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One Step Further: The Story of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson


Katherine Moore, Daughter of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, talks about their children’s book One Step Further

If you’ve seen the inspirational film Hidden Figures, you know a little of how women, especially black women, were treated during the 50s and  60s,  especially in male-dominated industries. The stories of  Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughn, and  Katherine Johnson helped us to understand what challenges women faced.  Katherine was the NASA mathematician whose calculations were critical to manned space flights, from Project Mercury with John Glenn, all the way up to the moon flights and space shuttles.

Before she passed away at 101 in February of 2020, Katherine and her two daughters – Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore — wrote a children’s book about her life and the racism and misogyny she faced.  Published by National Geographic, One Step Further: My Story of Math, the Moon, and a Lifelong Mission is a deeply personal portrayal of female empowerment, women in STEM, and the breaking down of racial barriers across generations.

It’s a wonderful book that will inspire little girls for generations to come!

We talked to Katherine’s daughter Katherine Moore, and got some insight into their lives. We talked about growing up in the 50s and 60s with Jim Crow in full swing, what kind of an impact her mother had on the space program, and what she hopes children will take from this remarkable book.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Katherine and Pam


About Katherine Moore

After attending Bennett College and Hampton University, and receiving a Masters of Science in Information Systems from Montclair State University (formerly Montclair State College), Katherine Moore spent 33 years working in public education as an educator and guidance counselor in New Jersey. She currently resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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For more about Katherine Johnson: Click here
For the book, One Step Further: Click here

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Award-Winning Author David Giffels on Barnstorming Ohio


Barnstorming Ohio to Understand America
David Giffels gives us insight into America and Americans in his new book

Ohio has picked the winner of the presidential election 29 out of 31 times since 1896… so they must be on to something. David Giffels traversed the state to find out what the people of Ohio were thinking about the election and what challenges they were facing. He put his discoveries down in his book Barnstorming Ohio, To Understand America.

There are 5 distinct different areas of Ohio, which makes it the cross-section of America, and gives us some insight into what the people of our country are thinking. In our chat, David explains what issues each area deals with, how Amazon is changing the landscape of Ohio, AND America, by taking over decaying malls, and how farmers are trying to survive despite the trade wars and bad weather.

Will Ohio get the presidential election right this time? No matter if they do or not, we’ll have a better understanding of America and Americans, by Barnstorming Ohio with David Giffels.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with David and Pam


About David Giffels

Barnstorming Ohio author David Giffels has written six books of nonfiction, including the critically acclaimed memoir, Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life, published by Scribner in 2018. The book has been hailed by the New York Times Book Review as “tender, witty and … painstakingly and subtly wrought,” and by Kirkus Reviews as “a heartfelt memoir about the connection between a father and son.” It was a Book of the Month pick by Amazon and Powell’s and a New York Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice.”

His previous books include The Hard Way on Purpose: Essays and Dispatches From the Rust Belt (Scribner 2014), a New York Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice” and nominee for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, and the memoir All the Way Home (William Morrow/HarperCollins 2008), winner of the Ohioana Book Award.

​Giffels is the coauthor, with Jade Dellinger, of the rock biography Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! and, with Steve Love, Wheels of Fortune: The Story of Rubber in Akron.

A former Akron Beacon Journal columnist, his writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic.com, Parade, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire.com, Grantland.com, The Iowa Review, and many other publications. He also wrote for the MTV series Beavis and Butt-Head.

His awards include the Cleveland Arts Prize for literature, the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, and a General Excellence award from National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He was selected as the Cuyahoga County Public Library Writer in Residence for 2018-2019.

Giffels is a professor of English at the University of Akron, where he teaches creative nonfiction in the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts Program.

For more about David: Click here
For his book, Barnstorming Ohio: Click here
Follow him on twitter: Click here
For his Facebook: Click Here

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Global Sustainable Enterprise Expert and Author Chris Marquis Explains B Corps


Global Sustainable Enterprise Expert and Author Chris Marquis

Most of us in society today are pretty fed-up with how a lot of businesses are operating. Is there a way for companies to be more socially responsible and not be so focused on shareholder profits? Dr. Christopher Marquis says there IS and it’s called a B Corp.

A professor at Cornell and the author of Better Business: How the B Corp Movement Is Remaking Capitalism, Dr. Marquis explains what a B Corp is and what it means to businesses and consumers.  What are the benefits and what are the motivations for a business to become socially responsible?

We learn which companies are already on board as B Corps, how it has affected their profits, what open hiring is, and what greenwashing is.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Chris and Pam

About Chris Marquis

Chris Marquis is the Samuel C. Johnson Professor in Sustainable Global Enterprise and Professor of Management at the Cornell University Johnson College of Business. Prior to joining Cornell, he worked for 10 years at Harvard Business School and has held visiting positions at Harvard Kennedy School, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Peking University, Fudan University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University. Marquis received a PhD in sociology and business administration from the University of Michigan.

Marquis’ current teaching and research is broadly focused on the two areas of social innovation and change and doing business in China. Under these themes he has examined entrepreneurship in China, the triple-bottom line and building sustainable businesses globally, and business competition in emerging markets. These research projects build on Marquis’ earlier research on how business can have a positive impact on society and in particular how historical and geographical processes have shaped firms’ and entrepreneurs’ social and environmental strategies and activities. His latest book, Better Business: How the B Corp Movement Is Remaking Capitalism, focuses on the potential for stakeholder governance models to reform capitalism.

Marquis’s research has won a number of national and international awards, including the 2006 William H. Newman Award for best dissertation across the entire the Academy of Management, the 2006 Louis R. Pondy award for best dissertation in organizational theory from the Academy of Management, the 2003 James D. Thompson Award for best graduate student paper from the American Sociological Association, and the 2005 State Farm Doctoral Dissertation Award. He was a finalist for the 2010 and 2013 Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneer Award, a runner-up in the Academy of Management’s Best Published Paper in Organization and Management Theory in 2009, and a finalist in the 2004 INFORMS/Organization Science Dissertation Proposal Competition. In 2018 he was given the International Educator Award, from China’s State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs.

Marquis has published in Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, American Sociological Review, Harvard Business Review, Organization Science, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Strategic Management Journal, as well as a number of edited collections. From 2014-2020 he was an Associate Editor at Administrative Science Quarterly and he has served as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Organization and Management Theory Division of the Academy of Management and of the International Association of Chinese Management Research (IACMR). Before his academic career, Marquis worked for six years in the financial services industry, most recently as vice president and technology manager for a business unit of J.P. Morgan Chase.

For more about Chris: Click here
For his book, Better Business: Click here
Follow him on twitter: Click here
For his LinkedIn: Click Here

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Certified Hypnotherapist & Author Kimberly Friedmutter – Subconscious Power


Certified Hypnotherapist & Author Kimberly Friedmutter Explains how to use our Subconcious Power

What really IS hypnotherapy? Will you start to quack like a duck if you try it? Certified master hypnotherapist and NLP trainer Kimberly Friedmutter shares how we can use our subconscious minds to empower ourselves and create the life we really want.

The author of Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You’ve Always Wanted, Kimberly chats with us about how the words we use really matter, what a personal drought is, and how the word “cancel” can bring us freedom. 

Plus – she even gives us a little moment of guided relaxation (don’t listen while driving!)

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Kimberly and Pam

About Kimberly Friedmutter

Author of the book Subconscious Power, Kimberly Friedmutter CHt is a certified hypnotherapist, a member at large of the prestigious UCLA Health System Board, the American Board of Hypnotherapy, the Association for Integrative Psychology, the American Board of Neurolinguistics Programing, and the International Hypnosis Federation. She is also a certified Master Hypnotist and a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming trainer, as well as a ‘Dame de la Chaîne’ of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

Kimberly is currently in private practice, dividing her time between Nevada and California, serving high-performing clientele who share her philosophy: “Expect the exceptional.”

Kimberly is a former model and actress, appearing with Bryan Cranston, John Stamos, and Olympia Dukakis in such films as Evil Obsession, Time Under Fire, A Match Made in Heaven, The Russian Godfather, and Elvis Is Alive! She has also appeared in television programs, including Entertainment Tonight, CNN, FOX, TLC, BBC, The Doctors, Bethenny, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, Art Breakers, Silk Stalkings, L.A. Heat, LateLine, and hosted a hit talk show on the Howard Stern station, KLSX 97.1 radio in Los Angeles.

For more about Kimberly: Click here
For her book, Subconscious Power: Click here
Follow her on twitter: Click here
Follow her on Instagram as well: Click Here
And find her on Facebook: Click Here

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Microbiologist Dr. Bill Sullivan Discusses “Pleased to Meet Me”


Author Bill Sullivan Discusses Bestseller Pleased to Meet Me
Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are

Can we change how our genes act? Do genes influence behavior and personality? Does the environment actually change our genes? We tackle these topics and more with professor of microbiology Dr. Bill Sullivan, author of Pleased to Meet Me.

We also cover epigenetics, gene editing, methylation and the microbiome. Bill tells us how our socio-economic position affects our genes, how DNA is getting tweaked in the womb, and how dopamine affects eating and alcohol use.

Plus – find out what Iceland is doing to combat violence, how our bacteria affects our happiness, and how the brains of conservatives and liberals are different!

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Bill Sullivan and Pam

 

About Bill Sullivan

I’m a Professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I live with my wife and two kids. I received my Ph.D. in Molecular & Cell Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in the year…let’s just say I was listening to a lot of Toad The Wet Sprocket back then. My Ph.D. thesis described my discovery of a few genes responsible for drug-resistance in Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite so fascinating that I continue to study it to this day.

I then enjoyed working at Eli Lilly & Co. for two years, but decided to return to academia so I could wear jeans and T-shirts to work again. If you are interested in our research, check out our laboratory website.

I have written for a number of popular science outlets including Scientific American, Scientific American  MIND, Salon.com, COSMOS magazine, GotScience.org, What Is Epigenetics, and more. I am an editor and writer at PLOS SciComm, a blog site dedicated to the art of science and medical communication. In 2014, I co-founded my own popular science blog called THE ‘SCOPE, which aims to talk about science in a lighthearted and entertaining way.

I enjoy giving presentations about a variety of science-related topics to all age groups – contact me for topics and booking information. I also serve as a board member for The da Vinci Pursuit, an organization focused on connecting science, art, and community. My love for the arts goes back to my graduate school days: I would science all day, but I would rock out all night with my band, Open Cage.

Why do I do all this? Communicating science is essential for progress and our well-being, but it is not an easy task. The language can be intimidating and the concepts involved take years to master. I made a commitment to do my best to bring science to the people in a way that won’t put them to sleep or make their head implode. I love to laugh and I love to learn; I hope my writing does that for you in equal measure.

For more about Bill: Click here
For his book, Please to Meet Me: Click here
Follow him on twitter: Click here

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Bestselling Author Sandra Brown

Bestselling Author Sandra Brown

Back with us for another chat, Sandra Brown talks Thick as Thieves, her latest bestseller. She tells us what sparked the idea the book, how her characters create themselves, and how the story already exists – it’s just her job to excavate it.

She also shares a surprising struggle she deals with (it will be familiar to many of us), how she builds her plots and twists and turns, and how her subconscious theme has always been the abuse of power.

It’s her most vulnerable interview with us to date.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Sandra Brown and Pam

About Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of seventy-one New York Times bestsellers, including Outfox, Tailspin, Seeing Red, Sting, Mean Streak, Friction, Deadline, and Rainwater.

Writing professionally since 1981, Brown has published over eighty novels and has upwards of eighty million copies of her books in print worldwide. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages.

Her episode on truTV’s “Murder by the Book” premiered the series in 2008. She appeared in 2010 on Investigation Discovery’s series, “Hardcover Mysteries.” Television movies have been made of her novels French Silk, Smoke Screen, Ricochet, and White Hot.

Brown holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University, where she and her husband Michael Brown, have instituted the ELF, a scholarship awarded annually. She has served as president of Mystery Writers of America, and in 2008 she was named Thriller Master, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other honors include the Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She has gone on two USO tours, to Afghanistan and Cuba.

For more about Sandra: Click here
For her latest book, Thick as Thieves: Click here
Follow her on twitter: Click here
Join her on Facebook: Click here

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How to Survive a Pandemic with Bestselling Author Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor and Bestselling Author Michael Greger

Do all diseases originate from animals?  Did covid-19 escape from a lab in China? Are airplanes safe to fly during these pandemic times? Dr. Michael Greger, the author of How to Survive a Pandemic answered those questions and more in our recent conversation.

Plus – we have a lightning round covering UV light, whether any medications work, herd immunity and why distancing is so important.  And he tells us why he’s worried about mask-wearing (spoiler-he DOES believe they work!)

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Dr. Greger and Pam

About Michael Greger

Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the International Bird Flu Summit, among countless other symposia and institutions; testified before Congress; has appeared on shows such as The Colbert Report and The Dr. Oz Show; and was invited as an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey at the infamous “meat defamation” trial. In 2017, he was honored with the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award.


For more about Michael: Click here
For NutritionFacts.org: Click here
Follow him on twitter: Click here

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Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, the Science of Optimism with Dr. Elaine Fox

Half Empty or Half Full?
Psychologist and Neuroscientist Dr. Elaine Fox
Shares the Science of Optimism

Do you typically look on the bright side, or turn towards the dark? Were you born that way? And if you had a cheerier outlook, would it affect your business and your health?  Psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered we actually CAN change the way our brains react to fear and optimism. Her research has been journaled in her book Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook.

Elaine’s discovery of the optimism gene has paved the way for explaining the psychology behind optimistic people. Can we change? Plus – find out why we like our news bloody and our politics dirty!

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Dr. Fox and Pam


About Dr. Fox
Elaine Fox is a psychologist and neuroscientist who has researched widely on the science of emotions. She has always been fascinated by why some people are very resilient and can deal with whatever life throws at them, while others are fragile and at risk of developing anxiety and depression. She grew up in Dublin and has worked at St James Hospital Dublin, University College Dublin, Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and the University of Essex where she was head of the Department of Psychology & Centre for Brain Science from 2007- 2010, before moving to the University of Oxford in 2013.

Elaine is currently a Research Professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Centre for Emotions & Affective Neuroscience (OCEAN), where she leads a program of research combining cognitive psychology, neuroimaging, and genetics. She has recently been awarded an ERC Advanced Investigator Award to support her research in the development of emotional vulnerability and resilience. Her work has been discussed in Nature, Science, New Scientist, The Economist, and the New York Times. A Fellow of the Association of Psychological Science (APS), she lives near Oxford in England.

Her scientific discoveries on optimism, happiness and optimal mental health have been discussed widely across the national media, and led to her appearance in an ABC documentary presented by Michael J. Fox (no relation) entitled The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist in 2010 and in a 2013 BBC Horizon documentary called The Truth about Personality in which she attempts to shift the presenter Michael Mosley’s brain from pessimism to optimism.

To learn more about Professor Fox’s findings please visit www.rainybrainsunnybrain.com.

To purchase her book, click here.

 

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Former Secret Service Agent Evy Poumpouras on Becoming Bulletproof

Want to feel safer, recognize liars, and influence others ?
Former Secret Service Agent Evy Poumpouras tells us how!

We all want to feel safe in this crazy world! But how do we go about doing that? The best people to ask about protection and safety are the experts who do it every day in one of the most stressful, and important, jobs in our nation – the Secret Service.  Former agent Evy Poumpouras is just the person to ask.  Not only has she guarded presidents and heads of state, she was awarded the prestigious Medal of Valor for Her bravery on 9/11and was an investigator for the Department of Defense’s elite Polygraph Unit. And she’s the author of the book BECOMING BULLETPROOF: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly, now also available on audiobook.

In our chat with Evy, we find out how we all can create more courage in the world and less fear, and how being fearless isn’t a goal we should reach for. We also learn why Evy says we should WANT someone to hit us, how we have to create a shield to be our own gatekeepers, and how to get out of the problem and into the solution.

Evy also offers real coping mechanisms, and actionable steps towards being safer, in addition to sharing some tips on how to determine if someone is lying. She also busts some big myths about how to tell if someone is being untruthful. We learn about priming language, how using someone’s name changes brain chemistry, and why preserving dignity is so very important.

 

There is a lot of great info in our chat with Evy, along with a few laughs!

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Evy and Pam

About Evy Poumpouras

Evy Poumpouras is a former Secret Service Special Agent and on-air national TV contributor who frequently appears on NBC, MSNBC, and CNN. She also costars on Bravo’s Spy Games, an espionage-inspired reality competition. Evy holds a MA in forensic psychology and a second master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.  She is also the recipient of the United States Secret Service Medal of Valor Award for her heroism on 9/11 and has been part of the protective details for former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald Ford. She is also an adjunct professor for The City University of New York where she teaches criminal justice and criminology.

For more about Evy, click here for her website.
For Evy’s facebook page, Click here
Follow her on twitter: Click here
Find her book and audiobook on Amazon here.

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The Incomparable Carl Reiner – When I Got an Hour with the Master

Several years ago I had the most fortunate opportunity to interview the great Carl Reiner. He had just released his book “I Remember Me” and we had a lively chat about all the stories in it.

Normally when you score a big interview (it’s called a “get”), you are allowed between 10 and 20 minutes with the guest.  I was asked how long I wanted and I said “as long as I can get!” and I was offered an hour. AN HOUR!!

And when our hour was finished and the interview was over, Carl spent another half hour with me, discussing the latest book he was reading. I was in heaven.

The only thing that made me cherish my time with him even more was when he said “This is the best interview I’ve ever had. You are the best at what you do.” 

From Carl Reiner. THE Carl Reiner. My eyes may have leaked.

Carl Reiner – Part One

If you love Dick Van Dyke, you have Carl Reiner to thank. Carl created the show that starred Dick and is one of the most beloved sitcoms in entertainment history. On top of that, he was half of the comedy duo that brought us the 2000 Year Old Man, and he delighted audiences as Saul Bloom in the Oceans 11/12/13 movies. He received 12 Emmys and a Grammy, and he wrote several books, of which I Remember Me was one.

We’re delighted to bring you Part 1 of our conversation with Carl,  where he tells a touching story about Frank Sinatra, shares with us about his love for his wife and gives us some relationship advice, and answers questions that listeners asked.

Click on the player below to hear Part One of the chat with Carl and Pam

Carl Reiner – Part Two

In Part 2 we discuss physical comedy, the elegance of Steve Martin, and the genesis of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Oh… and we get some musical moments and a little double speak!

Click on the player below to hear Part Two of the chat with Carl and Pam

About Carl Reiner

Carl Reiner was an American actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, and publisher whose career spanned seven decades.

And a real mensch. Read a tribute to him from award-winning screenwriter/director/baseball announcer Ken Levine here.

Carl’s personal publishing company can be found here.

Check out his facebook page here.