Life, Deconstructed Nurit Ben

Christina Wallace is a Harvard Business School lecturer, serial entrepreneur, and self-described ‘human Venn Diagram.’ She joins us to go in depth on her new book “The Portfolio Life,” a thought-provoking takedown of our outdated concept of work-life balance, with deeply practical advice on how to build a life that, in her words, is bigger than a business card.
 
*Why having a ‘solid career path’ is no longer the path to a stable future
*How to leverage your skills to transition between seemingly unrelated careers
*Establishing an identity bigger than your job
*Why everyone should create their own personal ‘board of directors’
And much, much more.

Starting at the ripe age of 3 years old, Kirin Sinha thought she'd be a dancer - and took it so seriously her mom had to tell her to take it down a level. When an injury put a sudden end to her dream, she ended up at MIT, imagining life as a professor. Instead she started a national nonprofit for young girls, Shine, before founding the groundbreaking augmented reality startup Illumix. They've so far secured $13 million in VC funding, been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2020, and spotlighted by Google as a partner in the AR game. Kicking off season 2, Kirin explains why being forced to race up and down stairs doing math helped shape who she is, what makes a successful entrepreneur, her secret to building rock-solid confidence, and why everyone should do the 'Genie test.' 

To say Mariam Wardak has an unusual life story is a bit of an understatement. Born to a family with a prominent legacy in Afghanistan. Raised as a boy by her father until the age of 3. School in America. And a short trip back to Kabul that ended up changing the course of her life. She's since played a major role in her country — from the National Security Council to founding Her Afghanistan, supporting Afghan women in everything from tech to peacebuilding. She tells us about the life lessons learned as a 15 year-old at tribal elder meetings in Afghanistan, her 'own brand' of feminism, finding the courage to walk away from things that look great on paper, and learning to communicate with the Taliban — and her husband.

Her designs are raw, purposefully imperfect - and endlessly elegant. Back in 2012, feeling lost and a bit heartbroken, a (boring) one-day wax carving class set Rosh Mahtani on a completely new path. She ended up founding Alighieri, a jewelry collection inspired by Dante Alighieri's 'Divine Comedy.' Less than 5 years later, the business had an annual growth rate of 500% and was sold in big-name stores like Selfridges, Net-a-Porter, and Matches Fashion. As the brand moved into its new London showroom, Rosh talked to us about growing up in Zambia, why she hates being put in a box, and how she dove fearlessly into launching a meaningful jewelry brand, with no "official" jewelry making experience. 

Chama Mechtaly was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, to Arab Muslim parents. But in middle school she discovered her dad's family secret, hidden even from her mom: his Jewish roots. It changed the course of her life - setting her on a path of trying to understand her country's true history, as well as her own. She's channeled it into incredible work aimed at healing rifts between Jews and Muslims. Now based in Dubai, she created the jewelry line Moors & Saints as a creative and unexpected way to do exactly that. In a raw, open conversation she talks us through the path to understanding her identity, being censored by everyone from her country to an (ex) partner, and her secret to having tough, uncomfortable - and great conversations. 

This week Michelle Morgan takes us inside her path into marketing, branding and strategy - how she found a space to create real impact and find personal meaning in her work. It started out with ditching the pre-med track in favor of the fashion closets at glossy magazines she always dreamed of; but following more of what she calls 'conscious decisions' led her to working on high-profile, inclusive campaigns for Dove, and the Crown act: legislation helping put an end to hair discrimination, especially for black women. She talks about rerouting her direction along the way, why working at an ice cream shop taught her skills that paid off big in her career, playing a role in changing standards of beauty, and finally getting comfortable and confident with her natural hair.