The Virtuosity Podcast

Send us Fan Mail What does character have to do with leadership in medicine—and why are competencies alone no longer enough? Dr. Jacqueline Torti, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Western University, joins Corey for a grounded conversation on character-based leadership in health professions education. She explores how character shows up in small, often unseen moments that shape...

Send us Fan Mail What does character have to do with public service leadership, national infrastructure, and long-term stewardship? Sonia Zouari—Chief Architect at the Department of National Defence—joins us for a powerful, deeply human conversation on why character is the stabilizing force leaders need in a VUCA world. Drawing on 25+ years across architecture, sustainability, policy, and public s...

Send us Fan Mail What does character have to do with military leadership and operational readiness? Lieutenant-Colonel Phil Desmarais—Commanding Officer of the Canadian NORAD Space Detachment—joins us for a pioneering conversation on why character is mission critical in today’s CAF. Drawing on 25+ years in air and space operations, he shares how his team is implementing daily character development...

Send us Fan Mail What does partnership have to do with character development, leadership, and lasting change? Kelly Kiel Garramone—CEO and Research Practice Lead at KRW International—and Mark Chow—a Singapore-based consultant, coach, and global leader—join us to explore how partnership can accelerate growth and make character development come alive. As total strangers on opposite sides of the worl...

Send us Fan Mail What does character have to do with public service, leadership, and organizational culture? Drawing on years in government, HR leadership, and the Virtuosity Program, Mélanie shows how character isn’t an abstract idea but a practical lever for courage, accountability, and culture change—whether you’re “acting” in a temporary leadership role or redesigning how organizations hire....

Send us Fan Mail What does character have to do with engineering, education, and the future of tech? Everything. Elisabeth Arnold Weiss—associate professor of technical communication at USC Viterbi, character-education innovator, and former acrobat(!)—joins us to explore how character isn’t an “add-on” to engineering, but the accelerant that makes trustworthy technology and resilient people possib...

Send us Fan Mail What does character have to do with democracy, coaching, and personal growth? Everything. Adelle—a top global executive coach, founder, and scholar—joins us to explore how character is the foundation not only for strong leadership, but for shaping systems, transforming democracies, and sustaining coaching relationships. With decades of experience leading culture and strategy in So...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to drive real culture transformation in large, complex organizations—especially from the inside? Jennifer Bitz—public sector leader, systems thinker, and long-time practitioner of character-based leadership—joins us to share how she’s been reshaping culture across four major institutions by embedding character at every level. 🧠 What you’ll hear: 🏛️ How character...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to move a system from simply knowing what matters to living it out daily? Manisha Patel—leadership educator, senior faculty member, and advocate for integrated growth—joins us to explore the shift from raising awareness to embedding development within the Canadian Armed Forces. 🧠 What you’ll hear: 📖 Why awareness is only the first step—and not the hardest one...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when someone on the front lines of crisis begins to champion character as the foundation for resilience, leadership, and peak performance? James Rychard—fire service leader, intercollegiate athlete, and national advocate for character-based leadership—joins us to explore how daily practices can fuel both peak performance and lasting well-being. 🧠 What you’ll hear: 🍁...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a 34-year public servant, known for leading with empathy, retires—and reinvents herself through wellness, cooking, and daily character practice? Trish Lee—former senior leader at the Canada Revenue Agency and co-creator of the award-winning Aspiring Leaders program—joins us to share how a life of service evolves into a journey of personal growth, purpose, and flo...

Send us Fan Mail In a time of polarization and noise, what helps us lead with clarity, courage, and connection? Lorelei Rollings—Director General of Culture and Innovation at the RCMP, global leadership trainer, and certified Leader Character practitioner—joins us to explore how character isn’t just a personal quality, but a practical toolkit for navigating conflict, complexity, and change. 🧠 Wha...

Send us Fan Mail Bill Furlong ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-furlong-0689753/ ) is a distinguished finance and leadership expert who served as Vice Chair at TD Securities and now advances character-based leadership through his work with Ivey Business School, Leader Character Associates, and various governance roles. Quotes From Bill •  "If you want to get an early warning sense of where t...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Christian Breede ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/h-christian-breede-09481415/ ) is a Research Analyst with the Department of National Defence working at the Canadian Defence Academy. Quotes From Christian •  "Character work is not to be started in the attack position. You've got to do it before...You gotta have the sets and reps done beforehand so that when you're...

Send us Fan Mail Chuck Ansell ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-ansell-00370185/ ), currently serving as the School Chief Warrant Officer at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Control Operations, sits down with Corey to share insights on how he's embedding character leadership into their education and leadership training. Quotes From Chuck "We make sure that junior leaders, interm...

Send us Fan Mail In our launch episode, co-founders Dr. Mary Crossan and host Dr. Corey Crossan challenge conventional thinking on leadership development and invite you to reimagine what's possible when character becomes a daily practice. Mary reveals why character isn’t just important—it’s foundational Corey unpacks the intentional design behind Virtuosity’s flagship program Mary outlines wh...