Pondered Bytes

Edelman’s latest Trust Barometer (2025) shows that not only is trust plummeting across society, but that in addition, grievance is sharply on the rise. Globally there’s a feeling of being left behind—why is this, and what does leadership have to do with it? In this solo monologue, I hypothesise how culture, our positivity obsession, and the democratisation of leadership roles may be fueling both distrust and resentment. When everyone is cast as a leader or entrepreneur, does society suffer? Let’s dig in and ponder.

Links

Free downloadable PDF booklet: https://tinyurl.com/pb-ildc-EP1

2025 Edelman Trust Barometer: https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer

Questions, thoughts?

Leave a comment or send me an email ([email protected]).

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More resources? Pondered Insights!

https://theponderlab.substack.com/

https://theponderlab.gumroad.com/

Socials

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Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music: "Cognitive Trap Blues" by Suno.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab, now broadcasting from a different continent.

Pondered Bytes is back—with a twist! After a few years away and now broadcasting from an entirely different continent, the podcast returns as an ongoing miniseries: Inferior Leadership = Doomed Company. This time, we’re diving into leadership, its supporting roles, and workplace culture—exploring how all of these are shaped by fascinating cognitive phenomena. And yes, just like the main show, this miniseries is a solo journey… though anything could happen in an ongoing series.

Whether you’re a longtime listener or just discovering the podcast, Inferior Leadership = Doomed Company promises deeper dives, sharper insights, and unfiltered reflections. Get ready for a more direct, honest, and bold take—designed to leave you with plenty to ponder after each episode. Curious about what makes organisations tick (or crumble)? You’re in the right place. Have thoughts or topics you want covered? Drop a message in the comments or send me an email at [email protected]!

Let’s continue pondering together—and remember: stay critical, rebels.

Culture is everywhere, but only a few know and understand what it is. In this final episode of Pondered Bytes - for now - we investigate, and explore the various ways of doing things and how there really isn't a "right" way.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ipresilia/

https://www.theponderlab.com/

https://theponderlab.substack.com

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30257963-12-rules-for-life?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=t3vCS5Osib&rank=1

Questions?

[email protected]

Join the Newsletter - The Ponder Lab's most pondered insights delivered right to your inbox

https://theponderlab.substack.com

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a brand consultancy studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients by elevating brands and giving them meaning in an era of increased clutter and declined trust.

Should we or shouldn't we niche? Many of us think of niching as limiting and confining, but what if this wasn't the case, and we instead had a little bit of "commitment issues"?

In this episode, I'm not looking to convince, but aim to suggest an unusual perspective.

Links

https://anchor.fm/ponderedbytes/episodes/Are-your-clients-gossiping-about-you-e14hpok

https://theponderlab.substack.com/p/why-are-we-here

https://theponderlab.substack.com/p/its-not-the-ideas-alone-that-make?sd=fs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjIdJRWJQAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB01P3KAojc&t=7s

https://www.theponderlab.com

Questions?

[email protected]

Join the Newsletter - The Ponder Lab's most pondered insights delivered right to your inbox

https://theponderlab.substack.com

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a brand consultancy studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients by elevating brands and giving them meaning in an era of increased clutter and declined trust.

Not much can be achieved without a WHY for long - that has been established already - but what's more important than that, AND drives every decision and action? Before we can start with WHY we must know who we are.

Do you know who you are and why you should know yourself in the first place?

If you don't know the answer to these questions, worry not. In this episode, we'll get to the root of it all and explore the only constant; our values.

Links

https://youtu.be/-tBXqs0pRVQ?t=188

https://www.edelman.com/trust/2022-trust-barometer

https://youtu.be/eI1yo-a3QBs?t=137

https://youtu.be/mL4l75rMIiQ?t=738

https://youtu.be/5mKxekNhMqY?t=61

https://theponderlab.medium.com

https://www.theponderlab.com

Also interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzCb1qPUbko

Questions?

[email protected]

Join the Newsletter - The Ponder Lab's most pondered insights delivered right to your inbox

https://theponderlab.substack.com

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a brand consultancy studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients by elevating brands and giving them meaning in an era of increased clutter and declined trust.

We live life with the thought and fear that it’ll all end one day. What if it doesn’t have to be something we fear, but should instead embrace?

Links

https://www.aesc.org/insights/magazine/article/go-long-why-long-term-thinking-your-best-short-term-strategy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka8L1YMR88U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m45eymlraJs

https://theponderlab.medium.com

https://www.theponderlab.com

Questions?

[email protected]

Join the Newsletter - The Ponder Lab's most pondered insights delivered right to your inbox

https://theponderlab.substack.com

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a brand consultancy studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients by elevating brands and giving them meaning in an era of increased clutter and declined trust.

“Can you elaborate on what you mean with a brand having substance?” In this episode of Pondered Bytes, I answer this listener’s question and explain why substance is not only a ‘good-to-have’ for your brand, but a necessity. Let’s continue the conversation; if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to send them over to [email protected]

Links

https://theponderlab.medium.com

https://www.theponderlab.com

Questions?

[email protected]

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a brand consultancy studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients by elevating brands and giving them meaning in an era of increased clutter and declined trust.

Sometimes our brands and the services we provide may be interpreted completely different from what we intended. This episode covers caring and when it no longer seems enough. The question is: “are we devoted to our audience, or do we do things in a perfunctory manner yet expect them to be happy?”.

Links

https://theponderlab.medium.com

https://www.theponderlab.com

Questions?

[email protected]

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

More Resources

Recommended Books:

https://www.theponderlab.com/recommended-books

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a brand consultancy studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients by elevating brands and giving them meaning in an era of increased clutter and declined trust.

Myriads of people are propelled to start their own business after quitting their job. With that happening more frequently since the pandemic, I wanted to take a closer look, put myself in their shoes, and offer some suggestions on how to traverse this difficult journey.

Links

https://theponderlab.medium.com

https://www.theponderlab.com

Questions?

[email protected]

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a Netherlands based Brand Consultancy Studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients. It does so by offering services such as Strategy, Design & Development to elevate brands in an era where strong identities matter the most.

The holidays are just around the corner. Each year, when November and December come along, something changes, and we give in to our urge to accumulate and hoard stuff. It's like our sensibility goes into deep hibernation. If you're not the one buying, you're the one selling - or, at least, tempting people to buy what you have to offer. What's funny is that when everything subsides, we're all left wondering whether we've been misled and why we have made certain purchase decisions. In today's episode, I take on the common question of why some companies engage in false advertising and how they seem to keep getting away with it.

Links

https://theponderlab.medium.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDX7xYKDOlo

https://www.theponderlab.com

Questions?

[email protected]

Like these episodes?

Consider buying me a tea.

Show notes

Pondered Bytes is hosted and edited by Ilsmarie Presilia.

Music is "waveform" by Emescii and "Neuron Parking" by Pelayo from Unminus.

Brought to you by The Ponder Lab.

The Ponder Lab is a Netherlands based Brand Consultancy Studio that specialises in closing the gaps between businesses and their clients. It does so by offering services such as Strategy, Design & Development to elevate brands in an era where strong identities matter the most.