Dare to Dream Bigger - Defying Limits with XPRIZE CEO | Anousheh Ansari
Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais
Dr. Michael Gervais
4.6 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 23 August 2023
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Imagine being suspended in the cosmos, gazing down at Earth, experiencing a sense of freedom that transcends gravity's pull.
It’s an almost impossible task to pinpoint the most interesting thing about this week’s guest… she’s a remarkable human who’s never met a dream she didn’t turn into reality.
Anousheh Ansari is an extraordinary entrepreneur, engineer, and trailblazer who has etched her name in history as the first self-funded woman – as well as the first Iranian and Muslim woman – to journey to the International Space Station.
Anousheh’s life story reads like an adventure novel, starting with her curiosity that led her to explore the skies and ask the questions that would eventually take her beyond our planet. Born in Iran and later immigrating to the United States, her journey was marked by the Iranian Revolution, a war with Iraq, and personal challenges that shaped her unbreakable spirit.
As an engineer, Anousheh is a problem solver at heart. Her passion for tackling challenges led her to co-found and chair Prodea Systems, while also wearing the hat of CEO at the X Prize Foundation. She embodies the ethos of "action over words," emphasizing the need to not just identify problems, but to relentlessly pursue solutions towards a better future.
From training for over a year to embark on a groundbreaking space mission, to her views on failure and determination, Anousheh’s insights are a treasure trove for those seeking to unlock their potential. Her perspective on entrepreneurship, the power of passion, and the importance of surrounding oneself with a dedicated team forms the blueprint for those who aspire to make a difference.
I can’t wait for you to hear this conversation - as we delve into the mind of a true pioneer, a woman whose journey through space is an allegory for defying limits and shaping the future. From the beauty of curiosity to the weightlessness of freedom, Anousheh inspires us to embrace the unknown and dream beyond the stars.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | As long as I try something, even if I fail at it, I'm okay with myself. |
| 0:05.7 | It's when I don't try that I'm not okay with myself. |
| 0:18.5 | Okay, welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. |
| 0:23.0 | I'm your host, Dr. Michael Jervé, by trade in training a high performance psychologist. |
| 0:27.6 | And I am so excited to welcome Anusha Ansari to the podcast for this week's conversation. |
| 0:34.4 | It's almost impossible to pinpoint the most interesting thing about today's guest. |
| 0:40.8 | She's a remarkable human who's never met a dream she didn't turn into a reality. |
| 0:47.2 | She grew up in Tehran witnessing the Iranian Revolution, then immigrated to the US as a teenager, |
| 0:54.0 | where she obtained advanced degrees in engineering, and then had wild success as an entrepreneur |
| 1:00.3 | in the telecom industry. Now, she is the CEO of the X Prize Foundation, which offers large sums |
| 1:05.7 | of money as incentives to find solutions for seemingly intractable global issues, like ocean |
| 1:12.4 | health and climate change, wildfires, and pandemic response. Anusha has made history several times |
| 1:20.0 | over. Her most notable feat, however, is being the first woman of Iranian descent and the first |
| 1:26.8 | Muslim woman in space, where she spent nine days conducting science experiments on the International |
| 1:33.1 | Space Station. Anusha has said that her experience in space, which was both politicized and fraught |
| 1:40.0 | with obstacles, has given her the collaborative outlook and drive to tackle some of the world's |
| 1:46.0 | biggest challenges. I hope you'll find the same depth of inspiration as I did in this conversation, |
| 1:52.6 | specifically about how she's approaching life. So with that, let's get into this week's |
| 1:57.7 | conversation with Anusha, I'm sorry. I'm so excited to have this conversation with you. |
| 2:03.4 | It's great to be here. Thank you for first and foremost, like what you've done in your commitment |
| 2:10.3 | to help people explore and more concretely for being here today. So thank you. |
| 2:17.9 | It's a pleasure. Yeah. Okay, so I want to go back. Let's start early. You're a little girl, |
... |
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