Meet Sophie Beren | Founder & CEO of The Conversationalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sophie Beren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Hi my name is Sophie and I am a unifier. No matter what I do or where I go in life, I am on a mission to bring people closer together, across differences. I’m originally from Wichita, Kansas, now living in New York city. I’m the Founder and CEO of The Conversationalist, the go-to destination to amplify Gen Z voices. The Conversationalist community, “POVz” talk show, and content platform empowers & educates young people everywhere on how to have conversations that matter. I was recently named “25 Under 25” by Social Entrepreneur’s Magazine and “21 Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021.” My social impact journey began at The University of Pennsylvania where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Leadership. I’m fiercely dedicated to breaking open echo chambers and unifying the world, one conversation at a time.

Growing up in Wichita, Kansas, I was the only Jewish student in my grade at school. I constantly felt misunderstood and largely inadequate to tackle the challenges that I so wanted to solve around me. I knew from a young age that I wanted to spend my life making an impact, but I felt that I was only allowed to be an agent of change if I was granted the permission to be one. However, I recently realized that I had a voice all along, and my voice was not conditional upon the labels others cast upon me, the anti-Semitism I experienced in my community, or the approval I so often sought out from others. I wanted to create something so that no other young person has to feel the way I felt growing up. Every. Single. Person. Has. A. Voice. and I am on a mission to instill this in Generation Z every day.

At The Conversationalist, we stands boldly in our point of view that every voice deserves to be heard, and having conversations that break open echo chambers leads to a more unified world. Without even knowing it, most of us remain stuck in our own echo chambers, preventing us from having these unifying conversations. This refers to our digital and IRL environments and communities, where we only encountering opinions and beliefs that coincide with their own. Once we break open our echo chambers, we can build empathy, better understand lived experiences outside of our own, and come a little bit closer to one another.

We just launched “POVz,” the first ever Gen Z talk show that tackles controversial topics from multiple perspectives. POVz fosters dialogue that empowers each Gen Z guest to stand firm in their beliefs and share their unfiltered, controversial opinions without fear of judgment. We are developing Season 1 as we speak and will cover timely, controversial questions such as, “Should abortion be legal?” “Do guns make us safer?” and “Is climate change really the end of the world as we know it?”

We want to help Gen Z shatter their echo chambers, one difficult conversation at a time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would have us start the day at my favorite coffee shop, Daily Provisions, and have us wander to Madison Square Park. The best part about NYC is being surrounded by so many different types of people at all times, so we’d spend most of the morning people watching and taking photos. Then, we’d ride the subway up to Times Square to catch the matinee of a new Broadway show, and then walk to dinner afterwards. We’d end the night grabbing ice cream at my favorite spot: Caffe Panna! Then, we’d enjoy a glass of wine on my roof. New York is the best!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate my shout out to my parents, Ellen and Adam, who always encouraged me to be bold, take risks, and pursue my dreams. I would be nowhere near close to where I am now had they not shown me the value of hard work, humility, and heart.

Website: theconversationalist.com

Instagram: instagram.com/sophieberen instagram.com/theconversationalist

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-beren-5287b971/

Twitter: twitter.com/sophieberen

Facebook: facebook.com/theconversationalistofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheConversationalist

Other: sophieberen.com