A Reflection on Global Inspiration

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to travel through Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan—my first time visiting the Asia-Pacific region. While I’ve explored some parts of Europe, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean, this journey offered a new kind of exposure: one that reshaped how I think about technology, culture, and our shared global future.

From tasting fresh fruit at a roadside stand in Batam on a taxi driver’s recommendation, to experiencing carefully curated meals in some of the world’s most elevated dining rooms, I was reminded of the simple truth that excellence can be found anywhere. Each moment offered its own kind of richness and helped deepen my appreciation for what different places bring to the global table.

Achieve Ambitious Goals through Partnership

As someone who has spent the last 20 years in EdTech (from digital marketing and app development to higher ed transformation and workforce reskilling) I returned home feeling deeply inspired and just a bit changed. The conversations I had across these countries, many of them with technical leaders in areas like machine learning, robotics, semiconductors, fintech, and AI policy, left me reflecting not only on the future of work, but also on the partnerships and coalitions we need to achieve ambitious goals for people and society.

A more personal takeaway: I found myself asking how I stay relevant and bold in the face of such rapid innovation. Being in rooms filled with brilliant minds challenged me, in the best way, to recommit to curiosity, conversation, and collective problem-solving. It reminded me that progress isn’t linear. It’s a cycle of learning, adapting, and improving…with plenty of pivots along the way.

The roles we’re training people for today don’t exist yet

I’m currently reading The Dip by Seth Godin, which challenges readers to become the best person for a specific job at a specific moment. It talks about the extraordinary benefits of knowing when to quit and when to push just a tiny bit longer to find your breakthrough. That idea feels particularly relevant in a world where the roles we’re training people for today may not even exist tomorrow. The workforce is evolving so quickly that orienting around durable skills, mindsets, and learning agility feels more essential than ever.

On a more practical note—after flying through the airports in Singapore and Tokyo (and seeing images of Dubai’s), I may never look at MCO, ATL, LAX, LGA, JFK, or MDW the same way again. Let’s just say we have some catching up to do.

Why wonder still matters in a world of rapid change

One of the most unforgettable experiences was visiting teamLab, an immersive digital art museum in Tokyo. It felt like stepping inside pure imagination. What struck me most wasn’t just the visual beauty—it was how the experience evoked awe, wonder, and joy in every single person. Grown adults stood wide-eyed, mouths open, transfixed. It reminded me that as we grow older, we don’t often grant ourselves space to be overwhelmed by wonder. Parenting may offer glimpses through our children’s eyes, but this experience gave it back to me directly.

And it left me asking: What would happen if we protected our capacity for wonder the same way we protect our strategic plans?

This journey was a gift—personally, professionally, and philosophically. I return with new questions, fresh energy, and a deeper appreciation for what’s possible when we connect across borders, disciplines, and ideas. And maybe, most importantly, a little more imagination.

Press and Interviews

e27 Asia: Upskilling in the AI era: Why passive learning will not cut it anymore
By Anisa Menur A. Maulani | April 29, 2025 | “Upskilling initiatives should be embedded into the company’s strategic roadmap,” Hathaway says. “They must be directly applicable to business objectives and support employee mobility and retention. Without this alignment, training risks becoming irrelevant.”

Channel News Asia (CNA): Upskilling in the AI era: Why passive learning will not cut it anymore
By Cheryl Goh | March 19, 2025 | Fresh out of school and struggling to get a job? You could be lacking some skills. While technical skills are important, industry experts say many more applicants lack interpersonal proficiency. What are these, and are they innate or nurtured? Cheryl Goh talks to Jourdan Hathaway, Chief Business Officer of General Assembly – a global pioneer in tech training and talent solutions.

I’ve got Gantt charts and dashboards a’ plenty
I’ve got pivot tables and pie charts galore
CRM exports? I’ve got twenty (gazillion)
But who cares, no big deal, I wannntttt mooorrreeee (thank you business Ariel, I’ll take it from here). Side note: my daughter and I just watched the new Little Mermaid movie and I often have a hard time decoupling work life and home life

Prefaces Data with a Nice Tidy TL;DL Version

I know there are seemingly infinite data tools; I depend on so many of them. This isn’t a commentary on products or processes. I’m instead reflecting on all those business analysts and data-driven critical thinkers who know how to figure out what the punchline is – tailored to the audience receiving it. I’m fortunate to work with many such people (really good dot connectors). One of the most helpful things I get is when somebody prefaces data with a nice tidy TL;DL version that summarizes the what, why, and what to care about in a few short sentences. Pulling data is one thing; summarizing/visualizing it is another thing; telling the reader what the headline is/why it matters/what to do about it – in simple language – now that is the jackpot.

Example

Here’s the info you were asking about. When you’re ready to dive in, all the supporting data is attached. You’ll find page 3 the most helpful. “TL;DR version – The drivers of the issue appear to be A, B, and C. Don’t worry about D – it looks concerning, but it’s actually immaterial. Issue A is out of our direct control, so let’s focus on B and C which we can influence. If you’d like to impact B, consider focusing the team on thing, thing, thing. If you want to impact driver C, you’ll need a tech or labor solution that does blah.”

Let your curiosity take you to a reasonable conclusion

From here you can have a healthy debate on interpretation from different functional areas, go several clicks deeper into the data to vet/debunk, seek dissenting voices to broaden your perspective, and then – hopefully, do something different in the way you operate that addresses the pain points revealed in the data analysis – the whole point of why we all care so much about data in the first place.

Data story-telling skills aren’t just for STEM grads; it’s for arts and humanities people too

Poets, Pivots & Prose (becoming pros)….. Data storytelling is not just for people with a STEM background. Some really great data storytellers I know came from an arts and humanity background. I assume it’s because they too had a knack for critical thinking, concept articulation, crafting persuasion, and narrative framing. Plus, by its very nature, data storytelling literally requires art (it’s one of those arts & science disciplines).

Poets, pivot tables, and prose can all come 🎯 together professionally.

Making sense of complex and difficult topics is a really powerful skill in the workplace. From investment cases and business optimization memos, to M&A due diligence and operational decision making – all these strategies are shaped by effective data storytelling. So are tons of micro moments within the day-to-day of most functional areas. It’s the skill to craft the narrative by leveraging data, which is then contextualized, and presented to an audience. It utilizes not only data analysis, but also visualization, contextual analysis, and presentation.

There’s many programs available to teach these valuable skills. I’m super biased so I’ll just point you General Assembly naturally. {or talk to me about your poetry, I’m interested in that too}