Revising A Dream When Adversity Hits: A Conversation with DIYMFA’s Gabriela Pereira

Gabriella Pereira is the founder of DIYMFA, an online writing community and a virtual alternative to the traditional MFA creative writing program. When she was 24, Gabriela received the life-changing diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Last week on my podcast Embark, she shared her story in the hope this conversation sparks more conversations about the stigma we attach to mental illness, and how we can change the language around it. The following is an excerpt of that conversation. (more…)

It Really is About You: What Your Messaging Reveals

We’re constantly bombarded with messages on TV, the radio, cable news, social media, magazines, advertising, and podcasts. How do you separate good messaging from the noise? Message Artist Deb Goeschel, creates websites and visual branding for businesses and organizations, spoke with me last week on my Embark podcast to share what goes into an effective message.  Turns out, it starts with asking questions. Lots of questions. I had a few of my own.

These are edited excerpts of our recorded conversation. (more…)

A Growing Trend Toward Suicide Among Young Children

Mental health – or an increasing lack thereof – has become a familiar topic of conversation in the last year. Sudden quarantine, social isolation, fear of sickness or family loss have added to the genuine everyday stress many of us experience. Widespread depression and anxiety have been compounded by economic and housing insecurity and social inequities.

These strange times have taken an emotional toll on adults, and even more so among children and adolescents.  Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control show a dramatic increase in suicide ideation and completed suicide among children and young adults 10 to 24 years old since the pandemic started. Shockingly, the incidence of suicide among children – as young as 5 to 11 years old — is on the rise. (more…)

Breaking the Chains of Human Trafficking

It’s a global industry valued at over 150 billion dollars, with over 25 million people in itsworkforce.  It is an industry built upon greed, manipulation and exploitation. This industry is human trafficking, an ever-growing enterprise, which often happens in plain sight. One segment of trafficking involves indentured servitude, and exploitative labor practices which proliferate hospitality services, agriculture, construction, domestic services, warehousing and countless other businesses. (more…)

Anxiety: An Owner’s Manual – Managing Mental Health in Uncertain Times

 

Jon Mattleman is the Massachusetts clinical director of Minding Your Mind, an organization that provides mental health education to adolescents, teens, and the adults in their lives. With over 35 years as a therapist and presenter Jon grounds his work in delivering tools and techniques that can be implemented in real time to make meaningful change.  He holds a BA from Clark University, and an MS in counseling from the University of Hartford. In addition to his work with minding your mind, john continues with private practice to offer presentations, consultations and consulting services. We spoke last week. This is an excerpt from our conversation, which you can hear in its entirety on the Embark podcast. embarkthepodcast.com. (more…)

Rock Your Brand. Change Your Brand.

Rock Your Brand founder Rachel Pintarelli believes the power of story and transparency of self are the true connectors in marketing. Her mission is to help small business owners be brave, and find their footing, delivering a message of who they are without apology: consistently, courageously and confidently. We spoke about how the events of the last seven months affected her decision to re-brand her business, as well as trends, and brand do’s and don’ts. You can hear the complete audio conversation with Rachel at www.embarkthepodcast.com.

LS: So, how did you come to ‘Hey, I think I’ll do branding?” (more…)

In Search of a Cancer Vaccine

This excerpt comes from last week’s recorded interview with Keerthi Shetty, Senior Manager of Strategic initiatives at the Center for Personal Cancer Vaccines at Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She talks about her team’s research and ground-breaking development off a vaccine for cancer. Listen to the complete audio conversation at embarkthepodcast.com.

LS: Hi Keerthi.  Thanks for joining us today.  Tell us a about your work with Dana Farber.

KS:  I serve essentially as a program manager and liaison – the glue that interfaces with the scientists, the clinicians, regulatory people, legal folks, finance team, to make sure we’re all aligned in getting towards the goal of treating patients with these personal cancer vaccines. (more…)

Making the Workplace More Human


Stela Lupushor is on a mission to humanize the workplace. She consults with the Conference Board’s Fortune 500 corporations members on rethinking workplace strategies. She leads Reframed.Work Incorporated, and consults on how to create inclusive workplaces, the use of technology, human centered design, people analytics and future thinking. In 2018 Stella founded Amazing Community, a nonprofit that expands the work horizon for women 45-plus. She has transformed the workplace at the intersection of technology analytics and human resources at Fidelity Investments, TIAA, IBM Price Waterhouse and PwC Consulting and their clients.  Here’s an edited version of the audio interview you can hear in its entirety and subscribe at embarkthepodcast.com

LS: Stella tell us about your work with reframe.

SL: I [had worked] in management consulting with organizations to help them transform their IT infrastructure, think of a different way to improve processes or service delivery models or come up with new strategies. (more…)

Publishing During Covid: In Conversation with E. Dolores Johnson

This is the second part of our conversation with Johnson, whose ‘Say I’m Dead’, a Family Memoir of Race Secrets and Love, was published this past June by Chicago Review Press.  The interview was originally published on actsofrevision.com. Hear the complete interview with E. Dolores Johnson  at embarkthepodcast.com.

LS: Let’s switch gears  and talk about publishing during Covid-19. Because there aren’t enough problems in the publishing field as it is,  we have to have a pandemic in the middle of it.
(more…)