Printmaker Susan Aldworth went to the hospital one day fearing the worst. From then on, her brush with death never left her thoughts. Susan looks inward at human life, but insists that these days, it’s thinkers at the forefront of health technology, like futurist Zayna Khayat, who can tell us the most about the lives we’ll live and the world we’ll leave behind. Or technologists like Kacy Harding, who urge that “technology should augment the physical and virtual world to empower us.” In this special episode of The Spark, three women talk about the exciting future of health technology.

What do theatre, science, and art have in common? Corien Pompe paints us a picture. What’s fascinating about Corien is that ... she doesn’t question if people are connected, or how one discipline affects another. Instead, she wonders how anyone could think of them in isolation. Her ingenuity transcends the disciplines in which she works, so that she can follow her vision wherever it wanders. She doesn’t mind standing on shakey ground, so long as you give her some room in the sky. Today, Corien walks us through her unique process, by way of her studio.

Simona is the 'work hard, play hard' force behind sustainability innovation at Philips. A published author, professor, and traveling lecturer, she's both inventive and saggacious in her solutions to all sorts of troubles, global and personal. Just from getting to sit down with Simona, it seems that her love of life is one of the reasons she works so dilligently to preserve it.

Maarten van Herpen knew at the age of 12 that he wanted to work at a Philips laboratory. Determined to get in the door, he actually made it, and is now one of the organization's top inventors, holding innumerable patents. Maarten is inspired by inspiration itself. He grew up in a time when science wasn’t seen as cold or calculating, but when it was thought of as playful and inventive. These positive associations motivate him to push through the more challenging aspects of work so that he can get the opportunity to express his wild, true self.

Ana Molina takes us into the world of male appearance in Chinese culture. A world where your face - and 'keeping face' is your access to opportunities. Not too hard to imagine, is it? Ana gives us some psychological perspective on how we let our appearance, and the expectations placed on us, shape our identity. And how she keeps her creativity alive by "exploring everything."

Kurt’s career starts with a dream deferred. His opportunity, won and lost, was working at a pawn shop and playing with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Kenton. But when this young conga drummer was forced to 'get a real job,' he didn't do it with his head down. Kurt kept all the wild enthusiasm of his youth, bringing the party with him wherever he goes. He might even bring it to Red Square. From new ideas to new places and new things, from bebop to business, Kurt tells us how he gets his kicks.