Breakthrough Innovation

In this high-energy episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we roll into leadership and audacity with Melissa Boggs — the only roller skating keynote speaker on the planet. A former Scrum Alliance executive, Melissa blends movement and mindset to teach leaders how to shift from fear to bold action.

🛼 Why roller skating became a metaphor for innovation and risk-taking

🚫 How fear and “operational memory” quietly shut down progress inside companies

📉 Why reducing risk to zero is a myth — and a leadership trap

📢 The 4-step model to move from caution to curiosity to courage to audacity

🔁 The hidden damage of gaslighting in innovation culture — and how to fix it

Whether you're a leader trying to empower others or someone sitting on a big idea, this episode is your push toward the edge.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we speak with Danielle McCombs, a leadership coach and co-host of The Opposite of Small Talk podcast. After a successful 20-year career in commercial real estate, Danielle made the bold move to pursue coaching — and hasn’t looked back.

🎙️ Why she pivoted careers with no formal plan — and how clarity came through curiosity

🏗️ How real estate taught her structure — but coaching gave her freedom and fulfillment

🧠 What most people get wrong about coaching (and how ICF certification really matters)

💬 The power of asking “What if this doesn’t have to be the plan forever?”

🏡 Why she’s now focused on mission-driven work in affordable housing

Danielle’s story is for anyone who's outgrown the old path and is ready to design a more intentional next chapter.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we ride through the radical journey of Dom Lévesque — CEO of NextWave, author of Avoiding Avalanches, and former punk rocker turned mountain adventurer turned HR disruptor.

Dom blends business, backcountry, and bold thinking to challenge the tired status quo in how we lead transformation.

🏔️ How snowboarding and near-death shaped his model for transformation

🧠 Why most HR teams stay stuck in compliance mode instead of creating real value

🤖 The truth about AI in HR — and why it can’t replace strategy

🎯 The 5 Whys technique and why every HR leader should master it

💡 Why work-life “balance” is dead — and the future is “work-life blend”

Whether you’re leading transformation or just trying not to get buried in the avalanche, this one’s for you.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we’re joined by Giorgio Natili, VP of Engineering at Opaque Systems, and author of The AI Advantage and the upcoming The Imperfect Life of an Engineering Manager.

From protecting data privacy in AI to embracing imperfection as a leadership superpower, Giorgio shares lessons learned across Amazon, Mozilla, Capital One, and beyond — all rooted in his fearless, experimental approach to engineering culture.

🤖 Why you shouldn’t build your own LLM — and what to do instead

⚠️ The hidden risk of “shadow AI” in your organization

🧠 How to wrap guardrails, memory, and RAG strategies around open models

🚀 Why perfection kills momentum — and imperfection drives strategic clarity

📉 How to lead from behind, not from the front — and scale without burnout

Giorgio blends technical mastery with humble leadership and radical candor — a must-listen for engineering leaders, AI strategists, and execs building resilient teams.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Dr. Kelly Kinnebrew — psychologist, executive coach, and co-founder of Minerva, an AI-powered workplace coaching platform.

Kelly shares what 1,100+ executive coaching engagements have taught her about leadership, burnout, bias, and the future of work — and why the next big shift in performance may come from machines working with humans, not instead of them.

🧠 What Colorado’s controversial AI bill gets dangerously wrong

🤖 How AI can support — but not replace — human coaching (and what tools get it wrong)

📉 The #1 pattern she sees in leaders headed for burnout

⚠️ Why some leaders are thriving under narcissists without realizing the cost

💡 What "work-life blend" means — and why balance might be a myth

Whether you're a founder scaling fast, an HR leader navigating burnout, or an exec trying to lead with more insight — this one’s a must-listen.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we speak with Loic Potjes, founder of Disruptive Leap and executive coach to over 40 CEOs across 17 countries. A seasoned leader himself, Loic brings clarity to the chaos of scaling — especially in a world moving faster than ever.

We dive into what really stalls growth for CEOs and why “busy” is often just a trap.

🧠 The #1 killer of performance? A lack of clarity on what moves the needle

📊 Why most leaders are addicted to the grind — and can’t see it

🤖 How to stop delegating AI and start leveraging it as “1,000 consultants in a room”

💥 The danger of doing “more of the same” during a period of acceleration

🚀 Why CEOs must work on the business weekly — not just in it

This one is a strategic reset for high-performance leaders drowning in activity — and ready for clarity.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with David J. Bland, founder of Precoil, co-author of the global bestseller Testing Business Ideas, and creator of the EMT (Extract, Map, Test) framework — a practical approach that Fortune 500 teams use to run smarter experiments and reduce risk in real innovation work.

David shares hard-won truths about why most innovation efforts stall, how to build momentum inside bureaucracy, and how to stop treating experimentation like a one-time event.

📉 Why innovation theater is still rampant — and how to spot it

🧪 The real reason most experiments don’t de-risk anything

📊 Why failure needs structure, not slogans (“fail smart” > “fail fast”)

🎃 How “Dead Projects Day” at DuPont changed how leaders saw failure

🎯 How to shift accountability from performance to learning

Whether you're building a venture, running a transformation, or leading a product team, this episode is packed with field-tested wisdom from one of the best in the game.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Kimberly Shaw, founder of Changeify, to bust the myth that change is just “soft stuff.” With decades of experience across industries, Kimberly has built a framework that brings structure and sustainability to complex transformations.

📉 Why 75% of transformations fail — and why that stat is probably wrong

🧱 The 3 overlooked phases of change: pre-work, design, and embedment

📣 Why comms alone doesn’t drive change — and what does

👥 The secret power of change communities and “shepherds”

🧠 Why change fatigue isn’t a side effect — it’s a signal of deeper design flaws

🎯 What it takes to build capability, not just compliance

This is a must-listen for executives, HR leaders, and consultants driving large-scale transformation.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Matt Bowman, founder of OpenEd, bestselling author of Open Education, and former classroom teacher who's now helped over 100,000 students reclaim learning on their own terms.

Matt shares why traditional schooling — built for industrial-era conformity — is no longer serving the needs of today’s students, families, or economy.

🚨 Why traditional education is a “200-year trap” built for control, not curiosity

💡 The 5 building blocks of OpenEd: a learner-first framework for the modern world

📚 How to replace “one size fits all” with choice, voice, and sprint-based learning

🧠 The power of “mastered or not yet” — and why it’s better than grades

🎓 What happens when we let kids pursue curiosity, not just compliance

Whether you're a parent, educator, innovator, or future-of-work leader, this episode offers a radical, hopeful alternative to the status quo.

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In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Jim Carlough, business strategist, speaker, and author of The Six Pillars of Effective Leadership, who’s spent over 30 years guiding high-performing teams and transformational change — from scrappy startups to healthcare giants.

Jim’s message is clear: Leaders aren’t born. They’re developed. And it’s time we started treating leadership like the teachable craft it is.

📚 The origin of The Six Pillars of Effective Leadership — and how he narrowed it down from 18

🧱 Why integrity is the foundation (and why so many leaders lack it today)

😂 Why humor is a leadership skill — not a punchline

🧠 Why emotional intelligence matters more than a business degree

📖 How a simple bedtime question changed his approach to integrity forever

Jim’s offer? The first three people to comment on this episode’s socials will receive a free, autographed copy of his book.

Thanks for tuning in to Breakthrough Innovation! Want to subscribe to the podcast? Have feedback to share? Connect with us on Spotify or iTunes and leave us a review—we’d love to hear from you!