Narratives that Move the World with Ana Rold
Choosing to Matter
🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris Narratives that Move the World with Ana RoldEpisode 8 In this episode, Chris sits down with Ana Rold, media entrepreneur, futurist, and founder of Diplomatic Courier and World in 2050. Ana was a child refugee who learned to adapt to new surroundings and gained a unique perspective on how other cultures and societies live. Years later, after moving to the USA, she went on to build platforms that shape global dialogues. Her journey is marked by resilience, curiosity, and communication. Her move to Boston opened the door to new cultures, ideas,...
info_outline
Coffee, Resilience, and Supply Chains with Ramon Schalch
Choosing to Matter
🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris Coffee, Resilience, and Supply Chains with Ramon Schalch Episode 7 In this episode, Chris sits down with Ramon Schalch, CEO of Vi Collective, hiker, cyclist, and lifelong adventurer. From early dreams of becoming a professional ice hockey player to rebuilding his path after a career-ending injury, Ramon found a new calling in coffee. What began as childhood fascination with the smell of beans grew into a journey across Colombia’s coffee farms and eventually to leading one of Switzerland’s most recognized sustainable coffee brands. ...
info_outline
The Serendipity of Science with Zina Cinker
Choosing to Matter
🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris The Serendipity of Science with Zina Cinker Episode 6 In this episode, Chris sits down with Dr. Zina Cinker, physicist, global platform creator, and Director General of MATTER. From a childhood shaped by both art and science, to a chance discovery of graphene, to launching PuzzleX and Xpanse as platforms that translate deep science into human stories and explore how Quantum connects to everything, Zina’s journey is driven by curiosity, serendipity, and a fearless embrace of the unknown. Her love of Isaac Asimov, the Sufi wisdom passed down...
info_outline
Nature, Cities, and Endurance with Russell Galt
Choosing to Matter
🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris Nature, Cities, and Endurance with Russell Galt Episode 5 In this episode, Chris sits down with Russell Galt, ecologist, strategist, and lifelong advocate for the natural world. From growing up in the Scottish Highlands to tracking hyenas in South Africa, cycling across Continents, and now working at the intersection of conservation, cities, and carbon markets, Russell’s journey is one of curiosity, courage, and commitment. Along the way, his love for whisky and bagpipes, and his stories of wilderness encounters, bring a deeply personal...
info_outline
Climate Extremes and Urgent Choices with Sonia Seneviratne
Choosing to Matter
Climate Extremes and Urgent Choices with Sonia Seneviratne Episode 4 In this episode, Chris sits down with Sonia Seneviratne, climate scientist, professor at ETH Zurich, and a leading voice in climate extremes. From her early fascination with astrophysics and childhood astronomy books to pivotal moments in the Amazon rainforest and now shaping global climate assessments, Sonia’s journey is one of curiosity turned into environmental responsibility. What drives Sonia’s work is a deep commitment to fact-checking reality and speaking truth at the intersection of science and society....
info_outline
From Snowy Slopes to Climate Science with Reto Knutti
Choosing to Matter
🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris From Snowy Slopes to Climate Science with Reto Knutti Episode 3 In this episode, Chris sits down with Dr. Reto Knutti, climate scientist, professor at ETH Zurich, and a trusted voice on climate science in Switzerland. Here we explore Reto’s personal journey from a ski village in the Bernese Alps to becoming a leading figure in global climate modeling and science communication. Through stories of mountaineering, margaritas in Colorado, and early inspirations in physics, Reto shares what drives his work: not just understanding...
info_outline
Workforce Innovation and Equity with Cynthia Hansen
Choosing to Matter
🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris Workforce Innovation and Equity with Cynthia Hansen Episode 2 In this episode, Chris sits down with Cynthia Hansen - Managing Director of the Innovation Foundation empowered by the Adecco Group, and a change-maker in global workforce inclusion. Together, they explore Cynthia’s journey from her first job at a veterinary office to teaching in Japan, leading initiatives at the World Economic Forum, and now steering a foundation that pushes the boundaries of corporate philanthropy. Along the way, Cynthia shares how her personal story...
info_outline
Ocean Swells and Systems Thinking with George Orbelian
Choosing to Matter
🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris Ocean Swells and Systems Thinking with George Orbelian Episode 1 In this episode, Chris sits down with George Orbelian - surfer, innovator, and philosopher inspired by nature and Buckminster Fuller’s principle of doing more with less. They dive deep into George’s journey from catching ocean waves to becoming a systems thinker who embraces complexity, adaptability, and interconnection to drive purposeful change. Through rich stories of surfing, natural cycles, and sparks of creative insight, George reveals what fuels his work: not...
info_outline
Welcome to Choosing to Matter
Choosing to Matter
What shapes a life? Sometimes it is the bold decisions. More often, it is the quiet ones, the everyday choices that open doors, shift directions, or help us become who we are meant to be. Choosing to Matter digs into those moments: both the seen and unseen decisions that shape someone’s life, work, and way of being in the world. Hosted by Chris Luebkeman and brought to you by @Your2040, each episode is an open, unscripted conversation with someone living with intention. No scripts. Just real people reflecting on how they navigate complexity, change, and purpose—one choice at a time. ...
info_outline🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris
Workforce Innovation and Equity with Cynthia Hansen
Episode 2
In this episode, Chris sits down with Cynthia Hansen - Managing Director of the Innovation Foundation empowered by the Adecco Group, and a change-maker in global workforce inclusion. Together, they explore Cynthia’s journey from her first job at a veterinary office to teaching in Japan, leading initiatives at the World Economic Forum, and now steering a foundation that pushes the boundaries of corporate philanthropy.
Along the way, Cynthia shares how her personal story - from growing up in a multicultural family on the U.S.A. West Coast to raising trilingual children in Switzerland has shaped her vision for a more inclusive and opportunity-rich future. She reflects on the art of balancing professional ambition with personal fulfillment, the power of small actions, and why embracing both grit and humanity is essential for leadership.
This is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about purpose, agency, and crafting a legacy that truly matters in a complex, interconnected world.
📍 The ingredients:
00:30 Welcome and favorite drink
02:23 Early career beginnings: veterinary office to convalescent hospital
06:16 Leading the Innovation Foundation and redefining corporate philanthropy
10:58 Family transitions, trilingual kids, and life in Switzerland
12:24 Career pivots: from aspiring vet to professor to global leader
16:19 International experiences and lessons from Japan
18:12 Designing with, not for communities
22:02 Conversations with her kids on stereotypes and identity
22:56 Hopes for future generations and climate-conscious living
23:45 Making high-stakes choices as a CEO
26:27 What inspires change and what keeps her going
27:30 Books that leave a mark: from India to leprosy to social change
30:22 Technology, AI, and the “serendipity engine”
34:30 Looking ahead to 2050: challenges, hope, and self-correcting systems
37:04 Balancing life, leadership, and letting go of what doesn’t matter
41:58 Lessons learned and staying true to a personal North Star
🍸 Cocktail of the episode: Cosmopolitan
🎧 A thought to leave you with:
How do we create systems that unlock human agency?
Episode Resources:
Connect with Choosing to Matter
Instagram : @choosingtomatter
LinkedIn : @choosingtomatter
Credits:
Host: Chris Luebkeman
Executive Producer: Jonelle Simunich
Guest Relations: Taline Frantz
Editors: Viktoria Bacheva and Asmita Mehta
Sound Designer: Taline Frantz
Design and Manager: Kinny Tran-Marazza
Graphic Designer: Nazaré Sarabúa
Recorded with our partners at the Schweizerhof Hotel Zürich
Presented by: [Y]our 2040
Website: your2040.com/podcast
Subscribe & Listen: Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.