What’s new with our guests at the end of 2022?

How’s your year been? It’s a common question this time of year, as we reconnect with family and friends who we may not have seen for a while. One group of people who are sure to have plenty to share at their holiday gatherings are our Story Conversations guests. 2022 has been a busy one for many of them.

Here are some of the highlights:

In September, Dr. Mary Fissell was installed as the inaugural recipient of the J. Mario Molina Endowed Professorship in the History of Medicine. In her first lecture as endowed professor she presented a talk entitled Long Before Roe: A Victorian Abortion Case. The talk documented a legal case against a Victorian Midwife who was tried for murder and medical misconduct. Mary’s stories are always fascinating. You can hear some of them in her episode here.

Our friends over at Nail Communications have also been busy. They have an employee-led DE&I initiative is called IDEA (an acronym for Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accountable). IDEA’s latest initiative is The IDEA Shop. It’s an online retail space which sells purpose driven products that advocate for human rights. And all proceeds go back to the rotating organizations the IDEA team selects. We loved hearing Nail CEO, Jeremy Crisp share some of their other work in his episode.

The wonderful Will Nolan assumed the role of Vice President of Transformation at Scholastic in October. Scholastic is the world’s largest children’s publishing, education, and Media company. And of course Leola has been busy too. Now nominated for awards in NYC and Philadelphia. Who’s Leola? Check out Will’s episode to learn more!

Diane Hessan and her colleagues at Brightcove got to ring the bell and open trading on the NASDAQ. Diane sits on the Brightcove board and the occasion was to mark the company going public. Her thoughts and research featured in Our Common Ground, that she shared with us in her episode, really resonate at this time of year. 

And finally, earlier this month, the awesome force that is ConCreates featured in Forbes Magazine (published on December 5th). Joe Nickson and Vincent Bragg were also honored as part of the team to win a Bronze Clio for the Last OG Season 4 – The Real OG’s . They presented at TedX San Quentin, created a Juneteenth ad for United Airlines, and went to Cannes to be celebrated as the Lions they are. They’re going from strength to strength. And their origin story, featured in their episode, is fascinating.

2022 has seen us have conversations with brilliant guests. In season one alone, we’ve explored leadership narrative with Jeremy Sturt, marketing with Audrey Lartey, and cross generational stories with Dave McCaughan. We’ve had internationally renowned songwriter and composer Phil Galdston, true crime television producer Peter Tarshis, and the story of everyday objects from Sal Basline. We’ve also spent time in the research world, with Peter Lenz and Gunny Scarfo.

Season two has only just begun. And in 2023 the stories will continue to flow. We’ve got grammar gurus, people-science comedians, and martial arts story researchers! It’s sure to be a wild ride – hope you join us.

Have a wonderful festive break if you’re taking one and here’s to a happy New Year.