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Oct 02
Love12

Luppe B. Luppen & Hunter Walker

By Author, Podcast, Politics No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, we have a groundbreaking conversation with two esteemed guests, Hunter Walker, an investigative journalist and former White House correspondent, and Luppe B. Luppen, a lawyer and a prominent social media presence and writer. Together they discuss their book, The Truce: Progressive, Centrist, and the Future of the Democratic Party, offering listeners an insider’s account of political dynamics within the Democratic Party.

This episode is sponsored by:

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In this Episode:

  • Access to Insider Stories
  • The Relationship Between Barrack Obama and Joe Biden
  • Obama’s Role in the 2020 Election
  • The Standard Bearer of the Democratic Party
  • Kamala Harris & Missteps
  • Likability and Sexism in Politics
  • Attacks and Double Standards in Politics
  • Tension Over US Support for Israel’s Campaign in Gaza
  • Fractures with the Progressive and Centrist Coalition
  • The Importance of Key Voters Groups of Biden
  • The High School Drama of Politics
  • Writing a Book Together
  • Unvarnished Understanding of Political Players
  • Election Insights
  • The Goal for Biden and Trump: Just Win, Baby

Quotations:

“Democrats recognize these questions. They know that the central thing we confront in The Truce, which is who’s going to lead this party after Biden and how are they going to do it, is in dispute. And they are, I think, eager to litigate that conversation.” ~ Hunter Walker

“One of the most interesting conversations we were able to report in the book was that late in the wee hours after Trump’s election, at 1:30 in the morning, Biden was in the Naval Observatory, the vice president’s residence, and he called the White House and we spoke to people in the room who heard him say to Obama, we told you, boss, people just don’t like her right, and referring to Hillary Clinton. And essentially, Biden was participating in what may be history’s greatest I-told-you-so moment with his former boss. So Obama was clearly haunted by that.” ~ Hunter Walker

“I think that of Obama fundamentally as a pragmatist, as much as he has the real ability to inspire his audience to tap into those sort of loftier rhetorical notes of idealism as a politician and as someone who is an operator within democratic politics, I think he is very pragmatic and calculating.” ~ Luppe B. Luppen

“Democrats have won the popular vote, right? If you look at issue after issue, whether it be abortion, gun control, public education, or health care, the values of the public are progressive. And that becomes more and more true as Generation Z takes the stage and as the country becomes more diverse. And yet our electoral result doesn’t always go that way. Right? And so that’s one of the questions we confront in this book.”  ~ Hunter Walker

“The salience of this compromise that was forged with progressives is that you do not see a progressive challenger in this Democratic presidential primary where Joe Biden is weakened, where there is a foreign policy crisis that is almost designed to put strains on the coalition he built and make progressives feel like they need another option.” ~ Luppe B. Luppen

“I tend to think that as a woman of color going into politics, you have to know how much better you’re going to have to be and how much more intense the opposition that you’re going to have to face is.” ~ Hunter Walker

“Unfortunately, in the world we live in, it’s impossible to pull apart questions of likability and political promise from sexism and racial attitudes.” ~ Luppe B. Luppen

Bio:

Luppe B. Luppen is a lawyer and a writer in New York City. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he graduated from Stanford University (2005) and Washington & Lee School of Law (2008).

Hunter Walker is an investigative reporter and author based in Brooklyn, New York. He has written for notable publications such as Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and The Atlantic. Walker spent five years as a White House Correspondent for Yahoo! News during the Trump administration and has covered politics for outlets like Business Insider and the New York Observer. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

Guest Contact Info:

Luppe B. Luppen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nycsouthpaw/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@nycsouthpaw

X: https://x.com/nycsouthpaw

Hunter Walker

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrhunterwalker/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterwalker/

Sep 18
Love12

Ganesh Venkataramanan

By Author, Faith, Podcast, Science No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, we’re joined by Ganesh Venkataramanan, an accomplished engineer, Vice President at a leading software technology company, and author of the book Let Me Into Heaven. In this insightful and thought-provoking conversation, Ganesh shares his remarkable journey from growing up in a Hindu household, becoming an atheist, and ultimately finding faith in Christ through his interactions with influential entrepreneurs.

Prepare for an engaging dive into big questions about the intersection of science and faith, the mysteries of the universe, and how Ganesh’s intellectual exploration led him to rediscover a belief in God.

This episode is sponsored by:

(Be sure to tell them Gary sent you so you can save 20%!)

In this Episode:

  • Ganesh’s path from Hinduism to atheism and his embrace of Christianity
  • The intersection of science and faith in understanding the universe
  • The Big Bang and what it reveals about the existence of a Creator
  • The rarity of life and the intricate design of the universe
  • The importance of truth, honesty, and integrity in science
  • How faith can transform lives, bringing joy, peace, and purpose
  • The existence of evil and the human longing for a heavenly home
  • Insights from Ganesh’s book Let Me Into Heaven

Quotations:

“I was surrounded by atheists. I think a lot of professionals, a lot of analytical people, it’s very easy for them to be an atheist because the world of faith doesn’t seem to interact or intersect with the world of science as they see it.” ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“Faith is actually a hard word for me because it’s very hard to step out without knowing why I’m stepping out.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“If the universe had a beginning, it had to have a beginner, somebody who started it.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“The thing which struck me as a scientist and engineer was He’s (God the Creator)  really smart, He could solve a lot of differential equations in his head and get this going.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“We can understand this Person (God) by reading the Bible. That’s one way. But you can understand God also by looking at His creation.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“I’m not saying random things cannot happen, but it’s not an explanation on which you can base your science.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“Our calling is to have Christ as the center of our life, not us, right? It’s a cause to sacrifice, right? Which sounds like a bad idea until one lives there and then says, you know, actually, this is a lot more fun than being focused on me, me the whole time.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“I’m just saying something is fundamentally wrong in science today, that we’ve forgotten the fact that it’s a pursuit of truth.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“I’d been a Christian for five years and 10 years and say, you know, this walk with Christ has totally changed everything about me.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“When I walk the walk with Jesus, I know that what it led to was joy and peace in my life.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

“None of us want to die, but we have this craving for heaven. It is because that’s really our home, let’s say, embedded in our hearts.”  ~ Ganesh Venkataramanan

Bio:

Ganesh Venkataramanan, pen-named Geeves, is a graduate from the prestigous Indian Institute of Technology.

He works as Vice President at a Software Technology company. With his background in science and experience in working with highly analytical teams, Geeves found that scientific explanations, while fine in themselves, lacked depth and human meaning. In his attempts to better understand life, Geeves stumbles across religion and then Jesus. Thanks to his mentors, Bill and Paul, Geeves learned about living a meaningful life that spans eternity.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://www.letmeintoheaven.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geevesofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GEEVESOFFICIAL

Sep 04
Love12

Grace Hawthorne

By Art, Author, Education, Podcast, Science No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, our guest is Grace Hawthorne, a multifaceted entrepreneur, innovator, educator, and author of the book “Make Possibilities Happen: How to Transform Ideas into Reality.” As the CEO/Founder of Paper Punk and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s renowned Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (aka the d.school), Grace shares her journey through entrepreneurship, education, and scientific research on creativity.

This episode is sponsored by:

(Be sure to use code “Gary20” to get 20% off your order!)

In this Episode:

  • The Importance of Practicality and Wisdom
  • The Value of Experience and Appreciating Different Perspectives
  • The Importance of Putting in the Work
  • The Duchamp Exercise and Thinking Outside the Box
  • The See, Start, Do, and Finish Process
  • The Unlimited Capacity for Creativity
  • The Role of Vision in the Creative Process
  • The Journey of Paper Punk
  • The Importance of Adaptability and Flexibilty
  • The Value of Learning from Others
  • The Creativity Study and the Role of Curiosity
  • The Power of Wisdom and Experience
  • The Significance of Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom
  • The Value of Listening and Understanding
  • Appreciating Parent as a Parent
  • Parenting Challenges
  • The Pride of Parenting and the Joy of Grandparenting

Quotations:

“The whole mission of the D School at Stanford is that it’s a place of innovation. And when we say design, it’s not a matter of aesthetics. It’s a matter of problem-solving. So we’re there trying to transform students. to have this ability to solve the world’s messy problem.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“You don’t know until you know.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“So what we know is biased. We’re biased to what we know. And what we know is based on our contacts, our experiences, everything that’s happened to us.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“So we kind of have to let go a little bit of what we know to open our lens to more possibilities.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“Technically, we all have unlimited gas for our brain. If you use creativity, if creativity is the gas to our brain, we all have an unlimited supply.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“We all have a thousand amazing ideas, but what creates real value is when the rubber meets the road and the person who actually does something about that idea to try to make it happen.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“It’s everything large and small and you’ve gotta start somewhere.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“We have this vision of where we want to go. Don’t hang on to it so tightly, because something might happen along the way that might be here. And it might lead you to something even more incredible than what you would imagine for yourself.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“I think these days people think that information is knowledge. It’s not!” ~ Grace Hawthorne

“Life is stranger than fiction.” ~ Grace Hawthorne

Bio:

Grace Hawthorne is an entrepreneur, artist, author, and educator. She is the founder and CEO of Paper Punk, an award-winning origami and LEGO mashup, and d.school professor, where she teaches courses on creativity and failure and capacity building, covered by Scientific American and Wired magazine. Previously, she cofounded ReadyMade and co-authored the critically acclaimed book by the same name. Her artwork has been exhibited in several national museums, including the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum Triennial. The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, known as the d.school, was founded at Stanford University in 2005. Each year, nearly a thousand students from all disciplines attend classes, workshops, and programs to learn how the thinking behind design can enrich their own work and unlock their creative potential.

Guest Contact Info:

Paperpunk Website: https://paperpunk.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracehawthorne/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_graciemade/

Aug 28
Love12

Jeff Bloomfield

By Author, Faith, Music, Podcast, Science No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, we are joined by the extraordinary Jeff Bloomfield, CEO of Brain Trust, host of the Driving Change podcast, author, keynote speaker, neuroscientist, cancer survivor, and Papaw’s grandson. Jeff discusses his inspiring backstory, from a 100-acre farm to becoming an expert in communication through neuroscience.

Be sure not to miss out on this heartfelt yet insightful episode filled with stories about overcoming adversity through resilience, faith, and wisdom passed down through generations!

This episode is sponsored by:

In this Episode:

  • Upbringing and Influence of Grandfather
  • Becoming a Communicator and Neuroscientist
  • The Power of Effective Communication
  • Jeff’s Experience as a Cancer Survivor
  • Faith and Science
  • The Impact of Gratitude on Communication & Health
  • Expressing Gratitude in Business and Personal Life
  • The Power of Positive Energy
  • Jeff’s Musical Background & Passions
  • The Effect of Music on the Brain
  • The Emotional Impacts of Song
  • The Craft of Songwriting
  • The Journey to Success
  • The Purpose-Driven Mindset of the Next Generation
  • Balancing Purpose & Practicality

Quotations:

“We’re all products of our life.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“Who you are today is a big part of where you came from.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“Where we come from is not only a big part of where we are today but where we’re also going.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“I was pretty good intuitively because I grew up at the foot of a master communicator.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“If we can change the way they communicate. If we can help them change the way they communicate, it’ll help them in their relationships at home. It’ll help them in their relationships at work. And that’s just the little corner of the earth that we’re trying to do, you know, clean up and leave better than we found it, that’s what it’s about.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“It started with a little boy on a farm with a papaw who taught him how to communicate. And he just spent the rest of his life validating why that was a good way to communicate. And now I get to do it for a living.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“Whether you’re in front of 5,000, if you prepare as a speaker and a communicator, then I am having a one-on-one conversation and that’s your mindset, then you’ll communicate that way. And that’s what I do when I walk up on a stage, whether it’s in front of 5,000 people or a few hundred that was at the event that you were at, I’m literally pretending that I’m having a one-on-one conversation.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“The ability to communicate effectively will make or break every goal you have in your life personally and professionally.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“I pray that nobody has to face a moment when they think their end might be more imminent than they expected.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“When you have faith in a higher power, what you’re saying is, is that you belong to something greater than yourself and it puts a sense of peace on you, which lets the very system that the greater power designed to optimize.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“The brain’s primary position is survival.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“Everything you think you know now could be proven wrong within years.”  ~ Jeff Bloomfield

“I’m so passionate about music. And I loved the, because to me, it was an expression of the art of communicating, but through song.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield
“The beauty of songs is you’re supposed to let them suck you in because they tell you truth about you, not about the singer, songwriter, not about whoever it’s about. The songs are supposed to tell you truth about yourself in a really good way if you let them.” ~ Jeff Bloomfield

Bio:

Jeff Bloomfield is a former sales & marketing executive, entrepreneur, author, farm boy, and cancer survivor. From his humble beginnings on a midwest farm in central Ohio, Jeff has taken the life lessons from his storytelling “Papaw” (Grandfather) combined with his corporate career in Biotech and Neuroscience to create programs that allow you to discover how you’re truly wired for greatness and how to communicate in an authentic way to drive positive change in the world around you. After being the first person in his blue-collar family to graduate college straight out of high school, Jeff spent his corporate career in Biotech where he led several product launches for genetic cancer therapies. One of those therapies was for brain cancer. It was here that he discovered the power of neuroscience and the fact that outside of academia, most of corporate America didn’t really understand how the brain actually worked, otherwise, we wouldn’t communicate with customers and employees the way it was currently being done.

From there Jeff set out with a new mission, to teach others what he has learned about the biology, psychology, and physiology of the brain, and how to apply those learnings in a simple and understandable way to be more impactful communicators.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://jeffbloomfield.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbloomfieldbraintrust/

X: https://x.com/jeff_bloomfield

Podcast: https://drivingchangepodcast.com/