Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Rebecca Finley-Schidlowsky - Rebecca is a Management Consultant who specializes in Governance and Strategic Planning. She has worked with hundreds of Boards and Senior Management Teams in the startup, private enterprise, not-for-profit and public sectors across Canada. Rebecca has been the Board Chair and Governance Committee Chair of Next Gen Men for the past 4 years and has led the development of the organization’s Board and Committee structure from the ground up. An accomplished speaker and facilitator, Rebecca has also had the privilege of being a guest speaker for MBAs/EMBAs at The Drucker School of Management based in Claremont, California (USA). Rebecca runs a Governance Basics Blitz Workshop targeted at not-for-profits and associations that has welcomed participants from Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, California, Spain, and New Zealand. Rebecca and her colleague Jeff Homer, host workshops specifically targeted at helping startups understand governance complexities.

Gayathri Shukla is the founder of Campfire Kinship, a social enterprise on a mission to unlock the power of empathy through human-centered solutions. Gayathri is the first certified instructor to bring an innovative method of storytelling to Calgary, called guided autobiography. As a coach and facilitator of this method, Gayathri empowers individuals and teams in discovering their authentic gifts, while creating spaces of belonging. Gayathri’s expertise in human-centered design also extends into her professional role leading digital transformation strategy and innovation in Mining. Gayathri is a Professional Engineer with over 17 years of technical and leadership experience in the energy sector. She holds an Electrical Engineering degree from University of Calgary, and an Executive MBA from Queen’s University with a certification in social impact. She is a proud mom of two kids, and a volunteer Board Director at Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association.

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Summary:

Rebecca sits down with Gayathri Shukla - an engineer turned community builder to discuss important themes like: the importance of nurturing those around you by listening intently to genuinely connect, the shift towards "human-centric" design and leading with empathy.

 Leveraging the wisdom of the community through stories is Gayathri’s forte. The stories and lived experiences of our customers hold the key to innovation. Because they are closest to the action, they know their pain points and they also often come with a treasure trove of insights. Listening to the stories of others and learning from diverse perspectives result in serendipitous ideas and connections - much like Rainforest’s ecosystem analogy. When these insights are combined with data, this can result in game changing innovations, as well as better adoption.

Show Quote:
"It's important to encourage people to share their stories and voices so that we can build a genuine community of empowered people."

"We need patience and courage combined with listening intently with empathy to build bridges."

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.