Dwana Bradley builds relationships. Her team at Iowa Urban Media tells stories through the Urban Experience Magazine and her leadership with Iowa Juneteenth is felt year-round.
Together, we celebrate love and Black History Month, by dancing with purpose-driven initiatives, the uninterrupted power of print, prompt engineering through societal biases, and the peace that awaits all who build toward their own state of career nirvana.
Brandon T. Adams is an ambitious leader who tells stories with video. BTA is also an author, investor, speaker, and advisor who uses his experience to accelerate fellow founders. Join us for this VIP conversation on how to earn your way onto cap tables, building an audience that cares, all that is Rise and Record, the value of masterminds, his first video, pro tips for content creation, and what to do when you’re with Kevin Harrington and your private jet lands in the wrong country.
To celebrate the 10th episode of YDNTP, we collaborated with BTA to bring you into our studio! Along with listening to this show anywhere you enjoy podcasts, below is a special video of our time together. Enjoy!
Nancy Mwirotsi is a nationally recognized wayfinder who inspired students to lead by outfitting them with skills in technology and innovation. Over the past 10 years, Pi515 has promoted diversity in STEM careers and graduated hundreds of students, with free programs geared toward refugees, young women, and people of color.
The real skills we talk about in this episode of #YDNTP defines the future of work and empower students to thrive through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Have fun!
The essence of sharing is kindness.
The way we share forms bonds and creates endless interactions. Shared knowledge, resources, time, and space has led to a connected society that invites everyone to do more with less. The idea of such generosity seems simple, and yet, the focus on our own well-being leads to egocentric sharing that is more selfish in nature. Children fighting over a toy and adults showing off by sharing may seem unrelated, but the histrionic call for attention remains the same.
How then, can we lead without being selfish?
Perhaps harmony lies on a continuum of intent. If we leverage what we have by sharing without recognition, space remains for sharing in ways that may attract the right type/amount of attention. Give, and it will be given to you. Another weighted tactic is to over share without including your own agenda. As Kyle Tut shared during his visit to Des Moines, shill five before asking for one. This 5:1 ratio nurtures selflessness.
In addition to benevolent tactics, a helpful mindset is to just #GiveFirst. When sharing returns to an act of kindness, generosity builds trust, engaged networks flourish, and the spotlight can be given to those who need it.
Humans tell stories.
Storytelling is the way we communicate and a key to humanity’s evolution. The stories we share come in all genres, but each one builds a different type of connection.
Stories often exist in the moment, but some are passed for generations. The most successful stories humans have ever told may be science, religion, mathematics, or money, but holidays may also land somewhere on this list of extraordinary, generational storytelling.
In the United States, 11 federal holidays are all observed in their own way, but Christmas (and comparable year-end celebrations around the world) creates a special atmosphere. In fact, the entire calendar and our fundamental sense of time seems to revolve around this cozy time of year. It’s when we pause to remember the year that was, and then look forward to what’s next. With such a shared inflection point, the year-end holiday season has created many recognizable symbols. Many holiday traditions revolve around religion, and just as many do not, but the legend of Santa seems synonymous with the holiday spirit. Whether you believe in Santa or not, it’s hard to argue with how well this jolly character embodies the essence of joy and generosity.
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Balancing this reflection made me feel like a scientist without a clear thesis, but watching our little one lean into the holiday spirit makes me grateful and full of pure wonder.
Our generational stories, decorations, music, events, letters, gifts, movies, and all that is the holiday season, can spark an undeniable truth. Great stories bring us together and if the result is anything close to the beautiful innocence of a child’s sparkle this time of year, I’m a believer and thankful that Santa is real.