Amy Edmondson: Mastering Psychological Safety

“Psychological safety is the belief that you can speak up without fear of humiliation or punishment. It’s essentially an environment where candor is expected. It’s not comfortable, it’s not easy, and it’s not an environment free from negative feedback. It’s a learning environment, and it’s being misused,” says Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor at Harvard Business […]

Ericka Hines: Transforming DEI: From Surviving to Thriving

“DEI is often seen as something off to the side—something we can easily discard because people still don’t always see its benefits,” says Ericka Hines, founder of Black Women Thriving. This week, she joins Alex Raymond to shed light on the vital role of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Drawing on over 14 years of experience, […]

Jim Barnett: Building a Thriving Workplace Culture

“I worked for people who have achieved a lot but didn’t seem all that happy in life,” shares Jim Barnett, a seasoned CEO with leadership roles at Wisq, Glint, and LinkedIn. This realization sparked a 35-year journey into happiness and consciousness, leading Jim to explore meditation and conscious leadership. Introduced to meditation by a monk […]

Ryan Gottfredson: The Courage to Grow

“Leadership isn’t about doing certain things; it’s about being a certain type of person,” says Ryan Gottfredson, a professor and consultant specializing in leadership development. In this episode, Ryan, the author of “Success Mindsets” and “The Elevated Leader,” sits down with Alex Raymond to explore vertical development—a powerful approach to growth that goes beyond just […]

Frederic Laloux: Reinventing Organizations

Traditional corporate hierarchies are being replaced by dynamic, self-managing organizations that embrace wholeness and evolutionary purpose, as explained by Frederic Laloux in this week’s episode of The Conscious Entrepreneur. Frederic, the author of Reinventing Organizations, joins Alex Raymond to mark the 10th anniversary of his influential book and discuss its impact on modern organizational management. […]

Shameen Prashantham: Dancing with Gorillas: Navigating Corporate-Startup Partnerships with Shameen Prashantham

Can startups truly innovate by partnering with corporate giants, or as Dr. Shameen Prashantham puts it, “dancing with gorillas”? In this episode, Dr. Prashantham, professor of International Business & Strategy at the China Europe International Business School, joins Alex Raymond to share his research on corporate-startup partnerships. They explore how these collaborations have evolved, emphasizing […]

Joshua Steinfeldt: The Psychology of Courage

Courage means choosing growth despite uncertainty. How can entrepreneurs adopt this mindset? Joshua Steinfeldt, a renowned coach and host of “The Courageous Life” podcast, joins Alex Raymond to discuss the psychology of courage, fear, and personal growth. Joshua’s coaching journey began during the 2008 economic downturn when he noticed fear as a prevalent challenge. This […]

Brenda Jacobsen: Preparing for M&A

“A bit of a puzzle around finding the right piece to fit and being willing to say no to the pieces that don’t—that was what got me excited about the M&A process,” says Brenda Jacobsen, the managing director of STS Capital Partners. “The last piece is just creating a win for all because there’s nothing […]

Evgeny Shadchnev: A Guide to CEO Succession

“Should I stay or should I go? Every founder asks themselves this question at one point or another,” says Alex Raymond, as he tackles the often taboo topic of CEO succession and transition with Evgeny Shadchnev, author of “Startup CEO Succession: A Founder’s Guide to Leadership Transition.” Evgeny shares his experience of stepping down as […]

Jason Shen: The Path to Pivot

“A pivot really is a second chance,” says Jason Shen, author of “Path to Pivot.” In this episode, Alex Raymond talks with Jason about the critical decision-making process of whether to continue, pivot, or close a business. Shen emphasizes leveraging assets and insights to create a market advantage, highlighting the rarity and value of a […]