"America's Government Teacher" to over 1 million fans and Jeffferson Award winner(#oprah is a past recipient), Sharon McMahon @sharonsayso has been on the
#DailyShow with Trevor Noah, #goodmorningamerica, #cnn and, now, on my podcast, 'This is 40' in season 2.
Yesterday (November 8), being the midterm elections it was the perfect opportunity to have Sharon's knowledgeable insights: Can America think critically again? In this highly polarized world Sharon is on a mission to combat political misinformation with non-partisan facts and she seems to be winning. (1 million and counting)

So grateful to have her knowledgeable insights into the elections critical thinking and her wisdom on holding space for opinions that don't suit us.

Enjoy this quick teaser for Season 2 of  (And binge listen to Season 1 while waiting :)

Love the show? I'd love to hear from you! 
Instagram: @thisis40_podcast
email: podcastthisis40@gmail.com
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mridulapalatbecker/

Jonas Unger is best known for his incredible portraits of Oscar winner Julianne Moore, Joaquin Phoenix, Susan Sarandon, Amy Adams and Paul Pogba among others. Coveted by the fashion and celebrity world alike Jonas has gathered fans in all domains. His work has been featured in the French and American Vogue, Le Monde and for campaigns including Hermes, Chanel, Tod's, Tom Ford, Chloé among others.

He is also known for his quest for solitude amongst the noise and fanfare of celebrity photography, of treating celebrities as human demystifying the celebrity myth,  detaching them from all of the celebrity bubble,  which as you can imagine, is not easy.

Jonas talks about his journey to 40 and, how, despite having all of these skills and all of these talents and getting amazing work  he talks about not being in alignment with his inner self. How he turned his back on the commercial world for awhile. If there's one thing you should take away from here, its the quest for solitude!

Jonas mentions Helmut Lang's philosophy on different work for each age. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/fashion/thursdaystyles/decline-and-fall-of-helmut-lang.html
Follow Jonas on  instagram @https://www.instagram.com/jonasunger
More about Jonas below


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Jonas Unger was born in Flensburg and grew up in Cuxhaven. Even today, his closeness to the water during his childhood manifests itself in a pronounced passion for the coast and the sea.
At the age of 13, Jonas and his grandfather, a professor of theology from Heidelberg, set off on a study trip through the then still existing Eastern Bloc - by car through Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania to Greece.
Jonas likes to capture the many impressions and starts experimenting with his grandfather's camera and capturing the people and their stories. A passion that has not let him go until today.

After finishing his studies, he moved to Paris to concentrate on photography and to understand it better.
After a while Jonas begins to take photographs for M Le Monde, Zeit Magazin and SZ Magazin, among others. A LEAD Award follows, finally the golden nail of the ADC in 2011 for his Gérard Depardieu reportage for Zeit Magazin.
For Jonas, photography means above all communication: the basis from which every story, every idea develops, is always the portrait, the encounter and confrontation with people, always the story to be told. Jonas transfers this approach to all formats, whether travel, documentation, product or fashion - at the beginning there is always a story told around the object to be photographed.

Today, he photographs for the most prestigious magazines and exclusive customers in the world and has had the most diverse personalities in front of his camera, from Amy Adams and Julianne Moore to Christoph Waltz, Virgil Abloh, Joaquin Phoenix, Ryan Gosling and Paul Pogba.
.

Customer list editorial:
 M Le Monde, Vogue France, Vogue US, Zeit Magazin, Wall Street Journal Magazine, Self Service, Purple Magazine, Vogue Dutch, Vogue Me, Interview US, Another Magazine, etc.


Hermes, Chanel, Tod's, Tom Ford, Chloé, Birkenstock, Arket, Ermenegildo Zegna, Etc.

Our guest today is Alice Steenland, a woman who gets stakeholders to make bold leadership moves by sharing her true passion for social good and for the sustainability space. Alice joined Dassault Systèmes in 2020 as the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. Previously, she was the founding Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at AXA Group, where she pioneered a responsible investment strategy including the landmark decision to divest from coal and, later, tobacco. 

She began her career in healthcare consulting after receiving her degree in human biology at Stanford University, and has since then worked with large multinationals, NGOs, ratings agencies, consulting firms, startups and multilaterals, working in both the US and Europe on projects with global impact.

I recently described Alice to a friend of mine as a woman with a vision, passion and integrity. The kind that will leave no stone unturned until she finds a solution to a problem that she’ll have identified way before you do. And who can do that with the unique kind of confidence that comes with being in your 40s -- and having a whole industry knowing of your worth!

She has been using this out-of-the-box thinking to help support the launch of disruptive business models because she is convinced that the future of sustainability lies in innovating new products, services, and economic models, and that the future of innovation lies in solving real world social & environmental challenges

Oh, did we mention that she’s a mother to 3 young daughters? And that she could write the next Paris-by bicycle guide book. 

Here are Alice’s favorite newsletters:

• Bloomberg Green
• FT Moral Money
• Eat Better: Futerra’s Sustainable Food Round Up

Follow Alice on  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicesteenland/
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Please enjoy this podcast released every Thursday. And, if you like it, don't forget to subscribe (and rate it a glorious ***** ) wherever you listen

We'd love to have you in our community - Submit a person for us to interview, a question or comment for future episodes at podcastthisis40@gmail.com 

Until next week!

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There once was a guy who managed a cabaret in Paris, who then got on a sailboat and went on to be an advisor to the government, communications director and ‘spin doctor’.  I think he might be a spy (wink wink). His life reads like a Bond movie, right?

 Stuck shivering with malaria in a dispensary in Equatorial Guinea he realized he needed to change the trajectory of his life to come back ‘home’.  In his 40s while in the Middle East, his mom passed away back home in France – and he couldn’t make it back in time. 

He realized then that he was definitely going to move back ‘home’ and maybe change things a little, including starting a family of his own. Living the life of international man of mystery wasn’t going to work out so well after a while. 

True to his word, Seb is back in Europe. He lives in Spain and is now full time
 stay-at -home dad to two little kids under the age of 7. 

Seb is a licensed Yacht Master and seaman and sails as much as he can - I truly wonder if when he says ‘home’ he’s even talking about land at all! He is a freelance writer for trade publications, NGOs, private companies and a freelance consultant in strategic intelligence, helping companies with investment in emerging and frontier markets.

 He’s also a small business owner for BnB’s and Iberico ham testing in Malaga.

Join us in listening to Seb talk about the 40s and how it brings on a reckoning that causes you to find a way to create a home, to be peace with yourself, to take over as primary caregiver to two small children and the joy that brings. I love when he says that his new job is “Raising my kids and seeing them grow”. See Seb's book recommendations below.
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 Please enjoy this podcast released every Thursday. And, if you like it, don't forget to subscribe (and rate it a glorious ***** ) wherever you listen to ‘casts !

Want to help shape what’s next? Submit a person for us to interview, a question or comment for future episodes at podcastthisis40@gmail.com 

Until next week, let us ask you: what is 40 to you?

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Website: https://www.thisis40podcast.com/

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Status anxiety from Alain de Botton, 

A fantastic essay from the creator of the School of Life which was a great help understanding why we are so stressed about the image we are projecting to others, and ultimately how to care less.
 
La longue route – Bernard Moitessier 

The story of Bernard Moitessier who in 1968 does the Golden Globe Challenge inaugural race, solo, non-stop round the world. Not only is he nearly finished, but he is winning, with a comfortable lead. And then he decides to turn right and sails another time halfway around the world non stop, before anchoring in Tahiti. He gave up, fame, money, honor because “he was happy at sea and wanted to save his soul”.

It resonates a lot with the daily rat race towards recognition, fame and money of most of us.

"Because I think it's very easy for people at the top to say, 'Hey, I made it. So come on, guys, try a little harder. You'll get there too. '

That's just not true. The outcome of where you end up is not just a function of how hard you try. That realization I would have never had as fully, if my sister was still here. "

Sounds like someone who had an awakening right? Marc talks about the moment leading to him finding his voice for the causes he stands up for today; most recently the Black Lives Matter movement.

A born Parisian, Marc is a bi-national French American, currently Senior Lead at Google’s data centers & energy team based in Paris.  If you wonder how he stays calm it’s got to do with meditation, cooking, sailing and surfing.  Marc holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from U.C. Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School

Marc is that perfect poster boy for a dual culture kid. He's a multilingual citizen of the world – fits seamlessly into France, and I thought seamlessly into the US but as he says, and as many kids who are multicultural will say

 ‘You never feel completely at home in any one place. You're always a little bit less than the people who were born there.'

Being multicultural and a little from here and a little from there, with traditions from all over will echo with many of audience. 

Marc has been getting to 40 for the last six years. In his moment of vulnerability, he talks about when he realizes life can be grossly unfair for someone who's very close to you, when you watch them suffer because of it.

Happy listening.

Marc's references

Book recommendation - L'appart by David Lebovitz (2017)

"Let it go" - for example, see this short explanation of Gandhi's "renounce and enjoy" philosophy

This is 40:
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To Joanna Cohen, art is a way to see the world. 
Joanna speaks of turning 40 in the context of the art world, coming back to it after a very different time in her life.  

She talks of the challenges – sometimes life changes that ironically happen on your 40th birthday (talk about a sign!) and teach you to find humor and beauty in the darkest moment – that this is not just a skill, it’s an art and like anything you created that is incredibly individual,  it's always yours to call on and draw strength from. 

Joanna and I hit it off because as a true New Yorker she has that unbeatable resilience New York has, which I miss, admire and love so much!

Joanna skinned her knees in the art world at Christie's working her way up to Larry Gagosian, she continued her career in Paris, but that’s where the real adventure began. And we’re talking the stuff that at 40 makes you laugh out aloud at the absurdity and cry at the loss but then put on your superwoman cape and maybe get a tattoo!
Inspired to start your own art collection?
See Joanna's cheat sheet for our fans here

More about Joanna
Joanna Cohen is a Paris-based art advisor for private collectors and corporate clients, specializing in global contemporary art and emerging art markets. She founded Straight-Arrow Art Advisory in 2019, offering her clients a sur-measure investment strategy to acquire emerging and established contemporary international artists.

She offers galerie tours, international art fairs , private studio visits and other exclusive art events.  Joanna started her career at Christie’s New York as a Senior Sales Administrator in the Post War Art Department. She then joined Gagosian Gallery, as Assistant to the Director at its Madison Avenue headquarters. While at Gagosian, Joanna worked closely with Gagosian executives, curators and collectors, facilitating sales, exhibitions and business administration.

A French native, Joanna returned to Paris in 2004 as Director of Galerie Maisonneuve. She later served as Director of Galerie Eric Mircher.  Joanna has worked independently on site specific projects with galleries such as Nils Staerk Gallery and Sommer Gallery. Education is a very important aspect to Joanna’s advisory business; in 2011, she created and developed a bilingual art history program for the College Sainte Marie de Neuilly. She has been piloting the program ever since, educating future generations of artists and art collectors.

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Can you relate to the following? 

You have a pretty spectacular career in a highly respectable field that gets you onto stages across the world, but somehow you’re torn and keep wanting to go back to your roots and jump-start your multi-generational family business. A pull between pursuing a very high-level career and going back to simpler -but not easier - things, connecting to our family roots, and passing along our heritage.  

But how do you make that transition happen? The business is set deep in the French countryside and you're based in another country. You’d be working alongside your mother and brother, out of your grandma’s basement... making wine! 

Our guest today is Baptiste Carrière-Pradal, from the organic & agroforestry-compliant French wine estate Carrière Pradal based in the Languedoc region.

Running a family business was definitely not on Baptiste's map as he was growing up and wanted to move as far as he could from his family estate in Languedoc to go and explore the world. After 18 years touring the globe for a high-level and demanding career in environmental and human right management in the fashion & sport industry, Baptiste decided to take over his family wine estate in Languedoc, France, together with his brother Clément.

Baptiste grew up in southern France, in the vineyards, until he moved to Paris where he studied Physics and qualified as an engineer. Driven by his desire to see the world, he worked for French international sports retailer Decathlon, first in Romania and then in Thailand, where he oversaw the environmental and human right management of the company’s supply chain for over a decade. This professional experience marked the beginning to his mindset shift towards embracing sustainability in all aspects of his life.

This Asian chapter also led him to an introspection on what he truly wanted out of his life.

After this long journey on the other side of the world, Baptiste relocated to The Netherlands for a new job opportunity working for an international foundation with a focus on improving sustainability in the fashion and sport industry. He also ended up finding happiness and love with Pim, his Dutch husband. 

In parallel, Baptiste started paving the way towards the rebirth of his 7-generation family wine estate. Over the following years, he spent every available weekend and holiday beside his mother, Catherine, a pioneer in organic wine-making, mastering the intricacies of caring for the land and its soil. 

We wanted to have Baptiste, come on the show here today to share his story with you -- about how he found solace in embracing his family heritage as he approached his 40s, how he designed his life to fit its many facets, and how he went about injecting his own touch to the family business.

• Get Baptiste's free guide to identifying great wines here 
• Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at thisis40podcast.com/episode2

Until next week, let us ask you: what is 40 to you?

Please enjoy this podcast released every Thursday. And, if you like it, don't forget to subscribe (and rate it a glorious ***** ) wherever you listen to ‘casts !

Want to help shape what’s next? Submit a person for us to interview, a question or comment for future episodes at podcastthisis40@gmail.com 

IG: @This_is_40_podcast

Welcome to This is 40!
Our very first guest Bommy Lee could not have represented the spirit of this show any better: she has lived all over the world, has had a very exciting career as a journalist at the International Herald Tribune, followed by a career in startups. 
She’s also a hard core runner, and for those of you who identify with being able to escape for just a little while and run to clear your mind, this will resound beautifully with you! 

Bommy checked all the boxes, as she said, fulfilling the traditional definitions of success: great schools, sought-after career, amazing marriage, great kids… so she wasn’t expecting her world to shake when she hit 40. 

But it did. And she started “the questioning” or so-called midlife crisis. 

Join us to listen to Bommy's inspiring voice as she explains how she brought down her very own life, brick by brick, and built it back up piece by piece to meet her very own her standards, and not ones dictated by society's vague definition of success. 

Bommy also touches on so many of the pain points we can experience as women. If you’ve ever wondered how life might look if more women became career superstars while their husbands took care of the kids – Bommy’s that person!

• Get Bommy's secret (and free!) address book to her Paris here 
• Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at thisis40podcast.com/episode1

Please enjoy this podcast released every Thursday. And, if you like it, don't forget to subscribe (and rate it a glorious ***** ) wherever you listen to ‘casts !

Want to help shape what’s next? Submit a person for us to interview, a question or comment for future episodes at podcastthisis40@gmail.com 

Until next week, let us ask you: what is 40 to you?

IG: @This_is_40_podcast 

W: thisis40podcast.com