Wise Up with OpenWater

Should You Start a Portfolio Career? with Jossie Haines

As Executive Coach and fractional software leader, Jossie Haines explains it, a “portfolio career” is similar to consulting — but it allows you to pursue many of your interests instead of just focusing on one.
Portfolio careers offer mix of project and fractional work across your skills and passions. But this path isn’t for everyone! In this interview, we discuss:
-What makes a portfolio career
-How you structure your time in a portfolio career
-Using social media and finding new business
For those looking for a change in work, a portfolio career might be a good option for you. For more about Jossie’s services, visit https://jossiehaines.com/.
The Wise Up! podcast is your weekly dose of business wisdom as delivered by the members of OpenWater. Subscribe to Wise Up!, the OpenWater Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube.

Stop Buying Dumb Greeting Cards and Other Ways to Fight Ageism, with Sara Hart, PhD

Sara Hart, PhD has been fighting for gender equity for decades. As the Founder of Prime Spark, Hart now focuses on helping women in their fifties and older eradicate gender ageism.
Gender ageism can take many forms, from the blatant exclusion at work, to condescension, to even the greeting cards people pick up that make big jokes out of getting old. In this chat, Hart talks about what gender ageism looks like, how to fight it, and how to be an ally.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How to re-frame your internal approach about aging
How you feel about aging can impact how long you live
How to do your part in eradicating ageism
The Wise Up! podcast is your weekly dose of business wisdom delivered to you by the members of OpenWater (Subscribe to Wise Up!: Apple Podcasts, Spotify). Sara Hart is a member of OpenWater, a new community focused on supporting midlife professionals transition into the next phase of their career by expanding networking, boosting profiles and connecting people with new opportunities. If you are interested in becoming a member, apply now.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Hart earned her Ph.D. at Northwestern University and then taught at Queens College in New York City. She spent 20 years at Pfizer where she was responsible for leadership, team, and organization development for the research division in the US. She also was head of HR at the research center in the UK.
After Pfizer, she founded Hartcom, a management consulting company. She also became Executive Director of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, an advanced research and advocacy group increasing the impact of women on all aspects of technology. At the Institute she created and led Innovation Workshops working dynamically with women and girls across academic, non-profit and high-tech corporate cultures. She also served as an Executive Director with Association Management Solutions which provides forum management services to some the most innovative technology associations. Sara received formal coaching training at the prestigious Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara and is one of only two certified Thinking Environment™ instructors in the United States.

The Four Kinds of Connection, with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Dr. Adam Dorsay is psychologist and author of the forthcoming book, "Super Psyched: Unleash the Power of the 4 Types of Connections and Live the Life You Love."
But what is connection? How do you know when you have it? How does it change?
Learn how connection can bring rejuvenation and more fulfillment to your life as Dr. Adam answers these questions and more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The four different types of connection
The difference between long-term connection vs. short-term excitement
The importance of authenticity in establishing new connections
OpenWater is thrilled to be hosting the Super Psychedbook launch event on October 15th in San Francisco. To find out more visit OpenWater.group. 
 
ABOUT SUPER PSYCHED
Connection is everything. Let a leading therapist to Silicon Valley’s top executives help you become super psyched by discovering your personalized formula for more energy, higher performance, better relationships, and a more meaningful life.
The harmful effects of loneliness and lack of fulfilling relationships are well-documented—higher rates of anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, addiction, and even premature death.
In providing nearly 20,000 hours of intensive psychotherapy, Dr. Adam Dorsay has effectively treated hundreds of patients, from adolescent gang members to survivors of torture to Fortune 500 executives and professional athletes in the pressure cooker of Silicon Valley.
The common thread? They all struggled with the same sense of seemingly unshakable unhappiness.
The solution? Restoring or creating the deep bonds of connection to what truly mattered in their lives.
Drawing on more than a decade of practical research and Dorsay’s groundbreaking work with Facebook as co-creator of its international resiliency program, Super Psyched reveals an innovative framework for readers to create their own Connection Formula—a customizable tool that allows users to strengthen their bonds in four basic areas: with others, the world around them, their spirituality, and (perhaps most importantly) themselves.
Packed with actionable advice, unforgettable stories, and unexpected insights, Super Psyched is the ultimate handbook for unleashing the power of connection to live the life you love.
ABOUT DR. ADAM DORSAY
Dr. Adam Dorsay is a licensed psychologist and executive coach in Silicon Valley where he serves high-achieving adults (including professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes). Adam is the host SuperPsyched, an award-winning podcast with over 200 episodes available on all platforms. He has given two highly regarded TEDx Talks: one about men and their emotions and the other about friendship in adulthood and his book on the topic of the four ways people connect is available on October 1, 2024.
Beyond his private practice, Adam is a resiliency expert who co-created an international program for Facebook’s Online Safety employees for several years. He now serves as the resiliency consultant to DigitalOcean and has frequent requests from the media for interviews. He has provided keynotes and trainings to multiple corporations and organizations, including Microsoft, Linkedin, and the California Psychological Association.
He is happily married, the father of young boys, and he has a hypoallergenic 33-pound Australian Labradoodle therapy dog named Raffi, who lives at his home and works at his office.

Leading for Inclusivity and Psychological Safety, with Minette Norman

When you're a leader at a company, creating room for a diversity of opinions and psychological safety in your teams is critical to your success. But how do you establish those mechanisms?
Today we chat with , former tech exec and now a speaker and author of "The Boldly Inclusive Leader." In this discussion we talk about issues like building true diversity of thought, inclusion and creating psychological safety across your organization.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The importance of cognitive differences
How Post-It Notes can make meetings more inclusive
Identifying blindspots (without getting defensive)
For more about Minette, or to book her as a speaker, visit https://www.minettenorman.com/
Minette is a member of OpenWater, which is building a community and platform to support midlife professionals by expanding networks, boosting discoverability, and connecting with new opportunities. To find out more, register for an information session and apply for membership.

Why AI is Not Just for Big Companies, with Justin Simpson

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly on its way to becoming ubiquitous, and Justin Simpson wants to make sure everyone benefits from its power -- not just the entrenched, big players. 
Justin is Co-Founder & Publisher of Here.Now.AI, the self-described "go-to guide for everyday, practical AI tools and innovations." In this chat, Justin breaks down why it's so important for small and medium-sized businesses to adopt AI tools to better compete in the marketplace.
Key Takeaways:
Why you should treat AI prompts as a conversation
The biggest misconception small businesses have around AI
Whether AI is over or under-hyped
Justin is a member of OpenWater, which is building a community and platform where midlife professionals can expand their networks, boost their discoverability, and connect with new opportunities. If you're interested in becoming a member, visit OpenWater.group.
 
About the Speaker:
Justin has a passion for expanding understanding of the practical applications of Artificial Intelligence, and in closing the AI knowledge gap, most recently by co-founding Here.Now.AI, a newsletter publishing and AI advisory business, and in conducting workshops and lecturing on AI for business and community groups.Justin’s global career in finance and organisational development has spanned the fields of banking, investment management, international diplomacy, and the nonprofit sector. 

From Zero to 1, and 1 to N, How to Effectively Transition Corporate Leadership, with Dave Zinman

There are business leaders that take a company from zero to one - your classic out of the garage story. But the person who gets from zero to one isn't necessarily the same person who can take that company from one to one million and beyond. 
Transitioning between those two phases can be tricky, and as our guest, veteran tech exec Dave Zinman, explains, there's a lot of time care and effort that goes into any hand off between a Founder and a new CEO. 
In this chat he talks about:
Determining if and when to bring in a new CEO
Why he refuses direct reports and decision making in the first 30 days when he comes in as a CEO
How both the company and the new leader can lay the groundwork for a successful transition
Whether you're building or scaling a startup, Dave's advice will help guide you through your next phase of growth. 
About the Speaker:
Dave is a proven, entrepreneurial leader with multiple, successful outcomes at emerging growth and at scale enterprises. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer at TextNow, the world’s leading free talk and text mobile service. He has a deep well of experience in data-driven businesses, and prior to TextNow, was Global President for Deputy. Deputy simplifies shift work with the leading SaaS platform of record for time, used by over 300,000 workplaces worldwide. Dave is also a board member of InMarket, a leader in real time, data-driven marketing.Prior to Deputy, he was COO at Drawbridge, a leading digital identity resolution company. LinkedIn acquired Drawbridge in June 2019, yielding high multiple returns for investors, including Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins. Following the acquisition, Dave completed a transition role as Senior Advisor at LinkedIn, and actively advises many growth scale software ventures today.Dave is credited by Wikipedia as co-inventor of the ad server, and co-founded AdKnowledge the same year. As CEO, and in several key leadership roles in the company, he pioneered ad serving and data-driven marketing. The company was sold for nearly $200M, representing a 10X return for investors.
 
About OpenWater:
OpenWater is building a community and platform designed for midlife professionals to expand their networks, boost their talent discovery, and connect with new opportunities. For more information, visit OpenWater.group.

Be an Optimist to Find Business Opportunities, with Andy Sriubas

You may not have heard of him before, but has been at the center of more than a few big disruptions in business. Whether it was converting a hotel video operation into mini cable service, getting information screens up in major subway systems or helping convert movie theater chains from film to digital projection -- Andy has a knack for shifting businesses in bold new directions.
In this Q&A, Andy chats about his work getting theaters ready for the first Avatar movie, how he negotiates for solutions rather than sales, and why you should be an optimist to see the opportunities others don't.
The Wise Up! podcast is your weekly dose of business wisdom delivered by the members of OpenWater -- a new community and platform built to help midlife professionals flourish. If you're interested in learning more, visit OpenWater.group.

More Than a Feeling, How Improving Happiness Can Improve Your Business, with Valerie Alexander

t's fair to say that happiness is something most people strive for. But all too often, happiness is something businesses overlook. As Valerie Alexander, Founder and CEO of Speak Happiness, businesses do so at their own peril. Having happier employees deliver all kinds of benefits to a company including reduced turnover, less shrinkage and better customer service.
In this talk, Alexander breaks down:
The three questions she asks to identify employee happiness
The impact of happiness on corporate success
Building happiness across generations
So come on world, there's a song that we're singin'. Come on get happy! (You'll be happy with the results).
The Wise Up! podcast delivers a weekly dose of business wisdom from the members of OpenWater. To find out more, visit OpenWater.group.
 
About the Speaker:
As a globally-recognized speaker on the topics of happiness in the workplace, the advancement of women, and identity & inclusion, and as a corporate culture consultant, specializing in assessing workplace happiness and training leaders how to maximize it, Valerie Alexander is committed to expanding happiness and inclusion in all communities. 
 
Valerie was the 2016 commencement speaker for her undergraduate alma mater, Trinity University, giving the inspirational talk, "Tiger at Heart,” and her TED Talk, “How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias,” has been viewed over a million times and is used as a teaching tool in board rooms and classrooms around the world. 
 
Her career started in the Silicon Valley as a corporate securities lawyer, investment banker and Internet executive, then transitioned to Hollywood, where she enjoyed success as a screenwriter and director, with all of those career paths culminating in her work as the CEO of Speak Happiness, delivering compelling keynotes, effective leadership training, and eye-opening assessments to corporate, nonprofit, educational and government clients. 
 
Valerie and her husband live outside Atlanta with their exuberant German Shepherd, Vegas, Baby!
 

How to Be a "Defiant Imposter," with Delida Costin

We've all heard of imposter syndrome, the feeling that you don't belong somewhere, typically in a job situation. But as our guest Delida Costin points out, there are times when people actually don't "belong" due to some existing institutional, systemic structures rife with racism, sexism and other factors. 
 
It is during these times that Costin believes in becoming a "Defiant Imposter." To recognize the situation you are in, and embrace who you are and overcome stereotypes imposed upon you. 
 
In this discussion, Costin breaks down what a "Defiant Imposter" is (and why it might be okay to be an imposter!), how workplaces can begin discussions around belonging, strategies to overcome existing barriers, and the importance of saying "Tell me about that." 
 
Delida Costin will be delivering the Ted Talk, "Defying Imposter Syndrome" tomorrow, August 7. Register for it here.
 
OpenWater is building a new community and platform that connects experience, midlife professionals with one another and to new opportunities. To find out more, visit OpenWater.group.
 
About the guest: 
Delida is committed to equipping individuals and teams to get to where they want to be. As a general counsel growth advisor, she collaborates with chief legal officers, transforming their departments from perceived cost centers into indispensable assets within the C-suite and boardroom. Her career spans over three decades in the corporate legal and people spheres where she has served as chief legal officer, chief people officer, corporate secretary, and board director. Her philosophy emphasizes valuing heartbeats as fiercely as dollars, paying attention to what others value, and recognizing accountability to a larger ecosystem. This approach has enabled her to make meaningful contributions that resonate beyond immediate surroundings.

How to Build a Company Without a Toxic Culture

The number one indicator of successful teams is psychological safety (according to a Google study). And guess what? Workers don't feel safe when the workplace is toxic! Thus reducing overall success.
So how can you avoid toxic work cultures before they take hold? To help us answer that question is Stephanie Tate, a seasoned People, Talent and Culture Executive with decades of experience.
In this chat, Tate breaks down what it takes to identify and defeat toxic work cultures. We discuss:
How toxicity manifests itself
How different generations view workplaces
Steps leaders can take to avoid creating toxic spaces
Plus we also learn what the term "cognitive abrasion" means! (It's actually a good thing!).
The Wise Up! Podcast is a weekly dose of business wisdom delivered by OpenWater members. To find out more about OpenWater's platform and community for midlife professionals, and apply for membership, visit OpenWater.group