Episode 177: Tackle High Attrition and Win with the Good Jobs System | Professor Zeynep Ton, MIT
Most companies treat labor as a cost to be minimized. Zeynep Ton has spent two decades proving that’s the most expensive mistake a business can make. Zeynep is a professor at MIT Sloan, founder of the Good Jobs Institute, and author of The Case for Good Jobs. Her research across retail, hospitality, and service industries […]
Episode 176: High Performance Starts with Self-Compassion | Dr. Kristin Neff
What if the quality that we’ve been told will weaken us – self-compassion – is actually the key to wellbeing, and higher performance? In this episode, Dr. Kristin Neff, the pioneering researcher who first defined and measured self-compassion, challenges one of the most persistent myths in high-performance culture: that being hard on yourself makes you […]
Episode 175: Feedback: The Big “F Word”—Mastering the Science of Growth with Dr. Brodie Riordan
Feedback is something we often crave yet simultaneously fear. In this episode, host Ashish Kothari sits down with Dr. Brodie Riordan, an industrial-organizational psychologist and author of Feedback Fundamentals and Evidence-Based Practices. Brodie pulls back the curtain on the academic research surrounding feedback to provide a practical, “chewed up” version that anyone can use. They […]
Episode 174: Mindfulness as the Ultimate Leadership Skill: Mastering the FLOW Framework with Pauline Leung
In this enlightening episode, host Ashish Kothari welcomes Pauline Leung, a former senior leader at L’Oreal turned high-performance coach and holistic health practitioner. Pauline shares her dramatic “wake-up call”—a motorbike accident in Vietnam—that shifted her from an overachieving, “victim-mindset” executive to a mindful leader. They demystify mindfulness, moving it away from “just meditation” to a […]
Episode 173: Redefining Success: From Hustle to Flourishing with Meghan French Dunbar
In this inspiring episode, host Ashish Kothari sits down with Meghan French Dunbar, a “business anthropologist,” entrepreneur, and author of This Isn’t Working. Meghan shares her powerful “metamorphosis” journey—from a high-achieving CEO burnt out by age 34 to a leader who centers flourishing as the primary driver of success. They explore why the current model […]
Episode 172: Why the Most Powerful Leader in the Room Is Also the Most Present| Sophie Maclaren
The most powerful leader in the room isn’t always the smartest—often, it’s the one who is most present. In this episode, Ashish Kothari is joined by Sophie MacLaren, a leadership consultant and mindfulness expert at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. They dive deep into why mindfulness is far more than just meditation, exploring how a […]
Episode 171: Beyond the Robotic Mask: How “Generator” Leaders Fuel High Performance with Dr. Katina Sawyer
Are you a leader who drains energy or one who generates it? In this episode, Ashish Kothari sits down with Dr. Katina Sawyer, co-author of Leading for Wellness, to redefine what it means to be a “Generator” leader. They explore how to bridge the gap between high performance and human-centric wellness by shedding the “robotic […]
Episode 170: The Human-Machine Partnership: Mastering Level 7 Leadership with Jack Swift
In this transformative episode, host Ashish Kothari welcomes Jack Swift—a West Point graduate, former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger, and tech CEO—to discuss his groundbreaking new book, Level 7 Leadership: The Blueprint for the Human-Machine Era. Jack argues that in an age of exponential AI growth, the most critical leadership skill isn’t “doing” more; it’s “being” […]
Episode 169: Mending the Broken Rung: Why the First Manager Promotion Defines Your Career with Kweilin Ellingrud
In this eye-opening episode of Flourishing Edge, host Ashish Kothari sits down with Kweilin Ellingrud, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and co-author of The Broken Rung. While much attention is paid to the “glass ceiling” at the top of organizations, Kweilin’s research reveals that the most significant barrier to women’s advancement—and specifically women of […]
Episode 168: Breaking the Menopause Silence: A Leader’s Guide to Peak Performance with Kacy Fleming
In this vital episode, host Ashish Kothari kicks off the new year by tackling a topic that affects half the global population but remains shrouded in “perimenopause blindness.” Guest Kacy Fleming, a healthcare veteran and founder of The Fuchsia Tent, shares her harrowing personal journey through a transition she wasn’t prepared for. Together, they break […]
