Talks at Google

Acclaimed author Joy Kogawa visits Google to discuss her lifelong career as a writer, her experience as a child growing up in a Japanese internment camp during WW2, and her thoughts about how we can prevent similar human rights abuses in the future. Joy Kogawa is an author of novels, children's books, a memoir, and books of poetry. She is best known for her 1981 classic novel "Obasan", based on her family’s forced relocation from Vancouver during the Second World War when she was six years old. Kogawa has worked throughout her life to educate Canadians about the history of Japanese-Canadians, and has fought for official redress from the Canadian government for the unlawful internment of Japanese-Canadians. Moderated by Michelle Pham. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

24 Mai 202246min

Heidi Grant Halvorson, social psychologist and bestselling author, explains why we’re often misunderstood and how we can fix it. Most of us assume that other people see us as we see ourselves, and that they see us as we truly are. But neither is true. Our everyday interactions are colored by subtle biases that distort how others see us—and also shape our perceptions of them. But we can learn to clarify the message we’re sending once we understand the three lenses that shape perception: trust, power, and ego.. Based on decades of research in psychology and social science, Halvorson explains how these lenses affect our interactions—and how to manage them. This book is not about making a good impression, although it will certainly help you do that. It’s about coming across as you intend. It’s about the authenticity we all strive for. Originally published in July of 2016. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

20 Mai 202259min

Dr. Sara Mednick visits Google to discuss her book "The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body's Own Restorative Systems." If you’re like most people, the relentless daily grind of go-go-go, do-do-do, can run down your energy and deplete your resources. While most of us find our lives full of “Upstate” moments that rev up our stress engines, it doesn’t have to be this way. World-renowned sleep researcher Dr. Mednick shows us how we can access the most replenishing and repairing aspects of sleep by diving into our “Downstate.” She shows that bringing ourselves back to the Downstate is critical for our health, well-being, and cognitive longevity. "The Power of the Downstate" offers practical, evidence-based insight into how we can all enable those systems to work together in better harmony. Moderated by Ravit Ortiz. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

18 Mai 202259min

Known as the "Dean of Valuation," Aswath Damodaran is best known as the author of several widely used academic and practitioner texts on Valuation, Corporate Finance and Investment Management; he is widely quoted on the subject of valuation, with "a great reputation as a teacher and authority". His advice is a must for those wishing to gain a better understanding of investment valuation and its methods. With it, you can take the insights and advice of a recognized authority on the valuation process and immediately put them to work for you. The tools and practice of corporate valuation is intimidating to most laymen, who assume that they do not have the skills and the capability to value companies. In this talk, professor of finance Aswath Damodaran lays out four simple propositions about valuation. The first is that valuation is not an extension of accounting, insofar as it is not about recording the past but forecasting the future. The second is that valuation is not just modeling, where people put numbers into Excel spreadsheets and pump out values - a good valuation requires a narrative that binds the numbers together. The third is that valuing an asset or business is very different from pricing that asset or business, a difference that is often blurred in practice. The fourth is that luck plays a disproportionate role in whether you make money off your valuations. Put differently, you can do everything right and still walk away with nothing or worse at the end. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

13 Mai 20221h 4min

Matthew McConaughey & Garth Jennings visit Google to discuss "Sing 2", the sequel to the 2016 award-winning movie "Sing". In "Sing 2", McConaughey plays a can-do koala named Buster Moon, whose all-star cast of animal performers are preparing to launch a dazzling stage extravaganza in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There's just one hitch -- he has to find and persuade the world's most reclusive rock star to join them. What begins as Buster's dream of big-time success soon becomes an emotional reminder of the power of music to heal even the most broken heart. Moderated by Alan Seales. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

10 Mai 202259min

Dr. Daniel G. Amen is a double board-certified psychiatrist, professor, TV producer, and 10-time New York Times bestselling author. He is one of the world's foremost experts on using brain imaging tools to help optimize and treat patients. He is founder and medical director of Amen Clinics, which has the world’s largest database of functional brain scans relating to behavior. This week, Dr. Amen visits Google to discuss his latest book, "The Brain’s Warrior Way: Ignite Your Energy and Focus, Attack Illness and Aging, Transform Pain into Purpose." He explains that psychiatrists are among the only medical professionals who do not consistently utilize medical imaging of the body part they treat - the brain! But looking at the brain itself changes everything. Our brains run our lives. When it works right, our bodies work right, and our decisions tend to be thoughtful and goal directed. Poor choices, however, can lead to a myriad of problems in our bodies. Studies have shown that our habits turn on or off certain genes that make illness and early death more or less likely. But we can master our brains and bodies for the rest of our lives with a scientifically-designed program to improve our focus, memory, relationships, and overall health: what Dr. Amen calls the Brain's Warrior Way. Originally published in January of 2017. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

6 Mai 20221h 8min

Payal Kadakia visits Google to discuss her book "LifePass: Drop Your Limits, Rise to Your Potential". Payal is the Founder of ClassPass, a fitness and wellness membership service that was acquired by Mindbody in October 2021. Prior to its acquisition, ClassPass had been valued at over $1 billion, with members logging more than 100 million hours of workouts across 30,000 partner studios in over 30 countries. Payal’s book introduces what she calls the LifePass method, her distinctive way of goal-setting that will help you hone in on your feelings, screen out unnecessary distractions, and live a successful and fulfilling life. When Payal let go of the pressure to achieve a more traditional kind of success, she tuned in to her calling and built ClassPass into a billion-dollar business. In LifePass, she shares the unique goal-setting method that not only changed her approach to business, but to her life. Moderated by Shilpa Maniar. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

3 Mai 20221h 1min

In anticipation of May the 4th, Chris Taylor unearths the human-scale stories that have gone into the making of the galactic-sized legend that is Star Wars, and describes how and why it has been such an astonishing success. In a richly detailed narrative, Taylor traces the history of the series from its difficult birth through four drafts, a disastrous first cut, and many sequels and spin-offs. Today, he shows that Star Wars finds itself at a crossroads, with a new company holding the reins and many new spin-offs on the horizon. How did a few notes scribbled on a legal pad in 1973 by George Lucas, a man who hated writing, turn into a multi-billion dollar franchise that has quite literally transformed the way we think about entertainment, merchandising, politics, and even religion? A cultural touchstone and cinematic classic, Star Wars has a cosmic appeal that no other movie franchise has been able to replicate. From Jedi-themed weddings and international storm-trooper legions, to impassioned debates over the digitization of the three Star Wars prequels, to the shockwaves that continue to reverberate from Disney’s purchase of the beloved franchise in 2012, the series hasn’t stopped inspiring and inciting viewers for almost forty years. Yet surprisingly little is known about its history, its impact—or where it’s headed next. An energetic, witty account of this stunning cinematic and business success story, How Star Wars Conquered the Universe is the saga of how a young filmmaker’s idle idea became such an immense, transformative cultural force. Originally published in December of 2014. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

29 Apr 20221h 12min