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I feel very fortunate to release today’s episode as I had a chance to sit down on Zoom with the brilliant Stef Okamoto, who is currently the Director of Manager Excellence for Service Now, a fast growing American software company based in Santa Clara, California.

Before moving to ServiceNow, Stef had a distinguished career at Microsoft for 23 years, serving the organisation in her last 7 years as the Leader of Management Excellence in Global Learning and Development. Having worked directly under former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmar and current CEO Satya Nadalla, Stef experienced two drastically different leadership styles, one that was strongly based on control and compliance and fear under Ballmar to a much more human-centred, empowering approach rooted in high support, trust, autonomy and deep learning under Satya Nadalla. 

Based on these experiences, Stef learned how she did NOT want to lead, but rather, how she could take action to become the very best leader possible and to do so with courage, vulnerability, and authenticity, but at the same time, not let these things get in the way of holding those who she led to the highest standards possible. 

During this time, she learned that it’s still necessary to be tough on people, but to do so with compassion, by providing them with a sense of high support in order for them achieve their true potential and to also help them find deep meaning in their work and a genuine sense of contribution to the organization. 

Stef’s wisdom and work ethic stems directly from early days in her life. As an elite athlete who not only played in the junior Olympics as a softball player, she also received an academic scholarship to play volleyball in college. It was through these experiences that she developed a resilient mindset that allowed her to be fiercely independent in order to show what she was truly capable of achieving in life. 

In our episode, we discussed, in detail, how she’s been able to stay deeply connected to her core values in life even through turbulent, challenging times and how she was able to overcome a harsh, negative inner critic in a way that helped her to construct an empowering personal narrative that ultimately gave her the self-confidence needed to take bold risks and to speak her genuine truth with respect and courage in order to truly find her place in such a competitive work environment. 

As you’ll hear in this episode, Stef is deeply passionate about the work she does and when I think of her story I think of a quote from Oprah Winfrey which is this: 

When thinking about Stef, there’s no doubt, she’s found her calling and continues to shine brightly in a world that needs courageous leaders to stand up and take action to bring out the very best in others. 

Stef and I would love to hear your thoughts and what resonated the most with you in regards to our conversation. So, please share any thoughts on social media, as well, if you know someone who would benefit from tuning into our episode, please share the link with them. 

As you listen, I hope you feel inspired to think even more carefully about your own purpose and the core values that drive you in the work that you do. You can find out how to connect with Stef in the show notes of today’s episode. 

Connect with Stefani Okamoto:
LinkedIn
Website

Other Credits:
Dr. Michael Gervais' Finding Mastery Podcast and his excellent Compete to Create Program
Dr. David Yeager's book 10-25: The Science of Motivating Young Pe

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In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to sit down with the brilliant Anne van Dam, an educator, leader, and consultant with a wealth of experience working in schools across the globe. And in our conversation, Anne shares her unique journey—from her early days as a learner to her current work helping schools and organizations build cultures that bring out the best in everyone.

Although she’s most recognized for her expertise in early years learning, Anne’s knowledge spans far beyond that as she brings deep insights into leadership, team culture, collaboration, and what it takes to help schools thrive in today’s ever-changing educational landscape.

Anne opens up about her personal journey—reflecting on how her early learning experiences shaped her as an educator and leader. We also discuss whether or not school helped her discover her passion and what might have better supported her learning during her formative years.

Having worked extensively in a variety of schools and roles around the world, Anne has invaluable perspectives on the role of culture in schools and organizations, so hearing that in mind, we also explore how the relationships we build shape the environments we create and the conditions necessary to foster a culture that elevates everyone involved.

We also dive into how the best educators and leaders use language to inspire and empower those around them and how the words we choose—especially in key moments—can have a profound impact on success.

Another key theme we discuss is the power of personal narrative—how the stories we tell ourselves shape not only our mindset but also our learning and growth. Anne reflects on the pivotal moments in her life that shifted her perspective and helped her evolve as a wife, parent, educator, and leader.

Even if you’re not an educator, there’s plenty in this episode that will help you understand the need for continuous growth and learning in life—and how to prioritize what truly matters.

I encourage you to connect with Anne—after hearing today’s episode. You can find out more about her in the show notes. Although Anne has been a guest on the podcast before, this is our first face-to-face interview, which we recorded last weekend in Budapest, Hungary. It was such a pleasure meeting her in person and getting to know her better. Thanks for listening.

Anne's Bio
Anne van Dam is an experienced educator and educational consultant who is deeply passionate about the role of play in children's learning process. She believes in the power of documentation as a tool for educators to reflect on and grow in their practice by exploring the various threads, ideas, and connections that underpin children's investigations.

Throughout her career, Anne has held various roles in the field of education, including teacher, curriculum coordinator, head of school, and vice-principal. Her international experience includes working in schools located in China, Singapore, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. 

Anne's passion for education and dedication to empowering educators and young learners led her to collaborate with the International Baccalaureate (IB) regional office in The Hague, where she worked with the PYP (Primary Years Programme) development team on the IB PYP review. Her focus areas during this collaboration included learner agency, early years education, inquiry-based learning, and aspects of creating a strong learning community.

Since 2015, Anne has been working as an independent educational consultant. Her primary goal is to support schools and educators in developing a shared pedagogy that recognizes and honors young children as incredible learners and meaning makers.
Connect with Anne:
Website

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Before diving into today’s conversation with my guest, Amy Sandler, I want you to pause for a moment and think about your own career journey, whatever that may be and reflect on all the places you’ve worked, the teams you’ve been a part of, and the experiences—both challenging and rewarding—that have shaped your professional life. 

Whether you’ve been in a leadership position or not, consider those everyday moments—the interactions, the wins, and the setbacks—that ultimately influenced how you felt in your workplace. When thinking about these things, what comes up for you and how did those environments shape your sense of belonging, growth, and self-expression?

How comfortable did you feel being honest and openly transparent about your emotions when dealing with both your triumphs and the struggles you had? And when it came to providing feedback to your peers or leaders, how safe did you feel doing so? Was your feedback heard and welcomed, or was it dismissed? 

These are all questions that tie into today’s conversation, where we’ll explore candor—not just the literal definition which has to do with the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech, but more so the deeper essence of creating spaces where openness and feedback can thrive.

I’m thrilled to introduce my guest, Amy Sandler, a leader whose work has helped shape how thousands of people think about communication in the workplace. 

Amy is the principal coach and podcast host of Radical Candor, where she has also served as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Content Officer at the Radical Candor organization. Over the years, she’s worked with countless people, from CEOs and leadership teams to recent graduates just starting their careers.

Amy’s leadership philosophy is rooted in empowering individuals to develop greater self-awareness, resilience, and compassion—qualities she firmly believes are essential for building strong teams and achieving shared success. 

Alongside Kim Scott, the brilliant author of the book Radical Candor, and CEO Jason Rosoff and the rest of their team, Amy has been part of groundbreaking work that’s helping organizations create environments where all voices are valued and feedback is embraced.

Amy is also a Harvard graduate with an MBA and an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. She’s a certified breathwork and meditation teacher, and she’s woven many of the guiding principles from these practices into her leadership coaching. 

On a deeply personal note, Amy has openly shared how coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the mid-90s catalyzed her own journey of inner healing and self-inquiry.

It was truly an honor to sit down with Amy for this conversation. We found so much flow in our discussion,,,, that we decided to make this a two-part series, where we’ll dive even deeper into her work with Radical Candor in our next episode together which will come out later in December. 

I think you’ll appreciate Amy’s thoughtful, empathetic style of communication and gain valuable insights from today’s episode that I hope you’ll be able to apply in your own personal and professional life. Thanks for listening.

Connect with Amy Sandler:
LinkedIn
Radical Candor Podcast
Radical Candor Book

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In this episode, Andy introduces Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, a bilingual Greek/English Registered Clinical Psychologist and certified Compassionate Inquiry practitioner. Dimitra’s journey is deeply inspiring—having overcome a serious drug addiction, she has been clean for over 14 years and now dedicates her life to helping others heal. Through her work, she provides a safe and compassionate environment where clients can explore the root causes of their pain and suffering.

The episode explores the principles of Compassionate Inquiry, a therapeutic approach that helps people understand and address the deeper emotional and psychological issues that contribute to their struggles. Dimitra emphasizes the importance of being present in the moment as a core aspect of healing, a concept she has embraced personally in her own recovery.

Andy expresses deep admiration for Dimitra's thoughtful and caring nature, describing her as a true gift to the world. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own mental health and wellness, and the episode offers valuable insights on how we can all cultivate resilience, insight, and freedom in our own lives. The conversation is aimed at inspiring those who may be facing their own challenges to embrace healing and transformation. Thanks for listening and please share this episode with anyone who you feel will benefit from tuning in.

Connect With Dimitra:
If you are interested in connected with Dimitra, you can find her here. 

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Today’s episode is a special one as I had the chance to interview Dr. David Yeager, professor of psychology at University of Texas at Austin and a co-founder of the Texas Behavioural Science and Policy Institute. 

Dr. Yeager is widely recognized for his groundbreaking research alongside the inspiring Dr. Carol Dweck, the author of the brilliant book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, and Dr. Angela Duckworth, who authored the very impactful book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, and well-known psychologist  and researcher Dr. Greg Walton from Stanford. Together, they've developed short but impactful interventions that shape adolescent behaviors in areas like motivation, engagement, healthy eating, bullying, stress, and mental health.

Dr. Yeager has consulted for major organizations including Google, Microsoft, Disney, and the World Bank, as well as advising for the White House and governments in California, Texas, and Norway. His work has been featured in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, CNN, Fox News, the Guardian, The Atlantic and many more.

In our conversation today, we dive into his latest book, 10-25: The Science of Motivating Young People. This insightful book reveals the conditions necessary to empower young people to make better choices and achieve greater success in their lives.

Our discussion not only covers the key themes in his book, but we also explore Dr. Yeager’s personal experiences in life and the deeper significance behind his work. 

If you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or leader, you’ll find tremendous value in what David shares. He offers profound wisdom on how we can authentically support 10 to 25-year-olds, helping them reach their fullest potential and find genuine success in their lives.

Dr. Yeager’s book challenges the common myths that young people nowadays are apathetic, entitled, unmotivated and lazy. Instead, he encourages us to reframe this narrative and adopt proactive mentoring strategies that empower youth to contribute positively to their communities and the world. This shift, as we know, is essential for the betterment of our society.

I hope you leave this episode not only wanting to grab a copy of his invaluable book 10-25: The Science of Motivating Young People, but also inspired to change how you interact with important young people in your life in order to bring out their best.

Thank you for tuning in! I’d appreciate it if you could share this episode on social media, helping more people discover Dr. Yeager’s important work.

Connect with Dr. David Yeager
Website
LinkedIn

Buy David's book here

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In this short Wisdom of Alignment podcast episode, Andy emphasize the transformative power of adopting a learner's mindset, especially when it comes to challenging our own assumptions and stepping outside our comfort zones. We often cling to familiar beliefs, choosing comfort over growth. However, true development—both personally and professionally—occurs when we break this cycle by embracing discomfort, reflecting honestly on our habits, and being open to change.

Daniel Goleman’s insights on self-awareness are central to this, highlighting that understanding our emotions, strengths, and weaknesses is key to growth. This self-awareness allows us to recognize when our thinking is rigid and prevents us from evolving. More than personal growth, the article encourages creating a learning culture that fosters collective development through curiosity and vulnerability.

This episode’s importance lies in its practical strategies for leaders, coaches, and anyone looking to grow: embrace discomfort, cultivate self-awareness, and create a learning culture. It’s a reminder that progress doesn’t come from sticking to the status quo, but from consistently challenging our beliefs and making learning a lifelong process. By reflecting on where we might be stuck, we can break free from limitations and inspire those around us to do the same. This message is crucial for anyone striving to become their best self, lead others effectively, or build environments where growth thrives. We hope you enjoy this short episode and share it with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening. Thank you!

Connect with Andy Vasily
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In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Bennett, a Performance Architect whose work in performance psychology has shaped the way individuals and teams think about success. Our conversation dove into some powerful concepts that have the potential to transform the way you approach both performance and well-being in your life and work.

Mark Bennett has worked with elite athletes from multiple different sports for more than 25 years. As well he works closely with business leaders and other organisations helping them create the formula for success in their companies. 

Mark's approach, is built on the foundational principle that "performance is a behavior, not an outcome," In our conversation, he offers profound insights into how we can shift our focus from results to actions—actions that, when consistently applied, lead to lasting success. 

We also explored his unique philosophy on need-centered coaching, which differs from the traditional athlete- or person-centered models, as well as the symbiotic relationship between performance and wellness. Mark argues that many organizations treat wellness as a safety net rather than a proactive investment, and that shift in mindset is critical to maximizing potential.

There are plenty of tools and strategies you will walk away with in this episode such as the Action Review Process, a tool that improves judgment and self-awareness in real-time, an essential foundation for anyone seeking to better themselves and their skillset, whether in sports or business. 

Mark’s approach is deeply rooted in the fundamental believe that we are the drivers of our own growth and learning and that once we make a decision we must fully commit to it and execute. Regardless of success or failure, fully committing and executing is the key to this process of learning which is also deeply rooted in honest, genuine reflection that allows us to truly unpack what went well and what we might do better next time around. You’ll find out about this and so much more in our conversation today.
 
 Thank you for listening this episode and please do share it with anyone who you feel will benefit from tuning in.
 
Connect with Mark Bennett:
Website
LinkedIn
Twitter 'X'
YouTube

25% Discount Code for Mark's Online Training Resources- yourlife25
You can access his training here

Find out about Edge Golf College here

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In today's episode, you'll hear from Charles Feltman, a trust expert and leadership coach known for his work on building and sustaining trust in relationships, particularly in the workplace. His book, The Thin Book of Trust, is widely recognized for breaking down trust into four key distinctions: sincerity, reliability, competence, and care. What I most appreciate about Charles’ work is how practical and actionable it is, making it highly applicable in live time for leaders who want to foster trust, improve communication, and create stronger, more cohesive teams. His insights are particularly valuable in helping leaders navigate difficult conversations and maintain trust during challenging situations.

World renowned, best-selling author Brene Brown herself has embraced Charles’ work over the years, recently saying that one of her favourite books on trust is the Thin Book of Trust by Charles Feltman. He definitions so beautifully capture what emerged from our data on trust. The 3rd edition of the book is now available and very much worth the read….

In the conversation you are about to hear, we not only talk about what’s new in the 3rd edition of his book, we also take a deep dive into how the best leaders are able to build, maintain and most importantly, repair trust when it has been ruptured. 

It was a special treat to be able to spend time face to face with Charles recording this podcast. I hope you find as much value as I did in our conversation. You can find out how to contact Charles and where to buy his Thin Book of Trust by checking the links below.

Connect With Charles
Website
LinkedIn
His Trust on Purpose Podcast

You can buy the 3rd edition of his Thin Book of Trust here.

I appeared on Charles Feltman and Ila Edgar's Trust on Purpose earlier in 2024. You can find part 1 and 2 of our episode below:

Trust Around The World Part 1
Trust Around the World Part 2

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It gives me great pleasure to introduce Kevin Bartlett, the Founding Director of the Common Ground Collaborative. This episode is part of my 'Perspectives on Pedagogy' podcast series which are education-based in nature, but rooted deeply in what it means to lead and learn with purpose and intentionality.

A quote comes to mind when I think about Kevin:
 
"A great educational leader possesses a unique set of qualities and skills that enable them to effectively guide and shape the educational institutions they oversee."

Kevin does just that and has done it for decades in the field of education. He has a long history of creating true change in educational institutions. Throughout his decades of experience in the field of education, Kevin has learned to combine visionary thinking, strong communication, empathy and his genuine commitment to learning and growth into everything he does both personally and professionally in his life. 

He leads with integrity and is a true advocate for inclusivity which is evidenced by the schools he's helped transform over the years. Not only does he speak his truth with clarity and conviction, he is probably one of the biggest supporters of teachers I have ever come across. As a very experienced educational leader, Kevin has committed himself to making the professional lives of teachers more meaningful, manageable and rewarding. He knows how difficult a teacher’s job is and, as a consultant, he works on the ground with them, in their own space. He choses to teach and learn alongside them rather than from an ivory tower preaching about what good teaching practice is. 

In our conversation today, Kevin shares his thoughts on educational leadership and what each leader's role/responsibility is in creating schools that truly prioritize meaningful learning. We also dive into Kevin’s story and what drives him in the work that he does. 

Kevin also shares a genuine example of what a great school actually looks like in action, using one of the organizations that he works closely with through his consulting role. You will hear all about this school in our podcast today. 

I want to thank Kevin for his time and energy and agreeing to come on my podcast. It was an honor to have this conversation with him. I hope that any educational leader out there listening to this learns something new from Kevin today that they can immediately applied in their own leadership practice.

Thanks for listening and please share this episode and my new podcast with any educator who you feel will benefit from tuning in.

About Kevin:
Kevin has held leadership positions in the UK, Tanzania, Namibia, Austria, and Belgium, where he was most recently Director of the International School of Brussels from 2001-2015.

Kevin has co-designed accreditation systems for the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEAS&C) and is currently engaged with a small team developing ACE, an innovative new accreditation protocol for NEAS&C.

Kevin is a regular author of articles on a range of topics, a keynoter/workshop leader at multiple international and national conferences, and on-site consultant on a wide range of topics.

He is a writer and trainer in the field of curriculum design and leadership for learning for the Principals’ Training Center. As a curriculum designer, he was the initiator and early leader of the IB Primary Years Programme.

Connect With Kevin:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Website

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In the latest Wisdom of Alignment series, we explore the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations driving people to pursue leadership roles. While some leaders may be motivated by career advancement or recognition, many seek to drive positive change, mentor others, and bring out the best in their teams. However, leaders often face barriers that lead to complacency and stagnation, hindering their ability to inspire and motivate.

The greatest leaders are aware of these barriers and consistently align their actions with a cause greater than themselves. They excel at connecting with their teams, making informed decisions, developing talent, and keeping empathy and compassion at the forefront.

A powerful story from the Finding Mastery podcast with Dr. Michael Gervais illustrates this. A young pilot, after a series of mistakes, is supported empathetically by his commanders, who guide him through reflection and learning. This approach creates a psychologically safe environment, fostering growth and connection.

The episode emphasizes that human-centered leadership, grounded in empathy and compassion, is the key to success. True leaders mentor, guide, and create platforms where everyone can thrive, learning from both successes and failures.

Reflective questions are provided to help listeners assess their own leadership approach:

1. To what extent do you choose empathy, compassion, and kindness over control and compliance?
2. To what extent do you mentor those you lead, guiding them toward better versions of themselves?
3. To what extent do you take full accountability for your own growth as a leader, admitting shortcomings and seeking support?

Listeners are encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences on building trust and mentoring in the workplace. Thanks so much for your support.

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