Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

Mental health has never been more top-of-mind than in recent years, and Emma McAdam has built an extraordinary therapeutic resource in an unlikely place: YouTube. Emma is a licensed marriage and family therapist best known for her incredibly popular "Therapy in a Nutshell" videos that demystify things like anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation. This candid conversation will completely chan...

We tend to associate the word surrender with quitting or giving up. Something less than honorable. In his book, The Magic of Surrender: Finding the Courage to Let Go , transformational teacher and bestselling author Kute Blackson endeavors to change how we view the word. Kute joins us this week to discuss how the book came about and what exactly should we be surrendering to.  

Leaping to a new S-Curve of learning can be an overwhelming experience. As we transition from being at the top of our field into a new and less experienced trajectory, our emotions and anxieties can get the best of us. Our guest this week believes science, specifically the discipline of rocket science, can help us better navigate personal and professional disruption. Ozan Varol is a rocket scienti...

Anxiety isn't bad….it's just data. For some it can even serve as a catalyst, driving them to achieve. Morra Aarons-Mele is the founder of the communications firm Women Online, and hosts the award-winning Anxious Achiever podcast for LinkedIn Presents. Her book,  The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower , is out next month. Morra would like to put an end to the...

This week we're chatting with Tony O'Driscoll, professor at Duke University's School of Business. Tony is co-author of the graphic novel,  Everyday Superhero: How You Can Inspire Everyone And Create Real Change at Work.  

Tim Harrison knows a thing or two about growth. At a young age, doctors said Tim would be physically behind all his peers. He outgrew every single one. During his time playing basketball in college, Tim faced significant  on and off court challenges, propelling him to…grow. Today, Tim strives to instill that same growth mentality into underserved high school students via his non-profit organizatio...

Mauro Porcini was the first Chief Design Officer at both 3M and PepsiCo. He's also  author of the book, The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People On this week's show, Mauro shares with us his insights on how we can identify and deal with  hidden rejection, as well as how companies can cultivate a Unicorn Culture. 

Stewardship. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Servant leadership. Not the first things that come to mind when thinking about leadership in the corporate world, but our guest today sees these as indispensable core values that served as guides throughout her career. Angela Ahrendts is the former C.E.O. of Burberry, former head of retail at Apple, and is currently chairwoman of the...

Joining us this week is Tina Opie, author of "Shared Sisterhood: How to Take Collective Action for Racial and Gender Equity at Work". My conversation with Tina was a tough one, but I hope it's just as meaningful for you as it was for me.  

Victor Frankl once said, "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In that response lies our growth and freedom". Our guest this week seeks to help us optimize that space. Carol Kauffman, founder of the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School , and co-author of the soon to be released Real-Time Leadership: Find Your Winning Moves Wh...

Andre Menezes is the CEO of Next Gen Foods. On this week's episode, Andre will share insights from his  journey of becoming a visionary in the world of sustainable food production. We'll also learn how Andre developed a broader perspective about the world and how he learned at an early age to be the protagonist of his  story and not succumb to the victim mentality. In Andre's words, "There's no wa...

What is special about you and what you know how to do, and how  do you scale yourself ? How do you make sure you spend most of your time doing that thing? Jennifer Smith, C.E.O. and co-founder of Scribe joins Whitney to discuss this and so much more.

Happiness...at work. A novel concept? An oxymoron? Far from it. Jon Clifton is the CEO of Gallup, and author of Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It. Jon joins Whitney this week to discuss how happiness in the workplace is not elusive as some may think.

Joining Whitney this week is Mbali Maseko, Head of Well Being at Sasol South Africa, a global chemical and energy company. Mbali has a Masters in Public Health, a Masters in Business Administration and an Honors degree in Dietetics, attained through grit, hard work,  and the support and sacrifice of her family.

This week Whitney shares a portion of one of her recent LinkedIn Live sessions.  Joining Whitney this week is  NY Times best-selling author, Seth Godin – his most famous books being This is Marketing and Linchpin. In this episode, Whitney and Seth talk about one of his latest projects, The Carbon Almanac, the idea of imposter syndrome, and of course, marketing.

Innovation doesn't have to be world-changing. In fact, Garry Turner says it's crucial, even if you've been doing the same job at the same company for decades. Garry is a fierce advocate for internal disruption: Challenging the status quo within an organization (and within yourself!) to get better results. And for Garry, better results doesn't just mean efficiency and profit. It means sustainabilit...

A wise man once said, " Listening is the ultimate mark of respect, Listening is the heart and soul of engagement. " On the commemoration of our 300th episode, the Disruptive Advisors team would like to thank you for your respect, as we strive to provide you with engaging content.  Our guest this week is management icon  Tom Peters. Tom, the aforementioned wise man, has a new book out titled ," Tom...

Sometimes the business landscape can be a battlefield, but this week's guest puts all that in perspective. General Stanley McChrystal is a highly decorated U.S. Army veteran who is no stranger to  real  battlefields. He's a retired four-star general, and commanded an enormous contingent of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's also an avid student of history, who acutely observes how the great...

A healthy amount of stress is so important for personal growth, but chronic stress that demands our attention 24/7 can disconnect us from our work, colleagues, and purpose. This is burnout, and Jennifer Moss observes that we are facing an epidemic. She's an award-winning journalist, columnist, and author of  The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It. But contrary to po...

Even when our best laid plans are rock-solid, life (and the marketplace) has other ideas. Some surveys suggest that 70% of successful businesses end up doing something they never intended in the beginning. For career and personal growth, being prepared for a big pivot isn't easy. Steve Arntz learned this all too well. He's been developing technology products and their marketing for more than 15 ye...

Will Ahmed and this podcast have a mission in common: To maximize human potential. For Will, it's all about the data of health. He's the founder and CEO of WHOOP, which makes wearable tech-like fitness bands that track things like heart rate, exercise, sleep, stress levels, and more. It's beloved by pro athletes and CEOs alike, and its holistic view became a secret weapon in the early fight agains...

What is a board of directors? What is its purpose, and what makes for a good board member? And how can you get value from a board, especially if you're a startup? This week, we have another tactical learning episode to answer these questions and much more. Brad Feld and Matt Blumberg – together with Mahendra Ramsinghani – recently republished and vastly expanded the second edition of their book: "...

Jesse Iwuji is a first-generation Nigerian-American, U.S. Navy reserve officer, college football star, and if that's not enough: an accomplished and beloved professional NASCAR driver. So, how did he become a racing star? He just … wanted it. And one day, he decided to go for it. Along the way, many people told him he'd never succeed. He didn't have the money. He didn't have the connections. No sp...

Many successful people at the top of their field hit a certain age, and the excitement of work starts to diminish. It may seem counterintuitive: Wouldn't mastery lead to satisfaction? Social scientist and author Arthur C. Brooks thinks of it another way: That there are two S Curves of life. If you're starting to feel restless (especially after age 39), perhaps it's time to stop fighting the first...