TruthWorks

Mark Thompson and Byron Loflin have been inside more boardrooms than most people could ever imagine — advising Fortune 500 CEOs, coaching global founders, and helping shape the leadership culture of the world’s most powerful companies.In this rare, unfiltered conversation, they break down the real psychology of leadership — what happens when power, purpose, and pressure collide. They reveal the patterns they’ve seen across hundreds of top performers: how extraordinary leaders build trust when things fall apart, the silent habits that keep them grounded, and the mistakes that quietly destroy credibility.Mark, one of the world’s leading executive coaches and a confidant to icons like Richard Branson, shares stories from decades spent observing what drives genuine greatness. Byron, as Global Head of Board Engagement at Nasdaq, opens a window into how boards think, how trust is earned at the highest levels, and how leaders survive the scrutiny of modern governance.Together, they dismantle myths about charisma and control — and instead uncover what truly sustains leadership: empathy, self-awareness, and the willingness to tell the truth when it costs the most.

Robert Glazer built one of the world’s leading performance marketing agencies — scaling Acceleration Partners into a global firm serving top brands around the world.But somewhere along the way, growth stopped feeling good.In this episode, Robert opens up about the moment he realized that achievement without alignment can quietly hollow you out. He talks about how values shape every decision, why drive without purpose leads to burnout, and what it really means to grow,  as a leader, and as a person.We talk about building culture that lasts, the hidden costs of ambition, and why the hardest work isn’t scaling a company: it’s staying true to yourself while doing it.This is a conversation about values, fulfillment, and redefining success before it breaks you.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff has spent years decoding how our minds actually work — and why modern life keeps breaking them.A former Google strategist turned founder of Ness Labs, she left one of the world’s most intense environments to study neuroscience and re-imagine productivity through self-awareness and mental clarity.In this conversation, we go beyond the buzzwords. We talk about why burnout is not a failure of willpower, how our obsession with optimization destroys focus, and the science of thinking slower to create more.Anne-Laure reveals what she learned studying cognitive fatigue, the myth of the “lazy brain,” and how anyone can design a life that supports curiosity instead of exhaustion.This episode isn’t about doing more — it’s about understanding yourself deeply enough to know what actually works.

What does it take to drive real, lasting change inside organizations? In this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with Rosabeth Moss Kanter — Harvard Business School professor, trailblazing author, and one of the world’s most influential thinkers on leadership and strategy.Rosabeth has spent decades studying how companies rise, adapt, and lead through transformation. From pioneering research on innovation and change management to her bestselling books like Confidence and Think Outside the Building, she has shaped the way leaders and organizations think about their future.In this conversation, Rosabeth shares why bold leadership matters more than ever, how to overcome resistance to change, and what it means to foster confidence in both people and institutions.👉 If you care about leadership, innovation, and the courage to make change happen, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO of the Vanderbloemen Search Group, pastor-turned-entrepreneur, and author of Next: Pastoral Succession That Works. William’s career is a rare intersection of ministry, business, and leadership. From serving as a pastor to building one of the most respected executive search firms for churches, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations, his journey offers timeless lessons on culture, calling, and change.We explore:How William made the leap from preaching in the pulpit to running a global search firm.Why succession planning is the “silent crisis” in leadership — and how to do it right.The role of faith, values, and resilience in navigating career transitions.What every leader can learn about building trust, teams, and lasting impact.Whether you’re a founder, leader, or simply navigating your own next chapter, William brings a candid, faith-rooted perspective on what it takes to lead with both conviction and humility.

In this episode of the Truth Works Podcast, host Jessica Neal welcomes Richard Ezekiel — a seasoned executive, strategist, and thought leader in the world of partnerships.Richard’s career spans venture-backed startups, Fortune 500 companies, and the broader innovation ecosystem. He has built and led transformative partnerships that drive growth, create customer value, and bring together organizations that otherwise might have remained siloed. Over the years, Richard has worked alongside iconic leaders such as John Chambers, Reed Hastings, and Marc Andreessen, shaping high-impact alliances that have left a lasting mark on Silicon Valley and beyond.He is the author of COELEVATE: How to Unlock Business Growth and Consumer Value with Strategic Partnerships, a book that distills decades of real-world experience and mentorship into a practical framework for creating partnerships that endure. COELEVATE explores why 70% of partnerships fail, how to de-risk alliances, and how to treat partnerships as a disciplined business function capable of unlocking exponential growth.Whether you’re a founder, executive, or someone navigating the complexities of organizational collaboration, Richard’s insights offer a roadmap to building relationships that matter.Richard has a special PROMO code for Truth works listeners. Email us at yash@astrasmedia.com to avail them or dm Richard.If the book inspires you, the author would be grateful if you left a review—it really helps spread the word.👉 coelevatebook.com/ar

On this solo episode of Truth Works, host Jessica Neal sits down with Eduardo Briceño, author of The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action and one of the world’s leading voices on growth mindset. From Caracas to Silicon Valley, VC to education, Eduardo unpacks how living in constant performance mode stalls progress—and how deliberately switching into the learning zone unlocks long-term excellence.We get tactical: redesigning meeting agendas so learning isn’t an afterthought, building daily habits for reflection, modeling feedback, and balancing short-term execution with bold, long-term goals. Jessica shares inside stories from Netflix—farming for dissent, the informed captain model, leading with context, and why over-communication beats under-communication every time—while Eduardo shows how to turn those ideas into repeatable systems that compound.You’ll learn:The difference between learning vs. performance zones—and when to be in eachSimple agenda tweaks that make every meeting smarterHow to normalize feedback and dissent without slowing executionA daily question leaders can use to keep teams unblocked and alignedFind Eduardo’s TED Talks, newsletter, and more—and don’t forget to check out The Performance Paradox.

In this episode, Kweilin Ellingrud—Director at the McKinsey Global Institute and Senior Partner at McKinsey,breaks down the gender pay gap as a solvable, data-driven problem. We trace where inequity actually begins (the “broken rung” at first promotion), how it compounds through performance reviews and caregiving penalties, and why “it’s just choices” doesn’t hold up once you control for role and tenure. Kweilin shares the fixes leaders can implement this quarter: transparent pay bands, balanced promotion slates, skills-based hiring, disciplined pay equity audits, and manager training that sticks. We also explore how AI and productivity gains could widen or close the gap—depending on governance. You’ll leave with a six-step playbook, concrete KPIs to track progress, and quick experiments any org can run to make fair pay the default.

In this episode of Truth Works, we sit down with Beth Steinberg, an organizational development and leadership expert with over 25 years of experience guiding companies through hypergrowth, IPOs, and acquisitions. As founder of Mensch Ventures and former People leader at Facebook, Sunrun, and BrightRoll, Beth has helped scale both startups and global enterprises by blending leadership coaching with people strategy and culture design.She shares lessons from steering talent systems under pressure, her philosophy on coaching leaders rather than just managing tasks, and her commitment to advancing women in STEM through the U.S. State Department’s TechWomen initiative. This conversation is a masterclass in building resilient organizations where culture and growth go hand in hand.

In this episode of Truth Works, we welcome James Turk, author of The Giving Game. James is dedicated to helping organizations cultivate leaders who understand that generosity is not just a personal virtue, but a strategic advantage.He explains how effective leadership is built on trust, collaboration, and the ability to give more than you take. Drawing on his research and experiences, James shows how “the giving mindset” transforms cultures—turning teams into communities that thrive on shared purpose and mutual support.We discuss practical ways leaders can integrate these ideas into their organizations, from shaping daily interactions to guiding long-term strategy. James challenges traditional notions of leadership rooted in authority, offering instead a vision of leaders who elevate others, empower innovation, and build resilience through generosity.