IN-Q
IN-Q is a National Poetry Slam champion, award-winning poet, and multi-platinum songwriter. His groundbreaking achievements include being named to Oprah’s SuperSoul 100 list of the world’s most influential thought leaders, being the first spoken word artist to perform with Cirque Du Soleil, and being featured on A&E, ESPN, and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. He’s inspired audiences around the world through his live performances and storytelling workshops. Many of his recent poetry videos have gone viral with over 70 million views combined.
As a songwriter, IN-Q’s hit single “Love You Like a Love Song” by Selena Gomez went multi-platinum, winning him a BMI award. He has written with renowned artists including Aloe Blacc, Miley Cyrus, Mike Posner, and Foster the People. His songs have accumulated over one billion views on YouTube alone.
Leading organizations including Nike, Instagram, Spotify, Google, Lululemon, Live Nation, Shazam, The Grammy Foundation, and many more have brought IN-Q in to motivate their teams through his keynote speeches and acclaimed storytelling workshop, a transformational bonding experience for companies who want to share their story more authentically.
Ultimately IN-Q writes to entertain, inspire, and challenge his audiences to look deeper into the human experience and ask questions about themselves, their environment, and the world at large.
3 words to describe Nature?
Beautiful. Wild. Alive.
3 things Nature taught you?
Presence
Presence
Presence
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Eden in Utah. I have spent so much time over there. It is such an integral part of my life.
Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii. That road for me is filled with life. It is so beautiful, vibrant and alive. It feels like a neon sign for nature.
Kenya. I was recently on a safari there and I have never experienced anything like this. It is a particular nature, that is raw and truly powerful. I really felt small but also part of it.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Relaxed
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Peaceful
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Gratitude
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Power. Not that I feel powerful, but that I am amazed by it. The physical sensation of experiencing the hugeness of the sound all around you is breathtaking.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Brings me back to a childhood memory.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Forest the best, though honestly, it is the jungle that calls me.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
11
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Well, I don’t remember much for my childhood, unfortunately. But there is indeed one memory that comes to mind. My mom and I went camping. She is really not your outdoorsy type. Anyhow, we ended up in the forest of California, somewhere up north. I was 7 I think. We set up camp and during the night, there was this insane storm, pouring rain like crazy. There were lightings and thunder. Bang and Boum! We stayed up all night. My mom was so scared that she made me sleep with my sneakers on because she thought that the rubber would protect me, not conducting the electricity in case lightning would hit us. I felt so small and so vulnerable.
Susan Rockefeller
Susan Rockefeller is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, artist, and conservationist. Her latest endeavor, Musings is a digital magazine that curates ideas and innovations that pave the way for a more sustainable future. As the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Musings, Susan offers a portal to vetted products and brands that are pioneers in health, environmental, and social consciousness.
Susan is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and is additionally an advisor to Food Systems 6, MADE SAFE, Oceanic Global, and Ohana & Co. In her film work, Rockefeller is a Principal of Louverture films and a member of the Film Committee for the Museum of Modern Art. Her own original films include: Food For Thought, Food for Life, Striking a Chord, Making the Crooked Straight, and Mission of Mermaids, have aired on HBO, PBS, and the Discovery Channel.
A longstanding philanthropist, Susan sits on the boards of Oceana, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, We are Family Foundation, Southampton Arts Center, and Land and Garden Preserve.
3 words to describe Nature?
Powerful. Beautiful. Mysterious
3 things Nature taught you?
How to observe
How to listen
How to imagine my place in the cycle of living and dying
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Sagaponack Beach, Long Island, NY
Little Long Pond, Seal Harbor, MAINE
Kobuk River, Alaska
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Mesmerized, in rhythm with life’s current and my own.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Like I want to lie down, feel the warmth of the sun, look at the sky, and smell the forest scents around me.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Like I want to climb to the top of Stromboli again and glissade down the ash!
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
A sunrise gives rise to the promise of a new day and I yearn to feel that promise - a sunset is a reminder of the passing of another precious day and I feel reflective of whether I made the day count before retreating into a night slumber.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Alert with anticipation of oncoming rain and the possibility of lighting.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like God’s voice is present
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Love them all. But more an Ocean person for the mermaid in me, a forest person for plants as medicine and the healer in me, a mountain person for vistas and wildflowers, and a desert person for the dry heat of the day in which to hike, and the deep dark blackness of a desert night sky.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
Scales don’t measure it - it is not linear and way beyond a scale; more like a kaleidoscope of delight, color, mystery, and vital to my well being and to all life.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Being on a sandy beach with my brother and sister, digging into the warm sand and mesmerized by the variety of colors in the sand itself, diving into the ocean waves and belonging and feeling at one with the waves, salt water, sun, and sand - delighting in the joy of it all. Pure imaginative, physical joy, and happy memories of being a child at play and in wonder with my family.
Candice Cook
Candice Cook Simmons is the Managing Partner at The Cook Law Group, a published writer, noted philanthropist, and business strategist in the technology, entertainment, and corporate sectors.
Her career began in private practice as a litigator where she represented luxury hotels, television and cable executives, real estate developers, technology companies, and an assortment of Forbes' and Fortune's notable business executives and corporate giants. Cook later expanded her experience beyond litigation to include a vast array of intellectual property, media, telecommunications, and social media issues. Her success in finding creative business-oriented solutions resulted in her invitation to join the Advisory Committee of several startups including music industry technology startup BlazeTrak, Para Music Group, and fashion industry pioneer, Fashion Advance. Today, Cook's firm has handled groundbreaking intellectual property matters—including the trademarking and strategy behind Dominique Ansel’s Cronut™ pastry—and business, entertainment, social impact/entrepreneurship, and talent issues for clients across the globe including Japan, China, Israel, Monaco, Mexico, France, U.S., UAE, and the UK.
Her success resulted in her being honored as a Pearl Honoree in 2009, selected as a finalist for Atlanta's Power 30 Under 30 Award, and a winner of the Celebration Award in Law in 2012. In 2013, she was selected as the Hollywood Power Player by Hollywood & Vine Magazine and in 2014 she was selected as the Barrier Breaker award recipient for her work in the field of law and for her vast hands-on philanthropic engagement addressing education, humanitarian matters, and social justice. She appeared in the HBO documentary "Good hair," the 2009 winner for Special Jury Prize for U.S. documentary at the Sundance Film Festival as well as the documentary Sag Harbor on the OWN network as part of the #Selma50 network campaign. She has also appeared in the American Bar Association Journal, O Magazine, Elle Magazine, The Today Show, and Sirius Radio. She was cited as one of the top interviews for the “Talentedly” platform of 2015 as well as one of the top-five podcast interviews for “Today’s Leading Women.” In 2015, she was the number 1 downloaded interview on the business podcast “Beyond The Business Suit”.
Cook is a contributing writer for the Levo League, Women 2.0, and Conscious Magazine and was a contributing author of the book Conquering The Bar Exam and Co-Editor of the Culture Shift Labs 20 People To Watch of 2015. She serves as an Advisory Executive Member for the United Way of New York's Young Professional Board, is an Advisory Board Member for TheHistoryMakers in Chicago, works to increase engagement as a Committee Member for Jazz at Lincoln Center, served as the Young Professional Board Member for both the Apollo Theater and New York Needs You and served on the Leadership Board for the Council of Urban Professionals. For the past two years, Cook has worked with the 12 Days of Christmas Organization in New York to provide necessities to families across the five boroughs in New York during the month of December and she has also worked to increase STEM awareness through her Advisory Board Work with the M.O.B. Accelerator and CultureShiftLabs. Most recently, Cook was proud to see her work with the rich history of TheHistoryMakers (the single largest archival collection of African-American oral history) rewarded via its acquisition by the Library of Congress. In 2014, Cook served as a Host for the Andrew Goodman Foundation Hidden Heroes Award. In addition to her legal practice, Cook is currently using her platform to aid the Ford Foundation via its Think Tank to assist with the “innovation economy” of Detroit.
3 words to describe Nature?
Calming. Authentic. Transformative.
3 things Nature taught you?
Nature has taught me to be patient; to respect life's process and the universe's unquestionable power; and to be reminded that all things are connected and each action has a direct consequence that affects things that are directly seen and also unseen by me.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
I am from Atlanta, Georgia. Although I live near the concrete jungle now, I am blessed to have a beautiful backyard at my childhood home that is deep green with rose bushes and honeysuckle. My yard had plum trees, muscadines, and figs and the trees provide a balance of beauty and strength.
In New York, I treasure spending time in Sag Harbor with my son by the pond under a tree near my husband's family home. This spot is perfect for aiding me in lulling my son to sleep, viewing animals in the wild without being intrusive, and engaging in quiet reflection.
I went dog sledding in Utah and forever understood the feeling of losing your breath because of the beauty of nature. I always considered myself a beach person. I love the white Driftwood on the beaches on the Georgia Isles and the white sand of Turks & Caicos. But there was something about the mountains, and the trees under the landscape of a flawless sky that brought me so much peace, serenity, and resolve.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Relaxed
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Motivated
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Blessed (to see another sunset or sunrise is a blessing). There are people who woke up who didn't get to live to see the sunset and there are many who went to bed and did not live to see another sunrise...life is a gift).
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
The need to keep things in perspective...storms come when they come and the only way to get through is to hold your own as best you can while it passes.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
The need to be "ready".
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?
8.5
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
My childhood was spent playing barefoot in the grass and grabbing honeysuckle from the vines while perfecting the art of tearing off the end of the honeysuckle and tasting the sweet nectar with friends until the sun went down.