TruthWorks

We are taught that great businesses are built on process, management, and roadmaps. But my guest today says that this exact mindset is what kills innovation and drives your best people to quit. Marty Cagan is the "Godfather of Product." He is the founder of the Silicon Valley Product Group and has worked with the giants that defined the internet, including Hewlett-Packard, Netscape, and...

How do you take a free language app and turn it into a multi billion juggernaut that users are literally addicted to? In this episode of TruthWorks, Jessica and Patty sit down with Cem Kansu , the Chief Product Officer at Duolingo. Cem has spent nearly a decade architecting the product strategy that grew Duolingo from a struggling startup into the world’s #1 education app. This isn’t just a conver...

In this episode of Truthworks , Jessica sits down with Guillaume Moubeche, the founder and CEO of Lempire and the creator of Lemlist. Known for building one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the world, Guillaume joins the show to unpack the operational and strategic realities of scaling a business from an idea to a global enterprise. Moving beyond financial headlines, this conversation expl...

Is it possible to reverse aging simply by changing your mind? In this episode of Truth Works , we sit down with Dr. Ellen Langer, the legendary Harvard psychologist known as the "Mother of Mindfulness." Dr. Langer challenges everything we think we know about the mind-body connection. She breaks down her groundbreaking "Counterclockwise" study, where elderly men reversed signs o...

We spend 90,000 hours of our lives at work—so why do we let one bad boss ruin it all? In this episode of TruthWorks , I sit down with Eric Charran , Microsoft Chief Architect and author of the explosive new book Have You Ever Had a Boss That…? Eric isn't just a tech veteran; he’s a screenwriter and leadership expert who has mapped out the hidden "DNA" of dysfunctional workplaces. We...

Jeff Seibert — CEO & Co-Founder of Digits , and the product builder behind Crashlytics (acquired by Twitter, used by nearly every major mobile app) — joins Jessica Neal on Truth Works for an honest breakdown of what it really takes to build world-changing products. From early startup chaos to shipping tools that feel "invisible" and magical, Jeff shares the frameworks that shaped his...

What if “I’m not ready” is the biggest lie holding you back? In this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with Suneel Gupta — once literally the “poster child for failure” in The New York Times — to unpack how failure, exhaustion, and uncertainty can become fuel for a more courageous, energized life. Suneel shares how going from failed founder and Groupon’s hyper-growth implosion to succ...

In this episode of Truth Works , Jessica sits down with Anna Lundström , the CHRO of Spotify , for one of the most honest and forward-looking conversations on the show. Anna and Jessica share a rare parallel — both grew up inside iconic companies (Netflix and Spotify), both rose into the CHRO seat, and both had to navigate the shift from being seen as “the kid who joined early” to becoming the str...

In this episode of Truth Works , Jessica Neal sits down with stress physiologist and author Dr. Rebecca Heiss to dismantle everything you’ve been taught about stress, fear, and burnout. If you’ve ever thought, “I’m stressed, this is bad, I need to make it go away,” this conversation will flip your entire mental model. Rebecca explains why stress is a feature, not a bug , and why the belief that st...

n this episode of Truth Works , Jessica Neal sits down with Alex Pentland , MIT professor and one of the world’s leading data scientists, to explore how human networks really function. Alex Pentland, often called one of the “most powerful data scientists in the world” — has spent decades decoding how information, collaboration, and social trust flow inside organizations. From his pioneering work a...

This week on the Truth Works podcast, Jessica Neal sits down with Bob Sutton , Michael Arena , and Beth Steinberg to unpack one of the most debated topics in organizational design — flat vs hierarchical structures . Drawing on lessons from companies like GM , Nvidia , and Netflix , they explore how culture, leadership, and network dynamics drive innovation and accountability. From Michael Arena’s...

This week on Truth Works , Jessica Neal sits down with Patrick Leddin — former U.S. Army Ranger, Fortune 500 consultant, professor, and bestselling author of Disrupt Everything and Win (co-written with James Patterson). Patrick shares how he’s led through constant change — from the military to corporate boardrooms to academia — and what it truly takes to navigate disruption without burning out. In...

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 p...

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...

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 n...

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 r...

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, nonp...

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 organiza...

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 un...

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...

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 wi...

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 sh...

In this re-run episode of Truth Works , Nirav Tolia - co-founder and CEO of Nextdoor - shares an unfiltered look at the rollercoaster of startup leadership. From his early internet days at Yahoo to co-founding Nextdoor, Nirav reflects on the thrill of building something people love, the sting of being asked to step down, and the personal growth that came from failure. Now back at the helm, he disc...

In this episode of Truth Works , hosts Jessica Neal and Bob Sutton sit down with Laszlo Bock , a trailblazer in the world of people analytics, and the former head of HR at Google .  Laszlo shares his remarkable journey, including his time at Google and his transition into entrepreneurship. The conversation dives deep into the evolution of corporate culture, how data is transforming the way we hire...

In this thought-provoking episode of Truth Works, organizational visionary Michele Zanini joins Jessica Neal and Bob Sutton to unpack the tyranny of bureaucracy and the bold promise of humanocracy. Co-author of the updated book Humanocracy, Michele explains why traditional management systems fail to inspire innovation, agility, or meaning—and how companies like Netflix, Roche, and even the U.S. Ar...