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Anne Holton is a nationally recognized expert on career and technical education. Furthermore, she believes that we must invest in the future of work’s talent pipeline.

Anne built a formidable résumé in workforce empowerment. Now, Virginia’s former Secretary of Education; George Mason University’s former interim president, and; current professor at GMU’s Schar School drives thought-leadership for career empowerment and the future of work.

“I want to research how students choose careers. [My hypothesis] is that students do what their parents do, or what their parents’ friends do, or what their friends’ parents do. But they don’t know career options outside of that. And now, with so many careers that nobody’s parents did, like cybersecurity, we have a real disconnect.”

Along with her husband, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Anne leads the charge to provide world-class career and technical education (CTE) so that talent in the American workforce pipeline thrive.

In this episode, Anne discusses:

• What workforce stakeholders are doing, or should be doing, to help people succeed at work. Starts at 2:55
• How those workforce stakeholders should help people in disadvantaged communities. Starts at 5:02
• The role of community colleges in providing career and technical education (CTE). Starts at 7:52
• The efforts of colleges and universities to retain their graduates in the community. Starts at 17:24
• The importance of workforce agility and resilience. Starts at 24:51

Moreover, she believes this: stakeholders in business, academia, and public policy, must amply invest in the future of work’s talent pipeline so that people benefit with rewarding careers. And among the biggest future of work opportunities Anne sees are in middle skill jobs.

About our guest:

Anne Holton grew up in a family committed to public service. Her father, Linwood Holton, is a former governor of Virginia. During her successful career, Anne served as:

• Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judge for the City of Richmond, Virginia (1996-98);
• Virginia’s First Lady when her husband, Tim Kaine, was governor (2006-2009);
• Virginia’s Secretary of Education (2014-2016), and:
• Interim President of George Mason University (2019-2020).

Currently, she is Professor of Public Policy and Education for GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Anne earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and a Juris Doctorate from the Harvard University School of Law. She and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine reside in Richmond, Virginia.

EPISODE DATE: September 25, 2020

Social media:

– GMU Schar School Website

– Twitter

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Dr. Dan Hill is employing learning pods, working groups of six people, to help organizations deliver content, develop critical skills, facilitate teamwork, and foster leadership. We believe that Dr. Hill’s learning pods will positively influence the future of work.

“So, I was already leaning towards this idea of six people. A [work team] should be no larger than can be fed with two large pizzas.”

The term learning pods trends high in social media, because many parents across the country are using them to teach and supplement learning for their children who are homebound because of the pandemic. Now learning pods are benefitting the workforce.

Learning pods may actually find their greatest utility with people who strive for the future of work doing meaningful work.

In this episode, Dr. Hill explains:

• The learning pod for people who work. Starts at 6:28
• How learning pods may become useful for people on Zoom. Starts at 11:46
• Why a team of six people in a learning pod is optimal. Starts at 14:00
• His thoughts on the future of meetings and conference attendance. Starts at 15:30
• How learning pods will inform the future of work. Starts at 20:20

Dr. Hill also describes his latest book writing project, The Devil’s Dictionary of Work Life. Starts at 28:22

About our guest:

Dan Hill, Ph.D. is a world recognized facial coding expert and founder and president of the consultancy Sensory Logic, Inc. He received a Masters in Creative Writing from Brown University and a Ph.D. in English from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Further, Dr. Hill earned Facial Action Coding Systems Certification from the Paul Ekman Group. He lives and works in St. Paul, Minnesota.

EPISODE DATE: September 18, 2020

Social media:

Website

– Faces of the Week Blog

–Famous Faces Decoded (Book Page)

LinkedIn Profile

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:28 — 30.9MB)

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Teaching in the pandemic age will certainly change how students learn and the future of work for teachers.

“I think that [the pandemic] has built a conversation of what public school will look like going forward.”

– Maggie Hansford, Prince William Education Association President

Maggie Hansford represents public school teachers, students, parents, and guardians in Virginia’s second-largest municipality.

Many schools are starting the year with remote or virtual instruction. Maggie thinks that many of the technological and operational changes put into use will remain after the pandemic is over.

In this episode, Maggie discusses how:

• “Going virtual” stresses teachers, students, parents, and guardians. Starts at 2:48
• New technologies like Zoom and Canvas will forever change the classroom. Starts at 4:43
• Seasoned teachers are considering early retirement. Starts at 7:10
• Attracting top talent to teaching remains a difficult challenge. Starts at 12:01
• Teaching pods are changing instruction. Starts at 14:00
• Teachers, parents, and guardians can overcome the tension caused by remote learning. Starts at 17:24

On the sudden popularity of teaching pods, Maggie says:

“So, it all boils down to life. Everybody is trying to balance work-life, teaching, and helping their students. We have a million things on our plates and now we’ve just added another element to help ensure that our children are successful. If [teaching pods] are what parents need then I don’t see an issue.”

About our guest:

Maggie Hansford is a teacher and speech pathologist in Northern Virginia’s Prince William County Public Schools. In 2020, she was elected president of the Prince William Education Association (PWEA). Maggie and her family reside in Prince William County, Virginia.

EPISODE DATE: September 11, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– Facebook

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:47 — 34.1MB)

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Will Sarni sees the future of work in water.

“When I started my career, I worked for a gentleman, David Miller. The name of the company was Geraghty & Miller, and, he said ‘[If] you want a career in water, it will last forever, it will last a lifetime, because it is a public health issue.’”

-Will Sarni, Founder and CEO Water Foundry, LLC

There is a future of work in water, because our planet is covered mostly in water. And scarcity of clean, potable water remains the planet’s biggest problem to solve.

Will Sarni built an impressive career as a world-recognized expert on water. His mission is to help people, communities, companies, and organizations ensure access to clean water.

In this episode, Will:

• Relives his early interest in water and the start of his career. Starts at 3:18
• Explains water scarcity. Starts at 6:27
• Describes the new technologies helping to mitigate global clean water shortages. Starts at 16:13
• Discusses the impact water careers will have on the future of work. Starts at 18:54
• Introduces his podcast, The Stream. Starts at 20:24

About our guest:

Will Sarni is an internationally recognized thought-leader on water strategy and innovation.

He has authored numerous books and articles and presented on: the value of water; innovations in digital water technology; the circular economy, and; the energy-water-food nexus. In April 2020, with UK-based co-host Tom Freyberg, he launched The Stream Podcast. Will earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Earth & Environmental Sciences from Queens College in New York. He lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

EPISODE DATE: September 4, 2020

Social media:

LinkedIn Profile

Water Foundry Website

The Stream on Apple Podcast

The Stream YouTube Channel

World Economic Forum: Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution for Water (White Paper)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:51 — 50.7MB)

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Maurice Small supports food justice and the future of work.

“We have to begin to plant orchards in our cities. We have to begin to train each other on how to graft and cross-pollinate plants so we can have food. We have to do these things, because [if we don’t] we’re going to end up extinct.”

Maurice is a nationally recognized regenerative farmer and social entrepreneur who helps people to find and do meaningful work in regenerative farming.

Inspired by his leadership, people learn how to feed themselves and others with nutritious, locally grown food.

What is more, Maurice connects people to work that is profound, protects the planet, empowers people, and is fun to do—meaningful work.

But what inspires him most is furthering the cause of food justice and the future of work. He wants people to eat well, eat local, and ensure that their communities thrive.

In this episode, Maurice discusses:

• His work as a regenerative farmer and social entrepreneur. Starts at 2:18
• Internship programs for people eager to farm. Starts at 2:57
• How fresh food transforms food deserts into food oases. Starts at 16:39
• Why food justice is important to him. Starts at 23:40
• The success story he is most proud of: former intern and [current Elyria, Ohio Mayor Frank Whitfield]. Starts at 29:17

“Food justice means that we all eat, and we all eat well.”

About our guest:

Maurice Small has cultivated a national following for sustainable agriculture and healthy lifestyles in underserved communities. He collaborates with stakeholders in government, business, academia, and community to help people eat and live well. His company, Small Enterprises, and his farm are located in Atlanta, Georgia.

EPISODE DATE: August 28, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– Instagram

– LinkedIn

– Tumblr

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:08 — 41.4MB)

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Moses Small has embarked on a new career doing the meaningful work of TV news.

Growing up as an adopted African-American child of white parents, Moses often felt “otherness.”

“I remember being a really little kid. My parents would give me $20 for the convenience store. And then, in a couple of instances, a person working [at the store] had to check the [$20 bill], hold it up to the light. He said ‘how do you have this money? Is this even real?’”

– Moses Small, TV News Reporter

Moses believes that his life experiences prepare him to be an effective TV news reporter who tells compelling stories about people in his new community of Bakersfield, California.

After a failed run for high school student government leadership, Moses got hooked on reporting TV news. A recent graduate of Emerson College, he is the new weekend anchor and general news reporter for NBC affiliate KGET TV in Bakersfield, California.

In this episode, Moses discusses:

• His new assignment at KGET-TV. Starts at 2:22
• The origins of his meaningful work in TV news. Starts at 3:20
• Growing up as an adopted African-American child to white parents in Portland, Maine, and, feelings of “otherness.” Stars at 10:31
• How he met his birth-parents. Starts at 17:05
• His “why.” Starts at 22:04
• Brushing back “fake news” sentiments. Starts at 24:13

Reflecting his new assignment, Moses says:

“I’m just so grateful to go to a market where there are such amazing people at my station and I am going to learn something new everyday. Being in a busy news market is very important to me.”

About our guest:

Moses Small graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Emerson College. After TV news internships at DatelineNBC and WCVB-TV in Boston, Moses was named the new weekend anchor and general assignment reporter for NBC affiliate KGET-TV in Bakersfield, California.

EPISODE DATE: August 21, 2020

Social media:

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

– KGET Website

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:48 — 36.9MB)

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Is Never Normal the future of work? Author and business futurist Greg Verdino believes that the answer is YES.

“Leaders need to become more comfortable with how to manage [people] remotely, and, I think, [have always had] this problem in that they hire adults and treat them like children.”

– Author and Business Futurist Greg Verdino

In his new book Never Normal: Uncommon Ideas for Leaders Who Don’t Settle for the Status Quo, Greg Verdino describes how the answer to constant disruption at work is not technology but rather agile and resilient people.

The pandemic provided a perfect backdrop for discussing with Greg the dramatic forces that have, in an instant, upset our traditional ways of working.

With sudden changes in where we work, the work that we do, and so much uncertainty in what it means to do work, Never Normal is the future of work.

In this episode, Greg:

• Describes what Never Normal: Uncommon Ideas for Leaders Who Don’t Settle for the Status Quo is about and why he wrote it. Starts at 1:48
• Offers why a lack of resources is a “lame excuse” for today’s management. Starts at 3:45
• Provides his thoughts on how Never Normal enmeshes into the future of work. Starts at 8:41
• Responds to the question: will Never Normal be the death of big companies? Starts at 18:33

Describing the Never Normal paradigm shift, Greg says of the future of work:

“This is what work looks like now, and, I don’t think we are going to go back. You can’t shove it back into a box.”

About our guest:

Greg Verdino is a highly regarded authority on “the digital now.” He is a veteran marketing executive who has done brilliant work for leading advertised brands, and, the co-founder of Adapt Manifesto. Greg earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wesleyan University. He lives and works in the Long Island suburbs of New York City.

EPISODE DATE: August 14, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– Twitter

– Amazon Book Page

– Adapt Manifesto

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:00 — 42.6MB)

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New York Times best-selling author Daniel Pink writes that autonomy, mastery, and purpose drive our pursuit of meaningful work.

About this episode:

“[The idea] that if you simply dangle money in front of people and they will perform better is a fundamentally erroneous proposition.”

– Daniel Pink

Daniel Pink inspires our future of work and meaningful work thought-leadership.

The author of DRIVE: The Surprising Truth of What Motivates Us demonstrates how autonomy, mastery, and purpose lead people to pursue meaningful work and careers.

In good economies and bad, what drives us to live and work remains unchanged.

Millions in the American workforce adjust to working from home, or suffer through job loss. Yet often, their motivations drive them towards positive purpose and meaning.

In this episode, we discuss how:

• Autonomy, mastery, and purpose motivations take root in our lives. Starts at 2:07
• Corporate managers often believe that money is the only work-performance motivator. Starts at 5:06
• The pandemic affects our thoughts. Starts at 10:44
• Answering “what is my sentence?” can aid your purpose and meaningful work career goals. Starts at 22:00
• Regret can help improve our lives and work. Starts at 25:58

About our guest:

Daniel Pink earned a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School where he edited the Yale Law and Policy Review. Currently, he is writing a seventh book on the subject of regret. Daniel lives and works in Washington, D.C.

EPISODE DATE: August 7, 2020

Social media:

– Daniel Pink Website

– World Regret Survey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:41 — 39.4MB)

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Typical entrepreneurs focus on winning funding rounds and scaling revenue. However, one woman is now guiding the Resilient Entrepreneur to make the world a better place.

About this episode:

“[You] can have a business plan on paper, but then the first day that you start your business, everything changes. So, the skills of how:

• flexible are you?
• do you adapt?
• you take things as not going your way?

are learning opportunities.”

– Regina Bernal, Entrepreneurship Manager for the University of San Diego

In this episode, we meet Regina Bernal. Regina is the University of San Diego School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Manager. She guides student entrepreneurs to think beyond typical start-up business metrics to more meaningful ends.

Simply stated, she is guiding the Resilient Entrepreneur.

Regina leads a movement that promotes entrepreneurs who are hell bent on launching successful and scalable businesses while creating better outcomes for the planet, people, and communities.

In this episode, Regina describes:

• The mission behind her role as University of San Diego School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Manager. Starts at 2:08
• Challenges faced by today’s entrepreneurs whose purpose is affected by the pandemic. Starts at 3:34
• The Resilient Entrepreneur. Starts at 11:03
• How the gift of time may benefit socially distanced student entrepreneurs. Starts at 17:13
• Her public speaking and writing experiences. Starts at 21:44

Regina also offers up the story behind guiding the Resilient Entrepreneur:

“When we decided that we weren’t going to have our big pitch competition, we thought how can we continue to add value right now to our students and pivot into something that they immediately need and can support them [with]? That’s when we thought about resiliency.”

About our guest:

Regina Bernal received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Masters of Science in Leadership from the University of San Diego. She is a passionate member of the San Diego start-up community, a TEDx speaker, and a thought-leader who publishes commentaries on entrepreneurship. Regina lives and works in San Diego, California.

EPISODE DATE: July 31, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– LinkedIn

– Resilient Entrepreneur Series

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:20 — 43.1MB)

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Can work make you healthy? It’s a provocative question with an interesting answer.

“I truly believe that work as a medium is the purest way, and perhaps the only way, to think about actually discovering health.”

– Denise Brouder, Founder of SWAYworkplace

As an executive in the financial services sector, Denise Brouder discovered that work can be unhealthful.

The demands of a high stress career, and the needs of her young and growing family, made Denise realize that people often suffer ill health from the work that they do.

Inspired to make work meaningful she founded SWAYworkplace, a professional community and career platform that enables overworked people to transition to, and succeed in, a flexible workplace.

Denise leads people to the meaningful work of their dreams while proving her case that work CAN make you healthy.

Growing up on the western coast of Ireland, Denise adopted a strong Irish work-ethic. Driven by talent and ambition, she got an executive-level job on Wall Street working for a premier financial services company. In striving to do her job well, and balance the work and non-work parts of her day, she embarked on a quest to make work healthy for herself and millions of other people in the American workforce.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The story behind SWAYworkplace and its mission to empower people at work. Starts at 2:01
• The WHY moment when she discovered her passion for the future of work building a proactive and nurtured workplace. Starts at 3:51
• How work can make you healthy. Starts at 16:53

Denise also discusses a future of work that is inclusive and reflects the value of workforce stakeholders:

“The future of work is no longer a top-down mechanism. [I think that] real, true, meaningful change and innovation is going to come from the bottom up in community type settings.”

About our guest:

Denise Brouder earned a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Limerick and an MBA in International Finance from Fordham University. She lives and works in the New York City suburbs of New Jersey.

EPISODE DATE: July 24, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– Facebook

– LinkedIn

– Twitter