Outside The Box

The best way to navigate the rapid changes we're seeing in our lives—from tech developments to environmental shifts — is to act like a change-maker. At least, that's Beth Comstock's advice. The former Vice Chair of GE has a new book, Imagine It Forward, about inventing the future we want to see. Beth talks about how important it is to find time for discovery outside your comfort zone. That way you can see better ways of doing something—and then make those changes happen.

Millions of Americans confront a dilemma every year. Stay at work and earn … or make time for one of the most important parts of their personal development: completing their education. Rachel Carlson is the founder of Guild Education, which aims to remove that either-or choice, by partnering with companies to help their employees achieve their educational goals without going broke or burning out.

Jenny Fleiss is known for taking risks to make the everyday act of shopping a more enjoyable experience -- from her first lemonade stand as a kid to the massively successful Rent the Runway. Now, her new venture, JetBlack, aims to save people time through a personalized shopping experience that starts with a text -- and ends with the product being delivered to your door. It’s a new idea that Jenny hopes will help professionals like herself make the most out of their busy weeks.

Can you put a price on time? With the powerful technology we now hold in our hands, we’re able to do so much, from anywhere, at any time. So, how do we find balance between productivity and our personal lives? Michael Pollak is co-founder and chief brand officer for skincare shop Heyday, where you can buy products and get facials. But Michael sees his clients buying something else when they make an appointment: some time to themselves.

When we think about time and productivity, we usually think about doing. But meditation company MNDFL is trying to shift the focus to being. We talk with the company's CEO and co-founder Ellie Burrows about why she  made this her business -- and how taking the time to unplug can make our lives more meaningful.

What is the value of fun? In an era when we are constantly connected to work, how does our relationship to leisure, or downtime change? Joe Fernandez, founder of Joymode (and before that, Klout), talks about how we can seize our precious free time and make it really count.

Shopping for pretty much anything has changed drastically these days. But can e-commerce really recreate the same personal shopping experience we’re used to? CEO of Bonobos, Andy Dunn, talks about building truly personal experiences by walking in customers’ shoes, and the unexpected path that arose from a simple idea to make a better pair of pants. 

Technology is changing our relationship to time, but is it saving us time? Brent Messenger is the Global Head of Community at Fiverr, an online marketplace where you can buy someone’s time through a service or a gig -- from building a website, to designing a logo, to giving psychic readings. We hear how Fiverr is helping its users make the best decisions about two things everyone wants more of: time & money.

We spend a quarter of our lives at work. So, don't you want to know how to make all that time worth your time? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant has been inside hundreds of workplaces, and has made a whole career out of carefully observing how people spend their time. In this launch episode, we hear about how Adam values his own time -- and how he recommends we use our time wisely.

This season we’re talking about two things everyone could use more of: time and money. And we’re asking: Which is more valuable? We'll hear from people who make the most of their time -- and want you to make the most of it, too.

The numbers don’t lie: football is America’s most popular sport. A lot of credit is due to former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Over the course of his tenure, Tagliabue was responsible for innovations both on the field and off: from huge growth in revenue to peace in player-owner relations. There’s a lot we can learn from him -- he says that the challenges he faced with the league are “a microcosm of the challenges that most businesses have.”

The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit is winning awards and flying off shelves. What makes this toy so compelling, to kids and adults alike? The vision of its founder, Ayah Bdeir. She hopes to inspire a whole generation of girls to get into science and engineering. Today we talk with Bdeir about how she got here -- from her childhood in Lebanon to her exciting partnership with Lucasfilm and Star Wars. This episode is our Season 1 finale. We'll be back in 2018!

What do Blade Runner, 2001 and Terminator all have in common? Beyond great action and suspense, they’ve predicted technologies of the future. From biometrics to facial recognition, these movies have helped to imagine our augmented lives, especially in retail. We’ll hear how these fictionalized ideas are becoming reality, with Sean Gourley of Quid, and Tom Douglass of Walmart’s Lab 415-C.

Disruptions in technology are changing the retail landscape day by day. Not just the way we shop, but also how we drive and connect to each other. Jeremiah Owyang is a founder of Crowd Companies, which identifies future trends that big businesses should pay attention to -- and how those businesses can adapt. And Jeremy King, Walmart’s Chief Technology Officer, evaluates which new technologies would be beneficial to the Walmart experience, whether that’s for customers, or for Walmart associates and suppliers.

The desire for products made in the U.S. is as strong as it has been in decades. But while there are a lot of reasons it makes sense to produce more things in America, there are just as many challenges to doing so. We’ll hear from three proudly U.S.-made companies about why they’ve chosen to keep their production here at home: Shrimp wholesaler and former professional football champion Jarvis Green (Oceans 97), the homegrown creators of One-Tie (formerly known as Dera-Tie) and long-running furniture manufacturer John Bassett III of the Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company.

Millennials, no matter what you think about them, are making waves. They are now leaders of industry, business, media and retail. They are shaping the way we get information and goods. They can also be a bit controversial. But whatever you think of them, you definitely can’t ignore them -- especially Millennials as successful as Chris Altchek, co-founder of Mic.com, and Natasha Case, co-founder of ice cream company Coolhaus.

We’re plugged in at home, but when it comes to the workforce, it turns out some are lagging behind. In some sectors, the way we live has advanced beyond the way we work and learn. We’ll hear from leaders in retail who are creating systems and partnerships that bring work – and the workforce – into the future: Karin Norington-Reaves, CEO of Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership; Andy Van Kleunen, CEO of National Skills Coalition; and David Scott, SVP of Talent at Walmart.

Technology is improving the retail experience in ways you may have never imagined. And when it comes to food safety, we can see the way of the future. Helping to break down how blockchain is improving supply chain -- and in some cases saving lives -- is Brigid McDermott, Vice President of Business Development for blockchain at IBM and Frank Yiannas, Vice President of Food Safety at Walmart. P.S. - we also have mangoes.

We hear the term everywhere, but it means different things to different people. In this episode, we break down how diverse groups, from corporations to conservationists, are working toward the same goal. And how you can make a positive impact, too. Hear from leaders in sustainability including Carter Roberts (World Wildlife Fund), Kenneth Sullivan (Smithfield Foods), Matt Knott (Feeding America), and Kathleen McLaughlin (Chief Sustainability Officer for Walmart).  

Coming May 30th, a new series about corporate and social responsibility, and innovators of industry. We’ll talk with leaders in sustainability, tell stories about how corporate culture is catching up to the 21st century, and explore new and inventive approaches to US manufacturing. If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur - this podcast is for you. If you’re a maker, a consumer, a doer -  in short, everyone! - this podcast is for you. Check back every few weeks for new episodes.