The Dr. Rod Berger Channel - Stories That Meet The Moment

Happy World Oceans Day, 2024! A special episode of HeadRoom features the incomparable talents of cinematographer, musician, composer, and eco-preneur Joshua Sam Miller . A noted sound and visual activist, Miller has combined his wealth of experience and talent to represent the power of the oceans and marine life, which is desperate for us to understand their delicate environment better. In 2020, t...

In this episode, we'll delve into leadership beyond the conventional, exploring Greg's pioneering leadership program that aims to break down silos and foster connections within upper-level management. We’ll hear about a participant who felt a deep sense of loss upon leaving the program proof of the powerful bonds it creates and learn about the transformative Hope Makers Collective, an inspiring in...

Welcome to another enlightening episode of HeadRoom. Today, we're diving deep into a conversation with Kendra Davenport, the President and CEO of Easterseals. This pivotal organization champions equity, inclusion, and access for people with disabilities, veterans, and older adults.  Dr. Rod Berger, your host, sets the stage for a discussion that spans the incredible impact of Easterseals, Kendra's...

Welcome to another enlightening episode of HeadRoom, where we dive deep into personal growth and authentic success in today's rapidly changing professional landscape. I'm your host, Dr. Rod Berger, and today I'm joined by the insightful Rusty Gunther . Rusty, a passionate advocate for aligning life's work with personal values, shares his unique perspective on entrepreneurship, the significance of...

Welcome to another episode of HeadRoom. This is your host, Dr. Rod Berger , and today, we have a truly out-of-this-world guest on the show. Buckle up as we join Astronaut John Shoffner on a voyage that transcends the atmosphere and delves into the emotional odyssey of realizing a lifelong dream. From the moment of liftoff to the realization that being an astronaut comes with the weighty responsibi...

Welcome to the episode of HeadRoom. Today, we're diving deep into the transformative world of artificial intelligence with a trailblazing guest, Sarah Nagy, Co-Founder and CEO of SEEK AI. With an impressive background in finance and startups, Sarah has consistently stayed ahead of the curve, anticipating the seismic shifts in technology that would reshape our professional and personal landscapes l...

Jennifer Dulski has a wide range of executive experience, including leadership roles at Facebook, Google, and Yahoo! and founder, CEO, and president roles at early-stage and scaling startups. She is currently CEO and founder of Rising Team , a company that provides tools, data, and community to turn managers into amazing coaches who build happier and more successful teams. Prior to her current ven...

Welcome back to HeadRoom, a sanctuary for the curious mind and a canvas for thought-provoking stories, with your host, Dr. Rod Berger. Today's episode bridges the past with the present as we delve into the compelling narrative crafted by Linda Ambrus Broenniman in her book "The Politzer Saga." In this conversation, Linda peels back the layers of a family secret Jewish ancestry hidden by immigrant...

Berger sits down with Windō co-founder and former Chief Data Officer at J.P. Morgan Ken Janssens . The duo explores the new relationship between data and the talent pipeline across the globe. Janssens discusses efforts to more substantively examine sustainability efforts, lengths to close pay gaps, and diversity inequities expressed throughout global markets and the organizations primed to meet th...

In the high-stakes world of global retail and brand development, Bruno Schiavi's name is synonymous with innovation, strategic foresight, and an unerring knack for market disruption. Schiavi's groundbreaking collaborations with the Kardashian empire and the meteoric rise of Uncle Bud’s HEMP & CBD paints a picture of a business savant who has redefined the retail landscape. Berger gets at the heart...

Taking us from Nazi Germany at age two to the boardroom of Gray Advertising (now Grey Global Group), Barbara Feigin's new book My American Dream: A Journey from Fascism to Freedom (Five Star Press, Jan. 2024) is a memoir of resilience, grit and grace. In this powerful episode, Feigin tells of her life as a young German-speaking refugee in a small Washington town yearning to become an “authentic” A...

HeadRoom with the incomparable co-founder and President of First Media , Sharon Rechter. Dr. Rod and Sharon discuss what it's like to build a media company from the ground up in an ever-changing media space, her life and family, and her inspiration to work as tirelessly as she does. Sharon is a powerhouse rooted in family, history, and impact.  First Media is a leading media publisher with over 25...

Richard Gerver came to prominence when, as a headteacher, he turned around a failing school in the UK in under two years. Winning plaudits globally, Richard was labeled  The Walt Disney of The Classroom by the UK media and went on to win a multitude of international awards, including a UNESCO award for leadership and innovation, Global Gurus Top 30 Thinker, and The National Teaching Awards, Headte...

In HeadRoom with Dr. Rod Berger, the topic of populism is explored with historian and author Dr. Steve Babson. In the newly released book Forgotten Populists: When Farmers Turned Left to Save Democracy (Mission Point Press: April 25, 2023), author Steve Babson, Ph. D tells the story of how the Populists of the 1890s transformed the nation’s political terrain—and in the quick-read 50-page illustrat...

Welcome back to HeadRoom, in today's episode, we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) with our special guest, Alex Swartsel, the managing director of Insights at Jobs for the Future . Guided by our host, Dr. Rod Berger, the duo unravels the complex narratives surrounding AI and its impact on jobs, skills, and society as a whole.  From the binary views of AI as either a savior o...

The Power Within: Cindy Watson's Journey In today's episode, we have the privilege of talking to the one and only Cindy Watson, founder of Women on Purpose and creator of the groundbreaking book Art of Feminine Negotiation .  Cindy has an impressive background as an attorney specializing in social justice law for over three decades, is a TEDx and international speaker, a Wall Street Journal and US...

Jason Jay is a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Director of the  Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan .   He teaches courses on leadership, strategy, and innovation for sustainable business. Jason engages students and alumni in hands-on projects with leading companies and organizations. These efforts help build a community of innovators for sustainability that includes M...

Miki Agrawal , the trailblazing Brooklyn-based entrepreneur and thought leader known for founding two $100 million companies that put her on the  cover of Entrepreneur  magazine -  TUSHY  and  THINX - joins HeadRoom . Check out some of her  past coverage  and watch her 2019  Mindvalley Talk . Miki's journey in the world of entrepreneurship saw both great successes and major challenges. Having rise...

HeadRoom with Deniz Ozgur Dr. Rod Berger is joined by Deniz Ozgur, recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, and operates at the nexus of technology, finance, and fashion. After securing a degree in Economics and Finance in 2020, she moved rapidly into the role of Head of Growth at Techsign, an industry leader in AI-enhanced KYC solutions. In 2021, Deniz co-founded Space Runners , swiftly assembling...

HeadRoom with Code.org's Hadi Partovi Hadi Partovi is a tech entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of the education nonprofit Code.org . Partovi discusses AI 101 for Teachers and how the world might change due to the power of technology across the globe. Born in Tehran, Iran, Hadi grew up during the Iran-Iraq war. His school did not offer computer science classes, so he taught himself to code at home on...

HeadRoom with Conrad Wolfram Conrad Wolfram is the younger Wolfram of Wolfram Research —it's the brothers who started Wolfram|Alpha , Demonstrations , and the core underlying technology— Mathematica . Conrad founded the European Wolfram Research in 1991 after his brother Stephen set up the headquarters in the US. Since 1997 Conrad has also been strategic director of the worldwide group and initiat...

HeadRoom with Chris Brickley - With nearly 60 NBA players as clients and a viral online following, Chris Brickley is one of the most sought-after NBA skills trainers. Based in New York, his off-season workouts attract NBA titans and up-and-comers as well as music icons. Chris shares his training moments with his 1.5 million Instagram followers - blurring the lines between coaching, social media in...

HeadRoom with Dr. Lee Berger Paleoanthropology, Research, Human Ancestors Dr. Berger and Dr. Berger (yeah, that's right) discuss Lee's Netflix documentary about his book, Cave of Bones , and his perspective on life and the big questions still remaining about our species. Lee Berger is an award-winning paleoanthropologist whose explorations into human origins on the African continent, Asia, and Mic...

Bobby Bones (born Bobby Estell; April 2, 1980) [1]  is an American radio and television personality, best known for hosting the nationally syndicated  The Bobby Bones Show , originating from the  iHeart Studios  in  Nashville, TN , and for his role as a full-time mentor on  American Idol  on ABC. He was the winner of season 27 of  Dancing with the Stars  with partner  Sharna Burgess . He has also...

HeadRoom with Angie Murimirwa Dr. Rod Berger is a keynote speaker, moderator, producer, author, and expert in strategic storytelling. Berger’s book,  The Narrative Edge: Authentic Storytelling That Meets The Moment  (Wiley), hits bookstores in late 2025. He draws on more than 4,000 interviews conducted worldwide for  Forbes ,  Entrepreneur Magazine , and  Fair Ob...