In today’s episode, I chat with Oscar Trimboli, author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast, Deep Listening, and a sought-after keynote speaker. 

Oscar is on a quest to create 100 million Deep Listeners. He’s passionate about using the gift of listening to bring positive change in homes, workplaces, and cultures worldwide, and has interviewed over 100 of the most diverse workplace listeners, including air traffic controllers, deaf and foreign language interpreters, hostage negotiators, and spies as part of researching world-class listeners.

In this noisy era punctuated by an infinite number of disruptions, we dove straight into the power of active listening, asking relevant questions such as:

• What’s the difference between active listening and deep listening?
• What’s the cost of not listening in the workplace?
• And if we’re programmed to be distracted, what does the research say about becoming a better listener?

This is one of those podcasts I’ll return to again and again. Each time taking in a deeper layer, as Oscar sprinkles wisdom throughout. And it’s a must-listen for anyone looking to improve leadership, management, and of course, listening skills. 

Above all, it was a really fun discussion, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Oscar Trimboli

Oscar Trimboli is on a quest to create 100 million Deep Listeners. He is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. He is passionate about using the gift of listening to bring positive change in homes, workplaces, and cultures worldwide. He has interviewed over 100 of the most diverse workplace listeners, including Air traffic controllers, deaf and foreign language interpreters, hostage negotiators, and spies as part of researching world-class listeners.

Over 14,000 people have contributed to his research about what gets in their way when it comes to listening Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran working for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, and Vodafone. He consults to American Express, AstraZeneca, Google, HSBC, Montblanc, PwC, Salesforce, Sanofi, and Siemens. Oscar loves his afternoon walks with his wife, Jennie, and their dog Kilimanjaro. He will be playing Lego with one of his four grandchildren on the weekends.

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Jenn T. Grace, an award-winning author, nationally recognized speaker, and publishing strategist. She’s the founder of Publish Your Purpose, the acclaimed hybrid publishing company that gives first-time authors the secrets to getting their books written, finding an eager audience, and otherwise marking their place in the publishing world. 

Jenn leads ambitious authors through every aspect of writing, editing, and publishing. Whether it’s a business guide that shows the breadth of their expertise, or an emotionally vulnerable memoir that takes readers deep into life’s challenges, she helps authors articulate their purpose and fulfill their mission. 

Publish Your Purpose is a certified B Corp social enterprise that meets the gold standard of socially and environmentally-friendly business practices.

Together we touched on a number of important topics, from helping first-time authors find their voice, to the best advice for gaining media recognition. 

We chatted about how Jenn, and more broadly, her organization, incorporates sustainability and ethical considerations into their publishing process. And how, in turn, they inspire authors to create a meaningful impact through their literary works.

It was a really fun discussion, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Jenn T. Grace

An award-winning author, nationally recognized speaker, and savvy publishing strategist, Jenn T. Grace is the founder of Publish Your Purpose, the acclaimed hybrid publishing company that gives first-time authors the secrets to getting their books written, and finding an eager audience & marking their place in the publishing world. Publish Your Purpose is a certified B Corp social enterprise that meets the gold standard of socially and environmentally-friendly business practices.

Jenn has published the books of over 100 business owners, entrepreneurs, speakers, and memoirists so more diverse stories can exist in the world and her authors can make a positive impact and achieve the recognition and success they deserve. She is the author of six books, including her memoir, House on Fire. Jenn has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. 

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Aaron Mitchell, the visionary game-changer who sparked a wave of financial equity and inclusion when he drove an initiative to move $100m of Netflix's cash into Black-owned banks in 2020. 

The groundbreaking effort provided a platform for marginalized communities to thrive and drew nationwide attention, leading to features in The New York Times, CNBC, and Wired.

I originally met Aaron in 2020. I was in the throes of planning the global HR summit, to this day - still the world’s largest enterprise conference presented in virtual reality, and I wanted to have Aaron be a part of it. 

Unfortunately, schedules didnt line up, though we’ve remained in touch ever since, keeping tabs on each other’s progress, until one day we’d get a chance to speak again. Today’s that day and our discussion surpassed even my wildest expectations. 

Together we delved deep into Aaron's journey and motivations, his experiences at Netflix, and the genesis of his pivotal Black Banks initiative. We'll also explore our shared passion for Brazil, Aaron’s tactics for "hacking" the system for racial equity, and his vision for the coming 12 months.

It was a long time coming, worth every bit of the wait, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Aaron Mitchell

Aaron Craig Mitchell is an LA based Entrepreneur, Advisor, Coach, and Change maker with nearly 20 years experience across various industries. He is currently the Co-founder and CEO of Pega Visão Salvador Club (PVSC), a Web3 entertainment company as well as CEO of Aaron Craig Mitchell Enterprises, LLC (ACME, LLC), a coaching and advisory business.

He was recently the Director of HR for Netflix Animation, one of the largest and fastest growing animation studios in history and prior to that spent his career as a leader in Talent Acquisition across various industries, companies and geographies. An experienced business leader with a demonstrated history of executing change, Aaron has become globally recognized for his historic work pioneering Netflix’s 2% Cash Holdings Pledge of $100 Million into Black Owned Banks.

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Wolfgang Bremer, an accomplished German-Canadian design expert with a unique blend of design and product knowledge garnered over 20+ years’ experience working with the likes of Nokia and SAP, along with numerous highly funded startups, leading global design teams creating products used by industry giants such Google, Coca-Cola and Porsche.

Today, as the Vice President of Design at Elli, a brand under the prestigious Volkswagen Group, he continues to shape the world of design with his creative problem-solving skills and meticulous attention to detail.

Our discussion begins with an exploration into the origins of Wolfgang’s fascination with design and product development, continues with his journey working for and with Fortune 500 companies, and delves into his most memorable projects. 

Along the way, he shares his unique approach to consumer software design, his guiding principles for leading design teams, and how an entrepreneurial mindset has influenced his work.

It was a really fun discussion, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Wolfgang Bremer

Wolfgang Bremer is a German Canadian award-winning design veteran with 20+ years of experience. He has managed global design teams and worked on products used by tens of millions of users in 190+ countries. Wolfgang likes building products and simplifying people’s lives. He currently serves as the Vice President & Head of Design at Elli – A Brand of the Volkswagen Group.

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Josh Millet, the founder & CEO of Criteria, a Los Angeles-based venture-backed talent success company that helps organizations make more objective, evidence-based talent decisions that both reduce bias and drive outcomes. 


With over 20 million assessments administered globally, the company has helped organizations make objective, data-driven hiring decisions that lead to better business outcomes with its scientifically validated assessments across multiple dimensions including aptitude, personality and skills. 

Josh is uniquely-positioned to answer some really tough questions, notably: what are some the biggest challenges facing HR and talent acquisition professionals today? How can they be addressed?  And how has Criteria helped organizations increase their hiring success rates by an average of 52%, reduce turnover by 48%, and generate 25% more revenue?

No, really. They’re impressive results and I wanted to tap into what makes a professional like Josh tick. He shared some of the most common mistakes that organizations make when it comes to talent acquisition. Why, for years, organizations have struggled to make objective, evidence-based talent decisions. And how does he see the role of technology evolving in the hiring process.

It was a really fun discussion, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Josh Millet

Josh Millet is the founder + CEO of Criteria, a venture-backed talent success company that helps organizations make more objective, evidence-based talent decisions that both reduce bias and drive outcomes.

With over 20 million assessments administered globally, the company has helped organizations make objective, data-driven hiring decisions that lead to better business outcomes with its scientifically validated assessments across multiple dimensions including aptitude, personality and skills.

On average, Criteria has helped organizations increase their hiring success rates by an average of 52%, reduce turnover by 48%, and generate 25% more revenue. Prior to launching Criteria, Josh co-founded an online test preparation company, Number2.com, which was acquired by Xap Corp in 2002.

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Catherine Gordon, the Director People & Culture at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, a Vancouver-based organization that supports patients from British Columbia and the Yukon, on Canada’s west coast, many of whom live with life-threatening illnesses.

In addition to inpatient and outpatient care, Canuck Place operates 13 patient beds and 8 family suites through two hospices, alongside services that include medical respite and family support, pain and symptom management, 24-hour virtual care, music and recreation therapy, education and art, grief, loss, and bereavement counselling, as well as end-of-life care.

It’s an organization built on a foundation of caring, one that perfectly suits Catherine. Originally, from Northern Ireland, Catherine worked in London, UK for eight years before immigrating to Vancouver, BC, Canada in 2005.  And in her most-recent role at Canuck Place, she’s drawn upon years of experience in the recruitment, legal, technology, regulatory, environmental, healthcare and non-profit sectors.  

I originally met Catherine through GROW, an HR mastermind I co-developed with Enrique Rubio at HackingHR. Catherine quickly differentiated herself as a senior leader who led from the heart, and navigating 2020 and 2021 with her as part of our inaugural cohort, was a real privilege. 

This was the jumping off point for our discussion. Though we also spoke at length about the great work happening at Canuck Place. I was curious how her team supported the professionals tasked, in turn, with supporting some of the province’s most-vulnerable children. How they navigated the pandemic in a healthcare setting, and what adaptations they’ve been able to bring forward as best-practices.

It was a really fun discussion, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Catherine Gordon

Originally, from Northern Ireland, Catherine worked in London, UK for eight years before immigrating to Vancouver, BC, Canada in 2005.  She has experience in the recruitment, legal, technology, regulatory, environmental, healthcare and non-profit sectors, the latter being her passion.  Since 2018, she has been the Director, People and Culture at internationally recognized Canuck Place Children’s Hospice; she supports all aspects of HR for 200 staff across BC.  

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Andrew Bartlow, CHRO, Author, Advisor, Investor, Founder, and Executive Coach for HR Leaders. Andrew has over 25 years’ of Human Resources and Talent Management experience at organizations across a wide spectrum of sizes, maturity stages, and industries.

He’s also the co-author of “Scaling for Success: People Priorities for High Growth Organizations,” has a master’s degree from the top program in his field, and has been CECP, SPHR, Six Sigma, and executive coaching certified.

Andrew leads Series B Consulting, which helps businesses to articulate their people strategy and accelerate their growth, while navigating rapid change. He also founded the People Leader Accelerator, which is the preeminent development program for startup HR leaders.

His experience was a great starting point for our discussion regarding the challenges of today’s HR leader. Andrew and I share many views, including that it’s never been more difficult to lead the corporate tasked with supporting an organization’s most precious resource - its people. Sandwiched between an economic crisis, still wounded from a global pandemic that raised expectations, and placed an incredible amount of pressure on a function that’s historically been underfunded, HR leaders have a nearly-impossible task. 

Andrew’s responded to the challenge by sharing his knowledge and has launched a series of programs aimed at closing the kill gap among the next generation of HR leaders. Together we discussed what he’s learned on this journey, how he’s evolved as a leader, and how those lessons translate to support founder-led tech organizations. 

It was a really fun discussion, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Andrew Bartlow

Andrew Bartlow  is the co-author of “Scaling for Success: People Priorities for High Growth Organizations,” has a master’s degree from the top program in his field, and has been CECP, SPHR, Six Sigma, and executive coaching certified.

Andrew leads Series B Consulting, which helps businesses to articulate their people strategy and accelerate their growth, while navigating rapid change. He also founded the People Leader Accelerator, which is the preeminent development program for startup HR leaders.

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Nida Leard, a former Fortune 500 executive, serial entrepreneur, and self-identity reinvention coach with more than two decades of experience in business, psychology, and personal development. Nida is the founder of Nida Leard Consulting and Coaching, where she advises world-class experts to become legendary market outliers. 

She’s also the author of the ‘One to Millions Entrepreneur’, host of the Nida Leard Podcast show, and a regular contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Brainz Magazine and has been featured on Business Insider, ABC, CNBC, USA Today, and other media.

We began our discussion by learning more about Nida’s story, how she transitioned from corporate executive to entrepreneur, and what lessons she learned along the way. Our conversation quickly pivoted to the topic of mental resilience, something both Nida and I have a lot of experience with both personally, and in helping our clients navigate the inevitable ebbs and flows of change. 

We discussed how leaders can build mental resilience, defined the point of divergence for your most-talented team members, and how working with truly-gifted people needs to be treated differently. 

It was a really engaging discussion, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.

Nida Leard

Nida is a serial entrepreneur, top-tier business consultant, self-identity reinvention coach, and former Fortune 500 executive with more than two decades of experience in business, psychology, and personal development. Nida is the founder of Nida Leard Consulting and Coaching, where she advises world-class experts to become legendary market outliers. She works with highly exceptional coaches, consultants, and experts who want to build a truly innovative business that stands out from the rest with a one-of-a-kind solution and market position.

Nida is the author of the One to Millions Entrepreneur and host of the Nida Leard Podcast show. Her education background is in Business and Psychology. She is a regular contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Brainz Magazine and has been featured on Business Insider, Fox, ABC, CNBC, USA Today, and other media.

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Rob Whalen, sales operation executive, entrepreneur, and the CEO / Co-Founder of PTO Exchange, a benefits platform that turns unused paid time off (PTO) hours into liquid assets that can be converted into things employees value – retirement accounts, student loan repayment, travel awards, and charitable causes.

The organization’s innovative approach to employee compensation and wellness has been featured in the likes of Bloomberg News, The Washington Post, Fox Business News, and GeekWire.

With over 17 years’ of experience selling software through partner and channel operations, Rob is a master when it comes to strategically analyzing problems,  increasing customer acquisition, and creating products that deliver a competitive advantage. 

The focus of our discussion was his work at PTO Exchange, where while building the company with his co-founder, Todd Lucas, they happened upon an opportunity to leverage previously under-utilized employee benefits. They discovered that by enabling this capability and accountability, organizations could create equity and inclusion for workers, and allow them to direct earned benefits to the causes that mattered most to them. 

Truly ahead of its time, the organization embraces employee empowerment wholly, and their thinking is very much with the trend. Employees are increasingly demanding financial agency, and whether its innovations like daily pay, or the option to leverage underutilized benefits, organizations are rising to the challenge with the help of leaders like Rob. 

I know I learned a lot in our brief time together, and I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.


Rob Whalen

Rob Whalen is the Co-Founder and CEO of PTO, Inc. where he started the company with Todd Lucas from his house in Woodinville. He is a serial entrepreneur with a BA in accounting from Seattle University and over 25 years selling and developing software and hardware products. PTO Exchange was selected a “Cool Vendor of the year” by Gartner in 2017 and was one of this years “Awesome New Technology’s” at the Health and Benefits Leadership conference 2018.  

His vision of the company is to address the workers of tomorrow with flexible, portable benefits.

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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In today’s episode, I chat with Carice Anderson, a global learning and organizational development leader, facilitator and published author with several years of experience in developing human capital strategies and programs across a broad range of industry sectors. Her expertise includes talent strategy, leadership development, talent management, change management, executive coaching, DEI and facilitation to meet business objectives, deliver impact and engage employees at all levels.

Her book: Intelligence Isn’t Enough: A Black Professional’s Guide to Thriving in the Workplace, recounts the frustrations she felt as a young Black woman beginning her career. And in this book, she empowers young Black professionals by equipping them with advice and little-known principles of career success from her experiences and interviews with thirty successful Black leaders.

Carice is passionate about mastering the balance between working on your career and working in it, and it informed our wide-ranging conversation. We discussed the importance for organizations to meet Black professionals where they are, not where they think they are or should be. We discussed the tips and tools Black professionals can leverage to strategically chart their career paths and advance in the workplace for lifelong success. 

It was a candid conversation that opened my eyes and left me with a greater appreciation for the challenges facing Black professionals. I hope you enjoy our conversation, as much as I did recording it.


Carice Anderson

Carice is the author of Intelligence Isn’t Enough: A Black Professional’s Guide to Thriving in the Workplace which was published in October 2022 with Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Carice wants to empower professionals to take ownership of their careers by helping them understand themselves, others and their environments better so that they can ultimately have more impact and fun at work. In her book, Carice shares her career insights as well as lessons learned from 30 successful Black leaders that she interviewed for the book.

She has presented insights from her book to companies such as Google, Bain & Company, JPMorgan Chase, Accenture, Bloomberg and Biogen, just to name a few. Carice has an MBA from Harvard Business School and she has worked for top companies such as McKinsey & Company, Deloitte and Korn Ferry. 

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Thinking Inside the Box

Constraints drive innovation. We tackle the most complex issues related to work & culture. And if you enjoy the work we’re doing here, consider giving us a 5-star rating, leaving a comment & subscribing. It ensures you get updated whenever we release new content & really helps amplify our message.

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Matt Burns

Matt Burns is an award-winning executive, social entrepreneur and speaker. He believes in the power of community, simplicity & technology.

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