Channeling Kindness, Passion, and Purpose w/ Maya Enista Smith

Show Description

Our guest this week is Maya Enista Smith, Executive Director of Born This Way Foundation, which was co-founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, to support the mental health of young people and work with them to create a kinder and braver world.

In the intro, we bring back the “interpret my dream segment” with a dream submission from Lindsay. Mac and David share about art and culture experiences from their youth that affirmed their identity. Mac shares about Milwaukee based-orgs doing similar work to Born This Way Foundation.

Maya joins at 19:09. She shares her arts and culture origin story and love of storytelling (22:15); finding moments for daydreaming and enchantment, and finding inspiration in watching talent, passion, and purpose at Lady Gaga’s level (25:10); what it’s like to have Lady Gaga invite you to be part of her team (26:40); creating fun partnerships with Starbucks, Deloitte, and young people (30:17); how to have a conversation around KPIs with things as unique and personal as kindness, love, and mental health (34:00); adjusting to meet the mental health challenge of the pandemic (38:10); and favorite examples of fostering inclusion through arts and culture (43:25).

Bonus to close us out: Mac’s interpret my dream (55:37).

Audio Transitions: “Lovely Child” by VUCA (featuring Barbara Stephan and Dave Olson)

Plugs:

Maya Enista Smith / Twitter: @MEnista

Born this Way Foundation

S222 Episode Ephemera:

NGen Fellowship (where are the pre-2014 classes???!)

414 (New) Day