Are you constantly drowning in a sea of emails, back-to-back meetings, and an endless to-do list? Do you end the day feeling exhausted but not truly productive? You're not just busy; you're caught in the "crazy busy" trap—and it's costing you the relationships that fuel long-term success. In this episode from the archive, Andy Lopata is joined by leadership coach and author of The Crazy Busy Cure, Zena Everett, to diagnose and solve this modern epidemic. Zena breaks down why so many professional...
Jun 30, 2025•21 min•Ep. 287
Your career success depends on more than just your skills—it's built on the strength of your relationships. In this classic episode from the archives, Andy Lopata and MIT instructor Mark Herschberg, author of The Career Toolkit, break down the art of strategic networking inside your organisation. Discover why your internal connections are your greatest asset for unlocking hidden opportunities, gaining influence, and accelerating your career path. This is a masterclass in turning everyday interac...
Jun 23, 2025•29 min•Ep. 286
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata goes back to the archive to his interview with Nobel Laureate Dr Bob Lefkowitz where they discussed the power of storytelling and humour in science, mentorship, and leadership. Drawing from his memoir, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm, Bob shares captivating anecdotes, including the unforgettable moment his daughter got engaged at the Nobel Banquet. He emphasises how storytelling transforms raw data into compelling narrativ...
Jun 16, 2025•31 min•Ep. 285
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits his episode with Lee Cockrell, former Executive Vice President of Operations at Disney World. Andy and Lee discuss the power of storytelling in leadership. Drawing from his extensive experience at Disney, Lee highlights how storytelling is deeply embedded in Disney’s culture, shaping everything from guest experiences to employee training. He emphasises that storytelling isn’t just about entertainment—it’s a strategic tool that c...
Jun 09, 2025•32 min•Ep. 284
In this episode of the Connected Leadership Podcast, Andy Lopata welcomes guest Jenna Dominique, a pitch and communication expert, working with over 2,000 teams and individuals to become influential, high impact communicators. After starting her career as a broadcast journalist, Jenna’s dynamic background has led her to work with ambitious entrepreneurs to boards of directors, startups to global corporations. An international speaker and event host, she uses her breadth of experience to deliver ...
Jun 02, 2025•53 min•Ep. 283
In this episode, Andy Lopata revisits his conversation with Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Catalyst and author of In Her Own Voice: A Woman’s Rise to CEO. Their conversation explores the unique challenges women face in advancing their careers, emphasising the critical role of sponsorship over mentorship. Jennifer shares personal and professional insights on how external biases often become internalised, holding women back from advocating for themselves. She highlights the importance of visibility, se...
May 26, 2025•27 min•Ep. 282
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, we go back to the archive to revisit a conversation with human potential expert Nikki Bush who joined Andy Lopata to explore the challenges and opportunities of leading in a hybrid world. Nikki highlights how leaders often fall into the trap of over-scheduling meetings, leading to burnout and reduced productivity. She emphasises the importance of high-touch leadership—deep listening, emotional presence, and building trust through intentional one-on-...
May 19, 2025•28 min•Ep. 281
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata looks back at his podcast episode with Neil Wilkie, a former successful businessman turned psychotherapist and relationship coach. Neil shares his journey from chasing financial success to prioritising purpose after realising material achievements left him unfulfilled. He introduces his Relationship Paradigm, a framework identifying six elements for thriving relationships: communication, connection, commitment, fun, growth, and trust. Th...
May 12, 2025•21 min•Ep. 280
In this episode of the Connected Leadership Podcast, Andy Lopata welcomes Rory Murray, Rory has more than 25 years’ experience across Europe, Middle East, Africa, plus the US, Canada and India. He has worked with some of the world's largest companies, delivering change and transformation projects in multiple sectors including Government, Telecoms, Power, Internet, Oil and Gas. Andy and Rory explore the critical role of relationship-building in leading successful projects. Rory shares insights fr...
May 05, 2025•49 min•Ep. 279
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata talks to Jodie Rogers, founder of Symbia and author of The Hidden Edge. With two decades of expertise in human behaviour, Jodie shares how leaders can navigate uncertainty and build emotionally intelligent, agile teams. She emphasises the value of emotional and social intelligence, strong professional relationships and mental fitness in driving performance and resilience. “The Edge” is Symbia’s practical, low-cost program designed to hel...
Apr 28, 2025•29 min•Ep. 278
Welcome to another exciting episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, where we are exploring the future of work, the role of leadership in navigating these changes, and how to seize future opportunities instead of fearing them. Our guest this week is PwC's Global Workforce Leader, Peter Brown. Pete leads a team of over 10,000 professionals supporting businesses with their workforce challenges. He has over 25 years of global experience advising clients around a number of workforce disciplines. He al...
Apr 21, 2025•25 min•Ep. 277
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits his interviews with Jennifer Sundberg, Co-CEO of Board Intelligence and author of Collective Intelligence: Build a Business That's Smarter Than You. Jennifer advocates for leveraging the collective brainpower of teams rather than relying solely on superstar leaders. She sites examples from Apple and Amazon, where groundbreaking ideas like the iPhone and Amazon Prime emerged from teams, not just their iconic founders. Andy and Je...
Apr 14, 2025•21 min•Ep. 276
In this episode of the Connected Leadership Podcast, Andy Lopata welcomes Sri Chellappa, President and Co-Founder of Engagedly, a performance management software company, and also a passionate entrepreneur, filmmaker, musician, and people leader. He is the host of "The People Strategy Leaders" podcast, discussing the concept of ikigai and its application in creating meaningful workplaces. Ikigai, a Japanese philosophy is centred on finding purpose and can be adapted for organisational use. Sri o...
Apr 07, 2025•42 min•Ep. 275
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits his conversation with Lawrence Krubner, author of One to One Meetings are Underrated, Group Meetings are a Waste of Time. Lawrence, a seasoned CTO and fractional CTO for startups, shares his expertise on the inefficiencies of large meetings and advocates for more focused, smaller interactions. Excessive meetings cost the U.S. economy $3 trillion annually, and Lawrence emphasises that large gatherings often lead to wasted time an...
Mar 31, 2025•20 min•Ep. 274
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits his conversation with Daniela Landher, a former head of talent engagement at Google and now an executive coach specialising in psychological safety at work. They discuss the importance of embracing failure as a means to foster innovation and growth within organisations. Daniela shares insights on creating psychologically safe environments where employees feel comfortable discussing mistakes without fear of repercussions. The con...
Mar 24, 2025•25 min•Ep. 273
Welcome back to another episode of the Connected Leadership Podcast. Today’s episode is a little special. We’re part of Podcaston, an awesome initiative where over 1,600 podcasters come together to support incredible causes. For me, this hits close to home because I’ve had the privilege of working with one of those causes—The Fiorentini Foundation—as both a trustee and currently as an ambassador. Joining me is Anna Fiorentini, the founder of the Anna Fiorentini Film and Theatre School and its ch...
Mar 17, 2025•28 min
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes host Andy Lopata talks to Frank Agin, a connector and founder of AM Business Connections, about building meaningful relationships and networking with impact. They explore the dual meaning of "connection"—both as human bonding and strategic engagement. Frank emphasises shifting from a transactional mindset ("What can I get?") to a relational one ("What can I give?"), stressing that trust and empathy are foundational. He shares the three reasons people...
Mar 10, 2025•24 min•Ep. 271
In this episode of the Connected Leadership Podcast, Andy welcomes Amy Rowlinson, Shining a light on what is possible when you focus on ‘why’, Amy Rowlinson empowers people to forge their own path to create a purposeful, sustainable and fulfilling way of life. As a life purpose coach, podcast strategist and podcaster, Amy's mission is to gift a living legacy of inspiration, insight and knowledge. On her podcast, Focus on WHY, Amy provides uplifting and relatable conversations designed to inspire...
Mar 03, 2025•48 min•Ep. 270
Andy Lopata revisits his interview with Charlotte Kemp in this episode of the Connected Leadership Bytes. Charlotte is a Futures Alchemist and international keynote speaker and shares her insights into futures thinking, distinguishing between trends and fads, and how leaders can prepare for an uncertain future. Key Takeaways: 1. Understanding Futures Thinking: Charlotte explains that everyone is a natural futurist, because we all plan for the future in some way. However, becoming more intentiona...
Feb 24, 2025•21 min
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata welcomes Rebecca Morgan, a renowned author and leadership expert, to investigate the concept of psychological safety in the workplace. Rebecca shares insights from her extensive research on Silicon Valley's highest-performing companies, emphasising that psychological safety is crucial for fostering innovation and collaboration. Rebecca explains psychological safety as an individual's perception that their team is safe for risk-taking, wh...
Feb 17, 2025•20 min•Ep. 268
Welcome to the Connected Leadership podcast with Andy Lopata. This week, Andy looks back at his interview with former radio broadcaster and inspirational speaker, Simone Heng, author of the book Secret Pandemic: The Search for Connection in a Lonely World. Simone shares with Andy, the importance of human connection and how it affects our leadership and personal development. Simone talks about her experiences being both the critic and the criticised. She examines the importance of being vulnerabl...
Feb 10, 2025•23 min•Ep. 267
In this episode of the Connected Leadership Podcast, host Andy Lopata welcomes Greg Williams, ‘The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert.’ With 30+ years of experience, Greg has trained and consulted in 19 countries, helping people enhance their value and get more from every negotiation. A Harvard-trained negotiator, cited by Forbes, and ranked among the world's top 30 gurus in negotiation and body language, he's a celebrated author, speaker, and trainer. Greg's insights come from a wealt...
Feb 03, 2025•46 min•Ep. 266
In this episode of the Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata looks back at his interview with Kevin Gaskell, serial entrepreneur, author, and adventurer. Kevin discusses his record-breaking row across the Atlantic, focusing on the lessons learnt that are applicable to business, particularly how smaller businesses can compete with larger giants. Kevin shares how his initial reluctance to row transformed into a world-record attempt, driven by a serendipitous conversation and the desire to explor...
Jan 27, 2025•27 min•Ep. 265
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits the episode with LaTonya Kilpatrick, Worldwide Director of Technology Research and Innovation at Colgate Palmolive. LaTonya, a chemist by training, discusses the critical role of strong partnerships, both internal and external, in her work to develop better oral care solutions. She emphasises that effective partnerships begin with understanding each party's motivations, curiosity, and what they can gain from collaboration. LaTon...
Jan 20, 2025•25 min•Ep. 264
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits his interview with Michael Roderick, host of the "Access to Anyone" podcast, exploring the dynamics of recommendations and referrals. Michael, who transitioned from a high school teacher to a Broadway producer, shares his insights on how to build a personal brand that encourages people to recommend you. Andy and Michael note that people like to feel useful, not used. It's crucial to focus on the benefit you provide to clients ra...
Jan 13, 2025•27 min•Ep. 263
Welcome back to the Connected Leadership Podcast! We kick off 2025 with a returning guest, commercial mediator Jane Gunn, who joins Andy Lopata to discuss her new book, "The Mole and the Mountain." This parable explores the journey of overcoming obstacles and finding personal fulfillment, offering valuable insights for goal setting and personal growth in the New Year. Jane explains the two key principles of mediation that underpin the book: self-determination and being fully informed. She introd...
Jan 06, 2025•43 min•Ep. 262
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata revisits his interview with Malcolm Palmer on making Making Your Business Less Dependent On You. Andy and Malcolm discuss the challenges of business ownership, stress management, and the importance of strong professional relationships. Andy shares his personal journey of learning to cope with stress, highlighting the need to recognise both conscious and unconscious stress signals. Andy also emphasises the importance of vulnerable leaders...
Dec 30, 2024•23 min•Ep. 261
In this episode, Andy Lopata revisits his guest interview with Melina Palmer on The Brainy Business Podcast, to explore the power of connected leadership. Andy, a master of networking, discusses his approach to building genuine, helpful relationships for both career advancement and business growth. He emphasises emphasizes that executive success depends on the network one builds, which goes beyond surface-level contacts. Andy shares insights on fostering "connected leadership" by surrounding you...
Dec 23, 2024•23 min•Ep. 260
This episode of Connected Leadership Bytes features a revisit of Andy's conversation with Melva Lajoy Legrand, a leading event planner. Andy and Melva discuss the art of creating authentic connections, not just at large-scale events but also within teams and with individual relationships. Melva emphasises the importance of designing experiences that make people feel seen, valued, and heard. She shares practical strategies for event organisers, including using icebreakers that encourage storytell...
Dec 16, 2024•22 min•Ep. 259
In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Lisa Fane, CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence, and her colleague Michelle Hancock interview Andy Lopata. They discuss the importance of professional relationships, networking, and mentoring. Focusing on building authentic connections, understanding the difference between networking and professional relationships, and the concept of a personal board of advisors. Andy shares strategies for maintaining professional networks, the role of vulnera...
Dec 09, 2024•27 min•Ep. 258
