Podcast Blog

Hear how understanding someone's culture can improve lives

I was so excited to have the opportunity to speak with Britt Titus on our podcast. As you will learn, Britt found her calling when she discovered how behavioral sciences and humanitarian concerns could transform the world, one step at a time. The two of us are crazy about behavioral sciences, so it was such a joy to share our fascination with the difficulties people have understanding others who differ from them. Whether addressing Ebola in Liberia and West Africa or helping mothers in Mali avoid malnourishment in their children, Britt is constantly humbled by the challenges of helping people do things that seem so logical to those of us from the Global North. As she says, nothing is as simple as it might appear. And humility can often be the best way to bring about changes that can have a huge impact on health. Don't miss this one!

Hear how to build workplaces where everyone is valued 

This podcast interview is exceptional. Just listen to Maria Colacurcio tell you about her journey and think about your own. Her career has spanned many different industries, propelling her to leadership positions in innovative companies. Our conversation took us through those profound experiences and unexpected moments that can transform our lives in new ways. Others often accelerated her career, seeing her talent and advocating for her. She speaks about learning on the job and being excited when new career opportunities opened up for her. She also provides wisdom to other women and men trying to build more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations, and how women are changing our society, a step and then a leap at a time. Enjoy.

Hear why it's so crucial for success to build effective teams

My guest today is a remarkable individual, Mark Samuel, who's now written seven business books. I interviewed Mark back in June of 2019 and thought he had such a powerful message about how to get people to change, even when they really don't want to, that I had him back. Today's podcast is about his most recent book, Reimagine Teams: The Missing Piece in Team Building to Achieve Breakthrough Results. Our discussion focuses on the vital role of accountability, which makes teams work or fail. With over 30 years' experience in the business world, Mark is a transformative leader, having helped hundreds of companies overcome stagnation, transform their businesses, and eliminate toxic work cultures to increase profits, morale and customer experience. Does your culture need an overhaul? Be sure to listen in!

Learn what you can do to bring about real change

Here we are in November already and I'm having such a good time re-sharing with you some of my favorite On The Brink podcasts. I'm bringing to you conversations I've had over the past five years with amazing women entrepreneurs, authors, change agents and overall trailblazers who have challenged me to think in new ways. And as a culture change expert, that's what I'm all about: helping you too see, feel and think in new ways. So today I bring you Maureen "Mo" Berkner Boyt, founder of her company The Moxie Exchange and author of Rock Your Moxie: Power Moves for Women Leading the Way. This podcast was a follow-up to one we did in January 2018, in which we dug into research Mo initiated with CEOs around the country to see how they were implementing changes (or not) to increase both the diversity of their workforce and the inclusion of that diverse workforce. Is diversity real or just a concept? Listen in, then share!

Learn about the new technology that is disrupting everything

As this gorgeous fall rolls on, I continue to share with you some of my favorite On The Brink interviews from the last five years. What's the connecting theme? Amazing women who are forging ahead in spite of obstacles, outmoded gender roles and glass ceilings. Today I share with you my October 2019 interview with Samantha Radocchia (Sam Rad). An entrepreneur, speaker, author, futurist and emerging tech advocate, Sam combines the mindsets of an anthropologist and a technologist — which is why I was so excited to have her join me on that podcast. Sam also did a podcast with me back in 2018 on blockchain, which was shared widely. In this session, we focus on her groundbreaking book,Bitcoin Pizza: A No-Bullshit Guide to Blockchain, as well as what has been happening with blockchain in the year since we spoke initially. Check out both!

Hear how you can be the change your organization needs 

Can you build better businesses by creating positive cultures in which people can work with joy instead of dread? Yes! That's the premise of Marcella Bremer's book, Developing a Positive Culture where People and Performance Thrive, which focuses on helping organizations achieve more effective, productive cultures. I interviewed Marcella for this podcast back in 2018 and what she said about how you can be a force for change in your organization even if you're not a CEO or boss or manager was so groundbreaking that I want to share our conversation with you again, in my salute to amazing women throughout the fall. Marcella also leads a Positive Culture Academy where you learn how to apply her principles. Every working person needs to hear this!

Hear how telling each other stories helped us evolve

My audience knows how much I like to learn about early human evolution and how we continue to adapt to changing times. Thanks to my former PR guru, Sarah Wilson, I was introduced to Byron Reese, who is a futurist, an author and an entrepreneur. He tends to see things through that fresh lens I always talk about. Byron’s new book (his fourth) is called, Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future—and Shape It. This is a fascinating book that provides a new look at the history and destiny of humanity. Storytelling allows us to envision the future. Dice teach us about probability, which enables us to try to predict the future. And rocks that think—a reference to a computer’s CPU—enable us to build the future. Listen in!

Hear how to take control of your own career and thrive   

As I celebrate throughout the fall some of the amazing women I've interviewed for our On The Brink podcast, I've chosen certain conversations to share with you again. Today I'd like to revisit my interview with Lisen Stromberg from September 2017. Lisen is the author of Work PAUSE Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career. Why I enjoyed this conversation so much is because Lisen makes a solid, myth-smashing case for taking a pause from your career to raise your children and then returning to the workforce without skipping a beat or sliding backward. Impossible? No, very possible. She did it and so can you. How? Take a listen.

Hear how to build and scale a wildly successful company

After conducting my 327th podcast for On The Brink, I paused and took a look back at all those interviews. What struck me was how many exceptional women I have had the privilege of speaking with, learning from, and championing. (Yes, I've interviewed amazing men too, but right now I want to focus on the women.) They boldly smashed myths and leapt over barriers meant to hold them back. It made me want to celebrate! I decided to revisit several of them for you to learn from as well, starting with Stephanie Breedlove, author of All In: How Women Entrepreneurs Can Think Bigger, Build Sustainable Businesses and Change the World. Anyone starting a new business, trying to grow the one they've got, or seeking work that's fulfilling will find this podcast full of purpose and meaning. I urge you to take a listen. Stephanie is fantastic!

Hear how to make your business better, remotely

It should be no surprise to you that as an anthropologist specializing in helping companies change, I loved my interview with Liam Martin. As we've all experienced, the pandemic has dramatically changed what we think of as “normal.” In particular, the meaning of work has changed and continues to, as each generation moves into the workforce with different values, beliefs and behaviors. Businesses, both small and large, are trying to recruit, retain and develop their talent pool, only to find that today's workers have very different ideas about what matters to them, reflecting fundamental societal questions about what “really matters” to each of us. Enjoy.

Hear how to make your website your best marketing tool

We're going to do three things today for my audience as you're listening in or watching. First, Jann Mirchandani will tell you about her own journey as a marketing maven. Then we're going to talk about what Google has done to change the way we search for what we want to buy or answers to what we want to know. For solutions to what you need, you start by asking Google. Have a physical ailment? You ask Dr. Google. Second, do you know why that is so important for your business and its image, identity, brand, presence and what you communicate in the marketplace? And third, what do you need to do to build a brand identity? How can you create the story you want for your business? If you have a company or want to start one, this is for you!

Hear how to provide optimal customer journeys for your prospects

In this On the Brink podcast, I had an amazing conversation with Patrick Van Gorder, Executive Vice President and Partner of Level Agency. Conversations with strategic marketers is always exciting. The world we used to market in has changed. And marketing is supposed to encourage people not just to purchase but to engage with your products and services. The buyer, however, has changed their journey over the past 25 years. As we know from our own work as HubSpot Partners, the buyer’s first task when considering a solution to solve their problem is to Google it. If you don’t have a digital experience that comes up on the first pages of Google search, you're not a good answer for that person’s problem or question. What does that mean for your business? Patrick has many great answers to that question so listen in, learn and share!

Hear how your organization should embrace change to grow  

George Swisher is a former marketing entrepreneur and management consultant. He has a 15-year track record of improving company performance and shifting cultures to effective change management. He currently is co-founder and CEO of www.changeforce.ai, a software platform that helps leaders manage organizational change more precisely by analyzing the sentiment of company conversations in real time. A really interesting platform. Remember, I'm a corporate anthropologist who, like George, helps companies change, so I loved this interview. So will you.

Hear why a great customer experience means everything

I am always excited to share a great woman’s story with you, our audience. Melissa Copeland is a great woman to know. She had a wonderful career, as so many women have had, only to discover that flying all over the world was not great for her family, or even herself. She pivoted and launched Blue Orbit Consulting, which allowed her to refocus her attention on clients closer to home and on projects dear to her heart—like improving customer interactions for her customers. Our conversations roam all around the challenges she, and I, see among our clients as their customers are changing, service expectations have dramatically shifted (where fast means right now), and staffing has become an uphill climb, to say the least. What to do? Call Melissa, who brings her expertise in organizational transitions and interpersonal growth and development to the task at hand. Clients love her approach, and I think you will as well. Enjoy. 

Learn how to attract and retain the best staff for your business

In this podcast, I was so excited to speak with Kip Wright about the work he has been doing to help corporations and businesses find the right talent and retain them with great performance. Having been an executive in banking and healthcare organizations, I remember far too well the pain of attracting and retaining the right staff. If we went too far afield to find new talent, they often could not fit into the existing culture — even when we wanted to change that culture. If we found the "right" staff, we had to develop and retain them. It is not easy to run a business. Does this speak to you? Lots to learn here from Kit!

Hear how the pandemic is affecting gender roles at work

What impact has the pandemic had on women in the workplace? Andie Kramer, who is featured in my new book,"Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business," and her husband Al Harris share their perspectives during this repeat of our podcast interview in 2020. All throughout March, Women's History Month, I've been re-posting podcasts I've done with the amazing women in my book, and I really wanted you to hear this one. Andie, Al and I talk about how people change, or resist change. Especially now in this upside down time, take a listen.

Hear how you, yes you, can have a successful company

Throughout Women's History Month I'm re-publishing podcasts which highlight exceptional women I've interviewed who have boldly smashed myths and hurdled over barriers meant to hold them back. Stephanie Breedlove is one of those women. For over 20 years, she has been a powerful voice for women entrepreneurs, co-founding Breedlove & Associates which she sold for $55 million. Her family told her, "Women don't start companies." Aren't we glad she didn't listen. Redefining what women can and can't do in business and everywhere else is why Stephanie is in my new book, "Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business," which you can buy here.

Learn how to finally solve office politics! 

In this podcast with Nancy Halpern, I had the amazing opportunity to learn more about how she helps companies find workable solutions to that awful problem of office politics. You might think they just come with the territory, that office cultures are all the same: inherently competitive, male-driven and toxic. Well, maybe that is not true. And it doesn’t have to be for your organization. Nancy will help you see how to use her proprietary Political IQ model to assess your organization and pinpoint the sources of the disruptions that are threatening your workplace — particularly during these times of remote work and a new normal. If you want to focus on what matters most and get things done, I urge you to listen.

Hear how change can keep your business moving forward!

At times we are introduced to people by chance, only to find that they are amazing individuals whom we want to be part of our world. This was how I felt about Melissa Davies when we met, and why we wanted you to know more about her and the work she does to help others change. Founder of Wise Ways Consulting, a leadership development and executive coaching firm, Melissa helps clients become better leaders so they can build more productive and effective teams. Like me, Melissa is a culture change expert, so you can guess we had a lot to talk about!

Hear how attitudes toward police became transformed

Lisa Broderick recently told me how she had her “aha” moment. Sitting on a beach in Florida, she watched a police four-wheeler driving along the sand. On its side was a big sign: Peace Officer. She had long been disturbed by the amount of violence in our cities, in our society, and in fact, everywhere. Could the words “Peace Officer” change how we thought about the men and women in uniform who are here to help us stay peaceful? Was there a “low tech, high impact” way to create meaningful and lasting change? Yes, there was. Lisa created Police2Peace, a non-pofit that works with cities and police departments around the country to transform safety and security into a collaborative effort. Now more than ever, all of us need to hear her amazing story.