Taking the Stairs & Liking It with Lauren Speeth of Elfenworks

Sometimes a brief meeting with one human can change your life. Lauren Speeth, President of Elphenworks Productions, met US President Jimmy Carter decades ago.Watch!Lauren Speeth, PhD, combines a lifelong background in Silicon Valley technology with a commitment to educational, pro‑social storytelling. A classically trained violinist and longtime member emeritus of The Peninsula Symphony’s first violin section, she is also a voting member of The Recording Academy and has produced films and media projects that address poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis while aiming to foster hope.Her work in social impact has led to advisory roles with leading institutions: she serves as an External Advisor to Stanford’s Center on Poverty and Inequality, where she helped architect the Center’s first website and co-orchestrated its launch with a Concert for Hope, and she is a Lifetime Member of the Board of Councilors at The Carter Center. In higher education, she has held positions as a Regent Emeritus of Saint Mary’s College of California and has taught and lectured widely in management, statistics, computer science, and social entrepreneurship, including ongoing involvement with Bakke Graduate University.Speeth’s activism and philanthropy were shaped in part through a mentoring relationship with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whom she came to know through her deep engagement with The Carter Center.As a Life Member of its Board of Councilors, she sought guidance from Carter while framing the mission and operating principles of The Elfenworks Foundation; during these conversations, he encouraged her to “risk failure for worthy causes,” advice that helped her define the foundation’s core pillars of having a clear vision, working in partnership, avoiding duplication, sharing credit, measuring results, and staying the course.Speeth has since carried Carter’s counsel into her writing and public speaking, including her book Taking the Stairs and Liking It: 7 Steps to an Amazing Life, which draws directly on his wisdom along with her own research and global experience.I bought the book & it’s only 99 cents on Amazon.Timeline00:00 Jimmy Carter meeting13:00 How to get feedback16:30 StaminaConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe