As female business owners, entrepreneurs, and executives, its refreshing to hear that what we already know will allow us to be successful leaders.

Check out what Carrie Hindmarsh, CEO of M&C Saatchi Group’s advertising agency, has to say…

http://blogs.wsj.com/source/2012/04/17/five-lessons-about-women-in-business/?KEYWORDS=five+lessons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HSEgaming

GQ decided to rate the best blocks in the country–and Tadpole’s HQ Main Street, Abbot Kinney, was voted on as the “coolest block in America”.

It is hipster village around here…but we’ll take it…

It isn’t every day that LA city councilman Bill Rosendahl tweets a link from the lad mag GQ, but don’t worry — this wasn’t another episode of elected officials behaving badly.

Instead, the West LA rep was crowing over Abbot Kinney’s recent distinction as the “Coolest Block in America” — so named byGQ in its April issue.

We have to admit it took us by surprise. The coolest block? In the entire country? What about U Street in Washington DC, home to an Ethiopian restaurant row and the heart of a historic black neighborhood, or Frenchmen Street in New Orleans — an avenue lined with jazz clubs and dance bars?

This kind of reminds us of the time GQ named Los Angeles the smelliest city on the planet – we’re dubious, but we’ll take it! Plus, we have to agree with GQ when they say “people who live in Venice are cooler than those of us who just visit.”

And while money doesn’t buy you style, almost everything from the magazine’s “Style Bible” can be purchased at these Abbot Kinney stores (vintage Rolex watches and rare Japanese sneakers, anyone?).

Shopfronts given a shoutout include Bazar, A+R, Jack Spade, Aviator Nation,Waraku, Guild, Alternative Apparel, Surfing Cowboys, Steven Alan Annex and The Stronghold.

As for those who want to drop cash on some homemade and local goodies, LAist points out that Abbot Kinney will soon be hosting The Venice Meet on April 7, an open-air market featuring 30 LA-based vendors.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/gqs-coolest-block-in-amer_n_1370371.html?ref=los-angeles

The traditional setup of school classrooms—straight rows of desks with accompanying chairs—doesn’t do much to foster creativity or collaboration. Many experts have proposed redesigning classroom furniture, but a Swedish school system wants to take things a step further. Vittra, which operates 30 schools in Sweden, is seeking to ensure learning takes place everywhere on campus by eliminating classrooms altogether.

The newest Vittra school, Telefonplan, opened its doors last August. Designed by architecture firm Rosan Bosch, the Stockholm-area campus seems more like a creative space you’d find at Google or Pixar than a school at all. Students can work independently on their laptops while lounging on one of the “sitting islands” in the photo above. If they need to collaborate with their peers on a project, they can take advantage of spaces like “the village”—a tiny house for group work—or the more open “organic conversation furniture” pictured below.

Jannie Jeppesen, the principal of Vittra Telefonplan writes on the school’s website that the design is intended to stimulate “children’s curiosity and creativity” and offer them opportunities for both collaborative and independent time. Vittra doesn’t award traditional grades, either—students are taught in groups according to level—so maximizing diverse teaching and learning situations is a priority.

The open nature of the campus and the unusual furniture arrangements reflect the school’s philosophy that “children play and learn on the basis of their needs, curiosity, and inclination.” That’s true for kids all over the world, so let’s hope educators in other countries begin to pay attention.

]]> http://tadpolemarketing.com/2012/01/is-swedens-classroom-free-school-the-future-of-learning/feed/ 0 http://tadpolemarketing.com/2012/01/spring-2012-mentor-trainings/ http://tadpolemarketing.com/2012/01/spring-2012-mentor-trainings/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:46:27 +0000 Jen http://tadpolemarketing.com/?p=5059

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Spring Mentor Trainings and School Placement: Here’s What to Do The moment has arrived. Here’s the schedule for Spring Mentor Trainings and school placement. If you have mentored in the past or have already attended a training session, hang tight, you will hear from us and/or your head mentor soon. Trainings for new mentors, and anyone who has not attended a training session, will be held on the following dates and last about 1 hour (please note the NEW TRAINING LOCATION): Saturday Jan. 28  @ 11AM Wednesday, Feb. 1 @ 5PM Sunday, Feb. 12 @ 11AM at Art of Acting Studio 1017 N. Orange Drive LA 90038 (south of Santa Monica, in the Orange Square Business Complex. Please be respectful of reserved parking spaces.) Please RSVP HERE to and let us know which training you’ll be attending. Trainings are mandatory for all mentors. Those who attend trainings will be placed in schools on a first come, first served basis. If you have not done so already, you should fill out our online mentor application on our website, or download a hard copy to complete and bring with you. See you then!

Today, January 19, 2012, our community lost an icon. Sarah Burke, freeskiing pioneer, six-time X Games gold medalist and beloved wife, daughter, aunt and friend passed away. Sarah was truly a legendary athlete, role model and an inspiration. She was everything so many of us aspire to be. Sarah brought worldwide recognition and validation to the sport she so loved. Every ski athlete chosen to represent his or her country at the 2014 Sochi Olympics will feel her influence. Without her, the sport of freeskiing would not be included.

Sarah is a pioneer of her generation. Her life and legacy embody the defining spirit of action sports; a movement of individuals driven to innovate, master and explore the frontier of physical possibility. Sarah’s love of skiing took her life to amazing places. Her accomplishments on skis continue to inspire girls everywhere to believe in themselves and follow their hearts. Her passing is not a cause to pack up our skis, but rather a reason to step-in and ski for Sarah and the dreams that inspired her star to shine.
Sarah did so much for females and winter sports during her time with us; now we are asking for your help.

Sarah leaves behind her beloved husband Rory, loving parents Jan and Gordon and her supportive sister Anna. Please consider helping them cover the enormous cost of Sarah’s recent medical care and to provide for other arrangements by donating. Your support in their greatest time of need will be gratefully appreciated and forever remembered. We encourage you to share this link with others who have been touched by Sarah.www.giveforward.com/sarahburke

]]> http://tadpolemarketing.com/2012/01/kusewera-benefit-concert/feed/ 0 http://tadpolemarketing.com/2012/01/the-coffee-shop-where-everyone-pays-for-everyone-elses-drinks/ http://tadpolemarketing.com/2012/01/the-coffee-shop-where-everyone-pays-for-everyone-elses-drinks/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:17:52 +0000 Natasha http://tadpolemarketing.com/?p=5047

The main conceit of the 2000 Kevin Spacey film Pay It Forward is that if one person does a kindness for three strangers, and those three people each do kindnesses for three strangers, and so on, one person can change the world. Rarely do we see this acted out in the real world the way it was cinematically—one scene finds a man giving away his brand-new Jaguar to a guy having car troubles—but on a smaller scale, these sorts of random niceties happen far more often than you might think. Today, it’s selflessness at a small coffee house in Bluffton, South Carolina.

It all started two years ago at Corner Perk, a small, locally owned coffee shop, when a customer paid her bill and left $100 extra, saying she wanted to pay for everyone who ordered after her until the money ran out. The staff fulfilled her request, and the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has returned to leave other large donations every two to three months.

“People will come in and say, ‘What do you mean? I don’t understand. Are you trying to buy me a coffee today?’” the shop’s owner, Josh Cooke, told the local news. “And I say, ‘No, somebody came in 30 minutes ago and left money to pay for drinks until it runs out.’”

It took a while, but word has started to spread around the tiny coastal town, home to about 12,000 people. Now, more and more customers have been leaving money to pay for others’ food and drink. Cooke says some people don’t even buy anything when they come in; they just stop to donate and head right back out.

A medium cup of coffee at Corner Perk costs $1.95. That may not seem like a lot, but for a family struggling to save money in these tense and difficult economic times, two bucks saved at the right moment probably feels like a million. And a jolt of generosity is a better pick-me-up than caffeine any day of the week.

Ian Yolles has been working in the social impact economy for years. A long-time brand and marketing manager with tours of duty at Patagonia, Nike and the apparel company Nau, Yolles is now chief sustainability officer of Recyclebank, a clean-tech firm that partners with municipalities to promote sustainability by rewarding green behavior. Asked what lessons he would share with new social entrepreneurs, Yolles focused on the personal side of running a business, the need for perseverance, and the importance of building a team of partners who are equally passionate about your enterprise.