Bob Pulver talks with Kristi Broom, Co-founder of Rising Tide Cooperative and a seasoned transformation leader. Kristi's career has spanned EdTech, L&D, operations, and HR. She shares her journey from building early learning platforms to leading organizational change at scale—all while staying grounded in her passion for helping people grow. The conversation explores what it means to be a generalist in an era of specialization, how to design systems that support behavior change, and the role of curiosity, structure, and storytelling in navigating innovation. Whether you’re working in HR, technology, transformation, or operations, this episode offers a fresh perspective on what it really takes to lead through complexity and build a future-ready organization.

Keywords

Kristi Broom, transformation, L&D, EdTech, generalist career, operational leadership, organizational change, innovation, behavior change, people development, systems thinking, storytelling in business, AI readiness, future of work

Key Takeaways

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  Generalists are wired for transformation. Kristi explains how her generalist background allowed her to connect across silos and take on high-stakes change.

  
  


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  EdTech roots shaped a systems mindset. Building early online learning systems taught her how to think structurally while staying flexible.

  
  


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  Curiosity drives innovation. Kristi shares how being a “possibility thinker” has helped her evolve with each new challenge.

  
  


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  Real transformation requires structure and story. Without storytelling, even well-designed systems fail to resonate.

  
  


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  Growth is personal. Her work has always centered on helping people grow—whether through development programs, leadership models, or building intentional cultures.

  
  


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  Pacing matters. When leading transformation, knowing when to accelerate—and when to pause—is a crucial leadership skill.

  
  

Top Quotes

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  “I’ve always been a generalist—wired to think across disciplines, across people, across possibilities.”

  
  


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  “Structure is important, but story is the engine that helps people move.”

  
  


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  “I’m obsessed with seeing people grow. That’s where the energy comes from for me.”

  
  


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  “You can't automate your way out of transformation—you still need leadership.”

  
  


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  “My curiosity is a superpower, and I’ve learned how to use it to help people and organizations evolve.”

  
  

Chapters

00:00 – Opening and Kristi’s origin story in education and technology

08:15 – Becoming a generalist: curiosity, complexity, and change

14:30 – Early EdTech and learning platform design

20:45 – Making growth personal: L&D as a human imperative

27:10 – Leading transformation: structure, pacing, and storytelling

36:00 – Building future-ready systems without losing your people

42:55 – Final reflections on innovation, possibility, and what’s next

Kristi Broom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristibroom

Rising Tide Cooperative: https://risingtidecooperative.com

For advisory work and marketing inquiries:

Bob Pulver:⁠ ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/bobpulver⁠⁠

Elevate Your AIQ:⁠ ⁠https://elevateyouraiq.com⁠⁠

Substack: https://elevateyouraiq.substack.com

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