What does cognitive science actually tell us about how adults learn at work — and why are most corporate learning programs still built on myths? 

In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, Andy speaks with Dr. Tessa Forshaw — cognitive scientist, co-founder of the Next Level Lab at Harvard University, and co-author of Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World (Wiley, 2025). 

Tessa and Andy explore why learning takes effort (and why frictionless tools often don’t teach), what “innovation hesitation” is and how leaders can disarm it, why the apprenticeship model still matters, and what’s coming out of Harvard’s new Workforce Learning and Innovation Initiative. 

Tune in to episode 244 to hear Tessa’s story and learn how to design learning that actually changes the brain — and how to lower the bar to innovation so your team can actually take the first step. 

Dr. Forshaw is offering a discount for our listeners to Harvard Graduate School of Education's The Future of Workforce Learning and Innovation Certificate Program. Here's the discount code: BAP5 (5% off). The link is here: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/unbound/future-workplace-learning1600

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What if the biggest untapped resource in your organization is the energy your team members are holding back? 

In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy speaks with Dave Garrison—CEO and co-founder of Garrison Growth, Harvard MBA, former CEO of NETCOM On-Line Communication Services (one of the first public internet companies), and author of The Buy-In Advantage: Why Employees Stop Caring and How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Give Their All. 

Dave draws on 25 years of CEO and board experience—spanning the broadcast, wireless, and internet industries—to explain why traditional engagement metrics miss the mark and what leaders can do instead. The conversation explores the critical difference between compliance and genuine buy-in, practical tools for cascading strategic objectives through every level of an organization, and hard-won lessons from leading companies through hypergrowth.

Tune in episode 243 to hear Dave’s story and learn why creating a culture of buy-in doesn’t cost a dime—it just requires leaders willing to invite people in rather than tell them what to do. 

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What if the answer to the skills gap isn’t competing for talent—but developing it before graduation? 

In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy Temte speaks with Stephanie Reisner—President and CEO of GPS Education Partners and co-author of Make School Work: Solving the American Youth Employment Crisis Through Work-Based Learning. 

Andy and Stephanie dig into the mindset shift from buying talent to developing it, the power of mentorship in work-based learning, GPS Ed’s partnership with 3M to scale manufacturing career pathways, and the four A’s framework—authentic learning that develops aspiration, ability, and agency. Stephanie also offers pointed advice for school superintendents and parents navigating workforce readiness with their teens. 

Tune in to episode 242 to hear Stephanie’s story and learn how communities, employers, and educators can build career pathways that actually lead somewhere meaningful. 

How do you calm an angry person in 90 seconds or less—without defending yourself, explaining, or arguing back? 

In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy Temte speaks with Doug Noll—a trial lawyer turned peacemaker, award-winning mediator, and author of De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less. Doug is also the co-founder of the Prison of Peace project, where he trained maximum security inmates to reduce violence using empathy skills, and he teaches decision making under uncertainty and conflict at Pepperdine’s Straus Institute. 

Doug shares the neuroscience behind affect labeling—the simple practice of naming someone’s emotions to quiet the brain’s threat response—and reveals how two words (“you feel”) can transform relationships, resolve team conflict, and build trust. 

From the story of a prison inmate who reconnected with her son after 18 years to a CEO who turned a toxic culture around in six months, this conversation makes the case that empathy isn’t a soft skill—it’s the hardest and most important leadership skill there is. 

Tune in to episode 241 hear Doug’s story and learn what it really means to listen someone into existence. 

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What happens when a nurse-turned-speechwriter has a eureka moment in a big-box store and decides to reinvent the way America cleans? In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy Temte talks with Monica Nassif—the founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and Caldrea—about building brands rooted in authenticity, disrupting a $30 billion market, and knowing when to let go of the business you built from nothing.

Monica Nassif is a serial entrepreneur, brand builder, consultant, and author based in Minneapolis. She founded Caldrea in 2000 and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day in 2002, scaling the brands into more than 20,000 stores nationwide before selling to SC Johnson in 2008. Her career began at Target Corporation (then Dayton Hudson) as an executive speechwriter, and she went on to found the marketing communications agency Kilter Inc. Monica has been inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame and named University of Minnesota Entrepreneur of the Year and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Midwest Division). Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, and Real Simple. She also appeared on NPR’s How I Built This with Guy Raz. Her new book, I Bottled My Mother: The Mrs. Meyer’s Story: Grit, Grime & Growing a Business (IdeaPress Publishing, March 2026), is her third book.

Monica’s rocket-booster moment came at 28—the oldest intern in Target’s history—when her English advisor slid an internship application across the table and changed the trajectory of her career. That experience ignited a love for retail and consumer products that eventually led her to walk a big-box store in Atlanta, look at a pallet of garish cleaning products, and ask, “What if that was awesome?”

Guest: Monica Nassif

Host: Andy Temte

Fear-based leaders are forming networks—and they’re not hiding anymore. In this return episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy Temte sits down with CEO coach and author Kate Lowry to unpack practical tools for navigating toxic leadership without losing yourself in the process.

Kate Lowry is a CEO coach, venture capitalist, and author based in Silicon Valley. She developed her expertise on fear-based leadership growing up in a hierarchical family, then refined her approach across startups, private equity, management consulting, and big tech—including roles at McKinsey, Meta, and Insight Partners. She is the founder of Scaleheart Co. and the author of Unbreakable: How to Thrive Under Fear-Based Leaders (October 2025). Kate first appeared on the Balancing Act in Episode 213.

In this conversation, Kate describes the cultural whiplash she’s witnessed over the past three years—a dramatic swing from emotionally intelligent, employee-centered leadership to an environment where fear, dominance, and cruelty are openly celebrated. She shares how she recognized that her coaching clients—accomplished leaders from top institutions—were paralyzed by this shift, and realized she had a survival toolkit they desperately needed.

Guest: Kate Lowry

Website: katelowry.com

Coaching: scaleheart.co

Book: Unbreakable: How to Thrive Under Fear-Based Leaders

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katherinejlowry

Instagram: @kaitunbreakablelaury

Host: Andy Temte

Website: andrewtemte.com

Why do leadership titles make it harder — not easier — to talk about mental health at work? 

In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy Temte speaks with Melissa Doman, MA — organizational psychologist, former mental health therapist, and author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work and her new book, Cornered Office: Why We Need to Talk About Leadership Mental Health. Melissa shares why awareness alone isn’t enough — people need conversational literacy to discuss mental health in the workplace. 

From coaching hyperventilating leaders behind closed doors to watching entire organizations transform their conversations over 18 months, Melissa makes the case that mental health is a core strategic business priority, not an optional wellness add-on. 

Tune in to episode 238 hear Melissa’s practical framework for starting these conversations — and why the quiet part needs to be said out loud. 

How does a 16-year-old immigrant from Nigeria end up leading global trade marketing at Bose Corporation?

In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy Temte speaks with Bolaji James — Head of Global Trade Marketing & Retail Operations at Bose and a proud member of the very first cohort of the Kaplan Leadership Program. Bolaji shares the story of how a persistent transfer advisor and a challenge from his then-girlfriend (now wife) led him to write the essay that changed his life — and how the Kaplan Educational Foundation didn’t just offer a scholarship, but molded him into the leader he is today. From his emotional arrival at Morehouse College to the career lessons he carries into senior management at Bose, this conversation is a masterclass in the power of mentorship, an open mind, and asking for help.

Tune in to hear Bolaji’s story and learn why the best career advice often comes from simply asking one question: “What do you wish you knew?”

What does authentic leadership communication look like in the age of AI? In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, Andy speaks with Allison Shapira—opera singer turned keynote speaker, Harvard Kennedy School lecturer, and bestselling author of Speak with Impact and AI for the Authentic Leader. 

Allison shares her career rocket-booster moment—quitting a prestigious consulting job on day three to launch her own business—and reveals why the leaders who communicate most effectively are the ones who listen first. The conversation covers the fear of public speaking, the trust gap created by AI over-reliance, the hidden cost of corporate jargon, and why folk music taught her more about authentic leadership than opera ever did.

Tune in to hear Allison’s story and learn how to lead with your voice—authentically.

In this episode of The Balancing Act Podcast, Andy sits down with Chris Deaver, the co-founder of BraveCore and the "quiet force" behind leadership initiatives at Apple and Disney. Chris shares how he helped these global giants navigate massive growth by moving away from "rock star" individualism toward a culture of co-creation.

Discover how to move beyond efficiency and effectiveness to embrace a future where humans and AI work together to build something super-abundant. Whether you are a mid-career manager feeling stuck or an executive looking to reduce friction in your organization, this episode provides a roadmap for leading with curiosity and bravery.

Chris is the co-author of Brave Together, a breakthrough leadership book featured in The Next Big Idea Club with Malcom Gladwell and Adam Grant. Through his consultancy, BraveCore, he helps leaders rethink their influence and build cultures where teams can do the impossible.

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