Blue Sky

Matt Ridley's seminal book, The Rational Optimist , has inspired many since its publication in 2010 and greatly influenced the creation of The Optimism Institute .  In this far-ranging discussion, Matt will describe an early education that he said was steeped in pessimism but how later in life he found that much of what he'd been taught was simply not true .  This led him to set on a nearly evange...

Amy King watched the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and seeing people sheltered in a leaking football stadium inspired her to work with her husband on shelter solutions .  The result was Pallet , a company that makes safe, secure, and easily assembled temporary shelters .  In this episode she shares her inspiring story and details about her remarkable company.     Chapters: 00:00 Intro...

Mimi Nicklin left a successful career as a marketing executive to take on the task of educating the world on the value and power of empathy.  In this episode, Mimi describes the alarming "empathy deficit," its root causes, and practical strategies like self-empathy and "ALUR" (Authenticity, Listening, Understanding, Recognition) that she espouses to reconnect our workplaces and world.     Chapters...

Paul Leonardi is an expert in technology management and has developed a deep understanding for why today's digital tools—even those that are helpful—can contribute to our growing sense of exhaustion .  Pulling from research he's written about in his book Digital Exhaustion, he explains why this happens and as importantly, what we can do about it.     Chapters: 02:00 Why Digital Exhaustion?   Paul...

Guy Kawasaki has had an amazing life and career .  After growing up in Hawaii, he went to California for college and later went on to what was then known as Apple Computer where he was a self-described "brand evangelist" during some of their highest growth and most entrepreneurial years .  He describes Steve Jobs as being optimistic almost to the point of being delusional, and working for him has...

We all know that huge sums of money are invested in creating new, more effective weapons of war .  Brian Abrams sees an opportunity to invest instead in what he calls "peace tech," emerging businesses using technologies and creative methods designed to prevent war from happening in the first place. He's created a new firm, B Ventures , and in this Blue Sky ep isode he describes with infectious opt...

Blue Sky host Bill Burke first met Scott Nash nearly 30 years ago, when both were working in the cable television business .  In the years since, Scott has gone on to a successful career in publishing, both as an illustrator and an author, and with his wife Nancy co-founded Illustration Institute on a small island in Maine .  In this episode, Scott describes his outgoing, experimental, and optimis...

Phil Green has had a successful career in music and sports .  For what he describes as his "third act," Phil is now overseeing Follow the Music , a nonprofit in his hometown of Oakland, California .    Follow the Music provides artist development, booking and management services to young artists — to shine a light on their talents and bring visibility to the programs that helped develop them.     ...

Stacy Palmer leads The Chronicle of Philanthropy , the leading journal in the world of nonprofits .  In this Blue Sky conversation, she talks about the evolution of nonprofits into sophisticated organizations that do remarkable work around the world .  She describes the role of donors large and small, and how they're helping address challenges created by cuts in government funding .  Stacy also sh...

Shirzad Chamine experienced a traumatic childhood, raised in Iran by a father who was full of a frightening rage .  Following high school, Shirzad decided to move to the United States and make his future there .  Along the way, he heard an inner whisper telling him to make a positive influence on a worldwide scale .  After a variety of education experience, he developed innovative theories that re...

Losing her mom to cancer reminded Bree that life is fleeting .  Working as a consultant, she also saw how many people are miserable in their jobs .  Connecting these dots, she decided to help people find more joy and meaning in their work and rather than count the days to the weekend, turn things around and actually look forward to getting to work, perhaps even embrace a "TGIM" mentality .  In her...

Erin Cain didn't grow up around horses but eventually was exposed to them and the remarkable abilities they have to facilitate healing for a wide range of individuals .  A series of life events caused her to move from her native northeast to the Colorado Rockies and today, she's the co-founder, owner, and operator of Grace Reins Equine Therapy . In this episode she describes the personal hardships...

Meghan Riordan Jarvis was a practicing psychotherapist when she found herself devastated by the loss of her two parents .  She suddenly saw she was no different from those she helped, but she still needed outside support to recover .   In this Blue Sky episode, she describes how this realization led her to become an expert about grief and an advocate for all of us to learn about this important and...

Tricia Rose Burt had done everything right, according to the way she was raised .  She went to a "good school," had a "good job" and all seemed to be going great on the surface .  But inside, she was miserable and decided to make a change .  She left her career in public relations, took classes at art school, and began to explore her own creativity in a way that, as she describes it, "filled her c...

As a personal trainer and wellness coach, Stacey Garcia was doing everything right.  She ate well, exercised, and took great care of herself.  That's why her cancer diagnosis came as an extra shock, and in this episode, she explains how she dealt with this news and found strength and resilience as she battled her disease.  Now in recovery, Stacey helps guide others through similar challenges both...

Nicole Stott had a remarkable career with NASA, logging more than 100 days in outer space .  Her time on the International Space Station drives her appreciation for the importance of cooperation across cultures and national boundaries .  On this Blue Sky episode, she describes lessons learned from her time as an astronaut, and the inspiring work she does today through the Space For Art Foundation,...

Host Bill Burke thinks back to his own back to school days and offers thoughts on what he might study were he an incoming student this fall .  He also discusses what he might teach if he were a faculty member and encourages us all to keep learning in our lives, whether we are enrolled students or not.  

Marcy Syms has led a remarkable life, full of triumphs and tragedies .  Through a discussion of her new book, Leading w ith Respect: Adventures of an Off-Price Fashion Pioneer, host Bill Burke and Marcy cover subjects ranging from Marcy's upbringing, to overcoming bigotry and bullying in high school, to running her father's company and keeping it on track through the loss of two of her siblings . ...

Mike Goodwin grew up with a difficult and volatile father.  As a child, he decided that one way he could help his mom would be to help make her laugh.  He soon realized he had a talent for humor, but it wasn't until after time in the US Army and a career in higher education that Mike made comedy his career.  Host Bill Burke and Mike Goodwin share a lot of laughs and life lessons in this fun episod...

In this Blue Sky conversation, Kristine Michie describes her path to a career marked by sparking joy in people and organizations to facilitate positive and impactful change.  Earlier this year, she hosted Bill Burke on her PlayFull podcast and with this episode, the tables are turned and the result is a fun, inspiring conversation on the power of fun, joy, and optimism.   Chapters: 02:05 Meet Kris...

Bill Burke reflects on an idea presented by Niren Chaudhary in episode 107. Niren described curiosity and resilience as two master skills required to successfully run the marathon of life. In this "A Bit of Blue Sky," Bill underscores Niren's belief and relates these qualities to optimism, providing examples through past Blue Sky guests.  

Niren Chaudhary has led a remarkable life while overcoming intense personal tragedies .  He describes his success in running global business as stemming from a foundational belief in putting his employees first and leading them with love, gratitude, and respect .      Chapters: 01:36 Meet Niren Chaudhary   Niren Chaudhary , a visionary leader and CEO, shares his impressive career journey, highligh...

Heidi Johnson was in a great spot in life . She had a great family, good job , all she could reasonably ask for. But when her mother was killed in a shocking accident, that all changed .  After suffering from intense grief, Heidi's life changed when she was asked to start a new initiative at her local children's hospital. This led her to create and lead her own nonprofit and to a life today of ser...

As a West Point graduate who had completed his required service, Tom Deierlein was well into a successful career in digital advertising when he was called up once again to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom. There, while working to help struggling Iraqi families meet their basic needs, a sniper's bullet would change his life's trajectory .  In this Blue Sky conversation, Tom shares his remarkable li...

Many years ago, Jodie Jackson found herself in a deep depression .  As she worked to identify the causes her deteriorating mental health, she realized it had a lot to do with her excessive and indiscriminate consumption of news and information .  In the years since, she's become a recognized expert on media literacy and a passionate advocate for understanding and managing our intake of news to pro...