Today, Maria talks with Ann Davis. Ann founded the non-profit "Swim 4 Success" during her first year in college in New Orleans to teach children how to swim after hurricane Katrina. Her teaching career was interrupted when she was diagnosed with brain cancer at 23-years old. After her full recovery and a short assignment as a learning coach, she moved to New York city and continued teaching in a low-income public school. Her life and work changed when she decided to found Venture with Impact, an organization offering a 30-day skills-based volunteering project for digital nomads. While they work remotely, they develop professionally, rediscover purpose, and in the process, provide a positive social impact. The mission of Venture with Impact is to expose professionals to new cultures, people and ideas so that they may be more informed and empathetic world citizens, who contribute to local communities around the world. An inspiring conversation with an entrepreneur who helps digital nomads face their fears and create social impact!
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Mentioned in this episode
https://www.idealist.org/
Venture with Impact on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturewithimpact/
Venture with Impact on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venturewithimpact/
Venture with Impact on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Venture_Impact
To contact Ann Davis: info@venturewithimpact.org
Listen to this episode and explore:
Childhood at the Lake in Wisconsin, learning to sail and a supportive learning environment (2:55)
Swim 4 Success: creating a nonprofit to teach low-income kids to swim in New Orleans (6:16)
In College: from a Business program to a flexible program in International Political Economics leaving time for learning experiences outside the classroom (10:52)
Participating in international development and travelling as a formative experience in college (13:15)
Enrolling in “Teach for America” to become a teacher (15:33)
Finding mentors and seeking support as a teacher (18:33)
Getting diagnosed with brain cancer (21:29)
Life after brain cancer (25:46)
Moving to New York city for a teaching position (28:37)
From a teacher to an entrepreneur: critical transferable skills (32:08)
Venture with Impact: who it is for and what it is for (36:10)
What Ann has learnt since starting Venture with Impact (47:50)
Ann’s superpower (50:08)
The importance of zooming out and looking at the big picture (51:09)
The future of digital nomadism: getting involved and creating an impact in local communities (52:39)
The impact Ann wants to have on the world (54:13)