Comedy & Innovation! Courtney Bickert, Comedienne & Social Innovator, Formerly at UN Foundation

“Comedy loosens the brain. It generates creativity. There’s something physiologically that happens in our brains. We stop thinking linearly and start thinking non-linearly when we hear jokes, when we try to tell jokes.” Courtney Bickert And now for something different….To solve today’s most intractable problems – from climate change to inequality to combating terrorism and… Continue reading Comedy & Innovation! Courtney Bickert, Comedienne & Social Innovator, Formerly at UN Foundation

How to Get More Women STEM Leaders – Heather Metcalf, Assn. of Women in Science

“These women have had networks and support structures and other kinds of community support that helped them get there in spite of an uphill battle….For men, the narrative is that they made it on their own. We downplay the role that mentorship played in (men’s) making their way into a leadership role.” Heather Metcalf “Research… Continue reading How to Get More Women STEM Leaders – Heather Metcalf, Assn. of Women in Science

Buildings Made From Plants – Laura Busse Dolan, Owner, CEO & President, Applied Imagination

“The story of the building is important for the artist (because) every model they create, they build a relationship with….they spend hundreds of hours working on that model…It’s a work of art.” When I visited the U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC a couple of months ago, I saw these amazing miniatures of landmark buildings… Continue reading Buildings Made From Plants – Laura Busse Dolan, Owner, CEO & President, Applied Imagination

Start-up Resources – Julie Lenzer, UMD Entrepreneur Program

“It’s easier to change the world with money…Ideas are out there…the trick is in the execution. It’s not always the best technology that works…Be persistent.” Julie Lenzer Having a great idea for a new technology or new business model that you think can change the world is terrific. But it will only make that change… Continue reading Start-up Resources – Julie Lenzer, UMD Entrepreneur Program

“Change, adapt or die.” former Kodak CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett on business disruption

“Change, adapt or die.”  In this conversation with Green Connections host Joan Michelson, author Jeffrey Hayzlett encourages audiences to “own who you are,” to “think big, act bigger” (the title of his new book), and to listen….carefully… But how do you “act big” when you don’t have the money? How do you know when to… Continue reading “Change, adapt or die.” former Kodak CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett on business disruption

Luxury and Sustainability? MGM Resorts’ SVP & Sustainability Chief on the Win-Win

There is no tradeoff between luxury and sustainability, says Cindy Ortega, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer of MGM Resorts, who ensures their 23 luxury resorts worldwide use the most viable sustainable options – with surprises. Part change agent, part CFO, and part sustainability evangelist, Cindy shares practical tips for selling sustainability (or any change) internally,… Continue reading Luxury and Sustainability? MGM Resorts’ SVP & Sustainability Chief on the Win-Win

Cleaning Industrial Water – Karen Sorber, Micronic Technologies

Our brains are 73% water and our bodies are 60% water, so we literally cannot live without it. But most community water systems suffer from industrial pollution. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Listen to Karen Sorber, Cofounder/CEO of Micronic Technologies describe their innovative chemical-free system for cleaning wastewater on this Green Connections Radio podcast with host Joan Michelson.

Who Is ‘Credible’? Women Innovators Are Different

CNN interview with Dr. Katalin Kariko, developer of MRNA, the key to the Pfizer-BioNTech covid vaccine. JOAN MICHELSON, SCREEN SHOT OF CNN STORY

Katalin Karikó began her innovative work on mRNA in the 1970’s but suffered ridicule and repeated rejection for decades. At the University of Pennsylvania in the 1990’s, Karikó’s work to apply mRNA “to fight disease was deemed too radical, too financially risky to fund. She applied for grant after grant, but kept getting rejections, and in 1995, she… Continue reading Who Is ‘Credible’? Women Innovators Are Different

How The Paris Climate Accord Can Create US Jobs – Tracy Raczek, Frmr UN Climate Advisor

“I truly, truly think that the green economy is an opportunity…When you look at greening infrastructure…truly transitioning our entire economy, you have incredible job opportunity…(including) for our business to be thinking ahead.” Tracy Raczek on Green Connections Radio podcast. A mere hours after being sworn in as president, President Joe Biden immediately rejoined the Paris Climate Accord with the stroke of his pen. Tracy Raczek, former Climate Advisor to the UN Secretary General, believes signing the Accord can be a job-creator in the U.S. Listen to Tracy explain why and much more in this fascinating interview on Green Connections Radio podcast with host Joan Michelson.

Making Women Extraordinary Leaders  – Coco Brown, A Top 100 Woman in Silicon Valley, CEO of Athena Alliance

“It’s time (for women) to pick our heads up and look around the executive realm and really think broadly about how big our impact can be…Don’t underestimate your value.”  Coco Brown on Green Connections Radio podcast
The economy is in the midst of a massive global shift when the old ways of doing business are giving way to new paradigms – in every sense from managing supply chains to marketing to employee relations, to financial reporting – to a focus more on sustainable business aligned with ESG factors (environment, social and governance). As a result, leadership is changing and it’s becoming more and more apparent every day that the way women tend to lead is more effective and drives stronger performance across all those metrics. Listen to this fascinating interview with Coco Brown, ranked one of the top 100 women in Silicon Valley and Founder/CEO of the Athena Alliance, to find out what the new paradigm of leadership is and how women are uniquely suited to it.