エピソード

  • Inger-Lise Schwab Reflects On Life, Work, And Parenting In Norway (And Some Amherst Mischief)

    Inger-Lise Schwab Reflects On Life, Work, And Parenting In Norway (And Some Amherst Mischief)
    2025/01/31
    The Amherst Class of 1994 diaspora has expanded all over the world, including to Norway. That's where we find Inger-Lise Schwab representing the Purple and White. In this episode, she shares thoughts on how to combat sunlight deprivation, the distinctions between the elite colleges and universities in the United States and the more egalitarian Norwegian system of higher education, and lots and lots of Amherst College memories, many of them dripping with mischief. Oh, and she's the only classmate I've interviewed (so far) to have an IMDB credit (look it up). In this episode, you'll learn: The creative ways Inger-Lise and her family bring light and lightness into their world, especially when they may only get a few hours of sun a day in the wintertime The role that the Amherst College dining halls played in creating social cohesion The naked bike rides through campus, swimming in the nearby reservoir, "after hours" visits to the observatory, and other fond memories she has of campus life The Amherst classmates she wants me to interview next You can find her on Facebook. Big thanks to Susan Antebi for recommending Inger-Lise for the pod!
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    55 分
  • Josh Hamermesh Transformed Near-Tragedy Into Living His Best Life

    Josh Hamermesh Transformed Near-Tragedy Into Living His Best Life
    2025/01/24
    I've been thinking a lot lately about how I want to spend the next 20 years of my life. How should I dedicate my time, which is more precious to me than it ever has been? My Amherst College classmate Josh Hamermesh has asked and answered this big question for himself, and the results he has achieved have me feeling more optimistic about my own future. After graduating from Amherst in 1994, Josh played professional basketball in Israel, went to work in consulting, and earned his MBA from Harvard. That eventually led him to the world of biotech and pharma, where he rose through the ranks and held some big jobs. But rather than experiencing any major exits or critical value creation, his experience included many “small company” challenges: downsizings, bankruptcies, and strategic changes in directions. These often caused him to change jobs every 3-4 years. Having grown fatigued with that pattern - and having nearly suffered a terrible loss in his family - Josh pivoted to teaching business for Milton High School (Massachusetts). To my ear, he has never sounded happier or more fulfilled, and he has helped me refine my own thinking and planning for my next 20 years. It's also obvious just how much Josh loves Amherst College, and how much his experience there continues to shape his life. In this episode, you'll learn: The near-tragedy that befell Josh's family - and the productive introspection it provoked Why preparing for class each day is similar to stand-up comedy The instructors and coaches who have informed Josh's approach to teaching Why beating Williams in basketball was one of the happiest, most memorable events in his life Whom from the Amherst Class of 1994 Josh wants me to interview next To reach Josh, email him at jhamermesh@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
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    1 時間 3 分
  • Fernanda Bressan’s Mission: Help Her Clients Get Unstuck

    Fernanda Bressan’s Mission: Help Her Clients Get Unstuck
    2024/12/30
    As you prepare to ring in the New Year, you might be asking, in 2025, how can I achieve a better alignment with my family, career, and especially myself? This episode just might help you answer that question. Join me as I chat with my Amherst College classmate Fernanda Bressan (nee Soicher), a business coach who is an expert in helping clients get unstuck in any aspect of their lives. In this episode, you'll learn: Why it's so hard to achieve work-life balance - and what's better to pursue instead Her unique approach to coaching executives at blue chip clients such as Google, Accenture, and Hermes The key insight she gleaned about herself during her four years at Amherst College that propels her work even today The one characteristic that entrepreneurs like Fernanda can't do without The Amherst classmates she wants me to interview next Follow Fernanda and her firm, Foundfully, via their website (www.foundfully.com) or on Instagram, connect with her on LinkedIn, or email her at fernanda@foundfully.com.
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    45 分
  • Hector Garcia Encourages His Students To Silence Their Phones And Listen To Vinyl

    Hector Garcia Encourages His Students To Silence Their Phones And Listen To Vinyl
    2024/11/04
    Put down your phone. Pick up a real book, and give yourself time to think deeply. That's the message of this episode's guest, my Amherst College classmate Hector Garcia. Don't mistake his perspective for a desperate clinging to a fading past, though. This guy loves to teach young minds at Loyola University Chicago, and he never stops innovating through course design. Along the way, he reminds his students - and us - that there's a great big world to explore. We can't engage it meaningfully if we subject ourselves to always-on digital stimuli. In this episode, you'll learn: The patterns Hector sees in the last 60 years of social unrest, including protest at Amherst College in the early 1990s How he innovates through course design and instruction The balance he strikes in the classroom and beyond between the timeless and the contemporary His unlikely journey from Chicago to Amherst The Amherst classmates Hector would like to hear from next So take a break from non-stop election coverage, pop in a cassette, or better yet, catch up with Hector in this episode. He'll make you feel better about the world. To get in touch with Hector or learn more about his work: LinkedIn Email: hgarci1@luc.edu Taller de Jose, an organization that delivers companionship and personal attention to people who have difficulty finding their way in a complex social services system Follow Makelit on X
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    52 分
  • Susan Antebi Studies The Legacy Of Eugenics in Modern Mexico

    Susan Antebi Studies The Legacy Of Eugenics in Modern Mexico
    2024/09/20
    Susan Antebi has built a career based on both the depth and breadth of her fascinating interests. In recording this episode, she taught me so much about things I had never considered. Susan is Professor of Latin American literature at the University of Toronto. Much of her award-winning writing and research focuses on ways the disabled or abnormal are depicted in Mexican culture. She traces some of these depictions to the eugenics movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I know a bit about eugenics and its awful place in US and German history, but I didn't know anything about its presence in Mexico. In this episode, you'll learn: The origin of Susan's passion for cultures and languages The ways in which the eugenics movement shows up today in Mexican culture How some reality TV programming can be seen as the modern day manifestation of the carnival freak show Why she's researching depictions of the paranormal The Amherst classmates she'd like me to interview next To get in touch with Susan, email her at susan.antebi@utoronto.ca or contact her on Facebook.
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    43 分
  • Anibal Martinez May Not Travel The World, But The World Comes To Him

    Anibal Martinez May Not Travel The World, But The World Comes To Him
    2024/09/09
    Raised by a single dad in the Bronx, Anibal Martinez developed an eagerness to see the world at an early age. Anibal studied abroad not once but twice during his four years at Amherst College. He served in the Peace Corps in Papua New Guinea. Before enrolling in law school, he worked as a flight […]
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    50 分
  • Yutaka Tamura, Owen Stearns, & Seth Reynolds On The Founding, Crisis Point, And Ascension Of Excel Academy Charter Schools

    Yutaka Tamura, Owen Stearns, & Seth Reynolds On The Founding, Crisis Point, And Ascension Of Excel Academy Charter Schools
    2024/08/26
    In a Pre-Made Podcast first, I have not one but three guests. They were Amherst College classmates who became colleagues in the creation of a charter school, and they have a remarkable story to tell. Yutaka Tamura (Amherst Class of 1994) founded Excel Academy in 2003. He recruited classmates Owen Stearns and Seth Reynolds to join him on his board. Serving primarily lower-income households in East Boston, Excel nearly collapsed after its first year. This episode reveals not only how and why Yutaka created the school. It takes us inside its first tumultuous year and explains how, with the support of Owen, Seth, and others, he laid the foundation for the academy to become one of the top performing public schools in all of Massachusetts. I learned so much about the importance of culture - what it is and how to build it right. You will, too. In this episode, you'll learn: Why a crisis of culture nearly doomed the school - and what we all can learn about how to build and nurture a distinctive, healthy culture in our own workplaces How Excel Academy pulled itself back from the brink to become one of the top public schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in just a few years The ways in which the Amherst College liberal arts vision informs Excel Academy even to this day The Amherst classmates Yutaka, Owen, and Seth want me to interview next To learn more, visit: Excel Academy (excelacademy.org) nXu (nxueducation.org), Yutaka's latest endeavor. According to their website, nXu "helps young people explore the unique set of joys, strengths, and values that intersect to drive each of us in a meaningful direction." In doing so, participants "learn to see our identities as powerful and essential for charting fulfilling future pathways."
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    1 時間 7 分
  • Dr. Aki Hosoi Brings Warmth And Wisdom To Mental Health Therapy

    Dr. Aki Hosoi Brings Warmth And Wisdom To Mental Health Therapy
    2024/08/17
    If you were thinking of becoming a therapist, you'd be hard pressed to find a better instructor and mentor than Dr. Aki Hosoi. Now a senior staff psychologist and the director of training at Colorado State, where she oversees a graduate-level training program that provides clinical training master’s and doctoral level clinicians, her career path is winding and varied. After graduating from Amherst College in 1994, Aki spent a year doing internships, including working with endangered cranes and conducting whale research. While completing her dissertation in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, she began volunteering at the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. That's where she found her true calling. She went on to earn a second PhD, this time in Counseling Psychology, at Colorado State University, as well as a postdoctoral fellowship at the San Francisco Veteran’s Hospital. For the last 13 years, she has worked as a therapist for university students at the Colorado State University Health Network. In this episode, you'll learn: Aki's take on the state of mental health on college campuses today How the tactful introduction of clinician authenticity and vulnerability can improve care and results How the mental health market, including both the supply and demand-side, has evolved post-Covid The surprising and most memorable professional feedback she ever received The Amherst classmates she wants me to interview next For more information on Aki and the work she does, click this link to her training website. You also can email her at aki.hosoi@colostate.edu.
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    45 分