Chris James on Business Trends in Indian Country
NextGen Native
Chris James is the President & CEO of the He returned to the show where we discussed current trends in business, leadership development in Indian Country, and the upcoming The event will take place in September 5-7 2017 at the Tulalip Casino. The NCAIED will also celebrate its 2017 class of the in Indian Country. We talked several trends in business, living away from home, taking on new challenges, disconnecting from technology and identifying the priorities in work and personal lives. A great conversation with one of Indian Country’s leaders in business!
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Lance Morgan and the Decline of Federal Indian Law
NextGen Native
Lance Morgan on the decline of federal Indian law: “What we’re not teaching in law school is the other half of the system, where tribes are aggressively using their newly educated lawyers, their economic power, and their desire to do good to really change the equation.” “Once you make the mental leap that the entire system is ridiculous...you don’t ever go back.” Lance Morgan ( is President & CEO of . He is also the managing partner of the law firm Frederick Peebles and Morgan. And if you know Lance, or have read his previous work, you know that he is always good for a big...
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Joe Sarcinella on Fatherhood, Minimalism and Intentional Living
NextGen Native
When Joe Sarcinella and I spoke, he was days away from becoming a father. As of publishing this episode, he is now a proud father (congrats!!). As a recent parent, I thought it would be fun to have Joe on NextGen Native to get the perspective of a recent first-time parent and a to-be parent. For those that aren’t parents, or have kids out of the house, this episode is also for you. Although we talk about being parents, the conversation occurred in the same context that our conversations did below. That is, the topic of parenting is centered within living life with intentionality, in control....
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Heath Clayton on Hacking Growth, Mentors, and Success Through Naivete
NextGen Native
“People like genuine people. People like people who are authentic, people lke people who show up with their true identity. And being Chickasaw is part of who I am.”-Heath Clayton One of the areas in which I love to dabble is what I call “life system hacking.” The basic idea is finding ways to create a life, circumvent expectations or bypass the norms of which we all are led to believe cannot be bypassed or circumvented. There are a lot of people who write about the subject online, and it can get a bit of a reputation as self-help like content. But I continue to expose myself to it...
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Ryan Red Corn on Building and Creating Things
NextGen Native
“There is a trap [in decolonization] that hinders a lot of potential growth. And that is centered in how we think about things. If you are only trained [to deconstruct] then you are stuck in a gear of deconstruction, which is important and useful. But if the goal is to increase capacity in Indian Country, then you are asking for builders, not destroyers, and that is a completely different type of thinking.” Ryan Red Corn (Osage) created the design firm and is also a member of the . He joined NextGen Native for a wide-ranging conversation. Although we touched on comedy and had some...
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Geoff Roth | Serving as Many as Possible
NextGen Native
I felt this need to take my skillset and apply it as broadly as I could as long as I could still feel like I was affecting the community.” Geoff Roth is a descendent of the He recently completed an appointment as the Senior Advisor to the Director of the under Dr. Yvette Roubideaux. Geoff’s story is great for people that are looking to grow their career rapidly. It is also a great story for those that are looking to find balance in their lives. It may not seem intuitive that both those lessons could be learned from the same person, but that’s what makes Geoff’s story unique. He’s a...
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Jared Yazzie | Just Create Something
NextGen Native
"What's stopping you from making something?" Jared Yazzie is the founder of . He joined NextGen Native once again to catch up on his recent projects. Jared's clothing has been a hot commodity for a few years, but recently his business is taking some major strides. He recently won a scholarship to join an incubator , participated in an event at the Smithsonian, and won a held by Louie Gong's . Jared's story is one of those "overnight success" stories you hear about. One that pops up after working hard, learning, growing and sacrificing. It was fun to hear Jared talk about where...
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Raina Thiele
NextGen Native
Raina Thiele, Athabascan and Yup'ik, is President of Thiele Strategies. Before starting her own firm, Raina worked for President Obama in the White House Office of intergovernmental Affairs. Raina joined the show to share her story that led her from Alaska to the White House and now to her current work. Raina's story is a great example of how hard work, willingness to take on new challenges, and timing can come together to present amazing opportunities. Raina certainly capitalized on her experience to advance the profile of indian Country. After attending Yale for her undergraduate...
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John Pepion on Open Minds and Never Ending Grind
NextGen Native
The first time John Isaiah Pepion (Piikani) appeared on NextGen Native, I titled the accompanying blog post “.” About 1.5 years later John returned to catch up, and from our conversation, the title was accurate! John’s on the move, and if you're not familiar with his work, you should check it out. We discussed how he has grown as an artist and businessperson recently. He mentioned he started growing even more when he opened himself up to learn and take feedback from others. This mindset can be applied to any job or activity. It can be hard to open yourself up to feedback, but it empowers...
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Heather Whitemanrunshim |
NextGen Native
“Focus on being proactive and use the future as the guidance point when you [encounter] challenges. What you work for is bigger than us [individually].” Heather Whitemanrunshim is Apsalooke (). She is an attorney for the (NARF) where she works primarily on issues pertaining to water law. Our wide-ranging conversation touched on two issues that I am still thinking about several days later. First, we discussed the need to be vulnerable to learn language and/or culture. I think it is a common experience that people our age grew up afraid to admit we didn’t know as much language as others,...
info_outlineTerra Branson: “How do you look backward but still move forward?”
Terra Branson (Muscogee Creek) is the Executive Director of the Self-Governance Communication and Education Consortium.Terra joined the show previously, and she returned graciously for another wide-ranging conversation.
When Terra Branson last joined the show, she just started her job at SGCEC as the Executive Director. Two years later, we discuss her adjustment and growth in the role. Part of her experience includes settling into her community of McAlester, Oklahoma. Like many that move to a new community, Terra experienced the challenge of building new friendships after college and in her professional career.
We discussed identifying your skill sets, how to use those in your career, and how often times others see those skills in you before you see them in yourself.
On Growth and Reflection
We both moved away from a busy place to a place that allows you to think and reflect. This reminded me of a discussion shared by venture capitalist Chris Sacca on another podcast. Sacca invested in what became some of the biggest technology startups of the last decade. He credits part of his success to moving away from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe where he could be proactive in his work, and less reactive to the daily static of Silicon Valley. The distance allowed him perspective and the ability to make the investment decisions in which he believed. The point is that we need to find more time to be reflective, and for Terra and I, we gained that time by moving away from a busy city.
The conversation covered a lot of ground, but I think the theme of this episode is personal growth, reflection, and how we move through our careers. One thing that remains consistent with NextGen Natives is that even with these topics, the work that we do is always connected to our communities. Terra’s story is no different.