Kelly welcomes Scott Barry Kaufman back to the podcast to talk about his new book “Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential.”  “We’re living in a time when we identify so strongly with our victimhood that our potential has taken a back seat to our pain.”  “There’s big money in trauma […]
Kelly connects with Raffi Grinberg, a business leader, author, and educator based in Washington, DC. When teaching at Boston College, Raffi created a popular class called “Adulting 101.” He’s turned the teachings from that class into the book, “How to Be a Grownup.”  “Many newly minted adults are more educated than ever, yet more lost […]
Kelly talks to former Gap executive Abby Davison, who has co-written a book with legendary Stanford University Professor Myra Strober called, “Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life’s Biggest Decision” “Talking about money often ranks high on the list of least favorite conversations.”  “Productive fighting is better for a relationship than poor communication.”  “We can’t make […]
Kelly connects with CEO Wes Adams and Professor Tamara Myles about their new book, “Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee.”  “Trust at work – like in improv – is the oil that keeps the gears turning smoothly.”  “Storytelling can be a powerful tool to create belonging.”  “Micromanagement is a meaning […]
Kelly gets courageous with former Google executive Jenny Wood to talk about her new book, “Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It.”  “Wild courage will change your life.”  “Serendipity isn’t found; it’s made.”  “Success mindset precedes success.” 
Kelly talks with Dr. Sandy Jo MacArthur and Dr. Luanne Pannell from the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Second City’s Tyler Dean Kempf about the work we’re doing together bringing improvisation into the Policing Leadership Academy.  “Cops are dropped into a scene and they have to improv every single thing they do in the […]
Kelly connects with The Atlantic journalist Olga Khazan whose new book, “Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change,” follows her as she attempts to change her own personality including taking improv classes in order to boost her extroversion.  “Improv taught me I can rely on others to supply their side of the […]
Kelly welcomes Martha Jones back to the podcast. She is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and professor of history at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. We spoke to her last about her book “Vanguard.” Her new book is called “The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir.”  “So much of the historical record was […]
Kelly connects with Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware. Her research interests include political media effects, public opinion, political satire and the psychology of political humor. Her books include Irony and Outrage and Wrong. She’s also an improviser.  “First rule of comedy: know your audience.”  “We – all of us – are […]
Kelly talks to University of Michigan Professor Ethan Kross about his new book: “Shift: Managing Your Emotions – So They Don’t Manage You.” “Emotions aren’t good or bad; they are just information.”  “There are things you can control and things you can’t. Emotions are both.”  “The effect music has on our emotions feels like magic.” 
Kelly goes behind the scenes of Alzheimer’s research with science writer Charles Piller whose new book is called “Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s.”  “Disproving someone else’s experiment can be a death wish in science.”  “Most academic bio-scientists depend on the National Institute of Health to keep the lights on.”  “Eleven […]
Kelly hosts a special Valentine’s Day Bonus Pod with professors Eli Finkel and Paul Eastwick who host the “Love Factually” podcast. Eli and Paul are relationship scientists at Northwestern and The University of California, Davis. Their podcast looks at a modern romantic comedy each week through the lens of the science of relationships.  “Relationship outcomes […]
Kelly connects with Dr. Steven J. Heine, Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of British Columbia. They discuss his new book, “Start Making Sense: How Existential Psychology Can Help Build Meaningful Lives in Absurd Times.” “The world seems confusing, and people no longer seem to agree on the basic facts of what is […]
Kelly talks about workplace fairness with Harvard’s Siri Chilazi, who co-wrote the book “Make Work Fair: Data-Driven Design for Real Results” with Iris Bohnet. “Very few people are against fairness, but we don’t all agree on what it entails.”  “The biggest determinant of remote work is education.”  “Bias from above is complemented by bias from below.” 
Kelly converses with Kalifa Oliver, an international experience coach, executive advisor, keynote speaker, author and expert in building brilliant experiences using people-centered design and analytics. Her new book is called, “I Think I Love My Job: Secrets to Designing a People-Centered Employer Value Proposition (That You Can Actually Boast About.” “You simply cannot predict the […]
Kelly connects with Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks, who studies the science of conversation. Her new book is called “TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves.” “Conversation is an ongoing act of co-creation.”  “We’re all making it up as we go along.”  “People who ask more questions are better liked.”
Kelly sits down with Kurt Gray, a professor in psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. He has a new book, “Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common […]
Kelly connects with Dr. Sunita Sah, an award-winning professor at Corenell University and an expert in organizational psychology. She is also a trained physician, who practiced medicine in the UK. She has a new book, it’s called “Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes.”  “A True no is a process, not a […]
Kelly starts the new year talking about effective communication skills with Michael Chad Hoeppner, CEO and founder of GK Training. He teaches his unique approach to communications at Columbia University Business School in the PhD and MBA programs and coaches the faculty. He has a new book, “Don’t Say Um: How to Communicate Effectively to Live a Better […]
Kelly sits down with Richard Cytowic, MD, Professor of Neurology at George Washington University and the author of “Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age.” “Screens act like secondhand smoke.”  “Waldorf Schools may be the best kept secret in education.”  “You cannot rush learning any more than you can accelerate thinking.” 
Kelly talks to Aylon Samouha, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Transcend Education. Previously he served as Chief Schools Officer at Rocketship Education. He is the co-author of “Extraordinary Learning for All: How Communities Design Schools Where Everyone Thrives.”  “Students today report higher levels of stress and anxiety than ever before.”  “Employability is based on more than […]
To celebrate The Second City’s 65th anniversary, Kelly sits down with the members of the legendary theatre’s creative leadership team to talk about how each of them found their way to The Second City. “Ensemble lay at the heart of the work at Second City.” “The Second City’s creative process is sacred to the work […]
Kelly Leonard interviews Bob Moesta about his book 'Job Moves,' exploring the complexities of career transitions and the importance of self-awareness. Moesta discusses analyzing one's energy sources, cataloging capabilities, and reframing perceived liabilities. The conversation covers the need for skills-based hiring, understanding personal strengths, and leveraging diverse relationships for career progress.
Kelly sits down with Stephan Meier, the James P. Gorman Professor of Business Strategy and the chair of the management division at Columbia Business School. Previously, Meier worked at the Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision-Making at the Federal Reserve Bank. HIs new book is called “The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive.”  […]
Kelly connects with Ravin Jesuthasan, a recognized futurist and authority on the future of work, human capital and automation. He is Senior Partner and Global Leader for Transformation Services at Mercer and a member of the World Economic Forum’s steering committee on work and employment. He is the author of many books and his latest is called “The […]
Kelly sits down with Alok Sama, the former President and CFO of SoftBank Group International to discuss his new book ‘The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble.” “Impressing powerful men is a core skill for investment bankers.” “The world romanticizes the causal relationship between adversity and breakout success.”  “Money doesn’t talk, it swears.” 
Kelly welcomes Boston University professor David Livermore back to the podcast to discuss the latest edition of his successful leadership book, “Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success.” “I sometimes ask executives, ‘Will anyone tell you your joke isn’t funny?’”  “At its core, culture intelligence is about how we connect with another as humans.”  […]
Kelly sits down with old friend Mike Thomas to talk about “Carson the Magnificent,” a book about the iconic talk show host Johnny Carson. The legendary Bill Zehme began the book but never finished it. Years after Bill’s death, Mike was brought on board to complete the book. “And so, like sun and moon and […]
Kelly talks with Lindsey Cormack, a tenured professor of Political Science at Stevens Institute of Technology about her latest book “How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It’s Up to You to Do It).” “Politics doesn’t have to feel as dire as it sometimes does.”  “The system of voting is too complicated.”  “It’s hard to trust something you […]
Kelly connects with journalist Sarah Jaffe who wrote the best seller “Work Won’t Love You Back.” They talk about her new book “From The Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire.” “In accepting loss we make possible the future.”  “We carry our ghosts with us everywhere.”  “There is no love without pain or […]
