Advertise on podcast: Top Voice Podcast with Michael J. López

Michael welcomes leadership and executive coach Katie O’Brien Ceccarini, founder of Endurance Management Coaching and author of the award-winning book Fearless Feedback, to discuss why feedback is hard and how to do it without losing the relationship. Katie shares her path from early education to Yelp and Opendoor, where she trained managers to handle difficult conversations, and introduces her framework: mindset, relationship, and delivery. They cover tactics like swapping the word “feedback” for “information,” building trust through relationship kickoff and reinvestment conversations, naming which “hat” you’re wearing with close colleagues, and clarifying the purpose of a conversation (instance, pattern, or role fit). For receiving feedback, Katie offers “thank, own, ask,” stresses communication preferences, and notes not all feedback must be implemented. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome 02:53 Why Feedback Feels Hard 04:02 Rejection and Identity 06:04 Early Manager Lessons 09:03 Fearless Feedback Framework 10:52 Mindset and Language Shifts 17:11 Close Relationships at Work 21:16 Delivery Purpose Instance Pattern Fit 24:08 Receiving Feedback Well 27:19 Not All Feedback Is Gold 31:28 Relationship Kickoff Conversation 35:27 Key Takeaways and Where to Find 38:31 Closing Question Leadership Story 41:04 Final Thanks Connect with Katie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-ceccarini/ https://www.enduranceboss.com

Michael hosts Brad Kapellas, Site Vice President at Entergy’s Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, for a discussion on nuclear plant operations and the practical science of organizational change. Brad explains the industry’s highly regulated, procedure-driven 24/7 environment, the two-year operating cycle, and the high-stakes refuel outage window, where every offline day can cost roughly $1M in lost generation. He argues culture matters beyond compliance because ownership and vigilance prevent problems, and he describes shifting Grand Gulf’s recovery approach by removing non-value-added oversight, empowering decision-making at the lowest level, and focusing on a few behavior changes sustained over 18–24 months. They recount achieving a 28-day outage with strong safety and performance results, discuss later backsliding when fundamentals were assumed ingrained, and share leadership lessons centered on curiosity, constraints, experimentation, and building capability that endures beyond any one leader. Timestamps: 00:24  Welcome 01:05  Inside Nuclear Operations 04:16  Maintenance and Outage Cycle 06:49  Site VP Leadership Role 08:20  Why Culture Beats Compliance 10:20  Removing Bottlenecks Faster 12:36  Too Much Oversight Trap 15:04  Trust and Empowerment Story 19:09  Refuel Outage Turnaround 24:04  Cost of Downtime Metrics 26:21  Cutting Plans Doing Less 27:47  Behavior Shifts Framework 29:33  Outage Reality Check 31:06  Five Behavior Shifts 32:41  Sustaining Culture Change 35:55  When Momentum Slips 37:12  Change Is A Capability 37:58  Leadership Staying Power 41:44  Reliability Turnaround Story 45:52  Leadership Lessons Learned 52:50  Irrational Decision Question 54:52  Final Thanks Connect with Brad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-kapellas-08265835b/ Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research

Michael welcomes journalist and creator Natalie Campisi to the Top Voice Podcast to discuss reinventing yourself mid-career after repeated industry upheavals. Natalie traces her path from traditional newsrooms and the Associated Press through a pivot into marketing, then back to financial journalism at Bankrate and Forbes before being laid off in 2025 amid widespread media cuts. She explains how today’s moment differs from 2008 due to changing news consumption, SEO’s decline, AI-driven distrust, and the growing value of trusted human personalities. Natalie shares the Gen X “identity crisis” of job loss, redefining success, and choosing independence by building a YouTube channel, pursuing filmmaking, and learning AI tools for production. They discuss perfectionism, making mistakes, networking, asking for help, and practical advice for experienced professionals navigating career pivots. Timestamps: 00:24  Welcome 01:27  Natalie Career Origins 04:27  Layoffs and AI Shift 08:08  What Changed Now 11:21  Identity and Success 15:12  Building YouTube Path 18:45  Embrace Mistakes 23:54  Skills and Networking 27:51  Asking for Help 32:20  Next Steps Ahead 34:23  Key Takeaways 37:45  Mentorship Belief Shift 39:13  Where to Follow 39:43  Closing Connect with Natalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliecampisi/ https://www.youtube.com/@NatalieCampisi

Michael interviews Mark Cuban about disrupting U.S. healthcare through transparency and direct contracting. Cuban explains how CostPlusDrugs.com sells thousands of medications with disclosed costs and a 15% markup, and how CostPlusWellness.com publishes open-source direct contracts employers can use to contract with providers. He outlines how employer-sponsored and self-insured plans work, why big insurers and PBMs create opacity through networks, denials, spread pricing, and gag clauses, and why direct contracting can lower costs while improving provider yields. Cuban describes a step-by-step approach for employers: avoid long renewals, use AI to review contracts, add carve-outs based on claims spending, and consider independent TPAs. He details PBM pushback, brand-drug rebate dynamics, and argues that using AI and contract transparency can squeeze out middlemen over time. Timestamps: 00:24 Intro 00:49 Mark Cuban Joins 01:20 Cost Plus Drugs Explained 03:43 Why Healthcare Is Opaque 06:25 Self Insurance Basics 09:02 Direct Contracting Pitch 14:29 Gag Clauses And Games 16:40 How Wellness Works 19:09 Switching Steps With AI 25:14 Denials And Real Stories 30:14 Pushback From PBMs 32:05 Brand Drug Pricing Breakdown 34:54 Making Drugs Affordable 35:37 PBM Threats Explained 37:24 Cost Plus Transparency Model 38:42 Culture Versus Ethics 40:07 Expose The Contracts 42:14 Contract Terrorism 42:50 Why AI Changes Everything 44:32 Employers Must Own It 47:46 Future Without Middlemen 49:09 Education Next To Disrupt 52:47 Using AI For Advocacy 56:09 Practical Advice and Closing Follow Mark: https://markcubancompanies.com https://www.costplusdrugs.com https://costpluswellness.com

Michael interviews Patrick Cates, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at USC, Marshall School of Business, about the turbulent “new normal” facing higher education amid political pressures, international student compliance shifts, financial strain, layoffs, leadership turnover, and rapid AI-driven change. Cates argues AI is primarily a culture-change issue, noting universities’ slow, brittle structures—like the 1–2 year peer-review lifecycle—are colliding with the speed of AI. He explains why blanket AI policies often fail in distributed power environments and highlights change via respected faculty examples, including Marshall’s early AI pedagogy paper. Reflecting on USC’s post-2018 culture transformation, he emphasizes operationalizing shared values, measuring culture through people-centered indicators, and prioritizing strong, kind leadership, psychological safety, and adaptability as foundations for higher ed’s future. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome 01:27 Meet Patrick Cates 02:48 Higher Ed Turbulence 05:15 Resistance to Change 06:41 Perfect Storm Pressures 10:18 AI as Culture Change 13:59 How Universities Adapt 18:00 USC Culture Journey 20:30 Making Values Real 29:49 Measuring Culture Health 34:56 Culture Over AI 37:04 Psychological Safety 40:27 Key Takeaways 43:09 Walk Up Song 44:18 Where to Connect 44:55 Closing Connect with Patrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcates/ Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research

Michael welcomes Naphtali Bryant, managing principal consultant at RAC Leadership and former US Marine and chief people officer, to discuss the “curse of competence” and how leaders become bottlenecks by continuing to solve, edit, and rescue instead of building team capability. Naphtali explains that promotions often reward past competence, but leadership requires shifting from having answers to developing others, using the question “Whose growth does this moment belong to?” They cover how dependence shrinks ownership and initiative, why “my team needs to step up” can mean the leader must step back, and practical tactics like restraint, better questions, and telling hard truths. They also discuss culture, leadership inflection points, AI’s impact on leadership value, and when staying an individual contributor may be the best path. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome 01:10 Meet Naphtali Bryant 02:39 Marine Corps to Tech Journey 05:38 Defining the Curse 08:45 Whose Growth Is It 11:05 Ego and Restraint 13:10 Inflection Points Mirror 16:03 How Leaders Get Stuck 19:22 Culture and Echo 23:32 Top Down to AI Shift 25:54 AI Changes Leadership Value 28:15 IC vs Leader Path 31:06 Key Takeaways and Closing Connect with Naphtali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naphtalibryant/ https://racleadership.com Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research

Michael hosts Aditi Joshi, an emergency medicine physician turned digital health leader, to discuss the evolution and adoption challenges of telemedicine and broader healthcare technology. Aditi recounts entering telemedicine in 2013, scaling programs through the pandemic, and now consulting on digital health adoption and scaling. They cover why patients generally like telehealth, why many health tech startups fail due to slow health-system implementation and clinician behavior change, and how required usage plus department-level ownership helped scale telemedicine at Jefferson. They also discuss AI in healthcare, distinguishing administrative “back-end” uses from clinical “front-end” advice, and why confidence, trust, and messaging affect adoption. Aditi shares her book, “Telehealth Success,” and key takeaways on implementation strategy and understanding end users. Timestamps: 00:24  Welcome and Setup 01:24  Aditi's Telehealth Journey 02:46  Telemedicine Then to Now 04:56  What Patients Really Want 07:07  Why Health Tech Fails 10:40  Clinician Adoption Barriers 16:34  Scaling Across Hospitals 21:02  AI Hype vs Reality 27:19  AI Telehealth Agents 29:01  Book and Consulting Work 31:37  Cost Savings and Incentives 34:00  Key Takeaways and Closing Connect with Aditi: https://draditiujoshi.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-aditi-joshi/ Aditis book: https://a.co/d/08473ukY Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research

Michael interviews Doug Milliken, former Clorox VP of Marketing and now partner at Kremer & Milliken, a consultancy focused on helping large companies understand and evolve organizational culture to improve performance. Milliken argues culture—defined as behavior and how work gets done—is a primary driver of operating profit and a capability leaders can intentionally manage. He discusses driving change as an “outsider-insider,” a Clorox decision-making initiative where teams discovered faster, Agile-like approaches by gaining agency and clarifying what decision-makers actually needed, and his experience leading Clorox’s digital transformation by building psychological safety, achieving zero attrition, record engagement, and 3x expected financial returns. They also explore rising change fatigue from overlapping transformations (including AI) and efforts to build teams’ capacity to absorb change. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:27 Career and Culture Focus 04:11 Outsider Insider Change Agent 07:13 Decision Making Transformation Story 13:29 Culture as Capital Capability 18:10 Winning Over Skeptical Leaders 22:19 Digital Transformation Culture Proof 27:08 Change Fatigue in the AI Era 34:08 Key Takeaways on Culture 36:47 Hardest Career Pivot Lesson 40:31 Where to Find Doug and Closing Connect with Doug: https://creamerandmilliken.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-milliken-3798a01/ Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research

Michael interviews keynote speaker and USA Today bestselling author Simone Knego about her new book, Real Confidence, and why confidence is built like a skill rather than something you’re born with. Simone shares her journey as a mom of six, becoming a grandmother, and a pivotal 2015 decision to climb Mount Kilimanjaro that helped her reframe self-doubt and capability. She explains her REAL method—Respect yourself, Embrace your failures, Ask yourself what you want, and Live without limits—plus a practical “control-alt-delete” reset to change unhelpful thoughts and habits. They discuss high achievers’ confidence gaps, dropping “just” from self-talk, psychological safety and connection at work, and how leaders can use AI without losing human culture. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:23 Simone Journey and Book 03:29 Kilimanjaro Confidence Shift 06:12 Reframing Self Worth 06:54 The Confidence Gap 08:35 REAL Method Overview 09:17 Respect Yourself First 10:40 Embrace Failure to Grow 13:01 Ask What You Want 17:20 Living Without Limits 18:47 Control Alt Delete Method 20:08 Rewrite Your Inner Story 21:35 Thrive At Work Teams 24:17 Imposter Syndrome Promotions 27:06 Drop The Just Rule 29:38 Three Confidence Takeaways 31:23 AI And Company Culture 33:18 AI Confidence Risks 34:43 Where To Find Simone 35:14 Final Thanks And Wrap Connect with Simone: https://simoneknego.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/simoneknego/

Michael hosts a special panel episode of the Top Voice Podcast with Zensai leaders Nina Carøe (Chief Human Success Officer), Robin Daniels (Chief Business Officer, repeat guest), and CEO Rasmus Holst to discuss their book The Human Success Playbook and the future of the human-AI experience at work. They explain why Zensai positions itself around “human success” rather than traditional HR, focusing on building high-performance teams through learning, performance, and engagement, and introducing a Human Success Score to give executives a shared language. The conversation covers constant change since COVID, disengagement trends, treating AI as a tool and potential “team member,” and the need for clarity to avoid chaos. They contrast old hierarchical structures with a value-stream “diamond,” emphasize simple values (“human” and “success”), and share practical leadership advice, ending with where to find the book on Amazon and connect via LinkedIn and zensai.com. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome and First Panel 01:25 Meet the Guests 03:55 What Zensai Does 05:30 Why Human Success Now 07:06 From HR to Human Success 09:45 Inside the Human Success Playbook 12:11 CEO View No Map for AI 15:40 Chief Human Success Officer 20:33 Culture AI and Clarity 25:36 Hard Choices and Governance 26:17 Hard Cuts vs People 26:58 Why Teams Win 28:43 Rethinking Value Creation 30:15 Map Not GPS Leadership 31:47 From Hierarchy to Diamond 33:48 Values Human and Success 36:58 Why a Leadership Fable 40:38 One Action This Week 42:34 Sensei Future Vision 45:00 Unlearning for AI 47:15 Where to Find the Book 47:50 Closing Thanks and Wrap Connect with Zensai panel: https://zensai.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmusholst/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninaelisabethcaroe/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/robingdaniels/ Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research

Michael talks with labor economist Sania Khan about interim findings from their joint research on AI pilots and why many are stalling. Sania shares her background from the White House, Capitol Hill, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to serving as chief economist at a unicorn AI company, and explains why leaders must consider workforce strategy as AI transforms tasks across industries. They discuss common failures such as whiplash directives, unclear “why,” token-cost surprises, data access and compliance constraints, and a bifurcated tool experience between leaders and employees. They also cover entry-level hiring slowdowns, workforce opt-outs, rising entrepreneurship, and the need to measure outcomes beyond cost savings. Key takeaways include redesigning workflows, choosing better KPIs, and involving workers early to build trust and adoption. Timestamps: 00:24  Welcome and Setup 01:10 Meet Sania Khan 03:12 AI and Jobs Outlook 06:13 Research Collaboration 08:10 Early Pilot Findings 10:21 Data Access Roadblocks 13:08 Entry Level Pipeline 15:57 Hiring Slowdown and Entrepreneurship 18:21 Measuring AI Value 23:31 AI as a Culture Mirror 27:02 Three Takeaways for Leaders 30:42 Closing Connect with Sania: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sania-khan1/ https://www.inflectionpointstrategy.co

Michael talks with Cherian Koshy about his book Neurogiving and how neuroscience and behavioral science explain generosity and decision-making. Koshy, a longtime nonprofit professional, says the goal isn’t to manufacture generosity but to create conditions that make giving easier, emphasizing choice architecture, identity, belonging, emotion, and trust. He explains why metrics and “the business case” often fail, describing decision “gates” such as affective reasoning, identity alignment, and the identifiable individual effect, and argues that logic comes last. They discuss how nonprofits and companies should resequence outreach to prioritize relationship and trust-building, why transactional “pitch-first” approaches backfire, and how AI-driven growth tactics can burn trust and retention. Timestamps: 00:24  Welcome 01:08  Meet Cherian Koshy 01:37  Why Neurogiving Exists 03:11  Early Fundraising Lessons 07:47  Innate Altruism Explained 13:07  Why Metrics Fail 19:33  Resequencing Trust First 25:47  AI and Trust Cliff 29:30  Key Takeaways on Generosity 35:06  Closing Connect with Cherian: https://www.cheriankoshy.com https://www.labnotes.neurogivingbook.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheriankoshy/

Michael interviews keynote speaker and seven-time author Charlene Li about her new book and 12-week program focused on leading AI through leadership and strategy rather than technology explanations. Li and co-author Katia Welsh outline a playbook that starts with existing business strategy and builds an AI roadmap to create value over a rolling 18-month horizon, updating quarterly while keeping strategy “in ink” and tactics “in pencil.” They discuss why organizations overthink AI strategy but under-execute, the need to make AI use safe and expected, provide time to practice, and have leaders model usage to reduce stigma. Li describes leaders’ “AI hesitation gap” between FOMO and fear, emphasizes AI fluency through practice, and frames value creation as engagement, productivity, and reinvention supported by governance and coordinated enterprise efforts. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome 01:30 Book Focus Leading AI 02:48 Why a Strategic Playbook 04:10 No AI Strategy Needed 06:32 Rolling 18 Month Roadmap 09:17 Why Execution Stalls 11:56 Employee Fears and Trust 13:52 Leadership FOMO vs FOGI 16:58 Build AI Fluency Fast 19:13 Tools Access and Practicality 22:17 Training AI With Context 24:08 12 Week Sprint Foundations 27:09 Efficiency to Reinvention 30:22 Three Key Takeaways 32:11 Career Inflection Point Story 33:48 Closing Connect with Charlene: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleneli/ https://charleneli.com

On the Top Voice podcast Shawn Gregoire shares his journey from homelessness in Houston after dropping out of Rutgers to finding stability through 14.5 years in the Air Force, teaching himself coding in 2021, and later completing an executive MBA at Brown University and IE Business School. After leaving the service in 2023, moving to the DC area, and taking a Department of the Navy role, Shawn is laid off during probationary employee cuts when veterans are no longer exempt, prompting him to found Capstone Tech. He explains how his company builds products to support people navigating a fragmented workforce—starting nonprofits, switching industries, or launching businesses—and how experiences in South Africa shaped his focus on expanding access to opportunity. Shawn discusses redefining security as doing meaningful work while prioritizing family and health. Timestamps: 00:24 Welcome 01:16 Shawn Background Overview 02:54 Early Life and Loss 04:20 Homeless in Houston 06:30 Mindset in Survival Mode 09:31 Federal Layoff Shock 12:15 Turning Layoff Into Purpose 14:31 What Capstone Tech Builds 16:11 South Africa Entrepreneur Lesson 22:37 Leadership Through Vulnerability 25:05 Redefining Security and Family 28:35 Advice for Big Leaps 32:24 Closing Connect with Shawn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-gregoire/ https://capstoneworkforce.com https://www.capstonetech.co

Michael interviews Ehsan Ehtesad, organizational psychologist and co-founder/CEO of Mia Science, about building healthy, high-performance teams by focusing on recharging rather than constant intensity. Drawing on nearly 400 interviews with CEOs, surgeons, and champions, Ehsan contrasts time management with energy management and argues that effective recovery comes from doing the opposite of what drains you at work. They discuss sustaining excellence as a marathon, resting along the way, using rhythms of focus and recovery, and leaders’ responsibility to create supportive cultures where people can communicate low energy without judgment. Ehsan shares metaphors about charging batteries and leaders as thermostats, and recommends writing a personal recharging plan on good days for use on bad days. Timestamps: 00:24  Welcome 01:12  Meet Ehsan Ehtesad 02:18  Why Workplaces Matter 04:01  400 Interviews Insights 05:34  Energy Over Time 06:46  Opposite Recharge Rule 08:57  Redefining Productivity 09:50  Marathon Pace and Cycles 12:30  Rest on the Way 14:16  Team Energy Language 17:53  Support Not Judgment 23:51  Rituals and Thermostat 28:53  Intentional Culture Systems 30:22  Personal Recharge Plan 32:13  Funeral Message Question 34:11  Where to Follow Ehsan 35:07  Closing Connect with Ehsan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehsanetezad/ https://ehsanetezad.com https://www.youtube.com/@EhsanEtezad https://www.instagram.com/ehsanetezad/ https://x.com/EhsanEtezad Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research