Talks at Google

Author Shelmina Babai Abji visits Google to discuss her book “Show Your Worth: 8 Intentional Strategies for Women to Emerge as Leaders at Work”. The book provides readers with a toolbox designed to harness the power of intention and strategy to accelerate success—tailor-made for women who are underrepresented in their fields. If you're a woman, especially a woman of color, you know this already: You face unique challenges and obstacles as you work to scale the corporate ladder. From not seeing other faces in the room that look like you to dealing with the stereotypes and often unconscious biases in the workplace, you may know what to do to succeed, but not how to get it done in this environment. In pages that are both inspirational and practical, Shelmina Babai Abji speaks directly to professional women about how the power of being intentional and strategic can help transform the headwinds you face into much-needed tailwinds. Her book takes you on a deep dive into the 8 Intentional Strategies that will help you achieve success, including - success, attention, work/life balance, value creation, growth, relationships, leadership branding, and promotions. Through Abji's personal experiences and the inspiring stories of other successful women who have applied these strategies in their own lives, you will come to deeply understand just how important your voice is and know that your unique value makes you a force in any room. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

18 Jul 202348min

Do you have a keen imagination, rich inner life, and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day as essential as air? Do others call you too shy or overly sensitive? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be a highly sensitive person, or HSP. In this Talk, marriage & family therapist Alane Freund, an expert consultant working with the trait of high sensitivity, discusses how to use your strengths as an HSP, coping mechanisms for dealing with overstimulation, ways to improve your relationships, and the latest developments in research about highly sensitive people (HSPs). For more information about Alane Freund's work and highly sensitive people, visit areyouhighlysensitive.com and hsperson.com. Originally published in November of 2019, here is Alane Freund - Understanding the Highly Sensitive Person. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

14 Jul 202348min

Actors Jay Baruchel & Glenn Howerton join actor and filmmaker Matt Johnson to discuss their film “Blackberry,” the story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone. The film tells the story of two mismatched entrepreneurs – egghead innovator Mike Lazaridis and cut-throat businessman Jim Balsillie – who join forces in an endeavor that was to become a worldwide hit in little more than a decade. The device that one invented and the other sold was the BlackBerry, an addictive mobile phone that changed the way the world worked, played and communicated. But just as BlackBerry was rising to new peaks, it also started losing its way through the fog of the Smartphone wars, management indecision and outside distractions, eventually leading to the breakdown of one of the most successful ventures in the history of the tech and business worlds. Jay Baruchel recently starred in the FOX series The Moodys, the critically acclaimed FXX comedy series Man Seeking Woman, and The Last Girlfriend On Earth. Glenn Howerton is best known for playing Dennis Reynolds on FX’s wildly popular and long-running TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In addition to his starring role, Howerton serves as co-creator and writer on the series. Matt Johnson is an actor and filmmaker, and has directed movies such as The Dirties, Operation Avalanche, and BlackBerry. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

11 Jul 202358min

Disability-rights advocate and popular YouTuber Chris Ulmer visits Google to discuss his nonprofit “Special Books by Special Kids.” “Special Books by Special Kids” seeks to expand society's definition of normal by spreading empathy, understanding, and acceptance for neurodiverse and disabled individuals. What started as an idea for a book series became a multi-media movement when special education teacher Chris Ulmer began sharing stories from his classroom on social media. Ulmer began his online presence through Facebook in 2016, and a year later reached 1.2 million followers. In November of 2018, the Special Books by Special Kids YouTube channel reached 1 million subscribers. He has crisscrossed the country interviewing disabled children to give them an opportunity to be seen and accepted. In this Talk, Chris shares how it all started, a few of the touching stories behind his many interactions, and what each of us can do to celebrate the diverse abilities of all those around us. Originally published in December of 2016. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

7 Jul 202347min

Physicist and author Michio Kaku visits Google to discuss his book “Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything.” The book takes us on an exhilarating tour of humanity’s next great technological achievement—quantum computing. The runaway success of the microchip processor may be reaching its end. Running up against the physical constraints of smaller and smaller sizes, traditional silicon chips are not likely to prove useful in solving humanity’s greatest challenges, from climate change to global starvation and incurable diseases. But the quantum computer, which harnesses the power and complexity of the atomic realm, already promises to be every bit as revolutionary as the transistor and microchip once were. Its unprecedented gains in computing power herald advancements that could change every aspect of our daily lives. Automotive companies, medical researchers, and consulting firms are betting on quantum computing, hoping to exploit its power to design more efficient vehicles, create life-saving new drugs, and streamline industries to revolutionize the economy. But this is only the beginning. Quantum computers could allow us to finally create nuclear fusion reactors that create clean, renewable energy without radioactive waste or threats of meltdown. They could help us crack the biological processes that generate natural, cheap fertilizer and enable us to feed the world’s growing populations. And they could unravel the fiendishly difficult protein folding that lies at the heart of previously incurable diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Parkinson’s, helping us to live longer, healthier lives. Told with Michio Kaku’s signature clarity and enthusiasm, “Quantum Supremacy” is the story of this exciting frontier and the race to claim humanity’s future. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

4 Jul 20231h 4min

Sara Zaske visits Google to discuss her book “Achtung Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children.” When Sara Zaske moved from Oregon to Berlin with her husband and toddler, she knew the transition would be challenging, especially when she became pregnant with her second child. She was surprised to discover that German parents give their children a great deal of freedom—much more than Americans. In Berlin, kids walk to school by themselves, ride the subway alone, cut food with sharp knives, and even play with fire. German parents did not share her fears, and their children were thriving. Was she doing the opposite of what she intended, which was to raise capable children? Why was parenting culture so different in the States? Through her own family’s often funny experiences, as well as interviews with other parents, teachers, and experts, Zaske shares the many unexpected parenting lessons she learned from living in Germany. “Achtung Baby” reveals that today's Germans know something that American parents don't about raising kids with “selbstandigkeit”, or self-reliance, and provides practical examples American parents can use to give their own children the freedom they need to grow into responsible, independent adults. Originally published in February of 2018. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

30 Jun 202346min

Associate professor of philosophy Mariana Alessandri visits Google to discuss her book “Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves through Dark Moods,” a philosopher’s personal meditation on how painful emotions can reveal truths about what it means to be truly human. Under the light of ancient Western philosophies, our darker moods like grief, anguish, and depression can seem irrational. When viewed through the lens of modern psychology, they can even look like mental disorders. The self-help industry, determined to sell us the promise of a brighter future, can sometimes leave us feeling ashamed that we are not more grateful, happy, or optimistic. “Night Vision” invites us to consider a different approach to life, one in which we stop feeling bad about feeling bad. In this book, Existentialist philosopher Mariana Alessandri draws on the stories of a diverse group of nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophers and writers to help us see that our suffering is a sign not that we are broken, but that we are tender, perceptive, and intelligent. Thinkers such as Audre Lorde, María Lugones, C. S. Lewis, and Søren Kierkegaard sat in their anger, sadness, and anxiety until their eyes adjusted to the dark. Alessandri explains how readers can cultivate “night vision” and discover new sides to their painful moods, such as wit and humor, closeness and warmth, and connection and clarity. “Night Vision” shows us that when we learn to embrace the dark, we begin to see these moods—and ourselves—as honorable, dignified, and unmistakably human. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

27 Jun 202349min

Yanis Varoufakis visits Google to discuss his book “And the Weak Suffer What They Must?”, a critique of the European Union’s austerity policies during the Greek financial crisis of the early 2010’s. In January 2015, Yanis Varoufakis, an economics professor teaching in Austin, Texas, was elected to the Greek parliament with more votes than any other member of parliament. He served as Greece’s Minister of Finance for five months in 2015. In his book, Varoufakis delivers a fresh look at the history of Europe’s debt crisis and America’s central role in it. He presents his case against austerity, proposing concrete policies for Europe that he believes are necessary to address excessive sovereign debt and avert contagion to America, China, and the rest of the world. With passionate, informative, and at times humorous prose, he warns that the implosion of an admittedly imperfect European monetary union should, and can, be avoided at all cost. Varoufakis is the Finance Minister of Greece. A Professor of Economic Theory at the University of Athens and a visiting professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, he is the author of "The Global Minotaur: America", "The True Causes of the Financial Crisis" and "The Future of the World", among others. Originally published in April of 2016. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

23 Jun 20231h 10min