Summer Break: Beyond Barriers - Voices of Resilience and Transformation

During our summer break, we’re revisiting a powerful episode about inherited resilience and the courage to transform beyond expectations. Host Leah Solivan explores the deeply personal stories of seven trailblazers—including Alejandra Campoverdi, Dr. Eiman Jahangir, Anne Miura-Ko, Andy Dunn, Bianca Gates, and Kevin Caldwell—who’ve navigated barriers and redefined their identities along the way. From rising to the White House from welfare, becoming an astronaut after fleeing war-torn Tehran, to embracing cultural legacies once hidden, each voice reveals how strength can be both passed down and self-forged. These stories illuminate the struggle and triumph of breaking cycles, honoring the past while forging new paths forward.

Listen to the full episodes here:

• Breaking the Narrative: Award winning author of First Gen, Alejandra Campoverdi, on breaking generational cycles
    Listen here: Apple | Spotify  

• Breaking Orbit: Newly minted Astronaut, Dr. Eiman Jahangir, on the future of space travel
    Listen here: Apple | Spotify  

• Breaking Tradition: Co-Founding Partner of Floodgate, Ann Miura-Ko, on innovations in Venture Capital — Ann Miura-Ko
    Listen here: Apple | Spotify 

• The Breakdown: Andy Dunn on Building Bonobos, Battling Bipolar, and Baking Pie — Andy Dunn
    Listen here: Apple | Spotify 

• Split Sole: How Bianca Gates built Birdies and broke the mold in footwear
    Listen here: Apple | Spotify 

• Breaking Bad: Kevin Caldwell and Ossium Health is banking on bone marrow for curing cancers and transforming regenerative care
  Listen here: Apple | Spotify 
  
  

Alejandra Campoverdi
Alejandra Campoverdi is a nationally recognized women’s health advocate, an award-winning author of First Gen: A Memoir, a groundbreaking account of her journey as a first-generation college graduate and professional. Alejandra served as the White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Media during the Obama administration and is the founder of the First Gen Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to providing financial support to first-generation students.

Listeners can learn more about Alejandra at her website, and on IG @acampoverdi   

Eiman Jahangir
Eiman Jahangir is a cardiologist, researcher, and NASA astronaut selected in 2021 as part of the Artemis generation of explorers. Born in Tehran during the Iran–Iraq War, Eiman immigrated to the United States at the age of four and grew up near the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama — an experience that sparked his lifelong passion for space exploration. Before joining NASA, he served as a cardiologist and faculty member at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he specialized in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology.

Listeners can learn more about Eiman on his IG @drejahangir

Ann Miura-Ko
Ann Miura-Ko is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Floodgate, an early-stage venture capital firm known for backing iconic startups at their inception, including Lyft, Refinery29, and Twitch. Often described as one of Silicon Valley’s most respected investors, Ann is a self-proclaimed "precedent breaker"—someone who thrives in ambiguity and seeks out founders who challenge conventional wisdom.

Listeners can learn more about Ann at her website and on X.

Andy Dunn
Andy Dunn is an entrepreneur, author, and investor best known as the co-founder of Bonobos, the pioneering menswear brand that redefined modern retail. He is also the author of Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind, a candid memoir about his journey with mental health while building a high-growth company. Dunn has become a leading voice in destigmatizing conversations around bipolar disorder and neurodiversity in business and beyond.

Listeners can learn more about Andy on his IG @dunn

Bianca Gates
Bianca Gates is the CEO and co-founder of Birdies, a leading footwear brand that introduced the concept of the "social slipper." Before Birdies, Bianca built a successful career in sales at Univision, MTV, and Facebook, where she worked closely with Sheryl Sandberg. Born to Latin American immigrants, Bianca is a pioneer in combining entrepreneurial drive with a commitment to empowering women.

Learn more about Bianca Gates on her website, on IG @biancagates

Kevin Caldwell

Kevin Caldwell, CEO, Co-Founder & President of Ossium Health, has built Ossium from a small startup into a clinical-stage bioengineering company.  Kevin set the company’s mission to improve human health through bioengineering and designed its platform-based model for cellular therapeutics development.  Kevin has led the company’s successful pursuit, negotiation, and execution of more than 50 business relationships, including 5 successful fundraisings and dozens of supply partnerships, clinical partnerships, and commercial contracts with biopharmaceutical companies.

Listeners can learn more about Kevin Caldwell at Ossium Health

Resources:

Uala

San Francisco Ballet
Birdies (Company)

Show Notes: 

(00:00) Introduction to Breaking Precedent
(00:30) Costume Changes with Alejandra Campoverdi
(01:30) Rockets and Roots with Eiman Jahangir
(02:30) The DNA of Defiance with Ann Miura-Ko
(03:30) Inheritance of Fire with Andy Dunn
(05:00) From the Head of the Table with Bianca Gates
(06:30) Legacy in the Lab with Kevin Caldwell
(07:30) “We carry resilience in our bones, and we're here to reshape what ...