Leadership Development News

Irena O'Brien is a cognitive neuroscientist with over 30 years of experience in psychology and neuroscience. Initially a chartered accountant, she found the work unfulfilling and returned to university. Her passion for neuroscience was ignited during her first neurobiology course at Concordia University. Irena earned her PhD at Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), where she carried out brain imaging and electrophysiological studies, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University's Centre for Language, Mind, and Brain. In 2017, she founded The Neuroscience School, offering a Certificate Programme in Applied Neuroscience. This program equips coaches and helping professionals with practical, evidence-based neuroscience tools. Her latest program, Next Level Coaching with Neuroscience, helps students embody their neuroscience knowledge to achieve coaching flow. Students who have completed both programs receive a Certificate of Completion in Brain-Based Coaching.

Dr. Carla Fowler is an MD PhD and elite executive coach. For more than a decade, she has been a secret weapon for scores of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other senior leaders. Carla's unique approach combines the latest research from performance science with timeless best practices to help top performers level up and achieve their goals. Carla graduated from Brown University magna cum laude, earned her MD and PhD at the University of Washington, and completed her internship in general surgery at Stanford University. Dr. Carla Fowler, an MD PhD and executive coach, shares her background and journey into executive coaching. She discusses her interest in performance and achievement from a young age and how it led her to start her own coaching practice. Dr. Fowler defines performance science as the collection of ideas and research that help individuals achieve their goals. She highlights two key principles of performance science: brutal focus and cultivating power. Brutal focus involves translating dreams into actionable goals and identifying the most important tasks to drive progress. Cultivating power involves developing the ability to start and sustain efforts towards a goal, as well as continuously improving and iterating on one's approach.

Dr. Carla Fowler is an MD PhD and elite executive coach. For more than a decade, she has been a secret weapon for scores of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other senior leaders. Carla's unique approach combines the latest research from performance science with timeless best practices to help top performers level up and achieve their goals. Carla graduated from Brown University magna cum laude, earned her MD and PhD at the University of Washington, and completed her internship in general surgery at Stanford University. Dr. Carla Fowler, an MD PhD and executive coach, shares her background and journey into executive coaching. She discusses her interest in performance and achievement from a young age and how it led her to start her own coaching practice. Dr. Fowler defines performance science as the collection of ideas and research that help individuals achieve their goals. She highlights two key principles of performance science: brutal focus and cultivating power. Brutal focus involves translating dreams into actionable goals and identifying the most important tasks to drive progress. Cultivating power involves developing the ability to start and sustain efforts towards a goal, as well as continuously improving and iterating on one's approach.

Jen Ziegner is a co-founder and lead coach of Mountains and Marathons, a transformative coaching organization that works with entrepreneurs and executives to create deeper alignment in their lives. The ALIGN Leadership Program takes leaders on a six-month journey that culminates with running a marathon or climbing a mountain in an epic place in the world, from Patagonia to Nepal and the Australian Outback. It also includes coaching the leaders. ALIGN Leadership Programs are for executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are committed to making a difference in the world and living their most authentic and fulfilled lives. Having worked with leaders from Fortune 500 companies to national non-profit organizations and 25,000 clients across the US, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, Jen champions the idea that leadership needs to start with authentically leading ourselves first, in all areas of life. Website: www.mountainsandmarathons.world/australia23

Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. William Vanderbloemen has been leading the Vanderbloemen Search Group for 15 years, where they are regularly retained to identify the best talent for teams, manage succession planning, and consult on all issues regarding teams. This year, Vanderbloemen will complete their 3,000th executive search. Prior to founding Vanderbloemen Search Group, William studied executive search under a mentor with 25+ years of executive search at the highest level. His learning taught him the very best corporate practices, including the search strategies used by the internationally known firm Russell Reynolds. Prior to that, William served as a Senior Pastor at one of the largest Presbyterian Churches in the United States.

Scott Mautz is CEO/Founder of Profound Performance™, a keynote, workshop, and training company that helps business leaders become even better, more inspired versions of themselves. He's a former senior executive of Procter & Gamble, where he successfully ran several of the company's largest multi-billion-dollar businesses. He's an award-winning, bestselling author, popular course instructor on LinkedIn Learning, and faculty at Indiana University's School of Business for Executive Education. His latest book is The Mentally Strong Leader: Build the Habits to Productively Regulate Your Emotions, Thoughts, and Behaviors. Scott is a speaker and trainer commonly described as “riveting” (despite his daughter's utter disbelief of that description). His one-of-a-kind blend of business experience, research, storytelling, tools, sprinkles of humor, and hi-octane delivery opens hearts & minds. He applies his thunderous passion to help others become mentally stronger and achieve more (even in the face of challenges) - at work and in life. He prides himself on his “No-Diva” policy (being easy to work with), on coming across as authentic and as down-to-earth as he really is, and on being the absolute highest-value podcast guest he can be. He wants to understand your brand too, so he can help reinforce it as a guest on your show. Invite Scott on for an interesting conversation that will intrigue your listeners, not the canned spewing of book-selling points.

Find out why over 1M people view his TED Talks. Join us, especially if you're in Public Safety for a rare look at how extraordinary experiences shape us, our happiness, wellbeing and performance. Paul J. Zak is a professor at Claremont Graduate University and is ranked in the top 0.3% of most cited scientists with over 180 published papers and more than 19,000 citations to his research. Zak's two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. Along the way he helped start a number of interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. He has written three general audience books and is a regular TED speaker. His latest book, Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness (2022), identifies the neurologic basis for extraordinary experiences and uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact training among other benefits.

Grace is an open and honest expert, helping leaders simplify their communication and eliminate the divides that exist within organizations. As co-founder of Know Honesty, she guides people toward becoming masterful communicators day in and day out. Having experienced the transformative power of openness and honesty, Grace is on a mission to help others create that same freedom in their own lives. Grace brings her heartfelt approach to every event, workshop, and interaction. She believes deeply that every human being brings a unique perspective to the world and that we all deserve to be heard and respected. With humble roots growing up on a dairy farm to now working with all levels of leadership, Grace has a special ability to ask the right questions to help audiences go deeper and uncover what's blocking them from creating real communication.

MCC coach Ben Dooley facilitates the bi-weekly “COACHING SKILLS FORUM” telecalls, as well as creator of multiple coach growing experiences--like the “Fast Pass to MasterFull Coaching”—exploring “the Science, Artistry and Performance of our coaching,” and “the Core of our Core Competencies”, all of which (and more) have been helping coaches discover their powerful coaching confidence, power and success, to help you BE the MasterFull coach you are truly here to BE, and that the world needs. And your journey continues to deepen right now.

Hi Nguyen is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer with 14 years of experience in patrol, close protection, counter-terrorism and undercover operations. He is currently the Director of Protection Services for a large Canadian university. In his 20 years of experience in this industry he's witnessed the impact of poor leadership at all rank levels: Burnouts, depressions, suicides. This is why he now spend all of my energy coaching the next generation of leaders. Showing them how to successfully lead teams, be recognized for their work and get promoted fast.

Leaders are increasingly challenged to understand how to respond to a polarized world. They are grappling with addressing division while embracing otherness. But to create welcoming environments in which each member feels recognized and comfortable being their whole selves at work, we must face our own need for belonging -- one that is often unmet. In REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (HarperBusiness; Nov. 14, 2023), executive coach Jerry Colonna urges leaders to consider the ways they have been complicit in, and benefitted from, conditions they say they'd like to change, and shows them how to create new systems of inclusion for everyone. In today's complex and divisive world, it is only through radical self-inquiry, a concept explored in Colonna's first book Reboot, that leaders can forge systemic belonging for everyone. Jerry Colonna is a leading executive coach who uses the skills he learned as a venture capitalist to help entrepreneurs. He is a co-founder and CEO of Reboot, the executive coaching and leadership development company, host of the Reboot Podcast, and author of REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (HarperBusiness; Nov. 14, 2023) and Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up (HarperBusiness, 2019). He draws on his wide variety of experiences to help clients design a more conscious life and make needed changes to their careers to improve their performance and satisfaction. Previously he was a partner with JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase. He joined JPMP from Flatiron Partners, which he launched in 1996 with partner, Fred Wilson. Flatiron became one of the most successful, early-stage investment programs in the New York City area. He lives on a farm in Longmont, Colorado.

The Culture Equation®: How to build an intentional workplace culture that powers your strategy and drives growth. Jessica Kriegel is the Chief Scientist of Workplace Culture for Culture Partners, leading research and strategy in best practices for driving results through culture. For 15+ years, Jessica has been guiding global, national, Fortune 100, and other organizations across finance, technology, real estate, and healthcare industries on the path to creating intentional cultures that accelerate performance. As a keynote speaker, Jessica leverages her current research and 15+ years of global organizational culture innovation, providing leaders with the map and tools for how to build cultures that deliver results. In her book, Unfairly Labeled: How Your Workplace Can Benefit from Ditching Generational Stereotypes, Jessica dives into the concept of generational differences'' as an unfair generalization, and offers a roadmap to intergenerational understanding. She is the host of the podcast, Culture Leaders: The Masters Behind Movements, where she and other elite leaders and culture experts confront the dilemmas of today's organizations and highlights the transformative and winning ingredient: vibrant team cultures.

Jesus D. “Jesse” Hernandez Jr is the Founder of Depth Builder LLC, who helps leaders deepen their communication skills and build trust through their improvement initiatives. Jesse does this by shining a light on their blind spots, and teaching them how to adjust their leadership approach to ensure “buy in” amongst their employees. Experiencing construction business problems from the perspective of an installer, a field leader, a trade contractor, a General Contractor and an owner's Rep has helped Jesse understand that we are more alike than we are different. Being a witness to people discovering their agency and leaders contributing to that is what brings him fulfillment. His path in the professional space and 7+ years of sobriety has helped Jesse meet people where they are at and get them unstuck. The key is in serving others and helping folks leverage their influence and formal authority in making the work better for the men and women who are doing the work. Jesse's 5S in Relationships Livestream Experiment revealed to him that there is a gap in connection amongst construction professionals. This led him to co-author the book Lean & Love 5S Love Letters and co-host The NoBS with Jen and Jess Podcast, where he is having imperfect conversations about the human side of work. These efforts helped Jesse appreciate the power of vulnerability. Jesse has also written Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be where readers can find glimpses of themselves in the stories he shares and discover the path to living up to the promise they are Intended to fulfill. Seeing the impact these works are having have lit a fire in Jesse to help people practice vulnerability and deepen their connection with the folks they spend the most time with. Jesse wants to serve our listeners with the idea that focusing on the person in front of us is the best way to Expand their Influence. The key to this is listening and more specifically asking interested questions. He wants to introduce the listeners two a couple of cheat codes (air time & first response) that they can put into practice immediately.

Andrew Cooper is a globally recognized executive leader and advocate for compassionate business practices. He made history as the first Millennial and Black executive to serve as General Counsel of UPS Airlines, the world's largest logistics airline operating in 220 countries with over 20,000 employees. Cooper's team played a pivotal role in the success of Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. pandemic vaccine relief effort. Committed to facilitating leadership transformation, he assists organizations in achieving and sustaining high performance. The Ethical Imperative marks Andrew's debut book. Andrew Cooper began writing after migrating with his parents from a single-wide trailer in the deep south to a small island off the coast of Japan. Born in Walterboro, SC, Cooper's journey to Okinawa would spark a life-long interest in humanity, technology, and the intersection of the two. After receiving his doctorate from Emory University, Cooper joined the legal leadership teams of multiple Fortune 500 companies, serving on an executive staff responsible for overseeing billions in assets and over twenty thousand employees. Cooper would become the youngest and first African American to assume the role at America's largest cargo airline. A patent inventor and lecturer, he settled in Roswell, Georgia, with his wife and daughter. The Ethical Imperative is his first published book. Discover more about his impactful work at Andrew-cooper.com.

Increase Employee Retention by Improving Onboarding, Training, and Succession Planning: Leaders are losing their people at an unprecedented rate due to poor onboarding, inconsistent training, and lack of succession planning. Out of 1000 employees surveyed, 80% said they had a poor onboarding experience. Lack of training can cause a 60% loss of the workforce over a 4 year period due to training gaps, mistakes, complaints, and low morale. Employees will also separate from a company when there is no defined career path or succession planning. Implementing a strong onboarding program increases retention by 82%, and increases productivity by 11%. Proper succession planning increases valuations by 20 - 25%. Companies can be more proactive about retention by implementing three important tools which will shift the course of employee happiness. As an in-demand Executive Coach, dynamic speaker, successful author, and focused and motivating trainer devoted to her craft, Monique Daigneault provides a highly coveted service to corporate leaders worldwide using internationally accepted standards as well as her personally honed methodology. Surviving trauma as a child and embracing Complex PTSD as an adult, Monique developed a unique skill set and process that allows her to advocate for others and guide them through challenging workplace issues. With an indomitable spirit, a results-driven work ethic, and an enthusiastic commitment to performance improvement, she partners with clients from all over the world, providing practical tools to help catalyze change and facilitate evolution in their professional lives. As President and CEO at MD Consulting, Monique is the insightful radio show host of Leading with Intention on the VoiceAmerica business channel and also the author of the newly released book: The Survive and Thrive Toolkit for Leaders by Mango Publishing Group. Monique is an ICF-trained and Master certified coach and has an MS in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is passionate about helping leaders shift corporate culture, build business agility, resilience, and influence and facilitate transformation in the organizations they lead.

Talia Fox is the CEO of KUSI Global, Inc. She holds an M.Ed. in psychology and is a Harvard University Fellow. A leadership strategist and a legacy builder, she has transformed thousands of executives over the last two decades in every sector, assisting leaders in developing innovative strategies for some of the most critical and complex missions globally, including defense, wealth inequalities, racial and social justice, aviation, and healthcare. Talia helps organizations like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Harvard University, Transunion, the National Institutes of Health, Howard University, and the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs maximize human potential by leveraging strategic intelligence and help individuals and organizations foster connected cultures and promote conscious equity.

HORTENSE LE GENTIL is a world-renowned executive leadership coach, speaker, and author. She guides CEOs and senior executives on their journey from hero leaders to human leaders. Guided by 30 years in business, working across industries—including media consulting and advertising—and as an entrepreneur. Hortense was a 2021 and 2023 nominee for the Thinkers 50 Coaching and Mentoring Awards and has been ranked #5 on the Global Gurus list by World Management Global Gurus. She is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder CenteredTM?coach and a member of MG100 Coaches. Author of THE UNLOCKED LEADER: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World (Wiley, September 26, 2023), and ALIGNED: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader?You're Meant to Be (2019), Hortense is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and ThriveGlobal.com, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider. She is based in New York.

Quiet quitting is a term we spoke about last show, it is taking social media by storm. Recently there have been articles in Fortune, Washington Post, NPR, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and Linkedin. We will look at additional Emotional Intelligence leadership skills and tools to deal with Quiet Quitting such as your leadership style, trust assertiveness, and feedback. Fortune defines quiet quitting as you're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life, …So, you're doing the minimum to avoid burnout.” Today still dealing with pandemic flexibility is the key, people value flexibility as much as a 10% pay increase the Work from Home Research Project found. We will look at: 1) What is behind Quiet Quitting? 2) How Emotional Intelligence leadership can help and 3) Zoom in a few actions that you and your team can take to minimize it.

With Drs. Nadler and Greenberg. “Quiet Quitting” is a term taking social media by storm. Recently there have been articles in Fortune, Washington Post, NPR, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and LinkedIn. Gallup Research has found that 50% of the US workforce is quiet quitting. Actively engaged employees have dropped to 32% and it is most significant in employees under 35; the Millennials and Generation Z. They found the engaged employees in their research group dropped by 6 pts while disengaged increased by 6 pts. Fortune reported that TikTok user @zkchillin defines “ ‘quiet quitting' as you're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life, …So, you're doing the minimum to avoid burnout.” We will look at: 1) What is Quiet Quitting? 2) What are some of the causes 3) How Emotional Intelligence skills can help, and 4) Actions that you can take to minimize it, like Self-Awareness, Trust, Stress Tolerance, Empathy, and Assertive Skills. For free EI Tools www.emotionalbrilliance.com/academy

Ed Nottingham, Ph. D. (M. S. & Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology, Va Tech) is a licensed psychologist in Tennessee (Health Service Provider) and Mississippi (Clinical Psychologist). After 26 successful years as an independent practitioner in clinical psychology, Ed decided to move from private practice to corporate America. Since 2003, he has worked for large corporations in different positions including leadership consultant/trainer, learning and development partner, HR Advisor, and Leadership Coach. His current position in a Fortune 100 company (HR Project Manager) focuses on helping leaders be more “coach like,” develop a coaching culture and providing programs and workshops for leaders and team members designed to help build emotional intelligence (EI/EQ).

Irena O'Brien is a cognitive neuroscientist with over 30 years of experience in psychology and neuroscience. Initially a chartered accountant, she found the work unfulfilling and returned to university. Her passion for neuroscience was ignited during her first neurobiology course at Concordia University. Irena earned her PhD at Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), where she carried out brain imaging and electrophysiological studies, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University's Centre for Language, Mind, and Brain. In 2017, she founded The Neuroscience School, offering a Certificate Programme in Applied Neuroscience. This program equips coaches and helping professionals with practical, evidence-based neuroscience tools. Her latest program, Next Level Coaching with Neuroscience, helps students embody their neuroscience knowledge to achieve coaching flow. Students who have completed both programs receive a Certificate of Completion in Brain-Based Coaching.

Steven Gaffney is a leading expert on increasing business profit through change management, honest communication, and high performing teams. An author, speaker, and trusted advisor, Steven works directly with top leaders from Fortune 500 companies like Amazon, Marriott, Allstate Insurance, and even the U.S. government and military. Steven has authored four ground-breaking books: Just Be Honest: Authentic Communication Strategies that Get Results and Last a Lifetime, Honesty Works! Real-World Solutions to Common Problems at Work and Home, Be A Change Champion, and co-author of Honesty Sells: How to Make More Money and Increase Business Profits. He is currently working on two books: Reboot: How to Create and Sustain High Performing Teams, and The 9 Pillars of Sustainable Profitable Business Growth. His latest release, Unconditional Power, is available everywhere. Steven helps leaders across many industries. Some of his clients include: Amazon, Marriott, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, SAIC, Allstate Insurance, BP, World Bank, Congressional Budget Office, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of the Navy, Citigroup, Texas Instruments, NASA, American Cancer Society, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, Best Buy, and Johns Hopkins University.

Thomas Curran is a professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and author of a landmark study that the BBC hailed as “the first to compare perfectionism across generations.” His TED Talk on perfectionism has received more than three million views. His research has been featured in media ranging from the Harvard Business Review to New Scientist to CNN and he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. Adam Grant calls Curran “the world's leading expert on perfectionism, and he's written the definitive book on why it's rising, how it wreaks havoc on our lives, and what we can do to stop it.” Daniel Pink says that it “offers a hopeful beacon and a steady path for anyone struggling to find their footing in a world of impossible standards.” • Hear how perfection is growing and why. • How does it relate to procrastination? • How does perfectionism influence decision-making processes and the willingness to take calculated risks? • What strategies can leaders employ to balance their pursuit of excellence with the need to show empathy and understanding toward team members' limitations? For more information: https://www.thomcurran.com/

Carlos Siqueira is an unstoppable force, dedicated to catalyzing positive change as a dynamic author, premier speaker, growth catalyst, podcast host, wealth strategist, and business strategist. He's on a relentless quest to transform lives, aiming to reach 1 Billion lives with his message. Carlos has guided CEOs from burgeoning startups to Fortune 100 giants, including Xfinity, playing a pivotal role in generating billions in revenue through his visionary strategies. Carlos's passion fuels his mission to empower individuals and businesses to scale revenues rapidly, get paid to speak on stages, and master mindset, sales, and high-performance habits. His insights help people overcome life and business obstacles, unlocking their boundless potential. Beyond his transformative work, Carlos cherishes adventure in nature with his daughter, Isabella, and wife, Angie, which enriches his life's journey. He is also committed to philanthropy, and actively involved in initiatives to feed the hungry in his free time.

Aslak de Silva has nearly 20 years of experience as a practitioner and instructor of Han Moo Do martial arts, competing in about 100 full-contact fights and winning the World Championship gold medal in Michigan, USA, in 2000. Martial arts has taught him the importance of leaders being life-long learners and coaching others. Aslak is the CEO of Selfly Store, where they use the latest developments in loT, machine learning, and AI to offer smart vending machines that make grab-and-go food shopping as easy as using your home fridge. Selfly Stores are used by 100+ companies in 22 countries across Europe, and in 2023, Selfly Store was named among the 50 Most Innovative Companies To Watch by CEO Views. Aslak, who was recognized by Chief's Digest as one of the 10 Best CEOs to Watch in 2023 has been leading teams and companies for 15+ years. Before becoming CEO at Selfly Store, he was the CEO of Nordic Business Forum, one of the world's biggest business and leadership conferences, with 7K+ attendees annually from 50+ countries and featuring world-class speakers like Barack Obama, George Clooney, and Steve Wozniak.

Lori Michele Leavitt, also known as “The Pivot Catalyst,” will guide you in each book to your best next steps toward extraordinary momentum, in business and life. Just as she coaches leaders around the world, with this book she will coach you. Lori Michele Leavitt, “The Pivot Catalyst”, has coached, consulted, and trained hundreds of leaders around the world to achieve their objectives and generate extraordinary momentum. She speaks globally on catalyzing momentum, leading, pivoting, and workplace culture change. When she's not writing in one of her favorite locations conducive to deep thought and creativity, she's supporting orchestration of Pivots, decision-making, and judgment calls for business leaders and their teams around the world. Her favorite role is as Emily's Mom. What she hopes leaders who are listening get most from our talk is helping managers lead better, which is necessary for strengthening alignment, gaining momentum, and always being ready to change (even Pivot).

Wendy Leshgold is the co-author of the forthcoming book FAST FORWARD: 5 Power Principles to Create the Life You Want in Just One Year (Matt Holt Books, September 5, 2023). She is co-founder and President of the Fast Forward Group, a professional development and executive coaching company that has transformed the careers and lives of more than 100,000 professionals at leading companies around the world such as Amazon, TikTok, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Ford and more. Wendy has designed a simple and immediately actionable system of Power Principles to help people achieve success and fulfillment in their whole lives. For more information: https://fastforwardgroup.net/

Find out why over 1M people view his TED Talks. Join us, especially if you're in Public Safety for a rare look at how extraordinary experiences shape us, our happiness, wellbeing and performance. Paul J. Zak is a professor at Claremont Graduate University and is ranked in the top 0.3% of most cited scientists with over 180 published papers and more than 19,000 citations to his research. Zak's two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. Along the way he helped start a number of interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. He has written three general audience books and is a regular TED speaker. His latest book, Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness (2022), identifies the neurologic basis for extraordinary experiences and uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact training among other benefits.

Find out why over 1M people view his TED Talks. Join us, especially if you're in Public Safety for a rare look at how extraordinary experiences shape us, our happiness, wellbeing and performance. Paul J. Zak is a professor at Claremont Graduate University and is ranked in the top 0.3% of most cited scientists with over 180 published papers and more than 19,000 citations to his research. Zak's two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. Along the way he helped start a number of interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. He has written three general audience books and is a regular TED speaker. His latest book, Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness (2022), identifies the neurologic basis for extraordinary experiences and uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact training among other benefits.

Atif is the author of Decision Sprint The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action, Atif Rafiq has blazed trails in Silicon Valley and the Fortune 500 for over 25 years. After rising through digital native companies like Amazon, Yahoo!, and AOL, Atif held C-suite roles at McDonald's, Volvo, and MGM Resorts. He oversaw thousands of employees as a global P&L, transformation, and innovation leader. Rafiq was the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of the Fortune 500, a pioneering role he held at McDonalds, and he rose to the president level in the Fortune 300. He currently sits on the Boards of Flutter / Fanduel ($25bn public company); Clearcover (a fintech provider, ranked on the Fast 500); and KINS Capital ($300mm SPAC). Previously, he's served on the client council for Snapchat (SNAP), as advisor to Slack (acquired by Salesforce for $20bn) and national board member of Defy Ventures (non-profit serving the formerly incarcerated). While leading business units, teams, and growth for companies, Atif has built a large following as one of today's top management thinkers. Over half a million people follow his ideas about management and leadership on LinkedIn, where he is a Top Voice, and his newsletter Rewire has over 100,000 subscribers. He's advised and invested in over 30 startups including Headspace, SpaceX, 23&me, Callisto Media, Bullet Proof Nutrition, CONBODY, Byte Mobile and Salad & Go. He is an active speaker at conferences including MIT Artificial Intelligence Summit, Fortune Reinvent, Cannes Lion, SXSW, CES, Google I/O, Twitter Flight, Web Summit, and more. His work has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Mashable, Forbes, CNET, Tech Crunch, and Fast Company. Atif is passionate about helping companies push boldly into the future. He accomplishes this through Ritual, a software app revolutionizing how teams innovate and problem-solve, and through his work as keynote speaker, Board member, and CEO advisor.

Paul Menzel has had a 45-year career of leading others to top performance. This interview will explore some of his learnings about emotional intelligence, developing himself, his team and creating a great organizational culture. Paul was President and CEO Umpqua Bank Equipment Leasing and Finance and recently retired. He joined Financial Pacific Leasing in 2008 after a 33-year career managing a small ticket leasing portfolio operation in Santa Barbara, California. Paul arranged the sale of Financial Pacific Leasing to Umpqua Bank in 2013, establishing a bank leasing subsidiary operating in all markets of the leasing industry. Umpqua has $22 Billion in assets and Financial Pacific Leasing has over $1.5 Billion in assets, which he helped grow from $250 million. Paul has an MBA in Business Management and was named “Leasing Person of the Year” by Leasing News in 2005. He helped develop the Certified Leasing and Finance Professional program.

Robin is the Chief Business and Product Officer at LMS365. Robin has previously been a 3 x CMO with more than 20 years of experience in marketing and growth leadership roles at Salesforce, Box, LinkedIn, Matterport, and WeWork. He's done 2.5 IPOs, several acquisitions, and led companies through hyper-growth to become category leaders. Robin is also a mentor to several fast-growing companies, including Uizard, Custimy, Cutover, Rhombus Systems, and Labster. His passion is creating winning teams that do outstanding and meaningful work. We will get his take on Accountability and tips for better performance reviews.

Leaders are increasingly challenged to understand how to respond to a polarized world. They are grappling with addressing division while embracing otherness. But to create welcoming environments in which each member feels recognized and comfortable being their whole selves at work, we must face our own need for belonging -- one that is often unmet. In REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (HarperBusiness; Nov. 14, 2023), executive coach Jerry Colonna urges leaders to consider the ways they have been complicit in, and benefitted from, conditions they say they'd like to change, and shows them how to create new systems of inclusion for everyone. In today's complex and divisive world, it is only through radical self-inquiry, a concept explored in Colonna's first book Reboot, that leaders can forge systemic belonging for everyone. Jerry Colonna is a leading executive coach who uses the skills he learned as a venture capitalist to help entrepreneurs. He is a co-founder and CEO of Reboot, the executive coaching and leadership development company, host of the Reboot Podcast, and author of REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (HarperBusiness; Nov. 14, 2023) and Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up (HarperBusiness, 2019). He draws on his wide variety of experiences to help clients design a more conscious life and make needed changes to their careers to improve their performance and satisfaction. Previously he was a partner with JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase. He joined JPMP from Flatiron Partners, which he launched in 1996 with partner, Fred Wilson. Flatiron became one of the most successful, early-stage investment programs in the New York City area. He lives on a farm in Longmont, Colorado.

Leaders are increasingly challenged to understand how to respond to a polarized world. They are grappling with addressing division while embracing otherness. But to create welcoming environments in which each member feels recognized and comfortable being their whole selves at work, we must face our own need for belonging -- one that is often unmet. In REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (HarperBusiness; Nov. 14, 2023), executive coach Jerry Colonna urges leaders to consider the ways they have been complicit in, and benefitted from, conditions they say they'd like to change, and shows them how to create new systems of inclusion for everyone. In today's complex and divisive world, it is only through radical self-inquiry, a concept explored in Colonna's first book Reboot, that leaders can forge systemic belonging for everyone. Jerry Colonna is a leading executive coach who uses the skills he learned as a venture capitalist to help entrepreneurs. He is a co-founder and CEO of Reboot, the executive coaching and leadership development company, host of the Reboot Podcast, and author of REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (HarperBusiness; Nov. 14, 2023) and Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up (HarperBusiness, 2019). He draws on his wide variety of experiences to help clients design a more conscious life and make needed changes to their careers to improve their performance and satisfaction. Previously he was a partner with JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase. He joined JPMP from Flatiron Partners, which he launched in 1996 with partner, Fred Wilson. Flatiron became one of the most successful, early-stage investment programs in the New York City area. He lives on a farm in Longmont, Colorado.

Christian Espinosa is the bestselling author of “The Smartest Person in the Room”, an entrepreneur, the founder of Alpine Security, a white hat hacker, certified high-performance coach, professor, and lover of heavy metal music and spicy food. He's also an Air Force veteran and Ironman triathlete. He used to value being the “smartest person in the room,” only to realize that his greatest contribution to humanity, leadership and the fight against cybercrime is his ability to bring awareness and solutions to challenges associated with high IQ/low EQ people. Christian is a speaker, coach, and trainer in the Secure Methodology, helping to make the smartest people in the room the best leaders in the field. christian@christianespinosa.com www.christianespinosa.com

Atif is the author of Decision Sprint The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action, Atif Rafiq has blazed trails in Silicon Valley and the Fortune 500 for over 25 years. After rising through digital native companies like Amazon, Yahoo!, and AOL, Atif held C-suite roles at McDonald's, Volvo, and MGM Resorts. He oversaw thousands of employees as a global P&L, transformation, and innovation leader. Rafiq was the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of the Fortune 500, a pioneering role he held at McDonalds, and he rose to the president level in the Fortune 300. He currently sits on the Boards of Flutter / Fanduel ($25bn public company); Clearcover (a fintech provider, ranked on the Fast 500); and KINS Capital ($300mm SPAC). Previously, he's served on the client council for Snapchat (SNAP), as advisor to Slack (acquired by Salesforce for $20bn) and national board member of Defy Ventures (non-profit serving the formerly incarcerated). While leading business units, teams, and growth for companies, Atif has built a large following as one of today's top management thinkers. Over half a million people follow his ideas about management and leadership on LinkedIn, where he is a Top Voice, and his newsletter Rewire has over 100,000 subscribers. He's advised and invested in over 30 startups including Headspace, SpaceX, 23&me, Callisto Media, Bullet Proof Nutrition, CONBODY, Byte Mobile and Salad & Go. He is an active speaker at conferences including MIT Artificial Intelligence Summit, Fortune Reinvent, Cannes Lion, SXSW, CES, Google I/O, Twitter Flight, Web Summit, and more. His work has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Mashable, Forbes, CNET, Tech Crunch, and Fast Company. Atif is passionate about helping companies push boldly into the future. He accomplishes this through Ritual, a software app revolutionizing how teams innovate and problem-solve, and through his work as keynote speaker, Board member, and CEO advisor.

Katie McCleary is the co-author of BRIDGE THE GAP: Breakthrough Communication Tools to Transform Work Relationships from Challenging to Collaborative with Jennifer Edwards. They show how to use the social psychology of human connection and curiosity to drive meaningful communication and collaboration at work. Packed with practical and replicable techniques, the book reveals how to: • Master your biological reactions to connect, even amid pressure, anxiety, and stress • Lead with curiosity and engage more authentically • Embrace diverse opinions and cultural backgrounds • Communicate and collaborate more effectively • Converse with others and reap the rewards of better communication Katie is the host of “The Drive” podcast on NPR's CapRadio. She is also is an entrepreneur and storyteller who trains leaders, creatives, and humanitarians to launch big ideas by leveraging their social and cultural capital. Katie is the founder of 916 Ink, a nonprofit that has transformed over 4,000 vulnerable youth into confident authors.

Chris Shipley has documented, influenced, and predicted the impact of technology on business and society for more than 30 years. As a journalist, she covered the tech industry for leading publishing companies. As an analyst, she identified innovative startups and gave them a stage to launch their market-making products. As a catalyst, she has advised hundreds of early-stage companies on positioning, business modeling, and innovation practices. Today, Chris focuses her work on the human and organizational challenges in the face of technology-and economically-driven disruption. https://www.cshipley.com/

Brad McLain, PhD, author of DESIGNING TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES: A Toolkit For Leaders, Trainers, Teachers, And Other Experience Designers, is the founder of Designing Transformative Experiences LLC. He is a social scientist interested in the nature and psychology of identity development, learning, and leadership, with over twenty years of experience working with organizations and leaders of all stripes. McLain is on the faculty of the University of Colorado at Boulder and serves as the Director of the Center for STEM Learning and Director of Corporate Research at the National Center for Women in Information Technology. He routinely works closely with companies including Apple, Google, Morgan Stanley, and dozens of others on the subject of identity, inclusive culture construction, and change leadership. Prior, he served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Jane Goodall Institute and was the United States Chair of Dr. Goodall's Roots and Shoots Leadership Committee. In addition, he was an educational researcher at the Space Science Institute and worked at NASA in the Space Shuttle Program McLain lives in Boulder, Colorado with his two children. For more information, please visit www.designingtransformativeexperiences.com

Hi Nguyen is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer with 14 years of experience in patrol, close protection, counter-terrorism and undercover operations. He is currently the Director of Protection Services for a large Canadian university. In his 20 years of experience in this industry he's witnessed the impact of poor leadership at all rank levels: Burnouts, depressions, suicides. This is why he now spend all of my energy coaching the next generation of leaders. Showing them how to successfully lead teams, be recognized for their work and get promoted fast.

Hi Nguyen is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer with 14 years of experience in patrol, close protection, counter-terrorism and undercover operations. He is currently the Director of Protection Services for a large Canadian university. In his 20 years of experience in this industry he's witnessed the impact of poor leadership at all rank levels: Burnouts, depressions, suicides. This is why he now spend all of my energy coaching the next generation of leaders. Showing them how to successfully lead teams, be recognized for their work and get promoted fast.

Oscar Trimboli is on a quest to create 100 million Deep Listeners. He is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. He is passionate about using the gift of listening to bring positive change in homes, workplaces, and cultures worldwide. He has interviewed over 100 of the most diverse workplace listeners, including Air traffic controllers, deaf and foreign language interpreters, hostage negotiators, and spies as part of researching world-class listeners. Over 14,000 people have contributed to his research about what gets in their way when it comes to listening Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran working for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, and Vodafone. He consults to American Express, AstraZeneca, Google, HSBC, Montblanc, PwC, Salesforce, Sanofi, and Siemens. Oscar loves his afternoon walks with his wife, Jennie, and their dog Kilimanjaro. He will be playing Lego with one of his four grandchildren on the weekends.

Brad Deutser is known for coaching and leading leaders through his company, Deutser, an innovative consultancy that designs a human approach to change. Brad works where most people feel uncomfortable and try to avoid. He is known for actively seeking out challenging and charged environments, as well as societal and politically sensitive ones. Creating spaces for belonging and initiating constructs to expand leadership in a more human, connective way has been the focus of his work for decades. Brad's clients and coaching take him to amazing places—in athletics, aviation, education, entertainment, energy, finance, health care, and nonprofit—with incredibly thoughtful leaders around the world. He takes on the most high-level challenges, forging through them with creativity and grace to design and bring to life the most original solutions. Brad has been called on to define and transition the culture for NFL teams as well as supporting the transformation of a Division 1 football program, while serving as a leadership and performance coach to the players as well as executives across the world. He serves as the architect of the three-time recognized #1 entrepreneurial program in the United States. A leading university selected his approach to navigate complex social and cultural issues. And countless leaders have brought the Deutser team in to navigate generational transitions and conflicts within families and complex companies, to facilitate cultural integration post-merger/acquisition, and to support the health, well-being, and safety of tens of thousands of employees across too many businesses to name. Brad is sought after as an expert on belonging and an innovative thinker on matters of organizational change and complexity in leadership. He is the bestselling author of Leading Clarity: The Breakthrough Strategy to Unleash People, Profit, and Performance, and his latest book Belonging Rules: Five Crucial Actions that Build Unity and Foster Performance debuted at #3 on the Wall Street Journal's Bestseller list.

Catherine Allen is Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer of AO People Partners, a Leadership Development and Culture Transformation firm dedicated to inspiring and supporting the conscious practice of people development in the workplace. Catherine specializes in helping executive leaders and teams Own, Model and Drive business and people development integration in their organizations. Skilled in conflict resolution, communications, business strategy and change management, Catherine has a 30-year track record in organizational leadership and management consulting helping executive leaders and their teams design strategies and work through the messy human realities of organizational life. Catherine is a sought-after executive coach to executive leaders seeking to take their business to the next level of conscious growth and senior leaders transitioning to executive roles. As AO's Chief Impact Officer, her focus is on guiding her team to build and deliver the full suite of service capabilities to help leaders lead effectively, develop their people and design and build integrated and holistic people development cultures that are sustainable, practical and cost efficient. She also guides AO's thought leadership and commitment to helping clients achieve their desired results and impact. Catherine holds an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and is a board-certified professional coach. Catherine is co-author with Ed Offterdinger of the book: Conscious, Capable and Ready to Contribute: How Employee Development Can Become the Highest Form of Social Contribution. Catherine is also a contributing author to the recently published book from the Association for Talent Development: Organizational Development Handbook. Her chapter is titled: A Holistic Approach to Developing a Leader's Soft Skills Catherine writes and speaks regularly on leadership and people development integration and why people development in the workplace should become a recognized and incentivized form of social contribution. Catherine lives in Rockville, Maryland with her husband and two children. More Info: https://aopeoplepartners.com/

Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal (pronounced Stay-skull) is recognized by USA Today as the #1 international expert on resilience, mental health, and wellbeing, and she is the Founder of the Resilience Leadership Institute (RLI). Her mission is to positively impact the lives of 1 billion people, by enhancing hope, along with overall health and wellness through the practices of resilience. Her book entitled The Five Practices of Highly Resilient People: Why some flourish when others fold is a #1 Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Bestseller and was endorsed by Arianna Huffington, Daniel Pink, and Kathy Ireland. Global Gurus has recognized Dr. Taryn Marie as a Top 30 Thinker in Leadership, she is a Marshall Goldsmith Top 100 Global Executive Coach, and a finalist for the Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) Award, the founder of Zappos, focused on people who are leading progressive and innovative change in human capital. Her work has been featured by Fox, NBC News, The Tamron Hall Show, Bloomberg Business, Ny Weekly Magazine, Thrive Global, and Forbes. Her TEDx talk entitled “How Resilience Breaks Us Out of Our Vulnerability Cage” has been viewed over 1.3 million times! LA Progressive magazine calls her “the go-to person” and “a secret weapon” for CEOs and leadership teams who want to find their edge as well as rise above the competition. Learn more about Lori at lorimicheleleavitt.com. USA Today named Dr. Taryn Marie as one of the Ten Top Entrepreneurs to watch in 2023, and she believes that The Five Practices of Highly Resilient People is the key to personal leadership, thriving through change, along with organizational growth and acceleration. Prior to founding RLI, she served as the Head of Executive Leadership Development & Talent Strategy at Nike, as well as Head of Global Leadership Development at Cigna. Dr. Taryn Marie earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, along with master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park, and completed pre- and postdoctoral fellowships in neuropsychology at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. She is the host of the chart-topping, top 1% acclaimed podcast entitled “Flourish or Fold: Stories of Resilience”, where well-known people tell their lesser well-known story of facing challenge to remind us that adversity is a necessary ingredient in life. She is honored to serve as a sought-after trusted advisor, executive coach, and board member to amplify resilience, engagement, and talent strategy. Her two sons, Samson and Sawyer, are always teaching her about resilience!

Lori Michele Leavitt, also known as “The Pivot Catalyst,” will guide you in each book to your best next steps toward extraordinary momentum, in business and life. Just as she coaches leaders around the world, with this book she will coach you. Lori Michele Leavitt, “The Pivot Catalyst”, has coached, consulted, and trained hundreds of leaders around the world to achieve their objectives and generate extraordinary momentum. She speaks globally on catalyzing momentum, leading, pivoting, and workplace culture change. When she's not writing in one of her favorite locations conducive to deep thought and creativity, she's supporting orchestration of Pivots, decision-making, and judgment calls for business leaders and their teams around the world. Her favorite role is as Emily's Mom. What she hopes leaders who are listening get most from our talk is helping managers lead better, which is necessary for strengthening alignment, gaining momentum, and always being ready to change (even Pivot).

Lori Michele Leavitt, also known as “The Pivot Catalyst,” will guide you in each book to your best next steps toward extraordinary momentum, in business and life. Just as she coaches leaders around the world, with this book she will coach you. Lori Michele Leavitt, “The Pivot Catalyst”, has coached, consulted, and trained hundreds of leaders around the world to achieve their objectives and generate extraordinary momentum. She speaks globally on catalyzing momentum, leading, pivoting, and workplace culture change. When she's not writing in one of her favorite locations conducive to deep thought and creativity, she's supporting orchestration of Pivots, decision-making, and judgment calls for business leaders and their teams around the world. Her favorite role is as Emily's Mom. What she hopes leaders who are listening get most from our talk is helping managers lead better, which is necessary for strengthening alignment, gaining momentum, and always being ready to change (even Pivot).

Lori Michele Leavitt, also known as “The Pivot Catalyst,” will guide you in each book to your best next steps toward extraordinary momentum, in business and life. Just as she coaches leaders around the world, with this book she will coach you. Lori Michele Leavitt, “The Pivot Catalyst”, has coached, consulted, and trained hundreds of leaders around the world to achieve their objectives and generate extraordinary momentum. She speaks globally on catalyzing momentum, leading, pivoting, and workplace culture change. When she's not writing in one of her favorite locations conducive to deep thought and creativity, she's supporting orchestration of Pivots, decision-making, and judgment calls for business leaders and their teams around the world. Her favorite role is as Emily's Mom. What she hopes leaders who are listening get most from our talk is helping managers lead better, which is necessary for strengthening alignment, gaining momentum, and always being ready to change (even Pivot).

HORTENSE LE GENTIL is a world-renowned executive leadership coach, speaker, and author. She guides CEOs and senior executives on their journey from hero leaders to human leaders. Guided by 30 years in business, working across industries—including media consulting and advertising—and as an entrepreneur. Hortense was a 2021 and 2023 nominee for the Thinkers 50 Coaching and Mentoring Awards and has been ranked #5 on the Global Gurus list by World Management Global Gurus. She is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder CenteredTM?coach and a member of MG100 Coaches. Author of THE UNLOCKED LEADER: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World (Wiley, September 26, 2023), and ALIGNED: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader?You're Meant to Be (2019), Hortense is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and ThriveGlobal.com, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider. She is based in New York.

HORTENSE LE GENTIL is a world-renowned executive leadership coach, speaker, and author. She guides CEOs and senior executives on their journey from hero leaders to human leaders. Guided by 30 years in business, working across industries—including media consulting and advertising—and as an entrepreneur. Hortense was a 2021 and 2023 nominee for the Thinkers 50 Coaching and Mentoring Awards and has been ranked #5 on the Global Gurus list by World Management Global Gurus. She is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder CenteredTM?coach and a member of MG100 Coaches. Author of THE UNLOCKED LEADER: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World (Wiley, September 26, 2023), and ALIGNED: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader?You're Meant to Be (2019), Hortense is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and ThriveGlobal.com, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider. She is based in New York.

Amy and Leanne are co-authors of Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work. Amy Diehl, PhD, is an award-winning information technology leader and gender equity researcher who has authored numerous scholarly journal articles and book chapters. Her writing has also appeared in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Ms. Magazine. Glass Walls is her first book. She is also a sought-after speaker, consultant, and lawsuit expert witness. She resides in a small town in Pennsylvania. You can visit her online at amy-diehl.com. Leanne M. Dzubinski, PhD, is acting dean and associate professor of intercultural education in the Cook School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University in California. She is the author of Women in the Mission of the Church: Their Opportunities and Obstacles throughout Christian History and Playing by the Rules: How Women Lead in Evangelical Mission Organizations. She has written many scholarly articles related to gender bias and her work has been published in Harvard Business Review and Fast Company. Prior to moving to California, she worked in Western Europe for many years.