Episodes

One month after the 2026 Ampersand Summit at Wyldflowr Arts in Oakland, Jessica reflects on how the event evolved from an intimate living-room gathering into a multi-city community. This episode dives into the origin of the Ampersand community – from the first guests in Season 1 meeting up in real life, to a sold-out ticketed mini-retreat, reaching Ampersands across geographies. Plus, a look at what’s next for The Ampersand Cohort in New York, the SF Bay Area, and beyond. Want to be there next ...

Jessica talks with Apoorvaa Deshpande, a founder, musician, and Tech Lead for AI privacy engineering at Google. Apoorvaa holds a PhD in computer science from Brown University. She is a senior musician at IndianRaga who's been featured in music productions that have garnered millions of views, and she has been invited to perform her curated concerts internationally. She is also a curious mom to two boys and an avid explorer of new cafes. Apoorvaa is the founder of PolyPaths, with a mission to h...

Jessica talks with Yue Deng-Wu, a lawyer, founder, and musician. She works as an attorney at Greenwald Doherty, a boutique employment law firm, where she works on the firm’s AI strategy and implementation. Yue is an ex-big law lawyer with founder and engineering experience. She's built multiple AI products, including Kaleida, a thought partner for navigating career decisions, and Spacenotes, an online music learning product. A lifelong musician, Yue studied classical piano and cello and is a s...

Jessica talks with Felipe Lannes Gonçalves, a Brazilian psychologist, entrepreneur, writer, and long-distance cyclist. He is the founder of Kaiora, a consultancy that helps businesses grow through culture and method, and has worked with professionals from over 200 organizations throughout Brazil and Europe. He is also an MBA professor, columnist, and the author of RUTA, a book that brings together poetry, photography, and travel, musing on reflections on what it means to live fully. Having cyc...

Jessica talks with Laura Rowley, Author & Content Strategist. Laura is the author of seven non-fiction books and a new novel, The Glassmaker’s Secret. She is Head of Content for a Wall Street fintech firm with 4,000 professionals in 28 global offices. An award-winning journalist, she's held editorial and executive roles at CNN, People Inc., The Huffington Post and Yahoo!Finance, and founded her own content strategy firm. Laura's writing has been featured in The New York Times, Gannett, Parents ...

Jessica talks with Hugo Pérez, an Emmy-winning storyteller, strategist, and founder of Local Boy Co., a creative consultancy and studio helping organizations find their message, sharpen it, and make it matter. A full-stack marketer with more than two decades of experience, he has led transformative work across advertising, higher education, startups, nonprofits, and brands—including Starbucks, Taco Bell, Allstate, MTV, Mars, AstraZeneca, and AT&T. Most recently, he served as CMO of a global plan...

Jessica talks with Joy Khoo, a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Since 2003, she has worked with leaders from all walks of life, helping them embrace their authentic selves and develop greater self-awareness in service of humanizing the workplace. Her coaching integrates nature, mindfulness, neuroscience, art, and embodied practices. A champion for women leaders, Joy serves as a Facilitator for Stanford University's Women in Management Group and has been a Foundi...

Jessica talks with Amani Roberts, international keynote speaker and global performer. He is a renowned DJ, entrepreneur, award-winning professor, and USA Today’s best-selling author of the books “The Quiet Storm” and “DJs Mean Business”. With over 30 years in hospitality and 17 years in the music industry, he’s worked with global brands like Marriott, 7-11, and Chartmetric while generating millions of dollars in revenue. A sought-after speaker and co-host of the podcast Adventures in Business, ...

Shannon Nash is a global C-suite leader, attorney, Qualified Financial Expert, CPA and public Board Member with over 30 years of experience navigating the intersection of technology, finance, and governance. Outside of her board and operating work, Shannon is an award-winning documentary film producer, a Tony Award–nominated Broadway producer, and the host of the leadership podcast No Boxes: Just Verses. Shannon currently serves as Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Vibrant Planet, which ...

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, fi...

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 interdi...

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 in...

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 expe...

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 (a...

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?!, which ...

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...