Mother Nature Calls her STEM Daughters

WEBVTT

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There are some people that make their
work just another thing they have to do,

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and there are those that make their
work something that they want to do.

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Welcome to Working on Purpose with your
host Elise Cortes. In our program,

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we provide guidance and inspiration from those
people who have found deeper meaning and

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personal connection to their work life.
It's beyond nine to five. It's working

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on Purpose. Now Here is your
host, Elise Cortes. Welcome back to

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Working on Purpose show. Thanks for
tuning in again this week. I'm your

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host, Elise Cortes. Join you
live from Dallas, which is home base

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for me. If you've been tuning
in for a while, you know this

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program is all about helping people create
more meaningful and purposeful lives and equipping leaders

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inside organizations to make work a rich
and compelling part of life so they want

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to stay, give their best performance
and stick around. I talk with my

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guests to draw their expertise and share
my own experience consulting, speaking and developing

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workforces across a globe. Each week. In these conversations, I hope you

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walk away with something you conmmediately put
to use and if I can do anything

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to help you along your journey.
Go to my website at at leastcoretes dot

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com and use to contact me feature
to message me and let's open a conversation

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to explore what's going on for you, how I might be able to help

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edding and rate. I'm glad we're
connected. Thanks for listening. Now onto

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this week's program with us today is
doctor Jeanette McConnell, who is the director

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of Education, Outreach and Diversity at
the NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry

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of the Environment. She is a
champion of fund STEM Education and Adpiquate for

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the environment and is committed to the
inclusion and diversity within the STEM community.

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This year, she was selected for
Homeward Bound, a global leadership initiative set

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against the backdrop I Meant of Antarctica, which aims to heighten the influence and

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impact of women in making decisions that
shape our planet. We'll be talking about

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some of her passions, her experience
of being in the Homeward Bound program,

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and how she has transformed within it. She joined us today from San Diego,

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California. Doctor McConnell, Welcome to
Working on Purpose. Hi. Hi,

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It's so great to have you.
Yeah, I'm so great. I'm

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so happy to be with you in
this moment here, doctor McConnell. And

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I just want to say for our
listeners, she and I connected earlier this

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year when she reached out to me
to invite me on the Cheeky Scientist Show.

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She set that up with me and
for me, and we got to

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know each other in that process.
And when she told me what she was

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doing in this homeward Bound program,
I said, well, let's talk about

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that when you get done with the
Antarctica trip, and then let's have you

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on the show. So that's how
it happened. So to kick us off

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here, doctor McConnell, you know
that one of my passions, among other

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things, is that I'm an identity
and a meaning researcher. So I want

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to talk about who you are.
So there's a lot to you. You

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have a lot of things going on, So let's kind of have a little

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fun here. If you were at
like, say, you know, maybe

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a cocktail party or a gathering or
something, what would you say to someone

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to help them orient who you are? Kind of what goes into you would

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what would you say to describe yourself? Yeah, that's so such a fun

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question. Identity is such a fun
thing to talk about. So I'm right

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there with you, and I think
I want to start with saying that I

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am a carbon based life for right, So the first thing I am is

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I am a part of this universe
and this earth. That is usually the

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very first thing I think about when
I think about myself in the context of

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this larger ecosystem that we're a part
of. And then, to skip a

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bunch of rungs, I'm also a
daughter, right, I'm a sister,

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a spouse, and then I'm a
scientist. I'm queer, which means I'm

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a member of the LGBTQ plus community. I'm an advocate for diversity, and

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I care about our environment. And
the other thing that I always identify with

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is I'm someone who's learning. I'm
a learner and I'm an educator. What

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a fantastic package, really fantastic,
and what a delightful way to narrate yourself.

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I hope, listener, you got
something from that for yourself, just

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how you might consider presencing yourself for
other people. That was just a stunning

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way to start. Thank you for
that, Okay, I'm glad. I'm

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glad you liked it now, as
you know, I mean, I like

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being a social scientist. I like
being a geek in my world, and

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I love the fact that you're a
scientist as well. And so you earned

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a PhD in medicinal chemistry from the
University of New South Wales. I want

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to know how did you become interested
in science and your particular area to pursue

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the studies that you actually did.
Yeah, so can I say accidentally that

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absolutely you can. That's sort of
how this happened, totally by accident.

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I actually in high school wasn't really
I mean, science was okay, but

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I got in trouble in that class
a lot, and it was actually the

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only class I was ever suspended from
where they like kicked me out and I

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was not allowed to go back for
a couple of days with chemistry. And

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then that's totally gonna have a PhD
in now. But beyond that, when

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I went to university, I wanted
to study physical anthropology, so which meant

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I was studying anthropology and chemistry right
at the same time. But like long

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story, I had to switch universities
and to do that switch in order to

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remain like eligible to play sports,
which is why I was switching. I

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had to choose one, and I
chose chemistry, and then that was a

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switch. I was at the University
of Arizona, and then I had to

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switch to San Diego State University,
and then at San Diego. While I

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was studying chemistry there and doing sports
and having my grand old time as an

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undergraduate as student, as I was
about to finish, I was doing my

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practical work that you have to do
in the major. You have to do

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some lab work, and so I
was doing that with a specific professor who

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I thought was like super awesome.
She just like kicked butt, and so

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I was working with her, and
she approached me in the end and said,

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oh, hey, I'm moving to
Australia. Do you want to do

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a PhD? And I was like
yeah, it's like why not, right,

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And so I then spent a year
getting like my the grades and all

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that, like I had to do
a year of a master's program to set

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it up, and then moved to
Sydney and did a PhD there. So

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yeah, totally by accident, totally
just like taking opportunities as they represented to

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me. There was very little planning
responding to the moment and what I also

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heard you say is that she was
a great teacher. She she obviously inspired

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something in you for her, for
you to follow what she threw out for

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you, that's that's amazing. Yeah, she was a very powerful person.

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It was. Yeah. Well,
and that that speaks to you know,

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never, never, never underestimate the
power of being able to make a difference

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in somebody's life. Wow. Well, let's hear a little bit about what

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you're doing for work today. So
you or the director of Education at reat

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in Diversity at the NSF Center for
Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment.

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That is a title, so we
just call it case. Okay, that's

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a lot easier to say. So
what does this mean? And this sounds

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extremely complex and very far away to
me, So what does it mean?

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What are you actually doing? Yeah, it's actually really has a lot of

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different parts to many different aspects to
the job. Right, Education, outreachin

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diversity are all very separate things.
But what I do for that job,

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just broadly is I work with the
scientists who are doing research, and they

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are chemists studying the impact that aerosols
have on our environments, right, and

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they study like fundamental chemistry, and
it's actually funded by the National Science Foundation,

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and it's they're tackling on one of
those grand questions. So this is

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a huge question that we don't really
know the answer to yet. So I

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work with those scientists to help them
communicate what they're learning and what they're discovering

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to the general public I don't like
that word, but like to students,

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and then you know, to the
wider community as well as making sure that

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that outreach is done in a way
that is, you know, the most

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effective and reaches a diverse audience,
and then also to support the inclusion of

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diversity within the center that I work
for. So it's actually so many different

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things and it's amazing. It's all
things I love. And it was when

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I found this job. I had
been doing some reflection over the past year,

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much of which had to do with
being in homeward bound, and realized

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I wanted to switch right, I
wanted to do something different, and I

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just stumbled on this job and I
was like reading the description and I was

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like, I can do all of
these things, and I love all of

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these things. And so this job
now gives me the opportunity to combine my

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passion for science education right with the
desire I have for advocating for diversity,

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you know, like social justice,
environmental justice type concepts into working with researchers,

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which I was missing doing because I
used to do research, you know,

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when I was studying, and I
did kind of enjoy doing that and

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working with scientists. And so now
I get to reconnect all these different pieces

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of my life together in one job. It's really incredible. That is incredible.

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And you know, when I listened
to talk about that, I go

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back to the years that I have
spent investigating how people experience their work,

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what they find meaningful. And I'm
reminded you when I did that research,

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I looked at kind of along the
lines of the Maslow's hierarchy, and so

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there are people that of course looked
at the relational connection. Then there was

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some of the emotional stuff, the
values, etc. That kind of went

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along the line that intellectually needs for
intellectual rigor or intellectual pursuit is definitely something

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that I found among the scientific engineer
kind of community that absent that you would

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not find the work fulfilling. Is
that true for you too? And I

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think I didn't realize that connection like
that. That was because other parts of

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what I was doing were fulfilling.
But now that I get to work,

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I'm so close to brand new science
and try to understand that and talk with

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these people who are doing such incredible
research really brings that back, you know,

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and I can force myself to learn
new things all the time. Well,

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it's one of the reasons that I
continue to host this radio show.

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I mean, this has been five
years and this I think you are episode

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number two hundred and fifty seven,
and this isn't my Yeah, this is

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my platform to drink deeply from life, from subject matter experts, from authors,

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and consume it. That's why I
said I was going to, you

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know, drink you up in this
conversation and share you with my listeners in

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the process. It's terribly important for
me in terms of my fulfillment and my

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ongoing growth. So I love that
you've come back to that to home if

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you will. Yeah, yeah,
So let's talk a little bit about this

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idea about I know for you there's
a couple of connections to the work that

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you do as a woman and in
STEM So I want to have you comment

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on why do you believe women in
STEM are so important and certainly in leadership,

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and is there something unique about their
contribution to the world from your vantage

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point, yes, So this is
something that is really important to me,

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is this idea of including women in
STEM and reaching the point of equity right

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in these sciences with women at the
leadership table. And that's what's missing right

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now. So a lot of times
at the lower levels there will be gender

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parity where they're equal, but as
you move up the leadership ranks of however

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you want to call them, you
lose that. And that is what I

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think needs to change. And the
reason it needs to change is because women

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bring a really unique way of leading
to the table with them. Specifically,

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they are studies have been done on
this. They know that women carry with

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them a legacy mindset much more than
men do when they lead, So they're

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thinking of these future generations. They're
thinking way further ahead, and that changes

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the decision making right. It can
make you have much greater clarity on why

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you're choosing something rather than for an
immediate payback, right, it's longer term.

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The other is that women often lead
what do they say from your head

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and your heart? Right? So
with with a people oriented focus, right.

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So, and that is a way
of lifting an entire team up.

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Right. So, leadership is something
that is not shouldn't just be one person,

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right. Leadership means really creating a
bunch of leaders around you so that

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everyone that you're interacting with feels like
they are a leader, and that they

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are leading the program, leading the
group, and changing whatever the team is

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working towards. And women are often
really good at this humanistic sort of approach

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to leadership. And this isn't to
say that men cannot lead this way,

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right, It's just that in the
society that we live in, there is

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often some the words we used,
often our toxic masculinity that exists within our

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societies, and so those things need
to be broken down in order for this

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type of leadership to take off and
for women to have gender parity at these

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higher leadership levels. That was beautifully
articulated, really beautifully articulated, And I

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completely agree with everything that you said, And of course I do a lot

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of work empowering women into leadership roles, so I'm completely there with you.

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And again, it's not to say
that you know that we're saying that men

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can't lead in that way or I
think they can, but it seems to

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me from what I could, from
what I've experienced so far in my research,

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is that it's just a much more
natural place for women to stand from.

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Yes, and I see that Yeah
has to do it the way that,

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in my opinion, the way that
we are socialized. Yes, Yes,

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I would say the same. Yeah. On that note, let's grab

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our first break. I'm Alice Corte
as your host. We've been on the

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air with doctor Jeanette McConnell, who
is Director of Education, Outreaching Diversity at

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the NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts on
Chemistry of the Environment. She is a

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champion for fun STEM education and advocate
for the environment, and is committed to

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the inclusion of diversity within the STEM
community. She joins us today from San

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Diego, Kela, Pornia. We've
been talking a bit about really who she

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is, what she cares about,
what lights her up. After the break,

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we're going to talk about her experience
being in a homewoord bound program and

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what she got from that. Stay
with us. We'll be right back.

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Alise Cortes is a speaker and engagement
and development catalyst. She designs and delivers

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professional development leadership and engagement workshops and
can bring her expertise to your organization.

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She will help ignite meaningful development within
your workforce that will increase employee engagement,

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performance and retention. To learn more
or to invite Elise to speak to your

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organization, please visit her at www
dot Elisecortes dot com. She would welcome

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the opportunity to help get your employees
working on purpose. This is working on

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Purpose with Elise Cortes. To reach
our program today, send an email to

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a lease Alise at Aliscortes dot com. Now back to working on purpose.

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Thanks for staying with us, and
welcome back to working on purpose if you're

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just joining us. Our guest is
doctor Jeanette McConnell, who is Director of

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Education, Outreach and Diversity at the
NSF Center for Aerosol Impact on Chemistry of

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the Environment. She was a graduate
of the Homeword Bound Global Leadership Initiative,

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having just returned from its culmination in
a three week trip to Antarctica. She

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joined today from San Diego, California. I'm your host Aalise Cortes, So

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doctor McConnell. One of the things
that was so interesting is when we again

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as I said, when we first
met and you told me that you were

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going to be in this Homeward Bound
program and that you were going to be

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just going to Antarctica in and of
itself was like intriguing. So the program

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at self, though, when I
think about it, it's a pretty enormous

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commitment of time and effort and investment
of yourself, and I of course absolutely

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applaud that. And I understand that
homewer Bound is a ten year initiative,

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global leadership initiative. It's set against
the backdroup of Antarctica, which aims to

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heighten the influence and the impact of
women in making decisions that shape our planet,

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which of course I love. As
we've been talking about, and you

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told me that the program's goal is
to get one thousand women with backgrounds in

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STEM to participate, and you're the
fourth cohort, so I wanted to set

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that sort of as a backdrop for
our listeners. So with that said,

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tell us about the program. What
did it involve. What's it designed to

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do for women to participate around the
world. Yeah, so Homeward Bound you

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put it nicely right, It's this
global leadership initiative that's designed to both unite

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and upskill women with the background in
stem in order to get them into a

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position both like with the skills they
need, but also with the belief in

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themselves that they can do the things
they want to do. So you need

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both of those things. You need
the skills and the belief in order to

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lead. You can't have one without
the other. That would not work out

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very well. So this program is
actually an entire year long for each cohort.

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So, like I said, I
was part of the fourth cohort.

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So for the past year, I've
been meeting with the other members of my

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homebound cohort about once a month.
We all meet virtually and in those meetings,

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you know, we would go over
different learnings together. And then at

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the end of that we all met
in Shwaya, Argentina, and then took

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off to Antarctica together, all on
a boat. For eighteen days. We

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were stuck on the ship together learning
about what it means to be a leader

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and how we can become visible leaders
and how we can lead for the greater

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goods, all while built during those
learnings through the incredible place that is Antarctica.

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So yeah, the overarching goal of
homeward bound. From my perspective is

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that it's a way to connect and
empower women with the background in STEM to

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become better leaders and then to lead
for the greater good. I think it's

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incredibly compelling and I will absolutely confess
to you that I wouldn't look at the

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program and I thought, gosh,
this is something that I can be part

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of. But I'm not a STEM
person. My degree is human development,

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so I don't qualify for that.
But I was, like, I applaud

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even just the whole year program.
I do have my own program called Viotely

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Inspired Living and Leading from Purpose,
which is designed to be a year long

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program and I just graduated its first
cohort this year a few weeks ago.

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Yeah, so I believe in the
power of doing something where you spend time

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working at it over a period,
which but again I applau that you did

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that. That's a that's a lot
of effort, it's a lot of commitment.

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Yes, And that was it was
an interesting discussion with myself. Right,

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you initially apply and the decide whether
that investment was worth it. And

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I mean at first I sort of
just applied, thinking I won't get accepted.

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You know, so it's like,
I'll just do this, but I

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probably won't get in any way.
And so then I got in and I

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was like, Okay, so now
we're doing this. Yeah, I have

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to adjust and but it was totally
worth it. And really the the learnings

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and everything were done in a way
that was really useful, right, And

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there was so much information given to
me, and then I was given the

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amount of time that I needed to
work through it. There was like very

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few hard, hard deadlines, which
was really nice because then depending on how

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your life changes throughout the year,
you can work through it in a time

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that makes the most sense to you. That is beautiful. I think it's

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important for our listeners to understand how
this came to be for you. So

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you learned about the homeword bound program
from a previous supervisor and then, as

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you said, you applied to get
in. Then you also told me that

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you had to raise twenty thousand dollars
to participate. So tell us a little

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bit about what that's, what that
requirement was, and how it was that

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you did raise that money. Yeah, so I did. I found out

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about the program and issually from my
supervisor at Cheeky Scientist where we had you

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on the radio show. And I
more than just learning about it from her

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is I watched the program change how
she was working, and I watched it

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change how she was leading our the
team that she led that I was a

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part of, and it was really
inspiring. And I thought, first of

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all, how cool is it that
you went to Antarctica right absolutely right there?

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But also to watch her change was
really cool, and so I just

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she kept encouraging me to apply as
well. She's like, do it,

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do it, do it, and
so I did. And then once it

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got in, yeah, this realization
that I need to do these learnings and

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also raise the money. Now,
the raising of the funds is done as

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a way to get all of us
to increase our visibility and to engage with

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our communities, and that's totally what
it made me do. So I created

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like a they call it chuffed page
right where you can have different perks and

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share your story and get people to
donate to your cause. And then I

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also teamed up with a local brewery
here in San Diego. This was my

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favorite fundraiser activity, and we brewed
a beer together part of the fundraiser.

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Yeah, it's called Polar night.
The brewery is called Wavelength. If you're

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ever in San Diego to go check
them out. They're amazing. I will

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and they So we brewed this Polar
Night beer, and then in addition to

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that, I gave a talk one
evening about climate change. Actually did it

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as Bingo climate Change Bingo to make
it a bit more interactive. And then

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I took some of that beer with
me too Antarctica, right. So it

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was this really cool, like full
circle way to interact with the community and

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then also raise some money at the
same time. I think brilliant. Yeah,

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my work also helped as well,
so they supported me through this program

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as well, which was really amazing
and helped me with some of the fundraising.

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So I think it's very smart how
they architected that as a way to

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be able to socialize yourself. I
think that's very very smart. Okay,

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so can you just say a little
bit about what's in the program? I

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mean, if that doesn't violate anything, but I'm just curious to know,

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as somebody who has created my own
program of course and has been through a

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couple myself, what are you covering
on those weeks or there's monthly virtual gatherings

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or do they assign you homework or
papers or reading or what do you do?

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Yeah, that's a great question.
They do all of those things,

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okay, and it just depends on
the topic. So the things that we

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really went over are strategy, visibility, and communication, and then there's tons

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and tons of self reflection, right, so those four things are really embedded

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into the program. And we also
did this incredible like a self reflection tool

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kind of like I can't think of
a comparison, but it's called the company

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is called Humans and Logistics and it's
the Lifestyles Index. It's like a test.

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I can't think of the right words
right now, but anyway, and

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you take this thing and it gives
you back information about how you view yourself

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as a leader and how other people
are viewing you as a leader. And

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they put into these different styles and
it was really really eye opening to see

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how you and others are seeing yourself
differently and to help you reflect on that

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and then adjust your behavior and thoughts
to become a more effective leader and more

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constructive leader. So there was and
we were given a coach to help us

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with that, and we did talk
about that sometimes as a larger group.

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We were given tons of papers to
read about leadership, about Antarctica, about

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a climate change, and to really
get a whole big picture of what we

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were all going to be working towards
together. The other thing is that we

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met on a bunch of different platforms, so we shared things together, like

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on Slack and on Facebook and WhatsApp. We broke into smaller groups because there

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was a hundred of us and that's
a lot of people to try to connect

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with all at once. So they
also split us up into smaller groups where

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we met and sometimes we would meet
via video call. I did meet a

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couple of people in person who just
happened to live in California before we went.

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And then the other really incredible thing
is they set us up with mentors

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from past cohorts. So I am
lucky enough that two people who went on

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the very first homeward bound voyage live
here in San Diego, and they were

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amazing and were a part of many
of the events that I did here in

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San Diego, and they mentored me
and supported me like all through this process.

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That just sounds delicious. I would
have I would do this in a

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heartbeat. Yeah, it was really
wonderful. Well, so one of the

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other things that I find really compelling
about the program is the whole focus,

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you know, of addressing climate change. I mean, let me share that

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I'm from Oregon originally, so well, I'm already somebody that really cares about

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the environment. We We're just that's
who we are. When I lived in

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from in
the early nineteen nineties, I got to

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be part of the Real Earth Summit
where people from all over the world gathered

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to talk about that. And then, of course from my master's thesis,

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I wrote about the deforestation of the
Amazon and it's an impact on climate problems,

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and so I'm very intrigued about this
stuff, doctor McConnell. So if

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you would say a little bit more
about how this program is designed to heighten

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the influence and impact of women and
making decisions that shape our planet, including

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climate change, and sort of what
the program did to help you address that

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or contribute to that. Yeah,
and this is the cause that unites all

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of us, and I think that
was what I learned the biggest takeaway,

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right, this cause should unite all
of us, and it's not always doing

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that, right, And so within
homeward bound. They teach us all of

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these leadership skills. They teach us
how to have really difficult conversations with other

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people in a way that's constructive,
you know, so you can really go

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out and try to start just connecting
with other people and discussing this with them,

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right, especially here in the US
where there's so much disparity in what

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people think about climate change, Having
those skills and knowing that you have this

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community of a hundred people behind you
who you can lean on when you're having

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a tough day doing that is really
incredible. But the other really big thing

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that I took away from this is
we had many people give presentations about the

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different impacts of climate change, and
we know that it's devastating, right the

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planet is warming and there's like all
these horrible consequences that are possible. But

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what I took away from this is
that there is hope, and what we

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need is a vision of what's possible, right, this vision of the world

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that we want, and that this
is opportunity to make that vision possible.

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Right. A more just a more, a healthier, you know, a

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more equitable society and environment is possible, But we need leaders who can see

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that vision and who are willing to
take the steps they need to work towards

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that goal. And that's what Homer
Bound is about, creating those leaders who

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have that vision and who have that
passion to take us towards that great vision

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of the future rather than the sometimes
quite devastating and awful future that people see

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when they think about climate change.
It's such important work. It is such

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such important work, and I'm thrilled
to see that this program unites women from

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all over the world to work on
that. It's so important that I'm again

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all the reasons. The more I
dug into what the program was about,

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the more excited I got to have
you on and hear about your your involvement

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and frankly, what it's done for
you. So the next thing I want

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to ask you is before you even
went to we're going to talk about Antarctica

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after the break, But before even
you went to that, and I know

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you were in this program with ninety
nine other women from thirty three different countries,

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which is awesome. I want to
understand what did the participation in the

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program evoke in you? How have
you grown from it? Oh, that's

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a big question. I think I'm
still growing. I think it's still changing.

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But if I had to really break
it down into a couple of points,

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I would say the very biggest thing
is self awareness. It's taught me

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the importance of that, how to
go about getting it, you know,

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like how to make sure that it's
something that you're thinking about, like almost

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every day when you're interacting with other
people, and then that that is a

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key part of being a good leader
is having that awareness. The other thing

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is I think the possibility that I
could do something right, So to really

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think that, like, oh yeah, maybe I can, Maybe my impact

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is going to be worthwhile, but
I can do something about this. And

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I, especially as a part of
this large community that i'm joining right together,

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00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:23.160
we can do something awesome. So
I think those are the two huge

404
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things that I have taken away from
this right is to be really be self

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aware and understand who you are as
a leader and how what you're doing is

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affecting everyone around you. And then
that as a community, as a team,

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we are better and it's the only
way to get things done is as

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is together. What I heard you
narrate there, or I should say that

409
00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:52.160
what I heard behind the words that
you use to narrate what you just said

410
00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:56.680
there is I hear a confident woman
who is who knows who she is and

411
00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:00.960
what she's doing in the world,
and feels connected to others in the process.

412
00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:07.200
So it just it's it's a conviction, a confidence, and a like

413
00:32:07.240 --> 00:32:10.039
a commitment to that cause that I
hear when you say that, Yes,

414
00:32:10.119 --> 00:32:14.839
I think that you've summed it up
really well, fantastic. Well, I'm

415
00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:17.119
just thrilled to have you in my
life and know you. Let's take our

416
00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:20.519
last break here. I'm Alice Cortez, your host. We'll go don the

417
00:32:20.519 --> 00:32:23.279
air with doctor Jeanette McConnell, who
is Director of Education, Outreaching Diversity at

418
00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:28.640
the NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts on
Chemistry of the Environment. She's a champion

419
00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:31.519
for fund STEM education and advocate for
the environment and is committed to the inclusion

420
00:32:31.559 --> 00:32:35.960
of diversity within the STEM community.
She joins it today from San Diego,

421
00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:39.160
California. We've been talking a bit
about what the Homeward Bound program was like

422
00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:42.880
and what it entailed. After the
break, we're going to hear about her

423
00:32:42.920 --> 00:33:06.640
trip to Antarctica. Stay with us, We'll be right back. Alise Cortes

424
00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:12.079
is a speaker and engagement and development
catalyst. She designs and delivers professional development,

425
00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:16.079
leadership and engagement workshops and can bring
her expertise to your organization. She

426
00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:22.680
will help ignite meaningful development within your
workforce that will increase employee engagement, performance

427
00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:27.000
and retention. To learn more or
to invite Elise to speak to your organization,

428
00:33:27.160 --> 00:33:31.400
please visit her at www dot Elisecortes
dot com. She would welcome the

429
00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:43.799
opportunity to help get your employees working
on purpose. This is working on purpose

430
00:33:43.880 --> 00:33:47.240
with Elise Cortes. To reach our
program today, send an email to a

431
00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:57.880
lease Alic at elisecortes dot com.
Now back to working on purpose? Interesting

432
00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:00.799
what this is? Looking back to
working on purpose? You just turning in.

433
00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:04.960
My guest is doctor Jeanette McConnell,
who was Director of Education Outreach University

434
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:07.960
at the NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts
on Chemistry of the Environment. She was

435
00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:13.000
a graduate of the Homeword Bound Global
Leadership Initiative, having just returned from this

436
00:34:13.039 --> 00:34:16.079
culmination in a three week trip to
Antarctica. I'm your host at least Cortes,

437
00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:22.679
so I first need to understand what
even went into preparing for three weeks

438
00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:27.960
in Antarctica. So what was it
like to even anticipate a trip like that?

439
00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:34.920
Oh, my goodness, it was
a lot there. It was.

440
00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:39.639
So I was anticipating this trip for
a year. Yeah, I was like

441
00:34:39.960 --> 00:34:44.559
so ready to just go and be
in Antarctica by the time I was here.

442
00:34:45.400 --> 00:34:49.639
But it actually ended up being a
lot less like physical preparation than I

443
00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:53.719
thought. I mean, I had
to get some warm closed and I did

444
00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:59.639
bring some extra bits of food with
me because I'm actually vegan, and so

445
00:34:59.679 --> 00:35:01.199
I was really scared about being on
this ship and it was like, what

446
00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:06.239
are they going to try to feed
me? And so I brought some of

447
00:35:06.280 --> 00:35:09.920
my own food with me, and
then I had to, you know,

448
00:35:09.960 --> 00:35:14.719
prepare all the people that I was
that I interact with, because I was

449
00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:17.920
planning on being completely disconnected for the
whole time that we were gone, right

450
00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:23.559
because the NY job together is not
cell service and there's really limited access to

451
00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:27.880
the internet. So I just decided
not, you're not going to hear from

452
00:35:27.880 --> 00:35:31.960
me, And so getting everything set
up and then trusting that everything will just

453
00:35:32.039 --> 00:35:37.800
keep going when you're not there is
a really interesting kind of feeling when you

454
00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:40.360
realize I'm going to be gone for
a month and everything's just going to be

455
00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:45.599
fine, right. It's like,
Yeah, that was really really cool feeling

456
00:35:45.679 --> 00:35:49.559
to know that I wasn't essential to
all of those things. They could just

457
00:35:49.639 --> 00:35:53.760
keep going without me. It was
liberating. Yeah. So I just got

458
00:35:53.760 --> 00:36:00.599
my stuff together and then went down
and literally I just wanted to get on

459
00:36:00.599 --> 00:36:04.800
that ship. I was ready.
But let's just do this right, right,

460
00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:07.199
and you know, and I think
it's got to be an element of

461
00:36:07.239 --> 00:36:08.920
just faith, like others have gone
before you, we're doing this. We've

462
00:36:09.280 --> 00:36:13.039
we've been working up this the whole
year. As you say, let me

463
00:36:13.079 --> 00:36:16.880
just get on this ship. Yeah. Well, I think it's probably really

464
00:36:16.920 --> 00:36:22.480
important for us to talk about why
you even went to Antarctica. So there's

465
00:36:22.519 --> 00:36:25.480
a reason that Home We're bound shows
that particular place. What's its importance?

466
00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:29.559
Yeah, there are a couple of
reasons, and this is one of my

467
00:36:29.559 --> 00:36:36.679
favorite questions. And the first really
big reason is that it's isolated, right,

468
00:36:36.760 --> 00:36:42.039
and so we really wanted to have
the time for personal reflection, for

469
00:36:42.119 --> 00:36:45.599
this collaborate collective growth, you know, for us to get together and really

470
00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:51.119
become a community, all one hundred
of us, to really connect and the

471
00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:57.599
only way that's possible is if you
eliminate many distractions, and so being stuck

472
00:36:57.639 --> 00:37:02.039
on a ship out in the middle
of nowhere basically is important to that.

473
00:37:02.199 --> 00:37:06.119
But you could be anywhere in the
middle of nowhere, right, So,

474
00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:09.920
Antarctica is actually one of the only
place on the planet that is dedicated to

475
00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:15.280
science, cooperation and peace. So
sixty years ago, actually while we were

476
00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:21.239
in Antarctica, the Antarctic Treaty had
at sixtieth anniversary where people decided that this

477
00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:27.079
place was for science, cooperation and
peace. I'm getting boost bumps. This

478
00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:31.039
is so cool. Keep going.
Yeah, So it's it's a place where

479
00:37:31.039 --> 00:37:37.039
people collaborate. There are like wars
don't happen there, and it's all to

480
00:37:37.159 --> 00:37:42.360
preserve that place. And we did
have the opportunity to go to some of

481
00:37:42.400 --> 00:37:45.639
the scientific bases there as well,
which was really cool. But that's beside

482
00:37:45.639 --> 00:37:51.480
the point. But that's another reason, especially as a multicultural and multinational endeavor,

483
00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:55.159
this provides a place that is safe
for everyone to go, right,

484
00:37:55.719 --> 00:38:01.360
That's what the point of it is
for science and cooperation. The other really

485
00:38:01.360 --> 00:38:07.159
big reason for Antarctica is that it
brings home the impacts of climate change,

486
00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:15.599
like right in your face, and
Antarctica is huge, like I can't it's

487
00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:19.960
hard to put into words how massive
this place is, and when you're there,

488
00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.000
how small you can feel. But
then you remember that there is no

489
00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:29.960
people who live there, there's no
local population, but that place is severely

490
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.280
affected by climate change. The Antarctic
Peninsula, where we spend most of our

491
00:38:34.280 --> 00:38:37.760
time, is actually the second fast
fastest warming place on the planet. And

492
00:38:38.199 --> 00:38:42.639
nobody lives there, right, So
it's all of the effects of the rest

493
00:38:42.719 --> 00:38:46.559
of the world impacting that place,
and so that is really striking to be

494
00:38:46.599 --> 00:38:51.320
a part of. And so you're
in this massive landscape where you feel so

495
00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:54.480
small and irrelevant, right, and
it's dangerous to be there. You have

496
00:38:54.559 --> 00:39:00.400
to be like ready to like you
just at the whim of mother nature when

497
00:39:00.400 --> 00:39:02.880
you're down there. So you feel
so small, But then you realize how

498
00:39:02.920 --> 00:39:10.639
powerful humanity is in that we are
impacting this place from so far away.

499
00:39:12.039 --> 00:39:17.760
So it brings together this idea of
being isolated and learning about the climate and

500
00:39:17.800 --> 00:39:22.719
also being in a place where we
can all truly work together in this multinational

501
00:39:22.760 --> 00:39:29.320
and multicultural environment. It's so stunning
and so compelling and so big. I'm

502
00:39:29.360 --> 00:39:31.400
just again, I'm so happy to
be able to share this experience that you

503
00:39:31.480 --> 00:39:36.400
had with our listeners, and I
hope that listeners that it inspires you to

504
00:39:36.480 --> 00:39:40.159
go after something like this, to
really really grow yourself and challenge yourself,

505
00:39:40.159 --> 00:39:45.039
as I have to imagine that the
experience was for you, doctor McConnell.

506
00:39:45.840 --> 00:39:49.159
And so with that, I know
you could probably talk a long time about

507
00:39:49.159 --> 00:39:51.679
this, and we don't have that
much time, but can you tell us

508
00:39:51.719 --> 00:39:53.960
a little bit about your experience.
What parts of it particularly stood out for

509
00:39:54.039 --> 00:39:58.519
you, that really landed for you. Yeah, of course, and I

510
00:39:58.519 --> 00:40:02.559
definitely want to echo that. I
think everyone should find something like this,

511
00:40:02.760 --> 00:40:07.719
find a way, you know,
that they can feel as though they're making

512
00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:12.480
a difference, and find a community
to support them. It's so important and

513
00:40:12.519 --> 00:40:15.280
I was very lucky to have been
a part of this. But what stood

514
00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:22.079
out for me most this is so
hard. I think the number one thing

515
00:40:22.280 --> 00:40:27.480
is the ICE's so silly because everybody
thinks of ice and I think of Antarctica.

516
00:40:27.519 --> 00:40:32.639
But there was just so much ice, like an unbelievable massive amounts of

517
00:40:32.679 --> 00:40:36.840
ice. Like we saw one iceberg
that was like a mile long, and

518
00:40:37.119 --> 00:40:39.800
it just seemed small because of how
when you're looking at it, But it's

519
00:40:39.840 --> 00:40:45.159
a mile of ice just floating around, right, And then there are icebergs

520
00:40:45.159 --> 00:40:52.239
that are hundreds of miles and it's
just crazy to realize the scale of it.

521
00:40:54.079 --> 00:40:59.679
And also that the ice is really
noisy, so it makes you lot.

522
00:40:59.679 --> 00:41:02.239
I'm going, it's always popping.
It sounds kind of like Rice Christie's

523
00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:08.559
and it's the air that is popping
in that ice is many centuries old,

524
00:41:09.159 --> 00:41:15.320
so it's pre industrial revolution air that
you're breathing when you're around those icebergs that

525
00:41:15.360 --> 00:41:22.599
are melting. Right. So the
time scale as well, so all of

526
00:41:22.639 --> 00:41:25.480
these things playing with scale was so
big when you're down there in Antarctica.

527
00:41:27.960 --> 00:41:32.199
And the other thing is the people
that I was with, So I have

528
00:41:32.400 --> 00:41:37.840
never been in such a supportive environment
that is open and collaborative, like we

529
00:41:37.960 --> 00:41:45.400
all truly truly wanted the other people
to be their best selves and to grow

530
00:41:45.480 --> 00:41:49.760
and learn in whatever way they needed
at that moment, and then someone else

531
00:41:49.840 --> 00:41:54.559
was doing the same for me.
It's a really unique I don't know that

532
00:41:54.599 --> 00:41:59.440
I will experience it again, right
it was. I hadn't until I went

533
00:42:00.519 --> 00:42:04.960
a way that we all were there
truly supporting each other's growth and working towards

534
00:42:04.960 --> 00:42:14.440
this collective goal of becoming leaders that
take us towards a sustainable future. This

535
00:42:14.519 --> 00:42:15.960
is going to sound really, really
silly, but I have to ask another

536
00:42:16.039 --> 00:42:21.599
question. Yeah, it strikes me
that that there would be an absence of

537
00:42:21.760 --> 00:42:27.239
smell there. I'm so glad you
asked, because there's not. Okay,

538
00:42:27.400 --> 00:42:31.239
So what's the third thing on my
list? It's the smell. So there

539
00:42:31.239 --> 00:42:37.599
are a lot of penguins in Antarctica, like millions of penguins live there,

540
00:42:37.519 --> 00:42:45.400
and they stink so bad there.
But you're so cute. I know they're

541
00:42:45.440 --> 00:42:50.039
cute, but actually they're really disgusting. So there's like poop everywhere, and

542
00:42:50.079 --> 00:42:52.880
they like poop on each other's ball. They're like so dirty, and then

543
00:42:52.920 --> 00:42:57.719
you walk over near them, it
smells so bad. And they're also so

544
00:42:57.960 --> 00:43:04.960
noisy. They're like always squawking and
making sounds. So I was totally shocked

545
00:43:04.960 --> 00:43:09.880
at how smelly the penguins were.
And seals as well kind of stinky,

546
00:43:10.039 --> 00:43:15.840
not as bad as penguins, but
when you're like just out in the like

547
00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:21.320
if there's not that many animals around, it still has a very fresh smell,

548
00:43:21.440 --> 00:43:23.400
and sometimes you can kind of smell
the salt like you would at the

549
00:43:23.400 --> 00:43:29.760
beach of the water, but not
always. It's also really windy, so

550
00:43:29.880 --> 00:43:35.079
Antarctic is the driest, windiest,
coldest highest place on the planet, and

551
00:43:35.119 --> 00:43:39.280
so the wind, I think,
takes those smells away and changes them pretty

552
00:43:39.360 --> 00:43:45.599
rapidly unless you're right near the penguins. Then I'm glad you shared all that.

553
00:43:45.480 --> 00:43:47.800
That really helps I feel more like
I have much more of a sense

554
00:43:47.800 --> 00:43:52.159
of what was like, So thank
you for that. That was the sensory

555
00:43:52.159 --> 00:43:57.719
experience helped a lot. So despite
the smelly penguins, we're getting close out

556
00:43:57.719 --> 00:44:00.360
of time already here, but I
want to make sure we talk about something

557
00:44:00.440 --> 00:44:05.519
really interesting and beautiful that you did, doctor McConnell. You invited your fellow

558
00:44:05.519 --> 00:44:09.079
program participants to create a human pride
flag there, which is amazing. So

559
00:44:09.119 --> 00:44:14.719
what an incredible display of connectedness and
love. I think that's compelling. So

560
00:44:14.960 --> 00:44:16.679
tell us how this flag came to
be and why it was so important to

561
00:44:16.719 --> 00:44:20.199
you. How did you pull this
off too? I saw the picture of

562
00:44:20.239 --> 00:44:22.000
the way. It's fantastic. I
know it came out so good, and

563
00:44:22.039 --> 00:44:27.000
I was so happy about it.
Well, I really wanted to do some

564
00:44:27.039 --> 00:44:30.280
sort of like pride deministration, and
I didn't bring a flag with me,

565
00:44:30.400 --> 00:44:37.280
and I was bummed about it.
A rainbow flag. And there was one

566
00:44:37.360 --> 00:44:39.880
other openly gay person on the ship, and we talked about it and we're

567
00:44:39.880 --> 00:44:45.480
like, let's do it with everyone, like let's get everyone involved. And

568
00:44:45.519 --> 00:44:50.840
I was like, okay, like
super skeptical, I want to do this.

569
00:44:52.480 --> 00:44:55.039
And we put up a sheet because
we didn't have when we were on

570
00:44:55.079 --> 00:44:59.599
this ship, we didn't really have
digital talking to each other, so we

571
00:44:59.639 --> 00:45:01.280
like put a piece of paper up
on the wall and said, sign up

572
00:45:01.280 --> 00:45:06.360
for a cup you want to be
in the rainbow bow flag, and tons

573
00:45:06.360 --> 00:45:08.840
of people put their names on there. And then the day came around and

574
00:45:08.880 --> 00:45:15.880
it was actually really rough seas outside, and so we gathered in one room

575
00:45:15.920 --> 00:45:20.800
and everyone got into the colors that
they needed. People brought extra shirts,

576
00:45:20.840 --> 00:45:23.960
like some people had many colors and
other people shared because some people only brought

577
00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:29.559
like really you know, beige clothing
for Antarctica, right, And so they

578
00:45:29.639 --> 00:45:31.840
shared clothes so we could get all
the colors around. The expedition team,

579
00:45:31.880 --> 00:45:37.360
who was the people leading us into
Antarctica, they joined us and then we

580
00:45:37.400 --> 00:45:42.599
marched up to the deck where we
took the photo, and like I said,

581
00:45:42.599 --> 00:45:44.920
it was a bit rough and windy, and so we were getting in

582
00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:50.840
the lines and as the ship would
toss, everybody would like move all to

583
00:45:50.920 --> 00:45:53.039
one side the boat and then also
the other side of the boat, and

584
00:45:53.079 --> 00:45:59.079
we were all just laughing and everyone
was like joined together like to try to

585
00:45:59.079 --> 00:46:02.840
not fall over. It was incredible, and then we managed to get the

586
00:46:02.840 --> 00:46:07.400
photo and I was like, this
was It's definitely one of my highlights.

587
00:46:07.400 --> 00:46:10.960
And to see that when you have
when you really want to do something right,

588
00:46:12.000 --> 00:46:14.880
we really wanted to make this happen. And I shared it with the

589
00:46:14.920 --> 00:46:19.440
group and they're like, yes,
let's do it, and like it just

590
00:46:19.519 --> 00:46:24.480
happened right. So I was so
blown away by everyone's participation and how much

591
00:46:24.559 --> 00:46:29.320
they enjoyed it as well. Wasn't
just me enjoying it. Everyone had a

592
00:46:29.360 --> 00:46:31.840
really wonderful time. So I was
just so thankful to all of them for

593
00:46:31.960 --> 00:46:38.320
helping me make that moment because they're
very special and if the picture is phenomenal,

594
00:46:38.400 --> 00:46:42.760
it really is phenomenal. Says There's
just no way to really give words

595
00:46:42.800 --> 00:46:45.280
to the beauty of that photo and
what you did, and so part of

596
00:46:45.320 --> 00:46:49.760
what I also am hearing from this
is you know, I wanted you to

597
00:46:49.760 --> 00:46:52.559
talk about how this program has transformed
you. It seems to me, even

598
00:46:52.639 --> 00:46:55.760
in just what you narrated there,
that you stepped what I have a saying,

599
00:46:57.079 --> 00:47:01.159
you stepped more into your shine.
You you let who you really are

600
00:47:01.320 --> 00:47:07.360
come right out to the front and
literally celebrated it. And one of the

601
00:47:07.360 --> 00:47:08.960
things we talk about so much is
you know, when you're a leader is

602
00:47:08.960 --> 00:47:13.719
to really be authentic in that space. And it seems to me that you

603
00:47:13.880 --> 00:47:20.079
also claimed even more of your own
authenticity through the program. Yes, most

604
00:47:20.119 --> 00:47:22.840
definitely, that's what it's all about. It's like about that. I think

605
00:47:22.880 --> 00:47:28.440
that authenticity comes from self awareness,
right, It comes from that reflection where

606
00:47:28.480 --> 00:47:31.280
you realize, oh, this is
who I am, and then you have

607
00:47:31.639 --> 00:47:37.760
the confidence to step out and be
that authentic leader. Those that's the least

608
00:47:37.840 --> 00:47:40.519
people want want to follow, that's
they want to be connected with. It's

609
00:47:40.559 --> 00:47:46.920
those authentic leaders. Absolutely agree,
Well, I hate to let you go

610
00:47:47.039 --> 00:47:51.599
because you have been such an incredible
person just to spend time with and learn

611
00:47:51.639 --> 00:47:52.880
from and be inspired by. But
here we are at the end of the

612
00:47:52.880 --> 00:47:58.000
program already, and you know that
this program is intended to help people across

613
00:47:58.039 --> 00:48:01.920
the world develop more meaning passions purpose
across their lives and their work. That

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00:48:02.119 --> 00:48:06.639
said, what would you like to
leave with listeners with, So the very

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00:48:06.639 --> 00:48:10.000
first thing is that if you are
a woman with a background in STEM,

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00:48:10.280 --> 00:48:14.840
go check out homework Bound and see
if it's something that resonates with you.

617
00:48:15.960 --> 00:48:19.719
And then the thing that I really
want to leave is that for me,

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00:48:20.239 --> 00:48:24.199
this was so much about finding a
community that I have a shared passion and

619
00:48:24.239 --> 00:48:30.480
shared vision with and that that is
so incredibly empowering. And I think it's

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00:48:30.519 --> 00:48:34.280
really important in our work right and
in our daily lives that we have that

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00:48:34.840 --> 00:48:38.239
community who we share values with.
And so if you don't have that,

622
00:48:38.599 --> 00:48:42.360
you don't think you have that,
to try to find it and it can

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00:48:42.400 --> 00:48:46.679
be really really game changing. What
a beautiful way to finish. And yes,

624
00:48:46.719 --> 00:48:50.079
I certainly applaud Like I said,
if I had a STEM background,

625
00:48:50.119 --> 00:48:53.000
I'd be all over homeworrek Bound.
Thank you so much, doctor McConnell for

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00:48:53.000 --> 00:48:57.639
coming and sharing We time this conversation
so it was right on the heels off

627
00:48:57.639 --> 00:49:00.639
you're coming back, so it's fresh. I really think thank you so much

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00:49:00.639 --> 00:49:02.840
for coming into my life and letting
me share you with the listeners across the

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00:49:02.880 --> 00:49:07.079
world. Yeah, thank you so
much for having me on the show.

630
00:49:07.119 --> 00:49:09.800
It's been wonderful to have the opportunity
to share. I really appreciate it well,

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00:49:09.920 --> 00:49:14.760
terrific. So listeners, if you
want to learn more about doctor McConnell

632
00:49:14.840 --> 00:49:16.079
or to contact her, the first
thing you might want to do is just

633
00:49:16.119 --> 00:49:20.440
go to LinkedIn and look for her
there so you spell her first name,

634
00:49:20.519 --> 00:49:24.280
Jeannette, It's j E A n
E T t E. Her last name

635
00:49:24.320 --> 00:49:30.119
is McConnell mc capital c n n
E l L. You can also find

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00:49:30.159 --> 00:49:37.239
her via email, It's j McConnell
at UCSD dot ed U. Last week,

637
00:49:37.280 --> 00:49:39.960
if you missed the live show,
you always catch it via a recorded

638
00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:45.000
podcast. We were on the air
with Justin McCorkle talking about the power of

639
00:49:45.039 --> 00:49:49.199
being able to change a life in
a single conversation. It was awesome,

640
00:49:49.400 --> 00:49:52.280
very very in depth, real conversation
with a gentleman who we've spent twelve years

641
00:49:52.360 --> 00:49:57.480
also as a preacher. He knows
a lot about conversation. Next week,

642
00:49:57.480 --> 00:50:00.039
we'll be on the air with Mike
Coles talking about how his own experience of

643
00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:04.960
being a traveling professional away from his
young son set him on a journey to

644
00:50:04.960 --> 00:50:07.719
create an app that allows distant parents
to read to their children using their own

645
00:50:07.800 --> 00:50:10.400
voice. See you there. Remember
that work is at least one third of

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00:50:10.440 --> 00:50:16.480
our life, So let's work on
purpose. We hope you've enjoyed this week's

647
00:50:16.519 --> 00:50:22.079
program. Be sure to tune in
to Working on Purpose, featuring your host

648
00:50:22.119 --> 00:50:27.480
Alis Cortes, each week on the
Voice America Empowerment Channel. This week,

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00:50:27.719 --> 00:50:49.039
find your life's purpose at work