What if one of the most powerful leadership tools available to us isn’t a strategy, a metric, or a management framework — but the stories we tell ourselves and others?

In this energizing and deeply human episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Capella Fahoome — culture engineer, award-winning film producer, executive coach, educator, and PhD student in Positive Organizational Psychology — for a rich conversation about storytelling, connection, leadership, and flourishing.

Capella brings a rare and compelling perspective to leadership development. With roots in Detroit, decades of experience in film production, and graduate training in both Applied Positive Psychology and Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, she helps leaders build cultures where people feel seen, safe, and switched on.

Together, Scott, Jason, and Capella explore what it means to be a flourishing leader, why everyone is a leader, how our inner narratives shape our emotions and choices, and why storytelling may be one of the highest-leverage tools for creating trust, mattering, psychological safety, and organizational alignment.

You’ll also hear Capella’s remarkable personal story — from activist parents in Detroit, to an unlikely start in film production, to being rejected from Penn before ultimately returning to earn not one but two graduate degrees. Throughout the conversation, she shows how setbacks, relationships, and narrative reframing can become pathways to growth and flourishing.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Capella believes everyone is a leader
• What a flourishing leader does to help others thrive
• How storytelling shapes mindset, emotion, and behavior
• Why connection is always the goal
• The origin of Capella’s powerful line: “If relationships aren’t the answer, you’re asking the wrong questions.”
• How storytelling can transform workplace culture
• The role of narrative in conflict, belonging, and psychological safety
• Why rejection can become redirection
• How leaders can use authentic story to align people around purpose and well-being

Capella Fahoome is a culture engineer, award-winning film producer, ICF credentialed coach, and educator who helps leaders author narratives that promotes belonging. She combines the science of positive psychology with the craft of storytelling to help leaders build trust, connection, smoother collaboration, braver conversations, and healthier cultures. Capella’s new book, The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling, drops in Sept 2026 everywhere you get books. Check out her Working Title Workshop that takes place throughout the year and a special session for the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) taking place on April 28, 2026. Check out Capella's When is Now Podcast!

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What if one of the greatest leadership challenges of our time is not strategy, scale, or speed—but the loss of relationship?

In this powerful episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Mike Erwin—Army officer, social entrepreneur, positive psychology practitioner, co-author of Lead Yourself First and Leadership Is a Relationship, and founder or co-founder of Team Red, White & Blue, The Positivity Project, The Character & Leadership Center, and the Saint Sebastian Institute.

Drawing from years of service in combat, education, veteran wellness, character formation, and leadership development, Mike offers a deeply practical and deeply human vision of leadership. He reflects on the power of solitude, the richness of character, the importance of shared purpose, and the urgent need to put people first in an increasingly digital and transactional world.

You’ll learn:

• Why Mike believes leadership is fundamentally relational
• How he defines a flourishing leader—and why leadership is about getting others to do hard things because they want to
• Why solitude is not simply physical isolation, but a state of mental clarity
• How studying under Chris Peterson shaped Mike’s understanding of character strengths
• Why building a shared vocabulary around character helps deepen relationships and strengthen teams
• What civilian leaders can learn from veteran communities about belonging, purpose, and connection
• Why younger generations may be pushing us toward a healthier understanding of work, life, and flourishing

This episode is filled with wisdom for leaders in business, education, the military, nonprofit work, ministry, and everyday life.

If you care about character, relationships, community, solitude, and human flourishing, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Guest Bio
Mike Erwin is a decorated Army officer, social entrepreneur, and leadership expert. A 2002 graduate of West Point, he served three combat tours and later earned a master’s degree in positive psychology from the University of Michigan, where he studied under Dr. Chris Peterson. Mike founded Team Red, White & Blue, co-founded The Positivity Project, leads The Character & Leadership Center, and serves as Chairman of the Board for the Saint Sebastian Institute. He is also the co-author of Lead Yourself First and Leadership Is a Relationship.

Listen now and ask yourself:
How might your leadership change if you treated relationship—not efficiency—as the true center of your influence?

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What does it mean to become stronger through what nearly broke you?

In Episode #43 of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with David Berez — retired police officer, Master Resiliency Trainer, and positive psychology practitioner — for a moving conversation on trauma, healing, antifragility, and the power of story. 

David shares experiences from decades in emergency services, including his decision to respond to Ground Zero after 9/11, the hidden cumulative toll many first responders carry, and how meaning-making and support can transform suffering into post-traumatic growth.

We explore:

• Why flourishing leadership is a verb, not a title
• The difference between “resilience” and antifragility
• The “messy middle” of healing — and why isolation is so dangerous
• How restorative storytelling can turn pain into connection, wisdom, and culture change 
• What it means to “earn your badge every day” — at work and at home

Content note: This episode includes discussion of trauma, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal ideation. Please take care while listening. If you’re in the U.S. and need immediate support, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). If you’re outside the U.S., please use your local crisis resources.

Guest: David Berez
David is a retired police officer (34 years in emergency services), Master Resiliency Trainer, and mental health advocate for law enforcement. He writes about wellness and restorative storytelling in policing and facilitates training for organizations including the Courageous Optimism© series. You can find out more about his work and connect with him here.

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What if the future of healthcare depends less on doing more — and more on becoming wiser?

In this powerful episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Margaret “Peggy” Plews-Ogan, MD MS — physician, educator, and wisdom researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine — to explore what it means to lead with practical wisdom (phronesis) in a field that is often pressured to “widgetize” what is fundamentally relational. 

Peggy shares a deeply human vision of flourishing leadership in medicine — grounded in meaning, growth, and the courage to stay connected to diverse perspectives. Together, we explore how wisdom is formed, how adversity can become growth (not just pain), and why appreciative practices can restore joy and purpose in healthcare teams.

You’ll learn:

• Why wisdom is different from knowledge, competence, and technical expertise — and why it matters in healthcare
• A practical framework for wisdom: compassion (affective), reflection (perspective-taking), and humility (cognitive)
• Why adversity doesn’t automatically produce wisdom — and what support and reflection make the difference
• How the Phronesis Project helps medical learners cultivate lifelong virtues like humility, forgiveness, curiosity, and gratitude 
• How Appreciative Inquiry shifts culture by asking “what’s strong?” not only “what’s wrong?”
• Why story, meaning-making, and advocacy are essential for post-traumatic growth
• Peggy’s call to “take back the relationality” of healthcare — for clinicians and patients alike

Peggy also shares the moving story of her husband Jim’s ALS journey and the Hummingbird Fund’s advocacy — including resources that reframe illness through hope, wholeness, and what can still grow. 

Whether you’re a clinician, educator, leader, or simply a human navigating complexity — this episode offers wisdom you can practice.

Listen now — and ask yourself: Where do I need more wisdom… not just more knowledge?

Connect & Learn More

• Peggy Plews-Ogan, M.D. 
• The Hummingbird Fund
• Jim’s Blog
• Wisdom – UVA Health

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What if leadership isn’t about control, status, or “winning”—but about protecting dignity and promoting well-being?

In this episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Professor Michael Pirson, a global voice in humanistic management and humanistic leadership. Michael is the James F. Stoner Endowed Chair in Global Sustainability at Fordham University, Editor-in-Chief of the Humanistic Management Journal, and a leader in global efforts to transform leadership and business education toward human flourishing. 

Together, they explore why modern systems so often normalize burnout, extraction, and “transaction-only” relationships—and what changes when organizations choose a different foundation.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why dignity is a “feature, not a bug” of being human
• How humanistic leadership opens a broader, more rigorous path to flourishing
• Why purely transactional cultures lead to innovation poverty and loneliness
• What the research says about how trust emerges and erodes—and why shared purpose matters
• Why measurement matters—and why wisdom and mindfulness must guide the use of metrics
• What’s broken in traditional business education—and what must be reimagined if we’re serious about flourishing

Memorable themes:

Human Dignity • Trust • Mindfulness • Well-being • Love and Care in organizations • Moral Imagination • Humanistic Management • Business Education Reform • Human Flourishing • Leadership Development

🎧 Listen now and join the movement toward leadership that helps people—and institutions—come alive.

Connect & Learn More

• Michael Pirson LinkedIn
• Humanistic Leadership Academy

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What if human flourishing isn’t a “nice-to-have,” but a strategic asset—one leaders must intentionally build, measure, and reinvest in?

In this episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Dr. Jelena Nikolic—labor economist, researcher, and educator—to explore the deep connection between economic performance and human flourishing.

Jelena argues that many organizations measure what’s visible—wages, productivity, profit, and GDP—while ignoring the “invisible variables” that actually drive sustainable performance: trust, dignity, agency, autonomy, meaning, and relational quality. She reframes flourishing as a form of intangible capital that compounds through retention, learning, innovation, and culture—and she makes the case that leadership is the “conversion engine” that turns those invisible assets into durable results.

You’ll also hear a refreshingly serious conversation about love in leadership and institutions—defined as the capacity to be in healthy relationship with oneself and others—and why love isn’t softness, but inner capacity that strengthens trust, cooperation, resilience, and integrity under pressure.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why flourishing and performance are structurally connected
• The “invisible variables” leaders must stop treating as optional
• How to measure differently and design work that doesn’t deplete people
• Love as a leadership capacity that can repair and humanize institutions
• Higher education’s next frontier: investing in teaching-focused faculty as a strategic workforce
• Practical wisdom as the bridge between moral intent and organizational reality

If you’re building a team, an organization, or an institution—and you want results that are both durable and humane—this episode is for you.

Guest: Jelena Nikolic, PhD

Jelena Nikolic is a PhD labor economist and founder of Applied Human Flourishing—about how human flourishing functions as a causal driver of economic performance. In her work, Jelena explores how leadership functions as a conversion mechanism—transforming these often unmeasured resources into measurable performance outcomes—and why this shift in thinking has major implications for how universities prepare students for an AI-driven, complexity-heavy economy. This perspective is the foundation of Flourishing as Capital™, a core methodology within Applied Human Flourishing, focused on how institutions train future leaders to convert human dynamics into durable performance.

Connect / Learn More

• Jelena Nikolic: LinkedIn 
• Applied Human Flourishing

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

 What if flourishing leadership isn’t found in doing more—but in aligning your values, wellbeing, and relationships during times of change? 

Change can shake us—or shape us. In this episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Ilene Schaffer, CEO of Silicon Valley Change, executive leadership coach, speaker, and host of the What’s Possible podcast.

Ilene shares a refreshingly human take on flourishing leadership: it’s not “work life vs. personal life.” It’s wellbeing 360—alignment with your values, your relationships, your purpose, and the life you’re actually living.

You’ll learn:

• Why alignment with values is the foundation of flourishing (not just performance)
• How one phrase—“not yet”—builds growth mindset and self-compassion during transition
• How Ilene integrates PERMA (Seligman) and Carol Ryff’s wellbeing model in coaching
• Ilene’s STAR model for thriving through change: Self-care, Thoughts, Adaptability/Acceptance, Relationships
• The surprising leadership power of walking: calm, creativity, metaphor, and better decisions
• Why Ilene created What’s Possible: making leadership and wellbeing tools accessible beyond paid coaching

Whether you’re stepping into a new role, navigating a life transition, or trying to lead with more clarity and calm—this conversation offers both warmth and practical tools you can use immediately.

Listen now—and ask yourself: What’s possible?

Guest: Ilene Schaffer

Ilene Schaffer is the CEO of Silicon Valley Change (SVC), host of What’s Possible podcast, an executive leadership coach, and speaker. Leveraging her graduate degrees in positive psychology and life transitions counseling, Ilene helps her clients thrive in the midst of constant personal and professional change. Greater confidence, enhanced relationships, improved communication skills, and overall life flourishing are some of the gains her clients report.

Connect / Learn More

• Silicon Valley Change (SVC) Executive Coaching 
• Ilene Schaffer
• What’s Possible Podcast with Ilene Schaffer

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What does it mean to be a flourishing leader when the world feels chaotic—and leadership often defaults to fear, scarcity, and burnout?

In this episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Niels Gott, executive coach, positive psychology practitioner, and founder of Awesomer Coaching & Consulting—where his official title is Chief Awesome Officer (yes, really… and it’s as meaningful as it is playful).

Niels brings 22 years of military leadership experience and a deep grounding in positive psychology to a conversation that is both playful and profound. Together, they explore how flourishing leadership starts with self-awareness and presence and expands outward into creating the conditions where others can do their best work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why flourishing leadership begins with being “in tune” with your values, presence, and needs
• How awe can be a transformational practice (and how to set the conditions for it)
• The difference between seeking beauty and encountering awe
• Why “pain is mandatory; suffering is optional” can reshape how we lead through hardship
• How leaders can normalize learning through failure—without lowering standards
• What it means to “wear your rank on behalf of your people”
• Burnout vs. burn-in—and why community is essential for resilience
• Niels’ closing message: “You are in choice… and there is always a gift.”

If you’re looking for a grounded, human, evidence-based approach to leadership—one that makes room for humor and depth—this conversation will stay with you.

Guest: Niels Gott

Niels Gott is a leadership development coach and positive psychology practitioner with extensive experience in executive coaching, resilience training, and positive leadership. He is the founder of Awesomer Coaching & Consulting and holds credentials including Applied Positive Psychology training, Master Resilience Training, and multiple coaching certifications. His mission is to help leaders and teams find more joy, resilience, and flourishing in their work.

Connect / Learn More

Niels Gott: 

LinkedIn

Awesomer Coaching & Consulting

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, share, and leave a review—it helps more leaders find this work.

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What does it mean to be a flourishing leader in a world marked by stress, division, and moral complexity?

In this powerful episode, Dr. Scott Parsons sits down with Professor Nancy Sherman—Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and acclaimed author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience, Stoic Warriors, The Untold War, and Afterwar. 

Nancy offers a grounded, human vision of leadership—rooted in character, collaboration, and what she memorably calls “a good soul.” Together, Scott and Nancy explore Stoicism, Aristotle, Kant, moral emotion, military resilience, and the difference between suppressing feelings and cultivating them wisely.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Flourishing leadership as character in action: mission clarity, collaboration, and humor
• Stoicism with a little “s” vs. Stoicism with a big “S”
• Why Stoicism is not emotional numbness, but emotional training and discernment
• Two Stoic “life hacks” for resilience: pre-rehearsal and mental reservation
• The military’s “suck it up and truck on” culture—its gifts and its costs
• Aristotle’s virtue ethics: responding at the right time, in the right way, for the right reasons
• Why fortune and vulnerability matter in any realistic account of flourishing
• Kant, virtue, and moral emotion: respect, beneficence, and the moral psychology of duty
• A preview of Nancy’s forthcoming Yale University Press book:
   How to Have a Soul: What Aristotle Teaches Us about Lasting Happiness 

If you care about resilience, moral injury, character, virtue ethics, military leadership, or practical wisdom, this episode will leave you both steadier and more thoughtful.

🎧 Listen now and let us know what stood out most.

Question for reflection:

Where do you need less “stiff upper lip”… and more wise emotional cultivation—in your leadership and life?

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.

What does it mean to flourish when life includes trauma, moral injury, and hard-earned recovery?

In Episode #36 of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with LTC (Ret.) Mike Kenny — West Point Class of 1993, U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, and Executive Director of Warriors’ Ascent, a nonprofit dedicated to helping military veterans and first responders heal from post-traumatic stress and moral injury.

Mike shares a powerful vision of flourishing that isn’t limited to happiness or “feeling good,” but grounded in wholeness — embracing setbacks as learning, growth, and transformation.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why flourishing leadership means “win or learn” — and keep going
• Mike’s unforgettable West Point boxing story and the discipline of anti-fragility
• Why healing requires agency: learning to “control the controllable”
• The Warriors’ Ascent approach: tools for tending the mind, body, and soul
• The surprising power of group healing and peer mentorship
• Mike’s guiding ethos of three virtues: Prudentia (wise judgment), Fortitudo (grit), Gravitas (serious commitment)
• A closing reminder every leader needs: self-care is not selfish — “sharpen the saw”

This conversation is for leaders, educators, veterans, first responders, clinicians, and anyone who cares about resilience, recovery, and human flourishing.

If you or someone you love is struggling or in crisis: Contact the Veterans Crisis Line in the U.S., you can call 988, then press 1, text 838255, or chat online. A caring, qualified responder will listen and help. Your call is free and confidential, and you decide how much information to share. Support doesn’t end with your conversation. VA responders can connect you with the resources you need.

Note: The often-quoted “20 veterans a day” statistic has been updated in recent federal reporting; a 2025 U.S. Senate resolution cites 6,407 veteran suicide deaths in 2022 (about 17+ per day) and references the VA’s 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. 

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
Subscribe & Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube
Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | [email protected]

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.