RMV 17 Sandra Kulli: You Can Design Community

In our newest episode, we introduce you to Sandra Kulli, a community architect, dedicated to creating extraordinary places that focus on fostering human connection.

As she practices the business and art of placemaking, Sandra is an advocate of thoughtful design and innovative problem-solving.

Starting her career as a teacher in a rich and vibrant inner city school system, over the years, Sandra has learned that community is local. And personal. So in her work, and her daily life, she is always looking to connect with others in a more meaningful way.

Today she shares her story and experience with us, including her 5 steps for building community well-being.

Show Notes:

Tres Santos in Todo Santos, Baja California Sur
Happy Planet Index
Daybreak, Salt Lake City, UT
The Pinehills, Plymouth, MA
MIT Age Lab
M Train by Patty Smith
Little City Gardens, San Francisco, CA
Ron Finley, Gangsta Gardener
Alone Together by Sherry Turkle
Ride-Arc, Los Angeles, CA
CicLAvia, Los Angeles, CA
Summers Corner, Charleston, SC
Inventing Desire by Karen Stabiner
XPrize
Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie

RMV 15 Jenny Jin: You Can Design For College (and Beyond)

In our newest episode, we introduce you to designer, Jenny Jin, whose motto is “always be learning!” A graduate of Stanford and MIT, she recently worked at the Alicia Foundation, founded by world renowned chef of El Bulli, Ferran Adria, to promote healthy eating for everyone.

Jenny is an entrepreneurial learner and doer, and is here to inspire us with her a sense of optimism, and roll-up-your-sleeves, kick-open-your-own-door attitude. Living up to her motto, we recently caught up with Jenny as she was preparing to lead a class at MIT’s Edgerton Center for Experiential Learning to teach undergrads how to apply design thinking to their lives.

Always the collaborator, Jenny wanted us to let everyone know that she is grateful for her amazing graduate TA's for the class - Lea (background in education), Nila (background working in oil rigs), and Prerna Sekhi (background in social enterprises) - who all dropped other classes to make helping facilitate this class a priority.

RMV 13 Story Musgrave: Should You Really Try To Design Your Life?

What CAN'T you say about Story Musgrave? He holds 7 graduate degrees in math, computers, chemistry, medicine, physiology, literature and psychology, and has been awarded 20 honorary doctorates. He was a part-time trauma surgeon during his 30 year career as an astronaut, AND has had a cameo on Home Improvement.

Today, in his 80s, he operates a palm farm in Florida, among other things, including giving amazing talks about human performance, and raising his youngest daughter, also named Story.

We asked him how he designed such an incredible life and he told us he’s not sure you can, or should. However he does it, his perspective, and life story is absolutely fascinating.

RMV 11 Deke Sharon: You Can Design A Cappella Into A Global Phenomenon

Today we talk to the father of contemporary a cappella, Deke Sharon. In college, Deke decided to make a career of singing in this relatively obscure style, even though people laughed at him and thought he was crazy for doing so.

Now, at 47, after serving as music director and arranger for Pitch Perfect & Pitch Perfect 2, and producer of NBC's The Sing-Off, he's staring in his new show, Pitch Slapped premiering this week on Lifetime.

In this episode, we talk to Deke about how it's possible to spread harmony through harmony, and design a cappella into a global phenomenon based on passion and perseverance.

Show Links

The Beelzebubs, is an all-male a cappella group from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song."

Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert speaks out AGAINST passion, explaining why sometimes not having a passion can lead to an even more fulfilling life.

It's not "What do you want out of life?" but maybe rather, "What are you willing to struggle for?"

RMV 10 Mike Duncan: You Can Design The Past

We’re in the double digits, y'all! (sfx: NYE party horns)

In the newest Results May Vary episode, we talk to fish-monger turned award-winning history podcaster, Mike Duncan, about how you can design the past — to engage more people in our shared human history, as well as to gather insights that our useful for us to design our future. His approach to design thinking is as much guided by passion and creativity, as it is intentional and exhaustive.

Best known for The History of Rome podcast, Mike’s latest endeavor, Revolutions, is a weekly podcast series examining great political revolutions. His upcoming book, "The Storm Before The Storm" will examine Roman history between 135 B.C. to 80 B.C. with special attention given to the question: "If America was Rome, where are we on the historical timeline?"

Today, Mike Duncan offers incredible insights on how to:

- Make history accessible to more people through storytelling
- Use podcasts to fill in knowledge gaps in education
- Supplement your mindful, creative work with paid work that doesn’t drain your brain
- Shed light on the current Syrian refugee crisis by examining the past
 

How can you use Mike Duncan’s experience as inspiration to design your own life and increase your creative confidence? You have to listen to RMV 10 to find out!

Show Links

The History of Rome Mike's 5-year labor of love to cover the history of the Roman Empire from start to finish. Pretty much the gold standard for all other history podcasts.

Revolutions Mike's current labor of love, a weekly podcast series examining great political revolutions. Now: The Haitian Revolution. Next: Simon Bolivar and Gran Columbia.

The History of Rome Tours History-focused trips to some of most amazing locations in the ancient world, led by Mike himself and a series of knowledgeable guides.

The Ancient World Scott Chesworth's history podcast, which takes a broad view of the very early development of human society from the earliest civilizations down through to the Greeks and Romans in THREE epic series: The Ancient World, The Ancient World - Rediscovery, and his current creative pursuit, The Ancient World - Bloodline, tracing the generations from Cleopatra to Zenobia. (full disclosure: Scott is also Tracy's extremely handsome husband and she wrote this sentence, so you know it's true)