Wise Up with OpenWater

We've all heard of imposter syndrome, the feeling that you don't belong somewhere, typically in a job situation. But as our guest Delida Costin points out, there are times when people actually don't "belong" due to some existing institutional, systemic structures rife with racism, sexism and other factors.    It is during these times that Costin believes in becoming a "Defiant Imposter." To recogn...

The number one indicator of successful teams is psychological safety (according to a Google study). And guess what? Workers don't feel safe when the workplace is toxic! Thus reducing overall success. So how can you avoid toxic work cultures before they take hold? To help us answer that question is Stephanie Tate , a seasoned People, Talent and Culture Executive with decades of experience. In this...

Could your child be a world champion in their chosen sport? What does it take to get them there? We talked with Olympic medalist (and parent)(and OpenWater member) to get her take on what it takes to raise an elite athlete. After competing on the highest possible competitive levels, Picabo founded the Picabo Street Academy - a new kind of school built around the schedules young elite athletes must...

The combination of proximity, school and limited freedom made making friends as a kid easy. But when you're an adult, bogged down with responsibilities and time constraints -- finding friends is a lot trickier. Loneliness is an epidemic that the US Surgeon General has literally warned us about! So what can we do? Dr. Adam Dorsay , psychologist and host of the SuperPsyched podcast (and forthcoming...

Buying wine doesn't have to be so nerve wracking. It should be fun, exciting and even affordable. To help, we brought in sommelier and owner of Heathen Wine Tours, Heath Porter.  Heath grew up in a teetotaling family in a trailer park in Alabama before leaving home to embark on his own vino journey, earning national awards and prestigious positions at high-end resorts such as Sea Island Resort in...

If you've ever dreamed of working from a café on the Champs-Elysées, or from the foothills of Mt. Fuji, there are some things you should consider before you pack your bags. Career technologist Greg Sherwin left Silicon Valley six years ago to live full-time in Portugal. Greg walks us through the good (healthcare!), the not so great (bureaucracy!) and the interesting (grocery shopping!) you experie...

Some people may cringe at the thought of "networking." It can feel so transactional. So baldfaced.    But it doesn't have to! Our guest on this special episode of the Wise Up! podcast is Karen Wickre, who literally wrote the book on the subject -- Taking the Work Out of Networking . We sat down to talk with her about why networking is so important beyond just job searching, why you need the right...

As the saying goes, the only thing constant in life is change. Miki Johnson, the Founder of Leading By Example , is here to help you manage change and use it as an opportunity to transform. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this wide ranging chat that explores how we see ourselves, others, and how to better navigate all of the constant change that awaits us all.    This podcast is presented byOpenWater,...

Stories aren't just for bedtime! According to Connie Kwan, stories are a powerful, yet underutilized, tool for organizing and conveying information -- especially in business.  No matter your role in your company, using storytelling principles when packaging data, insights and pitches helps you better connect with your target audience and achieve desired outcomes for greater success.  Kwan is the F...

Here's a qualification you don't hear from many executive and leadership coaches -- champion water skiier. But that's exactly what Albino Sanchez , Founder and CEO of aha! Impact is, and it's not just a novelty. In this interview, Sanchez explains how a life in sports helped him become a better coach. He also talks about the chapter he wrote in the book Cracking the Rich Code dedicated to finding...

People in the latter stages of their careers may find themselves at a crossroads. They've already been working for decades, are great at what they do -- but may want something more or different going forward. The challenge is knowing what they really want, and finding a viable path to transition into something new.  That's where Teal Dot comes in. Founded by certified coaches Shirley Braun and Kri...

If you run a business, no matter how big or small, you should introduce yourself to your elected representatives. That tip is from Michael Robinson, Chairman & CEO of The Montgomery Strategies Group , a government relations and communications firm. Doing so, he argues, allows you to show what value you are bringing to your district. It also means your first contact with said representative isn...

Born the son of Cuban immigrants in Mexico, Ricardo Quintero has brought a worldly perspective to his executive career at companies such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, and as the President of Movado Group.  In this wide ranging interview, Ricardo talks about: The business skills he learned starting out at Procter and Gamble that he keeps with him to this day Why Ricardo's father hired... and then fire...

Between the pandemic and the rise in remote work, the corporate real estate market is still in a period of transition. To better understand what's happening with physical office space, we brought in Gabrielle Baccari, a deeply experienced expert in the space who has done corporate real estate for companies like Novell and Google. In this discussion, she breaks down:  The opportunities in this down...

The Wise Up Podcast this week features talent recruiter Melissa Potter, who shares her wisdom around searching for a job. Listen in for her insights as a recruiter (apply early!), some new job sites that aren’t Linkedin and why you should never stop networking. But wait! There's more! In addition to finding people jobs, she now finds them vacation destinations as a certified travel advisor! Did yo...

Getting a movie made is hard. Making an entire movie on a shoestring budget in two weeks with a start time less than a month away? That's almost impossible, and yet, that's the hand Adam Baxter was dealt to produce the feature Your Lucky Day. We talk with Baxter about the wisdom he's picked up from his decades of production, working with the likes of David Bowie and Miley Cyrus, and others in musi...

Whether you run a public company or a startup with IPO ambitions, knowing how to tell your corporate story to investors is critical to your success (not to mention highly regulated by the federal government). That's where having a strong investor relations program comes into play.  Denise Garcia of Hayflower Partners has helped notable Internet and software companies including Cardlytics, Domo and...

Domain names, you know -- the words you type into your browser to get to a website, are probably something you don't put much thought into. But you should! Picking the right domain name can have a big impact on your business.  To find out all the ins and outs of domain naming, we brought in an expert. Andrew Allemann is the Publisher of Domain Name Wire and has been in the business of analyzing an...

OpenWater was thrilled to host An Evening with  Chip Conley , New York Times bestselling author and Founder of the  Modern Elder Academy . If you weren’t able to make, well, you missed out on the free beer and wine, but you can enjoy Chip’s Q&A right now from the comfort of your own home! That’s right, the entire discussion between moderator, and OpenWater Co-Founder, Chris Albrecht and Chip i...

Everyone’s talking about AI, but most don’t truly understand it’s power or how to harness this. Daeil Kim, who sold his startup, AI.Reverie to Meta will walk you through everything you need to know about artificial intelligence, its implications for the future, and how you can use it to make you life easier. In this talk we’ll examine questions like: What’s an LLM? Is there a difference between Ch...

Between the addictive quick bits of entertainment on Tik-Tok, Instagram and YouTube, do kids even care about the movies anymore? Do ever-shortening attention spans spell the end of the full length movie — espeically in a theater? Filmmaker and ex-head of product for Netflix, Todd Yellin sits down for chat about the future of the movies. For almost every generation up to this point, movies were the...

The metaverse. Is it the future or a folly? Either way, billions of dollars have been poured into creating metaverses, some of which are thriving. Who better to learn about the metaverse than Wagner James Au, author of Making a Metaverse That Matters. He’ll bring us up to speed on trends in the (virtual) space, who the players are, and what you need to know. You don’t need to strap on virtual gogg...

The contents of this podcast should not be considered financial advice.    When it comes to starting a business, sometimes it’s best to not go it alone. But how do you find the right business partner for the long haul? Values, ambition, and work style are just some of the factors you should consider when partnering with someone. Not to mention setting up a proper corporate structure to provide a f...

The contents of this podcast should not be considered any kind of financial advice.    So you’ve got some money, and some business smarts. Perhaps you’ve thought of becoming an angel investor, but you don’t know where to begin. OpenWater Co-Founder Paul Walborsky and Sandhill Markets Co-Founder Ali Moiz are two serial angel investors with a proven track record of finding, funding and help build st...

You don’t have to be a billionaire to make a big positive impact in the world. Sara Lomelin is the founding CEO of Philanthropy Together and has trained hundreds of individuals to be more philanthropic in 12 countries. Her innovative thought leadership on Giving Circles has been featured in ForbesWomen, SSIR, Alliance Magazine, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, and Nonprofit Quar...