#lawvely by Bahar Ansari

Many of us are familiar with feeling stuck in our situation. Whether it’s continuing to work in a job we loathe or attending a school that is making us unhappy, the accompanying feelings of guilt, judgment, and obligation can make us believe that we have no choice but to stick it out. By taking a step back and assessing the situation you may find that you have more freedom of choice available to you than you initially thought. This week on the show we unpack the concept of freedom of choice and how modern society can make us feel unworthy of that freedom. Tuning in you’ll learn about the impact that small everyday decisions can have on the planet, how to empower yourself through distance, and why the opportunity to make a choice is the true freedom, not the choice itself! 

Today’s guest believes in the power of technology to solve the problems we face as a society and he has devoted his career to using technology to make purpose-driven learning count. For the last five years, Michael Robbins has led District of Learning, a technology-enabled ecosystem for 'any time, anywhere' learning in Washington DC, an initiative from the MacArthur Foundation. He also has experience as a senior advisor for the Obama administration, where Michael led work for the US Department of Education and the White House in community engagement and digital transformation in education. He has advised and collaborated with mayors, school superintendents, community organizers, nonprofit leaders, and corporate executives on a range of public initiatives. Today Michael joins us to explain how he believes that we can co-create solutions for our education crisis, transform learning with the power of data of ownership and technology, and come together to learn what we need for life in order to chart a better pathway for a digital society. To find out more about the decentralization of learning, how we can put power in the hands of individuals, and co-create a better future, tune in today!

The pursuit of happiness is a fundamental right guaranteed in the constitution and defined in the Declaration of Independence to freely pursue joy and live life in a way that makes you happy, as long as you act within the law. Consider rules as a frame to a painting, rather than a limitation on your freedom. Does that perspective change how you feel about rules? People make decisions for two reasons: it is either what the law requires of them, or it is what they want. People-first design is the most effective way to reach your goals. Human capital is the  most important thing, which is why setting a Human Satisfaction Threshhold is such a gamechanger. Hence the saying, happy stakeholders, happy shareholders! Join us today to hear more. 

The central dogma of AI is that it was built on the motivation that it would provide a statistical advantage at war. Even today, we benchmark AI systems against humans, juxtaposing the machine against ourselves. The problem is that if those machines set their own goals and are authoritarian by nature, this clashes with our values and democracy. It also poses an existential risk to mankind. Today’s guest, George Zarkadakis is challenging this central dogma of AI by trying to find ways where AI systems are embedded in a social contract so that they are not the “other” but are our partners. George is a science communicator, an artificial intelligence engineer, a futurist, and a digital innovation professional. He holds a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence in medicine from City, University of London and is the author of two books on the subject of AI. Today George shares his perspective on the intersection of AI and society and how it can be used for the advancement of humanity. Tuning in you’ll hear an introduction to the challenges posed to society by AI and the need for regulation. Discover how we can create some governance around artificial intelligence in order to benefit everybody in society, how the politics governing AI play out differently in the Chinese political system than in the West, and the importance of dialogue, inclusion, and having the right policies in place. To hear expert advice and opportunities for legal professionals in the area of AI, tune in today!

Though change is scary, it is also inevitable. One of the things that is changing at a rapid rate is our workforce. We don’t work on machines anymore, we work with machines now. Whether we like it or not, all companies are becoming data companies and with this, there is a rise in privacy concerns, and public confidence is at an all-time low. How do we find balance? How do we find the center? Understanding our fundamental human rights in regard to AI is critical in understanding where we go from here. If you want to be a part of the legal future of society, this season is for you. In the coming episodes, we speak to George Zarkadakis, an AI scientist, and Michael Robins, who is pioneering decentralized education with aspirations for a different web3. Catch up on the first few episodes now and tune in for this short but insightful introduction, as we prepare to delve into the important subject of human rights in the world of AI!

In today’s episode of Lawvely, you’ll hear from Banafsheh Akhlaghi, a pioneering civil and human rights attorney, educator, bestselling author, and social entrepreneur. Banafsheh started her career as a professor of constitutional law at the John F Kennedy School of Law and went on to found the National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement (NLSCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the human rights and dignity of Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian people, which emerged as one of the leading advocates for human rights for those communities in the post-9/11 era. She has also worked as a consultant for the United Nations Development Fund for Women and is the former Western Regional Director for Amnesty International, with her practice area today also including intellectual property rights and immigration defense. In this episode, she shares her passion for people and the constitution, her journey toward realizing peace in her lifetime, and why she believes that human relationships are at the center of legal systems. We also touch on how younger generations represent hope for the future, Banafsheh’s collaborative approach to constitutional law reform, consistently choosing humanity over capital, as well as intellectual property, and the role that ethical technology plays in upholding human and civil rights — plus so much more! Banafsheh also leaves us with some powerful advice when it comes to the realization of peace: do not believe anyone who tells you that it’s impossible. Make sure not to miss this conversation with inspirational author, attorney, and advocate, Banafsheh Akhlaghi.

The first step to overcoming any challenge is to understand what that challenge is. When it comes to dispute resolution, humans often get more caught up in who is at fault instead. Maybe when the world of collaboration was smaller, this helped narrow down the ‘why’ of the problem and highlight potential areas to investigate. The why of the problem, however, matters the most when we attempt to solve global human problems. This requires that both sides put their guard down and get their hands dirty in order to figure out the why and is the only way to solve the root cause of a problem rather than consistently putting a BandAid over it until it becomes an existential outcome! In today’s episode, we cover the everyday ramifications of outdated data protection rights and privacy laws as legal systems struggle to keep up with technology and how you can benefit from an upgrade in our laws to match the growing innovation in developing digital identities and digital worlds. Tune in today to learn more!

In order to build a better future for everyone, change is needed on many levels, starting with the narratives and assumptions that inform the laws and actions present in the world today. Here to talk about standing up for the oppressed, the need for a more nuanced understanding of identity, and why feminine energy should never be underestimated, is the amazing Chama Mechtaly! Chama is the founder and creative director of Moors and Saints, a Dubai-based jewelry business that produces ethical, handmade goods inspired by sacred Moorish architecture. Through her work, Chama is dedicated to promoting pluralism and female empowerment and her main focus has been on bridging gaps in divided and traumatized groups through her creative endeavors. She hopes to spread the stories of marginalized and intersectional groups in order to build a more human picture of the world and the variety of people we find in it. Tune in to hear this amazing conversation with Chama today!

In today's world, it can feel like honesty is an increasingly rare trait to come by. In order to build a better world, we need more trust in one another, which means we have to be honest. In today's episode, you will hear some important ground rules for being honest. From sharing your perspective to admitting when you are wrong, there are many things you can do to be an honest, genuine person. While it might not always be easy to be honest, it is always the right thing to do. 

The image of Iran portrayed by mainstream media is a skewed one that misses the humanity and complexity of everyday life in the country. Tara Kangarlou is an award-winning journalist, author, and humanitarian who was born in Iran, and today she joins us to talk about how she is using storytelling to set the record straight. Tara talks about moving to the US when she was a teenager, her first experiences of the culture, beliefs, and educational system, and her habit of regularly visiting her home which helped her maintain a connection to it. We hear about the pressures she faced to study law, the choice she made to pursue the humanities and the role of storytelling in getting a master's degree in journalism. After talking about how she worked hard to secure positions in the US mainstream media industry, Tara talks about how her producers were not interested in portraying the human side of Iran through news broadcasting. They only wanted to perpetuate a negative narrative and we talk about the work Tara has been doing to counteract this force. She gets into her approach to journalism and representing the stories of people who are oppressed and we hear about the trauma relief work she does through her non-profit, The Art of Hope. We also talk about Tara’s new book The Heartbeat of Iran, and her goal to weave a tapestry of life in Iran that represents the people who live there in all of their complexity. Tune in for Tara’s lucid thinking about the role of storytelling in counteracting the biased media and self-interested policymaking of global powers today.

Everyone wants to find balance in life. But, it can feel near impossible to achieve. In reality, two forces create balance: opposition and balance itself. On today’s episode of Lawvely, we explore some powerful real-life examples of how extremism leads to imbalance. We chat about why opposition is a common theme across the globe and how it has grown into the preferred way of creating balance. A striking metaphor illustrates how to maintain balance and we talk about the cost of finding balance through opposition instead of creating it through balance. We land on the idea of creating balance through love and discuss a method of creating balance in moments of crisis. The choice is yours: will you find balance through opposition or balance through balance?

When today’s guest, Evelyn Uba, first migrated to the United States from Nigeria in 1983, she dreamed of one day finishing law school and becoming a lawyer. Nearly a decade of hard work and dedication later, she recently went viral when her daughter posted a video of her jumping for joy after passing her state's bar exam. The video received over 400,000 views on Twitter and, since becoming licensed, Evelyn now plans to work with criminal defense to help give a voice to low-income and marginalized communities and hopes to inspire others to keep pushing, even when times get tough and all hope seems lost. In today’s conversation, she shares how her immigrant background has given her a different perspective, how she has overcome the limitations imposed on her because of her gender, and how she empowers her children to do the same. She also emphasizes the importance of empathy, prioritizing, and reprioritizing to accomplish your dreams, and following your heart. Tune in today!

Hey, all you Lawvely listeners! We are going through some strange and crazy times right now, with such an array of issues and problems facing us on so many levels. With all this going on it can be hard to maintain our practices of rest and reflection, but connecting with ourselves should be a priority for us all! All it takes for us to keep moving forward and transforming our lives for the better is to find small things that interest us and light our fire. Small ideas can become big dreams and these can become our reality; this process starts with curiosity and a positive attitude towards problem-solving. The best solutions are simple ones that can be tried and tested, so use your curiosity and passion to drive progress in your life and work! Life does not have to be all about the bigger picture, and when we start to engage and get busy with the things that light us up, we can find happiness in the simplest of things.

Today we are continuing on the theme of the divine feminine and are extremely lucky to be joined by founder, award-winner, leadership coach, and inspirational speaker, Cam Kashani! Cam used to be known as the Godmother of Silicon Beach, and we get to hear all about her amazing journey, full of ups and downs, which ultimately is a great lesson and example of self-love and empowerment. These days Cam is fully focussed on the authentic empowerment of women, and she brings this deep-rooted passion to her work every day. She is also the mother of two wonderful twin boys and was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the most inspirational women today! Cam holds degrees in entrepreneurship and marketing, as well as a certification as an advanced spiritual psychologist. Our conversation covers a huge amount of ground today, and we get to hear all about her belief in the power of a collective shift in energy. Cam wants to help women and create a more harmonious environment for everyone. For her, this means an atmosphere of courage and self-belief, where we can begin to unlearn certain habits that seem to hold so many people back from accessing their divine power. To hear it all, join us on Lawvely today!

Last week we had a great episode with Adele, where we spoke about conceptions of divine feminine power! We got into the history of the oppression of women along with feminine qualities in general, and why this has led to less emphasis being placed on emotions, creativity, and intuition. We see this reflected most strongly in the systems and structures of society, and these tend to be unadaptable and unadjustable. However, it seems that we, as people, are starting to realize the need for using creativity in all circumstances, and how balancing the logical with the intuitive can benefit everyone. We need a definition of success that incorporates happiness and not just material wealth, and this tide is definitely rising!

This season of the show is all about women's rights and strong feminine energy! And to kick things off we have a wonderful friend and beautiful soul on the show. Adele is a massage therapist, Reiki master-teacher, medical assistant, healer, and psychology graduate! In her massage practice, she uses a holistic and intuitive approach to facilitate healing, and considers this work to be her dream job! We have a fascinating and illuminating conversation, getting into why change is always possible, the constant evolution of life, and the power each of us has to choose who we are. Adele sheds some light on what it means to be deeply sensitive and still function in this world, touching on themes of communication, honesty, and authenticity. Our conversation also takes an interesting turn into the relationship between celebration and feelings of grief and loss, with Adele sharing her own experiences and learning around challenging times. Listeners can expect to gain some great fresh perspective on the current feminist climate and where we can all go from here, towards a better world. Tune in to hear it all, on Lawvely!

Welcome to season 2 of the Lawvely podcast, which is devoted to honoring women’s rights, feminine energy, and achieving balance within ourselves and society. Today host Bahar Ansari revisits her award-winning article on women’s rights in Iran while adding insights that she’s gained since it was first published. As Bahar unpacks her article, she explores common misconceptions about the Middle-East. Listeners will hear about incredible Iranian human rights advocates like Esha Momeni and Shirin Ebadi while also learning about the discrimination that Iranian women face under the Iranian legal system. As she explains, she aims to confront stereotypes about Iranian women and to empower these same women. Later, Bahar leaves listeners with a challenge to promote the other voice of Iran; its women. Join us to discover how you can do your part to amplify these critical voices. 

There are intrinsic links between our physical health and how we show up in the different parts of our lives. Here to share his thoughts on implementing simple and life-changing healthy practices is the wonderful Niko Crequat! In our conversation, we dive deep into the important role that a healthy body plays in a strong mind, and Niko talks about the links between these aspects of human life. We also hear from our guest about his background in the corporate space, his earlier days in France, and how he transitioned into the wellness world to better suit his outlook and dreams. Niko does an amazing job of sharing why calisthenics is such a useful tool for good health, talking about why he avoids joining a gym and the back-to-basics approach that has worked so well for him and his clients. We also spend some time discussing diet and the types of foods that serve us well, and those that do not! This chat is situated within the context of the global pandemic and these rules for a better life are more relevant than ever as we all have to increasingly take control and manage our bodies! Niko's advice for actionable exercises and goal setting is truly inspiring, so make sure to catch this great episode!

Today we sit with Lisa Yu, a tech-whizz who knows how to create companies the right way. Lisa tells us that entrepreneurship is in her blood, and shares her story of, as an immigrant child, watching her parents create a business with no credit and few resources. Before she created her own businesses though, Lisa worked for some of the largest tech companies in the world and enjoyed a particularly enriching stint at Microsoft. She continues by sharing each of her professional experiences which ultimately led to the creation of her latest business: Dream Teamers. Following this, Lisa talks about what led to the inception of Dream Teamers, as she tells us how she wanted to create a company that she could have teamed up with when she first started out as an entrepreneur. Detailing her early experiences, Lisa talks about how being the sole founder of a company was a lonely journey, and why having a community of creative thinkers would have made all the difference. As listeners will find out, Dream Teamers is a growth-mindset community of entrepreneurs and creatives who are committed to making a positive impact on the world. She expands on this and tells us about a few of the benefits of joining Dream Teamers, like networking, coaching, and accountability. To hear what these are and how they’re entwined with her professional life, be sure to join us today! 

Your body communicates with you through a variety of symptoms that appear in your mood, sleep habits, and your skin. Reading these signs correctly and responding to them in the right way can ensure the healthiest possible life. Today’s guest is Dr. Michelle Wolford, a successful naturopathic doctor who intertwines western medical training with eastern practices, plant knowledge, nutrition, movement, breathwork, and spirituality. We open the show by hearing about Michelle’s experiences with eastern medicine as an injured college athlete. She then walks us through a variety of different foods; some to be avoided, others to be supplemented, and many which should be considered. Michelle also talks about how the body is always sending out signals which hint at its needs. Listeners will then find out how people’s bodies respond in their own unique ways. Some of the negative responses can come from sensitivities or allergies in the body, which Michelle expands on. Later on in the episode, Michelle explains how you can routinely check in with yourself, and provides a series of useful introspective questions to ask. To conclude, Michelle describes what a healthy day looks like and touches on constitution, mindfulness, sleeping habits, and bowel movements. Be sure to join us today! 

Today on the Lawvely Podcast we welcome Jess Miers, a law student and national expert to talk about her expertise and opinions on the subject of internet laws and Section 230. More specifically, this relates to content moderation and free expression across spaces on the internet, and Jess really gives us an inside look at this important and burgeoning discourse. We get into the idea of technological methods for better content moderation, what online communities could possibly look like in the near future, and how, despite the policy and technology components, internet law relates mostly to human problems. Jess shares some of her history in the space and fills in the gaps about her journey to her current position at Google. She also shares some of the major challenges that are posed by this area of the legal world, citing the scaling of policies across different sized companies as a major puzzle to solve. We discuss the cultural shifts that need to still happen around trust and safety and our guest shares some great perspectives on how the implementation of the laws could be improved. So for all that and more, listen in with us today!

On today’s episode, we are going to talk about change. In our world today, we are on the brink of immense change. The season of tradition is slowly changing, like leaves falling in the fall season. So too, our experience of life is also very seasonal; sometimes we simply do not know what to expect. But nevertheless, we prepare for the many possibilities and roads that life might take us on. When it comes to seasonal changes, if we get too rigid, this change becomes painful! It is certainly a human instinct to try and dominate nature and its rules, no matter how much it keeps us on our toes. We often seem to choose to break the pattern, every chance we get. Other times we simply flow and build with it. In the end, we need to accept that change is constant and that we have to make choices to keep growing. After all, success will be determined by your personal emotions and happiness. So where do you stand? Stay tuned as we discuss all things change and what it means for our own evolution.

It is most definitely an interesting point in the history of US immigration law and to shed some light on this subject, we are joined on the show by Jacob. Our guest has managed to turn his own journey with immigration into a career in the field, and after studying and interning, he turned the experience and the lessons he learned into the expertise that he now shares with his clients. We chat about this particular moment, why it might be a good time to think about a move to the United States, and also what it is like working in immigration law right now. Jacob explains his thoughts on the systems in the country, the opportunities it affords new immigrants and the ways that cases can be approached for the most success and efficiency. Jacob is a big proponent of technology and has built his business almost solely around his online presence. He tells us about his first blog and the development of this onto other platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram, and now TikTok! He makes a strong argument for why this is an indispensable part of a law firm's work in 2020, and the way that this dynamic has been compounded by the pandemic. So for all this and more, from an energetic voice coming out of such an interesting sector of the legal world, be sure to listen in with us!

Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with Mika Newton, Bahar’s first-ever client when she became a lawyer. In the last episode, we learned a bit about Mika, who has been a professional singer in the Ukraine since she was 15. After learning what brought her and Bahar together, and hearing about her experience of the law in the US, we found out about Mika’s cancer diagnosis just last year. In this episode, we talk a bit more about her journey with ovarian cancer, and Mika shares her experience of immigrating to the US and her advice for young creatives hoping to break into the music industry. Tune in to hear how Mika tried to prove her masculine energy instead of owning her feminine energy and why she is grateful for her diagnosis, as well as her belief in the power of a positive mindset and her advice for being kinder to yourself. Listeners also receive some practical legal advice from Bahar, about balancing her logical and creative energy in a male-dominated environment and using the power of negotiation, as well as understanding the value of your intellectual property. It’s never too late to stop, reassess your life, and make a change, and Mika hopes to inspire others with her story, so make sure to tune in today to find out more about loving yourself, knowing yourself, and valuing yourself!

On the podcast today we are joined by Mika Newton, Bahar’s first-ever client when she became a lawyer. Mika has been a professional singer since she was 15 in the Ukraine and was a very popular artist in her home country. She then competed at the 2011 Eurovision Contest, in which 43 countries participated, and came in fourth out of 25 finalists. After her win and at the height of her career in Europe, she decided that she wanted to pursue her dream in the United States. While many advised against it, she followed her intuition to California and, since moving here, she has been acting, modeling, and working with some of the world’s biggest brands, such as McDonald’s and Apple. In this episode, Mika tells the story that brought her and Bahar together – and it’s stranger than you think! She also shares her experience of learning about the law, and the vast differences between the perceptions of the legal system in Ukraine versus the US. Mika and Bahar discuss their experiences of being women in the music and legal industries, and Mika laments her attitude early on in her career and describes how it felt when she was diagnosed with cancer, including how she overcame it. Her story illustrates the importance of standing up for yourself, doing your research, owning your femininity, finding a work-life balance, and listening to your body, as well as the power of positivity! Tune in today to find out more.

Is there a law of happiness that we might all be able to agree with? When we investigate the arc of human life, the one constant that we see is love, from the day we are born to the major events throughout our lives, and as we leave the world. So how do we maintain a focus on love and find ways to bring more and more of it into our everyday lives? In today's episode, Bahar offers plenty of food for thought and some very simple directives for pursuing happiness and choosing love whenever we have the chance. This means doing something we love every day and gaining an understanding of love as the essence of humanity. With this present in our minds, we cannot help but move towards happier lives and more fulfillment. Bahar lists out the central elements to this idea of a law of happiness and reminds listeners that your happiness is your own, and may be very different from someone else's! Listen in to this episode to hear it all!

Welcome to the #Lawvely podcast! This is the show where we bring you into the conversation about the synergy of love and law, with an emphasis on your happiness! To kick things off, Bahar shares her story; her roots and early years in Iran, her relocation to the US, and her path to her legal career. We are all surrounded by rules which govern our relationship to ourselves and others, they are vital to how we live our lives and achieve our dreams. Thus you have to have a grip on at least some laws in order to be happy! Studies show that only 14% of Americans are actually happy, so what contributes to this lack of satisfaction in the country? Unpacking this question, Bahar looks at how love moves us, the constant change we are all exposed to, and the negotiability of everything in our lives. The topic of creativity is central to this discussion and its development and facilitation can improve many aspects of our lives. This first episode is a rallying call to choose love and stay open-minded, attacking challenges head-on with enough patience for a solution, be sure to tune in to hear it all and subscribe for future episodes!

We are so excited to announce this brand new show, presented by Bahar Ansari! After spending time contemplating the next direction for her life, Bahar has taken the time to reinvent herself and her business in accordance with her values and purpose. This has meant really striving to live and work in the most authentic way possible. It is so important for us all to define and pursue our happiness, and one of the central parts of this comes with an understanding of the law! In a time of so much change, with an unknown future, we are the ones who get to choose the direction we take as individuals and as a community, and the #Lawvely Podcast is all about helping you do this by making the law, and your life, simpler! There is so much power in the law, and rather than being a restrictive force, we will see how empowering and freeing it can be for you and your creative business. Make sure to stay tuned for our first full episode!