“I get up every morning with a new adventure. The adventure is fueled by interesting people. I get a chance to control my own destiny.”
On Silicon Valley’s role in this challenging economy
“The economy today is a place of uncharted waters. I think technology is part of the solution. Science and technology are part of the key to unlocking the future.”
On what Silicon Valley visionaries like Larry Page and Sergey Brin have in common
“Certainly they have in common curiosity, certainly those two have in common great intelligence. They all have in common a sense of wanting to explore the unknown. ..There is a passion about the future and they bring to a consideration of the future enormous tools.”
On joining Twitter
“I’m very excited about it. All these technologies are my friend. My interest is in distributing what I do. I am fortunate to have a reputation… a brand name…my interest in maximizing distribution is made for the technology community.”
On his role as a journalist
“I’m not in the role of being an advocate for anything. My goal is to provide the kind of analysis that helps people make a decision, to approach an issue. I don’t have to be the expert. My role is to ignite, inspire, create a platform for engagement by experts.”
On how he prepares for an interview
“Just read and read and read and read. And talk. Get on the phone with someone and say, what is it you think I should know?”
On Tom Friedman and the green revolution
“Tom Friedman has been on our show more than anybody. His range is extraordinary. His book Hot Flat & Crowdedis a call for a new energy policy… There is an argument that can be made that America can reassert its leadership in the world by engaging the energy question.”
On his insatiable curiosity
“I constantly wanted to know and experience everything. But I was never intrigued by drugs. I always liked alcohol, but I never had cocaine in my life…I was never tempted – I was so in love with doing, experiencing, feeling, traveling…the experience itself was enough for me.”
On what he dreams about
“To engage life and have the experience of discovery. But I also want to create in a very specific way, a true global conversation.”
In this second part of Heidi Roizen’s interview, she talks about her Silicon Valley career and her new venture; she has some good advice for entrepreneurs.
Working at Apple in the 90’s, the work/family balance
How she became a venture capitalist
The challenges of working from home
Pursuing your passion as a business
Dealing with doors slamming in your face
Keeping the ball moving forward
Why the Roizen family is going green
To listen to Heidi’s interview about Skinny Songs and her new bookclick here
Firoozeh Dumas, bestselling author of “Funny in Farsi” is not only hilarious on the page, she’s a hoot in person. Yet she wants to do more than tickle our funny bones; this Thurber Prize for American Humor nominee wants to focus on the commonalities that unite us, no matter where we’re from. You could say she’s a world peace maker that uses humor as conduit. Our conversation explored:
Check back soon for Part Two of this Fresh Dialogues when Firoozeh talks about how Silicon Valley inspired her, outsmarting the bad boys at school and why noses are big in Iran.
Check out the new Fresh Dialogues YouTube Channelfor more exclusive interviews, including Elon Musk, Harry Hamlin and Jessica Jackley.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Martin Sheen who was visiting Silicon Valley as a guest of Dick Henning’s Foothill College Celebrity Forum Series. In this first part of our Fresh Dialogues interview, Martin talks about the roots of his social activism, his faith, his marriage and his movies.
To read selected quotes from the interview click here
Here is Part Twoof Fresh Dialogues with Martin Sheen when we explore his environmental activism, his “West Wing” perspective on President Barack Obama and what two exciting movie projects Martin will be working on through 2009.
Note: Martin donated all proceeds from his Celebrity Forum appearance to the Berkeley based nonprofit, The San Carlos Foundation What a guy!
Celebrated Silicon Valley entrepreneur and venture capitalist Heidi Roizen invited me to her home to talk about her career and her new venture: Skinny Songs. A former executive at Mobius Venture Capital, Heidi has recently been featured on the Martha Stewart Show, Oprah & Friends Radio and The Early Show. We had an animated discussion about her motivations for this 180 degree career change and how she’s still keeping one foot in the tech world.
Heidi changed focus from software to song writing: what all-time-high became her impetus for change?
What inspired the lyrics for “Skinny Jeans” and “You Da Boss” and how did her Stanford degree help?
How does being politically INcorrect help her business?
How does she deal with the critics?
Why does she describe her product as “a sound track without the movie”?
What does she mean by her “portfolio career”?
What’s next for Heidi? News about her new book: “Can’t buy thin.”
