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In 2016, a former PEOPLE reporter named Natasha Stoynoff said Donald Trump attacked her during an interview at Mar-a-Lago. Sandra Sobieraj Westfall, the Washington Bureau Chief for PEOPLE Magazine, made a business and editorial decision: She would stand by her friend and colleague. The magazine would cover the President's policies, but it would not cover his family the way it had covered every other First Family. This is the story of that decision... and what happened next. Sandra Sobieraj Westfall spent six years as a White House correspondent for the Associated Press and 20 years at PEOPLE. She went to 24 White House Correspondents' Dinners, flew on Air Force One, and interviewed First Families from both parties. In the first of several conversations, we talk about the night a gunman tried to get into the Washington Hilton, and what Elizabeth Edwards taught her about grief. Content note: This episode quotes President Trump's Access Hollywood remarks about women and discusses sexual assault and may not be suitable for children. President Trump has denied Natasha Stoynoff's account. In this episode: Where Sandra drew the line.Ivanka Trump and "no hard feelings"The morning the "bottom dropped out"Starting over after 20 years: helping people in crisis tell their own storiesThis episode is for leaders facing a values decision with risks associated, and for anyone who has been laid off and wondered what comes next. Top 3 things I learned: Being right doesn't protect your job.You can lose a job without losing your dignity.You get to decide what happens next.Best experienced on YouTube, because Sandra shares hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos: http://www.youtube.com/@StumblingBlocksPodcast Resources mentioned: PEOPLE, "Physically Attacked by Donald Trump: A PEOPLE Writer's Own Harrowing Story" (Oct. 12, 2016)Hillary Rodham Clinton, Something Lost, Something Gained: https://amzn.to/3TP0OgdSandra's company, Storied CommunicationChapters: 0:00:00 Cold open: "We're Team Natasha"0:00:31 Introduction0:03:27 24 White House Correspondents' Dinners0:06:11 Frank, the Secret Service and the freezer0:08:02 The PEOPLE table and Rosario Dawson0:10:04 The worst flacks0:12:36 Her stumble: leaving the AP0:16:32 The decision about Trump0:17:04 Natasha Stoynoff's story0:18:58 Donald Trump's own words0:20:41 Would she do it differently?0:22:51 PEOPLE stops covering politics0:24:23 "No hard feelings"0:26:41 Laid off0:29:59 Starting over0:30:44 Helping people in crisis tell their stories0:33:30 What matters now #Leadership #Decisions #Tradeoffs

Tim Creasey: Chief Innovation Officer, Prosci: How to Lead Change Why do smart, well-run companies keep leading big changes that fail? Tim Creasey has spent 25 years at Prosci studying change management and shares the answer on this podcast. Tim is Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci, the research firm behind the ADKAR Model, one of the most widely used change management frameworks in the world. We talk about why change is so hard for humans, why employees resist even the changes they asked for, and what leaders have to do differently to get people to adopt AI. Tim also walks through the ABCs of sponsorship. Since Prosci's very first study, active and visible sponsorship has been the top contributor to change success, and Tim says it often separates the projects that succeed from the ones that fail by a three-to-one or four-to-one margin. He explains why executives can't delegate AI adoption, why AI is a new operating system rather than another tool, and why you should repeat your core message five to seven times without apologizing for it. In this episode: The ADKAR Model in plain English: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, ReinforcementWhy AI adoption is different: it showed up in our pockets before it showed up at work"That's the way we've always done it" and how to lead an exhausted workforceHumans in the loop, humans leading the loop, and humans drawing the loopsFor CEOs, CHROs, transformation leaders, HR leaders, and change practitioners leading digital transformation or an AI rollout. Top things I learned: Awareness means sharing why, not what. Telling people a change is coming is not the same as helping them understand why it matters. Executives have to use AI themselves in order for their people to follow suit. You can't lead what you haven't touched.Employees want two messengers. They want the business reasons for change from the top and the "what does this mean for me" from their direct supervisor.Resources mentioned: Prosci ADKAR Model Prosci, AI Adoption Across the Enterprise (2026)Tim's ABCs of Leaving Change to ChanceRelated episode: Shalene Gupta of Fast Company and "The Middle Manager's AI Survival Guide"Chapters: 0:00:00 Cold open: the new capability era 00:54 Introduction 0:02:08 What the ADKAR Model is 0:04:34 Knowledge vs. ability: the golf test 0:05:49 Why change is so hard for humans 0:08:03 The cubicle story 0:09:43 Awareness: the number one source of resistance 0:12:07 Why executives must use AI themselves 0:14:00 AI as a digital collaborator 0:17:01 Building a conference app in 90 minutes 0:19:26 AI started at home, not at work 0:21:51 Prosci's benchmarking research 0:23:16 The ABCs of sponsorship 0:24:43 Why leaders should repeat themselves 0:28:03 Trust and change 0:30:39 Advice for a new change leader 0:33:11 Reallocating talent at the speed of AI 0:34:01 Leading exhausted leaders through change Follow Stumbling Blocks and leave a review so other leaders can find the show. #ChangeManagement #Leadership #Transformation #Change #

On 9/11/2001, Scott Stanzel was 28 years old, working his dream job at the White House when Secret Service agents came running down the halls, throwing open doors and shouting at everyone to get out. They had two minutes. For twenty-five years, Scott has said almost nothing publicly about September 11th. "Over the years I've struggled with how to talk about my experiences or even acknowledge that day," he wrote once. This is the first time he has sat for an interview to tell the whole story: Time Chapter 02:36 9:37 a.m. and the phone call about the Pentagon 04:30 Smoke rising over the Old Executive Office Building 08:59 "There's another plane. You have two minutes." 09:53 "Take off your shoes and run" 11:08 The West Exec gates thrown open 11:58 How a 28-year-old landed a White House job 13:18 The crystal clear blue morning 15:30 Calling mom, who was out running errands 17:33 The cell network fails, and Washington switches to BlackBerrys 18:53 Anita and Tim McBride clear a floor for the White House 19:43 10:03 a.m., Shanksville, and the plane that was coming for them 22:11 What the passengers on United 93 pieced together 26:46 What the day was supposed to be: No Child Left Behind 29:20 8:46 a.m., the first plane, and "did the pilot have a heart attack?" 32:16 From national tragedy to act of war 33:27 The car bomb that never happened 37:03 President Bush at Barksdale Air Force Base 38:22 Staff sent home before dark 40:01 The pager, and why Scott went back 42:43 "It honestly felt like we had entered into some dystopian world" 44:56 The president returns, and Ari Fleischer pre-briefs the pool 52:06 Twenty-five years later, what is America's role? 1:00:55 Alone on the phones until five in the morning 1:05:41 "I wanted to make sure that I was worthy of that moment" 1:07:25 Shanksville, September 11, 2002 1:13:31 What he tells his daughters 1:17:55 What he wants all of us to know 1:19:46 One tangible thing you can do to honor the day 1:21:57 To kids who feel dispirited by politics #Leadership #Courage #Heroism #9/11 #NeverForget

Most crisis experts have never actually sat in the room when everything fell apart. Jim Olson has. He was head of communications at US Airways when Flight 1549 landed on the Hudson. He was at Starbucks when its flagship store in Jakarta was bombed. And he was at United Airlines the night Dr. David Dao was dragged off a plane and it became one of the first viral crises in business history. Then the crisis came for him. In 2024 Jim was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma that had spread to his lung and his brain. During treatment he lost his eyesight. He is now legally blind. And he wrote a book about all of it called Tailwind. We talk about the 2am back pain that had no medical explanation and ended up saving his life. The "do hard things" tattoo he got a month before he went blind. And why he now prays in gratitude for the healing that's already happening instead of begging for the healing he wants. If you're carrying something heavy right now, this one is for you. In this episode: 00:00 The monster storm none of us escapes 00:25 Welcome to the Treehouse 02:00 The Dr. David Dao crisis, from the comms chief's chair 06:00 The fog of war, and why the first information is almost always wrong 10:54 Inside the Good Morning America apology 13:00 When your policies get in the way of your values 14:30 Miracle on the Hudson and the three flight attendants nobody named 18:36 The unsung heroes in Jim's own life 20:53 The 2am back pain that saved his life 25:00 Stage 4, and then the brain tumor 29:00 Losing his sight 33:30 "Cancer made me stronger. Blindness made my world brighter." 35:00 Writing Tailwind blind, on short-term disability 38:49 Ambition without purpose is a sailboat without a compass 41:00 Why me? Oscar Munoz and the two kinds of patients 44:49 Faith, gratitude, and a letter to God 47:37 Praying for what's already being made Get Jim's book, Tailwind: https://www.amazon.com/Tailwind-Compass-Turning-Setback-Comeback/dp/B0GXCCZ1QY Hear the Oscar Munoz episode referenced throughout: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oscar-munoz-ceo-united-airlines-why-its-never-too-late/id1849573843?i=1000744337146 Stumbling Blocks explores the stumbles, crises, and formative moments that forge great leaders. Hosted by Jonathan Block and recorded at the Treehouse Studio. Questions? Comments? Email me: [email protected]

Kelli Arena spent her career at CNN telling the public what powerful people would rather keep quiet. She covered the Justice Department, won an Emmy, and reported the Moussaoui trial, the only 9/11 case tried in an American civilian courtroom. After Kelli left journalism, she went into another form of public service, serving as Chief of Communications for the National Security Agency, spending eight years helping the Agency find its voice. Kelli has remade herself across four worlds: journalism, academia, government, and now the nonprofit sector, where she just became President and CEO of the National Cryptologic Foundation. A few things she gets into, worth your time even if you never press play: She took six months of maternity leave, three separate times, as an on-air correspondent. Everyone said it would end her career. It didn't. Younger women in the newsroom started thanking her, because she'd quietly given them permission. She earned back America's trust at the NSA the boring way: Through Consistency. Relationships. A rule that every reporter got a callback within 30 minutes, even when the answer was "no comment." And her advice for anyone starting over: "Listen more than you speak. Every single time I have listened to others before making a decision, it has been a better decision." 0:00:00 The Stumble that nearly ended my career 0:01:33 Meet Kelli Arena 0:02:52 A new chapter: President and CEO of the National Cryptologic Foundation 0:03:25 What cryptology is, and 500,000 open cyber jobs 0:05:30 AI's impact “can't be overstated” 0:07:30 Who gets displaced, and how we reskill them 0:08:40 Getting cyber smart as citizens 0:10:05 Becoming CNN's justice correspondent, then 9/11 0:12:05 Six months of leave, and the warnings that proved false 0:15:00 A day in the life: news as the ultimate team sport 0:18:10 Inside the Moussaoui trial 0:21:45 “I am Al Qaeda”: chaos in the courtroom 0:23:35 Why the jury chose life over death 0:25:16 Laid off: the 2009 budget cuts 0:27:25 Reinvention: teaching journalists to hold power accountable 0:30:15 The women who risked everything just to drive 0:32:50 Advice to young reporters in a hostile climate 0:35:20 A story Jonathan had never told on air 0:38:05 Inside the NSA: secrecy meets a journalist 0:42:00 Taking “no such agency” public 0:43:45 Re-earning America's trust after Snowden 0:48:00 Knowing when it's time to leave 0:49:30 What she's most proud of 0:51:30 Myron Kandel and the bag of work clothes 0:55:10 The reinvention lesson: listen more than you speak New here? Follow Stumbling Blocks so you don't miss what's next. A quick review is the best way to help other leaders find the show.

Shalene Gupta, staff editor for Fast Company's Work Life and Leadership section, interviewed 35 middle managers at some of the biggest companies in the world for her piece "The Middle Manager's AI Survival Guide." What she found is that the contradictory headlines about AI at work aren't actually contradictory. There are two different worlds, and which one you're working in makes a world of difference. One idea sits under all of it, and it matches what I find in my own work. People will walk through almost any change, AI included, when they trust that their leader has their back. In this episode: 0:00:00 The question every manager is asking 0:01:20 The one-line takeaway from the AI Survival Guide 0:02:30 Two universes: the AI race vs. where most of us work 0:04:53 Ethan at Meta: "If you think they'll replace you, they probably will" 0:06:07 The math: a person vs. $200 to $500 a month in tokens 0:07:36 ClickUp's "100x more productive" memo 0:08:40 Are we weighing the human cost? (Dimon at Davos) 0:09:49 What it feels like to be a middle manager today 0:11:48 What the excited managers had in common (and a Georgia-Pacific surprise) 0:14:10 Advice for leaders taking teams through AI 0:16:26 Advice for the rest of us 0:17:07 My takeaway, and a look at next week Links: "The Middle Manager's AI Survival Guide" (Fast Company): https://www.fastcompany.com/91531056/the-middle-managers-ai-survival-guide The Power of Trust, by Sandra Sucher and Shalene Gupta: https://amzn.to/4xdcxUK The Cycle, by Shalene Gupta: https://www.amazon.com/Cycle-Confronting-Pain-Periods-PMDD/dp/1250882893 Shalene Gupta: https://shalenegupta.com Shalene Gupta is the staff editor for Fast Company's Work Life and Leadership section, co-author of The Power of Trust with Harvard's Sandra Sucher, and author of The Cycle. Stumbling Blocks: How Great Leaders Are Made is hosted by Jonathan Block, founder of Block Leadership Group, recorded in the Treehouse Studio in Georgia. If this was worth your time, follow the show and leave a review. It's the best way to help other leaders find it. Next week: Retired Vice Admiral Mark Harnitchek, who led the Defense Logistics Agency, on loss, grief, and leadership as a mirror. I'll see you then on The Stumble.

Dana Perino's new book is called Purple State. It's a political romance novel set in a gerrymandered Wisconsin district, about three young women who discover that love and friendship don't stop at party lines. Coming from the 26th White House Press Secretary and co-host of The Five on Fox News (the most-watched show on cable news!), it's a book worth paying attention to. Especially as we find ourselves more divided than any time in recent history. Dana talks about the personal story behind the book: The time a dear friend said, "Do not pass up the chance to be loved." She almost didn't listen. Dana tells the story of sitting in the Oval Office with President Bush just before walking out to face a press corps hungry over a tell-all memoir from her predecessor. She was furious on his behalf. He told her something about forgiveness that changed her. Purple State is out now. Pick it up today here:* https://amzn.to/4tRzGcZ CHAPTER MARKERS 0:00:00 Welcome to the Treehouse Studio 0:01:13 The 2007 Phone Call 0:02:35 Life After the White House 0:04:58 Purple State: The Book 0:06:59 Why I Wrote a Novel 0:10:42 Wearing Your Politics Lightly 0:12:57 The Oval Office and the Forgiveness Lesson 0:15:52 68% of Young People Won't Date Across Party Lines 0:17:29 Do Not Pass Up the Chance to Be Loved 0:19:00 Peter, the Proposal, and the Open-Ended Ticket 0:20:05 Dinner With the Queen's Staff 0:21:46 There Is Freedom in Being Disciplined 0:23:41 Closing Thoughts on Purple State 0:24:49 Outro KEYWORDS / TAGS Dana Perino, Purple State, leadership, Fox News, The Five, White House Press Secretary, forgiveness, discipline, political fiction, women in leadership, Minute Mentoring, President Bush, Jonathan Block, Stumbling Blocks, career resilience, love, faith *Amazon affiliates receive a small commission from Amazon for purchases made through this link. Commissions do not impact editorial decisions.

Sue Gordon once oversaw 100,000 women and men of the U.S. intelligence community as Deputy Director of National Intelligence, the number two role in American spycraft. She briefed Presidents Reagan, HW Bush, Clinton, W Bush, Obama, and Trump. She managed a $100 billion budget. And in August 2019, she handed Vice President Pence her resignation letter with a handwritten note: "I offer this letter as an act of respect and patriotism, not preference. You should have your team. Godspeed, Sue." Since then, life has come at her hard. Both parents died. Her husband Jim, the love of her life for 43 years, died unexpectedly. She has faced two rounds with cancer, the second one far more deadly than the first. And she says she's the most blessed woman in the world. In this conversation, Sue goes deep on: The U.S. strikes on Iran and what she sees that most Americans don'tWhat the Epstein files actually reveal about how power protects itselfWhy she almost ran for PresidentWhy she quit the CIA with two weeks' notice to be a better momHow the Trump administration publicly excoriated a 40-year career civil servant, and what she chose to do instead of fighting backWhy she thinks America needs to fix a system the Founders never designed for this much speedWhat she wants every woman in a man's world to know, and what she wants the good men to finally do about itThe doorways of grief, and how to move through them This is Sue Gordon in full: the spy, the mom, the widow, the patient, the patriot. Unfiltered. Funny. Occasionally heartbreaking. Always worth your time. Find her podcast, Understandable Insights here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/understandable-insights-information-to-intelligence/id1827249845 Books and Works Mentioned: A Severe Mercy The Price We Pay An Immense Journey Sue's Resignation Letter If this episode is worthy of your time, please share it and leave a review. It's how we grow.

A few times during my two-part interview with Judge and Rebecca Gonzales, they turned the tables on me. They listened. And they drew three stories out of me that I've rarely shared. The first is a story that never made it into the main episodes: the Oval Office advice I didn't want that... changed my life. The second is about what happens when your Quaker mother and your Jewish father sit down together at Hanukkah. The third is about what shaped my decision to work for Attorney General Gonzales as a political appointee. If you haven't heard Parts One and Two yet, start there. This bonus episode will mean more after you've heard their full story. Content warning: Like part 1, this episode touches on childhood trauma and may not be suitable for all listeners. If you'd like to support the show, please follow Stumbling Blocks on your favorite podcast app and leave a review. It's the best way to help other leaders like you.

Part 2 of this exclusive conversation with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his wife Rebecca. It is a conversation about love, political betrayal, faith, and what it means to keep going when the wilderness feels endless. Judge Gonzales describes the political firestorm that ended his time as the nation's top law enforcement officer. What followed were years Rebecca calls "the wilderness." The phone stopped ringing. Friends vanished. Job opportunities disappeared. And the pain was so deep they sat side by side in silence, because words wouldn't come. But strangers showed up in ways you won't expect. And President Bush wrote a handwritten note that says something every leader needs to hear. And eventually, it becomes clear where home is. It's a political love story unlike any you've heard before. If you missed Part 1, start there first: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exclusive-attorney-general-alberto-gonzales-becky-gonzales/id1849573843?i=1000757588087 Next episode: Sue Gordon, 30-year CIA veteran and former Deputy Director of National Intelligence. 0:00:00 Introduction & Part 1 Recap 0:03:30 The U.S. Attorney Scandal 0:07:45 "People Will Do Anything to Get Power" 0:09:50 President Bush Defends His Attorney General 0:11:45 The Call to Resign 0:15:30 The Phone Stopped Ringing 0:18:00 "We're Rich in Love" 0:22:15 President Bush's Handwritten Letter 0:27:30 The Wilderness Years 0:34:15 "It's Got to Work Out" 0:40:50 Finding Home in Nashville 0:45:35 Advice for Your Own Wilderness 0:51:00 Outro & Next Episode Preview TAGS/KEYWORDS: leadership, resilience, Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, George W. Bush, public service, marriage, faith, political crisis, Washington DC, wilderness, Belmont University, trust, Rebecca Gonzales

Excerpts from Attorney General Gonzales and Rebecca Gonzales's interview with Stumbling Blocks on ICE Actions, Immigration, and the Epstein Files Excerpted Quotes from Attorney General Gonzales On ICE Actions and Immigration Based on what I've observed… it seems like we're going through an unprecedented, dangerous time. I worry about what's going on in our country, and I think a lot of Americans are worried about it. The way that we're enforcing immigration today, to me, it sends a terrible message, not just to the American people. It sends a terrible message to people around the world, in terms of what America is today, as opposed to…talking about the value of immigrants and how much they've contributed and why we as a country are stronger and better because we have welcomed immigrants and they're part of the fabric of our society. I don't think that message is out there anymore, and I think that really does sadden me. I think that makes America weaker. I really do. And I think it emboldens our enemies. Hopefully the courts and hopefully Congress will take action and address it. ___________________________ Excerpted Quotes from Attorney General Gonzales On the Epstein Files I think this whole episode is embarrassing. I think it's an embarrassment to this Administration, to the Department of Justice, a complete failure of the Department to abide by the law. That's the role of the Department of Justice — to enforce the law. And here we have a Department that's not doing that. But what appears to be, in some cases, selective redactions and the selective release of documents, drip, drip, drip process, it sends a terrible message. And I think it's legitimate for the American people to wonder, “what are you hiding?” It hurts the image of America, I think, around the world. The way that this has been handled from the very beginning has been a disaster. For the American people, certainly for this Administration, and for the victims.

EXCLUSIVE: This is a story two decades in the making. For the first time since leaving office 19 years ago, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his wife Rebecca Gonzales sat down together for an interview. In Part 1, the Attorney General and Rebecca speak candidly about ICE, immigration, and the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files. They talk about Al's rise from a two-bedroom house in Humble, Texas to the Oval Office, why he chose to make protecting kids from online predators a federal priority even during the global war on terror, and what it was like for Rebecca to navigate 9/11 alone with their boys while Al was at the White House. Underneath the headlines is a story about faith and love and what happens when the President calls and your comfortable life disappears. Part 2 drops next week. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - Belmont University and Rebecca's path to social work 04:51 - On ICE and immigration 08:07 - The Epstein files: a failure by the Justice Department 13:38 - Rebecca's upbringing: Jewish mother, Mormon father 19:06 - Judge Gonzales' origins: son of migrant workers in Houston 22:53 - How Al and Rebecca met (and the Four Seasons bachelor pad) 25:27 - Governor Bush calls: leaving private practice behind 34:21 - Why he still prefers to be called "Judge" 35:45 - Moving to Washington with President Bush 38:57 - Rebecca alone: December 26 to June 42:36 - September 11th: Rebecca's story 44:50 - September 11th: The Judge on the Oval Office porch 52:58 - How 9/11 changed their faith and their family 56:46 - "Put your uniform on": becoming Attorney General 1:00:01 - Financial sacrifice and raising a family under pressure 1:04:31 - Project Safe Childhood: why he fought for kids 1:07:21 - A personal note from your host 1:12:07 - What's coming in Part 2 LINKS: Judge Gonzales' book, "True Faith and Allegiance: A Story of Service and Sacrifice in War and Peace": https://www.amazon.com/True-Faith-Allegiance-Service-Sacrifice/dp/071807887X Project Safe Childhood (U.S. Department of Justice): https://www.justice.gov/psc TAGS/KEYWORDS: leadership, Alberto Gonzales, attorney general, 9/11, Bush administration, immigration, faith, family, White House, Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood, Epstein files, public service, resilience, Rebecca Gonzales

Conor Grennan is CEO of AI Mindset and until recently, Chief AI Architect at NYU Stern School of Business. He's trained teams at Google, NASA, Microsoft, JP Morgan, and many more. He's a New York Times bestselling author, a MasterClass Instructor, co-host of the AI Applied podcast, and a recipient of the Dalai Lama's Unsung Hero of Compassion Award. Conor has become one of the most sought-after speakers and strategists in the AI space. But what's most interesting are the reinventions that brought Conor to AI: moving to Prague at 21 to avoid being ordinary, volunteering in a Nepali orphanage, going back when the children he cared for were re-trafficked, and writing a fantasy novel. We dig into Conor's contrarian take that AI is fundamentally a Change Management issue, not a tech issue. We also cover his best public speaking advice, what he would say with one final tweet, and the one simple thing any leader can do today to start using AI: "Just tell it." TIMESTAMPS: (04:33) Why honest reason Conor kept putting himself in interesting positions (06:23) Moving to Prague at 21 (07:49) Going to Nepal for a pickup line (09:46) Why he went back (12:49) Seeing a need and filling it (13:30) Meeting the Dalai Lama (15:29) How "The Art of Happiness" changed everything — and why he was happiest with nothing (18:57) Coming back to America and what he couldn't bring with him (21:28) How Nepal changed his parenting (23:48) Writing fiction: The Hadley Academy and the introvert revelation (27:51) How NYU Stern's Dean of Students role found him (31:59) Public speaking: why making a small mistake might be the key to winning the audience (37:46) The AI framework that flipped everything (43:24) AI is like electricity, not a light bulb (46:42) AI: just tell it (48:16) One tweet left: "You don't have to do what everybody else does" (50:07) Jonathan's outro — what Conor's story means for leaders navigating reinvention, and a preview of the Attorney General Gonzales episode LINKS: Conor's company — AI Mindset: https://www.ai-mindset.ai/ Conor's podcast — AI Applied (with Jaeden Schafer): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-applied-covering-ai-news-interviews-and-tools/id1669799110 Conor's book — Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal: https://a.co/d/00sGdmLP Conor's book — The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted: https://a.co/d/05icO15V ABOUT: Jonathan Block is a leadership development and change management advisor who has helped hundreds of Fortune 500 leaders navigate C-suite succession, AI adoption, M&A, and organizational transformation. He launched and led PricewaterhouseCoopers' Trust Leadership Institute, reaching 14,000 Fortune 500 executives over 3 years, and driving $2 billion in influenced wins for PwC. He recently founded Block Leadership Group and hosts this podcast to quench his insatiable curiosity about the moments that change great leaders. More: www.blockleadershipgroup.com

In this episode, I welcome Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, the former chief of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and former CEO of World Relief. Admiral Ziemer explains how and why he saved 12 million people from death by malaria, and prevented another 2 billion cases of the disease. He reflects on a life of disciplined service bookended by tragedy, from the 1968 attack in Vietnam that killed his father and left his mother with 18 grenade wounds, to the sudden loss of his wife of 54 years, Jodi. From Admiral Ziemer, you'll learn these 3 things: 1) The surprising note his mom gave him after she landed in an air ambulance at Andrews AFB 2) What it took for him to say "yes" to the call from the White House 3) How to design a life Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 03:40 – Understanding the scale of the world's deadliest disease. 08:31 – The "Decommissioning" of USAID 12:56 – The Drill Instructor’s "Black Book" 15:00 – A Childhood in a Leper Colony 19:19 – Processing the murder of his dad and the capture of his mom. 22:06 – A Note of Gratitude: The incredible moment on a medical transport plane. 26:52 – Returning to Vietnam 31:31 – "I Don’t Coordinate": Negotiating with the Bush White House for authority to get things done. 40:06 – "Go Save Lives": A direct briefing in the Oval Office 46:14 – Alone on Golden Pond: Navigating grief and finding purpose after the death of his wife. 47:31 – The Final Challenge: Design a life around faithfulness. Links: KFF Research  https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/the-trump-administrations-foreign-aid-review-status-of-the-presidents-malaria-initiative-pmi/ CDC Website: PMI Celebrates 15 Years https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/globalhealth/stories/2020/celebrating-15-years.html NIH Report on PMI https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8176495/ Wheaton Magazine: Hope in the Healer https://magazine.wheaton.edu/stories/hope-in-the-healer Remarks upon Receiving the Roger E Joseph Prize https://www.rogerejosephprize.org/2015 Jodi Ziemer Obituary https://vacremationsociety.com/obituary/gene-joanne-jodi-ziemer/ Admiral Tim Ziemer: Rallying the World to Defeat Malaria https://medium.com/@PMIgov/rallying-the-world-to-defeat-malaria-4c2b63f231e2 New York Times: The Malaria Fighter https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/science/a-quiet-approach-to-bringing-down-malaria.html PHOTO BY GREG KAHN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

A conversation with former Reuters Canada Bureau Chief Steve Scherer on job displacement, the gig economy, and America’s identity crisis. Steve was once a high-level journalist, a Reuters Bureau Chief for Canada, who interviewed world leaders like Justin Trudeau and covered global financial markets. Then, a budget cut cost him his job, his work visa, and forced him to move his family out of Canada. Now, he’s driving for Uber to make ends meet. He chronicled his experience a viral Substack essay, "My Journey from Foreign Correspondent to Uber Driver in Trump's America." In this raw and honest conversation, Steven shares the story of his displacement and offers a powerful and humbling perspective on the economic anxieties, political divisions, and human needs that connect us all. Steve talks about what it is like to turn over the keys to a role that filled him with pride, gave him leverage, and provided a powerful platform... and slide into the driver's seat of an Uber. Timestamps [00:00] From Reuters Bureau Chief to Uber Driver: The viral essay and the shock of displacement.[02:54] How a high salary and a lost work permit forced Steven and his family to leave Canada.[09:41] The unexpected family move to Italy and why Steven's wife fears returning to "Trump's America."[12:30] The decision to drive for Uber: flexibility, low pay, and the surprising feeling of being "invisible."[16:25] Why returning to the U.S. after 28 years felt like coming home to a more divided country.[23:56] The roots of "politics as entertainment": covering Silvio Berlusconi[31:02] Steven's most moving story: Covering the deadliest migration route in the world from Libya to Italy and rescuing 530 people in a single day.[35:28] Connecting personal unemployment and loss of "leverage" to the desperation of migrants. See Steve's substack here: https://stevescherer.substack.com/p/my-journey-from-foreign-correspondent?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true Steve's Twitter Feed: https://x.com/SchererSteve