Peter Kohler, founder of The Plastic Tide project, and Dr. Stefan Leutenegger, Lecturer in Robotics at the Imperial College London, visit Google to discuss how the ocean is under siege from an ever-increasing tide of waste, and how technology like machine learning and drones can help us fix the issue. Plastics are threatening not only a vital economic resource worth an estimated $5 trillion a year, but also humanity’s very own life support. Oceanic plastic waste is growing by 8 million metric to...
Jul 08, 2022•57 min•Ep. 257
In celebration of Africa Week, Dipo Faloyin discusses his book "Africa Is Not A Country: Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa." This portrait of modern Africa pushes back against harmful stereotypes to tell a much more comprehensive story. In this funny and insightful book, Dipo offers a much-needed corrective to the simplistic stereotype of Africa as an arid landscape of famines and safaris, plagued by poverty and strife. He examines each country's colonial heritage, and explores a wide range ...
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 256
Physics professor Richard Wolfson discusses his book “Nuclear Choices for the 21st Century,” which explains, clearly and accessibly, the basics of nuclear technology and describes the controversies surrounding its use. The book begins with scientific issues, covering the nature of the atom and its nucleus, nuclear radiation, and nuclear energy. It discusses nuclear power, the operation of nuclear power plants, nuclear accidents, nuclear waste, alternatives to nuclear energy, and considers nuclea...
Jul 01, 2022•59 min•Ep. 255
Professor Suzanne Simard visits Google to discuss her book "Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest." Simard writes about how trees, living side by side for hundreds of years, have evolved, perceive one another, learn and adapt their behaviors, recognize neighbors, and remember the past. She also illustrates how they have agency about the future, elicit warnings and mount defenses, compete and cooperate with one another with sophistication, and possess other characteristics...
Jun 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 254
Licensed marriage and family therapist Laura Heck visits Google to give a Talk on Dr. John Gottman’s "Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work." This talk outlines the Seven Principles that every couple can adopt in order to have a harmonious and long lasting relationship. "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work" has revolutionized the way we understand, repair, and strengthen marriages. This unprecedented study of many couples over a period of years has allowed for the observation of th...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 253
Accelerator physicist Dr. Suzie Sheehy visits Google to discuss her book "The Matter of Everything: Twelve Experiments that Changed Our World." Her book tells a hopeful story of human ingenuity, creativity and unending curiosity, and introduces us to the people who, through a combination of genius, persistence and luck, staged ground-breaking experiments that shaped the world as we know it. From the physicists who soared in hot air balloons on the trail of new particles, to the serendipitous dis...
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 252
Talks at Google welcomes Dani Melia, producer of the hit film "The Farewell," and Abigail Hing Wen, author of the bestselling novel "Loveboat, Taipei." Together they share their journeys of overcoming barriers to bring authentic, diverse stories to the traditional media & publishing industries. Dani Melia currently runs film operations for the New York-based indie powerhouse Big Beach. Most recently, Dani produced and developed Lulu Wang’s Sundance hit "The Farewell" starring Awkwafina. Rele...
Jun 17, 2022•46 min•Ep. 251
John Callery & Shira Kogan visit Google to discuss The Trevor Project, and how they leverage artificial intelligence to help LGBTQ youth in crisis. The Trevor Project is the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat, as well as the world’s...
Jun 14, 2022•59 min•Ep. 250
Dan Savage is widely known for writing "Savage Love," a nationally syndicated sex advice column that tackles tough questions about modern sexuality, LGBTQ+ issues, infidelity and more. Esther Perel is perhaps best known for her bestselling book "Mating in Captivity" as well as her hit podcast, "Where Should We Begin?" which features conversations with real couples going thru their tribulations with marriage counseling. Together they speak with Google in what was the fifth of a series of Talks ab...
Jun 10, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 249
Elliot Page is an Academy Award-nominated actor known for both tentpole and art house films. His love for storytelling and passion for social justice has now taken him behind the camera as a producer and documentary filmmaker whose work answers the call to action of a generation. A tireless champion of the under-represented, Elliot uses his global platform to shed light on important social and LGBTQ+ issues, partnering with the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice to raise money for grassroots...
Jun 07, 2022•19 min•Ep. 248
Faculty from the Center for Innovation in Ministry at the San Francisco Theological Seminary visit Google to discuss the subject of spirituality and the LGBTQ community. Rev. Floyd Thompkins is the Director of the Center for Innovation in Ministry at the San Francisco Theological Seminary. Floyd has also served as a dean and chaplain at two world-class institutions, Stanford and Princeton. Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr is a lesbian, feminist, Presbyterian minister committed to social justice issues for t...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 247
Dr. Lutza Ireland joins Google during Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month to discuss a neurosmart edition on how to love, live and work better. Have you ever wondered if someone really cares about you? Ever been told that you are ‘too much’ or ‘not enough’; maybe both? Maybe you tried as hard as you could, yet the feedback was ‘if only you tried harder’? Diversity in how people think, feel, and communicate means we often misunderstand each other, despite our best intentions. In this Talk, Dr. ...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 246
David Baddiel visits Google to discuss his book "Jews Don’t Count", which uses a unique combination of reasoning, polemic, personal experience, and humour to discuss how antisemitism does not fit into traditional narratives and perceptions of racism. David’s book is aimed at people who consider themselves to be “fighting the good fight” against homophobia, ableism, transphobia and, particularly, racism. The comedian and writer follows the antisemitism he finds in his Twitter feed to the stage, t...
May 27, 2022•49 min•Ep. 245
Acclaimed author Joy Kogawa visits Google to discuss her lifelong career as a writer, her experience as a child growing up in a Japanese internment camp during WW2, and her thoughts about how we can prevent similar human rights abuses in the future. Joy Kogawa is an author of novels, children's books, a memoir, and books of poetry. She is best known for her 1981 classic novel "Obasan", based on her family’s forced relocation from Vancouver during the Second World War when she was six years old. ...
May 24, 2022•47 min•Ep. 244
Heidi Grant Halvorson, social psychologist and bestselling author, explains why we’re often misunderstood and how we can fix it. Most of us assume that other people see us as we see ourselves, and that they see us as we truly are. But neither is true. Our everyday interactions are colored by subtle biases that distort how others see us—and also shape our perceptions of them. But we can learn to clarify the message we’re sending once we understand the three lenses that shape perception: trust, po...
May 20, 2022•59 min•Ep. 243
Dr. Sara Mednick visits Google to discuss her book "The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body's Own Restorative Systems." If you’re like most people, the relentless daily grind of go-go-go, do-do-do, can run down your energy and deplete your resources. While most of us find our lives full of “Upstate” moments that rev up our stress engines, it doesn’t have to be this way. World-renowned sleep researcher Dr. Mednick shows us how we can access the most replenishing and repairi...
May 18, 2022•59 min•Ep. 242
Known as the "Dean of Valuation," Aswath Damodaran is best known as the author of several widely used academic and practitioner texts on Valuation, Corporate Finance and Investment Management; he is widely quoted on the subject of valuation, with "a great reputation as a teacher and authority". His advice is a must for those wishing to gain a better understanding of investment valuation and its methods. With it, you can take the insights and advice of a recognized authority on the valuation proc...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 241
Matthew McConaughey & Garth Jennings visit Google to discuss "Sing 2", the sequel to the 2016 award-winning movie "Sing". In "Sing 2", McConaughey plays a can-do koala named Buster Moon, whose all-star cast of animal performers are preparing to launch a dazzling stage extravaganza in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There's just one hitch -- he has to find and persuade the world's most reclusive rock star to join them. What begins as Buster's dream of big-time success soon ...
May 10, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 240
Dr. Daniel G. Amen is a double board-certified psychiatrist, professor, TV producer, and 10-time New York Times bestselling author. He is one of the world's foremost experts on using brain imaging tools to help optimize and treat patients. He is founder and medical director of Amen Clinics, which has the world’s largest database of functional brain scans relating to behavior. This week, Dr. Amen visits Google to discuss his latest book, "The Brain’s Warrior Way: Ignite Your Energy and Focus, Att...
May 06, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 239
Payal Kadakia visits Google to discuss her book "LifePass: Drop Your Limits, Rise to Your Potential". Payal is the Founder of ClassPass, a fitness and wellness membership service that was acquired by Mindbody in October 2021. Prior to its acquisition, ClassPass had been valued at over $1 billion, with members logging more than 100 million hours of workouts across 30,000 partner studios in over 30 countries. Payal’s book introduces what she calls the LifePass method, her distinctive way of goal-s...
May 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 238
In anticipation of May the 4th, Chris Taylor unearths the human-scale stories that have gone into the making of the galactic-sized legend that is Star Wars, and describes how and why it has been such an astonishing success. In a richly detailed narrative, Taylor traces the history of the series from its difficult birth through four drafts, a disastrous first cut, and many sequels and spin-offs. Today, he shows that Star Wars finds itself at a crossroads, with a new company holding the reins and ...
Apr 29, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 237
Siobhan Haughey visits Google to discuss her career as the first Hong Kong swimmer to win an Olympic medal and the first Hong Kong athlete to win two Olympic medals in any sport. She also shares advice on health and wellbeing to inspire us in these times of uncertainty and isolation. Irish-Chinese swimmer Siobhan Bernadette Haughey was born in Hong Kong and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2019 with a degree in psychology. She won two silver medals for the Women’s 100-meter and 200-m...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 236
This week, Broadway legend Idina Menzel visits Google to discuss her career, her personal life, and her new album "idina." She first rose to fame for her role as ‘Maureen’ in the popular Broadway musical RENT . Her career continued to take off when she won a Tony Award for her role as ‘Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West,’ in the smash hit musical, WICKED . But it was her role as ‘Elsa’ in Disney’s Oscar-winning film Frozen , the second highest grossing animated film of all time, that truly la...
Apr 22, 2022•57 min•Ep. 235
Checkers. Backgammon. Chess. Go. Poker. Scrabble. Bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In his book Seven Games , game theorist Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last ...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 234
We all struggle with interpersonal conflict at some point in our lives. In his book Negotiating the Nonnegotiable , Harvard negotiation expert Daniel Shapiro introduces a groundbreaking method to bridge the toughest divides--whether with family members, colleagues, or in the polarized world of politics. He reveals the hidden power of identity in fueling conflict, and presents a practical framework to reconcile even the most contentious situations. For anyone struggling with conflict, this book c...
Apr 15, 2022•57 min•Ep. 233
Planetary protection engineer Dr. Moogega Cooper, also known as “Dr. Moo” visits Google to discuss her work with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory team, and as the planetary protection lead of the famed NASA 2020 Mars mission. Dr. Moo is an integral part to the ongoing mission to discern whether Mars could be habitable for humans and that we don’t harm what’s already there, working as a real life ‘Guardian of the Galaxy’. She shares leadership lessons learned from her inspirational journey to the...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 232
In her book Quiet , author Susan Cain shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She also talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools, and questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation and where the leadership...
Apr 08, 2022•47 min•Ep. 231
Research has revealed that our brains are inherently noisy. Certain regions are always grinding away at involuntary activities like daydreaming, worrying about the future, and self-chatter. Daydreaming and ruminating can tug your attention away from the present and contribute to anxiety and depression. Bringing his groundbreaking research to the forefront, cognitive neuroscientist Moshe Bar argues that we can become aware of when our minds wander, directing them to stimulate creativity, increase...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 230
Google welcomes behavioral economist and "Predictably Irrational" author Dan Ariely as part of our Modern Romance series. He discusses the paradox of choice in the "Age of Tinder," why a canoe is the best place to test your long-term compatibility, and other research-based insights and advice for modern dating and relationships. Dan Ariely has been fascinated by irrationality in human endeavors such as dating ever since he overcame severe injuries sustained in an explosion. The range of treatmen...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 229
Janney Marin Rivera—better known as Chiquis—is an artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and television personality. She first captivated audiences on reality shows with her late mother, Jenni Rivera, and their family. Chiquis launched her music career in 2014, making her musical debut on international television at the Premios Juventud. Her 2015 memoir, Forgiveness , was an instant New York Times bestseller, and in 2020, Chiquis won her first Latin Grammy for her album Playlist . This week, Chiq...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 228
