The Best of Minds Worth Meeting Season Two

What do the geek takeover, rethinking economies, unparalleled resilience, appreciating nostalgia while understanding our past and ensuring recognition and dignity for all have in common? 

They’re just a few of the memorable lessons we learned this past season on Minds Worth Meeting. Join us as our hosts Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis take a look back at our favorite moments of Season 3. 

In this episode:

• Renowned MIT researcher Andrew McAfee tells us about his new book, “The Geek Way” and why he’s an optimist about the technology of tomorrow.
• Acclaimed New Yorker writer and lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Nick Romeo discusses his latest book, “The Alternative”.
• Holocaust survivor and author Tova Friedman shares her lessons on how we can choose peace over hate and the message she gave to world leaders at the United Nations.
• NYU professor, social psychologist and author of “A More Just Future,” Dolly Chugh tells us what it means to be a “good-ish” person and why it’s important to appreciate the positives while acknowledging the negatives of our past.
• Harvard professor, sociologist and author of “Seeing Others,” Michèle Lamont tells us how taking the time to see others and give recognition and dignity to all can redefine the workplace.

Want to learn more about our guests? Click on a name below for their latest work and information on how your organization can work with them:

• Andrew McAfee
• Nick Romeo
• Tova Friedman
• Dolly Chugh 
• Michèle Lamont

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How can something seemingly as simple as recognition help to heal society's deep divides? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings has a conversation with sociologist and Harvard University professor Michèle Lamont. She tells us how taking the time to see others and give recognition and dignity to all can redefine the workplace, and even society, to be a more sustainable environment in which people can be their authentic selves and thrive.

 In this episode: 

• Michèle explains the long-term importance of recognition in the workplace as an aspect of good leadership.
• We discuss how it's the responsibility of all managers to create a workplace that acknowledges the dignity of all workers.
• Michèle tells us that stigmatization often begins with moral blaming, but narrative change can help us understand the differences between groups, a process that organizations play a central role in.

 Where to find Michèle Lamont: 

• Michèle Lamont's Website
• Michèle's book, "Seeing Others: How Recognition Works―and How It Can Heal a Divided World"
• Michèle Lamont on X (Twitter)
• Michèle's Harvard University Faculty Profile

Click or tap here to learn more about Michèle Lamont and how she equips companies with a unique, non-partisan perspective on how to create conditions where recognition, dignity, equality, respect, inclusion and destigmatization are actively promoted in empowering workplace environments. 

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How can we become ‘good-ish’ people? For that matter, what is a ‘good-ish’ person? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis speak with NYU Stern School of Business professor and social psychologist Dolly Chugh. She explains how being a ‘good-ish’ person allow us to better relate to others, become great leaders and understand a  past that hasn't always been one of beauty and honor. 

In this episode:

• Dolly explains what a ‘good-ish’ person is and how to become one.
• We talk about how to be a great boss by becoming more self-aware of how the way we show up to work impacts others.
• We reminisce about View-Master and Pillow Pets and discuss the connections we create by invoking nostalgia.
• Dolly then tells us that it is possible to appreciate nostalgia while taking important lessons from a complicated past.

Where to find Dolly Chugh

• Dolly Chugh’s “Dear Good People” newsletter
• Dolly’s book, “A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with Our Past and Driving Social Change“
• Dolly’s book, “The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias“

Click or tap here to learn more about Dolly Chugh and how she equips companies with strategies and techniques to become truly inclusive, effective leaders in their industry.

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It is possible to spread a message of hope from the greatest adversity possible. In this inspirational episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis and guest host Meg Virag speak with Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman about how to find hope in times of darkness.

In this episode:

• Tova tells us about the emotional process of writing her memoir, “The Daughter of Auschwitz“
• We talk about how her story became a sensation thanks to TikTok.
• We discuss the roots of hatred and how unchecked movements can lead to genocide.
• Tova shares the simple but powerful message she gave to world leaders at the United Nations.

Where to find Tova Friedman:

• Tova Friedman on TikTok
• The Daughter of Auschwitz: My Story of Resilience, Survival and Hope

Click or tap here to learn more about Tova Friedman and how her incredible story of survival inspires audiences around the world to recognize that natural resilience and the ability to overcome is within every one of us.

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Economics is inseparable from politics and philosophy, but we don’t have to be prisoners to what are assumed to be inevitable economic laws. As we kick off our third season of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with journalist and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism lecturer Nick Romeo about his new book, "The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy." 

In this episode: 

• Nick discusses how his background in ancient philosophy led him to become an investigative economic journalist.
• We talk about an Austrian village that is successfully experimenting with a jobs guarantee.
• We touch on a growing trend in business: perpetual purpose trusts - what they mean and how they can benefit employees. 
• Nick explains how the multi-billion dollar Mondragon Corporation has become one of the most successful worker cooperatives in the world. 

Where to find Nick Romeo:

• Nick Romeo's Personal Website
• Nick Romeo at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
• The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy

Click or tap here to learn more about Nick Romeo and how his deft command of international policy and economics makes him a sought-after expert on some of the most impactful issues of the day.
 
Subscribe to Minds Worth Meeting wherever you get your favorite podcasts to be the first to know when new episodes come out!
 

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Companies that are run by geeks are some of the most innovative, agile and scalable organizations today. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with renowned MIT researcher Andrew McAfee, author of “The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results.”

In this episode:

• Andy explains what “geeky leadership” is and how geeks have become the most consequential leaders in modern business.
• We talk about generative AI, how organizations can capitalize on it, and what leaders must understand first.
• We touch on the future of work and what people, currently employed or not, need to know to succeed in the workplaces of tomorrow. 
• We dip our toes into the future of tech and the potentially paradigm shifting systems that could come next.

Where to find Andrew McAfee:

• Andy’s personal website
• Andrew McAfee at MIT
• Andrew McAfee at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy

Click or tap here to learn more about Andy McAfee and how his keynotes, workshops and advisory sessions can help your organization weave emerging technologies like generative AI into your strategic vision, anchored by the transformative power of "geeky leadership."


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Exponential technology, modern communication and failing well – those were the themes we touched on in the second season of Minds Worth Meeting. Today, we’re taking a look back at the fascinating conversations we had with our expert guests to bring you the best of the season. 

In this episode:

• We revisit our conversation with technology analyst, investor and author of “The Exponential Age”, Azeem Azhar. We chatted about the exponential speed of technology advancement, how to use generative AI like ChatGPT to maximize efficiency at work and the future of energy prosperity.
• We listen back to the best bits of our talk with public relations expert and Rutgers University professor, Mark Beal, an authority on Gen-Z, and the modern methods of multi-channel communication.
• We share the best clips from our chat with Columbia University Creative Machines Lab Director, Hod Lipson, in which we touched on the (near) future of driverless cars, how AI can manipulate with love and if AI self-awareness is in the cards.
•  When Dean of the Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, Ayanna Howard, joined us she explained how AI has been around for a long time and touches just about everything, but regulation and unbiased development is of the utmost importance.
• The AI conversation this season turned to ethics when we welcomed AI ethicist and author of “Ethical Machines” Reid Blackman. He pointed out the difference between bad actors and accidental actors and emphasized the importance of organizations defining their worst-case scenarios when it comes to AI ethics. 
• We wrapped the season up with iconic Harvard Business School professor and author of the upcoming book, “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well,” Amy Edmondson. She explains what failing well is and the three types of failures – two of which you want to avoid. 

Click or tap here for more on Minds Worth Meeting, Stern Speakers & Advisors and Stern PR & Executive Visibility. 

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"Failure" doesn't have to be a bad word. In fact, failing well can lead to unexpected positive breakthroughs. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings speaks with Harvard Business School's Amy Edmondson, author of the upcoming book "Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well". 

In this episode: 

• Amy discusses the origins of her interest in studying one of today's most important organizational teaming topics - psychological safety.
• We discuss what failing well means and the science behind it.
• Amy gives us a few examples of the different types of failure, including a pair to avoid and what an "intelligent failure" is.
• Amy explains why hearing "failure is not an option" from a coach, parent or boss just serves to set up negative outcomes.

 
Where to find Amy Edmondson:

• Amy's personal website
• Amy at Harvard Business School
• Amy on Twitter
• Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well

Click or tap here to learn more about Amy Edmondson and how her keynotes, workshops and advisory sessions can help your organization build an environment of psychological safety, transparency and collaborative teaming, which ultimately leads to more effective operations, invested employees and a healthier bottom line.
 

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Artificial intelligence is spreading fast, but are ethical safeguards spreading as quickly as they should be? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with the founder and CEO of Virtue Ethics Consultancy and author of “Ethical Machines” Reid Blackman.

In this episode:

• Reid explains why the issue of ethics in AI has become so much more urgent in the last few months
• We discuss the differences between the impacts AI may have on society versus the impacts that business leaders should be thinking about
• Reid says while the AI genie is out of the bottle and it’s too late to put it back in, it’s not too late for business leaders to familiarize themselves with AI systems before implementing them
• Reid points out the difference between bad actors and “accidental actors”

Where to find Reid Blackman:

• Reid’s website
• Virtue Consultants
• Reid’s book “Ethical Machines: Your Concise Guide to Totally Unbiased, Transparent, and Respectful AI“

Click or tap here to learn more about Reid Blackman and how his keynotes, workshops and advisory sessions can help your organization mitigate the potential ethical risks of implementing AI systems into business.

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Have you ever wished you could sit down and have a conversation with one of the top robotics and AI engineers in the world? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting we do exactly that when Whitney Jennings speaks with former NASA engineer and the current Dean of The Ohio State University's College of Engineering, Dr. Ayanna Howard. 

In this episode:

• Ayanna explains that, while buzzy at the moment, artificial intelligence isn’t new. In fact, it’s just data and algorithms. In other words – the basis for all computers.
• She tells us what makes AI different now is that it’s seeping into areas such as healthcare, jobs and even our civil liberties like never before. “These are the things we need to be careful about,” she says.
• Dr. Howard delves into who should regulate AI – the industry, the government, or both?
• Finally, she tells our listeners the most important skill that engineers of the future should start learning today.

Where to find Dr. Ayanna Howard:

• Ayanna Howard on Twitter
• Ayanna Howard’s audiobook - “Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI”

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