354: Tilting Futures: Empowering Young Adults to Lead

354: Tilting Futures: Empowering Young Adults to Lead

354: Tilting Futures: Empowering Young Adults to Lead

What if young people learned to lead by tackling real-world problems instead of waiting for “someday”? In this inspiring conversation, you’ll meet Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures, an organization that empowers youth around the globe to step into leadership through immersive, purpose-driven experiences. Erin shares how her own background—as a coach, educator, and social entrepreneur—shaped her belief that true learning happens through action, reflection, and collaboration.

You’ll hear how Tilting Futures’ Take Action Lab program helps students engage with human rights or environmental issues through apprenticeships, academic learning, and community impact. Meredith and Erin explore how these hands-on opportunities give participants clarity about their purpose, confidence in their abilities, and the courage to take on global challenges. Erin also reveals how her team fosters healthy disagreement, emotional awareness, and curiosity—skills essential for every leader who wants to create positive change.

Erin has been with an exceptional organization called Tilting Futures for 11 years, and she has served as CEO for the past 3 years. Before joining Tilting Futures, Erin was Vice President of School Partnerships for Revolution Foods and served as Bay Area Director for Playworks. For 20 years, she coached the Varsity Girls’ Basketball team at Emery High, and she’s an avid supporter of girls in sports.

You’ll discover:

  • How global immersion helps young people build resilience, empathy, and leadership skills
  • Why “tilt moments” transform self-doubt into personal growth and confidence
  • How to make education more relevant through experiential learning
  • The power of emotional intelligence and healthy disagreement in team dynamics
  • How curiosity fuels innovation and learning from mistakes

Watch the episode:

Connect with Erin

      

Erin’s Website

Tilting Futures

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353: How Great Leaders Execute Strategy with Clarity First

353: How Great Leaders Execute Strategy with Clarity First

353: How Great Leaders Execute Strategy with Clarity First

Have you ever wondered why so many well-designed strategies fail in execution? Tim Ohai reveals that the real problem isn’t poor planning, it’s poor decision-making. Drawing on decades of global experience, he shares how strategy is best understood as a series of decisions rather than as a static plan. You’ll learn how clarity at every handoff—from leadership to teams—determines whether people can actually deliver on what’s expected.

You’ll also discover the human side of strategy. We explore how ego, fear, and unclear accountability derail even the best intentions—and what leaders can do to reverse it. Through engaging stories and practical insights, Tim explains how to replace confusion with empowerment, align decisions with outcomes, and approach leadership as stewardship rather than control. If you’re ready to transform how your organization thinks and acts, this episode will show you how to make clarity your greatest competitive advantage.

Tim has spent decades helping leaders around the world uncover what’s getting in the way of their teams—and their own success—and then guiding them to take meaningful action. As a consultant, coach, author, and speaker, Tim combines business best practices with psychological insights to drive performance that’s both healthy and sustainable. He’s also the host of the How to NOT Execute Your Strategy Podcast, and we explored some key ideas from his upcoming book, The Zen of Strategic Execution.

You’ll discover:

  • Why strategic execution fails even when plans look solid.
  • How defining strategy as a series of decisions changes everything.
  • The three universal drives that shape team behavior.
  • Practical ways to reduce fear and ego in your culture.
  • How stewardship leads to stronger alignment and engagement.

Watch the episode:

Connect with Tim

    

Tim’s Website

Tim Ohai

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352: Inside Principal Financial Group’s Culture of Ethics

352: Inside Principal Financial Group’s Culture of Ethics

352: Inside Principal Financial Group’s Culture of Ethics

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how real leaders make ethics practical on a day-to-day basis? In this conversation with Noreen Fierro at Principal Financial Group®, you’ll hear how, as Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, she builds trust by asking questions, owning mistakes, and keeping teams aligned to values, not just outcomes. You’ll also get an insider’s view of the rigorous Ethisphere “World’s Most Ethical Companies” application—what it takes, why cross-functional collaboration matters, and how to sustain momentum over months.

You’ll come away with fresh, usable ideas: pausing unsustainable busywork, watching for stress signals, and turning misses into shared learning instead of blame. Plus, you’ll discover a mentoring approach grounded in humility, self-awareness, and long-term relationships that helps people grow with confidence.

Noreen is Senior Vice President and Enterprise Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Principal Financial Group®. She joined Principal® in 2022. Her career spans 30 years in the financial services industry, both in-house in legal and compliance roles and as outside counsel. Prior to joining Principal in 2022, she was Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at Guardian Life and before that held various senior-level positions at Prudential Financial. You’ll hear Noreen’s passion for strong leadership in our conversation, and she speaks often about it at industry events.

You’ll discover:

  • How vulnerability (and “I don’t know yet”) elevates leadership.
  • A practical playbook for complex, months-long ethics initiatives.
  • What to do after a miss: learn, don’t blame.
  • Ways to protect your team’s capacity and values in real time.
  • A mentoring style that blends humility, curiosity, and care.

Watch the episode:

Connect with Noreen

  

Website

Learn more about Noreen Fierro’s employer, Principal Financial Group, here:  

PrincipalFinancial Group

 

 

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351: Navigating Leadership in the Age of AI

351: Navigating Leadership in the Age of AI

351: Navigating Leadership in the Age of AI

What if you had to step into a CEO role at just 22, with no formal business training? That’s exactly what Thiago Da Costa did, and he quickly discovered that leadership is best learned on the job. In this episode, Thiago shares what it was like to build and grow a company that Autodesk later acquired, leading teams of up to 300 people and adapting to constant organizational change. He reflects on the lessons learned about authenticity, cultural alignment, and the compromises leaders must navigate to stay true to their values while driving results.

You’ll also hear how Thiago is now leveraging AI to shape the future of work. From hiring and skill development to automating routine tasks, Thiago offers a fascinating look at how AI can enhance—not replace—human leadership. He shares practical insights about using AI for personalized guidance, preparing for tough conversations, and freeing leaders to focus on what matters most: engaging meaningfully with people. His vision of AI as a partner in leadership offers a compelling roadmap for today’s leaders who want to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Thiago is a product visionary, an AI futurist, and a serial entrepreneur. He sold his first company to Autodesk and is now building the future of work with Datagrid, where he’s Founder and CEO. Datagrid is an AI platform that turns your company’s data into intelligent agents. These agents automate workflows, surface real-time insights, and supercharge decision-making.

You’ll discover:

  • The hard-earned lessons Thiago acquired as a first-time CEO at 22.
  • Why aligning with an organization’s culture and DNA is essential.
  • How AI agents are transforming routine business tasks.
  • Ways AI can enhance communication and feedback for leaders.
  • The future of hiring in an AI-driven workplace.

Watch the episode:

Connect with Thiago

Thiago’s Website

Datagrid.com 

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350: Creating Yourself, Others, and Your World

350: Creating Yourself, Others, and Your World

350: Creating Yourself, Others, and Your World

What if you realized you’re already creating every moment of your life—yourself, others, and the world around you? In this milestone 350th episode, I reflect on what it truly means to be a creator in all three areas. Drawing inspiration from master coaches Steve Hardison and Steve Chandler, I explore how daily intentions, conscious thoughts, and deliberate actions shape who we become and how we experience others. You’ll be inspired to see every encounter and circumstance as an opportunity to create something meaningful—with kindness, awareness, and purpose.

You’ll discover:

  • How to consciously create the person you want to be each day.
  • Why your thoughts and beliefs “create” how others show up for you.
  • A powerful way to bring intention to every interaction.
  • How to transform challenges by asking, “What do I want to create?”
  • The liberating truth that you are already a powerful creator.

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

          

Meredith’s Resources

Website

Grow Strong Leaders

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