The 92 Report
Conversations with the Harvard and Radcliffe Class of 1992, hosted by Will Bachman '92. Every member of the class has a story to tell, and the goal is to interview every one of them. There are 1,600 members of the class, so at a rate of one episode per week, this project will take 30 years. Register for email updates at 92report.com
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138. Sandi DuBowski, Documentary Director/Producer of Sabbath Queen and Trembling Before G-d
06/30/2025
138. Sandi DuBowski, Documentary Director/Producer of Sabbath Queen and Trembling Before G-d
Sandi DuBowski discusses the one-year anniversary of his film Sabbath Queen, which he spent 21 years making. He reflects on the journey of the 21st-century radical rabbi and how it has shaped their life. He discusses the inspiration behind his film, Tomboychik, the concept of which was developed after conversations with his grandmother. The film is a living video memorial to her spirit; it won several awards, including the Golden Gate award at the San Francisco Film Festival and the Whitney Museum program, and launched Sandi into the film world. Documentary Films and Festivals Sandi talks about his work as an associate director of the New York Lesbian/Gay Experimental Film Video festival, MIX. He initially worked on a feature film called Fresh Kill and later worked for Planned Parenthood as a researcher and producing videos. After working for Planned Parenthood, he started filming the major feature documentary, Trembling Before G-d, about Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are lesbian or gay. The film had a World Premiere at Sundance, and won two prizes at the Berlin Film Festival. It screened in cinemas and festivals worldwide, and Sandi went on the road for three years, doing outreach and engagement. Sandi concludes by expressing gratitude for the support and funding he received from the Steven Spielberg Righteous Persons Foundation. He also mentions that his film Sabbath Queen has been a significant moment in his life, as he reconnects with classmates from Harvard, high school, elementary school, film, queer, Jewish, and activist circles. The film has been a testament to the power of storytelling and the transformative power of time. Breaking from Traditional Religious Conventions Sandi fell into the world of filmmaking by accident. He worked with great people, including cinematographers and editors, to create a team of creatives. The film "Trembling Before G-d" was a significant leap forward in technical craft and embraced the lives of people who were not in the public realm. The first Orthodox gay Rabbi came out in the film, and the first person from a Hasidic world to come out as lesbian was featured. The film also convinced Orthodox rabbis to speak publicly on the issue, which was a tipping point in the culture. The filmmaker met with Amichai, who was already post-denominational and pushing the boundaries of Orthodoxy. Sandi talks about the film’s concept and how it inspired a Muslim man to make a movie on Islam and homosexuality. Filming the Documentary Sabbath Queen Sandi shares the journey of filming Sabbath Queen, which involved following Rabbi Amichai over 21 years. The film took six years to edit due to multiple storylines, nearly 3000 hours of footage, and time spent exploring Amichai's complex identity and his numerous worlds within his rabbinic family. The film was a complicated project, but Sandi and Amichai have remained close friends. The film is Biblical in many ways, as it is a coming of age and a paradigm shift from a thousands-year-old faith to the present. The film aims to address the challenges faced by religion, as well as the rise of authoritarianism and fascism. Sandi believes that creating a film that looks at time and how values can be manifested in our lives, communities, families, houses of worship, and nations is crucial for upholding values and morals. A Documentary Filmmaker’s Journey Sandi shares his experiences and lessons learned from his journey as a documentary filmmaker. He explains that his life has been unexpected and doesn't fit neatly into boxes. He also shares his experience with Good Pitch, a platform that focuses on social issue documentaries and collaborations with filmmakers. He has built a strong community around films and the film movement, which has been translated into his work with Sabbath Queen. He believes that film communities intersect with many other communities, creating an outpouring of connection and networks. One of the ways Sabbath Queen is promoting community is through live rituals and gatherings. In Berlin, he hosted a Sabbath Queen Friday night feast with Rabbi Amichai, which encouraged togetherness, peacemaking, and reflection. In San Francisco, they hosted a SoulSpa and in Chicago a Saturday night Let the Light In. Sandi also talks about expanded cinema and the importance of gathering, him co-founding a progressive group called The Creative Resistance with media makers and a Queens Food Caravan. Sandi discusses the importance of having creative collaborators who provide feedback and help in the process of creating a character-driven film. He mentions that it is crucial to have test screenings and feedback screenings to help filmmakers work on their work over time. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Sandi mentions a History and Literature course on the Vietnam War. The course focused on the interdisciplinary nature of storytelling and history, which helped Sandi understand how we process our lives, stories, wounds, and traumas. Timestamps: 03:28: Early Film Projects and Personal Exploration 12:34: Transition to Long-Term Documentary Filmmaking 22:01: Challenges and Rewards of Long-term Filmmaking 22:23: Personal Life and Community Building 22:41: Advice for Long-term Documentary Filmmakers 41:35: Impact of Sabbath Queen and Future Plans Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Mark Jacobstein, class of ‘92, who reports: “Hi. I'm Mark Jacobstein, class of 1992. The feature nonprofit of this episode of The 92 Report is The Friends of Cancer Research. The Friends of Cancer Research powers advances in science and policy that speed life saving treatments to patients. I'm proud to have worked with them during my time at Garden Health and found that they were by far the most important and effective 501, C3, in the world of cancer research. You can learn more about their work at Friends of Research, friends of cancer research.org, and now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: .
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137. Lili Barouch, Sports Cardiologist and Triathlete
06/23/2025
137. Lili Barouch, Sports Cardiologist and Triathlete
Show Notes: Lili Barouch, a cardiologist, went to medical school at Johns Hopkins. After moving to Baltimore, she became a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and transplant. She joined the faculty in 2003 and worked on basic science research, research lab, and inpatient and outpatient care for heart failure and transplant patients. Lili stayed in this role for about 10 years before transitioning to outpatient cardiology. She moved to Howard County, Maryland, where her children have grown up. Founding the Sports Cardiology Program Lili started becoming more athletic around 20 years ago. This led to her interest in sports cardiology, a field geared towards athletes. She founded the sports cardiology program at Johns Hopkins and a training program for future sports cardiologists. She talks about building a new program from scratch, how the field of sports cardiology has grown significantly. Sports Cardiology Screening Sports cardiology involves screening athletes, including younger athletes, high-level athletes, and masters athletes. Screening includes evaluating athletes for risk factors, symptomatic athletes, those with known cardiac diseases, and those with significant changes in the heart due to high-level exertion. Lili talks about findings through screenings in sports cardiology including congenital heart defects, a family history of cardiac death at a young age, or abnormal ECGs. She mentions that there is no single standard throughout the country for what type of screening is required for college athletics. The general Sports Med and team physician screen everyone to a certain extent. Sports cardiologists typically are involved in second-level screening, for example, high blood pressure is an area that needs to be addressed, especially in younger athletes. By understanding the specifics of each type of screening and addressing any underlying conditions, athletes can better prepare for their future athletic careers. Stress Tests and ECG Abnormalities The conversation turns to the importance of stress tests and ECG abnormalities in sports. Athletes often tend to be symptom minimizers, ignoring minor symptoms that don't seem to affect anything at the time. However, many athletes who develop cardiac arrests report having some symptoms before they report them later. Lili talks about finding the balance between not wanting to alarm patients and not wanting them to ignore symptoms. Guidelines in Sports Cardiology Sports Cardiology is its own field. New guidelines have come out this year about shared decision making, which helps athletes decide whether to continue playing or not. The previous guidelines were more paternalistic, with doctors telling athletes whether they can play or are not allowed to play. This led to many athletes hiding symptoms or being disqualified. Newer guidelines have looked at more recent research studies to determine if restricting individuals actually helps them. Many places found that it's okay for athletes to participate in ways that were not possible 10 or 15 years ago, but it also affects their psychological state severely if they get disqualified from their sport. Changes to the Heart Lili discusses the changes to the heart of elite athletes, including professional athletes, major sports leagues, and Olympic athletes. She explains that the higher level of an athlete, the more likely they are to have more people involved in their care. Studies on elite athletes, such as Tour de France cyclists and Olympic athletes, have shown that those who do high levels of endurance exercise, such as cycling, long-distance running, swimming, and cross-country skiing, tend to have an increase in the size of their heart chambers. The Health Benefits of Exercise The American Heart Association guidelines recommend a minimum of two 30 minute strength training workouts and at least three 30 to 45 minute aerobic exercise workouts of moderate intensity per week. The minimum recommended amount of exercise is two and a half hours per week, spread out throughout the week. For endurance athletes, this may be more than two hours a day. Lili talks about the benefits of exercise, highlighting that there are marginal additional gains up to three to four times the minimum recommended amount. The most significant gain is when one goes from zero hours per week to two or three hours per week of total exercise, up to about eight hours per week. This leads to greater fitness, benefits in blood pressure, cholesterol, reducing the risk of diabetes, and longevity. However, beyond eight or 10 hours per week, there are no additional health benefits. Joining the Race Lili started running in 2006, initially as a fitness exercise but eventually becoming an athlete due to her autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis. She joined the running club and was challenged by a friend to do a triathlon. She initially struggled with swimming, but eventually learned to swim and competed in several distances, including the full Ironman. Lili has run six marathons, mostly short and medium distance triathlons, and has achieved significant accomplishments such as qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2018 and competing in the Boston Marathon in 2018. However, she also faced joint issues due to her rheumatoid arthritis, which led her to focus more on long distance triathlons. The Growth of the Sports Cardiology Program Lili founded a sports cardiology program based on her clinic, which primarily focuses on athlete patients. The program is also developing a National Registry of masters athletes to study the impact of high exercise levels on athletes' health. The program involves training fellows in cardiology who are interested in sports cardiology. A fellowship program was developed for one fellow, and the first formal graduates completed the program last year. Lili talks about an annual meeting called "The Care of the Athletic Heart" in Washington, DC, where they organize formal talks, educational symposia, and case presentations to help others get into the field. She also talks about resources and funding for the program. Timestamps 02:19: Transition to Outpatient Cardiology and Personal Life 06:14: Evolution and Role in Sports Cardiology 07:05: Screening and Management of Athletes 15:25: Elite Athletes and Cardiac Health 27:15: Lily's Personal Athletic Journey 33:59: Founding the Sports Cardiology Program 37:26: Administrative and Research Aspects 40:56: Memorable Courses at Harvard 43:30: Resources and Future Plans Links: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Heather Taussig, class of ‘92, who reports: “Hi, I'm Heather Taussig, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of the 92 report is Fostering Healthy Futures. Fostering Healthy Futures is an evidence based mentoring program for children and teens in foster care. I am the program developer and principal investigator of Fostering Healthy Futures, which my team and I launched in 2002. You can learn more about our work at .“ To learn more about their work, visit:
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136. Tanya Selvaratnam, Multimedia Storyteller and Advocate
06/16/2025
136. Tanya Selvaratnam, Multimedia Storyteller and Advocate
Show Notes: Tanya Selvaratnam shares her journey from high school to present day. She moved to New York after graduating and worked at Columbia Law School’s Center for Chinese Legal Studies. She also assisted Anna Deavere Smith on her show “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” about the LA riots. Tanya went back to Harvard for graduate school, studying Chinese language and the history of law. An Adventure in Theatre After her father passed away, she returned to New York, where she was working on the Beijing Women's Conference. Wandering the streets one day, she came across The Performing Garage with a poster on the wall for a show by the Wooster Group. On a whim, she slipped a note on the door offering to help in any capacity and was taken on as an intern. Before long, she was asked to come to rehearsals, and, despite having no intentions of becoming a performer, this led to her performing with the Wooster Group. She toured all over the world with them and with other companies like the Builders Association. On Becoming a Film Producer Currently, Tanya writes books and makes movies. She also advises various organizations, foundations, and corporations. She recently started advising the Open Future Lab in Vienna, Austria. She has also worked as a producer, which began when she worked at the Ms. Foundation for Women, on what was then called "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" as well as the Gloria awards. She also worked with Jed Weintrob, whom she had met at Harvard when she was in his production of “Dracula.” In the late 90s, Jed asked her to produce a movie he was writing at the time. It went on to premiere at Sundance and then the Berlinale in 2002. This led to more work as a producer, and Tanya is still currently producing. The Connection between Event Organizer and Film Producer Tanya shares her experiences in organizing events since high school. While at Phillips Academy Andover, she was the head of the South Asian Students Association and served on the divestment committee during apartheid days. She organized events like readings of poetry, essays, and performances to raise awareness about activism and advocacy. After college, she also organized events for the youth tent at the Women's Conference in China, where she performed a piece called "Wet Sari Syndrome," which was a take on Bollywood movies. Tanya learned the craft of producing films directly from her friend and trusted colleague, Jed. She was willing to work hard, focusing on tasks such as finding locations, cleaning up the set, and figuring out what needed to happen to make the film come together. Tanya was able to tap into her resources and connections to make shoots possible and be attentive to Jed's vision. Dealing with Difficult Times The conversation turns to her experience with bullying and harassment, which she has faced in various situations. She deals with this by focusing on her tasks and work. Tanya goes to Portland to write and escape from these situations, as it provides a safe space to escape the pressures of life. She also talks about her two books, The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock, which grew out of her own struggles with fertility and Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence. When dealing with fertility issues, Tanya was shocked at the amount of misinformation surrounding fertility awareness. She talks about the problems with sex education in America and how the book changed when she was diagnosed with two types of cancer. In her second book, she shares her experiences of being entrapped in an abusive relationship with former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. She explains why she was motivated to write the book and why she went into hiding after her story first became public. Working with Cultural Institutions Tanya has also worked on cultural events around the world, such as at the Rubell Museum in Miami, the Women's Conference in China, with Anna Deavere Smith and the Wooster Group. She has collaborated with major institutions and museums, such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Barbican in London, and Victoria Theatre in Singapore. She toured to 62 cities all over the world in a space of 12 years. She’s also worked with the Sundance Film Festival and the New York Film Festival. She talks about The Federation, an organization that aims to show how art unites people and keeps cultural borders open. She recently worked with Carrie Mae Weems at the Torino book fair in Italy. Co-directing and Producing a Documentary Short Tanya co-directed and produced a 13-minute documentary short called Love to the Max, which was acquired by the New Yorker magazine and recently nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary Short. The film was inspired by the mother of Max Briggle, who was targeted for loving and supporting her trans kid. Tanya was inspired to make the film after Max Briggle’s mother reached out to a women's listserv for help because she’d been approached by child protection services. Tanya has also been working with Catherine Gund for 17 years, producing a film called Paint Me a Road Out of Here, which is about the interconnected journeys of artists Faith Ringgold and Mary Baxter. She is also working on a new book called Love Me and Leave Me, which is about adventures through intimate pleasure and intimacy in many forms. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Tanya initially thought she would study science at Harvard but found the large classes to be lacking in intimacy. She became interested in Chinese history and legal history, taking classes with visiting scholars and professors like Chang Weijen, William Alford, Professor Kuhn, and Professor Bol; Caroline Reeves, a graduate student, helped her decide what to explore for her thesis. Timestamps: 05:38: Transition to Producing and Social Justice Work 13:22: Challenges and Learning in the Film Industry 20:28: Personal Struggles and Advocacy 34:07: Work with Museums and Cultural Institutions 37:11: Future Projects and Reflections 41:10: Harvard Experiences and Influences Links: Website: LinkedIn: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Olu Ajilore, class of ‘92, who reports: “The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, or AFSP. AFSP is a volunteer organization that supports those affected by suicide through research, education and advocacy. I've worked with our local chapter of AFSP raising funds with their annual out of the darkness walks, and I'm proud to serve on the Scientific Council for AFSP. You can learn more about their [email protected].” To learn more about their work, visit:
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135. Bo Rutledge, The Transformative Power of Higher Ed
06/09/2025
135. Bo Rutledge, The Transformative Power of Higher Ed
Show Notes: Bo Rutledge, a professor and dean at the University of Georgia Law School, opens the conversation by talking about his parents, who made sacrifices to support their children's education, and how he felt called to serve and worked for the governor in California where he met many inspiring civil servants. A Graduate Degree and Long-Distance Relationship In Scotland, he obtained a graduate degree and met his wife Birgit, who is Austrian. They had a wonderful year together overseas and then spent three years in a long-distance relationship while Bo attended law school and Brigit studied to become a teacher. After graduating, Bo clerked for two years, and briefly practiced law in Europe. After the birth of their first child, Bo and Birgit decided to become teachers, Bo as a law professor and Brigit as a foreign language teacher. They have both been teaching for nearly 22 years. Inspiring Students as a Professor and Dean Bo's parents instilled in him an appreciation for education and the power of education. As a professor and dean, he has worked to inspire students about the power of education and the ability to realize their full potential without letting debt hinder them in their careers. In the ten years he has served as Dean, his efforts have led to a significant reduction in student debt and the creation of a generation of people who feel the freedom Bo experienced thanks to his parents. A Law School Crisis Bo faced a crisis in 2014-15 due to a decline in law school applications. Legal education had experienced a 40% drop in national and 50% drop in local applications. To overcome this, Bo focused on the institution's values. Inspired by the belief that “public higher education is the greatest engine of upward socio-economic mobility in our society”, he acknowledged that tuition increases contributed to the student debt crisis and decided not to increase tuition for the students at the University of Georgia Law School. Building Support for Students In conjunction with a freeze on tuition fees, the school also communicated with the school's supportive alumni cohort, who provided financial support, job opportunities, and counsel. They had a team of 125 people, including faculty and staff, who cared about the impact they could have on students' lives who helped support measures taken to accommodate the low intake of students. They cut 7.5% of their operating budget in the first 18 months, and invested in revenue-generating opportunities and fundraisers. As Dean, Bo measured success ruthlessly, using values rather than spending per student. They focused on student success, job creation, and debt reduction. This approach helped the university navigate the crisis and refine its message. Bo talks about how the recession caused a decline in public investment in public institutions, and how he helped drive support for students and inspire students. One Student Success Story Bo shares the reason why one student decided to go to law school, and how the relationship with alumni presented a strong support group for this student. This story has galvanized Bo’s resolve to focus on helping students over the years. Bo mentions that one focus of the school is to support first-generation graduates. He emphasizes that higher education is truly special in a world where most people in prior generations and societies couldn't afford or attend college, and it offers the opportunity to connect with a mentor. The Higher Education Affordability Crisis Bo believes that the affordability crisis in higher education is fixable and has written published articles on this topic. He believes that the student loan industry is a mixed blessing. It allows people access to institutions they otherwise couldn't afford, but it also makes it easier for institutions to raise tuition. He also highlights the lack of clear ownership lines or a clear line of accountability to boards and shareholders in most higher education institutions. He learned that, as a dean, one must figure out their accountability mechanisms and constituencies in a world without a simplified structure. In summary, Bo's experience as dean has taught him about the economics of institutions, the difficulty of shaping the culture, and the importance of accountability in higher education institutions. Travel Personally and Professionally Bo has traveled extensively for nearly 40 years. He spent his first couple of years in Vienna, Austria, practicing law at an international law firm. Two places that stuck with him were Budapest, Hungary, and Ostrova, Czech Republic. He shares stories of the people he met and how their experience gave him insight into living under communist rule. He has also traveled to countries like Poland and India, where their university traditions are both historically rich and still very nascent, and how they are inspired by the education system in the U.S. Bo has had the privilege of meeting people from different backgrounds and this has allowed him to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by students in different countries, and to bring these experiences back to the university. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Bo mentions professors Michael Sandel, Dennis Thompson, and Stanley Hoffmann. He cites Sandel's justice class as an inspiration for a course he teaches to undergrads on moral dilemmas, which, in addition to the course topics, focuses on teaching the ability to discuss and debate socially divisive topics. He mentions Dennis Thompson's teachings on Political Ethics and Public Policy, Stanley Hoffman's teachings on Ethics and International relations, and Paul Pierson and Mark Peterson. Pierson taught Bo how to have faith in his ideas, while Peterson taught him how to write. He believes that Harvard is both intellectually intimidating and liberating, as it allows students to confront ethically nettlesome issues. Timestamps: 03:26: Early Career and Mentorship 05:02: Service and Educational Reform 16:33: Inspiring Students and Overcoming Challenges 23:55: Lessons Learned as Dean 28:53: Influential Books and Personal Growth 34:05: Travel and Professional Experiences 41:27: Influential Professors and Courses Link: Email: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Bill Ashmankas who reports: “Hi. I'm Bill Ashmanskas, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of the 92 report is the Delaware Valley golden retriever rescue since 1993 DVGRR has successfully placed 1000s of golden retrievers and other DVGRR dogs into new homes throughout eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and beyond. DVGRR has been recognized for its innovative work in rescuing and rehabilitating puppy mill breeder dogs. Allison and I adopted our first DVGRR dog in 2015 and our current dog in 2021 both retired breeder dogs, and we've been regular donors since 2015 you can learn more about their work at D, V, G, R, R.org, and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: www. .
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134. Dan Tabak, Litigation Partner and Treasurer at Harvard Hillel
06/02/2025
134. Dan Tabak, Litigation Partner and Treasurer at Harvard Hillel
Show Notes: Dan Tabak, a lawyer and treasurer of Harvard Hillel, spent three years at Columbia Law School, he then worked as a litigator at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, but took a year off to clerk for a federal judge in Brooklyn. He went back to work at Simpson Thacher before moving on to his current firm, Cohen & Gresser which operates primarily in New York City but has offices in London, Paris, Dubai, and Washington, D.C. He currently lives in Scarsdale, New York with his wife and two kids. On the Board of Harvard Hillel Dan joined the board of Harvard Hillel during the pandemic, which allowed him to participate more actively. He explains why he joined the board and supporting the Jewish community was an important part of his decision. In response to the fact that Harvard has been in the news in connection with anti-semitism, Dan states that the board has a diverse board with diverse viewpoints. He also mentions a 311 page study on anti-semitism at Harvard and notes that there are problems at Harvard that were different from what his class perceived, and that students today interact differently than when Dan was a student, specifically the inability to disagree with civility and respect for diversity of opinions. The Decline of Jewish Students at HarvardDan discusses the decline in Jewish students at Harvard and similar institutions, noting that he believes it has not emerged from a top-down decision, but traces back to the Immigration Act of 1965. He notes that there was a high likelihood of having a Jewish roommate or blockmate in the class of 1992 and a lower chance now, which has led to fewer people understanding Jews and Jewish life at these institutions. He attributes the decline to the emphasis on more diversity on identities within admissions and how students feel a responsibility to represent their specific background as well as the Immigration Act of 1965, which opened doors to different communities, particularly immigrant families, who tend to value education highly and are now more represented at Harvard. A Career in Law and Improving the Public School Systems Dan talks about his career at Simpson Thacher, one of the world's largest firms. His senior thesis in college involved a school funding decision in New Jersey. From his first week as a summer associate at Simpson Thacher to his departure years later, he worked with a group bringing a similar case in New York, Campaign For Fiscal Equity against the state of New York. The case involved school kids in New York City suing the state for a sound basic education under the New York State Constitution. The trial went nine months, and the students won the trial. He summarizes the process from determining there is a right to finding the remedy. The remedy involved resources and money, and the case went through another set of hearings to determine the appropriate resolution. Dan also discusses what the research revealed about class sizes, funding, and how the family situation impacts the education of a student. A Focus on Financial Service CompaniesThe conversation turns to Dan’s legal work, focusing on commercial litigation, with a focus on financial services companies, and bankruptcy and bankruptcy-related litigation. He talks about his involvement in a case involving Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan, in the bankruptcy of Gawker and Gawker's founder. He also touches on how this case helped lead to a change in how the public views the publication of sex tapes. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the legal landscape and the impact of cases like this on the legal landscape. Skills and Superpowers in LawDan believes that his strengths in law are the strategizing of how to get from here to there, listening to the client, and having a goal in mind. He also mentions being a good writer, which helps convey his thoughts. He initially was less strong at oral arguments but has since improved his skills and persuaded judges to change course and decide for his clients. One example of a successful legal strategy involves listening to clients and helping them figure out what they really want. For example, he has worked with pro bono clients who are more interested in justice than achieving a result. They often get a settlement offer and he explains the consequences if they don't take it. He explains that the lawyer must work through the emotional aspects and consider the implications of suing them and going to court. With corporate clients, Dan emphasizes the importance of listening to clients' goals and working relationships with the other party. A settlement can be a win-win situation for everyone involved, as long as they can continue doing business together. This is a different function of listening to what the client is trying to get out of the case. The Limitations of Legal EducationDan believes that a course he took from Roger Fisher with the Harvard Negotiation project was more helpful in negotiation and negotiation strategy than anything he learned in law school. He also mentions that law school was more about hearing the cases and understanding the law, rather than emotional intelligence and negotiating strategies. He also mentions that law schools did not teach how to manage junior attorneys and paralegals, which he believes is essential for success in law firms. He talks about the many small inflection points in a lawyer's career, such as meeting the right people and introducing them to potential clients that change or shape direction and offer opportunities. Influential Harvard Professors and CoursesDan mentions the Negotiation course and a Constitutional Law class with H.W. Perry, where he learned how to read legal cases and understand constitutional law. Dan shares a memorable experience while he was taking the Constitutional Law course where he argued a case in front of classmates, including "Chief Justice" Ketanji Brown Jackson, and also mentions learning in an Intro to Psychology course about the concept of idiosyncrasy credits.
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133. Kirsten Dirksen, From TV Producer to Unexpected YouTube Success
05/26/2025
133. Kirsten Dirksen, From TV Producer to Unexpected YouTube Success
Kirsten Dirksen, An Unexpected Career as a YouTube Home & Lifestyle Content Creator Show Notes: Kirsten Dirksen majored in economics and math, but found creative writing to be her passion. She decided to become a magazine writer and interned at the NBC affiliate in San Francisco, where she worked for free for about nine months. Working at NBC and Moving a Women's Network After her internship, she went to work with the NBC elite, which was the old chronicle enterprise. Kirsten became the music person, interviewing bands and creating unique stories for interviews. She eventually moved to New York City to work for Oxygen, a women's network. She then worked freelance in New York City and for other networks, including MTV, where she did music-themed stories. She worked freelance for a while, and the Sundance Channel took her to Spain to do an interview with Javier Bardem. She later met her husband in Barcelona. Reality T.V. and Early YouTube Videos Throughout her career, Kirsten has been passionate about storytelling and experimenting with different topics. She started working with an old Oxygen producer in Spain to film weddings for a reality show called The Knot. They traveled to various locations, and Kirsten edited the shows which took around five weeks to complete. However, when her husband started a website about environmental sustainability, together they made videos and put them on YouTube. The first viral video was about a micro apartment in New York. The video was picked up and shared on La Republica's homepage. This led to the story being picked up by Good Morning, America. We the Tiny House People and 20 Million Views After videos going viral in 2009, Kirsten and her husband continued posting YouTube videos. Since then she has done about five or six documentaries, with one being a taste-style documentary about the tiny house movement. The other two are family-based, chronicling the tiny house movement and the summer of family love. She has also done documentaries on homelessness, focusing on the experiences of homeless people in California. Kirsten's videos have gained popularity, with her first one being called We the Tiny House People, chronicling the tiny house movement. The second one, Our Summer of Family Love, was a road trip across the Pacific Northwest and West for the summer. Her other documentaries have focused on homelessness, focusing on solutions and solutions for those living in small homes. Her videos have gained attention and have been viewed over 20 million times on YouTube. She has also been a guest on the show The Tiny House People, where she shares her experiences with tiny house movements and the challenges faced by homeless people. From Documentarian to Author Kirsten began in a formal documentary unit in San Francisco and has since focused on documentaries and tours of tiny homes. Her book, Life-Changing Homes, is titled after these homes, which she believes sum up the stories they tell. The books are categorized into 10 chapters, each with a theme that focuses on simplicity, slowness, impermanence, elevation, restoration, underground survival, resurrection, and future. The book covers a variety of houses, from simple to large, and features thought-provoking chapter headings that cover two or three different houses that fit that theme. Each chapter covers about two or three different houses that fit that theme, and Kirsten interviews the owner. The focus is not on a specific category or type of house, but rather on the story itself. Kirsten's work has been praised for its stunning photos and focus on eco-friendly designs, making it an attractive resource for those interested in living in tiny homes. The book is expected to be a valuable resource for those interested in exploring these unique and sustainable living options. The People Who Live in Non-Traditional Dwellings Kirsten discusses the experiences of interviewing people in non-traditional dwellings, such as those in Ontario and California. She highlights the importance of considering what one truly needs out of a home and what skills they have. Some examples include a widow who built a dome home in Ontario, where she had a refrigerator that pops up like a gadget in Willy Wonka's factory. Another example is a chiropractor who bought land near the border of Oregon and started building a tree house and an earth ship along the way. He has a community of people living there. She also mentions the chief architect for Apple who has a small, open home in Sonoma County. He lived on the land first, but then went camping to find the best place to live. He bought two prefabs and kept everything small, with only the bathroom having a bit of a door. His wife and kids enjoyed the openness and connection to the surroundings. Kirsten emphasizes that it's not just about affordability, but also about making the most sense of the space. Sometimes too big houses can be worse than not having the views or being in touch with the surroundings. This is why she came back to the idea of living in a small, open space. The Importance of Simplicity The conversation turns to Thoreau and his way of thinking about time in nature, simplicity, and well-being. Kirsten discusses the importance of simplicity in her life and how it can impact her content creation. She also mentions a couple who live in the woods called the innermost house, which they call a place to reflect and experiment in simplicity. She talks about the connection between simplicity and high thinking, as seen in a woman who lived in a tiny house in her backyard in Santa Rosa, California back at a time when it was rebellious to live in a tiny, mobile home. Kirsten mentions how the woman found too many possessions cluttered her mind. Viral Videos and Duds Kirsten shares her experiences with videos that go viral and which ones are more of a dud. One example is a story with a young architect living in a 12th-century mansion in Spain. Another example is a video with Special Operations, a flying car from an off-grid home, which has had 700,000 views in a week. The title of the video is "Special Operations," which is about a special operations vet who lives on land at the top of a mountain and works as a rescue mission and firefighters. Kirsten shares her experience of becoming a content creator and how it has changed her outlook on life and making a living. It wasn't something she planned; however, it has given her a lot of freedom and afforded her an income that allows her to make a living. Plain Living and High Thinking The conversation turns to the process of making a video, including filming, editing, and producing the perfect thumbnail. Kirsten and her husband usually spend two to three hours at a house or location. The couple also film themselves during their stay, going on runs and shooting in the morning. Kirsten shares stories from many of the productions and the diverse and interesting people she has met along the way. She talks about what motivates and inspires these people to think and live differently. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Kirsten discusses her experience with Verlyn Klinkenborg whose direction inspired her work back then and today. Timestamps: 02:22 Internship at NBC and Early Career in Television 06:26: Transition to Freelancing and YouTube 11:03: Growth of YouTube Channel and Documentary Work 11:14: Discovering Unique Homes and Themes for Documentaries 11:36: Impact of Unique Living Spaces on Individuals 30:59: Challenges and Surprises in Content Creation 42:58: Balancing Work and Personal Life 43:09: Influence of Harvard Professors and Writing Links: Book: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/life-changing-homes_9781419771897/ Press page: https://faircompanies.com/media-kit/ Channel https://youtube.com/kirstendirksen Instagram: YouTube: Summer of (Family) Love We the Tiny House People Trapped in paradise: how we got the homeless situation (part 1) Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Eleanor Stafford who reports: “Hi. I'm Eleanor Stafford, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts. LVM is a statewide organization that trains volunteers to provide free, confidential and individualized tutoring to adults in basic literacy and or ESL. I have been the lead basic literacy volunteer trainer for about 20 years now, and have managed the Boston affiliate for the past two years. You can learn more about LVM's work at lvm.org and now here is Will Bachmann for this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: .
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132. Bonni (Grant) Theriault, Supporting 130K Adult Learners into Employment
05/19/2025
132. Bonni (Grant) Theriault, Supporting 130K Adult Learners into Employment
Show Notes: Bonni Theriault initially went to business school and worked as a business analyst at McKinsey for a few years, where she worked with consumer products for companies and marketing. After working at Pepperidge Farm for a couple of years, she decided to build her own company and joined forces with a woman who was the head of advertising at Campbell Soup, and together they launched a brand strategy company where they worked for companies like Cadbury Schweppes, Johnson and Johnson, and Stryker. From Marketing to Coaching to Global Emergency Care After 13 years at the company, Bonni found herself tired of constantly pitching to employers and sought coaching roles. She had previously worked closely with the McKinsey assessment team, coaching candidates and helping them improve their interview skills. And so, with the experience under her belt, she returned to McKinsey as a professional development manager. When her oldest son turned 14, she took two years off to spend more time with her children and also volunteered with Global Emergency Care, an organization that trains emergency medicine nurses in Uganda. She worked with Global Emergency Care's marketing and fundraising for two years on a volunteer basis. The Role of Chief Partnerships Officer at Generation When Bonni decided to return to work, she wanted to stay in the social sector but was offered a position at McKinsey. She worked there until an opportunity at Generation was presented. Generation is an independent non-profit that works with unemployed individuals. Bonni has now worked there for seven years. Bonni explains that her responsibility as chief partnerships officer includes global fundraising and employer partnerships for Generation, a company operating in 17 countries worldwide. They train across 40 different professions, based on labor dynamics in each country. They conduct extensive research before starting a training program to identify job vacancies and bring learners from historically underrepresented groups, and they focus on employment in five different industries: tech, green jobs, customer service and sales, skilled trades, and healthcare. They also teach behavioral skills and the importance of having a growth mindset. The Impact of AI in Job Forecasting and Training AI has been a topic of interest for Generation, as it impacts the skills needed to train learners in specific roles. Bonni explains that they have analyzed various roles, including entry-level roles, which may go away entirely or be significantly impacted by AI, and roles that might have a different set of skills. Jobs such as solar panel installation or healthcare, are likely to be more resilient over time in the face of AI. They are also considering more jobs in the data center technician category, where tech roles are more hands-on and dealing with equipment than providing coding or IT support. How Generation Is Using AI The organization is using AI to deliver training to learners and alumni, ensuring they have the necessary skills for their jobs. They have created AI modules for learners and alumni to help them upskill and remain relevant in their work. AI is also used to help develop the curriculum, with chat bots helping learners answer first-line questions and focusing on more complex material. This helps streamline the curriculum creation process, as it often involves research and talking to subject matter experts. Operational efficiencies are also being used to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Working as a Professional Development Manager The conversation turns back to Bonni’s as a professional development manager at McKinsey. She mentions that a lot of time was spent negotiating with partners and consultants to find the right balance between professional growth and client needs. She built relationships of trust between consultants and partners to influence decisions in a way that was best for everyone involved. She also focused on performance evaluation, helping people understand their strengths and areas for improvement, and helping them find ways to build skills through studies, formalized training, coaching, or mentorship. Marketing Goldfish and Chocolate Bonni shares her experience working on marketing Goldfish, a product that was initially marketed as a snack for adults drinking beer in bars but later was marketed to moms as an appealing snack for children. She also discusses her experience working with Cadbury, a chocolate brand that had over 150 chocolate brands worldwide. She worked on a brand architecture project to help consolidate these brands and increase their advertising dollars. She was sent boxes of chocolate bars from around the world to analyze packaging and brand identity and helped create seven mega brands for Cadbury, which led to a significant increase in their chocolate market share. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Bonni mentions a course taught by Professor Dominguez where he focused on critical thinking. He presented different perspectives on events, presenting different sides as the truth. This skill has been passed down through her life and has become essential in today's world. Bonni wishes more classes would take this approach, as it helps students analyze and think critically about various situations and perspectives. Bonni’s experiences with Professor Dominguez's course and her critical thinking skills have shaped her life and career. Timestamps: 02:29: Transition to Coaching and McKinsey 05:41: Role at Generation and Impact on Workforce 09:43: Impact of AI on Training and Roles 15:02: Learners vs. Students and Personal Time Management 20:55: Professional Development at McKinsey 22:59: Goldfish Marketing Strategy and Cadbury Brand Architecture 28:29: Travel Experiences and Language Skills 32:06: Influence of Harvard Courses and Critical Thinking Links: LinkedIn: Website: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this week’s episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Juliana Koo who reports: “Hi. I'm Juliana Koo, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Kaya Press. Kaya is a publisher of Asian diasporic literature, and I was the managing editor for nearly a decade in the 1990s and now serve on the board. You can learn more about Kaya's work at WWW dot k, a, y, adotcom, and now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: .
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131. Gideon Yaffe, Brain Injury Survivor
05/12/2025
131. Gideon Yaffe, Brain Injury Survivor
Show Notes: Gideon Yaffe and his then girlfriend-now wife, Sue Chan, drove across the country after graduation to San Francisco, where they had no jobs or prospects. Gideon had applied to graduate school in philosophy but didn't get in anywhere. They got married and his first job was at a pet store, Gideon worked there for a while, then at a computer magazine. Studying Philosophy at Stanford While hanging out in San Francisco, he started reading Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past, which he loved and found to be hugely rewarding. This inspired him to apply to grad school again and this time his application was accepted in a lot of places. He decided to study philosophy at Stanford, where he met Michael Bratman, a professor who worked on philosophy of action and related questions about the nature of action, agency, and intention. Gideon also became interested in the history of philosophy and wrote a dissertation about John Locke and contemporary problems related to the Free Will problem. Gideon went on the job market in academia. He got some interviews but didn't get a job. The following year, he got a one-year job at UCSD. His wife, Sue, was working in the film industry, so they moved to LA and he commuted down to San Diego. Tenure at the University of Southern California He finally secured a tenure track job at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1999 and taught Philosophy of Law classes. He wrote a paper about addiction, which he found interesting due to his knowledge of addicts and interest in freedom and addiction and how addiction would undermine freedom. When a friend of Gideon’s was a victim of a carjacking incident, he became interested in the legal problem at the center of many carjacking cases that revolves around intention, so he wrote a paper about conditional intention. Gideon explains how carjacking differs from car theft, and the paper questioned whether a conditional intention was enough for the crime when the statute called for unconditional intention. Gideon felt that philosophy of law was important to work on but he needed to know more about the law, so he coerced USC into giving him a year in the law school. Gideon recounts his experience as a law student and how it led to teaching law in law school. Collaborating on a Neuroscience and Legal Proceedings Think Tank The MacArthur Foundation launched the law and neuroscience project, which aimed to bring together various people from philosophy, law, and neuroscience to discuss the relevance of neuroscience to legal proceedings, particularly in criminal law. Gideon was invited to be part of this think tank. During this time, he collaborated with neuroscientists on various problems and experiments related to neuroscience that could be useful to the legal system. This led to a desire to learn more about neuroscience and he pursued a grant to support the project. He spent another year as a neuroscience student at Cal Tech which allowed him to learn a lot about neuroscience. Gideon also started writing a book about attempted crimes. Gideon talks about the importance of understanding the double failure of attempts, and inherent impossible attempts. He highlights the number of cases where individuals seem incapable of committing crimes. Gideon received a job offer from Yale University after being a part of the MacArthur think tank and his book. He decided to take the position and he and his family moved to New Haven. Neuroscience, Law, and GenAI Intentions Gideon talks about the challenges faced by those who attempt to escape the harsh realities of the criminal justice system. His experiences highlight the importance of understanding the factors that contribute to attempted crimes. The conversation turns to Gideon’s involvement in generative AI and the potential of AI intentions. He is currently working on a project with neuroscientist Uri Maoz, which aims to understand, for example, the difference between self-driving cars and drones in terms of intentions. Another project involves a group funded by billionaire Sergey Brin, who has a daughter with severe autism. The group aims to build AI models of the brain of a person and use the model to see how it responds to various forms of surgery. AI, Consciousness, and Intentions Organizing Behavior Gideon discusses the concept of AI consciousness. Gideon states that a lot depends on how consciousness is defined. One understanding is that consciousness involves self-representation of certain kinds of thoughts. He suggests that understanding consciousness depends on what one thinks about it. One way of understanding consciousness involves self-representation of certain kinds, such as having a second-order thought about the thought. If that's all that's required for consciousness, then these LLMs can be conscious. Another way of understanding consciousness involves qualia, or ways of feeling, such as experiencing a particular sensation or feeling something. However, he acknowledges that it is difficult to know exactly what it is like to be an LLM or a toaster. He acknowledges that there are some similarities between the two, but acknowledges the challenges in determining their exact roles in AI and neuroscience. Gideon explains that intentions serve to organize behavior in various interesting ways. For example, if an AI has intentions, they can make decisions now so they don't have to think about them later. This is relevant for coordinating behavior with each other, as well as interpersonal organization. The question of whether AIs have intentions is more tractable than the question of whether they are conscious. Intentions play a crucial role in various aspects of law, such as contract interpretation and legal texts. Understanding the intentions of AI and their potential impact on these areas is essential for understanding the future of AI and its applications in various fields. Updating Law to Address AI Intention The conversation explores the need to rewrite laws or update them to address the issue of intention in AI. Gideon states that the intention of a person or AI and the textual language, and the interpretation of the text are all areas that need to be explored. The project Gideon is working on aims to determine the intentions of AI by examining the role their representation plays in guiding their behavior. Gideon suggests that the question is whether inferences can be made about AI's intentions by looking at the role the representations plays from the AI behavior. Gideon talks about a project on criminal activity and neuroscience that he is proud of. Leniency and Child Criminality Gideon goes on to talk about leniency and child criminality. He argues that the reason to give a break to kids who engage in criminal behavior is disenfranchisement, not neural immaturity. He talks about the age of maturity, lack of political participation. Gideon's book about kids was written after completing his studies at Yale. He also discusses his personal life, including being in a car accident which resulted in a severe brain injury and how he is immensely grateful for his recovery. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Gideon mentions a core class on the Baroque period by Simon Schama, which he found to be the most influential. The course focused on famous European paintings from the Baroque period, which he found to be a source of inspiration. Other influential courses include a seminar with Hilary Putnam, Rational Action with Robert Nozick. Timestamps: 04:50: Philosophy Studies and Academic Challenges 11:18: Legal Philosophy and Collaborative Research 22:25: Transition to Yale and Continued Research 27:22: Philosophical Reflections on AI and Consciousness 39:36: Personal Reflections and Career Highlights 49:52: Courses and Professors at Harvard 52:27: Current Work and Future Directions 52:41: Personal Life and Family Links: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Michael Johnson who reports: “Hi. I'm Michael Johnson, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 Report is Son of a Saint. Son of a Saint provides guidance, mentorship and opportunities to young boys in the New Orleans area who did not have a father in the home, usually due to death or incarceration. Founded in 2011 by Sonny Lee, who lost his own father, a defensive back of the saints from a heart attack at the age of 36, Son of a Saint is making a significant impact on the lives of young boys in the New Orleans area. My wife and I have been supporters for many years, as has my firm advantage capital, which recently endowed a scholarship that will cover high school tuition for two boys from the program. Although my circumstances were much different, having lost my own father when I was five years old, I know firsthand how important a male influence can be on a young boy. I luckily had family members and friends who stepped up from me and hope in some small way, my support of Son of a Saint and the work their mentors do can give the boys and their programs similar help. You can learn more about their work at Son of a Saint.org and now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: .
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130. Steven Chao, Lucking into Building a Great Healthcare Consulting Firm
05/05/2025
130. Steven Chao, Lucking into Building a Great Healthcare Consulting Firm
Show Notes: Steven Chao, a US-born second-generation college student, shares his experiences growing up in South Carolina and feeling overwhelmed upon arriving at Harvard in 1988. He found solace in joining the Collegium Musicum, a classical musical singing group at Harvard, which helped him find his footing and connect with people from his class. From Biochem to Game Design to Consulting Steven majored in biochemistry, which expanded his social circle and helped him find happiness. Steven's parents were both PhDs and pushed him into the MD PhD program. However, he faced challenges in medical school and research, leading to questions about his path and the decision to pursue a career in computer gaming. Steven talks about his experience working in the sound and asset acquisition field at Activision in LA. He initially had a great time there but ultimately decided that it wasn't the long-term solution for him. He returned to his PhD program and he pinned his hopes on becoming a doctor. During the last half of the MD program, Steven realized that he didn't want to be a researcher or go into medicine. He found an opportunity to explore other careers beyond medicine or research through a sub-intern at McKinsey. The McKinsey Years Steven joined McKinsey full-time in 2001 and worked in the Boston office. The bulk of his work was in the payer and provider space, mainly health insurance and hospital systems. He spent about four and a half years at McKinsey, starting from scratch with no business background, which proved difficult. Steven's PhD focused on biology, not analytical skills, but rather gene genetic rearrangement and plasmids, and he felt lost at the beginning of McKinsey. At the same time, he also participated in the mini MBA program in Austria. Despite meeting great friends at McKinsey, his work was hit or miss. Steven talks about a few of the McKinsey projects he worked on and how a pharma project with Jeff Elton piqued his interest in returning to biopharma. He later worked with Kim Packard, who was his first and best mentor at McKinsey. Steven was late to promotion and advancement, and in 2004, when his wife became pregnant, he gave up his job and started considering what he would do next. Boutique Consulting, Life Sciences, and Biotech Companies In 2004, Steven joined a small consulting group at an investment bank called Leering Swan, which focused on life sciences and biotech companies. This was a better fit for Steven, who had always wanted to leverage his love for science. He joined the firm and was assigned to a project in Parkinson's disease. The experience was mind-blowing, as he interviewed world experts in this space. He was hooked within a week and found the career to be a good fit for him. The combination of his love for science and medicine, without needing to do research or have a career in clinical practice, was perfect, as he loved learning about different aspects of medicine, and the variety and diversity of the day-to-day work. Founding ClearView Steven left Leering Swan with two other people in 2008 to co-found ClearView. ClearView was born of the same concept as Leering Swan, but focused on life sciences, biotech, pharma, private equity clients, diagnostics companies, and strategic consulting. Steven's primary hat was recruiting, and he continued to love every second of doing so. ClearView Healthcare Partners is now a well-known, private consulting firm with several 100 employees. The company has a growing presence in London, India, San Francisco, New York, and Boston. Family Life and a Love of Musicals On the personal side, Steven has a family of four children, three girls and a boy. They also have two in college and two still in high school. The oldest is a sophomore at Harvard. Music has always been a significant part of their family. They have a love for Broadway musical theater, and they have spent a lot of time attending performances. Their youngest son is doing a local production of Hadestown in Wellesley, and their oldest is performing at the Agassi theater in a production of 9-5, the film with Dolly Parton, which has themes of female empowerment. Timestamps: 04:50: Transition to Medical School and Early Career Challenges 13:14: Joining McKinsey and Early Consulting Experience 23:20: Discovering a Passion for Biopharma Consulting 30:04: Founding ClearView Healthcare Partners 37:27: Personal Life and Family Featured Non-profit: Hi. This is Steve Chao, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is the Merriemack Repertory Theater. My wife and I love live theater. The MRT is a fantastic organization that puts on plays and musicals every year, serving a wide catchment area in and around Lowell, Massachusetts. I was actually introduced to the MRT via a fellow class of 92 Carrie Suzawa, married named Michael. And you can learn more about the work of the MRT through the website, mrt.org. And for now, here is Will Bachman with this week's episode. To learn more about their work, visit:
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129. Rebecca Hollander-Blumoff, Law Professor and Adventurous Baker
04/29/2025
129. Rebecca Hollander-Blumoff, Law Professor and Adventurous Baker
Show Notes: Rebecca Hollander-Blumoff shares her journey from college to law school. After deferring her law school for a year, she spent a year in Spain to gain language and cultural experience. She then went to law school in Cambridge and clerked for a federal judge in New York before going into practice. Rebecca was initially interested in becoming a federal prosecutor but realized she first had to go into practice. She worked for a small boutique litigation firm that did about 60% white collar criminal defense and about 40% civil litigation. While she loved being a counselor to her clients, and a person who a client could call, day in, day out, she found the law firm's hierarchy unappealing. The Psychology of Negotiation, a PhD., and Teaching Rebecca decided to pursue a PhD in Social Psychology to study the psychology of negotiation. She talks about negotiation in law, and she began taking classes in NYU's master's program and eventually obtained a PhD in Social Psychology with a dissertation on procedural justice in negotiation. She taught in the lawyering program at NYU and was an adjunct at Seton Hall in New Jersey teaching negotiation. After obtaining her PhD, she went on the job market for academia; she got a position at Washington University in Saint Louis. Rebecca has been teaching at Washington University in Saint Louis since 2006. She teaches various core classes, including civil procedure, federal courts, law and psychology, negotiation, negotiation for executive education, and has also developed a course in women’s leadership and negotiation. She has worked for groups like the Brookings Institution and the Rodel Institute. Women’s Negotiation and Navigating Stereotypes Rebecca's approach to teaching women's negotiation is not about focusing on gender differences but rather on understanding the research that informs her approach. She believes that women need to be armed with knowledge about the effects of gender, culture, and race on negotiation. This knowledge can help them navigate through stereotypes and roadblocks that may arise in negotiations. In her classes, she also discusses the research that is relevant to everyone, not just women, and mentions the issue of different perceptions of men and women in and on negotiations, and how behavior of men and women is perceived differently. The discussion also touches on the misconception that some people are born good negotiators and others are bad at it. This is a misconception that can hinder effective negotiation. The best way to think about negotiation is as an experience that can be prepared for and analyzed from both structural and interpersonal perspectives. This involves considering possibilities, actions to take if negotiations don't work out, and the interpersonal elements present. Negotiation and Problem-solving Rebecca mentions that negotiation is often seen as adversarial, but it is actually more about strategically problem-solving to increase the size of the pie and generate low-cost but high-value outcomes for both parties. Examples of negotiations that are not adversarial include family law, business contracts, and reputational effects. Negotiations can have broader implications, as people may still be in each other's lives after the negotiation. The key piece that students often overlook is the relational aspect of negotiations. In negotiations, parties are not in front of a judge, and the outcome must be decent for both parties. For example, in a negotiation for a new salary or project, one person has all the power, but the decision by fiat can lead to less positive results over time, less employee retention, and less positive feelings about the project. In real-world situations, negotiations can have other elements and dimensions available. Lawyers should question their assumptions and think about the best end goal for their clients. They should also consider the potential negative consequences of their actions and the impact on their reputation and business relationships. Negotiations in Practice The conversation turns to the dynamic between attorneys and clients in family law negotiations. Research has shown that when lawyers experience fairness in negotiation, they are more likely to recommend the agreed-upon outcome to their clients, believing it forms the basis for a better long-term agreement. However, the client is not in the room, and the lawyer may manipulate the client's desire for fair process and present things differently to the client based on what they think might happen. This can lead to a gap between what the lawyer is experiencing and what the client is experiencing. Research by a professor at UC Davis has found that one of the most desirable forms of dispute resolution for regular people is negotiation by their lawyer while the client is present in the room. This could reduce the dissonance between the lawyer and the client, potentially leading to better negotiation outcomes. A Year in Madrid Rebecca recounts her experience in Madrid after college, where she lived with a family for most of the year, a difficult but interesting experience. She studied at the Complutense University, where she participated in a Hispanic studies program, which taught history, language, grammar, and art in Spanish. The program was an international one, and the students from around the world were taught in Spanish. Despite the initial loneliness and lack of familiarity, Rebecca found it fascinating and eventually moved into an apartment with friends. She found that Madrid was a large city, but not warm and fuzzy, and it was a great place to live. A Passionate and Adventurous Baker Rebecca is a passionate baker She enjoys sharing her creative side with her students, who are always happy when she bakes for them. In her home life, she has three boys and two nephews who live nearby, making the house full of baked good eaters. Baking provides a time to disconnect from the stress of professional life and connect with the world through the act of baking. One of her favorite projects was when she baked 12 cakes of Christmas based on the 12 days of Christmas. She also used cooking as a project to open her children’s horizons to different cultures and ideas, especially when her kids were younger. They would research a country and make a whole meal of that country’s cuisine, usually with a baked dessert. One of her favorite baked goods is a Kringle, made from an Estonian recipe. Her oldest child also fell in love with the Mongolian beef patty, a dish made from a dough of flour and water wrapped around ground beef. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Rebecca took Justice as a freshman and ironically found it to be one of her least favorite classes. However, she enjoyed her classes in the history and literature concentration. She also took a phenomenal French literature class and enjoyed a class on modern poetry, which she likens to the study of law, as every word and construction has a reason or purpose. Timestamps: 06:11: Transition to Academia and Negotiation Research 10:12: Teaching Women's Negotiation and Gender Dynamics 18:08: Negotiation Skills for Law Students 26:12: Relational Aspects of Negotiation 31:08: Consulting and Baking Passion 41:23: Personal Reflections and Cultural Experiences 44:22: Influence of Harvard Classes and Professors Links: Instagram: @rebeccahollanderblumoff X: Blue Sky: @rhollblum.bsky.social. LinkedIn: Work: Book: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Elaine Lum MacDonald who reports: “Hi, I'm Elaine Lum McDonald, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is SV2. Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund. SV2 is a community committed to accelerating equity in the Bay Area through grant making to local nonprofits, impact investing in local and global entrepreneurs and immersive learning experiences. I am proud to have been a member of this organization since 2021 and I'm currently serving on the board. I love SV2 because it is truly innovative in two ways. First, it's equity based practices, including putting grantees and investees on the board and its trust based philanthropy practices. And secondly, because of its focus on creating impact across the capital spectrum, from donations to investments. You can learn more about their work at SV2.org and now here is Will Bachmann with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit:
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128. Alison Wakoff Loren, Bone Marrow Transplant Doctor and Chief of Hematology/Oncology
04/21/2025
128. Alison Wakoff Loren, Bone Marrow Transplant Doctor and Chief of Hematology/Oncology
Show Notes: Alison Wakoff Loren went to St Louis to medical school at Washington University. She specialized in internal medicine and later completed a subspecialty fellowship in hematology oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. She met her husband in medical school and they have three children all in their early twenties. Alison is now the chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in bone marrow transplantation, a curative therapy for blood cancer. Taking Care of Patients Alison finds the best part of her job to be taking care of patients, especially those who have just been diagnosed with leukemia. She gets to know people when they are in a vulnerable place and understand their lives, which is a privilege. She also does a lot of administrative work, mentoring trainees and faculty, helping them understand their passions and connecting them with opportunities. Alison is proud of her mentoring success stories. She encourages everyone to show gratitude and warmth, as the world is not always generous, and it is important to show that we can make a difference for each other by showing warmth and gratitude. She also shares a story of mentoring a talented MD and PhD candidate who was unhappy in her research role. Helping Patients with Leukemia Alison discusses the fear and uncertainty people face when discovering they have leukemia. She shares her experiences in delivering sad news to a patient who had been a high school history teacher and had leukemia come back. She mentions that people have incredibly generous spirits and sometimes don't behave their best when they're scared. She also shares examples of people making decisions that matter to their loved ones, such as stopping treatment or continuing treatment when they don't want to. Alison also discusses the range of responses people have when they have to deliver sad news. She explains that most people know they're in for an uphill climb, and it's rare to be surprised. Alison specializes in bone marrow transplants, which are intensive but curative intent therapies, and she emphasizes the importance of laying groundwork ahead of time to make difficult conversations less shocking and offering hope while grounding the conversation. She also stresses the importance of being honest and respectful in her interactions with patients. Fertility Preservation in Cancer Treatment The conversation turns to Alison’s research and the importance of fertility preservation in cancer treatment, which can harm reproductive capacity and lead to infertility. Oncology teams often don't discuss this topic, partly because they are focused on cancer and not reproductive endocrinologists. However, there is a focus on making sure all patients are counseled about the reproductive impact of their treatments and reproductive options to engage in fertility preservation before starting cancer treatments. Alison explains what is recommended for women. She mentions that it is important to discuss these options before starting cancer treatment, as it reduces distress and decision regret for people after treatment. Alison is fortunate to be able to speak and advocate for fertility preservation for people with blood cancers, which represents a special population in oncology care. She has been fortunate to co-chair an effort to develop guidelines for fertility preservation from a large cancer organization. She explains that colleagues in reproductive science are doing amazing research to extend options for reproductive care before and after cancer treatment, which is exciting to inform oncology clinicians and advocate for insurance coverage for these treatments. Family Life, Running, and Circadian Rhythms Alison shares her experiences with her children, including a daughter who works at the Amherst College Library, an older son considering medical school, and a younger son at Bates College in Maine. Her daughter has inspired her to think about women in the workplace, as she was criticized for not valuing women in her division and for hiring women because they are cheaper. Alison also shares her experience with running, which she enjoys but has to get up early to get in before work. She talks about the concept of morning and night people, stating that people have their own internal clocks. She also mentions that research into the biology of the circadian clock is still in its early stages. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Alison shares her experiences at Harvard, including taking courses with Stephen Jay Gould and Dick Lewontin, who were incredibly intelligent and insightful. She also took Act 10 as a senior, which was an unexpected experience that helped her learn different ways of thinking about the subject. Alison volunteered at the Mission Hill after-school program, which allowed her to get to know the kids and families there. She tried out for various extracurriculars, such as singing and photography, but found it intimidating. She also mentions the training program for photographers. Timestamps: 01:51: Alison Wakoff Loren's Medical Journey 04:12: Motivations and Rewards in Patient Care 22:20: Mentoring Success Stories 22:36: Challenges and Insights in Patient Care 24:17: Balancing Professional and Personal Life 24:32: Research and Advocacy in Fertility Preservation 28:54: Influences and Reflections on Harvard Education 37:25: Extracurricular Activities and Personal Growth Links: Penn Medicine Website: American Society of Clinical Oncology: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Ming Chen who reports: “ One nonprofit that I've been involved in is the Keswick Foundation, which funds pilot programs in Hong Kong and mainland China to help the community serve needs that are not being met by the government. So we work with family and vulnerable populations. We work with the elderly, and we work with things like helping promote social work in China, as well as clinical psychologists in different NGOs around the region. The other nonprofit that I am on the Advisory Council of is the Asian American foundation, TAF for short, T, A, A, F, F. The Asian American foundation, basically, is a platform that gets together different organizations around anti hate, changing the narrative education, helping to advocate for Asian American history taught in public schools, as well as narrative change representation in Hollywood and beyond. And again, it was founded around the 2020, around the growing disturbing rhetoric against Asians with the rise of COVID So yeah, those are two nonprofit organizations that I'm involved with. So again, one nonprofit that's been on the board for for many, many years is called the Keswick Foundation, and it funds pilot programs in Hong Kong as well as Mainland China. And then the Asian American foundation. If you want to learn more about the Asian American foundation, it's www dot T, A, A, f.org, check it out.” To learn more about their work, visit: The Asian American Foundation: The Keswick Foundation:
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127. Julia Lynch, UPenn Professor of Political Science
04/14/2025
127. Julia Lynch, UPenn Professor of Political Science
Show Notes: Julia Lynch opens the conversation with a statement about identifying now as a Radcliffe graduate, despite not having identified with feminism during college. At college, Julia didn’t think feminism was a pressing issue, but later realized that her career has been shaped by discrimination and enriched by her experiences as a mother and wife. Julia's professional trajectory was predictable, but she had to fight for her place in a male-dominated profession. At the age of 50, her life seems placid and predictable, but she is grateful for the surprises and bumps in her journey. Working in a Male-dominated Career After leaving Harvard, she worked as a secretary for a year, applied for a Rotary Fellowship, went to Italy, did a Phd. in Political Science, and onto her first job at UPenn where she achieved tenure. Julia discusses her career in academia, which she had no idea was so male dominated. She notes that, while traditionally it was believed that STEM fields were male-dominated, some social science disciplines, such as political science, economics, and philosophy, remain some of the most male-dominated areas despite changes in STEM fields. She initially had no idea that women would be held to a different standard than men in terms of tenure and promotion. Discrimination in the Tenure and Promotion Process Julia talks about obvious and systematic discrimination in the tenure and promotion process. When applying for tenure in a political science department, she found that men who had lower qualifications than many women were put forward while women with much better qualifications were typically discouraged from applying for tenure or simply would not make tenure. She mentions the discrimination in the application process, and also noted that women authors tend to get cited less than male authors. She explains why there is less discrimination in the private sector and why, as a student, she didn’t know about the discrimination against female professors. The Academic Job Market The conversation turns to the academic job market which is a complex one, with an average of 30% of women in senior faculty positions in political science. Political science is siloed as a field, with four main subfields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. The representation of women in these subfields is different, with less women in international relations and more in comparative politics and political theory. Julia explains that the most important thing to know about this topic is that women are entering the pipeline, but they either jump or get pushed off the tenure track early on in the process, never making it through to become full professors in political science. This results in a market for junior people at the pre-tenured stage, where women get jobs but don't go on to get tenure. Even if they stay on the tenure track, it takes them longer to get to that stage of full professor and spend a shorter percentage of their career at that top rank. The Push to Increase Diversity Julia talks about the push to increase diversity in new hires in the academia world and mentions that there was some pushback from younger professors. More women and minorities were hired, and progress was made at the junior level, but the problem was that the leaks in the pipeline were not fixed. Julia mentions the patterns that made this apparent and that women tend to do qualitative work, which is less valued in the profession. Male Flight in Academic Disciplines The concept of male flight in academic disciplines is discussed, and Julia explains that this trend is striking, as seen in the case of archeology, a sub-field of anthropology, which was a male-dominated discipline. In political science, there hasn't been a significant change in male representation, although women have made breakthroughs in the political system. Qualitative, comparative historical research, which is dominated by the study of American politics, has seen a shift towards female representation. This shift is also evident in areas like qualitative, comparative historical research, where incoming men are fewer. Research on Health and Inequality Julia talks about her research in health and inequality. The United States has a lower life expectancy than Europe. This is partly due to poverty, which prevents access to fresh food and the time and energy to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Poverty also causes stress, which shortens the part of our chromosomes responsible for aging. Political decisions, such as not addressing poverty, particularly child poverty, have contributed to this issue. These experiences accumulate over a lifetime, making health outcomes worse for those starting their lives in poverty. Policy decisions and political decisions, such as allowing people to have a voice in politics, also play a role in health inequality. Julia states that, to address health inequality, the US should prioritize policy changes, including addressing poverty and promoting inclusion in politics. Julia’s research included health and inequality in several European countries, including Germany after reunification. She mentions her book on this topic. Bristol University Press has made the book open access, making it available for free download on Amazon. If ordering from the US, it can be found through an aggregator or local bookstore. Thoughts on the Second Act Julia shares insights from her first and second marriages, including what it means to stick it out for the kids or live authentically. She believes that waiting for her current husband to separate their households was the right timing for her second act. She talks about her next project which involves travelling to Europe, her involvement in a women's choir, and playing french horn in a semi-professional orchestra. The women’s choir performs for various events, including concerts and gigs, to raise awareness about women's rights and encourage voter turnout. The choir started as a group of friends and family, but has grown to become a larger organization. They perform music written by women, often contemporary composers. Research suggests that engaging in group activities, such as dancing or singing, can align brain waves and emotions, creating a powerful bond between individuals. This bond is particularly powerful in smaller groups, where the choir can create a sense of community and belonging. Engaging in community is rare for adults, especially in today's world where we are constantly connected to our phones. Julia stresses the importance of engaging in community, whether in a church, synagogue, mosque, or running club. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Julia mentions Justice class and her nickname in the class; she also mentions political theory classes. She remembers the class The Welfare State in the United States, taught by Theda Skocpol and Margaret Weir. Many of Julia’s professors at Harvard have since become peers and colleagues. Timestamps: 05:21: Challenges of Being a Woman in Academia 13:23: Representation and Diversity in Political Science 20:36: Male Flight and Gender Dynamics in Academia 24:21: Julia's Research on Health Inequality 34:01: Personal Reflections and Life Changes 37:40: Balancing Professional and Personal Life 44:57: Influence of Harvard Professors and Courses Links: Faculty profile: The Book: Getting Better: The Policy and Politics of Reducing Health Inequalities: Featured Non-profit The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Ben Dattner who reports: “Hi. I'm Ben Dattner, class of 1992. The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 report is the Y of Washington Heights and Inwood in New York City. Their website is I'm proud to have been a donor to and volunteer for this organization for the last 15 years, and they do wonderful things in the Upper Manhattan community. Thank you. Now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode." To learn more about their work, visit:
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126. Robert de Neufville, Writer and Superforecaster
04/07/2025
126. Robert de Neufville, Writer and Superforecaster
Show Notes: Robert de Neufville dropped out of grad school after spending over a decade in grad school and not finishing his PhD. This was around the time of the financial crisis. Robert realized that after a decade in academia he was less employable than when he graduated from Harvard. He had done a lot of teaching at Berkeley and San Francisco State, but found himself struggling to find a job. He eventually moved to Hawaii to work freelance editing projects. He moved there because he had a friend who wanted to rent out his house. Working as a Forecaster and Political Writer Currently, Robert is working as a forecaster and political writer. He has a sub-stack newsletter called Telling the Future, which has about 1500 subscribers. While he is not particularly happy writing about politics right now, he believes it's necessary for his career and personal growth. Therapy and Political Theory Robert discusses their first period after college and therapy. He mentions the stigma surrounding therapy and the importance of normalizing it. However, he eventually reached a breaking point. He didn’t know what he wanted to do after college. He drove to New York and worked at several different places, including consulting and Booz and Allen, which he ultimately found lacked meaning and decided to pursue a more intellectual career. He knew that he liked thinking and writing about things, so he applied to grad school for political science, where he studied political theory and moral issues related to community living. However, he found the academic culture at Berkeley to be toxic and, combined with an unhealthy lifestyle, he decided it was not for him. Robert touches on his difficult childhood, which was characterized by narcissistic parents and abusive mother. He eventually sought therapy and found that he felt better, but struggled to complete his dissertation. He dropped out of grad school, despite their professors' concerns, and was diagnosed with chronic PTSD. Finding Solace in Teaching Robert found solace in teaching, but disliked the part where he had to grade students. Some people had unhealthy relationships with grades, and he felt he had to refer them to suicide watch. He realized that teaching was great because it allowed them to understand a topic better by explaining it to others. He found that teaching was the only way they could truly understand a topic, but he realized he didn't want to do academic work. Additionally, he found that there was a backlog of people who wanted to become political theory professors who spend their time teaching adjuncts and spending money on conferences and job opportunities. Robert believes that his experience in grad school was intellectually rewarding and that his training and political theory shaped who he is. Writing for Love and Money Robert talks about his experience writing for mainstream publications like The Economist, National Interest, California magazine, The Big Think, and The Washington Monthly. He shares his struggles with freelance writing, as he finds it slow and fussy, and finds it frustrating to be paid for work that takes time to complete. He also discusses his writing about forecasting, becoming a skilled judgmental forecaster. He makes money by producing forecasts for various organizations, which is a relatively new field. He encourages readers to support writers they love and consider paying for their work, as it is hard and not very rewarding. Forecasting Methods and Examples The conversation turns to Robert’s writing and forecasting. He explains his approach to forecasting and how he uses history to guide his predictions. He shares his method of estimating the probability of events in the future, which involves looking back at similar elections and establishing a base rate. This helps in estimating the probability of what is going to happen in a specific situation. Robert also mentions that there are some situations that require more analytical thinking, such as discovering AGI or other technologies. He talks about The Phil Tetlock project, a government agency that helped invent the internet, aimed to determine if anyone could forecast geopolitical questions. The research showed that people were terrible at it, even analysts and pundits. However, a certain percentage of people consistently outperformed intelligence analysts using methodical extrapolations. Robert participated in the tournament and qualified as a super forecaster in his first year. He works with Metaculus and the Good Judgment Project, which produces probabilistic forecasts for decision-makers. The forecasting community is now working on making forecasts useful, such as understanding the reasons behind people's forecasts rather than just the number they produce. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Robert stresses that he found his interaction with fellow students to be most enriching, and he appreciated Stanley Hoffmann's class on Ethics and International relations, which was taught through a humanist lens and emphasized the importance of morality. He also enjoyed watching the list of movies and reading academic articles alongside his classes, which eventually informed his teaching. He also mentions Adrienne Kennedy's playwriting class, which he found exciting and engaging. He enjoys table reads and reading people's plays fresh off the presses and believes that these experiences have shaped his forecasting skills. Timestamps: 03:16: Robert's Move to Hawaii and Career Challenges 06:16: Current Endeavors and Writing Career 07:58: Therapy and Early Career Struggles 10:14: Grad School Experience and Academic Challenges 22:41: Teaching and Forecasting Career 26:21: Forecasting Techniques and Projects 41:27: Impact of Harvard and Influential Professors Links: Substack newsletter: LinkedIn: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Patrick Jackson who reports: “Hi I'm Patrick Ian Jackson, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is His Hands Free Clinic, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Since 1992 His Hands Free Clinic has been seeking to honor God by helping the uninsured and underinsured in our community. The clinic is a 501, c3 nonprofit ministry providing free health care to Cedar Rapids and the surrounding communities. I love the work of this organization. The church that I pastor, First Baptist Church, Church of the Brethren, has been a regular contributor to the clinic for the past couple of years. You can learn more about their work at WWW dot his hands clinic.org, and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: .
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125. Cara Familian Natterson: Physician to Puberty Influencer
03/31/2025
125. Cara Familian Natterson: Physician to Puberty Influencer
Show Notes: Cara Natterson moved to New York City where she worked for a drug rehabilitation center, and later moved to Baltimore, where she studied at Johns Hopkins Medical School. She eventually returned to L.A. and practiced pediatrics there. Her writing career began at the age of 31 when a co-worker asked her to read his manuscript, which inspired her to write her own book about raising kids. The Body Book Series and Less Awkward Company In 2008, Cara decided to leave clinical medicine and become a full-time writer. In 2011, after speaking at Mattel, she was signed on to write for the Body Book series from American Girl, which has since sold millions of copies. Cara then started touring the country, focusing on puberty education. During this time, she discovered that there was nothing else available for kids whose bodies, brains, feelings, and friends were changing. She launched her own business, Less Awkward, a company that created direct-to-consumer products designed for comfort and health like bras and socks. Cara has since expanded the company to focus on content across social media, podcasting, newsletter, and school curriculum. Health and Sex Education Curriculum In the past year, she has rolled out two platforms: a health and sex education curriculum for schools, which is already implemented in three states, and a membership for parents and trusted adults. Cara talks about the importance of understanding and discussing puberty in young people. She highlights the slower pace of puberty, with girls entering puberty at an average age of 8-9, and boys at an average age of 9-10. She emphasizes the importance of discussing the first signs of puberty, such as breast budding or testicular growth. She also highlights the importance of discussing the issue of first porn exposure, which is a significant concern for parents, family members, coaches, mentors, healthcare providers, and educators. She emphasizes the need to educate children about free porn, which is generally violent and aggressive, and calls for a less awkward approach to discussing this topic. By engaging in conversations about this topic, adults can help their children navigate the challenges of puberty and promote healthier lifestyles. Launching a Direct-to-Consumer Product Cara talks about the shift from a pediatrician to writer to entrepreneur. She initially went to medical school but, although she found it interesting, she also realized that she was more of a creative type. However, her background combined with her creative mind led to the drive to develop comfortable and healthy products. After a chat with a friend about bras, she was convinced that there was a need for comfortable bras for young girls. The two women partnered with a sewer who made a comfortable and healthy bra for their daughters, and later pulled together a team that developed the product over many years. They patented the product and launched the company during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was initially launched as a mask company, focusing on distribution and production channels instead of bras to supply the then current demand. Six months later they launched their bra products. She talks about the journey from design and development to launching the product and what she learned along the way. Cara’s business ethos has always been to do well and to do good at the same time, and she has found this to be a recipe for success. The This Is So Awkward Podcast The conversation turns to Cara’s podcast which she started with her partner, Vanessa Kroll Bennett. The podcast addresses the confusion about the length of puberty. It features background episodes and guest appearances with experts from various fields. In October 2023, they published a book called This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained, which explores the changes in puberty and how to talk about them, and it includes essays by kids about their experiences with acne, first periods, and heartbreaks. The podcast has expanded along with content on Instagram and TikTok. All of this content is also available on the website LessAwkward.com. They also have a school-based health and sex education curriculum called That Health Class. Navigating Today’s Cultural Complexities Cara emphasizes the importance of pediatricians in understanding and managing the changes in puberty. She explains that kids and their adults are overwhelmed by the complexity of the world and the increased access to a wide and diverse range of information. Pediatricians often lack the time or bandwidth to provide anticipatory guidance for children, an especially big issue given the mental health crisis among children. Cara mentions that pediatricians often turn to the LessAwkward website where they have trained an AI bot on their content. Pediatricians are starting to use it as a healthcare solution when they don't have the time to answer questions but their patients want to be able to anticipate what's coming. The bot is reliable, gated, and trained on good data, making it engaging and entertaining. The levity and warmth of the content make it a valuable tool for pediatricians to recommend. Factors that Contribute to Early Puberty The American Girl Body Book series launched just after a 1997 study showed that girls were entering puberty earlier. It stated that the average age has shifted from 11 to 10, and a follow-up study in 2010 found it to be between eight and nine. The reason for this change is under investigation, but it is believed to be due to a number of factors, including stress, adverse childhood experiences, and antibiotics. Stress causes cortisol surges, which can either trigger the release of hormones like LH and FSH, or cause sex hormones to surge. Adverse childhood experiences, such as witnessing trauma or drug abuse, can increase the risk of entering puberty early. Evolutionary theory suggests that the human body is meant to reproduce before life ends, and so it makes sense that the general stress response might drive earlier development. She mentions Louise Greenspan, a woman who has been researching puberty for decades, has written a book called The New Puberty which further explores this topic. The Male Side of the Story Cara’s parenting podcast has a diverse audience, with nearly 20% male listenership. She shares her experiences with male listeners and the challenges they face in connecting with their children. She wrote Decoding Boys, and states, with a degree of jocularity, that there is no data on the connection between testosterone and silence, but it is common among males, especially in their tween years. She shares personal strategies to help connect with tween or teen boys, as they do want to talk and share their thoughts with trusted adults. In the book, Cara shares strategies she has used, and in this conversation, she shares a personal experience on how she encouraged her son to talk to her. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Cara's career highlights her interest in sociology and biological anthropology, which she combined at Harvard. She wrote a junior paper about female genital mutilation in Africa and a thesis about HIV prevention in teenagers in Boston suburbs. She had a vivid memory of her thesis advisor, Irven DeVore, who was an interesting thinker and helped her fit her thesis idea into the curriculum. Timestamps: 02:12: Transition to Entrepreneurship 05:46: Insights on Puberty and Parenting 09:20: Launching Less Awkward 15:42: Content Creation and Engagement 29:05: Raising Boys and Communication Strategies 35:15: Daily Routine and Collaboration 37:19: Impact of Social Media and Content Creation 39:14: Influence of Harvard Education Links: Website: Podcast: Instagram: less.awkward TikTok: less.awkward Cara’s Instagram: caranatterson Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Chris Hull who reports: “Hi. I'm Chris Hull from Harvard's fabulous class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is The Fund for American Studies. TFAs is an educational nonprofit that develops courageous leaders by providing students who otherwise wouldn't get a chance to come to DC to learn about how to make a difference. I've been honored to have worked with TFAs for more than three decades, since they've allowed me to study at Georgetown. At the same time, I did an internship in Washington, which helped transform my life as it has for so many others over the last half century that it's existed, who otherwise couldn't possibly afford to do such a thing. You can learn more about their .” To learn more about their work, visit:
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124. Patrick Jackson, Answering the Call
03/24/2025
124. Patrick Jackson, Answering the Call
Show Notes: Patrick Jackson talks about growing up in his great-grandparents' home in an unincorporated area of Shelby County, where he had no indoor plumbing until age 10. That home, where he lived with his mother and three brothers, was his formative space before going to Harvard. Patrick was initially considering medical school. However, he decided to pursue politics, inspired by an experience he had as a junior in high school working as a U.S. House Page on Capitol Hill. Becoming a Page in the U.S. House of Representatives Patrick believes that God opened a door for him to become a Page through his freshman football and track coach, Mac Hawkins, a government and civics teacher and Bartlett High School, who became like a surrogate father to him. In 1985 Coach Hawkins found out about an opportunity to become a page through then-Congressman Don Sunquist, who was looking to appoint a promising high school student. Patrick’s experience with the Page Program highlights the importance of faith, connections, and the support of family and friends. In this conversation, Patrick discusses his experience as a page in the House of Representatives and the impact it had on his life. He recalls the experience as transformative and fueled him to pursue a career in government. Patrick ended up concentrating in Government at Harvard. Working in Politics After graduation from Harvard, Patrick landed an internship with the Small Business Administration, an opportunity that helped him gain experience and broaden his horizons. Patrick also mentions that he had a temporary spot with Congresswoman Barbara Boxer, who was running for the US Senate at the time. He was invited to work as a legislative correspondent in the Senate office, answering constituent letters and handling constituent calls. However, he wanted to move up quickly and take on more responsibility, so he left Senator Boxer's office and worked for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez from New York. One significant experience he had there was witnessing Congresswoman Velazquez testify during the healthcare debate about privacy. He had to help write her testimony, which was a tough day but a good day because it helped many people. Patrick acknowledges that this incident did not directly lead to the enactment of the HIPAA law, but it helped with the debate about privacy and HIPAA, adding to the chorus of voices calling for the law to be made and enacted. In 1995, Patrick left Congresswoman Velazquez’ office and worked for the late Julian Dixon, a California member of Congress who served as a senior Democrat on Appropriations Committee. He learned a lot from his time there, including the importance of strong relationships across the aisle. Dixon was part of a tight California delegation that worked together to get things done for the state, including medical research funding for top universities and public hospital systems. Patrick also owes a lot to Tracy Holmes, his Chief of Staff, who was skilled in working with people and helping them succeed. Law School and Study Abroad Patrick discusses his experiences in law school and his study abroad experience. Though he initially planned to work for just two years before law school, he did not enter law school until 1998, when he began at the University of Wisconsin law school in Madison. While in law school Patricj participated in a law school exchange program at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. There Patrick lived in a student house with other international students and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the square area. He learned about European legal systems through the international comparative comparative law program at the University of Wisconsin. After law school, he was offered a job after graduation in Columbus, Ohio. He worked as a firm there for a few years but realized that it wasn't what he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing and left the firm at the end of 2005. From Law to the Seminary Patrick left Columbus, Ohio, in 2007, returning to his home in Tennessee to work briefly as a substitute teacher in the Shelby County school system. In 2008 he left Tennessee to return to D.C. to work for United Way of America as a federal lobbyist, covering national issues like the 211 information system and the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program. He met his wife in 2006 while still in Columbus, Ohio, and they became friends and stayed in touch even long distance. In 2010, they decided to move their relationship forward and got married. He worked with Senator Sherrod Brown from 2009 to 2011, but they decided to return to Columbus in 2011. During that time of transition, Patrick sensed a call to fulltime ministry, which was influenced in part by his involvement in the music ministry at a church in Dumfries, Virginia. He also attended US Senate Chaplain Barry Black's weekly Bible studies and enrolled in his spiritual mentoring classes. During one of these Bible studies, Chaplain Black encouraged him to consider attending seminary. However, Patrick would not attend seminary until 2013, after spending some time working as a contract lawyer in Columbus. Patrick attended Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, Massachusetts, graduating with honors in 2017. Life As a Pastor Patrick shares his experience of applying to American Baptist churches for senior pastor positions after graduation from Andover Newton. In 2018 Patrick accepted a Pastoral Residency at Richmond's First Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. It was a tremendously rewarding experience and helped prepare him for his first pastorate at First Baptist Church-Church of the Brethren and Cedar Rapids, a dually-aligned American Baptist and Church of the Brethren congregation. The process of becoming a pastor at the church involved submitting materials, having phone conversations, and attending a candidate weekend. The church then voted on whether to call the applicant. This experience led to his current position. As an African American pastor at a predominantly white congregation. Patrick shares his experiences of working as a pastor and delivering sermons during Covid. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Patrick shares his experiences with the late Professor Martin Kilson, a government professor who taught him about African American political development in the south. He took a graduate course from Prof. Kilson on African political systems: Power, and Legitimacy, which provided insights into the history and politics of Nigeria, the Congo, and Kenya. Timestamps: 05:02: The Impact of the Page Program and Early Career 18:18: Transition to Capitol Hill and Early Career Challenges 33:20: Law School and International Experience 40:09: Return to Capitol Hill and Transition to Ministry 53:58: Seminary and Pastoral Career 1:08:19: Transition to Cedar Rapids and Current Role 1:20:25: Reflections on Harvard and Influential Courses Links: LinkedIn: Patrick’s church: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Julie Mallozzi who reports: “Hi, I'm Julie Mallozzi, class of 1992 the featured organization of this episode of The 92 report is New Day Films. New Day Films is a filmmaker-run distributor of educational documentaries, many of them exploring urgent social issues. I have been a member of this amazing co-op for six years, and am proud to be serving my third year on its steering committee. You can learn more about our [email protected] and now here's Will Bachmann with this week's episode." To learn more about their work visit:
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123. Angelo Milazzo, Pediatric Cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer
03/17/2025
123. Angelo Milazzo, Pediatric Cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer
Show Notes: After graduation, Angelo Milazzo returned to his home state and attended medical school at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He developed an interest in cardiology and decided to pursue post-graduate training in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology at Duke University. Angelo completed his post-graduate training in 2002 and joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. A Growing Practice and Becoming Chief Medical OfficerIn 2002, he was offered the opportunity to start a pediatric cardiology practice in Raleigh, North Carolina. The practice grew from a one-man operation to a practice with about 30 physicians across various specialty areas. In 2017, Milazzo became the vice chair for practice for the Department of Pediatrics at Duke Health, which has grown to 250 clinical faculty and 50 research faculty. Angelo then became the Chief Medical Officer for the Duke Health Integrated Practice, overseeing all physicians who practice at Duke Health. This role allows him to take the best of his administrative leadership within one clinical department for children's care and spread it across the entire enterprise. The Economics of Health Care and the Business of MedicineAngelo's hands-on administrative experience and managerial experience have led him to become interested in the didactic aspect of his career. He believes that his administrative experience and managerial skills have allowed him to excel in various aspects of his career, including pediatric cardiology. Before the pandemic, Angelo enrolled in business school and completed his MBA in just under two years. He was interested in the economics of healthcare and the business of medicine, but also enjoyed the perspective of classmates from various industries and walks of life. Today, he is a practicing pediatric cardiologist, spending about 40% of his time in clinical practice and 60% of his time in administrative work. He is also interested in health equity research and is part of a project funded by the CDC. What it Takes to Be a Physician Leader Angelo explains that, to be a great physician leader, one must first be a great clinician, and this takes so much more than just medical knowledge. He believes that engaging with patients and families is a privilege and that this energy and insight can inform his managerial work. He has had the privilege of mentors in medicine and being taught by amazing clinicians, which has allowed him to feel comfortable with fraught conversations. He explains how his managerial experiences and administrative experiences make him a better clinician. He has had to negotiate with professionals from different backgrounds and training perspectives, enriching his perspective and broadening it. This constant bilateral communication within him allows him to enhance both sides of his career. The Executive MBA Program ExperienceAngelo talks about the value of his Executive MBA program, and how he appreciates the practical aspects of the program, such as lectures, video calls, and team meetings. However, he also highlights the value of teamwork and learning from professionals from different industries. He shares his capstone project, which involved working with a delivery firm in Eastern Europe, a firm far from his daily work. The team consisted of professionals from various industries, including military, micro brewing, airline, and healthcare professionals. The challenges faced in his work were unique but universally applicable, and he learned valuable lessons from the experience. He also talks about systems used during a public health emergency, the A3 structure and how it is used for improvement projects, and the journey of improvement. The Performance Improvement Journey Angelo talks about management principles adopted in health care and the performance improvement journey that began with the introduction of a standardized electronic health record in 2013 and the adoption of Epic, which is now used by two-thirds to three-quarters of major health systems in the country. This allowed for a common set of data mining tools to collect clinical information and understand success or failure around quality initiatives. The organization's new leaders, including those from other health systems and academic centers, were committed to this continuous improvement environment. By the time the CMO became vice chair in 2016, they were ready to bring these principles into their department. Now, almost a decade later, the organization has built a culture where everyone wants to be a quality improvement scientist. They have developed an academy to train healthcare professionals to become quality improvement scientists, which involves a rapid boot camp that teaches principles over a concentrated period of time. Many of these projects have been presented at regional, national, and international levels, covering various medical specialties, from complicated heart surgery to solid organ transplant to medical genetics to obstetrics and gynecology. Influential Harvard Courses and ProfessorsAngelo mentions three courses and professors that have resonated with him at Harvard: Arthur Kleiman's course on Illness Narratives, Professor Dante Della Terza’s Divine Comedy class, and Gregory Nagy's Heroes for Zeros class. Angelo's course with Professor Kleiman was about the idea that hearing patients talk about their illness is a form of storytelling, which he uses in his work. He also mentions Professor Nagy’s use of a clip from Blade Runner, a sci-fi noir film, in his class. He believes that this class spoke his language and that he was in the right place for him. Angelo also mentions missing the Michael Sandel Justice course, which he later took through the Harvard EdX program. Timestamps: 01:29: Angelo Milazzo's Journey After Graduation 05:29: Transition to Administrative Roles and Business School 09:48: Balancing Clinical Practice and Administrative Roles 14:30: Learning from Business School and Applying Lessons 26:11: Implementing Continuous Improvement in Healthcare 36:40: Influential Courses and Professors at Harvard Links: LinkedIn: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Julie Cotler Pottinger who reports: “Hi. I'm Julie Cotler Pottinger, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is every library. Every library helps America build support for libraries and also helps us fight book banning in our communities. I'm proud to be the National Ambassador this year for every library under my pen name, Julia Quinn, and I've been working real hard all year to help them raise money and awareness. You can learn more about their work at and now here's Will Bachmann with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit:
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122. Jung Park, When the Fork in the Road Runs Parallel
03/10/2025
122. Jung Park, When the Fork in the Road Runs Parallel
Show Notes: Jung Park, a Korean immigrant, faced a conflict between her passion for acting and her academic pursuits. She initially wanted to concentrate in visual arts but ultimately chose English and American Literature and Language, which she loved. Despite this, she was conflicted about pursuing his artistic dreams versus what was expected of her. Joining AFTRA and Going into Law School In her junior year, she auditioned for an open call search for an ABC after-school special about kids with HIV and AIDS, which led to her joining the Screen Actors Guild, renowned as "SAG-AFTRA." After a year in Boston, she returned to California and had to choose between continuing acting, moving to LA, or going to law school. She auditioned for a talent agency in San Diego and was accepted into law school. A Stand-up Comedian at Law School While in law school, Jung began doing stand-up comedy in Sacramento and moved to San Francisco, working in law firms and doing stand-up comedy at night. She eventually opened her own law firm in San Francisco and took on numerous cases, including helping a Vietnamese woman avoid deportation for a felony she committed. Jung had wonderful mentors in law, including 70-year-old white men in plaintiff-side civil litigation. She turned down a position at a major law firm after being nominated for the American Ends of Court, which was a group of old white lawyers. Instead, she auditioned and got into a traveling theater program with Kaiser Permanente, which offered health insurance for actors. Pursuing Acting and Leaving Law Jung began her acting career in high schools, continuation schools, and juvenile detention centers, performing educational theater shows and counseling Q&As. She later moved to Southern California and focused on stand-up, sketch, and improv. She joined the La Troupe improv training program and worked at a plaintiff side civil litigation law office, where she worked on behalf of farm workers and other vulnerable individuals. In 2012, she grew tired of being a lawyer and opened a Speech and Debate Academy in Pasadena, California. The academy focuses on helping kids be empowered and find their voice. The academy has been around for 13 years and has participated in the Harvard speech and debate tournament. The pandemic hit, and Jung found fulfillment in coaching speech and running her business. She joined an acting class before the pandemic and enjoyed hobnobbing for coffee afterwards. However, during the pandemic, her teacher encouraged her students to start TikTok accounts and post videos related to their work. She had a sketch idea developed in their sketch writing class, which was set up as a GPS that tells driving directions with the Korean accent. A Career Shift to Screenwriting Jung is now focusing on writing scripts and developing her content to elevate her unique voice. She has also joined Harvardwood, an organization of Harvard alums in the Hollywood industry, where she took a writing class and attended webinars. She is currently getting a director certificate through UCLA Extension and working on a couple of silly short films. One of her projects is a magical realism short story about an old Asian Tiger Mom visited by a mysterious pigeon. She plans to rewrite it as a short film script and act in it herself, as she can do the pigeon well. She is also considering renting out pigeons for TV or film to see how they move and what they could do. Jung grew up in the Mexican border town of Calexico, near Yuma. She talks about the transition to Harvard and experiencing culture shock. Her stand-up comedy often deals with her experiences growing up in a Mexican American border town and feeling more Latina than Korean. She talks about her family and how her father’s paranoia fueled a lot of jokes. She enjoyed her stand-up and has been considering writing new material or trying it out on America's Got Talent. Her last performance was a staged play reading for a Jewish Arts Council group in San Santa Barbara, which was a fundraiser. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Jung, a self-professed word nerd, was accepted into a special graduate seminar led by Phil Fisher, the head of the English department. The seminar focused on close reading of novels, a subject Park was deeply interested in. Fisher warned that few undergrads would be accepted, and Jung was accepted into the seminar, which she found to be a valuable learning experience. The seminar helped her understand the meanings of the first few pages of a novel and the larger work. She has since used this knowledge to teach English classes and writing skills to students, demonstrating the importance of close reading and analysis in academic pursuits. Timestamps: 03:15: Balancing Law and Art 07:50: Transition to Acting and Comedy 12:06: Establishing the Speech and Debate Academy 14:09: Re-entering Acting and Social Media Success 19:34: Current Projects and Future Aspirations Links: Instagram handle: @momentswithjung TikTok handle: @momentswithjung Linktree (shows links to all Jung’s sites): Speech and debate academy website for Nova 42: Short story Freebird that reached Top 50, Launch Pad Prose Competition 2024 ,and is on the Coverfly Red list as #13 Drama Short Story (Prose) in the past year: Jung’s IMDB profile: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is Generation recommended by Bonni Theriault who reports: "Hi. I'm Bonni Theriault, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 Report is Generation. Generation is a global nonprofit that supports people to achieve economic mobility and a better life by training, placing and supporting them into employment. I have been a generation for the past six years, and am privileged to serve as the chief partnerships officer. You can learn more about generations work at and now here is Will Bachmann with this week's episode." To learn more about their work visit:
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121. Michael T. Johnson, Lawyer, Impact Investor and New Orleanian
03/03/2025
121. Michael T. Johnson, Lawyer, Impact Investor and New Orleanian
Show Notes: Michael T. Johnson, a lawyer, shares his experiences during his freshman year at Stanford Law School. He initially wanted to pursue transactional work in finance and looked at New York but later realized that he wanted to return to New Orleans and work there. He stayed long-term in New Orleans and work for companies in the area. From a Law Firm to the Oil Industry He spent three years working at Jones Walker, a large law firm in New Orleans. However, after joining the firm, all but one associate left, leading to a split off in the firm and a lot of extra responsibility for Michael. This experience was challenging, but it allowed him to learn and specialize in public company work and mergers. Michael was then hired to do an IPO for Omni Energy Services, a company that drills holes in the ground to find oil deposits. The technology is now advanced enough that they can read 3D seismic imaging to find oil deposits. Michael was excited about the business aspect of the industry and wanted to be on the other side of deals. He talks about his time there and how he was offered the opportunity to document investments. The Move to Advantage Capital Michael talks about Advantage Capital, which started as a way to drive capital to underserved states, such as Louisiana, which had been redlined due to corruption and oil and gas booms. The program was created by Harvard economist Beldon Daniels, who was hired by the legislature to give tax credits to insurance companies for investing with funds that agreed to invest in small businesses in the state. Steven Stull, an insurance company portfolio manager, founded Advantage after being approached by a dealmaker. He believed he could create a business around structured financial products, such as selling tax credit bonds to insurance companies. Stull was also involved in public policy and advocacy work, advocating for the adoption of these programs. All of the above lined up with Michael’s dream job. He gravitated towards the advocacy and structuring side of the business, spending most of his time in New Orleans. The New Markets Tax Credit Program Michael looks back to 2002 when the New Markets Tax Credit Program was adopted by the Clinton Administration, aiming to bring success from the dotcom boom to urban and rural areas. The program was initially praised by the Federal Reserve, but the Bush administration pushed it further and made it more business-friendly. They team decided to pursue this program, which was 100% focused on low-income community investing. The New Markets Tax Credit Program was a business-friendly initiative that aimed to capitalize on the success of the dotcom boom in California and New York. Michael and his team were able to successfully implement the program, focusing on low-income community investing. Michael discusses the company’s competitive application process for investment grants, which grade applicants based on their track record of investing capital in targeted areas, raising money from investors using tax credits and incentives, and investing in low-income communities. They analyze their portfolio and find that they have been investing about 30% of their money in low-income communities, particularly in states like Louisiana. They were one of the largest allocatees in the first round of awards in 2003 and have been winners 15 times. The Shift from a Venture Firm to an Impact Investment Firm Michael explains that they initially focused on raising money as a venture firm, but later transitioned to an impact investment firm. They now focus on creating jobs and creating job opportunities for residents in their communities. They have been doing federal new markets for 20 years and have state versions that can be added on to them. They try to marry programs together to bring the best of certain programs to each other that work for their investors and spin them out. He also mentions his counterpart, Scott Murphy, who manages the investment side and handles the structuring and bringing in the money. They have been together since 2001 and have been working together since 2001. The mission of the company is to invest in businesses that produce more jobs in the region. The decision-making process involves focusing on companies that produce more jobs at the margin. The company does not specialize in any specific area, as they have tight time frames to qualify for incentives. They have to be generalists, investing in various investment types and being generalists on the balance sheet. The company's goal is to invest in businesses that create jobs and contribute to the region's economy. The company also specializes in incentives and tax credits, having been involved in federal, federal, and state Low Income Housing Tax Credit deals and renewable energy deals. Building a Life in New Orleans Michael reflects on his family's presence in New Orleans, which has been a significant part of his life. He recalls dragging people to Mardi Gras from Harvard and being invited to do so every year. However, he also had a strong desire to run for office and work in the Public Service sector, but eventually decided against it. At Advantage, he focused on economic development and was involved in policy discussions with economic development groups. He was getting the idea of what he could do for his city through Metro vision trips and talking to investors. However, he was not well off enough to run for state representative, and his boss initially dismissed his idea. Michael also touches on the impact of Katrina on their business, which was not New Orleans-centric. They moved their office to St. Louis, where they worked on a new markets application. After Katrina, the Treasury Department extended an extension for applicants to work in other areas. Five or six of the team members from St. Lewis rewrote the application to use new markets to rebuild New Orleans. He acknowledges that living in New Orleans was a difficult decision due to its unique personality and uniqueness. They had to make a decision about where to go if they couldn't return, as it was a unique place with a unique personality. However, they were able to be dispassionate about the situation and were called in to DC to discuss using incentives programs to speed up rebuilding. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Michael, a classics major, took many courses and professors that resonated with him, such as EC 10, Micro, Macro Economics, and the American Revolution. These classes helped him understand the real political and economic pressures of the time and made him think critically. Timestamps: 02:14: Returning to New Orleans 09:36: Transition to Advantage Capital 09:49: Advantage Capital's Focus on Impact Investing 27:06: Impact of Katrina and Advantage Capital's Role 28:01: Personal Life and Family in New Orleans 35:35: Michael's Podcast and Community Involvement 38:11: Reflections on Harvard Education 48:56: Advantage Capital's Investment Strategy 49:17: Successful Investments and Impact Stories Links: Website: Michael's podcast: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is Senior Tech recommended by Ruthie Tanenbaum who reports: “Hi. I'm Ruthie Tanenbaum Friedman, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Senior Tech. Senior Tech provides free technology support to senior citizens, which is offered by volunteer high school students. The organization is based in Florida with plans to grow and offers in person and remote support. My children founded and run the organization with my son Max, now serving as president and expanding the services that the organization provides. You can learn more about their [email protected] and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work visit:
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120. Jacinda Townsend, Novelist, Mom, Professor, Political Activist
02/24/2025
120. Jacinda Townsend, Novelist, Mom, Professor, Political Activist
Show Notes: Jacinda Townsend shares her journey of living in 10 different states and two foreign countries, having four careers, including being an elected official, having a couple of kids, and doing various weird things. Working in Law, Journalism, and Fiction When Jacinda graduated at 20, she went to law school, which was part of a straight trajectory she had imagined since childhood, and while she initially believed she would go into politics and return to Kentucky, she realized she did not want to pursue a career in law. After finishing her degree, she worked as a news commentator for the Christian Science Monitor network, which led to her being hired as a professional journalist to cover international and national politics. Jacinda was passionate about the news and TV news. Writing for the sound byte was a challenge for her, but she loved it because it allowed her to express herself politically and learn a lot about the English language. She decided she wanted to pursue writing seriously and is now a novelist. She also teaches at Brown University in the MFA program. Throughout her career, Jacinda explains, it has been random events and circumstances that led her to each position. Motivated by Anger and Moving into Politics Jacinda talks about her career in politics and how it transpired fueled by her anger at issues she could not ignore. She shares her experiences as a sitting school board member in Bloomington, Indiana. She served in a progressive town with a lot of socio-economic segregation and disciplinary disparities by race and ethnicity which she could not ignore. Jacinda ran for re-election and was elected again, and this time, it was a landslide. She moved to Michigan and was asked to run for the school board there. Jacinda talks about the issues tackled, changes made, and how integration has changed. Jacinda believes that the ideal of integration is not happening. She explains that segregation has increased with 80 percent of white kids going to a school where the percentage of white children is above 75 percent, and minority children and still 90 percent more likely to be in a minority school. She mentions that peak integration happened in 1987 and goes on to explain the driving factors behind the segregation. Working as a Writer The conversation turns to her writing career, which includes the award-winning novel Mother Country and the forthcoming novel Trigger Warning. Jacinda talks about her routine, which includes a 500-word word count daily. She also shares a story of working with a student who felt unsure about her writing, and how she copes with the uncertainty of working in the arts. She also shares her approach to keeping up with her characters, and uses random texts to remember what was going through the character's head and keeps up with them. This helps her keep up with the story and remember the characters' reactions to things. When writing a novel, Jacinda immerses herself in the character's world, trying to experience it through their eyes. She doesn't take breaks during the writing process, as she believes that the imagination begets the imagination, and when living with her characters every day, it becomes like a muscle memory. When she returns to the story, she can remember every bit of why she did something, making her work more enjoyable and fulfilling. Living in Foreign Countries Jacinda was a Fulbright student in Cote d'Ivoire, and she has lived in two foreign countries, including Mali and Morocco. While in Mali, she encountered modern-day slavery. She also went to Morocco and visited Mauritania, where 20% of the population is enslaved. She explains that Mauritania is a remote country where it is like stepping back 500 years. It is difficult to escape slavery, as employment is caste-based, so if they escape slavery, there is no work. She met an escaped slave and her family, who gave birth to her last of eight children while escaping slavery. Jacinda shares that holding this baby was a profound moment in her life, and it was this experience that led to her novel, Mother Country. Jacinda explains that the reason no-one knows about the slavery issues in Mauritania is because it is not often mentioned in the news. The media is state-run, and the slavery system is brutally enforced. It is also difficult to get to due to its remoteness so there are very few Western visitors. People there often believe they should be slaves, that it is divinely ordained. Influential Classes and Professors at Harvard Jacinda mentions Martin Kilson, a brilliant political scholar. She was initially shy in his class, but after her campus activism went viral, he hugged her and said, "You're brilliant." This was a moment that made her feel like she belonged there for the first time. Jacinda appreciates the gift of Martin Kilson's support and tries to make her students feel seen when they are quiet and nervous. She believes that making people feel heard is important and that she will never forget the gift of his presence. Jacinda Townsend shares her campus activism story. At the time she had no idea of the impact this would have. One night, the Boston Police came to her room. She was alone, but before she knew it, seven girls showed up who had come to support her. This experience taught her to speak on television and that even in difficult times, it's important to be there for others, and that others will be there for you, if you share a common belief. Timestamps: 01:59: Early Career and Education 07:51: Public Office and School Board Experience 22:11: Writing Career and Novels 30:22: Experiences in Foreign Countries 36:39: Personal Reflections and Life Philosophy 40:15: Campus Activism and Media Experience 48:10: Impact of Media and Public Perception 48:27: Final Thoughts and Future Plans Links: Website: Featured Non-profit "Hi, I'm Khedrub, Class of 1992. The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is Kadampa Meditation Center Boston. I've been privileged to work for this budding organization since I moved back to Cambridge in 2020. In addition to our regular programming, I speak at Lehman Hall in the Yard for GSAS now every month and at HLS once a semester, paying back a bit to Havard." You can learn more about our work at
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119. Daniel Brotman, Academic Hospitalist
02/17/2025
119. Daniel Brotman, Academic Hospitalist
Show Notes: Daniel Brotman shares his journey from undergrad to medical school. After finishing a year of research in Boston, he decided to work for a year before applying for medical school. He had already taken the MCATs and taught Stanley Kaplan during his year off. He also worked in the lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Music and Circadian Rhythm Daniel talks about his love of music. He considered himself a better musician than singer, and he loved playing piano. He has a 1930 Steinway piano and plays piano karaoke for fun. He has been participating in a music group at Harvard and has heard about other Harvard alums joining similar groups. From music the conversation turns to circadian rhythms, which are rhythms that cycle through the body based on the action of the circadian pacemaker. Circadian rhythms are synchronized to the 24-hour day based on visual stimuli, such as light coming into the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Internal Medicine and Finding Work/Life Balance Daniel was accepted to medical school after his year of research. He started at the University of Virginia and found it to be a beautiful, traditional place. He initially didn't want to do internal medicine but discovered his passion for it at the end of his third year. He married his first wife, Edith, while in medical school. Daniel graduated from medical school and went on to become a hospitalist at the Cleveland Clinic. He chose to practice inpatient medicine due to his love for it and the intense work required for his family. Hospital medicine was a new field at the time, and Daniel's career began there. Working as a Hospitalist Daniel explains that being a hospitalist means practicing in the hospital rather than having an outpatient practice. Patients often come in through the emergency room and need an inpatient doctor to help them through their acute illness. Daniel's role is also as a consultant to help surgeons care for their patients who have medical issues or help other disciplines help care for their patients who have medical issues. Hospital Medicine is defined by the site of practice being in the hospital, similar to an emergency room medicine doctor practicing in the emergency department. After leaving the Cleveland Clinic, Daniel returned to Hopkins, where he started the Hospitalist program. He learned that humility is essential in healthcare, as taking care of patients alone doesn't make for a good team. He also learned that medicine quickly gets out of date, with many concepts still valid but some completely turned on their heads. Overall, his experiences and lessons learned over the years have helped him become a more effective and compassionate healthcare professional. The Goldilocks Phenomenon Daniel Brotman discusses the importance of humility in healthcare, particularly in the context of medical knowledge and practices changing. He gives the example of beta blockers and heart failure treatment. He explains that beta blockers can drive patients into congestive heart failure by reducing their heart pumping activity, which is crucial for patients with weak heart muscles. However, studies have shown that beta blockers can be beneficial for those with weaker heart muscles. Daniel discusses the Goldilocks phenomenon, where doctors should not just jump on the latest research from journals but also not gravitate towards every new strategy published in medical literature. This can lead to side effects or challenges with the effectiveness of new drugs. He suggests that doctors should not rely solely on society's guidelines, as they may not always be updated over time. Instead, they should look for guidelines synthesized by knowledgeable professionals who have considered all issues and come up with a synthesis that makes sense. He also discusses the importance of humility in healthcare, stating that it is essential to rely on the expertise of colleagues and the entire team rather than oneself. AI in Healthcare The conversation turns to AI in healthcare such as Bridge, which listens to doctor conversations and creates notes based on them. While Bridge is effective in some cases, it struggles to put things fully in context. For example, it might report that the patient denies edema, which is not what it intended to convey. Despite this, it can create a note without looking at anything. However, there are potential areas where AI can make errors, which doctors should be aware of. And it cannot provide a diagnosis. Doctors should be cautious when using AI tools, as the consequences of not double-checking their work can be significant. AI is expected to be beneficial in making recommendations for treatment strategies, but it should not replace doctors' work. Directing the Hospitalists Program at John Hopkins Daniel has been directing the Hospitalist program for almost 20 years. He has since become a full professor and has an endowed chair named after John Flynn, a mentor and resident. He enjoys helping junior hospitalists navigate their career paths, which can be diverse and include research, quality improvement, or patient care. He has a great team of doctors to work with and mentor. One of the biggest challenges of leading a group of 50 hospitalists is delegation. Brotman has worked on developing ways to trust junior leaders and structure supervision in a way that maintains quality control. He has also learned to provide feedback to junior leaders, as they are high-performing and smart. Another challenge in leadership is trying to harmonize the economics of their work with clinical outcomes or academic outcomes. Many doctors feel pressure to be productive, which can negatively impact patient care. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Daniel discusses his experiences at Harvard, including his involvement in research and coursework in circadian rhythms with professors, which he found to be a significant part of his junior and senior year. He also mentions his passion for science and his focus on mastering content to pass tests. His interests have expanded since then, and he still enjoys reading non-fiction books and entertaining activities. He also enjoys skiing, although he was not very good on the ski team in his freshman year. Timestamps: 00:02: Dan's Journey from Harvard to Medical School 03:36: Understanding Circadian Rhythms 06:00: Medical School and Early Career 08:40: Hospitalist Career and Lessons Learned 22:26: AI in Medicine and Leadership Challenges 32:43: Personal Reflections and Broader Interests 37:19: Final Thoughts and Contact Information Links: John Hopkins website: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/ Email: Featured Non-profit This episode’s featured non-profit is Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) recommended by Colin Teichholtz who reports: “Hi. I'm Colin Teichholtz, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Innovations for Poverty Action, or IPA. IPA discovers and advances what works to improve the lives of people living in poverty around the world. IPA has country offices throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. IPA is all about more evidence and less poverty. I've personally been a supporter of IPA for over a decade, and as of earlier this year, I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve as a member of the board. You can learn more about IPAs work at poverty, dash, action.org, and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work visit:
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118. Jason Furman, American Economist & Professor
11/25/2024
118. Jason Furman, American Economist & Professor
Show Notes: Jason Furman discusses his journey in economics. He shares his experience teaching Act 10, a course that has evolved over the years, using ideas from psychology and economics that are still relevant today. Jason also discusses his time at the Kennedy School, where his current role is Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. It was while at the Kennedy School that he was recruited to work in government. He initially didn't want to go into public policy or Washington, but eventually discovered his passion for it. In 2008, he was asked by David Axelrod to move to Chicago for the Obama campaign. He met with Obama and discussed his view of the economy and the issues being addressed in the campaign. Working for the Obama Campaign Jason talks about participating in the campaign, which was an amazing experience, as economists typically do economic policy on a campaign, discussing what will happen next year when they become president. The economy was falling apart, and Jason was able to use his knowledge and experience to help address the issue. In the midst of a financial crisis, Obama decided to support George Bushes' idea of a "bank bail out" to save the banks. This campaign became almost as much like governing as campaigning, with Obama meeting with Bush's treasury secretary, Treasury staff, and the Fed. A small team worked together to devise solutions to save the banks, revive the economy, and rescue the auto industry. Jason talks about the market collapsing and how Obama worked on various aspects of the crisis, including the fiscal response, the Recovery Act, the Affordable Care Act, the fiscal cliff, tax reform, technology policy, infrastructure, China, and climate change. The experience was both exciting and challenging, as markets were collapsing and the future of the economy was uncertain. Exporting Crude and Environmental Concerns Jason shares an example of where analysis matters. The United States faced a ban on exporting crude oil due to environmental concerns. The analysis, led by a climate change expert, found that the carbon content of US oil was lower than that of Canadian oil, which led to a ban that hurt American jobs and pushed the world towards higher carbon oil. Jason and his team put forward their analysis and the President, who was interested in the idea, met with his environmental and political advisors to discuss it. Despite some disagreements, the President agreed to sign an executive order to implement the idea. However, political concerns arose, and the White House decided to negotiate with Republicans in Congress to make the oil export concession. Six months later, Republicans extended tax credits for wind and solar, which the White House considered a good policy. This case highlights the importance of analysis and the combination of analysis and politics in a decision-making process. Climate Policies and The Financial Crisis Jason discusses two decisions that he believes were crucial. The first was for climate change cap and trade, which would have limited carbon emissions and set up tradable permits. The House passed the bill with the support of 55 senators, but it was not passed due to the filibuster. The second was immigration reform, which would have had a stronger border, expanded legal immigration, and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The financial crisis hit, and Jason explains that Congress had a fixed amount of money for tax credits, states, and unemployment insurance. He talks about Congress spend and automatic aid systems. Advice for Trump Administration Jason shares his advice for the incoming president. He states that the economy is in good shape and should not be messed up by big tariffs, immigration, mass expulsions, budget deficit increases, or interference with the Federal Reserve. Jason also discusses mainstream democratic economic policies or beliefs that he would disagree with or push back against. He tries to be unvarnished in his views in real time, and has tried to be honest about his opinions during the presidential campaign. He agrees with a decent fraction of the Democratic agenda, but there is a tendency to ignore trade-offs and the need to decide how best to use finite budget resources. The conversation turns to the debate on tariffs on electric vehicles. The Oval Office Environment Jason shares his experience in the Oval Office. He talks about President Obama’s approach to policy discussions, debates, and political advisors. He mentions that the President was also good at compartmentalizing, which is important when dealing with highly emotional issues, such as a school shooting, and being able to move on to international tax policy. Overall, the Oval Office environment is a mix of political and policy discussions. The conversation turns to the Affordable Care Act, the opposition to it, and a government mandate for health insurance, which was originally from a conservative think tank called Heritage. Jason talks about some of the controversial points from both Republicans and Democrats, including costs, what and who should be covered, and defining sharing. Politics played a significant role in the creation and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Practical Experience in Policy Making Jason discusses his economic research and his practical experience in policy making. He focuses on tax reform, sustainability of deficits, and inflation sources, which he worked on in government. Jason shares his views on tariffs. He also discusses the need for cities like San Francisco and New York to address housing issues, arguing that there isn't enough supply of housing due to restrictions on building. He talks about expanding housing vouchers for low-income households and expanding housing voucher programs to serve everyone. Jason believes that for some people, subsidies are needed, but for most people, cheaper housing is needed, requiring more housing. He also discusses the impact of immigration on inflation and prices is a significant economic issue, as immigrants are the labor force that contributes ideas, innovations, productivity, and start businesses. He moves on to the Chips Act, which aims to increase manufacturing of advanced microchips in the US, and has been a legitimate goal, with manufacturing subsidies of $39 billion. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Jason shares his favorite classes and professors at Harvard, including Ec 10, which was taught by Marty Feldstein, who became a mentor and friend. He also mentions Professor Jeffrey Williamson's class on economic history, which he still thinks about to this day. Timestamps: 02:44: Experience Working for President Obama 09:24: Policy Influence and Decision-Making 15:24: Advice to Presidential Candidates and Policy Disagreements 22:11: Oval Office Meetings and Policy Discussions 27:07: Return to Harvard and Teaching 32:18: Policy-Oriented Research and Personal Life 33:49: Quick Takes on Policy Areas 36:50: Reactions to the CHIPS Act and Personal Interests 39:10: Reflections on Harvard and Final Thoughts Featured Non-profit This episode’s featured non-profit is the Committee to Protect Journalists recommended by Peter Lattman who reports: “Hi. I'm Peter Lattman, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization that advocates for press freedom around the world. I have been proud to serve as a board member of CPJ for the past five years. And you could learn more about their work at their website, www.cpj.org.” To learn more about their work visit:
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117. Thomas Doxiadis, Making Landscapes for Cohabitation
11/18/2024
117. Thomas Doxiadis, Making Landscapes for Cohabitation
Thomas Doxiadis worked in the construction field before becoming an architect, eventually pursuing a Masters of Architecture and a Masters of Landscape Architecture at Harvard. He served in the Greek Navy and later worked as an architect for the Greek Olympics and at the same time taught at university. He then started his business which has been running for 25 years. Managing Work Life Balance and Personal Growth Expanding from his professional life, Thomas spent the next 10 years exploring his mind, heart, and relationships with people. Through therapy, he found that people are much more interesting than he thought. He joined a coaching group called "Get Your Six," which focuses on treating oneself better through health, sleep, nutrition, exercise, relationships, emotions, and beliefs. The group is structured around six people sharing experiences and helping each other through different situations. Life Lessons and Changes Thomas talks about life changes related to health, sleep, nutrition, and exercise. He explains that building a business from scratch and trying to be at the top of his field took a lot of focus and energy away from self-care. He emphasizes the importance of taking care of oneself, eating right, sleeping right, learning basic breathing and meditation techniques, and changing priorities. He also emphasizes exploring and understanding the stories of our lives that we construct and how we spend our energy. Working in the Greek Navy Thomas shares his experiences in the Greek Navy, where he spent time guarding armaments and working with 18-year-olds, which was a strange situation for him after his time in the professional world, but he found solace in having fun and laughing more than he had in the last decade. He shares a story when he was on guard duty and thought he was under siege. Working in the Athens Olympics Thomas recounts his experience working on the Athens Olympics. He had a positive experience despite the short turn around time of three years to complete construction. He worked on the design and construction of mega projects such as parts of the Athenian sea front and coastal areas, Olympic villages, and sports infrastructure. Additionally, he worked on setting up the city's flags, banners, and animation programs. He also spent two years dealing with the environmental and green aspects of the Olympics. His highlight was organizing the first mass olive transplanting, which involved moving the old Athens horse race track to a new area and becoming the Olympic Equestrian Center. The area was full of ancient olive groves and vineyards, some of them as old as 3000 years. The trees were transplanted to create a park and part of the Olympic venues. The trees were reused for the redevelopment of the Athens airport, ensuring they would be a valuable asset for future generations. Growing up in Greece Thomas grew up in Greece in the seventies when Greece was still relatively untouched by economic growth and tourism. The rapid economic changes after Greece entered the European Union led to the destruction of places he loved. He studied architecture and landscape architecture to find a win-win solution to building on sensitive, culturally and ecologically important places. His work and portfolio have been built over the past 25 years, focusing on resolving this problem. Sustainable Development and Landscapes of Cohabitation Thomas has worked on several projects since his time at the Olympics. One of his most proud projects was working on a pristine Aegean Island, where he and a high school friend developed techniques called the landscapes of cohabitation, which focuses on symbiosis between the environment and human activity. This approach has transformed the local ecosystem and changed people's minds about landscape work. His most recent project is with an MIT graduate from Northern Italy who built an energy corporation in the US and now invests in a small village in Tuscany. They are working on a 200-year sustainability plan, involving climate modeling and climate modeling to understand the future of the village and bringing vitality back to rural areas. Progressive Adaption to Climate Change Thomas' goal is to revive the countryside and lead it towards a better and more sustainable future, especially as climate change makes a better future more difficult. The European Union has been funding climate change adaptation programs for countries and universities for the last decade. These programs aim to understand the main impacts of climate change on public health, infrastructure, economy, and tourism. Landscapes are not just visual representations of environmental changes, but also provide a spatial understanding of what will happen due to climate change. Thomas talks about nine case studies that have been conducted across Greece, covering a region the size of Cape Cod. The eastern Mediterranean will be one of the most impacted areas globally, with heat waves, fire, and changing conditions. The European Union stopped spending on mitigation a decade ago and started spending on adaptation. Thomas explains what this entails. Design for Living Systems Landscape architects are professionals who design for living systems, not just concrete or steel. They have the skill set to deal with earth, water, plants, animals, and living systems in physical space. The profession has transitioned from being mainly about aesthetics to problem-solving around nature in the past. The advice given by landscape architects is not necessarily heated or useful, but rather based on their experiences and lessons learned. He believes that architects should focus on the bright goal of a better future through design but also be more pragmatic about their surroundings. Thomas also discusses his artistic projects, such as the Castriani mine restoration. He believes that architecture is useful for solving problems through giving form to things, and that the way things look is important because it serves as communication and storytelling. People understand the world through narratives, so architects have the opportunity and responsibility to configure a part of the world that tells people something to add to their own narrative. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses During his time at Harvard, he took courses in Ed Wilson’s Evolutionary Biology and Moral Reasoning 22. He also studied landscape ecology at the Harvard Design School, where landscape ecology was a driving force and he learned how you could design with nature and for nature rather than against it, which set him on his life path both professionally and intellectually. He enjoyed playing music and attending international talks at the Kennedy School. This experience helped him become more international and consider himself a citizen of the world. Timestamps: 01:40: Personal and Professional Reflections 04:38: Coaching Group Experience 07:17: Changes in Life and Health Practices 12:26: Experiences in the Greek Navy 15:47: Role in the Athens Olympics 25:11: Projects and Philosophy 28:40: National Climate Change Adaptation Program 35:43: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies 39:10: Role of a Landscape Architect 41:29: Advice to Younger Self 44:09: Artistic Projects and Influences from Harvard Links: Website: Website: Society for the Environment and Cultural Change Website: Featured Non-profit This week’s featured non-profit is Legal Services NYC recommended by Lisa Velasquez who reports: “Hi. I'm Liza Velasquez, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Legal Services NYC. The mission of legal services NYC is to fight poverty and seek racial, social and economic justice for New Yorkers who need pro bono civil legal assistance. I've worked with legal services NYC as a board member for the past 10 years, and I'm honored to serve as the current board chair. Every year, our lawyers and staff assist 100,000 New Yorkers in obtaining access to the basic necessities of life, safe housing, economic security, family and immigration, stability, education and healthcare. You can learn more about their work at Legal Services nyc.org, and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode. To learn more about their work visit:
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116. David Miller, Why Do It When You Can Overdo It?
11/11/2024
116. David Miller, Why Do It When You Can Overdo It?
David Miller kicks off the conversation with a summary of his life since Harvard. He went to Brown University, Providence, and then moved back to Boston, where he spent five years in Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, and then moved to Santa Monica, California, where his wife was pursuing her fellowship. He then returned to Boston, where he has been for 20 years, minus a three-month stint in Paris, France. Technology Inventor, Independent Contributor, and Instructor David met his wife, Ruth Herzman Miller, in October of his freshman year at Harvard. They have three daughters, and David has spent some time as a full-time dad with each of them. He majored in mathematics at Harvard and pure mathematics at graduate school at Brown. After a pause, he worked in speech and language processing at Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN) Technologies in Cambridge where he worked on developing speech to text transcription and information retrieval. He went to UCLA to learn bioinformatics and worked at a bioinformatics laboratory at the Molecular Biology Institute. In 2001, he returned to Boston and worked at Aventis Pharmaceuticals, now Sanofi Aventis, applying his knowledge in lead generation informatics. He stayed at Aventis for a few years before taking some time off the workforce. In 2008, David joined Google for 16 years, primarily on the search engine. He has worked on various projects, including the Google Books project and AI Overviews. He has also spent time at Google Paris, Zurich, and Tokyo. He has also taught computer science in the context of the Girls Who Code Project, where he distributed curriculum material to numerous chapters and hosted meetups. He also worked with Microsoft TEALS (technology and learning in schools), teaching ninth and 10th grade computer science. Inspired by French Theater During the pandemic, revisited an interest he had discovered in Paris, French theater. He started studying French and learned about the annual Theater Festival in Avignon, France, which is the second largest Fringe Festival in the world. After visiting the festival in 2022, he decided to create a similar event in Boston. He started a limited liability corporation with knowledge of French, Boston theater scene, organizational capacity, and spare finance. The first production was performed in April 2024, and the second is set to open in November 2024. They are currently booking venues and signing contracts for their 2025-2026 season. Google, AI, and The BERT Revolution The conversation turns to AI, BERT, and Google. He explains that the feature of BERT was built to transform language problems into arithmetic problems, using embeddings in high-dimensional vector spaces to catch semantics. This allowed for more complex arithmetic than just adding and subtracting. The BERT Revolution, invented by Jacob Devlin and his colleagues, was used to map words to embeddings, allowing for real-world correspondence in arithmetic. This concept was later used in Google's Featured Snippets, which was revamped to use embeddings and the Bert revolution. David’s lecture at Boston University, which is titled "Natural Language Understanding, Deep Learning and the BERT Revolution" discusses the underlying mechanics of natural language processing and how it transformed problems in language into arithmetic. The BERT Revolution allowed for more complex arithmetic than just adding and subtracting, making it easier for neural networks to perform complex tasks. The Rise of Hidden Markov Models David talks about the state-of-the-art technology at the time, Hidden Markov models, which had a temporal aspect of a changing probability distribution. These models were based on the sequence of text, and the Bayesian reasoning was used to determine the most likely audio to come from the words. This led to the development of generative models, where words generate the audio through probabilistic models. However, Bayesian modeling has been replaced by deep neural nets in the last five years of generative AI. He mentions that, in the early days, neural networks were untrainable and unwieldy, making Hidden Markov models the Bayesian generative approach. However, deep neural networks are now used. The Development of Neural Networks David discusses the development of neural networks, a technology that has been around since the 1950s. The availability of more recordings for speech, text, and language models has made it more accessible on the hardware side. The core of a neural network computation is matrix multiplication, which has been addressed by Nvidia and Google with their TensorFlow units. These units have invested large amounts of money in making specialized, custom hardware for this problem, accelerating things. David talks about how algorithms have also advanced significantly since the 1950s, and mentions key factors that have aided the advancement. Becoming an Individual Contributor at Google David talks about how he learned the technology. He decided to become an individual contributor and studied the technology, the code, the papers, books, videos, and experiments. He spent most of the pandemic working on neural nets that eventually became the Gemini technology. David’s journey to becoming a knowledgeable and skilled individual in neural networks was a journey that took him from a theoretical interest to a practical application. He learned to make the most of the technology and its capabilities, ultimately contributing to the advancement of the field. David has faced mixed reactions to his decision to become an independent contributor at Google. While some were supportive and skeptical, others were skeptical. He talks about the advice he received, how he moved forward, the success rate of his projects, and how his career has decelerated since 2019. Behind the Curtain of French Theater The discussion moves to French theater and how David has become a French theater producer. He shares his journey of starting a production in Boston from scratch. To start a French theater production in Boston, David had to be integrated into the French community in Boston and the theater community in Boston. They do not create the theater but bring the original production to Boston and add subtitles. He talks about the challenges faced in securing locations, staff and equipment, and managing the production process such as hiring a director, actors, space, marketing, and logistics. He uses services like Playbill to manage administration, program design, publicity, and logistics. He is passionate about creating a new cultural institution in Boston that focuses on French theater. Boston is known for its strong ties to France and hospitals, and David aims to create a French theater festival or translate French theater into English. He works with the French American Chamber of Commerce of New England, which helps create businesses and connections in Boston. Behind the Screen of Girls Who Code David has worked with Girls Who Code, an after-school program that runs programs for young women interested in programming and technology. He organized a meet-up at Google's Cambridge office, where he gave a keynote speech at parent meetings, emphasizing the importance of belonging and ownership in the industry. He was able to connect with 150 teenage girls and their parents, who expressed gratitude for his message. David's involvement with Girls Who Code has led to a sense of belonging and empowerment for these young women, who are now more likely to pursue careers in the tech industry. He believes that the French language theater in Boston could potentially sustain them through a 25-year career in the industry. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses David shares his experiences as a TA in the math department and working with Deborah Hughes Hallet, who was running a calculus project. David's theater experience has played an ongoing role in his teaching approach, as he learned from her dedication and approach to teaching. He believes that the notion of understanding the world through teaching is a deep-rooted belief in his approach. Timestamps: 03:59: Professional Career and Industry Experience 06:52: Non-Professional Activities and Community Involvement 11:22: Technological Advancements and AI Overview 25:07: Transition to Individual Contributor Role at Google 30:17: French Theater Project and Community Building 40:39: Impact of Girls Who Code and Teaching 45:25: Final Thoughts and Contact Information Links: Theater: Theater Club: Website: LinkedIn: David’s 2019 lecture "Natural Language Understanding, Deep Learning and the BERT Revolution" at Boston University : Featured Non-profit This week’s featured non-profit is the Cure San Filippo Foundation recommended by Adam Shaywitz who reports: “Hi. I'm Adam Shaywitz, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is the Cure San Filippo Foundation. This organization is dedicated to advancing treatment options for children affected by the devastating childhood dementia known as San Filippo syndrome. I am privileged to serve as a board member for the past five years. You can learn more about their work at Cure Sanfilippo foundation.org, that's one word. Cure Sanfilippo foundation. San Felippo is spelled s, a, n, f, i, L, i, p, p, O, that's 1f, 1l, and 2p Cure San Filippo foundation.org, and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work visit: .
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115. Raymond Lei Yin, War Stories from Capital Markets in Asia
11/04/2024
115. Raymond Lei Yin, War Stories from Capital Markets in Asia
Show Notes: Raymond Lei Yin moved to New York after graduating and has worked at Goldman Sachs for over 20 years, primarily in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. He worked in China with a private fund for three and a half years and for UBS Asset Management as the Head of Asia Pacific and Head of China for the past 6 years. Now retired from UBS Asset Management, Raymond is currently traveling around the world, visiting his parents and enjoying the outdoors. He is also looking for opportunities to get involved with communities, businesses or organizations where he can contribute his expertise. Capital Markets War Stories Raymond shares many war stories from his time in Hong Kong, China, and the capital markets during the financial crisis. He started at Goldman Sachs in New York and eventually moved to Asia. He was a program analyst in 1992 and supported the international trading desk at Goldman. This experience was interesting, as the traders he worked with at the time were hires from Salomon Brothers and Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). He likens this time to working in a jungle where his goal was to survive each day. Raymond's journey has been filled with challenges and opportunities, but he is now focused on pursuing his passion for learning (especially in AI) and helping other businesses to grow. Working in Equity Capital MarketsRaymond began his career in Hong Kong after realizing that the core part of Goldman's business was financial advisory and trading. He decided to look for a job outside Goldman and was about to resign when he was offered a position by a senior MD looking for a Chinese speaking analyst based in Hong Kong. He flew to London for interviews and was hired to work in equity capital markets, which he knew little about. Equity capital markets is an interesting area that straddles between investment banking and equity sales and trading. Raymond was trained by Eric Dobkin, the man who introduced the concept of the Equity Capital Markets (ECM), which orchestrated IPOs and worked with both issuers and investors to set the price. During the Red Chip Boom in 1993, there was a huge demand for Chinese speaking bankers in Hong Kong, as there were not many Chinese bankers at that time. As the first full-time equity capital markets person based in Hong Kong, Raymond worked tirelessly to keep up with the pace of IPOs. Lesson Learned from the MarketOne lesson that Raymond learned during this time was that the market can be irrational. During the Red Chip Boom, Chinese IPOs were richly valued, due to scarcity of Chinese papers and the high demand for Chinese investments. However, since then, the market has seen several cycles of price fluctuations. To make money in the equity market, he believes that one must be a contrarian, have a long sustained power, and be liquid. In the early 90s, Hong Kong had an open market with many foreign capitals and traditional institutions representing their firms in London or New York. Goldman helped Chinese companies raise money in international capital markets through IPOs, global deposit receipts (GDRs), and convertible bonds (CBs). The Chinese government was involved in these deals, as they were selling their best assets to global investors in exchange for professional management and market discipline. The first deal was with Tsingtao Breweries, a famous beer company, and later with Shanghai Petrochemical and China Mobile and PetroChina. These companies were majority-held by the Chinese government, and Goldman had an edge in winning these deals. Goldman also worked on Korean companies like POSCO Steel and Samsung Electronics, as well as Thai and Indonesian companies. The Asian Financial Crisis The Asian financial crisis occurred in 1997, when the devaluation of the Thai Bhat and Indonesian Rupiah led to a massive attack in Hong Kong markets. For a few days, the entire HK equity market was dominated by one buyer, the Hong Kong government. Raymond saw the government’s bid for 100 million shares of Hong Kong telecom got hit within 2 seconds. This could mark the end of capital markets in Hong Kong, as the government was buying the significant part of HK equity market. However, in hindsight this was the single best time to buy Hong Kong equities, as the Hong Kong government made a lot of money that day. In subsequent years, Goldman helped the Hong Kong government sell these stocks at a profit, returning the market to private investors. One company Raymond worked with was PetroChina where Goldman took the company public and Raymond helped to introduce the team management to global investors. It was during the dotcom bubble era, there was ver little investor appetite for oil stocks. Eventually, the IPO was done as a discount valuation. Investors who bought at PetroChina IPO all made money if they hold on to their shares. From Goldman to Private Funds to UBS Asset ManagementRaymond's next move was to the buy side - a China based private fund. He spent three and a half years traveling between Shanghai and Hong Kong to help them set up their international operation, hire people, lease office space, get the Type 9 license, and set up their Hong Kong office. He later joined UBS Asset Management first as Head of China then later as Head of Asia Pacific. He worked at UBS Asset Management for the past 6 years. Influential Harvard Professors and CoursesRaymond shares that his Art History course at Harvard was one of the most useful, as it allowed him to appreciate artwork and visit museums worldwide. He also enjoyed the core course Cultural Revolution taught by Professor Roderick MacFarquar, which was not offered in China. Timestamps: 04:15: Early Career at Goldman Sachs 09:51: Experience in Hong Kong and Equity Capital Markets 14:46: The Asian Financial Crisis and Market Lessons 26:31: Building Sales and Trading Operations in China 28:44: Transition to the Buy Side and Final Steps at Goldman 31:11: Personal Life and Interests 38:19: Reflections on Harvard and Career Advice Links: LinkedIn: Email: Featured Non-profit: This week’s featured non-profit is Alex's Lemonade Stand, recommended by Catherine Marcus Rose who reports: Hi. I'm Catherine Marcus Rose, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Alex's Lemonade Stand, foundation for Children's Cancer. Alex's Lemonade Stand focuses on impacting lives of children with cancer through fundraising for critical research and awareness raising support for families and children with cancer. I love the work of this organization and have been a regular donor for a few years. When our youngest son, age 21 was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma last December, this organization became even more important to us. Only four cents of every dollar spent on cancer research at the NCI goes to research in pediatric cancers. So the work of this organization has taken on extra meaning for us. You can learn more about their work at Alex's lemonade.org, a l e x, s, L E, M o, n, a, de.org and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode. To learn more about their work visit:
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114. Jack S. Levy, Reflections on Life in Israel after October 7
10/28/2024
114. Jack S. Levy, Reflections on Life in Israel after October 7
Show Notes: Jack Levy spent a year before college studying Judaic Studies and Talmudic studies in the Old City of Jerusalem. During his time in Harvard, he became particularly interested in Israel, as he had grown up with a strong Jewish background. He received a Raoul Wallenberg fellowship, funded by Fred Schwartz, to go to Hebrew University for a year after college during which he interned for Knesset member Naomi Hazan and worked for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. From Columbia Law School to Venture Capital After Israel, Jack went to Columbia Law School. He worked one summer as a human rights lawyer and later worked for Wall Street firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher to pay off his debt. He chose that law firm based on their Israeli clients and had a great experience with a mentor named Peter Jakes. During his time at law school, Jack met his wife, Dahlia. They settled in New York for a while before moving to Israel. Jack worked at Willkie before transitioning to Register.com, an internet company. In 1999, the internet was booming. Jack spent four years as General Counsel of Register during the the .com boom. In 2003, they moved to Ra’anana, Israel, a suburb of Tel Aviv, and have raised their three children there. Jack practiced law briefly in Israel before becoming a venture capitalist in 2006. He was the first to raise the banner of cleantech or climate tech in Israel in 2006 and 2007, thanks to Harvard classmate Sanjay Wagle. The Israeli Experience after October 7 Life changed for all Israelis and Palestinians in the wake of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. All of the Jack's children serve in the military, and the community has experienced losses. The country came under attack by Hamas, led by Yahia Sinuar, and immediately followed by Hezbolla in the north. The October 7 attack resulted in horrific violence, crimes, destruction, rape, murder, and burning of people in the Southern Communities. Like many religiously observant Israelis, Jack and his family were in synagogue during the attack, when the rumors started to spread. Jack mentions that in the week prior to the attack he’d been on holiday in Jordan. Early in the morning of October 8, their best friends called to tell them that their 27-year-old son, Major Aryeh Ziering, had been killed by Hamas command naval commandos who had infiltrated Israel. Arey was an excellent fighter from the canine unit who had captured terrorists alongside some of the most elite forces during his service. He had gone to the United States to help train Navy SEALs with canine warfare. He was killed by 1pm that day.The next day, other friends found out that their son Hirsch had been kidnapped into Gaza, which ended with tragedy about a month ago when he was killed by Hamas. By the end of the first day, they had one friend whose son had been killed as a fighter, one friend who had been captured from the Nova festival and held prisoner by Hamas, and another business partner who lost his cousin's child fighting that day as well. As the war continued in the coming months, their network of friends who experienced loss widened to include – one who lost their nephew in December fighting in Gaza, one whose daughter's boyfriend was killed pursuing a terrorist in the West Bank, and others who lost their lives in the conflict. The story of the heroism of those who fought for their lives and the lives of others is one that will be told for generations. As a 54-year-old Israeli father, Jack has three children who have been fighting in the war, Jack explains the extremely high cost to Israeli families who have children in the army. Jack states that the present generation is remarkable, and he wrote a piece in the Times of Israel about the little league team he had coached going to war. He still plays softball with his boys and realized that by December, every child he coached was fighting in the war. How Heroism Drives Soldiers Jack shares the lessons he learned about conflict and military training. He talks about the importance of respecting American military families. He reflects on the recent tragic death of a soldier who recorded a video of himself before going into Lebanon, expressing love for the person behind him. He believes that Americans of his generation don't understand the importance of military families and the sacrifices made by soldiers. He grew up during the reckoning with the Vietnam War through Oliver Stone movies, and grew up thinking war was primarily unjust or wrong. Jack explains that the men and women fighting are often the best, motivated, kind, and loving people. He identifies with pacifism but lives only because there are people willing to defend him. Civilian War Rooms in Action The state apparatus of defense along the Israeli border failed on October 7, allowing hordes to burst through the borders and kidnap hundreds. However, people jumped into action. People established civilian war rooms, where they could be proactive in helping house, shelter, build and support in multiple ways. After October 7, many communities accepted refugees from the north and south - similar to the Second Lebanon War – and many in Jack’s community helped families who had moved into hotels in the Dead Sea area. A friend of Jack, who lost her nephew, set up a school in the Dead Sea area within four days. The community extended to raising money to buy better helmets and equipment for reservists. This community-building effort was remarkable and comforting. Gazan Civilians under Hamas Jack, a former human rights attorney, discusses the situation with civilians in Gaza and the ethical considerations surrounding the response. He believes that the destruction to Gaza is horrific and tragic, with 40,000 people killed, but the problem is that it is not 40,000 civilians. Recent reports state that 30,000 of those were Hamas fighters or their family members. Jack blames Hamas for the destruction, but also emphasizes the morality and the need not to damage one's own cause. He shares first-hand testimony from his son, who describes his experience as a surveillance unit officer in Khan Yunis. He encourages people from outside Israel to focus on being “pro peace” rather than being “pro Israel” or “pro Palestine”. The Tech Industry in Israel Jack, an investor and startup expert, discusses the impact of travel restrictions on the tech industry in Israel as the travel restrictions due to missile attacks from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran have been problematic for Israeli companies. Despite the obstacles, he notes that Israeli companies have been able to function during this period. In addition, it is common with Israeli technology companies for the CEOs to relocate to New York, Silicon Valley, Boston, or Austin, while the tech teams remain in Israel. Jack believes that the war is not good for the Israeli economy and that it is clearly awful for the lives of Palestinians, South Lebanon residents, and even people in Tehran. He believes that the US needs to take a more muscular reaction to the situation and help the parties find a way to end the war. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Jack discusses his experiences at Harvard, including courses taught by Stanley Hoffman, Michael Sandel, Louise Richardson, and others. He mentions his appreciation for Professor Stanley Hoffman's course Ethics and International Relations. Jack was in touch recently with Professor Emeritus Michael Walzer of Princeton whose book he studied in that course and who had defended Israel's war against Hamas and Hezbollah but was critical of the alleged Israeli involvement in the Pager attack. Jack also mentions his love for Professor Michael Sandel, and Dame Louise Richardson, who was his junior faculty seminar professor when he was 21 and became his thesis advisor. She was a young professor who wrote a great book called What Terrorists Want, which became one of the most popular courses at Harvard after September 11. Timestamps: 02:52: Transition to Venture Capitalism and Personal Life 08:17: Impact of the 2023 Conflict on Jack's Family 17:27: Community Response and Personal Reflections 25:48: Professional Challenges and the Future of Israeli Tech 26:00: Reflections on Harvard and Influential Professors Links: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: Featured Non-profit: This week’s featured non-profit of this episode is KIPP public schools, recommended by Grace Voorhis who reports: “I'm Grace Voorhis, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is KIPP public schools. Maybe not everyone knows that charter schools are public schools just exempt from many of the rules set by local school districts. KIPP schools are established in underserved districts. A third party study reported in The Wall Street Journal noted that KIPP students were 19 percentage points more likely to graduate from a four year college than non KIPP students. They noted an effect of this size, extrapolated nationwide, would be large enough to nearly close the degree completion gap for Hispanic students, or entirely close the gap for black students. I'm proud to have served on the KIPP Northern California Board for over two decades, most recently as board chair. I keep coming back to KIPP because of the results they achieve. You can learn more about their work @kipp.org k, i, p, p, and KIPP Northern California, at KIPP norcal.org and now here is Will Bachmann with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work visit:
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113. Jennifer Gibbs, Writer and Performer
10/21/2024
113. Jennifer Gibbs, Writer and Performer
Show Notes: Jennifer Gibbs shares her journey as a woman and artist who worked in the entertainment field and later became a mother. She enrolled in a PhD program at NYU in comparative literature, focusing on performance and the embodiment of the female and feminine. She was cast in various off Broadway shows and earned her actors equity card. During her graduate studies, Jennifer received a Mellon Fellowship for teaching. She talks about her decision to focus full time on acting and writing for theater and her recognition of limited support in academia for multidisciplinary approaches to performance. Jennifer worked in the theater for a decade, mainly acting and writing plays. In her mid-30s, she became a mother, experiencing unexpected pregnancy losses and serial grief. This led to a shift in focus to writing, which was fruitful and collaborative. She was the artist in residence at the Here Arts Center, where she developed a play called Sounding, which integrated film, music, lyrics, and scene work. The play premiered three weeks before her son Liam's birth. From Working in Theatre to Working in Television As their family relocated to Los Angeles, Jennifer became interested in writing for television and screen. She learned to write for television at the suggestion of an executive at HBO. She took the leap, not knowing how to write for television, but found it fulfilling. For the last decade, Jennifer has been writing new plays and television worlds. Recently, she started a small independent production company, aiming to empower women creators to produce work that might not be produced in film and television or in the multi-platform arena. Jennifer's most recent project is called Riot Mom, a multi-platform universe story that unfolds on various distribution platforms. The company is driven by her connection to her work and her personal connection to her work. The first project they are producing is called Riot Mom, a multi-platform universe story that unfolds on audio, live, and television platforms. Early Influences from the Art World The conversation turns to Jennifer’s father, Tom Gibbs, a Chicago-based artist. Jennifer describes her experience as a child of a sculptor, how she was introduced to and influenced by the artists around her. They often had a band of sculptors at their house, some in assistant positions and colleagues from Chicago. They would have meals together, discuss work, and have opinions on various projects. Despite not wanting to do sculpture, Jennifer loved drawing and painting, and would often work in one of the studios. A Young Actor on Tour Jennifer shares her experience as an actor during her national Broadway tour, describing it as exciting and workmanlike. She learned from the technical staff about the complex process of moving from one place to another, like a circus. Gibbs describes the experience as a crash course in self-producing, directing, and balancing personal and professional boundaries. She also discusses the challenges of maintaining a balance in a collaborative environment, where one must leave their family, home, and friends behind to work on a show. Jennifer believes that maintaining healthy boundaries is a challenge for anyone working in theater, film, or television. She found the experience intensive and valuable, making lasting friendships with people she collaborated with in New York. The Artistic Process and Healing Grief Jennifer shares how she processed the grief of two stillbirths through her work. At the time, she was working on a film based on a stage adaptation of an Ibsen play. She met Andre Gregory, who was casting Vanya on 42nd Street, and they had a two-hour conversation in a cafe. Although she did not get the role, she received support, encouragement, and mentorship from Gregory. He advised her to make her own project which inspired Jennifer and others from the Harvard theater community, including Jeannie Simpson and Peter Hirsch, to create a play called Lady from the Sea. They spent two years working on the play in Jennifers' living room, creating a unique and rarely produced piece. Jennifer talks about her journey to create a multi-disciplinary theatre show based on a film adaptation of an Ibsen play. She discovered a deep connection to grief and loss in the original play, which they had not considered in their previous work. After a decade of working on the project, Jennifer realized that grief is a form of radical transformation that is generative and creative. She learned that denying or overcoming grief can deprive individuals of the opportunity to create and acquiesce to the next stage in their transformation. A First Book and a New Project Jennifer’s first book, "Oh Mother," is a literary non-fiction book about serial grief and the value of a certain approach to grief. The book is experiential and personal, and was written during the pandemic. Her journey highlights the importance of embracing grief and embracing change in life. She talks about a world created with Jenny Castro, that explores the intersection of women's creative process. The story revolves around two middle-aged women who were estranged from their riot girl days in the 90s, and they reunite in a suburban context. She talks about the project, the production team, pitching, and another project called Train Hoppers, a multi-platform, single episode of a story that can be experienced online, at live events, or through a live pop-up event. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Jennifer discusses her experiences with Marjorie Garber's Shakespeare and her seminar on ghostwriters. She was influenced by playwright Adrianne Kennedy, who became a lifelong mentor and friend after graduating from Harvard. Jennifer also discusses her love for 16th-century British poetry and the pressure to conform to Aristotelian standards in the world of television, film, and playwriting. Timestamps: 00:02: Journey Through Comparative Literature and Theatre 03:30: Balancing Academia and Acting 06:03: Transition to Motherhood and Writing O9:20: Exploring Television and Film 12:36: Learning from Her Father's Artistic Journey 20:04: National Broadway Tour Experience 26:01: Processing Grief Through Art 37:58: Current Venture: "Riot Mom" 45:46: Influences from Harvard Links: LinkedIn: Featured Non-profit This week’s featured non-profit of this episode is American Pilgrims On the Camino, recommended by Kelly Murphy Mason who reports: “Hello all. I am Kelly Murphy Mason, a fellow classmate from the Harvard class of 1992 and a former resident of Dunster house. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is the American Pilgrims On the Camino, a national organization with international reach. Before I walked the Camino de Santiago in the fall of 2023 the American pilgrims provided me with the necessary credentialing, education, information and support for making this pilgrimage, as it has done for so many pilgrims over the decades, it has also contributed generations of volunteers and generous funds to maintain the infrastructure of this Spanish network of routes to Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since my return from Santiago, I have stayed active in the Boston chapter of American pilgrims, leading book discussions and training walks for pilgrims past, present and future who live in my area. You can learn more about the work of the American pilgrims at home and abroad at American pilgrims.org and now here is my old friend Will Bachman with this week's episode. To learn more about their work visit:
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112. Aran Shetterly, Chasing a Good Story
10/14/2024
112. Aran Shetterly, Chasing a Good Story
Show Notes: Aran Shetterly, author and self-professed late bloomer, took a year off in the middle of his studies to work and travel and study Spanish. After college he pursued an Echoing Green fellowship, which allowed him to set up a nonprofit in Costa Rica to link volunteers to environmental organizations there. He then decided to pursue a master's in American and New England studies from the University of Southern Maine. However, after completing his masters, he realized he needed to explore the world in a different way. He moved to New York and worked as an editorial assistant. A year later, he met an old school friend who founded an internet startup called Comet Systems. Aran recounts his experiences in the world of internet ethics and the impact of internet spyware on the US. He recalls when he was on his way to a meeting with Yahoo to discuss a partnership when he learned that Comet Systems was accused of creating spyware. At Yahoo he was given a lecture on internet ethics. Researching Castro’s Rebellion and The Fight Against ItAran talks about a trip to Cuba where he learns about Fidel Castro's rebellion and asks if any internationals supported the revolutionary effort as they had during the Spanish Civil War. He heard about William Morgan, who was a key figure in the fight against the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. This meeting inspired Aran to leave Comet Systems and start writing his book. Upon returning from the trip, Aran searched for information about Morgan and sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the CIA. He receives two inches of redacted documents, which he uses to write his first book, "The Americano: Fighting with Castro for Cuba's Freedom." Aran summarizes the story and how Morgan played a double agent role in uncovering a plot to topple Castro, but later turned against the revolution as it turned communist. Aran recounts his six-month stay in Cuba, where he worked on two projects: setting up an exchange of artists between Maine and Cuba, and conducting research on William Morgan's life there. He was often followed by officials from the interior ministry and almost ended up in jail. He also spent time in Miami researching the revolutionaries who were excluded from Castro’s rebellion. From Mexico to the Greensboro MassacreAran and his wife, Margot, met at Comet Systems. They fell in love and decided to launch an English language magazine and website called Inside Mexico, which they started in Mexico City in 2005. He talks about journalists they worked with and stories they covered, and how the magazine finally came to an end. After ten years in Mexico, they were drawn back to the U.S. when Margot’s book proposal was optioned by a production company. The book was a success, and the couple returned to help promote it. In 2015, he met Reverend Nelson Johnson and Joyce Johnson, who told the story of the Greensboro massacre, a civil rights activist and Black Power leader who were trying to organize textile mills in North Carolina. The Greensboro massacre occurred when Neo Nazis and Klansmen shot and killed five and injured 10 activists during a march to educate workers about the divisive nature of the Ku Klux Klan. Morningside - An FBI Investigation and a Hole in the StoryAran's latest book, Morningside, is about the Greensboro activists and the shooting investigation, which he gained access to through interviews with FBI agent Cecil Moses. Moses provided valuable insights into the FBI's perspective and the importance of the Greensboro investigation in the Bureau's attempt to reclaim some esteem in American society. The book also explores the truth and reconciliation process in Greensboro, the first place in the United States to bring the South African model of working out tragic events in public . Aran found that the narratives in Greensboro about who's to blame for the shooting were deeply entrenched within the social community and the extent to which access to one's tribe depends on adhering to a certain narrative. Aran believes that much work needs to be done to work out these hermetic narratives that keep people on different sides of important historical moments. He hopes the book will help readers understand the complex and interconnected nature of the Greensboro shooting and the ongoing struggle to reconcile different perspectives on important historical moments. Harvard Professors and Courses of Influence Aran discusses his experiences at Harvard and how his fellow students and friends were hugely influential. He highlights three standout professors who made interdisciplinary connections in his work, which appealed to his sensibility: Stephen J. Gould, Philip Fisher in the English Department, and Bradley Epps in the Romance Language Department. Timestamps: 02:01: Transition to Academia and Publishing 05:05: Challenges with Comet Systems and Cuban Art 11:08: Researching and Writing "The Americano" 16:03: Life in Mexico and Launching Inside Mexico 26:36: Return to the U.S. and "Morningside" 42:36: Reflections on Harvard and Future Plans Links: Website: aranshetterly.com Event calendar: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode is Children’s Flight of Hope recommended by Angelo Milazzo who reports: “Hi. This is Angelo Milazzo, proud member of the class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is children's flight of hope. Children's flight of hope is a nonprofit organization based here in sunny North Carolina, which has a mission of providing flights for essential, specialized life changing and life saving medical care for children in need, these flights are amazing in that they bring children who otherwise might not be able to travel to centers of excellence around the United States, where they can receive innovative, cutting edge and in some cases, miraculous care. These flights are provided to children and their families at no cost, which goes a huge way toward easing the emotional and financial burden on families. I had the privilege of serving on the board of children's flight of hope many years ago, I served for several years following the organization's inauguration. In the late 90s, the organization has grown and has evolved to the point where it is now partnering with major air carriers to provide this life saving transportation for pediatric patients. You can learn more about the work of children's flight of hope at their website, which is children's flight of hope.org, and children's flight of hope is all spelled out together as one word. And now I leave you with Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work visit:
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111. Philip Nikolayev, The Poetry of Language
10/07/2024
111. Philip Nikolayev, The Poetry of Language
Philip Nikolayev, a Russian historian, poet, and marketer went directly into grad school in the history department at Harvard, where he received a master's degree. However, his field of medieval Russian history collapsed during his PhD due to funding dwindling after the fall of the USSR in 1992. From Russian History to Search Engine Marketing Philip was interested in studying Russian history from a Western analytical perspective. He quit his graduate program at Harvard when he realized his studies in Russian history didn’t translate into paying work. A polymath with a child on the way, Philip secured a position as a software engineer, but when the dot.com bubble burst, he decided to continue his studies with a PhD in textual scholarship. Intellectually, Philip's career has been far-flung, with no jobs in his field and a need for financial stability, he worked as VP of Marketing for a high-tech company and later started a small business in marketing, seeking clients based on breakthroughs in science and technology. He seeks clients whose technology he can study and translate into the market language. Working as a Translator and Writing Poetry Philip's core interests include poetry and had a love for poetry from a young age. Philip has always been bilingual and although he grew up in the U.S.S.R, he spoke English from a young age. Philip went to Harvard at the age of 24 as a transfer student and became deeply immersed in English. He started working as an interpreter and translator when he was 18 in Moscow, switching languages in terms of writing poetry. His first American poet friend, Ben Naser, encouraged him to continue doing it. He has since published several books of poetry in English and volumes of translation. Philip speaks ten languages, and has translated a lot of Ukrainian poetry, resulting from the war Russia is unjustly waging in Ukraine. A Ukrainian issue of a well-known American Poetry Magazine called the Cafe Review has just come out, co-edited by Philip and Anna Halberstadt as guest editors. The Romanticisation of Russian History Philip talks about his role as a translator and his work as an interpreter for writers and poets during Perestroika. The conversation turns to Philip's work as a poet and learning languages, including Romanian and why he loves the musicality of language. He also talks about studying Russian history from a western perspective, which he believes is more accurate than the Romantic tradition. Russian history is often written with a patriotic bias, which combines with the idea that nations are ancient and have traditions. This romanticism often leads to the idea that all people of a country form a single nation with one ideology and similar ideals and values. Napoleon exploited this idea to persuade Frenchmen to join the first mass levy army and give their lives for France. Philip also discusses the concept of nationhood in Russia, which he believes is a new idea. The word "Russia" was coined under Peter the Great in the early 18th century, and it is a Latinized form of the name Rus, which shows a Western influence. This was the name of the first dynasty that came to rule the space that eventually became Russia and Ukraine. The Formal Anarchy of Poetry The conversation turns to his network of poets, writers, translators, and editors. He mentions that poetry functions as an institution and network, with numerous poets and institutions like poetry festivals and magazines. Poets often seek out other poets and have poet friends to discuss poetry. Philip mentions his favorite poets including his wife, Katya Kapovich. Philip explains that Russia shaped his poetry towards a mix of traditional forms. He believes that poetry exists in a state of formal anarchy, where a text needs to be self-justifying to merit the reader's attention. His style has evolved, incorporating formal traditional verse, experimental and obscure avant-garde verse, and standard lyric free verse. Philip's themes include personal experience, philosophical distillation, and situational poetry. He believes that poetry allows us to express our humanity and resist becoming robots or AI. He admires the way photography has liberated art by allowing painters to paint their mental lives, and poetry can do the same. However, he also acknowledges that AI has its limitations and questions the future of the arts, particularly in the context of AI. Philip shares a poem from his collection, Letters from Oldenderry, titled "Eagles." From a Background in Mathematics to a Future in Marketing Philip's interest in mathematics began in the Soviet Union, where strong math schools were present. He was a mathematical prodigy but was too infected with poetry literature to pursue it back then He later became interested in analytical philosophy at Harvard, taking basic math courses like set theory and Introduction to topology. He later took CS 50 and CS 51 in computer science courses. Philip's transition from a PhD in textual studies to running a marketing firm was unexpected, as he had assumed he would become a professor. However, during the 2008-2009 crisis, there were no jobs in the humanities, and he had to find a source of income. He found work at a high-tech company, smtp.com, which is still there today. Reaching Beyond the Daily Grind Philip talks about his degree of freedom as a poet and his outside interests. He explains that not being an academic allows him to think about what matters to him and process it intuitively without being obligated to external criterion or peer review. He also mentions his interest in quantum computing, which he began studying from the business side. He works as a director of business development for Aspen quantum consulting, which does technical due diligence for quantum computing and quantum technology companies. Influential Harvard Courses and Professors Philip mentions Michael Witzel, who was his Sanskrit teacher, Diana Eck, who was his Hindu studies professor, Ed Keenan, and James Hankins, who taught him Western civilization. These professors have been supportive and encouraging of his interest in these subjects and helped him develop his understanding of various topics and perspectives. He still lives within a two-mile radius of Harvard Square, making it easy to access his work and stay connected to his passions. Timestamps: 05:11: Transition to Marketing and Poetry 08:46: Role of Poetry and Language Learning 18:58: Influence of Western Perspective on Russian History 23:33: Network of Poets and Writers 33:15: Challenges and Opportunities in Academia and Marketing 39:09: Return to Mathematics and Quantum Computing 40:59: Influential Professors and Courses at Harvard Links Company: Book: LinkedIn: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode is Women’s Money Matters recommended by Lauren Messmore who reports: “Hi, I'm Lauren Messmore, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode is Women's Money Matters. I'm privileged to have served as a volunteer coach empowering low income women to improve their financial health and create a more secure future for themselves and their loved ones. You can learn more on women's money matters.org and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work visit:
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110. Kellie Magnus, Executive Director of Caribbean Culture Fund
09/30/2024
110. Kellie Magnus, Executive Director of Caribbean Culture Fund
Show Notes: Kellie Magnus has been working in Jamaica for over 30 years. She returned to Jamaica after completing grad school in Colombia, where she worked in consulting and nonprofits. Since returning to Jamaica, she has been working in nonprofits and with international development partners, focusing on development-related issues. She is now the executive director of the Caribbean Culture Fund, a new entity raising money for arts and culture in the Caribbean. On the Board of NGOs During Kellie's time in New York, she attended the Ed School and business school, worked in person consulting, and freelanced on various creative and entertainment projects. Since returning to Jamaica, she has focused on developing arts-related projects that can improve outcomes for a wide cross-section of people. Her first role in Jamaica was working at the University of the West Indies in the Media and Communications Department. She joined boards of government entities and industry associations, and has since become deeply rooted in Jamaica. Kellie talks about her time serving on the board of The Book Industrial Association of Jamaica. She also talks about her work for the NGO Fight for Peace, a global NGO focused on Youth Violence Prevention. It started in Brazil, and opened a branch in England, and then an Alliance Network in about 20 countries around the world, and they wanted to start a program to test out ways to catalyze collaboration between NGOs and state agencies and the private sector around reductions in youth violence, and Jamaica and South Africa. She also ran a project for the World Bank, also focused on Youth Violence Prevention Fundraising and Growing Arts and Culture in the Caribbean The conversation turns to Kellie’s position with the Caribbean Culture Fund, a regional entity focused on arts and culture in the Caribbean. It raises money internationally and distributes it through calls for proposals to artists and cultural organizations based in the region. The fund was created as a focal point for Caribbean fundraising about arts and culture. The fund's approach involved inviting prospective donors to campus or meeting with them directly. The head of the program spent a lot of time with the donors, listening to their interests and connecting them with the program they thought most matched their interests. Kellie talks about seed funding, their fundraising strategy, and a new fund they are in the process of setting up. Kelly discusses her personal and social network in the arts and culture space in Jamaica. Verticals within the Arts and Culture Space Kellie shares her experience in attending various events and festivals, including art exhibits, book festivals, film festivals, and pottery festivals. However, she acknowledges the complexity of understanding each vertical within the arts and cultural space and the diversity across different territories. She talks about common roots and challenges, and shares how the team is planning to dive deeper into each sector in each country over the next year. Filmmaking in the region is not very country-specific, with some countries like the Dominican Republic doing better than others. Jamaica is getting better, but production costs are still prohibitive. The government has launched a Jamaica screen development initiative this year, which is optimistic about its impact on catalyzing production. She also talks about working across jurisdictions in the Caribbean. Kellie spends her time attending literary, film, and dance festivals, as well as reading and running. She also tries to connect with nature and enjoys spending time at the beach. She recommends Portland, a less touristy part of Jamaica, for its lush, quiet, and beautiful environment. She also recommends going up in the mountains, as it is the most beautiful part of the island. Kingston is a fun, vibrant, and culturally rich city to live in, with live music events, good restaurants, and nightlife. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Kellie mentions Werner Sollors' African American literature class; she also mentions African American History. Timestamps: 02:18 Return to Jamaica and Early Roles 04:57: Fight for Peace and Youth Violence Prevention 07:09: Caribbean Culture Fund and Fundraising Strategy 14:34: Selection Process and Grant Recipients 19:32: Social Network and Professional Connections 25:40: Cultural Recommendations and Personal Interests 32:22: Harvard Experience and Influence Links: LinkedIn: Caribbean Culture Fund: Featured Non-profit The featured non-profit of this episode is Heart of Dinner recommended by Nelson Wang who reports: Hi, I'm Nelson Wang, class of 92 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Heart of Dinner, a group that helps address loneliness, isolation and food insecurity among elderly Asian Americans in New York City. They do this by organizing volunteers to prepare hand illustrated brown bags filled with culturally specific food and other items and delivering them to those in need. I actually just started working with them, in fact, because of a mention on a group chat I'm in of the Harvard Asian American alumni Alliance, also known as h4 a, another great organization, but I had such a positive experience working with heart of dinner that I thought they would be great to highlight here, my 11 year old daughter and her mother and I made more than 20 hand decorated bags recently to help celebrate the upcoming mid autumn festival, the big holiday in the Chinese culture that's somewhat akin to Thanksgiving. And the group itself is super organized and effective, and they're planning to expand to other cities and other Asian communities. One great way to help is by organizing a corporate bag decorating event with your colleagues. Even if you're not located in New York City, you can still send in your illustrated brown bags by mail. They, of course, also welcome donations to help pay for the contents of their care packages. You can learn more about their work at WWW dot heart of dinner. All one word, heart of dinner.org, or by emailing Hello at heart of dinner.org, and they're very responsive. And now, without further ado, here's Will Bachmann with this week's scintillating episode of the 92 report. To learn more about their work visit:
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109. Michael S. Chen, Interventional Cardiologist
09/23/2024
109. Michael S. Chen, Interventional Cardiologist
Michael S. Chen graduated with a degree in investment banking. He worked at Hambrecht Quest, a smaller investment bank focusing on high tech and healthcare companies in New York City. After two years in investment banking, he decided to pursue medicine, inspired by his father's career as a cardiologist. He then went on to study internal medicine at UCSF, Cleveland Clinic, and then joined cardiac associates in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He has been with the practice for 18 years and is now the Chair of Cardiology at Shady Grove Medical Center, and Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at White Oak Medical Center. Challenges Faced by Cardiac Catheterization Labs Michael discusses the challenges faced by cardiac catheterization labs in meeting performance measures and ensuring proper procedures. He highlights the need to balance equipment requests with limited budgets and prioritize patient care. He talks about the importance of cardiologist performance in heart attack patients, focusing on door to balloon time and other metrics like aspirin and blood thinners. He mentions the importance of assessing the overall performance of the hospital as a whole, focusing on reducing time spent on administrative tasks and ensuring patients are on the right medications.The conversation turns to steps patients can take to ensure they are prescribed the right medication. Interventional Cardiology Explained Michael goes on to explain what interventional cardiology is, what the new trends are, and he addresses common misconceptions. He discusses the learning process for new techniques and tools, such as fellowships and medical device reps. Michael notes that fellowships are the most effective method for learning new techniques, but it's important to stay updated and stay updated with medical device reps. Other methods include working with other doctors, attending training sessions, or learning online through YouTube videos. There are various ways to learn and improve in this field. Physicians and The Business of Healthcare Michael discusses the business of healthcare and the factors driving physicians to work with larger healthcare companies. He explains that larger practices have more bargaining power and can offer lower rates and financial security. However, there are drawbacks, such as the need to balance autonomy with financial security. Michael talks about the increasing trend of private equity investing in physician groups, such as anesthesia and cardiology. Private equity is seen as a way to ensure return on investment, which can sometimes be more expensive than providing the best care possible. Stressors for cardiologists include cash flow, meeting payroll, and meeting electronic medical records and government regulations. However, overall, the fit has been good and cardiologists have been happy with the situation. Participating in the National Senior Games The conversation turns to fitness and sports. Michael keeps active in terms of exercise, running and working out. He recalls running a 5k five years ago and receiving a gift certificate from Panera for winning first place in his age division. He then qualified for the National Senior Games, (open to anybody 50 years and older) which features various events such as a 5k 10k, pickle ball, tennis, track and field, ping pong, basketball, and softball. Michael has competed in the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale and Pittsburgh. His mom competed in the 5K powerwalk and Michael competed in the 5K and 10 K road race. Michael came in 2nd in the 10K (and won a silver medal!) and 4th in the 5K in Pittsburgh in 2023, His mother placed 8th in the 5K Power walk in Fort Lauderdale in 2022. Michale mentions that he has a 5k coming up on Labor Day week, with his son running it with friends, and the National Senior Games. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Michael mentions Richard Taylor and TA Tom Roberts, and studying bipeds and quadruped to compare the energetics and mechanics. Part of the study included placing turkeys and chickens on a treadmill. They found that turkeys were quite stubborn and not smart, as they were not smart enough to run on a treadmill. They learned that turkeys were efficient at running and that their locomotion mechanics were efficient. They were fortunate to receive a Hoops Prize for their work, which ends up in the Lamont library. This experience was memorable, as the researchers' thesis is on display at the library. Timestamps: 02:13: Transition to Medicine and Leadership Roles 07:56: Administrative Responsibilities and Performance Metrics 13:08 Advancements in Interventional Cardiology 20:56: Running a Medical Practice and Personal Interests 36:27: Connecting with Harvard Alumni and Future Plans Links: Email: Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode is Cave Canem, recommended by Eisa Davis who reports: “Hi. I'm Eisa Davis, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Cave Canem. Cave Canem is an organization committed to the artistic and professional growth of black poets. And I have been a fellow and active member of the organization since 1999 Cave Canem is still going strong and has truly created the landscape in which poetry lives in the United States. You can learn more about their [email protected] that's spelled C, A, V, E, C, A, N, E, M, P, o, e, t, s.org, and now here is Will Bachmann with this week's episode. To learn more about their work visit:
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