Pauline Brown
Pauline Brown is a longtime leader in luxury goods and former Chairman of LVMH North America, renowned for acquiring, building, and leading some of the world’s most influential brands.
In her groundbreaking new book, Aesthetic Intelligence, she shows businesspeople how to harness the power of their own senses to create products and services that delight their customers and build businesses that last. Her book is based on a course that she designed and taught at Harvard Business School.
Pauline began her career as a Consultant at Bain and subsequently held senior executive roles at Estee Lauder, Avon and The Carlyle Group.
She currently is an Executive-in-Residence at Columbia Business School, a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and the host of two radio shows on SiriusXM, “Trendsetters” & Tastemakers”.
3 words to describe Nature?
Invincible. Boundless. Magnificent
3 things Nature taught you?
To trust my instincts (they're far more prescient than my thoughts)
To embrace the untamed aesthetic (it's far more vibrant than anything man-made
To accept mortality (it's not the end of a life cycle, but the beginning of a new one)
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Table Mountain, Cape Town
Maroon Lake, Aspen
The Geysers of Iceland
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Transported
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Enveloped
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Roused
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Wonderstruck
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Vivified
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Restive
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island. I still can smell the air, taste the fishy water, and feel the sand under my wet swimsuit.
Azuma Makoto
Azuma Makoto has been in the flower business since 2002, and is an owner of the haute-couture floral shop, “JARDINS des FLEURS” in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo. In addition to the flower shop business, Azuma began to explore the expressive potential of flowers and plants in 2005. He invented the genre of the ”Botanical sculpture,” which is one of his formative expressions. Following a solo exhibition in New York, his audacious works have been repeatedly shown in Europe and the U.S. While launching the experimental botanical lab AMKK in 2009, he went on to exhibit his works at art museums, galleries, and public spaces all over the world. In recent years, Azuma has been focusing on projects that explore the connections between human beings and flowers. He continues to pursue the beauty of plants from his distinctive point of view. Check his Instagram
3 words to describe Nature?
God. Origin of Life. Womb
3 things Nature taught you?
Awe*
Coexistence
Cycle (Cycle of life)
*Awe refers to a feeling a person has when he/she is in fear of something which is much bigger than himself/herself and he/she can’t compete with, such as God, nature and the universe.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Amazon (Belém in Amazon)
Yakushima Island
Xishuangbanna
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
A swell
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
A breath
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
A beat
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Hope and despair
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Fear and excitement
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Peace of mind and presence
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mountain
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
When I was little, I used to play at the mountain called “Miyajidake Mountain” which was located behind my home until sunset. The lessons I learned from this experience have become such precious time for me. I am so happy that I could spend my childhood with this experience where I was able to perceive not only sensibility and instinct as a human being but also my view of life and death* and my view of life as something transient and empty** through nature.
There is no doubt that this childhood experience has a great influence on how I make my living now by interacting with flowers and plants.
*one’s view of life and death means a point of view which a person bases off of when he/she makes a decision and takes action about the acts of living and dying. It is a way of thinking regarding life and death.
**a view of life as something transient and empty means a mindset that everything is impermanence.
Yazemeenah Rossi
Yazemeenah Rossi is a professional photographer, social entrepreneur, and pioneering age-defying international fashion model (one of the first ones to assume her white hair). She started her modeling career at age 30, normally the age of retirement for the industry, then became a model for The Ford Modeling Agency in New York City. She has appeared in hundreds of campaigns and magazines all over the world. She is also the founder of YAZEMEENAH, a social enterprise that produces her unique design of Yak or Cashmere shawls that are made by hand, from families in Kathmandu, Nepal. Part of the proceeds supports children at the Destitute and Orphans Children Safeguarding Foundation. At the age of 65 and with a combined 350,000 followers on social media (Instagram/Facebook), Rossi continues to promote her vision of health and natural beauty. Originally from Corsica, she now lives in Malibu, California.
3 words to describe Nature?
Primordial. Beauty. Powerful.
3 things Nature taught you?
Freedom
Wisdom
Inner Power
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Water
Deserts
Skies
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Timeless, whole, Infinite
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Mesmerized, Green hypnotizes me
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Powerful, Ancient, connected to the Origins
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Part of the Universe, dissolving
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Alive, vibrant, warrior
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Wild, Free… The wind speaks to me secrets
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Desert by the Ocean :)
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Corsica, no running water, no electricity until I was 10 on the beach where I lived raised by my grandparents totally immersed in Nature. Washing our bodies and laundry at the river, collecting drinking water coming from a rock under the giant wild fig tree…Vision of my grandmother carrying our precious water in a clay pot on her head … running with my little legs on the desert beach without tourists at that time, all for me ... playing with crabs in the rocs; turtles, lizards, and snakes were my pets … Fishing, gardening, hunting with my grandfather, cooking with my grandmother, knitting by the fireplace with story telling…Nature provided everything we needed, it has been my best teacher… Nature is raw, beauty, and wisdom. It fed me and imprinted my soul for a lifetime, molded me into who I am today.
Anne Kreamer
Anne Kreamer is the author of “It’s Always Personal: Navigating Emotion in the New Workplace” and “Going Gray: What I Learned About Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters.” Hew latest book, “Risk/Reward: Why Intelligent Leaps and Daring Choices Are the Best Career Moves You Can Make,” decodes what it takes to get ahead and achieve satisfaction in today’s unpredictable new workscape.
Anne has also worked as a columnist for Fast Company and Martha Stewart Living, and has written frequently for Harvard Business Review. Her work has appeared in Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, and Travel + Leisure. Previously, Anne was Executive Vice President and Worldwide Creative Director for the television channels Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite and part of the team that launched SPY magazine. As the Associate Director for the International Television Group for Sesame Workshop, she was integral to building Sesame Street into the pre-eminent global children’s brand.
In 2019, with her daughter, Lucy Andersen, Anne launched Wild & Rare (wildandrare.com) an accessories business showcasing endangered wildlife. By shining a light on individual plants and animals, they hope that Wild & Rare products will function as miniature billboards, focusing our attention on the smaller, more manageable parts of the environmental crisis. 100% of the profits go to organizations working toward the same goal.
Anne graduated from Harvard College and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the writer, Kurt Andersen.
3 words to describe Nature?
Grounding. Transcendent. Powerful.
3 things Nature taught you?
Humility
Patience
Resilience
3 most treasured Nature spots?
My Brooklyn backyard, touching the Dawn Sequoia I planted 20 years ago, now 100 feet tall.
The Housatonic River, Connecticut
Lucy Vincent Beach, Martha’s Vineyard
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Clean and bright
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Euphoric
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Awe-struck
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Joyful
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Excited
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Anxious
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Forest
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Sitting on a bluff in the Flint Hills of Kansas with my father watching enormous thunderstorms roll into the Plains from Colorado. It was primal.
Vanessa von Bismarck
Vanessa von Bismarck is a co-founding partner of BPCM, a strategic consulting and communications agency, and one of the most established and respected voices in public relations. In the two decades since founding BPCM, Vanessa has been instrumental in building legacy brands and launching brands that today are household names. With a keen understanding and vision for each individual client Vanessa has become known as one of the most strategic thinkers in the industry.
3 words to describe Nature?
Powerful. Awe-inspiring. Nurturing
3 things Nature taught you?
Respect
Connection
Humbleness
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Costa Rica (santa Teresa)
Sachsenwald (forest in Germany)
Hiking in Jomsom ( Nepal)
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm and small, yet worried about the human hand in its destruction
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Oxygenated and Curious. I love the smells of the forest, the pure air and the feeling of life.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Anticipation and trepidation.The feeling reminds me of when I wake up in the middle of the night sure I forgot to do something.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Warm and hopeful for new beginnings. Love.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
In awe for the power of nature.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Excited but also a little scared
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Riding through the forest in the summer and going swimming with my horses
Sheri Salata
Sheri Salata is the author of The Beautiful No: And Other Tales of Trial, Transcendence and Transformation. Named an Amazon best-selling new release and an Apple Must Listen audio book, the memoir has touched thousands of readers and inspired them to reimagine their lives.
Sheri is the cohost of The Sheri + Nancy Show, a popular podcast about living the life of your dreams, and the cofounder of the aspirational lifestyle brand, The Pillar Life, a guidance system focused on 8 foundational areas of living. Health + Wellness. Spirituality + Happiness. Romance + Sex. Family + Friends. Creativity + Innovation. Adventure + Discovery. Sanctuary + Beauty. Money + Abundance.
Sheri has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Happier in Hollywood, The Good Life Project, Marie Forleo, and Almost 30.
Sheri’s new venture in media is the evolution from her life-altering 20-year career with Oprah Winfrey. Sheri’s day-to-day hits and misses as the final Executive Producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show were featured in the docu-series Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes. Sheri served as President of Harpo Studios and OWN.
Sheri has been named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business and The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100.
3 words to describe Nature?
Awe-full. Humbling. Holy.
3 things Nature taught you?
Beauty is in everything.
Everything is alive.
There are a gazillion shades of green.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Hawai'ian Islands
Lake of the Woods, Canada
Napa Valley
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
The ocean makes me feel on the edge of a great big mystery. How gigantic creatures can live submerged but still sing their songs for me. How the waves come in and out in rhythmic perfection without missing a beat. I feel wild and messy and sacred and beautiful as I take it all in.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
When I see a forest, it makes me feel like I am in the cathedral of all cathedrals.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Like Mama Earth is sending a message.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Like the Universe is blessing me.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Safe and secure in my humanness
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like crying
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I am an ocean mountain forest person with a little desert on the side.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I am a tiny thing dipping my toes in the pacific ocean for the first time and it feels like my home.
Tina Wells
Tina Wells is the CEO and founder of Buzz Marketing Group, a marketing agency that creates strategies for clients within the beauty, entertainment, fashion, financial, and lifestyle sectors. For more than two decades, Tina has connected thousands of influencers and consumers to brand clients. Since founding her company, she’s developed and managed 30,000 “buzzSpotters” and 7,000 “momSpotters” –influencer and research networks for her clients that include Dell, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and American Eagle Outfitters.
Tina sits on the board of the Young Entrepreneurs Council, the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council (emeritus), and the Council of Emeritus Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association. She currently chairs the Programs, Marketing, and Business Development committee of The Franklin Institute where she also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
She is a member of the 2017 Class of Henry Crown Fellows within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute and the Academic Director (Practicum) of Wharton’s Leadership in the Business World program at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2018, Wells also joined the board of THINX. Her list of honors includes The Girl Scouts’ Woman of Distinction, Cosmopolitan’s Fun Fearless Phenom Award, Essence’s 40 Under 40, Billboard’s 30 Under 30, Inc’s 30 Under 30, and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business.
Wells is the author of the best-selling tween fiction series Mackenzie Blue and the marketing handbook Chasing Youth Culture And Getting It Right. Wells’ writing has appeared in the Huffington Post,he Journal of the American College of Radiology, Inc, Black Enterprise, Media Post, and Retail Merchandiser Magazine.
3 words to describe Nature?
Peaceful. Vibrant. Majestic.
3 things Nature taught you?
That there is something much bigger than me and any problem I think I might have. Also, there’s a rhythm to the world and things continue to move in their cycles and serve their purpose.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Lancaster, PA - where I’m from. Gorgeous pastures, rolling hills, absolutely stunning.
Maasai Mara, Kenya - my first safari and trip to Africa, the most beautiful place I’ve ever been
Tuscany, Italy - my brother has lived here for almost 10 years with his wife. I visit often and fall in love all over again each time.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm. Just hearing the ocean calms me.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Safe and secure. I also feel in awe at the enormity of it all.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Awestruck...but a little helpless and scared too.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Happy. A sunrise or sunset is an instant mood booster for me.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Curious.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Scared by the power of it.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mountain, for sure!
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9. When I purchased my home 11 years ago I planted some trees that are now enormous. Just seeing them every single day, in every season makes me feel so happy.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I’m the eldest of six children, and growing up my dad would take all of the kids in the neighborhood on nature hikes and trips to the park. I grew up in the part of southern New Jersey that is known for its farms. I still live there and see deer almost every night. Those park trips with all of my siblings and our friends were the best.