Flourishing Leaders Podcast

What does it mean to flourish when life includes trauma, moral injury, and hard-earned recovery? In Episode #36 of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with LTC (Ret.) Mike Kenny — West Point Class of 1993 , U.S. Army Special Forces veteran , and Executive Director of Warriors’ Ascent , a nonprofit dedicated to helping military veterans and first responders...

What if leadership isn’t first a skillset — but a way of being ? In this episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar are joined by Professor Verónica Fernández of Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV) in Madrid — an educator, scholar, and leader in Europe’s growing character and virtue education movement. Verónica is also deeply involved with the European Charact...

What does it mean to lead as a flourishing leader in a world of burnout, bureaucracy, and moral complexity — especially in healthcare? In this episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar are joined by Dr. Sabena Jameel — professor of medical professionalism, character education scholar, physician, inner-city Birmingham GP, and co-founder of the Practical Wisdom N...

What if the greatest leadership challenge of our time isn’t a lack of information — but a lack of wisdom? In this rich and wide-ranging episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Donald Robertson — philosopher, former cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist, and one of the world’s leading interpreters of Stoic philosophy — to explore how ancient wisd...

What does it actually look like to be a flourishing leader in a turbulent world? In this episode, Dr. Scott Parsons and co-host Jason Viyar sit down with Michael Balchan — CEO and Head Coach at Heroic Public Benefit Corporation — for a rich, practical, and deeply human conversation on how to operationalize flourishing in everyday life and leadership. A Harvard-trained behavioral economist and psyc...

What happens when leaders see character not as a buzzword, but as the invisible architecture of how they show up every day? In this episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons and co-host Jason Viyar sit down with Dr. Jillian Coppley , President and Chief Products, Programs, and Services Officer at the VIA Institute on Character .  Drawing on her experience leading the reinventi...

Exploring how science, sport, and virtue unite to help leaders strengthen character and flourish through daily, deliberate practice. What if building character was as deliberate as building muscle? In this energizing conversation, Dr. Scott Parsons sits down with Dr. Corey Crossan Stevens , Research and Teaching Fellow at the Oxford Character Project and co-founder of Virtuosity — a mobile app tha...

What if our current ways of measuring “well-being” are quietly undermining the very idea of human flourishing? In this thought-provoking episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast, Dr. Scott Parsons sits down with Dr. Eri Mountbatten-O’Malley — Senior Lecturer in Education at Bath Spa University and author of Human Flourishing: A Conceptual Analysis — to explore what flourishing really means, why...

What if the most powerful lever for culture change isn’t policy or perks—but dignity? When leaders treat dignity as non-negotiable (and know the difference between dignity and respect), conflict de-escalates, trust returns, and people bring their best. In this episode, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar chat with Harvard’s Dr. Donna Hicks , international conflict facilitator and author of Dignity a...

What if flourishing leadership isn’t something we achieve, but something we practice — moment by moment — through intention, vulnerability, and wisdom? In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Scott Parsons sits down with Dr. Kimara Ellefson — National Director of Strategy & Partnerships at the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Health — and explores how leaders can cultivate flourishing acro...

What does flourishing leadership look like when the mission is to serve those who’ve sacrificed for us all? In this deeply moving conversation, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar sit down with Kate McCauley , President and CEO of Wounded Warriors Family Support — one of America’s most respected veterans’ organizations. Kate shares her remarkable journey from Nebraska real estate agent to national n...

What happens when wellbeing becomes the heart of education — not an add-on, but a way of life?  In this uplifting episode, Justin Robinson — Co-founder of The Wellbeing Distillery and former Director of the Institute of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School — joins Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar for an inspiring exploration of leadership, wellbeing, and human flourishing. Together they t...

How can leaders turn polarization into possibility — and help people come together to write a hopeful, flourishing future?  In this inspiring episode of The Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons is joined by Brandyn Keating , CEO and Co-Founder of YOUnify , an organization working to reduce political polarization and cultural divisions of all kinds and accelerate progress on humanity’s s...

What does it mean to be a flourishing leader —someone whose character inspires flourishing in others? In this episode, Dr. Scott Parsons sits down with Professor Michael Lamb , F. M. Kirby Foundation Chair of Leadership and Character and Senior Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University . A Rhodes Scholar, political philosopher, and global thought lead...

What happens when one of the world’s leading strategy scholars turns her attention to character?  In this fascinating conversation, Professor Mary Crossan—Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Strategic Leadership at Ivey Business School—joins Dr. Scott Parsons to explore why character is the essential foundation of flourishing leadership. Mary shares the story of how the global fina...

What does it really mean to win? And how can leaders build cultures that prioritize purpose, connection, and continuous growth over short-term success? In this episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , host Dr. Scott Parsons is joined by Dr. Cath Bishop —Olympic silver medalist, World Champion rower, former British diplomat, leadership consultant, and author of The Long Win . Drawing from her e...

How does dignity transform workplaces into spaces where everybody truly matters? In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Scott Parsons and co-host Jason Viyar sit down with David Pickersgill , Senior Outreach Program Leader at Barry-Wehmiller and key leader within the Humanistic Leadership Academy . David shares how Barry-Wehmiller’s culture of care has been shaped by the principle that “everybody mat...

How does anti-fragility fuel flourishing when life takes an unexpected turn?  In this inspiring episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons is joined by returning co-host Jason Viyar for a powerful conversation with Tom Gaymor —former professional racing driver turned international broadcaster and commentator for Formula 1, IndyCar, the Olympics, Premiership Rugby, and global sp...

How do character strengths transform the way we lead, parent, and flourish? In this episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , host Dr. Scott Parsons welcomes Professor Robert McGrath—clinical psychologist, Senior Scientist at the VIA Institute on Character, Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), and the recent co-founder of the Center for Character and Leadership at FDU with Scott....

How do we measure the “immeasurable” in leadership? In this episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , host Dr. Scott Parsons sits down with Dr. Ryan Brown , Managing Director for Measurement and Associate Director at the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University. In this inspiring conversation, Ryan shares his groundbreaking work on how character, forgiveness, and accountability shape...

What if the future of healthcare isn’t just about managing illness—but about truly flourishing? In this powerful episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons welcomes Dr. Nasha Winters , a globally recognized integrative oncology specialist, bestselling author of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer and Mistletoe and the Emerging Future of Integrative Oncology , and host of the Metab...

What does it take to thrive under pressure, reframe fear, and build a flourishing life beyond performance? In this episode of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , host Dr. Scott Parsons is joined by co-host Jason Viyar for a powerful conversation with Brandon Guyer —former Major League Baseball player, 2016 World Series competitor, and founder of Major League Mindset . Known as “La Piñata” for his fe...

What does it take to lead with wisdom across continents, crises, and cultures? In Episode #14 of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast , Dr. Scott Parsons sits down with Dr. Andrew Nevin — economist, philosopher, healthcare leader, and one of Africa’s most influential voices — for a sweeping conversation on the art and science of flourishing. Together, they explore:  🧠 Brain health and Brainomics — why...

What does it take to lead with character in today’s complex world? In this inspiring episode, Scott speaks with Professor Edward Brooks, Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project and Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford. Ed is one of the world’s leading voices in character-based leadership development, and his work is tr...

What if Aristotle ran General Motors—or Harry Potter led your organization? In this delightful and enlightening episode, Scott sits down with one of the world’s most celebrated public philosophers and bestselling author Dr. Tom Morris to explore the art of achievement, the power of change, and the ancient wisdom needed to flourish in modern life. Tom is a Yale-trained philosopher, bestselling auth...