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  • Slow Down to Win: What the AI Rat Race Is Costing Your Organization with Lori Adams-Brown

    Slow Down to Win: What the AI Rat Race Is Costing Your Organization with Lori Adams-Brown
    2026/08/04
    What if the fastest way through AI transformation is actually to slow down? On this sixth anniversary episode, Lori Adams-Brown unpacks the hidden cost of speed-first AI adoption, and why the leaders who listen before they build are the ones whose people actually stay. EPISODE DESCRIPTION Six years ago I started this podcast because I believed the world needed more curious, human-centered leaders. Today, on our sixth anniversary, I am bringing you one of the most important solo episodes I have ever recorded. The AI race is real. The pressure is real. And the cost most organizations are not measuring is also real. In this episode I introduce the Speed Tax: the cumulative cost an organization pays, in trust, adoption, performance, and retention, when it deploys AI at speed without the culture architecture to support it. I share the story of a small nocturnal animal in the forests of Sumatra, the data from a landmark Harvard Business Review study, a proof point from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, and a framework that HR and people strategy leaders can use starting Monday. If you lead people through change, this one is for you. Topic bullets: The story of Kopi Luwak coffee and the Asian palm civet, and what its slow, deliberate selection process teaches us about AI deployment The Speed Tax: the cumulative cost organizations pay in trust, adoption, and retention when AI moves faster than the culture that supports it New research from Harvard Business Review, Boston Consulting Group, and the Henderson Institute on "AI brain fry," including sharply higher rates of poor decision-making and quit intent among overloaded workers The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation: voice before velocity, designing for transfer, building trust architecture, and measuring what actually matters A real case study from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, including a 15% ROI improvement from an AI coaching agent built by listening first Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and the coffee-in-hand grounding ritual 01:44 Why this is a solo episode 03:07 Speed, quality, cost: the leadership triangle 04:49 The Honda Prologue and values-driven decisions 07:02 Kopi Luwak, the civet, and what slow selection teaches us 11:39 Introducing the Speed Tax 12:59 Symptoms: low adoption, eroding trust, transformation fatigue 14:44 The HBR/BCG "AI brain fry" study 17:25 Case study: a Fortune 100 AI hardware company 18:21 Building an AI coaching agent by listening first 20:35 The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation 22:44 Two closing images: the Waymo and the Redwoods 27:15 The Speed Tax Diagnostic and the Slow Down to Win workshop LINKS AND RESOURCES The Speed Tax Diagnostic (free) Take it online, download the PDF, or use it with your team, a free three-question self-assessment to see where your organization is paying the cost of speed right now: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax The Slow Down to Win Workshop Half-day intensive for HR and people strategy leaders. Culture Architecture framework, diagnostic debrief, 90-day action plan: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax Research cited in this episode: Bedard, Kropp, Hsu, Karaman, Hawes, and Rosen Kellerman. "When Using AI Leads to Brain Fry." Harvard Business Review / BCG Henderson Institute. March 2026. (N=1,488 workers) Read the full Substack essay:loriadamsbrown.substack.com Connect with Lori: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown Brava Global Advisory: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources, and join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode for this special 6th anniversary episode where Lori reflects on the 6 years and why coming together to listen and make a difference still matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 分
  • From Peru to the Netherlands to Silicon Valley: Building Leaders Who Actually Get Culture with Maria Angela Calmet (Encore)

    From Peru to the Netherlands to Silicon Valley: Building Leaders Who Actually Get Culture with Maria Angela Calmet (Encore)
    2026/07/29
    Picture two fish swimming in a bowl. One asks the other, how's the water? The second fish replies, what's water? That's culture, says Maria Angela Calmet, and it's exactly why so many leaders never notice the assumptions shaping how their teams communicate, decide, and trust one another. In this episode Why cultural competence is now ranked among the World Economic Forum's top future-of-work skills The tree analogy: why cultural conflict happens at the roots, not the visible leaves and flowers A moment in Egypt that reframed how Maria thinks about trust across cultures Why unconscious bias isn't about being a bad person, it's assuming everyone shares your values What unique cultural dynamics women leaders face across Latin America, and what's changing About Maria Angela Calmet Maria Angela Calmet is the founder of Allopoli, where she helps global teams build cultural competence and identify unconscious bias to reduce conflict and maximize performance. Having lived across Peru, the Netherlands, and the United States, she is also the author of Lideresa, a leadership framework for women across Latin America. Timestamps Time Topic 00:00 Welcome, and the cultures that formed Maria 03:37 What led her to create Allopoli 05:03 Why she wrote Lideresa, and what she shares about her own mistakes 08:55 The two fish and the water metaphor 09:26 Why cultural competence is a top future-of-work skill 09:33 The tree analogy: roots, not leaves 12:55 Egalitarian vs. hierarchical decision-making across cultures 14:04 The moment in Egypt that changed how she thinks about trust 19:15 Four key leadership competencies beyond cultural dimensions 24:25 Unique dynamics facing women leaders in Latin America 32:17 A moment in the Netherlands that reframed directness as kindness 36:23 Closing thoughts: the roots, not just the leaves Find Maria Angela Calmet at Website: https://www.allopoli.com | Book: Lideresa, available on Amazon worldwide Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Every leader I talk to on this show is navigating change of some kind. If you want to know where your own alignment gaps are, take the VOICE Framework assessment at https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 分
  • The ROI of Kindness: How Neurodivergent Talent Is Reshaping the Tech Workplace with CEO Tara May (Encore)

    The ROI of Kindness: How Neurodivergent Talent Is Reshaping the Tech Workplace with CEO Tara May (Encore)
    2026/07/22
    What if the traits that get someone labeled difficult in one workplace are exactly what makes them extraordinary in another? Tara May, CEO of Aspiritech, a technology company where more than 90 percent of the team is autistic, joins us to talk about what she calls the ROI of kindness, and why building for neurodivergent talent makes every workplace better. In this episode Why Tara calls it “the ROI of kindness,” and what that means for the bottom line The “spiky cognitive profile” reframe: why focusing only on deficits misses extraordinary strengths A simple workspace fix that removed daily anxiety for one team member, and what it teaches every manager Why psychological safety isn't optional if you actually want a team to innovate One action any listener can take this week to build a more neuro-inclusive team About Tara May Tara May is the CEO of Aspiritech, a Chicago-area technology services company where more than 90 percent of the workforce is autistic, serving clients including JPMorgan Chase, Bose, and Goldman Sachs. A former digital media executive turned neurodiversity advocate, she also leads NeuroGrowth, an educational consultancy helping other organizations build neuro-inclusive workplace cultures. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome, and why Aspiritech's mission is personal for Tara 01:24 Two reasons Tara does this work: her son and her career in digital transformation 03:05 Tara's own diagnosis, and why having needs is not a weakness 08:03 Why “we're human, not superhuman” matters in Silicon Valley 10:03 Support success factors, and the water bottle story 11:46 A simple workspace fix that removed daily anxiety for one team member 12:52 Why neurodivergent talent is so often overlooked 13:20 The “spiky cognitive profile” reframe 17:03 The index card exercise that gave quiet voices a seat at the table 20:44 Universal design, and the canary in the coal mine concept 25:27 Where to start if you want a more neuro-inclusive workplace 27:58 Psychological safety as the foundation of innovation 30:00 Why middle manager training matters so much 35:11 What success looks like at Aspiritech 36:21 A story of a neurodivergent-led app test for children 38:54 One action to take this week Find Tara May at Website: https://aspiritech.org | LinkedIn: Tara May Subscribe, leave a review , and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 分
  • Lean On, Not Just Lean In: What Princeton Research Reveals About Workplace Burnout with Karen Tay

    Lean On, Not Just Lean In: What Princeton Research Reveals About Workplace Burnout with Karen Tay
    2026/07/15
    Karen Tay built a peer-support program for women navigating workplace bullying and burnout, ran it through Princeton research, and found something a lot of managers don't expect: the problem usually isn't a lack of effort. It's a lack of support. In this Leading Through Change encore, Karen and Lori unpack what Karen's Princeton-backed research found about workplace adversity, why women in the senior-manager to senior-director range are most likely to drop out of the workforce, and what actually helps. Why "lean on" (a support system) matters more than "lean in" (individual effort) — a framing Karen developed with her Princeton research partner How workplace bullying shows up differently across the US and Asia, and why hierarchy — not just gender — shapes who's vulnerable The three long-term impacts of workplace bullying: practical, relational, and identity/dignity The "burnout trap": why working harder often backfires, and what to do instead What "workplace first aid" looks like, and how organizations can build peer support networks Karen Tay spent the first six years of her career serving the Singapore government before moving into tech, startups, and consulting in Silicon Valley. She is now CEO of Threshold Allies and founder of Inherent, helping women navigate critical moments in their careers. 00:00 — Cold open: why this encore episode matters now 00:54 — Karen's path from Singapore government to founding Threshold Allies and Inherent 02:25 — Key findings from the Princeton white paper on workplace bullying 07:02 — Why "lean on" beats "lean in": building a real support system 09:22 — How workplace bullying differs for women vs. men, across the US and Asia 12:21 — The most surprising data insights from the research 14:20 — Long-term impacts: practical, relational, and identity/dignity 26:15 — The burnout trap, and why "try harder" backfires 28:19 — Policies and strategies that actually prevent workplace bullying 31:12 — What "workplace first aid" is and how to build it 32:44 — Where to find Karen Tay 33:49 — Closing message: you are not alone Website: inherentjourney.org | Email: karen@threshold-allies.com | Instagram: @ktay.coaching | LinkedIn: Karen Tay Subscribe, leave a review , and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 分
  • The Human Is The Loop, Not Just In It: Leading Authentically in the AI Revolution with Allison Shapira (Encore)

    The Human Is The Loop, Not Just In It: Leading Authentically in the AI Revolution with Allison Shapira (Encore)
    2026/07/08
    AI is changing every part of how leaders communicate, and Allison Shapira has a warning worth hearing: don't outsource your voice to it. In this conversation, we get into her framework for using AI to amplify authentic leadership instead of replacing it, and why she insists the human isn't just in the loop, the human is the loop. In this episode Why “the human is the loop, not just in it” reframes how leaders should think about AI The AI Authenticity Loop, Allison's framework for using AI without losing your voice The one question, “why you?”, she asks every leader before they craft a message A concerning trend in how AI voice assistants are being trained, and what it means for the next generation How to know when using AI has crossed the line from tool to crutch About Allison Shapira Allison Shapira is the founder and CEO of Global Public Speaking and an adjunct lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School, where she has taught since 2015. A trained opera singer turned executive communication advisor, she is the Washington Post bestselling author of Speak with Impact and, most recently, AI for the Authentic Leader: How to Communicate More Effectively Without Losing Your Humanity. Timestamps Time Topic 00:00 Welcome, and how travel helped Allison find her authentic voice 02:05 Why AI makes knowing your values more important than ever 03:34 Why she wrote AI for the Authentic Leader 05:19 The reframe: the human is the loop, not just in it 07:53 Individual alignment vs. AI alignment 09:37 Why cognitive diversity on boards matters as AI rolls out 11:34 Why leadership can't be left to AI experts alone 13:11 Why public speaking is never just about public speaking 15:56 The one question: “why you?” 18:57 A surprising detail about a famous communication study 20:19 The most common fear leaders have about using AI 24:30 The AI Authenticity Loop in practice 26:50 A concerning trend in how AI voice assistants are trained 29:25 How to use AI without sounding like everyone else on LinkedIn 33:24 New skills and mindsets leaders need for the AI era 39:59 Where to find Allison, and her closing thoughts Find Allison Shapira at Website | LinkedIn Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 分
  • Venezuela After the Earthquake: What's Really Happening and How You Can Help with Lori Adams-Brown

    Venezuela After the Earthquake: What's Really Happening and How You Can Help with Lori Adams-Brown
    2026/07/01
    One week ago, twin earthquakes tore through the Venezuelan coastline Lori Adams-Brown grew up on. In this solo episode, recorded live and shared here as this week's show, Lori reports what's actually happening on the ground, draws on her firsthand experience coordinating relief after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, and gives you a vetted list of where to send help right now. The scale of the disaster: two quakes thirty-nine seconds apart, the strongest Venezuela has felt in over a century, and a death toll still rising What Lori learned coordinating UN OCHA relief efforts after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, and how that experience is shaping what she's watching for in Venezuela now The political obstacles slowing rescue efforts, including documented interference with aid access Why children are especially vulnerable after a disaster like this, and what trauma-informed care actually looks like A vetted list of organizations working on the ground right now, and what to check before you give What it means that some of the hardest-hit families had just been deported back into the disaster zone This is a solo episode. Lori spent five years in Indonesia coordinating infrastructure and relief projects through UN OCHA after the 2004 tsunami, and is drawing directly on that experience here. 00:00 — Why Lori is recording this today 01:30 — What happened: twin earthquakes, June 24 03:30 — Scale of the damage and the rising death toll 07:55 — The epicenter, decades of substandard construction, and a 1999 disaster that echoes this one 13:00 — Documented interference with rescue access 17:00 — Lessons from the 2004 Indonesian tsunami response 24:00 — Children, trauma, and why “resilience” can be misread 27:15 — Vetted organizations on the ground right now 33:00 — The Darién Gap, asylum, and families caught between two crises 38:15 — How to help if you can't give: attention as aid 40:00 — Listener Q&A: large NGOs vs. local organizations 46:10 — A closing note on ICE deportations into the disaster zone 49:58 — Closing thoughts Website: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown | Substack: https://loriadamsbrown.substack.com | Instagram linktree (vetted donation list): see Instagram bio Subscribe, leave a review , and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 分
  • Permission to Leave: Reading the Signs Before Burnout with Sally J. Clarke

    Permission to Leave: Reading the Signs Before Burnout with Sally J. Clarke
    2026/06/24
    Staying isn’t always strength, and walking away isn’t always failure. Sally J. Clarke, co-author of Walk Away: Step Out to Step Up, joins Lori Adams-Brown to unpack why high-performing leaders so often wait for a crisis before giving themselves permission to leave. Why a role can look right on paper, title, compensation, trajectory, while quietly stopping to fit, and how to tell a structural misalignment from a personal failure The story behind the research: 40+ interviews with women across finance, technology, and the arts, including a founder underestimated in the boardroom who went on to build her own global company culture Why walking away is rarely emotional and almost always strategic, and what that reframe offers women taught that leaving means failing How culture, from Singapore to Germany to the United States, shapes whether leaving feels like a free choice or a forced one What recent comments from prominent tech leaders reveal about shifting corporate culture, and one question every leader can ask themselves this week Sally J. Clarke is an award-winning author and global business leader based in Singapore. She spent over a decade leading global marketing and communications at FIS and Markit, has advised organisations including Mitsubishi, Accenture, and the Singapore Stock Exchange, and is the co-author of Walk Away: Step Out to Step Up and author of the bestselling novel Ringside Gamble, winner of the 2025 Ink Prize for Best Debut Novel. 00:00 — Welcome and introduction to Sally J. Clarke 00:38 — The origin story: questioning whether “staying the course” is always right 02:01 — Why Walk Away exists: the conversation in Singapore that started it 03:35 — Beyond Lean In: how the conversation around women and ambition has shifted 04:35 — When a role looks right on paper but has stopped fitting 06:52 — Dr. Meena Kaushik: underestimated in the boardroom, she built her own company culture 09:12 — Embracing fear and the “learning and earning” mindset 11:44 — Permission, structural misalignment, and the personal-failure trap 12:37 — Alice Chen: a near-death wake-up call and leading with empathy 15:29 — Maternity leave, human limits, and humane leadership 17:15 — The scorecard method and a mentor’s advice on vision 19:16 — Why career growth isn’t a straight line 21:34 — How culture shapes the choice to leave 23:26 — The zebra and the lion: knowing who you’re trying to be 24:51 — Integrity as the cross-cultural constant 25:55 — Recent comments from tech leaders and the “choiceless choice” some women face 32:54 — One question to ask yourself this week 34:56 — The artist’s check-in: knowing what you want to say to the world 36:43 — Where to find Sally and her book Join us for an exclusive bonus with Sally on Patreon Website: https://sjclarkeauthor.com LinkedIn Book: Walk Away: Step Out to Step Up Novel: Ringside Gamble Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 分
  • Rooted to Rise: How the Vineyard Teaches Sustainable Leadership with Susie Lipps

    Rooted to Rise: How the Vineyard Teaches Sustainable Leadership with Susie Lipps
    2026/06/17
    What if the most sophisticated leadership framework you've ever encountered was grown in a vineyard? In this episode, Lori sits down with her longtime friend Susie Lipps, founder of Conversations in the Vineyard, for a conversation that is equal parts practical wisdom and personal depth. Susie spent decades leading in international organizations before settling in Sonoma County, California, where the rhythms of the vineyard became her lens for rethinking what it means to flourish. The result is a framework as grounded as it is timely. In this episode, you will hear: Why sustainable flourishing requires going 30 feet deep, not just wide How the seasonal rhythms of a vineyard map onto leadership lifecycles What third culture kids understand about rootedness that others often miss The difference between being productive and being fruitful How to lead purpose-driven teams through transformational offsights and retreats Susie Lipps grew up between worlds, spending her childhood in a mud hut in Honduras and a boarding school in Guatemala City. That TCK experience of never fully belonging anywhere became the foundation for a life's work centered on meaning, rootedness, and human flourishing. She is the creator and facilitator of Conversations in the Vineyard, where she hosts transformational offsights for purpose-focused teams. TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Introduction and Welcome [02:30] Susie's origin story: from Honduras to Sonoma [06:00] What the vineyard teaches about deep roots [12:00] Sustainable flourishing vs. high performance [18:00] Seasons in leadership: dormancy, pruning, harvest [24:00] Leading purpose-driven teams through change [30:00] TCK identity and the search for home [36:00] How to find Susie and work with her Check out our exclusive bonus episode with Susie on Patreon Find Susie Lipps at: Conversations in the Vineyard Subscribe, leave a review , and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 分