What if the silence in your meetings has nothing to do with confidence and everything to do with culture? Organizational psychologist Neelu Kaur joins Lori Adams-Brown to decode the invisible operating systems shaping how professionals communicate, advocate for themselves, and lead across cultures and organizational hierarchies. IN THIS EPISODE: - What the "self-trust recession" is and why it matters for global leaders right now - The paradox at the heart of corporate America: individualistic so...
What happens when you spend 18 years building a company to $5 million in revenue across 80 countries, finally sell it, and then wake up with no idea who you are without it? Fiona Macaulay knows that moment intimately, and what she built from it is changing how thousands of accomplished women think about what comes next. In this episode, Lori Adams-Brown sits down with Fiona Macaulay, founder of The Wild Network, co-author of Aim High and Bounce Back, and creator of the Next Chapter Accelerator, ...
What does it look like to build a life from scratch, not once, but again and again? Nuray Krein Yilmaz has done it more times than most people ever will, and her story is one of the most quietly extraordinary ones we've shared on this podcast.Nuray grew up in a small farming village in eastern Turkey, the eleventh of twelve siblings, in a community where girls' futures were largely pre-written. She lost both parents to cancer before she turned 13. She taught herself to dream inside boarding school libraries and across chess tournaments — and she never stopped.In 2018, she moved to the United States through a cultural exchange program with limited English, no safety net, and an enormous amount of courage. Today she is a content analyst in tech, a published author, and the founder of What If You Can — a community for people navigating immigration, grief, career transitions, and the question of whether they belong.
What if the way we’ve been thinking about brains at work is fundamentally broken? What if accommodations aren’t about fixing people, but about unlocking talent we’ve been filtering out for decades? In this powerful episode, Lori sits down with Dave Thompson to explore how neurodiversity is the biggest shift in human capital in a generation, and why the companies that get it right will lead the future of work.
What happens when faith communities quietly replace women’s leadership with unpaid, invisible labor? In this powerful Best of most downloaded episode of 2025 re-release, historian and bestselling author Dr. Beth Allison Barr joins Lori Adams-Brown to unpack how the role of the “pastor’s wife” became a substitute for women’s ordination—and the deep harm that followed.Drawing from her book Becoming the Pastor’s Wife, Beth combines rigorous historical research with lived experience to show how a once-fluid vision of women’s leadership in Christianity narrowed dramatically in the late 20th century. What emerges is a sobering picture: women expected to perform the equivalent of multiple full-time jobs for free, while being told their obedience—not their gifts—is God’s highest calling.Together, Lori and Beth explore how this shift didn’t happen gradually, but almost overnight, during the Southern Baptist Convention’s fundamentalist takeover. They discuss the psychological toll on wo…
Ever started a new job and realized the “real work” isn’t just the work. It’s learning the culture, the decision-making rhythm, and what success actually looks like? In this re-released best-of conversation, Dr. Shweta Miglani breaks down the small, practical moves that help you ramp faster, build credibility, and grow your career without burning out.Dr. Miglani shares how her journey began in journalism, pivoted through learning science and instructional design, and expanded into global talent management and organizational development—supporting leaders across industries and countries. Together, we talk about what separates professionals who thrive quickly from those who stay stuck: proactive communication, stakeholder mapping, clear expectations, and learning how to lead with both strategy and humanity.You’ll hear actionable guidance for your first 90 days, how to make your one-on-ones count, and why emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence matter even more as AI tra…
What if the talent your organization is searching for is already inside your walls? In this Best of episode, Lori revisits one of the most impactful conversations of the year with talent strategy expert Dr. Edie Goldberg, and it’s just as relevant now as when it first aired. Dr. Goldberg shares why traditional job structures are holding organizations back, how skills-based talent strategies unlock massive ROI, and what leaders can do right now to reduce burnout while increasing engagement and ag...
As 2025 comes to a close, this episode is a love letter to difference makers everywhere—those navigating change, courage, career pivots, and complex workplaces. Lori Adams-Brown reflects on the books that shaped her thinking this year and deeply resonated with listeners across the globe. From leadership in the age of AI to psychological safety, toxic workplaces, courage, presence, and recovery after trauma, these books don’t just inform—they invite you to live and lead differently. Many of the a...
Are you leading with the assumption that your team is operating from a place of psychological safety? The reality might shock you. Recent research reveals that 80% of workplace professionals have experienced trauma that directly impacts how they show up at work—and most leaders have no idea it's happening. What happens when that high-performing employee suddenly becomes reactive during feedback sessions? Or when your most talented team member can't seem to engage during meetings? Elizabeth Vahey...
Are you leading teams across cultures but struggling to understand why brilliant strategies fail and talented people clash? The answer might be simpler than you think, and more complex than you've imagined.What happens when the biggest barrier to global leadership isn't language or logistics, but the invisible assumptions we carry about how work should get done? Maria Angela Calmet has spent over 15 years leading projects across five continents, and she's discovered that the most successful leaders aren't just culturally aware—they're culturally competent.As CEO and founder of Allopoli and author of LIDERESA, Maria Angela has seen firsthand what separates leaders who thrive globally from those who fail spectacularly. Her framework goes beyond surface-level cultural etiquette to address the root systems that drive behavior, decision-making, and trust-building across cultures.In this conversation, Maria Angela reveals why directness in Dutch culture completely transformed he…
Are you feeling the tension between staying authentic and using AI tools in your leadership? You're not alone. Many executives are grappling with this exact challenge, and the stakes have never been higher. What happens when the biggest threat to authentic leadership isn't AI itself, but how we choose to use it? Communication expert Allison Shapira has spent years helping executives find their voice in moments that matter most. Now she's tackling the question keeping leaders up at night: How do ...
In this engaging conversation, Lori Adams-Brown interviews Mita Mallick about her book "The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses." Mita shares personal stories and insights on leadership, workplace culture, and the impact of bad bosses on mental health. The discussion covers the importance of self-awareness, setting boundaries, and the role of personal relationships in professional settings. The genesis of Mita's book started with a personal experience of her mot...
If you're feeling stuck in the same old thought patterns, journaling your heart out only to end up reliving the same pain, or you keep trying new workshops and self-help tricks but still feel disconnected from your creativity and sense of wonder, then you are not alone! If you’ve signed up for writing classes hoping for transformation but walk away feeling more self-critical instead, or you’re longing for a breakthrough but just keep hitting that emotional wall, then you are not alone! If you keep scrolling through inspirational posts and books, looking for that spark to reignite your resilience but end up feeling even more isolated, then you are not alone! If you find yourself craving deeper connection and authenticity but every attempt leaves you feeling misunderstood or too vulnerable, then you are not alone!
Ever wondered if being “nice” at work could actually be making everything worse? Picture this: a leader so shielded by everyone’s politeness that a single, cringeworthy comment in the halls of Congress nearly tanks a $9 million deal—while everyone else sits silent, protecting comfort over honesty. Turns out, our obsession with not rocking the boat isn’t just awkward... it can be downright destructive. But here’s the twist: the real danger isn’t ego or greed. It’s this sneaky, everyday culture of...
Ever wondered what really happens behind closed boardroom doors when leaders are faced with uncomfortable truths, especially when speaking up could cost them their job? This conversation isn’t just about corporate buzzwords or performative change. It’s an unfiltered look at how fear quietly shapes decisions, and how a handful of micro-courage moments can actually flip the script for whole organizations. If you think courage at work is all about bold speeches, think again. There’s a twist here th...
. If you're feeling exhausted from trying to process your third culture kid or MK experience—maybe you've already read memoirs, joined support groups, or tried to explain the complexity of evangelical politics to your friends, but still end up feeling misunderstood, unmoored, or even invisible, then you are not alone! If you've spent hours wrestling with the tension between your parents' good work and the darker sides of white evangelicalism, but instead of clarity, you get more tangled up in guilt or frustration, then you are not alone! If you've tried to fit your global perspective into conversations about Christian nationalism and end up hitting a wall of resistance, silence, or even shaming from your own community, then you are not alone! And if you've hoped that being resilient would be enough to heal the grief of never truly belonging anywhere, but find that the pain lingers no matter how many times you reinvent yourself, then you are not alone!
Ever wondered if the very things that make you feel “too much” at work are actually what your team needs most? What if being highly sensitive or neurodivergent isn’t just something to manage, but a legitimate edge—one that could actually shape the future of leadership? In today’s conversation, you’ll hear a take on empathy, burnout, and workplace inclusion that might flip how you see yourself (and your coworkers) on its head. But there’s one perspective Rachel shares—about a hidden risk most sensitive leaders never see coming—that left me rethinking what real leadership looks like. Curious? Let’s get into it…
Does this sound familiar? You’ve been told to just keep grinding it out in your current job until the “right” opportunity magically appears, but all that’s gotten you is more stress, second-guessing, and the nagging feeling you’re wasting your potential. It sucks watching your energy drain away while your values get sidelined and you wonder if you’ll ever feel truly fulfilled at work. You deserve a career that’s actually aligned with who you are and the impact you want to make. Let’s talk about ...
If you're feeling the frustration of being silenced in your workplace, despite wanting to make a difference, then you are not alone! Maybe you've stayed quiet in meetings or felt the weight of cultural norms, and it's impacting your ability to contribute. It's time to unlearn silence and reclaim your voice for real impact.
Get ready to be blown away by a Silicon Valley powerhouse turned leadership consultant's unexpected journey from tech industry leader to trailblazing author. This story will inspire you to rethink your approach to leadership and human connection. Stay tuned to learn how a pivotal event led to a powerful career pivot and a mission to create psychologically safe work environments. You won't want to miss this eye-opening conversation.
Get ready to be blown away by a Silicon Valley powerhouse turned leadership consultant's unexpected journey from tech industry leader to trailblazing author. This story will inspire you to rethink your approach to leadership and human connection. Stay tuned to learn how a pivotal event led to a powerful career pivot and a mission to create psychologically safe work environments. You won't want to miss this eye-opening conversation.
Are you ready for a surprising truth? The key to creating a healthier workplace might lie in the hands of those who are unintentionally contributing to toxicity. Intrigued? Let's uncover the unexpected impact of abrasive leaders and how they could be the catalyst for positive change. Keep those earbuds in, because there's a whole new perspective waiting for you.
Are you ready for a surprising truth? The key to creating a healthier workplace might lie in the hands of those who are unintentionally contributing to toxicity. Intrigued? Let's uncover the unexpected impact of abrasive leaders and how they could be the catalyst for positive change. Keep those earbuds in, because there's a whole new perspective waiting for you.
If you're feeling like your workplace culture is draining the life out of you, constantly leaving you feeling exhausted and undervalued, then you are not alone! It's time to stop waiting for a change to happen and start building a culture that actually works for you and your team. Garry Ridge is the Chairman Emeritus of WD-40 Company, where he spent 25 years as CEO, building a culture of trust, belonging, and engagement that drove both business success and human flourishing. Now, as The Culture Coach and founder of The Learning Moment, he shares his wisdom with leaders worldwide, helping them create workplaces where people feel safe, valued, and inspired. Named one of the Top 10 Most Admired CEOs in the World by Inc. Magazine and a Top 30 Global Guru in Organizational Culture, Garry is also an executive coach, adjunct professor, and co-author of Helping People Win at Work with Ken Blanchard. His latest book, Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It, promises to challenge and inspire leaders to build cu…
