In this episode, Caroline interviews researcher and author Marcus Buckingham about his newest book, Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business. Buckingham challenges the prevailing belief that pressure, force, and intensity drive excellence — arguing instead that thirty years of data point to a different and more powerful force: love. Love in a work context looks like a deep commitment to another person's flourishing, love — when deliberately designed into workplace culture, customer experience, and daily leadership decisions — is what the research consistently shows drives higher effort, stronger loyalty, faster learning, and lasting resilience.

More from Marcus Buckingham:

Order Marcus' book at designlovein.com, learn about his new business at lovethat.com, and look for him on LinkedIn.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode:

Liberosis (instrumental) by Nihilore. Free Music Archive. CC BY.

Quickening by malictusmusic. Free Music Archive. CC BY.

Dr. Suzan Song is an internationally recognized humanitarian psychiatrist, anthropologist, and advocate who's dedicated her career to supporting forcibly displaced youth, former child soldiers, and other vulnerable populations worldwide. Her debut book, Why We Suffer and How We Heal: Using Narrative, Ritual, and Purpose to Flourish Through Life's Challenges, draws on two decades of clinical and advisory experience to offer a framework for navigating suffering across cultures and contexts. In it, Dr. Song weaves together neurobiology, psychology, and human behavior research to help individuals and leaders recognize and move through trauma responses — from burnout and hypervigilance to withdrawal — and find healing through narrative, ritual, and purpose.

More from Suzan Song:

Learn more about Suzan's work, including her book, at www.suzansong.com.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode:

Minimal Brain Activity by Unheard Music Concepts. Free Music Archive. CC BY

In this episode, Caroline interviews Caroline Stokes, a global leadership strategist and one of the world's leading voices on future-ready leadership in the age of AI and rapid disruption. Her new book, Aftershock to 2030: A CEO's Guide to Reinvention in the Age of AI, Climate, and Societal Collapse, is a bold guide for CEOs, founders, and changemakers navigating today's era of polycrisis — where climate change, AI acceleration, and economic instability are colliding all at once. Blending neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and systems thinking, Stokes offers leaders a practical roadmap for organizational transformation, adaptive leadership, and building what comes next — before the future overtakes them.

More from Caroline Stokes:

Learn more about Caroline's work, including her book, at theforward.co.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

In this episode, Caroline talks to Stephanie Grabow, founder of SG Style Collective and personal stylist for executive women. Stephanie shares how two decades in public policy, politics, and philanthropy shaped her unique understanding of the power of personal image. Stephanie breaks down why the way you show up visually is a strategic tool — not just a superficial concern — and how the right wardrobe can directly amplify your influence and credibility in any room. Drawing from her work with clients across industries like tech, finance, law, and sports business, she offers practical insights on how executive women can transform their presence and lead with greater impact.

More from Stephanie Grabow:

Learn more about Stephanie and her styling work at www.sgstylecollective.com or follow her on Instagram at @stephaniegrabowstyle

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode:

Through The Woods by Shave Ivers. Free Music Archive, (CC BY).

In this episode, Caroline interviews Liz Freedman, a community deathcare advocate and end-of-life doula. Liz's mission is to normalize honest, compassionate conversations around grief, death, and dying - with people of all ages - so that no one has to face life's biggest transitions alone. Liz talks about how we can handle all the grief in our lives from death to divorce to losing a job.

More from Liz Freedman:

Learn more about Liz's work at adacommunitydeathcare.com

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: Senility by Jangwa. Free Music Archive. CC BY.

Joe Huff is a keynote speaker, bestselling author of Experiential Billionaire, and Action Catalyst who helps people and organizations turn intention into action—and momentum into lasting results. In this episode, Caroline interviews Joe's about his latest passion: helping people overcome AI overwhelm and fear of replacement—shifting the conversation from anxiety and paralysis to agency, intentional action, and human-driven progress in an AI-powered world.

More from Joe Huff:

Learn more about Joe's work at www.experientialbillionaire.com.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: Minimal Brain Activity by Unheard Music Concepts. Free Music Archive. CC BY

In this episode, Caroline interviews Jana Werner, an executive in residence at Amazon Web Services. Throughout her career, Jana led transformations across financial services, tech startups, and global logistics to help Fortune 500 leadership teams build more adaptive, customer-focused organizations. She gathers what she's learned in her latest book, The Octopus Organization, co-authored with fellow AWS executive Phil Le-Brun. The book makes the case that most organizations are fundamentally stuck — trapped by bureaucracy, risk-averse systems, and costly top-down transformation efforts that ultimately make things worse. Drawing on the octopus as a model — intelligent, adaptable, and able to act both collectively and independently — the book offers a compelling new blueprint for how organizations can become more fluid and resilient.

More from Jana Werner:

Learn more about Jana's work and order the book from www.theoctopusorganization.com.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: The Soft Approach by P C III. Free Music Archive, CC BY.

Emily Tedards is a Harvard researcher and senior consultant whose work examines how businesses, governments, and civil society organizations collaborate to tackle complex challenges — from climate change to economic development.

Her new book, Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation, co-authored with leadership scholar Linda Hill and former Microsoft executive Jason Wild, argues that in today's era of constant disruption, successful innovation doesn't just happen — it has to be deliberately led. To make this happen, the authors identify three essential leadership roles — the Architect, who builds a culture capable of innovation; the Bridger, who forges partnerships across teams and organizations; and the Catalyst, who activates broader movements across entire ecosystems.

More from Emily Tedards:

Learn more about Emily's work and her new book at linkedin.com/in/emily-tedards

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: The Soft Approach by P C III. Free Music Archive, CC BY.

Dr. Sheila Gujrathi is a biotech entrepreneur and physician who has spent 25 years developing medicines for serious diseases, building biotech companies, and championing women and underrepresented groups in leadership. Her new book, The Mirror Effect: A Transformative Approach To Growth For The Next Generation Of Female Leaders, Dr. Gujrathi offers a roadmap for women and underrepresented professionals to break through the barriers — both internal and external — that hold them back in the workplace. The book is built around the concept of the "Mirror Effect," which describes the transformative power of surrounding yourself with people who reflect your authentic strengths back to you.

More from Sheila Gujrathi:

Learn more about Sheila's work and order her book at sheilagujrathimd.com

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: Hurt by Unheard Music Concepts, Free Music Archive, CC BY

Kenji Yoshino is the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and co-founder of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging — the nation's only DEI center based at a law school. In his new book, How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America, co-authored with David Glasgow, Yoshino tackles the urgent question of how institutions can advance equality in the wake of affirmative action's dismantling and relentless attacks on DEI. Drawing on their frontline advisory work following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending race-conscious admissions, Yoshino and Glasgow offer research-backed strategies for reimagining DEI — from reclaiming the concept of merit to fostering free speech and welcoming groups that felt overlooked by traditional DEI efforts.

More from Kenji Yoshino:

Order the book and learn more about Kenji's work at kenjiyoshino.com

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: Week Thirteen by Ben von Wildenhaus( Free Music Archive)(CC BY)