Conceivable with Noor

Today I’m joined by Luba Yudasina, Founder and CEO of Paloma, a dating platform designed to help driven singles find long-term relationships without the endless swiping.Before founding Paloma, Luba was a Software Engineer and Product Manager at Airbnb, where she led initiatives across fraud prevention, government regulation and neighborhood policies, seeing the company scale through mid-stage hypergrowth to IPO. During her time at Airbnb, she also launched Life of Luba, one of the first tech-focused YouTube channels where she shared insights on breaking into the industry and building a career in Silicon Valley. We discuss the societal shifts and behaviors influenced by current dating apps, the optimal first date settings, the importance of discussing long-term goals early in a relationship, and the societal messages around career and familial responsibilities for both genders. We delve into broader societal questions about gender roles, the impact of societal messaging on personal life choices, and the importance of making intentional, self-aware decisions in both dating and life.Luba holds a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and outside of work, she's an avid opera singer, frequently performing at private events and concerts. Learn more about Luba:https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa/

Today I am joined by Ben Lamm, Founder & CEO of Colossal, a company best known for its goal of bringing the woolly mammoth back from extinction. On their pioneering journey of de-extinction, Colossal has been advancing technologies and creating entirely new ones to solve the fundamental problems they encounter each step of the way.From creating genetically modified embryos to considering the application of artificial wombs, we discuss the potential implications of the work that Colossal is doing on the future of human health care and the protection of endangered species.Learn more about Colossal:https://colossal.com/

Today we’re joined by Urologist and Microsurgeon Dr. Turek, internationally recognized as the authority on male fertility and sexual health. He is the founder of The Turek Clinic, is former endowed chair professor of the University of California, San Francisco, and inventor of sperm mapping for the treatment of severe male infertility. As a master microsurgeon, he popularized the no scalpel vasectomy and has among the highest published vasectomy reversal success rates.Dr. Turek's influence extends well beyond the clinic doors. His career has been dedicated to reshaping how we talk about men's health. This commitment is evident through his numerous research publications, global talks, and notable accolades, including a special invitation to the White House, as well as a prestigious NIH grant, and as an advisor to the NIH and Centers forDisease Control and Prevention. Join us as Dr. Turek discusses the most important factors contributing to male fertility, how to improve sperm health, how sperm changes as a man ages, and why sperm matter far more than we realize.Learn more about Dr. Turek and The Turek Clinic: https://www.theturekclinic.com/

Today’s guest is Fidji Simo, CEO and Chair of Instacart. Before Instacart, Fidji was the Vice President and Head of Facebook. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at OpenAI and Shopify. She co-founded the Metrodora Institute, a health center and research institute specializing in treating complex medical conditions, and is the president of The Metrodora Foundation.Fidji and I discuss her journey from growing up in a small town in France and being the first in her family to graduate high school, to being the CEO of a multi-billion dollar public company. She explains her strategic vision for Instacart, how to get the best advice from your Board of Directors, and how she’s navigated her own chronic condition alongside a fast-growing career.You can learn more about and support the Metrodora Institute here:https://www.metrodora.co/

Today I am joined by Sam D’Amico, Founder and CEO of Impulse Labs. Sam and his team have created the Impulse Cooktop- the most powerful and precise stove ever made due to its integrated battery, which doubles as a grid scale energy solution.Sam and I discuss his long history working on hardware related technology like AR and VR headsets with Google Glass and Oculus, how he got the idea to revolutionize the stove, hardware company business models and supply chains, and his thoughts on how AI will shape the hardware world in the next 5 years. If you’re interested in cutting edge technology, hardware, or even cooking, you won’t want to miss this episode!You can learn more about Impulse Labs and Sam here:Website | Impulse LabsLinkedIn | Sam D’Amico

Today I am joined by Sarah Guo, founder of Conviction, a venture capital firm that makes early-stage investments in technology startups. She was previously a General Partner at Greylock.Sarah and I talk about the rapid advancement of AI technologies, where she sees valuable being created, and which areas may be oversaturated. She notes some of the challenges to come for AI firms as they reach physical, technological, and data processing limits, and shares her thoughts on the role of human productivity in the coming years as AI technologies become more prevalent in the workplace.We also discuss becoming a mom, her views on balancing work and parenting, her philosophical approach to raising young humans in the age of AI, and so much more.You can learn more about Sarah at her website:https://sarahguo.com/

Today our guest is Dr. Amber Cooper. Dr. Cooper is Chief Medical Officer-Genomics and Laboratory Sciences, and Medical and IVF Practice Director at Kindbody in St. Louis. She is also one of Orchid's Medical Advisors. First she gives us a crash course on IVF and debunks a popular misconception about it. Then we talk about how egg quality changes over time, what egg freezing is, how many eggs someone should freeze based on how many babies they’d like, and what excites her about the future of IVF.

Today our guest is Dr. Roohi Jeelani. She is board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist at Kindbody, and one of Orchid’s Medical Advisory Board members. Dr. Jeelani shares her path to becoming a fertility doctor, and how, due in part to her own PCOS diagnosis, she became the patient herself as she sought fertility treatments to have her first and third child. Dr. Jeelani also debunks myths surrounding birth control, miscarriages, and breastfeeding, and shares her advice for others on their fertility journey. 

Today our guests are Brandon Schram & Aimee Gupta, who opted to use IVF and genetic screening to reduce their future child’s risk of hemophilia, a blood clotting condition that runs in Aimee’s family. They share their IVF journey, as well as how beneficial genetic testing became for them when they later discovered their daughter had a rare genetic mutation that was causing her to have seizures as an infant. We also talk about the stigma that IVF can have and how to overcome the common feeling of guilt for passing on genetic mutations to your children.

Today we speak with Dr. Holly Pederson, Staff Physician and Director of Medical Breast Program at the Cleveland Clinic and associate professor at Cleveland Clinic, Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Pederson explains the genetics of breast cancer, the differences amongst available testing, and who should seek out testing. We also talk about how results from genetic testing can help inform your family planning, and Dr. Pederson shares how critical it is for patients to advocate for themselves when seeking out testing. 

Today we are joined by Julia and Kevin Hartz, Co-Founders of Eventbrite. Julia is now Eventbrite’s CEO and Kevin is a Co-Founder and General Partner of A*. Julia and Kevin join us today to talk about how they built Eventbrite, how they built their family at the same time with the birth of their two daughters, and how they are planning to expand their family more than a decade later with the help of Orchid’s embryo screening. We also talk about their parenting philosophy, how that may change for their future children, and the advice they have for people who are thinking about having children.

Our guest today is Dr. Jerry Lanchbury, PhD. He's the previous chief scientific officer at Myriad Genetics. He led teams that were responsible for major molecular diagnostic innovations across oncology, urology, rheumatology, and neuroscience. He has had an incomparable track record in driving molecular genetic discovery from ideation all the way to translation into some high value clinical diagnostics. Dr. Lanchbury shares the historical context and evidence supporting polygenic risk scores (PRS), helping us understand how PRS made its way into clinical practice to fight against various cancers. He also shares why he is excited about polygenic screening of embryos and gives advice for patients seeking genetic testing.

Today we have the pleasure of speaking with two incredible guests: Noah Smith, economic writer, and Stephanie Sher, Investor in AI and data infrastructure. Noor, Noah, and Steph tackle one of today's toughest issues, modern dating. They discuss why it is so difficult, the difference in women's and men's desired timeline to start a family (and the resulting complications of that misalignment), and things we can do to make modern dating and finding one's match easier. Tune in for a fun and insightful  discussion.

Today our guest is Barry Behr, Ph.D., H.C.L.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility), Emeritus. Barry takes us behind the curtain, walking us through the process of IVF, including how eggs are retrieved from ovaries, how they’re fertilized with sperm, and how genetic testing is performed with the resulting blastocyst. He shares insights into the big advancements in IVF that have made the process so reliable, and what excites him about the future of IVF. Orchid is proud to support the critical fertility care that Dr. Behr and hundreds of others provide every single day.

Today we welcome Tim Urban on the show! Tim is the author of the wildly popular blog Wait But Why, author of the book What’s Our Problem, and is in the process of writing a new book. Tim shares insights about his Life Calendar, becoming a parent, procrastination, and some details about the book he is currently writing. We even talk a bit about why AI is such a challenge for our primitive hunter-gatherer brains, and his predictions about AI spouses.

Today our guest is Eugenia Kuyda, Founder and CEO of Replika. Replika is an AI chatbot that was made “with the idea to create a personal AI that would help you express and witness yourself by offering a helpful conversation.” Millions of users have interacted with Replika, and it’s known for building strong emotional relationships with users, especially helping those experiencing loneliness and social isolation. Eugenia tells us the story of how Replika came to be, what makes it unique among AI chatbots, and the difference between AI companions and AI assistants. We also talk about some of the real impacts Replika has had on users, learnings about the nature of friendship, and what our future with AI may look like.

Today our guest is Robin Hanson. He is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University, an author, and writes his personal blog called Overcoming Bias. Robin joins us today to discuss how dramatically worldwide fertility rates are falling, the leading cultural causes affecting fertility rates, and what impact declining fertility rates will have on the world and economy of the future. In addition, he shares results of a X poll he ran, revealing what cultural factors the poll respondents are most willing to change in order to reverse falling fertility rates. You can read more from Robin on his blog, Overcoming Bias. https://www.overcomingbias.com 

Today we have the pleasure of speaking with George Church, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. George is a pioneer in the field of genetics and personal genomics, and has co-founded nearly 50 companies and advised dozens more in the last four decades. In 2017, George was listed in the Time 100, Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Noor asks George about what makes biotech companies successful in their transition from the lab to the market, what excites him about whole genome sequencing of embryos, what the world would look like if embryo screening and IVF was the default way of having children, and other work he is excited to see come to life in the coming years.

Our guest today is Rohan Seth. In 2018, Rohan and his wife Jen welcomed their daughter Lydia into the world. Shortly after birth, she began to have seizures, and within a few weeks it was discovered that she has a rare genetic mutation affecting her brain function. Rohan shares his family’s story, their perseverance in seeking answers as well as others with the same condition as Lydia’s, the lengths they went to in order to improve the prognosis for their daughter, and their journey with Orchid. Rohan Seth and Jen Fernquist Seth have set up Lydian Accelerator, a non-profit whose focus is to accelerate building a platform to help drive the development of technologies that are extremely effective at silencing these mutations at the source. Learn more at their website below. As a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, donations are tax deductible. https://www.lydianaccelerator.org/