Romain Sepehr Vakilitabar is the founder of Pathos Labs, a non-profit laboratory focused on finding ways that media, technology, and entertainment can most effectively dismantle hatred, and create understanding and compassion across lines of difference. One such project is PopShift - which brings together Hollywood’s leading showrunners and TV writers with some of the country’s leading equity experts to imagine how entertainment can be in service of pluralism, equity, and liberation.
Whether traveling between Palestine and Israel to better understand emotional relationships to the long-lasting conflict, spending weeks voluntarily homeless to empathize with the idea of "absolute need", hitchhiking thousands of miles to test the generosity of strangers, or living with conservative rural farmers in Oklahoma to better understand cultural conservatism, Romain has found that people, no matter the differences, are more alike than they imagine. Pathos Labs was born to prove it, by using the arts to dismantle systemic "othering".
Romain was awarded the "Erase the Hate" fellowship from NBCUniversal in 2018 for his efforts to eradicate hatred in America, he is a Fellow at Stanford University, he spoke at one of the world's biggest TEDx events, has been featured in Forbes, the bestselling books 2 Billion Under 20, and Compassionate Careers, and in academic journals such as UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging.
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About Heidi
As a homegrown Coloradan with a passion for keeping the spirit of our state alive and well, I started this podcast to bring the people of Colorado together to celebrate the amazing state we call home!
Come along on this journey with me as I travel across our state in my vintage RV, interviewing folks who embody the true spirit of the Rocky Mountains. From the front range to the mile-high city, to the mountain towns and the Wild West of southern Colorado, we’ll celebrate the history, beauty, and Coloradans that make this place the colorful state it is!
Each week, you’ll meet the people trailblazing the way for an even more colorful future for us all, and who are making a huge difference along the way.
Visit heidiganahl.com to learn more about the podcast and where we are headed!
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