Shermin Kruse is an award-winning idea curator, global change-maker, and international business lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience in competitive strategy, complex negotiations, and dispute resolution for Fortune 500 companies and global institutions. A trusted advisor to corporate boards and community leaders alike, she also produces thought-leadership events, including TEDx conferences and salon series.

As a professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Shermin teaches Negotiation, Global Transactions, and Leadership, blending tactical empathy with practical strategy. Her journey from war-torn Tehran to global boardrooms fuels her mission to champion justice, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding. She’s also a proud mother of four, based in Chicago.

• (00:00:00) - Rashad Woods: On the Randomness of Nothing
• (00:01:26) - Stoicism and the Iranian experience
• (00:05:10) - The Courage of the Moral Police Guard
• (00:12:26) - In the Elevator With Moralists
• (00:12:49) - Adam Levine on Life Is Beautiful
• (00:18:05) - Immunity and the need for resilience
• (00:22:57) - He teaches violent kids to box
• (00:23:21) - In the Elevator With Steven Spielberg
• (00:23:52) - In the Elevator With Empathy
• (00:27:31) - Where Can People Find Sherman Cruz?