Breakthrough Innovation

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...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we’re joined by Lee Russel — AI strategist, bestselling author of Minimal Viable Launch, and builder of systems that generate real ROI, not just buzzwords. Lee brings a refreshing, pragmatic approach to AI. He’s not here to sell hype — he’s here to talk about what’s actually working in the real world. If you're wondering how to use AI without wasting tim...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Adam Kingl — author of Sparking Success, educator at top business schools, and expert in creative leadership. Adam has helped organizations from Disney to Deloitte to Shell unlock their people’s creative capacity. He breaks down why creativity isn’t chaos — it’s a discipline leaders must master if they want to adapt, lead, and outpace di...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Amy Summers — entrepreneur, communications strategist, and author of Lift: 10 Mentorship Touchpoints to Empower Your Team and Accelerate Your Career. With more than 20 years leading virtual teams, Amy is on a mission to rehumanize leadership in a disconnected world. Through micro-feedback, intentional presence, and everyday actions, she show...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we’re joined by Jeff Holman, founder of Intellectual Strategies, an innovation-focused law firm helping startups scale without the legal guesswork. Jeff blends experience as an engineer, attorney, and entrepreneur — and brings a rare ability to bridge strategy and legal for early-stage founders. His frameworks like the Four Fears of Innovation and Five F...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we’re joined by Simon Copsey, transformation consultant, delivery strategist, and creator of Curious Coffee. Simon brings a rare blend of engineering rigor and people-first systems thinking. With deep roots in the Theory of Constraints, he’s helped early startups and global enterprises navigate transformation — not with generic playbooks, but with adapti...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Adam Overhiser, co-founder of SPRG and a sharp systems thinker whose journey spans sales, startups, and venture capital. Adam brings unapologetically honest takes on organizational dynamics, leadership culture, and why the real problem with AI adoption is human, not technical. 🌪️ Why friction in your org might be the best sign of health 🧠 H...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Amir Elion, founder of Think Big Leaders and former head of AWS’s digital innovation program in the Nordics. With 25+ years in product strategy, emerging tech, and innovation leadership, Amir shares how he blends systematic frameworks with AI tools to scale creative thinking — without losing the human touch. 🧠 Why innovation still requi...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Chris Major, founder of the Human Potential Project and a pioneer in performance transformation from the battlefield to the boardroom. Chris has worked with elite athletes, Navy SEALs, and Fortune 100 execs to help them push beyond what they think they're capable of — and step into who they’re truly meant to be. 💥 The mindset shift from “kn...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we speak with Anders Boulanger — professional magician turned communication strategist and founder of Engageify. Anders spent two decades performing magic around the world before turning those skills into a corporate training empire. His book, Engage First, teaches how to capture attention, build trust, and drive results — whether on stage or in the boar...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Andy Milligan — founder of MMG Design and host of the Marketing by Design podcast. Andy took a layoff at 23 and turned it into a thriving business. But he didn’t just hustle — he built with intention, documenting every step, mistake, and milestone along the way. 📉 Why his monthly revenue dropped to $800 — and why he posted it anyway 📈...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Eran Broder, founder of Digital Enzymes, a stealth-mode AI agency solving “impossible” problems across sectors — and quietly leading innovation from the shadows. From his early days at WalkMe (literally coding from a Tel Aviv kitchen) to pioneering the next wave of autonomous AI agents, Eran’s journey is as unconventional as it is inspiring....

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Lior Gerson, serial founder and CEO of TargetBoard — a revolutionary KPI and performance platform built to turn noise into action. Lior helped lead Vroom to a $2.6B IPO and built a $25M product line at Placer.ai, but what shocked him most? How many unicorn startups were operating on wildly inaccurate data. 📉 Why most KPIs are “90% wrong” —...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Perry Puccetti, Executive Director of Operations at VML, and one of the few leaders who’s successfully led transformation in the military, federal innovation, and enterprise tech. Perry doesn’t do “innovation theater” — he brings clarity, alignment, and people-first leadership into the mess of real transformation. 💥 Why most organizatio...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Jonathan Vehar — leadership expert, product strategist, and co-author of How to Make Meetings Not Suck. Jonathan has spent over 30 years helping Fortune 100s, military teams, and mid-sized companies innovate with courage, clarity, and integrity. His big message? Innovation isn’t about ideas — it’s about people. 💥 The real reason most in...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we speak with Sandra D’Ambrosio, Global Transformation Leader at HP and the force behind the wildly successful Insights to Innovation (i2i) program — a grassroots movement empowering HP employees to innovate from within. Sandra shares what it really takes to build change inside a complex system — not through another training, but by designing a program r...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we dive into the mindset, systems, and failures of Vincent Weberink, founder of Pizzaz.io and author of 13 Failures Later: What the Hack. Vincent has launched over a dozen companies — and failed at 13 of them — but every misstep became a stepping stone to his biggest insights. 🚀 Why most startup advice doesn’t actually apply to startups 🧠 How Vincent’s...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we sit down with Chris LaFay, founder and CEO of Classic City Consulting, podcast host, systems nerd, and builder of scalable digital experiences. Chris opens up about how he scaled his agency, avoided burnout, and automated the most annoying parts of business — all while staying radically human. 🧠 Why innovation = tiny plus-ones that compound over time...

In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, we talk with Dr. Julia Moore and Dr. Sobia Khan of the Center for Implementation — global experts in turning research into action and transformation into results. Known as “rogue scientists,” Julia and Sobia aren’t just studying change — they’re making it happen. Their clients include WHO, Gates Foundation, and the CDC, but their mission is simple: make...