Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Award-winning author Jackson Fahnestock will be in conversation with Denise Michaud, co-chair of the Grownups forum, about how a health crisis precipitated his early retirement from an architectural career and led to his pursuits of art and writing. He will talk about his first novel, Shu Wei's Revenge, which was a distinguished favorite of the New York City Big Book Award and a 2015 semifinalist of the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. Set in 1898 in San Francisco’s Chinatown, the book touches on several relevant themes. The discussion will be followed by a question and answer session.

Here’s a chance to get an inside view of innovation in the tech industry from two high-level executives at Cisco Systems, one of Silicon Valley’s most revered companies. Our speakers will discuss the disruptive impact of digitization on industries, their operations, cultures and employees as well as co-innovation best practices inside and outside that enable companies to lead the digital transition. For the past 20 years, Alex Goryachev has made it his business to turn disruptive concepts into emerging business models. As Cisco’s senior director of innovation strategy and programs, he sparks internal innovation by providing employees at all levels the chance to share their big ideas, many of which make their way into the company’s innovation engine. He was the emerging stars gold recipient of Brandon Hall Group’s 2016 Human Capital Management Excellence Awards Program, and his organization won golds for employee engagement and innovation talent management programs. Prior to Cisco, Goryachev was a successful consultant with extended assignments at Napster, Liquid Audio, IBM Global Services and Pfizer. Maciej Kranz brings 30 years of networking industry experience to his position as vice president of the corporate strategic innovation group at Cisco. He leads the group focused on incubating new businesses, accelerating internal innovation and driving co-innovation with customers and partners through a global network of Cisco innovation centers. Prior to this role, Kranz was general manager of the connected industries group at Cisco, a business unit focused on the Internet of things (IoT). He built a $250 million business from the ground up in 18 months and relentlessly evangelized the IoT opportunity across Cisco and the market. Before coming to Cisco, Kranz held various management positions at 3Com Corporation and began his professional career at IBM. In his New York Times best-selling 2016 book, Building the Internet of Things, Kranz offers practical advice to business decision makers on how and why to implement IoT today. Kranz is also a faculty member of Singularity University, focusing on IoT and corporate innovations. Notes This program is generously supported by Accenture

Tech companies are cleaning up their data centers and moving into shiny new buildings with small carbon footprints. But is Silicon Valley really as green it claims? After all, those same tech companies are masters of marketing hype and manipulating human behavior. Aron Cramer, President and CEO of the consulting firm Business for Social Responsibility, believes that Silicon Valley companies are indeed making progress on sustainability – but not fast enough. Patrick Flynn of Salesforce agrees. “We know that sustainable business is better business, that sustainable businesses outcompete,” he says, “and there's the classic cost reduction/margin expansion do more with less, less energy, less water, less waste, less materials.” As a cloud-computing pioneer, much of Salesforce’s efforts focuses on energy consumption in its data centers. “We really think about that as primary in terms of our strategy – decarbonizing the electric grid.” Lynelle Cameron describes efforts at Autodesk to reduce its carbon footprint in some surprising ways. We sat down with the sustainability officers at the vendors that we've worked with and we’re considering working with, and you would be surprised how quickly they were able to turn knowing that their customers care about, will care about these in the future.

Steven Campbell presents an eye-opening look at the reason most of our goals are never met and how they can be. Most of our goals are expressed in the future tense: “I will do this.” Our brains then say, “Good luck, I hope you do,” and we never take an active role. However, our goals can be met by changing how we express them. When we express our goals differently, our brains then figure out ways of meeting these goals. When this was first posited in the early ’60s, it forever changed psychology’s perspective on goal achievement. By understanding just this one facet of Gestalt psychology, our brains can be taught to be an active participant in making sure our goals are met. Listeners will learn how to make their minds their very own mentors. MLF Organizer Name John Milford Notes: MLF: Grownups

Modern Loss co-founders Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner will discuss how the isolation they experienced after losing parents as young adults inspired them to take a no-holds-barred approach to grief. Their efforts have taken the form of a website and community that The New York Times described as a way of "redefining mourning.” Soffer and Birkner now have a new book, Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome. They will sit down with "Death, Sex & Money" host Anna Sale for an open exchange on loss, resilience, empathy and the power of owning your narrative. They will also discuss the importance of creating platforms for others to share and learn stories of loss—in all of its messiness, melancholy, hilarity and hopefulness. MLF Organizer Name Shoshana Ungerleider, M.D. Notes MLF: Health & Medicine In association with INFORUM at The Commonwealth Club and the End Well Project

Frederick Crews will present the main findings from his recent book, Freud: The Making of an Illusion. The over 700-page book is an intensive biographical study of Freud's life through the early years of psychoanalysis. It traces his several prior attempts to achieve fame, explains what he mistakenly learned from studying with the great Parisian neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and follows his quite revealing adventures with cocaine. The book also reassesses Freud’s relations with his early mentor Josef Breuer and shows how his eventual theory was shaped in part by his attachment to his eccentric friend Wilhelm Fliess. Crews asserts psychoanalytic theory had no basis in either discoveries or cures. Instead, it can be understood as an outcome of Freud's ambitions, circumstances and limitations. MLF Organizer Name Patrick O'Reilly Notes MLF: Psychology

Since the 2016 election, America’s great political divide seems to be getting wider. Democrats and Republicans have grown further apart, and the national conversation has shifted away from cooperation and compromise. Renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild seeks to find common ground in our desire for community, our embrace of family and our hopes for a better future that we can all share. In Strangers in Their Own Land, Hochschild embarks on a journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou country―a stronghold of the conservative Right. She challenges the idea that people are voting against their own interests. Instead, Hochschild draws on her expert knowledge of sociology to help us understand what it feels like to live in "red" America and how we can grow into a united America.

University of California president Janet Napolitano will deliver a keynote speech, engage in a moderated conversation and take audience questions about the future of the University of California as the institution celebrates its 150th year.

Is the gun debate finally changing in Washington? Is Robert Mueller’s investigation gaining steam? And are California Democrats and Dianne Feinstein heading for a breakup? We’ll talk about the latest political news, whether sublime or sordid, in an evening when you can mix and mingle with other people with an interest in local, state and national politics. Start with our members social at 5:30 p.m., followed by our Week to Week political roundtable, with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. We’ll have informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz! Come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our members social (open to all attendees).

From India to Turkey, Poland to the United States, authoritarian populists are now in power. Does this mean democracy itself is at risk? Two core components of liberal democracy―individual rights and the popular will―are increasingly in conflict with each other. As the role of money in politics has soared and important issues have been taken out of public contestation, a system of “rights without democracy” has taken hold. Populists who rail against this say they want to return power to the people, but in practice they create something just as bad: a system of “democracy without rights.” Drawing on vivid stories and original research, Yascha Mounk identifies three key drivers of voters’ discontent: stagnating living standards, fears of multiethnic democracy and the rise of social media. To avoid giving up on either individual rights or the popular will, Mounk believes politicians need to enact reforms that benefit the many, not just the few. MLF Organizer Name George Hammond Notes MLF: Humanities

Maria Shriver, former first lady of California, award-winning journalist and producer, best-selling author, and founder of the Women’s Alzheimer's Movement, knows how demanding the pace of life can be. That’s why in her newest book, I’ve Been Thinking . . . Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life, she shares experiences and resources passed on to her, intending to give readers direction and provide them with hope in their lives. She touches on topics of gratitude, kindness, faith, family and the power of women, providing inspiration to a wide variety of audiences. Join us for an enlightening conversation with Shriver about her work, experiences and the advice she has about finding a path to a meaningful life.

Debbie Dooley helped organize the Tea Party’s first national demonstration in 2009 and until recently was on the board of the Tea Party Patriots. She enthusiastically supports Donald Trump, defends Roy Moore and despises the “Bush cabal.” But her views transcend typical partisan boundaries. She loathes the Koch brothers, thinks solar power is great and says oil companies are just as deceitful as tobacco corporations. A daughter of a preacher, she also believes in a moral responsibility to care for the environment God created. Christine Pelosi carries a name that is revered on the Left and vilified on the Right. A member of the Democratic National Committee, she is a superdelegate who believes the number and power of superdelegates should be reduced. She opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and advocates for big federal investment to modernize the country’s electric grid and other infrastructure. Her mother, Nancy Pelosi, is the House Democratic leader and a pillar of the Democratic establishment. One area where Trumps’s agenda seems to have achieved the most traction is in reviving fossil fuels and rolling back action on climate change. Join us for a conversation about the politics of energy one year after Trump’s inauguration.

When the United States slapped 30 percent tariffs on imported solar panels, headlines heralded bad times ahead for clean energy in this country. But the stock prices of solar installers increased, because the hit could have been worse. Solar entrepreneur and advocate Jigar Shah said it was “good news.” But consumer groups say it will raise prices, putting rooftop solar further out of reach for regular Americans. Already, the industry suffers from a perception that solar is a luxury for coastal elites. Can people who live in apartment buildings get access to affordable solar or wind energy? How is advancing battery technology changing the options for capturing the sun in your home? Join us for a conversation about the future of sun power.

Amy Chua, best-selling author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, provides us with a cautionary critique of political tribalism in her characteristically sharp style. Humans are tribal: We need to belong to groups. In this same way, politics can be tribal, too. While groups can strengthen communities, we should also be wary of groups' ability to divide us. According to Chua, America’s political landscape has been transformed by these types of divisions, both at home and abroad, and they threaten to tear our country apart. Chua believes that tribalism emerged in America’s foreign policy during Vietnam and Iraq. Now, as the stunning rise of Donald Trump has proven, all groups feel threatened: whites and blacks, Latinos and Asians, men and women, liberals and conservatives. Chua argues that America must rediscover a national identity that transcends our political tribes; we need to unify to fight the deep inequities that divide us.

University of California president Janet Napolitano will deliver a keynote speech, engage in a moderated conversation and take audience questions about the future of the University of California as the institution celebrates its 150th year.