The Will to Change: Where Leadership Meets the Courage to Evolve
Jennifer Brown
Why is change so difficult and yet so necessary?
We live in a world that is increasingly complex, unpredictable, and demanding of our resilience. The challenges we face are not just external but deeply personal, asking us to redefine who we are, what we stand for, and how we lead.
Transformation isn't just a possibility, it's an imperative.
On The Will to Change, Jennifer Brown invites listeners to explore the deeper dimensions of leadership, resilience, and human connection. Each month, we feature both thought-provoking conversations with a guest who inspires new ways of thinking, as well as Jennifer's reflective mini-episodes that dive deeper into themes like courage, growth, and the art of navigating uncertainty.
This isn't just about leadership in the workplace - it's about leadership in life. Together, we'll examine the systems and beliefs that shape us and uncover how to lead authentically, inclusively, and boldly in a rapidly changing world.
If you're ready to stretch beyond the familiar, embrace new perspectives, and discover the will to evolve—for yourself and others—this podcast is for you.
To learn more, visit http://jenniferbrownspeaks.com/
We live in a world that is increasingly complex, unpredictable, and demanding of our resilience. The challenges we face are not just external but deeply personal, asking us to redefine who we are, what we stand for, and how we lead.
Transformation isn't just a possibility, it's an imperative.
On The Will to Change, Jennifer Brown invites listeners to explore the deeper dimensions of leadership, resilience, and human connection. Each month, we feature both thought-provoking conversations with a guest who inspires new ways of thinking, as well as Jennifer's reflective mini-episodes that dive deeper into themes like courage, growth, and the art of navigating uncertainty.
This isn't just about leadership in the workplace - it's about leadership in life. Together, we'll examine the systems and beliefs that shape us and uncover how to lead authentically, inclusively, and boldly in a rapidly changing world.
If you're ready to stretch beyond the familiar, embrace new perspectives, and discover the will to evolve—for yourself and others—this podcast is for you.
To learn more, visit http://jenniferbrownspeaks.com/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 7, 2025 • 31min
E389: Deadheading the Garden: On Growth, Grace, and Letting Go
In this minisode, Jennifer reflects on the quiet courage it takes to outgrow the rooms, roles, and identities that once fit us. Drawing on the poetry of Dr. Tunde Okewale and her own metaphors of gardens, shells, and shifting seasons, she explores grace not as softness, but as a vital leadership technology—what allows us to stay human in uncertain times. Legacy, she reminds us, isn't something we leave behind; it's a living practice shaped by how we lead, let go, and tend what's next. This episode invites you to find meaning in the liminal space between endings and beginnings, and to trust that releasing what no longer fits is itself an act of becoming.
Nov 5, 2025 • 18min
E388: The Rhythm of Renewal: Leadership for a Post-Backlash Era
In this reflective minisode, Jennifer invites us to see the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion as a living cycle rather than a linear journey. Using the metaphor of nature's four seasons—spring, summer, fall, and winter—she explores how each stage brings its own lessons, from the hope and emergence of new ideas to the quiet reflection that sustains future growth. As the DEI field experiences a collective "winter," Jennifer reminds us that stillness is not the absence of progress but the preparation for renewal. This is a meditation on trust, resilience, and leadership—an invitation to honor the season we're in and the wisdom it holds.
Oct 23, 2025 • 21min
E387: Winter Work: Four Inner Practices for Renewal and Rebirth
In this minisode, Jennifer invites us into an intimate reflection on what it truly means to lead, rebuild, and stay human in seasons of profound transformation. Drawing from her own experience of letting go, dissolving old identities, and tending to what remains, she explores four inner practices that make reinvention possible—stillness, grief, surrender, and humility. These are not side practices, she reminds us, but essential muscles for leading through collapse into creation. With honesty and grace, Jennifer offers a space to pause, breathe, and remember that even in the quiet of winter, the seeds of renewal are already taking root.
Oct 16, 2025 • 12min
E386: Midwifing Change: Holding Space for What Wants to Emerge
In this minisode, Jennifer explores the idea of midwifing collapse—inspired by writer Josie Plaut's reflection on the difference between prolonging what is dying and creating space for what wants to be born. Drawing from her story of doctors intervening in her father's final days while a nurse quietly held space for truth, this conversation invites us to look at our own impulse to "doctor" failing systems, roles, and identities. What if our task is not to fix, but to practice engaged surrender, presence, and trust in what's emerging? Through this lens, the minisode explores how collapse can be a generative season, where letting go becomes an act of creation.
Oct 9, 2025 • 58min
E385: Reset and Rebuild: The Next Evolution of LGBTQ+ Leadership
In this episode, Jennifer Brown and Out Leadership CEO Todd Sears reflect on the evolution and disruption of LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion—and what it means to lead in a time of uncertainty and change. Together, they trace how the "business case" for equality once drove historic corporate progress, and why those same strategies are faltering amid shifting cultural, political, and economic tides. Through a candid, hopeful dialogue, they explore how leaders can adapt by returning to what has always driven meaningful change: storytelling, allyship, empathy, and authentic human connection. Rather than viewing this as a setback, Jennifer and Todd see it as a necessary reset—an invitation to rethink what progress looks like and to reimagine inclusion for the next era of leadership.
Oct 2, 2025 • 55min
E384: Humble Inquiry in a Noisy World with Author Peter Schein
In this episode, Jennifer is joined by Peter Schein, co-author of Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling (Third Edition). Together they explore how leaders can embrace curiosity, vulnerability, and openness to build trust and strengthen relationships. Peter shares how humble inquiry contrasts with diagnostic or confrontive questioning and why shifting focus from content to context is essential for effective leadership. The conversation highlights how practicing humble inquiry fosters inclusion, belonging, and more thoughtful decision-making in today's complex and divided world.
Sep 25, 2025 • 29min
E383: Music and Mentorship: Part 2, Strategies for Inclusive Leadership from OutNEXT
This episode features highlights from a series of audio recordings originally created for OutNEXT, Out Leadership's global LGBTQ+ leadership-development program. The first conversation dives into the creation of the inclusive anthem "It's Raining Them," reflecting on music as activism and the balance between self-expression and professionalism. The episode also explores the power of mentorship and sponsorship, showing how authentic relationships and reverse mentoring can help both emerging talent and seasoned leaders grow, adapt, and lead with purpose.
Sep 19, 2025 • 29min
E382: Owning Your Voice, Shaping the Future: Strategies for Inclusive Leadership From OutNEXT
This episode features highlights from a series of audio recordings originally created for OutNEXT, Out Leadership's global LGBTQ+ leadership-development program. Captured live during the OutNEXT summit sessions, these conversations were designed to inspire and equip emerging LGBTQ+ leaders with tools for authentic leadership, community building, and inclusive impact. Listeners will hear reflections on resilience, mindfulness, and the power of intergenerational support—offering both inspiration and practical strategies for anyone ready to lead with purpose and heart.
Sep 12, 2025 • 1h 12min
E381: AI in Action: Practical Tools for Inclusive Work with Mishel Horta and Amber Kidd
Tune in for a lively, practical conversation about bringing artificial intelligence into everyday work and life. Jennifer is joined by Mishel Horta, Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for DHL Express Americas, and Amber Kidd, an Innovation-Focused Operations & Marketing Consultant. Together they explore how different AI tools—like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot—each have their own strengths and "personalities," how to craft powerful prompts, and what it really takes to use AI safely, creatively, and inclusively. You'll hear hands-on tips, privacy insights, and real-world examples to help you make AI a trusted partner in your own work.
Sep 5, 2025 • 53min
E380: All Bodies Welcome: Building Brands that Reflect Reality with Kara Richardson Whitely
Step into a candid conversation with Kara Richardson Whitely as she explores the realities of weight stigma, the buying power of plus size consumers, and why brands miss out when they fail to embrace all bodies. Kara shares her powerful story of resilience as a plus size adventurer and advocate, offering insights into how businesses can heal the customer journey and create meaningful inclusion. From the retail industry's blind spots to cultural moments like the Cardi B controversy, this episode challenges assumptions and shows why body diversity is both a moral imperative and a business necessity.
