Superpowers for Good: Empowering Changemakers for Social Impact via Regulated Investment Crowdfunding from the SuperCrowd.

Chapter 60: Patience and Optimism - Bill Gates Devin: A few years ago, you wrote about superpowers in your annual letter. What is your superpower? Bill: Well, if I have one, it has something to do with optimism about scientific innovation and being able to gather teams of people. My experience at Microsoft was assembling teams of engineers and understanding what was on track/off track, being patie...

Devin: Bill, what is your superpower? Bill: I think it’s, you know, really being able to to have a vision. But I think a lot of people have vision, but really being able to stay on task because I tell you this has been a really up and down process. You know, when I talk about crowdfunding for the culture, it’s not as though crowdfunding for the Black community is different. But when I say that I a...

Devin: Melissa, what is your superpower? Melissa: I think it might just be that stick-to-itiveness. In the early days, we were a nonprofit and I was doing that full time. I had a master's degree. I was in my late 20s and was doing plasma to pay for groceries. I'd go at 6:00 a.m. because it was really embarrassing to run into people when I was at that level and those were the options I had. I was d...

Devin: What do you think of as your superpower? Tim: I feel like I am a problem solver and that, and I’m doing things that I have never had any exposure to—environmental cleanup or large housing development or things like that. But I know how to learn enough to understand the issues. I know how to work through a problem and find solutions to it. I think the other part is I seem to be able to ident...

Devin: Sanam, what is your superpower? Sanam: Sometimes, I think that my superpower is the power of the powerless speaking truth to power. Devin: Malalai, what’s your superpower? Malalai: So I would like to speak about it, not as an individual, but as part of a group, the group of women, peacebuilders whose superpower is building peace. I have always been inspired by those women building peace in...

Devin: Marc, what's your superpower? Marc: I don't think I have any. I really think anyone can do what I'm doing. If you are passionate, if you are disciplined, if you know how to connect dots, I think you can do anything that I'm doing right now. Building this company, honestly, was a bit unique, and I did not think I was capable of doing it until I actually started putting the dots together. The...

Devin: Ina, what is your superpower? Ina: Oh, I might have that Wonder Woman costume right under my top—I'm not sure. My superpower is that I'm fearless. I am never reckless, but I am fearless. You can watch the full interview with Ina here: ina.s4g.biz . Ina Pinkney began learning to be fearless as a childhood survivor of polio. Ina could climb the three flights of stairs to her assigned room but...

Devin: What is your superpower? Sam: What is my superpower? I think it's that I'm in on the joke. I actually know that people can make a difference, and I keep my eye on that ball. I look at the news, and I get a little depressed by the news. But I look at what the grassroots groups I am working with are doing, and I get excited. Last year [President Trump] called for a 31 percent cut to the Globa...

Devin: Mari, what’s your superpower? Mari: I love to learn new things, and I like to think that other people in this organization are motivated to learn new things because I’m constantly sending out Slack messages, e-mail messages, you know, about, check out this new article. Did you see what so-and-so said? Think about the implications for this. I find all this work incredibly important, incredib...

Devin: Shaun, what is your superpower? Shaun: My superpower?  I think about two things; a key one is listening. It’s just so important to listen well. It’s something that doesn't happen enough in the world. So who are my customers? Who are my stakeholders? What are their needs? What are their aspirations? How do I reconcile those needs and aspirations of my stakeholders— stakeholders being farmers...

Devin: Well, Joanne, what is your superpower? Joanne: I definitely don't have a superpower. I think, as I said, it's really just staying inspired by the people that I'm working with and working for. And I think when I go to Malawi, and I see the work that the nurses are doing, I feel so much pride, and I feel so much joy to see the connections between the nurses and these communities. That's not s...

Devin: Apolo, what is your superpower? Apolo: I would say my superpower still relies on a foundational component of hard work. While that's a broad term, I think that we can talk about resilience and passion and hunger and grit and all those things that I think that we typically associate with maybe the Olympics or athletes and things that you have to do that are really challenging and hard. But w...

Devin: Warner, what is your superpower? Warner: I don't have stuff like that. I avoid superhero movies, or my grandkids want me to go see that stuff. I say that's all fake. I don't think there's any kind of superpower I have. Devin: What makes you successful? Warner: Well, I suppose I'm a disruptor. I'm a change agent. I tell my classes at the beginning of every semester, “You're not here to call...

Devin: Monique, what is your superpower? Monique: My ability to just get through the worst challenges. Trust me; I can get through just about anything. Trust me. I personally don't know how I do it, but I've been through thick and thin. But there's—I don't know how my brain works—but there's always a solution to everything. That's my superpower. If that's a superpower, I just could get through the...

This episode was produced as part of research for Superpowers for Good . The accompanying text is a sample chapter from the book. Isabelle Hau, Author Devin: Isabelle, what is your superpower? Isabelle: My superpower: diplomacy. You can watch the full interview with Isabelle here: isabelle.s4g.biz . John Hewko, Rotary International, CEO Devin: John, what is your superpower? John: My superpower? Oh...

The following text, related to this podcast episode, is a sample chapter from my new book Superpowers for Good . Get your copy today . Devin: What is your superpower, Margret? Margret: One of my core values is being modest and humble. So, the way your question is framed is difficult for me. That said, I have been told by colleagues that I am a visionary and strategic leader. But I also really enjo...

You may note that I’m posting this episode earlier than planned. The reason is simple. Earthquakes aren’t planned. Haiti experienced a bigger earthquake on August 14, 2021, than the devastating quake that hit Port-Au-Prince in 2010. The more recent event occurred in a less densely populated area in Southern Haiti. Still, more than 2,000 people were killed, many thousands more were injured, and at...

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Jennifer Fresques Office Sought: Salt Lake County Assessor Issue: Most people don't know what the Assessor does or who the current Assessor is. One of my goals would be to change that, to make the office more accessible to the public. The Assessor's office has struggled to retain and attract experts in our field. This makes valuation more diff...

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Brian Moench Issue: Right now it's the pandemic and whether to open schools. Normally it's air pollution and the climate crisis. I've been involved in trying to raise awareness of the health consequences of air pollution/dirty energy, and shape public policy to improve Wasatch Front air quality. We're not doing anywhere enough to reduce pollut...

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Samuel Winkler Office Sought: House District 42 Issue: Managing growth and what comes with it. The air has become more polluted and our roads are clogged with traffic. Our schools are overfull and I have a concern for the amount of water we actually have left. We need to manage growth to ensure that we will have water for future generations, t...

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Suzanne harrison Office Held: State rep Office Sought: State rep Issue: Feeling heard and prioritized. Bio: I grew up in Provo where my parents both spent their careers working at BYU. I went to Timpview High School and then attended Stanford University where I met my husband, John, who was raised in Centerville, Utah. After Stanford I graduat...

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Tim Chambless Office Sought: 2018 Utah State Senate District 2 Issue: Climate Change impacting the nation's demographics. I have observed erratic weather and temperature changes for half a century. The time to act is now. Bio: University Professor. Taught over 30,000 in 35 years. Utah resident 49 years. Involved in over 30 political campaigns....

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Doug Owens Office Sought: Legislature, House District 36 Issue: Conservation. Started non-profit to help find common ground with people on the other end of the political spectrum. We can win friends to conservation by highlighting the importance of outdoor recreation for the economy. Bio: Doug Owens was born and raised in Salt Lake City and gr...

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Olivia Jaramillo Office Sought: Utah State Representative, House District 14 Issue: The impact of population growth and the economic and social changes its bringing and impacting the middle class. This is bringing to surface many issues that are difficult to deal with such as poverty and everything associated with it like bankruptcy. We need t...

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress Guest: Chase Hansen Issue: How to overcome despair and human suffering. I see it around me. Complex challenges can we solves through listening and empowering others. Bio: When he was four years old Chase Hansen founded KID LABS, "a social impact corporation with a mission to be a global FORCE FOR GOOD." Of course, he had a little bit of help from his...