Positive Turbulence Podcast

What if the way we build homes is part of the problem — and the solution — to climate change, affordability, and outdated systems? In this episode, we talk with Chris Anderson, CEO of Vantem, about how his company is reimagining housing from the ground up. Using a modular, factory-built approach and an innovative panel system, Vantem is delivering energy-efficient, cost-effective homes at scale —...

What does it really mean for a business to be purpose-led? In this episode, we sit down with Danielle Duell, founder of People With Purpose, to explore how clarity of purpose can transform everything—from strategy and governance to employee engagement and long-term resilience. Danielle shares powerful examples from brands like Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, and Tesla, and breaks down the difference betwee...

In this episode, we delve into the intricate world of systemic design with expert Mieke van der Bijl Brouwer. Systemic design merges systems thinking with design theory to address complex challenges not by dissecting them into smaller parts but by enhancing their interactions. Mieke explains how this approach can transform organizational behaviors and lead to significant societal shifts. From reth...

Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of systems thinking with Michael Lindfield, a visionary with over five decades of international experience. From his early days as a high school dropout to his transformative roles at the Findhorn Community and Boeing, Michael's journey epitomizes a life dedicated to exploring the depths of human potential and societal transformation. Now the Board Pr...

Have you ever found yourself in a rut? Do you feel like your creative spark has flickered out? Maybe you're not even sure you even have that spark. In this episode, we engage with two extraordinary minds, Jane Hilberry, Professor of Creativity and Innovation, and Felicia Rose Chavez, Creativity and Innovation Scholar, both at Colorado College. They're here to shed light on the untapped creativity...

This story about a granite and gravel company ( Luck Stone ) pivoting into a values-based leadership and coaching not-for-profit business ( Inner Will Leadership Institute ) as well as a spin-off of a number of related businesses ( Luck Companies ) is a story about the power of vision. It’s about why connecting with your values matters and is an example of positive turbulence in action. To make th...

From the Center for Medical Simulation in Boston to our periphery, we bring you a conversation with Jenny Rudolph, Executive Director at the Center for Medical Simulation in Boston, Massachusetts. Jenny is a master at team building and leadership and a natural and effective turbulator. Leadership discussions are often focused on individual strengths and skills. Jenny offers us a framework for how...

The problem with innovation is that it's handled like a business with masculine energy. It is very fact-based, data-based KPIs performance, speed, or so says Fabienne Jacquet, author of Venus Genius: The Female Prescription. Fabienne offers a solution and a whole lot of positive turbulence by making an important link to the power of feminine traits and how these are key to the front-end of innovat...

Is your team stuck in a rut? Maybe you're all burnt out after flexing, managing and adjusting through the pandemic. Join John Cimino, founder of Creative Leaps International, as we explore one highly effective way he developed to quickly generate positive turbulence for teams and change cultures using a technique called Concert of Ideas. It's unusual. It's out there. And it works! John's got 30 ye...

Darryl Stickel, the founder of Trust Unlimited, has cracked the code on building and maintaining trust. He’s the rare academic who not only has a big breakthrough in his field but also has developed a highly practical model. He’s applied this model in war zones, business settings, and families, all with great success. Darryl offers us the gift of learning how to build better and nurture trust. Our...

Whether you are an entrepreneur or a professional looking to get ahead, you need to figure out how you are going to approach your marketing. There are endless hype-marketing-based services out there with some variation on connect-and-pitch. But what to do if that's not for you? Listen to this episode! Sarah Santacroce and her Gentle Marketing Revolution offer positive turbulence about marketing.

Climate change is a wicked problem. It will take a systems-thinking level solution to tackle it. Kelly Erhart, co-founder of Project Vesta has just the elegant solution we've been waiting for using green sand beaches and enhanced coastal weathering of olivine rock. Talk about turbulence! Kelly is a practical optimist and has a remarkably elegant solution. There's hope here and some big mental shif...

Language and storytelling have to power to change the world. But finding your voice and the right words to make the impact you want can be challenging. Tramaine Chelan'gat's shares her journey to finding her words. In doing so she found her calling as a Social Impact Strategist. Tramaine is inspired and inspiring, and in telling us her story, in confidently giving us the words to frame who she is...

Most journalists we encounter today ask what went wrong yesterday and who's to blame, or so says David Beers of The Tyee . He, Summers McKay and Kristy Jansen of the Optimist Daily joined Karyn and Rob for a rich and robust exploration of solutions journalism. What is solutions journalism, you may ask? Solutions journalism investigates and reports on potential solutions to our biggest challenges....

Marsha Semmel is a powerhouse in the world of museums, libraries, national cultural policy and program development, philanthropy and the development and implementation of strategic public/private partnerships. Marsha is opening a door to a new way of thinking about museums and museum experiences. In doing so she’s signalling that the cultural changes we are seeing in the world are going to force u...

Chad Shipmaker's story is a fascinating exploration of the outsized impact remote working can have on innovation and creativity in small towns. This is a positive take on what happens when you apply big idea thinking and practical problem solving to solutions that work in these small-town contexts. And while there may not be the talent pool and big money you get in a Silicon Valley, Chad says conn...

Another crack in the system that is being exposed right now is that the Great Person Theory of leadership, which is really the command and control model in a nicer suit, is way too rigid. To be great leaders we need to cultivate our emotional intelligence and ability to flex and be collaborative. Elaine Broe offers us a fresh take sprinkled with humor and humility.

Pete Engstrom is currently the co-founder and board President of At Home Chesapeake, an innovative not-for-profit program for seniors. They want to create a new social covenant on aging so that seniors can age in place. At Home Chesapeake is a member of the Village to Village Network, where Peter is an active board member. Prior to this gig, Pete served in the US air force in intelligence, innovat...

Here we headbang with Mike Moss, Strategy Catalyst for Non-Profits, creator of momentum for positive change, and havy metal enthusiast. There are few professionals who don’t belong to some not-for-profit association in one way or another. You might belong to a more formal one that is a governing body for you, like the Society for Professional Engineers. Or you might be a member and follow a group...

Consider what you think you know about aging and retirement. Those words often conjure up ideas of failing health, loneliness, and dependency. But Elizabeth Isele, Founder and CEO at The Global Institute for Experienced Entrepreneurship is here to tell you to its time to shift your perspective. Not only are people who work longer healthier, on the whole, but the so-called Silver Tsunami is also th...

Daniel Seeff is the West Coast Director of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and host of Excursions Radio on KJazz 88.1 in LA the only hip-hop and jazz radio show in the world...we think. He’s also a creative leader who has a finely tuned ear for connection. Daniel’s insights may be grounded in his experiences in music but they are not just for musicians. They are for anyone looking to innovate...

Natalie Shmulick calls herself a Food Business Incubation Specialist, Creative Strategist, and Innovation Anthropologist. She’s the CEO of The Hatchery Chicago, a Food Business Incubator. If you’re an entrepreneur, innovator or someone who works with a product of any kind, you want to hear what Natalie has to say. We cover a lot of ground including finding your why, the other exit, connecting with...

We all know that the stories we tell ourselves have a habit of coming true. So what if someone could help you craft stories about possible, practical futures, that were positive? Stories that you could believe in? Wouldn’t that be kind of like having your own magic wand? That’s what Joe Tankersley does. He uses his gift of telling stories and uncanny ability to identify important trends to give us...

The work of creating art may seem radically different to your notions of leadership and coaching, but Patti Streeper has found that delicate balance. This feminist artist who paints portraits of women of historical significance is also an executive coach. Through her ability to listen deeply to what both the women she paints and the leaders she coaches have to say, she is able to find deep meaning...

Here we explore community and connectedness, and the intersection of art and design with Darryl Condon, Managing Partner at HCMA Architecture + Design in Vancouver BC. Without knowing it, HCMA is the perfect case study for positive turbulence in action. Their Artist in Residence Program, Curiosity Lab, and experiments like the Faraday Cafe and Alley Oop have garnered them international media atten...