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Dr. Brent Ridge is the co-founder of Beekman 1802, a skin health brand that began with goat milk soap made at a dining room table and scaled into a nationally recognized business with a devoted community. Brent trained in medicine (geriatrics), built his career in New York City, and even helped launch Martha Stewart’s Healthy Living division—before a recession, a rundown farm, and a herd of goats rewrote his path. He’s also the co-author of G.O.A.T. Wisdom, a new book that distills Beekman’s hard-won lessons into practical principles for entrepreneurs who want to build something that lasts. In this conversation, you’ll learn how to spot real trends before they’re named, build a brand identity customers can feel in seconds, and turn a purpose like kindness into a measurable operating system—not just marketing. In this episode we cover: Why “the true measure of authenticity is longevity” (and how brands lose trust chasing viral moments)The Beekman origin story: layoffs, a farm, goats—and turning constraints into a strategy advantageA simple but powerful strategic question: “Where does this not exist?” (and how it opened the luxury door)Trend sensing without getting trapped by algorithms: building your own daily “signal system”How defining your company as “skin health” (not “beauty”) changes everything—from product to positioningTurning kindness into culture, community, and commercial momentum (inside the company and out) 00:00 Introduction to Out Thinkers Podcast 00:30 Defining Authenticity in Business 01:23 Meet Dr. Brent Ridge: From Medicine to Entrepreneurship 02:01 The Birth of Beekman 1802 02:36 Building a Brand with Kindness 04:56 Early Life and Career of Dr. Brent Ridge 07:02 Strategic Moves: From Medicine to Martha Stewart 08:26 Launching the Martha Stewart Center for Living 18:08 The Power of Personal Branding and Sales 21:22 Navigating Trends and Building Legacy 25:01 Seeing Trends in Unlikely Places 26:30 The Birth of Beekman 1802 28:26 The Science Behind Goat Milk 30:32 Rebranding as a Skin Health Company 31:35 The Power of Brand Identity 37:57 Building a Culture of Kindness 40:43 The Kindness Ecosystem 48:22 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Additional Resources Book: G.O.A.T. Wisdom (Brent Ridge)Beekman 1802: https://beekman1802.com/Brent Ridge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-ridge-md-0641791/Kindness Research Foundation: https://www.kindness.orgThank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Jana Werner is a global executive advisor and Executive in Residence at Amazon Web Services, where she works with Fortune 500 leadership teams on organizational transformation and enterprise strategy. She holds a PhD in uncertainty dynamics in projects and has contributed to academic research and teaching at institutions including Oxford and the London School of Economics. Phil Le-Brun spent 31 years at McDonald’s, serving as International CIO and leading technology delivery across more than 120 countries. He is now an Executive in Residence at AWS, serving as an enterprise strategist and evangelist, with advanced degrees in systems thinking. Together, they are the authors of The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation. Most large companies still operate like machines. Rigid hierarchies, tight controls, and permission-based decision making may deliver predictability, but they quietly kill ownership, learning, and innovation. By contrast, the most adaptive organizations operate more like living systems, distributing intelligence, empowering teams, and enabling continuous transformation. Companies like Amazon demonstrate how decentralization, clarity, and ownership can create alignment rather than chaos. This episode explores how leaders can replace command-and-control structures with environments where innovation becomes everyone’s job. In this episode we cover Why the “organization as a machine” model is breaking downThe Octopus Organization metaphor and distributed intelligence in actionHow clarity and context enable decentralized decision-makingOwnership vs permission and the pigs-and-chickens lessonWhy real innovation must be embedded across every layer of the organizationHow curiosity and intelligent failure drive continuous transformation Episode Timeline 00:00 Highlight and introduction to the Octopus Organization 02:00 Guest introductions and background 04:30 If you really know me… personal stories from Jana and Phil 07:40 Defining strategy as choice and what not to do 10:00 Tin Man vs Octopus organizations 13:30 How decentralization increases alignment 16:00 Ownership, permission, and single-threaded leadership 20:00 Amazon leadership principles and disagree-and-commit 22:30 Creating organizational clarity at scale 26:00 Focus, subtraction, and the mountaineering story 28:30 Durable needs and strategy at Amazon 30:30 Complicated vs complex systems in transformation 33:00 Curiosity, experimentation, and intelligent failure 36:00 The monkey-on-a-pedestal lesson 38:00 Centralized vs decentralized innovation 41:00 Lighting a thousand fires and continuous transformation 44:00 Why this model outperforms traditional change programs 45:30 Where to learn more and connect with the authors Additional Resources Book: The Octopus Organization Website: https://www.theoctopusorganization.com Jana Werner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janawerner1/ Phil LeBrun LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillebrun/ Watch now on Youtube: https://youtu.be/qcD2GmX5uUI Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Mark Thompson is a CEO coach and author of CEO Ready. Born and raised in Silicon Valley and now working across emerging tech hubs, Mark prepares leaders for the leap from elite operator to enterprise chief. He’s worked with CEOs ranging from Richard Branson and Evan Sharp (co-founder of Pinterest) to Dr. Jim Yong Kim (former president of the World Bank) and Dave Chang (founder of Momofuku). Most executives assume the CEO seat is the natural “next step” for the highest performer. But Mark argues you earn readiness twice: first by delivering results, and then by winning belief outside your swim lane. In other words, performance gets you shortlisted—but it doesn’t get you selected. In this episode, Mark lays out the seven stakeholders who decide your fate as a CEO candidate (the board, investors/owners, peers, employees, customers, the current CEO, and you). We talk about what each group actually wants, how to build trust across the enterprise, and why the best CEO candidates develop “conversational fluency” across functions so they can lead beyond their lane. In this episode we cover: •Why “elite performance” only gets you halfway to CEO—and what earns belief the second time •The seven stakeholders who decide CEO readiness (and how to build a plan for each one) •How to show up to the board as more than a functional expert •Turning peers into partners (before the role forces the shift) •Building fluency across functions so you can lead the whole enterprise—not just your function Episode Timeline: 00:00 Introduction to Outthinkers Podcast 01:23 Meet Mark Thompson: CEO Coach and Author 02:06 The Seven Stakeholders of CEO Success 02:42 Mark's Unique Coaching Methods 04:10 Personal Insights and Strategy Definition 06:30 The Reality of Becoming a CEO 08:58 Navigating Board Dynamics 20:57 Interacting with the Board: Key Strategies for Aspiring CEOs 21:28 Listening and Broadening Your Perspective 22:44 Understanding the Role of Strategy Officers 26:36 Navigating Peer Dynamics and Leadership Transition 33:03 Building Relationships with the CEO 35:44 Engaging with Investors and Owners 39:56 The Importance of Customer Influence 44:17 Final Thoughts and Resources for Aspiring CEOs Additional Resources: •Mark Thompson: Chief Executive Alliance — https://chieexecutivealliance.com Watch now on Youtube: https://youtu.be/wuh4Rn7erxU Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Bill George is one of the most influential leadership thinkers of our time. A former CEO of Medtronic and long-time Harvard Business School professor, he’s served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, and the Mayo Clinic. His books including True North and True North: Emerging Leader Edition—have shaped how thousands of leaders approach purpose, values, and character. When performance pressure rises, it’s easy for leaders to drift from their values chasing quarterly metrics, external validation, and “style” over substance. Bill argues the opposite: sustainable performance springs from purpose, self-awareness, and a culture people believe in. We explore how to stay grounded as expectations, visibility, and success scale. You’ll learn how authentic leaders make the hard calls without becoming “nice at the expense of necessary,” choose metrics that drive meaning (not gaming), and build teams that keep you honest, learning, and aligned. In this episode we cover: •Authentic leadership: what it is and isn’t •Purpose-first strategy •The Medtronic metric: measuring outcomes people feel, not just inputs •Making tough people & portfolio decisions without losing your values •Building your leadership circle for honest feedback & growth •Short-term vs. long-term: preventing KPI gaming and hollow wins Episode Timeline 00:00 Introduction to Outthinkers Podcast 00:35 Bill George on Medtronic's Impact 01:40 Bill George's Leadership Journey 05:00 Defining Strategy and Purpose 10:32 Authentic Leadership Explained 12:45 Challenges and Examples of Leadership 16:04 Personal Growth and Leadership 20:53 Developing Self-Awareness as a Leader 22:15 Facing Crucibles: Overcoming Tough Times 23:47 Exercises for Self-Discovery 25:33 The Power of Small Groups 27:32 Long-Standing Support Systems 29:28 Assessing Leadership Values 33:01 Effective Metrics for Leadership 39:56 Engaging with Bill George Additional Resources •Bill George — Website: https://www.billgeorge.org •LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwgeorge/ •Book: True North: Emerging Leader Edition •Book: True North •Kaihan Krippendorff: https://www.outthinker.com Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Meet Jon Levy — behavioral scientist and author of Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius and the NYT/WSJ bestseller You’re Invited. Jon has spent years studying human behavior and leadership mechanics, advising companies on how to build teams that actually perform—beyond leadership myths and buzzwords. We often hire “A-players,” roll out values, and assume great leadership traits will carry us. Then reality hits: strategy doesn’t execute itself—teams do. Jon explains why the smallest unit of performance is the team, why stacking stars backfires, and how culture and language shape what people actually do. If you’re trying to align leaders who don’t buy the data, this one’s for you. You’ll learn how to engineer collective intelligence—the practical habits, roles, and rituals that raise a team’s game, how to recruit and empower “glue players,” and how to make strategy felt when spreadsheets won’t persuade. In this episode we cover: Culture as operating system: the sayings, status cues, and rituals that drive behavior (Apple’s “surprise and delight,” LEGO’s “fireside”).Bursty communication: why teams should “work together, then work apart” to boost problem-solving.Glue players: high-EQ, team-first multipliers (and why too many stars tank performance).Make the implicit explicit: roles, skills, and “player cards” that speed decisions.Trust, not traits: honesty, competence, benevolence—and dealing with the dark tetrad at work.When data won’t convince: crafting a narrative that makes people feel the better future. Episode Timeline 00:00 Introduction  00:36 Coming Up... 01:47 Unpacking Team Intelligence with John Levy 02:47 Insights on Leadership and Team Dynamics 05:13 The Role of Culture in Organizations 13:49 The Impact of Language on Behavior 16:54 The Concept of Glue Players 18:14 The Key to Predicting Success in Basketball 19:02 Characteristics of Glue Players 21:25 The Importance of Team Dynamics 23:49 The Antwerp Diamond Heist: A Lesson in Teamwork 27:52 Making Implicit Knowledge Explicit 29:36 The Dark Side of Team Dynamics 31:29 Understanding Trust in Teams 34:06 The Role of Emotion in Strategy 35:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Additional Resources Jon Levy — Website: https://www.jonlevy.comBook: https://www.jonlevy.com/team-intelligenceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlevytlbThank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Christina Farr is an investor, startup advisor, and former health-tech journalist. She’s the author of The Storyteller’s Advantage: How Powerful Narratives Make Businesses Thrive and the creator of the Second Opinion newsletter, where she decodes healthcare and technology for leaders. Most leaders try to move markets with features, roadmaps, and metrics. But the winners often move them with narrative—stories that rally investors, customers, and teams to build the future with them. Christina unpacks how great storytellers create belief that becomes momentum. You’ll learn a simple framework to make your strategy legible and compelling, how to pick the right plot for your message, and practical ways to craft origin stories, pitch decks, and CEO communications that persuade. In this episode we cover: The SOAP framework: Surprise, Openness, Authenticity, PathosSeven classic plots for business (from David vs. Goliath to Rebirth) and when to use eachCase studies: PillPack vs. incumbents; Apple’s comeback; Microsoft’s reinvention; WeWork’s cautionary taleFundraising and sales: decks that move capital and customersLeading in tense moments: speaking to charged issues without fracturing culture Episode Timeline: 00:00 – Highlight from today’s episode 01:05 – Introducing Christina + the power of narrative in business 03:05 – “If you really know me…” 04:20 – What is strategy? Story as prognostication 07:10 – Why story beats data alone in pitches, sales, and retention 10:55 – The SOAP framework (Surprise, Openness, Authenticity, Pathos) 18:40 – Engineering surprise; calibrating vulnerability 22:00 – Seven plots leaders can borrow (with modern brand examples) 28:45 – Case study: PillPack’s David vs. Goliath playbook 32:40 – Rebirths and tragedies: Apple, Microsoft, WeWork 36:10 – Origin stories that travel (and ones that don’t) 38:10 – CEO comms on divisive topics, without breaking culture 39:20 – Where to learn more from Christina Additional Resources: Book: The Storyteller’s Advantage — Christina Farr (Basic Venture) -https://basic-venture.com/titles/christina-farr/the-storytellers-advantage/9781541704299/Newsletter: Second Opinion - https://secondopinion.media/Christina Farr on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

In this special in-person conversation recorded at Adobe’s global headquarters, host Kaihan Krippendorff sits down with Malte Bernholz, Vice President of Strategy and Incubation at Adobe. Malte brings a unique lens, combining years of experience in consulting and technology leadership, to unpack what might be the most significant technological shift of our lifetime. Together, Kaihan and Malte explore: The macro forces and creative trends redefining industries in the age of AIWhy this moment rivals—and perhaps surpasses—the dot-com boom in its impactHow AI is both lowering the floor of creativity, making it easier for anyone to create, and raising the ceiling, expanding what’s possible for professionalsHow personalization at scale is transforming customer experiencesAnd what this means for the future of brands, creativity, and human originalityIt’s a conversation about courage, imagination, and leadership at the edge of technological change. And for the first time, you can watch this conversation as well as listen—check out the video version on Outthinker.com or YouTube. Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Mark Crowley is a longtime financial services leader who led consistently top-performing teams over a 25-year career. He’s the author of Lead From the Heart and the newly released The Power of Employee Well-being, a frequent contributor to Fast Company, and host of the Lead From the Heart podcast. In 2013, Mark was the first to publicize Gallup’s finding that only 30% of U.S. employees were engaged—helping ignite a decade-long debate about what truly drives performance. In this conversation, we explore why feelings and emotions—not dashboards—drive behavior, how the heart–brain connection shapes decisions at work, and why belonging outperforms “boss quality” as a predictor of retention. Mark connects lived leadership to research—from Oxford’s wellbeing–productivity link to HeartMath’s work on coherence—and shows how caring (not coddling) creates the conditions for sustained results. Whether you lead a business unit, a project team, or a transformation office, this episode will reframe how you raise performance by raising wellbeing—with specific, near-term moves any leader can make this week. In this episode we cover: Why traditional engagement efforts flatline—and why wellbeing is the more powerful lever for performanceThe Oxford evidence: how self-reported wellbeing maps directly to productivity in real workBelonging > boss quality as a driver of retention—and how leaders actually build itCaring vs. being nice: creating psychological and emotional safety without lowering the barA practical definition of strategy: know where you’re going, plan with rigor, pivot fast when reality disagrees Episode Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 01:10 – Guest introduction and the case for feelings over dashboards 03:05 – “If you really know me…” and how Mark learned to lead from the heart 06:45 – Managing differently: proof from 25 years of top-performing teams 09:30 – Mark’s definition of strategy: plan hard, pivot faster 12:20 – Why wellbeing (not satisfaction) sets the stage for peak performance 15:10 – What wellbeing actually is—and why managers determine most of it 18:05 – Up to 95% of behavior is emotion-driven: implications for leaders 20:30 – Engagement stalled; the Oxford call-center study on wellbeing → productivity 25:40 – Caring vs. nice; HeartMath and the science of coherence 31:00 – Selecting and developing leaders who elevate others (not just individual stars) 36:10 – Belonging as the #1 driver of retention—and how to create it 39:20 – Where to start: know yourself, clarify values, design team-first systems 42:15 – Reward the team first (then individuals) to eliminate zero-sum competition 44:10 – How to keep learning from Mark + close Additional Resources: Website: https://markccrowley.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markccrowleyBooks: Lead From the Heart; The Power of Employee WellbeingPodcast: Lead From the Heart Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Eddie Fishman is a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, adjunct professor of International & Public Affairs, and author of Choke Points: How the Global Economy Became a Weapon of War. A former U.S. State Department strategist, he served on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and led Russia/Europe sanctions policy—bringing a rare, in-the-room perspective to how economic power really works. In this conversation, we trace how “choke points”—where one nation dominates and substitutes are scarce—have turned minerals, microchips, and money flows into the quiet weapons of great-power rivalry. Eddie unpacks the geo-economic “impossible trinity”—why you can’t maximize interdependence, economic security, and geopolitical calm all at once—and what that trade-off means for leaders making bets on AI, batteries, and supply chains. Whether you’re steering strategy, procurement, or policy, this episode will change how you spot fragile dependencies, anticipate where pressure will build next, and engage policymakers before the rules harden around you. In this episode we cover: Why a true “choke point” = dominance plus low substitutability The geo-economic impossible trinity and its implications for business strategyWhere the next choke points may emerge: AI compute, batteries/EVs, and the energy transitionThe firm’s role: don’t just adapt to policy—shape it (how to engage upstream, practically)Industrial policy realities: U.S. moves on rare earths and semis—benefits, risks, and tolerance for failure Episode Timeline: 00:00 – Cold open: rare earths and leverage 02:00 – Guest introduction and Eddie’s background 05:45 - Strategy as “winning tomorrow,” not just today 07:02 - Defining choke points (dominance + substitution) 11:20 - The “impossible trinity” explained with historical arcs 27:05 - Should firms adapt or shape policy? 30:05 - Emerging choke points: AI chips, batteries, EVs 38:05 - U.S. industrial policy (MP Materials, Intel) and what comes next Additional Resources: Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726149/chokepoints-by-edward-fishman/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/edwardfishman?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-fishman Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Today we’re welcoming back our first-ever guest on the Outthinker Podcast, Scott Anthony—Senior Lecturer at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and one of the world’s leading voices on innovation and transformation. Formerly a senior partner at Innosight, the consultancy founded by Clayton Christensen, Scott has spent decades helping global organizations navigate disruption, build strategic resilience, and create new engines of growth. He’s also the author of eight acclaimed books, including The First Mile, Dual Transformation, and his newest work, Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World. In this discussion, we uncover how disruption has driven human progress for centuries—long before the dawn of Silicon Valley. From the cannon fire that toppled ancient empires to the printing press that democratized knowledge, Scott shows that the forces behind disruption are anything but new. Through stories spanning from gunpowder to generative AI, he reveals how these enduring patterns continue to reshape industries, technologies, and societies today. Listeners will walk away with a richer understanding of how to spot and harness disruption rather than fear it. Scott explains how leaders can use history as a practical playbook—learning to make bold, informed decisions in fast‑changing environments. Whether you’re scaling a business or steering an enterprise through transformation, this is a conversation about seeing beyond the moment to shape what comes next. In this episode we cover: What Clayton Christensen really meant by “disruptive innovation”Why the term is so often misused—and how to tell sustaining vs disruptive innovation apartThe “ghosts” that haunt incumbents: past trauma, rigid habits, and identity fears that block changeWhat leaders can learn from the printing press, steel mini mills, and the iPhoneHow to use history as a lens for seeing disruption before it strikesEpisode Timeline: 00:00 — Highlight from today’s episode  01:10 — Introducing Scott Anthony and today’s topic  04:00 — From consulting to academia: finding no “safe spaces” in the era of AI  09:00 — Defining strategy: “a set of choices to achieve a designed aim”  10:00 — Setting the record straight on Clayton Christensen’s theory  16:30 — Bethlehem Steel, emotional ghosts, and leadership through disruption  21:00 — From gunpowder to AI: how patterns keep repeating  25:00 — The printing press and the unintended consequences of innovation  30:00 — The hero’s journey of innovation—from Julia Child to Steve Jobs  37:00 — Spotting modern disruptors: AI, robotics, and additive manufacturing  41:00 — Where to learn more from Scott Anthony Additional Resources: Book Website: https://www.epicdisruptions.com Scott Anthony’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdanthony/ Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Adam Brotman is the former Chief Digital Officer of Starbucks and Co-CEO of J.Crew, and co‑author of the e‑book AI‑First: The Playbook for a Future‑Proof Business and Brand. At Starbucks, he helped create one of the most admired digital customer experiences in the world and was named Chief Digital Officer of the Year. Today, as co‑founder of Forum3, Adam helps executives navigate the next era of business transformation—one where AI is no longer optional, but foundational. Over the past two years, Adam has interviewed some of the most influential voices shaping artificial intelligence—Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and Ethan Mollick, among others. Through those conversations, he’s uncovered what separates companies that simply experiment with AI from those that truly transform. In this episode, we unpack what it really means to become an AI‑first leader—someone who doesn’t need to code or build models, but who develops the instinct and conviction to guide their teams into this new frontier. In this episode we cover: What it means to be an AI‑first CEO and why it starts with an authentic “aha moment.”Bill Gates’ perspective on AI as a tool for qualitative uplift, not just productivity.The idea of the “middle era” of AI—why it feels messy, and how visionary leaders navigate it.Lessons from Starbucks’ shift from digital‑first to AI‑first thinking.Why the real ROI of AI lies in better decisions, faster, across every function.Episode Timeline:  00:00 — Highlight from today’s episode  01:15 — Introducing Adam + today’s topic  02:30 — The AI‑first mindset: where transformation really begins  06:00 — Bill Gates on why AI is bigger than any past tech shift  10:00 — Quantitative vs. qualitative productivity  12:00 — Inside “the middle era” of AI  16:00 — Defining the AI‑first company and leader  25:00 — Beyond ROI: reframing AI’s value  28:00 — Research insights: why AI improves decision quality  31:00 — From skepticism to the CEO’s “aha” moment  33:00 — What’s next after the middle era  38:00 — Closing reflections + how to keep learning from Adam Additional Resources:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambrotman Book & Company: https://www.forum3.com/ai-first-book Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Our guest today is Julia Austin—former senior leader at Akamai, VMware, and DigitalOcean, with decades of experience helping organizations make the leap from startup to scale. She’s also studied and guided countless founders as a professor at Harvard Business School. Julia now distills those lessons in her new book, After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup. In this conversation you’ll discover what separates ventures that thrive from those that stall. Every company begins with a spark, but too often innovators fall in love with ideas, overbuild too soon, or underestimate the hard realities of scaling and culture. Julia draws from experience spanning tech giants and countless startups to reveal how leaders can move from inspiration to momentum—and sustain innovation even as complexity grows. You’ll learn practical frameworks and stories for transforming early insights into long-term impact. Whether you’re a founder, strategist, or innovator inside an established business, this conversation offers tools for approaching discovery, scaling, and culture design. In this episode we cover: Four types of scrappy experiments every innovator should run: ethnographic, “be the bot,” Wizard of Oz, and low fidelity prototypesHow to know if there’s really a there there in your marketBalancing beachheads and total addressable markets while keeping unit economics in checkBuilding competitive advantages through team, domain expertise, and partnershipsHow to design org structures and cultures that reward experimentation and embrace productive failureEpisode Timeline: 00:00 — Highlight from today’s episode  01:18 — Introducing Julia Austin and today’s topic  04:45 — “If you really know me…” Julia’s art background  06:30 — Julia’s definition of strategy as a “living, breathing map”  09:15 — Lessons from Akamai and VMware on scaling from startup to global enterprise  14:50 — The importance of discovery: why slowing down helps you go faster  21:05 — Four types of experiments: ethnographic, be the bot, Wizard of Oz, low fidelity  33:40 — Testing markets: TAM, beachheads, and unit economics  42:20 — Building competitive advantage beyond the idea  49:15 — Designing cultures that keep innovation alive at scale  55:45 — Why celebrating failure fuels long-term breakthroughs  01:02:10 — Julia’s book After the Idea and how to connect with her Additional Resources: Book Website: https://www.aftertheideabook.com/ Julia Austin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaaustin Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Martin Reeves is Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute and author of The Imagination Machine and his newest book, Like: The Button That Changed the World. A prolific strategist and researcher, Martin is known for uncovering practical lessons from unexpected places and helping leaders rethink innovation for the real world. In this conversation, we trace the surprising story of the “like” button—how a few lines of JavaScript, cultural quirks, and serendipitous accidents reshaped business models, advertising, and even human behavior. Martin reveals why most groundbreaking ideas don’t emerge from lone geniuses, but from messy communities, chance encounters, and recombinations of old ideas into something new. Whether you’re leading innovation at scale or just curious about the unintended consequences of technology, this episode will change how you think about creativity, feedback, and the ripple effects of small decisions. In this episode we cover: Why the “like” button is the ultimate case study in serendipitous innovationHow social signals scale beyond social media into CX, commerce, and B2B servicesThe role of culture, language, and naming in shaping adoption and meaningWhy second-order effects of innovation often matter more than first-order onesA practical lens for spotting and leveraging serendipity inside organizationsEpisode Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – Guest Introduction 03:45 – Toaster Projects and Innovation 06:13 - Origins of the Like Button 08:25 - Cultural History of the Thumbs Up Gesture 14:31 - Multiple Inventors and Facebook's Role 34:27 - Inside the Code: How Likes Work 36:11 - Future Implications of Like Technology Additional Resources: Book Website: LikeBook.orgMartin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-reevesBook: Like: The Button That Changed the World Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

Kurt Miscinski is the co-founder, CEO, and President of Cerity Partners, one of the fastest-growing firms in the wealth management space. Today, Cerity manages over $130 billion in client assets—but it started with a different vision: to create the first truly global, enduring professional services firm in wealth, drawing inspiration from firms like McKinsey and Deloitte, but applying it in a field that historically hasn’t operated that way.   In this conversation, Kurt shares how that vision came to life—not through consolidation, but through a partnership ethos and a language shift that reframed everything from equity to culture. This is a story of architecture: how to build a firm that scales without losing its soul, and how to align incentives, ownership, and strategy to fuel long-term value.  In this episode, we discuss:  How Kurt went from being a CPA and Deutsche Bank executive to founder of a firm redefining wealth advisory Why Cerity’s operating model borrows more from McKinsey than Morgan Stanley—and how that unlocks scale The strategic philosophy behind reinvesting 100% of profits and how it shaped the firm’s culture of ownership How they use mergers to create a better firm, not just a bigger one—and why that distinction matters The role of language in shaping culture, from avoiding the word “employee” to framing every merger as a partnership Episode Timeline: 00:00—Highlight from today's episode 00:55—Introducing Kurt + the topic of today’s episode 02:42—If you really know me, you know that... 05:30—What's your definition of strategy? 06:19—Creating Cerity—the founding story 08:57—Deutsche Bank and McKinsey as inspirations for a services-based business model 16:33—How has Cerity created a culture of partnership within the firm? 26:34—What is Cerity's model for capital allocation? 30:21—Where does the strategy office sit within the organization? 33:33—What are some of the principles that form your competitive differentiators? 37:03—How do you balance and maintain the coordination of the various services offered, as your clients evolve and grow? 41:03—What is your process for reevaluating and expanding your client services? 45:08—Closing ______________________________________________________________ Additional Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtmiscinski Cerity website: https://ceritypartners.com/ Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast

This special episode of Outthinkers was recorded in front of a live audience in NYC and made possible by our friends at LHH, a global leader in HR advisory and talent solutions, trusted by executives around the world to navigate change and lead with confidence. With deep expertise in executive search, leadership development, workforce transformation, and career transition, LHH empowers organizations and their leaders to thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape.  Our guest is none other than Oscar Munoz—former CEO and Chairman of United Airlines, who guided the airline through one of the most significant turnarounds in corporate history. He’s also the author of the acclaimed memoir Turnaround Time, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the human side of executive leadership.  In this candid conversation, Oscar shares deeply personal lessons on leading through crisis, building trust from the ground up, and the enduring power of authenticity. Whether you're leading your organization through change or navigating a career transition, this conversation offers wisdom and inspiration for every step of the journey.  Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening. Follow us at outthinker.com/podcast