08/08/23
Ep 13 Part 1: The First Disruptors: The Generation That Ignited Movement
In this episode of “The Disruption Podcast,” hosts Michelle and Tracey sit down with two remarkable guests, Carolyn and Kathay, to delve into what it was like to be part of their generation of pioneering change. Join us as we discuss their disruptive journeys, the evolution of human rights, women’s rights then and now, and the power of community.
Carolyn Blair Brandeis is 77 years young, born in 1945. She graduated from college in 1968 when the world was transforming as anyone knew it. She taught school for 42 years, with a focus on kindergarten-age kids for a large part of her career. She started her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in Ono, California. Carolyn now lives in Napa, California, and has been a fixture of the Napa community for over 50 years. While raising two wonderful kids, she embarked on a second career in the hospitality and restaurant industry. Currently, Carolyn owns and runs Boogaloos in the Mission District and Prada 22 in the Haight, both in San Francisco, California.
Kathay Smith is 71 years young, born in 1952. She was raised as a self-described air force brat and lived in Europe during her teen years. She will tell you that she lived in 23 different countries, states, and cities over the course of 18 years. She graduated from college in 1973 and began her first career in retail as a buyer for sporting goods stores. She and her husband moved to Napa in 1977 and raised their family of 3 girls. Kathay has also been in Napa for a significant part of her life – over 46 years. Kathay describes her and her husband as the first house flippers, having purchased, lived in, and updated 9 houses in Napa over the time she’s lived there. Kathay also had a career as a schoolteacher starting in the early 90s, teaching middle school PE and third and fourth grade over her more than 20-year career. A significant impact on her life has been her experience with health concerns regarding her family – her youngest daughter was diagnosed at 2 ½ with leukemia and is now the longest-living survivor of one of the first mismatched bone marrow transplants ever done. Kathay also spent several difficult years caring for her late husband through his experience with Parkinson’s. She now spends her time traveling the world and enjoying live music.
Carolyn and Kathay share their perspectives on disruption, emphasizing how they challenged societal norms and pushed boundaries. They recount their personal experiences as disruptors throughout their lives, from activism to nurturing creativity as educators.
In this episode, we chat about:
- What Gen Z and younger generations can learn from the older generation’s experiences.
- Carolyn and Kathay highlight the resilience and the power of collective action
- Why Boomers were the original disruptors, being deeply involved in civil rights, anti-war protests, and environmental activism during the ’60s and ’70s
- The differences in human rights from the ’70s to the present day
- Kathay opens up about her personal journey protesting the Vietnam War
- The challenges around uncovering the truth amidst misinformation
- The parallels between the women’s rights movements of the ’60s and ’70s and the current state of women’s rights
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