Are empathy and humanity compatible with great leadership, or do they just get in the way? That's the topic of today's conversation with executive coach Jennifer Nash about her book, "Be Human, Lead Human: How to Connect People and Performance."

Jennifer's got great war stories (or more accurately, Peace Stories). Like how Alan Mulally turned things around at Ford by NOT being the smartest guy in the room.

Looking for a mnifty mnemonic to guide you to become a better, more human-centric leader? The HUMANS framework has you covered.

Don't miss this inspiring conversation—you'll definitely walk away with some fresh insights on creating happier, more effective workplaces.

01:00 Ballroom Dancing and Leadership

02:02 The Story Behind 'Be Human, Lead Human'

03:33 Alan Mulally's Transformative Leadership at Ford

09:36 The Importance of Human-Centric Leadership

21:56 Jennifer's Journey: From Ford to Deloitte

23:40 Implementing Human-Centric Strategies in Organizations

29:55 The Motivation Behind Transformation

30:15 The Power of Semantics in Change

30:44 Understanding Human Behavior and Motivation

31:22 Organizational Change Strategies

32:55 Ford's Inclusive Leadership Approach

35:03 Introducing the HUMAN Framework

35:51 Breaking Down the HUMAN Framework

38:19 The Importance of Relationships in Leadership

40:03 Self-Assessment and Feedback in Leadership

43:04 Addressing Neurodivergence in Leadership

48:18 Coaching Through Self-Awareness and Emotional Reactions

52:53 The Future of Leadership with AI

Remember Donna the Deer Lady, and her call to a radio talk show that electrified the nation?

To refresh your memory, she was wondering why the highway department place the "Deer Crossing" signs at the busiest sections, where the deer were most likely to get hit by a moving vehicle. “Why are we encouraging deer to cross at the interstate? I don’t get it. That’s a high- traffic area,” she said.

That’s exactly the kind of oddball story that grabbed me from minute one with Todd Cherches — a man equipped to wring out profound and useful truths from tales like that one.

Todd is not your typical leadership guru—he earned his stripes in Hollywood, teaching actors how to deliver scenes, and later as a project manager sketching theme parks in China.

These days, he coaches executives and trains leaders using what he calls visual leadership—a way to help people "see" what you’re talking about, not just hear it.

In this episode, Todd unpacks how metaphors sneak into everyday chat (“Feed me, Seymour!” anyone?), why a CEO fetching potato chips for the staff says more about leadership than a big speech, and how to stay real and connected when half your team is working in slippers on Zoom.

Show Highlights

• How a radio caller’s confusion about a deer crossing sign turned into a killer leadership metaphor
• Why metaphors are baked into 50–70% of our language—and how to notice when you’re spooning them out
• Todd’s Hollywood adventures—including delivering lunches for Aaron Spelling and battling Mt. Hollywood traffic for extra chicken salad
• The three lenses of leadership: microscope, telescope, and kaleidoscope – and why you’ll need ’em all in today’s hybrid, VUCA world
• Digital leadership in 2025: making hybrid teams feel seen when you can’t just pop by their desks
• AI’s place in education and leadership—and how to stay mentally fit in spite of its pull
• The four G’s of leadership everybody can start practicing today: Genuine, Generous, Gracious, and Grateful
• How a single thank-you note from a student or client can become your secret stash of joy
• About Todd Cherches

Todd is the CEO and co-founder of BigBlueGumball, a management and leadership consulting firm. He’s the author of Visual Leadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life, and a globally recognized speaker and executive coach. A two-time TEDx speaker, Todd teaches at NYU and Columbia University and brings a unique blend of pop culture, practical tools, and visual metaphors to leadership and communication.

Connect with Todd on LinkedIn

Learn more at toddcherches.com and watch his TEDx talk on visual thinking

Get VisuaLeadership at Bookshop.org

Five short years from now, 2030 will be here—and the world of work (and life) is shapeshifting at warp speed.

We're all going to have to do some serious surfing to stay afloat, let alone to participate in creating the world we want.

Executive coach Anna Glynn helps sales leaders, which isn't me and probably isn't you either. But what she teaches them can help us all stay effective, engaged, and sane in the rough seas ahead.

In this conversation we unpack her STRONG framework—six evidence-based levers anyone can pull to build performance, wellbeing, and joy.

• S – Strengths: spotting and flexing what you’re already good at to create robustness
• T – Trust (and psychological safety): the foundation for experimentation, feedback, and growth
• R – Resilience: bouncing forward (not just back) when the unexpected hits
• O – Optimism: the power of realistic optimism to fuel action, not complacency
• N – Networks: cultivating diverse, generous relationships that expand perspective and opportunity
• G – Goals & Purpose: aligning what you chase with why you’re here, to avoid burnout and boost meaning
• Micro-habits
• How to run a quick STRONG self-audit—and choose one lever to pull this week

• Anna’s home base: AnnaGlynn.com.au
• Book: STRONG: How the Best Sales Letters Engage, Achieve, and Thrive
• Connect with Anna on LinkedIn

Beth Green has lived many lives: activist, Marxist, spiritual channeler, intuitive counselor, and founder of the Healing Arts Network. In this moving and provocative conversation, she shares stories from her remarkable life—beginning with her expulsion from Smith College for protesting nuclear weapons at age 16—and the wisdom she’s gained through decades of navigating political and spiritual contradictions.

We explore how ego shows up in both activism and spirituality, and how Beth integrates the two by grounding them in a simple yet radical truth: our job is to care for people and the Earth. She challenges the commodification of human creativity, the spiritual bypassing of systemic injustice, and the failure of both capitalism and traditional leftist movements to recognize the deeper roots of human suffering.

This episode also features a powerful (and private) counseling session where Beth guides me through deep personal insight—so powerful that most of it didn't make it into the final cut. What remains, though, is the transformation that session catalyzed, and a conversation that just might do the same for you.

Links and Resources:

• Beth’s counseling and spiritual work: bethgreen.org
• Free books, music, and teachings: healingartsnetwork.org
• Beth’s nonprofit and activist platform: thestream.info
• The New Declaration of Independence: thestream.info/next-steps 

Topics We Cover:

• The cost of courage in a conformist world
• The problem with both capitalism and spiritual escapism
• How ego hijacks politics and spirituality alike
• What it means to live “at the intersection of the human and divine”
• A radically compassionate vision for collective thriving

Zach Stone’s life arc runs from teenage “knucklehead” to crisis negotiator, trauma-informed facilitator, and head-of-product for thirty health-ed dev teams. In this rich, funny, and occasionally hair-raising conversation we drill down into the how of navigating chaos — on a subway platform, in a corporate boardroom, and inside your own nervous system.

Trigger warning: there's a conversation about suicide at about 15 minutes into the episode. Skip to minute 17 if you want to avoid this section.

Here's a tasting menu of our conversation:

Gang manuals & purple binders – How a Quaker-adjacent conflict resolution course turned a 15-year-old troublemaker into a group dynamics geek.

From union hall to board hall – Lessons learned refereeing SEPTA labor fights and why the same “rubber-and-glue” listening works on Zoom stand-ups.

OARS in rough water – Using Motivational Interviewing (Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries) to defuse rage, whether from a bus driver or the voice in your own head.

Simulated danger, real breakthroughs – How well-designed role-plays can heal trauma if you hold the container (and what happens when a participant suddenly starts to undress).

Signs you’re in a chaotic system – Chronic absenteeism, cortisol tummy, “my work doesn’t matter” syndrome, and 70% burnout in tech.

Habit > culture – A shout-out to Paul Gibbons, Prochaska & DiClemente, and the myth of top-down culture change.

Martial arts as somatic therapy – TaeKwonDo to Muay Thai to boxing; what Zach saw when veterans laid down their canes and kids in shelters stopped fighting.

Virtual heartbreak – Coaching a Kharkiv dev team while missiles shook their bomb shelter.

Chaos surfing 101 – Why you don’t control chaos, you ride it; plus simple team-level practices to build collective resilience.

Name the elephant first. Start every workshop by voicing the resistance in the room; it evaporates faster than you’d think.

Watch for survival mode. Tight shoulders, skipped meals, rolling eyes? Slow down before you roll out another initiative.

Move the meat-sack. Five minutes of mindful movement (shadow-boxing, Tai-Chi, hallway laps) resets the neuro-chemistry better than another latte.

Change habits, not slogans. Draft tiny incentives that make the preferred behavior the easy behavior; culture follows.

Zach on LinkedIn – the easiest place to connect and geek out about behavioral science.

Red Kite Project – trauma-informed organizational change (Charlotte DiBartolomeo).

AFSC Help Increase the Peace curriculum

Peter Levine – Waking the Tiger

Bessel van der Kolk – The Body Keeps the Score

Paul Gibbons – The Science of Organizational Change

Garry Ridge is the former CEO of WD-40 and the co-author of Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It, a book about building high-performance cultures through servant leadership, emotional safety, and consistent values. In this conversation, Garry shares not just what he learned during his 25+ years at WD-40, but how he lived it—and how other leaders can too.

We talked about what it means to lead with a heart of gold and a backbone of steel, how culture can't be microwaved (spoiler: it's a crockpot), and why being a "dumbass" is actually a leadership superpower.

Garry tells stories about turning fear into learning, eliminating the word "manager," and why clarity around values—especially in a hierarchy—gives everyone the confidence to make the right decision, no matter their title.

We also explore:

• Why psychological safety isn't fluff, it's foundational
• How “the soul-sucking CEO” lives in all of us, and what to do about that
• What happened when Garry went back to school as a CEO
• How WD-40 went global using three simple marketing questions
• Why organizations should replace “failure” with “learning moments”
• The real-world power of love and belonging at work
• The “Maniac Pledge” and how it eliminates finger-pointing
• How even during COVID, WD-40’s engagement scores stayed sky-high

This episode is a warm bath of wisdom, humor, and hope for anyone who wants to lead—at work or in life—with integrity, humility, and heart.

• Garry Ridge's website: thelearningmoment.net
• Take the Dumbass Proficiency Quiz here
• Connect with Garry on LinkedIn
• Join the School of Dumb-Assery on LinkedIn
• Garry’s book: Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It

DEI is under serious threat in a "post-Woke" world.

Is it still relevant? Does it have to lead to shame?

Can we promote diversity without creating zero-sum dynamics of winners and losers?

Today's guest, Winitha Bonney, takes on DEI challenges with a clear and compassionate worldview grounded in empathy.

Which, in her telling, is what DEI is all about.

Ms Bonney helps me understand the importance of cultural context, the challenges of navigating discomfort and shame, and the ethical obligations of organizations to create a more just and inclusive world.

AI Thinks These are the Key Takeaways, and Who am I to Argue?

• There's a lot of work to do in DEI.
• Cultural context is crucial in understanding DEI.
• DEI is often oversimplified in corporate settings.
• Navigating discomfort and shame is essential for progress.
• Corporate responsibility must align with ethical obligations.
• The future of DEI holds both challenges and hopes.
• Understanding different cultural perspectives enriches DEI efforts.
• Shame and guilt can hinder effective DEI work.
• Inclusion should focus on equitable resource distribution.
• The evolution of DEI is a response to societal changes.

Winitha.com (cool URL, no?)

Stephen Baxter lives in Tasmania, which has Tasmanian devils which sadly are nothing like the one that gave me nightmares as a little kid watching Looney Tunes cartoons on Saturday mornings.

He’s a leadership mentor who promotes a style of leadership very different from the stereotypical command-and-control style of celebrated CEOs and generals: a humble, relational, and community-centered style of leadership rooted in influence, story, and service.

Drawing from his diverse experience—as a former pastor, mentor to political leaders, and grassroots organizer—Stephen explains the power of "leading leaders" rather than followers, and how narrative, self-awareness, and collaboration shape a more human and sustainable model of leadership.

He shows us how it’s possible to lead without ego and create culture without control. These qualities can foster change in  local communities and global systems.

From church pews to parliament halls, from jazz bands to ultimate Frisbee teams, this conversation unpacks how leadership shows up in ordinary places—and why that's where it matters most.

• The unique leadership ecosystem of Tasmania
• How leadership is different when people come voluntarily (vs. for a paycheck)
• The myth of the "alpha" leader and the power of facilitation
• Leadership as storytelling, not status
• Cultivating leadership in community, not in hierarchy
• How fear and unmet needs distort leadership
• The hidden leadership potential in all of us
• Tips for stepping into leadership in your family, workplace, or community

How can we create workplaces that not only support employees and leaders but also contribute positively to the world?

Jess Stuart, a former high-achieving burned-out executive turned speaker and leadership coach, shares her journey from corporate burnout to studying with Buddhist monks and nuns around the world.

Spoiler: she discovered, and brought back to her clients, a more sustainable and human-centered approach to work.

Jess’s expertise bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and modern workplace challenges, offering actionable insights for leaders and employees alike. We discuss the signs of high-functioning burnout, the importance of quality over quantity in productivity, and how organizations can redefine success to prioritize well-being.

We talk about the tension between helping individuals cope and manage within problematic systems and changing those systems from the top down.

We explore Jess's work with women leaders, and the additional headwinds they face (double standards, damned-if-you-do-or-don't, assumptions about competence and experience, and more).

We also get into the seismic shifts being ushered in through generative AI, and wonder if it will perpetuate the sexist thinking of the (mostly men) who program it, or whether it can actually attain a higher level of wisdom and algorithmically look for solutions that benefit all life.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the relentless pace of work (or if you know anyone who's not having a ball in their job, I highly recommend getting to know Jess and her insights.

Jess's Website

Tough times for justice, equality, inclusion, and hope these days.

With the "anti-woke" attack on DEI, I was wondering how my friend Keith Edwards was doing these days.

His practice is one of "aspiring allyship" — how we can all come together to learn and grow, and work for our collective liberation from all forms of tyranny and discrimination.

Are businesses, cowering before the Trump/Musk onslaught, running away from diversity, equity and inclusion as fast as they can?

Turns out, no.

Because these factors are critical to any business that wants to thrive in these turbulent times.

As Keith points out, diversity isn't the opposite of meritocracy; it's the only way to get the right people into the right positions.

And unlike the performative wokeness that spasmed through society in the wake of George Floyd's murder and the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement in summer 2020, companies that are bringing Keith in now are serious about making their organizations better. No more eye-rolling CEOs and checked-out senior managers.

One of the ideas that Keith really hammers home is this: equity benefits everyone, not just marginalized groups.

The things that really make our lives worthwhile — freedom, dignity, love, joy — aren't in short supply. 

In fact, the more of these that you have, the more that I can have as well.

Leadership around these issues requires soul-searching, humility, a willingness to change and grow, and mindful presence.

I shared my own struggles to become a useful ally with Keith, who shared some of his own "embarrassing moments," and pointed out that we're all "wildly unfinished," and as long as we're open, we can still act with integrity and power.

Here are the takeaways that AI thought worth recording:

• Hope is a practice, not an emotion.
• Joy is a renewable resource that can be cultivated.
• Equity involves recognizing and removing unfair barriers.
• Allyship is about action, not identity.
• Being effective is more important than being right.
• Corporate language around DEI is shifting, but the work continues.
• The murder of George Floyd highlighted systemic issues in society.
• We are all works in progress and can change our perspectives.
• Helping marginalized groups ultimately benefits everyone.
• It's essential to recognize that joy and freedom are abundant resources. When we act for the collective, we are also benefiting ourselves.
• Mindfulness helps leaders stay grounded and centered.
• Slowing down can be a powerful leadership tool.
• Recognizing reactivity is the first step to choosing responses.
• Unlearning harmful beliefs is a gift to oneself.
• Aspiring allyship requires self-reflection and humility.
• Feedback should be seen as a gift for personal growth.
• Our liberation is interconnected with others' liberation.
• Performative actions can lead to genuine change over time.
• Creating accessible pathways for equity is essential.

KeithEdwards.com

Keith's newsletter

Keith's YouTube channel

Aspiring Allyship program

"Riding Shotgun Down the Avalanche," by Shawn Colvin

"The Big Payback" episode of Atlanta

The Book of Joy, by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

The Lawn Sign Commitment study

The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Cloud Cult

Tokyo Vice