2 Pages with MBS

We are all investors. Whether it concerns our time, our focus, or our money, we choose where we want to put it. When you invest, the first question always asked is ‘What is the rate of return?’ What if the question was ‘What does the most good?’ In this episode, Swati Mylavarapu introduces us to her values-based venture capital fund and discusses the significance of humanising the workplace beyond...

Do you measure time passing by years or by days? Did you know that an 80-year-old has about 30,000 days in their lifetime? No matter where you are on your timeline, Mary Oliver posed the question best: “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Oliver Burkeman, a wonderful author and journalist, joins me to discuss our limited control over reality and the future, and why not...

Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Justin Trudeau’s father and former Prime Minister of Canada, famously said 'There's no place for the State in the bedrooms of the nation.’ I agree … but sometimes you just *have* to talk about sex. Minna Salami joins me to explore the issues of freedom, healing, and regaining power after oppression from a black feminist perspective. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌...

Does business shrink the heart or does it help it expand? Does it nourish the spirit? Can it even nourish the spirit? Martin Reeves of the BCG Henderson Institute and author of the new book “The Imagination Machine” explores how we might deliberately harness the full human potential of imagination in corporate arenas. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast...

Have I ever been embarrassed by some of the things I've done in the past? Endlessly. Have I ever been ashamed of things I’ve done? I have. But have I ever felt ashamed of myself on the basis of being me? Have I felt ashamed of myself for not fitting in because of some ‘unlucky’ so-called roll of the DNA dice? No, I have not. It turns out, this is privilege. Julie Lythcott-Haims, speaker, activist,...

The belief that we have free will and that we are in charge of what goes on around us is mostly an illusion. Our decisions are rarely our own. For good or ill, most times we are nudged into ways of behaving. Author and Professor of Behavioural Science, Katy Milkman, joins me to talk about the science of getting where you want to be and how to use the insight that we are predictably imperfect to ma...

Much like Dug the dog from the Pixar movie ‘Up,’ we all have our version of a squirrel that distracts us. In fact, there’s an entire industry in Silicon Valley that profits off of creating ‘squirrels’ to catch our attention. In the face of that, how do we find the time and focus to do the things that really matter? John Zeratsky, a former design leader at Youtube and Google Ads, is the author of t...

Does doing your work add to your sense of humanity … or lessen it? In this episode, Luke Burgis discusses the concept of 'principled entrepreneurship' and the significance of a holistic view of business in the context of human ecology. Luke is an author and veteran entrepreneur. He also introduces us to his book "Wanting" and the pivotal change in his own life that pushed him to lead a more virtuo...

Who's your favourite superhero? And now … what's the colour of their skin? Excluding greens and blues and purples, there aren’t that many Superheroes of Colour. But did you know that Wonder Woman has a black twin sister? In this episode, award-winning copywriter Jordan Dinwiddie introduces us to Wonder Woman's sister Nubia, and discusses the importance of recognising and embracing your power. Jord...

What power do you have? We know power can be taken and hoarded, but can power be given away? I’ve walked the streets in protests on and off for many years, and I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I’m with people, and we’re making our voices heard. On the other hand, will this really make a difference? Or is this simply an expression of frustration and powerlessness? Matthew Barzu...

Did you have rules growing up? As the eldest child, I definitely had some of the ‘good in theory’ rules that my mum and dad were testing out as new parents. But there are rules, and then there are rules. Dr. Caroline Heldman’s past is part of what fuels her work. Today, she’s an academic, an author, and an activist, and she joins me to share her views on being a force for change in this world. Get...

Have you ever felt like a victim of your reputation? You gain recognition for something; you claim it as your personal brand. Then, people assume that's all there is to you. How do you keep confounding others’ expectations of you? And more importantly, how do you continue to confound your own expectations? Dr. Vikram Mansharamani, author of Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of E...

On a scale of 1-10, how good of a person are you? Yeah, tricky question. And even trickier: Is the person you think you are the same as the person who actually shows up, day-to-day, in life? Dolly Chugh, as well as being one of my favourite people, is a professor of social psychology at the NYU Stern School of Business, and author of The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias. Dolly has...

There are times when I feel sad. My sadness is often accompanied by feelings of loneliness - I feel disconnected from people and what’s really vital in my life. Perhaps, you also experience this. Today’s guest is Ximena Vengoechea, someone with unique insights into connection. She works in the tech industry as a ‘user researcher,’ but this is not Ximena’s sole title; she is also an artist, a facil...

Whatever country you’re living in, perhaps you feel the divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’ is becoming sharper. And that chasm is getting wider, deeper, and more treacherous. Indra Adnan raises a provocative question in light of that: why are we invested in the failure of half of our society? Indra challenges the very way we do politics as an agent of change both locally and in the wider world, and he...

We all have labels - some are given to us, and some, we give ourselves. Christa Couture says that how you word those labels can make all a difference. Christa is a brilliant woman with many labels: she’s queer, indigenous, disabled, a writer, a musician, a broadcaster, and a mother. In today’s show, she reveals how these labels do and do not define her and the pressures that come with them. Get‌ ‌...

There’s a scene in the music mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap, where one character reveals his amp collection. One, in particular, goes up to eleven -- not the usual ten -- for when you want to take it over the top. But what if you don’t play guitar? What if the thing you took to eleven was your curiosity about how life works? Author A.J. Jacobs is someone who plays to eleven. He is famous for wri...

Let me be blunt: most of our learning experiences are TERRIBLE. They are not bad, just thoroughly, blandly, mediocre. I’m speaking specifically about learning in most organizations, and we’ve all had the experience of those courses that seem to suck the life out of us. But not every course, not every program. Magdy Karam is the Chief Learning Officer for Microsoft Canada. Over the years as a leade...

Failure is well and good in theory ... but how do we become comfortable with it in practice? Ashley Good knows. She calls herself a ‘full-time failure,’ and is the founder and CEO of Fail Forward, a consultancy centered around helping others to fail intelligently. She and I wrestle with the million dollar question: how can we begin to embrace and overcome failure in our lives? Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌...

We network, and we’re LinkedIn connected … and at the same time, we’re not known, and we’re not seen. We’re followed, and we’re following on social media … and still, we’re lonely. How do we find, build and nurture actual relationships? ‘Curve Benders,’ David Nour’s latest book, underscores how significant relationships are in our lives. In this conversation, David digs into how to build the strat...

If you can imagine a painter, musician or dancer, then you can probably bring to mind where they do their work. A place to explore, create and make ...but how is that relevant to those of us in the world of organizations and corporations? Today’s guest, Jennifer Paylor, calls herself an artist and it’s not only because she sings and writes. She is an engineer and the current Head of Learning & Dev...

“Living is easy with eyes closed Misunderstanding all you see It’s getting hard to be someone but it all works out  It doesn’t matter much to me”  How do lyrics from “Strawberry Fields Forever” become a doorway to a conversation about conflict and creativity? Ian Leslie, bestselling author, thought leader in human behaviour, and Beatles nerd digs into the art of productive conflict, ridiculous sta...

“Human resources”

What is it to make a brave choice? Where do you find the courage to not only choose, but to then commit, to a decision and be content with it. This episode’s guest is Shannon Minifie, who’s made one very brave decision: to be the successor as CEO of Box of Crayons, the learning and development company founded by me. Shannon’s one of my favorite people in the world, and in this conversation, we tal...

One of the most troubling trends among people who work for and in social change is the sense that you should not only do difficult (but rewarding!) work, but you should do it for scraps. It’s a mindset held by people in and outside of the movement, and it’s one of the reasons that it’s so hard to be a force for change. Today’s guest, Nell Edgington, wants to put an abundance mindset at the heart o...