A Simple Rule to Live a More Fulfilling Life

In Chapter 21 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" As he gains experience as an entrepreneur, Geller finds that work alone will not allow him to live a fulfilling life. He pushes himself to set aside more time outside of work to feel more fulfilled. From cycling to yoga to healthy eating, Geller pursues things that add joy to his life. He finds that happiness outside of work makes work more enjoyable and sustainable as well.

Adam Geller is founder and CEO of Edthena, a video platform enabling online teacher coaching, peer review, and group learning. He is a recent Education Ventures fellow at the Kauffman Foundation and the founder of Teach For Us, a network connecting Teach for America corps members and alumni. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a MA from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Conrad Doucette on Turning 40 and Becoming a Dad

In Chapter 1 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, musician and digital strategist Conrad Doucette answers "What is on Your Mind as You Turn 40 This Year?" As a husband and a new father he notes the biggest change is that is his life priority has become his family. He shares the joy that comes with making that transition and how a milestone birthday such as 40 has made it all the more apparent. Conrad Doucette is a Brooklyn musician and the drummer for the band Takka Takka. 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.

Lauren Serota on Turning 30 and Letting Go of Expectations

In Chapter 19 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and educator Lauren Serota answers "What is on Your Mind as You Turn 30 This Year?" Serota looks at turning 30 as an opportunity for reflection and to assess where she has been, where she is, and where she wants to go. She looks at relationships, her work experience, and accomplishments and makes it a point to focus on what she has done versus what others have done.

Lauren Serota works as an associate creative director at frog design. She is also a teacher at the Austin Center for Design (AC4D). Serota earned a bachelor's degree in industrial design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Fabian Pfortmüller on Rethinking Career Ambition As You Grow Older

In Chapter 5 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" Pfortmüller finds life in his 30s teaches him life is more a marathon than a sprint. As a self-described ambitious person, he finds ambition can be dangerous if you do not maintain some work-life balance. He creates more with doing less and, surrounded by ambitious peers, finds what is right for others is not always right for him. Rethinking career ambition helps Pfortmüller better balance professional and personal goals, including family and relationships. Fabian Pfortmüller is co-founder of Holstee, a socially conscious online marketplace, and Sandbox Network, a global community for young entrepreneurial people. Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University.

Michael Margolis on Living Better by Deciding What Matters Most to You

In Chapter 13 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing as Your Experience Grows?" Margolis shares Lao Tzu wisdom on adding to your life by taking away or subtracting things. Margolis adopts this philosophy in his own life as he learns to say no, to set boundaries, to managing information technology streams and battle the oft competing priorities of serving others while taking care of your self. He shares what it is like to go through a process of finding what matters to you in life and how he is working his way through it. Michael Margolis is founder and president of Get Storied, an education and publishing platform dedicated to teaching the world how to think in narrative. He earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Tufts University.

Tricia Regan on Setting Career Goals Making Films for a Living

In Chapter 15 of 15 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, filmmaker Tricia Regan answers "What Goes are you Setting as You Look to What Comes Next in Your Film Career?" To continue making films for a living, Regan realizes she needs to set new career goals around taking better care of herself financially, politically, and personally. She notes the emotional toll making her film "Autism: The Musical" took on her and what she learned about the experience. Regan feels taking initiative across these areas will make her less vulnerable when pursuing new creative work to make films. Tricia Regan is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker known for writing, directing and producing documentary films, including the Emmy-winning "Autism: The Musical". She also has worked extensively in non-fiction television for A&E, ABC, FOX, Lifetime, MTV Networks and NBC. Regan earned a bachelors from Binghamton University and masters from New York University. 

Clara Soh on Learning by Reflecting as a Peace Corps Volunteer

In Chapter 4 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, health economist Clara Soh answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Your Personal Growth?" Soh shares what she learned about herself as a Peace Corps volunteer working in West Africa. Living in a Muslim country learning the language and slowly breaking into the community, Soh learns to embrace time alone and use the downtime for reflection on her life. Clara Soh is a health economist and Senior Director of Policy and Research at a pharmaceutical trade organization in Washington, DC. Previously, Soh held senior roles at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (KPCHR) and Health Policy Research Northwest (HPRN). Soh earned her Masters of Public Administration (MPA) in Policy Analysis and Healthcare Public Finance from the NYU Wagner School and a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.

Leslie Kerner on Making the Senior Manager to Executive Job Transition

In Chapter 21 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, education software company executive Leslie Kerner answers "What Leadership Skills are Becoming More Relevant As Your Career Progresses?" As she transitions from senior management into executive leadership at her company, Kerner works on vision casting and future planning skills. Working with two executive coaches helps her develop these skills. She also taps into her network, including her Aspen Institute NewSchools Fellowship cohorts, to get peer advice on setting vision for an organization.

Leslie Kerner is Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Professional Services group at Amplify, a software and services company innovating K-12 education. She is responsible for building and managing training, professional development and consulting services for schools. Previously, Kerner worked as a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche. Kerner earned an MBA from the Duke University and a BA from Northwestern University.

Bijoy Goswami on What Stewardship Means

In Chapter 6 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, leadership philosopher Bijoy Goswami answers "How Do You Define Stewardship and Why is It Becoming More Important to Your Work?" Goswami shares how he sees life as a journey and how being a steward to a person can help them live most fully. After years stewarding or coaching others in an ad hoc way, Goswami looks for ways to more systematically affect change in others.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University.

Bijoy Goswami on Using Self-Awareness to Help Others

In Chapter 16 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, leadership philosopher Bijoy Goswami answers "How is Your Personal Journey Experience Informing How You Help Others Find Their Way?" By working to understand himself - the individual and collective impacts of spirituality, relationships, career ambition, etc. - Goswami is able to apply what he learned as a model or process to help others on their respective life journeys.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software.  Goswami graduated from Stanford University.

Why to See Yourself Through the Eyes of Others

In Chapter 6 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" For Stallings, his aspirations are constantly informed by the accumulation of experiences. To better understand how he is showing up in the world, he relies on seeing himself through the eyes of family, friends and colleagues to get feedback and counsel.

Hammans Stallings is a Senior Strategist at frog design. Previously he worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Phil McKenzie on Using Positive Thinking to Reflect and Grow

In Chapter 4 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?"  McKenzie finds reflecting on a weekly basis helps him understand what is going right and where he can improve.  He finds taking a positive approach to looking for what went well each week helps him celebrate success and build momentum for his next week. 

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder and Global Curator of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss the current and future state of influencer culture. Prior to that, he was Managing Partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC and an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co.  He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Cathy Erway on Using Reflection to Hone Writing Focus

In Chapter 6 of 17 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, writer and healthy food advocate Cathy Erway answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?"  Writing a memoir and charting two years of her life helps Erway focus on healthy, just, local and seasonal eating advocacy projects.  Writing, from blog or recipe posts to magazine articles, provides Erway a timeline of experiences she can reflect upon and learn from over time. 

Cathy Erway is a Brooklyn-based author, part-time cook, freelance writer, radio host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Andrew Epstein on Finding Personal Best by Facilitating Collaboration

In Chapter 6 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "When Are You At Your Best?"  Epstein finds he performs best bringing together teams to work on problems together.  He finds he brings people together in his personal life and sees it translate into his work. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Jullien Gordon on Finding a Spiritual Community

In Chapter 6 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach Jullien Gordon answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Gordon talks about finding a spiritual community after relocating from the West Coast to the East Coast.  He details why that is important to his well-being and what he and his wife are doing to fill that void short-term - watching Agape Sunday services online - as they look for the longer-term connection.  To complement this resource, Gordon invests in his marriage, daily journaling and weekly meetings with his coach.  Jullien Gordon is a high performance coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase employee performance, motivation, engagement and retention.  He earned a BA from UCLA, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a Masters of Education from Stanford University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: At this moment in your life, where are you seeking advice and coaching?

Jullien Gordon: That’s a good question. I’ve had a very difficult time finding a spiritual community in New York in the way that I found it in California, both in Oakland and in L.A.

Erik Michielsen: What have been the challenges in finding that spiritual community in New York versus what you’ve found in Oakland and in Los Angeles?

Jullien Gordon: My spirit is at my core. And it is the reason I’m here and the more connected I am with that source of energy, the more powerful I move through the world. I mean there’s different types of energy, there’s your spiritual energy, there’s your emotional energy, there is your mental energy, and your physical energy. And for me, my spiritual energy is definitely at my core. We had initially found a community, that community—I like to say transcended and kind of evaporated, and so we are in search now. Currently we watch Agape Live on Sundays which is—Agape is a spiritual community in Los Angeles, California, and we watch that service through live stream at noon, Eastern Standard Time. And so that’s been our way of connecting, but if we could have it here in person, we believe that that would be more powerful for our growth and development. I do have a coach who I meet with about every two weeks who supports me, and holds space for me and challenges me and holds me accountable. So that’s been a powerful space for me and I invest in that. Outside of that, it’s been just a lot of deep introspection in terms of journaling on a regular basis. I call the first 30 minutes of my day first period and I use that space to meditate, to journal, to reflect, to read, and so my books and my own journaling and my own writings have been kind of my space of coaching and analysis. But I wish I could have a community of people who have a similar vision as me that I could meet regularly to work through some of the challenges that I’m having as an entrepreneur, as a man, as a husband, as a son. That would be a very healthy space for me, but I haven’t been able to find it yet, so it’s been a solo journey—or with the exception of my wife, she’s been my greatest source of feedback and accountability and safety, and so I wouldn’t—and I’ll call her my coach in a lot of ways.

What Factors Determine Your Work Ethic - Lulu Chen

In Chapter 5 of 16 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, art director Lulu Chen answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?"  Chen considers nature versus nurture when thinking about the origins of her work ethic.  She finds influences do come from outside forces such as parents or work experience but also feels much of work ethic is inherent and part of who you are. 

Lulu Chen is a photo art director working in retail e-commerce in New York City.  Previously, Chen worked as a freelance stylist for leading fashion catalogs and magazines.  She earned a BFA in design and art history from the University of Michigan.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: Where did you learn your work ethic?

Lulu Chen: I don’t think you learn it. I think it’s just who you are. I think it could be developed, you know, the whole nurture versus nature argument. I think my parents always worked really hard. And so they were good examples of working really hard and I learned probably some of the work ethic from them but also I just—it’s never really a question—you just always do the best that you can. But I don’t know if that was learned or just who I am.

Erik Michielsen: And do you have people ask you about that? 

Lulu Chen: I don’t think people really talk about it. I mean I think you get hired again as a freelancer, if they know that you care and that you work hard. And that you’re invested in their project as much as they are, or, you know, I think that it becomes expected when somebody knows who you are, and you—if you’re having a slacking off day, you know, they’ll notice it, but it’s ultimately not because you’re trying to be lazy or something, you know. 

How Nieces and Nephews Inspire Creative Thinking - Conrad Doucette

In Chapter 7 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, musician Conrad Doucette answers "What Have You Found Most Gratifying About Being an Uncle?"  Doucette, an uncle to multiple nieces and nephews, details the joys of having young children in his live.  He finds it eye-opening to see things through a child's eyes, especially creative tools.  Seeing the creative side flourish in his nieces and nephews provides Doucette creative inspiration in his music writing and playing. 

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.

Matt Ruby on Taking Comedy Skills Beyond Just Being Funny

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian Matt Ruby talks to Erik Michielsen about honing his comedy voice and improving his skills over time.  Ruby notes that he has more work to do being vulnerable on stage and giving himself greater stakes to make a difference to the audience on stage.  He notes that his work is becoming less about just trying to be funny all the time and instead taking charge of what he wants to talk about and then layer the humor in that work. 

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian and comedy writer based in New York City.  He produces a video comic strip at Vooza.com, co-produces the weekly show "Hot Soup", co-hosts the monthly show "We're All Friends Here", and writes a comedy blog "Sandpaper Suit".  Ruby graduated from Northwestern University.