Episodes

Jessica talks with Chris Lele , an AI educator, learning strategist, writer, musician, and lifelong collector of difficult skills. He spent 20 years in test prep, creating thousands of SAT, GRE, and GMAT questions, publishing a bestselling vocabulary book, and reaching millions of students through YouTube. Today, he teaches professionals how to use generative AI without losing their originality, judgment, or voice. Chris is also a classical pianist, composer, Toastmasters speech competitor, fitn...

Jessica talks with Leigh Marz , Author, Collaboration Consultant, and Rhythm & Motion Dance Instructor and Choreographer. She and Justin Zorn co-authored the book Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise, published by HarperCollins and translated into 15 languages worldwide. Leigh's favorite way to find internal silence is on the thumping dance floor! She's a choreographer and dance instructor with Rhythm & Motion, a high-energy dance workout program that cultivates a welcoming, acceptin...

Jessica talks with Talia Sherman , student & podcast creator and host. Talia Sherman is a current senior at Brown University studying Linguistics and English with honors. She is an undergraduate fellow at the Cogut Institute for the Humanities. In the spring of her senior year of high school, she founded Tomayto Tomahto , an interview based podcast on language. Streamed in over 90 countries and showcasing the voices of professors from many different universities, Tomayto Tomahto digs into interd...

Jessica talks with Karin K. Jensen , writer, journalist, dancer, & dance instructor. Karin K. Jensen is a local news writer for the Alameda Post, where she covers local government and book reviews, and is the author of The Strength of Water, an Asian American Coming-of-Age Memoir , which received a coveted starred review from Kirkus and appeared on the annual Kirkus List of Top 100 Indie Books. It also won awards from The BookFest, International Book Awards, and the San Francisco Book Festival i...

Jessica talks with Tony Martignetti , Leadership Advisor, Artist, & Creative Guide. Tony Martignetti is a leadership advisor who helps leaders navigate complexity without losing themselves. With over 30 years across high-tech and life sciences, he has worked where innovation, pressure, and uncertainty collide. His defining insight: brilliance doesn’t disappear in organizations; it goes dormant when people are asked to fragment themselves to perform. Through Inspired Purpose Partners, Tony design...

Jessica talks with Nicole Takesono Flowers , Opera Singer & Higher Ed Administrator. Originally from Hawaii, Nicole has garnered acclaim for her rich, warm mezzo-soprano voice and profound dedication to storytelling. She has graced the stages of esteemed companies such as the San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, West Edge Opera, Festival Opera, and West Bay Opera. Recently, she has shifted her focus to recital work, collaborating closely with guitarist Sharon Wayne. For over 20 years, she has se...

Jessica talks with Christof Zürn : Strategy Facilitator, Music Thinker, and Improviser. Christof uses the dynamics of music to help leaders orchestrate innovation and turn complexity into clarity. A joiner by trade with an MA in Musicology, he combines the precision of craftsmanship with the fluidity of strategic thinking to unlock momentum in teams. In the 90s, he pioneered digital music interaction, interviewing legends like Daniel Barenboim and B.B. King. Today, he channels that diverse exper...

Jessica talks (and laughs a lot) with Ashley Albert, Founder, Public Speaker & Idea Man. Ashley Albert is grateful that being a Polymath requires no math. As co-founder of The Matzo Project , she’s the creative voice behind the artisanal cracker brand, which can be found in the fanciest restaurants, hotels and specialty stores around the world. As the founder of The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Brooklyn and Chicago, she’s introduced hundreds of thousands to the majestic, century-old game (an...

Jessica talks with Kristina Libby , her collaborator for The Cohort: an Ampersand community. Kristina is a storyteller, artist and technology executive originally from Damariscotta, Maine, and now based in New York City. She founded the Floral Heart Project , a COVID memorial initiative purchased by 1-800-Flowers, for which she was awarded a Hero of 2022 and named one of the leading public artists for Social Change. Last year, she wrote and produced her solo show, I Almost Died for This?! , whic...

What happens when you refuse to choose just one path? On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan – executive coach & classical singer – sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto: pr...

What if your creativity, your curiosity, and your multidimensional identity aren’t distractions…but your superpower? In this episode, Jessica shares her 2025 year-end reflection and the five Big Ideas at the heart of The Ampersand Manifesto. After more than 50 interviews with multipassionate leaders, creators, and innovators, she explores what it really means to live and lead as an Ampersand. Ampersand is more than just a podcast – it’s a movement. Whether you’re a creative professional, a hybri...

When you finally reach the goal you’ve been working so hard for…what’s next? In this episode, we tackle how to think about this tricky question. If you’re a performer, creative leader, event organizer, athlete, writer, speaker, or goal-getter of any kind, this episode will resonate with you. Jessica reflects on the days and weeks after hosting The Ampersand Summit, and how to use the time after a peak experience to your advantage. We talk about how… Achievement is not the endpoint To embrace the...

This week, we share reflections on community and the 5 essential types of people you need for a flourishing Ampersand life. These 5 types aren’t mutually exclusive – you probably have a few individuals in your life who fit several categories: The people who love you for you The people who love your work The teachers The mentors The ones on a mutual journey Plus, listen for 6 and 7 - a couple of bonus categories to think about. We want to hear from you! Leave us a voicemail at theampersandmanifes...

After 50 conversations with Ampersands, we’re putting together the Manifesto. This week, we dive into practices that help you sustain your work over the long-term, taking into account multiple careers, many interests, and a focus on your life, not just your work. Listen on for more about the practices and anecdotes from guests on the show, including Emily J Smith (Novelist & Product Leader), David Riemer (Startup Storyteller & Theatre Producer), Liron Lavi Turkenich (Typeface Designer & Founder ...

After 50 conversations with Ampersands, host Jessica Wan sits down to answer one big question: Why do we keep doing what we do? It’s not easy to juggle multiple careers, identities, or passions. And yet, again and again, my guests shared the deeper forces that keep them moving forward. In this solo episode, I synthesize what I’ve learned from leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and creators who make their mark in multiple fields. Along the way, you’ll hear anecdotes from past guests like Rich Lyons...

This week, Jessica speaks with Marianne Poon , Financial Advisor, Piano Teacher, and Registered Piano Technician. The child of immigrants, Marianne grew up playing the piano and earned her diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She won third place in the national finals of the Canadian Music Competition. Marianne studied finance and economics at the University of Toronto and built her expertise in corporate finance, where she helped manage 4 billion dollars in institutional pension funds....

In a special interview, Jessica speaks with her voice teacher of 20+ years, Susan Gundunas . Susan is a renowned singer and actor, voice teacher, and mom. Consistently praised for her consummate vocal talent and stage presence across the US and internationally, her notable roles include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Lucia di Lammermoor, Madama Butterfly, Violetta in La Traviata, and Carlotta in the Phantom of the Opera. A voice teacher for over 25 years, Susan has taught hundreds of students 1:1 i...

Jessica speaks with Emily Holland , co-founder of Wild Poppy Creative Consulting, a podcast consulting company that helps small business owners hone and increase their impact on the world. She loves spending time outside rock climbing, trail running, running ultramarathons, hiking, skiing, or just watching her rescue pup Kayda frolic in the woods. Through her work on The Stokecast she told stories of how top outdoor athletes, adventurers, and entrepreneurs build their lifestyles and careers whil...

Jessica speaks with Alyssa Jarrett , a romance author and content marketer based in the San Francisco Bay Area — where the only thing funnier than working in tech is writing about it. She's currently writing and self-publishing a 5-book series of Silicon Valley rom-coms. Her latest novel, Book 3 in the series, is an Armenian bakery romance titled LOVE AND PAKLAVA. As a content marketer, she worked for a decade in B2B marketing roles for tech companies, including Rockerbox, Iterable, and Ripple. ...

Sid Mofya , capital architect & band leader, has built a career helping founders, investors, and business leaders bridge capital and opportunity. For years, he led the Draper Venture Network, a 2.5-billion-dollar global alliance of VC firms with over 650 tech companies. Now, he runs MOTIF Africa, a boutique consultancy expanding the capital stack for African enterprises in sustainable resources, agriculture, and renewable energy. A self-taught musician and producer, he created The Flight Risks, ...

Dr. Janine Lee is an award-winning Learning and Development Leader with 20 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies. In her business life, she focuses on organizational effectiveness, strategy and operations, digital transformation, change management and Belonging. She's also known to the world as JetsetJanine, a food and travel content creator who has explored over 100 countries and eaten at over 100 Michelin-starred restaurants. As a food and travel influencer, she's partnered with top bra...

Jessica speaks with Dr. Bree Rosenblum , Professor of Global Change Biology & Ampersand Cultivator. Bree is the Koshland Distinguished Chair for Innovative Teaching and Research at UC Berkeley, and her work has been featured broadly in the press, including the New York Times , National Geographic , The Discovery Channel , NPR , the BBC movie Endangered , and on the TEDx stage. Bree weaves her work on the biodiversity of our planet with her passion for supporting others on the journey of life as ...

Jessica speaks with Emily J. Smith , a writer and tech professional based in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut novel, NOTHING SERIOUS, published by William Morrow (HarperCollins), is out now wherever you buy books. Emily studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell and earned an MBA from UC Berkeley. She has led teams at top tech companies and nonprofits, and she is the founder of the dating app, Chorus. Her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Catapult, Slate, Hobart, The Washington Post, ...

What happens when you refuse to choose just one path? On The Ampersand Manifesto, host Jessica Wan – executive coach & classical singer – sits down with “the most interesting people at the dinner party” – those who have made their mark in two or more seemingly different worlds. Through candid conversations, we explore what it takes to navigate multiple callings, find the connection points between them, and redefine success on our own terms. Together, we’re co-creating The Ampersand Manifesto – p...