Restorative Justice Without Limits with Dr. Gemma Varona

Restorative Works!

In Her Ellement

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Navigating Career Pivots and Grit with Milo’s Avni Patel Thompson 26:18

28 days ago26:18

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How do you know when it’s time to make your next big career move? With International Women’s Day around the corner, we are excited to feature Avni Patel Thompson, Founder and CEO of Milo. Avni is building technology that directly supports the often overlooked emotional and logistical labor that falls on parents—especially women. Milo is an AI assistant designed to help families manage that invisible load more efficiently. In this episode, Avni shares her journey from studying chemistry to holding leadership roles at global brands like Adidas and Starbucks, to launching her own ventures. She discusses how she approaches career transitions, the importance of unpleasant experiences, and why she’s focused on making everyday life easier for parents. [01:26] Avni's University Days and Early Career [04:36] Non-Linear Career Paths [05:16] Pursuing Steep Learning Curves [11:51] Entrepreneurship and Safety Nets [15:22] Lived Experiences and Milo [19:55] Avni’s In Her Ellement Moment [20:03] Reflections Links: Avni Patel Thompson on LinkedIn Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn Ipsos report on the future of parenting About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…

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Claire de Mézerville López welcomes Gemma Varona, Ph.D., to the Restorative Works! Podcast. Dr. Varona joins us and discusses her decades of experience researching the evolving boundaries of restorative justice, challenging the traditional limits imposed by legal frameworks. She shares her journey from academia to hands-on work with survivors of terrorism, sexual abuse, and large-scale corporate and environmental harm. She explains why punitive measures often fail to address the root causes of harm and how restorative justice offers an individualized, relational approach that centers victims' needs while fostering true accountability. Listen as Dr. Varona delves into the role of dialogue in breaking cycles of violence, the importance of institutional courage, and the urgent need for a shift in global justice systems. As countries move toward more punitive approaches, this conversation serves as a powerful reminder that restorative justice is both an act of resistance and a path to transformation. Dr. Varona is a professor of Victimology and Criminal Policy at the University of the Basque Country and a senior researcher at the Basque Institute of Criminology (Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain). In 1998 she was honored with the Junior Scholar Competition Award of the International Society of Criminology for her research on restorative justice. From 2014-17 she worked as co-director of the Master in Victimology at that University. She served as a member of the executive committee of the World Society of Victimology and now holds the position of president. She has authored books on migration and human rights, restorative justice, juries and the construction of juridical truth, women’s local safety audits, victims of terrorism, victims of sexual abuse, and evaluation of public policies. Tune in to learn more about Dr. Varona’s work and perspective on the importance of restorative justice across contexts. Hear more from Dr. Varona at the 2025 World Conference!

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#Society #Podcasting Education #Philosophy #Kim I Plyler #Claire De Mézerville López