00:01:42
I'm the CEO and founder of SB Global LLC. I'm a motivational speaker, author, and strategic advisor, but that's not where I started. You know, that's the chapter I'm in today. Let's go back several decades to where I started, and that was when I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force right out of high school, because I didn't know what I wanted to study, I didn't have college money, and I wanted to see the world, and the Air Force offered me those opportunities. I got stationed in Turkey and Germany. I got to meet new people. I realized how much I love international affairs and relationships. I was able to go to school at night while I was an enlisted airman in Turkey and Germany, so I earned both my bachelor's and master's degrees going to school,
00:02:26
and I was a personnel specialist, so I was human relations, human resources, when I was an enlisted airman, so I got a career skill, I got to see the world, and I loved it, and by going to school at night and getting those college degrees, that allowed me to apply to become an officer in the Air Force, and that's exactly what I did, and I was accepted, and when I became an officer in the Air Force, I didn't stay personnel anymore. I kind of wanted to, but the Air Force had some different plans, and so that second chapter of my journey was when I started my space career. The Air Force made me a space program manager, and that started my 25-year career in the space industry, which I know we're gonna talk about today, and that was an amazing time in the Air Force.
00:03:09
I worked on ground stations and rockets and satellites. I taught as a professor at Défense Acquisition University, and I culminated my career in the Air Force working on Capitol Hill as an Air Force legislative liaison, so it's a fantastic experience, and when I retired from the Air Force, I was fortunate to become the chief operating officer at Space Foundation, so for your audience who may not know, Space Foundation is a U.S. non-profit that does business internationally. They do educational programs. They put on conferences. Fantastic opportunity. For nine years, I worked at Space Foundation, leading an incredible team, creating world-class programs in education, capacity building, and then in the last year, I decided that it was time for me to start that fourth chapter of my journey to become my own CEO and do those things that really helped me give back to the next generation,
00:04:03
which is doing motivational speaking and writing, and that's where I am today again as the CEO and founder of SV Global LLC, and again, fantastic to join you. Wow, what a journey. I really love to hear about your life and what all of your chapters were about. Are you planning a book, or did you actually release the book? Cedric and I were just talking about that. I am working on a book series, and so I am working on the first book of a book series, and that first book is about what space got to do with it, lessons learned along the way, and so it's going to be 10 different lessons, but it's not just my lessons.
00:04:45
I also interviewed 200 global thought leaders, got their insights, so each chapter not only shares my story, but it shares the stories of three other global thought leaders, and then it includes some resources and references so individuals can continue their journey to take advantage of that book and follow their path and benefit from those lessons learned, so that's the first book that will be coming out, and we're targeting it to come out around October during World Space Week. Oh, it's quite soon, but you're going to work on it like we discussed in the upcoming months, but what kind of lessons will it be about with what space got to do with it? Will it be lessons to get into space or lessons that we can actually apply here on Earth?
00:05:34
It's lessons, Cedric, that anybody can apply in any career, and the global thought leaders I interviewed, over 200, they were in all sorts of industries. Some were former presidents of countries. Some were astronauts. Some were in educational fields all over the world, men and women, all ages, so what I did by interviewing all these people was I gained that these lessons learned aren't just lessons learned for the space industry. They're lessons learned that are universal, that anyone can apply. One of those is take advantage of opportunities. I shared with you when I was an enlisted airman right out of high school, went in the Air Force, I was able to go to school at night using a thing called tuition assistance where the Air Force helped pay for me to go to school.
00:06:20
Well, that's one of those taking advantage of opportunities. I took advantage of that tuition assistance. I had to sacrifice some evenings and weekends, but by completing my college education, I was then able to apply to become an officer, so that's one of the lessons that will be in the book. It'll share my story about lessons learned as well as some other global thought leaders and their lessons learned, but they're universally applicable and they're applicable right here on Earth, and again, my story might be American focused, but I interview people from Africa, the Middle East, India, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Korea, South America, so if you live on this planet, you will enjoy this book. Wow, and what is, let's say, if you could pick, because 200 interviews is really a lot.
00:07:14
It's even bigger than PhD, of course. It's lots of lessons learned. Was there something that these people had in common when you are looking back now at these 200 interviews that you, what was actually the one message that when you were interviewing this big amount of people? Well, the fantastic part of this is I did the interviews over the last two years and now I'm doing the writing part and I'm almost done, so fingers crossed we'll have that draft manuscript ready for an editor, but what was most exciting about the 200 interviews was how inspirational each of these individuals were. They were in very different things. Like I said, I interviewed a former president of a country all the way to a young space professional.
00:07:58
Everything in between finance industry, fintech, blockchain, people in Africa, it was amazing, but the one thing they all had in common was how inspirational and optimistic they were. Every time I interviewed somebody, it was like medicine I was taking because it so inspired me that not only do I want to share my story, but I really want to share their stories and that's the part that's so inspiring. Every time I talk to a global thought leader, I just walk away so inspired by what they're doing to make the world a better place. And it's like positivism is like contagious, right? Like it's like when you start smiling or when you force yourself also to smile, you start becoming happy and if you talk with positive people as well or having a positive outlook, you yourself will start to reflect that or start to perspire that as well.
00:08:51
Really funny. And I'll highlight, we all have challenges. You know, people watch social media and they just think, oh, your life is wonderful and it's just these posts on social media and it's not that way. There are challenges in life. Everybody's had challenges. I've had challenges. I'll share some of those in the book, but every global thought leader I interviewed, they've also had challenges. They've also had things to overcome and they did and that's the part that's so inspiring is that these are individuals that could be great role models for someone. They can see how somebody in Africa, in Zimbabwe could become a space warrior and inspire other people to become space lawyers or they could see somebody who started in a former Soviet country that then, you know, became democratic and how they transitioned their journey from that country to Russia, to the U.
00:09:41
S. transitioning and now they're a human resources expert. So you're going to get to see a lot of stories of challenges and diversity and overcoming those and triumphing and you'll see a lot of how the world is global, like somebody started in New Zealand and now they're in the UK or somebody started in, you know, Czechoslovakia and now they're in the UAE or somebody was in Africa and now they're in the U.S. And what it'll highlight is how there's opportunities for everyone, no matter where you are, that you can accomplish the things you want, that there's somebody who's done what you want to do and by putting their stories in this book, you can now follow them on LinkedIn. You now have a role model.
00:10:25
You now have somebody you can aspire to be and follow their journey. So that's the part that's really amazing is many of these people have overcome homelessness or refugee camps. So I think you'll find the stories insightful, inspiring and again, every one of these people have overcome amazing challenges and they're still optimistic and positive and you know what else is so amazing? They want to give back and create a better world for everyone else and so that was the best part. So again, every time I interviewed one of these people, I walked away feeling so inspired, so knowing that this is the right thing to do, the right path for me. And this is also why we have you today here because I also contagious with your positive energy and with your forward thinking mindset.
00:11:16
So I'm interested in how do you set your positive thinking because I am hearing about it really a lot, especially recently we have been in London, I think two weeks ago and they even said that if you speak to yourself positively, you can actually extend your life by seven and a half years. So it's actually a really big thing, like how do you speak to yourself in your head is a really influencing not only your life, how other people are perceiving you that you are positive, but also it can even extend your lifespan. So what is your receipt or your medicine? What puts you always on the positive path? And for example, it's not the best day, there are clouds. So do you have some kind of tips for our audience?
00:12:06
So what is the Shelly receipt for the positive mindset? Absolutely. Well, I think to be a global transformational leader or out of this world leader, I call it, you have to have three things. That first one is inspirational. We talked about how these thought leaders were inspirational. The second one is authenticity. We can talk about that in a minute. But the third one is being grateful, having gratitude. No matter where you are, you can be grateful for something. And then people who are grateful, like you said, they have a positive attitude, they're optimistic. Even if the glass is half empty, the glass is still half full. So they have a different way and then they have a way of paying it forward. And so that's what I really think is important is that gratitude.
00:12:51
No matter how hard your day is, what could you be grateful for? And if you do that every day for three weeks, three to four weeks, you're going to reprogram your brain to have a different type of brain that sees things more grateful, more positive, more optimistic. And so that would be the first place to start. Have gratitude every day. What is something you could be grateful for? I'm grateful we get to talk today and I get to meet your audience and share some of these experiences. So thank you for giving me this opportunity. Same on our side. For sure. And what about the authenticity? How do you know that somebody is authentic? Well, authentic is challenging, I think, for your audience, especially for the younger people who are on social media.
00:13:38
I mean, we can see it, right? You can see it. You can tell when somebody is inspirational and they believe what they're saying, right? When somebody's on TV and they're giving a speech, do you believe them? Do you think they're just reading cue cards? Or do you think that they're really connecting from the heart with what they're saying? And so when you're inspirational, you have to also be authentic. You have to be saying what you really mean. You have to be connecting with people with your true self and that builds trust and relationships. And so being authentic is being who you really are and connecting on that level. I don't think somebody who is passionate and authentic and grateful, you're going to know that. And I think we can tell that in our leaders.
00:14:25
So we can see it on social media, we can see it on TV and that authenticity shows through. And that's actually going to be in the third book. That's going to be the book on Out of This World Leadership. So I'll talk more about those things, but I'm giving you a little sneak peek. But that's an interesting one. Indeed, inspirational and authenticity are usually linked to each other. But have you ever struggled with being inspirational and remaining authentic? I mean, I also usually see that sometimes there are situations where you need to still inspire, but you don't yet believe yourself in a mission. How can you then come over as authentic? Or how do you convince yourself to become inspiring in that mission?
00:15:13
Because some messages are just really difficult to bring, but you still want to bring it in inspirational. Well, do you think it's a hard message to tell people that one day we will be an interplanetary species? That one day we will have a cosmic economy? That one day we'll have research centers on the moon? That one day we'll be on Mars? That's a really inspirational thing to say and a challenging thing to say because there's a lot of technology and hurdles that we have to overcome to make that happen. But that's what an out-of-this-world leader does. They're visionary. You have to be visionary. Not where we're going to go tomorrow. What's the next hill we're going to climb? But what's the 10th hill we're going to climb?
00:15:58
What's the 20th hill we're going to climb? How are we going to get there? That's what that inspirational leader is able to do. They're able to cast a vision and they're able to help people see that vision. And then how can we get to that vision? We're not going to get to Mars tomorrow as an interplanetary species. But there are things we can do every day, every week, every month, every year to get there. And one of those, as we know, as your audience might know, is we are returning to the moon with the Artemis mission. You know, we had Apollo 60 years ago. Apollo was the Greek god and his twin sister Artemis is now the generation that is leading us back to the moon.
00:16:39
And from the moon, we will go on to Mars. We have to be inspirational and we can make those things happen. It may not be my generation, though, that makes that happen. It's going to be the Artemis generation. It's the next generation that will be the people that go to the moon and on to Mars. And I want to inspire them and empower them because that interplanetary species is the gift that I want to leave them. That's super inspirational, I have to say. Also, like over the moon. And I'm not really coming from the space industry. So, like, I have a question. What's going on in space right now? You already touched it a bit, but if you can, for example, like give a bit of an overview for our audience.
00:17:27
What is currently going on in space? Because we also heard something from Elon Musk meeting him because he connected to the Vivatech in Paris recently. So he was speaking a lot about Mars and that it can be like really sooner than we even think. Also taking into consideration the climate change. But I think that there is much more than just this. Like there is also the satellites, the defense that the government doesn't really have, for example, their own satellites. Everything is stored in the private satellites. What is currently going on there? Well, that is a really big question. We might need a lot more time than we have today to talk about what's going on in space. But just some big things.
00:18:11
I think for your audience, the global space economy last year, according to the World Economic Forum, was $630 billion. And of that, over 80% is commercial. So it's things we're using every day. It's your phones, it's connecting for weather apps or ordering an Uber, right? You're using space technology all the time. We're using telecommunications right now. Telecommunications was developed for the space industry and then commercialized. So there's a couple different ways to look at the space industry. There's the piece where I call it the tech transfer. And those are the things for every dollar that NASA invested in the space program. It was a $7 return from the Apollo program. So what does that mean? That means like fire retardant clothing that firefighters wear came from the space program.
00:19:05
And I'm really excited about that because my husband was a firefighter for 30 years. And because of that Apollo era technology, he got to come home every day. But there's so many other things. You look at weather apps. Think about there's 2.6 billion people that don't have access to the internet. Imagine what your life would be like if you didn't have access to the internet. Think about work from home. Think about school. Think about COVID. Telecommunications was brought to us because of the space industry. So we could communicate with the astronauts and then it was commercialized. Think about Airbnb and Uber and all these apps that are running on GPS. Precision agriculture, all the farming that is happening. Precision agriculture uses GPS to increase crop yields by 10%.
00:19:56
All the logistical movements on the planet, whether it's shipping or aircraft are using GPS. So we are living in a space era where most people don't realize that space is part of our everyday life. But again, there are 2.6 billion people on the planet that don't have access to internet, that don't have access to satellites. And so there is a digital divide. And so for one of the things I'm passionate about and inspirational about is how do we close that divide with those 2.6 billion people so that they have access to weather prediction, forecasting, internet, so they can come into the global economy and have prosperity because many of those people are living in poverty. So that is the part of space for the planet.
00:20:45
And then there's the part we talked about earlier, space for space. All the great things that are happening in space, as we go to space, we turn that technology around for earth. And so one of the things we've learned is, you know, women develop osteoporosis much faster in space with the lack of gravity. So there are companies, pharmaceutical companies that have now developed pharmaceutical drugs to help women with osteoporosis. Another great invention that was designed space for space was the Hubble Space Telescope. It was designed to look into space for anomalies. And a company commercialized that. And now that technology looks inside the human body for anomalies. And it's called mammogram detection. So there are so many things that we've done space for space that have human space for earth applications.
00:21:36
And in 2014, NASA said for every dollar that's being invested in the space program, they're estimating that it's a $40 return to benefit life on earth. So space is helping to solve our greatest challenges here on earth, as well as our aspirational challenges to become an interplanetary species. That's actually quite incredible. Actually, this was also like the first question that I had in mind before we were going to have the conversations like, what's the link between space technology and the technology that we actually see here day to day? So you've actually already answered the first question that I had in my mind without me needing to ask it. And I wanted to pick up on the 2.6 billion people that don't have any access to the internet.
00:22:24
And also, let's say some potentially inspiring people. What is in your opinion about the Starlink project and Elon Musk? Like, are you a fan? Or do you think that it can be done differently? Well, I have to say, I think all the space pioneers, and I'm going to say all the way back to the Apollo era, all the way to Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and more, that we need them. We need them to help us develop space. It's very expensive to go to space. And it's very risky to go to space. And so what Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are doing is helping to build an infrastructure to space, right? Rockets, ground stations, maybe research centers on Mars. Elon Musk is developing new solar panels. You're looking at battery storage.
00:23:19
And these are all his companies, right? But they're actually kind of an ecosystem that could help us live on another planet. Storage of solar energy, the rockets. And then Jeff Bezos is very much more about manufacturing off the planet, taking manufacturing off Earth to save Earth, looking more to the moon and activities on the moon. So each of them is contributing in a way that governments can't afford to do by themselves. The US government can't do it alone. No government can do it by itself. It's very challenging, risky. This is really rocket science in a number of aspects. And so we need all the best minds we can have. Propulsion, habitats, 3D printing. How are we going to 3D print on the moon? How are we going to 3D print on Mars?
00:24:08
Can we then 3D print things on Earth using that same technology? So I saw a great company on 60 Minutes one night talking about how they're 3D printing homes here on Earth, but they also have a contract with NASA to 3D print a research center on the moon and how they'll do it using lasers versus how we're building it here on Earth with concrete. So it's a very, very interesting how we're going to do that technology for tech insertion. And that's where companies insert into the architecture of space, whether it's for the government, for NASA civil programs or military programs, or that tech transfer of how space is benefiting Earth. So it's a two-way street. And so it's a very exciting time. We need everyone. We need governments. We need companies.
00:24:55
We need inspiring people. We need non-profits. We need everyone to be part of this. And we need to take everyone. with us. So those 2.6 billion people, I have an upcoming Forbes article that will be coming out about that, and I call it shared space assets. Because for those 2.6 billion people, they're living in countries that can't afford to launch their own satellite. So telecommunications, you know, internet, all of those activities. But if we could do shared space assets, where non-profits and countries could help invest in those shared assets, then these countries and these citizens on planet Earth could benefit from those technologies that could be brought to them from space versus on Earth. Because in many of those countries, they're the equatorial region of the planet, so there may be island change.
00:25:46
So you can't run fibre optic cable to them. The only way to really connect them to the internet and to the rest of the global economy is using space assets. And so I talk about shared space assets, tokenization of space assets, to help bring those 2.6 million people into and close that digital divide. I'm really much interested in this digital divide and how we can close the gap, because I published some studies on this exactly. I was interested in my master thesis actually in the Afghan diaspora, because I was an English teacher in London for the Afghan refugees. And it was a really interesting experience for me, because they were usually illiterate, because women, they don't have access to the education, so they couldn't really read.
00:26:39
Also when they, for example, could read, it was from right to left rather than from left to right. So it was a lot of challenges. But I was really interested in that most of the refugees, they have iPhones when they arrive in London. So I was like, how do they actually use the internet for their, for example, migration journey? So do they, for example, have access to the internet before they go on the migration journey? Do they Google which destination they want to go? How would they proceed with it? Etc. And it was quite a successful study in this aspect, because there is a lot of potential in the internet that I think that not a lot of governments are seeing, that the technology and the digital can actually help us to, for example, also navigate the migration waves and to prepare for them, to even locate the people who are currently on the move, etc.
00:27:36
And then there was another study, which was during the COVID-19, which was speaking about how digital strategies are made during the crisis, because the actual outcome of the research was that the more digital strategies were applied on the governmental level, the more people were happier of the country, because they knew that when they are going on home office, they had laptop, they were prepared, government said like, everything is fine, be at home, and there were less demonstrations. So I would be interested to hear from the point of the space, or from the point of the space expert, what are your suggestions, how we can actually more close this digital gap among the people, how we can motivate even the governments, or what do you think how we can, because I really see that there is a problem in that we can really increase the well-being of the population, if they have the proper access to the Internet, and because of the forecast, and many other applications that they can find out there.
00:28:51
That's an excellent question. And again, you'll see that in my upcoming Forbes article, where I talk about how we can do that. And so the real business model is looking at, and there are several companies and countries that are doing that, and they're working with other non-profits to create the funding stream to launch satellites that would then provide this connectivity to regions of the world that don't have that Internet access. So you can think about Indonesia, you know, Malaysia, you can think of parts of Africa, you know, again, along that equatorial zone, and because those satellites can circle right there, provide the Internet access that's needed, and you have to have so many satellites to launch.
00:29:32
And right now, if countries and sovereign funds and non-profits can purchase the satellites, and then you can provide that free to the citizens of those countries, so that they can understand, you can provide educational material, you can help them figure out how do they come in to the global economy, can they can create businesses, how can they benefit their life, then how can they increase their standard of living, and earn more money so that they can then, in the future, three, five years, could they then pay for their Internet service. So right now, it's a combination of one, it being provided free through countries, sovereign funds, and non-profits, and then after a time, you bring those citizens up so that they're part of the global economy, you've closed the digital divide, and now they're able to purchase their Internet service and everything.
00:30:23
So that is part of the business model that's being looked at by several countries and companies. And so I think it's a starting point to look at, and I know there are several organizations, such as the Abu Dhabi, or the Asian Development Bank, that's looking at investing in those type of activities that help support the sustainable development goals. One of them is, you know, poverty, quality education, economic development, well all of those relate to providing Internet service to people who don't have access to the Internet. So there's a number of non-profits that are currently looking at this business model, providing that service, and then eventually, can you monetize it so that those citizens are able to pay for it, and it's sustainable.
00:31:08
So that's the ultimate thing too, is it has to become sustainable, but that means you have to bring these people with you so that they're able to prosper and benefit from it. I guess we'll have to go and buy that article once it comes out on Forbes, and really dig deeper into it. Did you always imagine yourself that you would want to feature on Forbes, or like write your own book, or is it something that came at your later stages? Well, I'm going to start with I'm a terrible writer, so it's certainly not something I thought of in the beginning. But what I've learned is, and it's Forbes Technology Council, is just like you said, there's a lot of information about space that most people don't know.
00:31:53
And so by helping to put out these thought articles every month in the Forbes Technology Council, people are able to understand. I've already talked about some of them. This last month in June, I talked about tech insertion, how companies are inserting into space. In May, I talked about tech transfer, how space is benefiting Earth. In April, I talked about, it was Earth Day, but I talked about all the orbital debris that's circling the planet, and that we've got to do something about it. Otherwise, we're not going to be able to become an interplanetary species. So each month, I kind of focus on a different area for people who maybe don't know a lot about space, but would like to understand some of it.
00:32:30
And that's kind of the goal of the Forbes Technology Council articles, is to help people understand. The part with the book was very organic. I love being more of a public speaker. That's easier for me. But I kept having people say, do you have a book? Do you have this written down somewhere? I'd love to really understand. Or I had people say, could you mentor me? And unfortunately, you can't mentor everyone. You can't speak everywhere. And so writing the books was kind of part of that way of helping people to have it written down and be able to reach more people around the world than just who might be able to hear me speak or see a Forbes article. So this was really about listening to what people were saying, sending me notes on LinkedIn or emails, and just responding.
00:33:17
So fortunately, the world has evolved a lot. There's a lot of great tools like Grammarly and Google Docs that can help you check your grammar. And you can have good friends, very good friends. You could say, would you please read this for me? And so that's what we're working on right now. I'm almost done with the, I have two chapters left to finish, and then I'm done with the manuscript. And then it's time to start editing it and get it refined. And so looking forward to getting this first book out, because a lot of people have asked for this first book on lessons learned and the resources to help them take the next step. It's not just about reading stories, but it's about helping them take the next step in their development and advancement.
00:34:00
I would like to go here more into imagination, or at least it's for me, the imagination. I don't know if you have been thinking about it yourself, but how your interplanetary life would look like, which planet would you choose? Or like, where would you live? Have you ever thought about this? Well, I'm going to stay on Earth. I think of all the planets, Earth is the best. I think we are an amazing rock that is floating in space, orbited by another rock. And so we're already in space. We're already orbiting space. We're all on this spaceship together called Earth. And I'm grateful to be here with you. However, I want to be that person that can help people also follow their dreams to where they want to go.
00:34:47
And obviously the moon is the closest thing, and then Mars. But could there be other missions to maybe moons of other planets that we could explore? And maybe we don't explore them in person, in human form, but maybe at first we explore them by sending robots. And then with artificial intelligence, you could put on a visor and you could visit that moon or that planet by sending robots. And we've already done that, right? We have robots already on Mars. We call them, you know, the Mars rovers are there. Curiosity, inspiration. So we've already been visiting other planets with rovers and robots, and we can continue to do that. But what we can do now is connect it to artificial intelligence, so people can experience that anywhere they are.
00:35:38
I am also, like you said many times, that everybody, that we need everyone. That we need the experts in the field. We need the motivational speakers. We need civil society, NGOs. So I am wondering how can I help, actually, myself. So how can I start to be part of the movement or help the other people to actually with this kind of mission? How can I get on the board? And as the normal citizen, how can I actually help with these things? Well, I think what's really exciting is what you just said. You know, when we think back 60 years ago to the Apollo era, we were looking for rockets, engineers, and astronauts. And we still need them, those STEM professionals. But now here we are, the Artemis generation. We need everyone.
00:36:32
We need marketing. We need business. We need investors. We need motivational speakers, and program managers, and policymakers. So what I say first is if you're interested in space, whatever career you're in, there's probably a pathway for you to be more involved in space. And so the first thing I would say is go to the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs. So UNOOSA dot O-R-G. And through UNOOSA, they have a drop-down menu of all the sustainable development goals. So if there's a goal you're passionate about, you could find a way to join. Or if there's something here on Earth you're passionate about, space and law. There's a great way for people who are interested in law, and policy, and international affairs to work together. Water.
00:37:19
You know, water on the planet is so challenging. Some places are getting too much water. Some places are not getting enough water. Water is contaminated. It's causing girls in Africa to walk miles and miles, like 10 miles one way to get water. It's not healthy. It's dangerous. So if you're interested in water on the planet, again, UNOOSA dot O-R-G. If you're interested in how space is helping with food, you talked about migration. You know, how are you helping, you know, refugees. So my first place would be, start with UNOOSA, because they have many activities. They have many conferences and activities where you can find other like-minded individuals that are passionate about the things you want to be passionate about. About the skills you want to bring to the table to help solve some of these challenges.
00:38:07
Another one for our young professionals, 35 and under, is the Space Generation Advisory Council, S-G-A-C. They are a global organization, but they have chapters located in every country, and you could join S-G-A-C and find those other like-minded individuals. You could partner on things you're passionate about. You could go to these different conferences and meet with them. So there's a lot of great organizations. So what are you passionate about? What are some of those organizations you could be part of, like UNOOSA or S-G-A-C? There's also Women in Aerospace. There's Women Tech Network. There's SEEDS. So there's lots of great organizations you can join and be part of, and then find other like-minded people, and then you can find the projects you want to help.
00:38:54
That's very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I was actually already googling about it. Marie, I'm curious about your creativity. Where would you want to move to? Well, everybody is recently speaking about Mars, so I'm like, should I start to prepare for my future? Of course, I love Earth, but also, I was actually thinking about it today, even, that I am really upset, to some extent, about what we are doing to our planet, because it's a home for all of us. And there are really lots of weather changes, even here in Belgium, currently in Czech Republic, because I'm Czech. In Czech Republic, it's 36 degrees for two weeks. It's really changing. And I feel like, I feel desperate in this aspect, that I cannot really contribute to this, because even if I do changes in my own life as an individual, we are still seeing that the biggest contributors to the climate change are really big companies or big countries, which me, from here, an apartment in Belgium, I cannot really change.
00:40:07
So I'm really wondering if the planet B is our only chance, because I don't really see a big movement that are happening in terms of the climate. And this was also the main reason why I asked. It's from the space expert, it's the best to know, like, which planet B should I choose, you know? But you told me that you are staying on Earth, so now... So my recommendation is, my one friend, Lumbi Malombo, she started a non-profit, and it's all about, she's the one who helps to drill boreholes for women in Africa. So when Lumbi grew up, she would have to walk to get the water for her family in Africa. And many girls and women still have to do that, walk four to 10 miles, bring the water back, and then it can be contaminated.
00:40:53
And they can't go to school or get jobs. So what Lumbi's non-profit does is they help to drill boreholes, or wells, within a 30-minute walk of a village. This allows it to be clean water, but then this allows the girls and the women to be able to go to school and have jobs. But Lumbi is also the UN Water Lady. So she's an ambassador for water, because of her role with the importance of water in Africa. And she has started a movement called 100 Voices for the Planet. And what this is about is how each of us can do something to help the planet. And so each of us can do something. What are we all doing? Are we helping to educate girls and create gender equality around the planet?
00:41:39
Are we creating quality education? Are we closing the digital divide? Each of us can do something that helps to benefit the planet. What are you doing with your trash? Are you breaking down recyclables? Are you reducing the amount of waste that you're creating? So each of us can take a step. And for the companies that are doing things you don't want them to do, are there things you can do? Can you not buy their products? Could you buy an alternative product? Now the challenge is, sometimes the alternative product might be more expensive. And so people have to make a decision. Are they willing to pay more for something that might be better for the planet? So again, there's a lot of choices. But for your audience, they can check out Lumbi Malambo and her 100 Voices for the Planet.
00:42:26
And look at that initiative, because it's an amazing initiative. And she did her initial report for the UN in December of 2023. And then she'll be doing another report coming up. So great person to follow. She believes that each one of us can make a difference. Nice. That's definitely a good example. And I'm aware of these things, like that it's important to really like continue and like to envision to really work for the better world tomorrow. So that you should always have driven vision and mission for how you want to see the world tomorrow. And I totally align with what you have said. It's more like that I hear the clocks, you know, that a lot of scientists, they were already like pointing in the research is that this, we have just a few years, not even if we are really currently on the edge, that this year is the last one where we need to either decide that we want to go more sustainable way or, or not.
00:43:29
So I don't want to bring negativity in our here, the atmosphere. So rather that the clocks are ticking for me, and it's more on this side that it's also like when I hear, for example, Elon Musk saying like, yes, it might be sooner than you think that we will be living on the Mars, etc. That maybe it might be solution. Maybe we are not that far away from this interplanetary life. And then if we are really speaking about this within like one decade, even that we will be starting this kind of life. So I want to be part of this. I want to know what's going on. I want to know if I can also buy the property there or how does it work?
00:44:19
So well, there are some great space lawyers that are figuring out those property rights. So that that is also one of the committees for UNUSA is the space law property rights. You know, think about it. If you are from Czechoslovakia, or, you know, one country, and you're with somebody else, and you have a baby on Mars, what nationality is the baby? What passport is it? Property rights? What intellectual property? So there are some amazing lawyers, doctors that are trying to figure out some of these challenges. So it's not just about, are we going to live on another planet, there's a whole lot that has to go into it. Not only the technology to allow human beings, but what are what are the laws that will also govern that activity.
00:45:06
So there's a lot to think about. And I don't think we need to be negative. I think what we need to think about is that's what entrepreneurs do. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. And we need lots of entrepreneurs in the space industry. We need lots of entrepreneurs to look at solving some of these challenges. One of the entrepreneurs you can see is Bill Gates is investing in nuclear, as well as other forms of clean energy solutions. So, you know, we need entrepreneurs that are willing to invest, to create solutions, to try things, and to solve those problems. Because that's what entrepreneurs do. They see problems, they come up with solutions, and then they need to make money off those solutions as well, to stay viable, to get investors.
00:45:48
But that is how we unlock innovation and entrepreneurship in the space industry for climate change and the other challenges. So don't look at it. Yes, there are a lot of challenges, but there are a lot of really great entrepreneurs, investors, entrepreneurs that want to solve these challenges. And if there are a lot of challenges, it also means there's a lot of opportunities to solve something, right? Exactly, exactly. So we need people who want to think outside the box. Yeah, and I think for us here, even if it might look dire, it's every day making conscious decisions, every little small incremental can lead to something big, like a lot of it's not that much will eventually pack up to a bunch of things, right? So I really do like that mindset.
00:46:45
And also, not to think about that it is bad, but it's more like it's good, and it can be better. I think it's about transpiring that kind of mindset. And Marie, we're entrepreneurs here as well. So I think we're contributing in this sense by also having Shelley here today and talking with us to help us transpire this kind of mindset. This already helps. At least it helps for me. It gives me peace of mind that we're doing something, that we can be proud of that. Yes. I have a last question from myself, because STEM field is really a man-dominated field. And I have a question about the challenges, if any, you have faced, how you overcome them, and if you have maybe some inspirational quote or motivation for the women that are currently in the STEM field and might face the same challenges as you were facing in the past?
00:47:48
Well, I think when we think about the STEM field, you know, think back 60 years ago to the Apollo era, it was primarily STEM professionals, male government workers. Now we have seen a pivot to where we can see a lot of great diversity role models, not just women, women of all ages, women from different regions. And when we say the STEM fields, yes, probably in the US and Europe, you're seeing where there are less women in the STEM fields. But in the Middle East, women are 50% or more. So it's very different depending on the region of the world. What we need to do is we need to continue to create role models. We need to continue to mentor and champion these women in the STEM careers, help them provide pathways to success.
00:48:35
And that means women and men need to be mentors and champions and role models. And we need to break down the barriers that prevent people from thinking about those careers in STEM. And what I mean by that is there could be inner city kids or rural communities or that may think that space that is not for me. I have to do this job because this is what my family thinks I should do. And we need to help break down that perception that these STEM careers, these technology, maybe being an entrepreneur and solving problems, that can be for anyone that we will provide opportunities. There's lots of great organizations like the Milo Space Science Center out of Arizona State University. There's lots of great Khan Academy. There's lots of incubators and accelerators through ISESCO, the African Union.
00:49:26
So there are opportunities for individuals to pursue STEM careers, not only for space, but for technology to help solve challenges and to help them become entrepreneurs. And then there are some other challenges in some countries for women as it relates to finance, where women maybe can't have a bank account or own assets. And so we have to continue to help educate policymakers to create pathways for women to have those tangible assets, bank accounts, credit, so that they can become entrepreneurs that benefits their families and communities. So we have to continue to be out there and be advocates. So, you are saying that you see a really big change in the recent years in a good positive direction, that there is a much bigger percentage of the women involved in the STEM field, also different ages and also much more diversity in general, which is great to see.
00:50:26
So, yeah, I don't have for myself any other question. I don't know if Cedric, you have? No, I just wanted to say, I think, Shelli, thank you for joining us today. And I think you're an amazing role model for us and also for the people to inspire positive energy. Also, Maria, I think you're also on the forefront of being, let's say, a role model for opportunities. So, I think both of you are showing and leading the strong path, right? And I'm here on the side-line, cheering both of you on, and then I'll see what I can do myself. But like, I think for any person, it's always good to get inspired, to then be inspirational themselves. And I think that's, I think what we got from you today, Shelley, like I feel energized after a very long day at work, if I'm very honest.
00:51:28
But somehow I feel a lot more energy from just having this conversation with you today. It's quite incredible. So thank you very much for that. Maybe as a last thing, is there any advice that you would give when you're looking at your whole path of the four chapters, etc. when you were starting with the path? What would be the one thing that you would advise to yourself when you look back into the beginning of your career? Well, this is for all your listeners. Keep reaching for the stars. Wow. I have goosebumps here. So from this, I really like it. All right, Shelley, so thank you so much for joining us today. And thank you to all of the audience who were with us during this podcast about the space and the reaching to the stars, because I think that it was one big inspiration about how you can reach your potential, the fulfilment. And don't forget the three things, the inspiration, authenticity and gratitude that should go with you along the way of your life to the stars. And we will be looking forward to see you again in our next episode of Innovatologist. So thank you so much.
