After 50 conversations with Ampersands, host Jessica Wan sits down to answer one big question:

Why do we keep doing what we do?

It’s not easy to juggle multiple careers, identities, or passions. And yet, again and again, my guests shared the deeper forces that keep them moving forward. In this solo episode, I synthesize what I’ve learned from leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and creators who make their mark in multiple fields.

Along the way, you’ll hear anecdotes from past guests like Rich Lyons (Chancellor of UC Berkeley & Musician), Christina Wallace (Storyteller & Entrepreneur), and Craig Perry (Recovery Advocate, Guitarist & Firefighter).

Whether you call yourself a multi-hyphenate, a slashie, or an Ampersand, this episode will help you reconnect with the deeper reasons behind why you keep going.

I want to hear from you! Here’s the prompt: What’s your Ampersand, and why do you keep going? Leave me a voicemail at theampersandmanifesto.com/voicemail or email me at j@jessicawan.com.

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Come hear Jessica sing, live in Berkeley on Sunday October 5th, 2025 at 4pm. RSVP here

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Join us for The Ampersand Summit live event in San Francisco on Sunday, October 19th, 2025 from 3-6:30pm at the SF Community Music Center: Register here

This in-person event will bring together people who straddle multiple worlds to meet each other, share what we're working on, and talk openly about what it's like to lead a multi-passionate life.

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt

Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it at theampersandmanifesto.com, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

This week, Jessica speaks with Marianne Poon, Financial Advisor, Piano Teacher, and Registered Piano Technician.

The child of immigrants, Marianne grew up playing the piano and earned her diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She won third place in the national finals of the Canadian Music Competition.

Marianne studied finance and economics at the University of Toronto and built her expertise in corporate finance, where she helped manage 4 billion dollars in institutional pension funds. Along the way, she earned her CFA credential and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Today, she works as a financial advisor, piano teacher, and tunes and repairs pianos.

Marianne lives in Bethesda, Maryland, where she enjoys swimming, attending the opera, and spending time with her wife and their dog, Honey.

Learn more about Marianne at www.OnyxFN.com and www.mariannepoon.com.

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Join us for The Ampersand Summit live event in San Francisco on Sunday, October 19th, 2025 from 3-6:30pm at the SF Community Music Center: Registration + more details here

This in-person event will bring together people who straddle multiple worlds to meet each other, share what we're working on, and talk openly about what it's like to lead a multi-passionate life.

All are welcome, not just people who currently identify as Ampersands, but also aspiring Ampersands and supporters. :)

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt

Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it at theampersandmanifesto.com, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

In a special interview, Jessica speaks with her voice teacher of 20+ years, Susan Gundunas. Susan is a renowned singer and actor, voice teacher, and mom. Consistently praised for her consummate vocal talent and stage presence across the US and internationally, her notable roles include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Lucia di Lammermoor, Madama Butterfly, Violetta in La Traviata, and Carlotta in the Phantom of the Opera. A voice teacher for over 25 years, Susan has taught hundreds of students 1:1 in her private studio and at UC Berkeley, as well as in her Complete Package Performer Boot Camps. Susan studied Theatre Arts at Santa Clara University and began her career with San Jose Repertory Theatre and Opera San Jose. She is a proud mom of two boys, a stepson, and a stepdaughter.

Learn more about Susan at www.susangundunas.com and Susan’s vocal studio at www.susangundunasvocalstudio.com.

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Join us for The Ampersand Summit live event in San Francisco on Sunday, October 19th, 2025 from 3-6:30pm at the SF Community Music Center: Registration + more details here

This in-person event will bring together people who straddle multiple worlds to meet each other, share what we're working on, and talk openly about what it's like to lead a multi-passionate life.

All are welcome, not just people who currently identify as Ampersands, but also aspiring Ampersands and supporters. :)

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt

Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it at theampersandmanifesto.com, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

Jessica speaks with Emily Holland, co-founder of Wild Poppy Creative Consulting, a podcast consulting company that helps small business owners hone and increase their impact on the world. She loves spending time outside rock climbing, trail running, running ultramarathons, hiking, skiing, or just watching her rescue pup Kayda frolic in the woods. Through her work on The Stokecast she told stories of how top outdoor athletes, adventurers, and entrepreneurs build their lifestyles and careers while in pursuit of adventure, purpose, and stoke. And in her podcast Nature Untold, she explored the intersection of addiction, recovery and sobriety with the outdoor community. Emily is based in Boulder, CO with her partner and pup.

Follow Emily at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilylholland/

Learn more about Wild Poppy Creative Co at https://www.wildpoppycreativeco.com/

Learn more about Founded Outdoors, where Emily serves as Community Manager: https://foundedoutdoors.com/

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt

Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it at theampersandmanifesto.com, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

Jessica speaks with Alyssa Jarrett, a romance author and content marketer based in the San Francisco Bay Area — where the only thing funnier than working in tech is writing about it. She's currently writing and self-publishing a 5-book series of Silicon Valley rom-coms. Her latest novel, Book 3 in the series, is an Armenian bakery romance titled LOVE AND PAKLAVA. As a content marketer, she worked for a decade in B2B marketing roles for tech companies, including Rockerbox, Iterable, and Ripple. Alyssa holds a B.A. in Literature from UC Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Mass Communication and Journalism from Fresno State.

Learn more about Alyssa and find her books at https://www.alyssajarrett.com, and follow her on Substack at https://alyssajarrett.substack.com.

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt

Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

Sid Mofya, capital architect & band leader, has built a career helping founders, investors, and business leaders bridge capital and opportunity. For years, he led the Draper Venture Network, a 2.5-billion-dollar global alliance of VC firms with over 650 tech companies. Now, he runs MOTIF Africa, a boutique consultancy expanding the capital stack for African enterprises in sustainable resources, agriculture, and renewable energy. A self-taught musician and producer, he created The Flight Risks, a virtual band exploring sound and culture. They launched their EP in Sept 2024. Sid is the co-founder of the Capital and Culture Conference, a pioneering conference in his home country of Zambia that connects global capital with Africa’s creative and entrepreneurial energy.

Learn more about Sid at www.sidmofya.com and hear The Flight Risks EP at https://weareflightrisks.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-the-flight-risks-ep.

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt

Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

Dr. Janine Lee is an award-winning Learning and Development Leader with 20 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies. In her business life, she focuses on organizational effectiveness, strategy and operations, digital transformation, change management and Belonging.

She's also known to the world as JetsetJanine, a food and travel content creator who has explored over 100 countries and eaten at over 100 Michelin-starred restaurants. As a food and travel influencer, she's partnered with top brands such as Delta Airlines, Visa, Hyatt, Marriott, Four Seasons, and Cirque Du Soleil, and many others.

Janine has an MBA from UC Berkeley and a Doctorate of Education from USC. She's a certified executive coach, keynote speaker, LinkedIn Learning instructor, published best-selling author, and a Lecturer at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Learn more about Janine at janinelee.com, jetsetjanine.com, and on Instagram at @drjaninelee and @jetsetjanine.

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, I work with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it, or buy me a coffee: coff.ee/jessicawan

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt

Jessica speaks with Dr. Bree Rosenblum, Professor of Global Change Biology & Ampersand Cultivator. Bree is the Koshland Distinguished Chair for Innovative Teaching and Research at UC Berkeley, and her work has been featured broadly in the press, including the New York Times, National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, NPR, the BBC movie Endangered, and on the TEDx stage. Bree weaves her work on the biodiversity of our planet with her passion for supporting others on the journey of life as a coach, consultant, and workshop facilitator. She draws on an eclectic background as a professor, author, meditation teacher, potter, climber, roving naturalist, and art nerd. Bree received her BA from Brown University and her PhD from UC Berkeley. Her new book, "AND: The Tiny Word That Can Radically Transform Your Life" offers a personal and universal approach to cultivating an ampersand life.

Sign up for Bree's mailing list and find out about her workshops and coaching at breerose.com.

Follow Bree on Amazon to see her books AND plus the Guided Companion Journal.

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Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, I work with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.

For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.

As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.

Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠

Credits

Produced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠

Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos Schmitt