What does it mean to lead well in a world obsessed with tools, speed, and technological change?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Ken Dychtwald, founder of Age Wave, for a far-reaching conversation about integrity, curiosity, longevity, purpose, and the human qualities that matter most as we move deeper into the AI era.

Ken reflects on the leaders who shaped him, including Jimmy Carter, and explains why integrity, courage, dependability, and the ability to point people toward a path forward remain the core of real leadership. He shares how his idea of radical curiosity took shape, why human potential first captured his imagination, and why he believes we are spending too much time talking about tools and not enough time talking about the extraordinary capabilities of people.

The conversation also explores longevity, aging, dementia, health span, purpose, retirement, communication, relationships, and the lessons Ken would offer his younger self. It is a rich and deeply human discussion about how to live well, lead well, and stay open to possibility across a long life.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

00:00 Why subscribing and sharing matter more than ever

00:52 The publishing boom and the discoverability crisis

02:15 Why trust matters more than attention

06:04 Intro – meet Ken Dychtwald

07:04 Why Ken’s work on aging and longevity matters now

10:23 Leadership lesson 1: integrity

10:42 Jimmy Carter and leading by example

12:08 Courage, dependability, and showing people a path forward

13:47 How Radical Curiosity got its name

16:08 Is deep curiosity learned or innate?

17:03 Human potential and the course that changed Ken’s life

19:25 Advice for young people in an age of AI and longer lives

20:37 Will we have one career or ten?

22:23 We are talking too much about tools and not enough about humans

25:21 Why business still needs more humanity

26:31 Sam Altman, Tim Berners-Lee, and the values of innovation

28:33 Caregiving, elder care, and leadership empathy

29:30 Longevity, lifespan, and health span

31:29 Why defeating Alzheimer’s is the biggest challenge

33:09 Jonas Salk, polio, and the future of aging science

35:29 The new role models for longer lives

37:23 What 76-year-old Ken would tell his younger self

39:16 Why failure was a necessary teacher

40:40 How to become a better communicator

42:34 The central lesson of a well-lived life

43:38 Ken on marrying his wife every year

45:53 Relationships, integrity, and final takeaways

49:25 Outro – share the episode and unleash the human potential

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What happens when an industry built on storytelling, star power, and scale suddenly has to reinvent itself from the ground up?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Kevin Reilly for a candid conversation about Hollywood’s decline, AI’s rise, creative leadership, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself when the old playbook stops working.

Kevin reflects on his journey through some of the biggest chapters in modern entertainment—from FX and Fox to Turner, HBO Max, and now Cartwheel/Cartel—sharing what he learned about leadership, bureaucracy, risk, and why real change almost never starts from the center of the system. He explains why Hollywood is “structurally shrinking,” why so many legacy media companies failed to respond in time, and why the future belongs to organizations that can break down silos between creative, media, data, and commerce.

They also dig into career reinvention, mindset, the limits of performative innovation, and why in an AI-powered world, human discernment, taste, and judgment may matter more than ever.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to keep pushing for change when the world keeps resisting it?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Darshana Myronidis for a conversation about climate leadership, inclusion, resilience, and the human work of driving change inside systems that do not always want to move.

Darshana shares how her South African background shaped her sense of purpose, why sustainability is really about people, and why leaders need to understand both the audience they are speaking to and the deeper values they are trying to serve. She talks about the uphill work of “selling” sustainability inside organizations, why small wins matter, and how the best change-makers learn to be multilingual across business, culture, and impact.

The conversation also explores identity, exclusion, directness, joy, family, and Darshana’s powerful idea that the kitchen table and the boardroom table are not so different after all. It is a thoughtful and deeply human discussion about how we show up, how we choose our fights, and how we decide what kind of legacy we want to create.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the real future of leadership is not just about strategy, scale, or efficiency—but about human flourishing?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Liza Tullidge Founder of NETĀ and host of the Human-Ing. podcast, for a conversation about ecosystem change, curiosity, joy, resilience, and building businesses that actually work for humans.

Liza explains why “business as usual” no longer serves us, why she prefers to think in terms of ecosystem change rather than simple systems change, and why unlocking human potential starts with helping people define their own version of success. She shares how trust, mindset, and curiosity can shift boardrooms, why leaders need to become multilingual in the language of finance, risk, culture, and impact, and why compassionate directness matters more than polished corporate language.

They also explore joy as a strategic force, how to live with greater intention, what resilient leaders do differently, and why the future belongs to those who can empower, elevate, and amplify others.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Lead Human! In this episode, co-host Jack Myers sits down in the Acast London studios with Tricia Scott, the powerhouse creator behind The Female CEO. Moving past standard corporate definitions, Tricia shares how her roots in the heavy metal scene taught her the ultimate value of acceptance, community, and rule-breaking.

Tricia pulls back the curtain on her journey from a high-stakes corporate director secretly blogging under a pseudonym to building a global platform that redefines CEO as Create, Evolve, Overcome. She dives deep into the realities of modern female entrepreneurship, the necessity of "getting in the room" in a post-hybrid work world, and the profound personal loss that forced her to choose courage over comfort and pivot her life entirely.

Whether you are navigating a massive career shift, trying to embrace new AI technology, or figuring out how to take "messy action" in your own life, Tricia's insights offer a masterclass in unleashing your true human potential.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the real job of leadership is not maximizing shareholder value, but making the world better?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, to talk about purpose-driven leadership, long-term value creation, human dignity, and why business must become a force for good.

Paul reflects on the values he inherited from his parents, the formative experiences that shaped his worldview, and the choices that led him from Procter & Gamble and Nestlé to the top job at Unilever. He explains why short-termism has distorted business, why profit should be understood as a result rather than the purpose, and why leaders today need new scorecards for 21st-century challenges.

They also dig into inequality, climate, trust in CEOs, collaborative leadership, the failure of MBA culture, and why the future belongs to leaders who can celebrate commonality instead of exploiting division. It’s a powerful conversation about responsibility, humanity, and what it really means to lead.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special Lead Human episode, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler skip the guest interview and talk about what’s on their minds: classic rock, aging cultural icons, authenticity, and a workplace behavior Tim calls “smile f*cking.”

Jack reflects on the staying power of artists like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the Rolling Stones, and what their longevity says about institutions, cultural identity, and the irreplaceable human role in music. From vinyl records to live performance to what it means to “wear” music as part of who we are, the conversation explores why some forms of humanity can’t be replicated by machines.

Then the conversation shifts into business and leadership, with Tim unpacking a kind of fake-nice behavior he sees more often in workplaces: smiling, agreeing, and creating good vibes in the moment—without any real intent to support the idea, decision, or person afterward. It’s a candid discussion about authenticity, conflict avoidance, and whether “fake nice” is quietly becoming a management style.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does strong leadership look like when technology keeps changing the rules?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Marc DeBevoise, media and technology executive President and Board Member of OverDrive, for a conversation about empathy, accountability, AI, timing, and leading mission-driven companies through transformation.

Marc shares the leadership framework he calls “empathetic accountability”—a style built around clear goals, honest expectations, and genuine support for the people doing the work. He reflects on lessons from the early internet boom, the long arc of digital transformation, and why he believes AI may follow a similar pattern: fast change up front, followed by years of deeper impact. He also explains how he helped drive urgency and turnaround at Brightcove, how he thinks about risk and timing, and why mission matters when choosing what to lead next.

The conversation also dives into OverDrive’s role in literacy, education, and access to books around the world, and why Marc sees human potential—not just technology—as the real source of long-term advantage.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens to leadership, work, and parenting when AI can answer almost anything?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Liz Ross, CEO of Shift Paradigm, to talk about AI, leadership, discernment, curiosity, and what it means to stay relentlessly human in a world of accelerating automation.

Lizz shares the story of knowing at age 11 that she wanted to work in advertising, and how that early spark led to a career spanning agencies, technology, data, and executive leadership. She talks about why the best leaders balance accountability with authenticity, why curiosity is a practical stand-in for empathy, and why having a real point of view is becoming more valuable—not less—in the AI era.

They also get into her work helping parents think through how to raise kids with AI, why “the new genius is asking better questions,” why fake work is dying, and why discernment may become the most important human skill of all.

If you’re trying to lead, learn, or parent through massive change, this conversation is for you.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What actually drives growth in an AI-saturated world: better tools, or deeper trust?

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Jeanniey Walden to talk about trust, leadership, AI, momentum, and the human side of business transformation.

Jeanniey shares her path from earning $5.25 an hour at JCPenney to becoming a CMO, startup advisor, and founder of LiftOff Enterprises. She explains why the foundations of business have not changed—even as the tools have—and why trust is still the thing that creates belief, loyalty, and real growth. She also breaks down her AIR Method—Authenticity, Inspiration, and Relatability—and explains how leaders can use it to navigate change, communicate more honestly, and keep teams aligned when momentum slows.

They also explore how to learn AI by actually using it, why speed and alignment are often in tension, what marketers can learn from digital’s early days, and why work-life “blend” may be more realistic than balance in today’s world.

If you’re trying to lead through change without losing the human core of your company, this conversation is for you.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.