Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: Recent Episodes
Catalyst Constellations
This isn’t a typical changemaking podcast because it’s not for a typical changemaker. It’s for the innovators who can’t stop taking in information, connecting dots, and changing the world. If that sounds familiar, you aren’t broken, difficult, or an incurable workaholic. You’re a Catalyst, and authors Tracey Lovejoy and Shannon Lucas believe that means you’re a rock star. In this podcast series they are having extended discussions on how to use that information to grow and thrive, with Catalysts that are profiled in their book Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.
Maria Giudice (Founder at Hot Studio) wrote the book Changemakers: How Leaders Can Design Change in an Insanely Complex World because she wished it was the book she had when she stepped into the catalytic and challenging VP of Design roles at Facebook, then Autodesk. She shares how she learned the hard way about the importance of humility and relationship building with those most resistant to change. In addition we discuss the critical role that mentors and peers have as guiding lights. As an Executive Coach today, she invites us all to identify our life’s through line and joy.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
We were lucky to have time with Tim Sackett, CEO of HRUTech.com, author of The Talent Fix Volume 2: A Leader's Guide to Recruiting Great Talent, who was named a Top Global HR & Recruitment Influencer by HR Executive, about the intersection of companies needing Catalysts and the current state of Talent Acquisition. From Tim’s personal philosophy of saying ‘yes’ to his advice that Catalyst executives surround themselves with executors, to why the “soft skills” of Catalysts are essential - we know you’ll gain wisdom and inspiration from this conversation!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
We dive into an engaging chat with the dynamic Louis Gump, President of Cambian Solutions and a beacon of innovation in the business world. Known for his impactful leadership and forward-thinking strategies, Louis brings a rich history of transforming major companies like The Weather Channel and CNN through technology and innovation.In this episode, Louis unpacks his philosophy on making big changes within large organizations and the essential role of catalysts in driving growth and sparking innovation. He discusses the unique challenges and strategies of leading change, emphasizing the importance of rallying diverse teams around common goals. His insights into nurturing an innovative culture and leveraging cross-functional collaboration to propel business growth are particularly enlightening.Louis also shares his journey from pioneering digital media solutions to penning his book, The Inside Innovator, providing a fascinating look at how he merges his tech-savvy with strategic business thinking.Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation that’s both inspirational and practical.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Shannon Lucas, co-CEO of Catalyst Constellations, speaks with corporate punk rocker, Greg Larkin, known as the "Anthony Bourdain of Business" and founder and CEO of Punks and Pinstripes. Like Anthony Bourdain, Greg keeps it real as he authentically shares his story about moving up the career ladder while worrying about losing his true punk rock self. Greg talks about his belief in the importance of "business punks" in driving change, especially during crucial moments of disruption or organizational crisis. He shares how his amazing track record of success was based partly on the ability to pitch outcomes rather than ideas or visions. He explores strategies for navigating and overcoming the corporate immune response system, based on some hard learned lessons.Greg outlines exit strategies for those who find themselves as catalysts in environments resistant to change, including walled gardens, bear hugs, spin-offs, leaving, and transforming from within. He critiques "state-sanctioned" innovation efforts as often being mere lip service and stresses the importance of genuine empowerment and support for Catalysts.You won't want to miss this real, raw conversation.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, we hear from Ritu Kapur, Head of Digital Biomarkers at Verily. The theme throughout our conversation is about the need, skills, and support required to bring people along on the journey to manifest our vision. She shares, It's ont about the technology or innovation, creating change is all about people. Her advice to up and coming Catalyst? "It's not all about you!" Early on in our careers, especially for women in more technical industries, Catalysts have the feeling that we have to prove our worth and impact all the time. But at some point in your career, you realize that you can't create change all alone. You have to bring people along on the journey. So being able to identify shared value and help others shine is a great way to realize your vision. While, at the same time, as we grow our leadership capabilities, it's about letting those around you that you've been cultivating, to stand in their own power, giving them the chance to succeed or learn new lessons. It's about not overfunctioning for those around us, while letting them flourish.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Amy Kaufman (Senior Advisor, Talent Strategies, CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County - CLAOC) talks about the profound impact of embracing one's role as a Catalyst in leadership and transformation efforts.
Amy discusses how she applied her understanding of the core elements of fire – that she was exposed to from her husband Mike, a retired firefighter – to her understanding of being a Catalyst.
She explains how Catalyst can embody the elements needed to sustain a fire - fuel, heat, or oxygen - during the transformative process. Each Catalyst can embody one element or even all three at any given time. Amy shares how this realization helped her drive more effective and accelerated change.
Amusingly, Amy also calls out the need for sand in the fire management process – as a way to temper the burn or slow down the burnout.
Join us to explore how Amy's journey and insights into Catalyst leadership can inspire others to “ignite” change and navigate the challenges of transformation with confidence and self-awareness.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, we connected with Minette Norman, former Vice President of Engineering Practice at Autodesk, and author of The Psychological Safety Playbook and The Boldly Inclusive Leader, shares how two key skills really helped transform her leadership capabilities along her journey.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, we had the great honor of connecting with James Andrews, an 'Innovation Artist' and founder at Creator Mode Studios, whose career and journey have been so mindblowing it's hard to convey. Celebrated for elevating artists like Nas, Destiny's Child and The Fugees at Columbia Records in the early 90's, he now drives innovation at Creator Mode Studios and as an angel investor at Authenticated Ventures. But that doesn't begin to capture the myriad ways James is driving change. He explains how the art of diplomacy has helped him achieve his vision of change; creating a shared value in the diagram for the artists, the execs and the listeners. He talks about how he learned the skill of being able to flow "from Harvard to Harlem" or "from jersey to suit" to bring people along on the journey. Sprinkled in, he brings a healthy dose of curiosity and deep listening skills to supercharge his diplomacy skills. And while he really has "done it all", he also shares incredibly vulnerably and authentically about the areas of self-discovery he's still exploring along with the support structures he's cultivated around him to support him on his journey (like a black men's group or a daily gratitude practice).
Check out this movie.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, ultra Catalyst Sean Kitzmiller, Design Strategy Lead at TIAA, talks about the powerful gift to yourself, as well as others, when you combine radical inclusion with the power of being open to different approaches. Sean's story is full of anecdotes about things he's learned from interns that he's mentored.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode of "Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.", we're joined by Sneha Shah, EVP, Head of New Business Ventures. Sneha, with over two decades of experience in building high-growth global data and FinTech businesses, delves into the critical skills of curiosity and storytelling in driving change. She shares her journey, highlighting how curiosity fuels her ability to foresee industry trends and innovate, while storytelling allows her to emotionally connect with others, bringing them along on the transformative journey. Sneha's approach to being an effective Catalyst involves not just foreseeing necessary changes but effectively engaging others in the process. She also reflects on the importance of grounding in personal values to remain effective and true to one's goals amidst the inevitable challenges one encounters in the change making process. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to drive change!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us in this inspiring episode as we chat with Marilia Bezerra, Chief Programs Officer at the IKEA Foundation. Marilia brings a unique perspective, blending self-care with the zeal for global change. She shares how tackling social, environmental, and economic challenges is a marathon, not a sprint, requiring a balance of dedication and self-care. Diving into her early days at the Foundation, Marilia recounts her intense first 30 days, filled with nearly 40 meetings, to deeply connect with her team and stakeholders. She highlights the importance of self-awareness and simple grounding rituals, like stepping away from your desk and going shoeless, to stay rooted amidst rapid global shifts. Marilia passionately argues against the 'lone hero' narrative, advocating for a collective journey in making the world a better place. Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on balancing urgency with tranquility in the quest for meaningful change.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
As the Senior VP of Innovation & Partnerships at GS1, Melanie Hilton underscored the significance of two pivotal skills amidst the whirlwind of change: diplomacy and relentless optimism. Her insights shed light on how diplomacy nurtures collaboration and understanding, fostering unity amid diverse viewpoints. Meanwhile, she championed the power of relentless optimism in fueling motivation and innovative thinking amid uncertainty. Melanie's emphasis on patience as the antidote to the rapid pace of change resonated, urging a composed and strategic approach to navigate transitions effectively and make informed decisions amid constant flux.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
From an early age, Dr. Meisha-Ann Martin had a drive to change work environments. But even as a data analytics expert, she learned that data is not enough to drive lasting change. In our conversation we take a deep dive into the power of vulnerability and connecting with one's own emotion, as a way to shift people's mindsets - which allows for lasting behavior change. Meisha-Ann explains that while she used to help people "see" a problem, now she helps them "feel". She also shares that when we show up with vulnerability, we need a different recovery routine than when we stay personally detached from our work. Listen to learn more!Original music by Lynz Floren.
Sue Kalweit is the Managing Director at Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP, and a world-class athlete, ranked 69th in the US in the 2022 CrossFit Games. One of the key skills she has learned that Catalysts need is taking care of ourselves. With mentees, she explains that we all have a triangle that demonstrates our relationships, each side representing a different category: Family and Friends, Co-Workers, and Ourselves. The most frequent side we let collapse? Self! Sue shares how CrossFit supports many of her self-care needs - fitness, nutrition, and community - and inspires us to think about how we might include more self-care.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Jen Goldsack, former Olympian athlete, World Economic Forum Advisor, and CEO of DiMe, shares about the importance of balancing tenacity and hard work with enjoyment for the change process. No industry has been heavier hit with work overload and all the conditions that lead to burnout than health care. Trying to create transformative change when people can barely keep their heads up is a huge challenge. But Jen is no stranger to hard work and accomplishment. And in this episode she shares the key skills to that success.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, featuring Dr. Ryan Vega, Chief Health Officer for Vantiq and former Chief Innovation Officer for the Veterans Health Administration, talks about two key skills required to successfully lead change: resiliency and confidence with humility. Ryan discusses the vital role of resiliency, highlighting its transformative power in fostering evolution and personal growth. He also delves into the intricate balance between confidence and humility, stressing how these seemingly opposing traits are indispensable for Catalysts—confidence fuels initiative, while humility fuels learning and adaptability. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, Ryan's narrative underlines the essential nature of these skills in navigating the complex landscape of catalyzing change.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Few people in the world have more experience in igniting Catalyst across a global organization than Hemerson Paes, Global Network Catalyst at Roche Pharmaceuticals. In this episode, Hemerson shares his hard-won, invaluable insights. Hemerson delves into the nuances of effective communication, highlighting the unique challenges Catalysts often face. He compares it to explaining the concept of an ocean to people who have only known the desert, a metaphor that underscores the difficulty of painting a vivid picture of an unseen future. Hemerson also underscores the critical skill of fostering trusted relationships to bridge diverse worldviews, emphasizing the significance of these connections for truly catalytic change within organizational structures.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Pan Macdonald (Chief People and Culture Officer at SES Satellites) comes from a line of Catalysts, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother in positively challenging and improving systems. She believes the most important skills to harness have been intuition, energy and passion and courage to act. Having been told more than once she is a force of nature, Pan steps us through how she learned to take time to hear her intuition, as well as how to positively channel her natural passion. In addition, as an HR executive, Pan explores with us the benefits of Catalysts within an organization.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Stephanie Murphy (Founder & Principal Consultant, MCS Consulting) listens to other people for a living, so it is not at all surprising that her call to action for Catalysts is to find and use our voices! Stephanie begins our conversation by sharing her journey to find her own voice - from being a quiet child to the realization her ideas were ground-breaking. Then we go on to discuss finding your narrative, getting clear about your intended outcomes and telling your story in a way others can understand. Stephanie helps us all connect more deeply to the power of speaking truth - and how to do it to ignite action.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Bringing others along is a common challenge Catalysts face that we often discuss in our podcasts. Dr. Tasha Eurich - an organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times best-selling author - brings an important nuance to our discussion: the need to educate people about the value of what we are proposing. It is not enough to paint the picture of a vision. We need to do the work to help people understand what we can bring to the table. What's in it for them?
Find out more about Insight.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Katherine von Jan (affectionately known as KVJ), former Chief Strategy Officer of Innovation at Salesforce, shares with us the power of relationship building to drive change. She tells the story about how her skills in cultivating relationships across an ecosystem led to the co-creation, in just 8 months, of Project 8 (a digital commons created to help the world anticipate the needs of 8 billion people and beyond).
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, LaTranda Irons helps us understand the role that scrappiness plays in our catalytic success. LaTranda shares stories from her youth and organizational experience in which scrappiness allowed her to adapt to new contexts, build friends and allies and become successful within each – again and again. For her, scrappiness is not just a skill that one is born with, rather it is a commitment each day.Check out more about LaTranda's business Unamamagetic and LaTranda's family's foundation Southern Scholars Initiative.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Zaineb Haider, Senior Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisor at Cigna, shares how important it is to be clear on the value you provide and the necessity of leaning into opportunities where you can provide value. As a child, Zaineb experienced the harsh realities of being a young immigrant, constantly being made to feel "otherness." Later on in her life, particularly as she earned her Masters in Human Resources Management - Diversity & Inclusion, she realized that her unique "otherness" was her strength. She realized that the times she showed up strong, were the times she showed up with those differences. She now leverages those skills to create inclusive cultures that allow for a sense of belonging.Original music by Lynz Floren.
Calvin Hosey, Head of Ops and Payment Partnerships at Regpack, shares his hard-won lessons about building out diverse teams. Data tells us that diverse teams drive better outcomes. But at one point his career, Calvin was too focused on demographics, but not enough on other attributes. "I got a diverse team but not a high performing team." So Calvin pivoted to establish a process that can be a gateway to diversity rather than chasing it explicitly. He stopped looking at people's names, and colleges, and rather looks at the idea of the person - using the resume to present who they are. Calvin shares that you need to remove the person as a first step and instead focus on core competency fit. Once you've identified the candidates that have all the necessary core competencies, then you move to the next step of trying to identify if they're going to work with your team. He uses culture and fit to be a final determinant, ensuring that every candidate speaks with multiple team members as well as at least one other executive outside his organization, to ensure a good cultural fit. Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Wil Lewis, Experian’s Global Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Talent Acquisition Officer talks to us about situational leadership. Openness and willingness to take the time to bring others along can help move the needle in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work. We discuss strategies for keeping stakeholders focused on DEI, even in the midst of the ebb and flow of collective interest in DEI, as well as ways to help other leaders recognize the value that DEI work will bring to them. Wil’s passion for DEI work and the ways it positively impacts people shines through so powerfully during our talk we found ourselves moved by the joyful and empathetic approaches he takes.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Taisha Nurse, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at McDermott, explains the power of understanding your catalytic nature and then developing the skills and persistence to drive change in some of the most challenging change initiatives that intersect with people's identity. Having persistence allows us to navigate the impatience we can feel about the change not happening as fast as we want. Persistence requires us troubleshooting the cultural implications of change all the way down to the individual buy-in. Original music by Lynz Floren.
How do you create systems of change in an organization of 75,000 employees? In this episode, Jesse Cortez, VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at McKesson, talks about the importance of being able to see the big picture before creating a clear vision that helps bring others along. "You have to be able to diagnose before you can prescribe." Then, Jesse says, you have to leverage storytelling to bring others along on the journey. Everyone is looking to belong and telling stories help bring people into the work to understand the 'why'. "This is where the magic comes to life."
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, we hear from Lauren Gutherie, VP, Americas Inclusion and Diversity, Talent Development and Acquisition, VF Corp (holding company of brands like Vans, Timberland, The North Face, SUPREME, with over 35,000 employees globally). In order to be an effective Catalyst, particularly in the DEIB space, Lauren shares that every strategy we build, every conversation we support, we're seeking to bring people along on the journey. And we must constantly find multiple entry points for others to find value in this work. She acknowledges that race and social justice aren't always the easiest entry points for some people. At VFC, they're always thinking about how they can pull people into the work, whether that's from an accessibility perspective or a gender identity perspective.
Lauren and her team are constantly thinking through the full diversity of their consumers and tying it back to business initiatives in a way that's hyper-relevant for VFC's leaders and associates, pulling together multiple connection points to bring people along on the journey.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Giselle Mota, Chief of Product Inclusion at ADP, talks about how taking a holistic approach has helped her accelerate change. Her holisitic approach is heavily based on understanding where people are coming from and taking the time to understand their needs and perspectives. But she also talks about having a broader holistic approach that takes into account short- and long-term visions, holisitically monitoring the DEI space including legislation, other organization's approaches, and what's emergent in your own company. Giselle shares how she leveraged these skills to create her Chief of Product Inclusion position. Don't miss this insightful and high energy episode.
Check out Giselle's TED Talk and learn more about NFTY Collective.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Jackie Cureton, Chief Diversity Officer at Bitly, talks about the importance of meeting people where they are (openness & listening) and "calling folks in" (instead of calling people out). Only by listening deeply, can DEI leaders hear the "whisper of the organization" which helps to create the space for courageous conversations. Jackie also shares about how her strong commitment to her personal rejuvenation practices (physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual) sustain her energy, and allow her sit in her power as a DEI leader. Her advice: "Be who you say you are."
Learn more about Shirley Chisholm's history.Original music by Lynz Floren.
Chris Williams first remembers becoming aware of race when his brother was stabbed several times in the back. His brother survived, but it gave Chris a lifelong passion of working for equity. As Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at CBRE, Chris is igniting change in a 68,000 person organization that operates in over 100 countries.
To lead change on this scale, Chris talks about the importance of effective communication and collaboration. In order to create change with such a diverse audience, he notes it's important to be able to read the audience, practice active listening, and not assume that your normal messaging translates to different audiences.
Chris shares stories of several times where he realized that his communication may have created a barrier and how his self- and situational awareness helped him recognize that he made a mistake. He explains how he apologized and learned from those experiences - modeling the power of humble DEI leadership. You won't want to miss this high-energy and deeply vulnerable conversation.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Jess Harvie, Global DEI and Social Impact Leader (formerly at Snap and Justworks), highlights how trust and curiosity underpinned the work she did bringing The Action to Catalyze Tech Report (ACT Report) to life. The ACT report is an initiative to get the entire tech industry to collaborate around DEI work to 10x DEI results. This initiative stemmed from the realization that tech companies have been trying for years to solve systemic DEI on their own, while the reality was that they end up playing a game of diversity musical chairs, with DEI employees shifting from one tech company to another.
Jess shares that the key to creating this coalition to accelerate impact was building trust, which she did by communicating effectively and being vulnerable with other people. Curiosity helped her understand value to other stakeholders which allowed her to articulate the vision in a way that built trust and got them onboard.Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Blair Taylor, Former N America DEI Practice Leader, Accenture & Former DEI Lead Partner N. America, PwC, speaks from his deep experience driving massive change as a Catalyst in very large roles including as the Chief Executive Officer of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBKA), a nonprofit launched by then President Obama. Blair shares that though we face a lot of big problems in this world, we need to focus on the fact that the problems are actually solvable. But Blair points out that we can't solve these problems alone. He says that ideas can be a dime a dozen. It's the ability to take an idea and bring it to fruition by building the right diverse team, the right strategy, the right approach, and understanding the market conditions that Blair says are the skills necessary to be a successful Catalyst. Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Krishna Manda, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Lenzing Group doesn't just talk about his commitment to slowing down to bring people along leveraging empathy, he embodies it. Krishna shares his simple framework: coherence, co-creation, co-elevation. Coherence is about finding shared value. Co-creation is necessary to both leverage everyone's expertise around the business, which is critical when driving company-wide sustainability initiatives, and helps people feel a sense of ownership. Co-elevation is about giving visibility and credit to your co-collaborators, so they have the permission to do this type of work again in the future.Original music by Lynz Floren.
Gloria Caulfield is an ultra Catalyst, creating change in so many venues as the VP of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock, the President of the Lake Nona Institute and Founder of Lake Nona Impact Forum just to name a few. In this episode, Gloria shares the importance of strong communication skills. If you're just starting to realize your vision and don't have any data or testimonials, you have to paint a clear picture of the vision in a way that makes your potential partners want to come along on the journey. Developing partnership is the other key skill that has helped Gloria achieve her massive success.
Check out The Medici Effect which is the book she mentioned on our talk.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Dave Zaboski is the ultimate storyteller, having worked as an animator at Disney during the Second Golden Age of Animation on films including “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Pocahontas,” “Aladdin,” “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Hercules,” “Fantasia 2000.” In this episode he shares the power of telling the story of the storyteller to align around driving positive change in the world. When you think of the stories about iconic Catalyst leaders like Yvon Chouinard, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or Satya Nadella, you quickly get a sense about the power, for better or worse, of the power of the story of the storyteller.
Find out more about Laetro here
Original music byLynz Floren.
In this episode, the magical Kalifa Oliver PhD, guides us on a journey to understand how listening, data, storytelling and speaking in your audiences' language (plus an infusion of humor!) is the formula to inching change forward. She explains that it is not data itself that helps people move toward change, but rather building a bridge from data to help people understand how things will be better if they act on that data. In our discussion she walks her talk - sharing rich and informative stories of how combining data, insight and a vision for the future makes taking a step toward change very easy for people.
Check out more about Kalifa here.
Original music byLynz Floren.
Our podcast guest Whynde Kuehn brings a piquing frame to Catalysts - while we set big, hairy goals, we spend most of our time on the journey to achieve those goals. And yet many of us suffer through resistance and burnout on that path. As an ultramarathoner and mountaineer Whynde sees her most important catalytic skill as 'taking a journey'. While climbing Aconcagua she spent only 0.12% of the time on the summit, while 99.88% was the journey to get there and back down. In this podcast she helps us understand how to love the journey, as much as the summit!
Find out more about her consultancy and check out her book.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
In this episode, Brandon Powell, founder and CEO of HatchWorks Technologies, shares that his journey of self-exploration with coaches, therapists and fellow entrepreneurs has been the key to his success. Through this work he has transformed from a need to be the smartest person, to a desire to be the dumbest person in the room to ensure he is learning from others at all times which allows him to tackle challenges he never imagined possible!
Check out this Mathew McConaughey Texas football speech referenced in this episode
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Susan Lindner, who is CEO at Innovation Storytellers. In this episode world famous innovation storyteller, Susan Lindner, helps us understand the power of story - first how it is the essence of dreams, how it can shift mindsets and how it unlocks the future. Then she shares how taking time to understand other people's stories - in the form of their values, purpose and motivation - is the key to bringing people along. Join us as we explore the skill of storytelling!
Learn more about Walt Disney Imagineering.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Sara Fenske Bahat, who is CEO at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. As Sara took her interim role as CEO of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, an employee asked her “Why should I invest in someone who is only here as interim CEO?”
In this episode, Sara talks about the opportunities around coming in as an interim CEO and how she has chosen to focus on creating a culture of care for the leadership team and organization. She says it is about creating a culture that can move at the speed of trust. It means the staff, board, and community are empowered to be primary, active collaborators in the shaping and evolution of their organization.
Check out YBCA events calendar.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Amy Butchko, Vice President, Talent Acquisition at Maximus, helps us understand the power of intuition and how it allows her to tap into the energy behind what people are saying to give us signals on if the wind will have our back, or if resistance is on the horizon.
In this episode we deep dive into how self-care actitivites are the way to cultivate our intuition, but there is no one set of activities - we need to experiment and find what works for each of us. In fact, when Amy broke a bone in her leg and then in her wrist, she had to find new activities to ground and sustain her.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Wendy Lea, CEO at Energize Colorado. The Sanskrit definition of tantra means "woven together." Wendy uses the notion of tantra to find threads in ambiguity and move that tantra tension from restrictive energy into something freeing. The ability to recognize it, sit with it, explore and bring in externalities while not run too fast towards solving the problem in front of her, has underpinned her incredibly successful career. She's been a change leader in large enterprises, startup ecosystems and public private partnerships. In this episode, Wendy shares how her non-linear career has given her the Lego blocks of experience that make her a great ecosystem builder today.
To find more information, check out the Energize Colorado website.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Helen Whitehead, who is Customer & Experience Design Associate Partner at IBM. In this episode we hear from design leader, Helen Whitehead about the importance of slowing down to speed up. Slowing down helps us check our bias, triggers and intent and cultivates our compassion and ability to listen deeply. And listening deeply allows us to develop better, critical solutions that brings diversity of experience and thought into the problem-solving process to help make systems better.
Have a look at the websites that were referenced in this episode: Miriam Rose Foundation and Mofox.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Tiffani Bova, the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Growth IQ, shares her personal journey of changing job roles and using feedback as the vehicle to identify, and hone her super powers. She calls on all of us to boldly ask questions and for feedback to guide our careers and protect our time. Be sure to check out her new book "The Experience Mindset: Changing the Way You Think About Growth".
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Chris Schembra, who is the Founder of 7:47 Gratitude Experience™. In this episode, Chris who is the "gratitude guru" and WSJ best-selling author of "Gratitude Through Hard Times," shares his very personal story about how gratitude has gotten him through his toughest life challenges. The conversation ranges from Stoic philosophy to leveraging gratitude to reduce resistance to change. He has used his gratitude to spark over 500,000 individuals around the world. It's a high-energy, action-packed conversation that you won't want to miss!
Make sure to check out these books: The Obstacle is the Way and The Anatomy of Peace.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Paul Delbar, who is Product Marketing Manager at OMP. In applying the Catalyst superpower of clarity and the learned skill of self-observation, Paul developed profound insights about how to move through the world as a Catalyst with less friction. One of the moments of clarity he came to was on page 66, paragraph 3 of our book Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out. "If it's not, then it's time to leave." Listen to this sage Catalyst as he outlines how clarity and self-observation have transformed his Catalyst journey.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Janice Fraser, who is a Partner at Seneca VC. In this episode, Janice who is an investor, speaker, author and expert in emerging management practices shares about how her superpowers as a Catalyst - all processor, no storage - can be a double-edged sword. She explains how she has developed the tools and capacities to work around it. So many of us Catalysts have been told that we're too intense or too blunt. We see visions of how things can be better so keenly and so quickly, we can feel the imperative so strongly, that we can forget how articulating our vision might impact other people. Sometimes we can be "no fun" to have conversations with. Janice shares her personal story about how learning communication styles through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and the GIVE model have helped her lead change and how mindfulness underpins these key skills.
Check out Janice`s podcast "Inside Outside" and newly released book "Farther, Faster, and Far Less Drama".
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Steve O'Brien, SVP of Talent at Syneos Health. He shares his left-brain, right-brain approach to catalyzing change. He shares concrete steps about the importance of bringing people on the journey. "If you win the argument but lose the person, you've still lost." He also talks about the importance of leveraging the power of beauty as a key component to creating change. If you're curious about the power of leveraging a philosophy degree in business, this conversation is sure to expand your mind.
Books that were referenced in this podcast: Adam Grant's Give and Take and Bill Strickland's Making the Impossible Possible.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Robin Fleming, who is Chief Executive Officer at Evolv Tech. She may have uncovered the secret to overcoming, even avoiding imposter syndrome - admit when you don't know things and lean on the expertise of others to help make decisions. In this episode, Robin shares how learning on the fly and embracing all it entails can allow Catalysts to avoid our frequent brushes with imposter syndrome.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Karen Mangia, Vice President, Customer & Market Insights at Salesforce. In this episode, you can experience the laugh out loud highs, and the heartbreaking lows of being a Catalyst in one short episode. Karen is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world. She is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author, host of the Success From Anywhere podcast and a Salesforce Executive. She is a Catalyst who uses curiosity and creativity to empower individuals, teams and organizations to successfully define, design and deliver the future.
Karen talks about two powerful skills that make Catalysts successful: 1. passionate relentless repetition, and 2. unlikely pattern recognition. While unlikely pattern recognition is a trait that defines us as Catalysts, for most of us, passionate relentless repetition not only doesn't come naturally but can be quite challenging. Karen suggests continuing to speak your vision with a beginners mind. And remember that it may take YEARS before people understand your vision. Karen is a thought leader who helps people carve out their own authentic path, by sharing authentically about her journey herself, you won't want to miss this episode.
To find more information, check out her website.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Amy Radin who is Executive Advisor at Pragmatic Innovation Partners LLC. Amy explains why no CEO she has ever talked to has said that they aren't customer focused.
To find more information, check out her website and her book.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Chad Sowash, who is the Co-Founder and Co-Host of Chad & Cheese Podcast. As Catalysts, our ability to connect dots and see brighter futures is one of our superpowers. But if we don't slow down, develop our patience and our ability to foster trust with those we need to bring on the journey, we will ultimately fail. In this episode, Chad Sowash, podcaster extraordinaire and HR leader shares how his time in the Army and his kids helped him develop these two key Catalyst skills.
For more of Chad, listen to his podcast.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Aidan McCullen, who is Principal at Edge Behavior. Aidan has reinvented his life and career many times over - from rugby player to innovation specialist. The critical skills he has leveraged are a constant focus on not just transforming the world around him but transforming himself. In our discussion Aidan shares stories from his life about reframing failure as learning, and allowing Catalysts to constantly evolve so we don't burn up. He brings the poignant call to action that we MUST have a vision for ourselves personally to credibly ask those around us to embrace change.
For more information, ready his book Undisruptable. And listen to his podcast The Innovation Show, where you can also find information about keynotes and workshops.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Daniel Elizalde, who is a Product Advisor for Climate Tech Companies. Daniel talks about moving from corporate to startup to consulting to teaching and the need to understand the world of each organization and their issues to assess how you can provide value. For Daniel, documenting his philosophy helps him share his value related to each context. Since it is so frequent for Catalysts to switch contexts frequently, this is a must listen!
For more information, visit his website. And check out his book.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Toby Trevarthen who helps individuals and organizations become aware of and claim their stories, or narratives, as he calls it. We discuss the intersection of having orgs and people share their narratives to assess if there is a fit. He talks about being inspired by a leader who created a 'user manual' and had his employees do the same, helping them work better together. Toby inspires all of us to know ourselves, our values, our purpose and how we work best and communicate that to others - which is so powerful for Catalysts.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Nimesh Jhaveri, the President of Community Pharmacy and Health at McKesson shares his infectious positive energy about his journey helping to transform the pharmacy industry. In his view, truly vulnerable leadership is one of the most important attributes to leading change. It's not enough to talk about "fail fast", as a leader you need to share your past fails and lessons learned to create the safe place for other's to try new things and stumble. If you need a dose of positive energy in your day, this 20-minute recharge episode is for you.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Erica Kuhl, who is the CEO & Strategic Community Consultant at EKC. She tells us all about the early days of 'community' building and how the burgeoning field is a great place for Catalysts to work in. We discuss flying under the radar to build out proof points and how it is the Catalyst's job to help others understand the value of what they've done, not wait for others to notice and understand.
In Before the Lock is her podcast, where she talks about community, customer experience, and leadership at scale.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Jason Putnam, who is the Chief Revenue Officer at Plum. Jason is a true Catalyst leader with an incredibly distinguished career of success after success. His secret? Listen deeply and learn how to communicate to the needs of each individual stakeholder.
He mentions the Talent Breakdown Assessment which you can find here.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Jennifer Cotie Kangas, a Catalyst with an interesting Hero's journey. In 2020 an accident gave her the gift of a beginners mindset. She had to relearn everything - how to talk, to how to walk, and how the world worked. Her mentor helped her see that she had lost her design bias when she fell. Without the guardrails gleaned from her past experiences she could connect the dots in ways other people couldn’t. The beginners mindset was forced upon her and taught her that everyone should bring beginners mindset to problems, no matter how long they've been looking at it. What different lenses can be brought in? How can you simplify the problem to explain it to someone that has no knowledge?
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Justin Lokitz, who is a Catalyst, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Author and Professor. In this episode, Justin shares how he has learned to ask for help to drive success. When he reflects back on things he wished he had known earlier in his journey, he says asking for help would have minimized failures and accelerated wins. As he manages a ton of catalytic projects today, he still has to stop himself and either ask friends for help or hire people to compliment his skillset and interest areas. It's never too late to ask for help!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Carina Wong, who is the former Deputy Director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She talks about how stepping out of a managerial leadership position into a Senior Advisor position helped her realize the importance of her role as the only woman of color in senior leadership. She not only started focusing on supporting women of color claim their power, she also thought deeply about exploring a Catalyst succession plan and considering who would take on the mantel of change when she moved on. Since then, she's been on a journey exploring what it means to drive inclusive leadership and is sharing her thoughts here.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Dr. Dawnte Early, who is President & CEO of United Way California Capital Region. She is tackling systemic poverty through a data-driven ecosystem approach. She shares about the importance of starting small, focusing on data, and bringing other's along on the journey.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Chris Librie, who is a Director of ESG at Applied Materials. He shares about his journey driving sustainability into some of the world's largest companies. Chris shares about the challenges and opportunities of helping his org drive to net zero carbon impact. One of his key learnings is about the importance of listening and patience as a Catalyst, which can unlock understanding of the shared wins for key stakeholder that you need to bring on the journey as you create massive systemic change in global organizations.
Chris' book recommendation: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Bernhard Kowatsch, who is the Head of the Innovation Accelerator at United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). We discuss creating large scale change through building a growth mindset organization. He believes that failure isn't what we want, but we want to learn quickly. Bernhard co-founded the award-winning ShareTheMeal app that crowdsources funding for WFP. This leading innovation has raised over 150 million meals for hungry children worldwide, and was named as an App of the Year for 2020 by both Apple and Google.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Dr. Jane Craig who led global leadership development at Mars Inc. as she talks about the importance of Catalysts working on themselves to support their external change work. There is a path of personal development that supports our professional path! Check out Jane's company website at otherkind.co.uk.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Jacci Johnson. She shares about the role psychological safety has in allowing teams to be creative and innovative, what it feels like to be on both a safe and unsafe team, and how each impacts us as Catalysts. There are 4 levels of psychological safety, and an importance in using intuition for all leaders. A safe environment can allow us each to be in touch with our intuition!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Mai Vang, who is a City Council Member for the City of Sacramento. Mai identifies the biggest challenges to be solved and catalyzes the community to make big changes happen. She was the eldest of 16 kids and learned young the power of enlisting others to distribute work. In her work as a councilwoman she tackles the biggest issues by identifying the right groups & organizations to be part of creating the solution. Often there are misunderstandings between those groups, so she has to take the time to help them see the bigger landscape. As a Catalyst that moves "hella fast" she knows it is important to keep the purpose of what needs to be achieved at the forefront so she doesn't lose people. Her call to action: self-care, because we need every single one of you!!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Guido Jouret, who is the Former Chief Development Officer at Plume. Dr. Guido Jouret has had an incredible journey leading change in some of the world's largest organizations. In our conversation, Guido shares about the power of having a "T-career" as a Catalyst; developing deep domain experience in one area early in your career which then sets you up to be able to connect dots across disciplines. He encourages younger Catalysts to lean into your strengths instead of focusing on your weaknesses, to set yourself up to be able to create the impact you dream of.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Tyrome Smith, who has spent almost 20 years honing his skills in enterprise strategy and value clarification. Providing trusted advisorship to senior leadership to assist in organizing problem-solving resources to clarify their thinking and execution. Developing and facilitating learning experiences for organizations to assist promote human development, organizational growth, and customer value and loyalty.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Trent Cotton, who is the Senior Global Director of Talent Acquisition and Retention at Hatchworks. He is passionate about leading, innovating and engaging the recruiting industry to change how both large and small businesses value the Talent Acquisition discipline. He is the author of the book "Sprint Recruiting: Innovate, Iterate, Accelerate". His blog Sprintrecruiting.com reaches thousands of readers and provides unique insights on a range of recruiting topics, check it out!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Ryan Clark. For Ryan it isn't just a quick conversation, it is about developing a relationship and really letting people see you like family and finding a way to support Catalysts around you by mentoring & sponsoring them. He is passionate on using entrepreneurship to create change and creating by example.
Original music by Lynz Floren
Join us for an interview with Eric West, who's career started on the manufacturing floor of the Black Hawk Helicopter, to DARPA-funded R&D projects. More recently, he is working on external-focused resources across open innovation at Harman, professional services at Samsung & mobility partnerships at Ford. He's been on a technology-led warpath to build new businesses in adjacent frontiers of corporate strategies and is most inspired by collaborative models that help us all work on things that inspire us.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Faye Sahai, Partner at Telosity Ventures, investing in digital wellness and behavioral health startups with the Telosity Fund and advising corporations on innovation. She has served an Advisor and Board member to over a dozen companies including UCSF Catalyst, ANA Innovation Advisory, Samsung Emerging Technology Advisory, Innovation Executive Forum, Summer Search, Autonomous ID, Ascend Leadership NorCal Chair, and Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Giselle Mota, who is a Principal Consultant on the Future of Work. Named a Top 100 Future of Work Thought Leader, she brings simplicity, humanity and innovative perspective to the sometimes abstract and complex world of the future of work. She’s a champion for an inclusive future of work which is reflected in her global speaking, advisory, and service across boards and leadership councils. Her work is focused on Web3 and spatial computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, diversity equity and inclusion, and startup and entrepreneurial spaces with the hope of creating an inclusive future of work and opportunities for all.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Chad Sowash, who is an army veteran and has successfully worked in partnership with hundreds of major Fortune 500 companies, federal, state, and local government to build specialized programs supporting companies' recruitment processes. Many of these programs are focused on connecting great companies with qualified veteran talent. Chad helps organizations fill their skills gaps with qualified military candidates transitioning to civilian life.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Christopher Cravens, who is a Silicon Valley veteran with a quarter century of successes delivering measurable value for high-growth enterprises. He was the first CIO at Zynga and Uber, helping scale them from small startups to major global enterprises in record time. Chris is an active strategic advisor, investor and coach to startups delivering innovative, disruptive technologies to accelerate digital transformation. Hearing him gives us a clear view of how impostor syndrome can be navigated.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Navin Kunde, who leads the Open Innovation group at The Clorox Company, a US-based consumer goods company in the Fortune 500. He has over 20 years of research, operations, innovation and strategy experience in a few diverse fields, such as Aerospace & Defense, Business Consulting and Consumer Goods. Let's hear how he navigates his work as a Catalyst!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Ashleigh Brookshaw, who is a Senior Manager of Digital Customer Experience at NICE CXone. She is responsible for the analysis, strategic recommendations, and change initiatives for the digital customer experience and online Customer Community. Ashleigh is a detail oriented and digital change enthusiast with expertise in online community engagement, cultural & transformative change management through DEI, and strategic digital communications to drive business results.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Michael Bloxton,CEO of both Nebula Space Enterprise and Bloxton Investment Group. He moves at lightning speed. He creates massive change. When we talk about a range of Catalytic-ness, Michael is on the hyper-end.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Virginia Hamilton, Public Sector Innovation Catalyst who is former Regional Administrator at the US Department of Labor and advisor to the Obama Administration. Virginia is an experienced public policy expert who uses Design Thinking to improve policy. She is a change agent always searching for ways to involve more people, encourage creativity and bring truth to better lives. Hearing about the trails Virginia has blazed can support us all on our own journeys!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Kahlilah Guyah, who is the CEO, Founder and Principal EHS Consultant at EHS Compliance Services Inc. She partners with business leaders to identify and mitigate environmental, health & safety (EHS) risks through strategic planning, management system implementation, onsite audits and risk assessments, corrective and preventative action plan creation, control measure implementation and employee training. As a trained chemist, she thinks analytically, but it is the blend of theoretical knowledge and soft skills that add a unique spin to the way she approaches her work.
Get your copy of Elevate Your Impact through Integrating Psychosocial Hazards by Kahlilah Guyah!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Parminder Jassal, who is the CEO of Unmudl Public Benefit Corp. and the Founder/CEO of SocialTech.ai. She is also the Founder of the “Work + Learn Futures Lab” at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California.
Dr. Jassal investigates the future through three intersecting lenses: 1) the innovations of open economies; 2) changing role of people in their environments; and 3) the relationship between learning and work. Through new research and research-inspired prototyping, she applies insights from the fringes to promote positive culture shifts and solutions by getting ahead of inequities.
Her drive is led by incredible experiences at Fortune 50 companies such as at Ford Motor Company, Atlantic Richfield Oil Company, and Lucent Technologies. And her entrepreneurial spirit began with co-founding start-ups like Technology Solutions and Consulting, Bombay House Restaurant, and East Indian Trading Cafe.
Unmudl is a Skills-to-Jobs Marketplace founded by U.S. Community Colleges to connect community college students to employers. Unmudl offers community college courses, credentials, and services to facilitate skills development redeemable at multiple community colleges and employers.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Abby Ferri, who is Senior Risk Control Consultant at Gallagher, and she leverages social media, voice, and the latest technology to advocate for worker safety and equity. She is a frequent conference speaker, podcast host (Safety News with Abby Ferri) and guest, and author of "The Safety Habit: They can't take it away from you." and "The Safety Consultant Toolkit" books available on Amazon Kindle.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Deborah Hankin, who as Global Chief People Officer, takes a human centric, design-thinking approach to ensure a superior end-to-end experience for Connatix’s people. She and her team strive every day to envision and execute an exemplary employee experience that matches the wonderful client experience. Her deep knowledge of agency life, married with her work in innovation and management consulting, is a winning combination for Connatix.
She received a B.A. in Communication Studies from U.C.L.A. and a M.S. in Marketing from Northwestern University and learned Japanese during her time living in Tokyo. She is a lecturer at Parsons School of Design and Columbia University. Deborah is the author of numerous articles on talent including “How to Avoid Innovation Imposters” and was featured on Good Morning America discussing Me Too and Time’s Up in the workplace.
Check out Connatix's latest video: We Don’t Talk About Cookies [AdTech Parody] - “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Susan Morgan Bailey, who is a high energy leader with more than 25 years of experience in health, benefits and education settings. In her role as Senior Vice President, Culture & Wellbeing Practice Leader at Marsh & McLennan Agency, she calls upon her experience to help organizations build sustainable business via supportive cultures that empower individuals to thrive. Prior to joining MMA, Susan consulted on and led culture and wellbeing initiatives in a variety of settings from manufacturing to healthcare. Susan is a Certified CultureTalk™ Partner, a Certified Intrinsic Coach, SHRM-SCP and SPHR certified and holds a BS in Science Education and a MS in Health Promotion. Recognized for her passion and enthusiasm, she is on a mission to elevate the vibe on planet earth by helping others live high energy, purpose-focused lives!
For more with Susan, listen to her podcast The Growth Collective.
The article 6 Rules of Great Storytelling (As Told by Pixar) is an accompaniment to this podcast.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with CEO at Futuro Health, Van Ton-Quinlivan. Van is a recognized thought leader in workforce development with a proven track record for implementing large systems while fostering a culture of experimentation, innovation and collaboration. Her distinguished career spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Jean Marc Landry, who is Chief Customer Officer at NB Power, and is responsible for providing strategic leadership in the development of a customer-centric culture. He leads the customer relations team, energy efficiency services, product and service development and management, sales, marketing and corporate brand functions and serves as a key interface between customers and the Corporation.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Julie Vens - De Vos, CEO and partner at nexxworks since 2018. nexxworks firmly believes companies should invest 10% of their time in exploring the Day After Tomorrow. By bringing the right inspiration, stories and connections we help companies to find direction, sense urgency and build enthusiasm for the future. As a natural communicator with 5 years of experience in a corporate fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) environment, she understands how organizations not only have to focus on putting their customer first, but also on building the right organization to achieve that. She loves the world and is a big believer in human agency. She was once described as 'somebody with huge trust and positive belief in the future, hence also contributing to its creation'.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for an interview with Saidah Nash Carter, Co-Founder of Bright Insights Global. Saidah launched her new venture after a distinguished 20-year career at Thomson Reuters, most recently as former Head of Innovation, Africa. We caught up with her in her new hometown, Cape Town, South Africa.
This article is a great companion piece further explaining her journey to the Colonizer Reparation Index work.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Jim Mayer, who has been a daily newspaper journalist, a public administrator and a nonprofit executive. He is a farmer and environmental steward; a member of public and nonprofit boards; and a university professor, strategic advisor and community volunteer. He is irrationally optimistic, let's join him!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Kamiar Alaei, who is a professor of global health policy and chairman of department of Health Science at California State University Long Beach. Dr. Alaei has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles in prestigious publications including the Lancet Global Health, the British Medical Journal and AIDS. He is the principal investigator of a federal grant to develop culturally relevant public health information technology through a health equity lens.
Article: They Dreamed Of Being Doctors. Now They Help Syrians With The Same Dream
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Christopher Kennedy, who is a commercial leader in the life sciences industry. He has spent the last two decades in executive roles within the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Medical Device, Pharmacy and Clinical Research sectors. Christopher has been nationally recognized for his efforts in pioneering innovative healthcare solutions focused on getting new technologies from research bench to patient bedside.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Jayshree Seth, who is a is a corporate scientist at 3M and has 72 patents for a variety of innovations. She is also 3M’s first ever Chief Science Advocate. She is an award-winning scientist, recognized thought-leader and prolific speaker who was also featured in the 3M docuseries “Not the Science Type.” Jayshree is the author of two books, with all sales proceeds going to a scholarship for underrepresented minority women in STEM administered by Society of Women Engineers (SWE):
- The Heart of Science: Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints & Imprints
- The Heart of Science: Engineering Fine Print
If you would like to learn more, check out the following:
3M State of Science Index to understand the global perception of science
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Toby Eduardo Redshaw, who is a global business & tech transformation leader focused on P&L impact, competitive positioning, and future-proofing. He is known for driving competitive advantage through innovative, real-world strategy and speed-of-execution in high growth, high service, and high technology environments. In this episode, Toby shares the impact of teamwork. He looks at this in ways you may not have thought of and explains some of the important underpinnings of not only generating catalyst impact in a team but enjoying doing it. Let's hear how his journey helped him become a Catalyst!
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Dennis Meister, who has lived his entire professional life with one goal: "make a meaningful contribution to measurably improving the quality of life of at least a million people a day on a global scale". He worked as a Senior Vice President of Product Portfolio, Product Management and Clinical Development for Siemens Healthineers, and now he is focusing on Climate Change and finding the technologies that could the aid in the abatement of global warming, and leaving a mark with his work.
Original music by Lynz Floren.
Join us for a conversation with Virginia Hamilton, Public Sector Innovation Catalyst who is former Regional Administrator at the US Department of Labor and advisor to the Obama Administration. Virginia is an experienced public policy expert who uses Design Thinking to improve policy. She is a change agent always searching for ways to involve more people, encourage creativity and bring truth to better lives. In this episode Virginia shares how at moments everyone can think she’s insane with her innovative ideas, but how at our heart Catalysts are problem solvers. She shares ways she has figured out how to fill up her energy tank, even in these times where travel and adventure are more limited. And she urges leaders to embrace Catalysts, providing them with constraints and thought partnership, rather than trying to tell them how to do their jobs. Hearing about trails Virginia has blazed can support us all on our own journeys!
Join us for an interview with Saidah Nash Carter, Co-Founder of Bright Insights Global. Saidah launched her new venture after a distinguished 20-year career at Thomson Reuters, most recently as former Head of Innovation, Africa. We caught up with her in her new hometown, Cape Town, South Africa.
Saidah shares how General Colin Powell helped her realize her Catalyst nature early on – realizing that she thinks and works differently from others. He helped her articulate the importance of Noble Purpose in her life. Saidah discusses how relationships play a key role in successfully creating change. She explores the importance of compassion both for self and others as an antidote to frustration. She shares the tools and practices she has developed to help her reduce cycles of burnout. And for those managers of Catalysts, she has some great concrete advice. Saidah outlines her new venture, Bright Insights Global, which helps purpose driven companies to do better business through a prism of innovation, inclusion and impact.
Join us for an interview with John Morley, Business Design Strategist Hitachi. He has been a wicked Catalyst in some of the world’s largest companies including EMC and Hitachi, AppDynamics and Symantec. John describes how an open, iterative process can help organizations uncover new value. He described how he starts by using his Catalyst superpowers of sensing what needs to emerge through conversations, research, and reading lots and lots. He then identifies the mutual wins with a broad set of stakeholders and then co-creates a new vision. John shares the power of systems thinking in the iterating process and how he’s learned to leverage rejuvenation as a key support in not rushing headlong into action. One of John’s superpowers is being a super connector which also give him energy and sustains him on his journey. He speaks about the power of creating Catalyst networks both internally in large organizations as well as across organizations. Connecting with other Catalysts gives John the energy and insights to create impact.
Join us for a conversation with Vice President, Ethics and Compliance Strategy, Intelligence, & Operations at Kaiser Permanente, Shakeya McDow. Shakeya is a thought leader and positive disruptor in the world of ethics and compliance who thrives when working on gnarly and complex problems. In this episode Shakeya explains how clarity and stillness have allowed her to become the leader she wants to be and shifted how others respond to her. She also shares a counterintuitive learning that giving voice to her burnout allowed her leadership and teams to value her more and allow the entire organization to work together in a more powerful way. Dive into Shakeya’s Catalyst journey to guide your own!
Join us for an interview withMichael Bloxton – CEO of both Nebula Space Enterprise and Bloxton Investment Group where he shares his story about how an early transformative tragedy sent him on his path to becoming a Catalyst and creating massive change. He moves at lightning speed. He creates massive change. When we talk about a range of catalyticness, Michael is on the hyper-end. He spent his 20s creating the financial freedom to pursue his big Purpose, which he now knows is helping humans become a multi-solar system species. Even as he is a double CEO, he discusses with vulnerability the challenges of imposter syndrome, the importance of leveraging your team and burnout. His advice: Don’t waste your Catalyst gift. Go Big! “Go way bigger than you’re thinking! We can’t waste Catalysts on small problems!”
Join us for an interview with CEO at FuTuro Health, Van Ton-Quinlivan. Van is a recognized thought leader in workforce development with a proven track record for implementing large systems while fostering a culture of experimentation, innovation and collaboration. Her distinguished career spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
In this episode Van shares the transformational impact of making time for mentors and the importance of listening to their feedback to help you progress, “You need to give up who you are, in order to be who you can be.” In addition, she discusses how she minimizes burnout cycles with a foundational belief that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” And she closes by sharing how she found bosses that supported her as a Catalyst throughout her career. 30-minutes packed with sage wisdom!
Join us for an interview with Chelsey Glasson, Qualitative User Research at Facebook, where she shares how she had struggled with friction between her and her organization and how this friction had caused cycles of burnout. She just couldn’t fully explain the experience until she understood what it meant to be a Catalyst. Even as the concept of Catalyst was resonating early in her journey, she struggled to own the term Catalyst because of how big the word felt.
Chelsey describes what it means to be an introvert Catalyst. She shares what she’s learned about herself since learning about being a Catalyst and how she’s leaned into creating big change. She’s taken on Google over pregnancy discrimination, changed laws to protect women, and is launching her new venture. Chelsey also shares the struggles of being a Catalyst and a parent of young children in a COVID world.
Join us for an interview with Catalyst researcher Tracey Lovejoy, co-CEO of Catalyst Constellations and co-author of Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out. Tracey is an anthropologist and the research engine behind the Catalyst movement. She spent twelve years at Microsoft leading teams of changemakers and supporting product innovation with customer insights.
In this episode Tracey shares her belief that this book wanted itself to be written. She also talks about the two things she hopes Catalysts will take away from this book, as well as some of her childhood memories of being a Catalyst.
Join us for an interview with Catalyst practitioner and former corporate executive, Shannon Lucas, co-founder of Catalyst Constellations and co-author of Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out. Shannon has over twenty years’ experience working with startups, launching her own ventures, and driving innovation into the world’s largest companies, most recently as Executive Vice President of Emerging Business at Ericsson.
In this episode Shannon describes what a sense of a relief it was to have the context and framing about what it means to be a Catalyst. She shares how this motivated her to write the book she wished she could have had when she started her career. A book to tell the global community of Catalysts: “You’re not crazy. You’re not alone. There’s a tribe.”