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I don’t know Keith Ferrazi.
Many of my “thank yous” go to people I have never met!
His book, “Never Eat Alone,” is the best “community creation – meets – business” books I know. I suspect we are both equally horrified by the manner in which Machiavellian “networking” is the cultural norm in business. Keith provides a spiritual road map for humanity in business. I read the book approximately 17 years ago.
Read More“They won’t remember what you said or what you did but they will remember how they felt in your presence.”
…Maya Angelou
In 2003, I was walking south down Park Avenue side-by-side with my friend Mike Hawley.
He was on my right.
Always buoyant. Always buoyant.
He was super super fun to be around.
It was a sunny day. Probably about 4pm.
I am going to give a tad more background before my “Thank You.” You will see why. Mike was no ordinary man. And yet his game-changing advice for me was so so basic.
Read MoreI jumped in quickly to write a lead in ahead of Amanda because, wow, I found this awesome!
Thank you for this gift, Christina…wow. (And the four Posa sisters continue lighting up the world!)
I have…
...just one COMPLAINT…
…the title…
I would love for the sequel – I want there to be a follow-up or two! - to be titled “Inside My Typical Mind” while this one "Inside My Crazy Mind” suggests that your mind is, in some fashion, many standard deviations away from our own in how it works!
Read MoreIt seems like everybody’s asking us to be patient right now.
We seem to have a very strange relationship with patience. We’re told patience is a virtue – that the ability to calmly wait for something without becoming upset is a trait of a good person.
But we’re also taught that impatience is a motivator to innovation. We applaud the entrepreneurs who invent better ways to do things because they couldn’t accept the inefficient processes required to complete some task.
Read MoreDuring one of the sessions at our annual Sundance gathering a few weeks ago, our friend Rudy Karsan offered up that he has only learned three things in his life. This caught our attention for two reasons. The first - if you know Rudy, you know he is so full with wisdom, and so to hear him say he has only learned a few things in his life made us all say, “wait…what??”
But the second was the #1 thing he learned - to trust his gut. To drill down deeper, Pip and Brynne recorded a podcast with Rudy on what he means by this - what is the gut? What is it made up of? How do you learn to trust it when it comes to making decisions, big and small?
We are sharing the podcast, fully of Rudy’s wisdom, with you below!
Read MoreIn my four-year old's words, it's been really nice to not have to "rush rush rush! in the mornings." (This was also a wakeup call for me to calm down in the mornings when I'm trying to get us out the door...) - Fay Sardjono
Right now I'm really appreciating cooking with my fiance more frequently. It brings me such joy to partner with her in the kitchen as we take turns being the sous chef. She normally travels for work and since she's been home we've had such a great time preparing meals together. That and Wii Tennis! We've been having such fun playing! Some day I'll consistently beat her. LOL! - Richard Uniacke
Read MoreThe other week, you may have seen protests starting to spring up in some parts of the United States. Adults and children marched despite state orders to social distance and remain at home, saying their liberty had been taken away from them because of the restrictions – sometimes drastic – the stop the spread of COVID-19. They were angry because they felt as if too much was being done at the expense of the economy and people’s well-being. I have spoken to people too recently who are angry, even filled with hatred, because they do not feel like our leaders are doing enough.
Read MoreTwelve years ago this year, Coburn Ventures hosted our first Sundance gathering with a group of investors and ‘wildcards’ or uncorrelated thinkers from different industries. The 2020 Sundance gathering was held last week and it looked…a little different. We kept up a lot of traditions though - including a feature mini film from our friend Laton. Around the 5th or 6th Sundance, Pip started tasking Laton with making different video montages connected to different themes like disruption, change, or 'seeing what you can’t actually see.' This year, Pip asked Laton to make a video about anti-pet peeves - and it was too fun not to share with the whole Community for Change.
Read MoreLast Thursday and Friday, I learned, over the course of 24 hours, that schools in NY State are officially closed for the rest of the year, and that my three kids’ 7-week sleepaway summer camp (the highlight of their year) is cancelled.
Within the parameters of us being collectively lucky, safe, and relatively unaffected by this pandemic, this was a huge blow. We now have four more months of trying to keep the kids happy, healthy and cared for, while my wife and I manage our two jobs.
I have to admit, this unmoored me.
Read MoreEarly this morning at about 6:20am, I stopped at a rest area on Interstate 87 while heading down from Saratoga to Pleasantville. I realized two anti-pet-peeves about the now ubiquitous face masks being worn!
Anti-Pet Peeve #1 Putting on my face mask as I headed into the truly gorgeous rest area…
Anti-Pet Peeves #2 Removing my face mask after I left the building as was back near my car…
As I thought of these anti-pet-peeves, I thought, “geez, that’s funny! One joy comes from putting it on and one joy comes from taking it off! Funny??!!”
Read MoreI did my first live Zoom yoga class this morning. Lately, I’ve just been squeezing in small self-practices when I can, or doing a pre-recorded class, but I was craving some social connection, so I decided to seek out a live online class at the studio I used to go to.
After nearly every single yoga class, I always am amazed by the changes I notice in my mind and body. It almost surprises me every time, too. Like, I’ve been practicing for 10 years, how is each time still so new and profound? But, that’s what it is like when working and exploring your own mind and body from a space of curiosity, letting go and conscious breathing: there’s never-ending stuff to discover.
Read MoreAs I was reaching out to collect anti pet peeves for Earth Day, Maria responded with a more extensive list, and I decided to share this wonderfully detailed list with the community! She also used her inspiration to create a little collage to go with it as you'll see below! I hope you enjoy - I am ALL for celebrating Earth Day not just on the 22nd, but everyday :) Thank you for keeping the theme going, Maria!
Read MoreThe hummingbirds in my neighborhood buzzing right past me to get to the feeder right after I've filled it, and the amazing sound their wings make up close. - Alex Knight
I love my soap (Sappo Hill, can be purchased on Amazon) and floss (Eco Dent, can be purchased on Amazon) that are packaged in paper without plastic. AND, ever since I read Joel Salatin’s book (I don’t remember if it was "Folks This Ain’t Normal" or "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal”), every time I flush a toilet, I think of his fantastical idea of using red wiggler worms to vermicompost human waste instead of flushing our waste down the drain with precious water and grin that he is so radical. - Ann Chung
Read MorePeople who take the time to gather scraps to compost. And the existence of community gardens in NYC. - Sandra Diaz
Sunrise, particularly the 20 minutes or so before the sun breaks the horizon when we get views like this (picture attached). - Barry Haimes
I have been struck by images of wildlife occupying spaces now emptied of humans: Kashmiri goats climbing the hedges of a Welsh town, penguins exploring the corridors of the Shedd Aquarium. Fauna and fowl have likewise become more abundant near my apartment in London. Wood pigeons congregate on the roof of the day nursery, a fox takes laps after nightfall, and mallards fly low down the street each morning. All this serves as a gentle reminder that we might yet be guests in the strange territory of others. - David Kim
Read MoreAlmost two weeks ago now, we released a podcast with our friend Dr. Mo Pickens on 5 practices for leadership during a time of crisis. Today we’re releasing a podcast he made with Brynne for Coburn Ventures on taking “real” breaks - in other words, checking your email does not always count as a break! I think many of us have the tendency to think that taking a break is inherently unproductive or a sign of weakness…but Mo questions this assumption. Thank you, Mo - these are such good reminders during a time where I am sure we have all at some point felt like we are living in some version of Groundhog Day :) The podcast link is down below!
Read More“Have you heard? That new virus is spreading like crazy in Wuhan, China. That seems just awful.”
“Oh gosh, now there are tons of cases in Italy and Iran. I heard it came from a bat. How terrifying. Thank goodness there are only a few cases here.”
“It’s exploded in New Rochelle, just outside New York city, and cases are increasing across Europe. Close the borders.”
“New York is the epicenter of coronavirus in the U.S. Those damn, godless New Yorkers, all pressed up against each other. Good thing we’re safe out here in Texas. Or Wyoming. Or Nevada. Or in Lagos or Delhi or Mexico City for that matter.”
Read MoreWe’ve all been through moments in life when a crisis disrupts the patterns of how we spend our time. For me, it might be something as small as missing a flight, which forces me to spend the entire day reconfiguring travel arrangements. For others it might be caring for a child with a broken arm, or dealing with a work issue that upends an entire week.
Or, as the case is now, the crisis might be as shared and massive as a global pandemic. It appears to have forced almost half the planet to reconfigure their time to do…. Well….. nothing. Just sit. Nothing.
Read MoreNo matter how crisis-ridden and unstable the world is, tulips are determined to bloom. - JC Herz
How it doesn’t take me any effort to motivate my son to go on a run (before corona, it was most difficult to get him off the couch) 😂 - Jorgen van der Sloot
Flying (Strange how quickly that changed). - Matthias Hollwich
Read MoreDr. Morris Pickens is a member of the Community for Change and also is a “wildcard” for some of our Coburn Ventures work. He wrote this piece highlighting 5 practices for leadership during a time of crisis, like the moment we currently find ourselves in, that we shared with our Coburn Ventures audience. We also wanted to share it with all of you. Mo’s piece is attached as a PDF, and there is also a link below for a podcast interview he did with Brynne on this same topic.
Thank you, Mo, for your endless wisdom and giving us guidance during this difficult time.
Read MoreLast year, Elana invited me to be a guest monologist for "The Armando Diaz Experience" (link), an improv show at the Magnet Theater in NYC. In this show, the monologist takes a suggestion from the audience and/or shares true stories from their life. These stories are then brought to life by a cast of improv performers. One show has three acts and it happens every Saturday evening.
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