The Innovator's Journey

Not sure which episode to listen to? Here's a glimpse into the lives and innovations of the twelve extraordinary people that have featured on The Innovator's Journey so far. See what you think. Pick one. Dive in and listen to the full story. Like and share it! And subscribe (on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts) to be sure of hearing the next in the series.

🌐 What does it take to change the world? Bill Drayton is best known for spreading the practice of ‘social entrepreneurship’ as a way to tackle complex global problems. Now he and his colleagues at @Ashoka are promoting the idea of EVERYONE as a #changemaker. 🌟 In this podcast the archetypal social entrepreneur shares his story, from his deep family roots in anti-slavery campaigns and social activism, through his own childhood in Manhattan, to his early-adulthood travels to India in a VW microbus. There he learned the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence that influenced the US civil rights movement and that underpins his ideas for the ‘culminating revolution’ he advocates today. Listen now on Spotify via www.tijourney.com or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll discover how Drayton, together with colleagues at Ashoka and their network of Ashoka Fellows, and raising up a new generation of #changemakers. The full episode is here: https://lnkd.in/eGT26Qeq 🎧 You’ll hear about: ✅ The impact of family culture, early experience of enterprise, and valuable career experiences including McKinsey & Company ✅ Drayton’s interaction with key C20th figures including Rustin Bayard of the US Civil Rights movement, and later President Jimmy Carter ✅ How to achieve personal and social change, for the good of all, by using the skills of conscious empathy Want to change the world for the better? The story and ideas of Bill Drayton and Ashoka are a great place to start. Ashoka: https://lnkd.in/eGeqKyGi #podcast #Innovation #careers #SocialEntrepreneurship #futureofwork #AshokaFellows #EveryoneaChangeMaker #nonviolence Rachel Fauber ❖ Jonathan Winter

🌍 How can we empower the next generation to take action on climate change? Koen Timmers' innovative approach is powering climate education globally. In this podcast, the former teacher shares his journey from creating an online school to founding Take Action Global, a platform that connects 4.5 million teachers and students across 158 countries. 🌐 Listen now on Spotify via www.tijourney.com or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll discover how Koen, together with Jennifer Williams, EdD and the team at TAG, are using technology to drive climate action through education. The full episode is here: https://lnkd.in/e5d6nH76 🎧 Key insights: ✅ The EarthProject app allows students to measure the carbon impact of their actions. ✅ Student-led projects foster local solutions tailored to cultural contexts. 🌱 ✅ Integrating public figures, partners, and press amplifies reach and impact. You will hear a personal story of persistence and evolution over many years. His parents inspired him to teach. His interest in technology led him to build websites. His experience of learning karate instilled persistence. As a result you may wonder: What mix of talents, people and experiences have inspired your journey? What might you achieve, given clear purpose and a lot of persistence? Take Action Global: https://lnkd.in/eZeadGB8 Earth project app: https://lnkd.in/ecGktxmn #podcast #Innovation #careers #AI #futureofwork #ClimateChange #EdTech #SocialEntrepreneurship Koen Timmers, FRSA, ❖ Jonathan Winter, Jane Goodall Institute Global

🌍💡A lifetime in climate engineering and innovation - Reduce, Remove and Refreeze 🛠️🌿 In the 1970s, young Shaun Fitzgerald picked an argument with his father about double glazing and discovered that energy saving is more complex than it sounds. His curiosity took him to University of Cambridge, then Stanford University, a stint in consulting at Bain & Company and a Cambridge spinout before in 2018 becoming Director of the The Royal Institution in London. Back at Cambridge again, Shaun Fitzgerald OBE heads up the Centre for Climate Repair whose three Rs: Reduce, Remove and Refreeze represent a comprehensive framework for tackling climate change by addressing its causes, mitigating its present effects, and exploring innovative solutions to prevent future impact. Now time is running out. Can climate repair solutions buy us more time? Will solar radiation management work any time soon? Is it safe? What’s next for the work of climate scientists, and how will technology impact that work? Jonathan Winter asks these questions and more, as we delve into this innovator’s journey. Key Takeaways > What are the main options for tackling the climate crisis globally? > What is the most effective thing each of us can do? > What simple idea enabled schools and other owners of large buildings in the UK cut their heating bills in half? > How might we reverse the melting of polar ice? You’ll also learn  > How to approach your career if you want to make a difference to the world > What does it take to create a company where innovation is in the air > That careers can evolve, and some roles may be best defined by your team rather than you 🎧 Listen now on Spotify via www.tijourney.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. The full episode is here: https://lnkd.in/egVJB_hY Visit the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge: https://lnkd.in/eyGNetdm More on Breathing Buildings: https://lnkd.in/eh9G8e6X With acknowledgement to those whose work features in the podcast including Breathing Buildings, Centre for Climate Repair, The Royal Institution Institution and Ambassador Ilana Seid of the Government of Palau, for her inspirational advocacy at #UnitedNations #COP28 #podcast #innovation #careers #AI #futureofwork ❖ Jonathan Winter #climatescience #RenewableEnergy #climaterepair Antoinette Nestor #Refreeze #COP #climaterepair Girton College, University of Cambridge

🏛️A sustainability innovation thanks to lateral thinking, biomimicry and the buildings of ancient Rome. 🏛️ When the challenge of concrete’s carbon footprint proved hard to crack, Professor Admir Masic and his team at MIT were forced to think laterally. Taking inspiration from the structure of bone and the self-healing properties of Roman concrete, Masic found ways to extend the lifespan of concrete and engineer it to serve multiple purposes. This approach not only addresses lifetime CO2 emissions but also opens up a host of new possibilities in construction. One of their discoveries is so surprising, it’s electric! Concrete has the potential to act as a ‘battery’, and so address one of the biggest challenges for renewable energy - how and where do you store it locally, without costing the earth. In this innovator’s journey you will hear how the transformative power of education enabled a refugee teenager to become a leading materials scientist at MIT, and how this experience gave him a passion for refugee education and a new initiative that could produce some of the great entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow. Key Takeaways: > Concrete as a sustainable multifunctional material. > The potential of concrete to store renewable electricity. > Professor Masic's approach to interdisciplinary innovation. > Finding talent in unexpected people and places. > The power of education and the uniquely human ‘magic’ that can result. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify via www.tijourney.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. The full episode is here: https://lnkd.in/ekiNxmg4 Visit the Masic Lab at MIT: https://lnkd.in/ePtFxb_z With acknowledgement to those whose work features in the podcast including Hala Fadel, #SanjaySarma (MIT), Marco Nicola, #PeterFrazl (Max Planck Institute), Franz-Josef Ulm, Yang Shao-Horn #podcast #innovation #careers #AI #futureofwork ❖ Jonathan Winter #materialscience #SustainableConstruction #RenewableEnergy #concrete #supercapacitors, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Andrew Laurent #CSHub MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, Stephanie Martinovich MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering

🎙️ Podcast with Maureen N. Dunne, Ph.D. on the Power and Potential of Neurodiversity This month's interview is with Dr. Maureen Dunne, cognitive scientist and renowned advocate for neurodiversity. Dr. Dunne shared not only her professional insights but also her personal journey, which deeply informs her work and advocacy. You can listen to the full episode and subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eQNpuY25 🌟 From Life Story to Life’s Work Dr. Dunne's personal story is compelling. Growing up, music inspired her, tragedy touched her, and experience helping autistic children led her to realise what’s possible and what’s challenging. Our conversation offers a window into the motivations of an innovator and a dedicated champion for cognitive diversity. 🧠 Neurodiversity and The Future of Work Maureen Dunne explains how the term neurodiversity arose, how it brings a strengths-based lens on cognitive difference, and what it takes to make the most of many different kinds of minds in schools and workplaces. Looking ahead to the future of work, Dunne claims a critical role of neurodiversity in an AI-dominated era. Neurodivergent talents like creative, nonlinear thinking will become invaluable in a landscape where machines are taking over some of the more linear cognitive tasks. This kind of diversity can also prevent group-think; for example autistic people can be more resistant to social pressure to conform. 📚 Further Insights in 'The Neurodiversity Edge' For those interested in delving deeper, Maureen Dunne's forthcoming book "The Neurodiversity Edge" (published by Wiley) provides an extensive exploration of these themes. It's a guide for leveraging the power of neurodiverse minds in organizations. 🤝 Join the Discussion You are warmly invited to listen to this enlightening episode and join the conversation. How can we better integrate and value neurodiversity in the workforce and in wider society? Share your thoughts and experiences as we navigate this essential aspect of modern work. The full episode is here: https://lnkd.in/eQNpuY25 With acknowledgement to those whose work features in the podcast including Innovation DuPage and The LEGO Foundation. #podcast #neurodiversity #innovation #careers #AI #futureofwork #inclusion ❖ Jonathan Winter

What does it take to innovate? This month's guest, environmental entrepreneur Abiel Ma, has a clear recipe and it's more about hard work and persistence than solitary genius. That persistence has unfolded into a remarkable story of cross-generational teamwork, since Abiel succeeded (eventually) in persuading his father Anthony Ma to join as CTO of Vuala, a start-up pioneering new ways to help businesses deal with food waste. This year Abiel has received recognition as a UNICEF young innovator shaping the future, and won an Innovate UK Young Innovator's Award 2023. He also seems to have a particularly sensitive sense of smell, which is useful for his profession and beneficial for the rest of us! You can hear the full story here: www.tijourney.com #innovation #careers #entrepreneurship #biotechnology

In case you missed it, a couple of months ago I had the great pleasure of interviewing Professor Anup Surendranath – an academic, teacher and social justice campaigner working to close the justice gap in India.    You can find the episode here. It is shocking and yet hopeful too. The story of the artefact he chooses for this episode (pictured) is extraordinary.  https://lnkd.in/dYUjJT9h? Professor Surendranath's story is inspiring too - from humble beginnings in Bangalore to law school then Oxford and back to India to teach law and pioneer Project 39A, which provides legal aid to death row prisoners.   He explains how this innovation integrates legal education and practice in a way that is expanding expand access to justice, and how this could transform the situation in India. The lessons learned in India contain wisdom for us here in the UK and anywhere else with an over-stretched prison system and a tendency of those with political power (and we their electorate) to overlook the fundamental requirements of justice for those who have least.   For anyone interested in justice, prisons, changing complex systems, linking education with practice to achieve impact in any sector, do have a listen, and please share this post with your networks! #innovation #hope #accesstojustice #careersinlaw

🎙 Did you miss this podcast with Microsoft's Ross Smith, FRSA on AI, tech careers, and the future of work? He challenges us to decide: "Are you a spinner or a weaver?". Because in the first industrial revolution, only one of those survived. In this interview, Ross shares his unique journey on the frontlines of technological innovation — from learning to code on punch cards in the 1970s to leading teams using AI like ChatGPT today. Some key insights Ross provides: > How Generative AI can enhance human capabilities in customer service > The importance of responsible AI with humans still in the loop > His advice for remaining curious and keeping up with technology > Reflections on lessons learned over his career in tech For anyone interested in technology, AI, future of work topics or just seeking an inspiring career story, do have a listen, and please share this post with your networks! You can find the episode here: https://lnkd.in/e34Js6sk

Disruption and change are the new normal. To thrive, organizations need agile leadership. And we all need this agility, at a global scale, to solve big problems. In this episode of The Innovator's Journey podcast, host Jonathan Winter interviewed Lyssa Adkins, a pioneer in the agile coaching movement. Lyssa shared her personal journey from traditional project management to embracing agile methodologies. She helped codify the new profession of agile coaching and co-founded the Agile Coaching Institute. Key insights: ·      Why agile frameworks help leaders "work with what is" instead of forcing change ·      How to create psychologically safe environments where teams can innovate ·      Why agile methods lend themselves well to tackling "impossible" global challenges ·      The identity crisis facing leaders today and how coaching helps Tune in to gain an inspiring vision for the future of leadership and work. What resonated most for you? www.tijourney.com ---------------------------------------- Credit: This post drafted by Claude AI.