Joan’s Index

I write a bi-weekly newsletter, featuring essays on tech, humans and economics.

Founder / Writer

MODA DAO

Advisor

Flare

Director Of Communications

Fishburners

Head Of Marketing

Joan Westenberg is a seasoned writer focused on tech and economics. She was honoured as one of the top 100 innovators by the Australian. Joan has written for Wired, The Australian Financial Review, the SF Chronicle, The Saturday Paper, Chainsaw, Yahoo,  TIME, Inc, the ABC, Crikey and others. Beyond her writing, Joan is an advisor to Culture Vault and MODA DAO, fusing her technological expertise with her passion for cultural innovation. Joan has spoken at SXSW, NFTfest, Microsoft Ignite, Web Summit etc.

Joan Westenberg

Maslow

We’re chasing financial equality with a finance industry that’s owned by and advocates for billions of people.

Co-Founder & CEO

Our Kinds

I'm thrilled to join the Our Kinds team as an advisor to help end single use cups globally. I'm advising on capital raising, commercialisation, marketing and comms, PR & media and general startup watchamacallits.

Strategic Advisor

SmartCompany

Contributing Writer

The Market Herald

Home EfficientC

Strategic Advisor - Innovation & Commercialisation

Empire Equity Group Pty Ltd

Founded The Empire Club and Investr. Providing innovative investment solutions for the modern investor and helping to locate and open doors that many have trouble accessing.

Founder & CEO

Royal Military College - Duntroon

Commissioned Officer Trainee

Victoria University

Graduate Ambulance Paramedic Trainee

Chasing Financial Equality For Humanity @ Maslow. Ex Child, Ex Boyfriend, multiple exits from awkward conversations. I’m neurodiverse, queer and tend to offend the ‘not all men’ crowd 🫣

I'm committed to systems change in the largest industry on earth because it's the largest lever we can pull to improve life for billions of people. Changing who the finance industry benefits will lead to conversations humanity is currently not equipped to have today - the conversations needed if we're going to be here in 200 years time. 

“No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth”  - Plato. 

Things I've learned: 
As a Cleaner - People are messy but expect others to be clean. 
As a Waiter - Human interaction is the joy in life. 
As a Paramedic - People need healthcare, but first need society to care.
Volunteering  - People with disabilities are often holistically more able than the able bodied.
Cooking for others - Those without food are the most generous people.
Training as an Army Officer - Good leaders make themselves redundant.
Studying Psychology - people's 'why' is everything. 
Studying Law - Two wrongs can’t make a right. 
Running a Managed Fund - the finance industry is fu*ked. 
When I was poor - I learned that happiness comes from within.
As a Queer Autistic Jew - my existence offends many people.

Social media is not a place where any person has an obligation to respond to the comments of others. If you disagree with me, do so with respect and you'll receive bucketloads in return.  If I block you it's because you've been dishonest, abusive, threatening, or otherwise suggested you lack respect for me or others you engage with on this platform.

Kane Jackson

An unexpected announcement from me 😳 

I've just been told that I'm being formally stood down as the host of the Chasing Financial Equality Podcast. 

Apparently "there really is no need for another white guy podcast host".

I disagree. Completely. 

I set up Chasing Financial Equality precisely to advocate for the white men our society ignores because it's built to favour women, indigenous people, people of colour and those with disabilities.

I've been treated as if I possess everything needed to just go out tomorrow and share my perspective in any number of different ways. 

They're acting as if I already have a laptop, a podcast studio, all the recording equipment and a network of well known successful people I can tap into at any point. 

They're acting as if I've had the privilege of spending hundreds of hours developing a skill that others don't have space in life to develop. 

They're acting as if there are very few barriers in the way of me sharing my perspective.

So what if its easy for me to be heard? 

So what if I can tap into some of the world's leading voices who all kinda look like me? 

So what if I have a whatsapp inbox full of media personalities, politicians, commissioners, CEO's, investors and journalists? 

Like, do they realllly think that my perspective is heard louder because of that? 

If well-connected white men don't get to be the dominant voice in our society, I can't imagine what society will even look like. 

Apparently the podcast is going is a different direction. 

Hilary Callaghan says the show has gone all-in on an initiative to amplify the voices of young people, and to help them explore economic justice and systems change through their own perspectives, and their own questions. 

I can't imagine the questions a 18-25 year old person from a marginalised background might ask a politician or leader. 

I don't know if I'll have ever even thought about the questions. 

I don't know if the guests will have been asked them before. 

I don't know what could ever come out of those interviews.

It all seems awfully unknown, if you ask me.

Hilary Callaghan says they're looking for organisations that might want to support the show, with sponsorship, direct or indirect support, helping to buy the hosts equipment, and paying them for their work. Any organisation that aligns with lifting up more voices, not just the most dominant ones. 

Hilary tells me Maslow® is very excited to help amplify perspectives we don't factor enough into our biggest conversations. 

Me? Well I need time to heal. 

So I'm gonna hug my dog and head off to my first WGWV meeting ❤️

(White Guys Without Voices).

Chasing Financial Equality, Economic Justice & Systems Change 🌎 Former child, ex-boyfriend, multiple exits (from conversations). Big fan of the world not ending 🥰

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The Battle

Joan Westenberg

Kane Jackson

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The Battle

Joan Westenberg

Kane Jackson

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Kane Jackson's LinkedIn Performance

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