Breakthrough Innovation

Most executives say people are their greatest asset — and then fund their development last. That gap is costing organizations far more than they realize, not just in turnover, but in lost innovation, eroded customer loyalty, and strategic agility that never materializes. In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, host JL Heather sits down with Sandra Coker, founder and CEO of Human Power Solution...

Most executives believe they're strong communicators. Their teams often disagree. That gap — and what to do about it — is exactly where Dr. Danny Brassell lives. Known as "Jim Carrey with a Ph. D.," Dr. Brassell has delivered over 3,500 keynotes worldwide and authored 21 books on leadership, communication, and business growth. As co-founder of WellCrafted Story™, he's helped entrepreneurs, executi...

Most organizations don't fail at strategy. They fail at execution — and the gap between the two is where transformations go to die. In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, JL Heather sits down with Jeff Niebuhr, a seasoned technology and delivery executive who has spent his career leading large, complex organizations through modernization, restructuring, and high-stakes change. Jeff has led gl...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Coby Skonord, founder of IdeaWake, about why most corporate innovation programs fail — and how organizations can unlock massive value from the ideas already inside their workforce. Coby shares lessons from building IdeaWake from scratch, raising venture funding, and helping companies like Kraft Heinz, SiriusXM, and U.S. Bank crowdsource empl...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Paul Schmidt, VP of AI & Innovation at SmartBug Media, to break down why so many innovation efforts fail — even when the ideas are solid. Paul brings an operator’s lens to innovation, services, and AI adoption, focusing not on hype, but on what actually sells, scales, and sticks. 💥 The #1 reason new services fail: no distribution, n...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Kylee Ingram, co-founder and CEO of Wiser, to unpack why organizations with smart, experienced leaders still make costly decisions. Kylee’s journey spans international television, award-winning interactive media, and now decision science — all driven by one core question: why do groups sometimes make brilliant decisions and other times f...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we speak with Oksana Lukash, executive advisor, culture builder, and former Chief People Officer, about what real transformation looks like — not the buzzword kind, but the kind that reshapes identity, systems, and leadership behavior. Oksana shares her No Matter What values framework and powerful insights into how leaders can navigate crisis, growth, an...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Jeff Sykes, a veteran DevOps and platform engineering leader who’s helped teams bridge the gap between tech ambition and real-world sustainability. Jeff shares honest reflections on infrastructure, culture, and leadership — and why understanding the story you’re in might be the most important part of doing meaningful work. 🧱 Why buildin...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we’re joined by James A. Weiss, Managing Director at Big Drop Inc., a top-tier digital agency known for high-impact web and platform experiences. James shares what most companies get wrong about digital transformation — and how to build creative, scalable solutions that don’t fall apart in 12 months. 🚫 Why most transformation efforts fail before they de...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Dr. Christiana Schroeder, leadership strategist, TEDx speaker, and creator of the Petite Practice Framework — a simple but powerful method built on behavioral science. If you’ve ever struggled with overwhelm, lack of clarity, or feeling stuck as a leader, this episode is your permission to simplify and start again — with one small step. 💡 W...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with H.R. Huntsman, founder of Leaders Edge, a leadership strategist who's coached over 400,000 people and delivered 4,000+ keynotes globally. From the military to the boardroom, H.R. shares hard-won wisdom on building high-performing teams — not through control, but through clarity, curiosity, and creative conflict. 🔥 The shift that changed...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we speak with Stephanie Sylvestre, founder of AvatarBuddy, former CIO, and one of the boldest voices in AI for social impact. From pioneering digital twins in 2016 to launching an AI-powered metaverse that preserves Black legacy and expands mentorship, Stephanie is redefining what it means to lead innovation with empathy, ethics, and courage. 🧠 Why AI i...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Bruno Pešec, strategist, author, and creator of Playing Lean. Bruno helps companies make innovation real, not just performative — and he isn’t afraid to call out the “innovation theater” most leaders accidentally create. 🔥 How to spot when innovation is just for PR (and what to do instead) 📉 Why training employees to innovate is pointless...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Sam Berman, founder of LARC (Logistics Advanced Research Center) and author of Militant Mind, a brutally honest dive into the psychology of building what doesn’t exist. Sam’s story isn’t about overnight success — it’s about obsession, failure, grit, and spiritual resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. 🧠 The psychological cost of build...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we welcome Tom Healy, founder of PeopleOps360, author of five leadership books, and creator of people performance systems used by elite teams and top companies alike. Tom brings the heat with sharp insights on why so many “people problems” are actually systems problems — and how to fix them without sugarcoating. 💥 Why culture isn’t values on a wall — it...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Garrett Wood, founder of Gnosis Therapy, board-certified health and wellness coach, and executive functioning expert. Garrett helps high achievers — especially founders, execs, and creatives — escape the boom-bust cycle of burnout and build sustainable performance by working with the nervous system, not against it. 🔥 Why burnout is more abo...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Andrew Davies, Better Meetings Director at Artly Working, where he brings improv + facilitation to companies like Meta, Google, Netflix, and Roblox. Andrew’s workshops are helping teams become more connected, more creative, and way more effective — not through more tools or strategy, but through better human interaction. 🎭 Why improv is...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we speak with Dr. Tyler Susko — roboticist, inventor, and founder of Cadense, the startup behind a revolutionary adaptive shoe for people with mobility challenges. This story starts with million-dollar rehabilitation robots at MIT… and ends with a lightweight, friction-adaptive shoe that has already helped tens of thousands regain confidence and mobility...

In this milestone episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Dr. Rahul Prasad, an applied physicist who helped advance nuclear fusion at institutions like Yale and the National Ignition Facility — and then made a radical pivot into global social impact. Dr. Prasad is now president of Butterflies USA, chairperson of Amandla Development, and author of the upcoming book Impact Shift. His story...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Dave Schoof, a former counterintelligence expert turned master leadership coach. Dave’s unconventional path led from national security to the C-suite — where he now helps senior executives unlock meaning, clarity, and performance through deep mindset shifts. This conversation goes beyond strategy — it's about who leaders become when the...

In this laughter-packed and insight-rich episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Conor Cunneen, the Irishman known as Irishman Speaks — a business humorist, two-time cancer survivor, and former marketing exec on a mission to improve people, performance, and productivity… with a smile. Whether you lead teams, sell products, or pitch ideas, this episode will reframe how you think about humo...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Mickey Anderson, founder of LoyaltyOps and a culture-systems expert who helps leaders scale without breaking their teams. Mickey brings clarity to the messy middle where process, tools, and people collide — and offers a repeatable system for building culture as a competitive advantage. 💡 Why high-performing culture matters more than high-pe...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Kelly Schuknecht, founder of Two Mile High Marketing and host of Beyond the Bestseller. Kelly spent 20 years helping others build their brands — until a layoff forced her to finally bet on herself. And it paid off. Her story is part personal reinvention, part business strategy, and all 🔥 inspiration for anyone feeling invisible, stuck,...

In this powerful episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Anil Gupta — global speaker, mindset coach, and creator of the Happiness Formula and 3G Fulfillment Framework. After losing everything in 2008, Anil discovered what really drives joy, resilience, and leadership from within. This conversation isn’t about surface-level positivity — it’s about the inner game of innovation, leadership,...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we welcome Heather Physioc, Chief Discoverability Officer at VML and global keynote speaker. She’s built award-winning search and content teams — and now she’s helping leaders understand how discoverability shapes everything from branding to org design. Heather doesn’t just talk marketing — she talks systems, trust, and what people are really looking for...