Messy and Masterful (Aldo de Pape)

Yes, yes! We as well are going to explore space. Aldo speaks to Prof. Frans von der Dunk, an eminent authority in Space Law about what the effects are when more humans make their move out of our atmosphere. What is next for us in Space? Can SpaceX enforce its own legal system on Mars? And what happens when someone is killed in Space? Loads of questions to which our guest has fascinating answers. 

Prof. von der Dunk's university website at Nebraska-Lincoln can be found here: https://law.unl.edu/frans-von-der-dunk/ 

Check out Frans' consultancy website here: https://black-holes.eu

Guest Introduction:

In this episode we are going to explore space. More particularly we are going to look at how human intervention will have an effect on Space and I am very happy that I am joined today by an absolute authority on the matter. 

Professor Frans von der Dunk is a HARVEY & SUSAN PERLMAN ALUMNI AND OTHMER PROFESSOR OF SPACE LAW at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln 

and Associate Research Professor at Lazarski University in Warsaw, Poland. 

It is safe to say that Frans von der Dunk knows what he is talking about having published over 200 articles on the topic. He was also the author of the first comprehensive Handbook of Space Law and is a Series Editor of Studies in Space Law. 

There are way too many accolades, recognitions and acknowledgements to mention when you have a guest like this Professor - so I am not going into detail. 

Professor von der Dunk is being called in as an advisor by several government agencies and institutions such as the European Commission, The European Space Agency, the United Nations, OECD and a variety of other national space initiatives such as Japan, Brazil, UAE, Saudi-Arabia, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. 

He is an often seen guest in television programs made about space and if you haven’t seen it yet I would highly recommend a TEDX Talk he held in Vienna in 2016 speaking about why we need Space Lawyers.

My guest is particularly proud of his  cooperation with the Association of Space Explorers on Near-Earth Object Threat Mitigation as well as his signature, along with many Nobel Prize winners and other luminaries, of the original 100 Times Asteroid Day Declaration.

I am sure I missed a lot in this amazing resume but here goes nothing!  

Frans - a very warm welcome!

This week we pause to help the people of Ukraine. 

Here are 12 initiatives that you can support immediately - financially or otherwise.

Also note there are lots of great local initiatives being set up where people are collecting material (dry food such as rice, yoga mats and/or sleeping mats, hot water bottles, tampons/pads, flasks, sleeping bags, etc.) to bring to the Polish/Ukrainian border. So have a good look around you which initiatives are developing.

Good trustworthy organizations that you can directly donate to are: 

International Rescue Committee: 

The IRC is on the ground in Poland and preparing to support displaced families.

https://www.rescue.org/press-release/russia-invades-ukraine-and-civilians-desperately-seek-safety-irc-prepares-worst-and

UNHCR: 

UNHCR has been working in Ukraine since 1994, alongside local authorities, partners and community organizations. UNHCR has delivered essential aid to persons affected by the conflict, refugees and stateless people in the country.

You can help support Ukraine by donating here.

https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/ukraine-emergency#_ga=2.13785776.683375029.1645713845-2039642701.1643819055

International Committee of the Red Cross: 

The Ukrainian Red Cross does loads of humanitarian work, from aiding refugees to training doctors.  

https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/europe-central-asia/ukraine

UNICEF:
Help UNICEF on repairing schools damaged by the bombings and providing an emergency response to children affected by the conflict. 

https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/conflict-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children

Voices of Children:
Voices of Children is a Ukraine-based aid organization that provides psychological support to children who have witnessed war.

These days VOC is providing non-stop assistance to affected children and families from all over the country, providing emergency psychological assistance, and assisting in the evacuation process. 

https://voices.org.ua/en/

Global Empowerment Mission:
Global Empowerment Mission has established a welcome center in Medyka, Poland/Ukraine border. Welcome center will serve as a complimentary Travel Relocation center and aid center. Donate here to help relocate thousands of women and children.

https://www.globalempowermentmission.org/mission/ukraine-crisis/

Nova Ukraine: 

Nova Ukraine is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about Ukraine in the US and throughout the world and providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. 

https://novaukraine.org/

World Central Kitchen: 

WCK has provided tens of millions of fresh, nourishing meals for communities around the world. Your donation today will be used to support our emergency food relief efforts and resilience programs.

https://donate.wck.org/give/236738/#!/donation/checkout

GoFundMe for Ukraine: 

Anna Dezyk is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. They are working with accredited and registered Ukrainian charities to provide medicines, food and critical services to support the most vulnerable to overcome the consequences and trauma of war.

Donate today to the #HelpUkraine Emergency Appeal. https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpukraine

CARE: 

CARE’s Ukraine Crisis Fund aims to reach four million people with emergency assistance – particularly innocent families, women and girls, and the elderly who are likely to suffer the most from this crisis. https://www.care.org/?_ga=2.138508211.125734175.1646075962-902852937.1646075962

Razom for Ukraine: 

Organization of volunteers that works to unlock the potential of Ukraine. https://razomforukraine.org/donate/

The Ukrainian government: 

If you want to support with crypto currency (Bitcoin, ETH and USDT) follow @Ukraine on Twitter where you can find their crypto address.

Get involved and help the people of Ukraine!  

A frank conversation with Nandita Vij Tan who speaks about her journey coming from India to France, studying to become a journalist at one of the best schools in the country. 

Nandita shares her professional insights and experiences (good and bad) on telling stories, what makes them different when told online and sheds a light on how to deal with confused information through social media manipulated with AI or into fake news or alternative facts. 

You can read more about Nandita’s work as Editor-in-Chief at ArtExplored here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-does-art-mean-you-nandita-vij-tandan/

The next Episode is one for the deep thinkers among us. I really enjoyed this interview and definitely would like to have this guest come back to our show many more times as he has the talent, experience and words to make us all properly reflect. 

Dr. Michael Vlerick is a Philosopher. Currently affiliated with Tilburg University in the Netherlands as an Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Science. 

He is an excellent lecturer, speaker and thinker and authored two very interesting books. His most recent book is called ‘Critical and Scientific Thinking: A Short Introduction’ and the ebook version of this book is freely available to download for everyone who is keen to get their brain juices flowing. 

I really enjoyed talking to Michael as he is one of those people who can make very complex things and matters sound very easy. Whenever I speak to people like Michael I feel the world is in very good hands - because there are people who actually get it.

We talk about the difference between thinking and critical thinking, writing books, meditation, ‘Philosophy for Dummies’ and how to achieve world peace. Just your regular podcast banter. 

So if you are interested in any of the above listen to this interview with Dr. Michael Vlerick - ‘The Philosopher’. 

You can download Michael’s book here: 
https://openpresstiu.pubpub.org/critical-scientific

More about Michael can be found here: 
https://www.michaelvlerick.com

Our very last episode of the year analyses what makes us human beings happy. Aldo speaks to Dr. Michael Vlerick, our most listened to guest of 2023, about his new book ‘Why We Are Not Happier’ and what makes us tick in an era of negative news clickbait and social media depression.

We explore terms like ‘hedonic adaptation’ and ’negativity bias’ all carefully explained by this great philosopher who explains his reasons to publish his third book. 

Michael is an assistant professor in philosophy of science at Tilburg University and authored two previous books "De tweede vervreemding" and "Critical and Scientific Thinking”. He gives talks on topics such as global cooperation, critical thinking and happiness. 

For more on Michael you can go here: https://www.michaelvlerick.com/
You can purchase his latest book (in Dutch) here: https://www.bol.com/be/nl/f/waarom-we-niet-gelukkiger-zijn/9300000148166225/
You can purchase the eBook version of his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Waarom-niet-gelukkiger-zijn-Dutch-ebook/dp/B0C8RPTKSV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HK71L23R5ZXY&keywords=waarom+we+niet+gelukkiger+zijn&qid=1702384163&sprefix=waarom+we+niet+gelukkiger+zijn%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-1

Fred Matser is the Founder of the Fred Foundation and has been professionally helping others for over 40 years. We look back at his work and talk about his documentary 'Beyond Me'. 

You can watch Fred's documentary and find out more about his book here: https://www.beyondmedocumentary.org/en/

Guest Introduction: 

Fred has made it his life’s work to help.

Over the past 40 years he has been involved in helping people grow their projects, organisations, initiatives and social impact companies to change this world for the better.

Healthcare, Education, Environment, Climate Change, Peace Building – there is no subject that Fred and his organisation the Fred Foundation have not touched.

And the list of those he has supported throughout the years is endless

Mentioning all of their names (Red Cross, Jane Goodall Institute, Malaria No More, The Chopra Foundation, Green Cross, WNF and hundreds, hundreds more) would take us a podcast in and of itself.

So we won’t do that.

What I find more fascinating is how Fred helps .

Because when you take a closer look at all the beautiful things that have come into existence because of Fred Matser, I see one thing clearly come to the forefront: Personal Ignition.

Fred’s support (financial, advisory and operational) allows great social entrepreneurs not only to start building on their ideas but also ensures that they will thrive and become sustainable.

The Fred Foundation does not only look at the ideas but also clearly at the person who has them and how he/she should be assisted to thrive.

Understanding the person is core to Fred’s approach and philosophy.

Even though you will always discover elements of Fred’s business background, running one of the biggest commercial real estate development companies in the Netherlands, he will make it a priority to genuinely get to know the person.

It is almost like that through helping, Fred is on a quest to understand us human beings in the most profound sense of the word.

And I am so happy that after 40 years of practical research he has now made it a priority to share many of his observations to ensure that any support, assistance or aid will have genuine long lasting effects.

“Let’s try to compare with care in order to share with care“ - he says in the beautifully made documentaryBeyond Me that was launched just last May.  

I have the great privilege of knowing Fred already for more than a decade and have to say that engaging and debating with him is an exceptional experience and a beautiful journey.

Many have praised Fred but I think the former Soviet leader Mihail Gorbachev says it the best and the simplest when saying that:

“Fred is a man with a big and open heart. He is making the world better”

Fred welcome!

A deep conversation with Ronald van der Kemp (RVDK) a very creative soul who speaks about how staying true to himself and his own beliefs made him achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a globally celebrated sustainable Fashion Designer. 

Guest Introduction: 

I hope you are ready for a wild ride into the ever-moving world of high fashion, gorgeous supermodels, extremely talented fashion designers and flashy movie stars dressed up in the most exquisite creations - because my next guest is in the very midst of all of this.

His own demi-couture fashion house is responsible for the most wonderful garments worn by Royalty like Her Royal Highness Sheikha Mozha Bint Nasser, supermodels such as Kate Moss, Adriana Lima and Karlie Kloss singers like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Kate Perry and actresses such as Pryanka Chopra Jonas, Emma Watson, Lily Collins and Dakota Johnson - and this list goes on and on. 

Ronald van der Kemp worked for over 25 years as a designer and creative director for high-end international luxury brands such as Bill Blass, Celine/Michael Kors, Guy Laroche and Barneys New York before starting ‘RVDK’ a label under his own name in August 2014. 

‘RVDK’ is on a mission to show the world that ethical fashion can be glamorous and exciting and profoundly believes that a form of art can change behaviour which leads to a bigger change in the industry. “The world is full of beautiful things and we can’t see it anymore. Because we are too busy to consider them or too rookie to appreciate them.” is an RVDK observation prominently featured on the label’s website. 

The vision and mission of RVDK is not just a hollow slogan as this designer ensures that 95% of the material used for his designs already exists. With that RVDK is the very first sustainable couture brand in the world and Ronald the very first green pioneer haute couture designer on the globe. 

In an interview with the French ‘Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode’ Ronald states that RVDK is trying to reinvent the notion of couture. 

“We are not really a Couture House but more a movement that is trying to change things in the world.” says Ronald. 

“We want to work with companies and customers who want to be different, who have a point of view and a strength that wants to exude what they are about. We all need to think differently, this is what I am looking for.”

So much to talk about with this world famous sustainable designer who is on a mission to design clothes with a soul! 

Ronald a very warm welcome to you! *

You can find more of Ronald’s amazing designs on his website: https://www.ronaldvanderkemp.com

Aldo shares his reflections on attending WISE11 in Doha on November 28th and 29th, 2023. 

You can help out those who have been deprived of an education because of war by making a small donation to one of the following organisations:

UNICEF for Gaza: https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/children-in-gaza-crisis-appeal/
Education Above All: https://donate.educationaboveall.org

Find out more about WISE here: https://www.wise-qatar.org/

Episode 24: Alden Mills: The Navy SEAL

In this last Interview (not last Episode) of Season 1, Aldo speaks to Alden Mills who had the stamina and physical strength to become a Navy SEAL. Alden explains how his life in this elite squad of the US Navy gave him the skills and insights to start and grow a company to one of the fastest growing consumer businesses in the USA. A profound look behind the scenes in a life of rigor and discipline.

Guest Introduction: 

When I first heard about the journey of my next guest I thought it would be best to get my act together and brush up on my knowledge on all things army,  the US Navy, high endurance, iron resolve and incredible physical stamina -  personal features required to join the famous elite team of US Navy SEALS in which Alden Mills absolutely excelled being promoted not one, not two but three times as a platoon commander. 

But when taking a closer look at Alden’s journey as a Navy SEAL and after that as a hyper-  successful fitness entrepreneur leading one of the fastest growing consumer companies in the United States  - you notice that his message strikes a very different tone. 

Rather than talking about his own success he is not afraid to disclose his failures, adversities and doubts. Other than cultivating an iron discipline, Alden pleads for all of us to first grow an impeccable relationship between our heads and our hearts. A framework needed for all of us to become ‘Unstoppable’ - a recurring theme in the two books that my guest wrote; “Be Unstoppable: The 8 Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything”  and “Unstoppable Teams: The 4 Essential Actions of High Performance Leadership”.  

The passion, enthusiasm of this goal-getter is contagious and made me very much think about the mark that I wanted to make on this world. Alden himself speaks passionately about this in a TED talk he held at the business school IESE in Barcelona. 

In this talk he recalls having to write a ‘just-in-case’ letter to his family and more particularly his 4 sons should he not survive his next military mission. ‘It took me 10 years to write this letter, Alden explains in his talk - a letter with a theme to go after your dreams, reminding them their life is up to them and their dreams come with a dark side where you don’t know if you can really do it. Go after the dreams that push you outside your comfort zone and allow you to take some risks.” 

Now correct me if I am wrong Alden, but I think this letter and the message it carried for your sons basically set you off on writing more about how we can all become Unstoppable, am I correct? 

Find out more about Alden and his books on his website: https://alden-mills.com

It is so good to be back with our Podcast Program. A new series of episodes brought to you every week with also (as you might have noticed) a brand new name. 
So we took a short break from podcasting taking some time to work with a professional audio consultant to listen to our previously published conversations.

We did this because we absolutely love bringing this program to you and we want it to only get better. Now in order to do this we felt it was good not to stay too long in an echo chamber, taking each other’s advice as a production team but also to work with third parties to tell us how we could improve.

The big takeaway was - papapapapa - they love it! Don’t change too much other than maybe adopt a name that better represents the topics that we discuss. So we did just that.

Our production team came up with a list of 20 names that with the entire team at TeachPitch we shortlisted to 3 - we took those 3 names to our community and an overwhelming majority voted for the name:

Messy and Masterful!!

So here we are - welcome to a brand new episode of Messy and Masterful powered by TeachPitch.

We are very happy you could make it!! And boy oh boy do we have a treat for you, because our new guest is one of the very best sommeliers in the world!

A sommelier according to Wikipedia is a wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the wine steward in fine dining today is much more specialized and informed than that of a "wine waiter."

And I was so delighted to speak to Paz Levinson who was the best sommelier of the Americas in 2015 and became 4th globally in 2016. She is now traveling the world working as a sommelier for the world-famous chef Anne-Sophie Pic and her restaurants all over the world. Paz is absolutely lovely, modest and hardworking and it was a great pleasure talking to her about her challenges in making your mark on the map having one of the best pallets in the world.

Cannot wait to hear what you think - please enjoy episode 58, Paz Levinson, The Sommelier! 

More information on Paz can be found on her website: http://pazlevinson.com

In this conversation, Aldo interviews Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera; a platform that measures competencies and provides insights in how people can acquire the right job skills for the future.  

The two discuss the impact of AI on jobs and the future of work, and dive into how important it is to prepare our world for all the changes that are to come. 
They also touch on the role of AI in different fields and the need for both durable and perishable skills. 

Kian shares his personal journey coming from France to the United States, working and growing at Stanford University, and reveals why he is so passionate about Education. 

Check out Workera’s website to find out more about the great work they do: https://workera.ai/

This Episode is made in partnership with:

Cold Case Inc (use the code MESSY and get an exclusive 15% discount): https://bit.ly/3HN75PD
Riverside (get a 20% discount by signing up via this link): https://bit.ly/3HCU4IC
Preworn: Get a 25% discount using the code MESSY25: https://bit.ly/49bEXlD
The Code Zone: https://bit.ly/3UlspmU

We are glamming it up today and we are taking you to Hollywood! In our continuous search for the world’s most unique jobs and careers we surely found a diamond today as we had the great honor and pleasure to interview Kristan Serafino. 

Now Kristan is a hairstylist and not just your regular one. 

Throughout her 20 year career she has been responsible for the looks of actors like Matthew McConaughey, Robert Pattinson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniel Craig, Shawn Mendes, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Michael J Fox and the list just goes on and on.

Next to being a genius with coiffures (Kristan gave me a lot of good tips and tricks on how to never have a bad hair-day) she is also the most lovely and hard working person you have ever met. 

She is continuously on the go advising people whether this is on TV programs like Good Morning America or working with people in her salon, that is if she is not on the road for a film project.

Kristan is now devoted to growing her hair wax company The Best Paste that is winning lots of awards and accolades at the moment and we talk about her stellar journey as hairstylist, CEO and amazing person in general. 

Special call-out to Kristan’s Chief Operating Officer Doug Church who we also mention in the interview! Doug you rock!

So without further ado let’s get into a set of new challenges, beautiful hair, great styling tips & tricks and the great glitter and glam of the movie industry for Episode 56 with Kristan Serafino, the Hollywood Hairstylist.

More about Kristan's company'The Best Paste' can be found here: https://thebestpaste.com

The unbelievable story of Dr. Ismail Serageldin - without a doubt the most intelligent guest of the TeachPitch Podcast (no offense to previous and/or future interviewees). Aldo speaks to Ismail about his profound challenges in making the Ancient Library of Alexandria the renowned institute of knowledge it is today.  

Visit Dr. Serageldin's personal site here: http://www.serageldin.com/

More on the Library of Alexandria can be found here: https://www.bibalex.org

Guest Introduction: 

I know this is only our very first season and that it is still very early days as this episode will drop as number 8 in our series but I am quite confident that my next guest is one of the smartest people that I will ever have the privilege of interviewing for the TeachPitch Podcast. 

Dr. Ismail Serageldin has written over 100 books and monographs and well over 500 papers on any notable topic varying from literature, to biotechnology to the value of science in our world. 

Next to his own PhD from Harvard University he holds over 40 honorary doctorate degrees. 

And on top of that he has been awarded many national medals and titles that will make your head spin. Awards from Chile, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro and most particularly; a Gold and Silver Star from the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan, a Commander of the Order of Arts & Letters by the government of France and The Public Welfare Medal from the US National Academy of Sciences. 

Dr. Serageldin was the first Vice-President of Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development at the World Bank and after leaving this position became Founding Director of the Library of Alexandria where he served until 2017. Currently Ismail is Emeritus Librarian of the same renowned institution. 

Our guest has also hosted a cultural program on Egyptian Television and developed a TV Science series in Arabic and English. 

His message to the world is one that advocates hope & peace or as he says himself: 

“The world is my home. Humanity is my family. Non-violence is my creed. Peace, justice, equality and dignity for all - is my purpose. Engagement, rationality, tolerance, dialogue, learning and understanding are my means. With outstretched hands we welcome all those who share these beliefs …” 

Ismail - a very warm welcome to you! 

In this conversation, Aldo and Michael discuss the importance of happiness in life and how it becomes more apparent when reflecting back on one's life. They explore the idea that everything we do is ultimately in pursuit of happiness, whether consciously or unconsciously. They also discuss the need to be more conscious of our actions and behaviors and how they contribute to our long-term happiness. The conversation touches on the role of mourning and the coexistence of happiness and sadness. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of living a life that encompasses all emotions and finding beauty and meaning in each experience.

Keywords: happiness, reflection, life, actions, behaviours, mourning, sadness, beauty, meaning

Takeaways

• Happiness is the currency of life and becomes more apparent when reflecting back on one's life.
• Everything we do, consciously or unconsciously, is in pursuit of happiness.
• Being conscious of our actions and behaviors can contribute to our long-term happiness.
• Mourning can coexist with happiness and bring beauty and meaning to life.

Sound Bites

• "I want you all to know that I was very happy."
• "Everything we do, everything we pursue in life, directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously, is to make us and other people happier."
• "We can radically transform our lives for the better, but it won't happen without a kind of conscious effort."

A big thanks to all our Partners who make Messy & Masterful happen:

Become an Audible Member for only 99 pence for 3 months: https://bit.ly/3vzSox9

Riverside.fm: get a 15% discount by using the code MESSY or sign up here https://bit.ly/3HCU4IC

Register to Receive Books for £1 from Scholastic: https://bit.ly/49lRimq

Creative Learning and Wellbeing for Kids with Brilliant Brainz Magazine: https://bit.ly/3PNjrM8

Leading the Circular Fashion Revolution with Preworn: Get a 25% discount using the code MESSY25: https://bit.ly/49bEXlD

Cold Case Inc (use the code MESSY and get an exclusive 15% discount): https://bit.ly/3HN75PD

Connect with the Brands you love at Awin: https://bit.ly/3vzSvJ5

Find the Perfect Gardener on Care.com: https://bit.ly/4cLKcdZ

Grown Alchemist: https://bit.ly/3vKGXCD

Cake or Death: https://bit.ly/3J4tDfG

Kids Party Craft: https://bit.ly/4cFrULj

Bike Club: https://bit.ly/3xj7DuF

The Code Zone: https://bit.ly/3UlspmU

We are talking Dog communication, motivation and discipline this week with an expert. Hannah Brannigan is a Dog Trainer who uses groundbreaking techniques to ensure that both owner and Dog develop a better relationship. A fascinating conversation on Dog parks, Dog psychology and everything Dogdom. 

Check out Hannah’s website here: https://hannahbranigan.dog 

A very big welcome to Season 3 of The TeachPitch Podcast. I am hyper excited to be opening our latest season and cannot wait to hear your thoughts on all the awesome things we have in store for you for this series of episodes.

We are kicking off and we are kicking off big because I have the great, great fortune to open Season 3 with some of the very best architects in this world. For our 51st Episode we are taking you to Tokyo, Japan where we had the tremendous honour to speak to the great Yui & Takaharu Tezuka. 

Now I am genuinely not lying to you when I tell you that this couple has shaken the world of architecture and that because of them and their magnificent designs this world is a more beautiful place. 

Tezuka Architects has won the Japanese Institute of Architects Prize (twice over), The Yoshioka Prize, The Architectural Institution of Japan Prize and the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2017. 

If you haven’t already seen it, please, please check out the TED talk of Takaharu Tezuka about ‘The Best Kindergarten You Have Ever Seen’ - 1.3 million people have watched his talk before you and for very good reasons. 

I loved Yui and Takaharu because of their simplicity. I am very much inspired and in awe about their choice to find their architectural ideas in nature or as they say themselves - merely amplifying what is already there instead of trying to rework or undo what nature has given to us. 

I also love the fact that they always wear the same colour of tshirts in the family - blue for Takaharu, red for Tezuka and I believe green and yellow for their son and daughter. 

Anyways, I learnt loads of loads of this interview and hope you will as well. We have also included the video recording of this interview on our YouTube channel so do check that out as well, if you want to get an idea of what these wonderful people look like. 

With that, please enjoy - ‘Yui and Takaharu Tezuka’ - The Architects! 

You can find more information about Yui and Takaharu through the website of Tezuka Architects: http://www.tezuka-arch.com

Oak National Academy is a government subsidised online platform that has helped millions of teachers and their students in the United Kingdom so they could continue the process of teaching & learning throughout the pandemic. Aldo speaks to its founder and Principal Matthew Hood about his journey and the rapid growth of Oak. 

Guest Introduction: 

You hear it everywhere! The pandemic has unfortunately had many devastating effects on the essential pillars on which our society rests. Our day to day reliance on things that were previously considered obvious was suddenly interrupted. Overflooded hospitals, empty shelves in the supermarket and deserted tubes and trains previously crowded with passengers. 

There have been many stories - also on this podcast - on how frontline workers in the healthcare sector did their utmost to ensure that nurses, doctors and hospital staff could continue to do their work and today we are going to take a deep-dive in how people stood up for Education. The abrupt closure of schools in 2020 came along with a deep fear that this would mean the end of teaching and learning as we know it. 

Our own organisation TeachPitch was able to play a small role to ensure that education could continue in countries like Ecuador and Albania - and today we are going to talk about which specific steps were taken in the United Kingdom.  

The government provided more than 1.3 million laptops and tablets to schools so children could learn from home. Another notable government subsidized initiative that stands out is the Oak National Academy. 

This online school initiated by the Reach Foundation was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the coronavirus outbreak. More than 40 teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support schools’ efforts to keep children learning.

The Oak Academy to date delivered 130 million lessons. 86% of teachers recommended Oak to a colleague, thanks to its help in reducing workload and improving teaching and learning. 

In total, over 4.7m people visited Oak in its first term, with an average of 220,000 users each day. Serious numbers attacking a serious problem. 

With the support of hundreds of teachers, sector bodies, unions and subject associations, Oak aims to continually listen to its users feedback to improve and extend its range of free resources. 

And the online school will stay open for at least 2 more terms also as restrictions in the UK come down - this is what the Oak’s Principal Matt Hood recently announced in an article in the Times.

Matt Hood is described as one of the most forward-thinking educators around. Matt previously worked on many levels in the Education sector, as a teacher, policy maker and entrepreneur. 

Matt’s initiative has had an enormous positive effect on education in times of crisis. 

Friend or foe - I agree with Schools Minister Nick Gibb when he says: “The impact Oak has made and the good it has done for the sector and children is immeasurable, and we will now look for the best way to harness that for the future.”

More on the Oak National Academy you can find here: https://www.thenational.academy

• External circumstances have less impact on our long-term happiness than we tend to think.
• Our genes can influence our happiness, but there are practices and insights that can help us overcome genetic obstacles.
• We have a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of our lives and get used to improved conditions quickly.
• Negativity bias leads us to remember negative events more vividly and have a greater psychological impact.
• Ambition can be a motivator, but it's important to have intrinsic motivations and realistic expectations.
• Changing our perspective and working on certain practices can lead to long-term happiness. True happiness is not found in external elements but in understanding what truly makes us happy.
• We are often primed to look in the wrong direction for happiness, influenced by media and societal norms.
• Negativity bias and hedonic adaptation are common obstacles to happiness, but we can overcome them.

Many firsts in this episode as Aldo speaks for the first time to two sports professionals who also happen to be married. 

Laura Beveridge is a rising star in the Professional Golf Rankings. We speak to Laura and her husband/ coach Keil Beveridge what the life of a Golf Pro is like.
A life with many (many) travels, lots of highs, some lows but most certainly very interesting couple dynamics.

You can find more information about Laura and Keil here: https://www.laurabeveridgegolf.com

Guest Introduction: 

When my next guest joined the Dutch Royal family through her marriage with Prince Constantijn in 2001, it very soon became apparent to the Dutch people that this Princess was not only here for the ribbon cutting formalities but keen to make a positive difference in any way she possibly could.

From nature & wildlife preservation,  circular economies to Education. This ‘Power Princess’ is here to get some work done. 

In 2004 she founded the Stichting Lezen & Schrijven (freely translated Foundation for Reading & Writing) to effectively attack the public secret of illiteracy ongoing in her country.  17 years later this organisation has had a tremendous impact notably having supported  tens of thousands of people from all corners of the Netherlands to make reading and writing accessible to all.

Her activism to improve the state of education and the environment did not stop there. As a Special Envoy for UNESCO on Literacy and Development and as a Literacy Expert for the High Commission of the European Union to ensure changes could be realised on a top-down level.  

But also through starting admirable  initiatives like Missing Chapter  to specifically help children become more  aware of societal problems at hand. 

There are simply too many accolades, chairships and  patronages to mention so I won’t go through all of them but very worthy of looking at  are the series of books Princess Laurentien has written to increase a child’s understanding on sustainability and the environment around the character Mr. Finney, as well as her fairy tale writing skills that she deployed  with other renowned Dutch children’s book writers. 

Seemingly Princess Laurentien can do it all. Raising awareness, funds and connecting people  to find a solution for topics that matter. And that she wasn’t anywhere near done, became clear when she founded the Number Five Foundation in 2017 together with her husband to find an answer to the big questions that require our attention today:  

The team at Number 5 are here to make a strategic difference and to create a positive impact  way by connecting the right people with each other -  they have already worked on many assignments but one project that caught my attention is : 

The creation of an Alliance on Digital Togetherness involving key players from both private as well as public world to better understand all the changes that come along as we develop further into this Digital Era.

The Number Five Foundation keeps an open mind in which equality is its highest value and has carefully integrated the UN’s Millennium Development Goals into its DNA.

Lots of work to be done led by a Princess who is more than ready to rumble!

You can check out the website of the Number Five Foundation here: https://www.numberfive.community

For this interview we are going back to the Balkans and more specifically to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo where I had the great honour to speak to Uranik Begu, the Executive Director of Innovation Centre Kosovo. 

We again had the great honor of attending and speaking at ThinkTech - Kosovo and while being there I seized the opportunity to speak to many interesting people who are seeking to dramatically change the situation in this country for the better.

One of these people is Uranik Begu who with the Innovation Centre has helped thousands of startups, hundreds of products and through its many events managed to support many, many ICT businesses in the country. I felt that Uranik and the centre are well placed to assess how Kosovo is evolving - specifically when it comes to getting more people into technology. 

The conference we spoke at was called ‘Building Bridges’ and it was very inspiring to hear the many notable guests speak about the bridges they felt needed to be built. 

Among others we had the Minister of Industry and Innovation speak at this event and I, for one, was very impressed with the drive, ambition and energy of the young people attending to change the situation in their country for the better.

Uranik was a great spokesperson for these people and I sincerely hope you take the time to listen to what he had to say. So with that - please enjoy Episode 52 - ThinkTech Kosovo with Uranik Begu. 

We are off to Colombia for this episode. Aldo has the great privilege to speak to Ms. Vicky Colbert who changed the education system in her country with her groundbreaking program and organisation Escuela Nueva. 

More information about Vicky's journey and organisation can be found here: https://escuelanueva.org

Guest Introduction:

Ms Vicky Colbert is founder & director of Fundación Escuela Nueva, an NGO  committed to improving the quality, relevance, and efficiency of education by rethinking the way we learn.

The best way to describe the Escuela Nueva model is as an innovative way of looking at students and offering them customised support at scale regardless of the circumstances and environments they grow up in. 

Ms Colbert is a Sociologist from Javeriana University in Colombia. She pursued her graduate studies in Sociology of Education and Comparative International Education at Stanford University and has pioneered, expanded and sustained educational innovation from many organizational spheres, previously as Vice minister of Education of Colombia, UNICEF ́s Education Adviser for the Latin American Countries. 

 She has been recognized with several awards and distinctions in the fields of leadership and social entrepreneurship, such as the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, 2013 WISE Prize for Education, the Clinton Global Citizenship Award and the Kravis Prize. She has also been recognized as Outstanding Social Entrepreneur by the Schwab Foundation, Ashoka and the World Technology Network.

The Escuela Nueva approach to date has been implemented in thousands of schools in Colombia and is being exported to many other countries as we speak. 

In 2017, Vicky was also awarded with the Yildan Prize for Education and for very good reasons. The jury was full or praise to Escuela Nueva and its unique approach stating that: 

“Ms Colbert’s work demonstrates that high quality schooling can be cost-effective in the harshest environments. Her model excels in developing both intellectual and social-emotional capacities of its students – an inspiring testament to the fact that well-rounded progressive education is not a privilege reserved for students in developed economies.” 

Vicky Colbert describes her own journey as one similar to that of the fairy tale ‘Cinderella’ stating: ‘We started with the most invisible and remote schools and they ended up looking like the school of the future’ 

For us: ‘Necessity is the Mother of Innovation’ 

Vicky a very warm welcome to you! 

The world is in good hands if we have people like Gitanjali Rao becoming the leaders of tomorrow. 

This inventor, aspiring scientist, UNICEF ambassador and the first ever TIME kid of the year is an example to all of us. I had the great pleasure of meeting her in Qatar at the World Innovation Summit for Education. 

I really enjoyed talking to her for Episode 28 in Season 2 and was blown away by her eloquence, self awareness and authenticity at such a young age.

The things she said in this interview speak for themselves! Most noteworthy is her observation that you cannot change what people think of you but that you can change how you react to them. There will be people who will shoot you down but the end you have the same amount of power as everyone else. 

Please enjoy these notes to Nono of Gitanjali Rao. 

Aldo speaks to the amazing Andrew Ashe - CEO and Founder of onebillion; an organisation that wants to make sure that one billion children will have the genuine  ability to numerate and read in their own language. Andrew’s organisation was granted the famous ($15 million) XPrize in 2019. In this interview we discuss how onebillion has grown since receiving the prize and how it will not rest until every child can thrive. 

You can visit the website of onebillion here to find out more about the great work of Andrew and his team: https://onebillion.org

Aldo speaks to the Cameroonian Peace Advocate Sharon Epie who voices the needs & wishes of the next generation in her country. A nation that is tainted by its ongoing Civil War.  
Sharon is a Youth Advocate invited by Education Above All and the United Nations to speak on behalf of her peers. 

She speaks about how her voice and the young voices of so many others can help to hopefully bring this conflict to an end.

Find out more about Education Above All here: https://educationaboveall.org

So who among you has ever seen the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Patch Adams’? If you haven’t seen it yet, please go ahead and do so - it will be worth your while.

Now the movie - starring Robin Williams as Dr. Patch Adams - has moved millions in this world and ignited a movement of ‘clini-clowns’ to bring more joy and laughter to the very serious world of hospitals and healthcare. And I can assure you that the actual person is even more impactful and impressive than the movie. 

I really loved this interview with Patch (Episode 20 in Season 1) as he literally took this conversation everywhere. What stayed with me is his undying optimism and his unbreakable resolution never to have a bad day in his life. I am trying to make that my mantra now as well. Make sure you live every day to the fullest! Never have a bad day:) 

By the way, I would be very grateful if you share with us your thoughts on Notes to Nono or on any other Episodes of The TeachPitch Podcast. So if you are listening to this and are enjoying it (or perhaps the opposite) you absolutely hate and want us to know - please leave us a rating or a review. It really helps us to grow this Series and allows other people to find out about it as well. Thanks for doing this! Very much appreciated. 

Without further ado; please enjoy this Notes to Nono 6 with Dr. Patch Adams. 

Aldo speaks to Anthony Ward Thomas, founder of one of the biggest removal companies in the United Kingdom. 
In this Episode this very grounded guest shares more about his life-long career building a huge company from nothing.

Anthony speaks about what motivated him to start packing boxes, what brings him joy in running a company with hundreds of employees and why it is important to know yourself. 

You can find more about Anthony and his company here: https://ward-thomas.co.uk/

Another Thursday, another Episode and today we are taking you to an almost parallel universe of Decentralized Finance, Digital Assets, Crypto currencies and a lot of other Web 3 matters that for many among us is still an unknown.

Now my next guest is someone who is working on being a bridge for those people who feel that all of this unclear, too intangible and frankly scary. 

He is what you call an NFT Influencer who goes by the name of Zeneca. His real name is Roy and he is the nicest guy you have ever met. Now Roy has been very successful in educating, informing, myth-busting and even comforting people who have the desire to further immerse themselves into the NFT world. 

He even founded his own educational platform called ZenAcademy where he teaches people the do’s and don’ts of this rapidly evolving world. 

I genuinely enjoyed this interview as Zeneca was very open and upfront with me about his life, his successes but also his vices and failures.

Really learned a lot from him not only as someone interested in what Web 3 has to bring, but also as a human being.

So without further ado, please enjoy this interview with Zeneca.

Aldo speaks with Dr. Marion Debruyne, Dean of the top-ranked Vlerick Business School about her remarkable career to date. 
Dr. Debruyne speaks about how she is finding her way through the hallways of business and academia, her ambitions to grow Vlerick and what we should look for when searching for optimal happiness in our careers. 

Find out more about Vlerick Business School here: https://www.vlerick.com/en/
You can order Dr. Debruyne’s book ‘Making Your Way’ (with Dr. Katleen De Stobbeleir) here: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Making-Your-Way-by-Marion-Debruyne-Katleen-De-Stobbeleir/9789401472760

After an impressive career path, including lots of scholarships and scientific praises from some of the world’s best universities, Dr. Weldon returns to Bermuda in 2020 to help her island navigate through the pandemic. Carika talks to Aldo about her profound love for her island, the many challenges on her path and her exciting plans for the future. 

You can find out more about Dr. Carika Weldon by going to the website of her foundation ‘Bermuda Principles’ here: https://www.bermudaprinciples.com

https://www.bermudaprinciples.com/

Aldo looks back with Dr. Patch Adams who founded the Gesundheit! Institute 50 years ago. Patch shares the secret that has allowed him to remain an energized optimist, always ready to make a change for the better in this world and talks about the many do’s and don’ts that fame can bring along. 

Guest Introduction: 

My next guest has made it his life’s mission to make Health & Healthcare a human right for all people. 

Even though this medical doctor, author, comedian, social activist and clown had initially intended to ‘only’ change the healthcare system in the United States, his message quickly amplified globally with the publication of his book Gesundheit! in 1998 and the Hollywood attention that followed resulting in the blockbuster movie that carries his name. 

Dr. Patch Adams believes that laughter, joy and creativity are an integral part of the healing process and globally advocates for hospitals, doctors and nurses to genuinely connect with their patients, fully experiencing them as human beings that deserve the promise of proper care. 

Patch founded The Gesundheit Institute in 1971 to help everyone in need of health care. Insurance or no insurance, Gesundheit! has opened its doors to anyone who asks. First as a hospital until the mid-eighties, now as a teaching centre and a community to continue to bring the human side of healthcare to the forefront. 

Dr. Patch Adams travels the world to spread his funny message of care, love and most importantly happiness to all those who want to hear. 

These expeditions - also called Clown Missions are heartwarming and  versatile catering to the needs of people in Ecuador, Russia, Mexico, Morocco, Guatemala and many more countries to come in 2022 and beyond. 

At age 76 - Dr. Adams seems to be more energised than ever, ready to further spread his message of joy to the world. His endeavors have not gone by unnoticed as earlier this year he was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 - a light recurring theme that he takes on with a big wink and a smile together with his son Lars in the highly entertaining Podcast:  “The Best Day of My Life: Patch Adam’s Journey to the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination” 

In preparation for this interview I learned that Patch has made it his personal goal to never have a bad day. A firm decision he made at age 18, when he made the personal call to be 6 specific things: happy, funny, loving, cooperative, creative, and thoughtful. 

And in every action he takes, he tries to keep these 6 things in mind. By never having a bad day, he doesn't mean always being happy, he means accepting sadness and anger and to always try to channel those emotions into productive change.

Loads to talk about Patch! A very warm welcome to you! 

You can find out more about Patch Adams and the Gesundheit! Institute on his website: https://www.patchadams.org

We are going to talk about the power of our brain today with an expert neurologist who has extensive knowledge as a Chiropractic brain specialist about how our brain adapts, how it grows, how it responds throughout our entire life.

Dr. Michael Trayford has founded APEX Brain Centres, a clinic that offers extensive brain rehabilitation programs for people who are suffering from addiction or have suffered a traumatic impact on their brain because of an accident. We speak about the road to recovery, the agility of our thinking, the era of technology addiction and how different our brains evolve, one generation to another. 

It was a mind-blowing conversation with an extremely interesting guest. Hope you will enjoy pur 60th Episode! 

You can find more about Dr. Michael Trayford on his website: https://apexbraincenters.com
Or through Instagram: @neurowellnessdoc 

Yes, yes, yes! We are ready for a next Season of Messy & Masterful. 
And we are opening with an absolute smasher as we have an in-depth conversation with Annelies Verlinden, the Belgian Minister of the Interior, Institutional Reform and Democratic Renewal.  

We loved talking to Annelies about what it is like to become a Minister overnight. What life is like to be in the public eye 24/7 and which difficulties she encountered trying to improve things for the better. 
As a Call to Action, the Minister asked us to take a look at the Lean In Movement, which you can find here: https://leanin.org/
And do check out Annelies website to find out more about all the many things she is working on: https://verlinden.belgium.be/en

It feels so good to be back!! Hope you missed us!:) 

Happy Birthday TeachPitch! We are 7 years old today on UNESCO’s World Teachers Day.

Recent times haven’t been easy for educators and with this interview we wanted to do our little part in showing that we care.

In search for tips & tricks to cope with all the challenges coming our way, Aldo speaks to life-long teacher and best-selling author Dr. Edith Eger about the adversities she overcame as a Holocaust survivor & refugee. Loads of wisdom and valuable advice from this 94 year old world-renowned Psychologist.

Guest Introduction: 

You have books and then you have Books with a big capital B.

As a reader you can be touched by a book for many reasons; its intention, its story line, its plot, the message it has for the world and/or fall in love with one or all of its main characters.

Often just one of these components is already enough to make it a big success but very rarely have I read one or better said two books that have  it all.

‘The Choice’ and ‘The Gift’ written by the renowned psychologist Dr. Edith Eger surpassed any expectation I had and left me in admiration, awe and with a lot of deep questions about us human beings.

By any standard I can say that both works are absolutely monumental reads, undoubtedly here to stay.

Dr. Edith Eger shares with us the story of surviving the most horrific atrocities in Auschwitz. Her ordeal as a 16 year old Jewish girl growing up in Hungary during the Second World War is beyond anything you can imagine. With both her parents killed in the gas chambers,  having undergone the torture, the humiliation and many systemic attempts to be killed, Edith and her sister Magda miraculously make it out alive of this death camp.

Step by step Dr. Eger tries to rebuild her life in post-war Hungary but not even 5 years after the war she is again led in incredibly difficult circumstances as the Russians seize power in the East of Europe.

Dr. Eger, her husband Bela and daughter Marianne seek refuge in the United States where they need to start over their entire life again, with not a penny to their name and only the motivation to build something new.

Both books by Dr. Eger ‘ are about resilience, loss, bereavement, bravery, anger, forgiveness but most of all about the unique power given to all of us that we can always make a choice.

“We have the capacity to hate and the capacity to love. Which one we reach for,” Dr. Eger states, “is up to us.”
When reading the incredible story of Dr. Edith Eger you are moved beyond belief. It is a story that overwhelms you not only because of what happened to her but also how you will be transformed when reading them.

You cannot carry on as normal after you have read the books of Dr. Eger.

‘I will be forever changed by Dr. Eger’s story’ says the mighty Oprah Winfrey and who am I to disagree?

Now this Podcast Program is all about challenges and how great people have overcome adversity and setbacks and went on to achieve great things.

I for one cannot come up with a guest more befitting for our Podcast or as a journalist for the New York Times describes it:

“I can’t imagine a more important message for modern times. Eger’s book is a triumph, and should be read by all who care about both their inner freedom and the future of humanity.”

Without a doubt Dr. Eger and her story personify everything we stand for it is my distinct honour to bring to you this interview with her on our 7th birthday and UNESCO’s ‘World Teachers Day’

Dr. Eger I am filled with gratitude and humility that you could make some time available to talk to me. A very warm welcome to you!

More on Dr. Eger's book 'The Choice' & 'The Gift' can be found here: https://dreditheger.com

Our future is bright if it is left in the hands of amazing, young people like Gitanjali Rao. Aldo speaks to this 16-year-old inventor chosen by TIME magazine as the first-ever Kid of the Year how the next generation can get involved in changing our world for the better.

More about Gitanjali and her innovation workshops can be found here: gitanjalirao.net

Sabine Lubbe Bakker is an award-winning Film and Documentary Director. Aldo speaks to her about her Documentary ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ (2013) and Film ‘Becoming Mona’ (2020). Sabine talks to Aldo about her passion for storytelling, sabotaging the love of her life on set and why failure is so much more valuable than success. 

You can purchase and download Sabine’s movie ‘Becoming Mona’ here: https://tv.apple.com/nl/movie/kom-hier-dat-ik-u-kus/umc.cmc.1w97emlisyb9vv4vubwbeie45

This interview means a lot to me. Not only because the guest I got to interview was extremely interesting, funny and engaging. But also because this conversation really intrinsically touched me. To me this interview with Dr. Marc Brackett was such an ‘aha’ moment, such an absolute confirmation that I was doing the right thing - it got me in such a flow - that to this day I am still grateful for. 

Dr. Marc Brackett is Executive Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Author of Permission to Feel. He talks about how important it is that we understand and recognise our emotions and has made his life’s mission to help others to truly understand what they feel. 

In Episode 26 of Season 2 - you can listen to the full interview and if you don’t want to listen to just me yabbling on I can also highly recommend an interview that Marc did with the one and only Brene Brown for her Podcast ‘Unlocking Us’. 

Let’s never stop caring about each other and make sure that ‘How are you?’ or ‘How are you feeling?’ is a genuine question we ask each other worthy of a genuine answer. Each day and every day. Please enjoy Notes to Nono 5 with Dr. Marc Brackett. 

• There is a difference between education and learning, and it is important to expand such definitions beyond traditional schooling.
• Lifelong learning is crucial, and learning happens both inside and outside of school.
• The Stanford Accelerator for Learning seeks to accelerate to put Academic Research into practice and supports projects with a high impact on education.
• AI has the potential to enhance education, but it should be integrated with existing technology and designed with educators' input.

Aldo speaks to Stavros Yiannouka, the CEO of the World Innovation Summit for Education about the past, present and future of this unique global platform. 

Guest Introduction: 

Every other year the beautiful, cosmopolitan city of Doha opens its doors to those who shake and make Education in this world. From all over the globe people fly in to discuss the latest innovative developments, bright ideas & best practices to improve the process of teaching and learning - every step of the way. 

Policy makers, scientists, entrepreneurs, writers, teachers and most importantly students join together to exchange their thoughts on how we can collectively move forward with Education in its core. 

The World Innovation Summit for Education, hosted by the Qatar Foundation  under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Sheikha Mozha Bint Nasser is a fully immersive experience that one is not soon to forget. 

This summit really allows relevant stakeholders & enthusiasts to interact through a series of thoughtful workshops, lunch-ons, fireside chats, panel discussions and lectures that dive deep into the educational problems at hand, while at the same it has also managed to attract a lot of star power, enjoying the presence & speakership of many members of Royal Houses, Heads of State and incredibly impressive people like CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Michelle Obama and even Shakira. 

The ‘Piece de resistance’ of this bi-annual summit is the WISE Prize, an award of $500,000 given to people who have dedicated their life to positively changing this world through education. The summit always allows me to recharge my batteries and when stepping back on a plane, homeward to the UK, I am fully inspired, ready to take on the challenges that teachers all over the world have to cope with. 

WISE its objective is to connect innovators in such a way that they are encouraged to collaborate so together they can realise educational transformations where needed.  And the summit is just the mere beginning of all of this. The WISE Accelerator, The WISE Awards, The WISE Emerging Leaders Program, A WISE Words Podcast...the list goes on and on.

The mastermind behind WISE in its most recent form is CEO, Stavros N. Yiannouka who with his warm and personable approach makes sure this event as well as all the many other ongoing activities of the platform are a success.  

Before joining WISE in 2012, Stavros was the Executive Vice-Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) at the National University of Singapore, a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company and practiced corporate law for a variety of law firms in London. 

In a 2020 Forbes article Stavros rightly so expressed his concerns over the effects of the pandemic on education, urging all those involved to look beyond tomorrow: 

“Education needed fundamental change before COVID-19, and it needs it even more now. It’s still within our power to make it happen. But if we don’t look beyond simply being resilient, we’ll certainly never get there.”

Definitely a lot to talk about. Stavros, a very warm welcome to you! 

Aldo talks to historian Judith Goldstein, Founder & Executive Director of Humanity in Action, how fragile democracy in our world is and what we must do to ensure that totalitarian regimes will not win.

Guest Introduction: 

For those (like me) who can appreciate the design, style and user experience of websites, I can highly recommend the url: https://humanityinaction.org 

It is a website that completely draws you in with its warm inviting colours, stylish buttons, impressive pictures and beautifully animated short films. 

As a CEO of a software company I can warmly recommend it but I have to warn you, there is no such thing as a quick visit to this platform.

I have good reasons to believe this has been done intentionally because the website just like the organisation as well as its founder have made it their mission to make you think. 

Dr. Judith S. Goldstein is an American author, historian and human rights leader. 

In 1997 she founded the international educational organisation Humanity in Action whose objective it is to facilitate and promote a dialogue to understand and respond to the challenges that democratic societies face as they become increasingly diverse. 

The organisation is right when it states: we are deeply engaged in human rights, pluralism and democracy, our uniqueness lies in our multitude of perspectives that are brought together in a vibrant international community.

On its site I see many head-spinning questions flying by such as: 

'How can you fix Democracy?' 

'Do you know what the power of democracy is?' 

'What is the connection between social cohesion and social combustion?'  

None of them have straightforward answers and require deep reflection and analysis in order to steer them to a satisfactory conclusion. 

And this is exactly where the educational element kicks in. Humanity in Action sponsors recent graduates through a wide variety of their ‘Fellowship Programs’ in over 6 countries to stop and think. 

Over 2500 fellows have benefitted from the programs of the organisation since its inception in 1997 and (full disclosure) I myself had the great privilege of being a fellow through its Dutch program in 2004 and as an Humanity in Action/Lantos Fellow in Washington DC the year after. 

"We are local in our activities, international in our collaboration, global in our community's reach. Much more than the sum of our parts" - states Humanity in Action. 

There is no doubt in my mind that the impact that Humanity in Action has had on the lives of their fellows has been profound. Whatever career choices they make after joining the fellowship, they undoubtedly carry with them the knowledge that the complexities of our world cannot be brushed off with a quick answer and that an open mind and dialogue is the only way to better understand one another. 

All of this ignited by its strong, ambitious and ever-kind founder who when asked what a significant learning in her career was gracefully answered:  

“the biggest, most important asset is friendship and trust” 

Judy - a very warm welcome to you! 

Book & guest: 

The book Judy is talking about in the interview is called 'Apeirogon' written by the Irish author Colum McCann:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apeirogon-Colum-McCann/dp/1526607905 

Crypto for Dummies! We are taking a very deep dive into the world of technology this week as we discuss NFTs, virtual currencies, #DeFi and loads of other exciting features of 'crypto life' with Lex Sokolin, the Head Economist at ConsenSys, the biggest blockchain company in the world. Your head will be spinning after this episode. We surely learned a lot and hope you will as well. 

Guest Introduction: 

For this episode of The TeachPitch Podcast we are going to take you to an almost alternate universe. No - we are not going to space travel like we did a few episodes ago when talking to a Space Lawyer - but we are going to travel deep, deep into our laptops, computers and smartphones.

The world ‘blockchain’ has become a bit of a buzzword. When I hear it, I associate it with a new type of online safety and this mystic word  ‘decentralised’ that everyone keeps bringing up. When other people hear it they might think crypto currency, bitcoin.

Every day you hear about new initiatives where blockchain has become part of the mix. But was it really? 

With us today is Lex Sokolin who is the Head Economist of Consensys - the biggest blockchain in the world. Lex’ company uses Ethereum a system based on blockchain to build new enterprise infrastructure solutions for companies all over the world.

And Ethereum is also tied to a currency that is growing up very quickly into the crypto world. Something that I suspect Lex knows a lot about. 

At Consensys Lex is working on the next generation of financial services.

He earned a JD and an MBA from Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics and Law from Amherst College.
 
Previously, Lex was the Global Director of Fintech Strategy at Autonomous Research, COO at AdvisorEngine and CEO of NestEgg Wealth, Lex also held roles in investment management and banking at Barclays, Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank.

Lex is a contributor of thought leadership to the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Bloomberg, FT, Reuters, American Banker, ThinkAdvisor, and Investment News. 

You can find out more about ConsenSys here: https://consensys.net

Aldo speaks to serial entrepreneur Seb Francis about his turbulent journey starting a company in Education and creating his very own tequila. 

An open conversation about what does and doesn’t work when starting your own business. 

Find out more about Seb’s EdTech company Titus Learning here: https://www.tituslearning.com/meet-co-founder-seb-francis/
More on Seb’s tequila brand Hacien is available here: https://www.hacien.com/

1. 'A House for Mr. Biswas' by V.S. Naipaul: https://amzn.eu/d/davSL9e
2. 'The Practice of Groundedness' by Brad Stuhlberg: https://amzn.eu/d/1ZLbTxx
3. 'The Years' by Annie Ernaux: https://amzn.eu/d/gIS1yEC
4. 'Demon Copperhead' by Barbara Kingsolver: https://amzn.eu/d/gU4zce7
5. ‘Siddhartha' by Herman Hesse: https://amzn.eu/d/5lIu8n3
6. 'Man Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl: https://amzn.eu/d/8xxVVRM
7. 'The Covenant of Water' by Abraham Verghese: https://amzn.eu/d/8147pNe
8. ‘Afterlives' by Abdulrazak Gunrah: https://amzn.eu/d/eVSQTK3
9. 'If You Want to Write' by Brenda Ueland: https://amzn.eu/d/fgaaGcT
10. ‘Build The Life You Want’ by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey: https://amzn.eu/d/b4596xt
11. ‘The Big Leap’ by Gay Hendricks: https://amzn.eu/d/17hnLHb
12. ‘The Gene: An Intimate History’ by Siddhartha Mukherjee: https://amzn.eu/d/57uBkhW

• Building language models for African languages is important for providing access to products, services, and information for people in Africa.
• Using models built in other places often fails to capture the context and nuances of African languages, highlighting the need for locally developed models.
• Lelapa AI aims to make AI accessible to everyone. 
• The company is expanding to more African languages and domains, such as education, agriculture, and healthcare.

Amy Brand is an American Academic and the Executive Producer of the Emmy nominated Documentary 'Picture A Scientist'. She is the Director of MIT Press and a cognitive scientist by training.  Aldo speaks to Amy about her life-long career in and for academia, why there is still a lot of work to be done to get more women in STEM and how sounds, syllables & words play a crucial role in human development. 

Find out more about 'Picture a Scientist' here: https://www.pictureascientist.com
You can find out more about Amy’s work for MIT Press here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/

• Innovation should be driven by purpose and outcome, not just for the sake of being innovative.
• Reform can be more effective than disruption when it comes to improving institutions.
• Education should focus on nurturing critical wisdom and preparing individuals to make decisions of consequence.
• The current educational system needs to be denounced and replaced with a value system that prioritizes systematic thinking and ethical frameworks.

A great conversation with Dr. Charles Wiles about entrepreneurship, education, software and AI. 

Charles shares with Aldo his experience and insights on working for and building technology companies and explains what drives him to ensure his current endeavour will be a big success. 

Find out more about Dr. Wiles company Zzish here: https://www.zzish.com/

Edna Adan is the founder of The Edna Adan Hospital and Edna Adan University. Previously she was Minister of Foreign Affairs for her country and a First Lady, being married to the President of Somalia. We speak about her amazing path and her latest book 'A Woman of Firsts'. 

Do visit the website of the Edna Adan Hospital here to find out more about the great work Edna is doing in Somaliland: https://ednahospitalfoundation.org

Edna's book 'A Woman of Firsts' is available on Amazon, click on this link if you would like to know more: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07S31MCJS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_EC27X1TEBZ4BBE09M65S

Guest Introduction: 

"Who’s Edna Adan? The short answer: she’s a nurse-midwife, founder of a hospital bearing her name, who’s saving and changing the lives of tens of thousands of people in Somaliland — a place not even recognized as a country. She’s also a Muslim.

Edna is as tough as General Petraeus, as compassionate as the Pope, as tireless as Michael Phelps, as beautiful at 75 as Tina Turner, and has a ‘get-it-done-no-excuses” work ethic to rival Bill Gates. I would not want to be on Edna’s bad side."  

(from 'The Muslim mother Theresa' written by Kate Grant, CEO of the Fistula Foundation in The Huffington Post in 2012)

TeachPitch Founder Aldo de Pape interviews people from a variety of professional circles and from all over the world how they overcame deep personal challenges and managed to achieve great professional success.

Aldo talks to Dutch journalist Jojanneke van den Berge about her decade long journey as a TV presenter and Documentary maker, the many benefits of getting therapy and her latest series ‘Jojanneke en de Jeugdzorg Tapes’ (Jojanneke and the Childcare Tapes) 

You can watch Jojanneke’s latest documentary series here: https://www.npostart.nl/jojanneke-en-de-jeugdzorgtapes/VPWON_1333830

This Episode is entirely devoted to reading and more specifically to how reading is changing for us humans in the year 2022 where some say we are dealing with a global ‘attention crisis’. 
Aldo speaks to Dr. Anne Mangen, a Professor at the Reading Centre of the University of Stavanger in Norway. 

Dr. Mangen’s research focuses on how reading shapes our brain and in her field makes granular comparisons between reading books and reading from digital devices. We talk about which one is better and what you can do for yourself and others to retain your focus. 

You can read more on Dr. Mangen’s findings here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anne_Mangen

Aldo speaks to Erion Isufi, founder of ThinkTech. Erion is an Albanian business man and marketeer who speaks passionately about the future of his country and how technology can play a pivotal role in its economic growth; a deep conversation about technology, entrepreneurship, the country of Albania and Albanian youth. 

Go to https://thinktech.al for more information about ThinkTech. 

A very warm welcome to yet another Episode of the TeachPitch Podcast. I hope you are doing well, that you are having a beautiful summer in which you can rest up a bit, re-energise and more. Did you notice our new intro music? I absolutely love it. ‘Very majestic’ is what our producer Natalie said and I tend to agree. Love that word - ‘majestic’ - I would love to hear what you think so do get in touch with us on social media or ping us a quick email at info@teachpitch.com 

Now it is Thursday which means we are here with another interview and this conversation is taking us back to our educational roots and we are very happy to connect you with the Education Above All Foundation, an organisation that is on the forefront of improving the global state of teaching and learning in our world through a variety of programs, and more specifically with its amazing Innovation Director Janhvi Maheshwari-Kanoria. 

Janhvi is a guiding light and a force of nature with the work she does at Education Above All and I highly enjoyed speaking to her about all the programs of the Foundation, the many teachers they trained, the funding they provided, the scholarships they have granted and all the other work that is so, so relevant to make sure that everyone of us will be granted the right to a high quality education. 

So without further ado, let’s dive into the world of Global Education with an awesome Innovation Director, Janhvi Maheshwari-Kanoria. 

You can find out more about the impressive work of Janhvi and Education Above All by going to its website: https://educationaboveall.org 

Aldo speaks to another power house fighting for Girls rights all over the world; the 19 year old film maker Zuriel Oduwole.

Among others, Zuriel talks about how she is trying to influence many Presidents, Prime Ministers and Heads of State with her work to ensure that every girl on this planet will have access to a proper education. 

Find out more about Zuriel on her website: https://www.zurieloduwole.com

A remarkable interview about resilience, passion and trying to make an impact on this world.
Aldo speaks to Jo Besford and Mark Swartz, founders of GreenShoots an organisation focused on improving numeracy and Maths skills of all students in South Africa.

You can find out more about GreenShoots here: https://www.greenshootsedu.co.za/
This interview was recorded at the World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha in November 2023. You can find out more about WISE by going here: https://www.wise-qatar.org/

A huge moment for the TeachPitch Podcast as we get to speak to one of the very best Chefs in the world!
 
Ana Roš is a globally awarded and celebrated Chef who with her restaurant Hiša Franko has managed to attract thousands and thousands of people to come to see and taste the beautiful country of Slovenia.
Aldo speaks to Ana about her enormous success, her never-ending love for cooking and her family. 

Ana also teaches Aldo how an incredible tragic loss can shape you to never ever give up on yourself.  

You can order Ana’s book Sun and Rain here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ana-Ros-Rain-Food-Cook/dp/0714879304
Check out Ana’s (2 Michelin Star) Restaurant here: https://www.hisafranko.com/en/ 

Happy Thursday all and welcome to our very first Audio Aficionado Episode.
So different to our Messy & Masterful Interviews these conversations are all about the power of Audio and more particularly podcasting. 

We dive into other podcast programs together with people who are doing something great and also have been inspired by this mighty tool of the Gods of Audio. 

And today my guest is Drew Vernon, the creator of 2 podcasts himself, and an Audio Aficionado in the purest sense of the word. This undoubtedly loving husband and father of 3 is also a Marketing Director at Tonies which is an audio company that produces the Toniebox which are incredible devices that have the power to generate any story your kid wants to hear. 

Drew is a great guy, an inspiring Podcaster and just like us a devotee to improving the state of Education in this world - could not have asked for a better guest to launch our first Audio Aficionado interview with.
Hope you will enjoy it!  

Drew's podcast recommendation: Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin

Drew and daughter Audrey's podcast: Childhood

Drew's podcast for tonies® called Tonie Time

Episode 27: ’The Happy Sheikha’ 

A very frank and open conversation with Her Royal Highness Sheikha Intisar AlSabah from Kuwait on why happiness and optimism should be key in the teaching and learning process. Aldo speaks to the Sheikha about her personal journey and why we all need to do more to make our mental health and well-being a priority at all times. 

More about the great work of Sheikha Intisar can be found on her personal website here: https://intisaralsabah.com

More about the work she does through Bareec can be found here: https://bareec.org
More about the work done with Al Nowair can be found here: https://www.alnowair.com

Watch the video recording of this interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ4j6sJxfgk&t=1261s

It is all about smell this week as Aldo speaks to a real 'Nose'. We dive into the world of perfumes and talk about all the highs and lows of this very particular job with Ruth Mastenbroek, a life-long perfumer with her very own brand. 

Guest Introduction: 

The 1985 novel ‘Perfume’ (or Das Parfum) from the hand of author Patrick Suskind is one of the best-selling German novels of the 20th century. The title remained on all success lists for about nine years, and received almost unanimously positive national and international critical acclaim.  The book was translated into 49 languages and more than 20 million copies were sold worldwide to date. 

For the movie-lovers among us the book was also made into a fantastic motion picture in 2006 -  but that as an aside. 

Now it is true that Perfume has a sinister streak but I think that is not why it was such a success. The novel fascinated millions of people as it explored the sense of smell and its relationship with the emotional meanings that scents may have. 

The ability to catch a scent, to define it, to tie it to an emotion and then having the skill to reproduce and sell it - is a true talent that not many people possess. 

My next guest excels in it. 

Ruth Mastenbroek has been a Perfumer - also dubbed a Nose - for over 35 years. She has been commissioned by countless leading scent makers, fashion brands and even Royal Houses to create fragrances for men, women and for the home. 

Throughout her career Ruth worked with many names such as Kenneth Turner and Jigsaw. She was responsible for the Life With a View collection and for the famous Grapefruit candle from Jo Malone. (fun fact: the actress Jennifer Lopez loved that candle so much, she bought 300 of them for her hotel room) 

Ruth graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Chemistry and started her perfume career as a sales assistant at the perfume department at Selfridge’s. Her creativity, curiosity and knowledge of the periodic table led her to take on the perfume maker profession in the UK, the Netherlands and Japan - she was trained first at a big company - now called Givaudan - and in 2003 decided to start her own fragrance business. Meanwhile Ruth was also President of the British Society of Perfumers.  

In 2010, Ruth launched her own niche fragrance collection; her very own signature line to let her imagination run free. Giving life to her very  own perfumes named: Signature, Oxford, Amorosa, Firedance and Dagian. 

Her fragrances are sold in many famous stores and outlets such as Fortum & Mason in London and Ruth Mastenbroek Perfumes has grown into a family business as her daughter Claire and son Nic have joined Ruth in making sure that the world can smell at its very best. 

When reading the descriptions of her perfumes on her website, Ruth herself sounds like quite the storyteller. I don’t know much about fragrances but I guess she is right when she claims that perfumes tell a story over time. 

You can find out more about Ruth's work and her perfumes by going to her site: https://www.ruthmastenbroek.com

Naza is a Philanthropist who with her organisation the SAGE Foundation, is doing some amazing work funding projects that focus on Education, Girl Empowerment and Environmental Preservation. 

She is an Iranian refugee who arrived in the United Kingdom at the age of 9 and has the highest belief in the power of education. 

What makes Naza stand out to me is her approach to philanthropy as a ‘chipping in together model’ partnering with lots of other organisations, rather than funding everything yourself. 

If you haven’t already done so check out the site of the SAGE Foundation (sagefdn.org) where you can find some great informative videos on all the problems they tackle. 

Naza’s take on things is to: Just Do It! The most important thing is to start and accept that you will make mistakes but if you stick with it and genuinely learn from your failures everything will turn out exactly as you envisioned it would be. 

Love it!! So without further ado here is to Notes to Nono 8 with Naza Alakija! 

Join us in this round table conversation with education giants: Wendy Kopp, Cindy Mi, and Dr. Shannon May as we explore the potential impact of AI on teaching and learning globally. 

Aldo's guests discuss the importance of embracing AI with care and highlight the need for governments and education systems to take a proactive approach in adopting it. The panel also discusses the potential benefits and concerns of AI in education, including issues around equity and quality. 

Listen in to this conversation recorded for WISE11 in Doha that emphasizes the integration and collaboration of various stakeholders, including teachers, governments, and Edtech companies, to ensure the safe, responsible and effective use of AI.

Takeaways:

• Embrace AI with care, considering its potential benefits and concerns.
• Governments and education systems should take a proactive approach in adopting AI.
• Integration and collaboration among stakeholders are crucial for the responsible and effective use of AI in education.
• AI has the potential to empower teachers and improve learning outcomes.

Wendy Kopp is the founder of Teach for All: https://teachforall.org/

Cindy Mi is the founder of VIPKid: https://www.vipkid.com/teach

Dr. Shannon May is the founder and CEO of Newglobe: https://newglobe.education

This Episode is made in partnership with: 

Cold Case Inc (use the code MESSY and get an exclusive 15% discount): https://bit.ly/3HN75PD

Riverside (get a 20% discount by signing up via this link): https://bit.ly/3HCU4IC

Preworn: Get a 25% discount using the code MESSY25: https://bit.ly/49bEXlD

The Code Zone: https://bit.ly/3UlspmU

A deep conversation about career choices, family life and health with professional negotiator and Headhunter Laurence Dewaele.

Aldo speaks with Laurence about her journey from being a lawyer at one of the top firms on the planet to becoming an expert in negotiation and Executive Search. 

Laurence speaks about the book she co-authored called ‘Eat Sleep Negotiate!’ together with Katia Tieleman. 

The Dutch version of this book will be available as of March 2024 and you can pre-order it here.
https://www.lannoo.be/nl/eat-sleep-negotiate

• Success should be defined beyond medals and awards, focusing on personal growth, meaningful contributions, and lasting value.
• The pursuit of excellence should be balanced with rest, recovery, and a broader identity beyond one's profession or achievements.
• The pressure to win and the obsession with medals can lead to feelings of emptiness and a lack of fulfillment.
• In conflict situations, diplomacy is challenging and often limited by the hostile environment, but it is crucial to work towards political solutions and stability.
• True happiness comes from contributing to something bigger than oneself and finding purpose in one's actions. Support and vulnerability are crucial in a team environment.
• Looking after each other is essential for individual and team well-being.
• Coaching and challenging others can lead to personal growth and improved performance.
• Redefining success in education involves focusing on broader measures of achievement.
• Failure is a valuable learning tool and can lead to personal growth and improvement.
• Childhood aspirations can be diverse and may change over time.
• Margaret Heffernan's books offer valuable insights into culture and success.
• Interviewing Olympians who didn't win medals can provide valuable lessons and perspectives.

Aldo speaks with Guy Kawasaki about all the challenges that he encountered in his 30 years career path as a  Chief Evangelist and we speak about why he considers his Podcast ‘Remarkable People’ to be his best writing project to date.

Guest Introduction: 

I am relatively new to the exciting world that is called Podcasting. Thus far it has been a wonderful adventure speaking to so many different and very interesting guests. Editing our interviews to perfection, adding the music, writing up the show notes and then rolling the drums on social media and to our community to make sure the world knows who we are.  

I, for one, absolutely love it and - even though it is still very early days with Episode 10 of our first season - I do believe I have found a new passion. 

But my next guest excels in it. 

His Podcast series ‘Remarkable People’ is an oasis of calm in the ever growing desert of rapid, virtual byte-sized information that is flying around us. As a listener of Remarkable People  you are allowed to take a bit more time and to listen. Genuinely listen and then reflect. 

Its host Guy Kawasaki is known for a LOT more than just this podcast. Former Chief Evangelist at Apple, Current Chief Evangelist at Canva, author of 15 books such as The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment and Wise Guy. 
 
Guy is also known as a Venture Capital investor and lectures as an Executive fellow of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and adjunct professor of the University of New South Wales. 

Loads of things to do - all next to being a father of four and undoubtedly being  a loving husband to his wife Beth. 

Personally I would describe Guy as an absolute ‘gentleman’. Someone who has  managed to create this big-hearted online omnipresence that makes us all feel good. 

Guy speaks and writes with a lot of grace and style but in a very grounded and approachable way. He is also focussed on genuinely adding value to any conversation he is involved in - sharing something new and positive with the millions of people who follow him on social media or listen to his Podcast. 

Guy Kawasaki very much deserves all the buzz that is going on around him and yes, yes - I also want to be a Guy Kawasaki when I grow up. 

But my guest remains very normal through all of this soberly answering the following to a New York Times journalist curious to find out his secret. 

“Success in business comes from the willingness to grind it out. It’s not because of the brilliant idea. It’s because you are willing to work hard. That’s the key to my success.” 

Wise words spoken by a wise guy.

Mr. Kawasaki a very warm welcome! 

The Emotion Revolution is here! Now more than ever it is very important to talk about our feelings and to express what we feel. Aldo speaks Dr. Marc Brackett, Director and Founder of the Center of Emotional Intelligence at Yale University and author of the book: ‘Permission to Feel’ why it is so crucial to know what we feel. Emotions matter and this Episode explains why! 

Check out the website of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence here: https://ycei.org

More about Marc Brackett can be found on his personal website here: https://www.marcbrackett.com

The Emotion Scientist: Dr. Marc Brackett  |   TheTeachPitchPodcast #WISE 

Aldo speaks to John J Wood, Founder of Room to Read; a global charity organisation that has helped over 23 million people in 15 countries and raised over $615 million to date. 

John describes the challenges he needed to overcome to get the organisation where it is today. 

Do visit John's website to find out more about his writing and book recommendations: https://www.johnjwood.com

Guest Introduction:

I believe my next guest to be the absolute personification of ‘getting things done’. 

His own personal mantra ‘GSD - Getting Shit Done’ has also become my go-to especially  when I am stuck in between 2 half-finished actionable items on my never-ending to-do list. But that as an aside. 

Twenty-two years ago John Wood decided to quit his lucrative job as a Senior Executive at Microsoft in China to ensure that every child would have access to a quality education. 

Or better put: The World Starts with Educated Children - Room to Read’s tagline. 

To say that John delivered on his idealistic aspiration would be a rude understatement: 

To date, Room to Read has brought the lifelong gift of education to over 23 million children in over 15 countries. 

The organisation has raised over $600 million since its inception and has delivered impact beyond measure. 

Just to share a few numbers with you: 

• Over 14.3 million children benefited from RTR’s Literacy Program.  
• 85,313 cumulative girls registered in the organisation’s vital Girl’s Education Program. 
• RTR distributed over 26 million books. 
• And the organisation manages to train over 15,000 teachers each year. 

This is all very impressive John,  a very warm welcome to you!

Finland has the best-developed education system in the world. Aldo speaks to an expert what makes it so unique and which elements can be adopted by other countries in this world to improve their educational outcomes.

Guest Introduction: 

In today’s episode we go back to our teacher roots and explore the state of global education. 

And for this specific interview we are taking you to Finland. 

Despite the fact that this country is the world’s most northern and one of the most geographically remote states in the world it is fending very well for itself on an education level. 

According to a Global Competitive Study of the World Economic Forum of this year, Finland  has the most well-developed education in the world. The country also has the highest world wide ranking when it comes to High School Completion. 

And Finland was again a winner in the first quarter of 2021 as the World Best Education Systems Ranking. 

The data keep on piling up that there is something about Finland and Education and I am very happy that we are joined today by Johanna Jarvinen-Taubert, a former teacher based in the South of Finland. Johanna is one of the authors of the book: Finnish Education in Practice, What, Why and How and Founder of the company LearningScoop that seeks to train teachers all over the world on how they can adopt Finnish methods to improve teaching styles and educational outcomes. 

Johanna is also a mother of six children and loves spending her time in Tampere the South of Finland by one of the country's most beautiful lakes.   

More information on Johanna's book can be found here: https://finlandeducationshop.fi/product/finnish-education-in-practice-what-why-and-how/

Aldo talks to Conrad Wolfram about why he feels he is in a unique central position to spread the word on radically changing the way we teach and learn Mathematics. 

Guest Introduction: 

Throughout my career as an edtech builder and working with teachers & students over the globe, I have spoken to many people who feel that things need to be done differently in Education. Some demand drastic changes while others say that small, incremental alterations will eventually lead to a new re-energised process of teaching and learning. 

The people I speak to, some of them have been guests on this podcast, are often holistic thinkers and speak about overall systemic changes and new approaches to education but my next guest has good reasons to get very specific and change the way we teach and learn one subject that affects us all: Mathematics. 

Conrad Wolfram has been working for decades on changing the way we teach and learn Mathematics in schools. In 2010 he founded ComputerBasedMathematics.org to end the disconnect between school mathematics and real life justifiably claiming that we should embrace computers more in the process. 

In a variety of interviews & talks Wolfram advocates for us to ‘democratise experience’ by making full use of the technology tools and automated computational thinking available to us. 

“Computers put great automation levels between the mechanics of math, the calculating, and what you're trying to get done, too. When the automation gets good, you can go much further by doing it on the machine with a computer than you can by hand, and the subject of the mechanics of calculating becomes a distinct subject from using, applying, or doing math.” states Wolfram in an inspiring TED talk he held back in 2010.

In his 2020 book: ‘The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age’ Wolfram exposes why maths education is in a global crisis, and how the only fix is a fundamentally new mainstream subject. 

“After more than 15 years of conceptualising the idea, 10 years of build-out and 2 years of writing and editing” Conrad Wolfram published the book in June last year. 

The Math(s) Fix’ does not only identify the problem and aligning complaints, but also suggests a clear alternative outlining a four-step process that can be used across the curriculum: define the questions, abstract them to computable form, compute answers, and interpret results.

The book was very warmly received and even won an Independent Press Award in Education earlier this year. 

Seemingly Conrad was born into critical, independent, abstract thinking as both his parents were writers. His mother Sybil Wolfram was a Fellow & Tutor in Philosophy at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford and his brother Stephen is a well-known physicist, mathematician and computer scientist who (among others) became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2012. 

Conrad holds Masters degrees in Natural Sciences and Mathematics from Cambridge University and founded the company Wolfram Research Europe Ltd. in 1991. 

Together with his brother, Conrad has also been shaping up the company Wolfram Research since 1996. 

Among many other things, Conrad has led the effort within this company to move the use of its flagship product called ‘Mathematica’ from a pure computation system to a development and deployment engine. 

Needless to say that for this interview I am in the company of a great mind that I am dying to pick for ideas on Maths Education Reform. 

A very warm welcome to you Conrad!

You can find out more about Conrad’s book here:

https://www.computerbasedmath.org/the-maths-fix

And find helpful resources here:

https://www.wolfram.com/wolfram-u/catalog/computational-thinking/

We dive into the Ocean for this Episode and speak to Dr. Bee Berx, an Oceanographer working for the Scottish government. 
Dr Berx takes Aldo on a journey under the sea and speaks about why we need the Ocean to keep life on our planet intact. 

Find out more about Dr. Bee Berx here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-science-directory-of-scientists/pages/dr-bee-berx/
You can find out more about the UN initiative an Ocean Decade here: https://www.oceandecade.org/

“The world starts with educated children.” is the tagline of Room to Read, a globally active charitable organization that has made incredible strides to provide high quality access to millions of children in this world.

Interviewing its co-founder and first generation CEO John J Wood to me was an absolute highlight as he has been a hero of mine for many years. 

So having the ability to speak to him directly for the 5th Episode of the TeachPitch Podcast was truly an honor literally a dream come true.

John is an absolute whirlwind. I really admire his undying energy that he used to build Room to Read - and when you look at what John and his co-founders managed to accomplish in 21 years raising over $650 million dollars, helping over 32 million people just to mention a few stats you cannot do anything else than admire him. 

John has a great mantra which he has abbreviated into GSD (Getting Shit Done) and to me his goal getter mentality is contagious. 

He has moved on from Room to Read and founded a new organization called U-Go work that I believe he combines with his job at Concentric Equity in the investment spheres. 

I have no doubt in my mind that John will make his new endeavours as a succes as he is one that advises others to “stay hungry, stay humble, keep setting big goals and work tirelessly towards those goals."

Dr. Timo Hannay is a 'technologist' and founder of SchoolDash. We speak about his great career in (co-)building a variety of technology tools advancing science and education and what it is like to be an introvert in a seemingly extraverted world. 

Do have a look at SchoolDash to find out more about the great work Timo is doing interpreting data: https://www.schooldash.com

Guest Introduction: 

Dr Timo Hannay is founder of SchoolDash, an educational data analytics company that seeks to empower parents, enlighten policymakers and inform the public debate on schools. 

He previously founded Digital Science, a research software company, and before that ran the online business of Nature Publishing Group. He has also worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. and as a correspondent for The Economist, among other publications. 

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in neurophysiology from the University of Oxford and an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Imperial College London.

But just reading Timo’s bio would not do justice to the great man that he is. “There is something about Timo” that makes you want to understand him better and find out more even if Science, Education or Data is not your cup of tea. 

“He is a mixture of boyish enthusiasm, inventiveness, and is mildly self-deprecating.” writes Robert Harrington in an interview with Timo for the Scholarly Kitchen in 2014. 

I tend to agree that Timo’s entrepreneurial spirit and can-do mentality made him a unique contender in the massive corporate environments he successfully operated in and am certain that his brain goes at a 100 miles an hour - even if it does not always show. 

Timo is the personification of versatility and, seemingly, never appears to be tired or fed-up of listening to new entrepreneurial ideas - a quality which undoubtedly has helped him in making a successful venture out of SchoolDash whose data analytics and reports - have been used and interpreted by many renown organisations and media in the UK. 

Timo successfully managed to realise his vision in getting vocal about data so all those involved could better understand what is going on in the UK educational landscape and beyond. 

SchoolDash is a success, contrary to Timo’s expectation when he started the organisation in 2015. 

In a goodbye post as Managing Director of Digital Science he modestly wrote: 

“I want to help schools make better use of the reams of data that flow out of our education system. If that sounds idealistic, it is.  It’s also a risk and most likely will fail.  But that’s what people said when we set up Digital Science.  As this experience has taught me, taking risks can occasionally reap great rewards in terms of achievement and satisfaction.”

Achievement and satisfaction accomplished - I’d say!

Timo Hannay - welcome! 

This is an Episode for those who love to write!! 

Aldo speaks to the wonderful Alison Jones, founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing about her journey as an author, coach and publishing entrepreneur. 
Alison shares the details of her adventurous journey through the world of books and reveals why it so important to read and write, every single day!

Find out more about Practical Inspiration Publishing here: https://practicalinspiration.com/

Alison coaches (first-time) book authors to get their books published via the Proposal Challenge and will welcome a next cohort as of January 15th, 2024. 
Click here to find out more: www.proposalchallenge.com

So conversations like the one I had with Jessica Posner-Odede are actually the reason that we came up with the Episode format of ‘Notes to Nono’ brought to you every Monday. It really opened my eyes to how inequitable our world is today for young women and girls all over the world.

Jessica is the CEO of Girl Effect, an organisation that uses the power of media to unlock the power of girls. This organisation genuinely tries to help girls and puts them in the very center of the process to resolve a problem. 

And by problem I do not only mean the big, atrocious things such as girls not being allowed to go to school or being taken out of school because they are forced to marry at age 11. I am also referring to far more subtle things like how a lot of our technology is far more male focused than it is female focused or that a lot of provided health services out there claiming to help young women & girls are actually not working because they are not communicating or understanding the real problems at hand. 

Jessica does a far better job in explaining these problems summarised here in Notes to Nono but also in Episode 31 of Season 2. 

Have a listen and spread the word if you can so all girls will have the ability to negotiate for themselves everywhere in this world. 

Rosalia Arteaga Serrano is the first female Vice-President and President of the Republic of Ecuador. We speak about the profound personal challenges she encountered throughout her career and how writing helped her to move on. 

More about the great work Rosalia is doing for Education in her country can be found here: https://en.fidal-amlat.org

Guest Introduction:

I feel so blessed and honoured to have as our very first guest for this Podcast Series, Rosalia Arteaga Serrano. 

Rosalia is a former politician, current author, broadcaster and founder of the Fidal Foundation, an organisation that strives to provide access to high quality education for all in Latin America. 

Rosalia is a former Cabinet Minister of Culture and Education and the very first female President and Vice-President of the Republic of Ecuador, a well-deserved position that unfortunately was not be held by Rosalia for too long. But the end of her reign as her country’s Head of State was most certainly not the end of Rosalia’s tireless successful efforts to make a long-lasting, sustainable difference in her country, Latin America and this world. 

Rosalia founded and chaired several other organisations and even served as Secretary General of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation from 2004 until 2007. 

Most recently Rosalia was in the news as she was nominated by the youth-led, global political movement Forward as a candidate for the position of the Secretary General of the United Nations - not a light nomination or task - but most certainly one that Rosalia would be able  execute with the utmost rigour, patience, balance & flair.

What I admire most about Rosalia is her resilience! I don’t think I know anyone else who has worked as hard as she did and who has the capacity to properly dust herself off when she falls over in the personal as well as in the professional spheres. 

Rosalia’s achievements are text-book beyond excellence but I can assure you that the set-backs and adversities she encountered are beyond deep as well. 

I feel blessed to call Rosalia a friend and am genuinely honoured that she could make some time available to join us in this interview to talk about her Life Skills. 

Rosalia welcome! 

Dr. Marijn Houwert raised over $10 million to help his colleagues in times of COVID. We talk about his rollercoaster life as a Trauma Surgeon and the publication of his latest book ‘Zorg Voor Je Mensen’ (Take Care of Your People).

More about ZWIC you can find on this website: https://geefvoorzorgverleners.nl

You can order Marijn's book (only available in Dutch) here: https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/f/zorg-voor-je-mensen/9300000045609387/

Guest Introduction: 

The story of my next guest is as incredible as it is urgent. To me personally it is a story about hard work, skill, resilience, tact and strategic thinking in unprecedented times - but if you were to ask my guest, he would say, it is just about being lucky.

Dr. Marijn Houwert is a Trauma Surgeon at the Utrecht Medical Centre, a Research Hospital located in the middle of the Netherlands - in (as its name reveals) the city of Utrecht. 

Trauma Surgery is all about Critical Care and requires extensive knowledge of surgical procedures and how to manage different types of injuries. A trauma surgeon can help you pull through a critical injury or an acute illness. Being a Surgeon at A&E is not for the weak of heart  - it is a job that comes with long, unpredictable hours as well as with a proper gut to accept that the death of your patients can be imminent. 

Marijn comes across as someone who is devoted to his profession, patients and colleagues and has taken it upon himself to write about them in his recently published book  ‘Zorg Voor Je Mensen’ or ‘Take Care of Your People’ an excellent read on what goes on in the daily life of a Trauma Surgeon. The book has been quite a success in the Netherlands which shows that Marijn is not only skilled with a scalpel but also with a pen. 

And if writing and very long hours at the hospital were not enough, Marijn also took the initiative to start the Foundation, Zorg na Werk in Corona Tijd - freely translated ‘Care for those who care for you in times of Corona’ which seeks to support healthcare workers and their families should something happen to them. 

Marijn shared his concerns around the lack of protection for healthcare workers in his country and made an appeal for his initiative in a recurring column that he writes for ‘Medisch Contact’ the biggest Professional Medical Website in the Netherlands. And to say that his readers responded, would be a bit of understatement. 

Dr. Marijn Houwert’s idea led his foundation to raise over Euro 9 million (I repeat Euro 9 million) to help his colleagues all over the Netherlands. Quite an amount, quite a book, quite a job and what a guy!

Marijn welcome!!! 

You can find more about Soehne Mannheims (Sons of Mannheim) here: https://www.soehne-mannheims.de

In this last Episode of Season 1 Aldo looks back with Producer Natalie on all the great things that have happened and that are yet to come.

Lots of reflections on the TeachPitch Podcast - past, present and a VERY special announcement for the future. 

Aldo talks to Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, about his journey as an entrepreneur and as a philanthropist. Having donated over 60% of his net worth to charity, Craig reflects for the very first time to stop pledging & giving his fortune and speaks about what might be next. 

A deep interview with Hugh Montgomery, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine and Director of the Centre of Human Health and Performance at UCL in London. We speak about trying & achieving to do it all, what makes us creative and successful but also what can abruptly stop us in our tracks.

 Guest Introduction: 

My next guest is anything but predictable and even though I have never really had the honour of speaking to him before, I suspect he refuses to be defined by only one characteristic, job, profession or project. 

Seemingly Prof Hugh Montgomery has taken it upon himself to excel on many levels. As an inventor, climate activist, author of thrillers & children’s books, as an ultra marathon runner, a naked sky-diver, a normal deep sea diver, an avid visitor of very high mountain tops in the Alps, Andes and the Himalayas including Mount Everest. And - here is the one that impressed me most- as a world record holder in underwater piano playing. Yes - you heard that right! 

All of the above activities should however be qualified as “hobbies” because in his day job Hugh is an English Professor of Intensive Care Medicine and the Director of the Centre of Human Health and Performance at University College London. 

Hugh discovered the first gene for human physical performance, has authored nearly 500 research papers in the world’s most famous academic journals and has received over 11 national and international awards. 

 In trying to find out what kind of a person my next guest is, I loved Hugh’s answer to the question what drives him  to over-perform in all his activities in a 2019 Guardian article written about him typically entitled: “Physician, ultrarunner, thriller writer….meet the man who lives life to the full. 

“I’ve got this frustrating, peculiar awareness of my mortality. I know I’m going to die unfulfilled, because I don’t think there’s anything I can ever do that will make me feel as if my life’s been worthwhile.”

Quite a statement that raises a lot of curiosity about this Uomo Universalis.

We live in an era of absolute information overload. I am sure you are aware but there is so much content to find out there.

Visually you have your pictures, videos, reels and images all over our social media.

Audibly you have your audiobooks, Twitter Spaces or Clubhouse meetings and yes also Podcasts. 

Now when we started the TeachPitch Podcast little over 1 year ago we did it to highlight the hard work of people who have achieved great things in their own right. Now more than anything I was set on making it clear to our listeners that yes our guests have achieved great success but no this did not happen automatically. Each and everyone of my guests have been through hardships, challenges and needed to overcome huge obstacles to get where they are today.  From the President to the Trauma Surgeon, from the CIA Spy to the Psychologist - the deep adversity rimed with their  great accomplishment is everywhere. 

Now some of you might know that our Podcast is born out of a community of educators that wanted to realize change. 

And the change they all want to see is all focussed on improving the global state of education. Now if you were to go to TeachPitch.com and sign up you will see that we have curated loads of content (over quarter of a million resources to date) that we all brought together in a big online library - ready to use for educators who are keen to improve the situation in their community, classroom or school. 

I am happy to say that this library is being used by over 62,000 people from over 200 countries to date and it is for those people that we originally developed this program. 

Our community is very active and I was overjoyed to see that its members also started to help and train one another by creating tutorials and reviews on great educational content and technology they were using - leaving very useful manuals for their peers. 

Now to make a long story short - with our Podcast we want to extend our line of thinking not only on the platform but also in this show. 

This is why we are building a community of Audio Aficionados that will help us to review great Podcast shows, Episodes, hosts and guests out there. 

If you like to listen to Podcasts like I do, you are bound to have your favorites and I want to hear all about them. We want to know from you from the over 1 million of podcasts that are already out there which one we should listen to. We love it that you are listening to us but the last thing we want is to just be dropping content without being aware of the other great Podcast Episodes that are being made all over the world. 

So if you are listening to this and want our growing community to know more about your favorite podcast (or even the opposite - perhaps you hate a certain show and want the world to know as well) get in touch with us via our show notes or social media and  together we can make an excellent Audio Aficionado Episode about it that will change this world forever!  

Very exciting!! In the next Audio Aficionado Episodes I will surely be talking about the shows that have inspired me. Some of them, I dare to say, have changed my entire outlook on life and I cannot wait to share it with you!

Happy 40th Episode! We are taking you on another journey into the magic land of Global Education. 

Aldo speaks to Diana Al-Dajani, Leonora Dowley and Jo Besford who, together with TeachPitch, were part of the accelerator of the World Innovation Summit for Education in 2015. 

We talk about the many challenges a starting Education entrepreneur can encounter and how a global accelerator like the one of WISE can help.

You can find more about the WISE Accelerator here: 

https://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-works/wise-accelerator/

Find out more about Diana’s company EduTechnoz here: https://edutechnoz.com

More on Jo Besford’s organisation Green Shoots can be found here: https://www.greenshootsedu.co.za/

Find out more about Leonora Dowley’s work here: https://festival.learning-planet.org