The Evolving Leader

In this first episode of season two, Scott and Jean talk to neuroscientist Stuart Firestein, about his counter-intuitive thinking on ignorance and failure as propelling forces in problem solving and innovation. Stuart is the Chair of Columbia University’s Department of Biological Sciences, and is  dedicated to promoting the accessibility of science to a public audience. Author of ‘Ignorance: How it Drives Science’, and ‘Failure: Why Science Is So Successful’ (Oxford University Press), both written to present the workings of science to a general audience, Stuart’s commitment to engaging the public in science can also be seen in his TED Talk entitled “The pursuit of ignorance”, which at the time of writing has garnered over 2.1 million views.

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After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

In this final episode of season one, Scott and Jean reflect on the journey that has been season one of the Evolving Leader podcast, and address the question 'What lessons from 2020 are important for us to take forward into the future? '.

The episode also includes previously unheard recordings where a selection of guests from season one* answer a series of light hearted quick fire questions as part of 'The Vulnerable Leader' interview. Thanks again to Lisa Feldman Barrett, Chris Hirst, Talia Grantham, Andy Billings, Ashley Bradford and Sally Bolton for agreeing to take part.

[* the episode with guest Sally Bolton, CEO at the All England Lawn Tennis Club will be released during season two] 

Follow the Evolving Leader podcast on Instagram and LinkedIn and never miss an episode. Season two starts on January 21st 2021. Please also rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts as this helps other evolving leaders discover our show.

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After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

In this bonus episode Jean addresses the moral reasoning component of leadership, with a focus on making better decisions in the face of uncertain and highly complex situations.

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After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is part two of a two part conversation that Jean and Scott had with neuroscientist, Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett. University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, and Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain and Behaviour at Harvard, Lisa Feldman Barrett is profoundly changing our understanding of the brain and in particular, our emotions. 

In this episode, co-hosts Jean and Scott discuss with Dr Barrett the implications of her revolutionary theory of constructed emotions on emotional intelligence and leadership.

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Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is part one of a two part conversation that Jean and Scott had with neuroscientist, Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett. University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, and Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain and Behaviour at Harvard, Lisa Feldman Barrett, is profoundly changing our understanding of the brain and in particular, our emotions. Since the ancient philosophers, and into our last century of scientific endeavor, emotions have been seen as hard-wired responses to external stimuli, located in specific regions of the brain. Lisa’s work has over-turned this age-old model which shapes everything from our current beliefs about emotional intelligence to facial recognition software widely being deployed around the world.  

 Lisa Feldman Barrett has written two books, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain (2020) and How Emotions are Made (2017), as well as hundreds of peer reviewed scientific papers appearing in Science, Nature Neuroscience and other top journals in psychology and cognitive neuroscience.   

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Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

In this bonus episode, Scott asks the question 'what is truly going on inside you, and what do you really want?'. 

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Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This is the second part of a conversation between Jean and tennis coach, Leon Smith. For the last decade, Leon has been the Great Britain Davis Cup captain and in 2015 he led the team to becoming world champions for the first time in 79 years. 
 
 In this episode, Leon talks to Jean about the leadership challenges that he faces working at the highest level in sport. 
 
 Social:
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Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This is the first of a two part conversation that Jean has with tennis coach, Leon Smith. For the last decade, Leon has been the Great Britain Davis Cup captain and in 2015 he led the team to becoming world champions for the first time in 79 years. 

In the first of these two episodes, Leon talks to Jean about what he's learned about leadership since starting coaching at 18 years of age.

Social:
 Instagram     @evolvingleader
 LinkedIn      The Evolving Leader Podcast

Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, co-hosts Scott and Jean talk to polymath Ashley Bradford – tech entrepreneur and philosopher - who brings a riveting perspective about leadership. The conversation explores sense making tools to help teams navigate uncertainty, lowering barriers to ensure everyone can have access to the best education and the ethics around the rising power of digital technologies – how can we be better people in states of high uncertainty? 

Social:
 Instagram     @evolvingleader
 LinkedIn      The Evolving Leader Podcast

Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode co-hosts Jean and Scott talk to Chris Hirst, who runs one of the world’s largest creative networks and is the author of No Bullsh*t Leadership (winner of Business Book of the Year Award 2020: Leadership for the future). In the book, Chris seeks to overturn what he calls the leadership industrial complex that over complicates what leadership is and prevents the core role and practices of what leaders really need to do from being explicit.  

Social:
Instagram     @evolvingleader
LinkedIn      The Evolving Leader Podcast

Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

After more than 5 years of hosting The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are launching their new show The Mindset Economy in January 2026. The new show will explore how to live better, work smarter and be connected in a more uncertain world where machines can think. 

Available wherever you get your podcasts.