UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the 11th episode of Invent Penn State’s “Dare to Disrupt” podcast, Host Ryan Newman interviews speaker, consultant, and leader Susan Robinson, who received her bachelor’s degree in health policy and administration from Penn State in 1994.
Through her corporate and conference keynote, commencement addresses, workshops, client initiatives and writing, she masterfully blends over 25 years of multi-sector leadership with her experiences being legally blind to shift thinking, elevate potential and inspire action. She has worked with global firms and Fortune 500 companies, top not-for-profit organizations, leading universities and the United Nations. Robinson presented a TED Talk in 2017 entitled “How I Fail at Being Disabled,” which has over 1.5 million views.
In this episode, Robinson talks about how she adapted to her vision impairment in her day-to-day life. She also shares the inspiration behind her TED Talk, and what the experience of being a TED Resident was like.
Listen to this interview to learn more about Susan Robinson’s journey.
At the end of each "Dare to Disrupt" episode, a current Penn State student is given the opportunity to speak with the successful Penn State alum and ask questions specific to the student’s startup and career goals. In Episode 11, Belle Peterson, a junior studying Biobehavioral Health with a minor in Global Health, joins the conversation. Peterson is the Co-Founder and Senior Health Analyst of Apoio, an electronic health record platform that works to expand psychological and psychiatric care, by streamlining the diagnostic process and identifying patients with complex medical histories. Peterson talks to Robinson about the meaning of legacy, as well as how Robinson navigates negativity and inequality in her field.
Students can apply or be nominated to be on the show here.
About "Dare to Disrupt"
"Dare to Disrupt" is a podcast from Invent Penn State about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, and the stories behind their success. The podcast is hosted by alumnus Ryan Newman, a graduate of the Smeal College of Business and a Schreyer Scholar alumnus who is now a managing director at Goldman Sachs.
Past episodes of "Dare to Disrupt" include interviews with Matt Brezina, David Rusenko and Jess Weiner.
New episodes of "Dare to Disrupt" release monthly. Learn more at invent.psu.edu/dare-to-disrupt and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play.
Invent Penn State is a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success.