12 Geniuses Podcast

Getting people to voluntarily share their best information and act in the best interest of their team are two of the biggest challenges leaders face. In an insecure economy, it can be more difficult to get people on a team to demonstrate prosocial behavior, however, Dr. Vanessa Druskat’s research proves that emotionally intelligent teams that are supportive of each other - by listening deeply, offering help, and celebrating the successes of others - will offer superior results. In this interview, Dr. Druskat shares how leaders can build collaborative groups that outperform the competition. She says that healthy teams emerge when norms are created that allow everyone on the team to be heard and to contribute in their roles. She goes on to discuss how to create a sense of belonging when so many people revile DEI, how AI is going to influence the desire to work collaboratively, and how her research on team effectiveness can be applied to create more unified communities. Dr. Vanessa Druskat is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of New Hampshire. She is an internationally recognized leadership and team performance expert who advises leaders and teams in some of the world's most respected Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 organizations. Her thirty-year research career examining differences between team cultures (i.e., social norms and routines) in high-performing and average-performing work teams led her to pioneer the concept of team emotional intelligence. She has published award-winning research articles in her field's top academic and practitioner journals and serves on the executive board of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Her popular Harvard Business Review article (with S. Wolff) on emotionally intelligent teams has been reprinted four times in collections of HBR’s most valued articles. Her book “The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest” was released in July of 2025.

Tien Tzuo has been at the epicenter of Silicon Valley innovation for three and a half decades. In 1990, Tien was hired by Oracle. Eight years later, he joined Salesforce as employee #11. In 2007, he co-founded Zuora, a company he has been running since its creation. Tien and his team grew Zuora from an idea to a company that was valued at $1.5B when it was acquired in early 2025. In this interview, Tien shares why great startups need to have a visionary who is supported by leaders who can manage both relationships and execution. He dispels the Genius/Jerk myth so often associated with leaders like Steve Jobs, he shares what he has learned about selecting exceptional talent, and Tien discusses how the lessons he has learned about founders apply to other businesses and in our personal lives too. He closes the interview by sharing what fills him with optimism and what mistakes humans are making today that the people of 2075 will look back at in disbelief. Tien currently serves as CEO of Zuora (NYSE:ZUO), a company he co-founded in 2007 and took public in 2018. Under Tien's leadership, Zuora has emerged as the leading evangelist of the Subscription Economy -- the idea that all industries are shifting to a customer-centric, subscription-based business model. He is also the author of "SUBSCRIBED: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company's Future - and What to Do About It". His second book, “Founders, Keepers: Why Founders Are Built to Fail, and What It Takes to Succeed,” was released in June 2025.

There is a theory that humanity is on the precipice of abundance. But what exactly is abundance? Speaker and author Chad Sanschagrin says that abundance is often confused with things or money. He describes abundance as “more than enough” - love, health, faith, and contribution. In the full interview, Chad shares his definition of abundance and the most common barriers that prevent people from experiencing abundance. He goes on to talk about how the power of choice is much stronger than an individual’s circumstances. Chad says that the key to creating an abundance mindset is shifting the stories people tell about themselves. Chad shares his definition of “success” and how he recommends people structure success. Using his experience as a distant runner and triathlete, Chad provides guidance around how to build resilience, he gives advice for creating trust, and he shares his thoughts on the mistakes people are making today that the people of 2075 will look back at in disbelief. Chad Sanschagrin is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and performance coach dedicated to helping individuals and organizations unlock their full potential. As the founder of Cannonball Moments, Chad delivers keynotes and workshops focused on leadership, mindset, and personal growth. Drawing from his own experiences of transformation in business and life, Chad equips audiences with actionable strategies to improve performance and create lasting impact. Chad’s mission is simple: help people live and lead with greater purpose, clarity, and confidence. Chad’s book “Keep Telling Yourself: Shift Your Story and Create a Life of Abundance” was released in December 2024.

It’s clear that artificial intelligence is going to be one of the most powerful forces shaping the future of humanity and the planet today and over the next two decades. Much of the AI discourse is negative or dystopian themed. Far too little AI news is highlighting how the planet’s problems and the challenges humans face can be solved. In this conversation, futurist Jack Uldrich paints a picture of how we can collectively benefit from the advancements in artificial intelligence. Given the moving target of forecasting the future, Jack provides AI scenarios that he is 99% certain will occur, 75% certain, and 50% certain. He even provides a few scenarios that have a 25% — and even a 1% — chance of happening.Jack says that we will see great leaps in diagnosing cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease sooner. He is optimistic that AI can be used to address the effects of climate change and greatly assist in the pursuit of nuclear fusion. In what is becoming known as the “compressed century” - where there will be a century’s worth of change in just a decade, Jack points out that “AI is doubling in capacity and capability every seven months” which means that the capabilities of AI in six years could be a thousand times more powerful than they are today. Jack doesn’t see AI as a panacea. He points out that there will be job losses because of AI. He says that trust could be further eroded as a result of AI-generated deep fakes and fake news. He also points out that the “internet is broken” as we move from “social media to social production.” The conversation ends with Jack sharing his ideas around how purpose, faith, and trust will grow in importance to cope with the disruption AI is certain to bring. Jack Uldrich is a well-recognized global futurist, speaker, and the author of thirteen books, including a number of award-winning best sellers. He is a frequent speaker on technology, change management and leadership and has addressed hundreds of corporations, associations and not-for-profit organizations on five continents. He regularly makes television appearances on PBS’s Frontline, the Science Channel, and the Discovery Channel, and is a frequent guest on major media outlets, including CNN, CNBC, Fox and National Public Radio.

Achieving peak performance is something athletes strive to attain and getting that peak performance to coalesce is the goal for coaches, managers, and trainers leading teams in pursuit of victory. As sports psychologist Simon Hartley says, getting elite athletes to perform up to their potential is more about the mind than it is the body. In this conversation, Simon Hartley - author of “Master Mental Toughness” and “Stronger Together” - discusses the factors that lead to peak athletic performance, the habits and routines of world-class athletes, and how these lessons can be applied in a business setting that doesn’t involve sports. Simon goes on to talk about developing a winning culture, how to turn a dysfunctional culture around without firing leadership, and how to create an environment of pro social behavior where people sacrifice individual achievement for the good of the team. Simon closes the conversation by sharing advice and tips for selecting talent. Simon Hartley is the CEO and founder of the Be World Class Group. He is a ten-time author, keynote speaker and co-host of The Podium Podcast and The Demon Charmers Podcast. Through his background in sport psychology, Simon has spent much of his career working with elite athletes and sports teams, helping them to get their mental game and their mindset right. Simon’s real passion is working with and studying the very best in the world, figuring out what makes them great, and then helping others adopt those principles.

Why do people make it so difficult on themselves to achieve their goals and pursue happiness? Why do people “attach” themselves to unhealthy things that hold them back or hold them down? These attachments vary widely, ranging from attachments to the past or future, control or perfection, and success or pleasure.In this interview, Dr. Bob Rosen says the secret to letting go of the attachments holding someone back is to replace them with more powerful aspirations. To overcome the attachment to “stability,” one has to learn to embrace and become agile. To get past the attachment of “control,” the aspiration of vulnerability is necessary. Dr. Rosen also discusses the attachments that are most persistent among young adults, the elderly, and tweens and teens. Dr. Rosen finishes the conversation by talking about the keys to happiness and the mistakes humans are making today that the humans 50 years from now will look back at in disbelief. Dr. Bob Rosen is a psychologist, New York Times best-selling author, researcher, and preeminent business advisor. He is the Founder and CEO of Healthy Companies, advising over 500 CEOs in sixty countries. His books include Detach, the New York Times Bestseller Grounded®, and the Washington Post best-seller Conscious, among others. He earned a PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and has been a longtime faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University’s School of Medicine. 

In a world where technology is doing more work for humans, the connections we create with other people will become more important than ever. But for many people, phones and screens are the main ways they see the world and communicate with others. The question is how can we cultivate relationships - through a screen or in real life - that are fulfilling and will help us reach our goals.In this interview, Topaz Adizes discusses his book 12 Questions for Love: A Guide to Intimate Conversations and Deeper Relationships. Topaz is working to help people create deeper human connection not only in marriages and romantic relationships, but between friends, extended families, and at work. Topaz says that the key to better relationships - both personal and professional - is asking better questions. He shares some of the “12 Questions for Love” and provides guidance for how to construct questions that will strengthen relationships. He also discusses secrets to cultivating trust, advice for how to raise healthy children who are not addicted to their devices, and what it means to be successful.Topaz Adizes is an Emmy award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect. He is an Edmund Hillary fellow and Sundance/Skoll stories of change fellow. His works have been selected to Cannes, Sundance, IDFA, and SXSW; featured in New Yorker magazine, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times; and have garnered an Emmy for new approaches to documentary and Two World Press photo awards for immersive storytelling and interactive documentary. He is currently the founder and executive director of the experience design studio The Skin Deep. Topaz studied philosophy at UC Berkeley and Oxford University. He speaks four languages, and currently lives in Uruguay with his wife and two children.

Each day, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers in America turn 65…and it’s been happening for years. By 2034, there will be more Americans over the age of 65 than under the age of 18. It’s unprecedented. How those Baby Boomers continue to participate in society will be an overwhelming factor in what kind of country and world younger generations inherit. An aging population is not just an American phenomenon. It’s happening in many developed countries. Aging is one of the trends that will have an outsized influence over the next 20 years. Artificial intelligence is another. The AI we experience in 2025 is juvenile compared to the magical technology that will be embedded in just about every part of our work and personal lives a decade or more from now. In this interview, Matthew Edgerton describes how he and his team at Cogensus are using artificial intelligence to help seniors alleviate loneliness, extend community, empower care, and preserve legacy. In addition to discussing how seniors and their loved ones benefit from using an AI bot to actively journal their daily thoughts and feelings, Matthew shares how these insights can assist in providing better health outcomes for the seniors who use this platform. Matthew goes on to talk about his vision for the final decade of an aging adult’s life, his vision for the future of aging, other innovative ways AI is being used to help older adults flourish, and advice for people who have anxiety about the advancements in the field of artificial intelligence.Matthew Edgerton is the Founder & CEO of Cogensus; a technology company focused on improving mental health in the elderly and providing enhanced cognitive insights for providers. Matthew is a polymath and recognized thought leader in the areas of Innovation, Technology, and Media. His experience spans a variety of disciplines including: GTM strategy, AI, Product Development, and Entrepreneurship. In 2022, he was published by the United Nations under the ITU. His globally recognized technology emissions frameworks and rating system offer a more unified approach to measuring and categorizing business impact on climate.

The United States is deeply divided politically and it’s not the only country experiencing this challenge. Too many people are focused on what makes us different rather than taking the time to understand what we have in common. In this interview, Doug Lennick, CEO of Think2Perform, discusses what he has learned from Think2Perform’s global study on personal values. Hundreds of thousands of people from over 140 countries have participated in the study. Not surprisingly, people everywhere - regardless of their religion, political affiliation, country, or age - value their families, health, and happiness. In short, what unites us far outweighs what divides us. Doug believes that values-based decision making has the ability to change the world and the future of humanity. Doug goes on to talk about how living in alignment with personal values can be used to overcome emotional responses that often derail people. He talks about how our judgment is often clouded by beliefs that are confused with what people “know.” Doug finishes by defining leadership, talking about the importance of the leader as a “resource broker,” and how leaders can navigate through times of fear. Doug Lennick is CEO and co-founder of think2perform. He is legendary for his innovative approaches to developing high performance in individuals and organizations and is an expert at developing practical applications of the art and science of human behavior, financial and otherwise. Doug is an author or co-author of seven titles including most recently “Don’t Wait for Someone Else to Fix It.”

The future can be a terrifying, anxiety-inducing destination for many people. Thoughts of robots running amok, out-of-control AI, and a speed of life that is beyond comprehension are often ways in which the future is described. That doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, the future doesn’t have to be something that happens to people. The future can be created. That’s the position of Dr. Bertalan Meskó. He is a futurist who has focused his career studying healthcare and advances in the field of medicine. He is also the author of the book “Your Map to the Future.” In this interview, Dr. Meskó discusses why becoming a future-thinking leader can be beneficial to all of us and help our teams perform better. He goes on to discuss methods like “vision writing” and forecasting, how our “future selves” will be grateful for our current healthy investments, and how people can create their own “anticipatory consciousness.” Dr. Meskó is known as the “Medical Futurist.” He concludes the interview by talking about the medical breakthroughs that fill him with optimism, his vision for the future of aging, and the mistakes humans are making today that the people of 2075 will shake their heads at in disbelief.Dr. Bertalan Meskó, PhD, known as The Medical Futurist, is the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute. He specializes in analyzing the impact of science fiction technologies on global medicine and healthcare. He is also an Amazon Top 100 author and serves as a Private Professor at Semmelweis Medical School in Budapest, Hungary. Dr. Meskó’s research focuses on the role of artificial intelligence and digital health technologies in shaping the future of care. He is a member of the "Committee on Future Research" of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Dedicated to pioneering medical futures studies as a scientific discipline, Dr. Meskó aims to make futures methods widely accessible in healthcare. He is a Certified Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc.