Getting Under The Skin

David Lancefield, a leadership coach and strategist, discusses how great leaders combine different skills into a unique superpower. He emphasizes that effective leadership is about embracing presence over perfection. The conversation dives into the importance of curiosity, navigating difficult conversations, and balancing ambition with genuine connection. Lancefield also explores how to create environments where people and ideas flourish, ultimately highlighting the journey of self-discovery and the hidden costs of avoiding vulnerability.

What if the true measure of a life isn't success – but rather how you show up for others?In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz talks with educator, coach, podcast host, and father Joe Ferraro (he/him). Joe's journey has been shaped by baseball, family, and an unwavering pursuit of self-awareness. From Sunday dinners to national championships, his story reflects discipline, vulnerability, and deep reflection.Joe shares:- The quiet legacy of his dad and how food became their love language- What a recurring dream about losing his glove taught him about purpose- How becoming a coach at 21 compelled him to grow before he felt ready- The fears he still holds about being "too soft" with his students- Why learning to lead by voice, not just by example, is both a gift and a responsibilityThis conversation explores the gifts we inherit and those we discover, the tension between being a public voice and a private seeker, and the courage it takes to listen to what life is trying to offer us, even when it's unexpected.These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin.🔗 Learn more about our guesthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jferraro1/https://www.onepercentbetterproject.com/https://www.damngoodconversations.com/joe-ferraro______________________________________________________________________________🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts.🌐 Subscribe for updateshttps://topazadizes.com👉 Follow us on social media:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcastLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if your work in the world wasn’t your purpose - but your practice?In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz sits down with co-founder of Transcend Education, author, and creative strategist Dr. Jeff Wetzler (he/him), whose life’s work has been about bringing people together - from mountaintop gatherings to deep conversations on meaning, identity, and impact.Jeff shares:• Why “holding space” isn’t a tactic, it’s a way of being• How chasing significance can distract us from actually living• The tension between being a public leader and a private seeker• What real service looks like in an ego-driven world• How relationships - not accolades - are the true measure of a lifeThis is a conversation about practice over perfection, presence over performance.About letting go of the script, and listening for the deeper invitation underneath it all.These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin🔗 Learn more about our guesthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-wetzler-9ba3824/https://transcendeducation.org/______________________________________________________________________________🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts.🌐 Subscribe for updateshttps://topazadizes.com👉 Follow us on social media:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcastLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the real magic wasn’t in the story you tell, but in the energy you bring?In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz sits down with filmmaker, storyteller, and community catalyst Wayne Price (he/him), whose life has been shaped by curiosity, connection, and the courage to not follow the script.Wayne shares:- How choosing community over convention shaped his creative path- Why energy - not achievement - is what truly moves people- What the Grateful Dead taught him about belonging- How he used {THE AND} Long-Term Couples deck to unlock a breakthrough family conversation- What it means to create spaces that bring people closer, in work, art, and real lifeFrom parking lots to premieres, Wayne has always been a host, a conductor of energy, a gatherer of people, and a reminder that the how matters just as much as the what.These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin 🔗 Learn more about Wayne Pricehttps://www.instagram.com/hiwayneprice/______________________________________________________________________________🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts.🌐 Subscribe for updateshttps://topazadizes.com👉 Follow us on social media:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcastLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if your life’s purpose was to break the silence that held your family together?In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz sits down with artist and filmmaker Tracey Arcabasso Smith (she/her), whose documentary Relative explores the generational trauma of sexual abuse in her family, and the healing that followed.Tracey shares:- The spiritual shifts that helped her redefine “mother”- Why the courage to speak out didn’t feel like a choice- How she balances her corporate leadership with a deep commitment to inner truth- The tension between healing, parenting, and staying clear in a world full of painFrom vulnerability to visionary leadership, Tracey invites us to look within and reflect on what we’re really here to do. What has life designed you for?These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks.Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin🔗 Learn more about Tracey and her workhttps://www.instagram.com/tracey_arcabasso_smith🎥 Watch her documentary, "Relative"https://www.relativedocumentary.com/https://www.amazon.com/Relative-Tracey-Arcabasso-Smith/dp/B0CBD67WSW?dplnkId=a1c63457-4732-4a10-ab97-c5444d224bbd&nodl=1______________________________________________________________________________🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts.🌐 Subscribe for updateshttps://topazadizes.com👉 Follow us on social media:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcastLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/#GenerationalTrauma #HealingJourney #FamilySecrets #TraceyArcabassoSmith #GUTSpodcast #podcast #newpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if your greatest strength came from your deepest wound?In this unscripted and deeply human conversation, Dr. Ichak Adizes — one of the world’s most influential business thinkers — opens up to his son, filmmaker and host Topaz Adizes, in a raw dialogue about love, aging, grief, legacy, and healing.At 87 years old, Dr. Adizes reflects on the life that shaped him, the legacy he's still writing, and the emotional wounds he's only now beginning to confront. Together, father and son explore:- What he regrets passing down to his children — and what he’s proud to have given- How a childhood without love became the fuel for global impact- Why success was never about achievement, but about being loved- What aging feels like when time no longer stretches endlessly ahead- The paradox of gaining wisdom while losing memoryThis is more than a father-son conversation, it’s a powerful reflection on mortality, meaning, family, vulnerability, and emotional truth.These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours, or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin.🔗 Learn more about Dr. Adizes and his workhttps://www.adizes.com/📖 Read his autobiography, The Accordion Playerhttps://publications.adizes.com/products/the-accordion-player-english______________________________________________________________________________🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts.🌐 Subscribe for updateshttps://topazadizes.com👉 Follow us on social media:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcastLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the key to our future isn’t smarter answers — but better questions?Lauren Celenza is a designer, technologist, writer, and deeply curious human navigating the complex intersections of connection, technology, and imbalance. From redesigning Google Maps for informal transit systems across the Global South to building the first free direct IRS tax-filing tool in U.S. history, Lauren’s work is all about making the invisible visible — and helping people find their way.In this episode, Topaz and Lauren explore: • Why curiosity often begins with dissatisfaction • The human cost of deindustrialization and distance — and how it shaped her family • How asking “where is the imbalance?” became her guiding compass • Why independence isn’t enough — and how interdependence could save us • What we might lose — and long for — in a world increasingly shaped by AIThis is a conversation about grief and grasping. About navigating the spaces between what’s lost, what’s possible, and what’s still worth holding onto.These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin 👉 Mentioned in this episode:• Monika Jiang’s “Sharing Our Loneliness” — https://www.monikajiang.org/sharing-our-loneliness• Inside the beloved IRS Direct File tool — and why it’s under threat — https://www.nextgov.com/digital-government/2025/06/direct-file-beloved-its-users-internal-irs-report-says/405883/?oref=ng-homepage-riverand• Why Direct File is now open-source (and what that means) — https://www.404media.co/directfile-open-source-irs-tax-filing-software-turbotax-is-trying-to-kil/• On deindustrialisation and its lasting impact on working-class communities — https://inthesetimes.com/article/deindustrialization-offshoring-manufacturing-factory-factories-unemployment-layoff-work-labor-workers-working-people-working-class-industry-ohio-michigan-south-carolina-pepsi-gmWelcome to Getting Under The Skin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken — but remembering who you really are?Aaron Lazar is a celebrated Broadway actor, a father, a fighter, and a man in the middle of radical personal transformation. Diagnosed with ALS, Aaron now finds himself walking a path that demands more than physical strength — it calls for spiritual clarity, emotional courage, and a new kind of presence.In this episode, he sits down with longtime friend and host Topaz Adizes for one of the rawest, most soul-opening conversations ever captured on GUTS.Together, they unpack: • How chasing success can disconnect you from yourself • Why love from sympathy isn’t the same as love from love • What it means to rehearse the energy you want to live in • How joy and imagination are essential tools for healing • The real difference between pushing through and showing up fullyThis isn’t just a story of illness. It’s a story of rebirth. It’s about shifting your inner script, one distinction at a time — and showing up, over and over, with more love than before.These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the clarity you're seeking is already within you, waiting for the noise to quiet down?In this premiere episode of GUTS, Topaz Adizes sits down with creative collaborator and longtime friend, Ants Cabraal, for a conversation about the stories we tell ourselves, the ones we outgrow, and what happens when our actions don’t align with our supposed ambitions. Together, they explore: • Why chasing the wrong dream can still teach the right lesson • How clarity doesn’t come from control, but from attention • What it means to “steward your energy”, and how to know when you’re wasting it • The power of small, serendipitous moments to show you you’re on the right path • How building community is both a calling and a compassThese conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.