In our episode finale, we say goodbye to our three friends from this season: Aitor Rubio, Marley Tinnock, and Victor Ladele.
The world has changed since we launched our podcast, especially in how we work, how we communicate, and how we connect. We wrap up this season by saying goodbye to Aitor, Marley, and Victor, while reflecting on what being a human at UNDP means and what we have learned about digital communications' role in our work lives.
Elyse:
Welcome to our final episode of Humans of UNDP: a podcast where we get to know fellow colleagues and where we explore how we connect and communicate in the digital age. Today co-producer, Oscar Durand, and I are saying goodbye to three of our friends from this season: Aitor Rubio, the charismatic photographer whose often cooking up a storm for his family, Marley Tinnock, the down to earth animal lover and writer whose never at a loss for words, and Victor, the man from the future, who promised us those lottery numbers when we first interviewed him. Victor, we’re still waiting…
Oscar:
Si. Hello, Aitor. How are you?
Aitor:
Very good. I was about to write you guys.
Marley:
Hi Oscar. I’m good. I’m good. How are you?
Elyse:
So, how’s it going Victor?
Oscar:
So, where are you right now?
Victor:
Pretty good. Can’t complain.
Elyse:
It's been a while eh?
Marley:
It has and you know, wild times so I'm sure plenty has happened.
Victor:
I told you I was traveling. Actually, I’m still a bit jet lagged.
Marley:
It’s very hot. And it’s getting hotter.But that's the summer here. So we've had some dust storms the last few days. You can barely walk in. It makes your eyes water.
Aitor:
My two kids just came back from summer camp. So we're just here in the living room waiting for the call.
Elyse:
Okay, so given how much the world has changed since we all first met, we thought we would wrap up this season reflecting on what being a human at UNDP means and what we have learned about digital communications in our work lives. Even if everything feels like it’s at a bit of a standstill, life goes on and feels busier than ever for us at UNDP. I mean, some days I’m not sure if we are all working from home or living at work? But one home I wouldn’t mind working out of is Aitor Rubio’s in Copenhagen…., you’d probably find me in the kitchen…
Aitor:
Ah well for dinner tonight I am probably going to do green beans. You know like I just fry some onions, I just drop the green beans and add a little bit of ham or bacon. And that’s it. Something nice, easy and healthy. Even though with that I am probably going to need to fight it with my kids, but anyways.
Elyse:
And today we were actually lucky enough to meet them….
Gael:
My name is Gael.
Aitor:
Good.
Gael:
I’m nine years old.
Luca:
Hi. Luca.
Aitor:
Luca! And you are how old?
Luca:
Six.
Elyse:
If your dad had a superpower, what would it be?
Gael:
To be a dad.
Aitor:
That’s the best answer. To be a dad. That’s a superpower you know. It’s very demanding and challenging.
Elyse:
It’s been very fun getting to know your dad. We are big fans of your dad.
Aitor:
Big fans of me? Because you know like they think that I do big things, but it’s not.
Elyse:
Actually, Aitor’s really good at a lot of things, not just his job at UNDP, where he’s working to find the best talent out there to join our organization and respond to UNDP’s mission.
Aitor:
I like to think of UNDP as people used to think of you know NASA in the 60s and all that. We're going to be dealing, from UNDP, I think, with the biggest challenges that the planet is gonna face in the next 20 to 30 years. And we're gonna be at the forefront of that battle. For example, all the economic and social impact that the pandemic is gonna have in so many places, and UNDP is already working on it. I go to bed after working all day, and it's like, "Nice. I like to be here. I like to be doing this."
Elyse:
And so we asked Aitor, in his first year and a half of working for UNDP, what stood out to him the most?
Aitor:
And I have to say that what has surprised me the most is probably the people that I am working with. Not only because I learn on a daily basis from them on many, many, many things, but also because I see their degree of commitment you know, with their work and the organization and the mision. You feel totally like I am in the right place. I’m very happy sharing space and sharing work with the colleagues I have.
Elyse:
But of course, working from home has its challenges, especially for someone like Aitor, whose job is all about fostering relationships through personal connection.
Aitor:
Haha, I'm also from Spain, so I'm a very social person. And besides work, I need also like the physical contact and connection with people. I mean it’s fine you know to work from home. But ah more like a mix, because the human component for me is key you know in the work that I do and in my relationships with my colleagues and all that.
Elyse:
And so Aitor expressed how essential it is for us humans at UNDP to invest in ways that we come to know one another -- and that doing so, actually makes us better communicators.
Aitor:
I think that at the end of the day, you know, one that I think we're not communicating as well as we should, you know, the UN as a whole… how is the people working here? You know, what do we do on a daily basis, when it comes to the details of you know who we are. And one of the things that we are embarking on is, you know, releasing this new employer branding proposal to put UNDP as an employer of choice. So I think it's key to compliment all the message that we are gonna be sending out there to attract this talent to have for a series, for example, a podcast, and to really discover you know who is the people working at UNDP, what they think, what they do, you know how they are.
Elyse:
And if Aitor had one message for his colleagues in digital communications, it would be:
Aitor:
Keep being as real as possible. Keep being authentic. I think that is what people value at the end of the day. It is the authenticity of your message. The authenticity of who you are.
Elyse:
Real talk. What Aitor says really resonates so much with me. But channeling that authenticity when communicating your message can be really tricky, especially when your job is to tell other people’s stories… and that’s what our colleague Marley Tinnock has been up to in Kurdistan, Iraq. Although Marely prefers to stick to her vegemite toast, like Aitor, she does enjoy photography! We caught up with her and Peanut, the puppy she’s been raising, from her apartment in Erbil. And although the passage of time is hard to measure in quarantine, one way to keep track of things is by checking on Peanut’s growth.
Marley:
So he's quadrupled in size in the last few months. And the apartment is looking smaller every day because he's growing so big. But he definitely still keeps me busy and definitely puts a smile on my face every day.
Elyse:
So, as we were catching up, we asked Marley how she’s been adjusting to communicating in this new digital world?
Marley:
So I think for me it's been a lesson in patience and also a lesson in trying to learn as much as I can so that when I am trying to articulate myself, I'm coming from an informed place.
Elyse:
And when it comes to publishing stories online, she knows people get easily fatigued by the news, especially when everything is digital during the pandemic. So now Marley is asking herself...
Marley:
How can we tell stories that are inspirational and maybe from a new angle so that people don't fatigue when they look at what UNDP is doing here? So we're really in it in an interesting time and space where we are given the opportunity to become real innovators when it comes to digital communications. And that's a continuing journey and a process that is changing on a daily basis, really. At this point in time, solidarity is the most important thing. And digital communications can be a tool effectively used to bring people together in solidarity without risking safety and health. It's all about adaptation and flexibility at this point and trying to make a safe space and inspiring space for people here in Iraq online.
Elyse:
And although creating that solitary in a digital space is hard, Marley has been experimenting with new ways to engage people across various platforms. And so, we asked Marley how effective she thinks a podcast like this one has been for her professionally and personally in this digital landscape.
Marley:
It was really cool to be able to share a piece of my experience in my story with people, both friends and family, that weren't necessarily, I would say, familiar with exactly the scope of work that I do and what I'm trying to achieve professionally. Some of my close friends that actually work in the same sector, you know, humanitarians, whether it is for NGOs or the UN, actually were able to come and say, oh, that's really cool. You know, that you're actually doing these things. When communications, I think, is still something that is very much undervalued and underestimated.
You know when you listen to yourself back, you do sometimes come to the realization that, hey, maybe my heart is so much more into this than you often realize. And so I think that it's mind opening from an introspective standpoint, but also for those listening to really get a sense of the power and impact of effective communications and the passion and the skill that comes with the people that work in that space.
Elyse:
And luckily, by keeping her mind open, Marley remains optimistic about her work with UNDP. Even though our efforts can feel less impactful when we are all working from home, Marley says that she still feels inspired every day. That working for UNDP means…
Marley:
It means having something every day that motivates me to put my head down and to get things done. I am surrounded by people that I can genuinely say are committed to doing the best they can for the right reasons. And living in Iraq, we don't we didn't choose to be here for you know, the definitely not for the summer heat. But we choose to be here because, you know, we're given an opportunity to communicate about something meaningful and to try and inspire change. And that's not something we come ready to do. It's something that we learn and it's something we're constantly challenged by and have to adapt to. But if we don't have an organization with people around that, with the right intentions and with the right motivation then that can often feel like am I talking into a void? But I am lucky to have a supervisor who supports me. I'm lucky to have talented communicators around me and all connecting and staying connected and inspiring one another. That's what I think UNDP is about. UNDP is its people. We're very lucky that we're able to identify people that are strong communicators, strong in the technical fields and that have great results, but also flexible, willing to learn and willing to adapt.
Elyse:
And like Aitor, Marley has a message she wanted to share with her colleagues:
Marley:
I would like to say that I'm grateful for the opportunities that I am given by the organization, but also the trust and value that's placed in me as an individual to be able to do the kind of work that I do to be flexible, to innovate, to write stories that mean something to me that I can see could potentially be something great. And we're not always right. We're human. So sometimes things don't always go that way. But trusting and valuing your skills and your knowledge, and giving you a chance to learn and to grow knowing that you have the right motivation. And that's the kind of space that's been provided. And that gives us purpose and intention every day.
Elyse:
I couldn’t agree more with Marley. And speaking of motivation… that brings us to one of the most ambitious individuals I’ve ever crossed paths with, Victor Ladele. Remember Victor, who you met in our third episode, and how when he asked him about his day, he sent us an excel spreadsheet of his hourly activities logged by the hour with attached audio clips? So this time, we caught up with Victor shortly after he made the trip all the way from the UNDP Innovation Lab in Fiji to his family in Oklahoma city…. and I am almost positive nobody except Victor has ever made that exact journey before. So, Victor you get the prize. Which in this case, considering your jet lag, is a few more hours of sleep. And you know? It’s been a hard time for Victor. Given the pandemic’s travel restrictions, the last time we talked, it had been the longest time that Victor had gone without seeing his wife and three young boys, who you’ll meet in a bit.
Victor:
Yeah, it was a bit of an anxious time. When I'm just I really couldn't see for so long. Many things happened in my absence and then the kids being out of school. Now it’s a bit more challenging having to deal with them at home and me not being here and worrying about everything is unfolding here, especially with the background of an epidemic going on. Yeah, anxious times, but very joyful when we met last weekend, to see face to face for the first time in a long time. It was good. Felt good.
Elyse:
I can only imagine how wonderful that must feel -- especially given how Victor is used to putting his own needs and feelings aside in order to get through whatever he’s facing. So, it was interesting to hear Victor’s reflection when we asked him about his experience being a part of the podcast and his response to some of the reactions he received.
Victor:
I shared it on my online platforms, and I realized that the fact that what connected me with a lot of people were the personal stories. So I found that a bit interesting that the personal stories were things that people reacted to the most.
Elyse:
It was interesting to hear Victor’s reflection when we asked him about his experience being part of the podcast and his response to some of the reactions he received.
Victor:
One example is the question you asked me, which was actually very emotional for me, when you asked how I was coping? Working so far away from home. I think I remember sharing the contrast between my past experiences working away from the family before digital tools were more widespread as now. And how it’s easier now because I have some of the tools that can alleviate some of the pressures of working away from the family. We have Facetime, we have Zoom. Mobile phone penetration is a lot better now. So regardless of where I am on Earth, I can still, in some shape or form, reach my loved ones and try to solve their problems. So, yeah, it's been a great experience and I hope that by working together we are of value to listeners of the podcast.
Elyse:
And Victor said he was also surprised by how much participating in the podcast made him realize just how essential digital communication tools have been for him given how far he is away from his family in the US and in Nigeria.
Victor:
These are very upsetting times for sure, but it’s also very clear that this is a time of great opportunity, growing up, anxiety or a lot of those emotions that you expected to feel. And I feel anxious a lot. I feel scared and uncertain. I mean, it's not like my faith or my optimism is with me one hundred percent of the time. But like you said, I think it's just something that eventually I land on after I pass through periods of anxiety and worry and like "do I just give up on all of that". Over the years my experience has been that the trajectory is moving forward. The reason why I can stay optimistic, is because I have found a way to get to inspiration as frequently as I can.
Elyse:
And we hope so too. Getting to know Victor while producing this podcast has certainty made me feel more optimistic about the future. As Victor reminded us, change doesn’t necessarily have to be scary.
Victor:
We’re all working for the same organization that’s a global network that has the same goals. So we are all moving in the same direction towards a goal, a lofty ideal. It’s a cause that’s bigger than any of us.
Elyse:
And that inspiration is contagious. It’s the spirit behind Victor’s innovation and that pulse that unites us at UNDP. And given the scale of the challenges we are facing and the goals we are pursuing, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. All the reason why it’s so good to enjoy some down to earth moments with our loved ones too. And that brings us to the moment I’ve been waiting for… meeting Victor’s sons. He has three sons, but you’ll only hear from two of them because his youngest is only two years old.
Vitor:
I want to introduce you to these wonderful human beings. My two sons.
Kids:
I like my daddy. I like to be kind. That’s all. I like basketball, soccer, XBox, to run around. My spirit animal is an eagle.
Elyse:
So what’s your favorite thing to do with your dad when he’s home.
Kids:
Well, my favorite thing to do is travel, but whenever he’s home is explore Oklahoma.
Me? Being with him.
Elyse:
So what’s your favorite thing about your daddy?
Kids:
He’s the best daddy in the world. Because he’s nice. Kind and everything. Dance. He kind of dances like a jellyfish.
Oscar:
It’s very nice to hear your voices. Your dad has told us a lot about you, so it’s great to have these special guests. You.
Kids:
I have a question.
Elyse:
Mmm-hhm?
Oscar:
Go ahead.
Kids:
Is this going for the whole world?
Elyse:
Yeah, this is for the whole world.
Kids:
Good.
Oscar:
I would say this is one of the highlights of the podcast for me.
Elyse:
Me too. Me too. They can come on anytime. So.
Victor:
Well, thanks so much.
Elyse:
Thank you so much, Victor.
Oscar:
Thank you so much. Take care, bye-bye.
Elyse:
Bye
Oscar:
Bye
Victor and kids:
Bye
Elyse:
This episode of Humans of UNDP is produced by Oscar Durand and myself. Our theme music is by Lemon Guo, additional music by Chris Zabriskie. Sound design by myself. Special thanks to Aitor, Marley and Victor for sharing their time, story, and sounds with us. To listen and subscribe, go to wherever you find your podcasts or DigitalNow dot UNDP dot org.
I’m Elyse Blennerhassett. Take Care.