Can AI save us from ourselves? Would computer algorithms, properly trained, be able to prevent wars and mediate conflicts? Ola Mohajer thinks so!

Ola is the Founder and CEO of Transcend. Founded in 2023, Ola combined her experience as a refugee and survivor of war with more than ten years of her professional experience in peace, government, and international development.

Visit https://missiontranscend.ai to learn more.

Currently, Ola is part of the leadership team at the United States Institute of Peace's Africa Center. She has served in the Ontario Public Service in Canada as a senior policy advisor, specializing in international trade as well as government transparency with datasets and information. Ola has worked with the United Nations to solve refugee employment barriers in Jordan and on strategy and coordination for the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Zimbabwe. She holds a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University and completed a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science simultaneously at the University of Calgary. Her interests include civic inclusion and leadership in peace processes and the future of peacebuilding through AI. Ola holds numerous awards and honors and is a devoted wife and mother.

Tapping into ancient wisdom to shed light on modern problems is essential for grounded cultural transformation. Today's guest is Natan Margalit—the author of The Pearl and the Flame—a book which synthesizes traditional Jewish insights and contemporary ecological theories to envision a more integrated, connected, and hopeful path for humanity.

Natan Margalit is a rabbi and scholar with 30 years of experience in teaching, writing, organizing and congregational leadership. Raised in Honolulu, as a young adult he spent 12 years in Israel where he received rabbinic ordination. He returned to the U.S. and earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies at U.C. Berkeley with focus areas in Talmud, Literary Theory, and Anthropology.

He has taught at Bard College, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Hebrew College Rabbinical School, and now is chair of the Rabbinic Texts Department at the ALEPH Ordination Program. He is also Director of the Earth-Based Judaism track of the A.O.P., and is founder of the non-profit Organic Torah. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.

Can commissioning public art ensure a happy afterlife? Many wealty merchants in medieval Italy sure hoped so! Dr. Brian Pollick opens a window for us into their worldview and how it can enrich our own.

Brian was born in England in 1946 but grew up in Toronto after his parents
emigrated in 1952. After getting his BA from York University in 1967 he
embarked on multiple careers that included teaching, correctional services,
community and family justice services, and Information Technology
development. He has been a senior executive manager for the federal and
BC governments, as well as the non-profit and private sectors. He left paid
employment in 2007 and spent a year in France and Italy with his wife,
Heather Lindstedt, where he developed a passion for medieval art.
Brian returned to University in Victoria in 2009 and has since obtained his
MA and PhD in Art History. His particular area of research is how art
commissioned by wealthy merchants in 14 th C Italy was used by them as a
way of affirming and broadcasting their identity as honest business persons
and honourable civic and Christian citizens who were worthy of salvation.
He has presented numerous papers at Canadian and international
conferences and published several articles on this subject.
Brian has one son, Ian, and is the proud grandfather of two boys, Austin
and Logan who live in Toronto. Brian’s next major undertaking will be
pursuing another PhD at the University of Victoria, this time in history
looking at the institution of the Grand Tour.