Long Life Learning

For the midpoint of Season 3, Kavitha is joined by midlife expert Chip Conley, founder of the Modern Elder Academy. Chip's exceptional career led him from founding Joie de Vivre Hospitality to serving as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for Airbnb during the company's crucial rise from startup to household name. Chip's leadership frequently placed him in the role of coach, mentor, and what his colleagues variously described as "confidante" and "modern elder." Join us to hear Chip's insight into how midlife mentors can embody both wisdom and curiosity, as well as his perspective on what the historic five-generation span in the workplace means in the contexts of coaching and vocational purpose. In addition, Chip and Kavitha discuss the importance of joy in career and personal success, the contemporary landscape for approaches to leadership, and why Chip believes that life only gets better as we age.      Transcript   S3Ep5—Chip Conley Transcript (AI-generated, unedited)     Links and Resources   Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:   Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage   Certificate in Professional Coaching Program Homepage  Sign up for program updates    Resources and Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:   Modern Elder Academy Homepage  Chip's Blog: Wisdom Well   Chip's Podcast: Midlife Chrysalis  Chip's TED Talks  Mary Catherine Bateson, coiner of "the midlife atrium"   Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley  The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger  Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change by David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney  One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success by Marci Alboher  More about Dilip Jeste's Wisdom Scale  Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age by Chip Conley  Dr. Becca Levy, Professor of Public Health with the Yale School of Public Health  The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain by Gene Cohen  From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur Brooks  Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future by Jean Twenge  Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow by Chip Conley  The Ezra Klein Show   Interesting Times with Ross Douthat     About Today's Guest  Chip Conley is on a midlife mission. After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the U.S., and then as Airbnb's Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Conley co-founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018 in Baja California, Mexico. Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a 'modern elder' at Airbnb, where his guidance was instrumental to the company's extraordinary transformation from fast-growing start-up to the world's most valuable hospitality brand, MEA is the world's first 'midlife wisdom school' and has a 2,600-acre regenerative horse ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico which opened in May 2024. Dedicated to reframing the concept of aging, MEA supports students to navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. Conley has authored eight books, given three TED talks, has a daily Wisdom Well blog, and a weekly podcast The Midlife Chrysalis which has included a wide variety of guests from Maria Shriver to Arthur Brooks to Elizabeth Gilbert to Rich Roll. 

This week, Kavitha is joined by Aha2Impact CEO Allison Holzer to talk about how her background with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and as an educator prepared her for excellence as a master certified executive coach. Allison walks Kavitha through the exciting developments at the forefront of coaching today, including expanded opportunities for group and team coaching, internal organizational transformation, and individual entrepreneurship. They also touch upon the democratization of coaching, how Allison incorporates her background in the visual arts into sessions, and why it is imperative for coaches to not feel invested in their clients' success. They key? Coaches and clients alike need to avoid "performing" so that they can disrupt traditional power dynamics, honor the client's agency, and approach the coaching relationship with trust and authenticity.   Transcript   S3Ep4—Allison Holzer Transcript     Links and Resources   Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:   Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage   Certificate in Professional Coaching Program Homepage  Sign up for program updates    Resources and Individuals Mentioned in Today's Episode:   Aha2Impact Insights  Dare to Inspire: Sustain the Fire of Inspiration in Work and Life by Allison Holzer  The Gift and Power of Unstructured Time – Allison's TED Talk  Ideas to Impact Newsletter Signup  Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell  AI for the Authentic Leader: How to Communicate More Effectively Without Losing Your Humanity by Allison Shapira     About Today's Guest  Allison Aboud Holzer is a Master Certified Executive Coach, leadership and innovation advisor, author, and keynote speaker who helps leaders rethink how they lead in moments that matter most. She is the Founder and CEO of Aha2Impact, a women-owned leadership consulting firm that partners with organizations to align leadership, strategy, and culture in ways that drive meaningful and measurable impact.  With more than 25 years of experience, Allison has coached and advised over a thousand global leaders - including CEOs, presidents, provosts, and senior healthcare leaders - through growth, transformation, and high-stakes decision-making. Her work spans Fortune 500 companies, leading healthcare systems, and top-tier academic institutions, with a focus on helping leaders newly expanded roles and business challenges with clarity and purpose.  For over 15 years, she has served as a guest lecturer, executive coach, and master facilitator for executive education programs at Yale School of Management, Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business and Vanderbilt Owen's School of Business. Allison is also the co-author of Dare to Inspire and a 2x TEDx speaker whose work explores topics like emotional agility, storytelling, and the power of unstructured time.  At the heart of her work is a simple idea: when leaders harness insight, emotion, and intention, they unlock the potential to create lasting, positive change. 

  This week, Kavitha is joined by Shawna Samuel, founder of the Mental Offload Coaching and Advisory Practice, to discuss coaching that is responsive to lived experience of women leaders in today's workplace. Shawna came to coaching after years as a marketing expert across Europe helped her realize that her greatest potential for leadership came in the form of mentoring others to success and achievement. She shares with Kavitha how feminist coaching breaks down traditional coach-client hierarchies, explains what it means to be a "productivity nerd," and discusses how leaders can overcome "Cinderella Syndrome" and work more effectively toward achieving their professional ambitions.    Transcript   Long Life Learning S3Ep3 Transcript – Shawna Samuel    Links and Resources   Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:   Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage   Certificate in Professional Coaching Program Homepage  Sign up for program updates    Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:   The Mental Offload and Shawna's accompanying podcast  Likeable Badass by Alison Fragale   Influence is Your Superpower: How to Get What You Want Without Compromising Who You Are by Zoe Chance  The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo, by Tom Reiss      About Today's Guest   Shawna Samuel is an executive coach specializing in the needs of women balancing demanding leadership roles with busy family lives. She is the founder of a boutique coaching & advisory practice, The Mental Offload, and hosts The Mental Offload Podcast. She works with clients across sectors (corporate, academia, entrepreneurship) to help them achieve more in life and work, with less stress. She built her business to share the strategies she developed in her two decades of professional experience working across more than 20 global markets. In addition to her coaching work, she's also a passionate advocate and speaker on issues of women's leadership and gender equity in the workplace. Shawna holds an MBA from Yale School of Management in addition to several coaching certifications. She lives with her husband and 2 children in Paris. 

This week, Kavitha is joined by two guests at the forefront of development in coaching excellence who are fresh off of a whirlwind global tour to train new coaches: Cameron Smoak and Madjdy Kassem, the dynamic co-founders of Educe. Madjdy and Cameron share how their years at McKinsey & Co. led to a passion for professional coaching, and how their work today strives to foster deliberate and purposeful relationships in order to shape a new generation of coaches who represent global society as a whole.   Cameron and Madjdy share with Kavitha why they're excited to have a hand in shaping instruction for the Certificate in Professional Coaching Program in alignment with ICF standards, and their plans to seek MCC certification. Along the way, Kavitha finds out what Madjdy thinks about clients with AI chatbots for coaches, how Cameron approaches the coaching of coaches, and what American ski instructors can learn from best practices in professional coaching.   Transcript   LLL S3Ep2 Madjdy Kassem & Cameron Smoak Transcript   Links and Resources   Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:   Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage   Certificate in Professional Coaching Program Homepage  Sign up for program updates    Resources and Individuals Mentioned in Today's Episode:   Educe homepage  International Coaching Federation (ICF) homepage  Champions of the Golden Valley, directed by Ben Sturgulewski  The Inner Game of Tennis, by W. Timothy Gallwey  Love Is My Savior: The Arabic Poems of Rumi, translated by Nesreen Akhtarkhavari and Anthony A. Lee   The Courage to Be Disliked, by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga      About Today's Guests  Cameron Smoak and Madjdy Kassem are co-founders of Educe. Both came to coaching as alumni of McKinsey & Company, and today are ICF Professional Certified Coaches with twenty years of combined experience. They are also sought-after program designers and leadership development facilitators serving clients around the world. In addition, both are multilingual, with Cameron speaking English and Italian, and Madjdy speaking Arabic, English, and French. Madjdy and Cameron are collaborative partners with Yale SOM Exec Ed in the design and execution of the forthcoming Certificate in Professional Coaching program. 

To kick off Season 3, Kavitha sits down with longtime Yale SOM Executive Education faculty instructor, fellow podcaster, and faculty director to the forthcoming Certificate in Professional Coaching Program, Dr. Heidi Brooks. Heidi explains why her approach to coaching is grounded in the centrality of relationships, citing a long list of beloved mentors who have shaped the trajectory of her research and work. Together, Heidi and Kavitha unpack the behaviors and habits of skillful coaches, highlighting the importance of reflection, writing, and responsive dialogue that reinforces client agency. In preparing for this first cohort of Exec Ed's debut coaching-centered program, Heidi makes the case for why in-person interactions continue to be critical to human relationships, and how coaching empowers clients to move forward with confidence and courage in embracing everyday leadership.  Links and Resources   Information on the Certificate in Professional Coaching Program and Yale SOM Executive Education:   Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage   Certificate in Professional Coaching Program Homepage  Sign up for program updates    Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:   Learning Through Experience Podcast  The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Ron Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Alexander Grashow  Forbes' list of recent articles by Heidi Brooks  South by Southwest conference homepage  You and We by Jim Farrell  Leadership and Self-Deception, by the Arbinger Institute  "Utopia" by Wisława Szymborska     About Today's Guest  Heidi Brooks is a Senior Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management, where she teaches and advises on the subject of everyday leadership—the micro-moments of impact that shape human experience. She is particularly passionate about creating more courageous communities, especially within organizations. Dr. Brooks specializes in leadership effectiveness, group dynamics, and learning through interpersonal experience.  At Yale SOM, Dr. Brooks has taught Interpersonal Dynamics—one of the school's most in-demand MBA electives—for over 20 years. She also directs the Program for the Practice of Everyday Leadership (PPEL, pronounced "people") and hosts the Yale SOM podcast Learning Through Experience.  Dr. Brooks earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and her bachelor's degree from Brown University. A lifelong experiential learner, she can often be found in classrooms ranging from improvisational theater to tennis to immersion language lessons.   

Long Life Learning returns for a third season to showcase a brand-new program: the Certificate in Professional Coaching, which has been designed by Yale faculty and celebrated coaches in alignment with International Coaching Federation Standards. Starting in April 2026, join Kavitha every Monday for conversations with professionals at the forefront of this dynamic and rapidly evolving field as they delve into how coaching brings about culture change, enables organizational transformation, and shapes leadership in today's workplaces.

For the final episode of Season 2, Kavitha is joined via Zoom by two extraordinary guests from the 7th YGELP cohort. Woon Shiu Lee, Managing Director and Group Head of the Wealth Planning Family Office and Insurance Solutions at DBS Private Bank, calls in from Singapore, along with Mondo Mazwai, Chairperson of the Competition Tribunal of South Africa. Together, Mondo and Woon Shiu walk Kavitha through their decision to engage in YGELP as a catalyst to further their commitment to social purpose as leaders in their respective fields. Mondo explains how growing up in apartheid-era South Africa drew her to law as an instrument for societal change. Her 25 years in legal leadership continue to shape her notions of democracy, justice, and how to build a resilient team prepared for an ever-changing future. Woon Shiu, meanwhile, was inspired by early professional experiences across Singapore, the UK, and the US to merge cross-cultural strategies which have allowed him to flourish in the world of banking and wealth management. Both guests emphasize the centrality of impact and social good in their work, with Woon Shiu citing his company's mission to be "the best bank for a better world," as a core pillar of what drives his mindset today.   What Mondo and Woon Shiu share in common is a fervent commitment to lifelong learning, even while thriving at the highest levels of leadership. They share with Kavitha stories not only of rich engagement with YGELP readings and instructional sessions, but also of a carefully cultivated network of peers and professors which continues to grow. The interview ends with each guest sharing their views on the role of spirituality in purposeful leadership, in a fitting close to a meaningful journey showcasing the unique and varied voices of the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program.     Transcript  S2E8—Woon Shiu Lee & Mondo Mazwai Transcript    Links and Resources  Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP  Resources and Individuals Mentioned in Today's Episode:  The Carrot and the Stick by William Putsis  The Book of Joy, The 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams  "Research: Why Breathing is So Effective at Reducing Stress," by Emma Seppälä, Christina Bradley and Michael R. Goldstein  Dr. Matthew Croasmun, Yale Divinity School   Nicholas Pinchuk, CEO of Snap-On Incorporated  Stephanie Dunson, Yale SOM   Where to Find Mondo:   Competition Tribunal of South Africa  Africa Leadership Initiative  Aspen Institute     Where to Find Woon Shiu:   LinkedIn  DBS Bank   Nanyang Business School    About Today's Guests   Mondo Mazwai is the Chairperson of the Competition Tribunal ("Tribunal") of South Africa – an antitrust adjudicative body – where she adjudicates competition (antitrust) matters, involving mergers and acquisitions and prohibited practice (complaints concerning cartel conduct or abuse of dominance). The cases are referred to the Tribunal by the Competition Commission of South Africa (the investigative body), or by private third parties, for public hearing and decision by the Tribunal.   Mondo has over 25 years as an admitted attorney and has worked in the private sector (including as the National Head of the Competition Practice at a prominent law firm), and in the public sector at the Competition Commission of South Africa in various capacities (including Chief Legal Counsel and Acting Deputy Commissioner). Her experience spans all aspects of competition law. She has led a team of economists and lawyers, including in the precedent setting price gouging case at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.   After 16 years as a legal practitioner, Mondo took a one-year sabbatical (in 2011/2012) to travel. She returned to public service in 2013 as a part-time member of the Tribunal. She was appointed Chairperson of the Tribunal in 2019, a position she still holds. In addition to the adjudicative role, Mondo is responsible for the governance of the Tribunal, ensuring that it operates efficiently, is financially sound and effectively delivers on its legislative mandate.   Mondo is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She is a Fellow of the Yale Global Leadership programme (the 7th Cohort).   She holds a B Juris degree from the University of the Western Cape and an LLB degree from the University of Kwazulu-Natal (Howard College). She was admitted as an attorney in 1997.   ---  Lee Woon Shiu is Managing Director and Group Head of Wealth Planning Family Office and Insurance Solutions in DBS Bank. He started his banking career with Merrill Lynch in 2000 after working as an attorney in Freshfields Drew & Napier and Coudert Brothers.  Woon Shiu has had a successful leadership track record in delivering transformational succession planning, philanthropy and insurance solutions to high net worth families globally for over two decades, winning accolades for Best Bank of Wealth Transfer/Succession Planning, Best Bank for Family Offices and Best Bank for Next Generation along the way. He has over 25 years of experience in advising numerous ultra-high networth families in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa in the strategic structuring of their estate and succession concerns, and also regularly engages multi-generations of such families on the establishment and implementation their family office, business governance and philanthropy strategies.  He is concurrently serving as Board Member of DBS Trustee Limited, DBS Foundation, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the Esplanade Co Ltd, and also as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore where he regularly lectures on wealth structuring and estate succession for private bankers, lawyers and trust practitioners. He has also lectured at universities in China such as Xiamen University and Tsinghua University, at the Hong Kong University, at the National Taiwan Chengchi University and at the ETH Zurich University in Switzerland, and his views as a leader are regularly featured in international media and at global conferences where he is a frequent speaker. In recognition of his continuous contribution to the Wealth Management Institute (WMI) established under the auspices of Temasek and GIC, Woon Shiu has received the WMI Ambassador Award, Distinguished Panel and Advisory Group Award and the Most Innovative Teaching Award and the Teacher of the Year Award.  Woon Shiu is an alumnus of Yale University and the National University of Singapore where he was a Law Society of Singapore Book Prize Winner. He is an Advocate & Solicitor of Singapore, a Solicitor of England & Wales and an accredited Trust & Estate Practitioner.  

This week, Kavitha brings in Yale Ventures Managing Director Josh Geballe shortly after another successful annual gathering of Yale Innovation Summit leaders and entrepreneurs. Josh describes a career which has successfully navigated leadership in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. As former COO to Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut, CEO to Core Informatics while overseeing a successful acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific, and sitting board member on nonprofits grounded in tech and climate solutions, Josh brings a wealth of change management skills and experience in championing innovative solutions to some of today's biggest challenges.  Join us to hear Josh and Kavitha discuss how he leveraged his early career in management consulting into his first finance leadership role managing multinational partnerships for IBM, and how his initiative and drive while working in the Governor's office helped dramatically improve Connecticut residents' experience at the DMV! As a longtime YGELP panelist and instructor, Josh emphasizes the imperative for aspiring leaders to act on networking opportunities, citing the fact that invitations to pursue some of his most transformative roles—including the position in the governor's office and his current role at Yale—followed the nurturing and flourishing of relationships. Finally, Josh shares some of the developments on his radar that are shaping the future of tech and biotech, which span exciting innovations in quantum computing, medical therapy treatments, and AI-facilitated drug discovery.   Transcript  S2E7—Josh Geballe Transcript     Links and Resources  Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP    Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  Yale Today newsletter  Yale Ventures newsletter  The Write to Roam, Ethan Malik's newsletter on AI  Invest Like the Best podcast with Patrick O'Shaughnessy  Acquired podcast with Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal  The Free Press podcast with Bari Weiss    Where to Find Josh:   Josh's Yale Ventures Profile  Josh Geballe on LinkedIn  Highlights and Winners from the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit    About Today's Guest  Josh Geballe is Senior Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Yale University and Managing Director of Yale Ventures.  He is responsible for a wide range of services and programs for students, faculty, and the broader New Haven community to launch new startups based on Yale research, provide training in entrepreneurship and innovation, expand external research partnerships, and foster the growth of the local innovation and entrepreneurship community. Prior to launching Yale Ventures in 2022 Josh served as Chief Operating Officer for the State of Connecticut under Governor Ned Lamont.  With responsibility for all executive branch agencies covering 30,000 employees, he led successful initiatives to modernize government operations and led the state's nationally recognized response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Prior to his three years in public service Josh spent his career in the technology industry, most recently as CEO of Core Informatics, a venture-backed scientific software company that was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific where he went on to serve as Vice President and General Manager of Digital Science.  Previously he spent 11 years at IBM in a variety of international executive roles.  Josh serves on the boards of directors of several non-profit organizations, including ClimateHaven where he is the founding board chair, Connecticut Innovations, AdvanceCT, BioCT and the Mory's Association.  Josh holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA from Yale University.    

This week, Kavitha is joined by Dr. Saad Omer, a globally recognized leading voice in cutting-edge research on immunization and vaccination. Today he is the Founding Dean of the School of Public Health at UT–Southwestern, and formerly served as inaugural director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. In this prior role, he oversaw not only the university's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also managed some of the innovative research which enabled experts to better predict impending outbreaks. His life's work has involved collaboration in studies everywhere from the US, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Africa, to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Australia.  Kavitha and Saad explore the ways in which business and medical experience can prepare leaders to flourish at top levels of higher education. Saad discusses the strategies he employs to communicate with transparency and compassion to his team and the public at large, as well as the ways in which he continues to anticipate and prepare his response to future adversity. Together, he and Kavitha unpack how management consulting prepares leaders for change management in times of crisis, how humility plays a central role in Saad's approach to his work, and why he enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to learn from leaders outside of the medical field in his time as a YGELP participant. Saad points to encouraging signs for the future of vaccine research, and shares a fascinating ambition for a second act career move which reveals a hidden passion for art.  Transcript  S2E6—Saad Omer Transcript    Links and Resources    Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP    Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman  Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein  Collected Works by Ernest Hemingway    Where to Find Saad:   Saad Omer on LinkedIn  Omer Research Group  Gavi Board Member Profile  O'Donnell School of Public Health Welcome    About Today's Guest  Saad B. Omer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.B.S.  Founding Dean and Professor, Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health  Dr. Saad B. Omer is a globally recognized epidemiologist, public health leader, and vaccine policy expert. As the founding Dean of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Omer has dedicated his career to advancing high-impact science that informs vaccine policy and clinical recommendations worldwide.  Dr. Omer's research has shaped public health strategies on vaccine hesitancy, maternal immunization, and infectious disease epidemiology. His work has influenced national and international vaccination policies, including those of the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). His studies on vaccine acceptance, immunization coverage, and infectious disease prevention have been cited in major global policy recommendations.  His research portfolio includes clinical trials on maternal and infant immunization for diseases such as pertussis, polio, measles, and pneumococcal infections, as well as studies on respiratory viruses like influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. His landmark studies on maternal influenza immunization demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing severe illness in pregnant women and newborns, directly influencing vaccine recommendations in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and beyond.  Dr. Omer has authored numerous publications in leading journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, The Lancet, Science, and Nature. His expertise has been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and BBC. He has advised global health organizations and served on advisory boards, including the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Vaccines and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee.  A dedicated mentor and educator, Dr. Omer has trained and advised the next generation of public health leaders. He earned his Ph.D. in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control and his M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University, following his medical degree from The Aga Khan University. 

For the first time on Long Life Learning, Kavitha is joined by two guests. Jeff Addison and Erin Gianopoulos are distinguished, now-retired U.S. military service members whose friendship began as peers in last year's YGELP cohort. Erin and Jeff join Kavitha in the studio during their Yale SOM reunion weekend to discuss how military leadership prepared them for executive roles in law and entrepreneurship. They explain what it looks like to continually learn and evolve at high levels of leadership, and how the military saying, "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready" continues to apply to their personal and professional lives.  Erin describes how her path from ROTC, to leading Marines in Japan, to earning a law school degree, has led to a burgeoning career in public service. Jeff Addison shares how his years as a Flight Commander in the Air Force equipped him with the management skills needed to found a data solutions company whose inspiration emerged out of personal tragedy. He also explains how being a lifelong learner helped him pivot and flourish as CEO of Techknowvate throughout the pandemic and the emergence of AI. Both guests express the desire to continually grow and serve their countries both in and out of uniform.   Finally, Erin and Jeff speak to the ways in which participating in YGELP—from receiving honest peer-to-peer feedback, to establishing networking connections, to benefiting from the excellence of instruction and building self-confidence—have helped them to embrace the next step in their executive leadership and impact journeys.    Transcript  S2E5—Erin & Jeff Transcript    Links and Resources    Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP    Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson & Jack Butcher  The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Alice Schroeder  Influence is Your Superpower, Zoe Chance    Where to Find Erin and Jeff:   Erin Gianopoulos on LinkedIn  Jeff Addison on LinkedIn  Techknowvate Homepage    About Today's Guests       Erin Gianopoulos is an attorney specializing in government law practicing in the city of Detroit. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School. Erin previously served in the Office of Legal Counsel for the Governor of Michigan and is currently a judicial clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Prior to law school, Erin held positions around the world as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, finally retiring from service in 2018. Erin is a driven leader committed to public service. She is an active member of Wayne Law's Board of Visitors. She completed Yale's Global Executive Leadership Program in 2024.     Jeff Addison is a United States Air Force Academy graduate with an advanced degree from Miami University and the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program, who brings extensive military and business experience. His military career included over 135 combat missions and various command positions in high-pressure, data-critical environments. Following his service, he led an engineering division for a technology and defense company before launching his entrepreneurial journey—successfully starting and exiting multiple businesses in technology and commercial development. His leadership at Techknowvate helped save Ohio nearly $100 million by redefining the state's PPE supply chain software during COVID-19. JeD and his wife reside in Dayton with their three daughters and are actively involved in their community. He serves on several boards, including the Dayton Engineers Club, co-founded by the Wright Brothers, and the JobsOhio Independent Review Board, which oversees development projects supporting $31.5 billion in capital investments. 

When CEO of Nuveen Green Capital and repeat YGELP instructor Jessica Bailey first got into business, it was because of a fascination with the energy sector's ability to drive foreign trade and policy. She quickly identified a market gap in scaling private capital for smart financial energy solutions, and partnered with Ali Cooley to carve a unique entrepreneurial role which allowed her to bridge philanthropic and public sector leadership informed by her years at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Connecticut Green Bank. Today, the team Jessica has built at Nuveen has expanded its scope across the U.S. and into international regions in an effort to provide sustainable commercial real estate finance solutions which support building decarbonization.  This week, Jessica joins Kavitha in the studio to discuss how centering impact as a core KPI allows businesses to gain momentum while their competitors face headwinds, how her team's initial emphasis on passion and generalist knowledge allowed them to rapidly flourish in an ever-changing energy market, and why leading with gratitude as a CEO has made the role a long-term and satisfying endeavor. Jessica cautions CEOs not to fall into the trap of prioritizing an air of invincibility which disallows space for vulnerability and the willingness to receive reflection from colleagues. She instead describes the most capable leaders as those who embrace learning specialized business "languages," who dive into new questions and lifelong learning with enthusiasm, and who follow the "green lights" life places on their path.    Transcript  S2E4—Jessica Bailey Transcript    Links and Resources  Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP    Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  The Diary of a CEO Podcast, Steven Bartlett  The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, Admiral William H. McRaven  Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey     Where to Find Jessica:   Jessica Bailey on LinkedIn  Nuveen Green Capital on LinkedIn  Nuveen Green Capital Homepage    About Today's Guest       Jessica Bailey is President and CEO of Nuveen Green Capital (NGC), a leading provider of sustainable commercial real estate finance.  As a pioneer of the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) industry, Jessica co-founded Greenworks Lending in 2015 and led it to a successful acquisition by Nuveen in 2021 where the firm was rebranded to Nuveen Green Capital. Under her leadership, the firm became one of the largest C-PACE capital providers in the country. Utilizing a state-enabled policy that Jessica helped to develop, C-PACE has become a mainstream financing tool for clean energy upgrades in commercial real estate and sustainable new construction. As President and CEO of NGC, Jessica has grown the company into a national lending platform operating in over 40 states, with over $3 billion in assets under management, and a team of nearly 100 professionals. Through its nationwide distribution and originations platform, NGC has experienced double-digit annual growth since founding. Prior to starting Greenworks Lending, Jessica was with the Connecticut Green Bank from 2012 to 2014, where she played a key role in designing and leading the award-winning C-PACE program for the state – the first successful C-PACE program in the country. Earlier in her career she spent eight years at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a foundation based in New York where she worked to advance clean energy initiatives.  Jessica's leadership and entrepreneurship have been widely recognized. In 2025, Jessica was named a GlobeSt. "Rainmaker in CRE Debt & Equity Finance." In 2024, Jessica was recognized as a "Notable Leader in Sustainability" by Crain's New York, and was also included on Worth Magazine's Worthy 100 List, and Commercial Observer's Power 50 Finance List. She was honored as a GlobeSt. "Woman of Influence" in 2023, and she and NGC co-founder, Ali Cooley, were jointly recognized as "CRE's Best Bosses" by GlobeSt. in 2023, as well as "50 Most Important Figures of Commercial Real Estate Finance" by Commercial Observer in 2022. Jessica was named an Ernst and Young (EY) Entrepreneurial Winning Woman in 2019, and Connecticut Magazine included her on their "40 under 40" list in 2019. She was also named a "Champion of Change" by the White House in 2014.  Jessica holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master's degree from Yale University. 

This week, Kavitha sits down with Senior Vice Chairman and former CEO of AlixPartners Fred Crawford to discuss his early rise to a C-suite position, and what advice he has for other aspiring executives on the same path. Fred speaks to the importance of not letting the job "run you," managing time to prioritize the most important "pizza pie" slices of your life, and knowing when to engage in smart, graceful, and smooth succession planning.   Fred explains to Kavitha why, despite thriving as CEO, he chose to transition to opportunities that have allowed him to embrace his passion for philanthropy, non-profit work, board service, and startup mentorship. He also shares the fascinating story of his succession at AlixPartners, which involved developing an innovative co-CEO system so successful that it endures to this day. Fred urges today's leaders to embrace the kind of vulnerability that allows them to seek advice about decision-making, and speaks to the state of a global marketplace evolving so rapidly that the landscape of change management instruction is unrecognizable from a few years ago.  Finally, Fred shares why his teaching for YGELP continues to inspire him by providing opportunities for international executives to grow their "global quality networks" face-to-face in an increasingly virtual world, and how his work today energizes him to instill values of leadership and giving back around his own dinner table.    Transcript  S2E3—Fred Crawford Transcript    Links and Resources   Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP   Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  True North by Bill George  Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman  The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch   Where to Find Fred:   Fred Crawford on LinkedIn  AlixPartners Page    About Today's Guest  Fred was the CEO of AlixPartners from 2008 – 2015, and Senior Vice Chair until his retirement from the Firm in 2021. He remains an advisor to the Firm and a member of the Board of Directors. Fred serves on the Board of 5 other Companies and is Chairman of two. He is also a senior advisor to two Private Equity Firms.  Fred is an internationally recognized strategist and operations restructuring specialist who has been involved in many of AlixPartners' most-high-profile situations. He is the architect, board sponsor, and senior mentor of AlixPartners' global leadership program. Prior to joining the firm, he held senior positions at other major consulting firms and worked in operations and brand management in industry. Fred has an MBA from the Kelley School at Indiana University. He is coauthor of "The Myth of Excellence," a BusinessWeek and New York Times best seller that details his research on consumer motivation and corporate strategic response. Frequently involved with the media, he is a sought-after presenter. 

In our second episode of the season, Kavitha is joined by Asha Rangappa, former Special Agent and current Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. Her work today is informed by years spent with the FBI specializing in counterintelligence, national security, and U.S. drug policy in Latin America. Together, Asha and Kavitha unpack what it means to lead with moral conscience in an increasingly divided world, and to embrace impact in the realms of academia, business, and public service.  Asha's recent research, culminating in a forthcoming book project, advocates for the urgency of change when leaders succumb to moral disengagement and fail to challenge authoritarian bids for power. She encourages listeners, students, and her own daughters to embrace fear and resilience as two sides of the same coin, and to combat collective apathy and social disengagement by empowering the voices of dissenters and whistleblowers. The latter group, she argues, is characterized by their commitment to higher principles, empathy, and a willingness to take risks in order to make a difference.  Kavitha and Asha discuss the importance of supporting academia and media as two "critical institutions in a democracy," citing these institutions as sources of a free exchange of ideas and truth-telling. Central to discussion is the question of how today's leaders can develop and practice a strong moral conscience, which Asha contends is done by developing a code of values and principles, exercising habitual muscles which allow them to reject societal pressures of shame and conformity, and embracing the courage it takes to put themselves in the spotlight.  Transcript  S2E2—Asha Rangappa Transcript    Links and Resources  Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP  Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  On Tyranny by Tim Snyder  Quantico starring Priyanka Chopra  Going Infinite by Michael Lewis  Loving What Is by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell   Where to Find Asha:   The Freedom Academy, Asha's Substack  Asha's Website  It's Complicated, Asha's podcast with Renato Mariotti    About Today's Guest  Asha Rangappa is an Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer at the Yale University's Jackson School of Global Affairs and a former Associate Dean at Yale Law School.   Prior to her current position, Asha served as a Special Agent in the New York Division of the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence investigations. At Yale, she teaches courses on national security law, Russian information warfare, and leadership and ethics. She the author of The Freedom Academy, a bestselling online Substack publication about disinformation and its impact on democracy, and also co-hosts the legal podcast, It's Complicated, with Renato Mariotti.   Asha graduated cum laude from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study constitutional reform and U.S. drug policy in Bogotá, Colombia. She received her law degree from Yale Law School where she was a Coker Fellow in constitutional law, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Juan R. Torruella on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Asha is a former legal and national security analyst for CNN and currently a legal contributor for ABC News. She is an editor for Just Security, a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, and a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project. 

To kick off Season 2, Kavitha sits down with Yale SOM Professor and Senior Associate Dean Jeffrey Sonnenfeld to discuss the evergreen question, "How do leaders learn?" Drawing on Jeff's decades of research expertise, high-profile media engagement, and longtime partnership with Executive Education, they attempt to answer this question for senior level leaders and C-Suite executives in particular.   Together, Kavitha and Jeff delve into the rich history of how institutions have striven to craft timely and innovative education for aspiring business leaders, culminating in Yale SOM Executive Education's flagship initiative, the Yale Global Executive Leaders Program (YGELP). Jeff, who has served as Faculty Director for all eight YGELP cohorts, makes the case for combating CEO loneliness by cultivating strong relationships across markets and borders. He advocates the importance of maximizing impact by leveraging Yale SOM's unique embrace of interdisciplinary learning, from accounting and economics to anthropology and the study of happiness.  Join us for a vibrant conversation as Jeff and Kavitha tackle questions like: How can leaders evade the pitfalls of strategic stagnancy in the forms of "success syndrome" and groupthink by elevating dissenting voices where their objections hold true with investigated fact? How can an intensive, multi-module program like YGELP empower leaders to engage in experimental innovation, gain real-time feedback from peers, and facilitate a sense of mutual exchange and clarity when innovating with AI, Cloud technology, and other cutting-edge research and strategies?  Transcript  S2E1—Jeff Sonnenfeld Transcript   Links and Resources  Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program? (YGELP)  Applying to YGELP  Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  The Evolving Self by Robert Keegan  "The Strength of Weak Ties" by Mark Granovetter  The Hero's Farewell by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld  On Tyranny by Timothy Snyders  Works by Marci Shore and Jason Stanley  Health & Veritas podcast by Howard Forman and Harlan Krumholz  Who Believed in You? by David McCormick and Dina Powell McCormick    Where to Find Jeff:   Prof. Sonnenfeld Yale SOM Faculty Page  Recent publications for Chief Executive Magazine  Recent publications for Fortune  Recent publications for TIME    About Today's Guest  Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies and Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice at the Yale School of Management, as well as founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, a nonprofit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance. He previously served as full tenured professor at Emory's Goizueta Business School for a decade and a professor at the Harvard Business School for a decade.  Professor Sonnenfeld has informally advised 5 US presidents - 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans - and thousands of CEOs. He helped advise the development of the Abraham Accords; helped catalyze the exit of over 1,000 companies from Russia; and helped catalyze collective action from CEOs on safeguarding democracy and voting rights.   Professor Sonnenfeld's related research has been published in 100 scholarly articles which appeared in the leading academic journals in management such as Administrative Sciences Quarterly, the Academy of Management Journal, the Academy of Management Review, the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Social Forces, Human Relations, and Human Resource Management. He has also authored eight books, including The Hero's Farewell, an award-winning study of CEO succession, and another best seller, Firing Back, a study on leadership resilience in the face of adversity.  Professor Sonnenfeld's work is regularly cited by the general media in such outlets as: BusinessWeek, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, the Economist, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC as well as PBS, and he is a staff contributor for CNBC and a staff columnist for FORTUNE, TIME, Chief Executive, and Corporate Board Member.  Sonnenfeld was recognized by Poets & Quants Magazine as the 2022 Professor of the Year in recognition of his high-profile efforts to catalyze the historic exits from Russia of over 1,000+ global businesses after the invasion of Ukraine, and was named to Worth Magazine's "Worthy 100 Leaders", an annual global listing of the most influential leaders across society. Sonnenfeld received the 2023 Greatest Impact on Corporate Boards award by Corporate Board Member magazine, and received the Academy of Management's 2023 Distinguished Scholar Practitioner Award.   Sonnenfeld has advised the White House, U.S. State Department, U.S. Treasury Department, and Council of Economic Advisers on Russian economic sanctions and business retreats and has testified to the U.S. Congress; in addition, he has been profiled by various media outlets including TIME, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Washington Post, and Business Insider. BusinessWeek listed Sonnenfeld as one of the world's 10 most influential business school professors and Directorship magazine has listed him among the 100 most influential figures in corporate governance.  He is the first academician to have rung the opening bells of both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Exchange having done so ten times. Professor Sonnenfeld earned the 2018 Ellis Island award from the US Ellis Island Foundation. He was Harvard's first John Whitehead Faculty Fellow and won outstanding educator awards at Yale, Emory and the American Society for Training and Development.  He is now a member of the board of Lennar, the leading American homebuilder, as well as IEX, Atlas Merchant Capital, and the Ellis Island Honor Society. Professor Sonnenfeld was appointed by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont to serve as co-chair of Advance CT, where he helped lead the state's economic development, including attracting and retaining leading global businesses and developing the state's workforce. Sonnenfeld also serves on the Board of Directors of Connecticut Innovations, which is focused on building the innovation and business ecosystem within the state of Connecticut. 

Long Life Learning is back! Join us every Monday this May and June to hear Kavitha Bindra, Executive Director of the Yale School of Management Executive Education, speak with accomplished executives and thought leaders to discuss living with inspiration and vitality. Season 2 centers around leveraging dynamic leadership for global impact, inspired by the voices that come out of the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program (YGELP).

The final episode of season 1 features Jo Ann Jenkins, visionary CEO of AARP for the past 10 years. Jo Ann has revolutionized the mission of this "nonprofit, nonpartisan, social change organization" to help Americans embrace life after 50 as a vibrant time of transformation and connection. Jo Ann joins Kavitha to talk career pivots, lifelong mentorship, and legacy-making whose benefits extend to people of all ages. She invites us to consider the needs of an ever-evolving present day: one in which the fastest-growing age group in the U.S. is Americans 85 and up, and in which today's 10-year-olds have a 50% chance of living to see their 100th birthday.  Kavitha and Jo Ann unpack how public discourse around aging and longevity has shifted toward inspiration and engagement. Though Jo Ann warns that we are still far from success, some of the issues at the forefront of AARP's mission under her tenure have seen significant wins: combating hunger, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and protecting Social Security among them. This final episode of the season is a celebration of third act joy and purpose generated into impactful action!  Transcript Episode 6—Jo Ann Jenkins Transcript  Links and Resources Information on ELI and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI)? ELI Application Form—Due Nov. 8, 2024   Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Best Life at Every Age by Jo Ann Jenkins and Boe Workman Drive to End Hunger: AARP's collaboration with NASCAR's Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports The Links, Inc. The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond by Deborah Whitman  Pivot or Die: How Leaders Thrive When Everything Changes by Gary Shapiro AARP Purpose Prize  About Today's Guest Jo Ann Jenkins, Former CEO of AARP As CEO of AARP, Jo Ann Jenkins leads the world's largest non-profit, nonpartisan membership organization, harnessing the power and passion of almost 2,300 staff members, 60,000 volunteers and numerous strategic partners. Since 2014, Jo Ann has transformed AARP into a leader in social change empowering all people to choose how they live as they age. Under her leadership, AARP has been recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies, has been named to the Washington Post's Top Workplaces and Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators.  Jo Ann began her career at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, moving on to progressively more responsible leadership positions in the Department of Transportation and Department of Agriculture before serving as Chief Operating Officer of the Library of Congress. She has served and continues to hold board and advisory positions at a number of corporate and civic organizations. Her national best-selling book, Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Best Life at Every Age, has become a signature rallying cry for revolutionizing society's views on aging by driving a new social consciousness and sparking innovative solutions for all generations. It has also been released in Chinese and Korean.  She holds a BS degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program, and recipient of Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from both Spring Hill College and Washington College. She is a Baldrige Fellow and received the Baldrige Leadership Award. In 2019 and 2021 Fortune named her "One of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders."

This week, CSO, leadership coach, and author Bonnie Wan shares with Kavitha a moment of crisis that changed her life. Back in 2010, Bonnie found herself devoted to work and saying "yes" to everyone but her husband, her children, and herself. Out of a feverish night of writing, the Life Brief was born: an approach to self-examination, a lifestyle, and, most recently, the title of Bonnie's bestselling 2024 book.  Join this week's conversation to hear how Bonnie's rise as a strategist led to her being named CSO of the Year, how she strives to "make the room smarter," and what it means to "climb the second mountain" of your life purpose and career. Together, Bonnie and Kavitha explore what it means to take time with loved ones, engage in continual self-reflection, and pursue our deepest truths in response to the question, "What do I want?"   Transcript Episode 5—Bonnie Wan Transcript   Links and Resources Information on ELI and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI)? ELI Application Form—Due Nov. 8, 2024 Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Life Brief: Creative Practice for No Regrets Living by Bonnie Wan Jeff Goodby on being a vandal in advertising in 2023 The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal by Marshall Ganz The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin Where to Find Bonnie:  www.linkedin.com/in/bonniewan @bonniewanofficial on Instagram www.thelifebrief.com   About Today's Guest Bonnie Wan, Author and Creator of The Life Brief Partner, Head of Brand Strategy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Bonnie is creator and author of The Life Brief, a simple and profound action-driving practice that helps people navigate life's biggest and trickiest decisions with clarity, creativity and courage. The Life Brief applies the art and science of brand strategy to how we live our lives, helping people get clear, take meaningful action, and live with greater intention and imagination. As Partner and Head of Brand Strategy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), Wan leads strategy for Fortune 500 companies including Blackstone, BMW, Comcast/Xfinity, Frito-Lay, and Kraft-Heinz. She also harnesses strategy to create powerful, provocative, award- winning campaigns fighting racial injustice, child sex trafficking, cyberbullying, college campus rape, and gender inequality. Wan has been named an Advertising Icon, an Ad Age Leading Woman, and Chief Strategy Officer of the Year. The Life Brief has evolved from an agency talk to keynotes, workshops and now a best-selling book. The Life Brief: A Playbook for No Regrets Living is the essential tool for aligning your daily actions with your ambition and values. As a Brand Strategist turned Life Strategist, Wan not only helps companies innovate from a place of purpose, but also guides everyday people who seek to realize their potential. Wan has taught The Life Brief at Accenture, AirBnB, Apple, Change.org, Chief, Google, SXSW, and World 50 Group as well as for Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, and Jane Goodall's Activating Hope Summit. Wan appears in Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein's Masterclass on Advertising and Creativity and is featured in the documentary film, The Big Flip, chronicling the lives of four women breadwinners and their families. She has also been interviewed on Katie Couric's Katie show and HuffPost Live. Her articles have been featured by Fast Company, Campaign Magazine, AdAge, and Adweek.

If you've ever caught yourself about to correct a spelling mistake on a grocery list, this week's guest has advice for you: Stop! And reflect: Why? Yale School of Management Lecturer and reflective writing practitioner Stephanie Dunson joins Kavitha in the studio for a discussion about how the power of process writing moves us from inward reflection to outward, purposeful action. Stephanie encourages her students—of all ages—to let go of everything they've been taught about "right and wrong" in writing and embrace the metacognitive journey of pursuing uncertainty: What's missing from their writing? Why did they choose a particular word or structure? How can they move from fixation on the product to a generative emphasis on process? This mindset shift, Stephanie believes, can help writers break through static individual beliefs and powerfully activate group thinking. Join this week's conversation to learn why Stephanie sees unfinished writing as the perfect, porous entry point into another's internal experience, and how to share your writing in a way that prioritizes vulnerability over exposure. Transcript Episode 4—Stephanie Dunson Transcript Links and Resources Information on ELI and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI)? ELI Application Form—Due Nov. 8, 2024  Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: Embracing Contraries, Peter Elbow How We Think, John Dewey Transformative Learning in Practice, Jack Mezirow and Edward Taylor The Evolving Self, Robert Kegan A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean 100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write, Sarah Ruhl  More Featuring Stephanie: Website Homepage Stephanie's guest appearance on Dr. Heidi Brooks' Learning Through Experience podcast  Stephanie's podcast, 100 Writing Mistakes Academic Writers Make... And How to Fix Them About Today's Guest Stephanie Dunson, Yale SOM Lecturer in Reflective Writing Stephanie Dunson is an award-winning scholar and a collaborative process specialist whose experience spans the academic and business worlds. Over her thirty-year career, she's gained an international reputation as a writing process expert, leading workshops at major universities, speaking at leading colleges, and coaching faculty from top programs. Her development as a team thinking expert is grounded in her work as a consultant for the Bard College Institute for Writing and Thinking and continued within academia through her tenure as Director of Writing Programs at Williams College. As a corporate consultant, she leads writing workshops designed to help groups collaborate critically on complex problems, make meaningful use of diverse viewpoints, and build communities of inquiry, support, and respect. At Yale SOM, she's a Lecturer on Reflective Writing and an Executive Education affiliate.

This week's guest, Michael Swiatek, is a longtime airline executive and strategist. He also identifies as a blind, low vision individual, and is pioneering new ways to make flying accessible and comfortable to all travelers. Mike joins Kavitha to explain how he went from despising the airline industry to embracing it as a vocation, and why he's excited, at age 61, to boldly step into a dual role as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Accessibility Officer for Abra Group.  Listen to take part in discussions of Mike's incredible international experiences, what he's seen change in the 30 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted, and what makes him call this era "the golden age of not only accessibility, but life." Transcript Episode 3—Michael Swiatek Transcript Links and Resources Information on ELI and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI)? ELI Application Form—Due Nov. 8, 2024 Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: The ADA at 30: an EEOC message from July 2020 The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlifeby Marc Freedman How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks The Seven Ages of Man, a monologue from Shakespeare's As You Like It Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations by Mary C. Murphy Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice by David S. Tatel Hard Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos by Thomas Petzinger, Jr.  Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study on Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz More Featuring Mike: Aerotime's Executive Spotlight feature on Mike Forbes' coverage of Mike's accessibility efforts while at Avianca McKinsey's feature of Mike on why he sees this as a golden age of accessibility An IATA Airlines interview with Mike About Today's Guest Michael Swiatek, Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Accessibility Officer, Abra Group Michael Swiatek is on a mission to uplift the lives of the world's largest minority—people with disabilities—especially those who are legally blind or have low vision, by enhancing their travel experiences. He is not only a senior executive with real-world success in the airline industry but is also legally blind himself. His unique life experiences have shaped his outlook and career journey. With a distinguished aviation career, Michael Swiatek has excelled in senior executive roles at prominent global airlines. Currently serving as the Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Accessibility Officer at Abra Group, the parent company of Avianca and GOL Airlines, he shapes the strategic direction of these airlines, driving profitability and competitiveness in the Americas market. Prior to his current role at Abra Group, Swiatek held the position of Chief Strategy & Planning Officer at Avianca, transforming the airline's positioning through alliance formation, network expansion, and corporate planning. He also championed inclusivity as Co-chair of Culture Transformation, Accessibility, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, solidifying Avianca's reputation as a socially responsible airline. Previously, Michael has held senior roles at several global airlines, including Chief Planning Officer at IndiGo Airlines, the largest airline in India, Qatar Airways as Chief Planning Officer, and Air New Zealand where he served as Director of Strategic Planning. Throughout his career, Michael Swiatek's strategic acumen and leadership have left an indelible mark on the aviation industry, propelling organizations to new heights.

This week, Kavitha is joined by legendary pro-soccer player-turned keynote speaker and human rights activist Joanna Lohman. Together they discuss why Joanna says that she has "refired" rather than retired from professional sports, and why, as a Yale ELI Advisory Board member and upcoming cohort participant, she would encourage other ELI Fellows to do the same.  Join us to learn about Joanna's journey from a celebrated career with the Washington Spirit and the U.S. National Women's soccer team to her "second act" pivot into her current roles as a performance coach, sport diplomat, and author. In addition, Joanna shares why it takes a risk-embracing mindset to enact change, what it means to embrace transformation as a "human superpower," and how she has embraced her identity as a lesbian athlete and public persona to serve as a courageous role model to others. Transcript  Episode 2—Joanna Lohman Transcript  Links and Resources  Information on ELI and Yale SOM Executive Education:  Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage  What is the Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI)?  ELI Application Form—Due Nov. 8, 2024  Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:  Finding Mastery Podcast with Dr. Michael Gervais, who recently released episode 466: "How to Thrive in a Distracted World" featuring ELI instructor Emma Seppälä  Atomic Habits, James Clear's 2018 book on refining your focus and forming better habits  Nelson Mandela speaking at the 2000 Laureus World Sports Awards, when he uttered the famous line, "Sport has the power to change the world." More Featuring Joanna:  Raising Tomorrow's Champions, Joanna's 2021 book  "Ignite the Human Behind High Performance," Joanna's keynote speech from July 2024  "The Uncomfortable Ride to the Top," Joanna's talk at TEDxBeacon Street  Joanna, her wife Melodie, and their daughter Luna featured on the news for Pride Month in June 2023  About Today's Guest  Joanna Lohman - Global Keynote Speaker, Authenticity Activator, Performance Igniter  Joanna Lohman is a global keynote speaker, former pro soccer player, and performance coach who excels at unlocking human potential and authentic excellence. A member of the U.S. Women's National Team and Washington Spirit's first jersey retiree, Joanna has a rich background in leadership and social impact. She authored "Raising Tomorrow's Champions" and serves as a human rights activist and Sport Diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, using sports to address critical global issues.  With 20 years of experience applying elite sports lessons to business, Joanna helps organizations excel through transformational leadership and resilience. She has worked with top companies like Qualcomm and the Minnesota Vikings and has appeared on CNN and Sirius XM.  A Silver Spring native and Penn State standout, Joanna is a Springbrook High School and Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame inductee. Known for her blonde mohawk and authentic leadership, she is also a wife to Melodie, a parent to Luna, and a dog mom to Dewey.   

In our first-ever episode of Long Life Learning, host Kavitha Bindra (Executive Director, Yale SOM Executive Education) is joined by Marc Freedman, Founder and Co-CEO of CoGenerate. Marc is dedicated to championing intergenerational projects for the greater good, and will serve as Faculty Director for the forthcoming Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI) provided by Executive Education at the Yale School of Management. Together, Marc and Kavitha lay the groundwork for a dynamic first season, untangling myths around aging and celebrating the joy of embracing the second half of life. Join us as Marc and Kavitha unpack questions like: Why are so many professionals who are nearing or new to retirement now seeking adventure and a re-examination of what brings them meaning? What are the ways we can nurture connection and purpose amidst personal milestones and professional transitions? And why is it more urgent than ever that we actively work to build collaborative relationships across generational lines? Links and Resources For More Information on ELI and Yale SOM Executive Education: Yale SOM Executive Education Homepage What is the Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI)? ELI Application Form—Due Nov. 8, 2024 For Resources Mentioned in today's Episode: CoGenerate Modern Elder Academy The Purpose Prize, today run by the AARP Gary Maxworthy's Purpose Prize-winning plan to supply California food banks with fresh produce Road Scholar (formerly ElderHostel), founded by Yale alum William Berkeley Bill McKibben's "Senior to Senior" voter registration program The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin The Other Significant Others, by Rhaina Cohen An interview with Mauro Guillén, author of The Perennials An interview with Arthur C. Brooks, author of Strength to Strength For More of Marc's Work: A Morningstar interview in which Marc makes the case for "Encore Careers" (Feb. 2024) PBS NewsHour's "Brief But Spectacular" segment showcasing Marc's multi-generational work (March 2023) "Reimagining Your Next Chapter," a Yale SOM Exec Ed webinar (Aug. 2024) Marc's book, How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations About Today's Guest Marc Freedman, Yale SOM '84 Founder and Co-CEO of CoGenerate; Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management     Marc Freedman is the founder and Co-CEO of CoGenerate and Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management, where heis Faculty Director of Yale's new Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI). Freedman is one of the nation's leading experts on our increasingly multigenerational future and the author of five books. The Wall Street Journal named his most recent book — How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations — one of the year's best books on aging well. Originator of the encore career idea linking second acts to the greater good, Freedman spearheaded creation of Experience Corps, the Purpose Prize, and Encore Fellowships. He has been honored with numerous awards and fellowships, including the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation/World Economic Forum.   A high honors graduate of Swarthmore College, Freedman holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife, Leslie Gray, and their three sons. Transcript Episode 1—Marc Freedman Transcript

Long Life Learning host Kavitha Bindra introduces the premise of Season 1: how to center purpose and meaning in the context of midlife transitions. Just like participants in Yale SOM Executive Education's forthcoming Experienced Leaders Initiative, guests on the show are embracing their personal and professional milestones with dynamic leadership and tenacity! Featured voices include upcoming guests Marc Freedman, Joanna Lohman, and Michael Swiatek.