Ever feel overwhelmed when everything seems to be changing at once?

Donna Dupont transforms that chaos into clarity using systems thinking. She spots patterns others miss and finds leverage points in complex situations that can transform how leaders make decisions under uncertainty.

With over 25 years helping organisations navigate complexity—from H1N1 and Ebola responses to NATO climate security projects—Donna brings battle-tested frameworks from the front lines of crisis management. She's won 7 government awards for excellence in policy and strategic planning, plus recognition for her award-winning research on "Anticipation in Emergency Management."

This isn't just theory though. Donna openly shares how she went from being naturally anxious to building comfort with uncertainty through deliberate practice. Her practical approach to breaking free from mental prisons will change how you see challenges and opportunities around you.

Key Talking Points:

• The "boundary principle" that prevents teams getting lost in complex systems—and why one military syndicate succeeded whilst another struggled without it
• How to take inventory of your discomfort zones and identify three key drivers of change that concern you most
• The counter-intuitive reason to share extreme scenarios—not because you believe they'll happen, but to surface hidden assumptions about the future
• Why anticipation in emergency management was just 24-48 hours, but extending time horizons could prevent repetitive crises
• The mindset assessment that determines whether teams focus on threat mitigation or opportunity leverage

Links & Resources:

• Donna's website: purplecompass.ca
• LinkedIn: Donna Dupont
• Book recommendation: "Thinking in Systems" by Donella Meadows

Today's Exercise: The Systems Pattern Scanner

This practice helps you identify hidden patterns and feedback loops in your personal or professional challenges. It builds awareness of what drives complexity whilst revealing potential intervention points.

Steps to Apply:

1. Choose one turbulent situation in your life (start small, not global challenges)
2. Ask: What's driving this pattern's growth or persistence?
3. Identify potential cascading consequences if it continues
4. Explore: Can you slow down what's driving it?
5. Consider: How might you mitigate the consequences to bring more balance?
6. Look for feedback loops—where effects become new causes
7. Practice this lens weekly until systems thinking becomes natural

Strategic Storyteller Newsletter:

This episode explores how mental models shape what we see as possible futures—and how challenging those assumptions opens new strategic options. For more insights on breaking limiting beliefs and reframing complex challenges, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter. Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.

Ever wondered how barbers get complete strangers to open up within minutes?

Tom Davies has mastered this art whilst cutting hair across continents. From serving in the military to building a loyal following as "Yorkshireman Abroad" on TikTok, he's learned to connect with everyone from closed-off Russians to addiction-struggling regulars.

Working at an upscale English-speaking barbershop in Berlin—one of Europe's most diverse cities—Tom spends 45 minutes with each client, transforming awkward silences into meaningful conversations. His counter-intuitive approach has helped him navigate cultural barriers, language differences, and deeply personal moments, all whilst holding sharp tools near people's heads.

This isn't just about haircuts—it's about the psychology of human connection and how the right question can unlock anyone.

• The game-changing question "What don't you like about your hair?" that gets clients talking faster than traditional approaches
• Why reading the room matters more than being chatty—including when to offer complete silence
• How to navigate difficult conversations, from addiction struggles to war trauma, without overstepping boundaries
• The "work question" strategy that turns small talk into meaningful connections every time
• Why being a barber in Berlin taught him that everyone needs someone to listen, especially men

• Tom's TikTok: @YorkshiremanAbroad
• • Instagram: @YorkshiremanAbroad
• • St. Leonard's Barbershop (Berlin): @stleonardsbarbershop
• • Book Recommendation: It Begins With You: The Nine Hard Truths About Love by Jillian Turecki

This simple conversation starter helps you connect with anyone by tapping into something they're genuinely expert in—their daily work experience. It works because people spend most of their waking hours at work, making them natural experts who can teach you something

1. Ask "What do you do for work?" as your opening question
2. Listen for emotional cues—do they love it, hate it, or sound neutral?
3. If they love it: Ask what specifically they enjoy or what they're working on
4. If they hate it: Ask what they'd rather be doing or what hobbies they're passionate about
5. If neutral: Dig into the details—"What does that actually involve day-to-day?"
6. Look for connection points from your own experience, however small
7. Let their energy guide whether to go deeper or pivot to other topics

Tom's approach to reading people and asking the right questions mirrors the psychology behind compelling storytelling—both require understanding what really matters to your audience. For more insights on connecting through conversation and crafting narratives that resonate, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter.

Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.

Ever wonder why some people can walk into any room and instantly connect with strangers?

Ian Rowland has spent 40 years mastering this exact skill. As a professional explainer who's worked with everyone from the FBI to Google to Coca-Cola, he's discovered that most of us squander 99% of the potential in our conversations.

From being a member of the Magic Circle to becoming a freelance writer with four decades of experience, Ian understands the power of attention and human connection. His new book "People Joy" reveals the difference between passive autopilot conversations and active, intentional ones that create genuine connections.

This isn't about manipulation or sales tricks—it's about authentic curiosity and generosity that transforms how people feel after meeting you. Ian shares practical frameworks that help you move from overlooked to memorable, whether you're networking, interviewing, or simply ordering coffee.

The three foundations that transform conversations: how you feel about people, yourself, and conversations themselves

• Why "reading the room" isn't mystical—it's 200,000 years of human evolution working for you
• The "10-second smile challenge" that creates practice opportunities with service industry heroes daily
• How genuine appreciation for others naturally leads to unexpected benefits and connections
• The counter-intuitive approach of treating every interaction as a chance to make someone's day better

• Ian's Website: ianrowland.com
• Book: "People Joy"
• LinkedIn: Ian Rowland

This simple practice builds your conversation skills while brightening others' days. It develops your ability to connect authentically and notice the impact of genuine attention.

Steps to Apply:

• Set a mental challenge when meeting someone new or familiar
• Aim to elicit a smile or laugh reflex within the first 10 seconds
• Use genuine warmth, eye contact, and attentive energy
• Keep score throughout your day—how many smiles did you create?
• Start with a goal of three smiles per day
• Practice with service industry workers, colleagues, and strangers
• Focus on authentic appreciation rather than trying to get something

Ian's approach to genuine curiosity and attention mirrors the power of authentic storytelling in business. For more insights on connecting through stories that create real impact, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter. Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.

Ever wonder why some companies thrive with clear direction whilst others stumble despite having brilliant strategies?

Alex Brueckmann has cracked the code on turning organisational purpose into measurable strategic advantage through his Nine Elements of Organisational Identity framework.

As a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of "The Strategy Legacy" and strategy facilitator working with billion-dollar companies across continents, Alex helps C-suite executives move beyond generic mission statements to create authentic identity that drives every decision. His approach has guided organisations with thousands of employees through complete strategic transformations.

This isn't just theory from an ivory tower. Alex openly shares how leaders often get trapped in tactical thinking because it feels manageable, and reveals why even the most beautifully designed strategies fail when they hit the reality of company culture and leadership capability.

Key Talking Points:

• Why starting with tactics instead of identity leads to strategy confusion and planning paralysis
• The Nine Elements framework that every sustainably successful organisation needs in place
• How a billion-dollar global company with thousands of employees struggled to implement their "perfect" strategy
• Why resistance during strategy implementation often means people care deeply about something being threatened
• The critical question every leader must ask: "Am I an accidental leader or do I actually want to lead?"

Links & Resources:

• Alex's Website: brueckmann.ca
• LinkedIn: Alex Brueckmann
• Book: "The Strategy Legacy - How to Future Proof a Business and Leave your Mark"
• Book Recommendation: "The Power of Regret" by Dan Pink
• Recommended Reading: "Power and Prediction" on AI's impact on society

Today's Exercise: The Retirement Vision

This forward-looking exercise helps you make decisions today that align with your long-term purpose and desired life outcome. It transforms how you approach daily choices by connecting them to your ultimate vision.

Steps to Apply:

1. Transport yourself mentally to your retirement age
2. Visualise exactly where you want to be living physically
3. Picture how you want to spend your days in detail
4. Consider what kind of life would give you the most meaning
5. Work backwards to identify what decisions today support that vision
6. Begin making choices with that future life in mind
7. Notice how this clarity brings more purpose to current decisions

Strategic Storyteller Newsletter:

Alex's insights on connecting purpose to measurable impact perfectly illustrate how the best leaders turn abstract concepts into concrete business advantages. For more frameworks on translating vision into tangible results, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter. Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.

Ever felt stuck waiting for opportunities to find you?

Andy Storch transformed his approach by recognising that career success isn't about going it alone—it's about strategically building relationships that open doors. From his first job at 15 through to becoming an author, speaker, and founder of multiple successful ventures, every major opportunity came through his network.

Andy runs the Talent Development Think Tank community and hosts the Talent Development Hot Seat podcast with over 500 episodes and 500,000 downloads. He's moved from consulting at BTS to building his own speaking business whilst relocating from the US to Barcelona, proving you can design the career and life you want through intentional relationship building.

What makes Andy's approach refreshing is his honesty about the loneliness epidemic affecting modern professionals and why traditional networking feels so uncomfortable. He shares practical frameworks for building genuine relationships rather than just collecting business cards, plus the systems that help busy professionals maintain meaningful connections over time.

• Why humans are social creatures by evolution but modern life has created an "epidemic of loneliness" despite being more connected than ever
• The counter-intuitive truth that "owning your career" doesn't mean doing everything on your own—every job Andy's had since age 15 came through connections
• How to escape the business card-throwing networking trap by building one genuine relationship at a time, whether virtually or in person
• The strategic approach to reconnecting with existing contacts and identifying new people to meet, including aspirational connections in your field
• Why giving value first (even simple restaurant recommendations) matters more than formal systems, and how to avoid the "LinkedIn pitch trap"

• Andy's Website: andystorch.com
• Book: Own Your Career Own Your Life
• Free Resources: andystorch.com/bonus
• Podcast: Talent Development Hot Seat
• LinkedIn: Andy Storch
• Book Recommendation: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Community: Talent Development Think Tank

This two-part challenge helps you reconnect with existing contacts whilst building new strategic relationships. It removes the awkwardness by providing clear frameworks for both scenarios.

Steps to Apply:

1. Reconnect with 3 existing contacts: Scroll through your phone contacts, stop randomly, and pick someone you haven't spoken to in 6+ months
2. Send a simple message: "Hey [name], I was thinking about you and haven't talked in a while. Hope you're doing well!"
3. Connect with 3 new people on LinkedIn: Search for your job title or aspirational role (e.g., "Director of Finance")
4. Send personalised connection requests: "Hi [name], I see you work in [field]. I also work in [field] and I'm looking to connect with other professionals in our space to learn from them. Would you be interested in connecting and having a chat sometime?"
5. Follow up within a week: If they accept, suggest a brief virtual coffee to get to know each other

Andy's insights on building authentic professional...

Ever wondered how fighter pilots handle multiple critical inputs simultaneously without crashing?

Matt Gjertsen took that same ability to process complexity and applied it to leadership development. From instructing Air Force pilots to leading training at SpaceX, Matt discovered that great leadership boils down to three essential elements: building trust, giving feedback, and setting goals.

With over 15 years of leadership experience across aerospace and technology, Matt now helps transform high-performing engineers into high-impact leaders through his company, Better Every Day Studios. His approach strips away the unnecessary complexity that overwhelms new managers and focuses on the simple behaviours that create lasting change.

This isn't just theory—Matt shares how he applied these principles at SpaceX, where he onboarded every new employee for a full year and helped technical talent scale into the leadership roles needed for company growth.

• The three essential elements of leadership: building trust, giving feedback, and setting goals—and why they must be done in that specific order
• How deliberately taking 5-10 minutes for icebreaker questions in team meetings creates massive changes in team dynamics and trust
• Why the first job of any leader is to create an environment where team members trust one another
• The "chunking" concept from pilot training: how experience transforms complex sets of actions into single mental units, creating more mental capacity
• How deliberate practice in Air Force training created pilots capable of refuelling two 500,000-pound aircraft flying at 250 mph

• Matt's Website: Better Every Day Studios
• LinkedIn: Matthew Gjertsen
• Recommended Resource: SBI Feedback Method (Situation, Behavior, Impact) from the NeuroLeadership Institute

This exercise helps simplify complex problems by using artificial time constraints to force prioritisation.

Steps to Apply:

1. Identify a project you're currently working on with a longer timeline
2. Ask yourself: "If I had to complete this by the end of the week, how would I do it?"
3. List what elements would be truly critical to success in that shortened timeframe
4. Identify which tasks or meetings you'd eliminate or postpone
5. Apply these insights to streamline your current approach, focusing only on what's essential

For more insights on simplifying leadership like Matt's three essential elements approach, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter. Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.

Ever wonder how top sales professionals convince complete strangers to give them time?

Mafalda Johannsen transforms cold outreach through her unique "professional stalking" framework - deeply researching prospects to create meaningful connections when they have no reason to care. Her approach has delivered extraordinary results, with one campaign increasing meetings by 100% and opportunities by 233% in just one quarter.

From a 100% commission role in Florida to heading business development at a European cloud company, Mafalda brings sales insights from across industries and cultures. Yet her path wasn't always smooth - she openly shares how theatre training and literature unexpectedly became her greatest assets in understanding human psychology.

• The foundation of prospecting starts with defining your ideal customer profile and identifying specific "triggers" that indicate readiness to buy (company growth increased meetings by 100%)
• Why most salespeople fail by rushing to close instead of focusing on sparking interest (with 14-17 touch points as the optimal cadence)
• How interviewing your existing customers reveals language patterns that transform your messaging ("bugs are an issue" versus "your team can focus on strategic projects")
• Why reading quality literature has been more valuable than industry experience for understanding human motivation

• Mafalda's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mafaldajohannsen
• Book: "Sales for People Who Don't Think They Have Talent" (Portuguese)
• Podcast: "A Day in the Life of a Buyer Persona"
• Book Recommendation: "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" by George Saunders

This quick survey helps uncover hidden buying triggers and competitive advantages without requiring extensive customer interviews. It provides valuable insights with minimal effort from both you and your customers.

1. Send a brief survey to current customers asking: "When did you look for our solution and why us over competitors?"
2. Analyse responses for patterns in timing of purchase decisions and competitive advantages
3. Use this data to refine your messaging and approach to prospects
4. Follow up with deeper interviews based on the most insightful responses

For more insights like Mafalda's approach to "professional stalking" and understanding buyer psychology, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter. Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.

Ever felt like you've lost touch with what truly makes you tick?

Salima Saxton transforms leaders by helping them reconnect with their authentic voice. As a Moth MainStage storyteller, actor, and relational dynamics coach, she bridges the gap between performative speaking and genuine communication that resonates deeply with audiences.

From forgetting what she liked during years of motherhood to now coaching female entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, Salima's journey proves that authenticity isn't about "vomiting out every aspect of yourself." Her work with Women Are Mad (a mental health movement with 15k followers and over 1 million podcast downloads) demonstrates how vulnerability creates powerful connections.

• Authenticity is for yourself first—it's about tuning into what makes you tick rather than performing for others
• Every seven years our cells renew completely, making authenticity a constantly evolving journey of self-discovery
• The most memorable speeches break all the "rules" but succeed through genuine connection and honesty
• The power of showing your foibles with humour creates stronger connections than projecting perfection

• Salima's Website: salimasaxton.com
• Women Are Mad Podcast: @womenaremad
• Women Are Mad Website: womenaremad.org
• Book: "The Year of Undoing" by Salima Saxton (forthcoming)
• Podcast Recommendation: This American Life

This simple but powerful exercise helps you reclaim your authentic preferences and boundaries. By practicing saying "no" to things that don't feel right, you'll develop stronger self-awareness and clearer communication.

Steps to Apply:

1. Identify something you feel a "no" about this week (can be small or significant)
2. Practice saying no clearly without over-explaining
3. Observe how it feels and what happens afterward
4. Notice if it becomes easier to recognise and honour your true preferences

For more insights on finding your authentic voice like Salima demonstrated, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter. Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.