Past the Profile

Host Liz Sweigart and Ema Bryant first connected through Liz’s writing on mental health—a message from Ema’s father turned into a friendship that has spanned continents, countless conversations, and a shared commitment to honesty about the hard parts of healing. In this deeply personal episode of Past the Profile, Ema—radiographer, healthcare professional, and self-described “work in progress”—ope...

Host Liz Sweigart first met Maya Zuckerman through the Holochain / Holo project before teaming up again on Visvere . In this episode of Past the Profile, Maya traces her journey from product and operations manager to ecosystem architect. She and Liz explore why culture hacking beats disruption, how regenerative principles can be embedded into technology from the start, and what it means to move fr...

A three-chapter history connects host Liz Sweigart and Hilary Turner : dorm-mates at Rice University’s Wiess College, a wedding cameo years later, and—most meaningfully—a 2016 Facebook message that turned into miles and miles around the Rice loop. One Saturday run became a standing ritual, international half-marathons, and a friendship built on mutual encouragement and just the right amount of stu...

A vulnerable LinkedIn post about mental health first connected host Liz Sweigart and Claire Skillen . One cold DM turned into a long phone call—and a friendship built on systems thinking, honest reflection, and a shared belief that people belong at the center of every process. In this Past the Profile episode, Claire—newly appointed President & CEO of Planet-Based Foods Global (PBFG) —traces a...

Host Liz Sweigart and Dritton Jemmalay met more than a decade ago serving energy clients across time zones—she in Houston, he in Brisbane—before finally connecting in person at a Shanghai conference. The friendship has since spanned continents, careers, and now kids. In this episode of Past the Profile, Dritton—global tax and structuring consultant and founder of the independent professional servi...

Introduced by a mutual friend at the Oslo Freedom Forum , host Liz Sweigart and Torbjørn “T-Bear” Fyrvik bonded over the nuts and bolts of movement-building. What began as a hallway chat became an ongoing exchange about practical tools, generous mentorship, and the real human limits of doing hard things for a long time. In this episode of Past the Profile, Torbjørn—Norwegian activist now based in...

A vulnerable LinkedIn post about mental health first connected host Liz Sweigart and Steven Lewis . One unexpected DM turned into hours of conversation—and a friendship that’s thrived across years and screens (they still haven’t met in person). In this episode of Past the Profile, Steven—former corporate general counsel, filmmaker, and creator of the interview series Heroes Have Heroes —traces how...

A chain of introductions brought host Liz Sweigart and Mary Camacho together at DWeb Camp, where a quick hello became hours of “problem-solving joy.” In this episode of Past the Profile, Mary, a longtime decentralized-tech operator, host of the Terms of Service podcast, and now founder of Cirdia , traces how a Fitbit on her wrist and a privacy gut-check turned into a company: privacy-first wellnes...

This short episode explains that Liz delayed the usual Tuesday release of Past The Profile to give guest Mary Camacho time to launch the investor website for her new venture, Cirdia . In her brief commentary, Liz reflects on artificial deadlines, the pressure of expectations, and choosing self-compassion and flexibility over rigid consistency. Check back on Thursday for the full interview--it's ch...

Host Liz Sweigart had known Ellen Bird for exactly 24 hours when they pressed “record.” Their catalyst? A mutual mentor— Dr. John Reed —who sensed instant resonance between Liz’s organizational-psych lens and Ellen’s gift for spotting people’s unique “Youness.” In this episode of Past the Profile, Ellen—the founder of Eunice, a “people-success” consultancy—replays her zig-zag path from emerging-me...

Host Liz Sweigart met Elaine Duncan several years ago after Liz posted a vulnerable mental-health reflection on LinkedIn. Elaine—moved by the post—sent a cold DM of gratitude. One phone call (no video, just listening) sparked a friendship rooted in deep conversation, shared writing classes, and mutual permission to shed every professional mask. In this Past the Profile episode, Elaine—writer, cons...

Host Liz Sweigart first met Parsa on a winding Jeep ride to DWeb Camp. What started as small talk from the back seat turned into an enduring friendship grounded in vulnerability, candid conversations about identity, and a shared love of Persian food. This episode of Past the Profile is intentionally raw—no edits, no polished silence—because the story deserves to breathe. Parsa traces his journey f...

A viral LinkedIn post on mental health first linked host Liz Sweigart with Zurich-based entrepreneur Aladár Tepelea . One direct message became a video call, which blossomed into years of idea-swapping (and friend-level concierge introductions) across time zones. In this #PastTheProfile episode, Aladár—co-founder of Mindset Technologies and Allindex —charts his journey from strategic associate ins...

Host Liz Sweigart first met Brussels-based coach Chris Rawden when a thoughtful LinkedIn comment turned into a video call—and then into a pandemic-era pen-pal friendship. Their bi-monthly check-ins became a safe rehearsal room to practice coaching skills, swap leadership puzzles, and compare parenting notes across the Atlantic. In this #PastTheProfile episode, Chris—founder of Live Your Performanc...

Host Liz Sweigart sits down with Dr. Joanie Connell —electrical-engineer-turned-consulting-psychologist, founder of Flexible Work Solutions , and newly elected President of the Society of Consulting Psychology. Joanie traces her journey from Silicon Valley circuit boards to advising tech leaders on human-centric innovation. Together they explore why critical thinking is the best guardrail for AI,...

This week, host Liz Sweigart is joined by Dr. Daniel Lattimore — stand-up-comic-turned-consulting-psychologist and Community Domain Leader for the Society of Consulting Psychology. Daniel, the founder of Omiyo Consulting , traces his arc from bombing a college open-mic to integrating affiliative humor and improv principles into executive coaching. He and Liz unpack why leaders often feel like “Sup...

Walks and talks at the 2022 APA Convention in Minneapolis sealed the friendship between host Liz Sweigart and Shannon Jennings, PsyD, LMHC . Now, they sit down together to explore how their connection and collaboration has grown over the last few years. In this episode of Past the Profile, Shannon, a therapist-turned-facilitator, strategic-doing champion, and self-described super connector, revisi...

A mutual mentor, Dr. John Reed , once told host Liz Sweigart: “You have to meet Mira.” Minutes into their first call, Liz and Dr. Mira Brancu were jumping from quantum physics to organizational power structures. A lasting friendship was born. In this episode of Past the Profile, Mira (founder & CEO of Towerscope ) retraces her journey from arriving in the United States from Romania as a young...

A chance Hacker Hall conversation at DWeb Camp — sparked by the words “ Holochain ” and “ Nostr ” — pulled host Liz Sweigart into conversation with technologist-activist Daveed Benjamin . Within hours, they were mapping constellations of human knowledge and scheming how to weave deeper context and connection into the fabric of the Internet. In this episode of Past the Profile, Daveed (co-author of...

Host Liz Sweigart met Dr. Sunni Lampasso during a pandemic-era phone call arranged by a mutual colleague at the Society of Consulting Psychology . Months later they finally connected in person — walking Minneapolis streets between APA Convention sessions and bonding over a shared love of live music. In this episode of Past the Profile, Sunni traces a career arc that runs from hedge-fund consulting...

Host Liz Sweigart connected with Dr. Jenn Serlin only a month before this conversation was recorded through a Society of Consulting Psychology (APA Diviosn 13 / SCP) listserv thread. And yet, their first Zoom felt like two long-time friends resuming an endless conversation. That instant rapport shapes this episode of Past the Profile, where Jenn — performance psychologist, executive coach, lifelon...

Host Liz Sweigart first spotted Dr. Annette Kramer in a Zoom “salon” led by their mutual friend and editor, Art Kleiner . Kramer — a dancer-turned-long-18th-century scholar and self-described “fixer” — immediately stood out for her mix of scholarly rigor and playful curiosity. In this episode of Past the Profile, Liz and Annette trace that first virtual meeting into a far-ranging conversation on a...

Host Liz Sweigart first met community strategist Limari Navarrete in the Redwoods of Northern California at DWeb Camp 2023, when they were placed in the same nightly “weaver group”. In this episode of Past the Profile they trace that serendipitous meeting to today, covering Limari's work with the Decentralized Identity Foundation, her passion for tech-for-good open-source projects, and a parallel...

The professional paths of host Liz Sweigart and guest Stuart Gibson first crossed at the inaugural NYU Tax Controversy Forum reception, back when Stu was Special Trial Counsel for the US Department of Justice Tax Division and Liz was a mid-career Big 4 tax advisor. Two decades, multiple career pivots, and a trans-Atlantic author-recruiting adventure later, Stu remains a plain-spoken mentor whose i...

Immediately after recording their first conversation, host Liz Sweigart realized she had held back a key question about the family story behind Dr. Tondi Mondoloka’s dissertation finish line. Rather than let that curiosity go, the two hit “record” again. In this short bonus episode of Past the Profile, Tondi recounts the spring 2023 crunch to defend her dissertation in time to walk at commencement...