Podcasts about systems thinking

AI can make marketing faster, but it cannot fix weak decision-making. In this episode of StrategyCast, Lori Jones talks with Oversight CMO Jeff Chancellor about why marketing leadership in the AI era depends on trust, systems thinking, and the operating discipline behind the technology.As AI moves from experimentation into everyday business infrastructure, marketing leaders face a bigger challenge than choosing the right tools. They need to build organizations where people can trust AI-driven recommendations, understand how decisions are made, and use technology without losing accountability. Jeff explains why the modern CMO is becoming an architect of decision quality and why organizations with stronger operating systems may have the real competitive advantage.And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details.==Let's Break It Down==02:03 Jeff Chancellor's Approach to Marketing Leadership04:51 Moving Beyond AI Experimentation06:48 When AI Becomes Business Infrastructure08:11 Why Trust Is a Competitive Advantage11:20 Transparency and Explainable AI13:44 How the CMO Role Is Changing15:23 Systems Thinking for Marketing Leaders18:01 Five Foundations for Scaling AI20:44 Balancing AI Speed With Responsibility22:58 Marketing's Role in Decision Quality24:58 AI and One-to-One Buyer Journeys27:06 The Leadership Responsibility That Matters Most28:33 Closing Thoughts==Where You Can Find Us==Website: https://strategycast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast==Leave a Review==Hey there, StrategyCast fans!If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

Stepping into a new math leadership role can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time—especially when your responsibility suddenly expands from supporting one school or district to supporting dozens. Where do you begin when every district is at a different place, has different needs, and may already be working toward different mathematics goals? That's exactly the challenge facing one experienced math leader as she prepares to support 30 districts in a new regional role. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units In this coaching conversation, Jon Orr explores why the first move isn't creating more professional development or trying to support everyone at once. It's going to Gemba: getting close to the work, building relationships, asking better questions, and understanding what is actually happening across the systems you serve. From there, the conversation explores how leaders can start narrow, learn fast, and implement slowly—using the Math Coherence Compass to create shared direction, identify meaningful goals and leading indicators, and build the internal capacity needed for improvement to spread sustainably. In this episode, you'll explore:What "going to Gemba" looks like for math leadersWhy starting narrow can lead to greater system-wide impactHow to support multiple districts without spreading yourself too thinThe importance of asking, "What are you working on, and how do you know?"How the Math Coherence Compass creates shared direction around mathematics improvementWhy leading indicators provide more actionable information than test scores aloneHow to build capacity within districts instead of creating dependence on outside supportThe shift from being a reactive support provider to a proactive systems leaderIf you're stepping into a math leadership role—or trying to create meaningful change across multiple schools or districts—this episode offers a practical place to begin. Start by getting closer to the work, understanding the systems you're supporting, and finding one place where you can learn deeply before trying to scale broadly.Show Notes PageLove the show? Text us your big takeaway!Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you'll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.Take the assessmentAre you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don't want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

As you grow as an engineer, something counterintuitive happens: the systems you build get simpler, not more complex. In this episode, I explore why senior engineers tend to collapse abstractions, accept certain risks, and reduce the surface area they're responsible for — and what drives that shift underneath the surface. Understanding the reasons behind the trend is what lets you get there on purpose instead of waiting a decade to arrive there accidentally. Early in your career, output goes up fast. You're building more than ever, especially with AI in the mix, and a lot of what you build carries real complexity. But watch engineers who have been doing this a long time and you'll notice the opposite of what you'd expect: as their craft improves, their code, their architectures, and their systems get simpler. In today's episode, I dig into why that happens — and why chasing simplicity directly is less useful than understanding the underlying forces that produce it. Simplicity Isn't the Goal — It's the Byproduct: Trying to "make things simpler" as a directive doesn't get you very far. If you can understand the core reasons complexity tends to fall as engineers mature, you can aim at those reasons instead and arrive at simplicity organically. Why Simpler Code Pays Off: Simpler things are easier to understand, which means junior engineers can pick up your code, and future-you can return to a project you've long since left and still make sense of it. Adapting a simple thing is almost always easier than adapting a complex one. The Pain of the Refactor Teaches You: A big part of this shift is scar tissue. Once you've lived through a massive refactor of a complex system, you start making different trade-offs — not from theory, but because you don't want to do that again. Collapsing Vertical Abstractions: One of the most common refactors senior engineers reach for is collapsing long chains of abstraction that only ever get used in one place. It's abstraction without reuse, and it forces you to re-load enormous context just to make a small change. Refining Your Risk Tolerance: Early on, we hedge against every possible risk. Later, we learn some risks are acceptable. Hedging is insurance, and sometimes it's very expensive insurance — paid in velocity, in onboarding difficulty, and in only being able to hire people who can hold all that complexity in their heads. Knowing When to Break Best Practices: Maybe the best practice says abstract this. But if it isn't that hard to understand, and you can get most of the benefit through better naming or tighter scoping, the "correct" move might be the wrong one. The Library Trap (In Both Directions): Seniors often take a trip through "let's not use external packages, we don't know what's in them" — and end up maintaining a shadow version of the thing they avoided. The more experienced call is often to accept the trade-off, adopt the well-documented dependency, and shrink what you are responsible for. Reducing Surface Area Creates Focus: The through-line in all of these trade-offs is a shrinking surface area. Fewer things to maintain means more focus, and more focus means the things you are responsible for get done very well. It's an open question whether those behaviors follow seniority or cause it. Drive to the Fundamentals: Think about a machine built from a ramp, a screw, a rubber band, and a motor. A more senior craftsperson recognizes the problem is fundamentally about conservation of energy, and reconfigures it down to two parts instead of eight. Slightly less efficient, maybe — but far less to teach, maintain, and break. Episode Homework: Ask yourself: what am I responsible for right now that I could simplify? Where can I get away from the tactics and the surface-level stuff, get down to the core of the thing, and focus on doing that core really well?

Episode subtitle: Intro:Jithu Gopal is a fintech product leader based in Bangalore, with 18+ years across engineering, consulting, and product. He is AVP Product at Scripbox and currently owns the charter of building the advisory experience that'll help a million families make confident choices about their portfolios.Before Scripbox he co-founded Nilenso, a boutique technology consulting firm, where he built a social network, rewrote the checkout experience for a ticketing platform, and took on a few other projects.He is curious about what creates habits and what motivates people.Shownotes:In this conversation, Jithu Gopal and Chitra Gurjar explore -Working as a software engineer and an early observer of the cost of quality in workActive community-based learning from Java and Ruby user groups in early careerBuilding a social network , learning the “ethics” of software engineering, recognizing and applying design patterns Work at Nilenso, an employee-owned cooperative-like company, applying functional programming principlesLiving the principles of “being agile”, using Test-Driven-Development to shape a problem and approach it from the outside, rather than just build, staying in the problem spaceThe versions of software engineering, 1.0 and 2.0Indispensable systems thinkingShifts in Product Management, building strong foundations of working with engineering using high agency and trust AI Mavens, followers, the power and tools to leverage knowledge and do way moreExamining AI in layers for any organization or system How we organize ourselves differently in the age of machinesKeeping the “Why” in focus with organization memory and problem memoryWhat “post AI” looks like - awakening consciousness and invoking agency, AI cycles bringing more value addSocial bonding as a key to young people's future of work and lifeBooks that have had a powerful influence on him.For aspiring software engineers to keep building and asking about what “good” looks like:Few conversations flow back and forth in time, not unlike when you meet friends from childhood. In this episode of the Software People Stories podcast, I found myself having tremendous deja-vu moments as Jithu Gopal shared his flow of thoughts across various aspects of software engineering through his 18 plus years of work, how his interests and ways of connecting what he reads, experiences and works with have significance and relevance in the AI whorl that seems to be sweeping us with it and what habits and disciplines can hold us through as we begin to figure out new ways of working, learning and what the future might hold for our children and aspiring engineers. Listen on.

Most "people problems" are structural problems wearing a human face mask.Product Manager Brian and Enterprise Business Agility Leader Om dissect Molly Graham's Waterline Model! Listen or watch as we debate whether this framework is the most actionable restatement of systems thinking in decades or just Deming in a wetsuit. Stick around to the end and you'll know exactly where your org skips diagnosis and jumps straight to blame.Other issues discussed are:Why leaders default to firing individuals instead of fixing broken role definitionsThe four-level diagnostic (structure, dynamics, interpersonal, individual) most managers ignoreHow overlapping ownership and conflicting goals manufacture "personality clashes"Why changing what you reward is harder than writing new process documentationThe coaching judgment no framework can teach you: when to stop snorkeling and diveA practical test: ask three people their goals and see if any answers matchFor product managers, agile coaches, and tech leaders tired of watching teams churn through good people.#SystemsThinking #Leadership #TeamDysfunctionMolly Graham, Lenny's Newsletter, W Edwards Deming, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), The Waterline ModelLINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

This episode addresses topics of mental health and suicide at a level that is age-appropriate for Year 6 (Gr 5)Guiding Question:What changes when we take a  Heart-Mind-Action approach to learning for PYPx, creating opportunities for students to connect with an issue that they care about, design compelling inquiry questions that guide their research, and go beyond awareness to empower students to take action and have a positive impact in their community.Key Takeaways:Talking about and engaging with mental health at an age-appropriate level for younger studentsWhen we engage with topics that we care about, the learning doesn't stop at exhibitionStudent lead actions: Our students can have a positive impact on the mental health in our school community.If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we'd appreciate it if you could please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. Check out the conference website Inspire Citizens Student Leader Micro-CredentialLearn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programsConnect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettesAccess free resources for global citizenship educationShare on social media using #EmpathytoImpactEpisode Summary On this episode of Empathy to Impact, host Scott Jamieson meets up with a group of Year 6 students at Al-Rayan International School in Accra, Ghana. Sedra, Hiyan, Arham, Arnav and Qingke (Coco) take time at the very end of their school year to join me for a conversation and reflect on their experience at this year's PYP exhibition. What sets these students apart is not just that they did such a fantastic job with their exhibition projects, but that they chose to explore the challenging topics of mental health, depression, and suicide. The amazing educators at the school have combined elements from Kath Murdoch's inquiry cycle with the Empathy to Impart framework developed by Inspire Citizens to create their own Heart-Mind-Action approach that guides teaching and learning across the PYP and has become part of the DNA at their school. Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

What happens when people believe in a change but still refuse to adopt it?In this episode of Stories of Change, we explore the surprising history of the seat belt—from invention and public resistance to legislation, enforcement and habit—and what it can teach us about behaviour change, AI adoption and the gap between knowing and doing.The invention mattered. The click changed everything.Send us Fan MailSupport the showAli Juma @The Inner Game of Change podcastFollow me on LinkedIn

If you've ever wondered what to actually do during small group time in math, this episode will give you a clear and practical way to support students without lowering expectations.We built a simple Math Coherence Compass to help district and school leaders make aligned decisions around math—without adding another initiative. Get your free copy and training here https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units Yvette's Summer Task List.Why do so many mathematics improvement efforts begin with energy and optimism, only to lose momentum months later? Schools invest in professional learning, adopt high-quality instructional materials, launch coaching cycles, and create pacing guides—yet lasting instructional change often remains frustratingly elusive.In this episode, we revisit Alan Schoenfeld's influential article, Why Are Learning and Teaching Mathematics So Difficult?, through the lens of school and district leadership. His framework reveals that improving mathematics isn't simply a classroom challenge—it's a systems challenge. We explore why teacher understanding, coherent learning environments, and organizational structures must work together to create lasting change. Along the way, we connect Schoenfeld's ideas to concepts like the Math Improvement Flywheel, leading indicators, distributed leadership, and coherent systems that continue improving even as people move through them. In this episode, you'll explore:Alan Schoenfeld's three-circle framework for mathematics educationWhy deep mathematical understanding matters more than instructional moves aloneHow systemic coherence supports stronger classroom practiceThe difference between leading and lagging indicators of improvementWhy distributed leadership creates more sustainable math improvementHow the Math Improvement Flywheel helps systems build lasting momentumQuestions every math leader should ask before launching another initiativeIf you're leading mathematics improvement in a school or district, this episode will help you evaluate your current improvement strategy, identify where momentum is being lost, and build the systems needed for long-term success.Show Notes PageLove the show? Text us your big takeaway!Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you'll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.Take the assessmentAre you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don't want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

The annual release of a major industry index always sparks intense debate, but the true value lies in the core strategies driving the world's top performers. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton is joined by regular co-host Mike Griswold, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, and special guest Laura Rainier, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, to break down the defining macro trends from the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2026. The panel explores how leading organizations navigate global volatility by moving past tech experimentation to deliver true enterprise value. They dive into the realities of the autonomous workforce era, detailing how top-tier supply chains prioritize human-machine collaboration and systems thinking over simple digital literacy. Highlighting standout examples like Unilever's shared forecasting and Schneider Electric's disciplined process optimization, the discussion illustrates what it takes to build a resilient, network-centric operation. Laura Rainier also addresses critics directly, explaining why qualitative community opinion remains the ultimate "secret sauce" for capturing true excellence, while Mike Griswold wraps up by challenging leaders to leverage the supply chain as a primary engine for strategic growth.    Jump into the conversation: (00:00) Introduction (00:44) Gartner's 2026 Top 25 preview (02:23) Meet Gartner analyst Laura Rainier (04:46) Laura's future supply chain research (07:28) Three supply chain macro trends (11:26) Network-centric strategies and orchestration (15:46) Top 25 companies leading change (21:41) Fix processes before deploying AI (24:30) What defines a Supply Chain Master (26:49) Why leaders invest in people (27:34) How Supply Chain Masters stay ahead (29:07) New and returning Top 25 companies (31:09) How companies earn their return (34:03) Why Schneider Electric ranks first (40:34) Walmart's rise and retail momentum (42:41) Why community opinion matters (47:38) 2027 ESG methodology changes (48:25) Gartner events and upcoming summits   Additional Links & Resources: Connect with Mike Griswold: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-griswold-6a68922/ Connect with Laura Rainier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-rainier-9087857/ Learn more about Gartner: https://www.gartner.com/ Learn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/about Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now's NEW Media Kit: https://supplychainnow.com/media-kit/ WEBINAR- From Volume to Resilience: How Automotive Supply Chains Are Adapting to a New Market Reality: https://bit.ly/4f6SUGA WEBINAR- The Automotive Industry's Next Digital Breakthrough: https://bit.ly/4vhUwT4 WEBINAR- From Disruption to Stability: Building Resilient Logistics Solutions in a Rapidly Changing Global Market: https://bit.ly/3TguZMt WEBINAR- SAP AI Inside the Supply Chain: From Silo to Orchestration: https://bit.ly/4bvpz6K   This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/macro-trends-micro-moves-inside-gartner-supply-chain-top-25-1618 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now.For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at production@supplychainnow.com© 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Dan and Lauren are joined by the three co-editors of the newest New Directions for Student Leadership issue: Dr. Kerry Priest, Professor and Director of Leadership Studies at the Staley School of Leadership at Kansas State University; returning guest Dr. Jason Headrick, Associate Professor of Leadership and Community Development at Texas Tech University; and Dr. Haley Traini, Associate Professor of Leadership Education at Oregon State University. Together they co-edited NDSL #188: Leadership Learning for Systems Thinking and Practice — the 20th episode in the TLE–NDSL partnership series. Kerry, Jason, and Haley trace the issue's origins from a 2023 keynote by Mary Uhl-Bien in Copenhagen to a call for submissions deliberately open to stories, case studies, and reflections. They walk through the three questions that structure the issue — how we develop systems capacities, how we teach them, and how we evaluate systems-level change — along with tools like Human Systems Dynamics and its "what, so what, now what" adaptive-action cycle. The conversation is full of classroom-ready metaphors, from tracing how ice gets made to why an iPhone is merely complicated while mayonnaise is truly complex. As Kerry reminds us, in systems work the goal isn't winning or losing — it's staying in the game.   Resources and works mentioned in this episode include: New Directions for Student Leadership, Issue #188: Leadership Learning for Systems Thinking and Practice Human Systems Dynamics Global, co-founded by Glenda Eoyang and Royce Holladay 21st International Studying Leadership Conference, Copenhagen Business School, December 2023 Complexity Leadership: Insights on Adaptability from Professor Mary Uhl-Bien Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Episode Summary:How do you build a family that thrives long after you're gone? What separates families that simply function from those that create lasting values, traditions, and resilience across generations? In a world filled with competing influences, how can parents intentionally shape the mental models their children carry into adulthood instead of allowing society to define them?In this thought-provoking episode of Apogee Strong, host Matt Beaudreau sits down with renowned systems scientists Dr. Derek Cabrera and Dr. Laura Cabrera to explore how systems thinking can transform the way we lead our families, raise our children, and build a legacy that endures.Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera are systems scientists and co-founders of the Cabrera Research Lab, an NSF- and USDA-sponsored research organization dedicated to advancing the science of systems thinking. After serving on the faculty at Cornell University from 2005 to 2026, they developed the groundbreaking DSRP Theory and the Six Moves, a practical framework that teaches people how to think more clearly, solve complex problems, and make better decisions. They are the award-winning authors of Systems Thinking Made Simple and hosts of the Cabrera Lab Podcast, ranked among the top 1% of podcasts worldwide. Today, they continue their research while living in Montana with their children and dogs.Throughout the conversation, Derek and Laura explain how every family operates as a living system, why understanding relationships is more important than solving isolated problems, and how parents can intentionally create shared mental models that shape family culture for generations. They unpack the Six Moves of systems thinking, discuss why perspective and relationships are the foundation of better decision-making, and share how these principles have influenced their own marriage, parenting, and personal growth.Key Quotes:"We live in systems, so we should learn to think in a way that aligns with how systems actually work.""We shouldn't simply trust our thinking—we should test it against reality.""The family is the first and greatest classroom every child will ever have."Key Takeaways:Think in systems, not isolated problems. Every family, business, and organization is a system made up of interconnected relationships. Lasting solutions come from understanding how those relationships influence one another rather than treating each challenge as a separate issue.Build shared mental models intentionally. Strong family cultures are created when parents clearly define their values, language, traditions, and expectations. The more aligned a family's mental models are, the stronger and more resilient the family system becomes.Master the Six Moves to improve your thinking. Learning to make clear distinctions, zoom in and out, understand relationships, and consider multiple perspectives provides practical tools for making better decisions at home, at work, and in everyday life.Conclusion:Building a lasting family legacy requires more than good intentions—it requires intentional thinking. Throughout this conversation, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera demonstrate that the strongest families are built by understanding the systems that shape everyday life, creating shared mental models, and continually refining the way we think, communicate, and solve problems together. By applying the Six Moves of systems thinking, parents can strengthen relationships, navigate challenges with greater clarity, and establish a family culture rooted in shared values rather than assumptions. Whether you're leading a household, a business, or a community, the quality of your thinking ultimately shapes the quality of your relationships—and the legacy you leave behind. 

(04:48) Brought to you by SpeechifyAITired of text-to-speech that sounds robotic or costs too much at scale? SpeechifyAI's new Simba 3.2 model ranks #1 on Artificial Analysis for realness, priced under $10 per million characters. Building something conversational? Check out the Simba Voice Agents API for low-latency, natural back-and-forth interaction. Try it free at speechify.ai.Why do the same software delivery illusions keep fooling smart engineering teams? Elisabeth and Joel show how systems thinking, through signals and levers, helps you spot the illusions of progress, predictability, and control before they cost you.In this episode, Elisabeth Hendrickson and Joel Tosi, co-authors of Signals & Levers, share the story behind the book and trace the “software crisis” back to a 1968 NATO conference, arguing it never actually went away. They explain why software delivery is an adaptive sociotechnical system, and why treating it as a simple linear process leads leaders to pull the wrong levers.Elisabeth breaks down why proxy metrics like velocity are made-up numbers dressed up as science, and why cycle time tells a truer story. Joel walks through the CREATE framework (capacity, risk, execution, adaptability, trust, and economics), and how it can help leaders spot unintended consequences before they happen. They also dig into the three illusions leaders live under: illusion of progress, predictability, and control.The conversation closes with a candid look at where AI fits into all of this, when it amplifies good systems, when it makes bad ones worse, and why optimizing for learning matters more than ever.Timestamps:(00:00:00) Trailer & Intro(00:02:34) The Backstory Behind “Signals & Levers”(00:05:55) Why Has the ‘Software Crisis' Never Actually Gone Away?(00:08:41) Why Do the Same Software Development Problems Keep Appearing?(00:10:55) What is an Adaptive Sociotechnical System?(00:15:09) Why Do Business Executives Fail to Understand Software Development?(00:20:03) What Are Signals and Levers in Engineering Leadership?(00:24:31) What Makes Proxy Metrics Like Velocity and Lines of Code Dangerous?(00:28:23) Are DORA Metrics a Good Proxy for Software Development Productivity?(00:32:50) What is the CREATE Framework for Avoiding Unintended Consequences?(00:38:26) How Do You Quantify and Apply the CREATE Framework?(00:44:09) What Are the Three Illusions That Leaders Face in Software Delivery?(00:50:27) Will AI Truly Speed Up Software Development?(00:55:55) How Should Leaders Integrate AI Into Systems Thinking?(01:00:53) Can AI Be a Thinking Partner for Systems Thinking?(01:04:26) Why Is the U-Curve a Powerful Tool for Modern Leadership?(01:09:17) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Elisabeth Hendrickson & Joel Tosi's BioElisabeth Hendrickson is a technology leader with 30+ years of experience, having served as VP R&D at a public company and VP Engineering at a Series B startup. She's the author of Explore It! and There's Always a Duck, and now helps tech leaders improve collaboration, decision-making, and execution.Joel Tosi has spent over 25 years delivering software products. For the past decade, he's helped teams see the systemic issues holding them back and stop “change theater,” using the techniques from Signals & Levers to give everyone a shared view of reality. He's presented these ideas internationally for over five years.Follow Elisabeth & Joel:LinkedIn (Elisabeth) – linkedin.com/in/testobsessedLinkedIn (Joel) – linkedin.com/in/joel-tosi-531a3bWebsite – signalsandlevers.comSignals & Levers – itrevolution.com/product/signals-and-leversSignals & Levers workshops – maven.com/signalsandleversLike this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/265.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Elton Wells is the owner and head coach at Ambush Muay Thai. We chat about his system for striking, CLA for striking/mma, the retrospectives he does with his team and much more. Hope you enjoy this conversation! Download Sherpa, the free AI-powered journaling app for athletes. Join the convo with Josh on Discord here.Use the code "BJJHELP" for 50% off your first month on Jake's Outlier Database to study match footage, get links to resources, and more.Use code “BJJHELP” at submeta.io to try your first month for only $8!

Ingenieure neigen dazu, jedes Problem technisch lösen zu wollen. Doch häufig liegt der entscheidende Engpass nicht in der Lösung selbst, sondern in der Wahrnehmung und im Verhalten der Menschen. In dieser Folge erfährst du, warum die psychologische Lösung oft wirksamer ist als die technisch perfekte.Show Notes:>> No Zero Days | Buch für Ingenieure: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nozerodays.de⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠/buch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>> Netzwerk für Ingenieure: ⁠⁠⁠engineer-alliance.de⁠⁠⁠>> Tim Schmaddebeck auf LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hier klicken⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>> Buchempfehlungen: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mentorwerk.de/buecher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stichworte zur Folge:Ingenieur Karriere, Karriere als Ingenieur, Podcast für Ingenieure, Führungskraft werden, Teamleiter werden, Führung für Ingenieure, Management für Ingenieure, Engineering Leadership, vom Ingenieur zur Führungskraft, strategisches Denken, unternehmerisches Denken, Intrapreneurship, Ingenieur Mindset, Probleme richtig lösen, bessere Entscheidungen treffen, kritisches Denken, Systems Thinking, First Principles, Overengineering vermeiden, Kundenorientierung, Kundenbedürfnisse verstehen, Nutzerverhalten, Psychologie im Business, Entscheidungspsychologie, Behavioral Design, Customer Experience, User Experience, Produktmanagement, Innovation, psychologische Engpässe

If you've ever wondered what to actually do during small group time in math, this episode will give you a clear and practical way to support students without lowering expectations.We built a simple Math Coherence Compass to help district and school leaders make aligned decisions around math—without adding another initiative. Get your free copy and training here https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units Yvette's Summer Task List.Every school system wants to improve student achievement in mathematics. Yet when students struggle, the immediate response is almost always the same: more intervention, more support programs, more people working at the bottom of the cliff. While these efforts are essential, they often come at the expense of investing in the work that could prevent students from struggling in the first place.Using the classic "ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" parable, this episode explores why school systems consistently prioritize rescue over prevention. It's not because leaders don't believe in strong Tier 1 instruction—they do. The challenge is that prevention is harder to see, slower to measure, and more difficult to defend. We unpack why intervention feels more urgent, why leading indicators matter more than waiting for test scores, and how systems can make the invisible work of prevention visible through classroom evidence and instructional coherence.In this episode, you'll explore:Why intervention often receives more attention and funding than preventionThe "ambulance vs. fence" metaphor and what it means for math improvementWhy Tier 1 instructional coherence is the foundation of long-term successThe difference between leading and lagging indicators of improvementHow to measure instructional shifts before test scores changeWhy sustained professional learning outperforms one-off professional developmentPractical questions leaders can ask to rebalance investment toward preventionIf you're leading mathematics improvement in a school or district, this episode will challenge you to rethink where your time, resources, and attention are focused—and help you build stronger systems that prevent students from falling behind in the first place.Show Notes PageLove the show? Text us your big takeaway!Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you'll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.Take the assessmentAre you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don't want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

Send us Fan MailStanley C. Leong brings an unusual and highly relevant perspective to the world of engineering career development: he started as an engineer, then built a second career helping engineers manage the wealth and financial complexity that can come with technical success. He earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University before working in chip design roles at IBM and Agilent Technologies.  That early engineering background still shapes how Stanley approaches financial planning today. As a private wealth advisor and founder of Wisdom Pointe Wealth Advisors, he focuses on working with engineers and executives at high-tech companies, using what his Ameriprise profile describes as an analytical and process-driven approach to financial planning. His expertise includes areas that are especially relevant to technical professionals, such as concentrated stock positions, workplace benefits, retirement income planning, tax-aware strategies, and behavioral finance.  Stanley is also the author of Engineering Your Finances: The Tech Professional's Roadmap to Financial Success, a guide written specifically for high-earning technology professionals. The book draws from his own experience in the tech industry, including the volatility he witnessed firsthand after being laid off shortly after buying his first home — a moment that helped shape his understanding of risk, planning, and financial resilience.  For the Being An Engineer audience, Stanley's story opens up a practical and often under-discussed conversation: how engineers can apply the same discipline they use in product development, systems thinking, risk analysis, and optimization to their own financial lives. His career is also a compelling example of how technical training can translate into a completely different profession while still remaining central to the way someone thinks, solves problems, and serves others. LINKS: Stanley C. Leong LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleycleong/ Engineering Your Finances website: https://www.engineeringyourfinancesbook.com/ PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday.The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.usWatch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus 

Please enjoy this encore episode from our #EmpathytoImpact archive. Stay tuned for new episodes coming in August 2026.If you have enjoyed the podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. New from Inspire Citizens: Inspired Coaching & Inspired Experiences Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs whole-school service learning programsYou can book a discovery call with Inspire Citizens at this linkShare on social media using #EmpathytoImpactEpisode Summary Tim, a 10th grade student at ISBkk, recognized that the inequity he was witnessing in his home country of Thailand was largely due to inequity in the access that people have to quality education. He was inspired by a summer internship program that he attended and develop the project to collaborate with teachers at his school to provide training for aspiring educators entering the teaching profession in Thailand. Listen to learn about this amazing program and the reciprocal partnership that has developed between the Equitable Education Fund and ISBkk as a result of Tim's work.Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Ep 249 One World in a New World with Fabian SzulanskiWhat if organizational transformation begins long before strategy—and starts with the health, values, and relationships of the people involved?In this episode of One World in a New World, Zen Benefiel welcomes Fabian Szulanski, Managing Director of Being in Systems, co-founder of the Values Foundation, educator, and co-author of Transcending Personal Apocalypse: Replace Your Beliefs, Revitalize Your Future.Together they explore:• Systems thinking and organizational health• Why values drive sustainable leadership• Personal transformation during times of crisis• Belonging, trust, and relational capital• Alignment between thoughts, beliefs, words, and actions• AI, digital transformation, and human-centered organizations• Coherence as a leadership practiceFabian shares why thriving organizations emerge when individuals cultivate physical, mental, and relational well-being, creating stronger communities and more resilient businesses. His perspective reminds us that coherence isn't merely an organizational strategy—it's a way of living.If you're interested in leadership, organizational culture, systems thinking, conscious business, or building stronger relationships, this conversation offers timeless insights grounded in both theory and lived experience.

This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club.http://gotopia.tech/bookclubElisabeth Hendrickson - Advisor, Coach, Speaker & Co-Author of "Signals & Levers"Joel Tosi - Co-Founder & CTO at Dojo & Co & Co-Author of "Signals & Levers"Charles Humble - Freelance Techie, Podcaster, Editor, Author & ConsultantCheck out more here:https://gotopia.tech/episodes/448RESOURCESElisabethhttps://ruby.social/@testobsessedhttps://github.com/testobsessedhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/testobsessedhttps://curiousduck.ioJoelhttps://mastodon.social/@joeltosihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-tosi-531a3bCharleshttps://bsky.app/profile/charleshumble.bsky.socialhttps://linkedin.com/in/charleshumblehttps://mastodon.social/@charleshumblehttps://conissaunce.comLinkshttps://ruthmalan.comhttp://www.ask-force.org/web/Discourse/Rittel-Dilemmas-General-Theory-Planning-1973.pdfDESCRIPTIONElisabeth Hendrickson and Joel Tosi open by explaining why systems thinking is having a moment right now: organizations that went all-in on Agile and DevOps are finding those returns plateauing, and the rise of AI is forcing engineering teams to reexamine where their real bottlenecks are. The book, Signals & Levers, gives software engineers a practical vocabulary and toolkit for that examination. A core insight is that most organizational dysfunction isn't caused by bad people or bad intentions, but by systems that produce bad outcomes predictably and structurally. The named archetypes in the book — over 20 of them, covering patterns like escalating technical debt, the "fixes that fail" loop, and the boiling frog — give teams a shared language to recognize and reason about those patterns without having to discover them from scratch.The most practically actionable section of the conversation covers signals versus levers: understanding the difference between information (a signal) and an intervention point (a lever) is the foundation for making changes that actually work rather than changes that feel productive and achieve nothing. On AI, both authors are cautious in the right ways: Elisabeth uses it daily as a thinking partner but keeps herself firmly at the steering wheel. Joel's warning is starker — AI amplifies whatever is already true about your organization, including dysfunction, and if it lets you ship faster than you can learn, the consequences may be severe. The book closes with an exercise for the reader: if AI doubles your delivery speed, what happens when you can ship faster than you can adapt?RECOMMENDED BOOKSElisabeth Hendrickson & Joel Tosi • Signals & Levers • https://amzn.to/4g6Fb3CDiana Montalion • Learning Systems Thinking • https://amzn.to/3ZpycdJDon Norman • The Design of Everyday Things • https://amzn.to/4fV6QVlGene Kim • The Unicorn Project • https://amzn.to/3woXQDzGene Kim, Kevin Behr & George Spafford • The Phoenix Project • https://amzn.to/3X9cYxaPeter Degrace & Leslie Hulet Stahl • Wicked Problems, Righteous Solutions • https://amzn.to/3ScP0D9Frederick Brooks Jr. • The Mythical Man-Month • https://amzn.to/4gd10OVGerald Weinberg • An Introduction to General Systems Thinking • https://amzn.to/4dZCsaODonella H. Meadows • Thinking in Systems • https://amzn.to/3XtqYCVBlueskyInstagramLinkedInFacebookCHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUSJoin this channel to get early access to videos & other perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/joinLooking for a unique learning experience?Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket: gotopia.techSUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL - new videos posted daily!

In today’s episode, Nathan Stuck sits down with Savannah Seydel to unpack what Better Earth is doing to eliminate petroleum-based plastics from our food systems and advance a truly circular economy. Savannah Seydel is Vice President of Sustainability at Better Earth, an Atlanta-based B Corp and compostable packaging provider, where she advances Better Earth's mission to realize regenerative circularity across the foodservice industry through product innovation, education and advocacy, and stakeholder engagement. She is also the founder of Sustaining Women, a network supporting and sustaining 800+ women across the environmental sector. With an expansive background that bridges creative writing, environmental public affairs, grassroots advocacy, and impact filmmaking, Savannah brings a distinct narrative lens to complex environmental and cross-functional corporate challenges. In this conversation, Nathan and Savannah dive deep into her circuitous career journey—including the fateful ski lift encounter that redefined her professional path. They discuss the historical evolution of compostable packaging, why business leaders must champion a mindset of progress over perfection, and how her newly expanded national initiative, Sustaining Women, is building a resilient, intergenerational community designed to fight change-agent burnout. RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS EPISODE Visit Better Earth www.becompostable.com Follow Better Earth on social media at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becompostable/ X / Twitter: https://x.com/becompostable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becompostable/ Follow Sustaining Women on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/sustaining-women Sign Up for the Atlanta Women in Sustainability Quarterly Newsletter https://lnkd.in/efKSE7ig CREDITS Theme Music

Support the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_USOne on One Video Call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingIn this transformative episode of True Life Podcast, Charla Pitre reveals her groundbreaking 7 Lenses framework for navigating life with clarity, presence, and deep coherence. From surviving childhood trauma and abusive relationships to thriving in Hawaii through radical self-awareness, Charla shares how she turned survival instincts into powerful tools for conscious living.Discover how the heart-brain loop, electromagnetic fields, and nested systems shape our reality. Learn to see consequences as feedback instead of punishment, rewire your nervous system from reactivity to responsiveness, and bridge quantum physics with spirituality. Charla breaks down each of the seven interconnected lenses — Systems, Quantum, Consciousness, Intelligence, Lived Experience, Spirituality, and Relational — showing how they work together to cut through modern noise and reveal hidden connections.This conversation dives deep into trauma healing, CPTSD, self-abandonment vs coherence, the observer perspective, inner child work, and why certainty can actually limit growth while embracing uncertainty builds profound wisdom. Whether you're healing from trauma, seeking meaning, building conscious leadership, or simply want to stop reacting and start responding with intention, this episode delivers practical insights you can apply immediately.Charla Pitre's unique blend of lived experience, systems thinking, and spiritual intelligence offers a revolutionary map for personal evolution in an increasingly complex world.Key Topics: 7 Lenses framework, heart brain coherence, quantum spirituality, nervous system regulation, radical self accountability, relational lens, meaning making, observer consciousness.Connect with Charla Pitre:https://charlapitre.substack.com/p/seeing-the-world-through-seven-lensesSubstack & LinkedIn @ Charla PitreIf you're ready to upgrade how you see yourself and the world, press play now. One on One Video call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US

A throwback to the old intro… Happy Summer (northern hemisphere) from Inspire Citizens. We hope you enjoy this encore episode from our archives featuring some amazing student leaders at NIST. New episodes coming soon.If you have enjoyed the podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. New from Inspire Citizens: Inspired Coaching & Inspired Experiences Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs whole-school service learning programsYou can book a discovery call with Inspire Citizens at this linkShare on social media using #EmpathytoImpactEpisode Summary On this episode, I connect with service learning leaders Pooja, Maya, Minnie, & Poj. These young global citizens share an interest in service through the lens of unity, collaboration and humanitarianism. Listen to our conversation to hear about the multitude of options for students at NIST to engage in meaningful, impactful, and sustainable service through collaboration with diverse community partners in Thailand. We talk about the current projects and aspirations of the service clubs that they are personally involved with, as well as how they have developed as leaders through their work with their clubs and ServiceCo, a student-led organization within the school, who, among their many responsibilities, coordinate and offer leadership and oversight to the many initiatives happening across the school. How might we work together to create a culture of service within our own schools and empower students to take action for a more just equitable, joyful, and sustainable future?  Listen and be inspired.Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Summary In this episode, Andy sits down with Fred Marshall, entrepreneur, founder of Quantum Learning, and author of Thrive: The Antidote to Future Shock. Fred introduces his Super Eight, eight interconnected areas of life that shape our ability to adapt, lead, and grow in a world of accelerating change. Together, they explore why doing all the seemingly right things, the endless life hacks, can still leave you feeling off. Fred makes the case that attention is the single variable that governs almost everything, and that you can ignore almost all of the change coming at you and still thrive. You'll hear about managing your neural net, guarding your time with two 90-minute focus blocks, clearing the open loops that clog your thinking, and choosing the relationships and ecosystems that lift you up. Fred also walks through PANDA, a simple five-step method inspired by a panda that helps you stop a mental spiral and regain focus. If you're looking for a practical, hopeful way to lead through an age of AI and constant change, this episode is for you! Sound Bites "You can ignore almost all of it." "So everything, everything you look at, every book you read, every text you read, everything you do is shaping your neural net." "If you look at that rock, you're gonna hit that rock." "Two 90-minute blocks a day is my new normal." "If you want time to go fast, turn on your computer, open your iPad, or look at your phone." "An open loop is something that needs to get done, that's not done yet, that's still taking up space in your head." "The worst thing is to think of something when you can't act on it." "The people you surround yourself with have an enormous impact on your life and how you think and how everything unfolds, and it's probably the most important choice you make is who you hang out with." "If you develop relationships with people in a growing ecosystem, you're gonna have a great career, you're gonna have a great life." "I want to prepare people so that it's, it's more of surfing a big wave rather than getting overwhelmed by a tsunami." "And I think if you're in your head and you're spiraling, getting out of your head and into action is how you really close the loop." "But if you can just stop for a second and give that person your full attention, even if it's just for a minute, it's so powerful." Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:47 Start of Interview 02:00 Getting to Know Fred 04:29 What Most People Get Wrong About Change 06:29 Designing Your Life 08:03 The Life Hack Paradox 08:34 Attention: The Single Variable 10:20 The Super Eight and the Neural Net 13:00 Guarding Your Time: Fred 3.0 15:38 Take Care of Your Cells 16:09 Rethinking Sleep and Open Loops 17:46 Minimum Viable Exercise 21:23 The PANDA Method 26:22 Designing Your Relationships 28:32 Riding Growing Ecosystems 31:00 Building Systems for the Future 34:12 Applying It at Home 36:48 End of Interview 37:19 Andy Comments After the Interview 40:32 Outtakes Learn More You can learn more about Fred and his work at thrivefutureyou.com. For more learning on this topic, check out: Episode 437 with Nada Sanders. A conversation about future-prepping your career in the age of AI. Episode 382 with Hal Hershfield. Ideas from his book Your Future Self that remain completely relevant to our times today. Episode 313 with futurist Brian David Johnson. A discussion that changed how Andy thinks about trying to predict the future. Chat with PMeLa You can chat directly with PMeLa—the podcast's AI persona—to get episode recommendations and answers to your project management and leadership questions. Visit PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/PMeLa to chat with her. Join Us for LEAD52 I know you want to be a more confident leader–that's why you listen to this podcast. LEAD52 is a global community of people like you who are committed to transforming their ability to lead and deliver. It's 52 weeks of leadership learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Learn more and sign up at GetLEAD52.com. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Change Management, Leadership, Attention, Focus, Productivity, Resilience, Relationships, Systems Thinking, Future of Work The following music was used for this episode: Music: Imagefilm 034 by Sascha Ende License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Fashion Corporate by Frank Schroeter License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

What if failure isn't the opposite of winning — but the gift that makes it possible? In Part 2 of this two-part conversation, Your Health CEO Matt Staub opens up about the present he gave himself at 40: permission to fail. Then he shows what that looks like when life tests it — walking Jamie through a 2025 that brought prostate cancer, his daughter's surgery, the loss of his father, and professional hardship, and the quiet strength it takes to look back and say, "That was a good try. I'm still here. I'm hard to beat." In this episode, you'll hear: How Matt reframes a loss into a "fall forward" — and the simple habit he uses to do it The agonizing leadership question of when to let someone you care about fail Why accountability, done right, is one of the best gifts you can give a friend The danger of only celebrating big wins — and how complacency quietly creeps in Why the only voice that truly matters is the one inside your own head If you missed Part 1, start there for the full arc. Then settle in here for the deeper, more personal half — and walk away with a new relationship to the losses in your own life.

Sacred Pause Dashboard: https://www.secretowlsociety.org/pauseSacred Systems: https://www.secretowlsociety.org/sacredThe Beauty of Systems Thinking in Everyday LifeEvery month, I make myself a printable calendar. This month, I sat down to do it and my body said — we don't want to do this. So I listened. And by the end of the morning, I'd built a tool that makes the calendar for me. Moon phases, cycle tracking, your language, your holidays — done, every month, with zero work.In this episode, I'm talking about what makes that kind of moment possible: capacity. When everything lives in your head, all you can do is keep doing. But when you get it all out and into a system, you gain the perspective to ask better questions — do I even want to be doing this? Could I do it better, or do it less?I also share the simple practice that turns everything you're learning (perimenopause research, book recommendations, that tip from a podcast) into something you're actually living — instead of one more thing to carry. Because we've all defaulted to using our body as the system. And your body is meant for more.

Send us Fan MailAshley Pyle joins Joey Pinz for a deep conversation on leadership, AI adoption, competitive drive, systems thinking, and what it really takes to scale both people and organizations.

Send us Fan MailDr. William (Willy) Donaldson has over 35 years of experience as a Board member and President and has been CEO of 8 companies and over 30 years of experience in higher education. Willy is the Founder and President of Strategic Venture Planning, a management consulting firm that assists boards, investors and senior management teams maximize results.Dr. Donaldson is an Assistant Professor in Finance. He teaches Advanced Financial Statement Analysis, Entrepreneurial Finance, Strategic Management, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Systems Thinking, as well as multiple capstone classes. Dr. Donaldson is the Director of the Luter Business Institute.A Few Quotes From This Episode"Managers and leaders don't solve problems, they manage messes.""If you don't see the whole system, you're gonna draw a boundary around your job...and you're gonna start optimizing in that space. And that may be great for finance, but it may be disastrous for the whole system."ResourcesBook: Simple Complexity: A Management Book For The Rest of UsResource: OODA Loop by John BoydAbout The International Leadership Association (ILA)The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Attend The Global Conference in Toronto, October 28-31.About  Scott J. AllenWebsiteWeekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for LeadersMy Approach to HostingThe views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic. ♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.

Whoever scores the most goals wins. Simple — until you leave the field and try to keep score in your actual life, where there's no referee and no final whistle. So how do you know if you're winning? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Your Health CEO Matt Staub sits down with Jamie Preston to redefine what a win actually is. Matt opens with the daily ritual that grounds him — making it to the gym — and the moment he realized the win wasn't the scale or the heavier lift, but the discipline of showing up at all. In this episode, you'll hear: Why the heaviest weight at the gym is the front door — and what that teaches about every goal The hidden cost of only celebrating the big wins (hint: it's called burnout) What a humbling match-play golf loss taught Jamie about changing the goal instead of the game Why Matt believes pressure is a privilege — and how he leans into it Who actually decides what counts as a win, and what to do when there's no scoreboard This is the half where winning gets redefined from the outside in. Press play, then come back next week for Part 2 — where it gets personal.

Trust in science and engineering has never mattered more. Aurecon's Tanya de Hoog speaks with Sir Peter Gluckman about the evolving role of science and engineering in addressing the world's most complex challenges. They discuss the value of remaining open to opportunity throughout your career, the importance of systems thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration, and how emerging technologies such as AI are reshaping the way knowledge is created and shared. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the patient never noticed the merger at all? For Matt Staub, that's not a failure — it's the goal. In this episode, Your Health CEO Matt Staub sits down with Jamie to talk through the company's merger with TCPA and Providence Care — a move that brings together similar footprints in primary care, palliative, hospice, skilled nursing, and assisted living across South Carolina and Georgia. As a 23-year healthcare veteran going through his first merger, Matt is candid about the tedious due-diligence "earnest money" phase, the EMR transitions ahead, and why he refuses to let "what could go wrong" crowd out "what could go right." You'll hear: Why "mass moves mass" — and what scale actually buys patients in care management and data analytics How Your Health breaks 50,000 patients into groups, teams, and "hubs" so no one falls through the cracks The "change is hard" philosophy and the discipline of productive (not just effective) communication How the spirit of agape — godly love — still threads through a company that's evolved far past its original name What success looks like in six months: patient retention, mission and margin If you lead through change — or live through it — this one will reframe how you think about getting bigger without losing what made you matter.

Note: This episode is an encore performance from an episode originally published on May 7, 2024If you have enjoyed the podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. Update: Aya's paper got published! You can read it here. It is article number 4 in the 10th issue of the Intercultural Connector. Congratulations to Aya on this amazing accomplishment.New from Inspire Citizens: Inspired Coaching & Inspired Experiences Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs whole-school service learning programsShare on social media using #EmpathytoImpactEpisode Summary It was so amazing to meet Aya from the International School of Kigali in Rwanda and learn about her passion for mindful service and how it connects to intercultural competency. Her 4 pillars of mindful service would be a great starting point for any school designing a service learning program, or evaluating the impact of their partnerships. How might we engage as listeners, connect with communities from a place of equality, build relationships, establish trust and collaboratively design actions that have positive impact and develop reciprocal partnerships? Listen to find out.Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

If you've ever wondered what to actually do during small group time in math, this episode will give you a clear and practical way to support students without lowering expectations.We built a simple Math Coherence Compass to help district and school leaders make aligned decisions around math—without adding another initiative. Get your free copy and training here https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units Description:Many school systems measure success in math education by one thing: math test scores. But what if waiting for scores to improve is actually slowing down meaningful change?Math test scores are often treated as proof that math professional development, initiatives, or instructional changes are working. But the reality is, they're lagging indicators—they tell us what already happened, not what's happening right now. When math leaders focus only on math test scores and outcomes, they risk missing the daily classroom experiences that actually produce those outcomes. Sustainable improvement doesn't come from chasing math test scores. It comes from redesigning the systems, structures, and instructional experiences that shape student learning every day.In this episode, you'll explore:Why math test scores are lagging indicators in math improvementThe difference between activity and actual impactWhat math leaders should measure instead of waiting for outcomesHow classroom experiences shape long-term achievementWhy systems—not individuals—drive resultsWhat it means to “change the change” in math educationIf you're feeling pressure to prove improvement through math test scores alone, this episode will help you rethink what meaningful progress actually looks like—and how to build systems that create lasting change.Show Notes PageLove the show? Text us your big takeaway!Empower Your Students (and Teachers) Using A Professional Learning PlanThat Sparks Engagement, Fuels Deep Learning, and Ignites Action! Book a time to chat with our team to see how we can help you achieve your math goals! https://makemathmoments.com/plan/Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don't want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

In this episode of This Might Be on the Test, we explore how nations function as complex systems and why success on the world stage is rarely the result of individual talent alone. Using the World Cup as our backdrop, we'll examine how culture, leadership, education, economics, infrastructure, and national priorities work together to shape outcomes over time. Whether you're leading a business, nonprofit, government agency, or global team, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how interconnected systems influence success and what leaders can learn from countries competing on the world's biggest stage.

George Barrios spent more than three decades moving between strategy, finance, operations, and general management before helping lead the evolution of WWE from a North American live-event business into a global media company. In this conversation, he reflects on the principles that shaped that career and the lessons learned while leading large-scale change under intense scrutiny. A central theme is systems thinking. Barrios explains why effective leaders develop a deep understanding of how customers, markets, functions, incentives, and decisions interact rather than viewing problems through a single functional lens. He argues that better decisions often come from understanding second- and third-order consequences rather than focusing only on immediate outcomes. The discussion also explores where conviction comes from. Barrios rejects the idea that confidence is primarily a personality trait. Instead, he argues that conviction is built through preparation, rigorous analysis, and a willingness to develop a clear point of view. For leaders pursuing ambitious initiatives, this foundation becomes essential when facing skepticism, criticism, and uncertainty. Several practical lessons emerge: Strong leaders seek to understand the entire business, not just their area of expertise. Writing remains one of the most effective ways to sharpen thinking because it exposes gaps, inconsistencies, and unsupported assumptions. Courage is not the absence of fear. The fear associated with difficult decisions rarely disappears, but action reduces its influence. Storytelling is a leadership skill, not a communication accessory. People commit to difficult work when they understand the larger purpose behind it and can see their role within it. Significant achievements often require enduring what Barrios describes as the "swamp of despair," the period when progress is unclear, criticism is high, and abandoning the effort appears rational. The conversation also examines the implications of artificial intelligence. Barrios believes professionals should move beyond simply using AI tools and instead learn how to integrate them deeply into their workflows. At the same time, he emphasizes that AI cannot replace the value of an informed point of view developed through reading, writing, experience, and independent thinking. Drawing on his experience in media and sports, Barrios discusses why the economics of content creation are changing rapidly. As the cost of producing content approaches zero, differentiation increasingly depends on authenticity, trusted expertise, strong brands, and proprietary experiences that cannot be replicated by algorithms. He also explains why successful content organizations should think less about producing individual hits and more about building data-driven systems that consistently create, test, and refine content at scale. This is a conversation about leadership, judgment, resilience, and the discipline required to pursue difficult ideas when evidence is incomplete and consensus is absent. Get George's new book, Sometimes Wrong but Never in Doubt, here: https://tinyurl.com/4557tfpb Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift

The damage from your Q1 goal doesn't show up until Q3, on someone else's dashboard, after the person who flagged it got fired.Part 2 of the Outcome Trap series. Brian and Om argue why you can't see the trap from inside it: second-order effects land too late to trace, the people who spot trouble get removed, and the truth fractures across team dashboards until nobody owns the whole picture. By the end you'll have questions to ask before any number you set quietly destroys the business.Listen or watch as we discuss and debate:Why Goodhart's Law turns every new leading indicator into another surface to gameHow Sears split into 40 competing units and imploded while every department hit its OKRsThe Wells Fargo whistleblower fired for 'tardiness' eight days after calling the ethics hotlineWhy Deming's 1986 warning to eliminate numerical goals got ignored for forty yearsTwo questions to ask before setting any targetIf you've ever been in a company where every conceivable metric was green while the business slowly bleed out, this podcast is for you!.#OKRs #Deming #GoodhartsLawW. Edwards Deming (Out of the Crisis, The New Economics), Goodhart's Law, Peter Senge The Fifth Discipline, The People's Republic of Walmart, Sears (Eddie Lampert), Wells Fargo (Bill Bado), Frances Haugen Facebook testimony, Careless People by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsLINKSYouTube: https://youtu.be/BuWgxH8VpRISpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Conventional oncology often misses root causes like stress, toxins, and microbiome imbalance. Quillin outlines what a true integrative approach should look like. #RootCauseMedicine #IntegrativeOncology #CancerPrevention

If you've ever wondered what to actually do during small group time in math, this episode will give you a clear and practical way to support students without lowering expectations.We built a simple Math Coherence Compass to help district and school leaders make aligned decisions around math—without adding another initiative. Get your free copy and training here https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units Description:Every school system wants sustainable improvement in math instruction. But in education, there's one reality we can't ignore: people are constantly stepping on and off the system. Teachers change roles, leaders move positions, and new staff enter every year. So how do you build improvement efforts that actually last?For years, many educators have thought about improvement through the idea of a flywheel—something that takes significant effort to get moving, but gains momentum over time. But what if education systems are less like flywheels and more like Ferris wheels? In a Ferris wheel system, people are always coming and going. And that means improvement can't live only inside individuals—it has to live within the system itself. Sustainable change requires structures that preserve learning, distribute leadership, and continuously support people as they enter and move through the system.In this episode, you'll explore:Why sustainable improvement can't depend on individual people aloneThe role of hubs, networks, and distributed leadership in math improvementWhat it means to “learn fast and implement slow”How systems can preserve and share learning over timeWhy continuous improvement must be built into the system itselfIf you're leading math improvement in a classroom, school, or district, this episode will challenge you to think differently about sustainability—and help you design systems that continue to grow even as people come and go.Show Notes PageLove the show? Text us your big takeaway!Empower Your Students (and Teachers) Using A Professional Learning PlanThat Sparks Engagement, Fuels Deep Learning, and Ignites Action! Book a time to chat with our team to see how we can help you achieve your math goals! https://makemathmoments.com/plan/Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don't want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Aidan Madigan-Curtis, Partner at Eclipse, for a sharp conversation on physical AI, frontier tech, robotics, manufacturing, and the future of building in the real world. Aidan shares her unlikely path from a small mountain town in Penticton to Harvard, Bridgewater, Apple, Samsara, and now Eclipse, where she invests at the intersection of atoms and bits.She breaks down what factory floors taught her that most software-first founders miss, why physical AI is becoming one of the biggest venture capital opportunities of the next decade, and what the U.S. and Canada must understand about China's manufacturing advantage. From launching the first Apple Watch manufacturing lines to scaling Samsara's hardware operations and investing in autonomous excavation, robotics, energy, defense, and supply chain technology, Aidan brings a rare operator-investor perspective to one of the most important shifts happening in tech today.Buckle up to understand why the next wave of AI won't just live in software; it will reshape factories, robots, infrastructure, and the physical world around us.The Unlikely Path from Penticton to Harvard (00:04:25)Aidan shares the wild story of growing up in a tiny Canadian mountain town, applying to Harvard almost by accident, and nearly missing her acceptance letter because it sat undelivered in a PO box. She reflects on how community support, risk-taking, and a willingness to swing big shaped the rest of her career.Bridgewater, Systems Thinking, and Conviction Investing (00:09:00)Aidan explains how Bridgewater's fundamental, systematic approach to markets shaped how she evaluates venture opportunities today. She breaks down why Eclipse starts with deep theses, pressure-tests industries, and backs founders before the market fully understands where the world is going.The Factory Floor Lesson Every Founder Needs (00:17:27)Drawing from her time launching Apple Watch manufacturing lines, Aidan explains why the best founders must balance brutal honesty with extreme optimism. She argues that founders who get “high on their own supply” lose touch with reality, while founders without belief cannot rally a team to do the impossible.Why Physical AI Was the Bet Before It Was Cool (00:20:34)Aidan walks through her career pattern of choosing the “unsexy” path before it becomes obvious: Bridgewater before it was famous, Apple supply chain when software was eating the world, Samsara before industrial IoT was hot, and Eclipse before physical AI became a major venture category.China's “Vibe Manufacturing” Advantage (00:28:37)Aidan unpacks Eclipse's China Field Notes and explains what “vibe manufacturing” really means: a deeply layered, highly competitive, fast-moving manufacturing ecosystem that can turn ideas into physical products at extraordinary speed. She discusses China's compounding advantage in tooling, suppliers, human capital, robotics, and government-backed industrial competition.Where the U.S. Is Ahead and Behind in Robotics (00:37:18)Aidan breaks down the robotics race between the U.S. and China. She says the U.S. remains highly competitive in embodied AI, autonomy, and goal-oriented machine intelligence, but lags badly in manufacturing depth, actuators, magnets, physical iteration speed, and lower-level robotic control.The Robotics Data Problem (00:41:14)Aidan explains why video data alone is not enough to build general-purpose robotics. She discusses the need for proprioception, haptics, physics data, and real-world interaction data, plus why China's robotic data farms could become a major strategic advantage.Canada's Opportunity in AI, Energy, and Deep Tech (00:44:47)As a Canadian-born investor, Aidan lays out where Canada can win: talent attraction, smart immigration policy, abundant clean energy, AI infrastructure, university research, biotech, quantum, defense, and strategic government offtake. She argues Canada has the raw ingredients to become a major player if it moves with urgency.Eclipse's Interest in Canadian Founders (00:49:20)Aidan shares that Eclipse is already investing in Canada, including companies in Toronto and Vancouver, and is actively interested in deep tech and physical AI founders coming out of Canada's strongest ecosystems.About Aidan Madigan-CurtisAidan Madigan-Curtis is a Partner at Eclipse, where she invests in physical AI, robotics, manufacturing, energy, defense, supply chain, and frontier technology companies. Before Eclipse, she was an early executive at Samsara, helping scale the industrial IoT company from pre-product to public company. She previously worked on Apple's manufacturing team for the first Apple Watch and began her career at Bridgewater, where she developed a systems-thinking approach to markets and complex industries.Connect with Aidan Madigan-Curtis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-madigan-curtis/Visit the Eclipse website: https://eclipse.capital/Connect with Matt Cohen on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/matt-cohen1Visit the Ripple Ventures website: https://www.rippleventures.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

AI is changing how people discover, evaluate, trust, buy, create, hire, and compete. The bigger question is whether your business model is built to survive a future where attention is fragmented, trust is harder to earn, execution is easier to automate, and buyers have more options than ever. Learn how to activate the M.A.S.S. Effect Business Model, a strategic ecosystem built around: • Media to create attention, trust, authority, and discoverability • Assets to create scalability, leverage, and income beyond your direct time • Strategy to create clarity, alignment, interpretation, and better decisions • Systems to reduce friction, support consistency, and keep the business moving Many businesses are addicted to acquisition because they never built retention. In an AI accelerated world, that becomes dangerous because information is easier to access, skills are being compressed, and execution is becoming automated. The real value now shifts toward trust, experience, clarity, influence, systems, and community. The future belongs to adaptive businesses that can evolve with the market, keep customers connected, turn trust into retention, and scale without breaking the founder, team, or customer experience. If your business grew tomorrow, could it actually hold the growth, or would the model collapse under the weight of what you asked for? Beyond The Episode Gems: Buy Troy's Book, Strategize Up: The Blueprint To Scale Your Business StrategizeUpBook.com Discover All Podcasts On The HubSpot Podcast Network Get Free HubSpot Marketing Tools To Help You Grow Your Business Grow Your Business Faster Using HubSpot's CRM Platform Support The Podcast & Connect With Troy:  Rate & Review iDigress: iDigress.fm/Reviews Follow Troy's Socials @FindTroy: LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, TikTok Subscribe to Troy's YouTube Channel For Strategy Videos & See Masterclass Episodes Need Growth Strategy, A Keynote Speaker, Or Want To Sponsor The Podcast? Go To FindTroy.com

Show NotesIn this episode, Simon Western is joined by his long-time colleague, Leslie Brissett, to explore the history, purpose and enduring relevance of Group Relations Conferences. They trace the roots of this pioneering methodology from the early Leicester Conferences and the Tavistock Institute tradition to its contemporary applications in leadership, organisations and society. They discuss how Group Relations creates a temporary learning organisation where participants study authority, leadership, membership, and the unconscious in real time. They reflect on why these conferences can be deeply moving, often revealing hidden assumptions, internal constraints and patterns carried from our earliest relationships.Simon and Leslie also discuss the changing nature of leadership, the growing prominence of identity and systems thinking and the need to reconnect questions of soul, embodiment and spirituality with organisational life. Along the way, Simon shares how a Group Relations Conference helped him discover a different path to leadership - one that emerged not from hierarchy, but from working at the edge.This is a conversation about learning, freedom, authority and what it means to become more conscious participants in the systems we inhabit.Key Reflections Every Group Relations Conference is a unique, temporary learning organisation that can never be repeated in exactly the same way. Authority is not simply something exercised by leaders; it is shaped by how each of us relates to systems, roles, and early life experiences. Experiential learning can reveal aspects of ourselves that remain hidden in traditional education, coaching, therapy, or leadership development. Freedom often exposes the internal constraints and assumptions that unconsciously shape our behaviour. The origins of Group Relations are rooted in post-war efforts to understand authority, democracy, and the conditions that give rise to authoritarianism. Leadership does not only emerge from formal positions of power; it can arise from the edge of a system through connection and influence. Identity has become a more visible and important aspect of organizational life, inviting deeper reflection on both self and system. The future of Group Relations may lie in integrating embodiment, spirituality, and ecological ways of thinking with its psychoanalytic foundations. KeywordsGroup Relations, Leadership, Authority, Tavistock, Systems Thinking, Identity, Organisational Learning, Soul, WorkBrief BioLeslie has worked in organisational and community leadership for over 30 years. He is on the advisory board of the Eco-leadership Institute. He is the former Group Relations Programme Director at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, and is currently serving as the Board Secretary for the International Psychoanalytical Association. Leslie has studied human dynamics in experiential settings in many countries and acts as an adviser and consultant to boards, nations, groups and individuals seeking to improve the quality of life and deepen what it means to be human and humane. Leslie holds multiple degrees including master's degrees in Health Education from Kings College and Organisational Psychology, Social Policy and Non-Profit Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as a PhD in Unconscious Decision Making from Trinity College. 

Send us Fan MailSix years ago, ENGINEERING CH∆NGE® started with a simple idea: create the kind of conversation you might have over coffee with a colleague about the challenges—and opportunities—facing engineering and other STEM organizations.In this season finale, my co-producer Quincy joins me behind the mic as we look back on six seasons of the podcast, the lessons  learned along the way, and what might be next for ENGINEERING CH∆NGE®. We discuss why I shifted to a solo format for Season 5, how the companion ebook Engineering for Society influenced the season's content, the realities of producing a podcast while balancing a demanding professional life, and why some of this season's most difficult conversations were also the most important.We also explore how the podcast has evolved from a focus on engineering education to broader conversations about organizational systems, leadership, culture, technology, and change—and why listeners both inside and outside STEM continue to connect with these topics.In this episode, we discuss:The origins of "Grab a Latte and Listen"How ENGINEERING CH∆NGE® has evolved over six seasonsWhy Season 5 shifted to a solo formatLessons learned about balancing impact, perfectionism, and self-careThe emotional story behind What Systems Lose When Fear LeadsWhy systemic challenges often appear in different forms but share common rootsHow the Engineering for Society ebook helped shape Season 5Possibilities for Season 6, including guest interviews, panel discussions, and research-to-practice conversationsWhy your feedback will help shape the future of the podcastI'd Love to Hear From YouWhat topics, guests, challenges, or conversations would be most valuable to you in Season 6?Use the fan mail link in the show notes and let me know. Your feedback will help shape the next chapter of ENGINEERING CH∆NGE®.ResourcesRequest your FREE copy of the ebook, Engineering for Society at EngineeringChangePodcast.comSupport the showENGINEERING CHΔNGE® is a registered trademark held by Dr. Yvette E. Pearson for producing and providing podcasts.

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, LaSean Smith, Product and Growth Lead at Google Cloud, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy for a wide-ranging conversation on how systems thinking and agentic AI are reshaping the way individuals, small businesses, and enterprises operate.LaSean shares a career journey that spans Microsoft HoloLens, Amazon, a successful startup exit, and now Google — plus a portfolio of small businesses that have served as his real-world AI lab. From a salad shop in Renton to a pre-construction development business in Seattle, he's applied workflow design and agent automation to solve practical problems long before it was fashionable.The conversation digs deep into how to actually build effective AI agents — not by prompting a chatbot, but by thinking in workflows first, identifying where reasoning actually needs to happen, and writing skills that make agents fast, reliable, and token-efficient. LaSean explains the "parcel grader" agent he built for his construction business, why he starts every agent build in a chat interface before moving to CLI, and how the McDonald's SOP model is the right mental framework for getting great output from AI.Boaz and LaSean also discuss the barbell economy that AI is creating — where small players and large enterprises both gain leverage while the middle gets squeezed — why Microsoft's Copilot strategy missed the point, how to think about agent security and identity, and why healthy organizational culture is the actual prerequisite for successful AI adoption.The episode closes with a reflection on what "always changing" really means as a mindset, and why building resilience and systems thinking skills now is the most important career investment anyone can make.This episode is essential listening for entrepreneurs, operators, and anyone using or thinking about deploying AI agents in their work.---Chapters[00:00] Episode 100 and LaSean's First Jobs[03:30] From Microsoft HoloLens to Amazon to Google: LaSean's Career Path[08:00] What LaSean Does at Google Cloud Today[11:00] The Entrepreneurial Side: Small Businesses as an AI Lab[16:00] The Barbell Economy: Why the Middle Is Being Squeezed[20:00] Building the Parcel Grader Agent for Pre-Construction[25:00] How to Write Better Skills: Start in Chat, Not CLI[30:00] Workflow Thinking vs. Department Thinking[35:00] Why Google Is Generating 75% of Its Code with AI[38:00] The McDonald's SOP Model for Agent Design[42:00] Agent Security for Individuals and Small Businesses[47:00] Enterprise AI: Governance, Trust, and Organizational Design[52:00] The Two-Word Future of Work: Always Changing---Connect with LaSean SmithLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laseansmith/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

Show NotesIn this episode, Simon Western speaks with seasoned psychoanalyst and organisational consultant Dr. Anton Obholzer about the hidden emotional and relational dynamics shaping leadership, organisations and society. Anton is a hugely respected organisational consultant from the Tavistock tradition, and it is a delight to hear his wisdom and insights on this podcast.  Moving beyond technical models of management and mental health, the conversation explores organisations as living systems embedded within wider social and political realities. Anton reflects on the Tavistock tradition, the influence of Eric Miller and the importance of understanding organisations not simply as structures of efficiency, but as emotional containers carrying anxiety, projection, creativity and possibility. Simon and Anton discuss leadership as a protective and generative force, creating the conditions for growth, talent and human flourishing.The dialogue explores the erosion of relational life in contemporary society, the dangers of organisations becoming spaces for unmanaged social anxiety, and the increasing dominance of technological and managerial rationality over human connection. They examine the importance of experiential learning, vulnerability, observation and creative practice in sustaining healthy organisations and societies.At the heart of the episode is a deeper question about how we live together in increasingly uncertain times. Rather than retreating into expertise, certainty or control, Anton calls for greater relational awareness, collective responsibility and societal imagination.Key Reflections Organisations are emotional and societal systems, not simply technical machines Leadership involves creating protective spaces where people and creativity can flourish Psychoanalysis offers ways to understand the hidden dynamics shaping organisational life Relational intelligence matters more than purely technical expertise Organisations often absorb and enact wider societal anxieties and fractures Creativity, art and dialogue are essential to organisational and societal health Experiential learning creates deeper awareness than abstract theory alone Technological advancement risks intensifying alienation and loss of human contact Mental health cannot be separated from political, social and organisational conditions Healthy societies require interdependence, vulnerability and collective responsibility KeywordsPsychoanalysis, Leadership, Organisational Dynamics, Tavistock, Anton Obholzer, Simon Western, Eco-Leadership, Relational Intelligence, Systems Thinking, Emotional Containment, Group Relations, Society, Human Connection, Organisational Culture, Creativity, Vulnerability, Interdependence.Brief BioDr. Anton Obholzer is a psychiatrist, Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and both a child and adult psychoanalyst, trained at the Tavistock Clinic and the Institute of Psychoanalysis in London. Alongside his clinical work, he trained as an organisational consultant under Eric Miller at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, helping pioneer the application of psychoanalytic thinking to organisations, leadership, and institutional life.Until 2002, he served as Chief Executive of the Tavistock & Portman Clinics in London and continues as Chairman of the Consulting to Institutions Workshop and Senior Consultant in the Tavistock Consultancy Service. He has designed and directed group relations and management conferences internationally, and lectures widely on organisational change, leadership, and resistance under conditions of stress and turbulence.A Visiting Professor at the Universities of Vienna, Graz, and Innsbruck, faculty member at INSEAD's Advanced Management Programme, and teacher across Europe, Dr. Obholzer has spent decades exploring the unconscious dynamics that shape organisations - especially when systems are under pressure.He is also the co-editor of the influential book The Unconscious at Work, a seminal text that examines how unconscious anxieties and emotional dynamics operate within organisations and institutions. His writings and publications have profoundly shaped the fields of systems psychodynamics, organisational consultancy, and leadership studies.

Send us Fan MailSend us Fan MailIn this thought-provoking episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are joined by Scott Paradis, a retired Army Colonel, former Congressional Fellow, and author of 11 books. Scott brings a unique perspective to the current chaos in our world, emphasizing that the turmoil we see is part of a larger system under strain rather than mere random events. He delves into the importance of clarity, responsibility, and reclaiming our agency in these uncertain times.Scott shares his remarkable journey from his early aspirations of serving in the military to his extensive experience in both the Army and government. He discusses the systemic cracks he began to notice, particularly during his deployment to Iraq, and how these insights have shaped his understanding of today's social and political landscape.Throughout the conversation, Scott identifies five converging storms impacting our society: environmental upheaval, economic stratification, political polarization, technological acceleration, and personal adversity. He argues that these challenges present an opportunity for an evolutionary leap, urging listeners to embrace radical responsibility and compassion to navigate these turbulent times.Join us for an enlightening discussion that encourages self-awareness and the pursuit of a higher purpose amidst the noise of the world. Scott's insights will inspire you to reflect on your own role in the collective journey toward a more connected and meaningful existence.What You'll Learn in This Episode:- The significance of looking beyond surface-level politics- Insights into the five storms affecting our world today- The concept of radical responsibility and its impact on agency- How money, power, and meaning have shifted in recent years- Ways to cultivate awareness and navigate personal challengesFor more information on Scott Paradis and his work, visit and connect with him on LinkedIn at Scott F. Paradis.Support the show

The culture is obsessed with speed, scale, lean teams, massive output, and automation, but faster output does not automatically mean better direction. In part two of this connected conversation, the focus shifts to the missing human layer underneath AI-powered growth and the belief that more content, more automation, and more velocity always lead to better outcomes. Using S³ Growth Streams™ as the operating lens, you will learn how to strategize before accelerating, synergize before scaling, and systemize before sprinting forever. More importantly, you will see how to separate signal from noise, align tools with real human capacity, and build repeatable rhythms that support growth without requiring constant sacrifice. This episode is not anti-AI, anti-hustle, or anti-ambition. It is anti-default sacrifice, anti-permanent sprint, and anti-output without awareness. It also challenges the obsession with flow state by introducing five operating states that support sustainable growth: capture, clarity, commitment, flow, and reflection. Because flow is not the whole game. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is capture the signal, get clarity, commit to the right action, recover, reflect, and return to baseline before sprinting again. The goal is not to become more machine-like. The goal is to become more intentionally human while using machines wisely. Beyond The Episode Gems: Buy My Book, Strategize Up: The Blueprint To Scale Your Business: StrategizeUpBook.com Discover All Podcasts On The HubSpot Podcast Network Get Free HubSpot Marketing Tools To Help You Grow Your Business Grow Your Business Faster Using HubSpot's CRM Platform Support The Podcast & Connect With Troy:  Rate & Review iDigress: iDigress.fm/Reviews Follow Troy's Socials @FindTroy: LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, TikTok Subscribe to Troy's YouTube Channel For Strategy Videos & See Masterclass Episodes Need Growth Strategy, A Keynote Speaker, Or Want To Sponsor The Podcast? Go To FindTroy.com

Episode DescriptionIn this episode of the Emergency Management Network Podcast, Todd DeVoe and Andrew Boyarsky introduce a new long-form series, The 48 Laws of Emergency Management.This series explores the hard-earned lessons, leadership principles, operational realities, and unwritten rules that define the profession of emergency management. Drawing inspiration from decades of field experience, philosophy, crisis leadership, disaster policy, and organizational behavior, Todd and Andrew discuss why emergency management is far more than plans and checklists. It is about people, decision-making, trust, adaptation, communication, and leadership under pressure.This opening episode serves as an overview of the series and lays the foundation for future conversations. The discussion examines how emergency managers operate in ambiguity, why relationships matter more than org charts, and how the profession continues to evolve in an increasingly complex world.Whether you are a new emergency manager, a seasoned practitioner, or simply interested in leadership and crisis management, this series aims to challenge assumptions and encourage deeper thinking about the profession and its future.Show NotesThe Emergency Management Network launches a new ongoing series: The 48 Laws of Emergency Management. Hosted by Todd DeVoe and Andrew Boyarsky, this series examines the deeper realities of emergency management through practical experience, philosophy, leadership lessons, and honest conversation about the profession.Emergency management is often taught through doctrine, frameworks, and plans, but the real work of the profession happens in the face of uncertainty. This series explores the lessons that emergency managers learn over years of disasters, activations, political environments, public expectations, and operational pressures.In this introductory episode, Todd and Andrew discuss:* Why emergency management is fundamentally about people* The unwritten rules of leadership during a crisis* How emergency managers build influence without direct authority* Why relationships matter more than organizational charts* The importance of trust, communication, and credibility* The tension between policy and operational reality* How philosophy and systems thinking apply to emergency management* Leadership lessons from military command philosophy and disaster response* Why is adaptability one of the profession's most important traits* The future challenges facing emergency management professionalsThe conversation also explores how emergency management has evolved into a profession that requires strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, operational competence, and the ability to work across disciplines and political environments.This episode sets the stage for future installments, in which Todd and Andrew will break down individual “laws” and discuss the practical application of each principle in real-world emergency management.TagsEmergency Management, Emergency Management Network, EMN, Todd DeVoe, Andrew Boyarsky, Disaster Response, Crisis Leadership, FEMA, IAEM, Public Safety, Emergency Planning, Incident Command, EOC, Community Resilience, Disaster Recovery, Crisis Communication, Leadership, Systems Thinking, Homeland Security, Disaster Policy, Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Operations, Crisis Management, Disaster Leadership, Emergency Manager, Organizational Leadership This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushWhat if the biggest thing holding your health back isn't what you're doing, but how you're thinking about it? Most of us have been trained to see the body in silos: diagnose the problem, treat the symptom, move on. But what if that model is missing the bigger picture?In this episode of The Ready State Podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Bland – widely recognized as the father of functional medicine – joins Juliet and Kelly Starrett to unpack a more complete, systems-based approach to health. From a simple (and surprisingly accessible) blood test that can reveal your inflammatory status, to the real role of inflammation as both a healing response and a hidden driver of chronic disease, this conversation challenges everything you thought you knew about “being healthy.”Dr. Bland also shares the deeply personal story that reshaped his entire career and led him to question conventional medicine's focus on downstream symptoms instead of root causes.You'll walk away understanding why everyday choices – like sugar intake, sleep, stress, and even your sense of self-agency – play a far bigger role in longevity than most people realize. Because at the end of the day, health is something you actively create.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy chronic inflammation is both a healing response and a hidden driver of diseaseHow a standard blood test (CBC) can reveal your body's inflammatory stateThe difference between treating symptoms vs. addressing root causes (upstream vs. downstream health)Why your body is a system – and not a set of isolated problems to fixHow everyday habits like sugar intake, stress, and sleep quietly accelerate agingKey Highlights: (0:00) Intro & Teaser Clips(0:35) Introducing Dr. Jeffrey Bland, Father of Functional Medicine(3:11) Dr. Bland Joins the Show / Earth Day Connection(3:50) How Dr. Bland's Career Began in 1970(7:33) What's Most Urgent for People to Understand About Health Today(9:13) Systems Thinking vs. Siloed Medicine(12:43) A Seismic Life Event That Changed Everything(15:19) Finding Purpose After Tragedy — The Birth of a Mission(17:35) Origins of the Term "Functional Medicine"(19:03) Functional Medicine in The Lancet — 1874(31:15) Understanding Good vs. Chronic Inflammation(38:30) The Ibuprofen Epidemic in Youth Athletes(39:59) The Functional Medicine Model: Antecedents, Triggers & Mediators(42:47) Big Bold Health & Testing for Inflammaging(43:33) The CBC with Differential — A $6 Test Everyone Already Has(45:08) The SIRI Index — Calculating Your Inflammatory Status(46:25) Immune Cells Renew Every 90–120 Days(56:03) The 850-Person Clinical Trial on Food & Immune Health(56:56) Tartary Buckwheat — A 3,500-Year-Old Immune Superfood(1:02:57) The Healthcare System Isn't Working — A Seismic Change Is Coming(1:08:13) Rapid Fire: Blue Zones & Eating a Rainbow of Polyphenols(1:09:47) The #1 Lever for Aging Well — Starting With How You See Yourself(1:10:56) Where to Find Dr. Jeff Bland & Closing ThoughtsHuge thanks to our sponsors, Kreatures of Habit, LMNT, and Momentous.

BONUS: Why Your Agile Transformation Keeps Snapping Back — And What Systems Thinking Says About It Natalia Curusi co-authored a book that doesn't tell you what agile should look like — it tells you what actually happens when you try to transform an organization. Friday-night deployments, zombie teams going through the motions, transformations that met a wall of silence. In this episode, we unpack the real lessons from the front lines: how personal values drive the shift to agile, why some teams have all the ceremonies but none of the substance, and what systems thinking reveals about why transformations fail — or snap back. When Your Values Don't Match Your Ways of Working "I felt like there is a mismatch in my values, my moral values and principles, and customer-centric orientation. So when I found out about Agile around 2010, I understood — okay, this is the answer. Now I have the answer how I can map my moral values and principles with software delivery."   Natalia's journey to agile didn't start with a methodology — it started with a gut feeling that something was wrong. Working in large corporations in the early 2000s with fixed-scope contracts, late deployments, and scripts running directly in production, she sensed a disconnect between how work was done and how it should be done. When she moved to a smaller company around 2010 and experienced transparency, collaboration, and the freedom to ask any question without fear, she realized this was the agile mindset — even before she knew the term. The key insight: agile isn't something you adopt, it's something that aligns with values you may already hold. That alignment between personal principles and ways of working is what makes the difference between going through the motions and genuinely transforming how a team operates. Don't Be an Agile Zombie "The first thing I observe — if I go to some of the ceremonies and I see that stand-up becomes like a status meeting, and everybody is reporting to somebody. People are afraid to say some of the things, afraid to escalate risks or assumptions."   One of the strongest chapters in the book is titled "Don't Be an Agile Zombie." Natalia describes teams that have all the boards, all the roles, all the right meeting cadences — but nothing is actually changing. The Scrum Master becomes a secretary. The Product Owner is a proxy afraid to make decisions. The tell-tale signs? Fear and formality. When people report upward instead of collaborating sideways, when risks go unspoken because the environment punishes transparency, that's a watermelon project — green on the outside, red on the inside. Natalia's approach starts with observing the tone and dynamics in ceremonies. If the stand-up feels like a status report and not a coordination meeting, something deeper is broken. And her advice is direct: if an organization is delivering waterfall and happy with the predictability and value, that's fine — just call it what it is. Don't put lipstick on a pig. As Rebecca Homkes discussed on this podcast, the key is to communicate the truth with care, but communicate it nonetheless. Task-Driven vs. Value-Driven: The Real Spectrum "It's not right to say that you are agile if you are not. Just name the things how they are — name the things using the right word."   Rather than the old waterfall-vs-agile binary, a more useful lens is the spectrum between task-driven and value-driven product development. On the task-driven side, somebody creates the list of tasks — requirements, architecture document, design document — and a project manager distributes them. Teams execute but aren't asked to be creative or adaptable. On the value-driven side, what matters is the impact of what teams build. Value is discovered through the dynamic interaction of functionality with customers — it can't be predetermined. Most organizations sit somewhere on this spectrum, and many are slowly moving toward the value-driven end even if they don't call it agile. The practical takeaway: transformation should be tailored to where an organization actually is, not where a framework says it should be. The book argues for a pragmatic, hybrid approach rather than evangelical purity. Systems Thinking: Why Transformations Snap Back "We did a big agile transformation — five years of real transformation. Then the company was bought, merged with a bigger payment provider. And now they are working with SAFe. And that's the end of the story."   In the later part of the book, Natalia and her co-author move into systems thinking — Cynefin, the Iceberg Model, causal loop diagrams. Many agile practitioners stop before they get here because it feels academic. But Natalia argues it's essential, and she illustrates why with a real example: a payment company that went through five years of successful agile transformation using LeSS, only to be acquired by a larger organization that pushed SAFe — and the transformation snapped back. This is the basin of attraction concept: a system has to pass through a point of genuine disruption before it can settle into a new stable state. Without that, it returns to where it was. For practitioners looking to get started with systems thinking, Natalia recommends The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge and learning to build causal loop diagrams — a practical tool that creates productive conversations about how organizational dynamics actually work. The Post-Agile Era: Beyond Labels "It's like comparing apples and orchestras. You cannot compare agile and AI — they are completely different things. Agile is not enough, but it's also not dead."   Natalia addresses the "Agile is dead" debate head-on. Her argument: comparing agile to AI is a category error. An apple cannot play an orchestra, and an orchestra cannot replace an apple — they serve entirely different purposes. AI can handle a significant portion of day-to-day tasks, but it lacks common sense, empathy, and the ability to read a room. Rather than declaring agile dead, Natalia sees a post-agile era — not one where agile disappears, but where we move beyond the label wars. The trends that matter aren't about whether agile is popular; they're about collaboration, adaptability, and understanding how teams and organizations actually work. We can finally talk about what matters in our industry without being pressured to label it. About Natalia Curusi Natalia Curusi is an Agile Coach at Endava with over 20 years in software delivery, specializing in agile transformations, delivery optimization, and systems thinking. She leads Asia Pacific initiatives driving business agility. She is co-author of From Resistance to Resilience: Practical Agile Lessons for Transformation.   You can link with Natalia Curusi on LinkedIn and visit her website at nataliacurusi.com. You can also join the Agile Continuum community on LinkedIn.

"Rescue and adoption actually don't scale. It doesn't matter how many you do—you're not preventing more from showing up." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. In this compelling episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacey LeBaron sits down with Will Zweigart, the visionary behind Flatbush Cats and creator of the investigative podcast Underfoot. Together, they unpack the "hidden cat crisis" affecting urban communities—particularly in New York City—and explore why traditional approaches to rescue and adoption fall short of creating lasting change. Will shares how his background in strategy and communications shaped a systems-level approach to animal welfare, leading to a bold realization: rescue alone doesn't scale. Instead, sustainable impact lies in increasing access to affordable veterinary care, particularly high-volume spay/neuter services. The conversation dives into the evolution from grassroots rescue work to launching a full-scale clinic, Flatbush Vet, which performed over 7,000 surgeries in a single year. This episode goes beyond storytelling—it's a blueprint for change. From addressing volunteer burnout to building scalable teams, advocating for municipal accountability, and reimagining the role of cities in animal welfare, Will outlines a transformative vision for 2035. Listeners will gain insight into how policy, funding, and public awareness intersect—and why nonprofits must often lead the charge in both service delivery and media storytelling. Whether you're a seasoned rescuer, nonprofit leader, or passionate advocate, this episode challenges you to think bigger, act strategically, and embrace solutions that create lasting impact for cats and communities alike. Press Play Now For: Why rescue and adoption alone cannot solve cat overpopulation The concept of the "hidden cat crisis" and why it lacks media coverage How scaling spay/neuter services creates measurable, long-term impact The transition from volunteer rescue work to building a veterinary clinic Practical strategies to prevent volunteer burnout through delegation and systems The role of municipalities—and why policy inaction is a key barrier A bold 2035 vision for animal welfare infrastructure in major cities How storytelling and media can drive awareness and systemic change Resources & Links Flatbush Cats Flatbush on Instagram Flatbush on Facebook Flatbush on TikTok Flatbush on YouTube Underfoot Flatbush Vet