Communication — Podcast

Do you know someone who has been hurt in the past and can’t let it go? They aren’t able to move forward with their life. Or maybe they wanted something really badly, but they didn’t get it. Either way, they are stuck.

This episode is for that person. Dr. Fred Luskin is the author of the book “Forgive for Good.” He is also the director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. In this interview, he discusses why forgiveness is a key component of resilience. Dr. Luskin shares how grievances are formed, how to overcome them, and why we live happier healthier lives when we forgive others and ourselves.

Dr. Luskin is the director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects, a senior consultant in health promotion at Stanford University, and a professor at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, as well as an affiliate faculty member of the Greater Good Science Center. In addition to “Forgive for Good,” Dr. Luskin is the author of “Forgive for Love: The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Lasting Relationship” and co-author of “Stress Free for Good: 10 Scientifically Proven Life Skills for Health and Happiness” along with Dr. Kenneth Pelletier.

Turning Disruption into Opportunity with Dominic Bowen

If you are a leader for long enough, your organization is going to face a crisis. It might be a massive weather event, a war that interrupts your supply chain, a cybersecurity breach, or another type of disruption. How prepared you are and how you respond to that crisis will determine if it’s devastating or an opportunity.

Dominic Bowen has been working in crisis situations for two decades. A former member of Australian special forces, he’s done humanitarian work after earthquakes and tsunamis, and now he helps organizations prepare for the certainty of the next unexpected challenge.

In this conversation, Dominic discusses the big disruptions - like tsunamis, hurricanes, and military conflicts - that can interrupt any high-functioning organization and the small disruptions that are blind spots for most companies. He also shares what leaders should be thinking about in terms of business continuity and how effective crisis management can lead to unplanned opportunities.

Dominic Bowen is an experienced leader and risk professional, the head of the international operations desk at Europe's leading risk management consultancy, and host of The International Risk Podcast. Dominic has established successful operations in some of the world’s most challenging environments, including Ukraine, Yemen, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Afghanistan, Philippines, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Haiti, Liberia, and Nepal.

Building Grit with Shannon Huffman Polson

Being able to bounce back from adversity is a critical skill in being successful in business and in living a healthy, fulfilled life. In general, resilient people have better mental and physical health, are more productive, have a greater sense of purpose, and experience greater success. In this episode, Shannon Huffman Polson discusses the challenges she faced as a pioneer in military aviation. Shannon also shares what she has learned about developing resilience that anyone can apply in the face of disappointment, defeat, and adversity.

Shannon was one of the first women to pilot an Apache attack helicopter in the United States Army. She is also the author of the book “The Grit Factor” which helps people define their story and core purpose, gather and practice the skills to develop grit, and own their uniqueness while leading in difficult times.

At age 19, Shannon became the youngest woman ever to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America. She went on to reach the summits of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Kilimanjaro. She is the founder of The Grit Institute, a leadership institute committed to whole leader development, and host of The Grit Factor podcast. She also teaches on the faculty of the Tuck School's Leadership and Strategic Initiative Executive Education Program.

Leading with Gratitude with Chester Elton

Research indicates that showing gratitude helps us improve our health, handle adversity, and create stronger relationships. In this interview, Chester Elton, who co-wrote the book Leading with Gratitude, shares how expressing gratitude can also lead to extraordinary business results. He discusses some of the myths about gratitude that are holding leaders back and Chester shares the most powerful gratitude practices that can both help you create a grateful life and excel in the workplace.

Chester and his co-author Adrian Gostick also wrote the book “Anxiety at Work” - one of 14 books they have written together. Chester closes this interview with an overview of what leaders can do to mitigate anxiety at work and create an environment that is safe to discuss mental health challenges.

Chester Elton has spent two decades helping some of the world’s most successful businesses engage their employees to execute on strategy, vision, and values. He is co-author of multiple award-winning New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling leadership books including All In, The Carrot Principle, The Best Team Wins, and Anxiety at Work. His books have been translated in more than 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Reaching Peak Performance with Sports Psychologist Dr. Rick Aberman

When the lights are on and the ball is in play, we tend to forget that athletes are human too. They have families, friends, bills, obligations, and commitments like everyone else. And their jobs are really, really stressful. Failure can lead to the scorn of fans in the arena and on social media. Pundits can be unusually cruel. Coaches and General Managers can be fickle when players underperform and losses mount.

To deal with these pressures, collegiate and professional athletes often turn to a sports psychologist to help them overcome their doubts, regain their confidence, curiosity and purpose, and strive toward performing at their potential. One of those sports psychologists is Dr. Rick Aberman. He is a pioneer in the field and has been working with elite athletes and corporate executives for 30 years.

In this discussion, Dr. Aberman talks about how business leaders and sports coaches can more effectively assess talent, help team members move past failure, manage emotions, build healthy work cultures, and help their people live full, well-rounded lives. One of his most powerful tools is simply asking the people he works with “how good do you want to be?”

After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Aberman became one of the first psychologists in the country to be hired as a member of a sports medicine staff. He initiated a program designed to specifically meet the needs of high performing competitive student-athletes, coaches, and administrators at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Aberman served as the Director of Peak Performance on the medical staff of the Minnesota Twins. In addition, he continues to be a long-standing advisor to athletic teams and coaches at the University of Minnesota. He utilizes the latest thinking in psychology, motivation, neuroscience, and peak performance.

12 Geniuses Podcast

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