> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Michelle K. Johnston, PhD., author and professor of management at Loyola University in New Orleans. We discuss her book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How to Thrive in a New Era of Connection, and how the overriding imperative for leaders today is to connect; to themselves and others. We talk: From pantsuits to heels Dropping perfection How to build connection The power of ritual Lessons from a great quarterback Links: The Seismic Shift in Leadership - The Book Dr. Johnston's Website

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Ron Baker, author of Bright Lights, Big Empty. When I first accepted Ron onto the Zoom call for this episode, I was blown away by how extraordinary youthful Ron looked for a man in his early sixties.  Ron is a man who has very visibly done The Work. I was also profoundly moved by how loving, and present Rob is. The conversation stretched me in many ways. We talk: Walking away from a career in the performing arts Building his School of Self-Mastery How his business partner became a channel for Gabriel Scanning our past for trauma and the good How the split we're seeing in society right now was expected We go all the way out there with this one, and it's well worth the ride!   Links: Ron's Website Bright Lights, Big Empty - The Book

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Roberto Martinez, co-founder of the software company Nearsoft. As a follower of famous business radical Ricardo Semler, Roberto built a company culture based on: No formal hierarchy Meaning and belonging as foundations Transparency and decentralisation The number one message from Roberto that I took away from our conversation is that if you want a vibrant, humane culture, you've got to find ways to have everyone participate. We talk: We talk: Cooking for the team High participation *and* fast decisions Handling transparency in larger organisations Letting go of hierarchical mental models

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Mick Spiers, long-time executive in the world of urban mobility and author of the new book You're a Leader, Now What?   We know that only 16% of people genuinely love their job and like their boss. People spend up to 1/3 of their lives in jobs and workplaces where they struggle to find meaning and purpose.    Mick sees the way to change this as being through building competent, inspiring leaders. He's focused on helping leaders early in their careers. If you're a new leader, this episode could be the one for you. We talk: Building your own leadership model The five factors humans need to thrive The perils of using "actually" Going beyond active listening Leader as the architect of rituals Links: Mick's Website

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Meike Bartels, Professor in Genetics and Wellbeing at the Department of Biological Psychology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She's also the president of the International Positive Psychology Association. Professor Bartels is one of the world's leading scholars of the science of well-being. She looks at what aspects of well-being are innate, what we can train and what's outside our control.  We talk: What we mean by well-being The top external factors affecting our happiness Habits for well-being What we get wrong with well-being programmes Bringing well-being awareness to your leadership Links: International Positive Psychology Association

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Rebecca Ward, author of The Paper Tiger Syndrome. Can you remember a time when you felt genuinely fearless? When you knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that your world was safe? For the average person, consistently experiencing that kind of freedom sounds like wishful thinking. But what if that weren't the case? What if most fears and anxieties were just paper tigers? Rebecca and I discuss how to deal with our pager tigers, including: Why we hide our emotional pain Grieving past injuries Connecting to our Vegas nerve The soul in the body A new 'voo' Links: The Paper Tiger Syndrome - The Book Rebecca's Website

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Diane Dreher, author of The Tao of Inner Peace. Translated more often than any other book except the Bible, the Tao Te Ching has been a spiritual guide for centuries, helping millions find peace within themselves, with each other, and with the natural world around them. Diane's The Tao of Inner Peace adapts the principles of Tao to today's world, showing us how to integrate the many facets of our everyday lives to create a balanced, dynamic, harmonious whole. We talk: The power of savouring Healing society's divisions Overcoming chronic stress The abundance of nature 15 minutes in the forest Links: Diane's Website

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Kath Blackham, CEO of the revolutionary Australian digital transformation agency VERSA. She has used VERSA as a platform to move the needle on the things she's most passionate about—mental health in the workplace, diversity, flexibility and using technology for good. She famously instituted a four-day week, anathema within the crazy-hours digital agency sector. By creating a swathe of people-first rituals in her business, retention has gone up, sick days and mental health issues are down, and profit has spiked. We talk: The experiments that failed Happiness first Mindful check-ins Three o'clock walkies Building culture remote-first Links: VERSA

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with Federico Zuppa and Jorge Silva, the founders of the Argentinian self-managing software company 10Pines. 10Pines is a company with a horizontal organisational structure, where nobody is above anyone else. They make decisions based on consent, not consensus or voting, making for a dynamic, highly adaptive culture.. We talk: Developing citizens, not leaders Choosing your own salary  Getting things done when all work is voluntary The hard parts of being self-managed  The temptations of being a boss Links: 10Pines' culture page

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I sit down with fellow podcaster and YouTuber The Uneducated Economist. Four years ago, whilst selling lumber during the day, he spent hours researching economics in his free time. He tried to share his insights with his colleagues until one day; a colleague confessed that it was all going over their heads and that perhaps he should start a blog. The blog became a YouTube channel that now has ninety thousand subscribers.   Although he left formal education at high school, he takes complex economic issues and breaks them down so anyone can understand and have a conversation about them. We talk: Economics 101 Debt as an addiction Prospects for the dollar What's happening with inflation Quitting alcohol and climbing out of debt Links: Simon's Website Simon's YouTube Channel