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  • Madelyn Blair // Exploration, authenticity, and human resilience
    2025/08/04

    Dr. Madelyn Blair, resilience expert and former World Bank executive, joins Ed and Jessica for a fascinating exploration of curiosity, leadership, and finding your voice. Through her three film choices, Blair reveals the deep connections between exploration, authenticity, and human potential.

    Her first selection, Temple Grandin, showcases the power of thinking differently and the crucial role of support systems in developing resilience. Blair draws parallels between Temple's unique perspective on cattle movement and her own approach to coaching - stepping back to truly see what others bring to the table.

    Billy Elliot resonates with Blair's belief in challenging norms and finding authentic voice, reflecting her own journey of speaking truth to power throughout her career at the World Bank. The film's themes of mentorship and self-discovery mirror her philosophy that every person is "different, but not less."

    Her final choice, My Octopus Teacher, demonstrates the transformative power of curiosity and observation. Blair connects the film's intimate relationship between human and octopus to her research findings that highly resilient people are "insatiably curious."

    Accompanied by popcorn and soft-boiled eggs (a nod to her farm upbringing), plus Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit, Blair's selections reveal a leader who sees potential where others see problems - turning "cracked eggs" into gold.

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    40 分
  • Miri Berger // Revolutionary Tech for Human Needs
    2025/07/28

    We're launching Miri Berger, the brilliant co-founder and CEO of Six Degrees, to the moon with three films that showcase her journey from hands-on creator to revolutionary tech entrepreneur.

    Miri's company develops groundbreaking wearable technology that transforms any body movement into digital control, giving independence back to people who've lost fine motor skills. From her background as a master stonemason and industrial designer to leading clinical trials with the US VA, she's proven that innovation comes from understanding both materials and human needs.

    Her first film choice, Bugs Bunny and Road Runner, represents the ingenuity and resilience that drives her work - she's always rooted for Wile E. Coyote's engineering prowess. The Sting reflects her appreciation for collaboration and the power of bringing together diverse talents for a common mission, much like her approach to building Six Degrees.

    But it's The Princess Bride that reveals her storytelling heart. As someone who believes in the power of narrative to drive change, Miri understands that great technology needs great stories.

    Armed with endless Valencia oranges from her grandmother's orchard and a massive dictionary (perfect for someone who loves working with words and hands), she's ready to contemplate new worlds.

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    42 分
  • Willeke van Rijn // The interconnectedness of humanity reaches the moon
    2025/07/21

    We're sending Willeke van Rijn, CEO of the Resource Alliance and possible descendant of Rembrandt, to the moon with three films that perfectly capture her passion for global connection and humanity.

    Willeke leads a community of over 30,000 fundraisers and change-makers across the social impact sector, recently bringing together 700 people in Delhi to create faster impact through collaboration. Her film choices reflect her belief in interconnectedness and the beauty of diversity.

    First, she's taking Planet Earth - not just for its stunning visuals, but because David Attenborough's storytelling showcases the interconnected beauty of our world, much like how Willeke connects organisations globally. Her second choice, Baraka, celebrates humanity in all its forms - a visual feast that would make perfect viewing material for any visiting aliens wondering what Earth's inhabitants are like.

    But then comes the delightful surprise: Skyfall. This James Bond thriller is Willeke's guilty pleasure, featuring the stunning Scottish landscapes that stole her heart. As she puts it, "everyone needs a guilty pleasure."

    Armed with endless peanut M&Ms (eaten from a crater-sized bowl) and Tagore's spiritual poetry collection Gitanjali, Willeke's ready to contemplate where East meets West - or perhaps where Earth meets the intergalactic.

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    50 分
  • Bridget McNulty // From Grief to Joy: A Writer's Journey to the Stars
    2025/07/15

    This week on Moonsnacks, hosts Dr. Ed Hoffman and Jessica Fox send South African writer and diabetes advocate Bridget McNulty on a cinematic voyage with three films that illuminate her philosophy of transforming life's challenges into meaningful connection.

    McNulty, author of The Grief Handbook and co-founder of Sweet Life—South Africa's largest diabetes community—has chosen films that celebrate human resilience and the power of small acts of kindness. Her selections reveal a beautiful progression: Amélie for its exploration of how tiny good deeds create ripple effects of joy, About Time for its reminder that we don't need superpowers to live extraordinarily, and The Intouchables for its celebration of relationships built on honesty rather than pity.

    From her college days raising funds for AIDS orphanages to pioneering diabetes advocacy through innovative WhatsApp chatbots and stock photo libraries, McNulty embodies Amélie's spirit of making the world brighter through action. Her journey from writing about grief to exploring joy reflects her belief in meaning-making as survival—and her conviction that wherever you are emotionally is exactly where you're meant to be.

    Lunar provisions: A glorious fruit plate featuring mangoes, cherries, and berries, plus The Power of One for a taste of home.

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    1 時間 2 分
  • Walda Roseman // Telecommunications Pioneer Takes Flight to the Moon
    2025/07/07

    This week on Moonsnacks, hosts Dr. Ed Hoffman and Jessica Fox send telecommunications trailblazer Walda Roseman on an interstellar journey with three carefully chosen films that reflect her extraordinary career bridging global communications.

    As the former COO of the Internet Society and current Chair of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, Roseman has spent decades proving that "as long as we can communicate, there's a chance for peace." Her lunar cinema selection reveals this philosophy beautifully: It's a Wonderful Life for its butterfly effect of kindness, Arrival for its celebration of linguistic courage in the face of the unknown, and Love Actually to remember "what being human is all about" during her solitary moon sojourn.

    From her early days performing alongside her actress mother to becoming the first woman in numerous senior telecommunications roles, Roseman's story is one of resilience, faith, and determination. She shares moving insights about growing up in an orphanage, pioneering international satellite communications, and her current work developing the HAL 9000 Challenge—an intergenerational collaboration aimed at ensuring humanity thrives in our AI-driven future.

    Plus: Endless Oreos (with milk) await her on the lunar surface!

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    47 分
  • Houston, we have a podcast!
    2025/07/01

    When the brightest minds in business get a ticket to the moon, what movies do they pack?

    Moonsnacks reveals the films that shaped today's most innovative leaders. Dr. Ed Hoffman (former NASA Chief Knowledge Officer) and author / filmmaker Jessica Fox explore the cinema that drives visionaries in management, technology, and the arts—three DVDs at a time.

    Every Monday, discover the stories behind the success through the lens of Hollywood, independent cinema, and everything in between.

    Three DVDs. One book. Endless snacks. The leadership podcast that's truly out of this world - launches Monday July 7th.

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    1 分