The Unlikely Journey

Dr. Nathan Brown is the Co-Founder and CSO of Parallel Health. Nathan has dedicated his academic and professional career to phage science and innovation, with an expertise in microbial ecology and genomics. After completing his microbiology PhD, Nathan was funded in the UK by the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust to build phage therapeutics for bacterial-based illnesses. When he realized the eff...

Learn about the unlikely journey of Gabriela Vilaro.  Gabriela is the scarce demographic that represents less than 1% of all venture capital investors in the world: female, Latina, immigrant.   Gabriela traces her roots from her humble beginnings in Colombia to getting a full ride to Goergetown University and eventually earning her MBA from Harvard Business School. Gabriela has 15 y...

Learn how the unconventional life choices of Jana Hennig created one of the most "unlikely journeys" we've covered to date.  Born in East Germany, Jana has lived and worked in 9 countries from big corporations to small startups, from nonprofits to the world of finance - to sex education, to chocolate marketing, to mushroom farming, to the Olympic Games to marine conservation, and more.  ...

Learn about the unlikely journey of Jeff Lee .  Jeff is the CEO and Co-Founder of DIBS Beauty. He was previously the COO of ARod Corp, where he consulted and helped build multiple household names in beauty and wellness, totaling in the hundreds of millions in revenue. During his legal career, Jeff practiced at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the most selective corporate law firm in the U....

Natalise Kalea Robinson, Jess Furman, and Steven Khuong provide updates on their businesses in Web3, Fintech, and DTC (direct to consumer).  Jess discusses her new project DAOVerse while Natalise's Parallel Health was recently mentioned in Fast Company as a "World Changing Idea."  Finally, Steven talks about the new phase of Curacubby's growth.  This episode delivers real-time insig...

Learn about the unlikely journey of Nell Derick Debevoise , writer, speaker, facilitator, entrepreneur, and CEO.   Nell Derick Debevoise has studied adult learning, innovation strategy, intercultural education, and organizational psychology at many of the world’s top universities (Harvard,  Columbia Business School, London Business School, Cambridge, Sorbonne Nouvelle, and Università di...

We get feedback all the time, from friends, family, coworkers, managers, investors - the list goes on.  Sometimes the feedback is conflicting.  What do you do with conflicting feedback?  Learn how to manage feedback productively with case studies from Natalise Kalea Robinson, Steven Khuong, and Jess Furman.

2022 is here and we are living in a brand new (brave new) world.  Technology is advancing at rates so fast we can't keep up with its terminologies.  What is in store for humanity this year and beyond?  What is the metaverse (hint: it's not META formerly known as Facebook)?  What are the implications of the "alternative reality" on life as we know it?  Steven Khuong, Jess F...

What's on your reading list?  Natalise Kalea Robinson, Jess Furman, and Steven Khuong share their favorite books on this episode, including writings on process management, sociology, psychology, spirituality, and high stakes business dealings, as well as a story about "timeless" love.   Books discussed on this podcast: Getting Things Done by David Allen The Time Traveller's Wife by Audre...

How does physical fitness impact performance at work, in relationships, and in our lives in general?  Natalise, Steven, and Jess explore the world of physical training and expose their personal routines to keep the mind, body, and spirit operating at optimal levels. 

Learn about the unlikely journey of Major Nick Salinas, U.S. Special Forces "Green Beret," and serial entrepreneur. Nick is an officer in U.S. Army, having served as a special ops commander and completed many tours over the course of two decades, including in the Middle East. After a simultaneous stint at Amazon, Nick has ventured into the entrepreneurial world in the construction, culinary, and h...

There will be a time in our lives when we are struck by the feeling of doom.  Catastrophes are contextual but nonetheless wreak havoc on our emotional state if we let them.  Learn about Jess, Natalise, and Steven's history with catastrophes and some strategies they've used to overcome the stress and anxieties associated with their experiences. 

NFT is the hot buzzword these days, but the meaning and application remain elusive to a great degree.  Jess, Steven, and Natalise discuss cryptocurrencies vs. traditional exchange of goods and services, and how NFTs can be leveraged, in particular, in the entertainment industry.

What is company culture?  Jess, Steven, and Natalise discuss the intricacies that form the cultures at their respective companies: Sound Revolver, Curacubby, and Parallel Health. 

Change is inevitable.  Keeping this perspective top of mind is as critical as anything else in the world of business execution.  Jess, Natalise, and Steve discuss when to push, pivot, or fold. 

Learn about the unlikely journey of successful Silicon Valley executive and investor, Rishi Taparia.  Rishi is currently Managing Partner at Garuda Ventures and Strategic Advisor at Legion Technologies. Previously, Rishi served as Vice President of Business Operations at Poynt, a hardware and software company building a commerce and payments platform for businesses, Rishi joined as the compan...

June is Pride Month.  We pay homage to the LGBTQ / LGBTQIA+ community. Jess leads a brief history lesson on Pride Month and the Stonewall Riots.  We discuss the commercialization of Pride and its implications, as well as LGBTQ / LGBTQIA+ representation in vertical industries.

Happiness - the elusive treasure.  How do you find it?  Is the pursuit of happiness a fruitless endeavor? Natalise, Steven, and Jess explore achievement vs. fulfillment, the vacation dilemma, and environmental impacts on experiencing joy.

Transitions in life are never easy. Are comfort and stagnation synonymous? Is growth always painful? Natalise, Steven, and Jess share their unique journeys and dissect what it took to pivot careers, identities, and perspectives.  They also dive into gender and equality issues across various industries, including tech and music. 

Learn about the unlikely journey of actress, singer, songwriter, and model, Nina Bergman. Nina was born in Denmark and is the granddaughter of Russian actor Pavel Kadochnikov (Ivan The Terrible). She spent her early childhood traveling around Europe with her Russian Gypsy grandparents. After her parents divorced she lived with various family members. At 14 she received a scholarship to the musical...

What is wealth?  How do you define it?  How do you grow it?  Natalise, Steven, and Jess dive into the intricacies around wealth building by analyzing the risks and rewards when leveraging career vs. entrepreneurship.  Highlights include the systems of Mark Divine and anecdotes from the Academy Awarding winning film Nomadland.

How do you successfully transition from one brand to another, deal with imposter syndrome, and build sustainable systems to uplevel your career in the midst of chaos?  Jess, Steven, and Natalise dig deep into these topics as well as share some insights about Stanford University and NYU in Episode 2 of The Unlikely Journey!

Get to know Jess Furman, Steven Khuong, & Natalise Kalea Robinson in Episode 1 of The Unlikely Journey as they discuss Tony Robbins, building wealth, the entertainment industry, owning multiple identities, and how to grow from it!