We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Monica Pauls for a deeply practical conversation about designing and facilitating high-impact meetings.

Monica is the Chair of the Department of Child Studies and Social Work and an Associate Professor at Mount Royal University. In this episode, she joins us (along with Nic Etheridge Calder) in real-time to workshop an upcoming full-day team meeting, exploring the very real challenges leaders face when trying to create meetings that are engaging, productive, and genuinely meaningful.

Together, we dig into; 👉 Why so many team meetings feel overloaded, unfocused, or performative 👉 How unclear purpose creates confusion, disengagement, and “meetings after the meeting.” 👉 The hidden role power dynamics play in participation, decision-making, and silence 👉 How leaders can design meetings that create both efficiency and authentic engagement 👉 The importance of balancing process, pace, and presence in group facilitation 👉 Practical strategies for increasing participation without forcing consensus 👉 Why designing for human connection is just as important as designing for outcomes 👉 How small, intentional shifts can dramatically improve team meetings over time

This conversation is an honest behind-the-scenes look at the complexity of leading collaborative spaces - especially in environments where relationships are strong, but underlying tensions or disengagement may still exist beneath the surface.

If you lead teams, facilitate meetings, or are trying to create spaces where people feel genuinely included, heard, and invested, this episode offers practical tools, thoughtful reflection, and a powerful reminder that great meetings rarely happen by accident. Learn more about The Co. → a leadership development opportunity for impact-conscious and power-curious leaders.

If you're listening from Calgary, Alberta (before June 18th, 2026) - join us for an afternoon workshop exploring Power, Equity, Bias and AI.

In this episode of The Leaderful Podcast, we sit down with Christian Ortiz, an Afro-Indigenous decolonial social scientist, technologist, and founder of Justice AI GPT, the first decolonial AI framework designed to confront systemic bias at its roots. Drawing on decades of experience in digital transformation, systems thinking, and decolonial research, Christian explores how bias operates not just at an individual level, but as part of the invisible operating systems that shape our workplaces, relationships, leadership, and society.

This conversation dives into the intersections of power, language, bias, leadership, and AI - and what becomes possible when leaders begin questioning the systems they’ve inherited rather than simply adapting to them.

Together, Jeff and Christian unpack how implicit conditioning shapes the way we lead, communicate, and make decisions, and why meaningful organizational change requires more than surface-level diversity initiatives or individual bias training.

In this episode, we explore: • Why bias is a systemic issue, not simply an individual problem • The difference between “implicit bias” and “implicit conditioning” • How language functions as power (and how it shapes organizational culture and policy) • Why AI tools can either reinforce systemic harm or help uncover it • How Justice AI GPT helps leaders identify hidden bias in communication, policies, and decision-making • The relationship between power, responsibility, and leadership • Why duality, nuance, and deep listening are essential leadership skills • How leaders can create more human-centred organizations without relying on shame or blame • The role of curiosity, self-awareness, and powerful questions in creating meaningful change

If you’re a leader navigating complexity, culture, equity, or organizational change - and you’re curious about how power and bias shape the systems around you - this episode offers a thoughtful, challenging, and deeply human conversation about what it means to lead with greater awareness and responsibility.

Learn more about The Co. → a leadership development opportunity for impact-conscious and power-curious leaders.

In this episode of The Leaderful Podcast, we sit down with Janet Livingstone, an Internal Family Systems-informed coach and facilitator with global experience helping leaders develop emotional intelligence, navigate complexity, and unlock deeper self-awareness. Drawing on her work across cultures and industries (from Central Europe to Asia), Janet shares a rich perspective on how leadership is shaped by context, identity, and the unseen inner dynamics we all carry.

This conversation moves beyond surface-level leadership advice and into the inner world of leaders: the parts of ourselves that drive behaviour, the emotions we avoid, and the patterns that quietly shape our teams.

Together, we explore how developing emotional intelligence isn’t a solo pursuit, but a collective, relational practice - and how leaders can create the conditions for more honest, human, and effective collaboration.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why emotional intelligence is a foundational (and learnable) leadership skill
• How Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help leaders understand their inner “parts” and patterns
• The impact of culture and history on leadership styles and assumptions
• Why self-awareness is a team sport, not an individual exercise
• How leaders can shift from “expert” to facilitator to unlock team intelligence
• Creative approaches to team development, including role play, somatic awareness, and even music

If you’re a leader navigating complexity, culture, or change - and are ready to look inward as a path to leading outward more effectively - this episode offers both practical insight and a powerful reframe of what leadership really requires.

Learn more about The Co. → a leadership development opportunity for impact-conscious and power-curious leaders.