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Have you ever followed a leader who shared their struggles on stage, said all the right things about brokenness, and still left everyone around them feeling smaller? Therapist and professor Dr. Chuck DeGroat has a name for that: fauxnerability. Chuck returns to A World of Difference the day after launching his new book, Who You're Becoming, for an honest conversation about narcissism in leadership across tech, politics, faith communities and nonprofits, and the slow work of building real character. Content note: this episode discusses narcissistic and spiritual abuse. Please listen with care. In this episode: Fauxnerability: how performed vulnerability draws people in, and why real vulnerability connects us instead of shrinking us Why Chuck sees narcissism as a defensive structure built over decades, and why he holds empathy and accountability together Return to office and narcissistic supply: why some leaders need people back in the room, and the "mirror-hungry leader" who needs an audience Virtue signaling, performative allyship, and the difference between groupthink and a wholehearted yes Disintegration at work: when mission statements say one thing and the patterns beneath the waterline say another About Dr. Chuck DeGroat: Chuck is a professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary, where he is founding executive director of the clinical mental health counseling program, and a licensed therapist and spiritual director who specializes in abuse, trauma and leadership health. He is the author of When Narcissism Comes to Church, Healing What's Within, and Who You're Becoming: The Slow and Courageous Work of Cultivating Character in a Narcissistic Age (Tyndale), which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Timestamps: 00:00 Hook: why people plug into narcissistic leaders 00:33 Introduction: welcome back, Chuck 04:58 San Francisco, loneliness, and why connection fuels leaders 07:51 Fauxnerability: when vulnerability becomes a performance 10:14 A crisis of leadership and the doubling down on power 14:54 Empathy and accountability with leaders who have caused harm 19:14 Return to office and narcissistic supply 22:33 Mirror-hungry leaders and ideal-hungry followers 23:56 Lori's story: when you are someone's narcissistic supply 24:58 Virtue signaling and performative allyship 28:07 Disintegration, and what a reintegrated culture looks like 32:08 Reckonings across institutions, and reasons for hope 33:25 The vision of Who You're Becoming: growing in integrity 36:06 Where to find Chuck and his new book 37:03 Closing reflections 40:03 Passport Stamp: Canada A note on the research mentioned: Adam Grant, Marissa Shandell and Courtney Elliott found that leader narcissism was associated with greater resistance to remote work. The title of this research article says it all: Worship me at the office altar: Why narcissistic leaders resist remote work https://fortune.com/2026/06/25/return-to-office-ceos-ego-research/ Find Dr. Chuck DeGroat at: https://chuckdegroat.net | Substack, Sit with Chuck | Instagram | Facebook Get his new book, Who You're Becoming Join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus with Chuck: the story from his book that shows how "performative authenticity" can hide narcissism, even among wellness voices and self-help lovers: https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference Has a leader's "vulnerability" ever left you feeling smaller? Explore my SAFE Ground Framework™, a tool for leaders and targets to spot workplace bullying before it spreads. Want to see how your leadership shows up under pressure? Explore the VOICE diagnostic from Brava Global Advisory. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Connect with Lori: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown | https://loriadamsbrown.substack.com If this episode gave you something, you can give a little back with a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/loriadamsbr Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Workplace culture isn't broken. According to Dr. Lauran Star, it's working exactly as it was designed, and that should make every leader stop and look closely. Organizational psychologist and forensic cultural behaviorist Dr. Lauran Star joins Lori for a candid, funny, and unflinching conversation about the high-stakes environments most consultants won't touch: where leadership is misaligned, accountability is blurred, and everyone can feel something is wrong, but no one will say it out loud. In this episode: - Why courageous leadership starts with the mirror, and the one question every leader should ask themselves - The culture infinity loop: how what happens in society shows up at work, and how work shapes society in return - What engagement scores miss, and the real signals of a struggling culture: sick time, early turnover, and the comments nobody reads - Leading across national cultures without forcing everyone to assimilate, plus Lauran's "cafeteria test" for inclusion - Why leadership, not technology, decides how AI shows up in your organization About Dr. Lauran Star: Dr. Lauran Star is an organizational psychologist, forensic cultural behaviorist, author, and executive advisor who helps leaders see what their organizations have learned to accept. A military veteran and former trauma medic, she is the creator of The Normalization Effect™ and The Rethink Project™ and the author of See Dick Throw a Hissy Fit: The Rise and Predictable Fall of U.S. Culture. Timestamps: 00:00 Hook 00:22 Introduction 02:17 How the world's cultures shaped Lauran's leadership 04:36 Why real leaders question everything 07:25 A million followers is not a credential 09:34 Dysfunction at the top, and the fear of challenging it 13:02 The culture infinity loop: society and the workplace mirror each other 15:58 Where leaders should look first: the mirror and courageous leadership 25:26 "I asked for it": a salary negotiation lesson 32:04 Leading across national cultures 35:56 Assimilation and the beauty we are losing 38:57 The cafeteria test 41:27 Leadership drives AI, not the other way around 44:15 The first honest question: is your culture real? 46:52 Why new CHROs get sidelined, and what it costs 48:26 Values need behaviors: dysfunction lasts three to five years 52:17 Where to find Lauran and her new book 53:15 Closing reflections and Passport Stamp: India A note on the research mentioned in the opening: for context, Spencer Stuart's 2025 S&P 1500 CEO Transitions report found that 84% of newly appointed S&P 1500 CEOs in 2025 were in their first CEO role: https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/2025-sp-1500-ceo-transitions-behind-the-ceo-moment Find Dr. Lauran Star at: https://www.lauranstar.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauranstar | https://substack.com/@drlauranstar Get her book, See Dick Throw a Hissy Fit Is your workplace safe? Explore my SAFE Ground Framework™, a tool for leaders and targets to spot workplace bullying before it spreads. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for you? Take the VOICE assessment Leading or working across borders, or thinking about building a life in another country? Expatsi helps you compare countries and plan the move. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Connect with Lori: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown | https://loriadamsbrown.substack.com If this episode gave you something, you can give a little back with a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/loriadamsbr Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if people do not resist change at all, and what they resist is change that is done to them? Karen Zeigler, CEO of Human Score, joins Lori to explain why so many change and AI efforts stall, and what leaders can do differently this week. This conversation was recorded live on LinkedIn, with comments and questions from the community along the way. In this conversation, Lori and Karen explore: Why leaders misread their own workforce, and how fear shows up as projection What Karen means by "AI is us," and why using AI in a human-centered way takes conscious intent The business case for designing work so that people and AI each contribute what they do best Why people resist change that is thrust upon them, and how transparency, agency, and removing even one obstacle build trust How a Nutri-Score label on a frozen pizza in the Netherlands inspired a score for how healthy an organization is for its people About Karen: Karen Zeigler is the CEO of Human Score, a diagnostic that shows leaders the conditions inside their organization across work design, organizational structure, culture, decision making, and fairness. She spent more than a decade in financial services leading teams through mergers, and she brings a human-centered design lens to change and AI adoption. Disclosure: Lori is a consultant with Human Score and the Human Score Collective. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and introduction 02:34 Where leaders misread their own workforce 05:30 Fear, ego, and "us versus them" 08:04 What Human Score measures 12:04 "AI is us": using AI in a human-centered way 14:04 The business case for investing in people 19:48 A lesson from the 2008 financial crisis 22:08 Do people really resist change? 27:04 Why listening tours erode trust 28:30 Constant change and human limits 32:48 Comments from the live audience 35:39 Risk reduction and value creation 37:22 What Karen unlearned about leading high performers 42:24 Empathy, and why the obstacle is the way 45:02 How the Human Score works 51:13 Using AI to free people's gifts and talents 54:24 The frozen pizza behind the name 56:52 Lori's three takeaways and Passport Stamp: the Netherlands Find Karen Zeigler at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-zeigler/ Human Score: https://humanscore.info Human Score on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-human-score Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your team or your own leadership? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com to see how we work together and where to start. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever felt that the moment you catch your breath, three new demands are already waiting? Organizational consultant Melissa Swift gives that feeling a name, work intensification, and explains what helps. In this conversation, Lori and Melissa explore: How three years working in London showed Melissa that a shared language does not mean a shared culture What work intensification is: too many tasks in too little time, too many people involved in every decision, and too much emotion at work How AI can quietly erode trust at work, and why peer learning and thoughtful change management matter How to stand out in an AI-saturated job market by naming what you are genuinely good at in simple terms What high-stakes professions teach us about clear communication, and why the people who care most are often the ones who burn out About Melissa: Melissa Swift is the founder and CEO of Anthrome Insight, an advisory firm helping organizations and individuals work more effectively in a fast-changing, technology-driven world. She has held consulting leadership roles at Capgemini, Mercer, Korn Ferry, and Deloitte, and is the author of Effective: How to Do Great Work in a Fast-Changing World (Wiley, 2026). Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:27 What living in London taught Melissa about culture 03:50 Direct and indirect communication across cultures 06:42 More communication, less clarity 10:02 What work intensification is 12:49 Emotional regulation and leadership 17:45 AI and the erosion of trust 21:49 Learning AI with your peers 27:43 Change agility and staying power 32:09 Standing out in an AI resume era 38:17 Lessons from high-stakes work 43:37 Younger workers and the "unboiled frogs" 46:14 Burnout, boundaries, and agency 49:06 Where to find Melissa Find Melissa Swift at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swiftmelissa Website: https://www.anthromeinsight.com Book: https://www.anthromeinsight.com/books Join us for an exclusive bonus with Melissa on Patreon. Want to see how your leadership shows up under pressure? Explore the VOICE diagnostic from Brava Global Advisory: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Considering a move abroad for work like Melissa's years in London? Expatsi can help you plan the practical side. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever worked with someone who just didn't get you, not because they were difficult, but because you were wired completely differently? In this episode, Lori sits down with Enneagram expert Joey Schewee to unpack why understanding motivation, not just behavior, is what actually transforms how teams work together. Joey has spent decades helping thousands of employees and hundreds of teams understand each other through the Enneagram, and her new book, When Working Together Doesn't Work, distills that experience into a practical workplace guide. She and Lori dig into why so many people mistype themselves at work, why "culture fit" hiring can quietly push out your most brilliant thinkers, and how managers can stop putting people in boxes and start understanding what actually drives them. In this episode: Why the Enneagram explains the why behind behavior, not just the what, and why that matters more in stress and change The three "stances" at work (independent, dependent, withdrawing) and what each one needs to perform at its best: consistency, affirmation, or latitude Why fives and eights often get labeled "not a culture fit," and what that costs organizations How mistyping happens at work, and why so many people test as eights, ones, or threes simply because they're "doing" at the time Practical language for managers to use type-awareness without putting anyone in a box About Joey Schewee: Joey Stabile Schewee is a management consultant, executive coach, and author of When Working Together Doesn't Work: An Enneagram Guide to Productive Relationships with Coworkers. She's spent 17+ years consulting with corporate teams, drawing on a lifetime immersed in Enneagram wisdom. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction and why motivation matters more than behavior 04:00 – How the Enneagram functions in teams and organizations 09:00 – Mistyping at work and the "boxes" myth 17:00 – A real-world example: culture in family-owned companies 25:00 – Where leaders get alignment wrong 31:00 – Coaching managers to engage direct reports by type 37:00 – New concepts: stances, reference points, and what each needs to thrive 46:00 – Where to find Joey and her book Find Joey Schewee at: wesolutions.life | linkedin.com/in/joeyschewee | Instagram: @enneagramparents | Book: When Working Together Doesn't Work Join us for an exclusive where Joey gets personal about her own career journey and Enneagram discovery on Patreon. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for you? Take the VOICE assessment: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people enter venture capital as a founder, an angel, an LP, a GP, or an ecosystem builder, usually without a roadmap. Lolita Taub has been all five. She calls the hidden cost of building without inherited networks the "access tax," and she says it shows up everywhere: in every country, for founders and investors and leaders alike, and most people never even name it. In this conversation, Lolita and Lori dig into: The three elements of the access tax: time, equity, and the emotional cost of learning unwritten rules nobody wrote down Why code-switching becomes dangerous the moment you start believing it is you, and how to honor a culture without losing your identity What "community as capital" really means, and why every leadership role is an ecosystem-building role whether or not it says so on the org chart How to answer biased pitch and interview questions ("how will you avoid failing?") by redirecting to the numbers and the value you bring The case for investing in Latin America and Latino-founded companies, including the economic scale most investors overlook What growing up in South Central LA and building a venture fund taught her about resilience, and why she wrote the book she wished she'd had Lolita Taub is General Partner and Founder of Ganas Ventures, a pre-seed and seed fund backing community-driven startups across the US and Latin America. In nearly 20 years across tech and venture capital she has made more than 100 investments and built a community of over 100,000 underestimated founders, funders, and friends. Timestamps (placeholder — pending final edit) 00:00 – Cold open 01:00 – Welcome and introduction 02:00 – A non-linear career: from big tech to startups to venture 04:00 – What is the "access tax"? 08:00 – Code-switching and corporate America 13:00 – Community as capital, ecosystem building as leadership 21:00 – Data centers, AI, and the people behind the numbers 22:30 – The five seats of venture: founder, angel, LP, GP, ecosystem builder 27:00 – Answering biased pitch and interview questions 33:00 – The case for investing in Latin America 38:00 – What Venezuela and resilience taught Lori 40:00 – Where to find Lolita and her book Find Lolita Taub at: LinkedIn | X/Twitter | Instagram | Ganas Ventures | Book: lolitataub.co/book Join us on Patreon for the bonus, exclusive episode with Lolita, just for patrons. (You can start off with a free trial.) Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your distributed team or your own leadership globally? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com to see how we work together and where to start. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if everything you've been taught about managing performance was built for a workplace that no longer exists? Dr. Edie Goldberg returns to A World of Difference to unpack the research behind her new book, revealing why the system most companies use to drive performance is quietly working against them. Topics Covered Why “coercive control” — carrots, sticks, and fear-based motivation — is the hidden operating system behind most performance management, and why the research says it doesn't work The shift from measuring performance to enabling it: transparency, trust, autonomy, and connecting work to purpose Why only 4% of employees revisit their goals mid-year, and how to make goal-setting actually motivating What a real “performance feedback culture” looks like, and the four conditions that predict it How AI can genuinely support performance enablement (goal clarity, personalized development, reduced bias) — and where it can quietly go wrong The bias built into hiring and performance systems, and what a well-designed AI process can do differently Guest Bio Dr. Edie Goldberg is founder and president of E. L. Goldberg and Associates, a globally recognized expert in talent management and the future of work, and a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is co-author of Performance Enablement: A Model for Driving Organizational Performance and The Inside Gig: How Sharing Talent Across Boundaries Unleashes Organizational Capacity. Timestamps 00:00 – Cold open 01:13 – Why Edie wrote this book now 05:34 – Coercive control as a management strategy 09:13 – The new paradigm: enabling control 14:27 – The elephant in the room: managers spend 90% of their time doing the work 21:44 – Why goal-setting fails (the 4% problem) 28:11 – AI's real impact on performance management 37:14 – Bias in AI hiring and performance systems 44:11 – Where to find Edie and her book 48:00 – Passport Stamp: New Zealand (a shout out to the Kiwis who listen from Aotearoa, the Maori word for New Zealand) Watch the exclusive, bonus episode on Patreon here. Find Dr. Edie Goldberg At elgoldberg.com  |  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edie-goldberg-phd  |  Book: Performance Enablement Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Watch this episode on Youtube. Visit aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move . As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Brava Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your team or your own leadership? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice to see how we work together and where to start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allan J. "Alonzo" Wind is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), having worked off and on with the Agency primarily overseas on diplomatic assignments from 1990 to 2019 in the Peru, Nicaragua, Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Africa and the Southern Africa Regional Missions. In these roles he provided oversight to U.S. government foreign aid development and humanitarian assistance and supported U.S. Ambassadors as their senior development officer on multiple U.S. Embassy Country Teams. In South Africa he helped establish the Southern Africa Regional Leadership Center as part of President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative, and contributed to other youth development efforts and business incubators. He previously worked as the Global Programme Coordinator for the International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat and as a Country Director and Health Sector Coordinator for different nonprofit private voluntary organizations including CARE and PLAN International in a range of countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom. Mr. Wind began his career as a Rural Public Health U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 1980-1982, where he was widely known as “Doctor Alonzo.” The Alonzo nickname stuck throughout life in many countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He graduated from the University of Chicago. He is originally a New Yorker, and as a high schooler he was a “subway rat” attending the famous Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. There he studied creative writing for two years with his teacher, the famous Irish American writer Frank McCourt. He has always been an avid science fiction fan and sometime writer, and notes that writing science fiction and creative writing under Frank was invaluable for future U.S. government work. He and his wife currently reside in Fairfax County Virginia, while their adult daughter is in Africa on her own adventures. Mr. Wind serves on the Boards of Directors of different non-governmental organizations, including Hunger Relief International, supporting the efforts to help the neediest in Guatemala and Haiti, any way he can. His memoir is Andean Adventures Website: https://enableennoble.net ANDEAN ADVENTURES:  https://tinyurl.com/AndeanAdv AVENTURAS ANDINAS: https://tinyurl.com/AventurasAndinas The A World of Difference Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance. Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen.  On Clubhouse . Find Us Online: on Instagram and on Facebook on Twitter at or Interested in one-on-one or group coaching on how to live a life that makes a difference? Check out: https://www.loriadamsbrown.com/coaching If you are facing some big decisions, here is advice . Mentioned in this episode: Do you want to go deeper? Join us in Difference Makers, a community where we watch and discuss exclusive content that truly makes a difference. Give us $5 a month (the price of a latte), and join in on the conversation with our host Lori and others who want to make a difference. We'd love to have you join us! Patreon Join Difference Makers Join us in our membership community for exclusive content for only $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference. We go deeper with each guest, and it makes such a difference. Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your AI transformation isn't stalling because of the technology, but because of the culture, trust, and leadership behaviors you've built (or failed to build) around it? Shaara Roman has spent years inside global enterprises watching AI initiatives launch with fanfare and quietly fall apart, not because the software failed, but because the people strategy was missing. In this episode: Why AI should be treated as a team member, not just a tool The six pillars of AI change management: strategy, org design, culture, workforce capability, motivation/metrics, and ethical guardrails Why most AI adoptions fail — and why the human side, not the tech, is the real bottleneck Surprising diagnostic findings: middle managers are consistently the least ready for AI adoption Three telltale signs an organization isn't ready for AI How Shaara's third culture kid upbringing across India, Nigeria, and England shaped her adaptive leadership approach Guest bio: Shaara Roman is the founder and CEO of the Silvering Group, where she advises CEOs and executive teams on leading through AI transformation. A former senior HR executive at Visa, Fannie Mae, and CGI, she is the author of The Conscious Workplace and creator of the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Shaara's TCK journey across India, Nigeria, England 04:30 AI as a team member, not just a tool 08:00 Where leaders get AI adoption wrong 12:00 Why hiring systems aren't built for adaptive leadership 18:40 The six pillars of AI change management 26:40 Three signs an organization isn't ready for AI 32:50 Inside the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic 38:30 Where to find Shaara and her work Find Shaara Roman at: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/shaara) | Website (silveringroup.com) Join us for an exclusive bonus episode with Shaara on Patreon. Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what your own leadership identity is built on? Take the VOICE assessment: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it actually take to walk into rooms where no one looks like you and not just survive them, but change them? Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne's story begins in Cameroon and leads all the way to the highest levels of Silicon Valley tech leadership, and the lessons she's learned along the way will change how you think about your own journey. Topics covered: Growing up in Cameroon, community, and the moment an aunt told her "girls don't go to the moon" Working full-time at minimum wage while carrying a 26-unit course load to graduate as valedictorian Failing her PhD prelim at UC Berkeley, imposter syndrome, and the mentor who told her "I believe in you" Becoming the first African-born woman to earn a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley Her PURPOSE framework and the biblical story of Esther behind her memoir's title Balancing rapid AI innovation with empathy, ethics, and inclusion of global voices in tech Guest bio: Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne is a global technology executive, product strategist, and award-winning author whose 15+ year career spans Meta, Amazon, Yahoo, Roku, McAfee, and Intel. Her memoir, For Such a Time as This, chronicles her journey from Cameroon to Silicon Valley leadership. Timestamps: 00:00 — Cold open 00:47 — Welcome and guest introduction 01:02 — Redefining success: growing up in Cameroon 04:46 — Coming to the US with $15,000 and a dream 10:11 — Barriers at UC Berkeley and imposter syndrome 15:38 — Failing the prelim, and the professor who changed everything 17:25 — Becoming the first African woman to earn this PhD 20:19 — The courage to write a memoir 21:41 — The story of Esther and "for such a time as this" 29:43 — AI, speed, and the ethics gap in Silicon Valley 39:26 — Where to find Marie-Ange and her book Join the exclusive bonus episode with Marie-Ange on Patreon. Find Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-ange-eyoum-tagne/ Book, For Such a Time as This: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDJDBGQG Website: https://www.forsuchatimebook.com/ Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your own leadership? Take the VOICE assessment to find your starting point: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it cost to keep climbing when you're not sure the ladder is leaning against the right wall? Cynthia Lai spent two decades in multinational banking before a health warning sign forced her to ask that question, and to walk away from a role that looked successful from the outside. In this conversation, Cynthia, a governance advisor, leadership educator, and ICF certified executive coach, joins Lori to talk about: Why high achievers so often ignore the warning signs their bodies are sending them Reframing governance from a system of control into a way of building trust across cultures What it actually takes to navigate an identity shift after leaving a role that defined you How assumptions get in the way of cross-cultural communication, and what to do instead Why resilience means more than "bouncing back," and how mindfulness practices like journaling support it Cynthia Lai is a governance advisor, leadership educator, and ICF certified executive coach with two decades of experience across OCBC, HSBC, and Bank of China. She now helps boards, founders, and senior leaders navigate complexity through clearer governance and more human decision-making, while co-leading MetaOptics, a privacy-preserving AI startup. Timestamps Time Topic 0:00 Welcome and introduction to Cynthia Lai 0:48 The signs high achievers ignore, and what finally wakes them up 2:56 Shifting governance from a system of control to a way of building trust 6:41 Her bold transition from global banking to coaching and advisory 9:56 Listening and leading across cultures, and where assumptions get in the way 13:26 Building resilience that goes deeper than "bouncing back" 17:11 Mindfulness, journaling, and what we lose when we outsource pen to paper 24:39 Staying anchored to your values when everyone else has an agenda for you 28:57 How different cultures approach risk, governance, and accountability 33:39 A blind spot for business travelers in Hong Kong, and the food worth trying 38:26 Join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode with Cynthia here. Where to find Cynthia and connect Find Cynthia Lai at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiakylai/ Brought to you by Brava Global Advisory Wondering where your own leadership might be running on autopilot? Take the free VOICE diagnostic to find out where to start: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Standing disclosures Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move and for a free test on which country is your best fit. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the systems built to help people are quietly deciding who gets to heal and who feels safe enough to even ask? Janelle Miller Moravek has spent 26 years inside that system, and she's not just naming the problem. She's rebuilding it from the ground up. Topic bullets: Why the U.S. behavioral health workforce doesn't reflect the communities it serves, and how decades of low reimbursement rates created the gap The difference between being fluent and being bilingual in therapy, and why cultural nuance can be the line between trust and harm What it actually costs (financially and personally) to become a therapist, and why that pipeline shuts out the people most needed in it How politics, Medicaid policy, and philanthropy collide to determine who gets care Why "hire for curiosity" may matter more than credentials, and how YFC built a staff that reflects its clients (46% Latinx, 81% low-income) Guest bio: Janelle Miller Moravek is the Executive Director of Youth and Family Counseling (YFC), a nonprofit community mental health center near Chicago. Over 26 years, she's built a behavioral health workforce designed to reflect the communities it serves. Timestamps: 00:00 — Intro 01:30 — How the behavioral health workforce shortage happened 05:30 — Why representation in therapy matters 09:00 — The Google Translate story: when "helpful" isn't accurate 14:00 — Money, policy, and the structural barriers to change 21:00 — Politics, privilege, and mental health as a shared issue 25:00 — What YFC has actually built: recruitment, retention, and trust 34:00 — What still needs to change at a systems level 39:00 — Where to find Janelle and YFC's new Behavioral Health Atlas Join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode with Janelle "Power, Purpose, and Payroll: Janelle Miller Moravek's Honest Answer on What Keeps Her Going." Find Janelle at: LinkedIn: Janelle Miller-Moorevec | Website: counselingforall.org Standing disclosures: Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your team or your own leadership? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice to see how we work together and where to start. Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the fastest way through AI transformation is actually to slow down? On this sixth anniversary episode, Lori Adams-Brown unpacks the hidden cost of speed-first AI adoption, and why the leaders who listen before they build are the ones whose people actually stay. EPISODE DESCRIPTION Six years ago I started this podcast because I believed the world needed more curious, human-centered leaders. Today, on our sixth anniversary, I am bringing you one of the most important solo episodes I have ever recorded. The AI race is real. The pressure is real. And the cost most organizations are not measuring is also real. In this episode I introduce the Speed Tax: the cumulative cost an organization pays, in trust, adoption, performance, and retention, when it deploys AI at speed without the culture architecture to support it. I share the story of a small nocturnal animal in the forests of Sumatra, the data from a landmark Harvard Business Review study, a proof point from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, and a framework that HR and people strategy leaders can use starting Monday. If you lead people through change, this one is for you. Topic bullets: The story of Kopi Luwak coffee and the Asian palm civet, and what its slow, deliberate selection process teaches us about AI deployment The Speed Tax: the cumulative cost organizations pay in trust, adoption, and retention when AI moves faster than the culture that supports it New research from Harvard Business Review, Boston Consulting Group, and the Henderson Institute on "AI brain fry," including sharply higher rates of poor decision-making and quit intent among overloaded workers The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation: voice before velocity, designing for transfer, building trust architecture, and measuring what actually matters A real case study from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, including a 15% ROI improvement from an AI coaching agent built by listening first Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and the coffee-in-hand grounding ritual 01:44 Why this is a solo episode 03:07 Speed, quality, cost: the leadership triangle 04:49 The Honda Prologue and values-driven decisions 07:02 Kopi Luwak, the civet, and what slow selection teaches us 11:39 Introducing the Speed Tax 12:59 Symptoms: low adoption, eroding trust, transformation fatigue 14:44 The HBR/BCG "AI brain fry" study 17:25 Case study: a Fortune 100 AI hardware company 18:21 Building an AI coaching agent by listening first 20:35 The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation 22:44 Two closing images: the Waymo and the Redwoods 27:15 The Speed Tax Diagnostic and the Slow Down to Win workshop LINKS AND RESOURCES The Speed Tax Diagnostic (free) Take it online, download the PDF, or use it with your team, a free three-question self-assessment to see where your organization is paying the cost of speed right now: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax The Slow Down to Win Workshop Half-day intensive for HR and people strategy leaders. Culture Architecture framework, diagnostic debrief, 90-day action plan: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax Research cited in this episode: Bedard, Kropp, Hsu, Karaman, Hawes, and Rosen Kellerman. "When Using AI Leads to Brain Fry." Harvard Business Review / BCG Henderson Institute. March 2026. (N=1,488 workers) Read the full Substack essay:loriadamsbrown.substack.com Connect with Lori: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown Brava Global Advisory: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources, and join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode for this special 6th anniversary episode where Lori reflects on the 6 years and why coming together to listen and make a difference still matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture two fish swimming in a bowl. One asks the other, how's the water? The second fish replies, what's water? That's culture, says Maria Angela Calmet, and it's exactly why so many leaders never notice the assumptions shaping how their teams communicate, decide, and trust one another. In this episode Why cultural competence is now ranked among the World Economic Forum's top future-of-work skills The tree analogy: why cultural conflict happens at the roots, not the visible leaves and flowers A moment in Egypt that reframed how Maria thinks about trust across cultures Why unconscious bias isn't about being a bad person, it's assuming everyone shares your values What unique cultural dynamics women leaders face across Latin America, and what's changing About Maria Angela Calmet Maria Angela Calmet is the founder of Allopoli, where she helps global teams build cultural competence and identify unconscious bias to reduce conflict and maximize performance. Having lived across Peru, the Netherlands, and the United States, she is also the author of Lideresa, a leadership framework for women across Latin America. Timestamps Time Topic 00:00 Welcome, and the cultures that formed Maria 03:37 What led her to create Allopoli 05:03 Why she wrote Lideresa, and what she shares about her own mistakes 08:55 The two fish and the water metaphor 09:26 Why cultural competence is a top future-of-work skill 09:33 The tree analogy: roots, not leaves 12:55 Egalitarian vs. hierarchical decision-making across cultures 14:04 The moment in Egypt that changed how she thinks about trust 19:15 Four key leadership competencies beyond cultural dimensions 24:25 Unique dynamics facing women leaders in Latin America 32:17 A moment in the Netherlands that reframed directness as kindness 36:23 Closing thoughts: the roots, not just the leaves Find Maria Angela Calmet at Website: https://www.allopoli.com  |  Book: Lideresa, available on Amazon worldwide Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Every leader I talk to on this show is navigating change of some kind. If you want to know where your own alignment gaps are, take the VOICE Framework assessment at https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the traits that get someone labeled difficult in one workplace are exactly what makes them extraordinary in another? Tara May, CEO of Aspiritech, a technology company where more than 90 percent of the team is autistic, joins us to talk about what she calls the ROI of kindness, and why building for neurodivergent talent makes every workplace better. In this episode Why Tara calls it “the ROI of kindness,” and what that means for the bottom line The “spiky cognitive profile” reframe: why focusing only on deficits misses extraordinary strengths A simple workspace fix that removed daily anxiety for one team member, and what it teaches every manager Why psychological safety isn't optional if you actually want a team to innovate One action any listener can take this week to build a more neuro-inclusive team About Tara May Tara May is the CEO of Aspiritech, a Chicago-area technology services company where more than 90 percent of the workforce is autistic, serving clients including JPMorgan Chase, Bose, and Goldman Sachs. A former digital media executive turned neurodiversity advocate, she also leads NeuroGrowth, an educational consultancy helping other organizations build neuro-inclusive workplace cultures. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome, and why Aspiritech's mission is personal for Tara 01:24 Two reasons Tara does this work: her son and her career in digital transformation 03:05 Tara's own diagnosis, and why having needs is not a weakness 08:03 Why “we're human, not superhuman” matters in Silicon Valley 10:03 Support success factors, and the water bottle story 11:46 A simple workspace fix that removed daily anxiety for one team member 12:52 Why neurodivergent talent is so often overlooked 13:20 The “spiky cognitive profile” reframe 17:03 The index card exercise that gave quiet voices a seat at the table 20:44 Universal design, and the canary in the coal mine concept 25:27 Where to start if you want a more neuro-inclusive workplace 27:58 Psychological safety as the foundation of innovation 30:00 Why middle manager training matters so much 35:11 What success looks like at Aspiritech 36:21 A story of a neurodivergent-led app test for children 38:54 One action to take this week Find Tara May at Website: https://aspiritech.org  |  LinkedIn: Tara May Subscribe, leave a review , and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices