admin, Author at Don't Stop Us Now

Dr Emma Camp – On a Quest to Save…

March 12, 2019
by admin

This week’s inspiring guest is Dr Emma Camp, a British marine bio-geochemist who searches out and then studies corals that can naturally survive in extreme conditions such as mangroves. This might sound simple but it leads to Emma listing crocodiles as one of the greatest risks of a day in the office!

She’s passionate about saving the world’s coral reefs and has made it her mission that we all should be too. (Emma, we’re convinced!)

Emma is a National Geographic Explorer and a current United Nations Young leader. Despite her relative youth, her pioneering research work and passion for saving corals has seen her receive numerous honours and highly-prized research fellowships.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Emma used her determination and ingenuity to go from struggling to break into academia to starting her own company to get the research experience she needed
How her Dad’s mantra helps her reach her goals
What it felt like the first time she found herself at the UN General Assembly
And, the real story about the state of the world’s coral reefs and what you can do to make a difference,

Enjoy this episode with the passionate and determined Dr Emma Camp.

Links to Emma:

Emma’s website

Twitter

Instagram

UN Young Leaders Website

Things you can do to help save our oceans:

Take small actions – don’t use plastic, drink from a reusable cup, walk more
Get involved in beach clean ups
Eat sustainable fish. Find out how:
Lobby your politicians – get vocal – make them accountable!

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Interview

Kat Dunn – Making Tough Career Decisions to be…

February 26, 2019
by admin

If we had to summarise what our guest this week is all about, we’d say she’s about reinvention and being true to herself. And for 35 year old Kat Dunn, that meant abandoning a successful corporate career.

Born in the Philippines, Kat had been climbing the corporate ladder at an impressive rate in Australia, first of all as a lawyer and then in a variety of roles in financial services. But she was deeply unhappy.

One day she said “Enough” and took radical action. In this episode we explore exactly how and why she did this and how she feels about her new career now, several years down the track.

Today Kat is CEO of Grameen in Australia, part of the global not for profit organisation founded by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus.

In this frank and heartfelt episode you’ll hear:

What it’s like growing up Asian in an almost all white country town in Western Australia
How Kat started out as a consummate planner and then realised that just wasn’t working
How she confronted failure head-on and even made a business out of it
And, how she’s never felt more secure despite earning 50% less than she used to.

Enjoy this episode with the wise-beyond-her-years, Kat Dunn.

Links to things Kat mentioned

Malcolm Gladwell – on Snap Judgements

Kyle Cease – 6 minutes on Creativity

Charity TV Casting Session Facebook Event – open until 7th March 2019

Links to Kat

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Interview

Marie Johnson – Breaking Digital Boundaries and Challenging Stereotypes

February 12, 2019
by admin

On the show this week is Marie Johnson, an Australian entrepreneur with a passion for digital and AI.

Marie’s cutting edge work today is all the more incredible when you hear her story….

She was married as a teenager, then soon found herself pregnant and living in a caravan! Despite not having the chance to take her studies further immediately after school, Marie went on to juggle motherhood and study, and earnt several degrees.

One thing led to another and Marie took on CIO and other senior technology roles, particularly in Government, and in 2006 she was named “Innovative CIO of the Year – for Australia” (according to CIO magazine).

Marie now leads the Centre for Digital Business – a company she co-founded with her husband (yes the same one she married all those years ago). She’s a passionate believer in finding ways to use digital technology including AI to make life more equal and fair for everyone.

In this episode you’ll hear:

Why you should have a long and a short game plan
What it’s like as an older woman in technology
How she copes with adversity
How she co-designed the world’s first digital human, Nadia, with the disabled community and
How her husband’s four heart operations and her grandsons are shaping the digital ventures Marie is working on now

Enjoy this episode with the forward thinking Marie Johnson.

We were amazed by this video Marie shared with us (below) showing the incredibly human conversational skills of her current project: creating a Digital Human Cardiac Coach. We think she and the team at FaceMe are doing a truly incredible job. Prepare to be blown away by AI in action:

Debbie Wosskow, OBE – What It Takes To Be…

January 29, 2019January 29, 2019
by admin

On the show this week is Debbie Wosskow, a dynamic serial entrepreneur who sold her third business, LoveHomeSwap, for US$53m. Debbie recently co-founded The AllBright, Britain’s first members-only club specifically for business women. The AllBright named after Madeleine Albright, also offers a an online academy and a community that aims to create opportunities for women to thrive and flourish. We love the idea and mission behind AllBright and think you will too.

In addition to successfully selling two businesses, Debbie’s also recently been awarded The Evening Standard ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ 2018. She’s a member of the Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board and has also been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE).

We so enjoyed meeting with Debbie at the AllBright in London and talking about:

Why Debbie’s mission is to create a monster, global sisterhood of kick-ass women
The recent pitch that Debbie and her coFounder used to raise 9 million pounds
Why it’s crucial to have a ‘Rhino Hide’ when you’re a successful professional woman
The three “G’s” she looks for when deciding whether to invest in a business, and
How she uses her intuition and what she still gets wrong after 20 years

We hope you enjoy this episode with the trailblazing Debbie Wosskow.

Links of interest:

The AllBright Website

The AllBright Academy

AllBright on Twitter

Debbie on LinkedIn

Debbie on Twitter

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What Is Episode

What is Artificial Intelligence?

January 17, 2019
by admin

Welcome to our first ‘What Is. . .’ episode. And, drumroll please … the topic of our first in this series is Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We’re quite sure you’ll be hearing a lot more about AI this year and so why not start 2019 one step ahead and enjoy this super useful primer on all things AI, all explained simply with some fascinating examples.

In this episode we’re thrilled to feature two world-class AI experts: UK-based Kriti Sharma (see also Episode 19) as well as Australian-based Marie Johnson. (Stay tuned for our longer interview with her coming up in the next few weeks.)

So, if you’re a bit fuzzy about the differences between AI, automation and machine learning then this episode is for you!

You’ll learn:

What AI is and what it isn’t
Some of today’s amazing use cases for AI
What a digital human is and how it can respond to speech, text or even sign language
How to help reduce the chances of bias being coded in to systems
The new types of jobs that AI is creating
How to future-proof yourself
And much more.

Don’t miss this one!

Want our special AI Cheat Sheet briefing?

If you’d like a copy of our ‘What is AI Cheat Sheet’ briefing paper we’ve prepared, then don’t forget to email us at hello@dontstopusnow.co for your copy!

Meet our AI Experts featured in this Episode:

Kriti Sharma

Kriti Sharma is an Artificial Intelligence technologist and a leading global voice on AI ethics and its impact on society. In addition to advising global businesses on AI, she focuses on AI for Social Good. She built her first robot at the age of 15 in India and has been building AI technologies to solve global issues ever since, from productivity to education to domestic violence. Kriti was recently named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for advancements in AI and was included in the Recode 100 list of key influencers in technology in 2017. She was invited as a Civic Leader by the Obama Foundation Summit for her work in ethical technology. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Google Grace Hopper Scholar and recently gave expert testimony on AI Policy to the UK Parliament in the House of Lords. Earlier this year, Kriti spearheaded the launch of the Sage Future Makers Lab, a forum that will equip young people around the world with hands-on learning for entering a career in Artificial Intelligence.

Kriti was appointed a United Nations Young Leader at the General Assembly in 2018.

Kriti on LinkedIn

Kriti on Twitter

Marie Johnson

Marie has been described as a “public entrepreneur”, “crazy brave” – a trailblazer with a track record for tackling wicked problems head-on. Marie says she prefers the ‘edge’ because it’s uncomfortable and that’s what sparks innovation.

Marie conceived and led the global co-design and co-creation effort with people with disability to deliver ‘Nadia’ the first AI powered digital human for service delivery. This world leading work has sparked a global industry and appetite for AI powered digital humans.

Her next humanitarian project is bringing to life the AI powered ‘Digital Human Cardiac Coach’ – with the mission to make cardiac health information accessible to anyone on the planet.

The digital initiatives Marie has led have been recognised globally. Marie was named ‘Innovative CIO of the Year 2006-2007, Australia’ and in 2013, named one of Australia’s ‘100 Women of Influence’.

An impatient optimist, Marie is an inclusion and diversity advocate. She believes that artificial intelligence is a creative liberating humanising capability, that will truly transform the interactions between people regardless of ability.

Marie on LinkedIn

Marie’s business: Centre for Digital Business

Other Useful Links

All about Pegg, the accounting chat bot (mentioned by Kriti): https://www.sage.com/en-gb/products/pegg/

Article on rAInbow (mentioned by Kriti): https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/technology/new-ai-smart-companion-aims-to-combat-domestic-violence-in-sa-18132692

Video introducing the digital human Nadia (mentioned by Marie): https://youtu.be/lf6L6DrPiOE

Article “The Making of the Digital Human Cardiac Coach” (mentioned by Marie): https://www.cio.co.nz/article/646193/cio-upfront-making-digital-human-cardiac-coach/

MIT Media Lab newsletters (as recommended by Kriti): https://www.media.mit.edu/

Book Marie recommends: AI Superpowers https://www.amazon.com/AI-Superpowers-China-Silicon-Valley-ebook/dp/B0795DNWCF

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How To Episode

How to Switch Off

December 18, 2018
by admin

We’re excited to bring you the latest in our ‘How To’ series. This is our last episode before the Holidays and 2019!

Thanks to those of you who sent your requests for what ‘How To’ topic to cover next. We thought this topic of ‘switching off’ was just perfect for this time of year, so thank you Felicity and Sophia!

Here at Don’t Stop Us Now! we’re passionate about how important it is for our health and our performance at work to take a break and genuinely switch off.

This episode shares research that might surprise you. Plus we are issuing you with a challenge… hint: it’s to do with something that has a battery and a switch off option!

Seriously though, Christmas and New Year is the perfect time to practise switching off given how many of us typically rush around like crazy finishing off work projects, doing Xmas shopping and generally feeling a bit manic as the end of the year approaches!

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Americans use their phones 14 billion times a day and how often you’re likely to look at yours!
How taking holiday leave has been shown to improve your performance ratings at work
3 tips to help you switch off over the break and improve your chances of heading back to work feeling refreshed and rejuvenated
Plus tips you can try when you’re back at work to make 2019 a great year!

We’ll be back with our next episode on January 18th.

Wishing you love and joy for the Holidays and a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it.

Here’s to an unstoppable and fulfilling 2019!

Claire and Greta Xx

Resources and research mentioned in the episode:

Research by Deloitte on the number of times we look at our phones daily

How to Find your Brain’s Off Switch article

Link to School of Life ‘Digital Sabbath’ video

Bronnie Ware’s Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

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Interview

Nathalie Nahai – Web Psychology and How to Juggle…

December 4, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

This week’s guest is the one and only Nathalie Nahai, The Web Psychologist.

She’s an author and in-demand globetrotting speaker on how to apply behavioural science to all things digital to make them more effective and ethical.

Nathalie’s been a musician and recording artist, she has a psychology degree and used to be a web designer. Right now, she’s studying art in Barcelona as well as doing her day job!

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Nathalie juggles life and the unique way she prioritises what to say “Yes” to
You’ll learn how she went about reinventing her career
She shares fascinating research on how the colour of clothing we wear can affect how intelligently we’ll come across
The killer one liner Nathalie uses when she feels she’s been harassed

A quick note that there’s occasional colourful language in this episode so if you’re sensitive to this or have little ears around you may wish to monitor accordingly.

Enjoy this episode!

Links of interest:

Nathalie on Insta (Her Art)

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Interview

Kriti Sharma – Robots, AI and the Future

November 20, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

We’re excited to bring you this week’s guest, Kriti Sharma; a leading global expert in AI and its impact on society and the future.

Kriti grew up in Rajasthan in India. She didn’t have access to a computer at home so she built one herself. She followed that with her first robot when she was 15.

Today Kriti applies her AI and tech expertise to solve global issues from productivity to education to domestic violence. And she’s part-time VP of AI and Ethics at Sage.

She’s recently been named a UN Young Leader; she features in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for advancements in AI; and was included in the Recode 100 list of key influencers in technology last year alongside Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Kriti’s upbringing in India has shaped what she’s doing today
How a ‘cat with a jetpack’ has helped her tackle gender bias
Her thoughts on the power of AI, both for good and bad and…
Her experience of being invited to meet the Obamas and why it was “life changing”,

Enjoy this episode with the talented and delightful Kriti Sharma.

P.S. Interested to learn more about Artificial Intelligence? Stay tuned for our first ever ‘What is?’ episode early next year dedicated to AI.

Images: Courtesy Kriti Sharma & Sage

Links of interest:

Kriti on Twitter

Kriti’s TED Talk

MIT Media Lab

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Interview

Dr Fiona Wood – The Inspiring Optimist

November 6, 2018
by admin

Our guest today is Dr Fiona Wood, a world-leading burns specialist and innovative surgeon and researcher. She’s a former Australian of the Year for her pioneering burns research and treatments.

Incredibly, she was also voted Australia’s most-trusted-person for six successive years.

Fiona and her groundbreaking ‘Spray-on-skin’ burns treatment came into the public eye in 2002 when 28 victims of the Bali bombings were flown to Perth in Western Australia to receive life-saving burns treatment under her supervision. (Spray on skin greatly reduces permanent scarring.)

Fiona has successfully commercialised “Spray on skin” treatment worldwide and all royalties from this business are used to fund further research into burns treatment through her Foundation.

In this episode hear Fiona talk about:

Her absolute passion for what she does and the responsibility she feels every day in the operating theatre
How she copes and consciously fosters resilience having seen so much suffering first-hand
How she approached commercialising ‘spray-on skin’ without having any commercial experience;
And her memories of the remarkable experience of being Australian of the Year

If you’re anything like us after listening to this conversation you’ll feel like you want to take Fiona out for a coffee, give her a hug and high five her all at the same time!

Enjoy!

Links of interest:

Dr Fiona Wood Foundation Website

Avita Medical

Fiona’s TED Talk

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Interview

Navyn Salem – Because She Can’t Wait . .…

October 23, 2018
by admin

Navyn Salem was told over and over that with no previous relevant experience she’d never succeed. Her vision was to build a factory to manufacture a food supplement called “Plumpy Nut” that could save the lives of children with malnutrition in the developing world.

Fortunately for the world, she chose to ignore all the pessimistic advice and forged ahead to set up her not for profit, Edesia Nutrition.

In the past 11 years and a state-of-the-art factory later, Navyn and her team at Edesia have helped 7 million malnourished children in 51 countries. It hasn’t been easy but Navyn is not someone who likes to give up easily.

In this episode, hear Navyn speak inspiringly and openly about:

How she was never afraid to ask for help
The importance of being curious and getting outside of one’s bubble to learn new perspectives
Her belief that being a female CEO should never be something unusual and how she’s encouraging her four daughters to be fearless in their pursuit of leadership
The life changing stories of the impact of the nutritional supplement, ‘Plumpy Nut’, and how it inspires her every day.

We just loved our conversation with Navyn. She’s one of those people who is clearly amazing but also incredibly down to earth and authentic.

Enjoy this episode with the inspiring and motivating Navyn Salem.