Swan Dive captures pivotal moments in meaningful lives and features the inspiring stories of people who had the clarity and courage to chase their dreams and visions. Hosts and life-long friends, Ron Rothberg and Stu Sheldon, both made their own swan dives from successful careers in media and finance to the unknowns of content creation and fine art. Through their journeys, both found their true voices and, with Swan Dive Podcast, they dive deep into the big pivots of their myriad guests. Fro ...
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Eric Gottesman - "Where Do We Go From Here?" - Photographer/Professor/Collaborator
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1:02:38Eric Gottesman teaches, organizes, writes, and makes artworks with other people that address nationalism, migration, structural violence, history, and intimate relations. His work is always collaborative; he has never made an artwork alone. One of Eric’s creative superpowers is his ability to take his time and gently notice the delicacy and hard ed…
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Robert Sinclair - "Speculative World Builder" - An artist writes the future he wants to live in
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1:02:15Robert Earl Sinclair is a Future Architect & Speculative World-Builder striving to make sense of our rapidly changing world and co-create bold futures. Born in "the hood" of Los Angeles and challenged with dyslexia, Robert became a successful international hip-hop recording artist in his teens and went on to graduate from the Los Angeles County Hig…
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David Garfunkel - "Building Community" - From Peace Corps to re-building a forgotten neighborbhood
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53:59
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53:59How does one claw their way out of the deep hole of generational poverty and income inequality if the walls are too steep and slippery to climb? David Garfunkel has tackled this problem with meaningful results in his hometown of Jacksonville, FL. As President & CEO of the non-profit LIFT JAX, David has created meaningful and measurable community re…
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Nate Monroe - "How do you Know?" - USA Today Columnist Speaks Truth to Power
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54:01Nate Monroe writes a column about Florida for USA Today, exploring how power works in the gilded, strange human heart of the modern Republican Party. His intrepid irony and rapier wit have made him a reader favorite but have also ruffled some significant feathers. Previously an investigative reporter for Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union, Nate foc…
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Samantha Rose Williams - American Patriot - From Opera Singer to Activist
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1:00:11The Stanford Arts Review described Samantha Rose Williams as a “Mezzo-Soprano with ‘jaw-dropping vocal power.” This opera singer and arts activist is committed to creating space for critical discussion about art, culture, and social change. Her latest project is American Patriots, an opera she created that seeks to examine patriotism from four vast…
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Daniel K Forkkio - "Healing & Reconciliation via Storytelling & Filmmaking" - CEO, Represent Justice
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1:03:13Daniel K. Forkkio is CEO of Represent Justice, building a critical mass of “system-impacted storytellers” using film and media to mobilize audiences to take action and transform the legal system. Because, those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. About this transformational approach to filmmaking, Daniel says, “What I started to lea…
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Matt Hartley - "DEI Criminal" - Incredible Educator Becomes Guiltless Victim of Culture War
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50:23Matt Hartley is an Interfaith expert and "DEI Criminal." He's an educator and ordained minister, a dad, a cellist, a high school running coach .... In other words, one of the good guys. Yet, after 5 years leading the University of North Florida Interfaith Center, Matt’s job was eliminated last year by draconian anti-DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclus…
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Suz Howard - "Designing Creative Leaders" - IDEO Industrial Design Legend Goes Solo
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54:57Trained as an anthropologist, Suz Howard spent 20 yrs as a partner at IDEO, one of the world's leading design and innovation companies, playing a critical role in growing IDEO from 200 employees to 1000 in 9 locations around the globe. Focused on building creative leadership within organizations, she founded IDEO U, a digital learning platform that…
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Jeff Kollath - The Soul of a Story - Exec Dir of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music
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59:34As Executive Director of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, TN, Jeff Kollath oversees the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Stax Records and American soul music. Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooke, Booker T & the MGs and the endless Stax roster of musical icons produced songs that stirred…
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Clark Butcher - Victory Bicycles - Bike Lover Revolutionizes the Bike Shop Game
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54:48
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54:48Clark Butcher will be the first to tell you he is addicted to endurance athletics. He started running age 7, completed his first half marathon at 11 and discovered triathlons at 14, where he naturally excelled in cycling. By 16, Clark was competing in the Junior World Cup in Canada, National Championships and pro-caliber events throughout the US. T…
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Dr Scott Morris - "Fine and Blessed" - Doctor/Minister Opens Largest Faith-based Hospital in US
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57:02As a teenager, Dr. Scott Morris became deeply interested in two things: his religion and the practice of medicine. He's spent his entire life creating a way to connect the two to serve humanity. Now 70, Morris is the founder and chief executive officer of Church Health in Memphis, TN. A leading voice in the field of faith and health and a passionat…
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Chris Jenkins - "Being There" - Documentary Filmmaker Turned Educator & How He Listened to "The Signs"
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1:09:09Chris Jenkins is Head of Production in University of California, Santa Barbara’s Film & Media Studies Department. He has been behind the lens of many notable and award-winning documentaries. His work has aired on Netflix, PBS, Discovery, The History Channel, Sundance Channel and on and on. Prior to receiving his Masters in Documentary Film & Video …
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Gary Adler - "Right Time, Right Place" - Life as a Hollywood Creative Director
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50:58
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50:58Hollywood Creative Director and Graphic Artist, Gary Adler, has a blackbelt in branding on a global scale. He moved to LA in 1986 to chase his dream and, after decades designing for the film industry’s best, from Disney to Dreamworks, Warner Bros, Sony and Fox, he’s seen it all. If you watched Nightmare Before Christmas, you’ve seen Gary's work. He…
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Taylor Keen - "Living Red" - From Ivy League to Sacred Seeds ... Indigenous Leader Finds Home
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58:06Taylor Keen has an astonishing resume: Golden Gloves boxer, Dartmouth undergrad, Harvard MBA and Masters in Public Administration. Business man. Indigenous leader, Strategy consultant and full-time instructor in Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Creighton University. But at his core, Taylor is a storyteller. And the stories he tells are th…
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Lolo Reskin - "Sweat and Vinyl" - Iconic Record Store Pioneer
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51:06
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51:06In 2019, Miami New Times tweeted “Does anyone know Miami music better than Lolo Reskin?” Music is in this woman’s blood. Lauren Reskin, better known as Lolo, is founder of Miami’s iconic, Sweat Records. Lolo’s father is a Julliard graduate, professional trumpet player, and composer. Her grandmother, a concert violinist. Even her great uncle, Alan F…
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Katie Hathaway - "I'll See You Tomorrow" - Mom turned gun sense activist
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51:34
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51:34Katie Hathaway's swan dive moment came as her 7-yr-old son got in the car at school pickup and said, "Mom, I know it. We’re gonna be the first classroom shot up. We’re closest to the front of the school." Katie's heart sank. That any child would have such a thought, let alone when they’re supposed to be safe at school, made her sick. She knew she h…
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Andy Peay - "Pinot Pioneers" - From Wall Street to World Renowned Winemaker
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54:30In the mid-1990s, Andy Peay and his brother, Nick, set out to find land for the vineyard they dreamt of creating. Eventually, they settled on a property in California’s West Sonoma Coast, an old sheep farm and apple orchard. Here, the brothers, along with star winemaker and Nick’s wife, Vanessa Wong, built Peay Vineyards, 53 acres of vines with six…
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George Clinton - "Free Your Mind & Your Ass Will Follow” - Funk Legend Discovers Painting
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43:08“Crazy is a prerequisite in this shit." -- George Clinton Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective is considered one of the foremost innovators of funk … and his music made asses shake worldwide, including ours. With over 40 hit singles and three at #1, Clinton has been sampled by everyone from Dr. Dre to Tupac and was inducted into the Rock and …
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David William Carson - "John Muir 2.0” - Finance to Nature Preserve Director
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47:07David William Carson's heart lives among the tall trees and endless oceans. This environmental scientist, entrepreneur and artist was raised in the forests of upstate New York. He earned a Master's degree in Environment and Resource Management in Amsterdam after pivoting from a rocky career in tech and finance. Now 31, David recently started his dr…
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Keith Pariani - "Ride On" - Avid antique bike collector rides across the US on a "High-Wheeled" bike
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38:39In 1984, Keith Pariani and eight fellow enthusiasts left San Francisco on antique "high-wheeled" Columbia bicycles, following the path across the USA taken 100 years earlier by pioneer Thomas Stephens. They rode these awkward contraptions which have no brakes and only one gear across the entire country, through sun and rain, over the Rockies and va…
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Rick Stone - "Telling Stories" - Renowned expert discusses the ancient art of storytelling and the power it holds in daily life
49:38
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49:38All day, every day, we each tell stories about who we are and how we are. Collectively, we speak of “controlling the narrative,” both positively and negatively. Rick Stone tells stories for a living and is one of the world’s foremost experts on the power of storytelling. He began in advertising and has dedicated the past 30 years to bringing back t…
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Jake Miller: "Based on a True Story" - The Making of a Rockstar
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49:50
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49:50With sold out tours, millions of followers on social and growing critical acclaim, Jake Miller has quietly emerged as a magnetic pop presence. He has done this on his own terms with an infectious, high energy style that’s full of optimism and fun as hell. His fans, dubbed “The Millertary,” are so devoted that many tattoo his lyrics on their body. F…
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Ron & Stu - "Severance" Looking back at the Dive
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17:29Nothing is more gratifying then when a listener calls to share that a discussion on Swan Dive influenced their life choices in a positive way. A recent call with an old coworker of Ron’s was exactly that and explored this listener’s “great resignation” opportunity. This prompted Ron and Stu to revisit some of the key and critical aspects of their o…
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Christian Boos - "Changing Tides" - Computer Engineer to Boat Captain
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48:33Christian Boos is one of the most sought out surf and sportfishing guides on the North Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. He grew up in the ocean in Venezuela. At university in Caracas, he majored in computer engineering, a field of study he felt pressured into by society’s expectations of him. But after just 3 months working as a computer engineer in th…
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Sheryl Johnson - "The Joy of the Dragonfly" - Finding Purpose in the Death of a Child
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53:13Sheryl Johnson is good at what she does. She’s a fine lawyer, happily married and the mother of four. But one of Sheryl‘s children, Alex, suffered from mental illness and anxiety. And, like so many with this disease, her son did not find in society the care and understanding that was needed. Alex took his own life in 2017, a victim of the pain of d…
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Dr. Eric Dubbin - "Helping All Animals" - Large Animal Vet becomes Life Coach
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42:25Large animal veterinarian, Eric Dubbin, is a gentle and curious soul who was good at his job. “I knew which end of the horse got the hay,” this thoughtful healer says modestly. Still, after 18 years serving cows, horses and goats in the rural countryside, something shifted, when serendipity offered him a new opportunity. Instead of serving animals …
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Mitzi Rapkin - "All In" - Literary Podcast Pioneer Quits Day Job
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54:29Mitzi Rapkin is the founder, host, and producer of the long-running podcast, First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing, featuring in-depth conversations with the world's most distinguished literary writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and essays. One of the best interviewers in the biz, her archive contains more than 380 interviews accumulated over nin…
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Pete Barma - "Pete Plays Tribeca" - Her Autobiographical Short Film Selected By the Tribeca Film Festival
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42:31
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42:31“I’m not inherently brave. I was very much in a life that, outside of being queer, had checked off all the American dream boxes: job, child, house, partner that loved me. It was a good relationship, we paid our bills, I mowed the yard … had cookouts. And then I met my partner (Bret) at a birthday party. I quit my job without a plan … It was in that…
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Ron Andruff - "Champagne on Ice" - Stanley Cup Champion to Sports Marketing Visionary
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54:29During his nine years as a pro hockey legend from 1972-81, Ron Andruff shared in 3 Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens. He won two Most Valuable Player awards with three major professional hockey leagues. He also won the American Hockey League Scoring Title. During and after his athletic career, Andruff lent his name and support to important c…
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Beth Black - "Courage Love Truth & Wisdom" - Founder Therapeutic Boarding School for Boys
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1:01:22
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1:01:22Beth Black is the Founder of Cherokee Creek Boys School, a therapeutic boarding school for struggling boys 10-15 that offers a safe place to “discover what is real and true about themselves and the world around them.” The school uses indigenous wisdom coupled with modern psychology to help these boys grow and thrive. Beth’s son attended a therapeut…
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Dr Carmen Rojas - "Abundance & Spaciousness" - President and CEO of Marguerite Casey Foundation shifting the balance of power
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45:56
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45:56The youngest Latina ever to run a nationally endowed philanthropic foundation, this inspiring daughter of immigrants, Dr. Carmen Rojas, has dedicated her life to bettering the lives of underserved working people across the US. Growing up in a sprawling, multicultural family, surrounded by love and core values, instilled in Carmen a deep sense of pr…
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Wayne Irwin "Heart & Solar" - Lighting up the world with solar power and music
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47:24Wayne Irwin evolved his electrician trade into a radio broadcast engineer and now, a solar energy entrepreneur. Wayne owns Pure Energy Solar in Gainesville, Florida and his company creates innovative products that help bring solar power to the world. Last year, Wayne followed his passion for music and launched his own radio station, WMBT "The Womba…
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Steff Florentina - Excellence & Expectations - Tennis Prodigy Paying it Forward
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50:44Steff Florentina grew up in Nova Scotia, the daughter of an excellent tennis player who introduced her to the sport at age 5. “My life was tennis. When we weren't playing tennis, we were watching tennis, or going over areas that I could improve. My typical schedule growing up was wake up at 5, drive 35 minutes to the tennis courts, be on the courts…
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Swan Dive Revive "Freedom" A Look Back at a Key Swan Dive Moment
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47:06Swan Dive started in March of 2020 and we recorded our first episodes in a pre-COVID world. In this episode, we look aback at the moment Ron first took his dive. As the year winds down, what small change can you make? What big change is ahead of you? Looking ahead while finding value in examining where we have been, take a leap and join us on Swan …
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Jonathan Miller - Rattlesnake Lawyer - Award-Winning Writer/Criminal Attorney Puts in the Hours
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37:12Criminal defense attorney and award-winning novelist, Jon Miller, has tried cases in all but one of New Mexico's far-flung counties. He knows the grit and grind of the criminal mind. Raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a vision of practicing environmental law, Jon studied Urban & Regional planning at Cornell, went to law school and then worked …
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Swan Dive Revive - "Unfinished" Ron and Stu Reflect on Swan Dive Moments
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31:46Welcome to Swan Dive Revive, a reflective pause to look back at where we were to better understand how far we’ve come in our ever-evolving journeys. Today we revisit May 5, 2020, the episode titled, Unfinished. Ron was just about to leave his successful career as the pandemic hit. As the world experienced a collective pivot, we discuss his virtual …
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Conrad Hicks - Unlocking Beauty - Blacksmith
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48:42The documentary film project, Capetown Legends, described Conrad Hicks as “an artist, self-taught master blacksmith and conservationist that is merging many worlds in his distinctive work.” Based in Capetown, S Africa, Conrad specializes in hand-forged metalwork to produce his sculptures and architectural and interior design projects. His forge is …
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Tiffany Manning - "Movement" … The Declaration Makes the Dream Real - From Ad Agency to Artist
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40:00Tiffany Manning was cruising along with a satisfying job in the art department of an ad agency when the layoff happened. She looked at the change of career as a gift and quickly changed gears, making moves as a commercial photographer. But with Tiffany, it’s all about movement and there was one more move she needed to make - a fine artist. When she…
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Jullie Miller Torres -- "Follow Your Love" - Lawyer turned artist exhibits at The MET
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44:56
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44:56Artist, Julie Miller Torres, specializes in printmaking. Trained as a lawyer, from a family of lawyers, Torres practiced law for seven years. She was good at her job and enjoyed her clients. But something was missing. At 34, she left her law career to start over in fine art at the prestigious, Savannah College of Art and Design ("SCAD"), where she …
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Hank Willis Thomas - "We Can't Do It Alone" - Fine Artist, Co-Founder For Freedoms and The Wide Awakes
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47:36Hank Willis Thomas is one of the most consequential artists of this moment. Clear and incisive, his work is exhilarating to stand in front of and proves, time and again, that he has accessed his better angels. "Throughout his career, Hank Willis Thomas has addressed the visual systems that perpetuate inequality and bias in bold, skillfully crafted …
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Cierra Britton - "Her Gallery--Her Story" - NY's first Black-owned Gallery Dedicated to Women of Color Artists
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45:50Cierra Britton (b.1996, Baltimore, MD) is an independent curator and art consultant living and working in New York City. Cierra Britton Gallery is the first NYC-based art gallery dedicated to representing woman artists of color. Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to …
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Dr. Ruth Greenfield - "A Finished Prelude" - Opened one of the Deep South's 1st integrated music conservatories
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38:48Born Nov. 1923 in Key West, long-time Miamian, Ruth Wolkowsky Greenfield is an American concert pianist, composer and teacher who, through music, broke racial barriers and brought together black and white students, taught by black and white teachers. She moved to Paris in 1949 to study piano and there experienced a society far more racially integra…
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Dr Michael Freeman - "Still Flossing" - Young Father Faces Brain Cancer
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34:06As a fertility doctor, Michael Freeman is responsible for helping his patients bring new life into the world. Which makes his second bout with cancer all the more ironic. Yet, Michael's humor and optimism remain fully activated. "I'm still flossing," he told us when asked how he's changed his life to face the disease. Optimism abounds. This loving …
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Ken Russell - "The Uncontaminated Candidate” - Miami City Commissioner Running for US Senate
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45:32Ken Russell had a dream job, traveling the world kite-surfing and paddle boarding with is watersports company, when he got involved with the cleanup of the city park across the street from his Miami home. That civic engagement resulted in a run for office and a hard pivot from entrepreneur to his current position as Vice-Chairman of the Miami City …
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Robert Arleigh White - The Storyteller's Story - Theater Director, Actor, Activist
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41:58Robert Arleigh White’s life forever changed when at 14 years old, his lifelong friend, Lenny, handed him a flyer and said, "Come on, we're gonna audition for the school play." In that moment, as Bob now recalls, Lenny handed him is life. Bob shares his winding but deliberate path, from high school teacher (11 yrs) to running Theater Jacksonville (1…
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Bhakti Baxter - Into the Unknowing - Fine Artist Finds Himself
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46:28
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46:28Bhakti Baxter (born in Miami FL, 1979) lives and works in Topanga, CA. At 38, having never lived anywhere but his hometown, Bhakti outfitted an old Sprinter and made his way to the west coast, immersing himself in the deep solitudes of Southern Utah and other singular landscapes along the way. Exploring the relationship between science and spiritua…
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Richard Bowsher - A Rogue & A Gentleman - Tech Pioneer turns Farmer
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42:49In the late 1990s Richard Bowsher co-founded the conference company, StreamMedia.com which pioneered the nascent space devoted to the delivery of audio and video over this new thing called the Internet. He sold that thriving company to NYSE publisher Penton Media. In 2007, Richard founded Klipopmekaar and started farming rooibos tea high in the Nor…
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Gloria Riviera - "Child Care IS Infrastructure" - ABC News Correspondent Finds Her Voice
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51:36Award-winning journalist Gloria Riviera spent 20+ years as an ABC News producer and correspondent based around the world covering breaking, investigative and feature stories for the network's flagship broadcasts and social media platforms, including Good Morning America, World News Tonight & Nightline. She has a very exciting New Project as host of…
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Jay Sweet - "She's an Eagle" - Exec Dir Newport Jazz Festival & Newport Folk Festival
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1:05:10Jay Sweet runs some of America’s most iconic music festivals: the Newport Folk Festival & Newport Jazz Festival. During his tenure as Executive Director of the non-profit Newport Festivals Foundation, his Folk Festival has won five Pollstar awards for Music Festival Of The Year … and America's original music festivals have regained their stature am…
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Danny Báez - Elevate Others - Immigrant Art Impresario
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46:39Danny Báez immigrated at 20 from the Dominican Republic to the US and worked for one week in a factory before realizing he had to find another route. Odd jobs paid the bills the next 5 years, until serendipity changed the entire trajectory of his life. A friend who worked for renowned Thai artist, Rirkrit Tiravanija, needed help for a 3-day gig. Da…
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