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The Evolving Leader Podcast is a show set in the context of the world’s ‘great transition’ – technological, environmental and societal upheaval – that requires deeper, more committed leadership to confront the world’s biggest challenges. Hosts, Jean Gomes (a New York Times best selling author) and Scott Allender (an award winning leadership development specialist working in the creative industries) approach complex topics with an urgency that matches the speed of change. This show will give insights about how today’s leaders can grow their capacity for leading tomorrow’s rapidly evolving world. With accomplished guests from business, neuroscience, psychology, and more, the Evolving Leader Podcast is a call to action for deep personal reflection, and conscious evolution. The world is evolving, are you?
A little more about the hosts:
New York Times best selling author, Jean Gomes, has more than 30 years experience working with leaders and their teams to help them face their organisation’s most challenging issues. His clients span industries and include Google, BMW, Toyota, eBay, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Warner Music, Sony Electronics, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, the UK Olympic system and many others.
Award winning leadership development specialist, Scott Allender has over 20 years experience working with leaders across various businesses, including his current role heading up global leadership development at Warner Music. An expert practitioner in emotional intelligence and psychometric tools, Scott has worked to help teams around the world develop radical self-awareness and build high performing cultures.
The Evolving Leader podcast is produced by Phil Kerby at Outside © 2024
The Evolving Leader music is a Ron Robinson composition, © 2022
210 Episodes
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In this episode of The Evolving Leader, Jean and Scott sit down with Andy MacMillan, CEO of Alteryx, to explore how generative AI is reshaping work, leadership and organisational design. Andy shares a uniquely practical and grounded view of where companies really are with AI adoption, caught in a chaotic but exciting period where the opportunity is clear, but the scaffolding is not yet in place. He explains why AI transformation cannot be delegated to IT, how leaders should approach reimagini...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader, hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are joined by Dr. Sunita Sah, a physician turned organisational psychologist and Professor of Management at Cornell University. Together they explore the power of saying “no” in a world that rewards compliance. Drawing from her acclaimed book “Defy: The Power of No in a World that Demands Yes”, Dr Sah reveals how our upbringing, institutions, and social pressures teach us to equate being “good” with being obedient, an...
In this thought-provoking episode of The Evolving Leader, hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender talk with Dr Christine Rosen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of The Extinction of Experience. The conversation examines how our growing dependence on technology is subtly reshaping what it means to be human, thinning our attention, dulling empathy, and changing how we connect and make sense of the world. Drawing on history, neuroscience and cultural observation, Christi...
In this bonus episode of The Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Scott Allender and Arjun Sahdev talk to Atif Rafiq, the first Chief Digital Officer in Fortune 500 history and former senior executive at McDonald’s, Volvo, and MGM Resorts. Now CEO and co-founder of Ritual, an AI-powered workflow platform, Atif shares how leaders can build decision-making systems that are faster, fairer, and more adaptive in an age of complexity. He explains his core principle of “exploration before alignment” an...
In this latest episode of The Evolving Leader podcast, Jean Gomes is joined by Mark Crowley, author of Lead from the Heart, to explore how emotion, belonging, and authentic care are redefining leadership for the modern world. Mark shares his remarkable personal journey, from an upbringing shaped by trauma to a career built on leading through compassion. We hear how what began as an instinctive way to give others what he never received became a philosophy now backed by neuroscience and organis...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender talk to neurologist and author Adam Zeman about his latest book The Shape of Things Unseen. Together they explore how imagination helps us step outside the here and now, recall the past, and anticipate the future, and why this ability matters more than ever in a world shaped by automation and accelerating change. Adam takes us inside the science of the mind’s eye, from aphantasia (the inability to visualise) to hyp...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Scott Allender and Sara Deschamps sit down with Dr. Gabriele Rizzo, a global authority on strategic foresight who has advised NATO, the US Space Force and major government institutions. The conversation explores how leaders can shift their relationship with the future, moving from prediction and short-termism to building resilience and long-term value. Gabriele shares the laws of foresight, why multiple futures matter, and how to use pr...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender talk to Sir David Spiegelhalter, one of the world’s foremost authorities on risk and probability. David explains why embracing uncertainty, rather than trying to eliminate it is essential for leaders who want to build resilience and make better judgments in complex times. Drawing from his latest book “The Art of Uncertainty”, David shares stories that bring statistics to life, from forecasting failures to the impor...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader, co-hosts Scott Allender and Emma Sinclair sit down with Icelandic author, sustainability leader and entrepreneur Hrund Gunnsteinsdottir to explore how intuition can guide leaders through times of uncertainty and noise. Drawing from her book INSÆI: Icelandic Wisdom for Turbulent Times and her acclaimed documentary InnSæi: The Power of Intuition, Hrund shares how reconnecting with our inner compass helps us balance rational analysis with intuitive insight...
What does it really mean to be a great decision-maker, and why is this skill so often left to chance? In this episode of The Evolving Leader, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender sit down in person with Jon Bircher, decision coach and former strategy consultant, to explore why decision-making is rarely taught, and how we can do it better. Jon shares insights from his coaching work with senior leaders who often feel confident in solo decisions, but struggle in collaborative settings. We talk...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes is joined by Sir Andrew Likierman, former Dean of London Business School and one of the world’s leading experts on judgment. Drawing from decades of research across business, government, medicine, and the military, Andrew breaks down what judgment really is: the combination of personal qualities, relevant knowledge, and lived experience applied to a particular decision. Together, they explore: · Why judgment is not t...
“Sleep is intrinsic to every aspect of our waking life.” (Dr Guy Leschziner) In this episode of The Evolving Leader, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Emma Sinclair delve into the biological roots of our most human behaviours with Professor Guy Leschziner, neurologist and author of The Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human. From the neuroscience behind gluttony, anger and pride to the unpredictable nature of envy and the myth of free will, Guy offers a powerful reframing of how biology shapes l...
As the world gets hotter, how is it changing our brains? In this episode of The Evolving Leader, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are joined by neuroscientist and author Clayton Aldern to explore how environmental shifts (especially climate change) are quietly reshaping our minds, behaviours, and capacity for decision-making. Drawing from his acclaimed book The Weight of Nature, Clayton explains how heat, trauma, and ecological instability are influencing everything from memory and empa...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are joined by renowned philosopher and theologian Alister McGrath to explore one of the most timeless and urgent questions: Why do we believe? Drawing on insights from his new book, Why We Believe: Finding Meaning in Uncertain Times, McGrath reflects on the nature of belief, the human need for meaning, and how our convictions shape who we are and how we lead. The conversation takes us from McGrath’s early journey through sc...
What if leadership isn’t just about performance, but about character? In this episode of The Evolving Leader, we’re joined by Dr. Ed Brooks, Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project and co-editor of the new book The Arts of Leading. With hosts Jean Gomes and Emma Sinclair, Ed explores how cultivating human character, hope, courage, humility, and clarity, can provide the deep stability today’s leaders urgently need. We discuss the difference between optimism and hope, why virtu...
In this compelling episode of The Evolving Leader, we sit down with Mike Mears, former CIA leadership head and author of "Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation." Mike shares powerful insights from his extraordinary career – from his days as a combat platoon leader and nuclear missile commander to his transformative work at GE and the CIA. Discover how his relentless curiosity led him to question conventional leadership practices, the pivotal moments that reshaped h...
It's no secret that the world is changing rapidly (perhaps faster than many of us appreciate) and this demands a new kind of leadership. But is your ego holding back your ability to evolve and lead effectively? In this episode, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are in conversation with business philosopher, consultant and author of ‘Ego Flip: How to Reset Your Leadership Life’, James Woodcock. The conversation goes beyond theory, exploring practical ways to understand your own perspectiv...
In this bonus episode of The Evolving Leader, host Jean Gomes speaks with Damian Lowe, a senior software engineer at Symphony AI. They discuss how many of us have moved beyond the initial reactions to services like ChatGPT towards a current phase focused on experimenting, learning, and building. Damian shares that for programmers, AI tools like large language models (LLMs) are already providing a tangible 10-20% productivity gain for tasks like code suggestions and reviews, noting that both t...
This week on The Evolving Leader is a double celebration – after more than 4 years and 190 episodes, we are thrilled to release our first in-person episode where co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender (usually sat thousands of miles apart) were together with guest, the renowned science writer Caroline Williams. Long term listeners will remember that we spoke to Caroline way back in season 2, and we are so pleased that Caroline agreed to come back and talk to us again, this time about her work...
In this episode of The Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender talk to Nicky Lowe. Nicky started her career working for a Silicon Valley tech company during the lead up to Y2K, where the financial rewards were great but for many their own wellbeing was secondary. After having her first child Nicky experienced burnout on her return to work, as she says ‘underestimating the psychosocial factors that impact women - especially mothers in the workplace’. Nicky became ...
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