In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, Tracy interviews Dr. Gina Sipley to discuss one of her twelve favorite problems: "How might we create space for mindset shifts in learning experiences?" Dr. Sipley is a community college professor and first-generation college graduate who fosters inclusive spaces where individuals from diverse backgrounds can explore how their relationship with both online and offline texts shapes their identities.

They delve into the concept of lurking in online spaces, examining its impact on learning and participation, and exploring strategies for fostering meaningful engagement in digital environments. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding lurking as a common practice, the benefits and harms associated with it, and strategies for curating diverse perspectives on social media. The conversation also touches on the role of perfectionism in online participation and the need for protective curation.

The episode emphasizes the significance of mindful social media engagement and the value of diverse voices in broadening our worldview.

Key Takeaways:

• Lurking has become the dominant way we interact online

• Curating diverse perspectives on social media is crucial

• Protective curation helps individuals navigate online spaces

• Engagement with social media should be mindful and intentional

  
  

Gina’s Recommendations:

Book Recommendations:

https://amzn.to/48uTXva

Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Bias by Safiya Umoja Noble https://amzn.to/48uy7Ie

Country of the Blind: A Memoir At The End of Sight by Andrew Leland

https://amzn.to/3YLj3Tb

Trolling Ourselves to Death: Democracy in the Age of Social Media by Jason Hannan

https://amzn.to/40uCl0G

Podcast Recommendations:

You’re Wrong About https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youre-wrong-about/id1380008439

The Measure of Everyday Life https://measureradio.net/

Transforming Society https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/transforming-society-podcast/

Connect with Gina:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsipley/

You can subscribe to my newsletter, Words. by hitting the subscribe link on https://www.ginasipley.com/

I am a great resource for lurking and social media strategy, all things community college and the K-16 pipeline. I particularly love supporting first generation college students.

I am interested in problem solving at scale and I welcome speaking and consulting opportunities.

I would love to connect with other folks who bridge scholarly and creative pursuits for social good.

In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, Tracy is joined by Jovonee King to discuss one of her twelve favorite problems, “how might we make thinking visible?”

Jovonee is a Scaled Solutions Engineer at Miro, with a rich background in customer education and a passion for transformative collaboration. Jovonee shares her journey, highlighting her commitment to education, inclusivity, and community building.

In this episode, we delve into the concept of making thinking visible and explore how Miro enhances collaboration by fostering inclusive environments for idea sharing. Jovonne discusses the power of visualization in accelerating learning, overcoming perfectionism, and igniting creativity.

You’ll also get a sneak peek into the future of Miro, including exciting new features aimed at boosting creativity and innovation. Plus, we dive into Jovonne's personal interests in DIY projects and upcycling, showcasing how digital tools can reimagine physical spaces.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of taking risks and learning from different experiences for career growth

• Visualization is crucial for effective collaboration and idea sharing

• Overcoming perfectionism is crucial for creative processes

• Visualization helps create an inclusive canvas that allows all voices to be heard

Jovonee’s Recommendations:

Book Recommendations:

• Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen: https://amzn.to/48f3CWv

• Master of Change by Brad Stulberg https://amzn.to/48f3CWv

Other Links:

Try Miro - https://miro.cello.so/Wviex1qZaSS

Canvas ‘24 - https://canvas24.miro.com/

Miro Community - https://miro.com/community/

Connect with Jovonee:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jovonee/

In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, Tracy is joined by Dr. Alaina Szlachta to discuss one of her 12 favorite problems, “how might we close the research-practice gap (the knowing-doing gap) across social impact sectors?"

Dr. Alaina Szlachta is a Measurement Architect who's passionate about making data literacy accessible for education professionals. In the discussion, they dive deep into the world of data-driven learning, the importance of bridging the research-practice gap, creating a learning culture, and more.

Alaina’s insights on building a strong learning culture, the power of feedback, and the importance of both quantitative and qualitative data will leave you thinking about how we can better use data across many of our domains and improve performance. They also touched on how personal problem-solving and experimentation play a critical role in developing data literacy, both at work and in everyday life.

If you're looking to elevate the way you or your organization approaches measurement and data-driven decision-making, Alaina's expertise will offer valuable guidance.

Key Takeaways:

• Data-Driven Learning: Organizations should shift away from traditional learning methods and focus on collecting data to identify specific performance gaps and challenges. This data-driven approach allows for more targeted and effective learning initiatives.

• Prioritizing Professional Development: A culture of continuous learning is essential for organizational growth. Companies should invest in opportunities and provide the necessary support to help employees develop their skills and knowledge.

• The Power of Practice: Practical experience is key to developing valuable skills. Engaging in problem-solving and experimentation allows individuals to apply their knowledge in real-world situations and foster a growth mindset.

• Data Literacy: Understanding and utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data is crucial for making informed decisions. Developing data literacy skills can empower individuals to analyze information and drive positive outcomes.

Alaina’s Recommendations:

Book Recommendations:

Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring, by Dr. Alaina Szlachta https://amzn.to/4ePySgT

Partner for Performance, by Ingrid Guerra-Lopez https://amzn.to/4eKB6hu

Show the Value of What You Do, by Patricia Pulliam Phillips https://amzn.to/47V1Jye

Podcast Recommendations:

2 Bobs: https://2bobs.com/

Clark Howard: https://clark.com/podcasts/

Creator Science: https://podcast.creatorscience.com/

Connect with Alaina:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drszlachta/

Website: https://dralainaszlachta.com/

Newsletter: https://dralainaszlachta.substack.com/

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, Tracy and Stephanie Silver discuss one of Tracy’s 12 favorite problems, “how might we rewrite broken soundtracks?” The concept of "rewriting broken soundtracks," refers to the limiting beliefs and negative thoughts that often replay in our minds.

Stephanie’s incredible life story is one of resilience and healing in the face of deep trauma and heartache. She shares her deeply personal journey with overcoming those broken soundtracks to build a life beyond what she could have imagined.

In this conversation, Tracy and Steph discuss the power of rewriting our internal soundtracks and overcoming limiting beliefs. They explore the origins of these scripts and how they shape our lives.

Tracy and Stephanie share their personal journeys with soundtracks and how they have found freedom and joy in rewriting them. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and challenging negative thoughts, and offer guidance for those who want to start exploring and rewriting their own soundtracks.

Key Takeaways:

• Soundtracks are the limiting beliefs and negative thoughts that get stuck on replay in our mind. These internal dialogues can significantly impact our feelings and actions. Recognizing and challenging negative thoughts is the first step in rewriting broken soundtracks.
• Neuroplasticity allows us to rewire our brains and create new, positive neural pathways.
• Rewriting broken soundtracks requires self-reflection, honesty, and a willingness to challenge our own beliefs.
• Perceptions of success and failure vary among individuals. Stephanie challenges the notion that one must hit "rock bottom" to initiate change, arguing that personal definitions of bottom differ widely.
• They discuss the importance of viewing one's challenges from different perspectives to foster change. By embodying positive beliefs about oneself, individuals can shift their energy and influence how they are perceived by others.

Book Recommendations:

Anywhere, USA by Stephanie Silver https://amzn.to/4d8E6TH

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza https://amzn.to/3Xzqf3e

Existential Kink by Dr. Carolyn Elliott https://amzn.to/3Xvb37i

Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton https://amzn.to/3zqEpeO

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein https://amzn.to/4dbsHTm

Connect with Stephanie:

https://www.vine-collective.com/

Podcast: https://www.vine-collective.com/mvp-business/

In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, Tracy speaks with Gretchen Fox Palmer about one of her twelve favorite problems: “how might we increase flow and creativity to bring joy to work?”

Gretchen opens up about her personal path to self-awareness, including how she identified and dismantled her own hyper vigilance at work. From a self-described "toxic executive" to a champion of conscious leadership, she reveals how this process led to immediate positive changes in her team's culture, offering valuable lessons for leaders at all levels.

Now, Gretchen teaches performance-driven organizations, teams, and leaders through her EQ @ Work program, focusing on the five EQ skills that can rescue employees from burnout. Her approach to emotional regulation and resilience is what has taken her from merely surviving to truly thriving.

The conversation explores the importance of vulnerability and joy in the workplace. It emphasizes the need for vulnerability to be approached with care and used as a tool for connection.

Tracy and Gretchen discuss how increasing flow and creativity to bring joy to work requires prioritizing emotional intelligence skills, which are easy to learn and have quick transformative outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

• Emotional intelligence skills are easy to learn and have quick transformative outcomes.

• Leaders need to prioritize emotional intelligence to create emotionally healthy performance-driven cultures.

• Feedback and vulnerability are essential in creating a culture of growth and productivity.

• Joy can be structured and designed for in organizations by tying it to well-being, fostering connection, and prioritizing people's livelihoods.

• Emotional capacity plays a crucial role in individual and organizational well-being, and it can be developed through self-awareness, boundary-setting, and healthy coping mechanisms.

Gretchen’s Recommendations:

Books:

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: https://tinyurl.com/zvrwp6jk

The Presence Process by Michael Brown: https://tinyurl.com/3ya9ke2a

Podcasts:

Satsang with Mooji: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/satsang-with-mooji/id1134425259

Connect with Gretchen:

MTO Agency: https://mtoagency.com/

In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, Tracy is joined by Kevin Alster to discuss one of her 12 favorite problems, “how might we make thinking visible?”

Kevin is a strategic advisor at Synthesia, an AI video communications platform that translates text into professional, instructional AI videos. They explore the importance of using concrete, pictorial, visual, and abstract representations to help learners understand complex concepts. They also emphasize the need for a product design mindset and an experimental approach when incorporating AI and technology in learning experiences.

In this conversation, Tracy and Kevin discuss how storytelling is a powerful tool for making thinking visible and communicating complex concepts.

Key Takeaways:

• Making thinking visible involves using concrete, pictorial, visual, and abstract representations to help learners understand complex concepts.

• A product design mindset and an experimental approach are crucial when incorporating AI and technology in learning experiences.

• Unbundling tasks and identifying which ones can be impacted by AI can lead to more efficient and effective learning processes.

• Leveraging AI tools, such as large language models or custom models, can enhance the learning experience and improve outcomes.

• The process of learning and growth involves going broad, diving deep, and trusting your brain to make connections.

Kevin’s Recommendations:

Follow-up resources:

• Sinead Bovell - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinead-bovell-89072a34/

• Synthesia Academy - https://www.synthesia.io/academy

• AI Video (FOCA) Certification - https://rise.articulate.com/share/3RUx1hiDtyl6wuBT9OaRy330gRVwUmpd#/

• Vanderbilt’s Open Source AI - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jules-white-5717655_an-advanced-open-source-enterprise-generative-activity-7209676778439675904-Z3oi/

Book Recommendations:

• Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg- https://amzn.to/4fY89jO

• Made to Stick by the Heath Brothers - https://amzn.to/4edu6K7

• Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel - https://amzn.to/3XiEgST

• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport - https://amzn.to/3MhPm5h

Podcast Recommendations:

• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend - https://www.earwolf.com/show/conan-obrien/

• Acquired - https://www.acquired.fm/

• Kurzgesagt - https://www.youtube.com/@kurzgesagt

Connect with Kevin:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/

In this episode, Tracy is joined by design researcher, Nick Petch, to discuss one of her twelve favorite problems, “How might we close the research-practice gap (the knowing-doing gap) across social impact sectors?” Tracy and Nick cover an array of topics from the definition of learning to the role of access and behaviors in the learning process.

This conversation stresses the importance of creating environments that prioritize access and behaviors over mere content delivery, advocating for a shift towards human-centered design that empowers individuals. Nick shares insights on the significance of understanding oneself as a designer and the responsibility that comes with designing for others. He recommends starting with self-reflection and developing an ethnographic practice to better understand the needs and aspirations of the people being designed for. Nick also highlights the importance of design leadership and the power of participatory design.

Key Takeaways:

Human-centered design transfers power to the people being impacted by the design process. Design plays a crucial role in the field of learning and development, and it is important to understand oneself as a designer and the responsibility of designing for others.

Design is about de-risking and understanding the problem space and context in order to solve the right problem.

Empowering the people being designed for and involving them in the design process leads to better outcomes.

Design leadership is about influencing how design is seen and valued in organizations.

Nick’s Recommendations:

Book Recommendations:

Being Ecological by Timothy Morton: https://amzn.to/4dujZ3D

This Human: How to Be the Person Designing for Other People by ⁠Melis Senova⁠: ⁠https://amzn.to/3YIwPGy⁠

Doing Sensory Ethnography by ⁠Sarah Pink⁠: ⁠https://amzn.to/3Ap9MGI

Connect with Nick:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickpetch

In this episode of the Building Thinkers podcast, Tracy speaks with Melissa Pickering, an accomplished product development expert with a rich background in leadership. Melissa's impressive career spans from launching her own EdTech startup, iCreate to Educate, to solving complex challenges at Lego by integrating digital and physical experiences, to making a significant impact at Willow, a company focused on products for moms. Currently, she leads product development as a Senior Director of Product at Bose.

The main theme of their conversation revolves around one of Tracy's 12 Favorite Problems: "How might we create impactful order out of chaos?" Melissa's passion for untangling complex challenges and breaking them down into manageable parts makes her the perfect guest for this topic. She shares her insights on both the people and product sides of creating order and discusses the creative tension between structure and flexibility, particularly in innovation and product development.

Melissa also delves into the urgent need for focus, the dynamics of quick decision-making versus taking time to reach a consensus, and the wisdom of allowing innovation to emerge from a deeper examination of options and opportunities. Her expertise, insights, and leadership lessons offer valuable takeaways for anyone involved in product development, team leadership, or personal growth.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace the chaos: In product development and organizational change, some level of chaos is necessary for innovation and progress.

• Focus is key: In a world of constant distractions, cultivating focus and presence is crucial for individual and team productivity.

• Don't overcomplicate: Avoid unnecessary complexity in product development and problem-solving by focusing on user needs and core assumptions.

• Influence for lasting change: Driving change through influence and collaboration leads to greater ownership and sustainable results.

Melissa’s Recommendations:

Book Recommendations:

Switch by Chip & Dan Heath: https://amzn.to/4caFvZL

Powerful by Patty McCord: https://amzn.to/3Sl0RMF

The Power of Moments by Chip & Dan Heath: https://amzn.to/4dbCcCf

Connect with Melissa:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjpickering/