Hattie Elliot on Changing How You Work to Be Happier at Your Job

In Chapter 1 of 19 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, female entrepreneur Hattie Grace Elliot answers "How Are Your Personal Priorities Changing as You Get Older?"  As she turns 30 years old, Elliot becomes more realistic about the importance of making a certain amount of money running her business.  Elliot shares how she became frustrated from not getting paid enough for the work she was putting into her business.  She steps back, reevaluates her model, and addresses the problem by altering her business plan.  Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How are your personal priorities changing as you get older?

Hattie Elliot: I think I’ve always been someone who finds just kind of personal happiness in, you know, again with what I do for a living, really creating and wielding a career path for myself that if I’m gonna work really hard, I really want to deduce pleasure from it. But as I get older, I, of course still, you know, being happy is important, but also I think I’ve kind of become much more realistic in terms of the monetary return that I expect. And I’ve become much more honest with myself about that. I’m just not I guess willing to put up with what I might’ve put up with 3 years ago or 4 years ago ‘cause now, it’s go time. Now is a time when, you know, I think it’s really important to reap the benefits and the fruits of all of the labor that I kind of structured and put in early on and continue to put in to my business.

Erik Michielsen: What do you think about that realism that’s coming with experience, what one example or two examples stand out in your mind in kind of shaping the direction you’re taking?

Hattie Elliot: It’s almost impossible to ever actually monetize the amount of work and the ridiculous, you know, MacGyver in you have to do from the time—from concept to execution. And, you know, till you tie that pretty bow around that event, like the amount of work that goes into it. So, you know, it’s definitely—I think I began to kind of get a little bit bitter and a little bit frustrated with the fact that I was putting so much effort into the business and that, you know, that certain things, like membership fees and certain aspects of my company were making money, but then I was constantly churning out events that were a ton of work and they weren’t as profitable, and so I kind of had to step back and really do one of the most difficult things to do which is, you know, really assess and reflect back on, you know, why I was feeling this way, and why I was, you know, feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. Which is very, you know, humbling, wonderful and terrifying task to do. And, you know, really reevaluate it and come up with a plan moving forward to address it, and to really MacGyver and fix the situation.

Hattie Elliot on Turning 30 and Updating Life and Career Plans

In Chapter 8 of 19 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, female entrepreneur Hattie Grace Elliot answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?"  Elliot shares how she recently turned 30 and how it has put a more immediate timeframe on her personal and professional goals.  From meeting your financial and savings goals to getting married and starting a family, Elliot makes a point to work through what she wants and how she is going to achieve those goals.  Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How are your personal experiences shaping your professional aspirations?

Hattie Elliot: Well, I’m getting older. I don’t know if I would say I’m necessarily super wiser, but older. And I think part of that is that, you know, I—there’s certain things that I’ve really wanted in my life, and it’s a lot easier when you’re in your, you know, early 20s, I turned 30 last year, I’m gonna be 31 this year. I’ve really enjoyed getting older, but at the same time you’re not in that position anymore where you’re like, “Someday I’ll have a family.” “Someday I’m gonna buy a house.” Someday this, someday that, like, today is that someday. 

So I think that that these personal aspirations and personal experiences and where you wanna be—especially when it comes to having a business in your professional life, you realize you kind of have to make sure that your professional life, especially in the case when you have your own business is able to provide you or that you’re able to, to the best of your ability, attain the personal aspirations that you want with the professional means that you have. That comes, you know, monetarily, you know, sense of security, because you wanna start building, like, a nest for yourself. A nest egg and be able to take care of yourself, and if you have kids, hope—you know, your kids and your parents as they get older, and your family. You want to be able to just live the life you wanna live. You know, you don’t wanna constantly be nickel and dime’ing it. 

If you wanna travel, or you want to live in a certain area, you wanna be able to actually provide that and be able to build that and do that for yourself and so you have to, you know, be able to—you know, whether it’s you feel like you need more time in order to do so more, personal time to, you know, build real relationships, to build a romantic relationship, to maintain relationships with friends and family to make you happy. You need more money to be able to actually just, you know, live your life the way that you wanna live it, you have to take that into account and structure your professional life accordingly. Whether it’s, you know, having more flexibility time-wise, and, you know, being more disciplined about that, or bringing in, you know, the amount of, you know, fiscal income that you need. So I’ve definitely become, you know, much more aware of that, and become much more strict about it.

Adam Carter on Living a Happier and More Purpose-Driven Life

In Chapter 1 of 13 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, micro-philanthropist Adam Carter answers "When Are You at Your Best?"  Carter finds his personal bests when he is mindful of living in the moment.  He finds people, places and purpose to be the principles that motivate him and drive him toward a happier life. 

Adam Carter is a micro-philanthropist currently living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  He is the founder of the Cause and Affect Foundation which raises small amounts of financing to provide direct-to-source project funding for individuals and communities in need across the globe.  To date, Carter has traveled to over 80 countries.  He earned an MA in International Development from George Washington University and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: When are you at your best?

Adam Carter: I would say I’m at my best when I’m mindful of who I am and what I want to do and who I want to be, so I’m very conscious about—for example, living in the moment. I mean, I see all kinds of self-help books, and I see a lot of people reading self-help books, and the say, “Oh, yeah, got to live for the moment. That’s right,” and then they put the book down and they start yelling at the guy in front of them in traffic, and they start stressing out, over, you know, the most minute details, so, I’m really—I feel like as long as I can really be mindful of that, and be mindful of some of the principles that drive me, that I will be happy and successful in whatever I’m doing. So much of what I do has to do with everything that I’m thankful for and realizing just how much I have—I’ve had in my life, and so as long as I keep that in mind, it helps me kind of focus on the other goals that follow from that which would be, in this case, all the philanthropy work that I’m doing to help those that aren’t quite as fortunate, so as long as I don’t lose sight of that, and I’m living in the moment and I’m mindful, then I find that the rest of my life is a lot more rewarding and a lot more at peace, and happy.

Erik Michielsen: What are the principles that drive you?

Adam Carter:  Years ago, I realized there was three things that I needed to keep myself happy and to keep a rewarding life and they were people, places and purpose. So, first of all; surrounding myself with good people, with people that I trust, people that I like, people that have something to offer, people that share some of my vision, or even just share in my pension for life. Second, would be places. I discovered years ago that in my travels there were certain places that I really felt comfortable and that I really felt that I mixed well with, places that I could maybe call home or that I would enjoy living in or staying in, whatever. And third would be purpose. And this is—even if you’re in a good place and with good people, if you don’t have a good purpose in your life, if you’re not doing something rewarding, it’s gonna feel empty. So I found that with those three, it’s hard to take one out and really maintain that wholeness of life.

Adam Carter on Why to Relocate to Brazil and Establish Residency

In Chapter 5 of 13 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, micro-philanthropist Adam Carter answers "Why Did You Move to Brazil and How Has the Experience Informed Your Future Plans?"  After traveling to over 80 countries, Carter finds a calling in the personable and positivity of the Brazilian people and culture.  Feeling a special connection, Carter decides to visit for a while, learn Portuguese and acclimate to the culture while doing micro-philanthropy work in the favelas.  Ultimately, he commits to the move and establishes residency in Brazil. 

Adam Carter is a micro-philanthropist currently living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  He is the founder of the Cause and Affect Foundation which raises small amounts of financing to provide direct-to-source project funding for individuals and communities in need across the globe.  To date, Carter has traveled to over 80 countries.  He earned an MA in International Development from George Washington University and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: Why did you move to Brazil, and how has the experience informed your future plans?

Adam Carter: Well, I moved to Brazil because it was the single place in the world that called me more than any other.

Erik Michielsen: How so?

Adam Carter: Brazilians are one of the most gregarious and friendly and open-minded people that I’ve come across in the world, and they’re simply a joy to be around. I think anybody that’s been to Brazil will tell you that the Brazilians have a zest for life that is hard to find anywhere else, and it’s a kind of place where, even after the first time I was there, I felt a special connection. I’m not one for hyperbole, so I didn’t walk out there saying, “this is the best place in the world, “ but I said to myself,  “all right, Adam, you need to come back here, spend a little time, learn Portuguese, get into the culture a bit.” I took it slow. I went back for about three, four months, learned Portuguese immediately, I studied on my own, and I’d already spoken Spanish, so that was easy, and the more I learned about Brazil, the more I got into the culture, the more I felt comfortable, and it got to the point where I started doing my philanthropy work down there, so I had that whole ‘nother connection there, and I started to make friends that I just—every time that I was there, I felt more comfortable, and it’s the kind of place where I’m always happy. I feel happy when I’m there. There’s something about, between the people and the natural beauty and the culture, and it’s just such a lively place. It just makes you feel alive, so I got to the point where instead of ferrying back and forth from Chicago down to Brazil, and then going back home for the summer, I decided to just pick up and move to the place where my heart was calling me, and I landed in Brazil.

Erik Michielsen: And how has that informed your future plans?

Adam Carter: So moving to Brazil has really dictated my future plans because I realize that I had to make a living there. It’s different going down for a few months and having a good time and doing this charity work which is volunteer, that’s a lot different from realizing, okay, I got to find a way to support myself. So for me the only way to do it is to really jump in headfirst. And so I got down there, started to assess my opportunities, realized that it’s very difficult for a lot of these companies to get a work visa for foreigners, so I realized that I needed to, if possible, get my own residency there. So I went through that process through investing in a business and this and that to obtain my permanent residency. Some friends and I have a start-up based here in the states, so at this point, I’ve been able to do my work remotely from Brazil which is wonderful because it just goes to show, this would not have been possible even ten years ago that I can live in one country and in effect, be doing my business in another. I mean, and over the years I’ve seen so many people living these lifestyles that I realized, well, hey, why sit in an office in the States if I don’t have to? When I can be down in Brazil where I can continue my philanthropy work, and I can really be where my heart is. So it’s an adjustment, you know, living in another culture and trying to find out what your place is professionally. So I’m trying to keep my options open to see exactly where the start-up, how it matures and how it progresses because I need to just be sure that if I am doing something different that I’m down in Brazil that I need to make sure that I’ve got a niche down there as well.

Ken Rona on How Family Relationships Change With Age

In Chapter 1 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, digital media executive Ken Rona answers "How Are Your Family Relationships Changing as You Get Older?"  Rona has learned that the things that give him the greatest satisfaction are his relationships with friends and family.  Aside from being estranged from his father, Rona notes time spent with those dear in his life far outweighs benefits of material goods. 

Ken Rona is a Vice President at Turner Broadcasting, where he leads teams across advertising sales, big data software development and business strategy.  Rona earned a BA and MA in Political Science from Stony Brook University and a PhD in Behavioral Economics from Duke University. 

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How are your family relationships changing as you get older?

Ken Rona: Certainly more important. I mean I know there are people that get satisfaction from driving really fast cars. I’m still waiting on that car. We can talk about that actually from last year. I still haven’t pulled the trigger on it. You know, there are people who get satisfaction from particular experiences or particular things or—My satisfaction really comes from my friends and my family. I’ve said that people—I don’t really care where I live as long as my friends are there really, that’s what defines a home for me, where’s my friends and my family.

So our 25th reunion would’ve been a couple of years ago and that’s when everybody discovered Facebook, so it’s actually been really cool to get back in touch with some of the high school folks that I hadn’t spoken to in 25 years. So I have a kind of renewed interest in getting back in touch with folks and reconnecting, some of those folks I owe apologies to. And I’ve—My wife I think would tell you I do a really good apology, my mea culpa is about—I’m very refined but I’ve actually learned to be really refined about that because I’ve had so many—so much practice.

So I think what’s interesting is that as I get older, that stuff becomes more important. The, you know, with probably the lone exception of, you know, I have one—my father and I are estranged—I would say with the exception of that. You know, I think that these things as you get older kind of become more meaningful because you realize that so much of the materialism isn’t really meaningful, right? It’s the—I’d much rather spend an hour with my son or daughter than buy a new suit. You know, like it’s not even close, right? 

Mark Graham on Embracing a Corporate Career Path

In Chapter 9 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, digital media executive Mark Graham answers "How Are You Learning to Work Across a Corporate Organizational Culture?"  Graham shares how he has learned to embrace working at large corporations, starting with his first two jobs at Borders and General Motors and continuing on to VH1.  Corporate job experience teaches Graham how to manage more effectively across large, diverse teams. 

Mark Graham is currently a managing editor at VH1, an MTV Networks company. Previously Graham worked in editing and writing roles at New York Magazine and Gawker Media.  He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English.  

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How are you learning to work across a corporate organizational structure?

Mark Graham: Most people hate corporations but I sort of love corporations, and I think part of it is just that’s sort of the way that I was—that I’ve been raised in my professional career. My first job out of college, I worked for Borders. Rest in peace, Borders. No longer exists as a company, but I did work for a big organization and sort of learned in the marketing—in a marketing role, sort of learned how different areas of organizations interface and how projects get green-lit and budgeted and accomplished and realized. 

From there, I went and I worked at General Motors, another huge corporation. And so I think—and Viacom, again, that’s another huge corporation. For whatever reason, I enjoy it. I like being able to touch lots of different areas of a business, to interface with different people who have different skill sets, different goals, different needs. 

Now I’m on the editorial side but I used to work on the marketing side of the business. I sort of understand how the numbers work and how to really integrate people and understand different goals of different teams within the organization, and be able to navigate that way. So I think just having grown up in corporate environments, I just sort of get it, and I like it, I understand—I sort of understand how things work within those spaces, and it’s something that I feel very comfortable in.

Conrad Doucette on What Makes a Music Career Meaningful

In Chapter 2 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, musician Conrad Doucette answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  Doucette finds music engages him in a heartfelt, soulful way.  All his life Doucette has wanted to play music and it is a feeling he cannot imagine not having in his life. 

Conrad Doucette is a Brooklyn musician and the drummer for Takka Takka, which released its 3rd studio album, AM Landscapes, in late 2012.  He has performed with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, The National, Alina Simone, and many other leading acts.  When not performing music, Doucette is the communications and brand director at music licensing and publishing startup Jingle Punks.  Doucette earned a BA in History from the University of Michigan.

Conrad Doucette: The Best Part About Being a Professional Musician

In Chapter 3 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, musician Conrad Doucette answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  As a professional musician, Doucette compares playing music to getting a natural high or "runner's high."  Playing music forces Doucette to face his own self, to engage his mind, and to receive the physical adrenaline, all of which electrify and inspire him and his work. 

Conrad Doucette is a Brooklyn musician and the drummer for Takka Takka, which released its 3rd studio album, AM Landscapes, in late 2012.  He has performed with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, The National, Alina Simone, and many other leading acts.  When not performing music, Doucette is the communications and brand director at music licensing and publishing startup Jingle Punks.  Doucette earned a BA in History from the University of Michigan.

Conrad Doucette on Getting to Play With Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead

In Chapter 17 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, musician Conrad Doucette answers "What Did It Mean to You to Get Asked to Play With Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead?"  A longtime fan of the Grateful Dead and Bob Weir's rhythm guitar playing, Conrad sees a dream come true when asked to join The National and play Grateful Dead songs with Bob Weir for the Bridge Sessions in March 2012.  The preparation for the performance gives Doucette a first-hand view of watching a master, Weir, rehearse for a show and direct the band.  Conrad Doucette is a Brooklyn musician and the drummer for Takka Takka, which released its 3rd studio album, AM Landscapes, in late 2012.  He has performed with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, The National, Alina Simone, and many other leading acts.  When not performing music, Doucette is the communications and brand director at music licensing and publishing startup Jingle Punks.  Doucette earned a BA in History from the University of Michigan.

Simon Sinek on Finding Joy in Serving Others

In Chapter 5 of 16 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Sinek finds it magical to give an individual something that impacts his or her life.  To serve and give your time and energy to enliven others gives Sinek that magical feeling and satisfaction in why he does what he does.  Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people.  His goal is to "inspire people to do the things that inspire them" and help others find fulfillment in their work.  Sinek is the author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action".  He works regularly with the United States Military, United States Congress, and many organizations, agencies and entrepreneurs.  Sinek is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and an adjunct staff member at the think tank RAND Corporation.  Sinek earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Brandeis University.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen:  What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Simon Sinek:  There is something magical about being able to give people something that impacts their lives. It’s more powerful than you know throwing a few coins in the cup of someone homeless. It’s when you go and you know build a house for somebody who doesn’t have a home. You know, it’s that kind of thing. It’s being in service to someone. And being able to give your time and give your energy to people and to see them, I mean live, you see them come alive and to—and when people come up to you and—it’s funny, people say the same thing to me because you’ve probably heard this a hundred times they say, and it doesn’t matter because every time I hear it, it is—it’s what fuels me. Yeah. That’s magic.

How Your Family Can Help You at a Career Crossroads - Randall Metting

In Chapter 5 of 7 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, brand marketer and on-air radio personality Randall Metting answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?"  Metting notes it has been especially supportive during a career crossroads.  Getting feedback when he questions pursuing a current role or choosing to leave a position to try something new has been invaluable in his career.  That family feedback has helped Metting find a place where he is doing his best and living fully.  Randall Metting is an on-air radio personality at 93.3 KGSR Radio in Austin, Texas.  When not on the radio, Metting consults organizations on integrated marketing strategy and brand development.  He also writes the Austin community music and entertainment blog at www.randallmetting.com.  Metting earned a B.A. in Advertising from the University of Florida.

What Keeps Startup CEO Excited About His Job - Richard Moross

In Chapter 1 of 17 in his 2012 interview, London entrepreneur and Moo.com CEO Richard Moross answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Moross finds reward working with his colleagues, channeling his passion in its product and doing so all the while learning new business skills.  Collectively, the people, passion, and purpose allow him to tie his curiosity and expression to creating value in the world.  Moross is founder and CEO of Moo.com and a leader in the London startup scene.  Before starting Moo.com, an award-winning online print business, Moross was a strategist at Imagination, the world's largest independent design company.  He graduated from the University of Sussex, where he majored in philosophy and politics.

What Makes Product Design Work Meaningful - Richard Moross

In Chapter 2 of 17 in his 2012 interview, London entrepreneur and Moo.com CEO Richard Moross answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  Moross does not believe meaning is created in his work; rather he finds his Moo.com products create a canvas that customers can use to tell their own stories.  Moross finds great joy creating new product designs that enable more effective customer storytelling.  Moross is founder and CEO of Moo.com and a leader in the London startup scene.  Before starting Moo.com, an award-winning online print business, Moross was a strategist at Imagination, the world's largest independent design company.  He graduated from the University of Sussex, where he majored in philosophy and politics.

How to Value Your Business Network - Richard Moross

In Chapter 6 of 17 in his 2012 interview, London entrepreneur and Moo.com CEO Richard Moross answers "How Do You Value Your Business Network?"  Moross sees the strength of his network as how much it provides value to others rather than how much it provides value to him.  He finds great joy finding opportunities to help people by making connections with his network.  This is especially true with the recruiting, hiring and job seeking process, as Moross finds it eliminates inefficiency and insincerity that come with recruiting, sourcing, and headhunting firms.  Moross is founder and CEO of Moo.com and a leader in the London startup scene.  Before starting Moo.com, an award-winning online print business, Moross was a strategist at Imagination, the world's largest independent design company.  He graduated from the University of Sussex, where he majored in philosophy and politics.

Joe Stump on Finding Joy Working a Job You Love

In Chapter 2 of 14 in his 2012 interview, Internet entrepreneur Joe Stump answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Stump shares how working a job he loves comes at the intersection of his passion, his hobby, and his profession - software development.  He compares this to what he thinks it must be like to be a professional sports player and play a game you love for a living.  Joe Stump is a serial entrepreneur based in Portland, OR. He is CEO and co-founder of Sprint.ly, a product management software company.  Previously he founded SimpleGeo, which was sold to Urban Airship in October 2011.  He advises several startups - including attachments.me and ngmoco:) - as well as VC firm Freestyle Capital.  He earned a BBA in Computer Information Systems (CIS) from Eastern Michigan University. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Joe Stump: I think what I enjoy most, to be totally honest, is that I get to look like this and act the way that I do and still make a decent living and work on what I love. But I think what I love most about what I do is that it doesn’t feel like I'm actually doing it. I say a lot that I'm often blessed and cursed that my passion, my hobby, my profession are at a perfect intersection.

So, that’s probably like the best thing that you can say, right? ‘Cause like I do exactly what I want to do and I just happen to get paid for it. I think I'm one of the few people maybe that works in an office environment that can say I kinda get what it's like to be like a professional sports player, like they get paid to play a game and like do what they love. So, that’s probably number one.

Jon Kolko on Finding Joy Changing Careers From Business to Teaching

In Chapter 3 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, design educator Jon Kolko answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Kolko discusses making the transition working as a design professional to teaching design at the school he founded.  He discusses the rush he gets in the classroom and across parts of the "ivory tower" experience such as reading, researching and writing about complex problems. 

Jon Kolko the founder and director of the Austin Center for Design.  He has authored multiple books on design, including "Wicked Problems: Problems Worth Solving."  Previously he has held senior roles at venture accelerator Thinktiv and frog design and was a professor of Interactive and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  Kolko earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Jon Kolko: I loved everything about design. I just love being a designer doing creative design work, making things. I've sort of transitioned in the last couple of years. So being called an academic has always sort of stung me like ah, that’s bad. In the last three years, I've decided that in fact, I am an academic and it's good. And so, I think in the same sort of excitement and personal rush that you get from doing creative design work. I also now get from teaching. And so, that’s sort of have been a revelation to me that it's okay to live in an intellectual ivory tower to some degree as long as you make that ivory tower accessible. I don’t feel bad that I enjoy reading and writing and thinking about complex problems. And so, for me, that’s been something that’s been making me really, really happy recently is any time I can spend actually teaching in a classroom. Weirdly, I'm spending less and less time teaching in a classroom because as the Austin Center for Design is more successful, there's more administrative crap to do. I don’t mind doing the crap. It's called crap because it's not fun but it's also not bad because it's still my baby. I'm still really enjoying it. I could see in the future that would definitely be something for somebody else to do but for the time being, anything that’s related to teaching and design is really, really giving me a lot of pleasure.

Idan Cohen on 3 Reasons to Travel Somewhere New

In Chapter 7 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, Boxee co-founder and head of product Idan Cohen answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Traveling to New Places?"  Cohen first notes the importance of overcoming fear and acclimating to and learning to appreciate a new place.  Secondly, he notes the reward that exploring a new place or city presents and finding the expected as well as the unexpected, in particular local secrets.  Thirdly, he finds fulfillment meeting new people along the journey. 

This is Idan Cohen's Year 1 Capture Your Flag interview.  Cohen is co-founder and head of product at Boxee Inc, an online video software company.  Previous to Boxee, Cohen held telecom software innovation and developer roles at Comverse.  He was a Captain in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and graduated from Tel Aviv University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Geophysics and Art.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What have you found most rewarding about traveling to new places?

Idan Cohen: I think that it’s composed of 3 things. 

So first of all, overcoming fears, a lot of times when I get to new places, I don’t like investing in research before I go there. I kind of really like discovering by myself. But it always brings some kind of an uncertainty when you get there. Like I remember when I visited New York for the first time, I was terrified. I came back—actually I was there for 2 weeks for the first time I was there, when I was 18. And I came back and I said, I don’t like that city. I just—It’s too big. It’s too noisy. It’s too busy. I was afraid. Like I got there, it was the mid-‘90s. People told me, put your wallet in front pocket, you don’t—you don’t wanna be careful from this area, you wanna be careful from that area. And then, you know, few years later, I was there again, and again, and again, and again, and I just fell in love. And I’ve seen that happen in a lot of other places. I just get there and I have this fear, because I don’t know enough. But then as you get comfortable, that fear goes away. 

A second part is actually the part of exploring. So not researching before, just being able to walk in the streets and find it by yourself. And every time I find that I actually probably once I’ve been to a new place, and then I talk to other people maybe then I see that I’ve found—probably half of the things that I’ve found are the most common probably, you know, run of like exactly what you were supposed to find as someone, a tourist or someone visiting a new place. But then the other half is just things that I stumbled upon. Which are these little secrets of the locals, which I think that a lot of times when you do research before you won’t find. 

And then the third part is obviously socially just meeting new people wherever you are, just interacting with the waiter in the restaurant, you know, with the barman, bartender, with the guy on the street that helps you find something. That’s the most interesting part.

Idan Cohen on Developing a Passion for Building Products

In Chapter 8 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, Boxee co-founder and head of product Idan Cohen answers "What is the Source of Your Passion for Building Things?"  Cohen references his joy creating beautiful products or useful devices.  He appreciates a holistic product design process and compares it to the 20th century Golden Age of furniture design. 

This is Idan Cohen's Year 1 Capture Your Flag interview.  Cohen is co-founder and head of product at Boxee Inc, an online video software company.  Previous to Boxee, Cohen held telecom software innovation and developer roles at Comverse.  He was a Captain in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and graduated from Tel Aviv University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Geophysics and Art.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What is the source of your passion for building things?

Idan Cohen: It’s basically creating beautiful useful devices or products that are also—I put a lot of emphasis to how the process—what is the process like. A lot of things can look very nice from, you know, from outside or from the surface, like I really appreciate for instance, Apple for actually engineering the inside of their computers, and making them look beautiful. 

It’s magnificent when you open, like the Mac mini which is probably the most negligent product Apple is doing, but it has this beautiful thing that when you open it and when you look inside it’s just beautifully laid out, and I’m sure that they have actual people that are in charge of making that look nice, so for me, it’s all about the whole process being, you know, holistic and very aesthetically pleasing. So at the end of the process, it’s about creating something that’s functional but you really enjoy the process. 

So I like working with materials, software is somewhat of a material designed in a lot of—you know, that’s pretty great how the last 5 years were not about the actual technology, but much more about the user experience and the design, because I think that the design is much more coming closer to kind of like the golden age of furniture probably in around like, you know, the previous century, which was much more creating beautiful things, and putting an emphasis on materials. So it’s somewhere between these—and that’s what I’m attracted to, I really, really—it’s not about software, it’s not about internet, it’s about products.