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
Oct 29, 2021 • 1h 6min
BEST OF THE WILL TO CHANGE: Ending Ageism: Valuing All in a Youth-Centric Culture
From the Best of The Will to Change: Anti-aging activist and author, Ashton Applewhite, joins the program to discuss the importance of confronting ageism and how to create an inclusive culture for people of all ages. Ashton discusses the role of intersectionality in the aging process, and how we can change the way we think about what it means to get older. She also debunks some of the most common myths about aging.
Oct 21, 2021 • 44min
Minisode 30: Jennifer Brown on Rethinking Leadership
In this minisode Jennifer Brown shares her thoughts about how executives need to pivot and how to create a safe container for leaders. Discover the link between psychological safety and performance and the challenge of leading without having all the answers.
Oct 15, 2021 • 46min
E188: Spending Like it Matters: LGBTQ+ Supplier Diversity 101 with NGLCC’s Sabrina Kent and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Tarrance Frierson
In this episode, originally recorded as a DEI Community Call, Tarrance Frierson and Sabrina Kent join Jennifer Brown for a conversation focused on cultivating supplier diversity and particularly how businesses can advocate and champion for the inclusion of diverse business enterprises that include LGBTQ owned businesses into their supply chain.
Oct 8, 2021 • 1h 15min
BEST OF THE WILL TO CHANGE: Owning Our Origin Stories: Diversability Founder Tiffany Yu
From the best of The Will To Change: Diversability founder Tiffany Yu joins the program to reveal her own origin story, and shares her thoughts about the challenges and opportunities that still exist in the 30 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Discover how designing for disability benefits everyone and the intersection of social justice movements. This episode was originally recording as a DEI Community Call.
Oct 1, 2021 • 51min
E187: How to be an Ally with author Melinda Briana Epler
Melinda Briana Epler, CEO of Change Catalyst and author of How to Be an Ally: Actions You Can Take for a Stronger, Happier Workplace joins the program to discuss what people want and need from allies, why allyship is vital for business, and how people become better allies in our workplaces. To read Melinda's "The State of Allyship Report: The Key to Workplace Inclusion" visit https://ally.cc/report
Sep 24, 2021 • 55min
E186: Equity at the Center with Author Minal Bopaiah
This episode features an interview with Minal Bopaiah, author of Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives and founder of Brevity & Wit, a strategy + design firm that combines human-centered design, behavior change science and the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility to help organizations transform themselves and the world. Discover how human-centered design relates to diversity, equity and inclusion, what leaders can do to design a more equitable organization and what communicators need to know about addressing DEI issues.
Sep 17, 2021 • 1h
E185: Going Beyond Diversity: Co-Authors Jennifer Brown and Rohit Bhargava on the New DEI Lens
Join Jennifer Brown and her co-author Rohit Bhargava as they take you on a behind-the-scenes conversation about their new book Beyond Diversity: 12 Non-Obvious Ways to Build a More Inclusive World. Discover why Jennifer and Rohit decided to write this book, what differentiates it from other books on diversity and inclusion, their vision for the book, and more! To join the Beyond Diversity Book Insider Family and get early access to exclusive updates and invitations to launch events, visit https://jenniferbrownspeaks.com/beyond-diversity/
Sep 10, 2021 • 1h 7min
E184: Critical Conversations: Finding the Courage to Discuss and Dismantle Racism: From APA 2021
This episode, originally recorded at APA 2021, is hosted by Dr. Maysa Akbar, Chief Diversity Officer for the APA, as she speaks with Jennifer Brown, Dr. Derrick Gordon from the Yale School of Medicine and Eduardo Placer, CEO and Founder of Fearless Communicators. Discover how dismantling racism benefits us all, the necessary steps to have courageous conversations about race, and how to move from words to antiracist action. This program originally aired as part of APA 2021, the American Psychological Association’s annual convention. It is being used with permission from the American Psychological Association. For more information about APA, visit www.apa.org.
Sep 3, 2021 • 54min
E183: How to Be an Inclusive Educator: Jennifer Brown joins Stephen Ladek on the Elearning Podcast
In this episode, originally recorded for the Elearning Podcast, Jennifer Brown joins host Stephen Ladek to discuss the importance of bringing your full self to work and why even privileged leaders can benefit from more open ways to communicate and collaborate. Discover how you can reinvent as a person, a professional or an educator without losing your identity, but actually evolving it; and why crises are often fantastic catalyzers for personal growth.
Aug 27, 2021 • 55min
E182: Women’s Equal Pay Day(s): Gender Equity and the Work Ahead with JBC and Women Employed
This episode was originally recorded as a partnership between JBC and Women Employed, a non-profit devoted to improving the economic status of women and removing barriers to economic equity. Near the close of the month on August 26th, we observe change that was had over a century ago, in hopes of advancing change today. This day of observance is reserved for Women’s Equality Day—the day in 1920 when our nation granted women the right to vote by passing the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Although it has been more than 100 years since women’s suffrage was achieved, the fight for gender equality is still ongoing as discrimination and disparities persist. Tune in for a riveting and insightful conversation about closing the wealth gap at the intersection of wealth and gender and how to radically shift the way we think about we distribute resources and forge pathways to economic security.
