Episodes

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 ex...

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 at SEI. 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...

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 he...

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 o...

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 s...

Sue Kalweit is the Managing Director at Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP at Deloitte 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 s...

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 ...

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 tr...

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 paintin...

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 unde...

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 ...

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 (Head of Organizational Effectiveness and Change Management for North America at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.) 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, rathe...

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 pass...

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 "oth...

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 colle...

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 brin...

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 chan...

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 i...

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...

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 approache...

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 h...