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
Apr 23, 2021 • 1h 3min
E164: How Authenticity Supports Resiliency: Jennifer Joins Ashley Carson On the Resiliency Theory Podcast
This episode was originally recorded on the Resiliency Theory Podcast, and features a conversation between Jennifer and host Ashley Carson as they discuss what it takes for us to be brave, speak our truths, and be our authentic selves. Discover how authenticity supports building your resiliency muscle.
Apr 21, 2021 • 59min
E163: Balancing Process, People, Structure, and Sustainability with Protective Life’s DEI Leadership
In this episode originally recorded as a DEI Community Call, guest moderator Elfi Martinez, Senior Director at Jennifer Brown Consulting, spoke with Martina Winston, Vice President & Senior HR Partner at Protective Life Corporation, and Wendy Evesque, Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at Protective Life Corporation, about the ways in which executive leadership and allyship intersect. Elfi Martinez succinctly captured one of the key takeaways from this discussion: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. When it comes to DEI, the more allies we have on our side, the more impactful change we can enact.
Apr 16, 2021 • 50min
E162: "Return to Work" and Psychological Safety with Jackson Lewis Attorneys Michelle Phillips and Michael Thomas
Michael Thomas, Principal in the Los Angeles, California office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and Michelle Phillips, a Principal in the White Plains office of Jackson Lewis P.C, join the program to discuss how to promote psychological safety in a socially distant work environment. Discover how to improve the lived experience in the workplace, how to create an inclusive and equitable work environment, and why enforcing safety protocols isn't enough to create a culture of belonging.
Apr 14, 2021 • 1h 2min
E161: An Inclusive Lens on Power: Jennifer Joins Dr. Sharon Melnick on the Power Shift Podcast
This episode was originally recorded on the Power Shift Podcast, hosted by Dr. Sharon Melnick. Discover how your upbringing and identity can shape your unique voice, and where power is really found in organizations. Jennifer also reveals the conversations that happen on executive teams that enable transformation and how to get through difficult conversations without blame. To learn more about Dr. Sharon Melnick, visit https://www.sharonmelnick.com/
Apr 9, 2021 • 52min
E160: #HateIsAVirus Co-Founder Michelle Hanabusa Joins the JBC DEI Community Call
In this episode, originally recorded as a DEI Community Call, Adrienne Lawrence, Diversity + Legal Commentator and Senior Consultant, Jennifer Brown Consulting, welcomed Co-Founder of Hate Is A Virus, Michelle K. Hanabusa, to discuss the recent rise of anti-Asian violence and rhetoric in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how we can activate as allies during this time. Hate IsA Virus is a nonprofit community of mobilizers and amplifiers dedicated to dismantling hate and racism. Their latest initiative is the commUNITY Action Fund, an effort to raise $1 million to give back to local and national community organizations providing pivotal services and programs for the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community. To register for the upcoming events, visit bit.ly/dismantlebias
Apr 7, 2021 • 59min
E159: 100M with Conviction Histories by 2030: Enabling Formerly Incarcerated Talent with Susan Mason, of What's Next Washington
Susan Mason, Executive Director and Co-Founder of What’s Next Washington, joins the program to discuss how organizations can recruit, hire and retain formerly incarcerated talent. Susan reveals some startling statistics about overcriminalization, including the fact that by 2030 100 million people will be convicted of a crime in the US. Discover what needs to change from a policy standpoint, and why without policy changes, organizations will miss out on hiring one in two working age adults, with an overrepresentation of people of BIPOC, women, and LGBTQI communities.
Mar 31, 2021 • 59min
E158: Fireside Chat: Jennifer Joins Moody's for their Women Empowerment Series
This episode was originally recorded for the Moody’s Women Empowerment Video Series where DK Bartley is leading a DE&I Evolution at Moody’s that has created a culture focused on Authentic DE&I and incorporate DE&I in all Aspects of the Moody’s Business globally. Tune in as Jennifer discusses the concept of the "iceberg" and what employees typically struggle to bury deep or cover up in the workplace.
Mar 26, 2021 • 46min
E157: Going Slow to Go Fast: Sustainable DEI Strategies with Martina Winston
In this episode, originally recorded as a DEI Community Call, JBC Senior Consultant Jeffery Smith moderated a conversation with Martina Winston, VP & Senior HR Partner/Diversity & Inclusion Leader at Protective Life. Discover how the huge shifts of 2020 have impacted Protective Life’s consistent and ongoing DEI efforts that reach back several years. You'll also hear about how the company’s sustained work made a difference in the navigation of this chaotic year, and when it makes sense to "go slow to go fast" for a company like Protective Life
Mar 19, 2021 • 1h 12min
E156: How to Tap Into Your Superpowers: With Julie Lythcott-Haims
In this episode, originally recorded as a TONE Talk, Julie Lythcott-Haims joins Jennifer Brown for a conversation about 3 "superpowers" that everyone possesses and how to unleash them. Julie is the New York Times bestselling author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto How to Raise an Adult. Her TED Talk on the subject has more than 5 million views, and in 2020 she became a regular contributor with CBS This Morning on parenting. Her second book is the critically-acclaimed and award-winning prose poetry memoir Real American, which illustrates her experience as a Black and biracial person in white spaces. A third book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult, will be out in April 2021. To learn more about TONE Networks, visit https://www.tonenetworks.com/
Mar 17, 2021 • 59min
E155: Modern Male Allyship: Gender Solidarity with Good Guys Authors Dave Smith and Brad Johnson
What does it mean to be a “good guy” in 2021? As gender norms continue to be dismantled in popular culture, the household, the workplace, and society at large, men are faced with higher expectations around allyship. This episode, originally recorded as a DEI Community Call, is all about that idea of modern male allyship. Josh Stewart (Vice President and Director of Talent Programs & Accessibility at PNC) moderates a lively discussion between Brad Johnson (Professor of Psychology at the US Naval Academy & Faculty Associate at John Hopkins University) and David G. Smith (Associate Professor of Sociology at the US Naval War College). They discuss their recent book, “Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace,” and what men can do today to make a more equitable tomorrow.
