Episodes

Jessica speaks with Scott Snibbe, new media artist, entrepreneur & meditation teacher . He is the author of the book How to Train a Happy Mind , and host of the Skeptic’s Path to Enlightenment podcast . Scott's interactive ar...

Jessica speaks with Pamela Mendoza Brasunas, People Ops Leader for early stage startups & Birth Doula . As a startup leader, Pamela creates and nurtures company culture for startups with an ambitious mission. She currently se...

Jessica speaks with Charles Chen, jazz pianist & software engineer & magician . Charles has performed in top venues such as Yoshi's and the San Jose Jazz Festival, and he won first place at the 2019 Jazz Search West competiti...

Jessica speaks with Dr. Maya Ackerman, a world-renowned researcher in generative AI and CEO & co-founder of WaveAI . A pioneer in the artificial intelligence field, Maya has been researching generative AI models for text, mus...

Jessica speaks with UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons, education leader & musician . At Cal, he has served as the Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, and he was previously the dean of the Haas School of Business, w...

What fuels a multi-passionate life? In Season 3 of The Ampersand Manifesto, Jessica Wan, executive coach & classical singer , interviews people who, similarly, have led "dual lives" for decades and succeed in two or more comp...

Dominic Lim is back on the show this week! Dom is an author, singer, & storyteller . His debut novel All the Right Notes was named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the best new books of the summer. Dom is a member of the Wri...

Jessica interviews Dominic Lim, an author & singer & storyteller . Dominic's debut novel ALL THE RIGHT NOTES , a queer Asian rom-com, will be released in June 2023. Dom is a member of ⁠The Writers Grotto⁠ and is a co-host of...

Jessica speaks with Dr. Simran Thadani: Rare Book expert; People & Culture leader, & textile artist . Sim earned her PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania, and has researched and lectured in libraries across the ...

This week Jessica speaks with Vivien Straus: Writer, Performer, & Small Farm Advocate . Vivien is known for her one-woman shows exposing her “interesting” life choices. She’s worked in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Fran...

Jessica chats with Newton Cheng, Google executive, mental health advocate and speaker, & world champion powerlifter . Newton is a husband and father to two amazing daughters via adoption. He's a world champion powerlifter who...

This week, Jessica interviews Beth Carr, brand & marketing expert and a classically trained actor who sings. Beth spent 15 years working as an actor on Broadway. On the marketing side, she's led branding and marketing initiat...

This week, Jessica talks with Dr. Sloka Iyengar, neuroscientist & Bharatanatyam dancer who is passionate about relieving suffering through science and the arts. For her Ph.D. and postdoctoral work, she studied the circuits in...

This week, Jessica interviews Matt Toy, a Movement Trainer, & Cooperative Business Owner / Baker. Matt Toy is a movement trainer who helps students move better in their yoga practice, athletic pursuits, and daily lives, all w...

Jessica interviews Brad Balukjian, Entomologist & Journalist. Brad studied journalism and island biogeography at Duke University and earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Science from UC Berkeley. Brad founded the Natural History...

Jessica once again talks with Liron Lavi Turkenich, typeface designer & productivity expert — and a self-described multi-passionate. Since graduating from the University of Reading with a masters degree in typeface design, Li...

This week, Jessica talks with Vasu Panicker, Music Maker & Business Strategist. Growing up as an arts kid in New York City, Vasu did his undergrad and grad music studies at City University of New York and then built and direc...

This week, Jessica interviews Veronique Kherian, a San Francisco-based photographer, cheese evangelist, & classical singer. Vero studied Economics and French at Wellesley, and taught English in Normandy, France. After returni...

This week, Jessica chats with Percy Liang, Computer Scientist & Classical Pianist . Percy is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. He got his Bachelor's from MIT and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. His re...

In Season 2, Ampersand Jessica Wan, leadership coach & classical singer , interviews people who, similarly, have led "double lives" for decades and succeed in two completely different worlds. This show explores how their two...

"You can tell almost immediately which typeface it is from the ampersand character" Hello listeners! We're excited to bring you another bonus episode. Today, we'll be talking about the ampersand character and its role in type...

Hello listeners! Thanks for joining us in this bonus episode between season 1 and 2 where your host Jessica Wan shares a brief history of the Ampersand as told by Merriam-Webster (yes the dictionary makers). Also check out Sh...

For the season one finale episode of the Ampersand Manifesto, producer Naomi Tepper interviews Jessica Wan, creator and host of The Ampersand Manifesto who is a leadership coach & singer . Jessica's first Ampersand journey wa...

This week, Jessica talks to Sara Wampler, a writer & tech executive . In her corporate life, Sara has spent almost fifteen years at Google, leading teams focused on customer success, community operations, and support strategy...