Welcome to Smart Rookie!
Smart Rookie is both a podcast and a mindset. Smart Rookies are excited about being in a perpetual state of learning. We’re always curious, we’re always questioning, and above all, we want to have fun.
In each episode of Smart Rookie, we talk to people who embrace the irregularity and serendipity of life, because we believe the greatest minds don't always have all the right answers, but they do ask all the right questions.
Who are we?
Elizabeth Talerman
Where others see limits, Elizabeth sees possibilities. Whether it’s in a class of graduate students, a business on the cusp of change or a social movement waiting to be born, Elizabeth has the rare ability to glimpse what others are capable of, then equip them with the tools, knowledge and confidence to achieve their own ambitions.
Elizabeth is a graduate-level teacher, four-time entrepreneur, corporate board member and MacArthur Foundation grantee. As founding partner and CEO of The Nucleus Group, Elizabeth works with organizations around the world to empower leaders, accelerate growth and catalyze change.
Chelsea Carlson
Undeterred by the unknown, Chelsea dives all the way in — to pools of data that hold a critical insight, to niche virtual communities, and into new landscapes all over the world (sometimes with a SCUBA tank on her back).
She’s worked with clients including HBO, Indeed and Sundance Institute. Her passion for ethical fashion and digital culture has been published in Luxury Daily and captured in her own projects (@DataCloset, @DigitalFashion101).
Chelsea holds a Bachelor’s of Media Studies and Fine Art from Scripps College and studied fresco at SACI Florence. She earned a Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts where she received the department’s highest honor, the Lauren Zaleski Award.
Why did we start a podcast?
In our research and strategy collaborative, The Nucleus Group, we’re the kind of weirdos who adore throwing ourselves into the deep end of new research over and over again—exploring brands, audiences, challenges.
One month we’re researching the history of football and the next we’re interviewing educators working with artificial intelligence. We talk to Tiktok-ers, professors, doctors, authors, and scientists- people who live and work in fascinating knowledge niches. We live to listen and cobble together all these different fields, ideas, and value systems into something cohesive in our work.
We wanted to share our constant sense of wonder with you all, because we don’t think we’re alone. Smart Rookie is an invitation to join us on our journey!
Want to keep in touch?
Here we’ll post odds and ends we couldn’t put into the podcast, such as transcripts, playlists, art, and links to resources we mention.
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Listen to Smart Rookie on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Email us podcast@thenucleusgroup.com
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