Bijoy Goswami on Finding Strength Through Conscious Living

In Chapter 17 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "At This Moment in Time, What Are the Sources of Strength and Struggle in Your Life?" Goswami shares how he tries to live a life where he consistenty expands his consciouness through experiencing and learning. He struggles when he tries things when the situation or timing is not right but ultimately finds strength through the process of embracing and not retreating from new experiences.

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. 

Anatole Faykin on How Academic and On-The-Job Learning Compare

In Chapter 11 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Does Learning in an Academic Setting Compare and Contrast With Learning on the Job?" Faykin shares how on-the-job learning focuses more on achieving incremental steps rather than thinking big about how things work. He contrasts this practical learning with the freedom of an an academic environment, where thinking is less about making money and more about giving yourself space to think more deeply on subjects.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Anatole Faykin on Studying Life Sciences to Refresh Business Career

In Chapter 16 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Do You Expect to Use a Life Sciences Master's Degree in Your Business Career?" As a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple businesses, Faykin goes to school first to pursue his passion for studying biosciences and life sciences. He notes that by re-immersing himself in the field of science after many years away he hopes to identify problems to solve by starting new companies to build products that address them.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Michael Olsen on Deciding Where to Move After Getting a Job Offer

In Chapter 18 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "What Has Been Your Approach to Determining What City is Best Suited for You?" Olsen receives a job offer from Accenture and is told he can choose to live in any city where Accenture has an office. Olsen uses Microsoft Excel to structure his thinking and make a more informed decision on where he and his girlfriend should go, ultimately deciding on San Francisco.

Michael Olsen is a management consultant at Accenture. Previous to Accenture, Olsen earned dual MBA and MPH degrees at Emory University in Atlanta. Olsen earned a BA in symbolic systems from Stanford University and spent the next five years founding an IT consulting company, Redwood Strategies. 

How to Get Promoted Faster in Your First Job After College

In Chapter 6 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "What Did You Learn on Your First Job After College That is Still Relevant Today?" Finding an entry-level job working in HR consulting, Law finds ways to stretch himself and get new opportunities as a business analyst. He looks for ways to stretch himself outside his business analyst job to gain new skills specializing in technology, which leads him to get more client-facing experience and get promoted faster.

Bryan Law is a Principal in the Global Business Strategy Group at Google and a board member at Angola University. Previously, he was a manager at Monitor, a management consulting firm. He has worked in consulting roles at Watson Wyatt and Mercer. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business and a BA from Georgetown University. 

How to Cultivate Child Curiosity for Learning

In Chapter 4 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "How Do You Encourage and Support Your Children's Curiosity for Learning?" Pryor learns from his Mom that giving young children an opportunity to explore at a young age fosters curiosity and learning. He relocates his family to the San Francisco Bay Area in large part to give his kids year-round opportunities for family time outdoors and museums that make learning continuous, fun and exciting.

Ramsey Pryor is a product management executive at IBM focused on cloud-based collaboration and security software products. Previously he was VP Product Marketing at Outblaze, acquired by IBM. Pryor earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Northwestern University. 

Parenting Advice on Raising Digital Native Children

In Chapter 7 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "What Does It Mean for You to Be Engaged in Your Children's Education?" Pryor finds teaching his two children - a kindergartener and a 3rd grader - about setting boundaries on exposures to screens, from TVs to iPads to other electronic devices. Raising digital native children also pushes Pryor to accept responsibility as a parent to keep his kids in a safe learning environment that embraces interactivity without constantly being over their shoulder.

Ramsey Pryor is a product management executive at IBM focused on cloud-based collaboration and security software products. Previously he was VP Product Marketing at Outblaze, acquired by IBM. Pryor earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Northwestern University. 

A Question to Ask Your Child Each Day After School

In Chapter 19 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, elementary charter school network CEO Preston Smith answers "How is Your Parenting Approach Evolving as Your Children Grow From Infants into Toddlers?" With a 3-year old and a 5-year old both now in school, Smith learns ways to engage his kids after the school day. Getting advice from a cohort member from his Aspen Institute Pahara fellowship, Smith asks not "What did you learn today?" but rather "What questions did you ask in school?"

Preston Smith is co-founder and CEO of Rocketship Education, the highest performing low-income school system in California. After graduating the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Smith joined Teach for America. After three years teaching 1st Grade, he founded a district school in San Jose and became its principal. Smith was selected as a member of the 2010 class of Aspen Institute New Schools Fellows. 

Conrad Doucette on How Hands-Off Parenting Fuels Creative Work Ethic

In Chapter 8 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, musician and digital strategist Conrad Doucette answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Doucette shares ways childhood experiences shaped his creative work ethic. From moving to many new places to having hands-off parents who allowed him to explore, Doucette develops creative tools he uses as an adult working in digital media and performing as a drummer with different artists. 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. 

Simon Sinek on Pushing Beyond the Tried and True Into Something New

In Chapter 15 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "How Do You Balance Experimentation and Commitment in the Projects That You Pursue?" Sinek shares what he has learned about striking that balance between pushing boundaries developing new concepts and appreciating the need to stay committed to your best work. He notes that innovation requires risk and, in his own life, he pushes himself to practice what he preaches. This requires Sinek to create new material while staying mindful there will always be an audience for the "greatest hits". Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Simon Sinek on Learning a New Way to Write a Book

In Chapter 19 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "As You Have Been Writing the Second Book, How Has it Felt Differently Than the First?" Sinek finds writing his first book "Start With Why" far easier than writing his second, "Leaders Eat Last." He notes how the first came naturally after years developing the concept in hiw work. It just required him writing down the ideas he had been using. The second book, however, required him to develop a new concept from the start and figure it out while he was researching and writing the book. Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Lauren Serota on Blending Life Passions and Career Goals

In Chapter 21 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and educator Lauren Serota answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Serota shares how work and life experiences integrate together into how she lives her life. She notes how life outside work - from exercise and cycling to personal relationships to traveling - inform life inside work and vice versa. As a creative leader, she looks to always learn and figure out the right homeostasis between her work and life that keeps her simultaneously happy and challenged.

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 Why to Take a Slow Approach to Travel

In Chapter 3 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Traveling to New Places?" Pfortmüller notes how his travel philosophy has shifted from "visit as many sites as possible" to a more "slow travel" approach to staying in a foreign place and appreciating his daily surroundings. He compares traveling to India in his early twenties with a recent trip to Iran and how appreciating the little things can be so rewarding. 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.

Fabian Pfortmüller on Cultivating Middle Eastern Culture Passions

In Chapter 4 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Are You Cultivating Your Passion for Middle Eastern Language and Culture?" After graduating with a college degree in Middle Eastern studies, Pfortmüller travels to Iran to hone his Arabic and Farsi language skills while learning about the culture. While in New York, he channels his passion for Middle Eastern culture into food adventures sampling Egyptian, Lebanese, and Syrian and the conversations they start. 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.

Fabian Pfortmüller on Why to Take Employees on a Destination Retreat

In Chapter 12 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "Why Did You Plan a Month-Long Employee Retreat and What did the Experience Teach You?" Taking Holstee employees on a month-long destination retreat in Oaxaca, Mexico teaches Pfortmüller the value of getting out of the office and coming together as a team to bond as a family. This family culture element allows teambuilding to develop naturally through the shared experiences of going somewhere new and experiencing it together as a team. 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.

Yoav Gonen on Ways to Keep Beat Reporting Stories Fresh Over Time

In Chapter 6 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What New Challenges Are You Facing in Your Journalism and Reporting Career?" Working on the education beat as a newspaper journalist for nearly six years, Gonen looks for ways to keep his stories fresh after reporting on topics that repeat over time. He looks to different story formats to do deeper reporting and pushes himself to find new work routines to get out of the office and do reporting work on the street and at events. Yoav Gonen is a reporter and City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Post daily newspaper. Previously he spent nearly six years covering the education beat for the New York Post. Gonen earned a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Journalism from New York University.

Newspaper Reporter Yoav Gonen on Building Storyfinding Job Skills

In Chapter 7 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What Skills Are You Using More as Your Career Advances?" Gonen shares how he is honing two types of job skills to find newsworthy stories. He first learns how to build better news source relationships and how to talk to news sources to obtain information the general public will value. Second, he hones his approach to story research and building online research skills. Yoav Gonen is a reporter and City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Post daily newspaper. Previously he spent nearly six years covering the education beat for the New York Post. Gonen earned a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Journalism from New York University.

Yoav Gonen on Getting Paid to Do What You Love

In Chapter 17 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Gonen shares how difficult if not impossible it is to separate work and life. In a newspaper beat reporting job covering education, being on call means that work issues occur regularly outside business hours. He finds satisfaction in that he loves his work and that his work feeds his passion for exploring and visiting all aspects of the city where he lives. Yoav Gonen is a reporter and City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Post daily newspaper. Previously he spent nearly six years covering the education beat for the New York Post. Gonen earned a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Journalism from New York University.