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In this episode, Ellen is joined by author, streamer and her co-host on Beam Me Up, Gandalf!, Becca Allan, to explore a fictional universe that has been part of Becca’s life since childhood: Final Fantasy.

They talk about the characters who shaped Becca’s love of the series and influenced her creatively, including Tifa Lockhart, before diving into the different types of leadership across the games. From Tifa and Cloud to the even some supporting characters, they explore leadership, teamwork, responsibility and resilience in the face of identity crises.

They also look at what makes video games unique from a leadership perspective: unlike a film or TV series, you don’t just watch characters make decisions, you live them, make choices, build teams and experience situations through characters with their own personalities, strengths and leadership styles.

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This week Andrew and Ellen swing into the Spider-Verse to examine Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man Noir: heroes, emerging leaders, reluctant mentors, and different versions of what responsibility can become.

They explore whether Spider-Man is really a leader at all, asking when responsibility becomes over-functioning, when sacrifice becomes martyrdom, and what happens when talented young people are used but not properly nurtured. Along the way, they discuss mentoring, reverse mentoring, burnout, succession planning, kindness, cynicism, emotional honesty, and why “with great power comes great responsibility” is not much help if nobody teaches you how to carry it.

A layered, multiversal and surprisingly human leadership case study.

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In this episode of The Leadership Multiverse, Ellen is joined by keynote speaker, former military officer, intelligence specialist and business leader Stuart Barker to explore the leadership lessons of one of science fiction’s most unlikely heroes: Sarah Connor.

From waitress to warrior, protector to mentor, Sarah Connor’s journey across the Terminator franchise is a masterclass in leadership under pressure. She has no title, no formal authority and no special powers. Yet she becomes a leader capable of influencing others, preparing for an uncertain future and making difficult decisions in the face of overwhelming adversity.

If leadership is ultimately about influence, courage and preparing others for a future you may never see yourself, Sarah Connor might be one of science fiction’s most compelling leadership case studies.

Listen now for a fascinating discussion about crisis leadership, resilience and the power of purpose.

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