Cathy Erway on How Fourth of July BBQs Build Family Traditions

In Chapter 2 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Erway shares how every Fourth of July her family and neighbors would come together for a barbeque to make large meals together. She shares how each year had a different theme and how Fourth of July BBQ food would be more than hamburgers and hot dogs.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Matt Curtis on Building a Hard Work Ethic One Project at a Time

In Chapter 1 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Curtis learns his work ethic by watching his grandfather constantly help others and find projects to do. Curtis takes this own approach in his life, building his work ethic by always finding a project to do where he can help others, including his current work on a urban rail system for Austin, Texas.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Randall Metting on How Role Model Father Inspires Marketing Career

In Chapter 2 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Metting shares how his father Roger Metting exposed him to the world of music and hooked him on live performance, including an early Bruce Springsteen show in 1978. From there, Randall's father supports his interests in branding and promotion and, as the music industry changes, pushes Randall to pursue a career in agency and event management companies.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Randall Metting on Job Search Advice for Recent College Grads

In Chapter 15 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "How Are You Becoming a Better Teacher?" Metting shares how he provided career coaching for a recent college graduate looking to find a new job. He advises the young graduate to write down ideal qualities for a job and then to start networking to meet people and find related job openings.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Anatole Faykin on Leaving a Job to Pursue a Bioscience Masters Degree

In Chapter 10 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Experiences in the Past Year Have Most Influenced the Direction of Your Work?" After working many years in technology startups and Internet marketing consulting, Faykin looks to do something that more closely aligns with his passions. He revisits his childhood passion for life sciences and decides to return to graduate school and earn a biosciences masters degree.

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.

Adam Geller on Finding Work That Brings Out Your Passion

In Chapter 2 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "When Are You At Your Best?" Geller finds he is at his best when he is passionate about the work he is doing. He feels it when he is excited about the problem he is working to solve. He does not mind staying late at work as long as he believes in the work he is doing.

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.

Geoff Hamm on Ways Childhood Shapes Personal Values

In Chapter 16 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" Hamm shares how seeing his parents' go through a divorce as a child taught him how he would and would not treat his wife as an adult. As he starts a family, his childhood experience keeps him mindful of how to disagree with his spouse in front of their children. Hamm also shares the profound influence his late grandmother had on developing his passions for cooking and respect for strong-willed women.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

Conrad Doucette on Finding His Passion Playing Music in High School

In Chapter 9 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, musician and digital strategist Conrad Doucette answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" Doucette shares how high school music experiences - from playing in bands to singing in choirs to being a marching band drummer - helped him find his passion and and hone his talent for music. He finds playing music, not sports, allows him to build confidence that helps him relax and learn outside the classroom.

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. 

Nina Godiwalla on Building Family Bonds in an Immigrant Community

In Chapter 1 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and entrepreneur Nina Godiwalla answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Godiwalla shares why she valued her experience being raised in a close knit Persian Indian immigrant community in Houston. She details how it informed her and her husband's decision to raise their two children in that same community. Nina Godiwalla is an expert on diversity, leadership and women in the business world. She is CEO of Mindworks, which provides leadership, stress management, and diversity training to companies all over the world. She is also a bestselling author and public speaker. Godiwalla earned an MBA from Wharton, a MA from Dartmouth and a BBA from the University of Texas.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen: What childhood experiences have been most fundamental in shaping who you are today?

Nina Godiwalla: I grew up in a Persian-Indian immigrant community. I really got this sense of community from being in that sort of environment, and, to me, now I have my own family. There are all these elements of community which I took for granted growing up, to me that was normal. My parents took us out for New Year’s, I was always with my family for our weekly events. It was much less just our family time, and everything revolved around our community, whether it was for a big event or for every single weekend, we were with our people in our community. So I think that sort of element has been incredibly impactful because I constantly feel like I have to create a sense of community for my family now when I think about what has had such an impact, and it’s interesting because my husband grew up in a completely different community but it was very much that way too, that they were part of a small community that they were always getting together, and so I think because we grew up in these communities, we both feel that, and it’s interesting because I don’t feel a lot of my other friends sincerely feel that way, and I think, partly, it may be because we’re both from different immigrant communities. I’m not sure if that is part of it, but it definitely—it informs so much of what I do now within my family life. It does inform my professional life as well.

Erik Michielsen: In what ways?

Nina Godiwalla: Well, I think, professionally, so much of what I determined what I would do when I was growing up, what I determined what I would major in, so much of what I was exposed to, from my entire growing up, like the first 18 years, was so much through that community, (chuckles) and so I think it informs all these choices you’re making at such critical times. What am I interested in? What are my interests? Who do I wanna be like? Who are my role models? All gets informed by this community, and you got your parents in this community, and so that was a lot of it, a lot of it was around that.

Richard Moross on the Value of Hard Work in a Startup Company Culture

In Chapter 3 of 14 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, Moo.com CEO Richard Moross answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Moross shares that he does not have a "work ethic" but rather sees it as investing time in doing what he is passionate about. Working at a startup, Sorted.com, Moross learns the value of hard work and is influenced by the commitment and dedication to quality of his co-workers.

Richard Moross is founder and CEO of award-winning online print business Moo.com. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member at Ladbrokes PLC. Before Moo.com, Moross was a strategist at design firm Imagination. He graduated from the University of Sussex.

Leslie Kerner on How Volunteering Can Help You Find Your Passion

In Chapter 12 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, education software company executive Leslie Kerner answers "How Has Volunteering Impacted Your Learning and Development?" Kerner starts volunteering in college, tutoring elementary and middle school children. This hands-on teaching experience ignites her passion for education and her desire to improve the K-12 teaching and learning experience. She gains more senior experience as a volunteer board member and learns leadership working with the Special Olympics and, later, Peer Health Exchange.

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.

Audrey French on How Parents Get Child Excited to Learn and Motivated to Succeed

In Chapter 3 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" From an early age, French is stimulated and motivated by learning faster and performing at a higher level than peers. She learns this from a stay-at-home mom and a father who challenge her to explore new concepts and solve problems. This excitement for learning carries through an accelerated education and, ultimately, into entrepreneurship.

Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Hammans Stallings on How Parents Raise Gifted Children

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?"  From an early age, Stallings finds his family an extension of his career.  He grows up in a family of doctors and learns medicine is not the career for him via a variety of experiences, from doing home Skinner Box psychology research to taking personality tests in junior high school to learning at camps such as Odessey of the Mind and Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP).

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.

How to Plan Your Future by Aligning Your Passions

In Chapter 8 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" He notes that while you cannot control your past you can take steps to create experiences that will shape your future. He finds places where his passions align and plans his goals around the possibilities that exist at that juncture.

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.

Jullien Gordon: Career Planning Advice for Millennial Professionals

In Chapter 17 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach Jullien Gordon "What Steps Have You Found Most Effective to Help Young Professionals Create Career Plans?"  When working with younger professionals - Gen Y and Millennials - on career planning, Gordon starts with a process to help clients get clear on life and career goals.  He lays out his 4-step process to create a dream life, attract a dream career, build a dream team and land your dream job and walks through why and how to do this.  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: What steps have you found most effective to help young professionals create career plans?

Jullien Gordon: Good question. So whenever I’m talking to a young professional to help them think about their career plan, I like to break it down into four different steps. And the four steps are, one, creating your dream life. Next is attracting your dream career. Then building your dream team. Then landing your dream job. And of course the acronym for “dream” means to have your desired relationships employment and money. So it’s really about your life design, and the reason I start with creating your dream life first is because your life is bigger than your career, a lot of times people allow their career to define who they are, when in fact who we are should define what we do.

And so I start with your life first. What is your vision for your life? And then let’s find a career path that actually allows you to have the life that you want. And so we start with creating your dream life and that’s a visioning process, thinking about your perfect average day, or your perfect average week, and what you want your desired relationships to look like, and your relationships not just being with your significant other or your kids but your spiritual source, your parents, your friends, your colleagues, what do you want those relationships to look like? What do you want your employment to look like? How do you want to create value? What problems do you want to solve? How do you want to use your passion on a daily basis? And then money, what is enough? And do you have enough? And really getting clear on what that is.

And then from there, attracting your dream career is all about your professional and personal branding, that’s your résumé, your cover letter, your web presence, and your business cards, the way you network, et cetera. Building your dream team means of course your networks up, down, across and out. So not just—a lot of people have strong networks across in terms of their Facebook friends, but if you look in their cellphone, 95% of the people are in their age group, I found that the most powerful form of networking is networking up with other professionals, with peers, with mentors, with leaders in the community, et cetera. Those are the people who are on the other side of the door that you’re trying to get into. Your peers can get you to the door, but you want to know who’s on the other side of the door who – or who has the key.

And then of course, finally, landing your dream job is all about the interview process, and nailing your first 90 days at whatever new organization that you’re at. So that’s how I like to help people think about their career journey.

Anatole Faykin on How to Make the Most of Living in a City

In Chapter 1 of 12 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Do You Make the Most of Living in the City?"  For Faykin, it comes down to walkable cities.  Cities such as Beijing challenge Faykin because they are not very walkable.  He contrasts this with Shanghai which has more pedestrian and walker friendly neighborhoods.  He finds New York City a very walkable city and as a result has enjoyed exploring it and living in it. 

Anatole Faykin is an entrepreneur currently working on a new startup as part of the Startup Chile incubator program in Santiago, Chile.  Previously, Faykin founded Tuanpin, a Shanghai, China-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011. He has worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startups. He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Using Design Passion to Make the World Better - Ross Floate

In Chapter 13 of 20 in his 2012 interview, branding and design strategist Ross Floate answers "What is the Source of Your Passion for Design?"  Floate defines design as more of a problem solving-based than an aesthetics-based discipline.  After establishing his career, Floate finds his work is less about the technical elements of design and more about problem solving as it relates to communication and process efficiency that creates .  Ross Floate is a principal at Melbourne, Australia-based Floate Design Partners.  Experienced in branding, design and both online and offline publishing, Floate and his team provide marketing services to clients seeking to better communicate business and culture goals via image, messaging, and story. He is a graduate of RMIT University.

Jon Kolko: Career Advice for Young Design Professionals

In Chapter 21 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, design educator Jon Kolko answers "How Can Young Design Professionals Better Prepare for Problem Solving Careers?"  Kolko notes how younger design professionals should first focus on finding subject matter you are passionate about in your work.  Second, he notes the importance of crafting a design process to create the work, honing it over time by reflecting on your work. 

Jon Kolko is the founder and director of the Austin School 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: How can young design professionals better prepare for problem solving careers?

Jon Kolko: Design professionals are already prepared for it. Just by calling yourself a designer and doing design process, design methods, you're solving problems. You could hone all of that. 

And so, I think one of my best suggestions for younger designers is first to find topic areas that you're passionate about. And so, typically design education doesn’t focus on content. Design is not about content explicitly. It's a very malleable discipline but to young designers, I say find content that you're passionate about so that you can gain some kind of depth of impact and breadth of impact at once. And so, if you're passionate about sports equipment, great, good for you. If you're passionate about the homeless, great, good for you. But find some content subject matter that you're passionate about. But then, I would start to really craft a process. 

For me and for my students, it's the use of center design process, it's about design with rather than design for, and it's about immersing ethnography, insights, ideation, and launching companies. That’s the process that works for us. It doesn’t have to be the process that works for everybody but knowing what that process is is critical. And a lot of designers really sort of have a -- have it like throw it at the wall and see what sticks and that’s their process. 

And it comes to back to reflection and we spoke a little bit about that prior. It comes back to this idea of reflecting on your work and then going out of your way to improve method, improve the way that you approach things, and being able to articulate that process to other people. Again, knowledge through sharing, describing what your process is to people in a way that they get it.