From the mailroom boy who kept replacing himself with machines, who was the ex-president of adidas Canada, and terms leading roles at scotiabank, and learning the art of diplomacy with 4 years at KPMG. Alim Dhanji is a globally recognized HR leader with over 25 years of experience driving transformation across Fortune 100 companies. Now Alim finds himself as the CHRO at TD SYNNEX, an IT ecosystem powerhouse with 24,000 team members. He shapes high-performance, and inclusive cultures that fuel innovation and growth. 
A Harvard Business School alum and board advisor, Alim brings a strategic, people-first lens to global business leadership.

Ross and Alim talk about optimism, investments compared to cost, purpose, scaling up, preference shifts, accelerating talent, future of work, crisis, rejuvenation, CHRO's, human resources, human inability to adapt, HR becoming CEO's, leadership, transformation, risk tolerance and upskilling. The pair also discuss sacrifice, psychological safety, being vulnerable, confidence, being open, Imposter syndrome, diplomacy, influencing people to support you, servient leadership, custodian's, redesign of work, AI disrupting jobs, learning to learn, AI inspiring people, curiosity, embracing fear and growth. 

Timecodes:

• 00:15 Into to Alim
• 01:26 Surprises from recent leadership event
• 02:50 Investing in people and the pay off
• 04:57 Balancing whitespace with over planning
• 07:01 Key themes Alim is focusing on for leadership
• 08:36 Leadership challenges
• 10:30 Practical ways to help leadership initiatives
• 14:38 Blending IT and people through tech education
• 16:19 Evolution drivers
• 18:49 Pressure bringing opportunites
• 21:59 Diverse networks, adaptability skills and role diversity
• 23:18 AQai's Model - Ability, Character and Environment
• 24:48 Unpresidented role changes
• 28:32 What would make 2025 the best year ever
• 32:03 Preparation for exhaustion
• 34:44:12 Investing in learning and growth mindset
• 36:36 Earn, Learn and Serve
• 37:41 When Alim interviews for jobs
• 41:27 The last time Alim did something from the first time
• 45:02 Final thoughts

Connect with Alim:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

David H. Rosmarin is a Clinical Psychologist, Harvard Medical School Associate Professor, Founder of Center for Anxiety, Author & Keynote Speaker.

His mission is to shift the paradigm around anxiety from something to be feared or avoided, to a trait that can be leveraged for resilience, purpose, and performance. His groundbreaking work has helped individuals and organizations unlock a healthier, more empowered relationship with anxiety.

His most recent book, Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You, draws from over two decades of clinical experience and research. And with over half a million views, on his TEDx talk “How to make anxiety your friend” he really is helping change lives for the better. 

David's 4 steps.
Identify.
Share.
Embrace.
Let GO.

Ross and David talk about new conversations, anxiety, building relationships, being nervous, leveraging anxiety, emotions, depression, sadness, increasing awareness, anxiety being helpful, healthy anxiety, thriving, harnessing anxiety, embracing anxiety and emotional resilience. The pair also discuss struggle, internal growth, psychological safety, coaching, not acknowledging anxiety, embracing AI, leadership, feelings,  getting things off your chest, embracing anxiety, Dan Sullivan - The impact Theory, taking a Ted X talk and sharing.

Timecodes:

00:16 Intro to David
01:34 Surprises from David's book
02:35 What is anxiety?
04:38 The Anxiety Scale
07:28 Performing with anxiety and phyisiology
08:43 Commonality in anxiety and different peoples levels
11:55 David's perfect year goals
14:16 Challenges and struggles
15:40 People who should embrace and engage with David
17:52 Improving over fixing
21:01 The human side of dealing with tech impact 
24:25 Tips for effective ways of  sharing
29:25  Leader setting the tone and going first
32:04 Make anxetixety work for us and teams over self
35:12 Failure causing anxiety
39:46 Simulation training
42:39 The last time David  did something for the first time
47:15 Davids Masterclass

Connect with David:

• LinkedIn
• Website
• Masterclass

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

Kyle M.K. is a best-selling author, executive strategy advisor, and keynote speaker helping organizations become more emotionally intelligent and people-centered. Based in Austin, Texas, Kyle currently serves as Talent Strategy Advisor at Indeed, where he guides employers through the complexities of the future of work.

He is the author of The Economics of Emotion: How to Build a Business Everyone Will Love, a book that explores how emotional intelligence can become a core business advantage. His career spans more than a decade of work across startups and enterprises, including Apple and multiple entrepreneurial ventures such as The Heart Company and Human Planet.

Kyle’s strategic approach focuses on brand loyalty, leadership development, and transforming customer and employee experiences. His work has been recognized by organizations like the Disney Institute, which invited him to speak about customer experience, leadership, and emotional engagement.

Known for blending heart and strategy, Kyle empowers leaders to design businesses that thrive by putting people at the centre.

Ross and Kyle talk about cult brands, Apple, hiring, showing interest, Indeed, business around human emotion, work wellbeing, performance, advice for employers, prediction to preparation, optimising data,  mindset shifts, skills we've always had, helping people, unlocking human potential, adapting and changing jobs. The pair also discuss company growth, identifying change, empowering environments, reutilising talent, loving work, wellbeing, how people feel, business performance, AQ Index, skills first hiring, emotional intelligence, humancentric, matching jobseekers with employers, long term relationships, matching people, mentors, storytelling, enriching lives, being fulfilled, emotional nutrition and embracing negative emotions.  

Timecodes:
00:19 Intro to Kyle
01:33 Surprises from Kyles book
02:41 Events leading to Kyles success
05:34 The role of a Talent Strategy Advisor
09:28 Future Kyle's perfect year
12:14 Work moving towards humanity
17:09 De-humanising, robotics and AI in a humane world
21:15 Helping businesses transition
26:52  Internal conflict and overcoming barriers with budgets
32:43 Advice for scaling up projects, hiring and talent strategy  
36:52 Current exciting initiatives
42:19 The last time Kyle did something for the first time  
46:47 Quantifying feelings 

Connect with Kyle:

• LinkedIn
• Book

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

Matt Charney is an award-winning marketing and communications executive known for transforming bold content into measurable results. He is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Employer.com, where he leads brand strategy, messaging, and campaign development to elevate the company’s impact in the HR tech and employer branding space.

With over 190,000 LinkedIn followers and a strong track record across roles such as Editor-in-Chief at Recruiter.com and Advisor to multiple HR tech startups, Matt is a leading voice at the intersection of talent and marketing. His career spans high-impact content roles for brands like Symphony Talent and Hootsuite, where his creative vision delivered measurable business outcomes.

Matt is known for his authentic, no-nonsense writing style that challenges conventional thinking in recruitment and branding. His thought leadership has been featured across global platforms, and he frequently advises companies on how to cut through the noise with clarity, strategy, and wit.

He currently advises several innovative platforms including ExactBuyer, Honeit Talent Solutions, and Symba, helping them scale through sharp messaging and differentiated positioning.

Ross and Matt talk about serendipity, conversations, recruitment, monster.com,  marketing, branding, standing out, brand affinity, unleashed, AI recruitment, LinkedIn, Reddit, Indeed, Fishbowl app, hiring, candid experience, short vs long game, adaptability, knowing what you want to achieve, Mr Beast, Peoplesoft and generating buzz. The pair also discuss product affinity, entertainment, recruitment, HR, content marketing, Athlete recruitment, learning agility, describing job roles, job interviews, company recruitment, transparency, 
oculus, repelling the wrong candidates, paths to mastery, growth, flying standby and bravery. 

Timecodes:

• 00:15 Intro to Matt 
• 01:09 Matt's Hats
• 02:43 Matt's early journey
• 05:54 Humour and professionalism
• 08:01 What excites Matt
• 12:11 Community platforms and ROI
• 14:38 Things people don't know
• 18:24 Naming AQai in 2019
• 20:05 Combating pushback to shifts and people buying in
• 22:39 Earnings to employee ratio and billion dollar business of one
• 24:41 Replicating businesses and the importance of brand  
• 26:23 Content strategy
• 31:30 Divergent career paths and transitioning peoples identity in recruitment
• 35:04 Specific job roles changing in recruitment 
• 39:12 Job role recruitment done well 
• 43:57 The last time Matt did something for the first time 
• 45:53 Reaching out to Matt

Connect with Matt:

• LinkedIn
• Website
• Email - [email protected]
• Employer

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

Gary A. Bolles is a globally respected thought leader on the future of work, technology, and organizational transformation. He is the Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University, where he advises leaders, organizations, and governments on navigating disruption and building adaptable, inclusive systems of work.

Gary is the author of The Next Rules of Work, a widely acclaimed guidebook for leaders facing uncertainty in a fast-changing world. His work focuses on the intersection of human potential and exponential change—helping individuals and institutions unlock opportunity through mindset, skillset, and toolset transformation.

As a global keynote speaker and educator, Gary has reached over 1.6 million learners on LinkedIn Learning. He is also a partner at Charrette LLC, co-founder of Next CoLabs, and co-founder of eParachute.com—a platform designed to support career changers and job seekers in LIFEwork transitions.

His consulting and strategic design work has impacted clients including Google, Deloitte, London Business School, and the World Bank. Gary’s expertise stems from decades of innovation in workforce strategy, event facilitation, and future-forward thinking.

Through his writing, speaking, and advising, Gary helps organizations not just respond to change—but become architects of it.

Ross and Gary talk about transformation, playbooks, resetting, building systems to adapt, skills, work roles, problem solving, adapting, focusing on tasks, skills manifestos, simple visions, business values, human skills, living documents, refreshing to continually adapt, iceberg diagrams, helping individuals knowing their own skills, future value, workshops, generative AI, self inventory, encouraging people,  job titles, enterprise, taxonomy, constantly adapting and the Book - The Skills Powered Organisation. The pair also discuss stepping back, hiring managers, team guides, changing mindsets, compensation, incentives, skill to alternative routes, development, rethinking governance, going to the edge, changing organisations core, Book - Culture Transformation, relationships with the world of work, reskill index, collection problem solving, teams, skill building networks, constant assessment, becoming irrelevant, the consequences of inaction, leveraging tool, curiosity, testing your own AQ, expanding skill sets and changing environments.

Timecodes:

• 00:21 Intro to Gary
• 02:35 Inspiration for Gary's book (The Next Rules of Work)
• 06:20 Works tasks and human skills
• 08:20 Starting the transformation
• 10:59 Great things from skills manifestos and mistakes to avoid
• 13:51 Key assets
• 17:37 Tasks being bigger than expected
• 22:53 Ontology, framework and common language
• 28:02 Resources to co-elevate and redo work
• 29:54 Skills to problem solve
• 32:29 Skills governance
• 37:43 Barriers and tips for legacy organisations to gain freedom
• 41:26 Talent Cycle & Skills Venturing
• 46:53 Lifelong learning
• 49:20 The consequences of inaction
• 51:37 What is Gary excited about
• 53:52 The last time Gary did something for the first time

Connect with Gary:

• Website
• LinkedIn

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

John Tarnoff’s ‘Mid-Career’ journey began after being laid off in his 50s, prompting a career pivot that led him to DreamWorks Animation, Carnegie Mellon University, and eventually to coaching. He earned a master’s degree in psychology to deepen his understanding of the challenges professionals face in mid-career transitions.
John is an executive and mid-career, transition coach, helping professionals land better, more meaningful jobs and overcome ageism in the workplace. As the founder of Mid-Career Lab and a LinkedIn Learning instructor with over 250,000 learners, John empowers professionals to rediscover purpose, rebuild confidence, and navigate career change with clarity. John’s work is a beacon for experienced professionals seeking to reinvent their careers and unlock their next chapter with strength and intention.

Ross and John talk about identity,  mindset, pace of change, focus,  success being hard to change, education evolving, self knowledge, life stages, generating value, supporting people, building the future,  career spans,  burnout,   prosperity,  universal designs, team bonding, trust,  comfort, blame, courage, discomfort, resilience and adaptability. The pair also discuss creating your own narrative, projecting, creating the future, pivoting, reconciling the past, baggage in our lives, being transparent, making friends,  self reflection, specialists over generalists, asking for advice,  keeping going, building a community, growth mindset, enlightenment, curiosity, success and personal trainers.

Timecodes:

• 00:26 Intro to John 
• 01:51 Age and adaptability
• 02:40 Identity transitions
• 04:23 The concept of value and identity 
• 07:22 Three career stages- Education, Work and Retiring
• 12:47 A portfolio of careers
• 14:10 Time usage and enjoying freedom
• 20:22 Fear vs Trust motivation
• 22:46 Changing state
• 25:17 Not knowing what you what to do
• 29:45  Resumes and holding things back
• 36:50 Helping with moments of pressure and big company cuts
• 40:28 Hopelessness
• 47:29 Mindset and help shifting career 
• 52:25 The last time John did something for the first time

Connect with John:

• LinkedIn
• Website

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

Janine Yancey is a workplace visionary, entrepreneur, and subject matter expert on HR and compliance issues. She is the Founder and CEO of Emtrain, a culture technology platform that provides education, advice, and analytics to help companies prevent harassment, bias, and ethics issues. Since founding Emtrain in 2006, Janine has worked with Silicon Valley’s top companies, creating innovative tools to foster more inclusive and respectful workplaces.

Janine’s thought leadership on workplace dynamics and compliance has made her a trusted advisor to both business leaders and policymakers. In 2018, she advised the California Senate on harassment legislation (SB 1343), contributing to the creation of new regulations that took effect in 2019.

Before launching Emtrain, Janine practiced labor and employment law for over a decade. She was a Partner at Employment Law Partners, where she advised high-profile tech companies like Google, Dolby Laboratories, and Intuit on complex workplace issues. Earlier in her career, she served as Counsel at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, where she trained thousands of public employees across California on employment law and performance management.

Janine is a sought-after speaker and media expert, having been featured in The Washington Post, USA Today, ABC, MSN, CNET, Bloomberg Business, TechCrunch, and Startup Grind. Her insights on workplace culture and business transformation continue to influence the future of HR and corporate leadership

Ross and Janine talk about returning to Transform, workplace harassment, trauma, people changing, perspectives, noticing patterns, humans being fallible and compliance training. The pair also discuss comfort with shared language, legislation, being right, vulnerability, racing to grow, economics, politics, entrepreneurs,  taking care of society, co-elevating and curiosity.   

Timecodes: 

• 00:20 Intro to Janine
• 02:09 Janine's journey
• 04:31 misunderstandings and miscommunication
• 06:30 Book 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell
• 07:31 Taking things personal
• 08:25 Creating Emtrain
• 10:02 Policies
• 11:15 Integrative help
• 13:35 Emtrain helping organisations
• 16:47 Emtrain's energy and culture
• 20:13 Legal issues and interpretations 
• 26:19 Advice for organisations evolving, being naïve and ethics
• 29:36 Humanoid robots 
• 38:04 Ethical redundancy 
• 46:10 Salim Ismail - Meaning of life
• 47:05 Gender traits
• 50:57 The last time Janine did something for the first time

Connect with Janine:

• Website
• LinkedIn

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

Alejandro Reyes is a transformational HR and business leader with over 25 years of experience driving change and organizational effectiveness. He’s currently the Head of the People and Transformation Practice at Cintana Education, where he leads strategic talent and cultural initiatives. Alejandro is also a trusted advisor for venture capital firms and the author of the upcoming book "Leading Organizational Transformation."

Alejandro’s expertise in change management and talent strategy has made him a sought-after advisor and thought leader in the business world.

Alejandro’s expertise spans human capital planning, M&A stabilization, organization development, executive talent management, change management, talent acquisition, and diversity and inclusion. He has held senior leadership roles at companies including Dell Technologies, Motorola, Laureate Education, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, where he served as Chief People Officer for over five years. Alejandro is known for his track record of driving innovation, building high-performance cultures, and successfully leading organizations through complex transformations.

In addition to his executive leadership roles, Alejandro is an author and a recognized thought leader in organizational strategy. His upcoming book, "Leading Organizational Transformation: Embracing Liberation, Vitality, and Expression to Build a Success-Capable Organization", is set to release in 2025. The book provides a comprehensive guide for CEOs and CHROs to drive long-term success through cultural and organizational transformation.

Alejandro holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Metropolitan University in Mexico City and a master’s degree in Robotics and Automation from Monterrey Institute of Technology. He is a Certified Diversity Executive and a sought-after speaker on leadership, organizational effectiveness, and business transformation.

Ross and Alejandro talk about learning, connecting, sharing new perspectives, HR, the future of HR, transformation, understanding, mindset, delegation, commitment, ambition, figuring things out, conversation, influencing leadership and breaking barriers. The pair also discuss changing mindsets, blindness in leaders, helping leaders remove fear, leadership liberation, living for success, curiosity, reading different books, ego,  reflecting, seeing things differently and new insights. 

Timecodes:

• 00:22 Intro to Alejandro
• 01:16 The 'Transform' event
• 02:15 Thing which have stood out and resonated at Transform
• 04:35 Extending the boundaries of Human Resources
• 08:35 Getting through and reimagining bad habits
• 11:25 Implementing new processes to big companies
• 14:41 Compelling people over convincing them
• 15:49 Driving factors to write a book
• 19:22 Mindset and improving it
• 24:04 Consciousness
• 30:05 Struggling at an organisation and people thanking Alejandro
• 33:15 Alejandro's challenges and liberation
• 34:52 Permission to imagine
• 35:52 Flow
• 37:16 he last time A did something for the first time

Connect with Alejandro:

• LinkedIn
• Cintana Education

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

Jamie Durling is a strategic operating and HR executive with a proven track record of driving business transformation and culture evolution. He’s led large-scale transformations across luxury retail, trade shows, and media, aligning business and people strategies to deliver sustainable growth.
Jamie’s expertise in talent strategy and operational effectiveness makes him a trusted leader in business development and performance management.

Previously, Jamie served as Vice President of People and Organization at Moncler, where he played a pivotal role in post-merger integration and business transformation for Moncler and Stone Island in the Americas. Before that, he held senior roles at Informa, where he led business transformation efforts across the Americas and Asia, and at Coach, where he was responsible for global human resources and people development.

Jamie’s expertise lies in aligning business and people strategies to fuel sustainable growth. He specializes in building high-performance cultures, integrating large-scale transformations, and driving measurable business impact through strategic foresight and operational rigor. His ability to merge business acumen with human capital strategy has made him a trusted advisor to C-suite leaders and business teams worldwide.

Jamie’s strategic leadership continues to shape the future of business transformation and talent strategy.

Ross and Jamie talk about audiences relating to lived experience,  human resources, psychological safety, facing something we are unfamiliar with,  doing more with less, burnout, traditional thoughts, creative opportunities and shifting mindset. The pair also discuss being authentic, transparency,  seeing change as opportunity, optimists, providing bridges, Chief Financial Officer's, taking ownership, making HR influential, developing people, curiosity and new experiences.

Timecodes: 

• 00:20 Intro to Jamie
• 01:00 Personal space and experiences of change
• 01:56 Being responsible for profit and loss
• 06:15 Situations having responsibilities without the resources and support 
• 08:50 Finding new solutions within constraints
• 12:25 Creator or a victim
• 13:21 Lived experiences effecting Jamie's work
• 15:48 Dealing with change
• 18:17 Making people feel more comfortable
• 20:05 Upcoming exciting projects
• 22:30 Becoming best friends with CFO's
• 24:27 Enabling organisations 
• 26:07 The last time Jamie did something for the first time

Connect with Jamie:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation 

Tina Gupta is a seasoned talent management executive with over two decades of experience driving organizational success through innovative talent strategies. As the Senior Vice President (Head of) Talent Management at New York Life Insurance Company, Tina leads enterprise-wide talent transformation, overseeing talent practices, performance management, talent acquisition, learning and development, and employee experience.

Before joining New York Life, Tina held senior leadership roles at WarnerMedia, Xandr, and Thomson Reuters, where she spearheaded major change initiatives, including complex IPOs, divestitures, and mergers. She has built and scaled global talent development programs, created strategies for leadership and executive development, and fostered high-performing, psychologically safe teams.

Tina is known for her strategic approach to talent management, combining data-driven insights with a people-first mindset. She partners closely with C-suite leaders and HR teams to align talent strategies with business goals, ensuring sustainable growth and high employee engagement.

Tina’s work has been instrumental in shaping modern talent management practices, and her expertise continues to make an impact in the rapidly evolving business landscape.

Ross and Tina talk about skills transformation, upscaling, learning AI, how AI impacts work, experimenting, AI strategy, the pace of AI, preparing for the future, HR management, changing mindsets, rethinking how work is done and organic experimentation. The pair also discuss adaptability, rethinking processes, celebrating failure,  success with failure, rewarding failure, empathy as a company, the next version of yourself, disruption, innovation, trying new roles and curiosity.  

Timecodes:

• 00:19 -  Intro to Tina
• 01:07 -  The 'Transform event '
• 02:08 - AI adoption
• 04:15 - New York Life Insurance
• 06:56 AI implemented for the future
• 10:58 Things which have worked well for Tina
• 13:49 Rewards for end results compared to progress
• 18:41 AI forcing change 
• 20:29 Responsibility to provide value
• 24:43 The unknown and learning
• 28:41 Workations
• 31:17 The last time Tina did something for the first time

Connect with Tina:

• LinkedIn
• New York Life  

Connect with Ross:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Moonshot Innovation