Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tricia Friedman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tricia, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
A complex question for me especially because I can very easily lean towards cynicism. My optimism has been learned and I credit two sources for that: my dog who reminds me that joy can be found in just about anything. She keeps me present, she reminds me to go for long walks, and she should have a PhD in play. The other source is the writing of adrienne maree brown. brown talks about the need for community, and to think about what it means to practice democracy in our personal lives. I probably return to one of brown’s books at least once a month.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Right now I’m working on a great project called ‘Katbot.’ I have generated a digital twin of a colleague named Kathleen, we’ve recorded a series of interviews with Katbot’s ‘insight.’ Folks are welcome to check it out via unhingedcollaboration.com
The experiment with Katbot has me thinking about what the future holds for reflection and collaboration as well as for identity play.
How might technology allow us to better understand ourselves? That is a question that keeps me up at night currently.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Number one: curiosity. Check those assumptions and have an appetite to always learn more. I’d say next is agility, we live and learn in a world that is complex and changing, and we need to be willing to change and to challenge ourselves to let go of practices that no longer serve us. Thirdly I’ve always been an avid reader and that practice is probably one of the most significant ones for me both professionally and personally. Every year I make it a goal to read 100 books within the year, and for the past seven years I’ve made it.
If you want to feed your curious nature it helps to have a network with folks from outside of your area of expertise. LinkedIN is a great place to diversify your network, but so too are local community centers and libraries. Don’t underestimate the importance of inviting new perspectives into your life.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I host three different podcasts and I advocate for more folks to consider launching their own show. Producing a podcast has taught me so much and introduced me to so many new people. If you like doing research, you will love producing a podcast. Specifically right now I am looking to interview people with expertise in biotech or animal behaviour. Please connect with me if that’s you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shiftingschools.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-friedman-allyed/
- Twitter: https://x.com/tricia_fried
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
