Send us a text

Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including his most recent, All It Takes Is a Goal: The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential.

Published in more than twenty languages, his work is both critically acclaimed and adored by readers. When he’s not writing, Acuff can be found on a stage, as one of INC’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers. He’s spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences, colleges and companies around the world including FedEx, Nissan, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Chick-fil-A, Nokia and Comedy Central. Known for his insights wrapped in humor, Acuff shared the stage with an American Icon when he opened up for Dolly Parton at the Ryman Auditorium.

For over 20 years he’s also helped some of the biggest brands tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, and Staples. His fresh perspective on life has given him the opportunity to write for Reader’s Digest, Fast Company, The Harvard Business Review and Time Magazine.

He lives outside of Nashville, TN with his wife Jenny and two teenage daughters.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

• “If you want a kind 16-year-old, give a six-year-old kindness and then 10 years to practice.”
• “Another thing I’m thinking about is how do I be interruptible for a small number of people. I’m highly interruptible for three people: my wife, and my two daughters.”
• “I’m learning to hold two opposite thoughts at once: one is that you’re doing better than you think, and the other is that you’re more capable than you realize.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• All It Takes Is a Goal by Jon Acuff
• Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff
• Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking by Jon Acuff
• The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us a text

Cecily Sommers helps leaders anticipate and steward transformational change. Named one of the world’s "50 Leading Female Futurists" by Forbes, Cecily embeds foresight in leadership development programs, training clients to become their own best futurists.

As the strategist that Google, Salesforce, Purina, and JP Morgan Chase turn to make sense of their future, Cecily guides organizations through critical questions such as "Which opportunities give us the most advantage?” and “How do we develop change-ready leaders?”

A two-time TEDx speaker and frequent keynote presenter at conferences, Cecily has been described as “catalytic and brilliant” for making complex issues simple and relatable. Dedicated to advancing change literacy in organizations, she created the “Lead Like a Futurist” program and is a certified Transformational Coach.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

• “Leaders and futurists occupy the same position—if you’re leading, you’re already at the edge, looking into the foggy distance to see which direction to go.”
• “The future is not figureoutable—it’s only followable. And what futurists do is study change, its forces, and its patterns.”
• “We zoom out to see what matters and how things work so that, when we zoom back in, we know how to materialize what truly matters.”
• “Sometimes leaders think they need more time, but often what they really need is more space—space to reflect, sense, and align with what’s unfolding.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Think Like a Futurist by Cecily Sommers
• The Fourth Turning Is Here by Neil Howe
• Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail by Ray Dalio

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us a text

On his journey from a Parking Lot Attendant to CEO, Brian Cunningham has studied the leadership/followership dynamic at every level within a complex organization. As a life-long student of leadership and an explorer of numerous paths of expanded awareness, Brian has sought to uncover the larger possibilities of our service as a leader. Most importantly, we need to integrate these discoveries into the day-to-day practice of leading in our increasing complexity.

As a reflection of these many years of ongoing study, research, and real-life application, Brian has written three groundbreaking books that illuminate the keys to our developmental progression into the highest levels of leadership service. His most recent book, Leadership: The Universal Principles, details the two universal principles that are foundational to our growth in leadership and in life. This book provides a practical framework that can be used to create your unique path of leadership mastery.

A Few (Awesome) Quotes From This Episode

• “Leaders and followers are just two sides of the same coin, and we cannot move through significant complexity without each other."
• “Whatever I think or read pales in comparison to what reality teaches you.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: Leadership: The Universal Principles
• Book: Mastering Leadership by Bob Anderson and Bill Adams
• Book: Scaling Leadership by Bob Anderson and Bill Adams
• Book: The Cosmic Hologram by Dr. Jude Currivan

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us a text

Dr. Joanne Murphy is Chair of Inclusive Leadership at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. Her research explores leadership, change and organisational development in political volatility, including environments affected by ethno-political conflict. Her latest book is Management and War: How Organisations Navigate Conflict and Build Peace.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

• “I grew up in Northern Ireland and was part of this ‘troubles generation.’ That has defined, to a very large extent, the work that I do, because conflict and violence became a big part of my reality.”
• “What I’m really interested in—and I suppose the connective tissue through my work—is leadership. How do we get people to understand conflict and then lead them out of it?”
• “When we talk about things like war or these intractable, wicked problems, they seem to be more prevalent rather than less. And that’s why understanding conflict—and how leaders can help resolve it—matters so much.”

A Quote From Hume's Nobel Speech

• "All conflict is about difference, whether the difference is race, religion or nationality...Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace – respect for diversity."

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Article: Leadership, liminality, and ‘wicked’ conflicts: John Hume and the untangling of the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ by Murphy
• Book: Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
• Book: John Hume: A Biography by Paul Routledge
• Documentary: John Hume - Ireland's Greatest
• Book: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, rese

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us a text

Bob Kulhan is a professor at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and an elite improv and sketch comedian. Bob is the Founder & CEO of Business Improv® – a 25-yr-old consultancy linking improvisation to business through behavioral sciences. His focus: People Skills. Human Connection.

His clients include a who’s who of businesses (from pharma to manufacturing to aerospace), universities, organizations, and government institutions. He has also worked extensively with entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, as well as small and medium size businesses.

He is the best-selling author of Getting to Yes And: The Art of Business Improv (Stanford University Press). Kulhan also created the dynamic online (asynchronous) program, Improvisational Communication in 2019, for those who want to study Business Improv in the comfort of their own homes, at their own pace.

A Few (AWESOME) Quotes From This Episode

• ‘Yes, And’ does not mean I agree with you—it means I’m here, I’m listening, and I’m building thoughtfully on what you’ve said.”
• “Follow the follower: Great leaders pay close attention to those they lead, because those people are actively teaching you how to lead them.”
• “As a leader, my job isn’t to have the right answer; it’s to find the right answer by fostering real collaboration.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Improvised Dialogues: Emergence and Creativity in Conversation by R. Keith Sawyer
• The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us a text

Anthony Amunategui is the founder of CDO Group, a national commercial construction firm he started almost 25 years ago with a small group in his basement. Today CDO Group has worked with some of the world’s largest brands to build an estimated one million square feet of retail space per year.

Anthony has a true passion for discovering what makes people successful in business and in life. He loves having conversations about what the future holds for us personally and professionally and the adventures that shape that journey.

A Quote From This Episode

• "The entrepreneur of the future will be tasked with finding those still spaces to do the mental exercises - to find that mental fitness that's going to drive their success."

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Anthony's Podcast - Future Factory
• Book - AA Big Book

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us a text

Todd Bertsch is a dynamic entrepreneur, speaker, and life-optimization coach, best known as the host of The BOLT Podcast. His inspiring journey from overcoming early life challenges to experiencing a pivotal transformation in his 20s has established him as a respected figure in digital marketing, education, and leadership.

In 2009, Todd founded Evolve Marketing, a successful digital agency. Passionate about inspiring others, Todd's mission is to encourage individuals to embrace change, cultivate a growth mindset, and lead meaningful, fulfilling lives. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards and is currently the president of Leadership Akron Signature Class 39.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

• “It took me a long time to get to where I am—truly fulfilled and happy—and I want more people to reach that place without having to fail so many times. You can start today.”
• "When you shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, you open yourself up to possibilities—you become more empathetic, self-aware, and ultimately a more effective leader.”
• “A lot of people love the idea of being a leader, but they don’t realize how much responsibility comes with it. It’s a privilege that shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk
• Optical Emotions by Dr. Laura Aldape
• Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine
• Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us a text

Dr. Flo Falayi, a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry, leads leadership and executive development within the Advisory practice, CEO/C-Suite Accelerator, and Succession team. He focuses on executive development, coaching, team effectiveness, and inclusive leadership programs to align with strategic priorities and enhance satisfaction, motivation, and retention.

With 28 years of experience, Dr. Flo helps organizations execute strategy through effective leadership development and coaching. He has held P&L responsibilities across HR, Business Technology, L&D, and Training in global organizations.

Dr. Flo Falayi brings a global perspective from working across North America, Europe, and West Africa. He applies psychological principles to solve leadership challenges and partners with senior leaders on assessments, 360 evaluations, and succession planning.

Before Korn Ferry, he co-founded a boutique firm and was a principal at a global consultancy. A recognized thought leader, his insights appear in various publications, and he speaks frequently on inclusive leadership, hybrid leadership, and coaching strategies.

Flo is married to his college sweetheart, Lande and they have three young men, two in college and a high school junior.

Flo is a YALE scholar, holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership and an Executive MBA candidate at the University of Georgia, Terry College of Business. He holds a Master's degree and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems, and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture.

Dr. Flo is an accredited coach (ACC) certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), Change Management Professionals (ACMP), Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Forbes Coaches Council.

A Quote From This Episode

• "Enterprise leaders have to be able to perform and transform the business at the same time."

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Article: Top 5 Leadership Trends That Will Shape 2025 (Korn Ferry)
• Book: Calling Bullshit byCalling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World by Carl T. Bergstrom & Jevin D. West
• Book: The Trusted Advisor byThe Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Robert Galford, and Charles Green
• Book: Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald A. Heifetz & Martin Linsky

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Pra

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.