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,...
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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. ...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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. ...
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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 through her family, and her refusal to fit into any one box make her path as unconventional as it is inspiring.
What drives Zina is the belief that science is not just discovery, but translation, the ability to bring the awe of new knowledge into forms that move people. Together, we explore the power of serendipity, the role of creativity in science, and why embracing complexity can spark entirely new ways of seeing the future. This is an inspiring conversation about risk, intuition, and the courage to create what doesn’t yet exist.
🍸 Cocktail of the episode: Whisky (Laphroaig) + Tea
🎧 A thought to leave you with:
How do we harness exponential technologies with enough imagination - and responsibility - to serve humanity?
Episode Resources:
Zina Cinker
PuzzleX
Xpanse
MATTER
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
Presented by: [Y]our 2040
Website: your2040.com/podcast