The Public Service Project

• On Confidence and Family with Jose Mercado

  Jose Mercado is a U.S. national security and foreign policy expert with 30 years of U.S. government service. He's a U.S. Air Force Veteran and Diplomatic Security Special Agent, specializing in democracy, human rights, and crisis response, and recently serving as Deputy Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. He's also a father, son, husband, friend, and a true public servant at heart. Jose happily shares the twists and turns of the military and diplomatic chapters of his career, and bravely uncovers the many layers of his experience with service: uncertainty, inspiration, pressure, pride, imposter syndrome, and confidence. We talk about TV and movies, soft power and hard power, regional and functional bureaus, and so many other things. This guy's family gave him roots and wings, and this episode is a bit of a tribute to them, to him, and to public servants everywhere.

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• On Rights and Responsibilities with Dylan Lang

  Dylan Lang is a lawyer, social worker, and human rights activist with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of diplomacy, law, and social justice. Some may see these credentials and think, which is it? Lawyer? Social worker? Human rights advocate? And the answer is, exactly. Dylan has pursued his career and life with passion and vision, and each facet of his experience has improved his effectiveness in all other areas. In this episode, he talks about what it was like being out in the workplace, and having the unique privilege of advocating for the rights of LGBTQI+ persons around the world. As someone who has Zoomed with Senators, written and delivered his own remarks on the floor of the United Nations, and prioritized service in every chapter of his career, Dylan has proven himself to be a powerful advocate for human rights. And he wakes up every day seeking new, creative ways to continue the work, which he seems to view as both a privilege and a responsibility. He is a true public servant, and a gem of a human being.

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• On Trauma and Recovery with Dr. Abir Aldhalimi

  Dr. Abir Aldhalimi is a true systems thinker, who helps individuals along their path to healing after trauma, while she simultaneously works to co-create systems and structures that support better mental health and wellness for everyone. Her resume is beyond impressive (highlights below), but it pales in comparison to her wisdom and generosity as she draws from her own refugee experience and training as a clinical psychologist to guide others along their own path to healing and thriving.Dr. Aldhalimi specializes in psychotherapy and mental health policy. She's the Founder of Unknotted Mental Health, a Clinical Instructor at Yale School of Medicine, and a former Senior Mental Health Advisor for USAID. She's here to talk to us about trauma and healing, resilience, mental health policy and systems change, and so many other things.Dr. Aldhalimi's practice, Unknotted, provides innovative, integrated, and individualized mental health services to individuals and organizations. For more on Unknotted, and to access self guided resources that are especially useful for recently separated feds but also for anyone navigating change, visit the site and reach out to Dr. Aldhalimi: https://www.unknotted.com

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• On Organization and Culture with Paul Kruchowski

  Paul Kruchowski is a former senior U.S. diplomat and career member of the Senior Executive Service. In his final role at the State Department, Paul served as the Chief Operating Officer for Public Diplomacy, managing a $1.5 billion budget, and 5,000 person global organization. He's also an accomplished cellist, and in his post-government era, he's helping organizations integrate AI in a way that is people-focused, collaborative, and productive.In this episode, we talk about work life balance vs. integration; fractional work; personality and productivity; perfectionism; and what it takes to foster a healthy organizational culture. Paul also provides some unsurprisingly awesome advice for those navigating career transitions, and relays some wisdom about the efficient allocation of time and energy. He's an optimist, a pragmatist, a cellist... he's uncompromisingly honest and unfailingly kind.

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• On Innovation and Edutainment with Dr. Aubrey Paris

  Dr. Aubrey Paris is a national treasure, and that's fitting, since she is obsessed with the franchise. She's also a policy visionary (seriously), PhD scientist, author, and executive producer and creator of the award-winning podcast and community engagement series, National Treasure Hunt. You would think it would be intimidating to interview someone with this much #cred in this many areas (especially in podcasting) but if you spent 5 minutes with Aubrey, you would know that her wit and brilliance are only eclipsed by her kindness and authenticity. She is the queen of interdisciplinary thinking, a scientist who communicates and a communicator who... sciences? She's the poster child for Ursinus College and the manifestation of her parents' many defining qualities, all in one person - a realization that hit both of us on this show. She's never taken an IR or polisci class but she's out here crushing it, and not letting "it" crush her. Aubrey is a colleague turned friend, and by the end of this episode, you'll want her to be your friend, too.For more on National Treasure Hunt, including the America 250 Tour, go here: https://nthuntpodcast.com/

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