Who is BeiBei Song?

“I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet.” - Anne Fadiman

I not only watch.

I dance across edges.

Official Bio

(in third person to sound less pompous)

BeiBei Song is an interdisciplinary educator, an ArtScience creative fusionist, and a certified Neuro-Leadership Coach applying brain-based methodology to the development of high-performing leaders.

She orchestrates revolutionary learning experiences through Essinova, a polymathic academy applying art-thinking, neuroscience, creative leadership, and Renaissance learning to human development and innovation. She also teaches regularly at Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education.

With 20+ years of prior corporate and entrepreneurial experience in technology, healthcare, sustainability, financial services, media, and higher education, in the U.S., China, and Europe, BeiBei brings a wealth of real-world knowledge and wisdom to her teaching and coaching, combined with cutting edge research and thought-leadership in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural learning. She has given lectures and workshops at institutions such as The Wharton School, Silicon Valley Forum, International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers, California Lawyers Association, as well as numerous corporate and entrepreneurial organizations. She is a co-author and lead editor of “Business, Open Innovation, and Art”, recently published by MDPI Books.

BeiBei Song has an M.B.A. degree from Stanford University, and a B.S. in Economics from University of International Business & Economics in Beijing. She is an Argentine tango and contemporary dancer, among other artistic dabblings.

Person behind the Bio

My Life History

Hometown: Fushun, China

Birthplace of Manchuria. Cradle and grave of Qing, the last dynasty.

Also the Coal Capital of New China, making me an environmentalist before I knew about environmentalism.

Simple, modest, but happy childhood

My parents, both teachers, deeply valued education.

They did everything possible for my sister and I to go to the best schools.

University

Admission to University of International Business and Economics took me to Beijing!

Here, with classmates in my section of the International Business major that year.

First job

Stumbled into law, as an associate to international arbitrators at China's International Chamber of Commerce.

Towards the end I passed the Bar Exam and was licensed to practice law in China, just as the practice was privatized.

America

A short term assignment to work with a law firm in New York as visiting attorney brought me to the Land of Opportunities! The law firm was in One World Trade Center.

I extended my stay to apply for graduate school in the country. One of my odd jobs to support myself while figuring out where I could get in and how to pay for tuition was performing as a clown for children's birthday parties. I also considered modeling. The first potential client was a tobacco company. Fortunately I didn't have to choose between much-needed income and saying "no" to a product I loathe, as my first choice school and a bright future beckoned in California!

Stanford

I was admitted to and graduated from one of the finest institutions in the world, with an M.B.A. degree. It was beyond my parents' wildest imaginations.

During school I co-chaired View from the Top speaker series of world leading CEOs.

First corporate job in America, post M.B.A.

Here, with Citibank colleagues in the same entering class training together (which took me back to New York briefly)

Wandering and inner discovery

Despite shiny names on my resume and trendy Silicon Valley jobs I held, I somehow lost motivation and direction.

Travels and random hobby classes for a year. Faint signals of an inner artist asserting herself.

L: top of Mount Tamalpais, where I did the painting symbolising the next 10 years of my life, to be guided by meaning and values rather than outward achievements.

R: performing tango at a bar. We got paid!