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Challenge accepted: Learn something new every day, if possible

Viva Sarah Press

Dec 3, 2019
1 min

Challenge accepted: Learn something new every day, if possible

I read. A lot. Maybe too much. Not just books. Articles. Research papers. Websites. Whatever topic jumps out at me. I'm reading it. I am interested. In pretty much everything. I love the challenge of not knowing how to do something. I read to learn and teach myself how to do it. Or, I’ll take a course. Sometimes I’ll even master it. Usually, I’ll just understand it. Or, part of it. And then I’ll repeat. Look for something new to learn. To read about. To understand. I truly be

How can we know about an innovation if we don't know its story?

Viva Sarah Press

Nov 24, 2019
1 min

How can we know about an innovation if we don't know its story?

Every day, brainstormers come up with awe-inspiring ideas. These ideas are twisted and twirled, shaken and stirred. When the idea is ready, it is launched to the next phase. The idea may become an innovation. The innovation may change the way we do things. Or, the way we could do things. How will we know about an innovation if we don't know its story? Someone needs to find out about this new way of doing something. And that someone needs to tell about it in a fun and creative

Innovation stories with the Wisconsin State Assembly

Viva Sarah Press

Nov 19, 2019
1 min

Innovation stories with the Wisconsin State Assembly

Talking about innovation from my journalistic point of view means talking about crazy ideas before they become global solutions. Which company deserves “oddball news” status? Which entrepreneur is turning failure into success? Which company is taking one kind of technology and using it for a completely different purpose? What is education like in Israel today? I bring my kids into the conversation -- all three of them are studying in completely different tracks. One is in pub

Have you ever got a social media cold shoulder?

Viva Sarah Press

Nov 17, 2019
3 min

Have you ever got a social media cold shoulder?

At first, I couldn’t figure it out. Two completely different people, who used to like my posts, suddenly stopped liking them. It’s not that I write to garner likes. I write because I like to write. I write because I have millions of ideas swirling in my brain and writing is a great outlet. I write because it is how I breathe. And I write a blog (two, actually) because it is my business card as a journalist and speaker. I hope the writing that I share (there are many more docu

Should freelancers work with friends?

Viva Sarah Press

Nov 10, 2019
3 min

Should freelancers work with friends?

A friend of a friend emailed me a request to ghostwrite a blog for a company she represents. In the email, there was a deadline, word count and the amount she would pay me. Another friend sent me a Whatsapp message to check if I could help with a few lines of text. She requested an urgent turnaround and noted I should charge my regular hourly rate. This blog is a virtual high-five to these friends – and others – who pay me for my work. On time. And without making things awkwa

What's your pick? Face-to-Face vs. Digital communication

Viva Sarah Press

Oct 23, 2019
2 min

What's your pick? Face-to-Face vs. Digital communication

Call me old school, but I always prefer face-to-face conversation. Having worked in the world of communications for over two decades, I adapt and use digital technologies as they come along – especially email, texting and social media. Yet, I’m still a bigger fan of face-to-face communication. I work from home as a freelancer and I rely heavily on digital tools. I spend hours online -- networking, conversing and reading. There are pros and cons for digital communication as we

“The” startup nation? Or, “a” startup nation?

Viva Sarah Press

Oct 22, 2019
1 min

“The” startup nation? Or, “a” startup nation?

Is Israel “the” startup nation or “a” startup nation? I’ve always preferred the term Innovation Nation to Startup Nation. But then, it doesn’t really matter what I prefer. Israel is known as the Startup Nation thanks to the 2009 book that turned the world’s attention to the phenomenal innovation happening here. So, I could argue the name but that’s not the point. The question is simple: is it correct to call Israel “the” startup nation? On the one hand, this country absolutel

Stories of this innovation nation: boastful vs. factual

Viva Sarah Press

Oct 15, 2019
1 min

Stories of this innovation nation: boastful vs. factual

At the end of this month, I’ve been asked to give a talk on Israel's reputation in the realm of innovation. Is this country’s moniker as a startup nation boastful hot-air or factual reality? This is the country out of which amazing innovations have changed –and are changing – the way we do things. The stories of Israeli entrepreneurship are remarkable! But the startup culture doesn’t spread to all parts of this tiny land. If 77% of the startups are located at the center (Tel

Juggling my worlds: Journalist - Social Clown

Viva Sarah Press

Sep 19, 2019
2 min

Juggling my worlds: Journalist - Social Clown

For the past five years, I’ve focused my public speaking on the innovation stories I’ve covered as a journalist. I love speaking to groups about the Israel of today: a tiny country out in the Middle East and yet one of the most important sources of pioneering ideas for the world. As a journalist and speaker, I take the role of storyteller seriously. That’s not to say my talks are solely serious-minded. I’ve always included humor in what I do. I inherited a healthy dose of sar

A side thought or a great idea?

Viva Sarah Press

Sep 15, 2019
1 min

A side thought or a great idea?

I love finding out where a startup’s great idea has come from. Why didn’t someone else come up with the idea sooner? What made the founders of a startup think of this solution or that? Often, it is one idea that leads to a groundbreaking concept. I recently interviewed a company about a car-tech solution. A brilliantly simple solution. But not really that simple, if you think about it. Their idea was actually a side thought. This is a message I like to put to students: where

Splitting my personalities

Viva Sarah Press

May 19, 2019
1 min

Splitting my personalities

It was bound to happen. My journalist, public speaker and educational clown personalities were all vying for space on this blog. My work as a journalist and public speaker work in harmony. They complement one another. So, they get to keep this blog space. Oshi, my clown alter ego, was politely urged to set off on her own social media course. As such, this blog will now host (mostly) posts on innovation, creativity, ingenuity and how they all connect. I'm sure an educational c

Israel at 71: Interview on chutzpah, innovation and creativity

Viva Sarah Press

May 8, 2019
1 min

Israel at 71: Interview on chutzpah, innovation and creativity

In honor of Israel's Independence Day, I was asked some questions about the country's phenomenal innovation and creative culture. Speaking to groups about Israeli ingenuity is a mission I've set for myself: To share modern day stories of this country and its people. The innovation in Israel really is great. But you need to know about the people who live here to understand why this is so. Please follow this link to the interview I gave. #Jewishspeaker #journalistspeaker #Is

Lucky to do what I love (aka multiple careers at once)

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 24, 2019
2 min

Lucky to do what I love (aka multiple careers at once)

“You’re so lucky. You get to do what you love,” a mother from my son’s class recently told me. We were sitting on beach chairs, finishing off our picnic lunch. I sat in my chair. I listened to what she had to say. “Yes, I am lucky,” I agreed. “It took me a long time to get here, but I’m here.” Here is being an independent/freelancer. Here is being a journalist, educational clown, speaker and content writer/editor. Here is doing more than one type of work. Being creative in wh

What role do women play in Israeli innovation?

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 3, 2019
2 min

What role do women play in Israeli innovation?

I am a speaker on the culture of innovation and creativity in Israel. I also happen to be a woman, who speaks on these issues. And so in February 2018, when the JFNA National Women’s Philanthropy requested a talk with women at its focus, I jumped on the opportunity. What fun to talk about the amazing women making a difference in Israel’s business and innovation areas. Every talk I give is unique and tailor-made for the group that has invited me. I looked through the hundreds

Oshi! You’re in the school newspaper!

Viva Sarah Press

Feb 5, 2019
2 min

Oshi! You’re in the school newspaper!

As soon as the kids saw me walking towards the school gate, they screamed my clown name: “Oshi! Oshi!” They had big news to share with me: I was in their school newspaper. It was great excitement for them that Leepa and I (we split days as educational clowns at this school) made it into the school magazine. Before I had time to even walk up the steps to enter the front door of the school, a girl was already pulling my hand to come meet the writer of the few sentences that had

On the podium as an educational clown

Viva Sarah Press

Jan 24, 2019
2 min

On the podium as an educational clown

So, there I was, moderating and speaking on a panel about innovation at the International Lion of Judah Conference in Hollywood, Florida and my fellow panelists and I knew that the last topic I was going to introduce could be a hit or miss with the audience. I regularly give talks about innovation and creativity taking place in Israel and how it benefits the global community. But this time, I was asked to talk about the personal innovation in my life. That meant that my educa

A talk on creativity for ages 8-100

Viva Sarah Press

Dec 23, 2018
2 min

A talk on creativity for ages 8-100

The eight-year-old was the youngest attendee at a talk I gave today. There were also a bunch of tweens and teenagers in the audience, as well as their parents and grandparents. These mixed generation audiences are always fun and distinctive. After all, many of the groups that invite me to speak are uniform in age or profession. Earlier this month, I spoke to a synagogue group from Santa Barbara (ages 50-80). Last month, I addressed a group of business folks. The inter-generat

I want to do that: Therapeutic clowning

Viva Sarah Press

Nov 14, 2018
3 min

I want to do that: Therapeutic clowning

Therapeutic clowning has fascinated me for years. As a journalist, I have the good fortune of meeting people from all walks of life. Every time I interviewed a therapeutic clown, I left the interview thinking, “I want to do that.” I first met medical clowns when I was a print journalist, early in my career. I would meet them again as a television correspondent, then as a radio host, and again, years later, as an online news editor. There was something about this art form that

A chat about reporting on the creative culture in Israel

Viva Sarah Press

Nov 1, 2018
1 min

A chat about reporting on the creative culture in Israel

Started the morning with a chat about what it's like to Report on the Innovation and Creative Culture in Israel with a visiting delegation of prominent military and business leaders from the US. The visiting VIPs were brought to Israel by Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) organization. We looked at how journalism has changed, how innovation has become more accessible and why Israel is a good place to look for new ideas. I talked about the importance of Innovation Journa

Cannabis, cars and collaboration

Viva Sarah Press

Jul 12, 2018
1 min

Cannabis, cars and collaboration

I gave two talks this week to college students from the US (now visiting Israel). The first talk was an abridged version of why Israel is known as the Startup Nation. The second talk looked at why Israel could actually be dubbed the Adaptive Nation. My talks are never about the specific technologies or algorithms being created. Instead, I love sharing the behind-the-scenes stories of how something came about. I connect the dots and show how one innovation leads to another;