on IG @imajs
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Danny Báez immigrated at 20 from the Dominican Republic to the US and worked for one week in a factory before realizing he had to find another route. Odd jobs paid the bills the next 5 years, until serendipity changed the entire trajectory of his life. A friend who worked for renowned Thai artist, Rirkrit Tiravanija, needed help for a 3-day gig. Danny showed up and worked hard, doing whatever was asked with a smile. On the second day, Rirkrit approached Danny and asked him what his dreams were. The rest is history. That gig lasted 3 years, followed by 7 years assisting legendary gallerist, Gavin Brown. Danny then launched out on his own. Co-Founder of the iconic collective, ARTNOIR. Co-Founder of MECA International Art Fair in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founder, REGULAR NORMAL Gallery, Danny Baez is a regular and normal guy based in New York City. He firmly believes in the power of building upon community and has organized various exhibitions in New York since 2010, proving that love, hard work, passion ... and a little bit of "fake it till you make it" go a long way!
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“This kid was a bit of a unicorn … very much a life force. He had this big energy, super kind, great humor ... this kid was loved ... when you met Sam, you didn’t forget it, even if you met him for only five minutes on a chairlift," says Ron Jackenthal of his son Sam. Ron left a very successful career as a senior telecom executive to found the Live Like Sam Foundation two years ago to honor Sam, a U.S. Junior National Freestyle Ski Champion who died in 2015 at 16 from a ski training accident in Australia. "So, my Swan Dive was leaving my high paid corporate tech career to follow my heart and start our nonprofit about 2 1/2 years ago,” says Ron. Live Like Sam supports youth from diverse backgrounds to develop a healthy sense of self-identity, character, purpose and connection to community by fostering positive well-being through educational programming and mental fitness initiatives. Swan Dive is deeply honored to share Ron's incredibly uplifting story, a glowing example of using darkness to find the light. And a glimpse into how we can assist today's youth through the many difficult psychological challenges they face in today's brutal world.
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Christa Niven and her Journey Schools have made vast strides in creating a utopian template for learning, focusing as much on emotional intelligence as academic excellence. She began her career in education at the Institute of Child Development researching infancy, risk and resiliency in early childhood. She then directed a program supporting homeless teen parents and their children living in shelters. With a B.S. in Child Psychology and Masters in Education, Christa founded a school serving chemically dependent youth and their children, working in that space for ten years while also serving as a therapeutic foster parent. In 2005, Christa founded her first of several preschools based on Reggio-Emilia, Conscious Discipline, natural play, assessment and observation and natural foods. These schools were consistently voted the best in their areas and Christa was nominated Director of the Year in 2012 and 2016. In 2017, Christa created the Journey School Development Group and launched the first franchises in the Journey School brand in various US cities. She also relocated to Costa Rica, were she opened the Journey School of Costa Rica, the first birth-12 grade school in the Journey family of schools (Swan Dive host Stuart Sheldon's children are both students). Married for nearly 30 years, Christa and Jim are proud parents of five children and the frequent foster parent to 13-17-year-olds coming to them through foster care, private and therapeutic placements.
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“I think of myself as a real-life advocate who argues in the court of public opinion rather than a courtroom.," says Sue Ariza, an Argentinian-Dominican Human Rights expert and producer based in New York City. With a BA in political science and law from the University of Zurich and an MA in International Law, Sue began her career as an international lawyer before pivoting to social justice PR. "The common thread is changing the world,” she says. Sue is currently working as a communications strategist at The No. 29 Communications and has worked with TED, Pineapple Street Studios, For Freedoms, In Plain Sight and The Wide Awakes. She most recently co-produced season 2 of Poetry Unbound by On Being Studios. In her magnificent personal mission statement, Sue declares, "I am part of a forward-thinking movement that demonstrates that to advance justice, human rights, and environmentalism we do not need to sacrifice the art of design and aesthetics but rather the opposite." https://instagram.com/s_ariza?igshid=yhojkm6d2k2r
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Tanya Selvaratnam’s new book, Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence, speaks truth to power by exploring her journey through an abusive relationship with the very powerful politician, former NY Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, who was forced to resign based on Tanya's revelations. Covered extensively in Time Magazine, The New Yorker and beyond, Tanya's narrative has created profound conversations about violence against women and the next phase of the #MeToo movement. Tanya is a writer, artist, and Emmy-nominated and multiple Webby-winning producer with more than twenty-five years of experience in the arts & social justice. Selvaratnam’s producing range includes films, branded content, live events, large-scale convenings, and exhibitions. Her films have played on HBO, PBS, Showtime, Vice, the Sundance Channel and more. Born in Sri Lanka and raised in the States, she is a cofounder w the artist Laurie Anderson and the producer Laura Michalchyshyn, of The Federation: a coalition of artists, organizations, and allies committed to keeping cultural borders open and showing how art unites us. She has also been an advisor and producer for For Freedoms. “My Swan Dive was writing this book, because it helped me write my way out of the darkness which I found myself in after I had come forward against the former New York State Attorney General in 2018. And, I was inspired to write the book because I had so many people reaching out to me sharing their own stories of intimate violence, and I decided I would write this book for them and also for the millions of people that experience it ... to take the reader along my journey from victim to survivor and thriver and, hopefully, help others find their light.” says Tanya.
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Laetitia Deweer is the founder and development director of CEPIA (Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents), an internationally recognized, award-winning nonprofit that serves over 1000 at-risk children, teenagers, their families and adults in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. CEPIA provides a wide array of education programs, psychological, legal and medical care as well as recreational activities, sports and arts and has been instrumental in feeding, clothing and providing mental health care to many who lost jobs and suffered hunger during the pandemic. In recognition of her decades of extraordinary work in rural Central America, The Aspen Institute invited Laetitia to be a fellow of its Central America Leadership Initiative. Each July, she joins hundreds of the world's leading thinkers to brainstorm ways to solve the world's most pressing crises. Born in Belgium, Laetitia speaks Spanish, English, French and Dutch and participated in social projects in Guatemala and Mexico as a university student. At 23, she moved to Costa Rica, deeply immersing herself as a volunteer with PANI (government child protection agency in Costa Rica). Ever since, she has dedicated her life to solving the problems of extreme poverty and human distress. With a Masters in Clinical Psychology and Educational Sciences with emphasis on Family Education, Laetitia also works with trauma patients as a private EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), transpersonal psychotherapist, and transformational breath work facilitator. To balance the intensity of her work life, she loves surfing, yoga and meditation.
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As a mother of two bright and healthy children, writer and professor, Sarah Clarke Stuart, never imagined she’d hear the words, “your child will either end up in prison or dead” from the ravages of drug addiction. It's a trauma no parent can ever prepare for, yet she and her young adult daughter have faced the fire together for 5 yrs now, and “today is a good day,” Sarah tells us. Sarah currently teaches English at Florida State College. Her non-fiction books underscore Sarah’s passion for storytelling, fantasy and metaphor, both on screen and on the page: "Literary Lost: Viewing Television Through the Lens of Literature" and "Into the Looking Glass: Exploring the Worlds of Fringe." A freelance writer for local and regional publications, Sarah is preparing for a TEDx talk on her journey w her daughter's addiction and working on her first novel, a story she says could not have been written without the life-changing experience of the past 5 yrs. Listen at Swan Dive or wherever you podcast.
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Joshua Deitch changed the game in residential real estate in tony Marin County, CA, setting sales records and amassing a legion of ecstatic clients. Josh started as a professional basketball player in Israel and brings an athlete’s passion and competitive spirit to work each day, setting him apart in what can be a cookie-cutter profession. He then built a thriving, decade-long career as a successful Bay Area chiropractor, delivering care with bedside charm. After enjoying the renovation of several Mill Valley homes for himself, Josh decided to turn his avocation to his vocation. He left his successful chiropractor gig to focus on luxury real estate full-time. From day 1, he did things differently, trusting his aesthetic intuition and strategically spending money to make money. Each property is staged and presented in all its potential glory. The results speak for themselves: countless 7-figure transactions and multiple awards. During his time as a pro basketball player, all Josh wanted was to play the game—inside, outside, it didn't matter. It was about hustle and excitement. He brings that same intensity to real estate. It’s more than just his career: it's his hobby and his passion!
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In the late 70s, Scot Nicol, was a young hippie living on the coast in Mendocino County (CA), when an article appeared about this new “Clunker Bike” movement happening in Marin County, CA and Crested Butte. A handful of guys were essentially retrofitting old Scwhinn bikes to ride on the dirt. Scot reached out to these kindred spirits (now cycling legends: Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly among others) and, basically, they collectively invented what we now know as mountain bikes. It will be 40 years ago this April Fools day that Scot, AKA Chuck Ibis, launched IbisCycles.com without money or a plan. Today, his bikes are considered some of the most sophisticated and coveted ever built, with a waiting list over a year long. Nicol always found a way to turn bikes into art, pioneering a “function follows form” philosophy that has made believers out of everyone lucky enough to ride one of his creations. Inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and beloved worldwide in the passionate world of riding, Scot still rides every day and defines the idea of turning avocation into vocation. He also happens to be one of Swan Dive's host, Stuart Sheldon's dear friends and favorite people on the planet.
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In 1960, Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr., the 16-yr-old president of his local NAACP Youth Council, led a sit-in at a local segregated lunch counter. All this young black leader desired was basic respect and dignity. In no time, a mob of 200 angry whites showed up with axe handles, spitting and shouting epithets, in what came to be infamously known as "Axe Handle Saturday." Sixty years later, this Southern gentleman is still fighting for fairness and speaking truth to power. “When I interact with whites, I say to them, ‘When you come into my community, I don’t want you coming into my community being as black as me. You don’t understand my problems. You don’t understand the circumstances of living in a black life. You have not walked a mile in my shoes. And, I’m not gonna hold that against you. All I’m asking you to do when you come into my community, when we have conversations ... all I ask you to do is to listen to what I say and be fair. Don’t don’t try to be an expert on me,'” says Hurst, author of three award-winning books on black history--It was never about a hot dog and a Coke®! A personal account of the 1960 sit-in demonstrations in Jacksonville, Florida, and Ax Handle Saturday, Unless WE Tell It…It Never Gets Told! and Never Forget Who You Are: Conversations about Racism and Identity Development, which he co-authored with Dr. Rudy F. Jamison Jr.
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A descendant of slave owners, former museum director, Hope McMath, spent 23 years at Jacksonville's venerable Cummer Museum of Art. Her abrupt exit five years ago resulted from "push back" against the 2016 exhibit “LIFT: Contemporary Expressions of the African American Experience,” consisting of work by 10 local artists inspired by the song “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” considered the national anthem of black America. Leading up to the LIFT exhibition, McMath describes her drive to move the needle for social progress in her Deep South community, "I started waking up every day obsessed, and it really was an obsession, with how to use my seat of privilege, both as a white woman and as somebody leading one of our largest cultural institutions ... how to use that to create progress within the city that is my home.” For many in positions of power, the discomfort of facing their community's hard racial truths was simply too much. Hope's willingness to speak truth to power cost her her dream job but liberated her to open The Yellow House, a place "where art + action creates change." The space serves as a catalyst for personal and collective growth, presenting thought-provoking exhibitions, hosting public events, and promoting community dialogue about racial and gender equity, universal human rights, environmental sustainability, and the untold stories of people and neighborhoods that have shaped our history. Yellow House is more than a physical space; it is a hub for educational outreach and collaborations among artists, writers, organizations, and communities. Hope is a much-needed force for good, a cultural leader, educator, formidable artist, and activist whose knowledge of, and passion for, the arts is matched by a strong commitment to social justice.
Photo credit: Tiffany Manning & Arbus Magazine
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As a chid, Khalil Osiris's most treasured gift was the Encyclopedia Britannica set he kept at the end of his bed and read cover to cover. Education was the highest priority in the home of this self-described "happy-go-lucky" country boy. So, it's not surprising that, at age 13, when the local chapter of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense opened in his rural community, Khalil and his intellectually curious friends checked it out. Khalil reflects, “There are things in our lives that resonate so deeply with us that we can be dramatically impacted by it to such an extent that our view of the world changes.” The more he learned as a teenager, the angrier he became. Angry at the system, angry at his teachers for singling him out as special (token), angry at his parents for complying and angry at white people who were unwilling to acknowledge anything at all was even wrong. At 17, feeling entirely justified, Khalil robbed a pharmacy and was sent to prison. He left 20 years later. But this soft-spoken, erudite gentleman would not be defined by prior choices. While incarcerated, Khalil received his Bachelors and Masters from Boston University. Upon his release he founded the Reflecting Freedom Network, dedicated to helping soon-to-be released prisoners find work and employers find qualified employees. His reentry program, Psychology of Incarceration, has been used in over 70 prisons across America. Khalil moved to South Africa, where he was selected to host the popular TV show, Each One, Teach One, which won the 2016 South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for Best Factual Educational Program. In 2020, he partnered with Nelson Mandelas's eldest daughter on the groundbreaking, ongoing documentary project, Truth & Reconciliation Conversations, which builds on Mandela’s vision of celebrating those taking action to better their communities via brutally honest conversations about racial justice (link above to share your own personal racism story). Khalil speaks publicly on a range of urgent social and racial justice issues, including Democracy and Restorative Justice, Hiring Returning Citizens and the Psychology of Incarceration.
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Internet pioneer and early stage investor, Josh Felser, was co-founder and president of Spinner, the first multi-channel Internet radio service, acquired by AOL for $320mm in 1999. He next co-founded and was CEO of Grouper/Crackle - one of the first user-powered Internet video networks, acquired by Sony for $65mm in 2006. While we would’ve next disappeared forever onto a mega-yacht in the Greek Isles, this serial entrepreneur co-founded Freestyle, an early stage VC with active investments in Internet and mobile startups, where he is now a Board Partner. In Feb, 2020, Josh helped launch TSG, a State task force to source private company solutions to solve many of the challenges facing the State of California from the COVID-19 crisis. Josh has recently turned his vast experience and vision to solving the climate crisis, angel investing in companies that foster a more resilient planet with a spotlight on energy management, food and water supply chain and more. Josh attended his first Burning Man 20 years ago with Swan Dive co-host, Stu Sheldon, and has been every year since.
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We did it, this year 2020 is drawing to a close. What did it teach us? What did we learn? This Swan Dive journey launched on March 26th, 2020. Stu and Ron started this collaborative art project that turned into a most needed distraction for a most unique year.
In this episode, we take time to reflect on the year that was, talk about the guests and moments that filled us up and helped us grow.
This is a moment to pause and reflect on the year that gave us all pause as we set our sights onto the new year with hope, direction and gratitude.
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When John Spence was sixteen, his father, a famous attorney, came home and told his second youngest child, "You’re a complete disappoint as a son. I wish you’d never been born. Get out of my house." Mind you, at that moment, John was a straight-A student, captain of the football team and homecoming king. By 26, John Spence was the CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation, overseeing projects in 20 countries. Two years later, Inc. Magazine named him one of America’s Up and Coming Young Business Leaders. Since, he’s been recognized as one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America and one of the Top 100 Small Business Influencers in America. John gave a TED talk on leadership and, after multiple stints running companies, now consults and coaches organizations worldwide, from startups to the Fortune 10 companies. He is dedicated to helping people and businesses make the very complex "Awesomely Simple,” which happens to be the title of his book, Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas Into Action. The wound he suffered when his father cut him off and kicked him out, may never heal. But John shares how that pain made him who he is and helps him soar as an author, teacher and leader. Welcome to Swan Dive.
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Bob Wiltfong is an Emmy award winning journalist, actor and dad. His recent book, “The BS Dictionary: uncovering the origins and true meaning of business speak”, takes a humorous jab at the numbing language that is BS (Business Speak). His love for BS was fostered through 20+ years of working as a consultant in presentation skills for several Fortune 500 companies including T-Mobile, General Electric and Charles Schwab. He often confirms trending BS terms with his CMO wife and is reminded that he has a lot more to learn from his three kids. Bob started in TV news then went into acting and improv, used journalism skills to land a job as a correspondent on The Chappelle Show and then the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Bob has an impressive IMDB page but retired from the business to play the role of DAD. On this Swan Dive we explore why Bob went from chasing show biz to chasing his kids.
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Josué Rivas (Mexica and Otomi) is an Indigenous Futurist, creative director, visual storyteller and educator working at the intersection of art, journalism, and social justice. "My mission, I think, is to come and show us the light. Like, what does that look like. How can you do it with storytelling that is compelling and is beautiful and is also regenerative for the people in the image,” he says. Josué's work has appeared in National Geographic, The Guardian,The New York Times and Apple amongst others. He aims to challenge the mainstream narrative about Indigenous peoples, build awareness about issues affecting Native communities across Turtle Island, and be a visual messenger for those in the shadows of our society.
He is a 2020 Catchlight Leadership Fellow, Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellow, founder of the Standing Strong Project, co-founder of Natives Photograph and winner of the 2018 FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo. Josué is the latest guest in our Wide Awakes activation. He is based in Portland, OR and is available for photo assignments, film projects and exhibitions.
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Crime rates around the world have declined, but the global prison population is rising. The US is worlds greatest jailor with 5% of the world population and 25% of its prison population. This is clearly not logical, and Dr. Baz Dreisinger's life is dedicated to solving this inhumane problem. Heralded by the New York Times and named a notable book of 2016 by the Washington Post, Dr. Dreisinger's book, Incarceration Nations: A Journey to Justice in Prisons Around the World, offers a radical rethinking of one of America's most devastating exports and national experiments: the modern prison system. Dr. Dreisinger works at the intersection of race, crime, culture and justice. She earned her Ph.D. in English from Columbia University, specializing in American and African-American studies. She is the Founding Academic Director of the John Jay College Prison-to-College Pipeline program, which offers college courses and reentry planning to those in prison, and broadly works to increase access to higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. She is Executive Director of the Incarceration Nations Network (INN), a global network and think tank that supports, instigates and popularizes innovative prison reform efforts around the world. Dr. Dreisinger won a 2018 Global Fulbright Scholar for her international work promoting education-not-incarceration and restorative justice internationally. As a journalist and critic, Dr. Dreisinger produces on-air segments for NPR and covers Caribbean culture, race-related issues, travel, music and pop culture for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and ForbesLife. Her first book "Near Black: White-to-Black Passing in American Culture" (2008), a cultural history of whites who pass as black, was featured in the New York Times Book Review and on NPR and CNN. We are honored to welcome Dr. Dreisinger as the next guest in our Wide Awakes activation.
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"We make the compass that points to the future we want to live in," says Amplifier.org founder and celebrated National Geographic photographer, Aaron Huey. Aaron's deep photographic storytelling captures and honors his subjects — from war victims to rock climbers to indigenous peoples — with elegance and fearless sensitivity. At 27, Aaron walked across America alone for 154 days and 3349 miles, coast to coast, with his dog and a camera. "After 1000 miles of doing nothing but walking, eating, sleeping and talking to my dog and occasional strangers, I shook off the world. And when you shake off the world, you can shake off the anxieties and the fears and the hopes of that world," says Aaron. That walk led Aaron to spend years living with the Lakota Sioux in S. Dakota, documenting what he describes as the final chapter of a genocide. That experience became the TED talk, "America's native prisoners of war," in which Aaron "picked a side" to fight for justice for the Sioux. And that auspicious moment morphed into Aaron founding Amplifier.org. Amplifier builds art and media experiments to amplify the most important movements of our times. By activating a foundation of free and open source art and the unlimited possibilities within a human centered design process, Aaron has created a global phenomenon that creatively advocates for what is fair and right. We could not be more honored to welcome Aaron to Swan Dive, the next guest in our Wide Awakes collaboration.
Photo credit Dan Westergren
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Miami entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist, Dennis Scholl, made his first documentary film at age 50. Fifteen years and thirty films later, this former attorney and CPA now has thirteen regional Emmys to show for his humble excellence as an artist. Films celebrating creative titans Tracy Emin, Theaster Gates, Wynton Marsalis and Frank Gehry have been featured at festivals worldwide, including SXSW and Sundance. His current films include “The Last Resort,” now on Netflix, “Singular” about 3x Grammy winning jazz vocalist, Cecile Mclorin Salvant, and “Lifeline”, about 50’s Abstract Expressionist painter, Clyfford Still. As a former VP of the Knight Foundation, Scholl oversaw a national arts program with cultural grants totaling close to $200 million. As the current CEO of Miami Arts organization, Oolite Arts, Scholl's leadership skill for finding and funding art projects has never been hotter. As the recipient of an Oolite Ellie Award, Swan Dive co-host, Stuart Sheldon, can attest to the profound value Scholl brings to Miami's vibrant art community and beyond. This dynamic gentleman's multiple swan dives provide a road map for each of us to put in the work require to follow our passions.
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This legendary Buddhist bon vivant, restauranteur, hotelier and serial entrepreneur’s only conscious memory of his mother is watching her grab her head and die of a brain aneurysm when he was five. Nevertheless, nearly 50 years later, Tracey Ryans' wondrous self-made empire of business, personal and spiritual success, has transformed this gregarious seeker into an arbiter of “cool” at the forefront of branding and creative activism. His wife calls him as a “pathological optimist” and his billion dollar smile fills any room he enters with hope (even virtually). The fifth guest in Swan Dive's Wide Awakes activation, Tracey's palpable hunger for human connection and civic joy is exactly what society needs to prioritize right now. Tracey shares how, not long ago, while he sat cross-legged for 14 days in an excruciatingly painful silent meditation, his mother visited him. Plain as day, Tracey watched her, as she sponged his aching shoulder (an old sports injury) with a cool cloth. What she said to him in that tender moment affirmed for Tracey that none of us are ever alone. And the time that we do spend alone can be the richest of all. Listen now on Swan Dive!
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Imagine starting an Internet company amidst the wreckage of the first Dotcom crash, then growing that company to 250 people and selling for nearly $200 million. Next, a bit of "healthy stalking and serendipity" got Chrysi Philalithes to RED, Bono's AIDS organization, where, as Chief Digital Officer, she mixed technology and altruism to creatively raise $600 million and improve global health over 10 years. "It was really the dream brand for me because it combined all of my interested: tech, culture, entertainment, media and purpose,” says this digital/marketing/communications superstar. Such thinking put Chrysi on The Guardian’s “50 Women to Watch” list. And drives her involvement today as the founder of NYLON LAB, a culture and innovation lab serving for-profits & non-profits ranging from The Grammys to For Freedoms. The fourth guest in our Wide Awakes activation, Chrysi personifies the notion of trusting intuition (it doesn't hurt when that intuition borders on magical). "What I learned was to trust my gut of how people communicate, because I’m fascinated and obsessed by that. And then not be afraid to jump, even when it was something completely new," says our amazing next guest on Swan Dive!
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Michelle Woo is Wide Awake, but that was not always the case. This incredibly humble yet fabulously accomplished behind-the-scenes leader at For Freedoms and the Wide Awakes shares how she remembers little of her life up to a few years ago due to being distracted for most of it. Motherhood changed that, and Michelle now actively practices mindfulness through meditation. The results speak for themselves, as this artist, cultural producer, art historian and arts business consultant now helps lead the largest cultural collaboration in US history, fighting injustice and getting out the vote in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. The third guest in our Wide Awakes activation, Michelle Woo's magnificent Swan Dive into her own awareness inspires us all to engage and be here now. Photo courtesy of Jeff Vespa.
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Imagine knowing virtually nothing of a father who disappeared, then getting a text at 42 from an unknown cousin saying, "We might be related." Immediately, the generous warmth of a large, loving family replaces the cold emptiness of a son abandoned. For over a decade, visual artist Yashua Klos has employed a unique process of paper construction and woodblock printing to engage ideas about blackness and maleness from his cultural perspective as a native Chicagoan. Now, his practice and life are in fabulous flux, as he surrenders to a sea of love and appreciation engulfing him and aims to mark the legacy of his newly discovered family's migration from the South to working class Detroit. Swan Dive's third guest in our Wide Awakes activation, Yashua's award-winning work has been shown in museums and galleries across the globe, featured in the NYT, and earned him a Joan Mitchell Fellowship and a NYFA grant. He's also Stu's favorite artistic discovery of 2020. Klos is represented by Tilton Gallery in New York and Galerie Anne De Villepoix in Paris.
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Gina Belafonte has excelled at many things. An accomplished actress, director and activist and the youngest child of Julie and Harry Belafonte, Gina produced HBO’s internationally acclaimed documentary, SING YOUR SONG, exploring the extraordinary life and legacy of her father; the film was selected to open the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. As Executive Director of Sankofa.org, a social justice organization that educates, motivates, and activates artists and allies in service of grassroots, equitable change, Gina works with diverse artists, activists and organizations worldwide to promote cultural and civic engagement. Among these are For Freedoms and The Wide Awakes, currently involved in the largest collaboration of cultural leaders in U.S. history with nationwide civic actions leading up to and after the 2020 election. This episode is the first of a series of activations created in collaboration with leading voices and visionaries within the Wide Awakes movement.
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Africa's first black, female neurosurgeon, Dr. J. Nozipo Maraire received her undergraduate degree from Harvard and her neurosurgery training at Yale. During residency, she wrote the novel, Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter, a 1996 New York Times "Notable Book of the Year." In 2010, her vision for cutting-edge, affordable health care in Southern Africa, Ecosurgica, won her the British Airways Entrepreneur Face to Face Award. Her TED talk titled “Indigenous and Indigenius” has enjoyed thousands of favorable reviews. With a resume like this, you'd think Nozipo would define herself by the accolades above. But you'd be wrong. Honoring the African principal of Ubuntu which means,"I am because we are" or "humanity towards others," our amazing guest defines herself in service to the greater community. Nozipo lives in Harare, Zimbabwe with her husband, Allen, also a doctor (and prior guest on Swan Dive) and their 4 beautiful children.
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The biggest challenge most of us face before we swan dive is internal, the conflict btw our ingrained belief systems and what we know we must do to find contentment. Harvard-trained psychologist and trauma expert, Christine Rothberg, unpacks this complex notion of "maladaptive behavior" - behavior that prevents you from making adjustments that are in your own best interest. This surprisingly meaty episode looks under the greasy hood of the human pivot ... and helps us get our engines humming for a big change. Plus, as an added bonus, you can hear Stu go to therapy. The psychology of the Swan Dive gets inside your head right now!
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Holly Rilinger is one of the top fitness instructors in the world. Her instructor career followed years as one of the best professional basketball players in the world ... which followed her All-American college basketball career. Holly has always been at the top of her game, until she wasn’t. After injuries put an end to her professional career, Holly was left without an identity and was no longer connecting to the passion that fueled everything she did for her entire life. That’s when Holly had to “tap the source” and access the passion once again. Holly.life is now helping people all over the world with exercise, nutrition and mindfulness. And she is most definitely at the top of her game On this episode of Swan Dive, we explore how Holly got her grove back!
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Melissa Ross's steady, confident voice can be heard throughout Florida on NPR affiliate WJCT FM in Jacksonville ... and nationally, as Fill-In Host for The Diane Rehm Show. As the 11-year host of "First Coast Connect," her firm-but-fair interview style has earned her Emmy's and national recognition as one of America's top radio news personalities. 20 years ago, her young reporting career took a drastic turn on 9-11. As the country collapsed into fear, Fox News purchased her station and immediately dictated that all coverage be hyper-partisan and flattering to the Republican administration. For a woman with a deep sense of journalistic ethics, that did not feel right and caused her to depart what had been a blossoming career. That was the beginning of her incredible Swan Dive. Along with her daily morning show, she now co-hosts the highly respected "Florida Roundup" every Friday, a valued source for facts-based news reporting and analysis. Today, Melissa connects and inspires across a deeply divided community. And continues to be be a force for objectivity in our lamentably "post-truth" society. Welcome to her Swan Dive!
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For Dr Allen Chiura, a profound difference exists between success and significance. Zimbabwean born, this exceptional Urological Surgeon studied and practiced in the USA for nearly 30 years. Eight years ago, while living and working in the snowy mountains of Klamath Falls, OR, he and his wife, also a Zimbabwean doctor, realized something critical was missing from their lives. With four beautiful children and thriving medical practices, they were, by most measures, very successful in the States. Yet, both felt they could be more "significant" in their homeland. Dr Chiura returned to Zim in 2012 to open his Urology practice and facilitate the training of much-needed young surgical subspecialists. That was just the beginning of a patriotic journey to serve the nation he left as a young man but never stopped loving. After a rough start, Dr Chiura now has a thriving practice and is on the verge of opening a new hospital. He is Co-President of the Discovereum, the first and only Interactive Children’s Museum, in Zimbabwe. A former rugby player and avid golfer, he is a Board Member of the National Sports and Recreation Commission of Zimbabwe. His life is every bit significant. Welcome to Dr Chiura's Swan Dive!
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Rob Smith is the CEO and Founder of The Phluid Project, a leader in the gender expansive movement. The Phluid brand celebrates freedom, authenticity and self-expression and is dedicated to the values and priorities of Gen Z. This global platform emerged from the intersection of Rob’s vast retail executive experience, including Macys, Victoria’s Secret, Levi’s & Nike, and his passion for social justice, specializing in LGBTQIA+ underrepresented youth. Rob’s mission is driven by a fearlessness to challenge the status quo. He is a former Board Chair for The Hetrick-Martin Institute, empowering, educating and advocating on behalf of LGBTQ youth around the world. Rob lives in NY with his husband, Rod Grozier, and their dog, Jackson.
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Champion Kenyan runner, Marko Cheseto downed a handful of anti-depressants and ran into the Alaskan wilderness nearly 10 yrs ago. He woke in the snow 3 days later, so frostbit his feet had to be removed. In 2019, Marko set not 1 but 2 world records running a marathon on 2 prosthetic legs. He shares how he discovered the silver lining in his most tragic events. This absolute gentleman is not ashamed to call himself a survivor of mental illness and has devoted himself to not just running faster than most, but helping us find our own power and potential. Marko’s million dollar smile brims with kindness, wisdom and charm. Honored to welcome @marathonmarko (the fastest guy we’ve ever met ) to Swan Dive!
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Prissy Elrod is an accomplished author whose books, "Far Outside the Ordinary" and "Chasing Ordinary" are truly extraordinary. Prissy's books detail her life, the untimely loss of her husband and how she re-imagined and transformed herself, not just into a published author, but into the person she was destined to become. Her first book was published after her 60th birthday. Prissy Elrod's Swan Dive is a lesson for all of us that our talents are with us for our entire life, it's just a matter of activating and accessing those gifts.
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Shawn Forbes spent ten highly successful years as a fashion director at Macys, an expert in the color, texture and intuition of fashion. As an executive at Levis, she loved the people she worked with but was not doing those creative things she most enjoyed. As the bread winner and provider for her Bay Area family, she could not easily leave the paycheck and insurance. Then, she was laid off (along with 700 others). Yet, instead of dread and fear, Shawn felt relief and enormous opportunity to explore her unique gifts and use them to help others become their best self. On this Swan Dive, we explore how being pushed off the cliff can actually become a swing of joy.
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It has been 3 and a half months since Ron Rothberg took his Swan Dive. So how is it going? What is working? What is not working? And how about the pandemic? On this episode of Swan Dive, Stu brings back a familiar guest, Ron, to look back on his Swan Dive journey and relive some of the highlights from the last 3 months of the podcast.
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Nick Holt is a highly sought after health and fitness coach and founder of Nick Holt Fitness & SaltwaterFit.com. An athletic kid raised in New York, Nick found himself falling out of shape after 7 years in the finance world. He did not like who he was becoming, physically or spiritually - "I realized I was essentially spending the vast majority of my existence taking no risks, dropping every dream I ever had, living for the weekends, and dreaming of a life that could have been." Nick took aggressive action, moving to Costa Rica where he focused on his own physical wellness and spent the last decade helping men shed pounds, build muscle and defy aging. Ever since his swan dive, Nick's life has been guided by the timeless principal that without your health, life cannot be enjoyable or productive. "Saltwater Fit is the antidote to our sedentary, uninspired, distracted modern life that so many of us are living," he says.
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Earl M Johnson, Jr's father was Martin Luther King, Jr's attorney. The son followed his father's footsteps as an attorney and, even though he grew up in a privileged upper middle class black family, Earl Jr. is no stranger to the indignities of systemic racism. Just 5 weeks ago, in a moment of clarity which he describes breathtakingly for Swan Dive, Earl Jr. founded TakeItDown.org, the only organization dedicated to the removal of Confederate statues on public land. In short order, the laser-focused mission of TakeItDown is now Earl's primary focus.
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As Executive Director of the The Armory Show in NY, Nicole Berry leads strategic vision for one of the world's A-list contemporary art fairs. Yet, she started as a public school teacher. Nicole shares her magnificent, winding, grinding path from teaching to arts non-profit, gallery gigs and, finally, the esoteric world of cutting edge art fairs. She now directly oversees all aspects of production: exhibitor relations, programming, marketing, partnerships, VIP cultivation, and operations. Nicole received a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of California at Davis, and you can tell she loves her life as an art historian, writer, curator, art advisor and fair producer the past 15 years. She's also Stu's friend from their early millennium days in San Francisco, her home town. We welcome an old buddy and current international badass to Swan Dive!
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Nancy Hogshead-Makar won 3 golds and a silver at the 1984 LA Olympic Games. She received a law degree from Georgetown and has devoted her life to fighting for gender equity in sports. Three years before her Olympic triumphs, Nancy was brutally raped while attending Duke University. She feared she was too emotionally damaged to swim again, but the support of her coach and community in getting her back in the water after this trauma ultimately saved her life and her sanity. Nancy uses these profound life experiences as the CEO of Champion Women, an organization leading targeted efforts for equality and accountability in sport. Thanks to the tireless efforts of her team, in 2018, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and SafeSport Authorization Act was finally enacted. Nancy continues to fight for the rights of women athletes every single day.
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Michael Sharkey, The Shark, climbed to the top of his profession in radio, on air and running radio stations nationwide. He accomplished more than he ever dreamed but something was changing in the radio industry and inside him--he knew it was time to make a change. So, he followed his gut and traveled the world with his family. Now a host and talent coach, Michael hosts the podcast, "Your Podcast Coach" and shares with us the importance of taking time for yourself after you swan dive ... and how equally important it was to set an example for his kids.
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A breath-taking 140-ft mural, titled Swan Dive, just appeared in a leafy Deep South neighborhood, in the midst of a pandemic and a national racial awakening, at the beginning of 6 young artist's careers. Inspired by our podcast, this group of art students and friends safely took broke quarantine to bring public art and joy to an appreciative urban neighborhood block. In the process, their lifelong desire to be professional artists when they "grow up" just lit up, and a bunch of paid mural gigs have resulted, all before their 21st birthdays. We welcome these charming truth tellers and invite you to enter Swan Dive, the mural.
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We need live entertainment, it is a gathering of community and human interaction that brings us immeasurable joy. But the lights are now dark and the curtains remain closed. So what will live entertainment look like in the months and years to come? Our guest today is Numa Saisselin, President of the historic Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida. On this Swan Dive, we explore an industry pivot and what the future might look like for live music, performance and entertainment.
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30 Million Americans are out of work and there is a need to get back in the game, how do you balance a new position with your career mission statement? You create a proactive search. Patrick Howe is a Leadership consultant for Advisa, Patrick is a certified coach and a Leadership Consultant, Patrick has helped 100's of people craft their ideal work environment by co-creating a future with his clients. On this edition of Swan Dive, we explore how you can take control of the job boards instead of them controlling you.
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Swan Dive welcomes Autumn Breon, the rocket scientist who dove from astrophysics to innovating global education to harnessing art for social activism, all before she turned 30. After graduating from Stanford in Aeronautics & Astronautics, Autumn did research for NASA. Dissatisfied by the lack of fellow women of color in her cohort, Autumn founded STEMgineers Shifting Gears, a STEM-focused extracurricular program for middle schoolers based in Watts, CA. Her work to further the dialogue on educational equity led to South Africa where she founded the African School for Excellence. Autumn now works as an art advisor and consultant specializing in contemporary art and contemporary African art, curating and brokering art in Europe, Africa, and the States. Her work has been recognized by the Smithsonian Institution, Aspen Institute, TED, the Obama Foundation, and LA Magazine. Among the pearls of wisdom Autumn shares is the value of failure, as long as you "fail fast" and learn from the experience.
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Swan Dive welcomes our first guest to the conversation, media entrepreneur Jane Rimer, who pivoted from her highly successful career as a Global Content Strategist in Manhattan to facilitating personal leadership skills with other thought leaders and influencers at Elevation Barn in Park City, UT. Jane shares her wisdom as a life-long seeker, willing to chase her adventurous spirit, come what may, both professionally and personally. She emphasizes the importance of community, using what's in your backpack and embracing the notion that it's OK not to know. Welcome to Swan Dive.
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Welcome to the season 1 finale of Swan Dive. On this episode we hit Ron's virtual going away party and we recognize that we're all unfinished. This may be the end of season 1, but we're just getting warming up ... with new episodes featuring special guests every Tuesday from next Tuesday until forever.
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We start this edition of Swan Dive on the rooftop of an epic college party. We read letters from our past selves, get messy and grant ourselves the liberty to read a book and take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Do something different already! This conversation was recorded at the beginning of the year; you're gonna love the bit about the pause. So much more true today than in January. Ready, set, JUMP! This is Swan Dive, a pivot to your vision.
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Passion breeds purpose! When you make your declaration of who you are and what you want to be, suddenly, it is all you see. On this episode, we talk about the passion of Johnnyswim, surrounding yourself with people who are doing what you want to do and the fundamentality of trusting your gut. You are gonna be juuuust fine! Dive into this episode of Swan Dive.
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The reality of Ron's Dive has set in, and second thoughts are real. What have I done, and will this work out? Dealing with the reality of second thoughts on Swan Dive.
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On this edition of Swan Dive, things get real! Ron takes his leap and tells his boss he's leaving his job to change gears. We talk about how that conversation went, the power of activating your network and how to take the baby steps toward your dive. You know how we all say, "one of these days, Im gonna ..."? Today is "one of these days" ... on Swan Dive.
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This episode kicked off the conversation -- Ron prepares to leap from his longstanding corporate career, while Stu did his swan dive decades ago. Forward and rear views of the pivot to your authentic self. So, what is a dive and when is it time to jump? On this edition we explore passion, curiosity and how life is a long game. This dialogue began before the planet entered its own massive pivot, and the content is even more powerful and relevant now. Send your personal swan dive story and feedback to ronrothberg@comcast.net or stuart@stuartsheldon.com. Welcome to Swan Dive, a pivot to your vision!
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This is Swan Dive ... an exploration with people who had the courage to pivot to their vision. We recorded our initial conversations in January and February ... then in March, the entire planet pivoted. We like to think they joined us on our pivot. In this prelude, Ron and Stu offer context to this brand new adventure.
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