Zoya splits her time as a neurosurgeon between high-stakes trauma care and slow, systems-level reform. In Omaha, she manages emergency spine and cranial injuries, while off-call, she’s building a grassroots program for osteoporosis fracture care—piecing together data, designing pathways, and pushing for change in a system slow to move. Zoya is most energized by practical interventions that make a real difference—especially when no one else is stepping in to solve the problem…
Read MoreAfter a storied career steering media and software ventures—from the New York Times to the helm of private equity-backed firms—Bill retired as Group President of Fortive, a publicly traded industrial conglomerate. His work spanned the boardrooms of corporate America to the intricacies of niche B2B technologies, leaving behind a wake of leaders now helming companies of their own.
As Bill embarks on his “retirement” (for now), he’s giving back. Guided less by ambition than by stewardship, he now devotes his days to mentoring first-time CEOs, serving on the board of The Boulder Reporting Lab, and mapping the civic and entrepreneurial networks of Boulder. His enduring passion for journalism, kindled in his Times years, finds new expression in strengthening The Boulder Reporting Lab’s voice, vigilance, and fundraising.
Between mentorship calls and strategic plans, Bill hikes and skis with the joy of a man no longer tethered to the terminals and time zones of work travel. A grandfather, husband, and civic neighbor, he’s aiming to stay active, stay useful, and maybe take up biking this season…
Curiosity and adventure drive Amy. Whether researching impact investments, writing poetry, or swimming with whales, she moves through the world with a hunger to explore and create meaning. Raised by a journalist and a non-denominational minister, she inherited a deep belief in living with purpose—a legacy she’s passing on to her two children.
Amy builds trust through action. She volunteers at food pantries, supports nonprofits, invests in start-ups, and helps launch music and arts initiatives that deepen Boulder’s sense of connection. In 2025, she plans to launch a Donor Advised Fund to further align her values with her giving.
Nature is her compass. From hiking Chautauqua to riding horses in Cotopaxi, or diving Raja Ampat’s coral reefs, she finds the call to courage and presence. A recent fall from a cliff in West Papua left her with scars—and deeper gratitude for the world’s beauty.
Each year, she and her husband take on a new challenge. In 2025, it’s Surf Skiing and building a beachfront home in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. They dream of winter months in the jungle, better Spanish, and lifelong learning…
Read MoreAnn’s journey has been anything but linear—spanning decades in New York City, launching startups in psychedelic medicine and a lifelong exploration of how we heal, individually and collectively. Her North Star? A relentless curiosity.
Ann’s transformation didn’t happen on a distant mountaintop—it unfolded in the everyday act of bringing hard-earned insights into the noise and nuance of real life. From meditating in the mountains of Tibet to navigating the fast-paced world of biotech startups, she’s guided by a deep belief that healing and innovation begin with asking better questions.
Today, Ann serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Conceivable Life Sciences, where she’s helping reshape the future of IVF. By leading the creation of the world’s first AI-powered automated IVF lab, she’s helping shift fertility care from exclusive concierge medicine to a widely accessible health solution…
Read MoreOur reality is shaped by those who hold power, the stories they allow to be recorded, and what is remembered or erased. History is filled with hidden knowledge, too often deemed heretical. What truths have "gone missing" simply because they did not fit within permitted narratives? Marcela seeks truth in ancient history, antiquities, censored books, and millennia-old discoveries from Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Growing up in Argentina during the military dictatorship, at a time when thousands of people were being "disappeared" because of their dissenting views, taught Marcela the importance of freedom. Propelled by a desire to be free and grow, she left Argentina with a backpack, a math scholarship, and a passion to challenge established narratives and uncover what life is really all about.
Her journey from math student, to technologist, to real estate broker reflects a conscious choice toward more meaningful work, human connections, and the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. Alongside her best friend and husband, Paul, Marcela finds that life unfolds when we question our own "sacred" assumptions…
While Rachel Yeates fights battles in the courtroom as a litigator, other battles unfold in her mind—quieter, messier, yet just as fierce. Drawing inspiration from the great epics, where heroines cross vast landscapes, battle monsters, and emerge transformed, she reimagined that struggle to write a spy novel, turning the external quest into an internal war against the mind’s shadows.
At the Securities & Exchange Commission, Rachel defends investors from financial fraudsters. Yet, in the latest federal shakeup, the very system designed to protect the vulnerable now threatens to cast her aside. Rachel is now caught between being the protector and needing protection herself.
Rachel adapts as her external and internal fights evolve. With a sharp mind, compassion, and enough eccentricity to keep things interesting, she fights for those who cannot fight for themselves—just as others once did for her…
Read MoreThe world is deeply interconnected—economically, politically, and socially. A decision made in one country sends shockwaves through markets, affecting regions, and reshapes global alliances. To ignore this reality is to be unprepared for its consequences. Isolation does not insulate, it weakens. Nations that disengage do not gain control. Instead, they lose influence, ceding ground to those willing to step in. Resilience is at the heart of understanding and navigating these global currents.
Mike strengthens the ties that keep the world connected by continuously identifying new global opportunities. His work has taken him from the Peace Corps in Ukraine to the working on U.S. foreign policy through guiding governments, businesses, and NGOs with more efficient ways to deliver better outcomes with limited resources.
When systems change, the strong adapt. As sweeping policy shifts challenge decades of global cooperation, Mike is combining his decades of government contracting experience with his proven track record building AI products for niche markets to re-tool in order to foster stability and growth. In this unpredictable world, Mike is positioning our government and its partners to deliver better outcomes for their people…
Lydia Jones believes values must be lived by taking deliberate action — a necessary ingredient for living a life of meaning and integrity.
Lydia carried this belief to the slopes for four years while working as an adaptive ski instructor for people with disabilities. Creativity was essential—there was always a way to get someone on the snow. Through this process, she came to understand the simple but profound truth that the only real limits are the ones we accept.
Except, of course, for time. The fact that it is fleeting gives it weight. So instead of focusing on what she is doing, Lydia focuses on how she is living. She searches for beauty amidst life’s small frustrations, knowing that each moment is irreplaceable.
Soon to be pursuing her MBA at CU, Lydia plans to apply her independent thinking to explore the intersection of business and sustainability. Given that social and political issues are rarely black and white, she strives to uphold her value that progress comes from questioning assumptions, fostering empathy, and engaging in meaningful conversations across perspectives…
Read MoreGrowth comes from stepping into the unknown with unrelenting positivity while remaining adaptable to the challenges along the way. Optimism, in its truest form, is quiet confidence—an understanding that uncertainty is not an obstacle but a force of change. Those who embrace it will always find a way forward.
Brandon Wood has built his life on this belief. When a well-worn career path led to stagnation, he created his own. In short-term rentals, he discovered that risk is not something to fear but something to master. Small, intentional choices—like a handwritten note for a guest—turn a simple stay into a lasting relationship.
Adaptation is a skill sharpened by experience. Brandon sees it in business, relationships, and the unpredictability of fatherhood. Have we mistaken ease for progress, allowing comfort to dull our instinct to evolve? True growth comes from learning, adjusting, and trusting that every challenge is an invitation to move forward…
Read MoreMost of us live within a scaffolding we did not build, inheriting beliefs and ambitions without question. True understanding begins with interrogating these unseen forces—questioning what drives us to bring our lives into clearer focus.
A mathematician by training and a software engineer by profession, philosophy drew Niko in as a way of sharpening his thoughts and actions. He then realized that much of life is dictated by unexamined assumptions about success, purpose, and happiness. Engaging with great classical works exposed him to timeless debates and profound insights, challenging his assumptions and deepening his critical thinking ability. This, in turn, reshaped his priorities in life, reorienting him toward building his family and philosophical community.
Through Parnassus House, the organization he co-founded, Niko leads Socratic seminars that challenge participants to wrestle with fundamental questions: What is the good life? How should technology shape our future? Niko sees philosophy not as a source of fixed answers but as a means to ask better questions. By bringing our lives into sharper focus, we may not find certainty—but we may find wisdom…
Systems resist change, stalling progress. Sometimes, only an unstoppable force can break through the impenetrable. For Julia, that force was a mother’s resolve - sharpened by necessity, forged in grief.
When her daughter, Mila, was diagnosed with a fatal genetic disease, Julia refused to accept medicine’s rigid boundaries. Science had outpaced the systems built to deliver it, leaving life-saving innovation tangled in red tape.
Left with no other choice, Julia became the architect of possibility—rallying scientists, regulators, and biotech leaders to cut through bureaucracy at unprecedented speed. She proved that medicine could move faster, that barriers could yield, and that the impossible was simply untried.
Mila is gone, but Julia’s fight continues. She moves forward as if Mila is still beside her - because in every battle, she is. Loss fuels momentum; grief transforms into purpose. She refuses to let the cracks she forced open be sealed shut….
Some awakenings arrive in an instant. Others unfold slowly, shaped by years of listening, questioning, and allowing. Alicia finds herself embracing the process of becoming by moving through life like a gardener—nurturing what is meant to thrive and releasing what cannot be sustained.
Alicia has spent a lifetime in motion—raising four children, caring for a husband through illness and death, shaping landscapes, teaching minds, and healing bodies. She now moves with a different rhythm, seeking the path forward in something she follows, not in something she forces. Meditation, breathwork, and deep listening have taught her that alignment isn’t about passivity—it is about working with what is ready rather than pushing against what is not.
Alicia believes that when one meets life with openness, the right opportunities reveal themselves. That is how she stepped into landscape design, found herself guiding cancer patients through nutrition, and her training in breathwork. Not everything is meant to be mapped out. Some challenges must simply be met with an open heart…
Read MoreFor over forty years, James Balog has used his camera and words to reveal humanity’s impact on nature. His pioneering photography has reshaped how we see climate change, inspiring action through imagery.
Beginning as a photojournalist for National Geographic and Time, James first explored the intersection of people, technology, and wilderness. His book Survivors (1990) redefined wildlife photography, leading to exhibitions worldwide. Later, Tree (2004) captured America’s oldest forests, but a 2005 assignment in Iceland shifted his focus to climate change.
In 2007, James founded the Extreme Ice Survey, using time-lapse cameras to document glaciers retreatingas a consequence of climate change. His work became the Emmy-winning Chasing Ice and led to the creation of the Earth Vision Institute. Through documentaries, The Human Element (2018) and Chasing Time (2024), and speeches at the White House, UN, and beyond, he continues to drive awareness of our changing environment…
Read MoreSimon Glass exemplifies the power of acceptance and adaptability. Growing up in New Zealand, his early passion for computers drove him to explore systems from the inside out. His career, spanning from ARM to founding Bluewater Systems and contributing to the first ARM-based Chromebook, reflects a dedication to solving complex problems through practical, incremental solutions.
Embracing Amor Fati, Simon approaches life with an acceptance of his fate and a determination to make changes when the right time strikes. He questions society’s tendency to burden individuals rather than address systemic issues yet remains optimistic about the power of thoughtful action. Though he sees human nature as too complex to fully grasp, Simon finds meaning in the process of exploration and growth about himself and others…
Read MoreMemes, in the Dawkins sense, are the cultural equivalent of genes. Just as biological evolution acts on the genetic pool, cultural evolution acts on the memetic pool. A common fallacy about evolution is that the strongest traits are selected for. In reality, ill-suited traits die out while the rest remain by default.
To what extent can we consciously select against ill-suited memes? Harmful memes pose a paradox: compromising perpetuates them, and opposing them risks embodying their flaws. Yet, inaction guarantees their persistence. Perhaps the only response is thoughtful and integrated action despite its imperfections.
Stephanie Sladnick supports Highland Institute's work of imperfect connections—of people, ideas, and actions. From building operations platforms that support businesses, non-profits, and NGOs to volunteering with kids and with TEDxBoulder Salons, Stephanie strives to contribute meaningfully to her local and global community.
Read MoreCity Club's new Executive Chef, Tim Cook, hails from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tim is a devoted father of two young children and a loving husband to Kaitlin, a dedicated pediatric dentist.
Growing up in a close-knit family, Tim cherished the nightly gathering around the family dinner table, a ritual that sparked his early passion for the culinary arts. His journey began humbly in a local café, where he was captivated by the kitchen's rhythm, energy, dedication, and teamwork, igniting a passion that grew stronger over time.
City Club's new Executive Chef, Tim Cook, hails from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tim is a devoted father of two young children and a loving husband to Kaitlin, a dedicated pediatric dentist.
Growing up in a close-knit family, Tim cherished the nightly gathering around the family dinner table, a ritual that sparked his early passion for the culinary arts. His journey began humbly in a local café, where he was captivated by the kitchen's rhythm, energy, dedication, and teamwork, igniting a passion that grew stronger over time.
Formal training at culinary school laid the groundwork for Tim's love of cooking. But his experiences in the kitchens of top-tier restaurants, such as the three Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago, shaped his culinary perspective. Working alongside renowned chefs, Tim honed his craft, embracing the discipline and creativity required in fine dining, nothing that great chefs have a unique ability to remain grounded and committed to the daily grind and the art of cooking. Formal training at culinary school laid the groundwork for his love of cooking, but it was his experiences in the kitchens of top-tier restaurants, such as the three Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago, that truly shaped his culinary perspective. Working alongside renowned chefs like Grant Achatz, Tim honed his craft, embracing both the discipline and creativity required in the world of fine dining. Despite the accolades, Tim noted Grant’s unique ability to remain grounded, committed to the daily grind and the art of cooking, and stayed true to that path himself...
Read MoreHeather grew up in Eureka, Kansas, where she was a lifeguard, taught swimming, and worked as a country music radio DJ without knowing or particularly liking the genre! Traveling a winding road from a Peace Corps volunteer to an international development NGO communications manager, Heather has seen it all, from a business communications professor in Kansas City to a copywriter for healers in Boulder. Having practiced Transcendental Meditation since moving to Boulder in 2014, Heather sees spas, retreats, and resorts as sanctuaries for inner peace and well-being.
Heather has lived in Washington, DC, Kansas City, MO, and Togo, West Africa. Some of her favorite travels have included work trips to Kosovo and Ethiopia and personal trips to Bali and the Loire Valley.
Heather's work as a writer, soft-spoken marketer, and spa consultant has been about bringing out the best in others. As Gandhi said, “When you make yourself into zero, your power becomes invincible…
Read MoreClub member Stefan du Toit was born and educated in South Africa. For over twenty years, he has lived on and off in the United States. Nearly three years ago, he made Boulder his permanent home and feels blessed to reside here permanently with his two lovely young daughters, the apples of his eye, and cherishes every moment.
Professionally, Stefan excels as an Integrator, assisting organizations in efficiently scaling up and growing with grace. His unique blend of skills results from his attraction to challenging environments, including international exposure across various sectors such as financial services, hospitality, the green economy, sports marketing, innovation commercialization, and venture capital…
Read MoreCity Club member Amanda Couture is an experienced marketer, venture capital investor, and trained birth doula now residing in Boulder with her Mini Bernedoodle, Homer.
Originally from Virginia, she spent her undergraduate years at Virginia Tech studying marketing and cheering on the Hokies as a member of the dance team. Amanda has lived in NYC and Los Angeles growing in her career, picking up new hobbies and interests, meeting fascinating people, and exploring the US. She now calls Boulder home, and has immersed herself in the active community where she enjoys gravel biking, cross-country skiing, and frequenting local coffee shops…
Read MoreClub member Ashish Kothari is an executive coach, author, consultant, and the founder of Happiness Squad, a company dedicated to assisting individuals and organizations in harnessing the power of happiness and well-being to realize their utmost potential.
Ashish resides in Boulder with his lovely wife, Lizzie, and their 13-year-old son, Ashwin, and spends his time hiking in the mountains, working out on his Peloton, and connecting with friends. As an avid reader, he has consumed close to 625 books in the past six years and published his own work last year titled “Hardwired for Happiness”. This interdisciplinary book weaves together insights from spiritual wisdom traditions, philosophy, positive psychology, neuroscience, and organizational development.
Before establishing Happiness Squad, Ashish Kothari was a partner at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he spent over two decades helping thousands of leaders to succeed by fostering new mindsets and capabilities…
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