Dr Helena Boschi is an applied neuroscientist who has spent years exploring how the human brain works – and, crucially, how we can use that knowledge to improve leadership, decision-making, and the way we work. Helena is the author of Why We Do What We Do, a deep dive into the quirks, biases, and vulnerabilities of the human mind.Her business, Chequered Leopard, bridges the gap between cutting-edge neuroscience and real-world application, helping leaders and organisations harness brain science to create better workplace cultures, boost performance, and drive innovation. From the impact of stress on decision-making to the myths surrounding memory, attention, and creativity, Helena brings a wealth of insight into how our brains shape everything we do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dr. Mithu Storoni is a University of Cambridge-trained physician, neuroscience researcher, and ophthalmic surgeon. She advises multinational corporations on mental performance and stress management.Her latest book, ‘Hyperefficient: Simple Methods to Optimise Your Brain and Transform the Way You Work’, lays out the tools we need to retune our brains to their best settings for complex thinking, creativity, concentration, and decision-making. By proposing that we impose the rhythm of our brains on our work, Dr Storoni demonstrates how to create the perfect environment to thrive individually at work and at home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dr. Tara Shine is a climate change expert with over 20 years of experience in climate science, science communication, and policy. Her work has focused on shaping international and national policy to advance equity, gender equality, inclusion, and environmental protection.A seasoned scientific adviser, Tara has worked with a range of influential organisations, including the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, the OECD, The Elders, SIDA (Sweden’s development agency), the World Bank, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Environmental Protection Agency.For a decade, Tara served as a climate negotiator at the United Nations and contributed as a reviewer to the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. She is a guest lecturer on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across Irish universities and sits on the Board of Trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development. She is also an alumna of Homeward Bound, the global leadership initiative for women in science.Tara holds a BSc in Environmental Science and a PhD in Geography from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. Her work in research, policy, and education has spanned countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Margaret Heffernan is a pioneering business leader, author, and thinker who has transformed the way we approach leadership, innovation, and uncertainty. She began her career producing TV and radio for the BBC before going on to become CEO of several US companies. She was named one of the "Top 100 Media Executives" by The Hollywood Reporter.Margaret is currently a Professor of Practice at the University of Bath School of Management, and in 2023, she was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame for her enduring contribution to management thinking. She has authored several bestsellers, including A Bigger Prize, Uncharted, and Willful Blindness, which was recognised as one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times.In her writing, Margaret challenges conventional business wisdom and advocates for collaboration, creativity, and resilience in an unpredictable world. Her TED talks have garnered over fifteen million views globally, sparking discussions on why we ignore obvious risks and how small organisational changes can lead to profound results. Her new book, Embracing Uncertainty, will be published in March 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fuschia Sirois, PhD, is a Professor of Social and Health Psychology at Durham University and a former Canada Research Chair in Health and Well-being. Her research focuses on understanding the psychological factors and qualities that influence risk or resilience for physical health and well-being outcomes through self-regulation and emotions.For over 20 years, she has studied the causes and consequences of procrastination, particularly its health effects, and how emotions play a key role in why people procrastinate. Her research also explores the role of positive psychology traits, states, and interventions in supporting self-regulation and enhancing health and well-being.She has authored over 120 peer-reviewed journal papers, presented over 200 conference papers, edited two books, and in 2022 released her first book, Procrastination: What It Is, Why It’s a Problem, and What You Can Do About It. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Once seen as the “Face of Failure” in the New York Times, Suneel Gupta understands that the road to success is not always smooth. Suneel learned from his mistakes and went on to become a founding CEO of RISE, a breakthrough wellness company named App of the Year by Apple, that partnered with First Lady Michelle Obama to deliver low-cost health coaching to people in need.Now a bestselling author, renowned speaker, Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, and host of an Amazon Prime documentary series, Suneel studies leaders around the world to discover and share simple, actionable habits that lift our performance and deepen our state of well-being. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Former American venture capitalist and once named a “Prince of New York” by New York Magazine, Jerry Colonna faced a profound depression that compelled him to confront his inner demons through what he calls “radical self-inquiry.” This transformative process led him to Buddhism and leadership coaching. Now a certified professional coach and author, Jerry leverages his diverse experiences to help clients design more conscious lives and make meaningful changes to their careers, enhancing both performance and satisfaction.He has been recognized on Upside magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of the New Economy and Forbes’ list of the best VCs in the U.S. Jerry is the co-founder and CEO of Reboot, an executive coaching and leadership development company, and hosts the Reboot Podcast. His best-selling books, 2019’s Reboot and last year’s Reunion, delve into the process of radical self-inquiry and how we can become better leaders by becoming better people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jeremy Masding, former CEO of Permanent TSB and currently a Senior Adviser at Cerberus Capital Management, is the co-author, along with Emil Ivanov, of the book ‘Leading Without Winging It’. Drawing on decades of experience, Jeremy provides a practical guide to leadership and management. In their book, Masding and Ivanov present a system for running any company in a way that captures both 'hearts' and 'minds'. By using a logical approach based on both rational and emotional foundations, the authors offer senior leaders ways of working that are easy to understand and implement. Jeremy and Emil make a compelling case for focusing on value creation at every level of an organisation, offering pragmatic strategies to ensure full buy-in and successful implementation of this objective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Matthew Dicks is an award-winning bestselling author, speaker, and marketing consultant to some of the world’s biggest companies including Amazon, Slack, and Salesforce. As a record 58-time Moth StorySLAM winner and 9-time GrandSLAM champion, he is widely regarded as one of the best storytellers in the world.For more than a decade, Matthew has been advising C-suite executives and their teams. Whether it’s a product launch, sales deck, or keynote, he surfaces the real stories behind the spreadsheets – stories that resonate and connect on a meaningful level. He has taught at multiple universities including Yale, MIT, and Harvard, and his work has been featured on Lenny’s Podcast, TEDx Talks, Newsweek, and many more.His latest book, ‘Stories Sell: Storyworthy Strategies to Grow Your Business and Brand’, reveals the ingredients of a compelling story and demonstrates how they can be incorporated into persuasive marketing copy, productive face-to-face conversations, and presentations that people actually want to hear. It gives readers permission to be themselves, take risks, and make a splash in a sea of empty corporate jargon, helping readers find their voice and share their stories with the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sam Peters is a former national newspaper reporter credited with driving a cultural change in sport's attitude towards brain injuries and concussions. Between 2013 and 2017, Sam was the driving force behind the Mail on Sunday’s concussion in rugby campaign and was subsequently short-listed as sports journalist of the year at the 2014 UK Press Gazette Awards. Sam’s exclusive report in 2014 also revealed the FA’s failure to deliver promised research into the link between heading footballs and dementia following the death of a former England player In his 2023 book, ‘Concussed: Sport’s Uncomfortable Truth’, winner of the Best Sports Writing Award, Sam recounts the untold story of the most influential sports campaign in British newspaper history, asking how rugby and other sports can save themselves from the vested interests which threaten not just players’ livelihoods but the very existence of the sports themselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After stepping down as the founder and CEO of Makers, one of the UK's leading coding boot camps, Evgeny Shadchnev became a certified professional coach specialising in helping entrepreneurs through CEO succession. In his new book, Startup CEO Succession, A Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition, Evgeny draws on firsthand experience of stepping down as a founder CEO and as a certified professional coach, guiding other CEOs through the same journey.From reflecting on our deepest motivations to choosing the successor and executing a smooth succession plan, Evgeny helps entrepreneurs and CEOs along with their boards to navigate leadership succession when the stakes are at their highest. You wrote this book because it was what you needed when you were deciding whether to step down from the makers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Alex M H Smith is a strategist, writer, and advisor to CEOs and founders. His goal is to increase strategic understanding and expertise, something he thinks is not just widely misunderstood, but often completely overlooked.In stark contrast to the jargon and abstract declarations that have come to pass for strategy in much of the modern business world, Alex offers sharp, succinct and actionable strategic insights that will make you see your business in a totally new light.His weekly newsletter, The Hidden Path, and regular LinkedIn posts make him a must-follow for any CEO or founder looking to grow their strategic expertise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Guy Kawasaki is an American marketing specialist, author, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist. He was the ‘Apple Evangelist’ originally responsible for marketing their Macintosh computer line in 1984 and is currently Chief Evangelist at Canva. Guy has written sixteen books, including The Art of the Start (2004) and Wise Guy: Lessons from a Life (2019). In his latest book, Think Remarkable: 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference, the host of the Remarkable People podcast shares invaluable knowledge to help readers make the leap from average to exceptional and start living the remarkable life they were meant to lead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Roman Yampolskiy, PhD, is a computer scientist and tenured professor at the University of Louisville, where he is currently the director of the Cyber Security Laboratory in the Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the Speed School of Engineering. He is an expert on artificial intelligence, with over 100 published papers and books. He was one of the earliest exponents of artificial intelligence safety and remains a pre-eminent figure in the field. His latest book, ‘AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable’, explores the unpredictability of AI outcomes, the difficulty in explaining AI decisions, and the potentially unsolvable nature of the AI control problem, as well as delving into more theoretical topics like personhood and consciousness in relation to artificial intelligence, and the potential hazards further AI developments might bring in the years to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our guest this week on the podcast is Neasa Hardiman. Neasa is a BAFTA-winning executive producer, director, and writer who has worked across the world on high-budget global film and TV projects. After making documentaries in Ireland, Neasa found success in the UK through children's TV with Tracy Beaker Returns, for which she won her first BAFTA. Following that, she directed long-running soaps like Casualty and Holby City.She won her second BAFTA in 2017 for directing the second season of the BBC smash hit, Happy Valley. She went on to work on the Marvel series Inhumans and Jessica Jones. Her feature film debut, Sea Fever, premiered in the prestigious Discovery Strand on the opening night of TIFF in 2019. And her latest show, We Were the Lucky Ones, is available on Hulu and Disney later this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ros Atkins is a BBC journalist and host of the BBC Explainer series ‘Ros Atkins On…’ which has received millions of views all over the world. Ros’ sharp, insightful explainers are a masterclass in unpacking complex issues in an accessible, informative, and engaging way. They are also proof that for all the talk of dwindling attention spans and waning audience numbers, if you make a good product, people will watch. In his debut book, ‘The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence’, Ros shares the secrets he has learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself with clarity and impact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this special episode we have Johnny Cooper as the guest host, who is the Director of Leadership and Talent Development at Steering Point Advisory. He is joined by Sharon Lechter, an entrepreneur, international speaker, mentor, best-selling author, philanthropist, licensed CPA for the last 35 years and a chartered global management accountant. Sharon coauthored the international best-seller ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’, which developed into a leading personal finance brand in the world. Sharon was then asked by the Napoleon Hill Foundation to help re-energise the powerful teachings of Napoleon Hill, releasing 3 best-selling books in cooperation with the foundation. Sharon was appointed as the 1st president of the United States Advisory Council on Financial Literacy. The council served under both President Bush and Obama, advising them on financial literacy and education. In this episode, we talk about her journey including the mantra her dad taught her many years ago, business decisions versus life decisions, visiting the White House, her personal success equation, and working with the likes of Disney, Warner Brothers, and Sesame Street. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nuala Walsh is a Behavioural Scientist, TEDx Speaker, Non-Executive Director, and award-winning former Executive with three decades in investment management, banking and consulting. She is the Founder and CEO of MindEquity and holds appointments as President of the Harvard Club of Ireland, Chair of the Innocence Project London and Founding Director of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists. Recognised among the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Finance, she held positions at Merrill Lynch, BlackRock, PA Consulting Group and Standard Life Aberdeen. She also served as Non-Executive Director at British & Irish Lions, former Vice-Chair at UN Women (UK), Deputy Chair of The Football Association’s Inclusion Advisory Board, and as an Advisor at World Athletics. In her new book ‘Tune In: How to Make Smarter Decisions in a Noisy World’, Nuala argues that the most underrated risk facing humanity today is not economic, political or even climate risk – it’s human decision risk. To combat that risk, we must “tune in”. Nuala provides us with the framework for how to do so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Susan Rogers is an American professor, sound engineer, and record producer best known for her work with Prince, including on his iconic albums Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign o' the Times, and The Black Album. She also worked as a producer and sound engineer for artists such as David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies and Tricky. Rogers is a Professor of Music Production and Engineering at Berklee College of Music. She holds a doctorate of psychology from McGill University, where she studied music cognition and psychoacoustics. Her focus is on auditory memory, the perception of musical signals, and the influence of musical training on auditory development. In her book ‘This Is What It Sounds Like’, co-written with neuroscientist Ogi Ogas and released in 2022, she distils her lifetime of experience as a producer and professor to present a new theory of listening for everyday music fans, helping readers identify their own musical identity and discover what the music we love says about the people we are. In 2000, Susan decided to leave the music business to pursue a career in academia. She earned her doctorate in music cognition and psychoacoustics from McGill University in 2010 and is currently the director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory, as well as being an associate professor at Berklee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mark Little attended Trinity College Dublin before becoming an award-winning foreign correspondent and TV anchor for the national TV station RTÉ. He also presented the network’s top-rated current affairs programme, Prime Time, and was its first Washington correspondent. He has covered some of the biggest stories of the 21st century, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the election of Barack Obama. In 2010 he took a leave of absence to establish Storyful, a social news agency that pioneered new models of verification and collaboration. He sold Storyful to News Corp in 2013 and went on to work with Twitter (now X), first as VP of Media Partnerships in Europe and later as MD. In 2016, he left that position to set up the digital news venture Kinzen (originally NevaLabs). Kinzen provides data and research to trust and safety professionals, content moderators and public policymakers, helping them deal with threats such as dangerous misinformation, hateful content, violent content, violent extremism and dangerous organisations. Kinzen was acquired by Spotify in 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.