On the Brink with Andi Simon

Hear how anthropology can help your staff return to the workplace What an amazing podcast we have today. Listen in as three anthropologists talk about what the nature of work will be in the near future. With the disruptions brought by the pandemic, we must explore what remote work is being done, what cultures are emerging, and what tools and processes will be needed when we return to the workplace...

Learn how to overcome your mental roadblocks to success  This was quite an amazing podcast conversation with Kelly Ruta. I can tell you that she is just plain fantastic. A clinical psychotherapist for over two decades, she has now turned her professional training into programs to help women, in particular women entrepreneurs, unblock their limitations and unlock their minds to become the best they...

Hear how to change the way people see each other! I have had the pleasure of working with Jessica Weldon at Washington University in St. Louis where she is Assistant Director of Programs at the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship . My husband Andy and I created the Simon Initiative for Entrepreneurship at the Skandalaris Center to help aspiring minority and wom...

Learn how to find your "why," a key to happiness  As you know, for our On The Brink podcasts I go looking for people who have a different perspective, something in their own journey that's worth sharing so you can learn from them and begin to think about yourself with some new, fresh ideas. Such a person is Matthew Korban, a Certified Health and Life Coach. With our SAMC clients we often say, If y...

Hear why anthropology should be part of your business plan! It was an honor to speak with Simon Roberts on our On the Brink with Andi Simon podcast . Simon is a highly regarded business anthropologist with his firm Stripe Partners , serving clients across the globe with effective, innovative ethnographic and anthropological research. I am also a business (or corporate) anthropologist , and as we t...

Learn how to break through the clutter with your story I met Dave Summers through Peter Winick's roundtable for thought leaders . What a treat to get to know him. We spent our time talking about how you can build your brand digitally, creating a personality for yourself through social media. Quite quickly, social media has become an amazing set of tools for you to tell your story through videos, i...

Hear how to protect yourself from cybersecurity threats We have done a number of podcast interviews on a topic that should be of great concern to you: cybersecurity. As an anthropologist, I am always fascinated by people's habits. Your habits, as today's guest George Finney tells us, may make it easy for hackers to get into your data systems and make you and your organization easy victims, stealin...

Hear how you too can become a thought leader! I had a lovely conversation recently with Bill Sherman, COO of  Thought Leadership Leverage , an organization that supports thought leaders and the role they play in helping businesses understand how to develop and then capitalize on new ideas, growth strategies, and even their core purpose. In our podcast we discuss how thought leaders generate soluti...

Hear how to break barriers and be the leader you want to be! Shellye Archambeau is an amazing woman whom I was honored to interview. She has an illustrious career with a lot of firsts. But, as she will tell you, being the first African American woman to achieve her accomplishments was never easy. Instead, her career has been built on her aspirations and her ambitions. Her new book, due out in Octo...

Learn how to leverage the power of LinkedIn!  I met JD Gershbein through Peter Winick's  Thought Leadership Leverage roundtables which he so graciously invited me to join. JD is a LinkedIn expert and really understands how to help you leverage the world of social media. Our conversation focuses on the approaches you can take to create your own personal brand. Remember, the story you share becomes...

Learn how to overcome challenges and hurdle over obstacles!  Tracy Higginbotham is an amazing woman who is dedicated to inspiring women to excel in business, sports and life. She is the founder and president of Women TIES (Women Together Inspiring Entrepreneurial Success), which I fell in love with as I learned how hard Tracy and her members were all working to help women succeed. You will hear us...

Hear how to find your grit and be a better leader!  Shannon Polson was introduced to me through Peter Winick's   Thought Leadership Leverage organization when we were both attending one of Peter's Tuesday lunch hour conversations. I just loved her grit and her personal story, and felt it was important to share it. Shannon was o ne of the first women to fly Apache helicopters, then became a writer,...

Learn how to finally solve office politics!  In this podcast with Nancy Halpern, I had the amazing opportunity to learn more about how she helps companies find workable solutions to that awful problem of office politics. You might think they just come with the territory, that office cultures are all the same: inherently competitive, male-driven and toxic. Well, maybe that is not true. And it doesn...

Hear how anthropology is transforming the world of business! As a corporate anthropologist , I love bringing to our listeners other great anthropologists who can help them see the application of anthropology in action. Think about your own challenges as you hear about Rita Denny and her journey of discovery. In my work with clients, I often refer to her book, " Handbook of Anthropology in Business...

Learn how to hear, understand and honor those who are different from us I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Gail Hayes through Peter Winick 's group of thought leaders. Gail was as curious about thought leadership as I was. What we found and then wanted to share with our listeners is how innovative thinking is essential in today's fast-changing, totally disrupted world. You'll hear how Gail fo...

Hear about the joy of volunteering and giving to others  I met Pat Shea through the Women's Business Collaborative and couldn't be happier to get to know her. Here is a woman who has a purpose and a passion to help others and wants to share her story. During our podcast, we talk about her own journey and the many twists and turns that led her to where she is today. Now, she has created an innovati...

Learn how to really, authentically, share your hidden wisdom Jeremy Segal has a fascinating story to share. His life is a series of successes that follow no pattern or a straight line. He is never sure where he is heading but off he goes, and on the way, builds followers and fans...and businesses that are remarkable. In today's podcast, Jeremy tells you all about his journey and challenges you to...

Hear how to transform yourself, your work, and our global challenges. In this podcast, Graham Boyd and I talk about his passion for helping people see things in new ways. He asks big questions, like, Why is climate change not changing us and why aren't we addressing it? Why has the coronavirus immobilized some countries and their leadership, particularly the U.S., when China knew what to do from i...

Learn how to "see" where you want your team to go At SAMC , we often work with people who need or want to change. That's our job as corporate anthropologists . And what we have learned over the years is that people hate to change unless they can literally see what it is they have to move toward. The human brain is designed to keep us in today's habits and not let us wander too far astray. But if y...

Hear how we're much more similar than different I was so delighted to meet Dr. Mandeep Rai. She was referred to me by Sarah Wilson, a wonderful publicist. Dr. Rai has just completed her new book, " The Values Compass: What 101 Countries Teach Us About Purpose, Life, and Leadership ," the culmination of her research in 101 countries around the world. She was fascinated by the similarities among ver...

Learn how to take your communication skills from good to great! Do you find yourself full of great ideas but struggle to tell others about them? Do you become shy and quiet every time you have to make a presentation? Maybe it's even difficult to have conversations with your family. In this podcast I bring you Monique Russell, a premier executive communications coach who will share with you how to...

Learn how to navigate crises in an emotionally healthy way I was so delighted to meet Dr. Elia Gourgouris and Konstantinos Apostolopoulos that I wanted to share them with you on our podcast. These are two amazing men. They are both of Greek backgrounds and, as you may know, I did my doctoral research on Greek immigrants and Greek culture. To say we had a lot in common is an understatement. What di...

Hear how real peace can be accomplished in the world I had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Rick Barton when he was Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He joins us on the podcast today to share with you his perspective on how to bring peace to the world — not a simple subject. Joining him is his very successful wife...

Learn how to be an effective transpersonal leader!  In our podcast with Danielle Grant, co-author of the book " Leading Beyond the Ego " with John Knights and Greg Young, you will learn a great deal about transpersonal leadership. This new approach takes us beyond the theories of Daniel Goleman on Emotional Intelligence and the power of focus which all great leaders possess. Transpersonal leaders...

Hear how change can keep your business moving forward! At times we are introduced to people by chance, only to find that they are amazing individuals whom we want to be part of our world. This was how I felt about Melissa Davies when we met, and why we wanted you to know more about her and the work she does to help others change. Founder of Wise Ways Consulting, a leadership development and execut...