The Conversation Factory
The Conversation Factory explores how to create change through changing conversations. Host Daniel Stillman interviews conversation designers about amplifying, shifting, or transforming conversations in organizations, teams, communities, and personal lives. Each episode distills insights for practical application in work and life.
Episodes
Meet Your Members Where They Are with TightKnit CEO Zach Hawtof
My guest is Zach Hawtof, CEO and Co-founder of TightKnit.AI, a platform for businesses that run their communities on Slack. He is also a community builder for people who do or who could potentially use his company's product. He and I are both members of Fabrik, where I host a Founder's Forum that Zack often joins. In this conversation, we discuss community building, the difference between an audie
The Science of How Small Talk Can Add Up to a Big Life with Dr. Gillian Sandstrom
Welcome to the Conversation Factory, conversation designers. My guest today is Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, a psychologist at the University of Sussex who studies what happens when we talk to people we don't know. She is a scientist of Small Talk. Her book, Once Upon a Stranger, is all about the science of how small talk can add up to a big life. And I know exactly what you're thinking. I hate small t
Founder Unfriendly - Under the Hood with Charlie O'Donnell
Welcome to The Conversation Factory, the podcast where we explore the deep mental models that turn difficult conversations into opportunities for clarity and alignment. Founding a company is often viewed as a binary choice: win big or fail completely. But what if success isn't about total victory (what would that even mean?) but about mastering the long game, the infinite game, and the quality o
The Power of Nature to Fuel Creativity with Warren Berger
Get free chapters of my book, Good Talk, and master the art of conversations big and small: https://www.danielstillman.com/good-talk Please support the podcast! 💌 subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 💌 iTunes: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb or with a monthly contribution here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-monthly one-time donation here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-once Check out https://theconv
Leading with Respect with Marcy Syms
Marcy Syms is a pioneering businesswoman and advocate for respect in leadership. She's seen leadership fads come and go. She was a CEO when people still thought "women shouldn't do that sort of thing" And she's done something many folks have never had to endure - shuttering her family's business while making her key creditors whole - an act deeply in line with her core value of respect. Marcy sha
The Seven Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems
Download free chapters from Good Talk and master the art of conversations big and small: https://www.danielstillman.com/good-talk Listen now 👇 🎙️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 🍎 Apple: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb And please subscribe on Spotify or iTunes! Also! support the podcast with a monthly contribution here: https://theconversationfactory.com/conversation-factory-insider or a one-time d
Innovation, Connection, and Conscious Leadership with Othership CEO Robbie Bent
Get free chapters of my book, Good Talk, and master the art of conversations big and small: https://www.danielstillman.com/good-talk Please support the podcast! 💌 subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 💌 iTunes: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb or with a monthly contribution here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-monthly one-time donation here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-once Check out the episode pa
The Founder's Financial Compass: Navigating Emotions and Assumptions with Fractional CFO Lauren Pearl
Get free chapters of my book, Good Talk, and master the art of conversations big and small: https://www.danielstillman.com/good-talk Please support the podcast! 💌 subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 💌 iTunes: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb or with a monthly contribution here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-monthly one-time donation here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-once Check out https://theconve
Join or Die: Behind the Scenes of Creative Collaboration
Get free chapters of my book, Good Talk, and master the art of conversations big and small: https://www.danielstillman.com/good-talk Please support the podcast! 💌 subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 💌 iTunes: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb or with a monthly contribution here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-monthly one-time donation here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-once Check out the episode pa
Founder-Led Sales and Building Co-founder Relationships
Get free chapters of my book, Good Talk, and master the art of conversations big and small: https://www.danielstillman.com/good-talk Please support the podcast! 💌 subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 💌 iTunes: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb or with a monthly contribution here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-monthly one-time donation here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-once Check out the episode pa
The Inner Work of Leadership with Carole Robin, PhD
Master the art of conversations big and small - both inside yourself and in your teams and organization. Get free chapters of my book, Good Talk: https://www.danielstillman.com/good-talk Please support the podcast! 💌 Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 💌 iTunes: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb or with a monthly contribution here: https://bit.ly/support-tcf-monthly or make a one-time donation h
Your Brain on Beautiful Conversations with Anjan Chatterjee
Download free chapters from Good Talk and master the art of conversations big and small Please support the podcast by subscribing on Spotify or iTunes, making a monthly contribution here, or making a one-time donation here. Check out the episode post for the full transcript and video highlights. Dr. Anjan Chatterjee is a renowned professor and the founding Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaes
Changing the Political Conversation with Nick Troiano
If you want to change the game, changing the rules and incentives of the game is a powerful approach. Few people who watch the news - or those folks who avoid watching the news! - would say the political system in the United States is going according to plan. The founding fathers, if they were alive today, would be aghast at the unbridgeable chasm that seems to have developed in our political cult
The Secrets of Motivation and Systems Change with Becca Block, PhD
Warning - this episode uses a specific curse word - a lot. And once we started using one, we started using more of them. So…if f-bombs, sprinkled like salt are not your cup of tea, this is a good episode to skip! My guest today is Rebecca R Block, PhD, who is an expert in helping organizations build programs, services and products that equip young people to develop the confidence and skills they n
How to Turn a Conversation into a Public Park
Sometimes the bold goals we set out to achieve actually happen, and sometimes something even more amazing happens - something better than we can imagine. Usually that happens because of the people we meet along the way, the conversations we have, the unexpected connections we make that open up new doors - in a word, Serendipity. I had always wondered about what amazing, powerful and sustained conv
Art that Changes the Conversation
Art has the power to change and even lead the conversation, to spark curiosity and fuel real engagement. But what comes first in a powerful creative project? The idea and the message? The tools and the talent? Or The Funding, that can make or break it all? My guest today is Benjamin Von Wong, who creates art on a grand scale that goes beyond awe. He is an Artist focused on amplifying positive imp
Leadership is Designing Moments of Impact
Today my guests are Lisa Kay Solomon and Chris Ertel, the co-authors of the powerhouse 2014 book Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations That Accelerate Change, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year! I devoured this book 10 years ago and I think you might enjoy it, too! Lisa Kay Solomon is currently a Designer in Residence at the Stanford d. school, where she teaches cla
The Problem with Change and the Power of Stability, Humanity and Praise with Ashley Goodall
My guest today is Ashley Goodall, a leadership expert who has spent his career exploring large organizations from the inside, most recently as an executive at Cisco. He is the co-author of Nine Lies About Work, which was selected as the best management book of 2019 by Strategy + Business and as one of Amazon's best business and leadership books of 2019. It is an awesome book - highly recommended.
Reunion: Leadership and Creating a Culture of Belonging
Rabbi Tarfon said: The day is short, and the work is plentiful…It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it. (Pirkei Avot 2:15-16) My conversation today with Jerry Colonna closes with him paraphrasing this powerful notion - and the work we are discussing is the work on yourself and the work to create a better world - one where everyone feels like they truly
The Intentional Conversations that Build Powerful CoFounder Relationships
My guests today are Rei Wang and Anita Hossain, Co-founders of coaching platform The Grand, which was seed funded by Alexis Ohanian's firm Seven Seven Six in 2023. Rei is the Chief Product Officer and Anita is the CEO. I met Rei ages ago, in her early days in NYC at General Assembly, where she worked as a Product Manager and Global Community Lead, developing educational opportunities for students.
From Transaction to Participation
My guest today is James Rutter, Chief Creative Officer at COOK, the pioneering frozen food company, where he oversees internal and external branding and communications. COOK is a founding UK B Corp, committed to using its business as a force for good in society, and has been ranked in the top 100 Best Companies To Work For every year since 2013. COOK's award-winning frozen meals and puddings (whic
Divorce by Design - Shifting the Default Conversation with Suzanne Vickberg
Today I share my conversation with Suzanne Vickberg, aka Dr. Suz. She is a social-personality psychologist and a Research Lead at Deloitte Greenhouse. Along with her Deloitte Greenhouse colleague Kim Christfort, Suzanne co-authored the best-selling book Business Chemistry. But there's another type of Chemistry - or Alchemistry - that I sat down to talk to Dr. Suz about - shifting the default track
Conversation Wisdom from an AI-savvy CEO
My guest today is Jay Ruparel, co-founder and CEO of VOICEplug AI, a Voice-AI company empowering restaurants to leverage AI and automate food ordering using natural language voice ordering at drive-thrus, over the phone, websites, and mobile apps. VOICEplug's technology integrates with existing systems and apps, allowing customers to interact with the restaurant using natural voice commands, in mu
Designing Conversations to Unlock Strategic Foresight and Innovation with Kevin Bethune
I'm excited to share my conversation with Kevin Bethune, a multidisciplinary design executive, entrepreneur, best-selling author and keynote speaker based in Redondo Beach, California. He's been a VP of Strategic design at BCG Digital, A global process product manager at Nike and a Nuclear Engineer at Westinghouse. He currently leads his own firm, https://dreamsdesignandlife.com/ One of his key id
A Leader's Guide to Managing Organizational Emotions During Layoffs and Beyond with Emily Levada
My guest today, Emily Levada, is a seasoned Chief Product & Technology Officer. Currently, she is the Chief Product Officer and Interim co-CEO at Embark Veterinary, a company dedicated to leveraging genetics to enhance the health and longevity of dogs. During her tenure, the company has achieved notable recognition, ranking as the #3 fastest-growing private company in Massachusetts and earning a s
Unpacking Mentoring with Jason Knight and Sandra Monteiro
My guest today is Jason Knight, the creator, host, producer, editor and promoter of the One Knight in Product podcast, a B2B SaaS product consultant, and fractional Chief Product Officer for companies that have gotten to product market fit and need help scaling their product team. Jason is also the founder of My Mentor Path, an inclusive, accessible and cloud-based mentorship service. Sandra Mont
When the Mission Drives the Tech: Co-Founder Conversations
It's not every day that a patient-doctor relationship turns into a Techstars-Funded medical innovation startup. In this episode I sit down with Dr. Onyinye Balogun and Eve McDavid, the co-founders of Mission-Driven Tech, a women's health venture in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine dedicated to the transformation of cervical cancer care with modern technology. Onyi, as her friends call her
Give First: The Long Conversation of Being a Co-Founder
David Hoffman built and sold big-data and data analytics company Next Big Sound to Pandora in 2015. He's now building Beam, which helps people create shoppable mood boards for DTC brands. David reflects on his experience with mentorship and the long arc of the conversation that is being a co-founder and being in community. We unpack the Techstars motto "give first" and discuss the power of the Tec
Cofounder Conversations: Pivoting while Staying Sane
My guests today, Ryan Horrigan and Armando Kirwin, bonded over their mutual fascination with the future of entertainment and their desire to do something innovative, which led to the creation of their current company, Artie. We talk about pivots and micro pivots and staying sane through the million tiny conversations Cofounders need to navigate. Ryan, the CEO, and Armando, President and co-founder
The Power of Intention
I am excited to share my conversation with Leah Smart, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the Culture Summit where we were both giving main stage talks. Leah is brilliant! She's all about helping people become the authors of their lives, which she does through her work on the LinkedIn Editorial team and hosting her LinkedIn podcast, In the Arena with Leah Smart, which is out every week wherever
Leaders as Humble, Audacious, Z-Shaped Coaches
I am excited to share my conversation with AJ Thomas, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the Culture Summit where we were both giving talks. AJ was sharing her perspectives on being a Chaos Pilot at Google's Moonshot Factory, Called "X". At the time of this conversation, she's been with Google for nearly four years, starting as Head of People. AJ is also A CxO in Residence at A.Team AND an Advi
A Company Must be a Community of Practice
In this episode I talk with my friend Chris Murchison, who is a coach, a facilitator and a talented artist, too! We talk about his Four principles of Communities of Practice and how building a positive culture within an organization requires, essentially, creating a community of practice. Your team, your organization, is already practicing something…and that practice is either mindful and intentio
Coaching from Essence, Creating from the Future
Today, I sit down for a conversation with *my coach* Robert Ellis, about his new book, Coaching From Essence. Robert has been described as "one of Silicon Valley's best-kept secrets" and has been coaching leaders at startups, mid-stage companies, Fortune 500 giants, and nonprofits for over 30 years. Robert has taught leadership and coached entrepreneurs at Singularity University and developed Leve
How to Think Strategically about Funding for Founders and Investors
I first met Avantika Daing, a General Partner & Managing Partner at Plum Alley Investments (and Tedx Speaker!) while she was onstage at an Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator event. She was there to share a bit about Plum Alley's Investment thesis as well as unpack six pitches live from early-stage companies. Let's level set a bit so you understand Avantika's and Plum Alley's mission, which revo
A Recipe for Team Agility: One Page, One Hour
Today my conversation partner is Matt LeMay! Matt is an internationally recognized product leader, author, and consultant. He is the author of Agile for Everybody (O'Reilly Media, 2018) and Product Management in Practice (Second Edition O'Reilly Media, 2022), and has helped build and scale product management practices at companies ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Matt
The Surprising Power of Two Hour Mid-week Cocktail Parties
In 2019 My friend Philip invited me to a 2-hour cocktail party at his tiny apartment in the Lower East side. True to his word, the gathering, which was on a Tuesday night, started at 7 PM sharp, and at 9 PM he kicked us out onto Orchard Street to enjoy the rest of our night and/or to get to bed on time (since it was a weeknight, after all!) I met a whole bunch of awesome people, and if I'm honest,
Launching a Remote, Asynchronous Venture Studio
Today I sit down with my friend
Conscious Collaboration: Co-founder Conversations
In this conversation, I sat down with Beth Bayouth and Mario Fedelin, the COO and CEO (respectively) of Changeist, a non-profit organization dedicated to youth empowerment. They are building a community of young people that utilize their personal agency to create a more just society. Changeist's programs help 11-26 year olds learn a common civic language, engage in dialogue, and build community t
Managing Healthy Conflict: Co-founder Conversations
In this conversation I talk with Jennifer Dennard and Dan Pupius, the co-founders of Range, software that helps teams be more connected, focused, and productive no matter where they're working. Global teams at Twitter, New Relic, CircleCI, and more keep their teams in sync and connected with Range. Jen is the co-founder and COO. Prior to founding Range, Jen led Medium's organizational development
Building an Integrity Culture: Co-Founder Conversations
In this conversation, I sit down with Huddle Co-Founders Stephanie Golik and Michael Saloio. Huddle is a platform for designers and builders to invest in startups with their time. Stephanie has spent her career building alongside founders at studios and leading design and product at fast-growing tech companies. She was an early design leader at Cruise, building user experiences for self-driving c
Community Building for Founders through Conversation and Hosting
Today my guest is Yehong Zhu, the founder and CEO of Zette. We discuss three key layers of conversation design: + The conversation with yourself - even with so many companies founded…why not me? + The importance of community, community building and hosting as an integral part of staying sane, informed and productive as a founder. + The broader, cultural conversation - how does a founder design th
Clarity and Intimacy in Co-Founder Conversations
In this conversation, I dive into the nuances of co-founder relationships with Clarity.so co-founders Richie Bonilla, CEO and Eni Jaupi, CTO. Clarity.so is a y-combinator funded startup that has built a groundbreaking DAO contribution platform. DAO stands for Decentralized, Autonomous Organization, which you should totally google if you want to know more. While Clarity isn't a DAO, you can see h
Conscious Co-founders
In this conversation, I sat down with my friend Doug Erwin, the Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurial Development at EDAWN, the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. Doug is a former serial entrepreneur turned economic developer and executive coach, and he's committed to growing Northern Nevada's startup and technology ecosystem. His community work has helped change the perception o
Stories as Medicine
I first met Dr. Paul Browde as part of a multi-month intensive men's work program we were both part of. We were just about to break out into a few parallel sessions about various elements of running men's groups when Paul raised his hand and said something to the effect of "would it be useful to have a breakout session about our personal narratives and how we use them to lead?" I watched as the he
Prototyping Partnerships
How do you make a friend? How do you become lovers with someone? How do you become business partners? In RomComs, there's a "meet-cute"...the hilarious and unlikely way two people in this topsy-turvy mixed-up world collide and fall madly, rapidly in love. In the real world, taking time and gradually testing, trying and yes, prototyping a relationship is ideal. In love, we call it dating. There's
Wired to Create Together
Today I host a conversation with Carolyn Gregoire and Scott Barry Kaufman, the co-authors of the 2015 bestseller, Wired to Create. Their working title was "Messy Minds" and one of the core ideas of the book is just that - deeply creative folks can manage messiness, plow through paradox and move calmly through contradiction. These capacities are also powerful tools for managing a creative relations
Building an Intelligence Engine
I'm excited to share this rambling and wide-ranging conversation with Srinivas Rao. Srini is the host of The Unmistakable Creative Podcast, and has recorded over a thousand episodes with such luminaries as Danielle Laporte, Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, and me! Srini describes his podcast as "If TEDTalks met Oprah". Srini has interviewed so many different types of folks, from bank robbers to billionai
The Power of Wondering and Wandering
This episode, Dr. Natalie Nixon and I dig into not just what it means to be creative, but also how leaders can create space for creativity and inspire it in their teams by letting in a little chaos. Dr. Nixon is the author of The Creativity Leap, a creativity strategist, and a highly sought-after keynote speaker. In this conversation, we dive into the ideas behind her book, what makes someone "a c
Communities are Conversations with Carrie Melissa Jones, Pt. 3
I'm thrilled to be able to share this conversation with Carrie Melissa Jones with you! Carrie is the co-author of Building Brand Communities, with Charles Vogl, and she's kind of a big deal in the community-building world. She's also an alum of the facilitation masterclass and a friend. This is Part Three of a Three-part, wide-ranging conversation. You can enjoy this conversation even if you hav
Turning a Challenge into an Agenda
How do you turn a question, a problem, or just a list of needs, into an agenda? At the close of a recent cohort of the facilitation masterclass, the participants were still sitting with some big questions. Which is good, because that's what the closing session is for! But I felt that some of these questions were too big for one conversation. So, I invited four alums of the facilitation masterclass
Communities are Conversations with Carrie Melissa Jones, Pt. 2
I'm thrilled to be able to share this conversation with Carrie Melissa Jones with you! Carrie is the co-author of Building Brand Communities, with Charles Vogl, and she's kind of a big deal in the community-building world. She's also an alum of the facilitation masterclass and a friend. This is Part Two of a Three-part, wide-ranging conversation. You can enjoy this conversation even if you haven'
Communities are Conversations with Carrie Melissa Jones, Pt. 1
I'm thrilled to be able to share this conversation with Carrie Melissa Jones with you! Carrie is the co-author of Building Brand Communities, with Charles Vogl, and she's kind of a big deal in the community-building world. She's also an alum of the facilitation masterclass and a friend. In this wide-ranging conversation, we dig deep on the subject of community as a conversation. As Carrie says, e
Coaching Executive Mindsets
I can't believe it's taken me SO long to share this conversation with the Amazing Elise Foster. Elise is a powerful coach, an accomplished author, and a friend. She's the co-author of The Multiplier Effect with Liz Wiseman and Beautiful Questions in the Classroom with Warren Berger (who's written several bestselling books on powerful questions). She was a thinking partner for me when I was in th
Conversational Range
Each of us has a conversational range. What size of conversation brings you alive? In this little audio experiment, I read aloud an essay of mine about Conversational Range. I hope you enjoy it! Head over to theconversationfactory.com/listen for full episode transcripts, links, show notes and more key quotes and ideas. You can also head over there and become a monthly supporter of the show for as
The Conversation Factory Book Club: The Creative Empathy Field Guide with Brian Pagán
I'm so excited to share this book club experiment with you. I've been inviting alums of my facilitation masterclass and subscribers to the conversation factory insiders group into intimate conversations with authors of transformative books. In this conversation, my friend Brian Pagán, Author of "The Creative Empathy Field Guide," is our guest. Brian points out early on that empathy is lauded by ma
The Perfect Conversation
What is a "perfect conversation"? What about the "perfect" conversationalist? I'm thrilled to share this discussion that Michael Bervell and I had around those questions and more. Michael is a Ghanaian-American angel-investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and philosopher. He currently serves as the youngest President of the Harvard Club of Seattle and works as a Portfolio Development Manager at
The Conversation Factory Book Club: Facilitating Breakthrough with Adam Kahane
The Conversation Factory book club is an experiment I've been running for a few months now. I'm experimenting with deeper conversations and collaborations with the subscribers of the Conversation Factory Insiders group as well as working to go deeper with some of the ideas that have been shared on the Podcast. This is a round-table conversation with Adam Kahane, author of Facilitating Breakthrough
Leading a Culture of Critique
Recently, I've been reading a book called "Ethic of Excellence" by Ron Berger. He teaches teachers about how to invoke pride in students, to invite them to work through community engagement and thoughtful feedback, and multiple drafts of work. Check out his classic short video called "Austin's Butterfly" here. He asserts that thoughtful feedback (ie critique) is essential to making great work, wh
The Conversation Factory Book Club: Making Conversation with Fred Dust
The Conversation Factory book club is an experiment I've been running for a few months now. I'm experimenting with deeper conversations and collaborations with the subscribers of the Conversation Factory Insiders group as well as working to go deeper with some of the ideas that have been shared on the Podcast. This is a round-table conversation with Fred Dust, author of Making Conversation, with a
Leading Deeper Connection
I'm really excited to share my conversation with Kat Vellos, an amazing designer of experiences. Today we talk about the art of intentionality and the power of hearing yourself say something you've never said before. We also dive deep into some of the amazing insights in her book, "We Should Get Together: The secret to cultivating better friendships" One of the things that I loved from the book w
The Conversation Factory Book Club: Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta
The Conversation Factory book club is an experiment I've been running for a few months now. I'm experimenting with deeper conversations and collaborations with the subscribers of the Conversation Factory Insiders group as well as working to go deeper with some of the ideas that have been shared on the Podcast. This is the first prototype, that I ran a few months back with two Alums of the Facilita
Doing vs Experiencing Design Thinking
My guest is Jeanne Liedtka, Professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and an absolute rockstar of Design Thinking. She's the author of (most recently) Experiencing Design and joins me this episode to talk about getting started with Design Thinking and some pitfalls that can happen along the way as you move yourself and your organization towards not just doing design think
Coaching Executive Mindsets in Lean, Agile and Design Thinking
I am obsessed with culture, change and transformation…and always puzzling over how it really happens. One thing I know for sure: Forcing change, telling people to change, doesn't make it happen. I think there are two ways to profoundly facilitate change. One is: 💫 ASKING PEOPLE QUESTIONS THAT SHIFT THE CONVERSATION. When I talk about Conversational Leadership in my book, Good Talk, this is what I
The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility
Imagine a world in which all leaders feel and display a deep regard for others' dignity. This is the world that Marilyn Gist, author of The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility, is working hard to bring about. Mariyn is a Professor Emerita, Executive Programs and Center of Leadership Formation at Seattle University and also a member of the MG100 coaches...a group of the top 100 leaders in the wo
Growing by Giving
This episode is a little different than most…Today I do some live-coaching for Rashmi Sharma, a Global HR executive and TedX speaker, on shifting what she wants to be known for, evolving what she wants to offer to the world and how her work can heal for others, while she heals herself. I'm so grateful that Rashmi reached out to me for some coaching after we were both speaking at a virtual conferen
Rituals for Virtual Teams with Glenn Fajardo
In this episode, Glenn Fajardo joins me for a conversation about virtual rituals and their power to help us make sense of the virtual waters we are swimming in everyday. Glenn co-leads the immersive course Design Across Borders at the Stanford d.school, and is the co-author of Rituals for Virtual Meetings: Creative Ways to Engage People and Strengthen Relationships. His thoughts on ritual and usin
Unapologetic Eating & Unapologetic Living
What on earth would a podcast about designing human conversations, facilitation, leadership and organizational change have to learn from a coach and an expert on Food and Eating? Quite a lot, as it turns out! One of my favorite design thinking principles is to learn from "alternative worlds" - absorbing how other people and communities are solving similar problems in different contexts. My guest,
Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World
"Somewhere between action and reaction there is an interaction, and that's where all the magic and fun lies" So says author Tyson Yunkaporta, in his book Sand Talk, How Indigenous Thinking can save the World, my guest for this conversation. Towards the end of the book, Tyson is explaining the meaning of Ngak Lokath, an Aboriginal word for the brackish water that forms in the wet season when fresh
The Leader you want to be
For almost two decades, Amy Jen Su has partnered with investment professionals, CEOs, and executives to sustain and increase their leadership effectiveness as they drive organizational change and transformation. She is the author of the Harvard Business Review Press book, The Leader You Want to Be: Five Essential Principles to Bringing Out Your Best Self – Every Day. Amy and I dive deep on leaders
The Art of Coaching with Alisa Cohn
In this episode, Alisa Cohn and I talk through Art of Coaching and also one of my favorite ways of looking at Leadership: The Art of Showing up on Purpose. A Coaching mindset is a transformative way to show up for others and yourself, so I'm excited to share these insights from Alisa, since she was named the Top Startup Coach in the World, and she has been coaching startup founders to grow into wo
Mastering (Virtual) Presence
Mike Sagun is a certified professional men's coach, and he has partnered with companies like DropBox, LinkedIn, and Google. Mike also partners with EVRYMAN, where he hosts men's groups, facilitates men's retreats, coaches individuals, and co-leads EVRYMAN's diversity and inclusion program. I met Mike through the work we've done together in EVRYMAN's programs, and I was delighted to have him on the
Facilitation and Self-Leadership
Tomomi Sasaki and I sat down to talk in-depth about her journey of self-awareness and inner work as a facilitator. We met at an advanced facilitation masterclass I ran for Google at their Sprint Conference, way back in 2018. She tweeted at the end of 2020: I've been facilitating workshops for about a decade. The first few years were ferocious, needs-based learning. Workshops took a tremendous amo
Decolonizing Design Thinking with Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel
Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel PhD, is the Associate Director for Design Thinking for Social Impact, and Professor of Practice at the Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking at Tulane University, where she teaches design thinking from an emancipatory perspective. Design Thinking is a powerful set of tools and mindsets that can help people solve problems. But which people and which problems? S
Negotiation with Compassion
Today I have a deep dive conversation with the magnetic Kwame Christian, Director of the American Negotiation Institute and a respected voice in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution. Kwame also hosts one of the world's most popular negotiation podcasts, Negotiate Anything. Kwame and I dig into how to be confident in the face of conflict: Confident during a difficult conversation, and c
The Hybrid Future of Events
Coming together is an essential human drive, one that not even a global viral pandemic can fully put a damper on. Many of us have been meeting *more* than ever before as workshops and conferences have gone online all over the world. With vaccines starting to be released in some countries, the question on everyone's lips is "when can we get back together?" There are lots of guesses but no one know
Making Conversation with Fred Dust
I'm so thrilled to share this conversation with you. Meeting Fred Dust came, as all the best things in life do, through a series of random conversations. Fred is a former global managing partner at the acclaimed design firm IDEO. He currently consults with the Rockefeller Foundation on the future of global dialogue, and with other foundations, like The Einhorn Family Fund to host constructive dial
Facilitating Breakthrough with Adam Kahane
Today I talk with Adam Kahane, a Director at Reos Partners. Reos is an international social enterprise that helps people move forward together on their most important and intractable issues. Adam has over 30 years of experience facilitating breakthroughs at the highest levels in government and society. His own breakthrough facilitation moment came with an invitation to host the Mont Fleur Scenari
Designing Design Leadership
Today I talk with Demetrius Romanos, SVP of Design & Development at Ergobaby. Demtrius has been my boss, my client and is also my friend! Demetrius has worked on leading design on products of all shapes and sizes, from chocolate bars to medical devices and from laptop bags to baby carriers...and everything in between. I'm excited to share a deep conversation about design leadership. We discuss how
Draw to Win with Dan Roam
"Stop thinking about drawing as an artistic process. Drawing is a thinking process. If you want to think more clearly about an idea, draw it." This is the simple essence of Dan Roam's message. Dan has written five best-selling books about visual thinking and storytelling. Back of the Napkin was one of my seminal texts, Show and Tell is a blockbuster if you want to learn how to tell better stories.
The Future of Work
Diane Mulcahy is an advisor to both Fortune 500 companies and startups, is a regular contributor to Forbes and is the author of the bestselling book "The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off, and Financing the Life You Want" Diane was early to the party: When she started teaching MBA students a course on these ideas, some people thought she was talking abo
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