Episodes

Episode description : In our final episode of Season 3, Jessica speaks with Josh Willis, actor, improviser, filmmaker and occasional Elvis impersonator. Known to his friends and fans as Climate Elvis , he also has a secret identity: Josh is a climate scientist who studies global warming for NASA. He's the lead NASA scientist for the satellites that measure sea level rise from space. He worked on a project called Oceans Melting Greenland, or conveniently, OMG for short, where he led an airborne m...

Jessica speaks with Susan Lieu , Vietnamese-American author, playwright, and performer. She's the creator of her theatrical solo show "140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother," which received critical acclaim from LA Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Her debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter , is an Apple Book Pick of the Month and Must Listen of the Month, and has received accolades from The New York Times, NPR Books, Elle Magazine, and The Washington Post. She's also the cofounder of Socola Cho...

This week, Jessica talks with Stephen Kohler , leadership coach & singer-songwriter. Stephen is the Founder & CEO of Audira, where he brings a passion for people along with 25 years of extensive business experience within organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. At age 15, Stephen discovered the electric guitar, piano, and vocals, which ignited a lifelong passion for rock and pop music. In 2022, he released his debut album, Daydream. He earned an MBA from University of Chica...

Jessica interviews Christina Wallace , Storyteller & Entrepreneur. A self-described “human Venn diagram”, Christina has crafted a career at the intersection of business, technology, and the arts. She is currently a Senior Lecturer of entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, an active angel investor, and a Tony-nominated co-producer of Broadway musicals. Her latest book is The Portfolio Life: How to Future-Proof Your Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build A Life Bigger Than Your Business Card . She...

This week, Jessica talks with Jason Park : trumpeter, arts administrator, & chef. Jason has spent over 20 years working as a chef while also performing and teaching the trumpet. If you are in the classical music scene in the Bay Area, you've probably worked with Jason or heard him play. He's currently the program administrator for the San Francisco Boys Chorus, Trumpeter for the San Francisco Playhouse, and a freelance stage manager and chef. Jason has had a variety of past job titles like Resta...

This week, Jessica talks with Nieka Mamczak , Fitness Instructor, Nutrition Coach, & Sales Enablement Leader for tech companies. A lifelong athlete, she started playing soccer as an elementary school kid and played both soccer and volleyball in high school. Nieka has spent the last 10 years teaching group fitness classes both online and in person, as well as offering nutrition coaching. Nieka’s spent the past two decades building a career in sales and technology, with a concentrated focus on sal...

This week, Jessica talks with Vidya Srinivasan – Product Leader, Speaker, D&I advocate, and Singer. Vidya works as a Principal Product Manager on the Trust & Safety team for Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. Prior to that, she worked at Microsoft. Vidya has filed 21 patents for her work so far. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in tech, she has served as the General Chair of the Grace Hopper Conference — the world's largest gathering of women technologists. Vidya is a public sp...

This week, Jessica talks with Don Seaver , psychiatrist & composer/songwriter. Don worked as a Medical Director for the San Francisco County Jail for 30 years, and he currently practices psychiatry with Kaiser Oakland. As a composer, he has collaborated with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, New Conservatory Theatre, and various companies and artists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find Don at donseaver.com and listen to Lady of the ‘Loin on Spotify . ~ Are you a ...

With the Summer Olympics top of mind, Jessica talked with Christina Klinepeter – business executive, mom, and former athlete on Team USA for Karate. She trained for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a childhood spent in competitive Karate and her first retirement from the sport. Christina shares her journey back to being an elite athlete, competing through a major injury and taking Bronze at the 2022 World Games, her mental fitness routines, and her life as a mom and a business executive. Through he...

Welcome back Dominic Lim, author, singer, and storyteller, to the show! We first talked to Dom back in Fall 2022, when he'd signed his two-book deal. We caught up with him again last summer when his debut novel All the Right Notes launched to great acclaim: it was named a 2023 best book by over 20 publications, including USA Today, Harper’s Bazaar, Goodreads, the SF Chronicle, and Entertainment Weekly. And now, Dom is preparing for the launch of his second novel, Karaoke Queen , which comes out ...

This week, Jessica welcomes guest Craig Perry, Recovery Advocate, Guitarist, & Firefighter . Craig earned his Masters of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He's described as a uniquely elegant classical guitarist with a highly expressive and dynamic blend of Classical, Jazz, and Original Material. A performer, composer and guitar instructor, he launched his debut album, entitled Himself , in 2013, and is currently working on his second album. As a...

Jessica speaks with Jenny Qi, poet, writer, & scientist . She is the author of Focal Point , winner of the 2020 Steel Toe Books Poetry Award. A freelance writer, her essays and poems have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum, and numerous other publications. She is working on a hybrid collection titled Liminal Bodies and a memoir in essays in conversation with her late mother's memoirs of the Cultural Revolution and life in Las Vegas. Jenny holds a Ph.D....

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 art and augmented reality installations have been incorporated into concert tours, museums, and airports; and he has collaborated with musicians and filmmakers including Björk, Philip Glass, Beck, and James Cameron. His work can be found in the collections of New York's MoMA, ...

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 serves as the Head of People Ops at PayZen, and she previously helped grow startups like Udemy and Carbon Health, as well as the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. A trained birth doula, Pamela founded her doula business Butterfly Birthing , inspired by her work with Planned P...

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 competition. His debut album, "Charles, Play!" was released in January 2024. Outside of music, Charles performs magic and works as a software engineer. In his engineering life, he's collaborated on features in Google Search and Microsoft Outlook that have impacted millions of people....

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, music and art since 2014. She was an early advocate for human-centered gen AI, and brought awareness to the power of AI to profoundly elevate human creativity. She has over 50 peer reviewed research publications and her research has been cited in over 1200 publications. She's b...

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, where he worked with his team to establish the school's four defining principles and oversee the development of Connie & Kevin Chou Hall. He returned to Haas as faculty in 2018 where he currently holds the William and Janet Cronk Chair in Innovative Leadership. Rich starts hi...

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 completely different worlds. This show explores how their multiple worlds – different as they may seem – collide, integrate, and fuel each other. Jessica's goal is to celebrate, elevate, and normalize these stories. Through these interviews, the goal is to co-create the Ampersan...

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 Writers Grotto and a co-host of the Babylon Salon reading and performance series in San Francisco. He studied psychology at Oberlin and got his masters from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. As a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association he's performed Off-Broad...

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 the ⁠Babylon Salon⁠ reading and performance series in San Francisco. He studied psychology at Oberlin and got his masters from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Dom has sung with numerous professional early music and choral ensembles. As a proud member of the ⁠Ac...

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 US and Europe. In her work as a People Ops leader, she's advised leaders and designed initiatives across the employee lifecycle including recruiting, onboarding, and engagement. Sim also works as a quilter and crocheter and is known for her eye for color. Are you a high achi...

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 Francisco. She was part of the New York sketch comedy group “BOB” and has had roles on film and TV with directors such as Francis Coppola and Oliver Stone. You might have seen her in films like Peggy Sue Got Married, plus she's acted in numerous plays and commercials. She wrote ...

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 holds multiple world records. He is also Director of Health + Performance at Google where he’s spent 14 years developing, launching and scaling global programs aimed at helping Googlers to thrive. He takes a special interest in the intersections of human performance and spi...

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 initiatives for nearly two decades at companies like Nestle, Booksy, and Vendini. Beth started her own firm, Fortified Branding in 2019. She's a certified StoryBrand Guide and works with companies and entrepreneurs to stand out in the minds and hearts of their customers. You can le...